Blink: Phantom (Book 3)

22

After half an hour of sneaking through the eerie quiet hallways of the vessel, Amber's group had reached an outer section, where only the ship's hull separated them from the nothingness of space. And at last they found a window – a small portal into the unknown.

With Hekket alongside her she moved up to the window and looked out. Amber felt a strange hollowness settle in her stomach at what she saw. It appeared the ship had arrived at some kind of space-dock, surrounded by an enormous skeletal structure and bracketed with locking arms. She could see a rectangular block in the middle of the arrangement with glittering window lights and the tiny dark shapes of people moving.

Beyond that she could just make out an identical dock among the sea of stars, but it didn't look like the base of operations was in an actual system. She craned her neck to get as wide a view left and right as she could but saw no planet and no nearby star – they were in the wilderness, with no help and no back up until they could disable the ship.

She looked away from the window to Hekket standing beside her. He stared out into space, his expression an unreadable mask. After a moment he stepped back, his hands tightening around the Compac.

"Where do you think we are?" he asked.

Amber shook her head. "Couldn't say. I don't recognise any of the star positions from where we are. I don't think we're in any colonial system."

"Makes sense," Uther put in from further down the passage. "With a ship that can be anywhere instantly they don't need to be on the grid. Supply chains, transit routes, colonial protocols; all that stuff goes out the window."

Amber cast a glance back the way they'd come then nudged Hekket. "Come on, let's keep moving."

With Uther leading they the three operatives wound their way up three decks of identical metal-walled corridors. Amber kept her mapper in one hand, wresting the barrel of the Compac across her wrist as she moved. Slowly they were building up a floor plan, but she knew it could take them hours to fully map a ship of this size. The silence filled her with a kind of inexplicable dread. Her sharp ears locked automatically onto the faint rasp of boots against the deck plates; as soft as they moved there was nothing else to listen to.

After ascending another level they emerged out into a well lit section of the ship, its corridors painted a soft alabaster in contrast to the charcoal dimness of the lower decks. They started working their way towards the bow of the ship, but a couple of turns later her ears picked up another sound: the unmistakable echoing clack of heeled footsteps.

Ahead of her Uther suddenly held up a clenched fist.

Amber stopped dead, breath catching in her throat. In a slow motion she flicked the mapper off and placed it back into her combat vest so she could hold her Compac properly. With Hekket close on her heels she moved up to the bend in the corridor where their companion had halted. He looked back and jerked a thumb around the corner.

Peering around him, she saw the flash of a white lab coat as a woman strode away from them at a ferocious speed, her eyes locked onto the data slate in her left hand. She was a tall individual and had her blonde hair tied up into a tight, efficient bun. A few seconds later she turned left and vanished around a corner.

"That lady was moving with a purpose," Hekket whispered after a moment.

Amber motioned with her head toward the passage the woman had taken. "Then why don't we follow her? She must know her way around this ship. The place is a maze; we could spend hours creeping around until we find something."

Uther nodded, raising his Compac. "You're right. Follow me. Hekket, keep an eye on our six."

Obediently Amber slipped into position behind their lanky comrade. Although technically the trio were of equal rank, Uther was by far the most senior operative, and he had passed his advanced weapon training. She had no problems following his lead now that they were assaulting an enemy ship.