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.
“Right let’s get out of here” Shiyne said and
climbed into the trolley
“What are you doing in there?” Merri asked
“Its part of the plan” Mal snapped “So shut up
and get in”
“Ok bossy”
It was a bit of a squeeze with two of them in
the transportation and it was necessary to discard some of the laundry to
accommodate them.
With them safely concealed Mal said into her
comms
“Mal calling Tornadons, we have the Captain,
leaving the room now”
It
was much harder work pushing the Tornado’s Captain and Navigator but Mal
managed, though she made slower progress, then as they were about half way to
the first corner three men came around it in the other direction, and two of
them they knew.
The
one in front was the tall, good looking and well-dressed abductor, named Geloc,
and behind him was the little weasel of a man called Hatt, while the third man
was a stranger, but they were clearly together.
They
passed Malena without even a sideways glance, as she suspected they would,
because no one pays attention to Melmanc’s pushing laundry trolleys.
However,
when they reached the room and found the lock smashed they might view her in a
different light so she tried to increase the pace, and failed, but nonetheless
she was a trolley length away when all hell broke loose, as the three abductors
on discovering Merri was missing began shouting and two of them charged along
the corridor towards them.
“Ok,
everybody out” she shouted and tipped the trolley on end so Merri and Shiyne
tumbled out on to the floor.
“Hey
what’s going on” Merri asked
“Bad
guys chasing us, that’s what’s going on” Mal replied as she blocked the
corridor with the up turned trolley.
“A
bit of notice would have been nice” She retorted
“Never
mind that just get to your feet and run” Mal urged then she said “Asti! Ambor!
We’ve got company”
“Ok
we’re on our way” Ambor replied
When
Merri and Shiyne reached the second corner Asti and the Andraxian were in
position to give them covering fire if necessary.
“Keep
going, get to the lift” Ambor urged them
Some
distance behind them was Mal, who was struggling to cover the ground, so she
shape shifted back into human form, as it turned out that Melmanc’s can’t run
very fast, and in her more familiar form she was able to cover the ground much
quicker and but no sooner had she reached the corner when a pulsar laser burst
passed uncomfortably close to her head striking the wall,
“Keep
going” Asti said, and Malena ran for the safely of the lift and got there only
half a minute behind Merri and Shiyne.
It
the meantime Asti and Ambor had begun returning fire at two assailants one they
recognized from the security footage as the weaselly looking man, Hatt, the
other one was similarly dressed but was not the second man who took part in the
abduction.
The
second man was crouching down in a doorway, but Asti hit him three times in
quick succession, arm, shoulder and neck and he slumped against the door dead.
“Ok
fall back to the lift and I’ll cover you” Ambor said and Asti nodded in
response but as soon as Asti made a sprint for the lift Ambor took a Pulsar
strike to the hip, and let out a yell, but she managed to turn as she fell to
the floor so she was still facing the weasel and was able to get off two shots
before Hatt was able to fire again, and they struck him square in the chest,
and with the power of the double strike he was thrown backwards, his face
contorted in agony, and his second shot hit the ceiling, but he was dead before
he hit the floor.
On
hearing Ambor yelp in pain Asti halted her retreat and went back to help her,
and Mal left Merri in the lift to do the same
Merri
had also stepped forward and was watching intently as Mal and Asti got the
stricken Ambor to her feet.
But
just as she began to take another step she felt someone grab her arm.
“Oh
no you don’t” Geloc said and Merri turned to face him and the realization that
he was the abductor spread across her brain and she hit him with a knee strike
to the groin, twice, in quick succession and he crumpled to the floor and
writhed around in the fetal position groaning.
Meanwhile
Malena and Asti were carrying Ambor towards the lift, so she looked down at her
captor and said with contempt
“Have
some dignity you pathetic moron”
Then
Merri stepped on him, even though she didn’t need too to get back in the lift.
As
the lift doors closed Malena opened her comms
“Malena
to Stroller, Malena to Stroller”
“Receiving
Mal” Parse said
“Pick
us up from the basement vehicle park” she said “And tell Terrell to have his
medical kit ready”
“What’s
happened?” he asked, praying that nothing had happened to his beloved
Merionwen
“It’s
Ambor, she has a Pulsar strike on her hip,” Malena said as she looked down at
the stricken Andraxian and the large green sodden stain on her side “she losing
a bit of blood, so quick as you can”
“Ok
we’re on our way” Parse said “Stroller out”
The
Journey down to the basement parking level seemed to take an eternity but in
reality, it took no time at all and when the car came to a stop and the doors
opened the Stroller was just screeching to a halt.
Parse
jumped down from the driver’s seat and ran towards them, resisting the
temptation to hug and kiss Merri he said
“You
drive Shiyne, I’ll take her” and the huge Gouveian scooped the semi-conscious
Ambor up in his arms and ran with her to the Stroller.
When everyone was aboard the Stroller, Malena
said
“Ok let’s move it” so Shiyne floored it and
Terrell began attending to the wound on Ambor’s hip and she winced with pain as
Terrell cut the fabric away.
“How is it?” Malena asked
“Not too bad” Terrell said “it’s a nice clean
wound, but I’d prefer to get her straight to sickbay when we get aboard”
And as they sped towards the space port Merri
cuddled up to Parse and said “I love you Beefy”
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