Shades of Gray (35 page)

“I could have changed—everything—at that moment?” The thought shocked her.

“You did not,” reminded Shvosi, joining them. “Celebrations we have now! Not every day one is lifted from Junior to Senior!”

“Too much power,” Kuvaa murmured as she let them herd her toward the restaurant. “Could be abused too easily.”

“Checks in Unity there are,” reassured Azwokkus.

“Nothing is infallible. Hunter hides from us. What if one of the Camarilla did this?”

“Not possible. Hunter is different, a nexus, wild element.”

“If he can be, so can one of us.” She stopped and looked at them both, crest and ruff of coarser hair rising in a display of determination. “I will make security of Unity my personal field.”

 

In the driving rain, none of the guards at the wide main gates into the walled city saw the low black shadows slip past them in the lee of the cargo haulers carrying their load of spares for the Palace force fields.

Keeping flat to the ground, Captain Tirak and his team waited till the gates had been shut again, and the guards had scurried back out of the rain into their posts.

Silently, one at a time, they rose, each running a few yards closer to the edges of the houses before falling flat and signaling the next to move. When they reached within thirty feet of the first of the nonfunctioning generators, Tirak pulled a small pistol free from his belt and, aiming carefully, pulled the trigger.

There was a small
phut
of released air, nothing more.

“Marker confirmed,” Sheeowl whispered.

The pistol stowed away again, Tirak led his people toward the next generator in the relay.

“Captain,” hissed Sheeowl. “To your left, five hundred yards away—looks like a gun turret!”

Pulling a pair of binoculars free of his belt pouch, he raised them to his eyes, looking for the object. Letting out a low curse, he lowered them. “Intel said nothing about gun turrets inside the City walls! Check out the rest of the grasslands for more of them.”

Switching the main channel off, he activated a secure private one. “Ghost One, did you copy that?” he asked quietly.

“Aye. Located two pairs on either side of main highway and neutralized them. Send your people farther afield. Proceeding into City now.”

THEY were five minutes behind his schedule by the time they reached the end of the tunnel, but he’d managed to regain the dispassionate calm that had filled him on the
Kz’adul
. The longer they took to breach the Command Room, the greater the risk to those on the ground above them. He could not—would not—let that affect their actions here and now.

Before them, set into the living rock, was the large blast-proof door. He knew by just looking at it they couldn’t breach it. He walked past it, trailing his gloved hand just above the rock surface, probing with his mind for the flow of energy from the stone that he knew would have to be there.

Stopping abruptly, he patted the wall and looked over to Khadui. “Here,” he said quietly. “The rock’s thin here and lined with brick on the inside. Place the charges here. Have that head ready, Noolgoi.”

While Khadui was setting the explosives, he took the ’bots from Valden, quickly reprogramming them as he’d been shown.

“Give me the third one, M’kou,” he said, placing the second on the tunnel floor by the first one. “Call up the Command Center layout on your HUDs now. We’re entering in the guardroom. See where the wall-mounted laser guns and the exits are. No one must get out or set off an alarm. Note the laser turrets and retinal scans—disable them only if there are no living targets and the ’bots aren’t dealing with them.”

He stopped, taking the last ’bot from M’kou. “Noolgoi, as soon as that charge goes off, stick the norrta head in low through the opening, count to ten then throw it in, then fall back so we can get through. J’korrash, M’yikku, you’re with me. I want those gas grenades going off the instant Noolgoi shoves that head into the gap. Next in are Noolgoi and Q’almo. Khadui, M’kou, you’ll be in front of the Prince, guarding him once we’re inside. Pulse shots only, both of you. Immediately on our left is the door to the elevator area from the Throne Room—you’ll deal with that, we’ll handle the main guards. To our right, at the other end of the room, are the guard post and the door to the Command Room. It’s soundproofed, so they won’t hear us. We’ll clear the guardroom while you handle the access room. There are three lasers set into the wall. One covers the door to the elevator room, one covers the guard post at the far end, and the remaining one covers the rest. We’ll clear that room. Noolgoi, you’ll take up position watching the elevator while the rest of us regroup and head for the Command Room. Once it’s taken, go to your designated posts and guard Zsurtul and Valden. Any questions?”

He waited for their low chorus of negatives before continuing.

“Gas grenades first, then over to energy slugs. Shoot anything that moves. Zhalmo, keep Zsurtul and Valden to the rear. You two,” he said, looking up at the Prince and the young Sholan as he placed the last ’bot on the ground, “have pulse rifles—use them to kill if you have to, forget about wounding. Try to avoid damaging any equipment if you can. That goes for all of you.”

“Ready, Captain,” Khadui said, stepping back several feet and priming the detonator.

He nodded briefly. “Do it. Good hunting, everyone,” he said.

With a muffled crump, the charges blew a ragged gap in the wall.

As Noolgoi shoved the norrta’s head into the opening, Kusac activated the three ’bots, and J’korrash and M’yikku fired several rounds of gas canisters into the opening.

 

The smell of the norrta had the desired effect. The three guards sitting around the table remained frozen in shock long enough for Kusac, J’korrash, and M’yikku to let loose their gas canisters over Noolgoi’s and the norrta’s heads.

The sound of them hitting the ground instantly brought the guards to life. Two bolted toward the back of the room, the third, obviously one of the altered thugs, rose to his feet and, snatching his rifle from the floor beside him, began to advance toward the opening.

Noolgoi heaved the creature’s head through the opening, diving to the left to leave the way clear for Kusac.

His rifle already ratcheted over to pulse fire, with his free hand Kusac swiped at the nearest edge of the hole, sending several more feet of brick wall cascading to the ground. In the same move, he propelled himself inside the room, firing an almost continual burst at the advancing male.

The guard slowed, staggering slightly as he continued to raise his weapon.

Diving to the right, past the range of the laser, Kusac continued shooting, this time at his legs. Roars of pain filled the air. Moments later, a second stream of energy from J’korrash hit the guard square in the chest, cutting short the cries and finally sending him toppling to the ground.

A quick glance at his HUD told him the ’bots were already scurrying toward the lasers, and the two remaining guards had taken refuge in the reinforced guard post at the far end.

A single shot turned the farthest laser, the one presenting the most danger to them, to a smoking ruin as J’korrash came level with him. He heard the sound of scrabbling and a sharp pop as the ’bot above his head dealt with the one there.

M’yikku vaulted through the opening to join them, glancing over at the still twitching body of the thug only feet away.

“They don’t even look like our species any more,” he muttered. “K’hedduk’s a menace to his own kind.”

A shot hit the edge of the table, sending splinters flying into the air, focusing their attention back on the reality of the two guards now hiding out in the reinforced security post at the far end of the room.

Kusac signaled J’korrash forward. “Neutralize it,” he ordered. “Noolgoi, Q’almo, take the elevator room now.”

“Aye, sir,” said J’korrash, ratcheting her rifle over to short-range missiles. Moments later, the post exploded with a dull crump in a shower of debris.

The dust had barely begun to settle before Kusac was running over. On his HUD, he could see that the ’bot had dealt with the remaining turret. Scanning the debris, he found a few cooling remains that had been the now dead guards.

“Clear here,” he said, shifting his attention to the heavy door leading into the Command Room proper.

The sound of a short firefight came from the access room, then Noolgoi and Q’almo were giving the all clear.

“Bring Zsurtul up now,” he ordered. “We need him to open this door.”

 

Once again, Zsurtul gave the password. This time, the AI responded with, “The God-King has spoken. Greetings, Emperor Zsurtul Shan-Cheu’ko’h. May you reign and live forever. What are your instructions, Exalted One?”

Uncertainly, Zsurtul glanced at Kusac and Zhalmo. “I . . . um . . .”

“I hope you’ve plans to rid the Palace of the usurper, Highness,” the AI said. “I have done my best to isolate him from my crucial functions, but even now the technicians are working on . . .”

“Enough!” said Zsurtul hurriedly. “Open the door, ZSADHI, but don’t alert those inside I’m here. Also, deactivate the lasers and retinal scans inside the Control Room.” He turned to look at Kusac. “Not all in there will be collaborators. Surely they don’t all have to die?”

“We won’t shoot the unconscious ones,” he said, keeping his attention on the door. He was experiencing a vague feeling of déjà vu. The word that Zsurtul had used sounded familiar, but where had he heard it before?

“Gas grenades ready,” he warned. “Zhalmo, get Zsurtul and Valden to the back again.”

As the door unlocked and began to swing open, Kusac shoved the muzzle of his gun through the aperture, letting off two gas grenades before falling back to ratchet around to pulse fire and let the others unload their grenades into the room.

Exclamations of shock and surprise came from inside, followed by coughing and the sound of running feet.

By now the door was fully open, and they could clearly see the seven technicians, hands over their faces, running for the door, followed by a single implanted Palace Guard who was pulling out his sidearm.

Kusac dropped him with one precise shot.

Before the first of the civilians reached them, they were stopping in midstride and crumpling bonelessly to the ground, unconscious. Only two made it past him, and those were taken out by himself and J’korrash.

“Get the dead out of here,” ordered Kusac, stepping into the room to do a visual sweep. “Secure the unconscious ones, then put them in the guardroom. Sling the dead in the tunnel for now. Zsurtul, Valden, it’s up to you. We need that force field down and the turrets disabled as soon as possible. Zhalmo, Q’almo, M’kou, don’t leave your Emperor’s side.”

Stepping over the bodies, he made his way over to the central console. Rifle slung to one side, he leaned on the chair-back, searching the panels of keys and buttons for those that controlled the environment.

Finding the one he wanted, he turned the air-conditioning up to full to flush out the sleep gas.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Valden reach up to remove his helmet. “Don’t be foolish! It’ll take about ten minutes until the gas has dissipated. You can take off your gloves, but nothing else until I tell you it’s safe.”

“Sorry, Captain, I forgot,” the youth replied, taking the seat beside Zsurtul.

 

“I cannot give you access to that function, Highness,” said the AI for the seventh time. “It has been isolated from my control.”

“Dammit!” swore Kusac, hovering behind Zsurtul and Valden. He was beginning to dislike the anonymous pleasant tones that the computer utilized. “What
do
you still have control over?”

“Answer the Captain. He is one of my Generals,” said Zsurtul absentmindedly as he continued going through various diagnostic routines, trying to access the areas K’hedduk had managed to isolate.

“I’m in!” said Valden suddenly. “I can access the gun turrets—well, some of them,” he amended as Kusac stepped over to him.

“Which ones?”

“Those on the perimeter beside the force fields,” he said. “I’ve turned them off. I can’t access those inside the Palace walls, though.”

“That’s something,” Kusac muttered. “Turn off their main power now, and I’ll contact Kaid and let them know.”

“They’re on emergency power anyway,” said Valden. “Looks like the storm took out their rooftop generators before they got the force field up.”

“I need you all to have your retinal scans taken,” said Zsurtul suddenly. “The Palace has extensive security measures based on ZSADHI recognizing you.”

“We haven’t the time,” said Kusac. “Just turn all security measures off for now. We can’t take the risk of anything firing on Kaid and the others.”

“Captain,” said the AI “You requested a list of the areas over which I still have control. They are as follows: all security gates and doors into the Palace and the Detention center, security scanners and lasers at main staircases and outside the Royal apartments, all levels of alarm systems, communications systems within the Palace itself, though I do seem to have a troublesome erratic memory error . . .”