Test of Faith - Chapter Twelve
Jezrael Desert
Pleione
Word of Blake Protectorate
28 July, 3075
It was show time. They had no choice but to succeed now. If they failed, they would end up in Blakist hands, or vaporized in a nuclear mushroom cloud. They had practiced and trained for weeks. There was nothing left but to do it. It was mostly silence as Cat drove the vehicle through the desert to the step off point.
"You seem unusually quiet and preoccupied. Is everything alright?" Cat asked Acadia. It was true, normally the young woman was a chatterbox before something big. Now, she seemed to say very little.
"Yeah." she responded, staring out the window into the blackness of the night desert.
"You must not lose your focus. Keep the plan in your mind. This will work." Cat wasn't sure if she was saying it more to reassure her young charge, or to reassure herself.
A few more moments of silence passed. "I told Paxton the truth."
Cat smacked the steering wheel with the palm of her hand. "Stravag, child. You did what?! Why did you do that?"
"I know you said to trust nobody, but he's clean, I know he is. And I didn't want him near the city when the bombardment hits."
Cat virtually growled in frustration. "You told him that as well? About the attack plans? Blake's Blood, child. You need to get a handle on yourself. Just because you are coupling with some boy does not mean that you must pour your heart out to him. At it certainly does not mean you can pour your brain out to him. What if he tells someone? Or what if he is as emotionally reckless as you and tries to do something, and gets captured and THEN tells something."
"He won't. I know he won't. And I'm sorry, but I just did what I had to. And besides, I don't give you hell for your sex life, no matter how weird it is."
Cat smiled and playfully slapped Acadia on the leg. "I do not discuss secret plans with my coupling partners."
"As if. Besides, you probably only bang people with higher clearance than you have anyway." At the very least the mood had lightened, even if Cat was furious inside with Acadia's recklessness. After a few more minutes, they were at the starting point. Fortress Thunder Rock loomed above them.
"We are here." Cat stated the obvious. They each got out of the vehicle. Cat put a hand on each of Acadia's shoulders. "Remember everything we have gone over. Get as far inside as you can, but once they discover you, make sure your face is picked up by as many of their cameras as you can. Swallow the transmitter the instant you make contact with your mother. And then for Kerensky's sake, keep yourself safe for as long as you can. Buy me as much time as you can. Right?"
Acadia nodded. "Thank you aunt Cat. For everything. See you soon." And with that, she turned and sprinted off into the night.
Do not thank me until this is over. If I fail here, you are both lost.
*****
Acadia got through the outer wall with relative ease. Even at night, there were so many vehicles entering and leaving the facility that one small person slipping in went unnoticed. She crept deeper into the facility methodically, working her way through mostly dark and deserted areas. Her first test would not come until she reached the first door that required an ID badge to open the lock.
At a busier time of day, it might have been more difficult, but she was entering through an area used primarily for shipping and receiving. The Blakists had no doubt detected the Capellan task force and were on high alert, but their attention would be far from the food and supply delivery areas. She waited until a robed adept approached the door and swiped his badge, then she slipped quietly in behind him before the door closed.
She worked her way deeper into the compound, staying in shadows, corners, behind equipment. Just as she had practiced. Cat was confident enough that Blakist security would catch Acadia naturally that she had discouraged her from attempting any obvious blunders in order to get caught. Everything had to appear natural.
Though her heart was racing, part of her felt like a child again, sneaking around the 4TCR barracks or Castle McCarron late at night when she was supposed to be sleeping. A few times she had crept into the command center unnoticed, and watched the boring, mundane activities of a functioning military unit. But that all seemed so long ago now.
She started to move from one shadowy corner towards the detention area, but suddenly a pair of robed Adepts turned the corner, carrying some paperwork. She immediately retreated, trying to duck back into the shadowy corner where she had started, but as she did, a door opened and light from inside an office bathed the hallway in light.
"Intruder! Alert security!" She didn't know which Blakist had called out the alarm, and she didn't care. She sprinted towards the two Adepts she had first seen, and barreled through them, knocking them both to the ground. As she ran down the corridor from which they had just come, she noticed the dome of a security camera covering the area, precisely what she wanted.
A second later, a loud alarm klaxon began sounding. It was only a matter of seconds before she encountered resistance, but in that time, she noted at least two more cameras observing her. The idea was that with an intruder in the building and alerts sounded, the head Manei Domini would have to be aware of the breach of security, and it would not take one of the Blakist super-soldiers long to determine Acadia's identity. That's what they were counting on.
She turned yet another corner and stumbled onto two security guards. They raised their weapons hastily, just as she drew her own pistol. They exchanged quick shots, before Acadia darted back behind the corner. She pressed herself against the wall and stopped to catch her breath. Too late, she noticed something out of the corner of her eye, and as she turned, a bolt from a stun gun slammed into her side. She shook violently, and fell to the ground.
Blakist guards were on her in seconds, cuffing her hands behind her back and shouting, both commands at her and questions into their comm units. She screamed at them, "Let me go you toaster worshiping pigs! Let me go! You're all going to die!"
It took a sparse few minutes before the guards lifted her off the ground, hands still cuffed behind her back, and began roughly marching her toward the detention area. The led her down several corridors, and through a few checkpoints without so much as stopping. She had obviously been fast tracked for something.
Finally, they arrived at a door, and as it opened, they shoved her through the opening. She emerged in a small room, with only a metal chair in the middle. The room was empty except for a woman wearing white Word of Blake robes standing on the far side of the room looking at her. The woman's eyes shone a sapphire blue, almost mimicking the color of the accented streaks in Acadia's hair. Acadia stared back at her with as much courage and anger as she could muster.
The woman walked closer to her, looking her up and down as she circled her, coming to a stop in front of her. Then Eisheth laughed. "This is it? This scrawny little runt is the daughter of Faith McCarron? Pathetic."
Acadia spat at her, "Sorry to disappoint. I didn't do my makeup today."
Eisheth took a step closer and stared into her eyes. "My dear little girl, there isn't enough makeup in the world to make you into even a pale imitation of your mother. I have gotten to know you mother intimately over these last months, and I have found she is very strong in spirit, a true warrior. You on the other hand....you can only muster this clumsy attempt?"
"We'll see how clumsy I am when I kill you! Take these cuffs off and I'll show you some spirit." She was mustering up all the bravado she could. Deep down, she was truly terrified of this woman, this monster that stood before her.
"Ha. By all means, I look forward to this." The precentor pulled a knife from her robe and walked behind Acadia, slicing off the plastic zip cuffs before sheathing the knife and returning to stand in front of Acadia. "There, you are unbound. Hit me, little girl."
Acadia was beyond confused now. She hadn't expected that turn of events. After a second to recover, she lashed out with a punch towards the woman's face. The Manei Domini brushed aside the blow with her left hand, and with almost superhuman speed and strength, reached out with her right hand, grabbing Acadia by the throat and lifting her off her feet, slamming her into the wall. She pinned her there and pressed her face close to Acadia's.
"You pathetic, little girl," she laughed. "You are a frail, and an exceptionally frail one at that. You are hardly worth my time. In fact, if not for who your mother is, I would crush your neck right now and dispose of you without wasting another second. The only difficulty I am having is deciding which will bring me the greatest pleasure and reward. Should I simply kill you, slowly, painfully, agonizingly in front of your mother to break the last remnants of her will? Or should I break you and turn you to the Master's will and let her see me have you as a pet? Your mother has survived months of pain, agony, and humiliation and only now is she beginning to break. I could break you, frail thing, and have you worshiping me as a goddess in barely an hour."
The door opened, and Eisheth let Acadia drop to the floor. "Ah, look who has arrived, fresh from the sensory deprivation tank."
Acadia gasped audibly as she saw the guards dragging her mother in. Almost as an afterthought, she popped loose the small transmitter strapped to the roof of her mouth, but down on the casing, and swallowed it. She barely recognized her mother, naked, her head bare, face gaunt. Her body was emaciated and weak. The guards dumped her unceremoniously on the ground, as if she was garbage, and then left. Acadia started to run to her, but Eisheth grabbed her by the back of the neck and forced her to her knees. "You are going nowhere, pet." she hissed. Then calmly, in an almost soft voice, she called out "Faith. Faith, you must wake up. I have a special visitor here for you."
After a short while, Faith started to move, lifting herself up with her arms and blinking as if dazed. Acadia wanted to cry. The fire was gone from her mother's eyes. After a few seconds, Faith's gaze shifted from Eisheth to Acadia. "No. No, this is a trick. This isn't real. This cannot be real." Her voice was weak and strained.
Eisheth smiled. "Oh, my dear Faith, it is quite real. This is, indeed, your lovely daughter. She came here to try to save you. And, I suppose, in a way, she will. Once I turn her to Blake's will, she can help to bring you the last few steps of the way."
As the monster spoke her words, Acadia watched as the life and the fire returned to Faith's eyes. Slowly, clumsily, but steadily, she managed to stand up and stumble a few steps towards them. When she spoke, there was an anger in her voice that Acadia had never in her life heard. "No. No! You cannot have her. So long as I am alive you will not have her!" Faith stumbled closer, as if she was going to attack the Blakist with what feeble strength she had left. When she got within arm's length, Eisheth slapped her across the face, and she slumped to the ground motionless.
"No! You b*tch!!!!" Acadia wrested herself free of the Precentor's grip and began pummeling her with blows, most of which seemed to be innefectual. Eisheth grabbed her by the throat and pinned her to the ground.
"I am growing very tired of you. Perhaps you are more trouble than you are worth."
Though she kicked and struggled, Acadia could not free herself. "Go choke yourself on Toyama's --" She was cut off as Eisheth squeezed harder. Just then, she heard the door open.
"I told you we were not to be dis-" gunshots rang out, echoing harshly in the confined space of the room. Acadia felt the pressure on her throat release as two bullets tore into Eisheth's shoulder. The Blakist cyber-warrior spun away bounded to her feet. Acadia saw Cat's black clad form sprinting across the room, pistols in both hands, trying to get a bead on Eisheth.
With almost insane speed, the red-haired Blakist lunged at Cat, knocking the guns from her hand and allowing her weight to follow through as the two smashed to the ground. As each scrambled to their feet, Eisheth drew her knife in a swift motion and slashed, slicing through the material of Cat's jumpsuit and opening a gash across her left arm. Almost simultaneously, Cat delivered a blow square to Eisheth's jaw with her right fist, sending the Blakist reeling for a second.
It was all Cat needed, as she lunged and engaged Eisheth again. The two grappled in a fight that seemed almost choreographed, each blocking and countering, where one scored a blow the other retaliated in kind. Never in all her years had Acadia seen Cat so fierce as now. Time seemed to freeze as she went toe-to-toe with the augmented Blakist warrior. It was the battle that the two were made for, Cat having been bred for war from the best that the Star League had to offer, and Eisheth, a human blended with technology for the purpose of exterminating the children of Kerensky.
And then, in an instant, it seemed to reach it's end. Cat misjudged a blow, and Eisheth pounced, knocking the older woman's right leg from beneath her and sending her sprawling onto her back. The Blakist poised over her with a death blow, her eyes burning a bright red. Acadia had never seen such hatred and rage in someone's eyes.
And then Acadia squeezed the trigger. The round struck Eisheth just above the right eye. The Manei Domini spun around and backwards, landing face down on the ferrocrete floor. Acadia didn't even remember picking up the gun, which must have been knocked from Cat's hand. She didn't remember lining up the shot. She only remembered the burning hatred in the Blakist's eyes, and squeezing the trigger.
Cat lay on her back, her chest heaving up and down trying to catch her breath. Acadia sat motionless on the floor, the pistol in her hand, her face blank. Only a few seconds passed, but it seemed like lifetimes. Almost in unison, both regained their wits, and scrambled over to where Faith lay slumped on the floor. Cat spun her over and checked for a pulse.
"She is alive. We have to hurry out of here. Get something to cover her with." Acadia ran over to the body of the fallen Blakist monster. She pulled the white, but blood spattered robe off of the lifeless woman's body, pausing for a moment to look into her mechanical eyes. She was dead. Whatever monster inhabited those eyes was gone forever.
She ran back over to Cat, and the two of them wrapped the still unconscious Faith in the Blakist robe. Just then, the ground shook beneath them. It was a subtle rumble, but it could be felt nonetheless. "The bombardment has started. We have to hurry!"
The only upside to the fact that the Capellan flotilla was beginning to pulverize parts of the planet surface was that the Blakists inside now had many other things to deal with. It allowed them to move quickly through the facility, past more Blakist bodies than Acadia could even fathom how Cat had dealt with. Before long, they had reached the perimeter.
The night sky was ablaze with light, a terrible rain of death from the heavens as the Capellan warships blasted Word installations from orbit. "How are we going to reach our extraction point?" She asked Cat.
"Never mind that. How are we going to get far enough away from this place before they hit it?" she replied. At that moment, a figure brandishing an assault rifle popped from cover behind a rock outcropping a few meters away.
"You ladies need a lift? C'mon!" It was Paxton.