Dwynwen Strong and the Tornado Crew were a
discreet distance from the Concord Hotel where Merionwen was being held
prisoner and exchanged ideas on the best plan to rescue her for about forty
minutes before Malena and Shiyne exchanged thoughts and the former said
“Ok the plan is this”
Malena went on to explain
“Lyris and Zerrad you take Dwynwen back to
the Tornado and get the ship ready to leave, which we might need to do in a
hurry”
Parse, Terrel and Ferro will go with you, Parse
get the Stroller equipped, you know what we need, comms and Pulsar Lasers, the small concealable ones not the cannons, Terrel, get your medical kit just in case, and then get back here double
quick, Ferro, you know what you need to do.
While they waited for the Stroller to
arrive, Malena Endia, Shiyne, Asti Alegionaris and Ambor Etra kept the Hotel
under surveillance and discussed in more detail how they were going to execute
the plan.
They looked an unusual quartet, Malena in
the human form of a tall slim brunette, with olive skin and
hazel eyes, giving no hint of her feelings of anxiousness, the tiny figure of
Shiyne who was completely bald, with cerise coloured skin and purple eyes,
which were closed as she scanned the Hotel again, Asti’s slight figure, only five foot tall, with short platinum hair, ivory skin
and silver eyes, who was looking about her furtively, and the assured figure of
the Andraxian, Ambor, with jet black hair and the
typical Andraxian opaque grey green skin which darkened or lightened depending
on their mood, as she was in a heightened state of excitement she was
luminescing.
Apart from surveillance they also started to
prepare for the rescue and the first thing they had to do was to secure a
laundry trolley because Mal was going to change into a Melmanc and push the
trolley with Shiyne hidden inside because no one would look twice at a Melmanc
pushing a laundry trolley.
Melmanc’s were a race of Dwarfs, immensely
strong with an unquenchable work ethic, and there wasn’t a Hotel in Clarissoss
that didn’t employ Melmanc’s.
Malena was an Obgaron shape shifter, and in
her natural Mercurial form of liquid silver glass she looked very different to
the tall slim brunette human, and even more so to the Melmanc she was going to
become.
As an Obgaron shape shifter she could
transform at will, but she could only shift into a being she had touched.
Only the briefest moment was required and
then it was in her memory banks and could be recalled when required.
She could also manipulate that memory and
add or subtract from it for example in her everyday life she chose to take the
form of a 27 year old human whom she met on a remote mining colony when she
first entered Legion space, but she chose to be the human girl and wear clothes
on that form but it wasn’t necessary and for the rescue mission she chose to
simulate her clothes in case she needed to shift, it would have looked very odd
indeed if the Melmanc, who were very drab dressers, was wearing her clothes.
So, the first thing
Malena did when Parse pulled up in the Stroller was to go inside and remove her
clothes.
Once the rescue party were armed they left
Parse and Terrell aboard the stroller and headed for the Hotel and once safely
inside they went to a quiet spot were Malena transformed.
“Ok let’s go” she said as they left their
place of safety and a few moments later they had recovered the earlier acquired
laundry trolley.
“What a brilliant idea” Asti said “I’m not
sure even Merri would have thought of that”
“I’m sure she would” Malena said “get in
Shiyne”
The Vann telepath sat in the laundry trolley
completely covered by a bedsheet, apart from her cerise fingers which were
gripping the edge of the trolley and the top of her head, as she peered over
the edge.
“Ok get down and hide” Mal said and once she
was sure Shiyne was safely hidden she pushed her towards the lift, and once she
had checked that the coast was clear she pushed the trolley into the lift that
Ambor had secured.
As they travelled up to the 14th
floor Shiyne had emerged from beneath the bedding, closed her eyes and
performed a telepathic scan.
“I’ve got her!” she exclaimed “She’s
conscious”
“Is she ok?” Mal asked
“Yes, she’s confused, because she doesn’t
know where she is” she said and then she laughed “And she’s angry because she’s
tied up”
“But she’s ok?” Asti asked
“Yes” Shiyne assured her
“How many people are with her?” Mal asked, so
Shiyne closed her eyes again and a moment later she looked at Mal with her
purple eyes wide open and exclaimed, “She’s on her own”
“What?” Asti exclaimed “No guards?”
“None” she confirmed
“What about adjoining rooms?” Ambor asked so
Shiyne closed her eyes once more and expanded the scope of her scan.
“Room thirty-six is empty” she said without
opening her eyes and then she smiled “thirty-two is occupied but so are the
couple in the bed”
“We couldn’t be that lucky, could we?” Malena
said
“I’ll take all the luck we can get” Asti
retorted
“Me too” agreed Shiyne
“Ok then get going before they get back”
Ambor urged
The plan was for Malena, as a Melmanc, to
push Shiyne in the trolley to room 34, as no one would give a second thought to
a Melmanc moving laundry, and once there they would gain entry either by, ruse,
Shiynes telepathic ability, or failing that brute force, hopefully with the
abductors being absent, gaining entry would be simple.
Once inside they would get Merri into the
trolley and return the way they came.
So as soon as the lift doors opened Shiyne
hid under a sheet again and Malena pushed the trolley out and then along the
corridor and left Ambor and Asti to secure the lift for their
escape.
Unfortunately, the low numbers were nearest
the lift, so they had to trundle the laundry cart some distance before they
reached room 34 and Malena was relieved when they got there, but that was only
half the job, she would have two in the trolley for the return journey.
She stopped the trolley and whispered to
Shiyne
“Is it still all clear?”
And a moment later Shiyne’s muffled voice
replied
“Yes, all clear”
So, using a tool Lyris had given her, she
punched out the lock and the door flew open.
A few moments later she had pushed the
trolley into the room safely away from prying eyes.
“We’re in” Malena said and closed the door as
Shiyne sprang out from her hiding place from beneath the bedsheets, then they
both drew their weapons, Shiyne checked the bathroom and then they went deeper
into the room, but the sitting room was empty, so they proceeded into the
bedroom and found Merri laying bound and gagged on the bed, in a state of
agitation.
“It’s ok Merri we’ll soon have you out of here”
Mal said and quickly loosened her gag
“What’s happened, where am I?” she asked
“You were abducted” Shiyne replied as she
began untying her feet
“Why? I’m on holiday” she retorted indignantly
“It wasn’t you they were after” Mal replied
and freed her hands
“That should make me feel better, but it
doesn’t” Merri snapped but then the penny dropped
“Oh God is Dwyn ok?”
“Yes, she’s fine, we’ve got her on the
Tornado” Mal replied
“Thank God” Merri exclaimed and then the
three friends hugged.
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