Keeper Hunter

I waited until they had left before moving myself. Aware of the time I had to reach the control room I fretted that things here hadn’t delayed me too much. Continuing down the corridor I was aware of an itch between my shoulder blades as if I was being watched. With no shelter and no obvious camera’s I couldn’t rid myself of the feeling. Although I couldn’t see any visible devices sensors had no need to show themselves. All I had to go on was Inkassi’s box of tricks. Finally I reached the door to the last room before the control. I felt uncomfortable like I was walking into a trap. According to my holo map the room ahead was large and served as some sort of waiting cum reception room. A sudden noise behind me had twisting and dropping to my knees weapon at the ready.

It was Regitha from my team. I was worried about her companion Midne she had injured herself climbing over the wall.

“Peace Silver!” Regitha said holding her hand before her in a placating manner.

“How is Midne doing?” Although they had pulled that dangerous stunt in which they threw me over the wall I was concerned. They were part of my team after all.

“Recovering the best she can I left her guarding the entrance. Her leg is broken she’ll be fine once we get her into a Cell Stitcher. A vaihdokas is with her.”

I could tell that from the way she said vaihdokas that she was one of those types. There were those Valkyrie that disliked vaihdokas much like the two teenagers in the forest that wanted to end my life because I wasn’t pure Valkyrie.

“Hessie,” I said watching her reaction closely. I noted a slight narrowing of her eyes.

“Yes, I think that was her name.”

“Good I did send a mix of Humans and T’Arni her way. Civilians that were in danger.”

“I did see them in passing.” Regitha said in an almost dismissive tone.

I gestured to the door ahead of me. “Watch your step we don’t know how good their defences are?”

“I’m ready when you are.” I noted a fission of defensiveness in her words.

I wondered what I’d done to cause this ire. In truth I had hardly spoken to her while we discussed our mission. I turned my attention to the task in hand getting through the door in front of me. The door had a keypad lock similar to the door to the room with the prisoners. I drew my knife and again pricked my finger and wiped my blood against the lock. It elicited an odd look from Regitha. The door slid open to reveal a large rectangular room. Comfortable seats flanked the wall and at the end were two desks either side of the door to the control room. Seated at them were a couple of guards they made no movement as if they were waiting for something.

“You’ve made this far,” Regitha said ominously. “Turn around and face me!” her words abrupt and her weapon was pointed at me.

I stepped away from the doorway letting it close behind me. I should have been shaking in my boots but an unnatural calm descended over me. “This has been too easy,” I commented. I just had her to deal with. “When did you decide to betray your blood?”

“I never did!” Regitha snarled at me. “I never did its creatures like you and those that spawned you that have diluted the blood.”

“That sounds like tripe the Prophet was spouting.” Several things clicked into place as I regarded Regitha, “So you like a male being in charge,” I was hoping to appeal to her Valkyrie superiority over any male.

“Lies!”

I gave a slight smile. “It’s the truth. I shot him and collected his blood the mato acted like the coward he is and ran away.”

“Lies!” Regitha spat.

“You seem very fond of the word. So tell me are you the only one or has the rot reached the other Valkyrie with you?”

“Shut up!” Regitha snarled.

“You do realise you’ll be hunted for the rest of your life. Do you want that? You’ll be watching your back for the rest of your life never knowing the next Human or T’Arni is some Valkyrie in disguise. Constantly looking over you shoulder?”

“I said shut up!” Regitha roared.

I could see my words were hitting home. I knew I was pushing her too far but I had to go on. “You want people to die, you want them enslaved by the Rhosani. The T’Arni would never forgive you and neither will I.”

“You die now!” Regitha seemed to forget I was armed. As well as I might be reluctant to kill but I would if I had to. I never got the chance.

Suddenly Regitha stiffened a shocked expression on her face. Her gun dropped from her hand and she slowly toppled forward a knife protruding from her back. Behind her was the Palkkasir from the room with the prisoners. She regarded the corpse with a sneer and looked at me.

“Is everything you said true?” It was a genuine question from her.

I wondered what she was talking about. I took the most honest option. “Unfortunately yes.”

“We believed in her,” the Palkkasir said simply.

“In who?” I had no idea what she was on about.

“The Prophetess.”

“Oh the Prophet he was a fraud. His objective was to destroy Alfheimir so the Rhosani could walk in and take over.” I added. “Mother Sophronia Palkkasir died trying to oppose the Prophet. I saw him kill her. It gave me a chance to shoot him.”

“Mother!” The Palkkasir exclaimed. “I believed the lies.” She placed her hand over heart. “I am yours to command Silver.”

I wasn’t going to argue with her I could no longer trust the Valkyrie with me. This Palkkasir had proven her loyalty. “So be it, we have people to save!”

The Palkkasir picked up Regitha’s gun. “I am ready Silver.”

“I prefer you call me Gwen.”

The Palkkasir nodded.”Gwen, I’m Sverun.”

“Come on let’s show them how fear the Valkyrie.”

Sverun’s smile was positively savage.

I opened the door startling the two guards they’d obviously thought I’d be dead. So they’d been in on the set up from the beginning. I wasn’t going to take any chances with them despite my misgivings. I fired taking out the first guard. Sverun dealt with the other as two automated turrets dropped out of the ceiling.

“Down!” I yelled to Sverun. “I’ll take the left!”

A burst of fire rained down from the turrets. I dived hard to the ground as bullets clipped the space I’d occupied. In one swift motion I returned fire. The turret exploded sending shards of metal flying everywhere. Sverun was down hit by the turret on her side. I fired again bringing that one down.

I hurried over to Sverun. “You ok?” I asked. A bullet had clipped her shoulder her gun lay at her feet.

“You’ve cleared the way and saved me,” she stated.

I pulled my med pack from my harness and bandaged her shoulder the best I could.

“Sorry that’s the best I can do.” The contents of my med pack were limited.

“It will be ok I’ll survive.”

I was sure she’d have said the same if she’d been lying on the floor her guts hanging out. Typical Valkyrie stubbiness. I handed her gun back. “Make sure no one disturbs us.” Adding. “Please don’t shoot anyone unless they shoot first.”

“I hear and understand Gwen.”

I stepped away from her and headed back to the second door. It didn’t have a lock on it. The door opened to my touch. Inside were banks of consoles and screens at the back was another door I ignored as I looked around. There was no one here if I had to guess they had gone out through the back door. Above one console were a number of monitors showing views of bother the interior and exterior of the brewery. I saw a number of people gathered around the staff entrance. Hessie and one I could make out as Midne amongst them. It felt odd to me that I had more trust in Hessie than one of my own. Until I determined how far the rot had gone I was forced to trust a Palkkasir and a vaihdokas. Shutting my wayward thoughts off I began searching for a way to shut down the system. I started to think the only way to shut it down was to blow it up. I wasn’t going to take that option just yet. Sverun could be a help before I took that route. Sverun was seated behind on of the desks her gun on its surface. She glanced at me before continuing her surveillance of the corridor. Regitha lay on the floor blood pooling around her.

“Problem I can’t shut down the system.”

“I can’t help you with that I wouldn’t know where to start we were never permitted inside. I think it is all finger print coded or that was the rumour?”

I wasn’t about to go around slicing my finger to dribble blood over the consoles there were just too many of them. I had only on option left. I hoped beyond hope that Regitha hadn’t ditched the breaching charges Leo had handed to her.

Searching her body wasn’t a thing I’d wanted to do. I carefully knelt beside her body avoiding the pool of congealing blood and opened the pack she was carrying. She still had the three charges in her pack. They were the size of my fist with a adhesive back and a arming pin at the front. I returned to Sverun.

“I going to attach these to the consoles hopefully I’ve enough to damage the system enough to shut it down.” I wasn’t sure I was going to work. My Valkyrie training hadn’t involved this, heck not even my Security training covered this. Which was why I trusted someone better trained to handle the explosives. Unfortunately that trust had been betrayed.

“I like it!” Sverun said enthusiastically. “Those mato will be getting what they

deserve.” She suddenly stiffened pain washing across her face. “Mother that hurts!”

I passed her the remaining contents of my med pack. “Take what you need?”

“Thanks.”

I turned my attention back to the consoles.