Kartega

Ten on the right and six in front. Sid counted off the Starblades as they marched past their hiding spot in a supply cage just under the blade charging room. Each step outside the frosted glass doors sent shivers down the back of her arms. They had one shot at making this work and she was starting to doubt that their plan was sound enough to withstand the security measures in the towers. The queen was no fool; after their escape, the corridors were full to the brim with Starblades. She even noticed a few of the queen’s own guards passing through though they did not linger, likely eager to get back to their post closer to Leona.

The sound of metal on metal startled her and she turned back to see the droid remove a screw from the ceiling grate.

“Shhh!” She hissed, “There’s two of them just down the corridor!”

The droid looked at her with empty, glowing eyes and continued his business.

“He has to get the grate off, or we’re here for nothing,” Ashlan said.

“He’s going to get us all killed if he doesn’t keep it down,” she barked. “And since when is he a ‘he’ to you?”

Ashlan shook his head and went back to helping the droid with the grate.

More footsteps sounded outside the doors and she grew still, her magic at the ready in case of an attack. The plan had to work, it just had to! They simply needed to stay hidden long enough for the droid to get the vent open. Once the coast was clear, they could sneak into the blade charging room undetected and take the weapons they needed to arm their group. Carrying out dozens of concealed weapons while staying hidden would prove to be difficult but it was the only way to give them enough leverage to attack. She had to trust in the plan.

Another clank sounded behind her and she cringed. It’s fine. We’re fine.

Clank!

“Stardamnit, Fred!”

Boots shuffled in the corridor, closer this time, and everyone froze. Even the droid stopped moving though she was sure Ashlan’s fingers on his controls had something to do with it. They waited, barely breathing, until the steps retreated.

Sid sighed in relief. “We’re cutting it close.”

“Almost there,” Abbot’s gruff voice echoed in the room, startling her. She had almost forgotten he was there.

“You think this will work?” She asked the general. Or ex-general, as she imagined Leona placed a warrant for his arrest like the rest of them.

“It will,” he said. “And if it doesn’t, you have me as a distraction.”

“That’s not the only reason you’re here, you know?” She tried to smile but the gesture fell flat. Using Abbot as a distraction in case things went wrong was the main reason he was here. That, and his innate knowledge of entry points into secured rooms without being detected. Still, she hated hearing the words fall from his lips. Like he had sacrificed himself already. “It won’t come to that,” she added. “The plan will work.”

Abbot smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Why don’t you go help Ash. I can take over here for now.”

He didn’t need to tell her twice. Sid was relieved to leave her post, the anxiety from replaying different scenarios in which they could die was not helping her nerves at the moment.

Without hesitation, she made way for him by the doors and crawled to the back of the room where Ashlan was holding a spare tunic over the droid’s body while it drilled, hiding its glowing metal frame. Another screw fell away from the grate and she caught it before it hit the floor, winking at Ashlan. He cracked a smile and from where she stood, it almost seemed like he meant it. Though she couldn’t imagine what there was to smile about.

“Is that a Starblade thing?” She asked.

“What?”

“Being overly confident in petrifying situations.”

She heard a light chuckle from Abbot by the doors and was glad to find someone else found Ashlan’s attitude infuriating.

“Relax, Sid. This will work,” Ashlan said, shooting a side glance in Abbot’s direction.

“Excuse me for being on edge. We’re only trying to break into a weapons facility in the most guarded Tower in the city while being hunted like fugitives.” She rolled her eyes, “But you’re right, I should relax!”

She caught another screw and tucked it into her suit pocket.

“Incoming,” Abbot whispered and they froze.

Her breath hitched in her throat as they cowered while a group of Starblades gathered outside the room. She could hear their muffled chatting just outside the doors, so close that she could almost make out words they were saying. Too close. She let the hum of her magic increase, raising her hands in defense. If any of them decided to come in, she would have under a second to blast them with enough current to knock them out, leaving their group mere moments to attempt an escape. Her hands started to shake with the power gathering at her fingertips and she pumped them open and shut before going back to her original position. She caught Ashlan’s glare and the shake of his head, urging her to keep it together.

At the foot of the doors, Abbot reached slowly for his blade, keeping his finger next to the trigger but not yet pulling it out.

They waited in silence until a laugh sounded in the corridor and the group of Starblades walked away.

“We need to hurry,” Abbot said. “This isn’t safe.”

“You think?” She scoffed and nudged Ashlan to hurry the droid. “Can you speed him up?”

Ashlan’s stare burned through her and she could almost taste his annoyance on her tongue. “Think you can do better?” He asked and shoved his projector toward her.

She shook her head, “I know I could. But then what would you be doing?”

He chuckled but pulled the projector back, tapping another set of codes. The droid’s finger whirred only slightly faster but he raised his second arm, using it to begin removing the screws on the opposite end. “There,” Ashlan said. “Happy?”

“Ecstatic.”

When the last of the screws fell from the grate, the droid tugged down to pull off a piece large enough for one person to squeeze through and the three of them sighed audibly through clenched jaws. At least one thing went smoothly since they’d got here. So much rested on them getting the blades out of the city. Her magic was strong, so was Dalrak’s, but it was still the only thing they had going for them. That and the small amount of magic they were able to harness from Serryl’s supply pipes. It wasn’t much but it gave those that were weak a fighting chance. Though Sid knew that teaching them how to wield power that she had spent her entire life trying to understand in a few days was a pointless task. So far, all she’d managed to do was teach the younger rebels to use their electricity to intimidate an opponent. A big magic show with very little result, but one she hoped would be enough to distract their opponents long enough for an attack. Still, for all the training the Freedom Runners had had over the years, it was nothing compared to the brute force of the queen’s army. As Ashlan mentioned, even her ladies in waiting had full knowledge of battle. And what did they have? A few dozen Domers. Sid was still wondering if they’d made a mistake coming here when Ashlan gestured for the droid to hoist him into the ceiling vent.

“Where do you think you’re going?” She caught Ashlan’s pant leg before he could disappear out of sight.

“To get the blades, obviously,” he tugged his leg away from her grip and pulled himself up into the vent. His body retreated into the darkness of the ceiling and Sid didn’t waste time before hopping up on the droid’s already outstretched arms and following him.

“Ash,” she hissed, squeezing her body as low to the metal tubing they were in as possible. The mobility in the vents was minimal at best and she pushed the sides of her boots against the walls to slide forward. Surprisingly, despite his large mass, Ashlan was making his way forward much faster than her. “Wait up!” she hissed, “I don’t know where I’m going!”

“Then you should have stayed back,” he whispered, not bothering to slow down.

She cussed under her breath and pushed forward. There was no way she was letting the fool prove her wrong. This was her plan and she wasn’t about to sit around while he took all the risk. The nerve!

Sid pushed forward on her heels, sliding her body like a snake along the cold, smooth surface. Once she got the hang of it, it was surprisingly easy to accumulate speed and she was caught up with Ashlan in no time. She craned her neck awkwardly to face him and nodded to the grate above his head.

“So how do we get this one off?” She sneered.

Not bothering to respond, Ashlan pushed carefully up and slid the grate cover over, smiling at her open mouth. “We push,” he chuckled and poked his head out on the other side.

When he was certain the cost was clear, he pulled himself through the hole and motioned for her to follow.

“I take it you’ve done this before?” She asked, taking note of the unhinged grate at her feet and his eerily fast way of getting around the vents.

“When I was a kid, I used to want to see everything in the towers. My dad wasn’t so keen on the idea so I found another way to get around. This was one of my favorite places to come so I was hoping no one would have bothered to close up the grate.”

“And if they had?” She asked wide-eyed.

“Plan B?”

“There is no Plan B!” She huffed.

“Good thing it was open then,” he noted with a grin and headed to the charging walls. “Let’s get what we need and get the muck out of here. This place gets serious foot traffic during the day.”

Not waiting for her to respond, Ashlan started to work on collecting blades from their stations. She followed his lead, speedily snapping out only the blades with the highest charge. They could each push four blades through the vent without straining and while Ashlan’s original calculations left them enough time for the extra trips needed to gather the weapons, she was trying to move as fast as possible. When the first dozen blades were safely deposited on the floor, Sid ripped off the ragged tunic she had tied over her suit and threw it into the vent, before proceeding to pile the four blades quietly into it. Without waiting for Ashlan to do the same, she scurried into the vent and crawled back to the entrance point where the droid’s waiting arms were outstretched in anticipation.

Sid dropped her pile and crawled backward, poking her head out of the vent to let Ashlan know she was ready for the next load.

After a few repeated trips, she breathlessly pulled herself onto the floor of the charging station.

“It’s your turn, I need a break,” she whispered in between breaths.

Ashlan nodded, pushing a set of blades through the grate opening and disappearing into the silent darkness of the vent. When she could no longer hear the quiet whoosh of his pant legs, she sat next to the weapon pile, staring at it in earnest disbelief.

This is actually going to work!

She couldn’t believe it. The more they went over the plan before coming here, the more terrified she had become. So many things could go wrong, but Ashlan had assured her that they could do this and stardamnit, she hated when he was right.

Sid could hear the familiar scuffle of fabric come into earshot and smiled; two more trips and they’d be out of this place. Ashlan’s messy head of hair started to poke through the grate when the door opposite her slid open. She didn’t waste time, using all her vigor to shove him back into the vent. “Stay down!”

Sid froze and waited for the increasingly speedy footsteps to approach her. Magic rushed from her and her body glowed as brightly as ever, drowning out the blue light of the blades around her. Beads of sweat poured down her neck and her short hair clung to them for dear life. She crouched over the weapons like a mother protecting her young, not letting anyone come between them.

I should have known it was too easy! This is never going to work! We’re done for! We’re–

“Professor Cevil?”

The old man nearly tripped over her in his stupor. When he finally looked over his projector, his eyes narrowed, darting between Sid and the pile of weapons at her feet.

“Miss Sid?” He asked, then gesturing to the blades, “What’s the meaning of this?”

“This…” she struggled for an excuse, “I’m checking the weapons. To make sure they are fully functional in case of an attack.”

“An attack? What attack?” The professor asked, his eyes landing on the open grate.

She caught his gaze, begging him not to do anything with her eyes. “Professor, please, you need to let me finish.”

“Nonsense! You expect me to believe you are here on official duty?” He tapped his wrinkled fingers into the projector and turned it around to face her. Sid’s own face reflected back to her with capture warnings across the top and bottom; the queen’s telescreen warning frozen on the screen. “I am not as clueless as you seem to believe me to be. This is treason!”

“Professor! Please, You don’t understand!” She screamed, stumbling toward him.

The old man swung the projector over, his fingers starting to tap a code. She had no doubt he was sending an alarm out to every armed man in the vicinity. “I understand it all too well, Miss Sid. I know what you are. You’re glowing brighter than Jericho, for star’s sake!”

Sid looked down at her arms, realizing she had no choice. All that magic, all that power — it was the only way to make him stop. She leaned her weight on her right leg and pushed her hands together. The professor betrayed her, she should hate him, want to kill him even, but she felt nothing of the sort. He did exactly what she expected him to do and while she had to stop him from calling the Starblades, she didn’t want to see him dead. She most definitely didn’t want to see him dead by her own hand. He had been kind to her at one point when she needed someone most, and she had to repay the favor.

She pressed her fists tighter into one another, calling on the current running through the projector in his hands. With one pull of her hands, a shot of electricity sparked over the hologram and into the professor’s hands. He yelped, dropping the interface box and shaking his hands which Sid imagined were burning hot right then. His eyes met hers in confusion and she looked away, her gaze running over the charge stations on either side of him.

Her hands shot out and she grasped at the tendrils of energy on the surface of the station glass, pulling it out from where it was contained. Blue sparks of electricity danced at the edges of the glass, twirling in tight circles as if waiting for her instruction. She flipped her palms. “I’m sorry,” she whispered and slapped her hands together, letting the currents on either side of the professor collide.

Cevil went down instantaneously, his body collapsing on the floor in front of her. She crawled over to him, checking to make sure he was still breathing. When she found a pulse and heard his jagged breath, she sighed and crawled back to the grate.

“You can come out now,” she said and watched as Ashlan popped up from the vent.

He looked at the professor’s body then to the char marks across the glass cases. “How long will he be out?”

“Not sure, we’d better hurry,” Sid said and started to lower the remaining blades into the vent. “Ash?”

“Yes?”

“Do you think Dee and Tann had better luck in the jungle?”

Ashlan looked from Cevil’s body to the blades to her, “Compared to this, gathering a bunch of Tecken sounds like a breeze.”