Star Trek: The Adventures of Argus

Nuclear Time

Chapter 11

Lisley pulled her tricorder from her belt, keyed in the commands as she had done seven times before and held it to the electronic lock of her final building. After a moment she heard a quick click. She reached for the handle, carefully pulling it down and pushing the door ajar. Satisfied she hadn’t drawn any attention in one fluid movement she pushed it enough for her to enter and then returned it to the same slightly ajar position. Again checking that she hadn’t been spotted she clicked the door closed.

The inside of the Nissan hut was pitch-black and it took Lisley’s eyes a moment to compensate. Fortunately, the layout was simple and by now she knew it by heart. The entrance led to a short corridor with three doors. The door opposite the entrance at the far end of the corridor led to the dormitory where the conscripts slept their drug-induced sleep. To the left the door opened into the washroom, showers and toilets. The door Lisley was interested in was on the right. Once this room would have contained the squad commander’s cot, but it had long since been converted to house the automatic drug dispenser that controlled the consciousness of the conscripts.

Lisley pulled out her tricorder again and scanned the dispenser. The machine was designed to be controlled remotely but each one contained its own supply of gas; anesthizine to make the conscripts sleep and polyadrenaline to wake them. She quickly disabled the remote access to the machine, installing a subroutine that would relay false data back to the controller. She then disconnected the polyadrenaline supply and reprogrammed the machine to dispense a large dose of anesthizine that would leave the conscript unconscious for the next two days. She set the timer for 30 seconds and headed for the door.

Returning to the hut’s entrance, she again pulled the door ajar and checked the immediate area. Satisfied the coast was clear she exited the building and quietly closed the door, before locking again with her tricorder. Finally, she pulled her phaser and used a narrow beam to weld the door shut. Satisfied with her work, she started to make her way towards the rendezvous point using the shadows for cover.

She made it as far as the second hut when the rifle butt slammed into the side of her head and the world went dark as she collapsed to the floor.

 

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