am i the only one still reading?

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Operation Waypoint hijack is in effect!

you just might be.

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Whenever a thread was hijacked and there were big quote boxes and lots of flame, I was there!

Rank:Master Hijacker

GT: I DFang I

http://averagejoesgames.com

Chapter 14


They returned to their temporary hideout in the Northern Forest, and the three quickly took inventory of their raid. As far as weapons went: four different variants of the M6 pistol series, two mid-size sub machine guns of unknown make, a handful of attachment suppressors, a satchel of remote-activated explosives, two cutting torches, and all the ammo they could ever need. Along with the munitions they had found some light body armor and a few of those interesting energy shields.

Killian was up to his armpits in computer gear and loved every minute of it. Over the next hour, he spent his time weeding out the useless and cramming the useful into a backpack that must have weighed him down considerably, but he offered no complaints.

Maya and Caitrin had opted for cleaning the weapons and loading clips in preparation for the upcoming intrusion. They remained relatively quiet, and Caitrin could tell the other two were growing as anxious as she was.

The raid on the bunker had given Caitrin a good first impression on their teamwork, and she felt more confident in their success than last night. But the reality of the entire situation was beginning to drape over her like a giant spider web. She knew struggling would only further her entanglement, and Caitrin tried not to think too heavily on her own doubts.

But the doubts were there. They were definitely there.

Trying to navigate through an underground compound controlled by a different breed of Insurrectionists was enough to give anyone second thoughts. A healthy fear for the unknown was normal, but coupled with the absolute need for victory made Caitrin's mind race to places she had thought long abandoned. She had overcome so much since setting off on Emissary; so many emotional walls and feelings of inadequacy had been reduced to rubble.

But now, Morcant's lovely face was hovering before her mind's eye. The very idea of him being alive had lifted her spirits tenfold and had let her finally sleep soundly. Her anxiety came when contemplating that very fact. She had buried him, tried her best to move past the most sorrowful moments in her life, and all of that was taking center stage, almost mocking her. She knew the joy at seeing Morcant again would be enough to quell those voices, but until she held his hands and kissed his face, she would have her doubts.

For we walk by faith, not by sight, she repeated to herself automatically. But the Bible verse did little to hide the fact that for proof of Morcant being alive, she would have to see him to believe it.

"Pass me that suppressor, will you?"

Caitrin snapped out of her daze with a shake of her head. She followed Maya's request and handed her the ten centimeter-long barrel. The cool metal sent a shiver up Caitrin's arm. "How many is that?"

Screwing the suppressor on the tip of an SMG, she nodded her head several times, counting. "This is the last one." Maya set the weapon down on the floor and started loading up a clip full of standard rounds from an ammo box. "Killian, you about done?"

The teenager was sitting cross-legged on the floor soldering one of the visors they had collected with the armor. His face contorted sourly when a plume of smoke reached his nostrils. He gave a short cough and wafted away the smoke. "Almost. I have one more to do," he answered.

"Good."

Caitrin smiled at Killian, but he was already back to work. The youth was more than adept at the tech responsibility. He had adapted three of the Palace Security headsets with his own private encryption, and he assured both women that Donagh would be able to communicate with them should they need his help.

Caitrin didn't voice her opinion on the matter.

Killian had also procured an archaic-looking compad, one with a blue screen, and he identified it as a special type. "The systems the Palace once used ran off these old controllers," he had said. "If the Innies haven't come up with their own network and they're siphoning off the existing one, then this will make it that much easier." Now he was fidgeting with the visors, giving them their own personal heads-up-display to rest over their left eye.

"Where did you learn all this stuff?" Caitrin asked, already on her second clip.

Killian shrugged. "Mostly from Donagh, but I read a lot." His reply came without as much looking up.

Maya and Caitrin looked at each other and cracked smiles. Killian was fully enveloped in his little Tech World, far from civilization and means of proper communication.

Maya returned to loading a clip full of rounds, and Caitrin watched the older woman's hands move with practiced ease. Caitrin didn't second-guess Maya's military résumé, nor did she doubt Killian's skill with technology. What she found deep inside herself was an ever-growing worry that she might let them down, let Morcant down, let herself down.

But what she lacked in experience, she made up with determination. She resigned to that fact and sat up, cracking her back in the process.

Maya had finished with the last clip and set it down in the ammo pile on the floor. "Okay, let's get one thing straight." She waited to go on until Killian had lowered the compad from his eyes and powered off the screen. She was still silent for a couple breaths before speaking. "This is going to be highly dangerous," she started, keeping her gaze fixed on some spot on the ground. "I never really pictured things to go this way. Hell, none of us did. But we're here and I've accepted the risk as necessary." Maya looked at Killian, then Caitrin. "Our goal is to find Morcant Lann and extract him. Make no mistake, we'll be walking into a lion's den."

She sighed and her posture deflated a bit. "I've seen my share of bloodshed and I'm prepared to see more, but I doubt both of you have seen real combat up close."

Caitrin's nose wrinkled at Maya casual assumption of her greenness. But she's right. Caitrin glanced down at Killian. His back had stiffened and she could see tension in his neck make its way up to his brow.

"We'll do our best to avoid a firefight, but remember that any hesitation could get you killed," Maya continued, not picking up on the dark mood that had settled over Killian. "These Innies are the enemy. You shoot to kill, got it?"

Caitrin nodded, feeling a sourness slosh over her molars.

"Copy," Killian said mechanically. He lifted his head and his eyes blazed with a fiery intensity. "No hesitation at all."

Maya regarded him with a curious stare, then slapped her hands down on her thighs. "Alright, so let's go over the plan."

Killian snapped out of his stupor and activated his compad. "Right. Same as before: we enter via the entry point Donagh identified. He says the area is currently clear of activity, but once we leave and actually see it, we should have a better idea." Killian buried his forehead in the palm of his left hand. "I know, that sounded stupid."

"Why are we not waiting for nightfall?" Caitrin asked with a polite laugh.

"People that live underground don't run on the same internal clock as you and I. Security will be tight no matter when we enter," Maya explained. She pointed to the screen on Killian's compad. "Have you or Donagh been able to get a blueprint of the facility?"

Killian shook his head. "Apart from doing a seismic scan, we won't know till we drop through the hatch."

"Like Alice tumbling down the rabbit hole," Caitrin commented.

Maya gave her a sideways glare. "Let's hope not." She stood up and stretched her arms high above her head, eliciting a few pops and cracks. "We'll just have to be careful." Maya looked at her watch. "Let's grab a quick bite, then move out."

 

 

 

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***



It was noon, and the midday sun offered its best effort to break through the leafy canopy overhead. The tendrils of light that did pass through where random and few. The air was comfortably dry as the three-member team made its way through the ever-thickening forest. Fallen branches snapped underneath booted feet, and leaves rustled with each step.

Killian was out in front, holding a scanner in one hand and a navigation device in the other. Maya and Caitrin were flanking him, the former with an SMG and the latter with a pistol. Both weapons were silenced with suppressors.

Killian came to an abrupt stop next to a tree and sunk down in the foliage. Both women were quickly at his side. "Just up ahead," he motioned with an upraised chin. "That's our entry point."

Maya craned her neck and squinted her eyes. "Where?"

"Fifty meters directly in front of us. Hold on." Killian set both his tools down and linked them together with a cable. He opened up a chest pocket, pulled out a monocular, and raised it to his right eye. "At the base of that smaller tree. You see it? The one with faded-red bark."

Caitrin frowned. "They all have that color of bark."

He handed her the monocular and stretched out his arm to give her a reference point. "You see the pattern on that tree?"

"I do," Caitrin replied, nodding. Through the lens' amplification, she could make out a circular marking with a line coming up through the base. It looked uncomfortable familiar but she could figure out why. She handed the monocular to Maya.

Looking through the glass she said, "Sensor readings?"

Killian picked up the scanner and nodded once. "Aside from the local wildlife, there's no one within a half-click distance."

Maya handed him back the monocular. "And the seismic scan?"

His linked devices chimed on queue. "Hmm," was his only response.

"Yes?"

"Well, the program didn't really get a good reading, but it might just be that the underground facility is shield to prevent such a thing," he explained, typing more data into his compad. "Other than that, I pickup no energy signatures that would represent alarms or locks."

"But there could be passive sensors, right?" Caitrin offered.

Maya nodded. "Stay close and step lightly." She took the lead, making her way very slowly, often pausing to listen to the sounds of the forest. Her two shadows followed orders and stayed within arm's reach at all times.

As it turned out, there were no sensors they could detect or find, and Caitrin found that more disturbing than comforting. Their way in looked to be no more than a ventilation shaft. The circular hatch, with faded, unrecognizable markings, had a weathered, mechanical latch.

Caitrin frowned as the three surrounded the closed, meter-wide shaft. "I thought Donagh said this was a secret entrance." She waved a hand at the latch. "To me, this is very utilitarian."

Killian knelt down and hammered the keys on his compad. "Hold on, I'm getting an answer to my inquiry . . . "

Maya kept her eyes panning their surroundings. "It probably does double duty. Keeps someone who might stumble upon the hatch to think of it as a well or something," she said not too convincingly.

Killian's compad beeped.

Maya glared at him. "You might want to turn the audio alerts off," she said sternly.

He nodded. "Done." Killian examined the latch with another hand-held sensor device. "Okay, what we have here is a ventilation shaft set on a timed release, most likely for the later evening hours. They must use it as part of an environmental system, you know, like how an old submarine would circulate its air supply?"

"So we have to wait till it opens in order to get it," Maya stated. She sighed in frustration.

Killian, his eyes still on the screen of his compad, held up a hand. "There is a passcode required, one that they would use to open for maintenance purposes, but that might raise an internal red flag." He typed away. "What I can do, is speed up the timecode so it will think it's nighttime."

"Do it," Maya ordered.

Caitrin sneaked a look at Killian's screen and watched the clock's numbers scroll up incredibly fast. With a soft puff of air, the latch retracted and the hatch ponderously opened. The air smelled musty with a trace of that familiar sulfuric scent. The filtered sunlight shining from above bounced off the interior of the shaft and illuminated the darkness below.

Maya poked her head in, surveyed with adjusting eyes, and waved both of them forward. "There's no lift, so we'll just use the rungs there," she said, pointing to the metal bars jutting out of the shaft's wall. "Three?"

Killian looked puzzled, then nodded and pulled up his seismic reader. "This drops for 30 meters, then branches off in three different directions." He stuffed his equipment in his backpack and hoisted the straps tighter. "Once we're on level ground I'll tap into their emergency exit listings and get a map without raising--"

"--Any red flags. Got it," Maya finished for him. "Onward. Er, downward, that is."

 

 

 

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***

 

Caitrin's feet landed hard on the grated floor, but she managed to soften the impact by bending her knees. She quickly moved off to the side to accommodate space for Killian's leap from the bottom rung of the shaft. He landed off balanced, but Caitrin steadied him with an outstretched hand.

"Thanks," he said. He got on one knee and pulled his compad and other sensor gear from his backpack. "I'll have the layout of this place in no time."

Maya, a few steps away, nodded. "Make it quick."

Caitrin frowned at Maya's succinctness. But when she got her first real look at the three large tunnels that branched off of the shaft, Caitrin shuddered. Expecting to find the same tunnel design found underneath the Palace incorporated here, she was taken aback by the antithesis she saw.

At the bottom of the shaft, the area opened up into a three-way junction point for three matching tunnels. Pipes and conduits of various sizes running to infinity mostly hid the ceiling above. The ground was earthen and hard as rock.

The walls, however, was what made Caitrin shudder. Stone statues of individuals were arrayed along the length of the gray walls, most holding some form of weapon or tool. Roughly double the size of the average human, the figures towered over whomever entered the tunnels . . .

And the faces had all been shattered, carved away. Some heads were completely removed, violently, if Caitrin could guess.

"A warning?" Caitrin asked Maya quietly.

Maya just stared and studied the statues. "Perhaps," she offered.

The fact that Maya was so calm in the face of such a disturbing sight made Caitrin force down the burning sensation in the back of her throat.

"Three, do have that map ready?" Maya asked impatiently.

"Two seconds." Killian stood up and kept his eyes on the compad screen, oblivious to his surroundings. "There . . ." he trailed off as he looked up. "Whoa."

"Indeed," Maya said. "Which way?"

Killian held out his compad for Maya and continued looking at the different tunnels with defaced statues. "What happened here?"

"Beats me." Maya tapped the compad on Killian's shoulder. "Hey, stay focused. This really didn't help," she said, pointing to the flashing dot on screen.

"Sorry," Killian apologized. "Let me do this."

Caitrin flinched as the small optical overlay covering her left eye flickered to life. Its inactivity had made her forget all about the enhancement, but now its usefulness would finally come into play. A small, upside-down triangle appeared to the left with a metric distance reading. "Hmm."

"I've also uploaded the map of the area into your headsets," Killian explained. "I'll have to recalibrate ever few hundred meters, though. It shouldn't take long to do."

"Good, cause the longer we take to get to the target, the higher our chances of detection." Maya pointed to the left-most tunnel. "C'mon."

As Caitrin walked between the rows of marred statues, she noticed the glowpanels angled up to cast shadows on the ceiling, giving a haunting appearance to their slim frames. It came off as some type of Valhalla, a place for the fallen. She swallowed and kept pace with Maya.

The tunnel looked to go on forever, and the waypoint counter seemed to be moving at a snails pace, counting in ten's of meters. What was even more unsettling was the ever-present statues still lining the tunnel walls. There must be hundreds, if not thousands.

Up ahead, there was a break in the repetitious pattern. The tunnel opened up into a rectangular foyer with large metal doors to the sides, and an ancient set of steps vanished directly forward into the depths of the planet. The stairway looked long abandoned, being swallowed in the darkness, while the pair of doors looked worn with use.

Killian walked over to the door on their left, pulling out another electronic device. He pressed it against the panel on the wall next to the door and waited for the sequence of lights on his device to all glow green. The door shuddered then began to retract into the ceiling with a few random squeaks and moans. "Go ahead, it's clear. I don't detect anyone on the other side," he said, waving them on.

Maya, her sub machine gun in hand, was first through.

Caitrin pulled out her silenced pistol and followed, but managed a passing glance at Killian's compad. its numbers scrolling up awfully fast. "What are you doing?"

"I'm keeping the door open," he said with a smirk.

"Right," Caitrin said slowly. "Is there a double meaning to that fact?"

"Two, let's go," Maya insisted.

Killian shrugged. "How else is Donagh going to follow our progress?" He detached the wall-mounted device and pocketed it. "Don't keep One waiting," he added, slipping past her in the doorway.

Caitrin frowned, and her expression deepened as the door lowered to seal them off from the foyer. "Hey, Three," she called after him, "you want to explain that?"

Maya swore under her breath and jogged back to where Killian and Caitrin stood. "Keep it down!" she hissed. Maya looked at Caitrin with a stern face. "What's this all about?"

Caitrin held her stare with Killian. "You tell her, Two."

Killian shrugged again, this time more mechanical than relaxed. "I'm keeping the system open like a water network. You know, like valves that need turned to accept the flow?" He turned to Maya. "If we get in a pinch, Donagh can use his own skills to "wet" their system, so to speak. He's much better at this than I am. He's helped me in the past crack passcodes of sealed Palace doors, so having him in their network would be much better."

Maya bit her lower lip for a second. "They won't detect such an intrusion?"

Killian shook his head adamantly. "I stationed a transmitter at our entry point. Nothing too powerful, but enough to get a feed to and from a junction point Donagh can operate with. Once he's in, he's in." He waved back to the closed door. "This door just required a simple passcode, but the more elaborate stuff to come, Donagh can crack. if we can find a terminal or security checkpoint that's unguarded, Donagh can slice in, no problem."

Maya lowered her SMG and sagged on her right leg.

No doubt she's thinking what I am. Do we take the risk of using Donagh to hack the system and possibly get detected, or do we go it alone and hope to find Morcant by ourselves? Caitrin sighed. I'm glad I'm not in charge.

Raising her weapon again, she straightened up to her full height. "We go as we have been. If we need Donagh's help, you get him on the comm for now. But only when I say, okay?"

"Copy that," Killian said plainly.

Maya turned around and started down the middle of the low-lit square room. Support columns lined up in pairs, and the three walked into the center where the only light source provided the pillars with exaggerated shadows.

Just then, the heads-up-display began to flicker and fade. Caitrin tapped the side of her headset to adjust the contrast, but found it didn't correct the problem. She quickly glanced over Maya and found she was having the same technical difficulties. Their eyes met, then looked to Killian. "Three?" they both questioned in unison.

Killian began fumbling with his gear, looking for one device in particular. "I just have to adjust--"

A low-level rumble vibrated the ground. From the far end of the room, in the direction they were heading, a massive door started to descend into the grated floor.

"Go!" Maya ordered, pointing to three separate pillars. She matched words with action and ran to a support column on her right. "Hide," she whispered into the comm.

Caitrin dove to her left, rolling up into a crouch at the base of the nearest pillar.

Killian hesitated, unsure of which direction to go, but then stumbled to where Caitrin was.

Risking a look, Caitrin poked around the column just enough to see three floating objects being silhouetted by the intense light from the other side of the wide door.

And they were heading her way.

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New story out! Halo: Below the Brine
(it's the best story you're not reading!)

Chapter 15

 

 

Maya didn’t have to tell them to keep comm silence.

Behind Caitrin the sound of metal rubbing against fabric told her the youth had pulled out his sidearm. She reached back blindly and shook her head. She mouthed the word, "wait."

He holstered his weapon and took out his compad. A tap on Caitrin’s arm distracted her from getting another peek at the three incoming unknowns, but she turned around with annoyance imbedded on her face. Killian held up his compad for her to see a screen filled with static and flickering pixels. He turned the device off and tucked it back into the inside of his jacket.

Caitrin’s eyebrows met and she frowned. Whatever those things are, they’re knocking out all our electrical gear. We couldn't use the comm if we want to. She looked across the room to see Maya digging into her pouch. The team leader pulled out an explosive primer.

And Caitrin saw Maya throw her hands up in disgust when she realized she couldn’t remote detonate it.

The objects were getting closer and from her current position, Caitrin figured they were almost two meters in size. As they approached the center, where the bright light flooded the room, the first glimpse of finer details could be seen. Mostly angular in design, the floating objects had a slender, central head, two arm-like appendages carrying something, and two fin-like tails. They were definitely symmetrical and definitely mechanical. But unlike Caitrin had ever seen before.

Caitrin elbowed Killian and pointed to the three anomalies.

A quizzical stare was his only answer.

Caitrin caught Maya’s glance and the older woman held up a fist, signaling them to stay put but to be ready to act. Letting her eyes examine the outer casings of the unknowns, she tried to find a joint or weak spot she could target and exploit. The objects looked entirely well constructed, and she reset her grip on her pistol, eyeing up a potential shot.

As soon as the three floating objects reached the very center of the room, the ground began to quake as it did for their earlier entrance. Caitrin’s eyes darted to the far door, expecting more company, but found the large door remaining closed.

The rumbling intensified and she felt a tug on her sleeve. She half turned around to find Killian pointing to the ground.

The floor had parted down the middle, bending on hinges, to vanish underneath. The white light above illuminated portions of the area below, revealing some sort of storage room, with similar containers the drones carried stacked in orderly rows. Caitrin could see figures moving about on the lower level, but doubted they could see her from the glare of the overhead light.

The three curious objects descended into the opening in the floor, and as soon as they were clear, the hinged sections began to retract. With a concluding thud, the room was back to normal, and Caitrin finally noticed the same circular pattern from the identifying tree was inscribed on the hidden ground doors.

Letting out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding, Caitrin hesitantly took a step towards Maya. The other woman did the same and the three infiltrators came out of hiding.

Maya rubbed the back of her neck. "Have you guys ever seen one of those things before?"

Caitrin shook her head, but Killian didn’t make any movement whatsoever. He just stood there, staring at the sealed floor exit. "Hey," Caitrin said, probing his shoulder.

Killian’s head came up and he blinked several times. "Sorry, I . . . " He shifted his weight to his left side and frowned. "I haven’t seen one of those since I was a child. Not in real life," he quickly added, "but from stories— myths, really— use to scare children from venturing too far out in the woods. Tales of horrible creatures with tentacles that levitated." He motioned to the floor with a hand. "I guess they were real."

Maya’s brow furrowed and she shrugged. "They look more like automated load lifters than monsters."

Still rattled, he shivered. "Yeah." Killian retrieved his compad and found it fully functional, no longer in a glitch. He re-synced the visors and they were on their way again.

 

 

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***

 

 

"Hold up."

Caitrin crouched down beside Maya against the cold corridor wall.

"Another group is coming. Three, you ready?" Maya asked.

"Stand by," Killian whispered. He took out the old controller unit and entered in the automation for the drones to receive. "That should do it," he said, looking up at the cross section where five floating objects were turning towards them.

In unison, the load lifters’ running lights flickered red for a moment before turning back to their natural yellow. They continued turning and straightened out, passing Caitrin and her team without as much emitting an electronic inquiry.

Maya nodded approvingly at Killian and she got up to walk into the center of the cross section. "Let’s get our bearings shall we?"

Caitrin patted Killian on the shoulder. "Nice job."

"Thanks."

In their first encounter with the three mysterious objects, all of the team’s electronic devices had either shorted out or turned off completely. But the old Palace controller unit Killian had tucked away in his backpack was still fully functional. Furthermore, he found that the controller not only recognized the drones as "sentinels," but that the controller could send commands to them. When Killian had linked this new information from the controller unit into his compad, they had discovered a bypassing route through the network of tunnels the sentinels used.

So far, it was working out well, but Caitrin still tensed when she saw the hovering machines.

Killian held out his linked devices as if he was searching for a GPS signal. "There, got it."

The fuzzy waypoint on Caitrin’s HUD solidified into a shaper image. "Wait," she gasped. Her pulse began to quicken as she read the distance marker. 313 meters. "We’re not that far off."

"Three?" Maya asked, already heading down the recently vacated corridor.

Killian started to follow, reading off the data on his screen. "This corridor dead ends, then we go left where there’s a short jog . . ." He lifted his head up and gave a satisfactory smile. "And that’s where the sentinel checkpoint is for the Confinement Wing."

"Checkpoint for the sentinels?" Caitrin asked.

"Yeah," Killian said, picking up his pace to catch up with Maya. "It’s mostly automated, so we could probably get past the first layer of security undetected."

"But we’ll still have to personally enter the main detention post," Maya added. "That’s were the fun begins."

"Yes. Fun," Caitrin muttered. Personally, it was not her idea of fun.

It turned out the "short jog" was a 30-meter long reduction in the corridor’s size. The walls scaled down and the ceiling lowered the further they went. At the end of the "jog" was a wall decorated in complicated-looking patterns of tiny glowing lights. But an arching gateway with a hazy blue energy field made up most of the collage.

Killian quickly moved to the right side of the archway and began interfacing with the access panel. He was silent as he worked, but when he finished, his shoulders slumped in defeat.

"What?" Caitrin inquired nervously. We’ve come so far . . .

"Another closed box," he said disappointingly. "I can get us through the field, but I can’t patch into their system."

"It’s fine. You can hook up somewhere in the Confinement Wing," Maya offered.

With a frustrated sigh from Killian and a sigh of relief from Caitrin, the energy field deactivated and Maya led them through the archway. Caitrin noted that the sentinels would have to squeeze through one at a time in order to pass this area of the complex. On the other side of the deactivated barrier, small lights created a glowing grid pattern on the walls, while the ceiling and floors were so dark they denied any reflection. "This place feels so . . . other, you know?" she said to no one in particular.

"Quiet, Two," Maya gently admonished. "We’re coming up on our exit."

The rectangular room was only a few dozen meters long and ended with two different doors. One was where the sentinels could enter the cargo carrier network, and the other door provided access for a maintenance team.

Killian knelt by the smaller door. "Through here is an L-shaped hallway. It will dump us out into a small utility room inside the Confinement Wing." He positioned his compad for both women to see the screen. "The layout is kind of weird. It's a ring configuration with an inner observation circle. The guard office will be directly across from where we'll be coming out."

"Sounds like a panopticon," Caitrin commented. She received puzzling looks from the other two and she shrugged. "What? That’s what it is."

"Do you know how many guards are on duty?" Maya asked through a grin.

"No, sorry." Killian flicked the screen with his fingers. "I'm still not in their system."

"Okay, here's the plan," Maya began, pointing to the layout on screen. "I go first, Two, you're second. We enter through the utility room, clear out the office, then find our target." She looked Killian full in the face. "And you watch our backs. Got it?"

"Got it," Killian said, pulling out a pistol similar to Caitrin's and turning the safety off.

Maya turned to Caitrin with a stern expression. "Stay in cover and shoot to kill. I'm sure these Innies won't think twice about gunning down intruders."

"Copy," Caitrin said with an exhaling breath. She checked her own sidearm's safety. It was already off.

They entered the hallway and Killian interfaced with the final lock. The hardened door slid open and Caitrin stepped into the utility room. Racks of equipment, ranging from simple floor cleaners to shocksticks, lined the walls and were lit by a lone green light positioned over their exit point. Maya took a position to the left of the door, while Caitrin sided up on the right. Killian was behind her, nearly tucked in the corner of the cramped room.

With her SMG pressed in her shoulder, Maya nodded to Killian.

Quickly, quietly, the door retracted into the ceiling, and Maya slipped past the doorway. The panopticon was currently dark, which made their approach that much more undetectable, but the guard office door was open, spilling out a yellow light into the small lobby. The large window the office used was opaque on the exterior, but the lack of light in the lobby meant the guards inside couldn’t see Maya’s advance. Raising her weapon, Maya headed for the only known threat.

Caitrin was through the doorway, keeping her aim steady as she visually swept the empty lobby. There were two massive doors that connected the lobby to the main corridor, and they were currently unguarded. Behind her, Killian was beginning to emerge from the utility room.

A short staccato of muffled thuds came from the office and Caitrin sprinted towards the sound. When she was halfway across the lobby, a blur of motion off to her left spun her around. A guard was emerging from a swinging latrine door, still buckling his belt. His eyes grew wide when he saw Caitrin and he reached for the weapon slung over his shoulder.

Caitrin aimed her silenced M6 at the guard’s chest with practiced ease . . .

But she never fired her weapon.

A round pierced through the guard’s neck, entering on his right and exiting through the left. The wounded man stumbled forward, clutching his helplessly ruined neck, and another muffled shot rang out to hit him in the head. His cap hit the ground before he torso did, as all life slowly drained from his body.

Caitrin rotated on the ball of her left foot, towards the source of the destruction.

Killian stood, his feet shoulder width apart, still tracking the dead guard with his pistol. He looked as if we would pump another pair of rounds in the fallen guard, but he nodded once, finally turning to Caitrin.

She in turn nodded, but a sudden flash of light behind Killian caused her to take a step sideways. "Three, get down!" The flash of light was the reflection off of a gun barrel, and the wielder was another guard coming from the darkened observation circle.

Killian dropped on his left knee and rolled in that direction, turning around in the process.

The guard fired, his weapon sounding like a meaty punch to the stomach, and Caitrin feared he had hit his target. But the rush of air by her right ear told her the round had ricocheted off the ground and had nearly connected with her head. The guard was dressed in all black, but the flash of his gun barrel gave Caitrin more than enough reasonable target area. She squeezed the trigger, sending three quick bursts down the ten-meter distance. Caitrin kept moving left, always retreating towards the cover of the office, and another enemy round sizzled past her, this time tearing a whole in her jacket near her right hip.

Illuminated once again, her target started to receive rounds from Killian. With their combined barrage, the guard’s weapon finally ceased and clattered to the ground, followed by a thump. Her heart beating loudly in her ears, Caitrin forced down the rush of adrenaline and took several deep breaths. Killian rushed to the downed man, and Caitrin hurried into the office, still in a daze from her first combat kill.

Maya was standing there over a console, her weapon poised in a tight grip. "Two, get Three in here, have him locate our Target," she ordered, shaking her head at the unfamiliar terminal.

Two dead guards were sprawled out on the floor next to the console in a pool of their own blood, and the image sent a shiver down Caitrin’s spine. Wordlessly, she nodded and ran to the doorway. "Three," she hollered.

Killian was doing one last sweep of his surroundings. "We’re clear," he confirmed. "Did One find somewhere I can plug in?"

"Yeah, now get in here," Caitrin said, waving Killian over. His shadowy figure was abruptly lit up as Maya found the overhead light switch to the panopticon. Caitrin stepped out to the edge of the circular area, allowing Killian to enter the office. The prison cells ran the entire length of the curved wall and the interiors were dark. The bright lights were unable to pierce the opacity of the barriers separating the caged from the freed. Somewhere in one of those cells was her husband.

"Two, get back in here," said the squashed voice of Maya through her headset’s earpiece.

Lingering for a few more seconds but unable to see any of the prisoners, Caitrin replied, "copy." She returned to the office to find Killian seated at the terminal with more of his gear cluttering the desk. "Status?"

"I’m almost in," Killian said distractedly.

Maya turned to face Caitrin. "He has to hack into their main system in order to open up the cells."

"A command from this console won’t open them?" Caitrin asked.

Killian sighed. "It doesn’t work like that." He took off his backpack, threw it to the ground, and reset himself on the edge of the chair. "Their system is set up where a low-life guard cannot open a cell door with getting a rolling passcode from the main hub. Something that isn’t provided till needed or till an official request has been made."

"Oh," Caitrin replied, getting the cue to back off and let the boy work. She walked back to the doorway to take a defensive position, should the need arise, but found her legs wobbly unsteady. Caitrin felt dizzy all of the sudden and braced herself against the doorframe with an outstretched arm.

Maya was quickly by her side, grabbing her by the arm. "Whoa, you okay?"

Bending her knees to prevent a full out collapse, Caitrin gave a weak smile. "I’m fine."

A look of concern washed over Maya’s face. "First time in a firefight?"

"No," Caitrin said, shaking her head and thinking back to a short tussle a few marines had back home at the base she worked. "But this is my first kill," she spoke quietly. Caitrin poked a thumb in Killian’s direction. "He’s taking his first encounter just fine."

"I think he may have done this sort of thing before." Maya frowned and patted Caitrin on the back. "I understand your uneasiness. The first one is never easy to get over." Maya lowered her head. "I still remember mine," she said, sounding distant.

"And what about the second, the third? Do you still remember those?"

"They tend to all blur into one hazy memory." Maya was silent for a few seconds. "But it was either him or you, and frankly, I prefer you to some Innie," Maya joked.

"Good." Caitrin managed a laugh and found strength returning to her legs. "I’ll be okay, really."

Maya eyed her suspiciously but with exaggeration. "Then we’re in agreement."

"I’ve got something!" Killian belted out.

The two women were at his side in an instant and they searched the terminal screen for some sign of success. But when Donagh’s voice entered their headset’s they both frowned at each other.

"Interesting. It seems you three have been hard at work," Donagh commented.

Killian smiled and continued entering information into the terminal. "Donagh, are you in their network yet?"

"One moment."

The screen flickered off for a second before coming back to life with the same quality image Caitrin had seen of Donagh in the forest the other night, but only his upper torso was visible, seemingly hunched over a console of his own.

"I’m in," Donagh said, his voice now coming through the terminal’s speakers.

"Can you open the cell Morcant is in?" Caitrin asked, her words spilling out of her mouth.

"It will take a few moments to fully wet the system," Donagh chided. "Patience."

Killian craned his neck around. "He’ll be fast. He’s always fast."

Maya nervously tapped her fingers along the grip of her SMG and took up a position to look out the long office window.

"There’s something very odd about their system," Donagh murmured. "They seemed to have constructed a network on top of an older infrastructure. It makes for an unusual route around their security bots. I can use a—"

"Just make it quick, okay?" Maya called from the window.

Caitrin opened her mouth to supplement Maya’s comments, but the unstable image of Donagh’s head shook violently. It flashed red, then violet. His eyes glowed brightly in the abnormal hue, then flickered back to normal. "Initialization complete."

Killian clapped his hands. "Great!"

Caitrin sighed, only slightly annoyed at Donagh’s demeanor. "Now can you find—"

"Killian, you can now deactivate the transmitters, I no longer need them. I’m now utilizing the base’s communications relay," Donagh interrupted. He turned his head towards Caitrin. "I have unlocked cell 15."

Caitrin caught Maya’s glance. "Go. Go get your husband," she said with a smile. "That’s an order." Maya looked past her to get Killian’s attention. "Tell Donagh to keep this area locked down." She waved Caitrin through the door and walked outside the office.

Her heart was beating so fast Caitrin though it might pound right out of her chest. She more or less floated to the cell labeled "15" with the barrier flickering to nonexistence. The three by three-meter cell was still without an internal light source, but there was just enough light spilling out from the main circular area to observe its contents. A water and sewer system was centered along the back wall, akin to her previous temporary cell. A small, three-legged stool occupied the far right corner . . .

And lying on the bed, nestled against the left wall, was a sheet-covered figure.

Caitrin’s grip on her sidearm loosened and the pistol fell to the ground. Her eyes began to fill with tears. She pulled off her headset and casually flung it to the side.

The sounds of objects hitting the floor caused the person to stir under the sheets. "Look, you know how this ends, don’t you? You Innies try and get some information from me and I put one of your guys in the infirmary. So why don’t you go back to your little office and turn off that stupid light!"

Caitrin’s sniffled laugh didn’t sound so pleasing.

Her emotional reaction brought the figure lying on the bed to prop himself up on his shoulders. "Who are you?" he asked the silhouette, squinting at the harsh light behind her.

Through the overwhelming tightness in her throat, Caitrin took a breath and let it out. "Morcant."

The sheets flew off and feet landed on the floor. "Caitrin?!"

Unable to speak, she simply nodded.

In one fluid movement Morcant and Caitrin covered the space between them in two quick steps. A distance that was once measured in light-years then the physical beyond, was now nothing. They embraced with urgency and love that eternity itself could not separate. She pressed her body against his and her hands wrapped around him. Caitrin’s head fit right under his chin and her tear-drenched cheek fell against his chest. Warmth flooded into her veins, tingling her toes and fingers, and flowed through her entire being. Her lower lip quivered and her shoulders began to shake uncontrollably as she started to cry tears of joy.

"Caitrin," he breathed. Morcant, his frame feeling slightly bony, tightened his hold on her, nearly bringing her shaking to a close. "You found me," he half cried. His own tears were forming a moist spot on the top of her head.

After several long seconds, Caitrin pulled back just enough to look up at her husband smiling. His hair had grown long on his head and face. The dirty blond locks mixed with the darker whiskers of his facial hair. His skin tone looked darker, but his arctic blue eyes were still able to pierce into Caitrin’s soul.

Morcant cradled her neck and pulled her in for a long-awaited kiss. His lips were salty, and she imagined hers were as well, but it didn’t detract from the moment. Closing their eyes he brought her even closer. He lifted her up in the air, spinning around as he did so, kissing her over and over again. He planted her back down so as the light could wash one side of both their faces.

"Hey," Caitrin laughed through the tears.

"Hey," Morcant mirrored.

Caitrin brushed a hand over his cheek. "Look at you. A beard?"

He gently wiped away the watery lines on her face. "What about you? Short hair?"

"You like it?" she asked, playfully twirling one of his locks with a finger.

"Yeah. It’s cute."

"I thought you were . . . dead."

"Dead? No, just in desperate need to see my lovely wife again."

They kissed again and stood there, gazing into each other’s eyes, searching every facial feature for some untold beauty.

Caitrin had not felt this joyful, this whole, sense the last time Morcant had a few weeks stay at home. He was alive. He was here. And she would get them out.

Grabbing Morcant's hand, she knelt down and picked up her headset. "One, I have him."

"I bet you do," Maya laughed into the comm. From across the panopticon, Caitrin could see Maya waving. "C'mon. We need to hurry this up."

"Who’s that?" Morcant asked, scooping up the discarded pistol and tucking it into a jumpsuit pocket.

"An ONI op, like yourself. Her name is Maya. We’re here with a teen computer wiz, Killian," Caitrin informed, picking up her pace from a walk to a jog.

Morcant didn’t mask his surprised tone of voice. "The Ambassador’s son?"

"You know him?" she asked curiously.

"In name only. I didn’t take him for a techie."

"He’s go a little help." Caitrin smiled and looked up at him. "I just followed your instructions. He led me to Donagh."

Morcant’s momentum slowed to a stop and his face turned to stone. "What did you say?"

Frowning, Caitrin went on to explain. "I talked with Donagh, and with Maya’s and Killian’s help, we devised a plan to come rescue you. Killian has already linked him in to the base’s computer system." She searched his face, but only found his expression darken.

"Donagh is here?"

"Well, yes. Kind of. Killian had to transmit—"

Morcant grabbed Caitrin by the shoulders and lowered his head to her level. "You don’t understand. We have to get out of here. Now."

"Why? Morcant what’s going on?"

"Caitrin, I sent you that message as a preemptive measure to keep the information trail from going cold. I’m glad you came, but I didn’t have all the facts till after I was captured."

He lowered his voice to just above a whisper. "Donagh was the one that told the CLF where I was and what I was here for." Fire burned in his eyes, but instead of melting the arctic iris, the hue only intensified.

"Donagh betrayed me, and he’s sure to betray you and your team."

---

New story out! Halo: Below the Brine
(it's the best story you're not reading!)

Chapter 16

 

Caitrin’s eyes grew wide as her mind began to race. Was everything Donagh told me a lie, a clever ruse just to use against me when needed? He helped me find Morcant, but what did he gain from all this? Caitrin swore under her breath. If Donagh had ulterior motives, Caitrin could determine their ends.

She shook her head. "Morcant, what could he have planned? We got you, now we’re on our way out." Caitrin waved Maya closer.

Maya trotted over, her smile diminishing the closer she got as she recognized the worry on Caitrin's face. She nodded to Morcant. "Let’s form up and head out."

"Maya, we have a problem," Caitrin sighed.

Morcant nodded. "How much do you know about Donagh?" he asked with apprehension.

Maya frowned. "ONI tagged him as an unknown, possibly some type of information broker, but he was my only lead."

"But he contacted you, right?" Caitrin felt her stomach begin to grow cold.

"Yeah, via my personal comm. I didn’t think anyone could have gotten my listing, but when the caller identified himself as ‘Donagh,’ I had to follow through on the intel." She placed her left hand on her hip. "What’s this about?"

He looked at Caitrin then Maya. "Donagh gave me into the CLF’s hands," Morcant growled.

"What?"

"Look, I stumbled upon Donagh pretty much the same way you did, Maya, though at the time ONI wasn’t happy with our team’s lack of progress." Morcant sighed. "As time went by, it seemed that there was no Insurrectionist threat on Andvari. My team had gotten nowhere on the intelligence front and Colonel Ross was about to pull us out. But just in time, Donagh told me to meet him—alone, saying he could tell me what I needed to know." Morcant began to pace back and forth. "He told me vague things at first, saying the planet was divided, and I could tell he was leaving out a lot of details, but when I asked him where the Insurrectionists were, he told me to come back later to discuss the matter. Something about following procedure.

"I reported to Ross, who in turn threatened to court martial me for conspiring with the enemy. I told him that Donagh was our best lead and that there were no known Insurrectionists threats perceivable." He shook his head. "When I returned to Donagh at a hidden location in the forest, he told me about the Colonial Liberation Force. I was going to go follow up on this new insight but . . ."

Morcant’s hands knotted into fists and Caitrin quickly grabbed one, placing her hand in it. "The next thing I knew I was being dragged out into the night and knocked unconscious."

"You think Donagh is working for the CLF?" Caitrin asked.

"Who else? Our ONI comm gear is state of the art. No one could have gotten past the encryption we use. And I know I wasn't followed there."

"Unless . . ." Caitrin’s heart froze in her chest. "Colonel Ross knew you had met with Donagh. Maybe he arranged your capture."

Morcant’s gaze bore right through her. "That’s impossible. Why would he—"

"Wait a second." Maya rubbed the bridge of her nose with thumb and forefinger. "Let’s not jump to too many conclusions here."

"You're right," Morcant concurred. "Let's just get out of here." He checked the slightly expended clip of Caitrin's sidearm and popped it back in. "Then we can figure all this out."

Maya worked her jaw for a moment. "Alright, but we need to grab Three." She turned to go . . .

"Is that the best idea, right now?" Morcant asked with a wince. "Maybe he's in league with Donagh's plans, or even the CLF."

Caitrin glanced over at the dead guard Killian had killed. "I sincerely doubt that." She looked up at both of them. "And I don't think he knows what Donagh has planned, if anything."

"He is a bit thick-headed," Maya added.

The three entered the office where Killian was conversing with Donagh. The terminal's lights were blinking at a rapid pace.

"C'mon Three, we're going."

Killian didn't bother to turn to face Maya. "But Donagh is making great progress. Just give him a few more minutes," he pleaded.

"It's not a request," Maya said sternly.

The image on the terminal's screen flickered once and Donagh appeared before them. "Yes, we are making exceptional progress. I've accessed their archives and will soon determine—" Donagh cut off, finally catching site of Morcant. "Ah, Mr. Lann. It is good to see you again."

"Cut the crap, Donagh. I know you sold me out," Morcant said, pointing an accusing finger at the screen.

Donagh's head tilted to the side. "What do you mean? I gave you the information you sought."

"Enough of this," Maya bit out. She dropped a heavy hand on Killian’s shoulder. "Pack it up and let's go."

He shrugged it off like a child throwing a mini-tantrum.

"It is alright, Killian Mahlon. I will continue the process in your absence. I no longer require your presence at this terminal," Donagh informed. He nodded and his fuzzy image on the screen was replaced by an error message: Terminal locked.

This time Morcant physically hauled Killian out of the chair by the collar of his jacket. "We need you to guide us out of here, kid."

Killian shook Morcant’s grip loose with a flailing arm. "Yeah, I know," he said condescendingly, flattening his jacket across his chest where Morcant had ruffled the fabric. Killian gathered his things into his backpack and hefted it over his right shoulder. "Lead the way," he murmured disinterestedly.

Maya eyed Killian sourly, but led the team of four through the office doorway. Morcant, bringing up the rear, shut the door and it locked internally. "What the—"

"Donagh can conceal our entry from this place," Killian said. "Don’t worry. I still have him on the comm." He tapped his headset with his left index finger.

"Yeah, okay." Morcant’s tone matched Caitrin’s mood: dismal.

They were almost to the utility room door when a sudden displacement of air brushed across Caitrin’s face. It wasn’t their exit door opening, but rather the main security door at the front of the lobby. It was slowly creaking to permit a fully armored guard to step through sideways. Caitrin felt a hand on her back, pushing her forward.

"Go!" Morcant yelled. He raised his pistol and fired several rounds at the emerging guard. Reflexively, the man ducked back behind the door, seeking cover.

Killian held out his compad, pointed it at the utility room door, and flipped a switch. The door shot open and Maya quickly took a position just inside the doorway. Killian rushed inside, followed by Caitrin. As his clip rapidly depleted, Morcant’s suppressing fire was replaced by Maya’s SMG fire. But as soon as the last member of the team dove into the utility room, armored figures started to pour into the lobby.

When enemy rounds started to ping off the wall, Maya reeled back and hit the manual release on the door with her shoulder. Maya dropped her SMG to the ground and shook her gun-wielding hand as if it were on fire. She swore and clutched her hand to her chest.

Caitrin brushed past Morcant getting up off the floor and asked, "what happened, One?" She then caught sight of the dark red spot forming on her outermost layer. "You’re hit."

"Just a graze, really," Maya answered through clenched teeth. She pulled her hand away from her chest and revealed a deep cut just below the knuckle of her pinky. It started to bleed again so she clamped down on the wound with her left hand.

Caitrin looked around for a strip of cloth to wrap Maya’s hand in, but even the tattered remains of her bullet-holed jacket couldn’t supply an adequate length. Maya’s eyes rolled up and Caitrin got the clue. Caitrin undid the black bandana holding Maya’s hair out of her face and fastened the makeshift bandage around her palm with a forceful tug.

"Ouch." Maya flexed her fingers experimentally and the grimace on her face told Caitrin of her discomfort. "Three, you got that door open yet?" Maya asked, lifting her gaze above Caitrin’s head.

A new rush of air was all the answer Maya needed. Morcant was already through to the hallway of the sentinel checkpoint, but Maya pointed to the door that led out to the lobby. "Three, can you seal this? Remotely, I mean."

"Yeah, one sec." The overhead light flashed red. "Got it."

Caitrin bent over and scooped up Maya’s SMG. She tossed it through the doorway to Morcant, figuring she should stick with a manageable pistol, and made for the exit with Maya in tow.

Behind them, the sound of fists beating against the door gave them cause to hurry. The pounding ceased as soon as it started, and was followed by a sizzling akin to cooking meat.

"Flash paste!" Maya pushed Caitrin through to the L-shaped hallway and Killian slammed the door closed. The muffled explosion rained dust from the ceiling and Maya exchanged a worried look with Caitrin.

"Can that stuff blast through this one?" Caitrin asked, rapping her knuckles on the door Killian just closed.

Morcant answered for them. "I highly doubt it." His eyes swept over the doorframe. "This one is part of the original installation." He frowned. "But I imagine they know where we are now, so they’ll find a way here regardless if it’s through that door or another."

Maya sighed. "So we probably should scratch our exit vector." She pulled out a silenced M6B from a hip holster. "Okay, new plan." She started heading for the sentinel checkpoint and asked, "any ideas?"

Caitrin sided up next to Morcant, taking his hand in hers. He smiled at her and gave her a quick hug. "What are our options?" she asked Maya.

"We either head for the forest hatch, like we planned, and most likely fight our way out. Or we try to find another way and hope to remain undetected as long as we can."

"What about that loading area where those sentinels were dropping off supplies?" Killian offered, already preparing the old controller to deactivate the barrier.

"That lower-level warehouse?" Caitrin snapped her fingers. "There’s probably a transportation hub down there," she said, finishing the boy’s suggestion. "We could make it out of here by commandeering one of their transports."

Maya turned her head and offered Caitrin a smile. "Right." She stepped through the checkpoint and turned around to face the team. "Alright, then. Sounds like a plan."

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***

 

 

The pillar room was as they had left it: cold, dark, and void of personnel.

Since leaving the Detention Wing, none of them had seen one of the sentinels, and Maya figured they were on lockdown as a security measure. But whatever failsafe system the base used, the controller unit was all Killian had to use to break through a new layer of security when it presented itself. The boy was reliable but his displeasure of his earlier treatment was present with his verbal shortness.

Caitrin had to mentally recall what she saw when the hinged doors opened the floor to the lower level. If she remembered correctly, there would be a ten-meter drop to the ground. "We’re going to need something to get us down there," she said, pointing to the closed doors. "It’s a far enough drop to break a bone."

Maya nodded. "Yeah," she sighed. Abruptly, her head rose up, she clapped her hands, and immediately regretted doing so. Swearing to herself, she worked her fingers to alleviate some of the pain in her right hand. "Okay, how about this: Three could send some of those load-lifting sentinels here, we stop them, and empty out the containers."

A smile formed on Caitrin’s face. "We get a free ride into the warehouse," she finished.

Killian was already punching away the command on the controller. His face was a stoic mask.

Caitrin thought about asking the boy if he was okay, but a tug on her arm turned her around. Morcant was standing there, wordlessly inviting a hug. Her smile turned into a grin and she wrapped her arms around him. His jumpsuit smelled of must and sweat, but she didn’t mind. She had her husband back.

Morcant kissed her on the top of the head. "So what else have you been up to?" he asked casually.

She looked up, stood on the tips of her toes, and gave him a quick kiss. "Eh . . . a little grocery shopping, working out, impersonating a Skyline Transport Security Detail officer. Nothing much, really." She kissed him again. "How ‘bout you?"

He shrugged coolly. "Top secret ONI mission, getting captured, rotting in a prison . . . typical stuff." He cracked a smile and touched her forehead with his. "And thinking about you the entire time."

Caitrin rolled her eyes amusingly. "You’re never good at that stuff, you know?"

He laughed and kissed her on the cheek.

"Keep it down, you two," Maya playfully scolded, but there was a seriousness to her tone. "Here they come," she said, pointing past the two lovebirds to the large opened doorway behind them.

Caitrin and Morcant moved off to the side, and stood beside one of the room’s massive support columns. She took her gaze off of her husband to watch a pair of sentinels duck into the room carrying two large boxes made of some ceramic material.

"Stand by," Killian ordered, as he fearlessly walked up to the insect-like machines. He held out the controller unit, pressed a few keys, and the sentinels’ running lights instantly went from yellow to red. The machines slowed to a stop and hovered before Killian, awaiting his next command. He entered more information into the controller and hit the transmit key . . .

The sentinels didn’t budge.

Killian looked back to his audience, gave them a quick smile, and reentered the command.

But he got the same result: inaction.

"Need help?" Maya offered with a bit of motherly tone in her voice.

"No," Killian responded in typical child-like fashion. He shifted his weight to his right side and looked up at the two hovering sentinels. "Ah, hold on." He pressed a single key on the controller and the containers dropped suddenly to the ground.

Caitrin expected the impact to crumple the containers, but they merely clattered to the ground with a quick thud. In the silence that followed, she half expected Maya to explode in anger over the loud crunch. After all, they were trying to mask their approach, so making any loud noises was a surefire way to alert others to their whereabouts.

But Maya just pulled out one of the cutting torches she had stuff in her bag and handed it to Morcant. She drew out another and they both got to work on opening the crates. "Try to break the seal without snapping the latches. We still want them to appear untouched."

Morcant nodded and adjusted the nozzle on the torch to a finer point. The small blue flame made slow progress on the ceramic surface and the cutting was meticulous, but worth the wait. After a good three minutes, Morcant opened the lid and let out a whistle. "Cait, come look at this."

Pulling out a glowrod, she stepped to the container and waved the light beam over the crate’s contents. The hairs on the back of her neck rose when she peered inside. Held in place on wood supports were four long, charcoal-gray cylinders tapered at one end with three small fins at the other. Caitrin looked up at Morcant’s shaking head. "Are these what I think they are?" she asked quietly.

"ASGM-10b missiles," Morcant clarified. He plucked the glowrod from Caitrin’s hand and focused on the shadowy corners. Caitrin supported the lid for him as he rummaged through the crate.

"What did you find?" Killian asked, coming up to the other side of Morcant.

"Bad stuff," Morcant grunted, coming back out of crate with a newly acquired compad. It was a static manifest list, complete with serial numbers and place of origin. "It looks like the CLF is planning for their own privately-funded war." He handed the compad to Killian, who received it with wide eyes, and looked over to Maya. "How about yours?"

Sighing, more out of physical exhaustion than from revelation, Maya closed her container’s lid and set her own manifest list on top. "The same." She shook her head. "This is not good." She motioned to the other crate. "Did you catch the latest serial number? The first one in my crate reads: 5-0003026."

Caitrin’s gaze swept back and forth between the two ONI ops. "I take it that’s bad?"

Morcant nodded. "The first digit is the factory number, and the rest is the corresponding ordinance count."

Her mouth dropped open. "They have 3000 of these things?"

"At least," Maya murmured. "The manifest says they’re to be fitted onto B-680’s, which I assume is their superiority fighter, the Backsword."

"Why would they do this in the shadows?" Killian asked, reading over the information on the CLF compad. "I mean, it’s no secret the government has an army." He pulled the compad closer to his face and furrowed his brow. "Uh, this says ‘756 of 3000.’ Does that sound like a high number to you?"

Maya pursed her lips in disgust. "We’ve seen Andvari’s military and defenses. They are already well equipped. Why in the world would they need all of these missiles?"

"They aren’t for defense. They’re air-to-surface," Morcant supplied. His face turned to stone.

Caitrin felt a sour taste in her mouth. "So the Innies are planning some sort of attack."

"It looks that way," Maya said soberly. She folded her arms across her chest and started pacing back and forth. "This is not good, at all." She shook her head. "I can’t believe I’m doing this." Maya activated her comm. "Donagh, you there?"

"What are you doing?" Morcant hissed.

Caitrin frowned, but switched her headset to SPEAKER so Morcant could listen in.

"What do you seek?" Donagh answered, his voice sounding tiny but clear through the comm.

Maya sighed. "We’ve stumbled upon some crates containing missiles fitted for fighters. We need to know if that’s all the CLF is making or if there’s other weapons they’re building."

"You must be referring to the ASGM-10b’s. Most effective against starships and ground-based targets."

"We know what they are, Donagh," Caitrin said, growing tired of his ramblings. "Just answer the question."

"Very well," he replied with no less enthusiasm. "On site, the Colonial Liberation Force assemble fully functional B-680’s as well as an impressive amount of armaments. The most recent figures I can find in their network show approximately 250 Backswords, fully armed and ready for launch."

"So they’re just manufacturing fighters," Morcant said.

"Correct," Donagh confirmed, "at this site."

Caitrin paused as she frowned. "What do you mean, ‘at this site?’ Are there others?"

"I have traced their comm activity from the last few weeks and have found several off-planet installations from which they receive material. All are within this sector. Would you care to see the relevant data?"

"Send it," Maya said, pulling out her own compad that was linked to her comm unit.

Caitrin duplicated Maya’s actions and soon data was spilling out on her own compad screen. Everything from grenades to rocket launchers— as well as the unique Andvari shields— filled up the infantry allocation. Heavily armored assault vehicles, Pelicans, TR9 mines, and the Backswords rounded out the list, but Caitrin found it odd that there were no large starships listed.

Morcant grumbled something incoherent. "If they’re planning some sort of invasion, how are they going to move all of this stuff?" he asked, voicing Caitrin’s thoughts. "I don’t see a single transport or carrier listed."

"Maybe they’re not on file," Killian suggested.

"Improbable. It is most likely the CLF has arranged troop transport on a carrier currently in interstellar space, awaiting the command to come to Andvari," Donagh informed.

"Fine." Morcant placed both hands on the crate and leaned over in obvious disgust. "I highly doubt ONI has any idea this is happening in this sector. We have to do something."

"Then we better get out of here so you can tell Colonel Ross what’s going on," Caitrin said nervously. Her comment was met with silence stares from both Maya and Morcant. "Wait, you’re not seriously thinking about . . ."

"Giving ONI the intel might not be enough," Maya said, walking over to the others. "Even if we get back to a UNSC outpost and alert them it could be weeks for them to mount a response."

"She’s right, Cait," Morcant murmured, pushing himself off the crate and folding his arms across his chest. "We have to put a stop to this here and now."

"And how do you suggest we do that?" Caitrin asked hesitantly.

Maya tilted her head in contemplation. "Well, they would need a staging area for everything." She lifted her chin towards Killian. "Three, can you get us an updated floor plan?"

"Not without Donagh’s help," he admitted.

She winced, but nodded. "Do it. With luck we’ll be able to pinpoint a hangar of some sort."

"I already have the location available," Donagh interrupted, though his tone was void of haughtiness.

"Why didn’t you tell us?" Caitrin demanded.

Over the comm, there was a static pause. "Because you didn’t ask."

---

New story out! Halo: Below the Brine
(it's the best story you're not reading!)

2 thumbs up!

---

COMMON SENSE:
So rare it's a go'damn super power
Oooh, my Common Sense is tingling

DäRKSTäRxMëRC

You got me good, munn.

thanks for reading, Darkstar.

i'll try and get my rear in gear and write a lot more this week.

---

New story out! Halo: Below the Brine
(it's the best story you're not reading!)

Footbutt:

thanks for reading, Darkstar.

i'll try and get my rear in gear and write a lot more this week.

Yep, I thought it was pretty good.

Not much of any spelling mistakes for me to pick on either. Other than 3 or 4 minor ones, I thought you did a great job of proof-reading your own work.

---

COMMON SENSE:
So rare it's a go'damn super power
Oooh, my Common Sense is tingling

DäRKSTäRxMëRC

You got me good, munn.

Chapter 17

 

 

"We still need a backup plan," Maya said. "If we all die, the Innies still win."

Caitrin cringed at the other’s remark.

Morcant gave a resigning sigh. "You’re right. ONI needs the intelligence no matter what happens to us." He looked at Maya, Killian, and Caitrin, pausing for a few seconds on each. "At least one of us has to get back and send the relevant data to Ross."

Maya flexed her wounded hand. "Well, considering ONI thinks you’re KIA and since I’m technically still on assignment, they would only believe me." She gave Morcant a flat smile. "It looks like it’s no choice at all."

The temperature felt as if it had dropped a few degrees, and Caitrin shivered. Of everything that had transpired over the last few hours, she feared that if they separated . . . "Wait a second. If one of us leaves now then the CLF could catch wind of it and might rush to action." She frowned. "If they know their plans have been compromised, they might speed up whatever timetable they have."

Maya swore and banged her good hand off the top of the crate. "If they haven’t already," she muttered. "Three, what are the odds that Donagh’s little vacation into their system hasn’t already been detected."

Killian opened his mouth to answer, but Donagh put words into the air before him. "It is highly unlikely. I’m currently hiding in their memory buffer, allocating and shifting bits of data around so as to remain nothing more than an automated system scan."

"And what about our transmissions?" Caitrin asked, sensing uneasiness from her husband. He really didn’t like this reliance on Donagh.

"Again, unlikely. The encryption is based on already occupied frequencies. When a common command is sent, our communications latch on to the tail of the last few sequences, masking our usage. There is plenty of chatter and base functional commands still running, so we will be perfectly operable for the duration."

Surprisingly, Killian frowned. "That sounds risky, Donagh."

Morcant rolled his eyes. "Whatever," he sighed. "Regardless, we’re going to need to take out their launch capabilities. The last thing the UNSC needs is overwhelming enemy fighter support."

Maya nodded with closed eyes. "Donagh, you said that you have the location of their staging area. Can you bring that up for us?" she asked, motioning for Killian to access his compad.

His screen flashed from a green outline of the floor plan representing their current location to a zoomed-out view of the overall facility. Caitrin gasped at the enormity of the base. No wonder the CLF is bringing everything here.

A new area was highlighted in red and pulsed in rhythmic fashion. A yellow path connected their destination with their starting point, snaking nearly the entire outer edge of the base. The path carved would keep them in the sentinel tunnels for the length of the trip.

"Okay, what are we looking at?" Killian asked as the others gathered around for a closer look.

"It’s self explanatory," Morcant murmured. He pointed to the flashing red area. "That must be their staging hangar. And this," he moved his finger along the yellow pathway, "is our route." He straightened up and wordlessly moved a finger across his neck, signaling to Maya to cut the feed from Donagh.

Maya frowned but keyed her comm. "Thanks, Donagh. We’ll let you know if we need anything else."

"I recommend you remain in contact with me," Donagh said hurriedly.

"Noted." Maya flipped a switch and the comm felt silent. Her expression deepened as she stared at Morcant. "I take it you don’t want to follow his advice?"

Morcant shrugged. "Oh, I don’t doubt the hangar is our true target," he said, casually folding his arms across his chest. "But I don’t trust him on the means to get there."

Killian’s gasp sounded more hurtful than Caitrin expected. "How can you say that? He’s giving us a straight shot at the objective and you want to ignore our best approach?"

"In my experience, the first option isn’t always the best," Morcant answered calmly. "For reasons I don’t blame you for not understanding, I simply can’t put my faith in Donagh right now." He looked up at the two women. "He’s given the CLF my location before, so I’d rather not go down a path where he knows I’ll be walking."

Maya eyed him thoughtfully, but eventually nodded once. "So I take it you have something else in mind?"

"Yeah." Morcant craned his neck towards the floor doors. "We head down to the lower level and commandeer a transport, just like Cait said."

Caitrin half smiled. "Okay, but we’re not leaving the base yet, Honey."

"Honey?" he asked amusingly.

"Honey, Darling, Dear, whatever to get your attention," she replied playfully.

"Okay," Morcant laughed. "No, I don’t plan on leaving just yet. They know where we were last: the sentinel tunnels, so lets do the exact opposite." He pointed to an unmarked section on the downloaded map. "We use their normal transit lines."

Killian squinted his eyes to try and see what Morcant obviously did. "What transit lines?"

"Several times when they would take me to an interrogation room, they would use a personnel carrier. If they can fit something that large through the halls of this place, then they sure as hell have something we can use to get us where we need to go." He pointed again to the spot on the compad screen but ran his finger along a darker shaded area. "We take their cargo lanes right to the hangar. Cait, you said there was a storage warehouse below us?"

"Yes, but I’m not sure what’s down there," she answered, trying to catch up to her husband’s speed of thinking.

Maya nodded in agreement. "A warehouse would surely have access to ground load haulers. We sneak in, we grab one, and we head out to the hangar. Simple enough."

"What about the workers down there? Are we just going to take them down?" Killian asked, a slight edge in his voice.

Morcant shook his head. "No, absolutely not." He looked up to get everyone’s eyes. "From here on out, our safest option is to avoid detection. Unfortunately, it’s also the hardest."

After a good ten minutes of removing the missiles and wood bracing from the crates, they were ready to move. There was never any question that the married couple would prefer to be together inside one crate, but rather it came down to a matter of pure physics. Morcant was the heaviest and Caitrin was the lightest. Maya and Killian both looked at each other with uneasiness, but the mission called for them to put that aside . . . for now.

Caitrin rechecked the feed coming from Killian’s controller unit. She held her own compad out so both her and Morcant could see the screen. It flashed to life and the image was of themselves, from the side. She looked up at the sentinel hovering quietly to their right and suppressed another shiver. She still wasn’t getting use to seeing the machines and she doubted she ever would. "Okay, Three. We’re up and running."

Killian walked over and typed more information into the controller. By using the sentinel’s own visual sensor, they would be able to see what was going on around them without the need to crack open the crate's lid. "Alright. Once we get inside our respective crates, I’ll issue the command to enter the warehouse."

"What happens after that?" Maya asked.

"I assume we’ll get dropped off and placed on a shelf somewhere," he answered.

Morcant scratched the back of his head. "That’s my guess. Hopefully it will be someplace nice and quiet."

Caitrin grabbed the edge of the crate and felt the ceramic texture with her fingers. "Speaking of quiet, these crates don’t seem that thick. We’ll have to make sure to keep comm silence."

"Of course," Killian said with a hint of annoyance. He returned his stare to the controller.

Morcant narrowed his eyes, but Caitrin shook her head minutely to forestall a new argument between the two. "Then let’s pack it up and go," Morcant said instead. He turned to his wife. "After you."

Caitrin smiled at his courteous bow and lifting of the crate lid. Chivalry was indeed still alive. She stepped one foot in and rotated awkwardly under the lid. She caught a glimpse of Maya tapping a finger over her lips, obviously trying to work out an arrangement so both she and Killian could fit into their own crate with as little physical contact as possible.

Morcant gave a sinister laugh wrapped in amusement. "Well, if things get too uncomfortable in there, at least she’s packing heat," he whispered to her.

Caitrin gave a soft laugh, but wondered if there was some double meaning to his comment.

Maya spun around and gave Caitrin an evil eye.

The last thing Caitrin saw before Morcant got in and closed the lid was Maya shaking her head with her hands folded defiantly. Positioned on her side, she draped an arm around Mocant’s stomach, snuggling with him, as it were. She pressed her body against his and let out a gentle coo.

For a few long seconds, they just basked in the comfort of the other’s presence and the return warmth their bodies emitted.

"Now this, I could get use to," Morcant said, his voice sounding odd from the lack of reverberation natural acoustics usually provide. He gave her arm a quick squeeze and held up the compad for both to see. "One, are you in yet?" he asked, lowering his voice to just above a whisper.

Over the comm, there was a frustrated grunt.

"You okay?" Caitrin asked, doing her best to suppress a laugh.

"No, just . . . Watch it! I can’t . . . just put . . . okay. Okay! Yeah, we’re . . . we’re ready," Maya said finally, sounding flustered. "Three, key the sequence, already," she whispered, this time sounding more in control of her voice.

Caitrin pulled her left arm out, the one she had squashed against the bottom of the crate, and braced herself against the panel above her head. Expecting the sentinel to latch on forcefully, she was surprised when the crate was gently lifted up off the ground. She watched the moving image on the compad screen as the sentinels started to move forward. Soon the creaking and moaning of the large floor doors could easily be heard through the ceramic material. She felt the crate dip forward and clenched her teeth, holding her arm stiff against the crate lining.

With her ear firmly pressed against the ceramic bottom, Caitrin began to hear the shouts of warehouse workers. She gave Morcant’s arm a quick squeeze and he held up an index finger to his lips.

At first, the voices sounded too muffled to make any sense, but soon they dissolved into something more audible. "What is this? I thought we were done for the day?"

"Relax, Riffkin. They probably found those intruders and lifted the lockdown."

With a sudden deceleration, the sentinel came to a stop and Caitrin held her breath.

"Don’t you think Control would have told us about that?"

The other worker snorted, sounding much closer than Caitrin wanted. "Since when did Control bother to tell us anything?"

Riffkin laughed. "Let’s just make sure Gapper knows. He’s been itching to get out of here."

On the compad screen, the image of an older man that carried most of his weight around his mid section appeared, holding a scanning device. Caitrin could clearly read ‘James Riffkin’ off of his ID badge. He vanished from view and a soft beep could be heard. "Huh. More ASGM’s. Shorty, you want to shelf these or prep ‘em for transport?"

"What’s the lot number?" Shorty asked.

"755 and 756."

Shorty came into view on screen, looking very similar to Riffkin but fittingly smaller in stature. He was holding up a small compad, glancing over a list. "Why the hell are these here? They should have been sent to Storage D."

"So . . . shelf ‘em?" Riffkin murmured the question.

"Yeah, for now." Shorty chuckled. "We’ll let Gapper deal with them. I don’t know about you, but I’m starving."

Riffkin rubbed his left hand over his rotund belly. "Me too. Let me send these load lifters on their way and we can ask Gapper about heading down to the Mess Hall."

With a jolt of motion, the crates were once again moving. Caitrin breathed a sigh of relief and watched the compad screen. The sentinels traveled up and away towards a never-ending section of shelving that reached to the top of the warehouse ceiling. After a few nauseating turns, they were plopped down at a row’s end, roughly five meters off the ground. The sentinel’s visual feed was cut off, plunging the interior of the crate into total darkness.

A second later, Killian’s whispered voice came through the comm. "Stand by. I’m scanning the area." After a few more seconds, he spoke again. "We’re clear."

Morcant jimmied the lock open and slowly lifted the lid. He had only raised it half a meter till the lid banged against the underside of the upper shelf. He had enough sense not to swear out loud and bite hit tongue. He more or less rolled out of the crate.

Caitrin followed suit when Morcant’s hand popped the lid open again. She duplicated his maneuver and fell right on top of him. His breath left him until Caitrin could prop herself up on her hands. "Sorry," she mouthed, smiling down at him. She quickly took survey of her surroundings and tried to get a sense of her location. Currently, she and her husband were wedged in the tiny space between their crate and Maya’s. She looked up and saw the towering shelving across from their own and realized the small image on the compad screen did little justice to the enormity of the warehouse.

Morcant grabbed her at the waist and twisted both of them on their sides. He gave her a quick kiss on the lips and pushed himself farther forward so his head poked out into the empty space between the rows of shelves. He tapped the other crate with his knuckles and soon Maya’s head appeared two meters down on his right. He waved, then pointed to the ground.

Getting to the warehouse floor proved difficult at first. Caitrin had to hop back into the crate while Morcant sat precariously on the edge of the shelf, hoping to avoid the ten-meter drop all at once. He lowered himself down to the next level, using another crate as a foothold, and tapped the crate Caitrin was in to signal her turn.

Caitrin never had a fear of heights, but the need for stealth made the descent a little unnerving. The four of them reached the bottom without mishap and they hurried to the end of the row, stepping as lightly as possible.

Maya turned and faced Killian. "Find us somewhere quiet."

His compad held in his hand, Killian pointed to an open section along the back of the warehouse. It was a low-ceilinged break area, complete with a kitchenette and bathrooms. "Scans show negative for anyone in there."

Maya moved on ahead, already making the decision to head into the break room. She quickly disappeared through the swinging door labeled "Women."

Caitrin let a smile tug at the side of her mouth. Here we are, deep inside an Insurrectionist stronghold, and we’re stopping for a restroom break. She shrugged and realized she might as well go too. "You boys be quick okay?" she said over her shoulder. When she flung the door open she saw a very clean, brightly-lit bathroom complete with lockers and several showers.

Maya was already breaking open a locker when she snapped her head up. She spied Caitrin already unfastening her belt and frowned. "Oh, you have to go?"

Caitrin blushed. "Don’t you?"

Smiling, Maya popped the lock off of the locker and reached inside. "Yeah, but we need to change into something that doesn’t say ‘here I am, come get me.’ " She tossed a pair of coveralls to Caitrin who caught them in return. "After you’re done, suit up."

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***

 

 

Feeling much better internally, Caitrin couldn’t help but contrast the itchiness of her new duds with her recent relief. She secured a cap on her head as she stood in front of the mirror beside Maya. "Well?" she asked, holding her hands out.

Maya, wearing the same warehouse uniform but a size too small, shrugged. "Just keep your brim low and try not to talk." She tried uselessly to fasten a button across her chest and gave up. Instead, she pulled a pair of gloves from a deep thigh pocket and put them on, mostly to conceal her wound rather than making a fashion statement. 

Caitrin raised an eyebrow. "You want to trade uniforms?"

Laughing lightly, Maya shook her head. "No, I actually think this might play to our advantage." She turned to face Caitrin. "How do I look?"

Choosing her words carefully, Caitrin smiled as she remembered Maya’s strut down the main corridor of Emissary with nothing on but a towel. "You really like the seductive look."

"Well I wouldn’t say that I like it." Maya gave her a predatory smile. "But I’m not afraid to use it when it’s needed."

"Right."

When Maya and Caitrin did emerge from the restroom, they found Killian and Morcant tucked away in a dark corner of the break area, patiently waiting for the two women.

Killian’s face turned a shade redder, but he quickly composed himself. "All clear. They must all be waiting at the front entrance." He tilted his head towards Morcant. "So when are we getting our disguises?"

Morcant shook his head. "We’re too well know around here, I’m afraid." He nodded to Maya. "So you two sneak us out of here while we ride in the back?"

"More or less," Maya informed. "Three, you have the location of the cargo transports?"

"Yeah," he said, "but I’m having a hard time figuring out how to generate a freight order." He motioned in the direction of the small motor pool located to their right and they started walking. "I don’t want to raise any red flags by making one out of thin air."

Morcant frowned. "Is there already one scheduled?"

Killian flipped through the list on his compad. "There is one already on standby, but with the base-wide lockdown, nothing’s moving."

A smile spread across Maya’s face. "Queue the one on standby." She ran her fingers through her hair. "I’ll get us through."

Caitrin pursed her lips, feeling uneasy. "I know what you’re thinking, so just be careful. These warehouse guys might seem a little dense, but I bet they follow procedure to a T."

Once they reached the short row of vehicles chained up in the motor pool, Morcant quickly found the one queued for transport. "Three and I will ride in the back." One, if they confront you about your cargo just say it’s urgent, high-priority stuff. I’m sure Three’s editing of the freight order will suffice to get us out of the warehouse, but we might have to improvise later."

All nodded in compliance.

Morcant and Killian climbed into the covered back of the transport, and awkwardly wedged themselves between the bed’s actual commodity. Caitrin caught a quick glimpse of Killian entering more keystrokes into his compad as she shut the steel doors.

As Maya fired up the engine, Caitrin hopped in beside her in the passenger seat. "They’re in," she informed her driver.

"Let’s hope this works."

Maya didn’t waste any time or discreteness as she steered the vehicle towards the exit.

As they approached the point of no return, Caitrin could see several workers sitting on crates and others immersed in some sort of card game using a larger crate as a table. All of them looked bored beyond belief when they turned to face the inbound truck.

A worker, who Caitrin recognized as Riffkin, waved Maya to a stop and came up to the driver side window. "What are you doing? No one is allowed to leave . . . " He trailed off when Maya turned to face him, her eyes fluttering in flirtation. "Well, hello there," Riffkin said in a cool voice. "Going somewhere?"

"Only where to where I’m told."

Riffkin smiled. "What’s the rush?"

Maya shrugged and handed him the manifest list from off the dashboard. "Priority routing from Control. Want to get a head start before everyone starts yelping about delays."

Raising his eyebrows, he gave the list a casual glance, and Caitrin noticed how he tried to suck in his gut. "How come I haven’t see you around here before?" he challenged.

Maya leaned out the window and gripped his ID badge with thumb and forefinger. "We’re from Warehouse A, temp transfer," she said, almost too soft to be heard. "But I hope coming here will turn into something more permanent," Maya purred.

Riffkin chuckled and propped his forearms on the window frame of the door, handing Maya back the manifest list. "Well, if you want to leave, you better talk to Gapper."

"Yeah, I’ve heard how he can get. Where is he?"

The heavyset man snorted once and reeled back off the door, giving the shocks a workout. "He’s in his office, all cozy and warm." He poked a thumb towards a door over his shoulder. "Good luck."

"Oh, I don’t need luck," Maya responded, slowly opening the truck door. "I’ve got everything I need."

Riffkin held on to the window frame, smiling all the while. "Yes, you do."

Caitrin watched Maya strut to Gapper’s office door, turning every head in sight. Riffkin slowly brought the door back to a closed position, keeping his eyes on Maya, and Caitrin quickly slumped in her seat and feigned sleep. If they realize both transfers are women, they might get even more suspicious.

"So who are . . ." Riffkin cut off his inquiry. "Hey, I’m talking to you."

Caitrin held a finger up to her lips. "Shh," she stalled. C’mon, Maya. Hurry up.

"Hey, Riffkin!"

"What, Shorty?" Riffkin grumbled, stepping away from the vehicle.

"Who was that that walked into Gapper’s office?" Shorty asked, momentarily abandoning his card game.

"I don’t know, some temporary transfer from A." Riffkin scratched his belly. "But I bet Gapper really doesn’t care."

Caitrin dug herself deeper in her seat and tried to quell the ice storm in her stomach.

It was a full eight minutes before Maya finally appeared in the office doorway. She looked as if she was talking to someone inside as she leaned against the doorframe. With a stuttered creak, the large double doors parted for their exit and Maya was again in motion, shutting the office door behind her. She moved past Riffkin who was standing near a conversation group and brushed a gloved hand over his chest. "I wouldn’t bother talking to Gapper for a while. He’ll need some time to recover."

Struggling to keep her jaw from dropping, Caitrin straightened up when Maya got in the vehicle. She watched her squadmate through half-disappointing eyes. "Was that really necessary?" she asked quietly, purposely leaving out the specifics of the question.

Maya put the truck in gear and they started moving forward. Keeping a smile on her face, she waved to the "fellow" workers. Various hoots and hollers were thrown her way, but the noise died quickly when they exited the warehouse and entered the cargo route. Once out of sight, Maya’s expression shifted to a mask of bitterness. "It was necessary, Two. It got us through, didn’t it?"

Caitrin knew that some operatives would go to any length, even as far as bending their morals, to achieve their mission’s ends. But she never pegged Maya as a "loose" woman.

They sat there in silence till Caitrin turned in her seat. "Are you okay?"

Keeping here eyes on the two-lane path, Maya shrugged. She took her left hand off the wheel and tugged her glove free as she bit the end of one of the fingers. Her previously undamaged hand was now showing red knuckles. "Gapper’s jaw must be synthetic. It took me two good swipes before he went down." She let a smile spread across her face and winked at Caitrin. "C’mon. I’ve got a little more class than you think."

Caitrin frowned inquisitively. "But why did it take you so long to get our of there if you didn’t really sleep with him?"

"To make those dull-headed warehouse guys think we were." She shook her head and flexed her fingers on both hands. "You give a guy the idea of sleeping with someone and they’ll jump to all sorts of conclusions."

Caitrin snorted. "You really know how to play the seductive part."

"Yes, I do," Maya said with a playful tone. She called over her right shoulder through the tiny window at the cab's rear, "you boys hold on back there and we'll get you delivered right on time."

---

New story out! Halo: Below the Brine
(it's the best story you're not reading!)

Chapter 18

"Make a left up here."

Maya nodded and cranked the steering wheel over, following Killian’s instructions from over the comm. He was acting as an unseen navigator, remaining hidden in the back of the truck bed. Their route to the staging area was taking longer than Caitrin had hoped, but Killian’s winding course through the base kept them out of direct contact with any personnel.

Caitrin felt as if they were walking into a lion’s den, knowing full well that their destination would be ripe with activity. She took her eyes off the dimly lit tunnel and once again studied the schematic of the staging area. It was, for all intents and purposes, an aircraft hangar, but with its sheer size and footprint, you could land a destroyer without even scrapping the paint. What made it interesting were the dozen launch tubes branching off at the far end of the hangar. The four tubes in the middle were double the size of the outer ones, but until Caitrin and the others were actually inside the staging area they didn’t know the larger tubes’ purpose. Maya had speculated it was for arriving aircraft, but Morcant had his doubts.

"Make another left up here," Killian whispered. "Follow that path for 532 meters, and then Loading Dock 14 will be on our right."

"Copy." Maya turned her head toward Caitrin, keeping her eyes on the road for a few more seconds. "You remember the plan?"

Caitrin nodded. "Yep. Let you do all the talking," she laughed nervously. "I don’t know, Maya. Do you really think they’ll just let us cart this stuff right in?"

"Three’s work on the manifest should hold up. Though if they really wanted to run the numbers we might be in a tight spot." Maya reached over and patted Caitrin on the knee. "Don’t worry, you know how good I am at improv."

"I don’t think a plunging neckline can convince hardened security to let us in," Caitrin said frankly.

"True." Maya reached back over the seat and started feeling around the squashed space. "See if you can find a jacket or something back there."

Caitrin turned around in her seat, placed her weight on her knees, and rummaged through the various objects of trash and whatever else the warehouse guys had thrown back behind the seat. Her hand felt fabric and she hauled it up over the benched seat. She placed the discolored reflector vest in Maya lap and wafted the acrid smell away. "There you go, fresh out of the dryer."

"Uck!" Maya’s face scrunched up as she caught a full whiff from the vest. "You expect me to wear this?" She rolled down the driver side window and held the vest outside, shaking a few loose items of trash out with it. Maya threw it back inside to land on Caitrin’s face.

Caitrin quickly peeled the nasty article of clothing off of her and tossed it on the seat between them. "You need to wear it, cause there’s no way I’m swapping uniforms with you."

"Fine." Maya reluctantly put the reflector vest on one arm at a time, disgusted the entire time. But the vest did zip up far enough to conceal her rather revealing uniform. "There," she said, holding her breath long enough to crane her neck out the window and inhale. "Happy?"

"No, just amused."

"You would be." Maya sat up tall in her seat and roller her neck from side to side. "Get into character. It’s showtime."

Clearing her mind, Caitrin settled into her role of wearing a bored expression of disinterest.

Up ahead, a large overhanging light illuminated the loading dock where three armed men stood at a small guard post. The heavy metal doors were open, but a mobile, knee-high barrier blocked any passage. One gruff-looking guard marched up to the window and took the manifest list from Maya’s hand without as much as a greeting. He ran it through a scanner and waited for a response from the device. He tapped his fingers along the edge of the scanner, an obvious nervous habit, and when it finally gave an affirmative chime, he handed the list back to Maya.

"Thanks," Maya said as casual as possible.

The guard remained where he was and Caitrin could see his nose wrinkle. He cleared his throat and bent down to look inside the cab of the truck. "You two smell something?"

"Nope," Maya answered.

"Hey," another guard said, walking up to stand beside the one with the scanner. "You going to be helping out with the unloading?" he asked, pointing to Maya.

Maya shrugged. "You guys need the help?"

The second guard frowned. "Well you are wearing a vest, so you must be scheduled to unpack these things, right?" His face turned into a sour expression. "What’s that smell?"

Maya kicked the truck in gear and smiled to the two guards. "Yeah, we’re both unloading."

From the guard post, the remaining armed man flipped a switch and the barrier retracted off to the right. "Hold on," he belted over the noise of the grinding metal. Caitrin tensed, but the guard merely bent down and tossed Maya an extra reflector vest. "Gives me an excuse not to help out later. Control has been hounding everyone to get this latest batch moving, so I’ll gladly sit out."

The other two guards snorted to each other as Maya moved the vehicle passed the security checkpoint. Maya let out a hissing breath through her teeth, and Caitrin relaxed tense muscles.

Docking Bay 14 was nothing more than a shipping kiosk and a giant octagonal slab painted with a yellow border. But it did open up into the expansive hangar and Caitrin sat gape-mouthed at its size. She wondered how in the world they were still underground when Maya answer her puzzlement for her.

"We must be under a mountain range," Maya commented. "This place must reach 500 meters tall, easily." She pointed to the multiple hatched tubes at the far end of the hangar. "That’s where we’re headed."

Caitrin keyed her comm that she had tucked inside her cap. "You guys stay quiet," she whispered. "We’ll let you know when were clear to move."

A double click over the comm was Killian’s silent acknowledgement of the order.

Maya snaked a path through the outlying docking bays, and most workers were too busy to stop and question a cargo truck with a perceived purpose. The docking bays all had a 50-meter tall blast wall that protected the unloading handlers from the test-firing of Backsword engines. Though the pungent smell of exhaust somehow managed to curl over the blast walls and slither into the truck’s cab through Maya’s open window. Caitrin realized she’d rather smell the nastiness of Maya vest. She looked over to her female driver and found Maya wearing a look of bewilderment.

Feeling Caitrin’s eyes, Maya shook her head minutely. "Um, where exactly are we suppose to go?"

"The launch tubes, of course . . ." Caitrin trailed off when she realized the emptiness of their plans. They had gotten as far as their goal: the launch tubes; but they didn’t really have any way to disrupt them or destroy them. "I see." She felt a wave a tiredness wash over her. "Well, now what?"

They were nearing the end of the long row of docking bays, the farthest labeled "36", and amazingly found it vacant. Even the multiple angled floodlights were off, plunging the corner in relative darkness. Maya pulled the truck up to the kiosk and shut the engine off.

Caitrin quickly got out and deactivated the shipping kiosk to limit any unwanted sights or sounds. She circled back around to meet Maya at the rear of the vehicle. Maya pulled off her vest as Caitrin opened the double doors. Morcant and Killian emerged drenched in sweat, but happy to be out of the small confines of the truck bed.

After receiving an inquisitive glare from both men, Maya chucked her vest in the back of the truck and shut the doors. She wiped her hands off on the pants of her jumpsuit and shivered. "Okay, so we’re here now . . ." she said, waving her hand for Morcant to continue.

Morcant wiped the sweat from his brow off on his sleeve and frowned. "Well, I didn’t—" he cut himself off when he looked over Maya’s shoulder. "Holy sh—"

Caitrin spun reflexively on her left heel, preparing for a confrontation, but once she saw what her husband did, she too stood in shock.

Being an unused docking bay, the blast wall had been lowered and the opening allowed for a complete panoramic view of the entire hangar. The staging area was broken up into three sections, the largest containing countless rows of Backsword fighters. The center section was littered with mechanics and their tool carts, working on more aircraft in various stages of construction. At the far end was a collection of crates full of assembly parts and armaments for the Backswords.

Caitrin's gaze swept back over the fully assembled fighters and let out a whistle. "They're not kidding around, are they?"

"Nope," Killian muttered. "If they have this many ready for deployment, they could launch at any time."

"That's what I'm afraid of," Maya said, turning to face Killian. "I take it you can't just disable the outer hatches on all of those tunnels."

Killian shrugged. "Well, with Donagh's help, we probably could do it." He glanced over at Morcant. "But if we plan on getting out of here, I could probably rig up a time-release on a particular launch tube. It would definitely be detected, but by then we would already be on our way out."

Morcant walked up to Maya and kept his voice low. "Have you had pilot training before?"

Caitrin half expected Maya to blurt out some wise-guy answer, but she simply shrugged. "I've ran the sims before. Never crashed anything, though." She lifted her chin slightly. "You think we ought to fly ourselves out of here?"

Nodding, Morcant slapped the back of his hand off of Killian's arm. "Can you tap into their prep lists? By that I mean identify the makes and models of those fighters out there? Preferably ones with a slipspace drive. Maybe even see if you can download a schematic."

Caitrin’s brow creased when she imagined her husband’s plan. "You can fly one of these things?"

Morcant gave her a lopsided grin. "Probably."

"Okay, I’ve got something." Killian held out his compad. "The first three rows of fighters are ready to go. Last maintenance check was two standard hours ago." He pointed to the next two rows behind the front lines. "These are their long-range fighters, a variant of the B-680. Their armament is mostly those ASGM’s, not really made for dog fighting, but they do have an FTL drive on board."

"Perfect." Morcant looked up and out across the vast array of Backswords, noting their destination. "What about the launch tunnels themselves? I assume they’re activated by Docking Control?"

Killian sighed. "Unfortunately, yes. I won’t be able to hack into that network without being detected." He looked down towards the ground, dejection in his eyes. "But Donagh probably could," he said more hopefully.

Probably, Caitrin thought. It seems to be the Word of the Day.

Morcant gave the boy a frown. "Can you at least get us past any security on the Backswords themselves?" He pointed to the two nearest slipspace-capable fighters. "We'll take the two on the end."

Killian shrugged. "Yeah, that's fairly simple. I'll queue them up for an early maintenance check." He started entering the record into his compad for a quick uplink.

"So I take it my first aerial engagement will be today?" Maya asked, her question sounding more like a statement. She stole a roll of the eyes toward Killian. "And I take it we'll be using the usual team assignment?"

"I've flown in simulators," Killian spoke up, temporarily lifting his eyes off the compad screen. "I could help pilot one of these things."

"There you go. Match made in heaven," Caitrin murmured. That got a glare from the other woman.

Morcant nodded. "Sounds good, though I prefer you handle the stick," he said, gesturing to Maya.

"We're good to move on those Backswords now," Killian said, packing up his things but keeping his compad tucked under his left arm.

"Alright then." Morcant checked the silenced SMG's clip once more. "Follow me."

They moved as one, silently and steadily towards the nearest fighter. Morcant kept them hugging the outer edge of the hangar floor, right along the other sides of the blast walls. The ambient noise increased steadily, helping mask any footsteps they generated. As they loomed closer to their target, Caitrin could see a short ramp extending down from the stern of the ship. Taking a final visual sweep, Morcant took three long strides to enter the Backsword. The other three followed with Maya bringing up the rear.

Inside the fighter, Caitrin immediately felt cramped. The small cargo area was really nothing more than a foyer to the corridor that ran the length of the ship. She walked to the cockpit where Morcant and Maya were already familiarizing themselves with the controls. Caitrin stepped past Killian to poke her head through the doorway. She could see the control board coming online, wirelessly interfacing with Killian's compad for the right access code, and prayed to God this would work.

The controls all flashed red for a split second before dimming out completely. Morcant snapped his head around and gave the youth a demanding look. All Killian did was nod his head at the central display. Morcant turned back around and found the console's main screen read: Standby. "We're in," he whispered with a grin. "Take One over and get the other fighter prepped. And keep it quiet."

Maya got up from the co-pilot seat and squeezed past Caitrin, who in turn took the older woman's place. Caitrin looked out the forward viewport and noticed the charcoal gray mass of the next fighter in line taking up most of her view. "They pack these in here pretty tightly."

"Which will make takeoff more difficult," Morcant muttered. "They probably do this to keep their pilots sharp." He traced his hands over the surface of the console, as if recalling where to place them. "I just hope One can make it up and out okay."

Caitrin looked to her left, past her husband, and out the port-side viewport to see Maya and Killian examining their own fighter's controls. Caitrin made eye contact with Maya and gave her a questioning thumb up. Maya just shrugged.

"We need to do everything in tandem. It wouldn't do us any good for one to light up and lift off while the other is still stranded on the ground." Morcant searched the console and pointed to a row of switches. "Patch the comm channel the boy rigged up and feed it through to the cockpit's comm unit."

It took Caitrin a few seconds to dial the request in, but soon enough the comm crackled to life. "One, how are you doing over there?"

"Just dandy. We're, ah . . . we're ready."

"Good." Morcant furrowed his brow. "Three, have you figured out how to shut down those launch tubes?"

There was a brief pause, then a frustrated sigh. "Not without completely giving off the mother of all alerts. I can disable them, but Control can just override any command within a few seconds."

The cockpit comm remained silent as Morcant drummed his fingers on the console's surface. He glanced over at Caitrin and frowned. "One?" he called to Maya.

"We have no choice," Maya breathed. "We need Donagh to get us out of here."

Morcant worked his jaw for a long moment. "Retract your ramp by using the battery backup. We don't want to start the reactors till we're ready to make our presence known." He sighed loudly. "Three, contact Donagh and get to it." He leaned back in his chair and absently fastened the restraints.

Caitrin pulled her own restraints over her shoulders, clicking the latch across her stomach and chest, and listened to the subtle sound of hydraulics pulling the ramp up and closed. With a soft click, the cabin began to seal, locking in its own atmosphere and making Caitrin's ears pop. She reached her left hand over and rested it upon Morcant's poised hand as he gripped the flight stick. "It will be alright. We'll get out of here."

Her husband brought her hand up and kissed the back of it. "I wish I shared your optimism."

From the comm unit, a familiar voice crackled. "Ah, Mr. Mahlon, it is good to hear from you again. It was unwise to drop off the grid like that. I recommend we maintain contact at all times."

For once, Killian was straightforward with his words to Donagh. "Look, we need you to shut down all of the launch tubes in the hangar save for one."

When there was no immediate reply, Caitrin's gut began to grow cold. She frowned and keyed the comm. "Donagh--"

"It is done."

Even through the thickness of the cockpit viewports, Caitrin could hear the launch tubes mechanically lock. She craned her neck forward, looking over the fuselage of the fighter in front of them, and saw the faint red glow appear around the edges of every tube.

All but one. And that centrally-located launch door was ponderously opening up to the tunnel beyond. Retracting into the forward hangar wall, the giant metal door rumbled open.

"That's it," Morcant said, pointing to their exit. "Three fire up your reactor and get moving." He matched words with action and the Backsword's engine thrummed to life. "Donagh, keep those other tubes locked, you hear?"

"Is there anything else you require?" the Advisor asked, his clipped accent distorting the comm.

"Nope." Outside, standing directly in front of their fighter, appeared a mechanic in coveralls waving his arms in the air. Morcant held a hand to his ear, like he couldn't hear the man yelling loud enough, and fired the maneuvering thrusters. The Backsword rose up, and Caitrin quickly lost sight of the mechanic below. The roar of the engine was complimented with the sounds of small arms fire striking the ship's keel.

"Morcant!" Caitrin yelled. She didn't know how strong starfighter armor was, but knew that any luck shot into a delicate portion of the fuselage could spell instant disaster.

He swung the nose around towards the source of the attack and spotted the gathering crowd of security personnel. Bullets sparked off the viewports, but Morcant keyed something on the console.

There was a loud thud at Caitrin's feet, more felt than heard, and Morcant squeezed down on the flight stick's trigger. The hangar lit up with the sustained barrage from the under-slung cannon, sending deadly, large caliber rounds toward the enemy line. Caitrin winced at the brightness, and through squinted eyes she saw people diving for cover as Morcant swept destruction back and forth. She turned her head to the right, trying to look away from the chaos, but found Maya in the other fighter's cockpit raining down her own stream of fire.

Morcant gained more altitude and drifted off to the left, gaining a little more room between his fighter and Maya's. "Hold on!" He began tracking a half dozen weapon-wielding guards running for cover under the wing of a Backsword, and Caitrin realized that that was their undoing. When Morcant raked a barrage along the spine of the fighter, the shelter they sought erupted in a fiery ball of heated metal and ceramic debris. Morcant let up off the trigger, noticing the cannon was building up too much heat, and Caitrin watched to see if the explosion would set off a chain reaction.

It didn't, but it did clear the area to just a handful of frightened and dazed mechanics.

Maya had likewise ceased her firing and Morcant leaned forward to catch a reassuring nod from the fellow pilot. Maya circled her finger in the air. "All clear."

Caitrin clutched the arms of her seat. "Okay, now let's go."

Suddenly, the lights in the enormous hangar dimmed considerably, and a large projected image popped up on the side of the far-most wall. The blurry image and shifting shape against the enormous, gray wall made Caitrin's stomach nearly come out through her abdomen.

"It would be unwise to continue down the path you have chosen," Donagh's voice echoed through the hangar. "More will die needlessly."

Shock filled her heart and Caitrin felt utterly sick. How could he just betray us like that? He was just helping us!

Beside her, Morcant swore and turned their ship back around to face a now closing blast door. "Maya, punch it!" He slammed the throttle forward, pinning both of them back in their seats, and steered towards their rapidly diminishing exit. "Go, go, go!"

A short burst of static came through the comm. "Acceleration at this rate is not recommended inside such a facility," Donagh said, sounding like his normal computing self.

"What?!" Caitrin blurted out.

"Kill the feed, Three!" Morcant ordered. He leveled the Backsword out as the distance to the launch tube closed to a few hundred meters.

Donagh was starting up another rant about staying in contact, when Killian cut him off and said, "done." His voice sounded full of anger and confusion. Much like how we're all feeling.

The two fighters bolted for the narrow opening like two threatened avians as Maya pulled up beside Morcant's fighter. "We're not going to make it," she said, repeating it several times.

Gritting his teeth, Morcant shook his head. "Push it, we'll make it!"

Caitrin wanted to close her eyes, but knew that if they were going to hit any portion of the lip, door, or slide railing, it would be a quick death. Either way, I'm going to scream. At the top of her lungs, she let loose and was surprised to hear her husband join in.

With what must have been centimeters to spare, the two Backswords cleared the closing blast door and entered the spacious launch tube. Caitrin's fearful scream turned into a shout of joy, while Morcant just stopped yelling and breathed a few lungfuls of air.

Nervous laughter could be heard over the comm and Maya slid her fighter to the left to share the room in the unlit tunnel. Both Backswords dropped their speed from insanity to near insanity as the blast door slammed shut behind them, plunging them in total darkness. Automatically, running lights flickered to life in the rounded corners of the tube and guided them safely along. The tunnel quickly dipped and then straightened out.

Caitrin leaned forward when she saw a mist forming in the near distance. "Um, what is that?"

"Morcant, what do we do?" Maya asked impatiently, bringing the speed of her aircraft down even more.

"Don't worry," Killian interjected. "It's just water vapor."

"What?" Caitrin said. "Oh, wait. I get it." She smiled when she realized the nature of the launch tubes was not really that original. An underground hangar of that size would have to have numerous exterior features to mask its presence. But with a scenic waterfall, no one would think to hide in such an obvious nature preserve.

"Increase your speed and rotate 90 degrees, One," Morcant said, understanding Caitrin's revelation on his own. "We'll punch through it just fine."

The falling blue-green water splashed harmlessly and briefly against the hull of the fighters as Morcant led Maya through the thick of it. The bubbling river below never missed a beat and kept flowing to erase any trace of their exit through the waterfall.

"Level out and circle back around," Morcant ordered. "And stay low. We need to finish the job." He searched the weapons section of the console and began arming the ASGM missiles. The forward viewport holographically laced a grid pattern over the mountain landscape and the placement of the dozen launch tubes could be easily seen through the waterfall. "We don't have to make it pretty, just bring them down." Morcant pulled the throttle back and took aim at the leftmost tunnel. "You take the one's on the right; I'll take the one's on the left."

Morcant had his thumb ready to fire his first missile when the sensor board chimed a negative tone.

"Too late," Killian said mournfully.

Caitrin instinctively looked over to the forward and rear radar readouts. Rising up from the falling rapids were four Backsword fighters.

And they were vectoring in for a pair of easy kills.

---

New story out! Halo: Below the Brine
(it's the best story you're not reading!)

Wow this puts everything I've written to shame.

Amazing writing Footbutt, wish I could match this.

You really know how to make a good story.

---

"Die?"Kurt laughed."Didn't you know?"he told the Elite. "...Spartans never die."

 great work!

---

Whenever a thread was hijacked and there were big quote boxes and lots of flame, I was there!

Rank:Master Hijacker

GT: I DFang I

http://averagejoesgames.com

Chapter 19

 

"Evasive!" Morcant yelled, as he pulled the flight-stick back to his chest and punched the throttle. The modified Backsword leaped up, gaining altitude rapidly, as a pair of missiles shot through the space their fighter had just occupied.

Pinned to her seat by sheer inertia, Caitrin clutched the arms of her seat. "This is not going to be fun, is it?"

"Just hold on," Morcant replied. He rolled the fighter over on its left and leveled out in a long loop down towards the source of the near miss. The two enemy Backswords each fired off another missile as Morcant triggered the rotary cannon. The stuttered thumps from the small rounds of the cannon sounded like a sped-up drum beat to Caitrin. Morcant stopped down on the right rudder pedal, swinging his ship out of the missiles' vector, and raked his line of fire into the paths of the oncoming craft.

Seeing that their quick-fire tactic had not paid off, the enemy ships veered away, both turning opposite ways to avoid the cannon's rounds. Morcant immediately armed his ASGMs and sent four missiles at the four leftmost tunnels. Caitrin could tell he was firing blindly, hoping to prevent spending too much attention away from his pursuit. The projectiles punctured through the falling water and impacted just inside the lip of the four tunnels. Orange fire blasted through the unseen holes and was instantly extinguished by the waterfall. The mist intensified around the area, blanketing it with vapor and smoke, but the damage was done.

Caitrin was able to catch a glimpse of two more ASGMs strike the two center launch tubes, but the source of the missiles was way off to her right. She craned her neck forward then leaned back to look out the side viewport to see if she could spot Maya's fighter, but Morcant had pulled them to the left and kicked the throttle up once more. The engine whined in protest at the treatment, but gave the fighter the much-needed boost.

"Hey, hey! One got a couple fighters in her barrage," Morcant exclaimed, briefly checking the sensor readouts.

"Wow." Caitrin checked the visuals and could see two flamed and charred Backswords blast through the waterfall, tumbling through the air. The central tunnels were completely collapsed and large chunks of rock began plummeting to the river below. "That should take care of the largest launch tubes," she informed her husband, as she watched the rubble pile up, making the largest tunnels impassible.

Morcant curled his craft downward, attempting to line up a quick shot at an enemy fighter still looping around, but his cannon rounds just peppered the outer edges of the Backswords' right wing. Morcant inverted their fighter and tried to stick with his target, but the enemy ship banked left to regroup with his wingman. Again, he swung the Backsword's nose around and fired off four more ASGMs at the remaining launch tubes.

Caitrin realized it was a tough shot, given their angle might have been too far off to the left, but her husband's aim was true and the missiles arrived at their destination simultaneously. Ardent fire spewed out through the gushing water, as if battling with the waterfall itself, and the last of the launch tubes buckled and bowed under the crippling explosions.

"That did it," Maya announced over the comm. "Three, I can't shake my two shadows over here."

"Copy that, One," Morcant said through clenched teeth, as he threw the Backsword into another spinning dive. "Come about on heading 243."

"Umm, what?"

"Turn left," he clarified. Morcant started to pull their ship out of the dive when the upper canopy of the forest filled the front viewport.

Caitrin noticed little fires burning below but soon realized that the bright glows on the trees were from the sustaining barrage of rotary cannon fire from their two pursuers. She opened her mouth to yell, but Morcant hit the left rudder pedal, sending them on a new, gut-wrenching vector parallel to the treetops. Caitrin was tossed to the side and tried to support her weight against the right bulkhead with an outstretched hand.

"Set your ASGMs for manual detonation," Morcant ordered.

"Uh . . .what?" Maya said, puzzled.

"I'll get them ready," Killian butted in. "What's the plan?"

Morcant's fighter swooped around in a long curve, bobbing up and down all the way. "When we come about to face one another, arm a pair of missiles and launch them at me. I'll do the same, but don't evade or detonate till my command. Otherwise we'll be dead."

"You want me to fire at you?"

"It'll work," Killian said with a new enthusiasm.

Caitrin nodded and knew they only had one shot at this. If their gambit of blind firing at the enemy didn't work, then the possibility of going to ground was their only real option. She looked over to her husband as sweat dripped down his face, and she held on for dear life.

Their Backsword gained more altitude and adjusted to Maya's improvisational heading. At their current speeds, they would have to be quick about maneuvering out of the missiles' way.

"One . . . Fire!" Morcant ordered and pressed the thumb switch on his flight stick. Two ASGMs rode on trails of golden flame, streaking towards Maya and Killian's ship. Likewise, they had two incoming. The cockpit lit up with warning lights and klaxons blaring, and Morcant gritted his teeth. "Evasive!"

Morcant pulled the fight stick to his chest for all he was worth, and the pair of missiles from Maya's Backsword flashed past bare meters below their own ship's keel. "Detonate!" he yelled, pressing the dual switch on the console.

Caitrin's body snapped forward as the explosion buckled their ship. Different warning lights were now washing the interior of the cockpit in red and she could feel the Backsword shudder uncontrollably.

Morcant fought with the controls for all he was worth, struggling to bring order out of complete chaos. He turned hard to port and Caitrin caught a brief glimpse of the other midair explosion. Their risky maneuver had paid off, and both of Maya and Killian's pursuers were tumbling down to the forest canopy, awash in flame. She just prayed the same was true for their two shadows.

"One, do you copy?" Caitrin said into the comm. Searching the skies and the now-cracked sensor screen.

"I'm here," Maya answered shakily. "My sensors show negative for hostiles."

"What's your status?" Morcant asked, as he cut the sounding alarms and leveled out their Backsword.

"No significant damage. We took some shrapnel in the blast but nothing too serious. How 'bout you?"

Caitrin turned her head to see her husband frowning. His fingers raced over the console and diagnostic data spilled out over the main screen. "Not good. We have a hydraulic leak in the starboard flaps and our rudder won't be able to take anymore hard turns." He paused and inclined his ear to listen to a high-pitched squeal.

Searching for the source, Caitrin looked up along the upper portions on the cockpit to see a growing crack in the hull. It was branching out like the roots of a tree and gave her a figurative punch in the stomach. "We're venting pressure and lots of it."

"What do you mean?" asked Killian.

Morcant sighed through his teeth. "We can't breach the planet's atmosphere without a proper cabin seal, let alone jump into slipspace." He flipped a few overhead switches and the landing gear began to lower. "We're going to ground."

"Can't you fix the leak?" Maya asked.

Caitrin glanced at Morcant who gave her a shake of the head. "It's a hull breach. Without a visit to the shipyard, we won't last much longer in the sky." He pulled up a topographical map of Andvari and let his eyes drift over the outlying areas of Milanó. "I'll find us a place to touch down."

"I'm on your wing," Maya informed, as Caitrin saw her Backsword appear off to the right.

"Negative, One. We need you to get back to Colonel Ross and tell him about all of this . . . before it's too late."

Maya made a guttural sound. "What? No, you have to come. Who will believe me?"

Morcant keyed something into the keypad and transmitted it. "Here, that's my authorization code and credentials. Get to the local outpost and tell them to bring an entire fleet if they can."

"Look I--"

"One, please do this," Morcant said, easing their fighter lower to the ground. "ONI has to know what the Insurrectionists are doing here."

Maya's sigh sounded like a burst of static over the comm. "As ordered," she breathed.

"Be careful, One," Caitrin said, feeling tears forming in her eyes. "And be safe."

"You too," Maya answered with a slight thickness to her voice. She cleared her throat and sniffed once. "We'll be back."

Caitrin held up a hand to the starboard-side viewport, a final goodbye to a departing friend.

Morcant reached over and took her hand in his. "Cait, they'll be alright. This area is void of any aerial defense towers, so they should reach hard vacuum untouched."

"No, it's not that." She turned her head to face him and tightened her grip on his hand. "Maya has been such a good friend to me ever since I set out to find you. She opened up to me about her personal life, things I could tell she hadn't shared with anyone before . . ." She swallowed past the lump in her throat. "I just got you back from the grave, and I don't want to lose any one else."

Her husband smile confidently. "Then you won't." He gave her hand a final squeeze and returned his attention to the improvised landing sequence.

"Right," Caitrin agreed, trying to match Morcant's tone. She sat up in her copilot's chair and felt her spine crack. "So where to?" she asked, searching the nighttime landscape.

"Well, someplace away from here; they'll be combing through this entire area by sunrise." He pointed to a bright spot on the horizon. "So we'll head to the place where they least expect us."

Caitrin squinted her eyes, hoping to see something that could be classified as dark, secluded, and quiet. Her mouth dropped open when a familiar city rose up into view. "Wait, we're going back to Milanó?"

Morcant nodded. "It's the last place they'll look."

"Because it's the last place we should go," Caitrin replied matter-of-factly.

Her husband sighed and killed the Backsword's forward momentum. "Look, Cait. Andvari is on the brink of becoming the newest battlefield for an Insurrectionist rebellion. There are innocent people here that will get caught up in the frenzy to follow, and I, for one, want to do anything I can to prevent that from happening."

He lowered the thrusters' output and they slowly sank to the ground. As the trees rose up around them, branches snapped off and creaked under the weight of the ship. They landed on the mossy ground with a thud that rocked the ship and had them tilted slightly to the right. Morcant quickly powered down the fighter and the cockpit was suddenly plunged into darkness.

"Cait, I'm sorry I dragged you into this," Morcant apologized softly. "I never should have--"

"It's okay," Caitrin soothed, removing her restraints. "If I never came here, you would probably still be incarcerated."

He laughed lightly and unlatched his own restraints. "You're probably right."

Caitrin stood and reached out into the darkness to find her husband. Her hand met his chest and she wrapped him in a tight embrace. "Morcant, I'm just glad to have you back." She pulled her head back to try to see his face but was only able to see his eyes filling with moisture. I'll go anywhere with you," she breathed.

Morcant took his left hand, cradling her neck, and took his right hand to the small of her back, pressing her body against his. "I love you, Cait."

"I love you, too."

Then they were lost in a fierce kiss, taking in the moment with wild abandon. Cait pulled away to take a deep breath, smiling at their own crescendo of passion. "Guess it has been a while."

Morcant pressed her head to his chest. "Too long, indeed."

The couple rocked there, back and forth, enjoying the warmth of one another's body and the feeling of completeness. The galaxy had thrown just about everything it could to stop Caitrin from being with her husband . . . but now, here they were: locked in a physical reunion.

"Okay, we need to move," Morcant finally said, holding his wife at arm's length. "In a few hours, we're going to have Innies crawling all over this wreck."

Caitrin nodded and kissed him once more on the lips. "Lead the way."

He took her hand and led her to the storage compartment to retrieve both their weapons and equipment Caitrin had brought. She fished inside her satchel and found a pair of glowrods. "One for you, and one for me," she said playfully.

Morcant flicked his glowrod on and walked down to the boarding ramp. As expected, the ramp didn't open all the way and the hydraulics locked in place, leaving a meter clearance for them to crawl out. The two squeezed through the crack without mishap and hopped down the remaining meter to the forest floor.

Even with their glowrods' limited range, the parts of their fighter that they could see were charred, twisted, or bent out of shape. It's a miracle we could even land this thing, Caitrin thought to herself, shaking her head. "You know, this is twice now where I've been able to walk away from such a scene." Her husband raised an eyebrow, but she dismissed his inquiry with a wave of her hand. "Long story." She gestured out to the forest. "Which way?"

Morcant pointed off to his right. "I saw a break in the trees that way. Hopefully there's a steam or river where we can lose any pursuit."

"And where to after that?"

"There's a safe house on the outskirts of Milanó, one that my team never used." He hefted his SMG into a firm grip and start for the distant sound of running water.

Caitrin took one last look at their fighter and quickly caught up with her husband, taking nearly one and a half steps for every one of Morcant's. She kept her sidearm tucked away underneath her jacket as they made their way down to the water's edge. She knelt down on one knee and dipped a hand into the dark liquid. She caught a quick whiff of the water and realized it had that familiar, sulfuric scent. "Don't drink this stuff."

"Hmm." Morcant panned the surrounding area with a furrowed brow. "Look, over there," he said pointing off to their left.

Caitrin stood back up and turned in the same direction. There, just off shore where the water was fairly quiet was a man dressed in bright yellow overalls, casting a net off the end of his small boat. By the length and graying of his beard, she figured he was well into his later years. "How did he not hear us land?"

Morcant shrugged but kept his weapon ready at his side. "I don't know, but a boat will help us get some much-needed distance between us and the Innies that are sure to come looking." He stepped past her, his boots becoming partially submerged in the mud on the river bank, and waved a hand at the stranger.

Either the man was too preoccupied with reeling his net back in, or he just chose to ignore him.

Caitrin took two long strides back to dryer land and caught up with her husband who was now just a half dozen meters away from the boat. "Excuse me, Sir?" she tried, but the fisherman still kept his back to them. She tensed, sensing uneasiness from Morcant, and started to wonder why the old man was really here.

"Sir," Morcant said a little louder, slipping his SMG back behind him. "We could use a lift, if you're willing. We could pay you."

Perhaps it was the mention of monetary reward, but the fisherman slowly turned around and plopped the gathered, empty net in the boat, nodding in acknowledgement of their presence. "Howdy," he replied a little too loud, and his voice echoed through the trees. "You two lost?"

Morcant winced at the volume of the other's voice, but he smiled nonetheless. "We know where we're going, but transportation could get us there a lot faster," he said, pointing to the grime-coated outboard motor attached to the aft end of the boat.

The old man eyed them over and let out a short chortle. "Not from around here, are you?"

"Actually, we have a place down river," Morcant answered. "A ride would be much appreciated."

The fisherman worked his jaw for a moment. "Sure, hop in." He grabbed a long wooden rod from the boat and gave one solid push off the muddy surface under the water. "Are you two taking a late night stroll?"

Caitrin frowned at the older man. "Did you not hear our . . ." She trailed off when she caught a warning glance from her husband. The least this guy knows the better, Caitrin read in Morcant's eyes.

But the yellow-clad man raised an eyebrow. "Hear what, the explosions, or the landing of a ship a few minutes ago?"

Morcant pursed his lips. "Maybe neither."

The fisherman smiled as the boat slid into the muddy shore line and stopped at Morcant's feet. "I hear a lot of strange things around here. Can't be sure which is which anymore."

"Why are you out here so late in the evening?" Caitrin asked, stepping closer to her husband.

The man laughed. "You mean so early in the morning?" He waved a hand as if to dismiss his comment. "Nothing's out here anyway. All the vibrations must have caused all the fish to scatter deeper under water." He shrugged. "Might as well call it a day."

Morcant nodded to Caitrin who took the older man's outstretched hand and boarded the small boat. As expected, the fisherman's hand was rough and dry from age and occupation, but it didn't bother Caitrin to have support when the boat dipped under her added weight. She steadied herself as Morcant stepped into the boat.

Her husband took a seat on the port edge facing Caitrin who sat down on the starboard side to face him. She reckoned that Morcant wanted this seating arrangement to keep a watchful eye on their helmsman.

The old man pushed them out into the flowing waters of the river and fired up the old outboard motor. The engine coughed and sputtered a dozen times before emitting a dark cloud of smoke, but it turned eventually and sped the three on their way down stream.

As the wind brought a cooling sensation to the right side of Caitrin's face, she noticed the fisherman looking at Morcant. "You expecting trouble?" he asked her husband.

"Excuse me?" Morcant replied, dividing his attention between the shoreline and his interrogator.

Their helmsman pointed to the tip of the suppressor sticking out of Morcant's jacket. "Most folks going on a walk aren't so heavily armed."

Morcant looked down and casually pulled out the SMG, placing it in his lap. "A precaution against certain people," he replied with a slight edge to his voice.

The old man shook his head. "You don't need to worry about me, son. These eyes are old, so I can't be too sure of who I may ferry down the river."

Caitrin cracked a smile. "Thanks," she said for the both of them.

---

They continued on for nearly half an hour till Morcant signaled the fisherman to cut the engine. He pointed to the right bank and took a position at the bow of the boat. "Here is fine."

The old man steered them into shallow waters, against a grassy crest, and sided the boat up next to dry land.

Caitrin turned to face the fisherman and smiled. "Thank you so much. It would have taken us all night to get here." She reached into her jacket pockets to find some monetary payment, but only found the ID badge she had appropriated earlier. "I'm sorry, it seems I've misplaced my billfold." She tried the pouches attached to the sides of her pants' thighs, but came up empty. "Um. I don't think I have--"

"Don't worry about it," he said with a smile. "I'll consider a break in my daily routine as payment."

Caitrin smiled again as Morcant pulled her to shore. "Thanks again."

The fisherman waved and shoved off the crest, once more entering the current. He was wise enough not to use the motor till he was almost out of sight, down a bend in the river.

"He seemed nice," Caitrin commented, watching the ripples in the dark water subside.

Morcant shrugged. "Seemed, is the key word there." He crouched down and lowered himself into the water, the surface stopping at his waist. He slung the SMG over his shoulder via the strap and motioned for his wife to enter the river.

Caitrin frowned, but eased into the water, even though the coldness sent a shiver up her spine. "You had him drop us off at the opposite side, didn't you."

"We can't be too cautious," he said. "The river is wider here, so the current won't be as strong. You have enough strength left to cross?"

Caitrin rotated her right shoulder and arched her back to loosen muscle and joints. "I'll be fine."

The current, as it turned out, was stronger than they had anticipated, and by the time they had reached the other side, they were two dozen meters off their original destination. They took a quick break, catching their breath on a large stone, before moving into the rocky terrain that buffered the left side of the river.

Morcant moved with purpose, often pausing and shining a light at a pile of rocks or a patch of trees to reorient. When Caitrin felt as if her feet would burst out of her boots from swelling, Morcant stopped and pointed to a darkened area where several trees had fallen. "We're here."

"There?" she asked, following him towards the indicated spot. But as she got closer, she could see how the trees had landed on top of an old house that was the unfortunate victim of a chaotic storm. "Is it safe?"

"Of course." Morcant guided her around the back of the house where most of the walls were still in one piece, but opened up a cellar door covered by leaves and other broken branches.

Caitrin followed him in and was amazed when she didn't find the air musty but clean and dry. After looking at the sturdy stone walls and articulately-patterned wood flooring, she realized the useless first and second floors were only being made so for the appearance of the entire house to look abandoned. The basement was actually fairly spacious and contained a full bathroom, two bedrooms, a kitchen, and a decent-size living room. Most of the furniture was covered in protective plastic coating, but the kitchen looked fully stocked and clean.

Behind her, Morcant shut the cellar door and all the exterior insect noises cut off with a final thump. "Good, we still have some food here," he said moving into the kitchen area and flipping a light switch on. The basement was suddenly lit up with a soft orange glow, much akin to candlelight, and Morcant removed his satchel and weapon to place them on the counter top. "This place is completely sealed. Even motion trackers can't penetrate the shielding these walls contain." It was then that he remembered he was still dripping wet. "You want to check the shower?" he asked, removing his water-trodden boots and soaked jacket.

"You want to go first?" Caitrin asked, removing her own jacket and tugging one of the arms of her coveralls off. She bent down to untie her bootlaces, but looked up at her husband when he didn't answer. When she saw the smirk on his face she returned the expression. "What? Like what you see?" she joked. Caitrin could almost feel Morcant's gaze trace over her body, but detected admiration and not lust in his eyes.

"You look so beautiful," he breathed.

Caitrin ran a hand through her hair, sending more drops to the puddle at her feet. It was then that she looked down into her own rippling reflection and recalled the last time she was soaking wet. It was when she had come home after seeing Morcant's placard on the memorial wall. With tears welling her eyes and without a second thought, she straightened up and covered the distance to her husband in two long strides.

She kissed him fully on the mouth and they wrapped their arms around one another. Tears of joy streamed down both their faces as the weight of their previous separation evaporated off their shoulders. Morcant lifted her up off her feet and sat her down on the counter top, spilling the contents of his satchel to the kitchen floor.

Caitrin laughed and briefly pulled away from the kiss. "Hey, mister. Why don't we get cleaned up first," she suggested, kissing him on the side of his neck.

Morcant sighed a laugh. "Yeah. It's been a long time."

"I know."

He took her hands in his and kissed them. "I'll get some food in the Flash, and you can take the first shower."

She hopped off the counter, still holding his hands. Caitrin gave him a smile that was only meant for her husband. "You silly. We are going to get cleaned up."

Morcant returned her smile and was pulled along towards the bathroom. "And what if the shower doesn't fit two people?"

"That's never stopped us before," she whispered playfully.

---

New story out! Halo: Below the Brine
(it's the best story you're not reading!)

Well now I need a shower!

 

Solid and rather hotish at the end.

---

COMMON SENSE:
So rare it's a go'damn super power
Oooh, my Common Sense is tingling

DäRKSTäRxMëRC

You got me good, munn.

Chapter 20

The strong scent of coffee reached Caitrin's nose and she inhaled deeply, a ritual she was becoming well versed in. She let out a gentle coo and opened her eyes to see Morcant sitting in the room's only chair. He was smiling, watching her with a look in his eyes that told her how much he enjoyed the moment.

Caitrin rarely slept on her stomach, but she found it unusually comfortable in the soft bed. "Hey," she said softy.

"Hey." Morcant placed his elbow on the left arm of the chair and dropped his head to rest it on his fist. If anything, his smile was wider.

Letting out a moan, Caitrin propped herself up on her elbows and managed to turn over on her side, facing her husband. The covers felt warm, shielding her otherwise naked body underneath, and she smiled back at Morcant. "What?" she laughed.

Morcant made an expression full of innocence. "Oh, nothing." He seemed to squirm in his seat, his plush robe making an odd squeak against the chair's fabric. "I could watch you lie there for hours."

"So I can go back to sleep?" Caitrin asked with a raised eyebrow, teasing him.

Sighing, Morcant shook his head minutely. "We have a lot to do. We need to get a hold of Mahlon to tell her the cavalry is coming."

"A fleet of UNSC ships arriving in system would freak everyone out." She sat up in bed, keeping the covers close to preserve a lasting warmth. Caitrin massaged her eyes with thumb and forefinger, and she let out another deep breath, bringing her mind fully awake. "When do we head out?"

Morcant shrugged, setting his mug down on an end table. "Maya won't be back for at least a few days, but the sooner the Administrator knows the better." He collected his hands together and leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees. "I figured we take our time to get ready, and then head towards Milanó at dusk."

"Sounds good to me." Caitrin brought her chin up and narrowed her eyes. "So how much time do we have?"

Morcant looked off to the left of the bed where a clock was placed on the nightstand. "Well, it's half past noon now, so we should get moving in six or seven hours."

A smile tugged at the corner of Caitrin's mouth. "So how would you like to fill that time? Cleaning weapons? Gathering supplies?"

Morcant looked down at the floor. "Yeah, we probably should get on that."

Caitrin let out a muffled laugh. "How about we relax for just a little longer," she purred, slowly pulling the sheets off.

Morcant raised his head and his eyes grew wide at the sight of her. "That sounds good to me." He stood up and undid his robe, pooling it at his feet.

When he laid down on the bed with her, Caitrin swooped the covers over the both of them, and the two were lost together in an ocean of fabric.

---

The gentle rain fell through the forest and landed in the mossy undergrowth as Caitrin and Morcant made their way through the trees under darkened skies. The woody scent of the rainfall made Caitrin smile. She followed her husband down a small hill where old leaves had collected to make the ground very slippery. Morcant turned around and offered a hand to help her down. She graciously accepted and he led her to the safety of a beaten path.

"Keep your eyes open. The entrance should be farther down a ways but my estimates might be off," Morcant said, pulling his gray raincoat's hood forward to ward off the droplets hitting his face.

"Gotcha." Caitrin followed in her husband's wake with an even bigger smile. To her, Morcant had two modes to which he was switching back and forth: the loving spouse and the hardened ONI agent, though sometimes they overlapped, giving her a renewed impression that Morcant had not become a calloused military man.

When they had finally gotten out of bed, they got dressed and prepared for a long few days. Morcant wasn't sure if they would have time to make it to the next safe-house, so he packed enough food and supplies to last for the duration in two backpacks. Caitrin had procured them new matching outfits, hers being a little big but the smallest size in the closet, and she made sure to bring something to shield them from the rain. In an attempt at secrecy, they had yet to use their glowrods, and Caitrin figured if she did end up using hers, then things had gotten worse very quickly.

She was panning her head left and right, looking for something out of place, when Morcant came to a sudden stop. "What is it?" she asked, coming up to his left.

Unmoving as if his feet were stuck in mud, Morcant frowned. "This place. Someone's been here."

Caitrin looked down at the wet path but didn't find anything to indicate recent footsteps. Still, he's the expert. "Are we compromised?" she asked quietly.

Morcant scanned the area with narrowed eyes before moving off to his right. "Let's hope not," he finally answered, waving her along.

He took them nearly 30 meters off the path to arrive in what passed for a drainage ditch. Water was just beginning to fill the lowest portions, but Morcant went ahead and hopped down into the ditch with a splash. Thickets and tree roots extended down the walls of the ditch, but he quickly found the access hatch he was looking for. He parted the earthen vines and pressed his hand against the locking mechanism.

While the tunnels Killian had used to escort Caitrin back to the surface were able to open with a flash of pseudo-motion, Morcant's entrance appeared more archaic, as it lowered into the dirt, rumbling stone against stone.

Caitrin eased down the short slope and stepped into the darkness of the underground tunnel. Morcant quickly followed, closing the hardened door behind him. In the quiet blackness, Caitrin could hear her husband rummaging through his pack. With a gentle click, his glowrod illuminated the dirt tunnel, and Caitrin got her first glimpse of the small, narrow passageway. Morcant had to bend at the waist in order to keep his head from hitting the ceiling, but Caitrin, being a head shorter than he, was able to walk without hindrance.

"My ONI infiltration team found an old hideout that the early revolutionaries had used as a staging ground," Morcant began to explain as he led her down the tunnel. "There we found maps marking supply caches and underground passages that burrowed underneath the Capitol city walls."

Caitrin nodded in comprehension, even though Morcant could not see her response. "They do seem rather . . . old. Even primitive."

"We never actually had to use one," he admitted.

She frowned. "Then how do you know where they end?"

"I don't, but we're limited on options." He sighed and came to a crouching stop. "It would be too risky to try and sneak our way in through the main bridge, so this is our best bet. The Innies secretly roaming the streets will be looking for me, and from what you told me, Palace Security probably has a warrant out for your arrest."

Caitrin shivered at the reminder of her altercation with Yunker. "I trust you know what you're doing. Just promise me that after all this is over, we take a long vacation somewhere closer to home."

Morcant smiled and kissed her on the cheek. "Promise."

They ventured on, taking frequent breaks so Morcant's back didn't tighten up too much. After an hour of travel, they came to a large dip in the tunnel with a slope of nearly thirty degrees.

"We must be right under the outer foundations of the wall," Morcant said. He ran his right hand along the edges of the curved walls, and paused when he felt something sharp.

"What is it?" Caitrin asked stepping closer for a better look.

"Detection netting," he answered, flicking the stub of metal with a finger. "The Innies must have burned through this with plasma torches while they bypassed the circuit altogether." He gave Caitrin a flat smile. "Risky, but they sure knew their stuff."

"Hm." Caitrin motioned forward. "Onward then?"

"Yeah, but from here on out we'll have to be as quiet as possible." Morcant started down the slope. "And hope this leads to somewhere secluded."

---

The sound of running water made Morcant come to a stop, turn off his glowrod, and listen carefully. The last fifty meters of the tunnel sent them on a serpentine route the would bend every ten meters, and now they could hear the end of their run.

Crawling on his hands and knees, Morcant slowly crept toward the roughly circular exit where a soft green light was filtering through cross-hatched metal bars. He stopped half a meter from their exit and peered into the other side, panning his head in every direction. Morcant turned back to Caitrin. "It's a sewer," he whispered.

Great. Just when I get all cleaned up . . . "Are there signs of anyone?"

Morcant's brow furrowed. "Why would anyone want to be down in a sewer?"

"We are here," Caitrin pointed out.

He snorted. "Yeah." Morcant examined the outer edges of the grate that covered the hole and found the stone had already been cut. First he pulled with no result, so he gave a push and nearly fell out into the nasty-looking liquid. He still held on to the false seal and quickly set it down on the ledge that ran down both lengths of the arched walls. "Stay close."

Caitrin nodded and followed her husband out of the tunnel and onto the meter-wide ledge. "Why do I keep running into water that smells like crap?"

Morcant replaced the grated cut-away plug and shrugged. "I think you just have an overly sensitive nose."

Caitrin wanted to laugh but was doing her best to keep her breaths short. Instead, she waved him on to lead her out of the mess.

"Let's get to the surface as soon as possible," he agreed. Keeping one hand on the wall and another out for balance, he marched down to their right, towards the source of the green light.

Caitrin did her best to not dry-heave, and she focused all her effort on not falling into the sewage flowing to her left. "So where do we go once we're topside?" she asked in an attempt at distracting herself from the pungent smell.

"There's an agricultural district on the east side of the city with an old abandoned farmhouse on the northern-most lot. That's where I was suppose to meet up with my contact, had I not been captured by the CLF," he said, coming to halt in front of a cracked, rusty door. He pulled out his silenced SMG and slowly pushed the creaking door halfway open. "Clear."

Caitrin squeezed through the door and found the room beyond nothing more than the base of a stairwell. The tiled walls were caked in mildew and the metal stairs were nearly rusted through. "You take me to the nicest places," she said with a smile.

Morcant was already halfway up the steps when he turned around and mimicked her expression.

Caitrin quickly caught up and helped Morcant push the outer door open. Rain immediately drenched their exposed heads and they pulled up their hoods, securing them. The place they found themselves in was the old, abandoned Northern District Stormwater Treatment Facility, as she found the words labeled on nearly every door, office building, and vehicle she saw in her immediate view.

The gravel underfoot felt loose and varied in size as they both started for the chain-link fence surrounding the facility. Morcant quickly peeled away an already severed section of the fence and led Caitrin out into the dark, wet streets.

Few vehicles were out in the late-night storm and even fewer pedestrians hurried about, seeking shelter wherever they could. But Morcant moved with purpose, and Caitrin kept pace beside him.

As it turned out, the agricultural district wasn't that far of a walk- conveniently, and within an hour of dodging down back alleys and side streets, they had arrived. What was not convenient was the fact that the storm had knocked out the farming sector's power, casting the open fields and randomly placed buildings in near total darkness.

They stopped underneath a covered storefront at the end of a small strip mall of farmer-owned shops, using it as temporary shelter, and it allowed them a few moments without the rain. Across the street was a fenced property with a faded-lettered sign arched over the driveway that read: Applewood Farms. If her sense of direction was worth trusting, she figured this was their destination.

Caitrin looked at her husband and could see something was troubling him. "What's wrong?"

He shook his head, sending droplets of water off his hood to land on her face. "I don't like this. Something's wrong."

Eyes darting to the left and right, Caitrin frowned. "Is this not the right place?"

Morcant sighed. "No, Applewood Farms is correct. I just didn't think it would be this out in the open. There's plenty of other places in the city that we could have used, but this," he said, spreading his arms wide, "is a little too exposed."

Caitrin looked up and read the sign of the store they were using for cover. Applewood Market. She turned around and did her best to peer through the dusty window. "Maybe not," she commented, pointing a thumb towards the interior of the empty store. "Looks like this place hasn't seen business for years."

"Maybe," Morcant replied, not sounding convinced. He pulled out the SMG he had hidden under his jacket and clicked off the safety with his thumb. "Stay sharp."

Overhead, lightning flashed in a bluish tint, as they crossed the dirt street and onto the gravel driveway of the farm. Once they were inside the fence, Morcant steered over to the right, using the nearest randomly planted tree as cover for a possible unseen threat. The three-story house sat fairly deep on the property but was built on higher ground to avoid the flooding that was beginning to take effect to the lower portions of the yard. The first story windows were boarded up and the front door had a heavy lock in place, but other than those things meant to keep vandals away, the house looked like it had been abandoned only a few weeks ago. On the surface, Morcant's fears appeared well-founded.

With his back pressed against the trunk, Morcant whispered to Caitrin. "I go first. Then once I'm halfway to the next spot, you follow."

She nodded in comprehension.

"And watch the windows." Morcant set himself once more, trying to time his run till after a burst of lightning hit. A staccato resounded, followed by the strobe effect of the sky, and he was off running to an old pile of wood that had been loosely stacked beside a fallen tree ten meter from the front of the house.

Caitrin kept her gaze fixed on the upper windows of the house, but no shots rang out and no curtains were drawn. Then she was sprinting in her husband's wake, the ground squashing into little odd-shaped puddles underneath her boots. When she reached Morcant's position, she crouched down beside him, breathing heavily.

Without hesitation, he was up and moving again. Morcant swung around to the right side of the house, and waved Caitrin over.

She made the short distance without mishap, but the exposure coupled with her dread of being shot allowed Caitrin to now hear her own heartbeat in her head. It wasn't that she didn't feel safe with her husband leading her like this, but her fear was rooted in his bad feelings about a place he was to use as a sanctuary. Taking a deep breath, she calmed herself and nodded to Morcant, informing him that she was okay.

He looked at her for a few seconds before securing his weapon behind his back. Morcant then began running his hands along the stony surface of the house's outer wall, searching for something. He came to an abrupt stop at a glossy black stone and gave it a firm push. With little resistance, the stone retracted into the wall. Morcant took a step back and looked up to see multiple, half-meter sized stones jutting out to form hand and foot holds that led up to a second story window. He began to climb.

She didn't have to say it, but Caitrin felt as nervous as she could have without actually screaming. She divided her attention between watching him silently take the hike up the side of the house and sweeping her pistol's line of fire around the yard, ready to give him some form of suppressing fire from below.

When she spared a glance upward, she saw Morcant vanish into the window and figured it was her turn to climb. Despite the rain lashing down, the surface of the stones felt textured and allowed her a firm grip for both hands and boots. She knew that once she was inside the safety of the house, her heart rate would slow and she'd breath easier.

Below her, the lower-most jutting stones started to return to their original place, hidden against the others, and Caitrin tried to quicken her pace. She still had three more holds to go till she could grab for the window sill, but the rate the stones were retracting . . . "Morcant," she hissed, trying to keep her voice low and still keep a firm grip on the second to last hold. "Morcant!"

Whether he couldn't hear her or if he was preoccupied with securing the room, Caitrin was on her own. Her right foot slipped against the stone that disappeared underneath and she quickly pushed herself up with her left leg, straining to reach the window with an outstretched hand. She found the solid window frame with her left hand and held on to it for dear life. The block under her left foot started to shake and Caitrin quickly swung her right arm up and got her elbow to lock over the sill, using her forearm and bicep as a clamp.

With the added weight of her pack and rain-soaked pants, she knew hanging there for an extended period of time was not the best way to test her tired muscles. She leaned forward, into the second story, and straightened her left arm with all her strength. Finally managing to get her upper torso over the lip of the window, she collapsed inside, her pack's contents spilling out on the hardwood floor.

One of the three glowrods she had been carrying took a tumble and the activation switch hit the ground at just the right angle to turn it on. Swearing under her breath, almost inaudible from the shear volume of the rain hitting the roof a story above her, Caitrin got to her hands and knees to follow and switch off the rolling light.

She was about to wrap her wet fingers around the barrel of the glowrod when the beam of light briefly illuminated a moving figure along the back wall. "Morcant?" she called quietly.

The response was a muffled gurgle.

The glowrod rolled to her left and she fumbled to find a decent grip. She quickly brought the light to bear down on the previously known spot where she saw movement, but Morcant wasn't there. She waved the glowrod back and forth till she found something that made her heart cease in her chest.

A dark figure had wrapped his arms around Morcant's throat, locking his head in a sleeper hold, and was starting to bring her husband to his knees. Panic rose up from her stomach, but she was still able to unholster her pistol and aim it at the two men struggling with each other. "Hold it!" she yelled, unable to keep her voice down any longer but managing to aim the tight beam of light at the assailant's face.

The man winced at the blinding light and Morcant used the brief second of disorientation to drop a forceful elbow into the attacker's gut. As the wind was knocked out of the man, he slackened his grip around Morcant's throat and stumbled backward. Morcant quickly brought his other elbow around to strike the man in the face, sending him to the floor with a thud.

She followed the man's fall with both glowrod and pistol . . .

"No, wait, Cait," Morcant quickly said through a wheezing cough. He held up his hand to halt any lethal force she was about to administer.

Knowing he was now under the watchful eye of two, the man started to get up to his hands and knees, keeping his chin close to his chest.

"Don't move," Morcant ordered through clenched teeth, his voice more under control.

Caitrin handed her husband the pistol and widened the beam of her glowrod to encompass the man's dog-like stance.

Then her stomach turned to ice when she saw the back of the man's neck as his head hung in defeat. There, somewhat faded from too many days under different suns, imprinted at the base of his hairline and wrapping around to the right was a modified UNSC crest tattoo. Not like the ones marines get during their first shore-leave, but one with the eagle in full detail, a bone clenched in its beak.

The exact same tattoo Kinnison had. Caitrin's eyes grew wide with shock. "Kinnison?" she breathed.

Lifting his head up with one eye partly closed, trying to pierce the glare of the light, Kinnison's face scrunched up into a frown. "Collin?"

Morcant snorted. "You two know each other?"

Caitrin absently nodded her head, still keeping her eyes on Kinnison. "We were both part of the Skyline Transport Security Detail. What are you doing here?"

Kinnison leaned back, resting on his haunches, and lifted his hands up in surrender. "I could ask you two the same thing, but I'm not the one with the gun." Despite the growing redness on his left cheek, Kinnison turned his face to flint and remained silent, defiant.

"Were you following me?" she demanded.

"Kinda," he said mildly. He swallowed and then lifted his chin. "Though there were times when I wish I could have taken the beltway instead of the tram," Kinnison added, narrowing his eyes.

"What?" Caitrin blurted out, frowning at the odd statement.

"Was the beltway backed up?" Morcant asked curiously, taking a step forward.

Kinnison rotated his head mechanically to face Morcant. "No, it was shut down."

Exhaling loudly, Morcant lowered the pistol and shook his head. "You are my contact?"

Kinnison nodded and slowly stood up straight.

Caitrin watched as the two men stared openly at each other. Then it all clicked. If she was guessing right, she had just witnessed a proper ONI contact challenge. She imagined if Kinnison had given the wrong second response, Morcant would have put him down right then and there. But apparently Kinnison was on their side all along. "Let me get this straight," she began, setting the glowrod on the ground to bounce off the ceiling, giving the room a soft atmosphere. "You knew he was alive?" she asked with a bitter expression while pointing a thumb at her husband.

"It's okay, Cait," Morcant soothed, taking her hand in his and giving it a reassuring squeeze. "He can explain things now, right?"

Working his jaw experimentally, Kinnison pressed his lips together. "It may not be best to tell you everything."

"Then be discrete, but at least justify your actions," Caitrin said, folding her arms across her chest and feeling less frazzled.

Kinnison seemed to mull over that thought before finally nodding once. "I report to Colonel Ross; he was the one that got me on Emissary. I was there to keep an eye on the Ambassador and his crony, Yunker." He shifted his weight to his right leg. "That stunt he pulled with the Cryo-pod? Well, let's just say it's on a list of growing charges."

"So you were after Thorin and Yunker?" Caitrin asked as she accepted an old creaking chair from Morcant.

"Yeah, but I was under strict orders not to act until I had more proof of their involvement with a possible Insurrectionist faction here on Andvari." He nodded to Morcant. "A task dovetailing to the one you were given but had failed to report back on," he commented with an undertone of remorse. "There's suppose to be another agent I was to link up with, but they were never at the rendezvous points. I assume that person is you?" he asked Caitrin with a furrowed brow.

She shook her head. "Maya Barros is the one you were probably looking for." Caitrin let out a short laugh. "She and I had you pinned as a possible conspirator, but then, at the Palace riot, you were injured."

"Yes," Kinnison replied, rubbing his head where he had been hit. "I knew they were going to ship me back aboard Emissary, so I fled the medical center before they could detain me." He spread his arms wide to encompass the room. "And I've been here ever since, waiting for another member of Section Three."

The sound of the rain began to die down as they all remained silent while Morcant paced back and forth. He eventually came to a stop and crossed the distance to Kinnison with a hand ready to shake. "I'm sorry I wasn't here sooner. I've was . . . delayed." He smiled at Caitrin. "But if my wife hadn't come all this way to find me, I'd still be in a cell several hundred feet below ground."

Doing his best to hide the shock from his face, Kinnison let a smile tug at the corner of his lips and shook Morcant's hand with vigor. "I apologize for the altercation earlier." He leaned his head toward Caitrin. "And I've seen your wife under pressure; she's as strong as they come."

Feeling warmth redden her cheeks, Caitrin couldn't help but blush. "I had- have a good example in my husband."

Kinnison smile fully, softening his tough-guy image. "So, shall we continue the investigation where you left off?" he asked Morcant.

Shaking his head while returning the grin, Morcant placed his left hand on Kinnison's shoulder. "Not exactly. We have new mission parameters."

"Oh?" he replied with a raised eyebrow.

"We have our evidence." He looked over at Caitrin. "And we're going to secure a high-profile asset."

---

New story out! Halo: Below the Brine
(it's the best story you're not reading!)