Dreaming of Atmosphere (41 page)

“How long will you need to clear us through?”

Security here should be stronger than previously encountered. I will need several minutes to break through the encryption.

“I don’t know if I can keep us hidden that long.”

Trying to locate an access pass may be even riskier.

“I have an idea. I don’t need to go in search of a pass, I can have one brought to me instead. If I create a distraction, some kind of minor emergency, I can ambush the responders. They should have unfettered access to the main corridors.”

That is a sound assessment.

I returned to the C2 ring, which seemed to be the outer section of this deck, and fixed a charge to one of the bulkheads. Art had fitted the charges with small wireless detonators, allowing me to link to each bomb separately and set them off. I figured a hull breach would get a small damage control team here to seal it off, and could easily be explained as debris from the Dreaming striking the hull. Hopefully.

I set the charge, and pulled back to another compartment that I’d checked for vacancy. When I was ready, I detonated the bomb, and could hear the muffled thud of it going off. A faint whistle could be heard on the other side of the compartment, and I’d selected a non-airtight hatch to use so that the O
2
could escape from the main passageway as well. A warning sounded, and I didn’t have to wait long before a response was seen. Two men appeared wearing emergency breathers, small canisters strapped to their belts feeding air to a facemask. They carried damage control bags and a couple of cans of polycrete foam. One of them spoke into a bulkhead mounted communication panel and reported the scene. I waited for them to enter the compartment and begin repairs. When the whistle died down, I entered the compartment behind them. They were smoothing over a wire mess on top of a polycrete plug they’d sealed up the breach with. I’d funnelled the blast to only damage a portion of the hull, so they could easily repair it. I grabbed the nearest one from behind and drove my
lurzak
blade into his spine, my hand over his mouth. When the other turned to see what the flailing about was, he was shocked to see me rip the blade from his dead comrade and I advanced upon him menacingly. He picked up a heavy wrench from his tool bag, but he was no warrior. I cut him down, slicing him open from shoulder to hip.

I thought about the bloodshed, the people I was killing. I felt a pang of regret that I was called upon to kill unarmed civilians, but then I remembered the alternative. These were people fixed upon killing my own people. It was them or us. I was determined to make it them. I didn’t bother to hide the bodies, but I did find an access pass on them both. I figured they would at least get me access to one of the spinal corridors.

I returned to the A2 ring, and the central compartment. With an extension of my will, I sent my nanites into the security cameras in the room, erasing my presence from their digital systems. I strode up to one of the hatches and swiped the card. It opened into a large platform, an elevator. I examined the control panel, I still had no idea where to find the propulsion brains, but I bet they were somewhere down near the lower sections. I keyed in deck twenty-seven. With a barely perceptible jerk, the elevator began its decent into the heart of the ship, the bulkheads falling away to reveal the shaft sides.

After a few moments, the walls slid away completely, and I saw a large, open corridor that we travelled down. Beside my elevator was another, to allow dual transit directions at the same time. There, about fifty metres away, was the main shaft of the rail gun. On the far side of the corridor was another elevator system. The corridor opened up even more the further I got, and I could see many platforms and walkways snaking around the corridor sides. The shaft was perhaps two hundred metres in diameter at its widest, and I could see several flying drones performing maintenance in places. This ship was truly huge.

Eventually, I reached deck twenty-seven, and the doors opened. I peered out, located the security cameras and blanked them as well. I moved with haste to a hatch at the far end of the compartment. Like the A2 deck, this was a semi-circular affair, however were before the decks were pristine smooth decking and painted bulkheads this deck was bare steel and grated deck plates. The air smelled more strongly of the same scent I detected earlier. The sound of the ship’s propulsion was strong here, a steady thumping drone that permeated the air.

“We need to find an engineering console to hook you up to.”

I concur, Seth.

I left the elevator compartment and entered A27. The other side was a large compartment that ringed the entire deck. There were dozens of machinery and maintenance benches about, and it seemed I’d stumbled upon a workshop of some kind. There were people working at the machines, and no one looked up as entered and hid behind a large lathe. There was a lot of activity going on here.

“What are they making?”

I believe this is an ammunition manufactory for the rail gun.

“They’re building shells?”

It would appear so.

“Where are they getting the materials for the more exotic rounds?”

Unsure, but there should be trace elements of the compounds in the area that would be detectable with your nanites.

I reached out with my senses, and sure enough, the nanites picked up several elements that could only be described as exotic. I ordered my overlay to display trails of the stuff in my vision, and I could see several converging points where they must have transported the material. Time to place some charges.

I snuck between machines, darting across opening and under benches. Thankfully, most of the people in here were too busy to look up from their machining and assembly. I saw a couple of synthetics working alongside them, probably handling the more dangerous materials and substances. When I was twenty metres from the store, I saw the hatch to compartment open and out walked a synthetic that carried a bundle of dull grey rods displaying all manner of warning labels. I waited until it left and translated into the open hatchway, darting around a corner in the storeroom. There were dozens of containers, each labelled with warning signs and listing many different compounds that I didn’t recognise. I looked around for a good place to put some bombs, when I stumbled across a synthetic exiting a container. I sent my nanites into it, stripping the electrons from the atoms around it. Instantly the air crackled with the Ionise paradigm and it jerked suddenly before falling to the ground and twitching. I stomped on its chassis until I was sure it was destroyed.

I checked the open container and thought it was a good a place as any. I set a charge down behind a rack of canisters and containers, and stuff the broken synthetic inside before closing the hatch. I set the detonator to go off in two hours. No telling if I would be able to come back this way, so remotely detonating was out of the question.

I left the storeroom, and hid under another big machine. There was a conveyor belt nearby, carrying large cylindrical shell housings. I followed the conveyor to its source, a large metal rolling press that was forming the shells. I attached another bomb to its power access port and set it to go off in just less than two hours. If all else failed, I would cripple this ship’s ability to reproduce these rounds. I had two bombs left.

I watched from my hiding spot as two more synthetics pushed trolleys loaded with more shells towards a large hatch in one bulkhead. I tried to follow, but it was too risky. I did get close enough to see a sign mentioning access to a magazine. Using this information, I was able to extrapolate from my low lever deck plan that these lower sections were actually the railgun sections. The propulsion must be further up. I returned to the access corridor and, after checking the rough deck plan I had, keyed in deck nine this time.

The elevator opened into another semi-circular security compartment, like before, that led into a passageway that disappeared on either side, much like the first deck I had entered. I knew from my deck plan that this was the largest deck, at the widest part of the hull. In the passageway, I quickly found an information display depicting various compartments around the deck. I was in luck; this was a main engineering area.

“Tac, how do you suggest we locate the brain? I don’t want to wander around blindly.”

Your original plan of finding an engineering console is the best plan. Locating a fuel line and following it may also yield a control nexus.

“This chart shows a few compartments that may have what we need. There’s a generator control room in E9:073. That appears the closest. There doesn’t appear to be one Central Control compartment, but several surrounding the deck. Besides, they’ll be too heavily guarded.”

I left and made my way towards the hatch to leave this ring. It wasn’t long before I began to encounter more crew. This was a busy deck, after all. The first I heard coming long before I saw them, and I was able to secret myself in a hatch that luckily led to an unoccupied compartment filled with thrumming machines. I let them pass by and moved on. At deck C9 I found myself stuck between two groups of oncoming crew, from both directions. I couldn’t risk getting to a hatch, as I had no time to get there. I pulled out my scrambler and activated it, then advanced on the group in front of me. As soon as I saw them, I opened fire. There were three of them and the first two died in the first hail of hard light bullets. The third turned and ran, but I cut him down from behind. The group behind me must have heard their screams because they came running with side arms drawn. I let loose a barrage of shots that saw the first of four go down and one fall back with a wounded arm. They got off a trio of shots that I caught on my nanite Shield paradigm that sprang into place. They started to fall back, desperately calling for aid on comm systems that would not work.

Like an automaton, I gunned them down. One by one they fell. It was brutal work, but necessary, I told myself. Us or them. I popped my nearly flat battery cell from my carbine and reloaded. I suddenly heard a noise behind me and turned in time to see a crewman running back the way they’d come. They must have investigated the noise and saw the bodies of the first three I’d killed. They’d run almost immediately. I gave chase, but knew they had too much of a lead on me. I saw the tail end of them disappear behind a hatch. When I got to it, it was locked from the other side. They’d be on to me soon. Although the scrambler would take out short-range communications, there was bound to be a hard line system around here somewhere, and intercom panel or something. I left at a run, only a few hundred metres to go before I got to the generator room.

Couldn’t be helped, things were about to get very busy.

50.

I ran into two more groups before the alarms went off. I shot at both groups before they had a chance to react, killing almost all of them instantly. I knew that these were non-combatants, un-armoured and un-shielded, and when the security forces responded my fights would get a lot more deadly. I didn't even bother to hide the bodies now. The alarms sounded when I was only a few metres from E9:073. Red lights pulsed and that same throaty voice barked out orders for security to respond to intruders on deck nine. The voice also informed the crew that all rings were secured until further notice.

I got to the hatch and found it was locked. I used the override device again, and precious seconds ticked by while Tac hacked the systems. While I waited, a group of crew rounded a bend and saw me. They started and made to turn to flee, I got off a few rounds before they dashed out of sight.

"Come on, Tac. Tell me you almost have it!"

Standby
.

"They're going to know where we are soon!"

Standby, Seth. Almost done.

Another group came into view, although these were still not security personnel, they were armed and ready for me. Their first few shots were wide, as I crouched down using a bulkhead strut as cover. I returned fire and forced them to seek cover of their own. I hit one and he went down with a yell. His comrades grabbed him and dragged him back.

The hatch is open, Seth. I advise you withdraw.

I pulled back into the hatch and closed it behind me. There came a yell of surprise as two crew looked up from their consoles. I turned my gun on them and they held their hands up in surrender.

"Back up, or I shoot you both!" I ordered. They backed away from their consoles. "Tac, see if you can interface with the console."

Attempting to hack security measures. Stand by.

"Where's the propulsion control brain?" I asked the two crew. They looked at each other and back at me. One shook his head, the other shrugged. I fired a trio of blasts at a console and waited until they'd finished flinching. "Where's the brain!?"

"We don't know! We're only junior grade engineers! They don't tell us that kind of stuff." said one.

"Bullshit. I'm going to kill one of you, then the other, unless you tell me. You have until my AI Core hacks this console until I execute you both."

One of them looked at the console, and I could see what he was thinking. He dashed towards the console and tried to duck behind it, probably to activate a shutdown or the like. He never made it. I shot him square in the forehead and the back of his head exploded all over his colleague. The surviving engineer sputtered and coughed, then vomited all over the deck. I kicked him in the side and rolled him over, pointing my gun at his face.

"Where is the brain?!"

"Deck eight! Deck eight! Compartment B8:022! Please don't kill me!" I cracked him on the temple with my carbine and he collapsed out cold.

"Got it, Tac. Let's go."

I turned to the hatch, expecting the crew outside to be waiting for me, but the hatch wouldn't open. I pushed on the latch hard, but it wouldn't budge. The bastards had sealed me in. Probably waiting for security to arrive. Shit. Clever pricks. I checked my deck plan once more. I could probably reach the curve of the passageway a little, and translate out to there. I didn't want to pop out right out front of the hatch, they'd just gun me down. It was risky teleporting blindly like this, I knew, the paradigm didn't account for obstacles that may be present at the location, and I risked appear inside something that would pretty much killed me outright or horribly cripple me. To hell with it.

I appeared less than a metre from a small squad of armoured security personnel. They wore matte black armour with face shields and carried carbines like the one I had. They were rushing in my direction and only years of combat training and duelling with Crege allowed me to react almost instantaneously. I cracked the nearest one in the face with my carbine and let the gun go, swinging it on its strap. In one smooth motion, I drew the
lurzak
free of its scabbard and chopped at another man turning to face me in surprise. With a bright flash, the blade activated the electro-tip and I severed the man's arm at the shoulder. He screamed in pain, startling the other four men in the squad. I moved between them, slicing and chopping like a madman. With each contact, the blade flared and did its best to explode the flesh and armour that it touched. The last two opened fire on me, cutting down the last one I was attacking with friendly fire. I suddenly felt better about killing these Corporates, if they could justify killing their own comrades just to save themselves. My shield absorbed most of the fire, but it was quickly overwhelmed and I felt several rounds ablate on my coat before I reached them. I drove my blade directly into the chest plate of the one on the right, the tip ripping apart the armour and exposing the flesh beneath, the steel doing the rest of the work. With my blade lodged in the man's chest, I whipped my PX-2 out of its holster and fired four rounds into the last man's face. He went down in a spray of gore and pieces of helmet. I pulled the
lurzak
from the dead man's chest and ran off towards the next ring entrance.

The blade had a flashing amber indicator on the hilt. I popped a battery out of the lower handle and inserted a new one, reaching the hatch to the delta ring on this deck. I peeked around a corner and saw another squad running towards this one. I put the
lurzak
and PX-2 away and readied the carbine and a frag grenade. When they reached the hatch, I pulled back and toss the grenade into the short passageway. It detonated just as they noticed it, yelping in surprise. The thud of the blast pushed debris around the hatch combing and a few pieces cut my arm slightly. Swung around to the hatch and opened fire on anything still moving. A pair were still standing, further back, and they were the first to get shot. I stitched my fire into the writhing mass of wounded on the deck. None would stand again.

I climbed through and continued on my way. I made the next ring, charlie, with no encounters, but bravo was being barricaded near the hatch T-junction. I tossed another grenade while they set up, and in the chaos I translated passed it and kept running. The A9 ring had several unarmed crewmen scrambling for cover, and I fired into the deck head to motivate them further. Showering sparks and debris came down around them, and they keep away. When I got to the elevator, I could see a command post was being set up. There was another squad of security, plus a large Frikk and a pair of assault synthetics waiting for me.

I thought fast, tossing my final grenade into the mix and firing a barrage at the Frikk. He dived into a mobile cover barricade and the grenade blast didn't get him. The security guards were blasted backwards, and a few survivors began to scramble to cover. The assault synthetics simply advanced into the fire, buying the living precious seconds to organise a counter assault. I ionised the front one and then translated past them behind their own barricades. The Frikk turned in surprise and tried to bring his weapon around but I unleashed a full auto blast into his chest where he lay. Three security guards managed to get to their feet and return fire. A couple of shots that hit me square in the chest pushed me back and I hit the bulkhead behind me. I fired wildly at them, forcing their heads down and I used the suppression to find cover of my own.

As I hastened to pull myself out of line of sight, a motion above me caused me to look up in time to see a synthetic reaching over the barricade and grabbing me. It yanked me up and shot me in the belly with its hand-mounted gun. The vest took most of the energy of the shot, but it still winded me somewhat. I kicked with both my feet into the robot's check and I tore free of its grasp. I slid backwards on my butt, and as I did, I opened up on the synthetic. In moments, its shield flared out and I hammered the remainder of my shots into its armour. It went down in a hail of gunfire.

I was hurting. My carbine was flashing a deep red, so I popped the battery and put another in. The remaining security guards used the distraction to flank me, and I barely managed to get back into cover before I was shot at. My arm burned in pain, as I knew one round got through my ablative coat. I could still feel my fingers so I knew it wasn't serious. I sent nanites flooding through my blood as I activated my Repair paradigm, and the flood of adrenaline and endorphins, along with enriched blood, allowed me to catch a second wind. I sprang to my feet and leapt clear over the barricade I was pinned behind. As I flew, I let loose with a trio of shots that caught one guard in the chin. I saw his helmet come flying off amidst a cloud of red mist. I landed heavily and I kept firing from the prone position catching another in the chest. The last ducked down behind his own cover and I got to my feet. I side stepped, still firing relentlessly at his position, causing him to keep his head down. Before I got around to his flank I saw his arms go up in the air with his carbine in them.

"Don't shoot! Don't shoot!" he called, desperately.

"Get up! Toss the carbine! And the side arm!" I commanded. He did so, and I saw he was a young man, terrified for his life. "Elevator, now!"

I led him to the lift and we got in, I ordered him to key in Deck 8. It buzzed and flashed red.

"Use your security pass. Unlock it!" I ordered. He complied, and the elevator doors shut. We started to move upwards. The elevator came out into the open corridor, and I saw there were dozens of drones starting to head in our direction. I was glad we were only going two decks, I didn't want to ride this thing with those drones taking pot shots at me. The elevator reached Deck 8 and the doors slid open. Luckily, there were no security teams here yet. I ordered my prisoner to lead the way and told him to hurry.

"B8:022, on the double. You slow down and I kill you where you stand. Get moving!"

He led me down the passageway, passing a few crew on the way. They pulled back when they saw me, and the guard had to peace of mind to warn the crew away as he saw them. We were soon at B8:022.

"Open it!" He swiped his card, but nothing happened. He swiped again with no effect.

"They've locked me out!" he cried, "It's not my fault!"

"Where are the Eclipse Fighters stored?"

"What?"

"The fighters! Where?"

"Deck 24."

"Where?"

"The whole deck is a hangar."

"Thanks." I hit him in the head with my carbine. He went down, but he was still conscious. I hit him again and he was out cold. I swiped my override device at the access panel and got Tac to start on the door.

"Options?" I asked.

I estimate that enemy patrols will reach this location before I can override the controls.

"Should I risk teleporting to the other side?"

That would be highly dangerous. A last resort, surely.

"How long would my Dissolve paradigm take to eat through this hatch?"

Significantly longer than my hacking would take.

"One of my charges? Would that take out the hatch?"

Probably. Will only one charge be enough to destroy the brain?

"I'll have to risk it. No point saving a bomb if we're going to die before getting the chance to use it." I set the charge against the hatch, right where the locking mechanism would be. The charges were shaped to send most of their force towards whatever they were fixed to, so I knew it would be a focused blast. I linked to the bomb and then pulled back into cover behind a bulkhead strut. The bomb detonated at my command, and I was glad to see the hatch was trashed. I yanked it free of the combing and climbed through the hatchway.

The compartment was instantly different from the rest of the passageways and compartments I'd seen so far. The deck and the bulkheads were a strange pink meaty substance, and a dark purple liquid was leaking from a ragged tear where the hatch blast had reached. There was a pungent odour, like yeast or fermented malt. A pale, pinkish like emanated from further in the compartment. I stepped in, careful not to step in the purple fluid.

I followed the passage down a short bend and the compartment opened up into a spherical chamber about thirty metres across. In the centre, resting amidst a mass of thick, cord-like veins was a large mucus encrusted lump of flesh. The veins ran from the brain thing to the outer walls, and I could see a steady stream of purple fluid flowing in their centres. A single man tended to the brain, clothed in a plastic jumpsuit. He knelt by the thing and was finishing an injection into one of the veins. He looked up with a puzzled expression.

"You should not be in here." He stated, simply.

"No shit, arsehole. Now step aside or I kill you too."

He smiled at me, a kind of predatory grin. I was instantly wary. Anyone who smiled at someone who just threatened to kill you was either insane, stupid or very dangerous. Most were a mix of all three.

"Let's put aside these crude weapons and speak like civilised men." As he spoke, he pointed at my carbine. Suddenly, I noticed that the weapon was crumbling in my grasp! The weapon simply fell into ruin, its components falling through the brittle, powdery remains of its body. "There, isn't that better?"

"What the fuck?"

"Now, why don't you take a seat, and wait for the nice young men coming to take you away?" As he spoke I became drowsy, I stumbled slightly and reached for my head, trying to shake the feeling loose.