Halfbreed Ch. 09

"Close your eyes, and count to three."

Allynna did as she was told, taking a deep breath that filled her chest. She let out an uncharacteristically heavy exhale.

"You good?" Mike asked.

"I am acting as instructed, Captain." Came her quiet response.

"That's not what I asked." He said, putting a hand on her shoulder. He felt her spine tense at the intimate gesture.

"...I am doing my best to cope."

"Breathe. Keep breathing; it will keep your heart rate down, steady your voice." He did another once-over on Allynna's body language. "-And don't get so stiff: it's just a regular workday, like the hundreds you've done before. They'll only notice your nervousness if you make it obvious to them."

"I am ill-practiced at deception." She said, staring at the door in front of them like a soldier about to enter a war zone.

"Then don't lie." Mike said, winking at her. "Believe what you're doing; trust your instincts, like you would on the bridge of the Halfbreed."

"Now isn't the time to be making jokes, Michael." She said, glancing over her shoulder at the pack of five Loupian 'janitors' at their back.

Mike adjusted the faded green work cap on his head, . "What joke? She was your ship as much as mine. If I was the only one calling the shots, we'd be melting in some sun somewhere."

"You do not give me much hope for the success of this mission." She said.

"It's not a mission, it's our escape hatch." Mike said, casting a glance in the direction of their companions. The five Loupians shifted back and forth, letting out low growls. They were getting fidgety. "You ready?"

She closed her eyes and took in another deep breath. Allynna didn't respond, she merely nodded. He squeezed her shoulder and stepped back. "Good. We'll talk again in the hangar."

Mike watched with a strange sense of pride as the Elf pressed the button to buzz them into the the Maeles Aelor Storage facility's front entrance. There was a short crackle of static, and then the intercom spoke.

"Yes?" Came the bloodless tone of an Elven voice.

"Janitorial Staff, Alpha Block." Allynna said into the microphone next to the door. Like magic the plasteel blast door slid open. Allynna strode through with confidence, the only sign of her earlier unease being the slight clench of her fists at her side. Mike, alongside the Loupians, shuffled through behind her.

They entered into a small foyer, wherein a lone male Elf sat behind a security desk. To his right was a large sliding glass double-door, leading deeper into the facility. Given Maeles Aelor's immense wealth, Mike shouldn't have been surprised to see a full-fledged shield surrounding the Elf's kiosk in place of plexi-glass. Nevertheless, the expensive luxury was impressive in its careless ostentation. A classic staple of Elven Corporatism.

The Elf at the security desk was thin faced and sharp featured, wearing his pale yellow hair in a series of frilled knots. The uniquely Elven style left small geometric shapes on his scalp, exposing his high forehead.

He wore a similar form-fitting bodysuit to that of Allynna, though his was red, stamped with the rising Phoenix logo of Males Aelor. His expression was flat as the crowd of aliens entered the room behind Allynna. He only bothered to look at her.

"You're three minutes late." He said, his voice devoid of emotion.

"A callous miscalculation by our driver caused us to be off schedule, due to traffic." Allynna said, sounding for all the world like a put-upon superior cursing her inferior's incompetence. "He has been reprimanded for the infraction. It will not happen again."

The Elf glanced across the faces of the Loupian janitors, his eyes hovering for a half-instant longer on Mike's features before looking back at her. "...Has Sharynea been reassigned?"

"Promoted." Allynna lied. "I am Yseldi of House Nepos'Yn'Ekoris, her new second. She dispatched me to personally wish you well on your path to Executiveship."

The Elf very nearly smiled. "...A few decades yet, I'd wager. But the sentiment is nonetheless appreciated. Tell her that Ernen recognizes the gesture, and wishes her well in her new position."

Allynna bowed her head as if he were a King who had issued a dread command. "Of course, Sir."

Ernen eyed the crowd of janitors. "She sends me her best regards, but sends us a novice crew?" His eyebrow rose.

"I cannot guess at her reasons." Allynna said, a firm tone in her voice. "She did insist that they would be more than adequate for the task at hand."

"As would anyone be, I suppose." Ernen made a beckoning gesture with his hand to the aliens in the room, "Bring your tags to the reader for verification, we'll have one of the older hires give them a rundown of duties."

"That will not be necessary." Allynna said. "I was given direct instructions by Sharynea to conduct the orientation myself."

Ernen paused, his eyes flat and his face inscrutable. "...You're certain this is necessary?"

Allynna shook her head. "No. But Sharynea insisted that she did not want you not feel put off by having to divert personnel from your own staff to train the new hires." She gave a threadbare shrug, "I am merely following her instructions."

Ernen held her gaze for a long moment. "...This is your first time in this facility. Are you certain you are adequately instructed on the protocols?"

Allynna's voice took on a haughty tone, "This isn't the only facility I manage: I currently oversee no less than nine other janitorial operations. I have memorized the floor plan, and am well aware of security protocols and clearance levels."

Ernen stared down Allynna for another moment before settling back into his chair. "Very well. Give your regards to Sharynea, and tell her that I doubly appreciate the gesture. Make sure your staff are at their assigned stations in the next half hour when the security sweep occurs."

"Of course."

The Elf pressed a button on the console beneath his desk. There was a mechanical buzz, then the inner door swept open. Allynna led the way to the door.

"Oh, and Yseldi?" The Elf called out to her. Allynna's shoulders tensed. She glanced over her shoulder at him.

"Yes?"

"My congratulations on your Cryllea." He said gesturing towards her head, "Your braiding is quite beautiful."

Allynna nodded, turning once again towards her goal. Mike felt a terrified thrill run down his spine as he moved to follow. Cryllea was the rough-translation Elvish term for 'Engagement.'

The microphone in Mike's ear crackled. "Well done." Came the modulated voice on the other end. "Move on into the facility. Your main objective is the Command and Control Center. The Security Sweep needs to happen first, so that we have the time to get the transport into the lower hanger. When I give the signal to Allynna, break off to your assigned stations and play the part of cleaning staff."

"Oh joy," Mike muttered under his breath. "Back to mopping floors again."

The Veiled One continued, "One more time let's go over the plan: Mike, Blukost and Fesston, you will waylay the guard patrol near the C&C Center. Once you have subdued them Mike will join Shapino and Artemi, and get the doors open to seize the Control Center. Dmitray and Allynna will then move to the Executive Suite to open the vault and unlock the lower hanger so we can land. You have thirty minutes."

They set out through the large, yawning hallways, moving in Allynna's wake as she led the way through the wide interior. Despite its grand size, Mike nonetheless felt claustrophobic in the wide spaces. There was something about the polished white and red coloration of the hallways that set Mike's teeth on edge, as though he were walking through a dollhouse, or a virtual reality construct.

The paint was too flat, the placement of vents and electrical conduits too geometrically perfect. There was something missing from the design: the negligible skew that came from human error. Everything was in its exact place, and that was what was so off putting. It was as if the building had been sculpted, rather than built.

As they walked, the Veiled One chirped in their ears: "Mike, Blukost and Fesston, go down the corridor to the left and then continue two doors down."

"Roger that." Mike said, shooting a last glance in Allynna's direction. She continued to stride forward with confidence, leading the gaggle of Loupians along as if she really was in charge. Mike smiled to himself as they disappeared from view. The smuggler and the two Loupians peeled off and headed in the direction of their assigned place.

The three not-janitors walked through the deserted hallways as a group, the silence between them deepening with each footstep. Mike glanced around at his two companions, sizing up his fellow conspirators for the first time.

One Loupian was distinctly taller than the other, a blonde-furred creature with dead eyes who stared directly ahead, like a predator who had caught the scent of blood. The other one was bulkier, a brown-maned beast whose face was half scruff, his beard shoved into the nape of his green jumpsuit. They both loped forward with their species' trademark gait, a long stride that always seemed poised to turn into a charge at any moment. Mike had to hurry his footsteps to keep up.

"So..." He said, breaking the silence as he glanced in the direction of the blonde Loupian, "Either of you got a wife and pups?"

They didn't respond. They stopped halfway through the hallway at a janitor's closet, standing at the door as Mike retrieved the mop bucket. The soft squeak of the wheels were the only sounds for a time as Mike pushed the bucket forward, flanked by the two silent gangsters.

"You know," Mike said, feeling awkward in the silence, "Your boss has got a hell of a monitor strapped to her head. You guys ever try playing Blasto's Adventure off of that thing?"

The blonde Loupian let out a grunt, his eyes turning towards Mike for the first time. "Not play time, and we aren't friends. Shut your mouth and walk."

Chastened, Mike did as he was bid, reaching the end of the long corridor and coming to the door. The two Loupians stopped as well. One of them pulled aside the jumpsuit on his hairy wrist and checked a watch.

"The patrol will be in this hallway any minute." The Loupian's hand snapped out to point at an area farther back down the corridor they had come, "Start mopping," he said, letting out a growl at Mike. "Keep their attention focused on you."

"Fair enough." Mike said, moving where he was directed. He checked the walls, noting the placement of the visible cameras and moving to a blind spot. Content that he was 'unseen,' he pulled the mop out of the bucket. It made a wet splat as he swished it across the floor. It had been many years since he'd found himself reduced to this kind of menial labor, not since his days as a technician on the Goblin Frontier Patrol station above his home planet.

"They're coming up now." The Loupian growled, wedging himself against the far corner of the wall as his compatriot did the same opposite him. "Act natural."

"My only setting." Mike lied, tilting his work cap downwards and acting for all the world like a man engrossed in his work. He made sure to swipe a bit of extra cleaner on the floor in front of the door, to further annoy the oncoming guards.

The blast door opened, and Mike was treated to an immediate tongue lashing.

"Idiot! You're supposed to keep the walkway clear." The Guard barked. Mike looked up into the eyes of two scowling Elves, both wearing the red bodysuit of the Maeles Aelor Corporation.

Mike glanced at the floor and made a confused face. "What?"

The Guard who had scolded him let out a melodramatic sigh, his finger snapped out to point at the wet floor in front of him as his toe tapped the ground. "You see those suds? Wet floors are supposed to be scrubbed dry before we pass through the hallway. Before! Haven't you memorized the patrol schedule?"

Mike shrugged, watching as the two Loupians crept up behind the indignant pair from the shadows. "I don' need to remember a schedule to know how to mop a floor." He said, affecting an exaggerated drawl. He was tempted to spit on the floor to add to the effect, but decided against it.

The second guard, a black haired adonis with locks as long as Aly's stepped up to him, reaching out to rip the tag off his chest. "Where's your superior? We're reporting you for this." Mike smiled.

"Actually, he's right behind you."

Neither Elf had time to respond before the butt of the Loupians' guns smashed against the backs of their

heads. Mike watched with a morbid sense of satisfaction as the two crumpled to the ground.

The Loupians, all business, immediately dragged them out of the way of the blast door, shoving them both into a corner where the light was low and the camera feed could not see them.

"Good decoy." The first Loupian said, letting out a snort as he pulled off his Janitor's outfit, revealing a familiar, red bodysuit with a Maeles Aelor logo on it. Mike quirked an eyebrow, sticking his mop into the sudsy bucket.

"...You two make awful looking Elves."

"Funny, Human." The second Loupian growled, "You're lucky we need you still."

"...So the plan is you're taking over their patrol?" Mike asked. The blonde Loupian grunted at him in reply. "How are you going to fool the cameras?"

The Loupian grinned, revealing his serrated canines. He pulled a metallic choker from one of his pockets. Attached to it was a strange, fleshy mask like a balaclava, the rubbery fabric glistening with iridescent colors.

"...Is that a fucking face scrambler?"

"Big job costs big money." The Loupian said in response, latching the Mask to his face and shrouding his long, anubis-like ears from view. The Loupian latched the choker around his neck and pressed a button under his chin. The mask shimmered, reforming itself into the face and hair of the formerly conscious Elf lying in the corner. The Loupian's predatory grin looked odd on the Elf's face. "Shall we?"

Mike glanced over at the second Loupian, who was now the spitting image of the black-haired Elf guard. He was even roughly the same height. Nice touch. Mike thought to himself as he followed in the wake of the two 'guards.'

They moved through the corridors at a brisk clip, Mike hurrying to keep up with the fleet-footed aliens. He noted with a smile the subtle bump beneath their jumpsuits where their tails were, at the base of their spines. Their cover was convincing, but only if you didn't look too long at the two "Elves" and their odd, loping stride.

They met two more Loupian Janitors standing around the entrance to the C&C center. Both of them were doing a terrible job blending in, looking more like thugs loitering in the street than workers on-shift. "He's yer problem now." The blonde 'Elf' said, chuckling as he and his compatriot turned the corner and continued on their rounds. Mike did not bother to make small talk with the Loupians this time, turning instead to the thick bulkhead. "We're at the Control Center now." He muttered into his microphone.

The Veiled One's voice crackled in his ear. "Good. If you haven't guessed by now, this is a T-4 Reinforced Bulkhead Door. My codebreaker swears you can't get past it without either triggering the alarm, or using a blasting charge." The modulated voice took on a hint of humor. "-But I'm sure it won't have to come to that."

Mike cracked his knuckles, "Heruen help me, I hope I'm not that incompetent."

Mike made a gesture, sticking out his index finger. The liquid metal around his wrist ran up the finger line, forming a long, thin cylinder shape about two inches past his fingertip. He pressed the cylinder against the welded bolts that held the security panel in place. The liquid metal flowed into the grooves of the bolt, creating a perfect fit.

Once he hit a bit of friction with the newly formed screwdriver, he waggled his hand back and forth in a ratchet motion. The liquid metal corkscrewed and warped in a spiral, creating ever-increasing torque as he applied more and more pressure. There was a loud snap, and the bolt popped free.

He did the same thing for the next three bolts, hunching over the panel as he pulled the thing away, revealing the interior: a jungle-like collection of interconnected wires and circuit panels. He peered into the innards of the door mechanism, looking around for a particular pair of wires amidst the proverbial haystack.

Spotting what he was looking for, he changed gestures, reaching out with his thumb and forefinger to grasp the first wire. As the liquid metal slid up his fingers he pinched the wire. The liquid metal engulfed the wire just above where Mike pinched it. He clenched his thumb and forefinger, and there was a snip sound. He dragged his fingers down the wire, and the insulation came with it, stripping the wire bare. He repeated the process with the second wire.

His task nearly concluded, he pulled one of the thicker wires near the back out of its socket. Moving quickly now, knowing he had only a few seconds before the door alarm went off, Mike cut the two wires and connected the two sparking ends together. There was a beep, and the thick metal doors slid open.

"Got it!" Mike whooped. "Door's opening, we can-"

THUD THUD

A booming sound, like two doors slamming thundered in his ears. Mike jerked in place; he looked up to see the Loupians walking forward, pistols drawn as they opened fire on the two unsuspecting guards.

The Elves both shuddered in their chairs, the first crashing to the floor as the second slumped against his desk. Neither of the Loupian's guns spat out so much as a spent shell, their muzzles flashing a pinkish red before dropping off into silence.

With no preemption the Loupians walked up and dispatched their victims with a second shot to the head. Their quieted pistols making a pair of loud, but not deafening THUDS in his ear. Both of the Elves shuddered, then went still.

"What the fuck!" Mike shouted, falling back onto his hands.

The first Loupian cast a look behind him. "No alarms, no witnesses. Boss said."

"You just killed an Elf!"

The Loupian shrugged. "Not first time."

"Not last, either." The other Loupian joked, shoving the slumped guard aside as he took his place at the console. "Boss." He said into his microphone, "We've got it. The first locking mechanism for the Hangar door is disengaged."

"About time." The Veiled One said in Mike's ear. "Hurry up, we'll be landing shortly. We need you at the top floor Executive suite to unlock the vault."

"Are you out of your goddamn mind?" Mike growled into his microphone. "Do you have any idea what your men have done?!"

"They did their job, and kept it quiet." Came the bloodless reply. "What the fuck were you expecting with this, smuggler?"

"I wasn't expecting a slaughterhouse." Mike snapped.

"We're trying to run a clean operation here." She responded.

Mike felt a visceral rise in his chest; memories he wished he had forgotten came unbidden into his mind again. His friend Nareleon had died in much the same way these two, hapless guards had been: gunned down as he had tried to greet a supposed delivery of food to the GFP station that Mike had worked at, that turned out to be a Goblin raiding party.

Mike's fists clenched. He bit his tongue, swallowing back a sharp retort, lest he be the next body to hit the ground.

"-Now if you're quite done having your little 'episode,' I've got another job for you. Dmitray and the Elf were supposed to get into the Chief Executive's office, but apparently lack the clearance. You need to hack the door for them."