Illuminae (The Illuminae Files #1)(66)
A trembling breath.
“Jesus, I am scared.”
BOOM.
Grant flinches like someone hit her. Slumps like part of her died as well. She sits for two minutes that seem to last forever. Nothing but the engine noise and screams for company. But finally, she climbs to her knees. Her eyes on the lanyard at McNulty’s equipment belt, the flat strip of blue plastic attached to it. The bold black letters stenciled on it.
UTA MARINES—ALL AREAS ACCESS.
The pass won’t work on the hangar bay doors, but those are already unsealed. And there are countless other doors aboard the Alexander that card will unlock. No need to hack through them with that console at her back anymore. Now she’s got the key.
She unzips McNulty’s hazmat suit, fumbling with the tac vest beneath. With bloodstained fingers, she snaps the chain at his throat, drawing out a pair of flat metal disks marked with name, rank, UTA ID number. Slipping the dogtags into her pack, she bows her head.
The rage is back now. Her voice is shaking with it.
“I’ll tell them, Jimmy,” she says. “I’ll tell them all.”
And then the console in her backpack starts to ping.
Mason, E, LT 2nd: kady
Mason, E, LT 2nd: f*ck me
Mason, E, LT 2nd: kady u there?
ByteMe: hang on
ByteMe: kk. what’s up? u moving?
Mason, E, LT 2nd: no. well sort of. deeper into the server cluster
Mason, E, LT 2nd: jesus
Mason, E, LT 2nd: kady i just killed someone
ByteMe: good
ByteMe: anyone else tries anything, u kill them too, got it?
ByteMe: they’re not them anymore
Mason, E, LT 2nd: yeah i know
Mason, E, LT 2nd: just
Mason, E, LT 2nd: god
Mason, E, LT 2nd: he came in through the airvents. dunno how he found me. UTA marine. guy named Sykes.
Mason, E, LT 2nd: i think Jimmy knew him, used to talk about a guy in his squad called Syko
ByteMe: i’m sorry
ByteMe: i found jimmy, Ez. i’m so sorry.
Mason, E, LT 2nd: god is he ok?
ByteMe: he died, Ez.
ByteMe: he did it himself, before the sickness got him, once he knew it was on the way
ByteMe: he left a message. i’m so sorry, i know he was your friend.
Mason, E, LT 2nd: …
Mason, E, LT 2nd: jimmy
ByteMe: i’m sorry. i have to keep moving.
ByteMe: i have his access pass, i’ll be faster now
Mason, E, LT 2nd: ok
Mason, E, LT 2nd: yeah ok
ByteMe: r u ok holed up where u r?
Mason, E, LT 2nd: core server rooms. i’m out of bullets
Mason, E, LT 2nd: no spare mag. no munitions locker in here
Mason, E, LT 2nd: i’d kill for another gun. pun intended, i guess …
ByteMe: that’s ironic
Mason, E, LT 2nd: ?
ByteMe: i have one right here and no idea how to use it
ByteMe: i think these are bullets tho
Mason, E, LT 2nd: a gun? wat kind? pistol? rifle?
ByteMe: r pistols the ones u hold in ur hand? like smaller?
ByteMe: there’s one of those and a big one too, but couldn’t lift that for long
Mason, E, LT 2nd: ya, pistol is the one that fits in one hand. take that
Mason, E, LT 2nd: but u need the rifle too. it should have a strap to help carry it. pistols dont’ have the stopping power. these crazies just keep coming until they can’t move anymore.
Mason, E, LT 2nd: but a couple of VK rounds in the chest will stop a glaciosaur
ByteMe: Ez i’m already lugging this biosuit plus my pack plus my tablet, can’t haul 2 guns i don’t even know how to fire with me.
ByteMe: take ur point they’d be useful if i knew how but i don’t
Mason, E, LT 2nd: i can teach
Mason, E, LT 2nd: it’s easy
ByteMe: must be, u learned
Mason, E, LT 2nd: D:
ByteMe: seriously tho i have to keep moving, don’t have forever.
Mason, E, LT 2nd: ok, safety is red switch under your thumb when ur hand is on the grip. just keep that off, and keep the business end away from your face
Mason, E, LT 2nd: when you touch trigger, laser sight will light up on barrel. you just point the red dot where u want the bullets to go
Mason, E, LT 2nd: then squeeze
Mason, E, LT 2nd: don’t pull. squeeze.
Mason, E, LT 2nd: rounds will fire in atmo or vacuum, but even with liquid casings, the recoil is rough on a VK. brace against ur shoulder. the gun will pull up toward the roof when u fire, so use short bursts. don’t hold trigger down. just pop pop pop, one at a time
ByteMe: do either of us think i have any chance of remembering this if something tries to kill me?
ByteMe: i don’t even know if i could shoot
Mason, E, LT 2nd: it’s easy
Mason, E, LT 2nd: point red dot at what u want to die
Mason, E, LT 2nd: squeeze trigger
Mason, E, LT 2nd: it dies
Mason, E, LT 2nd: repeat
ByteMe: i mean i don’t know if i could pull the trigger
ByteMe: squeeze the trigger
ByteMe: f*ck it whatever.
Mason, E, LT 2nd: kady
Mason, E, LT 2nd: u can do this
Mason, E, LT 2nd: u have to. there’s no one else but you
Mason, E, LT 2nd: i believe in you
ByteMe: i know
ByteMe: i know
ByteMe: ok i have to keep moving