Chapter 3, part 4
The ganger didn’t disappear the next four days; she just laid herself uncharacteristically low in the classes and in her social interactions. On the surface it looked like she was just struggling to absorb everything that she was being taught but she betrayed signs of anxious weariness whenever she believed that no one was paying any attention to her; it was as if she was trying to get a reaction out of anyone who was shadowing her which was odd since she undoubtedly had already identified the two Mizol.
The two Mizol were also acting weird, doing their best not to look bothered about something. They were undoubtedly unhappy that their investigation had stalled but the still kept shadowing the ganger although their efforts had been split lately, one of them was always keeping tabs on the ganger but the other one seemed to be investigating on of the ganger’s students, probably in the belief that the civilian might have gleaned something out of her ‘teacher’.
On the fifth day the ganger seemed to have had enough, at least that was what Alexandra’s gut instinct told her so she decided to set up the bust at 4-C and catch the ganger on whatever she was doing there. Astarte and her hand-picked squad would be waiting on standby fully armed and armored, ready to be at 4-C in less than two minutes. Alexandra’s role would be to wait hidden at 4-C, to confront the ganger with whatever she was doing and bring her to their side of thinking unless the situation was such that she would need Astarte’s squad to rush in.
The only downside of the plan was that she would have to wear a full spectrum suppressor, effectively cutting her off from telepathy for as long as she wore it. Thankfully she didn’t have to wait long as the ganger finally showed up in the video feed she was looking at with her datapad but she wasn’t alone; a civilian was with her, walking right behind while holding something at the ganger’s back.
The door to 4-C opened and the ganger reluctantly led her captor to one of the large livestock containers just as the ship-wide fire alarm was sounded. Alexandra took it as a hint that something bigger was afoot and hit the panic button to call in her backup as she observed from the hiding spot. The ganger knelt in front of the container and opened up the panel that accessed the containers life support systems. She reached inside and took out a small box that was connected via a cable to the container’s system; a box that she offered to her captor after disconnecting it.
The civilian took the box and took a step backwards, giving Alexandra a clear look to the short, seemingly wet, blade she was threatening the ganger with. It took a moment for her to recognize the dripper blade, she had seen such a blade only once before and the only reason she was still alive was because she was still of use at the Enforcer who had drawn it on her.
It can’t be an Enforcer.
Alexandra thought as her mind recalled the panic she had felt the last time she had a run in with an Enforcer gang. She drew her sidearm out of reflex and readied herself.
I still have some time before the Enforcer kills her; she will make sure to not leave any evidence behind, they never do and to make sure of that she will have to… wait for her partners. They always work in groups of three for such a cleanup, two were always too few to clean things up and four were always too many to cover their tracks.
Alexandra thought just as the door opened again to let two more Loroi who each carried an unconscious civilian in.
The rest of the team.
Alexandra thought as she stared at them in disbelief before recognizing one of them as the civilian who she had processed right before the ganger; she didn’t really recognize the third Enforcer but her mind was certain that she should be able to recognize her. She tried to remember from where but she couldn’t, her mind throwing up completely unrelated memories at random before she realized that her heart was beating faster and that her hands were shaking.
Damn it… When? For how long?
Alexandra thought as she realized the telltale signs of a deep suggestion resurfacing and the panic attack that was about to hit her.
Not now… Not now… Not now…
She tried to calm her mind and focus herself on the here and now but she just couldn’t stop the panic from rising up. She heard some sort of commotion from where the ganger was but she couldn’t even move her eyes to look at her datapad anymore; she knew that she had to intervene to whatever was happening but her mind and body just wouldn’t obey her anymore.
I am Reforged…
I am Reforged…
I AM REFORGED…
“I AM REFORGED!” Alexandra yelled as she punched the container she was hiding behind with her right fist, the pain of her fracturing knuckles pushing her mind back from the bring a moment before she jumped out of cover with her blaster drawn.
“Everyone halt.” She yelled in trade as she took in the situation again. The ganger had somehow produced a knife of her own and threatened the enforcer who had brought her in with it. “No sudden movements and none of you pretend that you don’t understand Trade!” Alexandra ordered as the three enforcers glanced at each other before turning their attention to Alexandra, the ganger and the weapons they held.
“Don’t even think of it, your target is unattainable now!” Alexandra yelled at them.
“We don’t think so!” The one who had brought the ganger in said dryly as the other two made to drop the two unconscious civilians they carried to the floor.
“Keep holding them.” Alexandra ordered as she saw that, making sure to move into a position to be able to aim at all three of the enforcers. “Not one of you needs to die today.”
Alexandra sensed a feint electric current zap her head as she said that, the ganger stumbling backwards at the same time but still managing to stay standing despite the mental spike she was subjected to.
“You can’t punch through an interference suppressor Enforcers, even if you think you can because you see me.” Alexandra said as she shifted her aim between the three of them.
“We have an assignment… warrior.” The same enforcer who spoke before said.
“Your assignment is now untenable, consider the alternatives.” Alexandra said dryly.
“There are no alternatives.”
“I got a blaster drawn, I have all of you in my sights and I say that there are alternatives to you dying like fools while attempting to kill her.”
“Such as?”
“How about you surrender to me?”
“That’s not an alternative.” The enforcer spat back.
“I won’t hand you over to the Mizol, you are of use to us.” That seemed to catch them by surprise but they all recomposed themselves. “I am pretty sure that you now know that we are welcoming gangers in our ranks, enforcers aren’t excluded.”
“You truly want to recruit us as warriors?” The enforcer didn’t seem to believe that.
“Yes, I want you to be Reforged.”
“And what makes you think that we want to be warriors?” Alexandra’s comm unit buzzed in her ear as a warning and she switched her blaster to stun for what was about to happen.
A moment later the doors to the cargo bay burst open, Astarte and her squad rushing in with their blasters aimed and at the ready. Alexandra fired her blaster at the lone enforcer in front of her, the two electrostun shots hitting her hitting her in the torso before she could even realize what was happening. Astarte’s squad immediately stunned the remaining two enforcers who stumbled down with their two unconscious victims.
“Drop it!” Alexandra ordered the ganger as she turned to aim at her, the ganger just looked stupefied at everything that had just happened for a second before Astarte who was rushing towards them took the initiative and telekinetically knocked the drawn knife off her grip.
“Check their mouths, rip off any tooth that isn’t natural! Break their jaws if you have to!” Alexandra ordered as she deactivated her suppressor, just like the rest of her reforged were busy doing.
“You, I want answers and I want them now; your well-being rests solely on your truthfulness.” She sent to the ganger who was still dizzy from the mental spike she received mere moments ago.
“Yes, I will comply.” The ganger replied as she stared wearily at both Alexandra and the heavily armored Astarte.
“What did you do to warrant an Enforcer hit on you?”
“I run away after my gang was caught on Deinar.” The ganger replied truthfully.
“What kind of gang?” Alexandra pressed.
“We were a medical gang that guaranteed impregnation after a mating encounter for those who could afford our services. I handled transportation and equipment procuring.” Alexandra recalled the small box that the ganger had given to her now unconscious captor.
“Was what you gave her related to your gang?” She asked as she kneeled next to the unconscious enforcer who was having her mouth probed by one of Astarte’s squad.
“Yes.” Alexandra picked up the box and winced as her subordinate ripped out a pair of fake teeth out of the enforcer’s mouth.
“Will we have to check your mouth and the rest of your body as well?”
“No, I didn’t take my last resort with me.” The ganger replied truthfully.
“Is this box booby-trapped?” Alexandra asked as she examined it, it looked like a standard reinforced lockbox much like the ones she used to transport in her ganger days but it felt somewhat heavy and there was a power connector on it.
“Yes, rigged to destroy the contents if it is opened the wrong way, if its power runs out or if I don’t check within a span of eight days.” The ganger replied.
“Defuse it and open it.” Alexandra instructed as she gave it to her before turning her attention to Astarte.
“Watch over her while I manage this mess.”
She walked up to the rest of the squad who were busy handling the three enforcers and the two civilians they had dragged with them.
“Make sure that the enforcers are fully checked for any possible weapons and fully restrained. I don’t care if they only wear their underwear and their cuffs if you have to make sure.” She ordered as she took a close look at the two unconscious civilians, finally realizing that they were the two undercover Mizols.
“The idiots who lost the two Mizols from their sight are going to be on latrine duty for the rest of the trip to Atlantis.” Alexandra sent angrily as she stood over them and the squaddie who was checking up on them.
“How are they?”
“Drugged and knocked out cold.”
“Good, get these two to the infirmary and inform the others and the marines that we will put the ship in lockdown in about 10 minutes, don’t inform them as to why.” She ordered and two of her reforged immediately picked up the two Mizol and trotted away.
“You.” Alexandra turned to another of her subordinates.
“I want you to get four full spectrum suppressors from our armory and have them here in five minutes.”
With the preparations to cover this mess up underway Alexandra turned her attention back to the ganger and Astarte who was standing watch over her.
“Are you done opening it?” She asked as she walked back to them.
“Almost…here…” The ganger opened the box and turned it over to Alexandra to look inside, the box was actually a small portable cryogenic freezer which contained sixty four cryo-ampules.
“Sixty four?”
“Yes, all of them from different males. These are all I could safely grab.” The ganger replied.
“What? How did you get them at the first place?” Astarte asked in an instant but Alexandra cut the discussion off before it could even start.
“Not now, we will have her explain herself later and don’t even dare to think about what you just saw around anyone.” Alexandra ordered before turning her attention to the ganger.
“As for you, you will not be handed over to the Union but I expect your full cooperation no matter what happens.”
Chapter 4, part 1:
http://www.well-of-souls.com/forums/vie ... 745#p31745