Bang! Bang! Mara was
sleeping soundly until she heard the loud noise. The bed shook violently. Suddenly,
a loud repetitive beep resounded below the pillow. Instinctively, Mara vaulted
out of bed, preparing for a physical struggle. Glancing around, she discovered
there was no immediate danger. What in thee world is going on?! She
was confused and angry at being awake. It was the alarm clock that woke her up. However, she still turned
around wondering where the banging was coming from. It was the door.
"Mara, get
up!”
She opened the
door and found that it was William practically pounding the door. Mara gave him
one of her 'not-so-happy-with-you' looks. At that, he grinned. Her mind came
fully awake as it dawned on her that it was time to leave.
Sighing heavily,
Mara said," I will be ready in just a moment."
After several
minutes of hair and uniform correction, she emerged presentable. William leaned
against the wall beside the door, wearing the typical Army pixel camouflage
uniform; he was not wearing that before (some Military uniform could be changed
on a molecular level, using nannites). Thankfully, he wasn't grinning.
"What's
next, Captain Koilo?" Mara asked mockingly.
"You follow
me all the way to CSTC ... Airman First Class Koilo," replied William humouredly.
He left the wall, heading to the tunnel. Following him, they came out in the
massive room with the view of the underwater world below. They went across the
silent room to another archway. This lead through an ornate hallway of marbled
tan flooring and red walls, complete with mounted lights. Coming out into a
foyer, William went to the semi- circular desk facing them. He gave his thin
identification card to a man who looked entirely business like. Standing beside
William, Mara handed the gentleman her card. He placed them both on a pad that
fed the cards information on how much money the stay cost. The
Military was paying for it. The process took less than a minute.
The
business man handed the cards back to them.
"Thank
you for staying. Have a good day," the gentleman said cheerfully.
The Koilos
nodded their thanks. Through the glass front door they saw that someone in high
rank was waiting beside a long, sleek vehicle. Mara exchanged a glance with
William. Vacating the building, the officer came to meet them. Upon closer
inspection, this man was Army. William saluted.
The man
returned the salute." Good morning. My name is, Army Master Sergeant
Attius Lark. I am taking you two to CSTC, with orders from your superior."
He gestured for them to enter the vehicle.
Stars still
lingered, while a warm wind began to pick up as they entered the car. The back
of the interior was lined with a gray, velvet couch that extended
around to the side. Lights under the seats bounced off the white floor,
lighting the inside. Sitting down on the side couch, Mr. Lark sat in the back.
The door automatically closed. A driver in the front piloted the
magnetized car. Vibration from the silent engine was felt when the vehicle
started. Mr. Lark lost no time in briefing them.
"Mr. Koilo,
you are reassigned to a mission to retrieve Agent R. H. Lay. He was collecting
information in one of the lower terrorist groups, believed to have some ties
with an unknown group here on this planet. We lost contact 2 weeks ago,"
he said, pausing to tap his front pocket. A holographic photo of the agent
appeared a few feet away in the air. "You have 3 days to get him out and
then back to the rendezvous point." The photo disappeared.
“Understood, Sir,” said William.
“You are going to buy a ticket to Sector 4.
Military personnel onboard will brief you on the rest.”
“Yes Sir.”
Turning to Mara,
he said," Airman Koilo, you are reassigned to the fighter pilot group
aboard QL12, in Sector 7. An officer on board your transport ship will fill you
in on the rest of your orders.”
Mara responded, “I understand Sir.”
The driver called to the officer," Sir,
the Pentagon is calling."
"Excuse
me," he said to the Koilos. He took out a mind communication device, a holographic
lens piece; which he placed on his ear, so that he could see into the lens
without holding it up. The speaking came from both minds, transmitted back and
forth.
Mara and William
watched the scenery zoom by for the next half hour. Tall glass buildings
surrounded the lit road. Trees seemed to overwhelm the glowing city. Presently,
the view changed to where there were fewer trees and rich grass took over. Out
in the distance, various ships dotted the wide landscape. Just then, an
arrow-like ship took off toward the early morning sky.
As
the vehicle rounded a bend in the road, CSTC came into sight. It was
massive. Light from the interior made it look like a white star. Double glass,
swivel doors served as the entrance. Surrounding the doors was a tall glass
wall. It sloped wide up from the ground, peaking above the entry way, and then
sloped wide back down to the ground. The wall had white beams at intervals,
while glass was in between each one. From their vantage point, they could just
make out the clear corridors that lead to the various ships behind CSTC.
"Here we
are," said Mr. Lark as the driver stopped the vehicle. He opened the door
and stepped out. The Koilos followed suit, looking at the enormous structure
before them.
Attuis said,"
I wish you God speed."
William turned to
salute, while Mara stood with her hands respectfully behind her with a smile to
thank him. The man returned the salute, and then got back into the vehicle,
taking off into the glittering silver, green city.
"Alright,
let's go," said William.
Warmer breezes
filled the air as they walked the short distance to the entrance. Mara looked
to her right and saw blue begin to appear fogged with pink. The sun appeared
just slightly above the horizon, which reminded her that they had not had
anything to eat. She whispered, "Breakfast will have to wait."
William pushed
open the glass door allowing a flood of noise to rush upon them. Many different
people walked about the large building. Gift shops, food courts, and
travel-schedule screens lined the sides. Above the little shops was a second
story, which was specifically reserved for those who needed to stay overnight
at CSTC. White light illuminated the building, making it feel fresh and clean.
Further ahead, massive double sweeping staircase graced the sides of the giant
hall. Below that were the terminals. Lines were already backed up as many tried
to get to their flight on time. Upon seeing that, Mara was surprised as to how
far back the building went.
Following
William, they took a sharp right into a sort of hall in between the exterior
and one of the shops. A sign said 'Tickets' in holographic above the entryway.
William took out his card then slid into a slot beside a wall screen.
He imputed his information, as well as destination upon the touch
screen. A thin metal plate slid out below the spot where William put
his card in. William looked at her to do the same.
"Have you
been here before, William?" asked Mara as she swept the screen with her
hand.
"Yes, it was
on leave when I came here. I saved up enough to go on a round trip to
Albinus."
"From what
I've heard, it sounds like a nice place to relax. Alright, I'm done," Mara
said as she grabbed her ticket from the wall. As she turned to go back the way
they came, something caught her eye.
A Middle Eastern
man, wearing a bulging brown, leather jacket had just entered. In his hand
there was a blinking green light. Mara stopped, making William wonder.
"What's wrong?” he asked.
"Do you see
that man with a leather jacket, resembling someone from the Middle East?” said
Mara without pointing or giving themselves away.
"Yes... I see
what you mean." As William said this he took out his service pistol,
careful not to show it.
"Mara, you
have a gun right?"
"Yes."
"Be ready to
use it. I am going to make my way in front. You try and get up behind
him."
"You got it,
Will."
William walked
casually to the front, while Mara tried to get up behind the terrorist without
being seen. Just as she got within 13 feet of the man, she heard him yell out
something about 'Allah' and saw him raise the hand with the trigger. People
turned their heads upon hearing the proclamation. Mara got her own service
pistol out, keeping it pointed to the ground. Suddenly, there was gun fire from
someone else. The hand with the trigger was shot. Chaos broke loose, the
insurgent ran toward the terminals.
She could hear
her brother yell, “Mara!" She
bolted after the insurgent raising her gun as she ran. William ran toward her.
She heard her brother yell. "Get down, people!"
Mara yelled the
same warning as she raised her gun. People got down, trying to get out of her
way. She shot him in the back right below the bulge in the jacket. He screamed
falling down. Mara continued to run up to him, still too far away. A business man,
who was crouching, got up. He punched the screaming terrorist, knocking him
out. William ran faster to catch up to the unconscious terrorist. His
gun pointed at him. William looked up, nodded to Mara. She halted and put
her gun away. Using her knees as support, she leaned forward. I shot a
man! Adrenaline soared through her. Mara paced her breathing so as
not to bring on a panic attack.
Unexpectedly, Mara felt someone touch her
shoulder, which startled her. “Hey! Calm down.” The person was a Marine with
his gun out. He was trying to be reassuring. He smiled.
“I apologize. You just freaked me out,” she
said.
“I know. Are you alright, Ma’am?”
“Yes, Sir, I am. Thank
you.”
Mara looked around.
People were still to the ground. She saw that a very large vehicle had just arrived
outside the entrance. It was the FBI.
“They’re here guys,” the Marine announced.
