The Price of Infamy Pt. 02

"What's that up there?" Kyla asked, pointing to a grate some three feet above the door.

"Ventilation shaft used for the chamber depressurisation," one of the accompanying men answered. "It is usually open because this door is used as entrance to limit inbound movement through the main gates."

"Great," Fatima said, looking up. "You're going up, Banana. There will be a valve inside, turn it and let us in."

"But I have no idea how to proceed once inside!" Kyla protested.

"You'll make me proud, I'm sure," Fatima grinned in response and flicked a switch on her belt console, turning the electromagnets off. A slight movements of her arms made her drift slowly up.

"Hey! Stop it!" she cried but he was already holding her strongly and slowly lifting her body towards the grate.

*

Blast him! Kyla wanted to send a swift kick to Fatima's head as he pushed her up. Instead she grit her teeth and grabbed the grate, grunting as she forced it open. "Nice job, banana. Now get that cute ass inside and let us in."

"Bite me!" She huffed back, moving forward to poke her head inside.

"Maybe later, if you're a good girl." He promised, with a sensual chuckle.

"You're such a pig, Fatima." She muttered back, amusing him further. Oh how she wanted to pull his hair out and wipe the sexy smile off his face. He was so frustrating!

Trying to shut out his voice, Kyla wiggled her body in, ignoring his low whistle of appreciation as she bent, shimmied and finally found herself in the small confines of the ventilation chamber. If it hadn't been for her suit and helmet, things would be a lot easier, but unfortunately both were needed. Straining a moment, she finally flick the power switch to the lights on her helmet, shedding a little light to her situation. "How's it looking up there, 'nana?"

Oh, the nicknames were getting more annoying by the minute! "Like a ventilation chamber, thanx for asking." She bit back sarcastically.

Fatima sighed on the other end and she smiled at that. Crawling on her belly, Kyla made steady way until she could peer down another grate. Below there was no sign of life and as luck would have it, she looked to be right above the door that needed opening. "We might be in luck, cap." She informed him, her voice straining as she tried to work the grate open. "Oh for god sakes!" She complained, shifting further up and leaning her weight into the grate. "Of all the idiotic things you have me to do...!" Her words cut off abruptly as the grate suddenly gave way with half the ventilation shaft, sending her crashing to the ground.

Kyla let out a surprised yelp, then cry as she hit the floor hard, bashing her head and stunning the breath out of herself. "Kyla?!" Fatima's voice crackled inside her helmet.

She groaned and rolled onto her back on the split shaft, looking up at the ceiling. "Yeah...just dandy." She breathed, clutching her middle and trying to clear the starts that floated about her eyes.

After a minute, Kyla crawled to her knees before standing and located the manual gear that slowly began to open the doors to the crews base.

*

The airlock opened slowly. As the crack was widening, Fatima and his companions turned on the helmet lights, causing long beams of yellowish light to dance about. When the opening was wide enough to look inside, the captain cast an inspecting glance but apart from Kyla's leg and a grate on the floor there was nothing out of the ordinary. At least so it seemed to him because he couldn't remember ever passing through this gate. Most of his time spent with the pirates was onboardThe Sneezing Kraken as he left the base management to some of his father's trusted men. Captaining a ship was troublesome enough without having to remember and take care about so many things associated with managing a pirate stronghold.

"Good job, greenhorn," Fatima said with a grin as he slipped inside when the airlock was fully open but Kyla only rolled her eyes and stepped away, making way for the men and the oxygen tanks they carried. As one of the pirates was opening the inner door, Fatima closed the outer. He said, "Have your guns at the ready now, we have no idea who could be lurking there. The main priority is to protect the oxygen tanks. We will probably reach the survivors before the power is restored and their life support cannot serve so many. The air we are carrying can save many lives so make sure that in case of a firefight none of the tanks gets damaged." Everyone nodded as they checked their weapons and they moved off deeper into the base.

Their progress was slow because most of the time the corridors were narrow and manoeuvring the bulky air containers was troublesome. The lack of proper lighting wasn't helping them either so the march was snail-paced. Communication with other teams was rare and without major discoveries. There was proof of marauders, however, but they seemed to have fled once Fatima's men started going deeper. There had been no opposition so far and the captain was aware that should there be any it would be weak and disorganised, unless they were trying to pillage something worth the effort and several deaths. Fatima flexed the fingers of his right hand and touched the butt of his gun, making sure it was in place.

"Oh captain, my captain, what do you think is that?" Kyla stopped and looked up, pointing to something near the ceiling with the beam of her helmet torch. The thing she indicated was a yellow splotch against the grey of the corridor's ceiling.

"Hell if I know. Let me check." Disengaging the magnets in his boots, Fatima deftly jumped and spun in the air, touching the ceiling with his feet and turning the magnets back on. Walking upside down he approached the bright spot and crouched. "Looks like some dried liquid," he muttered after touching it carefully. "Could be oil, could be blood," he said but without a special analyser could do nothing else. He looked up towards the floor Kyla and his men were standing on but saw no signs of fight or similar splotches. "Let's move but carefully."

"This place is giving me the creeps," one of the men muttered and looked around, peeking down the dark corridor. "It feels like something's luring out there only waiting to jump on your face and squish your head."

"Stop it," another man scolded him. "We're all feeling uncertain. There's something eerie about dead bases, is all. Don't let your imagination get the better of you."

*

Kyla was feeling a little spooked herself. Things just weren't adding up and didn't seem right at all. She hoped the splotch Fatima had just tried to examine wasn't blood or any other sort of bodily fluids. She wasn't in the mood to encounter a bunch of trouble. Still...this was adding a level of excitement she had been missing since going undercover.

Taking a deep breath, Kyla tried to drown out the men's concerns and concentrated on their surroundings. With Fatima back on the ground and blocking her back, they forged on, shuffling awkwardly down the narrow halls until they reached the main entrance bay. The place was deserted with only two more entrances leading further into the compound.

"Form two teams...Danny...you'll be in charge of two and myself one one..." As if sensing her objections, he raised a hand to silence her before she began. "You will be with me. Now...defenses up and lets see who's left in this heap and flush out unwanted trash."

The men grunted in agreement, Danny and Kyla exchanging looks of looks of unease. Finally she smiled, mouthed 'be careful'. He repeated her words back and gave her a reassuring wink, flashing her his famous cocky smile, only this time it made her stomach clench with fear. The last time he had done that, he hadn't returned.

Turning away, Kyla fell into line as they began to work their way through the doorway to the rest of the compound, weapons drawn and all eyes peeled for signs of life. Kyla's gaze left no spot undetected, her gaze constantly returning up. "Feel like you're being watched?" She murmured to Fatima.

"Mmmm..." He mumbled back, glancing down momentarily as she shifted the grip on her weapon.

Scraps of clothing began to litter the hall as they entered the next room, men bumping into one another as they came to a halt. "What's the hold up?" She questioned, sandwiched between Fatima and one of his crew.

One of the leading men let out a shout and curse before blasts were set off and another screamed. Kyla bumped back into Fatima, gave the man in front of her a shove. "Move!" It was either forward or back and the solid brick wall behind her wasn't giving her much of an option.

*

The man in front fell to the floor, his head bouncing off the steel underfoot and broadcasting a dull thud over the comm channel. Fatima hoped his faceplate wasn't broken or cracked as it would mean either death or incapacitation. As it turned out, the captain saved his life a stream of energy crackled through the space where his head had been almost blowing Fatima's head off in the process. "Cover me!" he shouted and Kyla opened fire, shooting blindly into the next corridor as he was moving the air tanks out of the harm's way. Once done, he joined the girl and ducked behind a desk, checking up on his crewmember. "Hey, you okay?"

"Yeah, just dizzy. I'll be fine," the man said and got up to all fours.

More shots went overhead and after a moment their number doubled as if the unseen assailant was joined by someone else. Fatima glanced around and judged the room to be one of the weapon storerooms but the gun racks were all empty. "Shit!" he swore. "They're trying to take over the base!"

"Who?" Kyla asked, popping another battery into her gun and shooting into the dark corridor without looking. For a moment the opposing fire ceased.

"I don't know who! But they cleaned this room of all weapons so I'm judging there are at least a hundred blokes in there intent upon blowing anyone who gets in their way! Danny, do you read me?" Fatima spoke into the communicator.

"Loud and... captain," came a response filled with static.

"We're pinned by gunfire here. Can you circle and take them from behind?"

"No can do... We're in a mess... Seems they... all corridors... inside."

"Well crap! Why does everything always have to go wrong?! I wish I had a grenade... or ten."

"Something like this?" Kyla asked, rolling several small cylinders in his direction.

"Where did you find them?"

"In there," she pointed proudly to a cabinet located under the desk. Seems they missed this spot.

"Great. Get ready to shoot, Banana."

"Where are you going, captain?" the other man asked. He was holding a gun too and preparing to open fire.

"I'll approach the door and toss some of these babies down that passage. As soon as they explode take advantage of the flash and kill the bastards. Now cover me. Ready?" Kyla and the man nodded. "Ok, 1... 2... 3...!" Fatima jumped to the side and rolled, several laser shots scorching the floor where his body had been just a second ago. Without looking back he crawled towards the opposite wall and primed three grenades. Kyla and her partner stopped shooting, giving him an opening to throw and he tossed the cylinders into the darkness, immediately ducking as shots sped by.

*

The blasts were loud and bright. Shouts and chaos broke out, enabling Kyla and the man beside her to peak up and open fire. It was a rather dangerous gamble as most of them were blind shots and stumbling shadows. Fatima plastered himself against a wall, his own weapon drawn and firing.

Moments later, she saw Fatima wave a hand their way and cease fire. The two stopped their attack and ducked back down, crouching low. "Is it clear?" The man beside her asked, his voice gruff and breathless.

"Don't know, but we can't just keep firing." Fatima returned.

"The hell we can't." Kyla grumbled, earning her a grin from the captain who shook his head slightly.

The smoke hung in the air for what seemed like ages, until finally it began to dissipate. Bodies lay here and there, but clearly they weren't all the enemies that had been firing. "Looks like they got away."

"Let them run." Kyla said, standing. "You guys can go on ahead, but I'm going to find Danny."

Fatima stood, scowling slightly. "No, you are not."

"Yes, I am. You can play captain all you would like, but I will not loose my brother again!"

Fatima strode up to her, bending down to but his helmet up against hers and grabbing a hold of her hips to still her movements. "You will NOT leave, Kyla. Is this understood? Your brother can fend for himself."

"Get your hands off me." She bit out, trying to pull away, but his fingers dug deep into her suit.

They struggled a moment, Kyla pushing up against his chest and trying in vain to hit some disabling spots, but between the suit and his stance, she had no chance.

When their struggles finally ceased, Fatima was surprised to see tears shimmering in her now very green eyes. His features softened as he spoke to her, his voice firm. "I promise you, Danny will be fine. He has survived worse. Now...are you with us?"

Kyla blinked back the tears, too stubborn to let him see her cry. "Since you so insist..."

*

"Yes, I do insist," Fatima said. "You saw the resistance they offered yourself. If you'd gone to join Danny it would seriously cripple our team's strength and there are people waiting for us deeper inside the base. Weaker we could be overwhelmed before we got there thus reducing the chances of survival of those inside. Don't think I'm unsympathetic. I know your brother and his guys can fend for themselves, contrary to those locked in the base. They could already be dead but I am going to try anything to save them."

"Captain, I'd rather you didn't jinx our chances like this," the crewmember said with a sour expression but Fatima paid no attention.

"I want you to appreciate my predicament, Kyla. Don't think me heartless," he said with an edge in his voice and after a second of hesitation she shrugged and nodded. "Good, let's press on then."

Together they retrieved the air tanks from the corridor and carefully manoeuvred them across the room and into the next passage. The beams of their torches quickly revealed the destruction the firefight had caused. The walls were charred where the lasers hit them. What rubble the enemies had used as cover was now either in unrecognisable scraps and lumps or huge melted chunks. Burned and mutilated bodies lay scattered on the floor and Fatima ordered a stop to inspect them. Their uniforms and jumpsuits were unknown to him but with the damage he was unable to recognise the race they had belonged to and its affiliation.

Fatima switched the communicator on. "Team one, what's your status?"

"We're making steady progress, sir. I estimate we'll be there in ten."

"Have you encountered any resistance?" he asked.

"That's a negative, captain."

"Be no your guard then. There's someone here who doesn't want us from succeeding I think."

"Very well, sir!"

"Danny, report," Fatima barked, feeling strange uneasiness crawl up his spine.

"We made it through unscathed even though they had us outgunned." Came a quick response. "Is my sister alright, captain?" Danny asked with apprehension.

"She's fine. Tell me, did you recognise the attackers?"

"No, sir," there was a palpable relief in the young man's voice. "They are definitely aliens but I've never seen their like and they didn't seem like locals."

"I see. Carry on. Let's go, Banana."

They marched in dark silence for several minutes and passed evidence of a struggle with bodies and body parts littering corridors and rooms. It seemed like a revolt had taken place with the angry mob of attackers killing everyone and destroying everything as they pursued the inhabitants of the pirate base.

"This is theKraken," the communicator warbled. "Captain, do you read?"

"Go on," Fatima replied, feeling something squeeze his heart.

"The survivors, captain. They're winking out!"

"What do you meanwinking out?!" he cried without realising it. They were almost there.

"I don't know. It's like they're dying one by one."

"Kraken, turn active scanners on and check the whole area. Report when you're done!"

"Aye aye, sir!"

"What's wrong, captain?" the crewmember said, noticing the concern on Fatima's face.

"I have a bad feeling about this... Let's hurry up!"

*

Kyla wasn't liking this one bit. She was used to flying and fighting with weapons, but this was a little too strange. The body parts, the tattered clothing, the smears of blood or something suddenly becoming more evident on the walls, floors and all about. She felt a shiver race down her spine, making her stiffen and grit her teeth. This was nasty business. Who were these aliens!?

At Fatima's words, the teams hustled, weapons drawn and hearts racing. Even Fatima seemed to look a little peaked...his face taut with worry. Kyla was happy to know that the man didn't JUST think about sex.

The threesome moved quickly, Kyla stuck once more between the men, but holding her own as they burst forth into the bases main quarters.

"Holy shit..." the man before her breathed, stumbling to a halt as they met up with their opponents. Kyla moved around him and audibly gasped at the site before them. Bodies littered the area in masses. Some blasted to death and others ripped to shreds, their limbs torn off and faces unrecognizable. Only a deep throaty voice of sorts snapped her eyes away from the brutality up to the attackers.

"My god..." They were big, hulking figures...the bodies clad in strange suits that resembled body armor, but their exposed parts were scaly like a reptiles. Out of the dozen or so that stood there, one of them held the last remaining body in its large, clawed hands, it's head snapping back as he tore out the dead mans neck and then threw him aside as if he were but a mere rag doll.

"This isn't good." She heard the crew member mumbled as she raised the hand clutching her weapon, aiming it at the one who murdered the innocent man and fired.

The first shot bounced off his chest plate, drawing a cry of outrage that sounded too animalistic to be understood. Kyla fired again, aiming higher this time and nicking the side of his almost human face. Black eyes locked on her as he sneered viciously and bared large bloodied fanged teeth.

"Looks like someone is still thirsty." Fatima commented, pulling Kyla back before she had a chance to fire back.

The group all turned their way and slowly began to approach. The three backed up. "We're out numbered captain, I say retreat!"

Kyla had to agree with this one, but kept silent. This would be Fatima's choice. Just them she heard the Kraken hiss and pop through.

"Report!" Fatima demanded.

"All dead, captain! All crew...dead, but you...trouble under way...large movement..." The comm hissed, crackled and went dead.

"You have a plan?" She asked hopefully.

"Yeah..." he nodded, taking a step back and slipping off the extra air tanks from his back. "Run!"

Kyla and the man beside her dropped their loads and all turned, bolting out of the room.

*

"Go on! Hurry!" Fatima urged his companions on and forced his body to fight against the constraints offered by his suit. The space suits were designed to provide as much movement freedom as possible but their designers possibly hadn't thought that the wearers could be escaping from a horde of blood-guzzling aliens. Opening the commlink he shouted, "Abandon base! I repeat, abandon base! Return to theKraken!" It was somewhat frightening not being able to hear their pursuers and as he turned to look what was going on behind them, he saw the enemies exiting the chamber in pursuit. Then he noticed the discarded air tanks slowly drifting in the corridor and an idea struck him. "Take the next turn, we can throw them off our backs!" he panted and redoubled his effort.