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Chapter Ten
“So that’s the place?”
“That’s it alright.” Isaac lowered the binoculars to the ground beneath him. “Are Rayden and his people
ready?”
Kayla nodded. “They go in one hour.”
“Then it’s time for us to prep the last of our gear and get to the jump off point.”
Three days of hard travelling had seen them make it to a small town overlooking Lake Abert, only a few
miles from the original Antarian landing site. After meeting with local resistance, they had outlined the
plan they had come up with on the road, then spent the next twenty four hours resting from their trip. Once
back on their feet, they met with the leadership of the group, who had taken what Isaac had proposed and
refined it, honing his ideas to a razor’s edge with split second timing. They had assumed the young pair were
there under orders from Max, and Isaac and Kayla had not said or done anything to disabuse them of the
idea.
Making their way down to the lakes edge, they pulled on their wetsuits and pushed off from shore on the
wakeboards that had been provided. They paddled their way across, little higher than the water surface itself
to avoid detection, until they reached the far side that the research facility had been built on and made their
way into the outflow pipe that had been constructed to dump the waste produced into the lake. Producing
a small plasma cutter from his pack, Isaac quickly cut the grating free and they made their way to the
processing station, where he consulted his watch.
“One minute until they hit the gate, and then we go. Last chance for you to bail out if you want to.”
Kayla snorted. “Yeah, great idea Doofy. And how do you plan on getting through that wall without me?”
“Minor detail.” He reached down, taking her hand in his. “Look, before we do this, I just need to say…”
“Sshhh.” Kayla placed her other hand on his lips. “You don’t need to say it. I see it every time you look at
me, and I feel the same. Lets just make sure we get past this so we can do something about it.”
Before they could say anything else, a low rumble was heard and sirens began to shriek across the complex.
As planned, the local cell had staged a mock attack on the main entrance in the hope of drawing security forces
away from the lab and making it easier for the two of them to slip in through the back door.
“I guess time’s up.”
“Then we better get going. Our people won’t hold them for long.”
She took his hand and they made their way through the wall and into the hall beyond. Cautiously working
towards the elevator, they took it down to the lowest level and made steady progress, until they reached
the entrance to Serena’s laboratory. They hadn’t been picked up yet, but neither knew how long that would
last. Rayden was given standing orders to pull back once the guards started to make contact with his
people in an effort to minimise losses, and given some of the best troops Kivar had brought in served at the
facility, there was no guarantee how long the distraction would be effective.
Kayla ghosted just enough to slip her face through the wall and check for any guards, then pulled back and
held up two fingers. Isaac reached into his pack, pulling out a stun grenade and handing it to her. She
leaned in to confirm where the guards were standing before pulling the pin out and sliding it across the floor.
She withdrew quickly and a couple of seconds later there was a loud krumping sound and a brief flash of
light around the door seals. Isaac punched in the entry code for the lab and they slipped inside to find the
guards face down and unconscious. He quickly bound their wrists and ankles and gagged them before
moving to the computer terminal and activating the system. He removed the control crystal from his pack
and placed it in a socket on the workstation, then began tapping away on the keyboard with desperate
speed.
“What are you doing? Come on, let’s get going!”
“I just need a minute! Scramble the door so the guards can’t get in!”
Kayla ran over to the door and ran her hand through the control panel, fusing the circuits and rendering
the controls useless. Just as she did, however, a beep sounded from it and the door began to open. It slid
open about an inch, then jammed solid, and she could hear the shouts of frustration coming from the other
side of the door.
“Dammit, Zach!”
“I know, I know. I’m nearly there!”
“So are they!”
A low hum began to fill the room, rising in pitch as the light from the Granilith grew stronger, powering
up for the jump they were preparing to make. Kayla rushed to Isaac’s side as a bar was slipped into the
gap between door and frame and whoever was on the other side began working to pry the door open and
get to them. Isaac finished entering the commands he had typed out, and lines of text began running up the
screen at a rapid pace. There was a screech as the door was forced another couple of inches, and the
console beeped as the program finished running and the screen cleared. Isaac snatched it up and ran to the
Granilith, inserting the crystal rod into the socket on the base it stood on and reaching for Kayla.
*Are you sure you’re ready for this?*
*Hell of a time to ask. Let’s go*
She ghosted her entire body one last time, and slipped inside his frame, the two of them becoming one
person. A beam emerged from the top of the Granilith and scanned the area before settling on him. A
musical tone sounded in his mind, and in a heartbeat he found himself looking out at the lab from inside
the crystal. The hum had grown until it was like he could feel it rather than hear it and time seemed to
slow to a crawl. The door was forced far enough for one of the guards to get through, and he dropped to
one knee, raising his weapon to his shoulder. Isaac could clearly see his finger tighten on the trigger, and
there was a blinding flash. And then…nothing……….
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*bzzzzzzz*
*bzzzzzzz*
*bzzzzzzz*
*bzzz-*
“…’lo.”
“Max, it’s me.”
“Izzy?” Max lifted his head from the pillow and forced his eyes to focus on the alarm clock next to his bed.
He quickly wished he hadn’t bothered.
“Is, it’s one in the morning. What are you doing? Where did you go?”
“I don’t have time to explain. Just listen to me very carefully. I’ve already called Michael, and he’s coming
over to get you. I need the two of you to meet me right now. I’m at the pod chamber.”
“Why? What’s going on?”
“Just get here, Max. I’ll explain it all then.” *click*
Max dropped back down face first onto his pillow with a groan. *Why did she have to be my
sister. And why did I ever let them talk me into getting a vibrating phone??“ He forced himself
into sitting up, and began feeling around his bed for the shirt he had taken off when he first got in. *I
better get ready. Michael will be cranky enough with getting up. If he has to wait for me when he
gets here, I’ll never hear the end of it….*
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It's a case of knowing exactly where I've come from and where