Science Fiction Thriller

Chapter Seven — Part Three The Time It Takes to Die

Anna Betrayed

Anna began, “Chancellor Sideron, thank you for speaking with us in these pressing times.” Sideron inclined her head rather regally in acknowledgment. “My researchers found evidence of a group behind the “Warriors of Earth, funding and directing them. Can you tell us, who are ‘the defenders’?”

One finely shaped brow rose in response. Sideron answered, “Alliance operatives have acquired intelligence of a highly placed cabal of individuals directing the ‘Warriors of Earth’ terrorist group. She leaned in conspiratorially, “Our people in the colonies need to know that this group functions in the highest echelons of Earth’s financial and geopolitical circles.”

This wasn’t really a surprise to Anna. She had deduced something of the sort must be happening. The terrorists were too well organized to function organically. She followed up with, “Can you name who comprises the cabal?”

Suddenly, Winston’s head turns to Dougal’s activities. In the same instant, the diplobot lunged up and toward the Chancellor, sitting next to Anna. From his body spider-like appendages extruded from his spine as he moved. The appendages sparked light flares and spread a shield of light like a translucent umbrella skin, as Winston spread his arms.

When the diplobot’s appendages extended, Sideron stood abruptly and pulled Anna up and toward herself. Winston’s arms embraced the two women. In the same instant, Blethyn’s head snapped back toward the door as the light wall’s defense grid flickers out and she shouts, “Everybody down!”

Anna watched through Winston’s shield in panicked dismay at the gruesome sight before her. Dougal grabbed something else from his camera and popped it in his mouth. The moment he bit down on it, his head exploded.

As a larger explosion tore through the glass wall, Roberto instinctively shielded Blethyn. A blaster in her hand, she irritably shoved him away, “Look out, boy.” She came up short as Roberto’s body fell back, his staring eyes unseeing. “Oh, lad…”

A gray-clad armored force of a half dozen terrorists charged over the bodies of the door guards. All their faces were obscured by mirrored visors on their helmets. The chancellor’s guard met them with deadly force. Blethyn couldn’t take the time to check Roberto as she turned to join the battle.

Two of the terrorists made a push toward the chancellor and Anna. The heat and sound were like nothing Anna had ever imagined. As the terrorists blasted round after screaming round into the back of Winston, Anna thought the diplobot seemed in pain. As she sheltered in his firm, mechanical grip, she could only look on in terror as the shield flickered and sparked.

One of the chancellor’s guard slipped and staggered on the blood pooling around Roberto’s and Dougal’s bodies. Blethyn reached out, steadying the guard to get her weapons trained back on the terrorist. Then, the superintendent moved toward the terrorists attacking the chancellor.

Anna could only watch in horror as the superintendent lurched when a shot from one of the terrorists behind slammed into her back. Her clothes were ignited. Anna lost sight of her in the sudden conflagration which flamed up around her. Blethyn tore away the flaming garments, to reveal pale body armor from the neck down.

Blethyn launched herself backwards at the two terrorists holding fire on Winston. As she flew toward them, she was firing her blaster into the visor of the terrorist who had shot her. One of the chancellor’s guards added their blasts and the terrorists helmet exploded, decapitating the terrorist from the chest up.

Anna’s attention was diverted from that wretchedness by Winston’s sorrowful voice — Can a diplobot feel sorrow?

“I have failed… have failed… you… you… you, Chancellor,” the diplobot said sorrowfully as his shield died. His eyes went dark and he began to collapse, pulling Anna and the chancellor down in his embrace, still shielded by his body.

The superintendent’s body rocketed into the two terrorists firing on Winston’s body. They all went down together in a heap, crashing through the big round coffee table. But, Blethyn rolled up with a vibroknife in her hands, slicing both throats through the gray skin of their body armor in virtually a single stroke.

She levered herself up against Winston’s body, turning back toward the battle. But, the fight was over. The terrorists were all dead, with the chancellor’s three remaining guards standing over them.

She turned back to pry the chancellor and Anna from the diplobot’s now rigid embrace. Sparks popped and sizzled from his back. Winston’s head moved, looping in tiny jerking motions.

His mouth light flickered as he emitted popping, staticky sounds, like an ancient recording slurring, “Sorry… failed… regret…” Each word was more degraded than the last. He seemed in terrible pain.

Does an android feel pain? Anna mused.

The chancellor gave him a soothing pat, “You did well, Winston.” Then, she popped open one side of his head. A flame and sparks briefly flared. Tendrils of smoky steam rose from the cavity. Sideron wrapped her hand in the tail of her duster and reached in and pulled out the compact brain core. The diplobot crumpled, like cutting the strings on a marionette.

Blethyn stumbled toward poor Roberto’s body and found a shard from the glass wall embedded at the base of his spine. As she examined him, fighting could be heard in the distance. More chancellor’s guards rushed in, followed by several spaceport security personnel, and a few of Blethyn’s own civil guardians. She ordered them to secure the chancellor’s safety.

The superintendent, with slightly halting movement, waved Anna to her as she crossed back toward her and the chancellor. The chancellor, a blaster in one hand, extended her other to the Blethyn.

Did she have that with her the whole time? Anna wondered.

Sideron and Blethyn exchanged a grip wrapping each other’s forearm as they pulled close together for a heartbeat. The chancellor was all efficiency when she took command of the forces in the remnants of the room.

Without a backward glance, the superintendent gripped Anna’s arm hard and started dragging her along. Over Anna’s protestations, Blethyn told her, “We have to get you on that transport. You must get this to Ecart.”

She pressed Winton’s brain core and tablet into Anna’s hands. Looking back over her shoulder as the superintendent, limping, dragged her along, Anna mused, I didn’t even see her take them.

Gorman was waiting at the transport gangplank with a trio of agents wearing light armor with Alliance markings in red. He gave the superintendent a salute Anna did not recognize, “Ma’am, as ordered, Red Squad is ready to escort Ms Sinclair to Jump Station 1.”

Is there more than one station? Anna wondered, rather bewildered by everything at this point.

Before she could offer any protest or demand answers, the trio bustled her onto the transport. She saw it was piloted by another of their group. She was hurriedly strapped in, while the engines roared for lift off. Looking out the window as the transport began to move, she saw Gorman and Blethyn don helmets and head back towards the fighting.

More coming soonish…

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