The Phobos Transit Quilters Guild

Chapter 8 - So, That's the Endgame

[Val]

Hand in hand, Zoe and I huddled under a table in a dark alcove as scuffling footfalls passed close by. I had not noticed them on the security feed vids until they were almost upon us — the cameras did not cover everything. My knuckles whitened from the tight grip on a stunner gun, and my heart pounded hard enough that I feared it would reveal our location, once again showing that I was never meant to be a secret agent. Yet, here I am.

As they faded into the distance, one male voice cursed bitterly about his assignment. Another male voice barked in reply, "Suck it up! We won't be here much longer."

My gut twisted at his words. Whatever they might do before leaving — it can't be good.

Earlier, parting with Kate and Shera invoked an ominous tremble. I feared for them. Zoe and I actively avoided conflict, but they marched right into it. Spurred on by silent prayer, I resolved to do what I could to help them.

"Okay, it's clear again," I whispered. "They're gone."

Zoe bent her head against my shoulder. "You are so brave, Val."

"Oh, no," I countered. "Inside, I'm a quivering mess, but I have to do something to help."

Warmth spread from the gentle kiss she placed against my cheek. "That is the definition of courage."

I gathered a measure of confidence from her words. "Thank you. I needed that," I said, returning the kiss. "We are not far from the sub-station."

After a cautious peek around the corner of the curved alcove wall, I stashed the stunner under my mesh belt and we dashed down the corridor to an enlarged hatch labeled Utility Substation Alpha. After I pressed my hand against a scanner panel, the hatch swung open with the whir of servo-motors. Fortunately, my supervisor had not yet revoked my engineering access credentials. After stepping inside, I closed the door behind us and manually locked it.

Support trays guided rows of silvery conduit and black power cables along the back wall, running in and out of junction boxes. In the center of the room, two wheeled chairs occupied the space within a semi-circle of transparent control panels and display screens on a raised dais. I quickly scanned the colorful charts and numbers that monitored the station systems.

Taking a seat, I waved my hand to scroll through the panel screens until I found the pressure isolation safety systems. "There it is," I muttered as Zoe looked over my shoulder.

After switching the system to manual, I moved a series of lighted toggles with finger swipes, each operating an isolation door, then waited as the status lights changed from green to red.

"Good," I said. This will hinder the mercenary's movements, but not stop them, as eventually they will figure out how to manually open the doors. I linked my viewer to the controls, allowing remote control.

"I wonder how they are doing?" Zoe said, biting a lip.

"Let's find out," I replied, then linked a display panel to the security video feeds and scrolled to the detention area cameras. The footage brought a smile to our faces. The guards were down, the cell doors laid open as the prisoners filed out, and Kate stood in tight lip-lock with John.

Score another for the Quilters Guild. But the game was far from over.

There were still several unanswered questions that swirled in my mind. As I leaned back in the chair with eyes cast upward with a hand on my chin, Zoe asked, "What are you thinking, Val?"

"Something that mercenary said about leaving soon. What are they planning? Hell, we don't even know who they are." I swung around in the chair, facing Zoe. "And another thing, how did they take over the station so easily? There were security protocols that prevent that."