"The Betrayal" Snippet 1 from Chapter 6

By captain kate · Nov 6, 2008 ·
  1. A pall of silence fell over the landing party like a cloak of darkness. Every one of them could hear the pain in the Captain’s voice, and it shook them to the core. Just what the hell had they gotten themselves into, they wondered? Why were Fleet personnel killing other Fleet personnel? Was the sick secret important enough to kill each other over?

    Motioning with her hand, Jennifer lead the way in the direction Kate had given them. An automatic rifle in her hand, her every move was calculated and cautious. Even though it appeared abandoned, she reminded herself, anything was possible at anytime! And she for one didn’t want to get killed to add to Kate’s load!

    Jennifer stopped beside a doorway, her back against the wall. Peering around the corner quickly, she saw no one and stepped through. If there was one thing she had always hated were base infiltrations; there were just too many ways for someone to ambush you. Hopefully everything would go well, she reminded herself, and no one was left on the base. Otherwise, things might get a bit hectic at any moment.

    “Clear,” she murmured through her com unit to the party behind her.

    Jennifer stayed on point as she slipped down the corridor with the silence of a cat. While she knew she couldn’t move with the silence and dangerousness of Kate, she came pretty damned closed. If there were anyone waiting for them further inside, she mused; they weren’t going to want to run into her!
    Especially with the fifteen-millimeter combat rifle in her hand!

    Reaching the far end of the corridor, Jennifer peeped around to check both directions. She felt the breath she had been holding in come out as she relaxed. If Kate had been correct, she thought, then they had to be getting close to the command center.

    “How is it looking up there, Lieutenant,” Paul’s voice came through her headset.

    “Clear, sir,” She said as she started down the corridor to her left.

    Jennifer felt her heartbeat start to rise from its controlled pace the further she went down the corridor. Judging from the amount of ships that had left, she guessed that several hundred personnel had manned the station. If just a fraction of that had stayed behind to guard the fort, then her little party of ten were going to be in serious trouble. That was a possibility that she didn’t even want to consider coming true.

    I think it would’ve been better for us to be at the Alamo then here if that’s true, she told herself with a soft snort.

    Taking a deep breath, Jennifer came to a stop before a door that was marked command. That was incredible nice of them, she thought, to tell everyone what it was! She let her breath out, feeling her muscles relax-

    Something darted across the corridor before her, and she yanked the rifle to her shoulder on instinct. She pulled the trigger without thinking, the rifle tracking the motion before her. The sound of the rifle was deafening in the corridor as it kicked back against her shoulder. Just as quickly as the movement appeared, it disappeared, with Jennifer releasing the trigger on the rifle.

    “Lieutenant! What are you firing at, God**** it!” Paul shouted over the com system.

    “Movement, sir!” she said, her breath racing in
    her ears.

    “What kind of movement?”

    “I’m investigating now, sir!”

    Stepping forward lightly, Jennifer advanced down the floor, sweeping it with her rifle. Whatever had moved, she reminded herself, didn’t stay still for long! So there was no telling where it had gone now! However, she needed to know where it had gone, and what it was before she was going to clear the rest of the party to advance.

    Jennifer felt her ears perk up as she heard a sound coming from the where the floor and the wall met. Looking down, with her rifle leading, she spotted the source of the movement. She found herself shaking her head and chuckling with relief as she saw the rat before her. All that shooting, she chided herself, for a damned lab rat that escaped!

    “Clear,” she said after the chuckling has passed. “Just a lab rat that got loose.”

    “Way to give us a heart attack, Lieutenant!” Paul replied.

    “Hey,” Jennifer let her shrug show up in her voice. “You pay me to keep you safe, not be loose with the security.”

    “We’ll be there in a second,” he said. “Just sit tight.”

    “Sir,” Jennifer said with all earnestness. “If I was sitting any tighter I think I’d be boxed up and shipped out.”

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