The Last Frontier
by: Marina Twelve and Thomas R.

Retribution    part 7

 

The Prisoner compound area was still calm when the ATV turned towards the locked gate. CRASH! It smashed its way through and into the supports of the forward guard tower.

The commotion was what Zee had been waiting for. SHE rested the barrel of the Grenade launcher on the windowsill of the commander's office. It held a rather large awkward clip of five 60 MM incendiary grenades.

She had never fired such a weapon before, so she had to rely on Leslie's instructions. The living quarters of the camp guards were a clear shot across the cleared perimeter area not quite 100 meters away, well within range of the weapon. Zee only could hope that she had the sights set right.

Aiming at the end most window on the one story, elongated structure, she then pulled the trigger.

There was a loud FOOMP!, from the barrel of the launcher, followed immediately by the distant tinkle of broken glass. WHAM! an explosion of flames blew out what remained of the window and the door beside it. It worked!

FOOMP! FOOMP! FOOMP! FOOMP! she pulled the trigger four more times, firing at each window in succession WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! Four more sections of the building went up in fiery explosions. If anyone was sleeping in there they wouldn't have had a chance.

As the guard tower tumbled to the ground, Leslie and several of her former crewmembers emerged from over a small nearby hill and led a charge of Five Hundred, of armed, revenge minded, former prisoners through the open gates.

Several of the remaining guard towers, and their occupants exploded in a shower of splinter confetti and blood, as they were ripped apart by concentrated automatic weapons fire. Several more guards stood in the yard and fired back, but they were immediately cut down.

Leslie and two of her Proteus crew ran up to the prisoner huts and shot off the locks. More reinforcements" were released.

The freed prisoners streamed out of the buildings. They didn’t know who had released them, but they DID know that somehow the other prisoners had gotten loose and were attacking the guards.

The newly freed workers grabbed boards, pipes, mining tools, and anything else they could to use for weapons. They rushed the remains of the guard quarters, and attacked their dazed and confused former captors that had managed to escape Zee's grenade barrage.

In the camp, it was open season on the individual and small groups of the syndicate guards that escaped the initial onslaught. The armed prisoners showed no mercy as they ran the frightened men between and under buildings and along the fences that now prevented their own escape.

Lights were on in the other camp! The fifty or so off duty guards had been awakened by the noises of battle. And were rushing to assist the guards in the adjacent camp.

Leslie had her men form a defensive line across the parade ground, facing the gate. Several others were sent to the rear, as a precaution from an attack from behind.

Leslie figured that if she were in the position of the attacking guards, she would assume that she would be simply helping put down a riot of mostly unarmed prisoners.

There would be no reason for the attackers to think otherwise.

Leslie had her men hold their fire until about forty of the other guards entered the gate. The guards lined up side by side, lifted their clear plastic shields and begin to march in the classic "phalanx" mode used by authorities in most riot situations. Of course, they were armed with firearms instead of clubs. These guys didn’t care about public opinion.

"NOW!" Leslie shouted.

BRRRRUPPP! An explosive volley from the Proteus’ crew and other well-armed prisoners, cut the phalanx to pieces. Blood, and shards of fragmented plastic flew through the air.

Those that didn’t fall after the first volley were picked off, one by one, as they frantically ran for the gate.

With her gun drawn, Leslie led the prisoners in a charge through the gates and down the roadway that led to the spaceport. Any and all remaining opposition was turned aside or mowed down by gunfire.

********************************************

 

At the spaceport pad was a large transport ship that was being loaded with the gold ore from the mine conveyor belt. Next to it was parked the Proteus itself. Its weapons had since been removed and three bare metal patches covered the holes that the ‘spiders’ had made in the attack several months previously.

Saunders had explained that the syndicate had made the crucial repairs and was using the ship as a prisoner transporter.

As Lieutenant, Saunders was the senior, surviving officer, Leslie appointed HIM as the new Captain. Saunders and his men had no difficulty in ridding the craft of the Syndicate technicians and workers who still occupied the vessel.

"It will hold only about half our number" he reported to Leslie. "And that's cramming them in like sardines."

"Then we will also have to commandeer the ore ship also" was Leslie's response. "Send some of your officers over there to operate it. Most of these other prisoners are civilians and know nothing about starship flight operations."

"It will take some time to charge its jump capacitors, so you had best start the jump engines now." Leslie continued. "You don't want to be anywhere near this star system when we blow this place."

Saunders didn't know about Leslie's Quell weapon, but he trusted her anyway. If she instructed him not to be anywhere in Axel's vicinity, he took her word for it. Leslie had proven herself to be full of surprises lately.

Proteus had checked out. Its engines and jump systems were intact. There would be enough fuel to get it to the nearest SC base at Ross 128-three. They could do it in perhaps three jumps. only a couple of hours, not counting the sub light speed portion of the journey.

The Transport would take nearly a week to make the journey, but that wasn't a big concern. Just as long as it was out of the Axel system three hours from now. Besides, it would be worth the wait. There was enough gold in the ore it was carrying to make all of the ex-prisoners rich, or to at least make up for the pain and suffering that the Syndicate had caused them.

The base would likely send "Jump Shuttles" to pick up the passengers anyway and get them home sooner, as soon after the Proteus arrived.

Leslie supervised the loading of the passengers onto both ships, and then approved their flight plans. The ships lifted off immediately afterwards.

 

**************************************

Leslie and the Retribution crew drove the ATV back to the outer perimeter. There were still outer perimeter guards roaming around out there who had NO idea about what had happened in the colony that evening. The Retribution's ATV was still where it had been parked several hours before.

There were no signs that anyone had discovered the bodies in the tower. A few campfires still burned in the distance, however, as a sobering reminder that there were still syndicate people out there.

Dawn was breaking as they approached the Retribution parked near one of the adjacent towers. It was quite hard to hide a black, five story high, one hundred and sixty Meter long starship in a nearly flat desert. Darkness and its remote location had provided the only cover. In the morning light, its presence was quite obvious even from several Clicks away. They would be having unwanted company soon.

They winched the ATV back up into the belly of the craft and climbed in. They didn't worry about being detected on the way back out to space. There was no one left at the colony to watch the sensor screens.

**************************************

"Take us to Nine hundred thousand Clicks out and hold position, Melissa" said Leslie as she checked the com screens to make sure that the Proteus and the transport had jumped clear of the system.

There was also a notice on the screen that she had received a J-Com transmission, from Barnes' star four. She would read it as soon as her immediate business was completed here.

"Bainbridge! Prepare us for a jump to the cords on the screen as soon as I fire the Quell"

"Aye Captain! Cords entered jump capacitors fully charged."

Leslie replaced Melissa at the helm and turned on the targeting screen. The Moon of Axel two was exactly in the crosshairs.

"Jump on MY command Bainbridge!." she said before pressing the Quell discharge button.

There was the hard THWUMP! of the Quellas it ejected its beam of quarks.

Three seconds later a huge blue sphere of light enveloped the moon and began to push outward with amazing speed. In seconds it would engulf Retribution itself.

"NOW! Bainbridge! Jump!"

Instantly, the view on the screen showed only empty space. They were now safe from any effects of the blast. Perhaps in about five years of so, it would be visible from here, but they were not going to hang around that long.

As soon as Zee sorted through her new data sources, they would plan the second part of their mission. To identify and destroy Konstantin himself.

*****************************

Leslie read her J-Com. These were text messages sent via jump relay stations, to various locations and addresses in the accessible galaxy. It was from Adrienne. Not only was Sanders threatening to take HER ranch for taxes, several other ranchers in the area had also been similarly threatened.

 

A big rally was going to be held at the Sandersville convention center, three days from now, where honest, concerned citizens of the district were going to meet and sign a petition to have the Terran Confederation Government itself, remove Clay Sanders from office. There was much evidence of his Syndicate connections and criminal activity.

Adrienne wanted to know if Leslie could attend. We need all of the support we can get, she added. "Perhaps you could give us a short speech about what you know about Syndicate involvement and corruption in the government?" She requested.

Leslie wrote back and said that she would be glad to come to the meeting, but, due to the many jumps it would take to reach Barnes’ Star four, she might be a bit late.

Adrienne later could meet her new crew and they could all do with a short break at the ranch before the next phase of the mission began.

  

The first phase had succeeded beyond Leslie's wildest dreams. No one, save for the crew of the Retribution and Adrienne herself, knew that Leslie was back in space again.

She had destroyed two Raiders, two enforcer ships and the Syndicate's richest mining colony without the Syndicate having a clue as to what was going on. Indeed, save for the prisoners, all of the other witnesses were dead.

Leslie didn't plan it that way. Leslie didn't plan a lot of what had happened in the last few days. It was just the way thing worked out.

Oh yes, the syndicate would eventually find out that their mining colony no longer existed, the first time a shuttle or ore ship attempts to land there in a day or two, and finds that Axel two has a ring around it instead of a moon.

They also would eventually find out, as the reports from the former prisoners reached civilization, as to who was responsible.

By then, however, the Syndicate, deprived of its primary source of income, would be a lot less powerful organization. Yes, they would want to once again eliminate Leslie Webber, but what else was new? She had been living with that threat for years. When they thought that she was no longer a threat, they had let their guard down and she had taken full advantage of it.

Leslie's next coup would be to eliminate Konstantin himself. With her own determination, the Retribution and the unique skills of her crew, she knew that she had what she needed to do the job.

**********************************************

 

Leslie decided that it was time, once again, to consult with Zee.

 

Zee had found a ‘gold mine’ of sorts in the commander's office. Some of the items, such as a writing pen from ‘ENFORCER ONE" appeared to be gifts to the commander from Konstantin himself.

If he had touched them at any time, Zee would be able to read his true identity.

Zee’s news wasn’t good however. " Although the items are allegedly gifts from Konstantin," she said. " They were sent to the commander, by way of a third parties. Konstantin never physically touched them himself.

"So they are useless then?" Remarked Leslie, somewhat disappointed.

"Not entirely. This pen comes from the ENFORCER ONE, Konstantin’s own ship. It can be used to establish a Quantum Link with it, which I would be able to read."

"What would that give us?" Leslie asked.

"Well we could track its positions and determine who is on board."

"But then again any one of the hundreds of crew or passengers could be Konstantin. It still would not let us single him out, but it’s a start." Said Zee.

"What about a REMOTE VIEW?" asked Leslie "Can you get into the ship, check out the rooms and see who is there?"

"Yes," Zee replied, "but I will need your help to do that."

"Hey, I’m not all that good, I’m only a novice at this BT stuff." Leslie protested.

"This does not require BT ability at all." said Zee. "Remote viewing is NOT something that a BT can do on her own. I need someone to tell me where to go and what to look at."

Leslie looked puzzled. "You know very well what you are looking for, and where."

"It doesn’t work that way," Zee replied. "I have to open up as much brain circuitry as possible to do this. This means that I have to sacrifice down my ability to formulate questions and make decisions, as those brain circuits are needed to carry the wide band Remote Viewing signal."

"YOU have to tell me what to do and YOU have to ask the questions for me. If I try to do it myself my brain will choke off the data flow." Zee explained. "I will be able to respond and even propose questions for you to ask, but I must remain in the "declarative mode" when I speak to you, to keep the needed brain channels open."

"OK, then" Leslie replied, Here is the Pen for you to hold, "Let’s try it."

Zee let the back down on her seat and closed her eyes.

"OK, Leslie I see the ship!"

"Alright Zee, move to the bridge, who do you see there?"

"The Bridge crew, There is a man who looks like he is in charge. He sits in a big chair, mounted in the center of the room."

"What’s his name Zee?, What’s his name?"

"Ti. . . Ty. . . It’s a proper vowel, Leslie, left brain data. Hold on a second. Ill get it. Tynan, Captain Tynan!"

"Is Tynan Konstantin?"

"No, Tynan commands Konstantin’s ship. . ." Zee’s facial expression changed. "Something’s odd here Leslie, I can feel it."

"What is it?"

 

"They know I am there. I see it on the Captain’s com screen. "Detect BT presence RV mode ---K"

"How can they know that? I know for a fact than no scanners can detect a Remote Viewer" Replied Leslie.

"Another BT can."

"You mean to tell me that Konstantin has a BT on his ship?"

"That’s right Leslie. We will have to be careful. It must be the secret to much of his power."

"Check out Konstantin’s private cabin. He has to have one somewhere on the ship. Perhaps he is in there."

"I will have to look for it"

"It should be close to the bridge area, I am sure that Konstantin would want to have quick and direct access to the nerve center of the ship."

"I see a passage way leading aft from the bridge. A door is on either side. . ."

"Check the Door on your left."

Zee went "through" the door. It was a large cabin that looked like it had several rooms.

"Are there any clues to who’s cabin it is? We just can’t assume that it is Konstantin’s" said Leslie. "It might be the Captains."

"I don’t think that Captain Tynan’s initials are C. S." Zee replied. "That’s what’s on the cufflinks on the end table."

"Are there any photographs on the walls or sitting on the desks?

"No, nothing. If this IS Konstantin’s cabin, then he is quite careful about what he leaves lying around. No doubt he is aware of the possibility of RV spies. His BT might have warned him."

"Is there a way to know if Konstantin is aboard the ship at all?"

"There is no way to be sure, but I doubt it. The lights are off in this cabin and there seems to be no out of place civilians in the bridge or telemetry areas. He would be definitely hanging around here if he was on board."

Zee was quiet for a few seconds, then spoke again. "Leslie, ask me what is the room on the other side of the passageway."

Leslie felt foolish repeating the command but did it anyway. She did notice that Zee couched her question as a declarative statement to avoid using the "questioning" part of her brain. "Zee, what is behind the door on the other side of the passageway?"

 

"It’s the Biotelemetery room. I see the BT, a

Woman!"

Zee moved in closer. The woman sensed her presence strongly. She turned her head in Zee’s direction. "I know you are here" She said. "Z. . . ZEE! Isn’t it?"

"IT’S KAY EAYCH!" Zee exclaimed as she snapped out of her reverie and sat upright in the chair.

 

"What is it Zee?" asked Leslie. Who is Kay Eaych?

"One of the BEST, Leslie, One of the best. If I had hung around there any longer she would have been able to link BACK to us. I suppose Konstantin is able to pay her a lot more than the Terran Defense ministry.

 

Zee looked into Leslie’s face and Gasped.

"What’s wrong?"

 

"My GOD! I just realized it! She looks Just like YOU!"

It didn’t take long for the pieces to fall together in Leslie’s Mind. Kay Eaych? ----- K. H.! "It’s Kora Horst!" Leslie exclaimed.

Not only was Kora Horst still alive, she was Konstantin’s personal BT, and who knows what else. The Syndicate men sure respected her and kept their distance.

Konstantin had used Kora’s DNA to change Leslie. Was it perhaps because it was readily available or he liked the way Kora Looked?

But what about the dead prostitute business? It now, obviously, appeared to be a red herring. Something to throw Leslie or any one else investigating her DNA background off the trail. DNA records can be changed, especially by someone with Konstantin’s connections.

Leslie wondered if Kora knew that she was officially now on record as being a dead Whore. Probably not.

"But wasn’t Konstantin taking big a risk, Zee? Giving me the DNA of a BT ? It’s the sort of thing that could turn around and bite him."

"The DNA gives you only the "sensitivity" Leslie, Not the second half of the equation. If it hadn’t been for me, you would have never known that you even had the sensitivity in the first place, much less the required training and practice that makes the sensitivity useful."

"I am quite confident that he simply wanted to turn you into an attractive female, and who better than a twin of his own lady friend. When he thinks of Kora, I’m sure that her BT ability is not what stands out about her the most in his mind."

"So you don’t think that he had anything more sinister in mind" Leslie replied.

"Of course not. He just wanted you to be an attractive Woman and to endure all the ‘negative’ consequences of it. He didn’t worry about any BT potential you might have."

"What else did you notice about Kora, Zee? How did some of the men at the colony know that I wasn’t her?"

"Her hair is cut shorter than yours. Just shy of shoulder length, and she wears more makeup.

"What do you know about her personally?"

"Not much, except that she, like me, used to work for the Terran Defense Ministry. I had never met her personally, but had known about her. She resigned a few years ago and disappeared. I quit myself, just recently, to join up with you."

*********************************************

 

"Perhaps we can use Kora herself to reveal Konstantin for us." Observed Melissa.

Melissa pondered the problem. "If Kora is important as we think she is, she may, from time to time, have had her image published on the news service screens, likely as a part of some social function or event. Not that she would be famous in her own right, but a woman in her position, mistress to a person of influence, would often be found "rubbing elbows" with the rich and famous."

"No doubt she has attended many celebrity parties as a guest." She continued " If we look closely at some of the photographs of such events, we may be able to not only find HER but see who she is most often seen with."

"That’s a LOT of images, Melissa." Said Leslie. And we don’t even have a picture of her for comparison"

"Yes we do, Leslie, we can use YOUR image." Melissa replied. "Of course we will have to modify your appearance somewhat, to look like Kora. Zee, who has seen her can help us."

"You’re going to give me a makeover?"

"Not you, your IMAGE. Hold still and look into the com screen"---"Computer! make image, file it as Leslie Webber one."

The com screen flashed and Leslie Webber’s ‘still image’ appeared on the screen.

"Zee, Have the computer modify the image to match that of Kora Horst."

Zee sat down and had the computer pull up various hair and makeup styles. She applied them to the image until she was satisfied that the machine had created a reasonable likeness of the Kora she had seen.

"Now, Computer! Compare Modified image Leslie Webber One, to image data bases of all news service screens in past two years."

"This is going to take a while, Leslie", said Melissa. "There will have to be quite a few jump com connections to be made."

While they were waiting for results, Leslie took a peek at the image herself.

She found it hard to believe that she could look like that "bimbo" with the mere addition of a new hairstyle and too much makeup.

She almost wanted to laugh, but then . . .

 

"I’ve seen HER before, somewhere." She realized.

Bill looked at the screen. "Hey, isn’t that Sanders’ girlfriend?"

"Of course!" Leslie remembered "That’s that bimbo that Sanders was running around with." Leslie said. She was seen from time to time in Sandersville. "What’s Sander’s doing messing around with Konstantin’s . . . ?"

"SHIT! C. S. Clay Sanders! Clay? A two bit dictator wannabe on a backwater planet? Konstantin?

"No way!" Leslie thought. Sure, Sanders was definitely one of Konstantin’s ‘Lieutenants’ but Konstantin was a much "bigger fish" than Clay Sanders.

 

Konstantin would have headquartered himself on a much more prestigious planet than the little, miserable Barnes’ star four.

 

"Here come the images" interrupted Mellissa.

 

There were two hundred fourteen news media pictures of Kora Horst. Melissa had been correct. Most of the images showed Kora in the background attending celebrity social functions.

In about half of the images she appeared to be accompanied by the same man. The man wasn’t Sanders. So much for Leslie’s theory.

"Computer, Identify man to right of Kora Horst." Said Leslie.

"Said man identified as one Dmitri Gurdin, Captian Webber" the computer replied.

"Computer, Display image and biography of Dimitri Gurdin"

Gurdin’s image came on the view screen. "Gurdin, Dmitri Alexi." The computer said. "fifty eight years old, born on Earth, Sol Three, Albany, New York, United States of America district. Further background unknown, Occupation Unknown. Wealthy, source of income unknown. Primary residence listed as being Earth, USA. District, California, Pacific City, Adress code 445867234. Marital status unconfirmed relationship to one Kay H. Gurdin. . .

Gurdin’s bio was a patchwork of a few sparse facts mixed with a lot of "unknowns". Leslie now suspected that Gurdin was as much as an Alias as "Konstantin" was, but at least she knew what he looked like. That he was tied to Kora Horst, (who else would Kay H. Gurdin be?) was also now obvious.

Leslie retired to her quarters to think. She put Gurdin’s image on her com screen and contemplated on it. No luck, she felt tired and lay down on her bed.

Her mind drifted to Kora Horst and what her part was in this sordid affair. In her mind’s eye she could see the Kora Horst image that Zee had constructed on the computer.

Suddenly the image looked slightly different, and more "alive". Leslie was actually "seeing" Kora. The ability to ‘Remote View’, Leslie knew, was inherent in many people, but she knew, having the DNA of a BT, that it was especially strong in herself.

This was not a deliberate attempt to RV on Leslie’s part, it simply happened. Like Zee, however, Leslie could not control where her mind went and what she could do. She needed a "Monitor person", a "helper" for that. Leslie merely had Kora on her mind and was involuntarily attracted to her.

The image of Kora changed expression and began to speak! "Leslie Webber!"she exclaimed.

The scene changed. Now Leslie could see Kora in HER room. Kora looked at Leslie lying on her bed. "It IS you Leslie, isn’t it?" Leslie "heard" her comment. Leslie watched, afraid to move as Kora looked around the room. Kora’s face froze when she saw the image of Gurdin on Leslie’s com-screen.

"So you know." Leslie "heard" Kora remark. "I told Clay not to use my DNA! Even without training, some of the BT sensitivity can occasionally . . ."

Zee rushed into Leslie’s room, grabbed her by the shoulders and began so shake her.

"Leslie! Leslie! Come out of it!".

Leslie "saw" Kora look at Zee in surprise. "It’s ZEE! Webber has a BT!" was the last thing Leslie "heard" Kora say before becoming aroused by Zee’s shaking.

Zee looked around. "It’s OK", she said, the link is broken.

"Link? What Link?" asked Leslie.

"Żou connected with her, Lesley! You drew her HERE!"

 

"You mean I saw . . . ? THAT was Kora? For Real?"

"You’re DAMNED right it was for real!" Zee replied.

"But how is that possible? I have nothing that belongs to her? I couldn’t "Link" anyway because I don’t know how." Said Leslie.

"You are a unique case, Leslie. You have the SAME DNA, the same physical structure and, as a result, you brain operates at the same Q/frequency as Koras. That image of her might have been all you needed to unconsciously "focus" on her. You have to be careful from now on. You are BOTH tied together Psychically"

Zee glanced around the room, looking for anything that might have revealed any "critical information" to Kora. She saw the screen, with Gurdin’s picture on it.

"If she saw THIS Leslie, She knows that we are closing in on tracing Konstantin’s Idenity."

"She DID see it Zee." Leslie Replied. "She was quite mad at ‘Clay’ for using her DNA to . . ."

"CLAY?", What exactly did she say Leslie?"

"So you know. I told Clay not to use my DNA! Even without training, some of the BT sensitivity can occasionally----Then you interrupted us."

Zee was quiet for a moment. She starred at Gurdin’s image on the screen.

"Computer!" Said Zee. "Print out com screen five, Captain’s Quarters."

From a slot in Leslie’s desk, a paper printout of Gurdin’s image emerged.

"Quick Leslie! Do you have a black pen?" said Zee excitedly.

Leslie handed Zee a marker.

"Leslie!, Kora spoke too soon." Said Zee "She has given the game away and doesn’t know it."

Zee drew a moustache on the photo with the marker and showed it to Leslie.

"Look familiar?" asked Zee with a smile.

 

"SON----OF----A----BITCH!" Leslie slowly exclaimed in awe. Gurdin WAS also Clay Sanders, who WAS also Konstantin. No wonder he had been so hard to find. He had been hiding in plain sight under everyone’s noses, playing the part of a bumbling "big man" wannabe.

"Kora assumed that we had already figured it out." Said Zee. "with her comment, she inadvertently revealed the missing piece."

"We would have figured it out eventually, Zee" Leslie replied. "It’s just that Kora gave us a bit of help to solve the mystery sooner."

Then Leslie remembered something else.

"Uh . . . Zee! Kora also knows something else."

"What’s that?"

"That YOU are on this ship! She knows that YOU are a BT."

"That’s one advantage we have lost then." Zee replied. "I was hoping we could keep my presence and function here a secret. Now Konstantin, Sanders will KNOW and will be on his guard. I was hoping to trick him into thinking he was safe in hiding then we could surprise him. That won’t work now."

 

"I’m going to order Melissa to plot us a course back to Barnes’ star four, immediately." Said Leslie. "Sanders’ headquarters is in Sandersville. If we are going to get him it’s the best place to start."

 

*********************************************

It took all of three days to make the Jumps to the Barnes’ Star system. Leslie might be able to attend the meeting after all in the convention center. Sure, she was a few hours late, she had told Adrienne that she would be, but she might be later still. Leslie had "business" to attend to with Clay Sanders first.

They set the "Retribution" down on the Sandersville Spaceport, pad three. They winched down Leslie’s ATV from beneath the ship and began the overland trip to the town.

As they approached the town it didn’t take long to surmise that something was dreadfully wrong. Emergency ships and vehicles were everywhere. Most were headed towards the huge column of smoke that arose from the center of the city.

In the back of her mind, Leslie suspected what it was, but it was too horrible to contemplate. It HAD to be something else!, Yes, it had to be.

But as they drew nearer to the convention center, the surface traffic came to a standstill. The roads were blocked off. Emergency personnel were moving up and down the street.

Doc leaned out of the window and asked a passing fireman what was going on.

"Haven’t you heard? There was an explosion at the center. Lots of people were killed and many more have been injured."

Leslie’s heart seemed to jump into her throat at the news. She could no longer deny her gut instincts. Her worst fears had been confirmed.

"I’m a doctor, can you use me?" said Doc?

"Man, we need everybody we can get right now," replied the fireman "Come with me!"

Leslie, Doc and the others jumped out of the ATV. And began to run towards the smoldering ruins of the Sandersville Convention Center. A policeman attempted to stop the group, but Doc, stepped up and told him that HE was a Doctor, and than his companions were his helpers. The policeman relented and let them pass.

The scene grew more horrific as they drew closer to the building. Rows of bodies, some mangled beyond recognition, and others merely appearing to be asleep, were laid out in rows along the walkways, awaiting recognition.

Injured people on stretchers were being carried out in the opposite direction.

Suddenly a flash of red and blue drew Leslie’s attention! It looked like . . . It looked like one of Adrienne’s dresses! It was on one of the bodies!

"NOOO!" Leslie’s mind screamed as she ran towards it.

Leslie fell to her knees and screamed as she recognized Adrienne’s lifeless form.

"Adrienne! Adrienne! NOOO , please nooo!" she moaned as she bent over the cold body.

Doc and Melissa ran up and began to lift Leslie back up on her feet. Leslie reached down and removed a pendant from her deceased wife’s neck. She held it in her hands for a moment and then slipped it around her own neck.

She began screaming for Justin!, she broke away from Doc and Melissa. And ran along the rows of bodies, looking for her son.

She then pushed several emergency personnel aside and ran into what was left of the building.

Doc and Melissa were right behind her, but were intercepted and stopped by other emergency workers.

"No! it’s too dangerous in there!" Said on of the firemen.

"But our friend is in there!" Doc protested. "We have to get her."

"We will send someone in to find her later!" the man replied. "You people stay away. Go make yourselves useful elsewhere."

Doc and Melissa were soon joined by Bill, Zee and Bainbridge and were filled in on the situation with Leslie.

They thought about how they would sneak in and search for Leslie themselves.

Suddenly Zee saw some movement in the shadows. She looked up to see Leslie’s form emerging from the mist of steam and smoke. In her arms she held the lifeless form of a little boy. She had found Justin. He too had been killed.

Leslie looked straight ahead with a frozen look of disbelief on her face. She was beyond tears now. Zombie- like she walked right past her friends without acknowledging their presence.

She continued down the walkway, past the rows of bodies. A concerned Fireman came up and attempted to relieve Leslie of her burden. She roughly pushed him aside and snatched the boy away.

Doc and the others followed Leslie, down the walk. Their concern now was for Leslie herself.

Leslie halted when she once again reached Adrienne’s body. She bent down and lay the boy next to his mother.

Leslie stared at the two for a few moments and stood up.

Zee ran up to Leslie and embraced her

"I’m so sorry, Leslie! I’m so Sorry!"

Leslie did not seem to respond, at first. She then gently pushed Zee aside and her face grew darker.

She turned towards the others.

"You KNOW what I HAVE to do now." She said with a cold, icy voice.

"I will not ask any of you to come with me." She spoke slowly and deliberately, as if struggling to maintain control.

"You may join me on your own if you want to, but you know the risk you will be taking. And I warn you, DO NOT try to stop me or get in my way."

 

******************************

Leslie marched boldly down the main street of the small town. Her friends followed her at a distance. Other citizens, who knew who Leslie Webber was, and what had happened, followed the others in a small crowd, not wanting to miss the "show" when Leslie encountered Clay’s men or even Clay himself.

A few policemen stood around and warily assessed the situation. They couldn’t do anything though, not yet, anyway. Leslie had made no threats or announced no illegal intentions. She simply was walking down the street. Anyone who could see her face though, knew what was on her mind.

She walked into the front door of the ten-story high, "Neo Gothic" styled office building, that housed Clay Sanders’ offices.

Immediately, one of the security guards stepped up and blocked her way.

In a flash she whipped out the "One hundred over ten" automatic pistol and held it to his head. She grabbed the guard by his collar and pulled his face closer.

"I am only going to ask this question ONE time and you WILL tell me what I want to know." She said in an icy voice. "Where IS Sanders?"

The guard was taken entirely by surprise. The tone of Leslie’s voice dripped with overtones of deadly determination. She most definitely meant business.

"Uh . . . Uh . . . He’s i . . . in his office! Tenth floor." He managed to stutter. "But you can’t go in there!"

Leslie’s eyes bulged out with anger. "Don’t you DARE tell me where I can’t go" she snarled as she pushed the gun harder against his face.

Leslie then released the man’s coat and took his own handgun out of his holster.

"Shit!", the man exclaimed as he ran across the lobby and out the front door. He knew he was lucky to still be alive.

The elevators only went to the eighth floor. Sanders had deliberately planned it that way for security purposes.

When Leslie’s car opened, She saw two "syndicate types" wearing the black leather vests, and the "biker" style facial hair, standing in the hall. The opening of the elevator door attracted their attention. Leslie’s appearance made them hesitate for a crucial split second.

POW! POW! Leslie, her gun already in hand, cut them both down instantly. The men were likely two of Clay’s "body guards". They were only DEAD bodies now.

Leslie didn’t wait for the other elevator carrying her friends to arrive. She walked directly to the stairwell that led to the upper levels.

POW! POW! Leslie put two ten-millimeter slugs into a man she saw at the top of the steps. She stepped aside as his lifeless body rolled by her feet and continued on her way.

 

**************************

 

Clay Sander’s Com phone beeped. He didn’t need any interruptions now. He was busy at his desk, writing a speech to the local citizenry, lamenting the bombing of the Convention Center and promising to do his best to bring the perpetrators to justice.

It was Kora. "We got big problems Clay", she began "Leslie Webber is back in town. And she KNOWS Clay, She Knows everything."

Kora’s revelation got Clay’s attention.

"Her wife and kid were killed in the bombing and she’s on the way to your office right now! She’s fixing to wax your ass!"

"I can take care of myself, Kora, thanks for the warning"

"Listen to me Clay! I’m not shitting you! She’s extremely dangerous! She’s already killed Captains Thorn, Zared and who knows else, already. She freed the prisoners at the mine and destroyed the entire operation, moon and all, with the help of only FIVE of her friends."

"Our informants tell us that NOW she is REALLY pissed! She WILL KILL you, Clay, even if she has to die herself."

"Take the shuttle back to Enforcer One, NOW, before she gets there."

Clay thought about Kora’s warning, but in his profession, having someone "gunning for him" wasn’t new. It came with the territory. It was a common hazard of the job. Leslie’s threats of "getting him" were no different than the hundreds of others he had heard over his long professional career.

Fortunately, very few of his declared enemies, could ever muster the courage to attempt to go up against him and the Syndicate. The few that did were dealt with accordingly and served as further warnings to the others.

Clay Sanders, AKA "Konstantin" had underestimated the strength of Captain Webber’s character and determination, however. He thought that by simply making an example of Webber, by turning him into a woman and by destroying his life and career, that Webber would cease to be a serious threat. Perhaps he should have killed Webber when he had him after all.

It appeared that Webber was one of those brave sorts who were quite willing to follow up on his/her threats. It also appeared that Webber was very capable of carrying them out. Clay would need some help. More help than the hand full of bodyguards he kept in Sandersville could provide.

Under normal conditions Webber would be tough to defeat. But now, after what she had just been through, she might be so crazed with rage that there would be no telling what she would do as long as she took HIM down with her.

Clay decided that it might not be best to find out. He dialed up his shuttle pilot on the com phone.

 

"GODDAMNIT!" Leslie exclaimed as she realized that the door at the top of the steps was locked.

POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! In a rage, she shot up the key pad. POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! She shot apart the doorframe. Plaster dust and wood splinters flew, as she exposed the latch. She slammed her body against the door and fell to the hall carpet when it flew open.

ZING! ZING! Bullets whizzed over her head and splattered into the wall as she rolled across the floor. Four gunmen at the other end of the hall were firing at her. With a flip of her thumb, she switched her "Hundred over ten" to "full automatic" mode and "BRRRRRP! BRRRRRP! BRRRRRP! cut them down, reducing them to a spray of blood and bone fragments. NOBODY was going to stop her from reaching Sanders.

Leslie got up and ran towards the large glass doors that led to Sanders’ offices. The receptionist was not at her desk. The large Mahogany door leading to Sanders’ private office was ajar. The room was empty. Papers were scattered everywhere. The com screen ports had been pulled out. Sanders had left! And in a hurry.

"The ROOF!" Leslie’s rage-clouded mind realized. "Yes! The four men were helping Sanders escape!"

Leslie ran back into the hall. Her boots squished through the blood on the carpets where the remains of the four gunmen lay. The door was open! A metal stairway lead to the roof.

Leslie ran up the steps and got on the top of the building just in time to see Sanders’ Shuttle lift off of the pad.

"GODDAMNIT! YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Leslie screamed in rage and frustration. "YOU WILL NEVER GET AWAY FROM ME YOU BASTARD!"

BRRRRRRRRP! BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRP! Leslie emptied her weapon at Sanders’ vessel, but it was now far out of range.

Doc And Zee reached Leslie first. She was kneeling on the pad. Her head hung in despair and frustration.

"Are you alright Leslie?" Doc asked.

"FINE! Now lets get to the Spaceport, NOW!"

END OF PART SEVEN

 

 

 

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© 2001 by Marina Twelve. All Rights Reserved. These documents (including, without limitation, all articles, text, images, logos, compilation design) may printed for personal use only. No portion of these documents may be stored electronically, distributed electronically, or otherwise made available without express written consent of the copyright holder.