Hex (20 page)

“That's not very sophisticated security for a government facility,” he said suspiciously.

“It doesn't need a lot of security,” Wraith pointed out. “Almost no one knows it exists, and even if they did, popular feeling is so against Hexes that there's little danger of anyone trying to rescue them from the scientists.”

“It's not as innocent as it looks,” Raven said quietly. “There are motion sensors and vidcams focused on that fence.”

“How do you know?” Kez asked and Raven gestured to the computer console on the flitter.

“The Countess knew what she was doing when she rigged out this thing,” she told him. “But it hasn't been able to detect anything behind the immediate vicinity of the fence. As soon as I get into that security system we'll be OK, but until then it'll be hard going.”

“Can those motion sensors detect us from here?” Wraith asked and Raven shook her head.

“Not until we're five meters from the fence.”

“Right.” Wraith turned to the rest of the team. “Don't let those sensors pick you up. We'll have to shoot them out, simultaneously. When they're out of the way we can get through the fence. Stay in contact”—he gestured to the com unit round his wrist—“and try to keep things quiet. We want to get in, pick up Ali and Rachel and get out again. Nothing else. While my group looks for the girls, Raven will hack into the computers and neutralize the security system. Let's make this as quick and as clean as we can. Is that clear?”

“We scan,” Melek told him. “Stay chill, brothers.” He nodded to Kez, as an afterthought. “Good luck, kid.”

“Raven,” Wraith said. “Are you set?”

“Everything's under control,” she told him, already unlocking the doors of the flitter.

“Then let's go.”

•  •  •

The group approached the fence cautiously as Raven pointed out the sensors that would have to be neutralized. Once she had identified them all, Wraith positioned Kez and the gangers ready to shoot them down. With each of them targeted on a sensor, there were still two vidcams to be put out of action and he intended that he and Raven should deal with those. However, it was not until he'd unholstered his gun that Raven reached under her long coat to produce one of her own. It didn't look that different from a long-barreled pistol. But instead of loading it, Raven tapped a key sequence across a panel on the butt of the pistol and it emitted a low hum.

“What is that?” Wraith asked curiously and Raven shrugged a shoulder.

“Electrical energy,” she told him. “I designed it. There are certain advantages to it.” As she finished speaking she leveled the pistol at one of the vidcams, then turned to look at Wraith expectantly. He turned to the other, trying to ignore the fact that Raven had sighted on her target in under a second, concentrating on his own. He kept his eyes on it as he asked:

“Ready?” There was a low murmur of assent and Wraith continued. “Fire on three. One . . . two . . . three!”

There was a soft roar, then a flash of sparks as the sensors and vidcams exploded on cue. Wraith checked them instinctively. Apparently everyone on the team had made their targets. Melek and Finn were already moving in to attack the wire of the fence, using lasers to cut through a section without being electro-cuted.

“Security will have been alerted as soon as those sensors stopped transmitting,” Raven reminded them. “We've got to reach the lab building before they catch up with us.”

“OK, get going,” Wraith ordered as the section of fence collapsed, sprinting for the building. The gangers were immediately behind him, and Raven and Kez brought up the rear.

It was then that Raven heard a voice in her ears, coming through the comlink that she'd left active before falling asleep.

“Raven, can you hear me?”

“Now is not the time, Ali,” she hissed as she ran, keeping her voice low.

“I need to talk to you,”
Ali insisted.

“Are you in danger?” Raven demanded.

“No, but . . .”

“Then, forget it, Ali! We'll be with you soon enough!” Raven snapped and cut contact. The distraction had left her several paces behind Kez and she speeded up, trying to move faster over the uneven ground.

Wraith had the plans in mind as he approached the lab. However much the facility might have changed on the inside it appeared that the layout on the outside hadn't altered substantially. Over to the right he could see lights and unhesitatingly identified them as belonging to the approach road and the main entrance of the lab. But he led his team to the left and what had been marked on the plans as a service entrance.

They were still two hundred meters away from the door when there was a sudden glare of lights and the sound of an alarm. Wraith swore under his breath and dropped to the ground, waving the others to join him. The gangers were with him immediately and Kez only a second after them. Raven raced up a moment later, her black coat flapping out behind her as she threw herself beside them. For a while there seemed to be no security reaction other than the siren and searchlights sweeping over the ground, and Melek grabbed Wraith's arm.

“Those lights are going to catch up to us real soon,” he warned.

“I know. Stay chill,” Wraith told him. He was scanning the area carefully, looking for any signs of response, but it was Kez who noticed it first.

“Wraith! Over there,” he said urgently.

Three uniformed security personnel were approaching from the direction of the main entrance, carrying rifles. Melek reached for his gun but Wraith pushed his hand away.

“Not yet,” he cautioned. “Wait.” Melek halted his motion, but Finn was not as circumspect. Either he hadn't heard Wraith's warning or he deliberately chose to disregard it. His combat rifle roared and one of the guards fell. The other two threw themselves out of the line of fire and Raven hissed in annoyance.

“That's torn it,” she exclaimed.

“Melek, Finn, deal with those two. Try and get them out of the way before they can call for backup.”

“Some chance,” Raven said under her breath but Wraith ignored it.

“Raven, you're with me,” he ordered. “Jeeva, Kez, cover us.” He leaped to his feet and headed for the service entrance, Raven following close behind. This time his instructions were apparently obeyed. Melek and Finn had opened fire on the guards behind them, and as he and Raven were halfway to the door, he heard more gunfire begin. He looked left in time to see two more guards seeking cover from Jeeva and Kez's fire. Then they had reached the door and there was no time for him to worry about what was happening. He had to rely on his team's ability to do their job. Raven was already examining the door.

“It's physically locked from the inside,” she told him. “We'll have to blast it open.”

“How many?” Wraith asked, grabbing two of the explosive charges from the bag he had slung over one shoulder.

“Not those.” Raven shook her head. “We wouldn't have enough time to trigger enough of them. Give me a moment.”

She rummaged in the deep pockets of her coat, producing what looked like a net. The firefight went on behind them as Raven unrolled the object, revealing it to be an electronic mesh of circuitry and explosives, and attached it to the door.

“Come on,” she told Wraith. “Follow me.” They were about ten meters from the door when she turned back and fired her pistol at the mesh. Electricity crackled over it in a glowing net before Raven pushed her brother to the ground. Seconds later the door exploded behind them. As it did so Jeeva and Kez ran toward them. Wraith stood, dragging Raven up with him, and they all headed for the door.

“We got the two who were shooting at you just now,” Jeeva told Wraith as they made it inside. Wraith nodded at him and turned on his com unit, keying it to Melek's signal.

“Wraith here,” he said. “What's happening?”

“We'll be done here in a moment, brother.”
The ganger's voice came from the unit, overlaid with the sound of heavy fire.
“You get that door open?”

“It's down,” Wraith told him. “We're going in.”

•  •  •

Ali lay in bed, wide awake. Two of the scientists had patrolled the corridors in the evening, making certain that all the test subjects were restricted to their own rooms. Luciel and Tom had been reluctant to leave, but they were better acquainted with the rules of the lab than she was and didn't want to risk arousing the scientists' suspicions. Ali had told them to be ready for anything.

She wore her white coveralls in bed, knowing that she'd need to act at a moment's notice. But she had no idea of what acting would entail. Somewhere outside, the gangers were breaking into the laboratory, in danger of their lives, and she was stuck in a room unable to do anything. She felt useless and more than that, helpless. Her life was dependent on Wraith and Raven's ability to rescue her.

A dark shape moved by the door and Ali caught her breath in alarm. Then there was a familiar hum of machinery and she recognized Tom. Luciel wasn't far behind him as they slipped into the room together.

“What's going on?” Ali whispered, climbing from under the covers.

“That's for us to ask you,” Tom pointed out. “You said your team would be breaking in tonight. Where are they?”

“I don't know,” Ali admitted. “But they
are
on their way in. I tried to contact Raven, to tell her about . . . about what we discussed, and she cut me off. I think things are getting serious outside.”

“Wait!” Luciel looked stunned. “You can contact them?”

“Only Raven,” Ali admitted, wondering when she would hear the last of this. “And we're not in contact right now.”

“But something's happening, right?” Tom said. “What are we going to do if your gangers don't know that we're coming with you?”

“I'll tell them,” Ali promised. “But I can't do it while they're breaking in. If I distract them I'd be endangering us as well as them. Besides . . .” She hesitated. “I don't think we can take everyone with us.”

“What?” Tom looked angry, but Luciel's eyes were understanding.

“There are just too many people, Tom,” he said softly. “Not enough of them are mobile. We'd never get out.”

“We can only take those who can walk by themselves,” Ali said as decisively as she could. “We can't do anything more.”

Melek and Finn raced through
the door, almost cannoning into Kez and panting for breath.

“We got them,” Melek gasped. “But there are more coming!”

“We need to find that control center,” Wraith told them. “Find a computer terminal so Raven can locate it.” He was already moving, gesturing for Melek to join him. “Finn and Jeeva, bring up the rear. Raven, whatever you do, don't get yourself shot.” He heard Raven make a derisive noise behind him, but she seemed to be keeping up.

They thundered down the corridor, turning a corner just in time to avoid gunfire from behind. They were passing rooms which might contain an access terminal but they just couldn't risk the time to search. Another corner loomed and Wraith skidded around it. Finn and Jeeva were firing behind; presumably the guards were getting closer. Ahead of them he could see an elevator, which must lead to the part of the facility which was underground, and the corridor branched in two directions. He was trying to decide which to take when the elevator doors slid open. A scientist in a white lab coat stared at them in horror and tried to close the doors, but Melek forestalled her. He forced them open, pulling the woman out and knocking her unconscious with a swift blow.

“Keep the guards back!” Wraith called to the other two gangers, who stayed at the turn of the corridor, firing a fusillade of shots. Kez grabbed some of his stock of explosives and switched them to explode before lobbing them down the corridor one by one. The resultant explosion was loud enough to make Wraith wince, but it seemed to be successful as Jeeva called to him that there was no one else in pursuit.

Wraith didn't doubt that more guards were on the way but it seemed that there was a problem with the elevator.

“What's wrong?” he demanded as Melek cursed.

“The panel's locked down,” the ganger told him.

“Raven?” Wraith asked, but she shook her head. “It's a physical lock. I can't fuse it.” However, she did produce a small tool and set to work on the panel.

“What's holding us up?” Finn demanded as he and Jeeva reached the others.

“The elevator controls are locked,” Wraith told him and Raven looked up.

“Wraith, try to find another way down,” she told him. “There must be emergency stairs. Try to find where they're holding the test subjects.” Wraith hesitated for only a second then he nodded quickly.

“Jeeva, Kez, stay with her,” he ordered and headed down the corridor with the other two gangers.

Kez looked around nervously, holding the elevator doors open so Raven could work on the panel. Jeeva was watching the corridor warily, holding his gun ready in case more guards should turn up. Suddenly Raven gave a grunt of satisfaction and the panel clattered to the floor of the elevator.

“Get in,” she told them. “We've got to go now!” Kez and Jeeva didn't need any more persuasion; in seconds they were in the elevator.

“Which floor?” Kez asked and Raven frowned.

“We'll try this one first,” she said, pressing the appropriate button as the doors slid shut. “On the original plans this floor was used for administration—there should be terminals there, even if the control room isn't.”

The ride took less than a minute, and as the elevator slowed both Raven and Jeeva readied their weapons.

“Get back,” Jeeva warned him, and Kez flattened himself against the right-hand wall of the car next to the ganger. Raven had already moved to the other side. As the doors slid open bullets clanged off the back wall and Raven and Jeeva opened fire simultaneously.