The crew is crammed into Nicodemus' quarters. He overturns his mattress and produces a heavy footlocker with the door facing up to him there. He turns the combination lock, opens, and proceeds to hoist a portable minigun.
AARON: Projectile based?
NICODEMUS: Ha, ha! Armor-piercing.
Packs a bigger punch than what anyone
else is going to be carrying in this whole place.
RUNE: Don't you have to carry all that?
TULIA: It'll work.
She reaches in to remove an ammunition
backpack and starts helping him with it on.
TULIA: He just needs to get us
all the way to the Shadow's Heart.
NICODEMUS: Yeah. This will take
care of your Noclysis problem.
TULIA: Guys, load up. There's more rudimentary
guns in here. We could use everything we can get.
RUNE: I'm good. My rifle's one of
the only heavy gear we came in with.
TULIA: You'll take another
sidearm and extra cartridges.
AARON: You got any more of those?
NICODEMUS: Take everything you can carry.
Those pistols of yours will run dry
real quick running on full power.
ROSS: So I'm seeing you're more of an
offense over defense kind of guy.
NICODEMUS: I haven't met a wall or piece of armor
that can hold up. Better to be the guy shooting and
not waiting to get shot back at.
Sweets removes a sword off a display stand.
NICODEMUS: Leave it. It's a trinket.
We won't have time for those.
SWEETS: Esben will want this.
NICODEMUS: One less gun in your hand,
but I'm not going to be responsible
for you. You don what you want, Noclysis.
They all file out.
The crew strike an odd sight to the other guards regarding their casual demeanor while heavily armed. When a second pair of guards passes them Rune offers a brief smile and wave. Tulia grabs his arm to hold it at his side when they are safely passed.
TULIA: I've never seen you look so guilty.
I didn't even know you could.
RUNE: That's because I've
never been this nervous before.
TULIA: Well get it together.
They seem to be leaving us alone.
They leave an intersection behind them
and one guard who is passing through the
adjoining hallway stops and sees them.
He is particularly young, probably latter mid-teens.
GUARD: Hey. All mercenaries check their
heavy weapons at the first gate they enter
the estate by. Those are the regulations.
RUNE: (whisper) You had to
know you were jinxing us.
Clemence turns to face the boy, which
stuns the young man that it's him.
NICODEMUS: And who you think
it was that wrote those regulations?
GUARD: Why, you did, sir.
NICODEMUS: That's right. So why don't you just run along
before I put you up on report for neglecting the minimum required
tandem movement through the estate. I seem to remember
that being in the regulations as well.
The boy swallows his throat and
hurries off back the way he came.
TULIA: Put him up on report?
NICODEMUS: He's one that will run when
it starts. Let the rest be heroes.
Clemence turns to continue up the hallway.
Valory has fallen asleep and Esben keeps a constant scan of the room. The room was dimmed, but now the lights gradually rise to the standard illumination; seemingly of their own accord. Valory recoils into Esben's arms with another nock at the door. Both of them continue to sit in silence.
MR. VINCENT: Please come to the door,
Ms. Adhama. I wish to speak to you.
She sits up in surprise.
VALORY: How did you know I was here?
MR. VINCENT: It's my estate.
She cranes to look up at Esben
who shakes his head vigorously.
VALORY: (whisper) Go over there. (door) Coming.
Valory re-dims the lights. Esben flattens himself against the wall and stands a few feet from the door. Two figures stand in the pupil of his eye. One is himself and the other Mr. Vincent. This vision before him reveals Esben smashing through the door and crushing Mr. Vincent beneath it in the same fluid motion. So much for the need of complex interpretation.
However, Esben's thoughts take a turn. As he stands over the now-pulverized Mr. Vincent, the hairy beast turns his head and sees the faded outline of Nicodemus bearing down upon him with a large gun he had yet to see. He is brought back to the moment with the flood of light from Valory sliding open the door. He draws further back to where there is only the faintest reflection of his eyes.
VALORY: (yawns) I'm sorry,
Mr. Vincent. It's very late.
MR. VINCENT: I apologize if I have disturbed you.
I have ordered the confirmation that I mentioned
earlier and I am already taking steps to protect
my property. I am confident that
everything is well in hand.
VALORY: Well, that's... good news Mr. Vincent.
I'll sleep better tonight knowing that.
MR. VINCENT: I trust these
accommodations are to your liking?
VALORY: Everything is just... luxurious.
Everything. Umm, I think the bed might
even be too comfortable for me to sleep in.
MR. VINCENT: Really? Hmm. Well I'm afraid
you have arrived at one problem that
I am simply not equipped to solve.
VALORY: Oh, oh- don't- don't worry.
You have an incredibly nice floor, Mr. Vincent.
Best in all of Janriel!
MR. VINCENT: The floor? No, no, no.
That will simply not do for one
of my guests. Please allow me to
inspect your furnishings.
He steps passed her into the room.
There is only the light of the hall.
MR. VINCENT: Turn up the lights, Miss Adhama.
VALORY: I'm sorry?
MR. VINCENT: You have your back to it.
You'll find it directly behind you.
She glances to where she knows Esben is.
MR. VINCENT: What seems to be the problem?
VALORY: I... are-
MR. VINCENT: Yes?
VALORY; Are you... interested in me, Mr. Vincent?
Standing in the direct light,
she seems him smile broadly.
MR. VINCENT: Forgive an old man's frailty.
I have not been seeing clearly.
Good night, Ms. Adhama.
He leaves.
VALORY: Good night, Mr. Vincent.
She closes the door. She raises the lights.
Esben stands tall with a sideways expression
on his lips. She releases an exasperated sigh
and slides down against the door frame.
Just as Mr. Vincent is leave the crew is arriving. He stands a short distance beyond the door and monitors their approach.
MR. VINCENT: What is the meaning
of this, Nicodemus?
NICODEMUS: Unconventional,
I admit, Mr. Vincent.
MR. VINCENT: Try antiquated.
NICODEMUS: Illegal, Mr. Vincent.
I put it to you, why should the
Republic make these illegal over
other weapons? In the past, I would
only trust other Prestmoors to carry
these into battle. But times being what
they are, I'll take whatever advantage
I can get over the Republic.
MR. VINCENT: In that case, you and your
mercenaries can come with me, Mr. Clemence.
The crew follow without argument, but exchange concerned glances as they pass beyond the place they had concealed their friends. Sweets falls the furthest behind while stopping to consider the sword in his hand. He slides it on his belt and lets it hand freely there.
Mr. Vincent leads them to his office where here the walls are also wood paneled and one wall of windows behind his desk looks down on a hanger bay where the Shadow's Heart is being kept. Mr. Vincent has the others stop at the door and sits down at his desk with Mr. Clemence standing at his side. Nicodemus allows a glance down into the hanger bay before he is addressed by Mr. Vincent.
MR. VINCENT: I have verified a portion of the
events you related to me. There was, indeed, a severe
firefight - over what has not been confirmed - between
your bounty hunters and a drone attack in a popular
market place where there were many, many witnesses.
I will have to compensate you for your loses.
Many of your mercenaries died.
NICODEMUS: That was hardly any concern to them, sir.
MR: VINCENT: Indeed. In any case, there still
remain some questions that need answers.
NICODEMUS: Absolutely, sir.
MR. VINCENT: Quit it. You know that it doesn't
look good on you. Why did you bring the girl?
NICODEMUS: I hired the crew, not the girl.
She's one of them. I never thought anything of her.
MR. VINCENT: I see. Up to this moment you have
been about reproach, Mr. Clemence. But I believe
now you must be found to be lacking.
NICODEMUS: I don't understand.
What could I be missing?
MR. VINCENT: What do you know about her?
He makes a point of standing at attention.
NICODEMUS: Nothing, sir.
MR. VINCENT: Well at least I can still rely on you to be
honest with me. Her brother was a former employee of ours.
He absconded with some intellectual property around the
same time the blockade was imposed. Am I supposed to take
it as mere coincidence that she just happens to follow a
band of mercenaries into my company?
NICODEMUS: I could not say, Mr. Vincent.
MR. VINCENT: Indeed, you cannot. That will be all, Mr. Clemence.
Miss Adhama is confined to her quarters. Merely inform her that
she ought to leave the occupied light on in her pleasure sweet
so that none of the other guests disturb her. And remove that
hairy beast from her company.
NICODEMUS: Yes, sir.
MR. VINCENT: Dismissed.
Nicodemus storms out of the office and shoves passed the crew. By the time he reaches the pleasure sweet he pants with exhaustion from the weight of the ammo pack. He beats on the door by way of nocking.
NICODEMUS: Open the door!
It slides open and he is
met with Esben's snarl.
NICODEMUS: Back! Back! Get in there!
Esben retreats at the point of the gun
and Nicodemus slams up the lights.
VALORY: What's going on?
NICODEMUS: Vincent found you out.
The job is blown!
AARON: Only if you keep shouting like this.
NICODEMUS: You compromised my place here.
Now he'll make sure I never get near the Shadow's Heart.
TULIA: You compromised yourself the moment you
conceived the plan. You wanted to stab Mr. Vincent
in the back? What good is a Prestmoor
that's afraid to get bloody?
NICODEMUS: We're deep inside.
We got loaded up. We move now.
AARON: Sounds good.
NICODEMUS: Expect him to be ready for us.
Sweets pushes into the room to approach Esben.
Riled, he snarls at Sweets' advance.
SWEETS: Wo, now. I brought you something.
He presents him with the sword. It is a single-handed broadsword with a finely stained wooden hilt. The blade is dark with silver-colored pictographs in a series running down the spine. It is a sequence of what appears to be the same figure with the vague impression of inhabiting a number of scenes.
Esben takes it with upheld fingers and
recognizes it instantly.
Sweets continues, thoughtlessly.
SWEETS: We found it in Nicodemus' quarters.
Esben's eyes flash with flames licking at his vision. And he is upon Nicodemus in an instand and slams him into the wall and pins him there. He bombards the warrior with a series of incoherent roars and Nicodemus can't recover his footing with the badly proportioned weight on his back.
NICODEMUS: I don't know what you're saying!
SWEETS: He wants to know where you got it!
NICODEMUS: A Noclysis. He tried to use it against
me in a fight and I took it from him. I later learned
he killed another Noclysis for it. It's just a trophy.
Esben roars one solid roar. This has
nothing to do with language barrier.
SWEETS: He didn't mean that, he didn't mean that. Alright?
Esben is spent and pants heavily in
Nicodemus' face to catch his breath.
SWEETS: We're leaving right now.
And we're all going together. Agreed.
Esben is now controlling his breathing
through his nose, but holds Nicodemus
at the edge of the blade.
AARON: He's a Noclysis hunter the same as you.
You heard him yourself. He's never worked with them before.
Esben lifts the blade off of Nicodemus and turns
to rejoin Valory on her side of the room; but not
before delivering a couple meek swats to Sweets' shoulder.
NICODEMUS: The sooner I get away from you people the better.
Runes takes point at the door, looks both ways, and trains his rifle down the hall where they had come from Mr. Vincent's office. The rest pour out and head the opposite direction. Valory pauses at the next pleasure sweet door and removes the key panel.
SWEETS: What are you doing?
VALORY: Esben said the Noclysis in here
would try to fight even if they should
know better. I'm locking them in.
Aaron is the last to leave the room
and pats Rune's shoulder at the door.
AARON: Valory, we need to go.
VALORY: I'm finished.
She replaces the panel and joins the others.
Aaron catches up to Nicodemus who is waiting
for a couple of guards to walk further away
before crossing a corridor intersection.
AARON: Alright, so where to first?
NICODEMUS: First are the alarms, like I said.
Remember, we have to open the hanger doors
and hit the guards at the same time.
AARON: Then Ross cuts the power.
ROSS: Ross does what?
No one ran that by me.
NICODEMUS: Good to see this
is a professional operation
we're all running here.
AARON: Alright, I'll cut the power.
You'll miss me during the fighting.
ROSS: Hey.
Beep.
Aaron looks across the way to see Safe.
AARON: Wasn't he with us?
ROSS: I don't remember seeing
it since we entered the estate.
Safe makes a rude chirp and slowly rolls over to a door on his side of the intersection. An arm rises out of the top of his head to interface with the keypad of the door and the door slides open. The guards hear the door and start to come back. Safe rolls into the room and the door closes behind him. Nicodemus steps out and confronts the guards who seize up standing at attention.
NICODEMUS: I want security doubled
on all entrances to the estate.
GUARD: Again?
NICODEMUS: Do you want to leave
the Republic an open invitation?
GUARD: No, sir.
Both guards turn and double time up the hall.
Aaron crosses the intersection and goes to the
door and it opens for him when he gets there
with Safe waiting for him at his feet.
AARON: What are you up to?
Safe turns and leads Aaron inside. He stands before a monitor and Safe plugs in. On the display there appears a corridor of blast doors showing green indicators. Everything else is in red.
NICODEMUS: I don't believe it.
AARON: You see it, too?
NICODEMUS: We have a path straight to the hanger.
These doors have been rerouted from the main power
supply. Now we can cut the power and the hanger bay
doors will open at the same time. And everywhere else will
go into lockdown. Someone would have had to disconnect each
of the green-line doors manually without being seen.
AARON: That's some good work, little guy.
Nicodemus regards the comment with suspicion.
A new set of guards comes up on Rune's end and they raise their weapons. He fires on both of them with a single shot each and the hall lights shift to an emergency red. The alarm sounds. The blast doors of the intersection on either side of them and behind them close, but the hallway ahead remains open. Aaron and Nicodemus rush out of the maintenance station.
NICODEMUS: We still need to hit the power.
AARON: I'm on it.
Further up the hall, one of the sealed blast doors is overridden and half-a-dozen guards open fire on sight. Nicodemus rains down on them and marches forward behind his sustained volley. He reaches the mouth of the door, turns into the adjoining hallway and fires a short burst after the couple guards who fled and then presses a hand scanner to re-seal the door. It doesn't close. Upon closer inspection he realizes that he has damaged the controls.
NICODEMUS: This should close again
when you cut the power. Keep going.
Aaron moves on ahead.
NICODEMUS: We need someone to cover
this position while we move up.
RUNE: Well I was already covering your back.
NICODEMUS: I thought you were the pilot.
RUNE: Then you're not leaving
without me, are you?
The loading door to the hanger bay explodes open and Nicodemus steps out from the smoke with his minigun at full bore. Human guards and the stray Noclysis alike scramble for cover and return fire.
The soundproof glass appears to conceal the battle raging behind him, but Mr. Vincent casually continues work at his desk beneath the red emergency lights. His intercom whirs.
SCARED GUARD: The Republic
have breached! They're everywhere!
MR. VINCENT: Nonsense. It's a trick. All units are
to report to the restricted hanger bay at once. Abandon the
entrances to the estate. All units report to the restricted hanger bay.
One explosion is enough to rock a cup on his desk and a small crack forms in the window glass. Mr. Vincent turns his head with an annoyed eye and turns back to his desk with a shake of his head.
A stream of guards suddenly appear down at the other end of Rune's bottleneck and he shoots dead the first half-dozen who attempted to rush him up the hall. But the rest he can only manage to keep pinned down. He is forced to fire blind beneath the punishing rate of fire they collectively deliver.
RUNE: Aaron, what was I THINKING!
AARON: I'm almost there, I'm almost there!
He bursts into the generator room,
breathless, and finds only technicians.
AARON: You don't need to be here.
They all quickly leave.
He starts throwing switches.
The guards at the bottleneck start coming up the hallway again and this time move in a line so that they can all fire together. Rune puts aside his rifle and starts blasting away with the sidearm. This time he only kills a couple and the rest still keep coming. He retreats from the mouth of the open hallway and takes up position a short distance up the hall, attempting to shoot them as they come out.
RUNE: My position's overrun!
Absolute darkness and sudden silence.
RUNE: (terrified whisper) Damn.
Rune is lit up by his adversaries opening fire again. He returns blindly with the rifle shooting under one arm and the pistol in the other hand. Under the beams of light, Rune witnesses the blast doors seal, but there are still a dozen or so guards that have already poured through to the other side.
Mr. Vincent remains at ease in his office, but then he too is plunged into total darkness. After a moment, a horizon of white light breaks across his windows and bathes him in the morning sun. A soft orange glow is cast upon the hanger bay below and Mr. Vincent's eyes grow wide with terror. And as if looking unprotected into the heart of a nuclear explosion, he thinks he has gone blind as the light kisses him and sets his skin to glow gold with its warm.
Rune engages a crouched retreat under fire and Aaron runs up behind him. He lays down fire with both barrels and orders Rune to run for the hanger. Aaron then quickly follows.
They arrive at the hanger.
AARON: We got company coming up behind us.
NICODEMUS: The fight's pretty well out of them
in here. They're just stalling.
TULIA: Ross, Sweets cover the back door.
Rune, take the ship. We'll keep them pinned down.
NICODEMUS: I got him. I'm nearly out.
Rune runs headlong for the loading ramp and Nicodemus follows with a steady stream of fire. He walks backwards up the loading ramp and once there he shirks off the ammo pack, drops the minigun, and draws his sidearm to help Rune clear the ship. No one is aboard. They make their way to the cockpit, seal it off, and each sit down at a set of controls.
RUNE: Why did you just close the loading ramp?
NICODEMUS: You want to let one of them try to take back the ship?
You're supposed to be getting ready for launch. Get to it.
RUNE: Our friends will be coming right behind us.
NICODEMUS: Your friends.
RUNE: Step away from the controls.
NICODEMUS: Shut up you idiot.
RUNE: I meant it.
He glances over to see Rune has stood up from his station with his sidearm extended at Nicodemus' head. Nicodemus lifts his hands off the controls and holds them in the air. He rises and moves toward the cockpit door. He reaches down to punch the button to open it and steps out into the hallway there. Rune steps forward to press the button for the door and as it begins to close Nicodemus reaches out and pulls Rune's arm beyond the doorframe so that it is crushed and Rune is forced to drop the gun.
The cockpit door opens again and Nicodemus marches forward to waylay Rune with brutal hits to the head. Bloodied all over, Rune falls back against the controls. Nicodemus towers over him again and Rune delivers a strong kick to the gut. Rune then only has the strength to turn on his side and he flips a few switches with tremoring fingers.
Aaron witnesses the loading ramp lower again and rushes the no man's land between cargo crate barricades. Inside the cockpit, Nicodemus pulls Rune up by the collar and delivers more blows to the face. Then he feels a barrel against the back of his head.
AARON: Off.
Nicodemus moves to the side with
his hands raised to the back of his head.
RUNE: (muffled) Just shoot him.
AARON: Step into the hall.
He does.
AARON: Now close it.
Nicodemus frowns and punches the button.
RUNE: (muffled) What gives?
AARON: I know you're not feeling up to it
right now, Rune. But I'm going to need you
to talk me through this. What's the safest
quick way to launch?
Sighs.
RUNE: (muffled) Pick one.
Outside, Ross and Sweets have been forced back
to the blown loading door of the hanger bay.
ROSS: We ran into a little trouble.
SWEETS: Some old friends.
TULIA: Wish I could help.
Maybe ask Esben.
She looks over and sees Valory
alone, looking at her sadly.
She absently pets safe.
TULIA: Where...
In that moment she realizes the shooting across the hanger bay has stopped. She steps out and sees a tall figure cross the distance and stop in the middle of the bay. Esben's fur is damp with something dark on the underside of his arms. He takes his sword and waves everyone forward to come board the ship, which he then turns to and lumbers up the loading ramp.
TULIA: Come on. We're leaving.
The Shadow's Heart roars to life and the loading ramp closes. A glowing white aura envelops the ship and it immediately gains a gentle levitation. Its would-be defenders arrive at the hanger bay loading doors and open fire upon it. The weapons merely deflect and fly in unpredictable directions. Still, they keep on firing.
Mr. Vincent looks on in depressed silence. As the Shadow's Heart rotates in order to depart it causes the whole Steelgazer to tremor and the small crack in the window proceeds to expand. Having turned, the thrusters ignite to a hard burn and shatters every last office window. He loses sight of the Shadow's Heart in the sun.
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