Page 19 of Galactic Search and Rescue
“Yeah, kid, you did.” Taz waited until Jhidelle looked up. “I did, too. So let’s figure out how to fix it.”
Her eyes widened. “You’re not mad?”
“Oh, I’m mad as fire. We’re stuck down here because of those assholes.” Taz pointed toward storage unit 79. “Makes me want to find out what was in there that Po wanted so bad.”
Jhidelle’s eyes widened, then darted to the animal crates that were still strapped to Taz’s mech suit. “Could Farenoso and I say hello to your animals?”
“They’re Subcaptain Delroinn’s, not mine.” Taz hesitated. “Have you been around other animal-affinity minders before?”
Jhidelle nodded. “My father is gone a lot. When I’m not taking classes, I volunteer for an animal-rescue group. Several of us are minders. All my pets are rescues.”
“First, promise me you won’t order his animals around, or try to bond with them.” Rylando would never trust her again if the girl hurt his team.
“Yes, Subcaptain, I promise.” Jhidelle’s sincerity rang as true as her other statements.
“Call me Taz. Come on, I’ll make introductions. You can entertain them while I pop that misbegotten door.”
She spoke Jhidelle’s name warmly and patted the girl’s shoulder to show the animals that she wasn’t a threat. Even the cats seemed interested in checking her out.
Unsurprisingly, the building’s AI was back to monosyllabic insensibility, but she had a GSAR mech suit with customized capabilities all its own.
Two minutes later, the ring-light flashed and the door irised open.
“How did you do that?” asked Jhidelle.
“Telekinesis,” lied Taz.
GSAR’s best-kept secret was the existence of their vast hypercubes of access codes. GSAR strictly monitored and reviewed each use to deter rescuers from abusing them for personal motives. Rescuers kept the secret because no one wanted to be held hostage and forced to open every lock in the galaxy.
Taz stood at the threshold for a brief look into the room. One empty set of shelves and dust. No sign of the explosives that Otak had alerted Rylando to. Kem-X packages had to be bigger than a backpack to work, and they were too easy to get to be worth threatening a child’s life over.
The dust caught her attention again. A bloom came from the doorway where it had undoubtedly blown in over the threshold. Oddly, another bloom came from the back corner of the unit, beyond the shelves. Now that she was looking for it, she saw the shadow of another doorway and what might be a powered lift ladder.
Damnit, why wasn’t Rylando answering her pings? Had Po and Pelvannor gotten away yet? And what about Stramlo? Her stomach roiled with images of Rylando injured and without her or any of his team to help him.
“Subcap… er, Taz?”
“Yes?” Taz turned to look at Jhidelle, who had pushed her dusty, torn coat off her shoulders, probably because the hallway was hot and stuffy. She looked nothing like her father, but that meant nothing. Considering what body shops could do these days, no one with funds had to keep the appearance they were born with or aged into.
“I can still connect with Tzima from here. I asked her to hide and listen. Her eyes are bad, but her hearing is good. Po is yelling at everyone.”
Taz made herself ask the bad-news question. “Can you tell if anyone is hurt?”
“No, but Po’s giving them orders. ‘Stramlo, sit. Pelvannor, search the sled. Gee-Sar man, stay where you are.’ That sort of thing. I think they’re trapped in the lift lobby.”
Taz double-checked her comms, but nothing from Rylando. She hooked her thumbs into her utility belt and drummed her fingers on it, thinking hard. Finally, she focused on Jhidelle.
“You’re old enough to have a vote in this. The storage unit has a power ladder that leads up. If we’re lucky, it’s an emergency exit to the first floor, or at least to someplace that has working comms. On the other hand, it would likely be safer to stay here and wait to be rescued. This is where our pilot, Captain Wa’ara, will look first.”
Jhidelle glanced down the hall toward the shaft, then at the suit, before returning her gaze to Taz. “I vote for the ladder. If we get out, we can get help. Down here, we’re not helping anyone.”
An almost-sixteen-year-old’s sense of adventure wasn’t always supported by good judgment, but Taz hoped an almost-thirty-nine-year-old’s experience could keep them both out of trouble.
“Okay, the ladder it is. Let’s wedge those shelves in the doorway so it doesn’t stick again.”
Jhidelle pulled her coat back on. “I can do it while you get into your mech suit.”
Taz checked that the crates were still secure and thanked the animals for their patience. They’d be happy to be reunited with Rylando. Not that she could ever tell him, but she would, too. She wanted to see him safe and smiling again.
