Countdown by John Walker (most life changing books TXT) 📕

Turning toward the station again, he goosed the thrusters to bring himself close without slamming into it. As he made contact, he sidled his way to the outer door of maintenance access. The panel outside was old enough that hacking it wouldn’t be a problem. He tapped at his computer, going through nearly a hundred passwords before the light turned green.

The door slid upward. Vic crawled in then tapped the panel to close it up. The small chamber pressurized. He slipped out of his suit before moving to the next door. A window gave him a reasonable view of a hallway. It was dark… all the lights were out but some dim LEDs provided illumination on the floor.

Vic tapped the panel, drawing his pistol. He slipped into the hallway, taking a left. They mapped the station easily enough. It had been a standard model. Providing the people living there kept the parts in a logical place, he knew precisely where he was going. It was just a matter of navigating two floors to get there.

“Attention,” a woman’s voice sounded over the intercom. Vic’s stomach tightened. “New vessel on docking approach. Grab your gear to give them your kind of welcome. You know what to do.”

Son of a bitch! Vic cursed. He’d hoped they were being assholes by sneaking in. I wonder who these pricks are. I’ll bet they screwed up the buoy… then lured people in to steal their shit. He checked his scanner. There still didn’t appear to be any ships onboard. Which means they’ve got people who come check on them.

“Borden,” Vic broke comm silence. “Don’t bother to dock. They’re going to try to hijack the ship. I think they’re pirates or raiders… someone who basically stole this place from the Gold Empire.”

“Why the hell did they send us here, dammit?” Borden grunted. “Can you get out of there?”

Vic glanced over his shoulder. He already got a decent way into the place. Glancing at the computer showed two red dots converging on the maintenance access he’d used to enter.

“No, they’re checking out the place I came in through.”

“I’ve got to dock then,” Borden said, “or you aren’t getting out of there. Hurry up. You know which one to get to.”

“I’ll be running into a welcoming committee,” Vic replied. “That’s not going to work.”

“Hm.” Borden paused. “Get to their reactor. Set it to overload. They’ll have to commit people to stop it. Then you can make a break for it.”

Vic considered the plan. The reactor itself was only two stories down. He’d have to get four back up to the docking clamp where Borden would be. He figured it might just be possible. And if this place blows up, so be it. The Gold Empire won’t be able to take it back for a while.

“I’ll see what I can do,” Vic said, “stall them as long as you can though. I need a few minutes.” He picked up the pace, running for the nearest ladder heading down.

The access panel was security locked. He had to hack through it the same as the one on the outside. Every password that failed made him more anxious, wearing on his nerves. When it finally beeped, he winced at the sound. Slipping in, he started down. Footsteps above him made him pause.

Vic clung to the ladder, holding his breath as two people moved by.

“They have to be around here,” one man said. “Scans show him around here.”

“There’s no way he went in the maintenance tunnels, right?”

“They’re locked, asshole.” Guy one slapped his buddy. “Use your head! No one’s hacking into those. We can’t even figure them out.”

“Maybe he took the elevator then. We’d better check.”

“Alright. Hurry up.” They moved off.

Vic let out a breath, descending the rest of the way. He checked his scanner for the new floor. There were four people in the technical center, possibly technicians though he doubted that’s all. He drew his pistol in his right hand, a knife in the left before slipping out of the maintenance tunnel.

The hallway curved around in a perfect loop. Four doors should’ve led to his destination. He moved to the one furthest from the four men who seemed to be congregating around a particular terminal. Tapping the panel, the door opened.

Vic burst in, firing his weapon. Two men went down before they even had the chance to look. One dove for cover. The other dashed to the right, avoiding three shots before he got behind a console. They started shouting at one another, incoherent gibberish that may have been a strange form of battle language.

Moving toward the guy who hit the floor, Vic hustled across the floor. If they had weapons, he figured they would’ve already opened fire. He got to the point where his opponent hit the floor, rounding the corner.

A blow to the face took him off guard. This guy has nerves of steel! Vic swiped his blade, a lateral cut that sliced through the man’s clothes. The blow brought out a hiss though it didn’t seem to do enough damage to end the fight.

Another punch came at him. This time, Vic faded out of the way, lifting the gun to finish it. A heavy blow to his wrist knocked it aside but miraculously, he maintained his grip on the weapon.

Vic tossed a kick, connecting with the man’s gut. That drove his opponent back far enough to bring the gun back into play. He blasted his target three times before taking cover behind the console.

A strange hum burst in the room. The console burst into sparks and flames, both of which showered down on him. Vic moved back the way he came, glancing out at the final guy. He carried some kind of laser drill, a tool that probably didn’t belong near the reactor. They made eye contact.

Vic lifted