Blink: 3003 (Book 1)

07

She quickly crossed the chamber, eager to shed her gear as fast as possible, and thumbed the DNA identifier on the locker with a name plate that read 'GARRET. A'. The fat metal plate slid aside, revealing a small alcove filled with sets of equipment to fit any operation. There were oxygen breathers, gas masks, dark-sight goggles, a thick-lined polar body suit and much more. She had a gun cradle and a series of hooks to hold the light sheaths of standard-issue body armour that the operatives wore.

Placing the carbine into its cradle she began the process of stripping off the plates of lightweight armour from her body, arms and legs with frantic energy. The material allowed enough bend for the operatives to move unhindered, but she had just been shown firsthand the kind of punishment the seemingly flimsy armour offered.

With lightning quickness she hooked the various plates into position. Then she tugged out the rubbery, triangular communication stud and massaged her ear where the thing had been lodged. No one else seemed to have any trouble with them, but she found the claw-like earpieces to be very uncomfortable. Tossing it gratefully into the locker, she slipped on the soft Hammerhead hooded jacket and sent the door sliding shut.

No longer carrying the gun and with the protective gear removed, she felt herself relax just a little. She felt a lot more normal without the tactical gear. Taking a deep breath, Amber leant forward, resting her forehead against the cool metal of the locker for just a moment.

"Amber?"

She jerked upright sharply and turned to find Darien, lounging against the lockers alongside her. She hadn't even heard him approach.

"We've got to debrief now," he said quietly. "But I understand if you'd rather take a little time."

"No," she said quickly, shaking her head. "I'm part of the team."

"You sure?"

"Yeah...yeah I'm sure."

"Okay then." He half-turned to leave, but some after-thought stopped him. He looked back and smiled. "Amber, you did good."

"Thanks," she replied, feeling anything but.

The debrief process was an aspect of bureaucracy that the Blink administrators understood their youthful operatives would hate. Accordingly, the interviews were brief, streamlined affairs with one individual following a loose script of queries to ensure that the operatives had acquitted themselves in line with the rules of engagement. These rules could change from planet to planet – every colony had its own slightly different way of governing affairs. This disparity meant that the Blink operatives had a myriad of jurisdictional potholes to navigate in the performance of their duties.

Thankfully this bloodless outing would look good on their squad résumé. If operations descended into shootouts it was severely frowned upon. The operatives were armed to protect themselves, not to gun down criminals at the drop of a hat.

Amber seated herself at the far left of the table in the grey-walled debriefing room alongside Idas. Darien sat in the centre and would be doing most of the talking. Niamh was beside him and on the far end of the table the other two members of the squad sat: Hekket – the group's slight-framed medical specialist – and Uther, the nominal squad engineer and the oldest operative among them. The administrator switched on his recording apparatus and began scribbling notes with a stylus as Darien launched into his after-action report. She marvelled at how his mind snagged every little detail, from the moment they'd blinked out to the asteroid to the instant they returned to Blink Station Alpha. Occasionally Niamh would interject small contributions while the others looked on, their boredom hanging in the air like a smog cloud. Gratefully, they didn't ask her to recount the incident – Darien gave them the footnotes and provided the recording from the camera stud.