INTERVENTION (11 page)

  
Hidson broke into her thoughts, “Commander, we need to conference and this is the only place on board where no one can utilise the MAC system to listen in.” 

  
Rachmel looked at her two Officers and replied “I agree, but not here; Andretta is in possession of a personnel detection device and she’ll know if there are three of us together; we will have to use closed–loop conference facility: we need to get back to our quarters.” With that, she turned and left; the two men leaving five minutes later by differing routes.

  
Andretta arrived at the biohiber section just in time to see the two men disappear around the curvatures of the main passageways and wondered what these two were involved in; she had known for a while through her own resources that they had been meeting in here and closing down their remote interfaces. She considered it was of no consequence, for her mission was quite clear and was completely on track; she would

soon have conclusio
n and nothing these Officers could do would thwart her.

Taking her unit check list
and dismounting from the hoverbug she stepped into the Biohibernation chamber.

With only three days before they were due to go into hibernation status, which was when they would be at their most vulnerable, Rachmel decided it was time to take control of the situation and to hell with Andretta’s mission. Her thoughts were interrupted by MAC.

  
“Commander, I can report that there is explosive material on board this vessel.”

   Rachmel was stunned by the
news. “Explain.”

   “Chemical components, within the Physics laboratory, have recently been combined to create a primitive form of
propellant: the quantity of this propellant would suggest that it is to be employed in the discharge of a bullet.”

   “Where is this propellant now?”

   “It is in the possession of Leading Physics Officer Kamul who is situated in the Bio-hibernation section.”

   “Is anyone else present?”

   “Internal Administrator Andretta: Leading Physics Officer Duarte.”

   Rachmel’s mind was racing. They had been right all along; Kamul and
Duarte were the agent’s targets and now they were going to kill her.

   “Hoverbug to my quarters, immediately; destination bio-hiber section; express mode.”

Andretta stared blandly into Kamul’s
clear, and now, hateful eyes. He was standing ten feet away with the self-made pistol pointing directly at her chest. She knew that if she could halve the distance between them, he would never get the chance to pull the trigger: leaning from one foot to the other she used the movement to step forward just a few inches.

  
Duarte appeared in the doorway to his side and stared in horror at the insanity that was unfolding before her. “What in the name of God are you doing?” She asked, incredulously. “You could die for this; and how did you get a weapon on board?”

   “
I made the damn thing, and an S E D round; so it doesn’t matter what happens to me; she dies: I’m dead anyway; that’s why the bitch is here, for me.”

  
Duarte was puzzled. “What do you mean by an S E D round? What’s that supposed to be?”

   Andretta broke in. “It means
‘selective electrical discharge’ and it is still in the early stages of testing. Basically, it is being developed as a specialization weapon to be used in assassinations. The target’s D N A is acquired and incorporated into a nano-chip which is then connected to an electrical discharge bullet which, when fired, will seek out the target with the corresponding D N A, within a set distance. The discharge is severe enough to explode the victim’s heart.”

Addressing Kamul, she went on “
You gained a sample of my D N A from the item of underwear that you stole from the disintegration unit when you broke into my quarters.”

   Prolonging the situation in order to reduce the distance between them, she added “You may care little for your own life but what of your immediate family?
If you kill me they will be stripped of all wealth, assets and accommodations and become outcasts, forced to live as primitives in a world where primitives cannot survive.”

   Rachmel, who had
heard part of the discourse when she arrived moments before, now stepped into the room. Kamul flicked his eyes to the side in surprise at this new disturbance and Andretta, now within assault distance, used the distraction to make her move. Leaping forward in a half pirouette, she drove her elbow backwards into Kamul’s solar plexus. The shock of the attack caused him to almost double up as the agent forced him forward onto the floor; taking control of his gun hand she turned his wrist so that the muzzle of the weapon was sticking, firmly, into his side.

   Everything had happened so quickly and smoothly that Rachmel could only stand and watch in awe as Andretta said
, calmly, “If you pull the trigger, the bullet will have no opportunity to seek me out and will, instead, explode into your body. Open your fingers and release the weapon; you do not have to die.”

  
Slowly, Kamul’s fingers released the weapon and, still holding him down, the agent picked it up.

  
Turning it in her hand, she stood and said “Crude but effective at close range. It’s a pity that there is, all too often, a trade-off between such intelligence and common sense. You are free to get up now.”

   “What the hell was this all about?” Asked Rachmel.

   “I’m afraid the Leading Officer has been under the delusion that my presence here was for his arrest. You see, back on Earth, two months ago, this Officer was in desperate need of a substantial sum of credits, to cover a gambling debt. He decided to sell, on the black market, a military armaments replication unit, that was worth many times more than his debt, to an arms dealer who is known to have done business in the past, with terrorist cells.

“
This case, however, is not mine; it is the case of an Agent Avery, who shall be awaiting the Officer’s return to Earth. In the meantime this Officer is to be confined to his quarters, under my jurisdiction, until the hibernation programme is initiated. I shall dispose of this weapon in the destruction facility in my quarters.”

   Rachmel looked around for
Duarte to see the effect, if any, this had had upon her, but Duarte was nowhere to be seen: this substantiated Rachmel’s convictions about her 2IC.

  
Andretta read the situation, immediately. “I have access to her psychological profile and it seems that the good Officer is repelled by physical violence.”

  
Good try,
thought Rachmel,
but your excuses for her won’t work this time.
Instead, she replied, jokingly, “Oh! how handy, for a military Officer.”

Coles was in her quarters when the doorcom informed her “Entry is requested.”

  
“Who?”  

   “
Commander Rachmel.”

  
“Permission granted.” 

  
The door opened and Rachmel stepped quickly inside.

  
“Commander, what can I …” the doctor’s question was cut short. 

  
“MAC, mainframe and remote interfaces in this section closedown.” This from Rachmel as she strode across to the desk where Coles was sitting.

  
The reply came immediately, “Complied.” 

   As she sat
opposite the bemused Medical Officer, she said “My apologies for the abruptness, but what I have to say could be a matter of life or death to us all.” 

  
Coles regarded the Commander for a moment, “Go on.”

  
Rachmel wasted no time. “Andretta’s true purpose on this mission is because one of us is in contact with an alien species; don’t ask me how or why, we just know.”

  
“We?”

  
“Yes; Miles, Hidson and myself; we didn’t know, until a short time ago, who it might be, but now we’re pretty sure.” 

   Coles nodded, “S
o, if you’re telling me all this then you must believe it is either Duarte or Kamul.” 

   “
Duarte, yes; mostly circumstantial evidence but everything seems to point to her.”

  
“Well, she is pretty bunched up about the Agent being on board; so what are you proposing to do, have everyone keep an eye on her?” 

  
“No, I can’t afford the risk; the wormhole is only three days away and once we are in the hiber pods we are at our most vulnerable; we have to contain her, now.”

  
Coles was a little taken aback by the Commander’s last statement and asked, concernedly, “How do you mean contain her? And what about Andretta? Agents don’t welcome interference where their targets are concerned; you could end up dead.”

  
Rachmel now had the bit between her teeth. “The hell with Andretta, I’m still in charge of this mission. Now here’s the plan; tomorrow we get our pre–hibernation shots, you will do this by the book. Andretta first, followed by Miles, and then the rest of us with Duarte last, and her shot will also contain something to put her out; but this must be something that will dissolve in her system and become untraceable as protection to us should we be wrong. Miles will keep Andretta occupied in the galley while the three of us place Duarte in her pod and close her down, manually; that way she will not be restated with the rest of us but will have to wait until I give the order.”

  
After pausing, briefly, to allow Coles time to absorb what she had told her, she went on “Because of the nature of the reasons for this procedure I am withholding all data from log and shall report all actions personally to Missions Command when we return, do you understand?”

  
The Medical Officer understood why Rachmel didn’t want this abduction logged, for abduction it really was; if there was no record of the event, Rachmel could then contain the knowledge and refer it to the people at the top who could make their own decisions as to the outcome, and thus avoid any leaks from subordinates in Missions Control.

  
She nodded her agreement, “Very well, Commander, but what about Andretta?”

  
“We shall confront our Agent tomorrow, after the event.”

  
Once the Commander had left, Coles deleted her personal memo on Miles.

Next day found the Commander in the main galley alone and deep in concentration; the repercussions for the action she was about to embark upon could be catastrophic to both Duarte and to herself; she had to be sure this was the right course of action. Had it not been for Andretta this would have been a straight forward operation, and her task would have been a comparatively simple one; why the hell did this woman have to be on her mission? This, however, was an impractical question, for she knew that Andretta had to be here; if it wasn’t her then it would have been another Agent.

  
At that moment she was aware of someone standing behind her and, without turning, she said “Agent Andretta, how nice of you to join me.”

  
Andretta smiled as she walked around and took the seat opposite to Rachmel.

  
“That’s a rare talent you have Commander, one that not many human beings possess.”

  
Rachmel returned the smile, “Nothing rare about sensing someone’s perfume.”

  
Andretta leaned forward and rested her arms on the table; instinctively Rachmel leaned back in her seat. 

  
In a quiet tone the Agent said “I use no cosmetics Commander, I never have, and it is forbidden in the Agency.” 

  
Rachmel stared back into those two black windows of Andretta’s soul and saw…nothing; and she realised how a rabbit must feel when looking into the eyes of a weasel that was about to steal its life. 

  
After a few long seconds Andretta said, more conversationally, “So, how long have you been aware of your talent Commander?” 

  
Rachmel felt cornered but didn’t know why she should feel that way, nor why this woman’s’ presence should have such a hypnotic affect on her; she felt compelled to answer. “As long as I can remember, but you would know this anyway, wouldn’t you, Agent Andretta?”

  
“Yes Commander I would, but then I know a great deal about people.”

  
After another pause Rachmel asked “Do you believe that I am one of the people who are in contact with aliens?”

   At that moment MAC intervened
“Agent Andretta you are requested to report to the medical section for pre-Biohibernation processing.” 

  
Andretta stood and said “I think this is what is referred to as ‘saved by the bell’, if you will excuse me Commander.” 

  
Turning, she walked towards the door, and then Rachmel asked “Why did you deem it necessary to tell Miles about the child?”