Chapter Seventeen
REINFORCEMENTS
"Ragellon, what have you done?"

A Mark II Battle Accelerator HyperCraft(tm), the Abrogate, emerges from hyperspace twenty kilometers from the StopEmCold Defense Grid(tm).

Major Hugh Wu Su, the ship's commander, paces the bridge. The Holo-Vis Monitor(tm) displays the wrecked Annihilator wedged in the tangle of damaged scaffolding.

"Hail the Annihilator," he orders.

There is a moment of anticipation, then Lieutenant Ginjee turns to her superior officer. "No response, sir. However, we are detecting lifeforms."

"Ragellon, what have you done? Battle stations to yellow alert!"

The Expunger materializes outside the grid, only a few kilometers from the Abrogate. Sizing up the situation, Captain Helena Helfogg orders immediate encrypted communication to Wu Su.

"Any word from Ragellon or the crew?" she asks.

"Nothing," replies Wu Su.

Helfogg quivers with a flood of adrenaline. It figures Ragellon would go off half-cocked, jeopardizing his entire crew. She places the Expunger on yellow alert, ready for battle.

"There's two more of them," reports Alfonse.

"There will be more," replies Bloition, on the Holo-Vis(tm). "You know what to do, First Clerk Alfonse?"

"Yes, sir." Alfonse shifts uncomfortably, chancing a quick glance to the anxious Glik-Gnome.

"You both shall be revered." Bloition's image winks out for its final time, leaving Alfonse and the Glik-Gnome alone to prepare.

Captain Heratio Brown brings the Pulverizer into normalspace at the far end of the Green Moon's defense grid. His silver-skinned hand fingers the communicator, opening a channel to the Abrogate and the Expunger.

"Any sign of hostile action?"

"Nothing from the grid. The Annihilator is crippled, no response," replies Helfogg.

"I have a rescue squad prepping for launch now," informs Wu Su. "I only hope they can make it before Ragellon's ship rips open. Our readings indicate severe structural damage, and increasing pressure and temperature fluctuations in the lower engineering decks."

"We'll bombard the grid," offers Brown. "That should give the salvage ship enough cover to facilitate the rescue."

"What about the Decimater?" Helfogg wonders aloud. "Itchtrong should be here by now."

"There's no time to wait," Wu Su says. "We'll begin the operation now."

Tizzaphooex buckles the last strap of the antique BaX Bucolic Body Breaker(tm) over Snax's frame. She stands back, surveys her work. Snax squirms, corpulence oozing through the over-tight belts. His extremities, having mutated into scissor-like claws, chomp at the leather. The two guards stand behind him, their backs to the door leading to the cell block.

Suddenly, the door bursts open. The startled guards turn, reaching for their Hand Cannons(tm). There is a flash of green light and a faint crackling noise. Both guards slump to the ground with five-point laser burns in their chests.

Tizzaphooex ducks and rolls under the table.

"Heeeeyyyy!!!" shouts Snax. "Whhaaaaa… whaaat's, like, goin' on?!"

Tizzaphooex draws her weapon, fires at the open doorway.

CRACK!

The shot strikes the door frame at head level. Pieces of the frame clatter to the hallway floor. An arm pokes around the door jamb at floor level, fires back. The table leg beside the Second Clerk takes a hit. The spot instantly smokes and pops into a patch of flame. The clerk bolts to the opposite door, jamming her key into its lock.

The door opens and Tizzaphooex races for the elevator. She doesn't make it. A five-point beam catches her in the back, pitching her forward. Her head cracks hard against the concrete, sending a bloody splatter across the floor.

The huge bay doors in the Abrogate's underbelly spread apart. A Vi-Scout Salvage Ship(tm), a small vessel with a large area for carrying personnel, and equipped with various emergency extrication tools and first aid supplies, slips out into space. The pilot, Lieutenant Ginjee, punches the TurboTooters(tm), propelling the craft toward the immense grid and the crippled Annihilator.

The Abrogate advances parallel to the grid, its starboard Tremor Blasters(tm) beginning a barrage. Portions of the grid rattle with the erratic hits. The grid comes to life, returning fire with its potent Fraz-Boom Guns(tm). Deflector shields on both sides send many volleys zinging errantly into space.

"How's the progress of the Vi-Scout?" Wu Su struts across the bridge, oblivious to the jolts and lurches as his ship is buffeted by enemy fire.

"Steady as she goes. No damage to report," returns the helmsman.

Petunia looms over the Second Clerk's lifeless body. She plucks the key from Tizzaphooex's fingers and cautiously retreats back to the Information Extraction Room.

Snax squeals at the sight of her. "Look, like, I uh, don't know anything…"

"Be quiet." Petunia begins to unstrap the blubbering alien.

"What are you gonna do with me?"

"Can you handle a weapon?"

"Yeah."

"Good." She tosses Snax a Hand Cannon(tm) from one of the guards, grabbing the other for herself.

DING!

The elevator door slides open.

quot;Damn," hisses Petunia, quickly taking cover to one side of the door. Snax ducks pitifully behind the table. Both watch the doorway, waiting for whomever came down with the elevator.

First Clerk Supreme, Ondurf Munch, freezes at the sight of Tizzaphooex. Drawing a Zipper(tm), he crouches and gingerly makes his way to examine the leaking, lifeless form. He gulps, then slides his hand up the wall toward the alarm button.

Petunia peers into the hallway, sees the First Clerk Supreme reaching for the red button. She breaks cover, firing the Hand Cannon(tm).

Munch reacts, ducking and zipping back. Petunia grabs the door frame and launches herself toward Munch, activating the laser. The five-point beam slices through the flesh of his face. Wisps of acrid smoke issue from the cauterized grooves in his forehead, stinging his eyes. Screaming, he fires the Zipper(tm) wildly. Petunia easily dodges the shots and gets close enough to kick the gun from his hand. She jams the key into the elevator console, twists it and snaps it off, effectively locking the elevator on that floor.

The wounded clerk reaches for his Commucon Stay-Close(tm). Petunia stabs her thumbnail into the open wound on his forehead. Ondurf yowls in pain and she knocks the Commucon(tm) skittering across the floor.

"Listen, bud, I want to know another way out of here that doesn't take us through the Crusade Strategy Room."

"There isn't one," sputters Munch.

Snax cautiously enters. The smell of burnt flesh in the gore spattered hallway is too much. He faints. Munch jerks at the sound of Snax slapping to the floor.

"Swing us around for a direct assault," orders Helfogg. "Begin Tremor Blaster fire now!"

The Expunger opens up with a frontal attack on the grid. Several grid cannons lock their sights onto its hull and unleash. The Expunger lurches violently, flame skating across the hull.

"Decompression in forward hold," announces the Defense Engineer.

"Seal off that section! Back us out!" Helfogg curses Ragellon for inviting this disaster upon her crew, and wonders how Captain Brown is faring.

Brown looks from a Holo-Vis(tm) projection of the retreating Expunger to his Weapons Engineer. "Prepare the experimental Multi-Pedoes. I want to commence firing into the grid."

The Weapons Engineer begins a launch sequence for the jet-propelled cluster bombs. "Ready sir!"

"Fire at will!"

The Multi-Pedoes(tm) blast toward the grid. They explode at varying depths inside the metal web, rendering a large patch of grid gaping and dysfunctional.

Aboard the disabled Annihilator, Captain South and Lieutenant Cleanerschmidt continue their rounds. They exit a stairwell into a hallway which runs next to the hull. The light entering the portholes flickers with the explosions occurring outside. The pair rush to a view port and witness the three Battle Accelerators engaged in combat with the defense grid.

"Well, they finally got here," sighs Salata. "Let's hope they fare better than we did."

"Captain," winces Cleanerschmidt, pointing to the approaching Vi-Scout, "that looks like a Salvage Ship."

"It is, and it's coming this way. Let's get what's left of the crew ready to move. We're gonna have to make a hasty retreat before this thing blows."

Inside the Grid Station Prime Hub(tm), amidst the tremors and rumbling, the nervous Alfonse and Glik-Gnome trade a glance. They have turned the NabAll Nerve Center(tm) over to the computers. There is but one thing left that only they can do. They nod to each other, take a deep breath, and begin to enter a sequence of commands.

Simultaneously they confirm codes, flip toggles and turn platinum coated keys. The interior illumination is cast into an angry red glow. Together, they flip open the safety covers on buttons marked:

EMERGENCY SELF DESTRUCT
DO NOT TAMPER WITH UNLESS
YOU REALLY MEAN IT!

The Hover Screemer's(tm) engine rumbles to life. Geronimo sits behind the wheel, while Fystik peers out from the rear seat. Gladius, having tested their direction by tossing a stone through, stands next to the beams of the laser fence, the shiny black hood of the hover car mounted on his back like a tortoise shell.

"Are you ready?" shouts the big man.

Geronimo gives him a thumbs up and revs the engine, then drops the vehicle into forward propulsion. Gladius braces himself as the Screemer begins its approach. His timing must be impeccable: too soon and the lasers will have time to penetrate the hood, killing him, too late and the Hover Screemer(tm) and its occupants will be sliced to ribbons.

The Screemer builds up speed, racing at the deadly beams. Gladius tenses, rocking lightly on the balls of his feet. Fystik ducks down in the back seat. At the last possible moment, Gladius angles into the fence.

The glossy hood briefly acts as a reflector, scattering the beams. The Screemer roars through the temporary gate that Slate has created. Gladius continues his roll and stumbles to the ground inside the barrier. The lasers snap back to their usual position, once again creating the fence.

Gladius stands up in disbelief. The gleaming hood of the Screemer is blistered, nanoseconds from penetration.

Geronimo stands on the brake pedal, bringing the Hover Screemer(tm) to a halt. Fystik rises from the floor, checks to see that he survived. Geronimo looks back at Gladius standing minuscule against the backdrop of the laser curtain and fence.

"Thanks, big guy," he says. "Ya know, Fystik, I just had a great idea on how to improve that thing. Every other beam should be in the reverse direction."

Fystik eyes him with consternation. "I don't think you should mention that to him."

Ginjee positions the Vi-Scout Salvage Ship(tm) under the starboard side of the Annihilator and masterfully brings it to a halt. The faces of the Battle Accelerator's survivors watch her longingly through a view port. She extends a Gooey Tube(tm) toward an emergency hatch in the ship.

Hearing the tube suck to the outside, Salata turns to the fading Ragellon. He wipes a trickle of blood from the Vice-Admiral's brow, shrugging him to consciousness.

"Hang on, you old bastard, we're going to get you out of here." He turns to Cleanerschmidt, who is opening the hatch. "Start leading everybody out. Take Ragellon with you."

The Lieutenant nods and two of the troopers hoist the ailing Vice-Admiral. They make a hasty journey through the tube into the Vi-Scout(tm).

Petunia cinches the last strap on the BaX Bucolic Body Breaker(tm) that now holds the battered Ondurf Munch.

"You'll never escape from here," warns Munch. "They will kill you."

Petunia saunters up to the control box, flipping the Breaking Switch to Stage Four. She punches the trigger. Munch screams, his body arcing like a live wire.

"Where's the other exit?"

"Fu… fu… fuck you," he spits, mouth foaming.

Petunia coldly moves the switch to Stage Six.

"Aaauuuggghhh!!!"

"Where's the exit?"

"…you're… dead…"

Stage Nine.

"AAAAAAUUUUUGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!"

"The exit?"

"Ac… access… underground… ven'lation shaft… next to… elevator."

"There is no shaft there." She reaches for the switch.

"Hidden! It's hidden!" shrieks Ondurf. "Behind the wall panel… upper right…" He finally faints.

Petunia rushes out of the Information Extraction Room, stepping over the awakening Snax.