Outsystem (Aeon 14) Read Free

they blow the Dawn’s engines they’ll make a pretty big boom. There’s a D2 fueling station about a half klick away. That would go up for sure and it could take out the Intrepid . > Angela’s thoughts were clipped. Tanis could tell the net fight against the viral attack must be consuming much of her attention.
    
    
    Tanis ignored the jibe. The engines were in the other direction and Tanis pulled up the ship’s layout on her HUD, determining the best route aft. If she cut through the galley she could get to the engineering section via service areas and avoid the section closer to the boarding hatch and destroyed umbilicals.
    Tanis turned, moving back down the corridor. After a hundred meters it ended in a three-way intersection. She eased around the corner, checking for hostiles when the deck shuddered beneath her feet. Her footing slipped and her head jerked out into the intersection, fully exposed.
    “Hey! Stop!” The call came from her left.
    Tanis berated herself for not deploying nanoprobes to scout ahead. Normally Angela covered that, but with her AI battling the virus that was trying to take control of the ship it was up to Tanis to manage the nanoprobes.
    She spared a glance at the man who had called out before pulling her head back. He stood just over twenty meters away, raising his rifle to fire.
    “Whatever happened to letting me halt?” Tanis muttered as she pulled back out of sight. She pressed herself against the bulkhead as two bursts of energy lanced through the space where her head had been moments before. Two black patches of melted plas steamed across the corridor from her, making certain she knew just how close the brush with death had been.
    The shots were followed by a string of curses and the pounding of heavy boots. A quick listen told her he was running at full speed. When he had to be within three meters of the junction she crouched and launched herself across the intersection, firing her pulse pistol at him.
    He wore light body armor, and though the shots stunned him, he shrugged off the effect in moments and let loose his own series of blasts. Tanis scampered back across the intersection and resumed her place against the wall. She waited, hearing his heavy breathing just around the bend; neither person wanting to make the first move.
    “Get out here you bitch, I’ll make it quick.”
    Tanis looked at the conduits above her and as quietly as possible leapt up and wrapped her arms around one. “I think it’s your turn to stick your head into the line of fire.”
    He cursed her again and when she didn’t respond the nose of his rifle edged around the corner firing wildly. Tanis had pulled her feet up and though the shots missed her, she let out a pained scream.
    With a laugh her attacker strode into view, eyes downturned, looking for her body. Tanis dropped her legs around his head and clamped her knees as hard as she could. The man reached up and wrapped cybernetically enhanced hands around her thighs. She gritted her teeth against the pain, but didn’t let go, twisting as hard as she could in an attempt to break his neck.
    It refused to snap, most likely modified in some way. Tanis resorted to plan B and drove her lightwand through his right eye, trying to angle up into his brain.
    The man bellowed in agony and let go of Tanis as he collapsed to the floor. She landed lightly a pace away from him as he pulled the lightwand out and clamped both hands over his ruined eye.
    “Yagh… you bitch!” He screamed, trying to get up. Tanis calmly set her pulse pistol to stun and fired several shots point blank at his chest.
     Angela asked about the man’s