In the Shadow of the Starships

Chapter 8 Run!

"Jennisa!" Toby's urgent voice sliced through the thick fog of sleep. "There's trouble! Wake up!"

"Wha...?" I slurred, trying to shake the lethargy off enough to form coherent thoughts.

"There are people circling the building! I think they're after you! You have to hide!"

I staggered out of bed, the adrenaline clearing my mind enough for me to halfway function. I grabbed a set of clothes and tucked them under my arm—if I had to hit the streets, pajamas would not blend in.

"Kill my computer," I told Toby as I shoved my feet into a pair of shoes and rubbed at my eyes furiously, trying to clear them enough to see.

"Formatted! Everything is backed up on the spaceweb!"

"Thanks. Are they in the building yet?" I asked, grabbing my wallet and bracelet charger. Without going inside, I locked the bathroom door and closed it, hoping it would add an additional distraction for the invaders.

"Negative, but they have it surrounded."

"There's no way Enforcement will get here in time..." I muttered. Unless they actually broke in, simply claiming there were people setting up an ambush wasn't going to yield any help, not in this neighborhood. And once they got through the door, I wouldn't be able to avoid them long enough for help to come.

There was nowhere to hide in this suite, nor was there a window to climb out. The landlady's floor had alarms if anything bigger than Chuck went up her stairs, so hiding up there wasn't an option.

I could only think of one possible spot. I lunged for the door, ripping it open as I ran down the hallway to the broom closet. There was just enough room for me to stand inside. Darkness surrounded me as I quickly stripped off my pajama bottoms and shirt, replacing them with actual clothing.

Faint scratching came from the bottom of the door, and I groaned internally at Chuck's arrival. Having a cat staring at a door labeled Janitorial would be a dead giveaway. A quiet pattering signaled his departure, which was just as worrisome, although I hadn't heard a door open, and I doubted these people had keys.

"One guy is trying to pick the lock. Chuck went to stare at him."

"How many are there? What are the odds of me sneaking out when they go into my room?"

"Probability is very low. He has two backups on that side, and one is watching the other direction."

"Is there any way you can distract the lone one?" All I needed was thirty seconds to blend into the foot traffic that was present at every hour around here.

"I'll see what I can find!"

The click of a deadbolt informed me that time was running out. Chuck greeted the intruder with a friendly meow. The intruder did not return the welcome. I grinned despite myself.

Chuck did not like it when people barged past him without saying hi. He took such lapses in manners very personally and expressed his extreme dissatisfaction by pushing a plastic vase off the cabinet onto the guilty culprit. Every renter here quickly learned to either greet the guard cat or run really fast.

Sure enough, there was a pained yelp, followed by the clattering of dozens of marbles across the floor.

"That cat has good aim!" Toby exclaimed.

"Lots of practice," I added. "Is he leaving or continuing?"

"I'm not sure. He's holding his head at the moment."