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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