Cat and Mouse

[Crash Calestorm 0]

“Arcee, you know better than to engage the enemy alone…” – Optimus Prime, Transformers Prime: Partners (2011)

 

****

Calestorm worked her way through the administrative section of the complex.

 

Most of the Black Kris guards had rushed off in an attempt to quell the uprisings in the Maze, and Cale was unhindered as she made progress. Paired with her as backup, JoNs and Honor-Scar dealt with any freelance mercs hired for extra security while the captain continued onward.

 

The chase took her through connecting offices, access corridors and service junctions; the hallways were well built from concrete and plasti-steel and devoid of decoration, save for the exposed lighting system that hung at intervals along the corridors and cross corridors. According to the ‘acquired’ floor plans, the admin offices surrounded an open cargo area. Successfully employing a pilfered key card, it was easy to unlock any security doors from section to section.

 

And she was unhindered for the most part. She cautiously peeked around the bend of an access junction and about damn near lost an ear as a plasma bolt sizzled past her head, to impact the opposite wall. Cale ducked into an office, moving quickly through the connected rooms, staying low and working around the position of the shooter. A well placed shot rendered the female Andorian guard unconscious and she dropped to the ground. Threat nullified.

 

Her earbud relayed an incoming comm. “Lightwind, this is Felis 2. What is your current position?” It was Honor-Scar pinging her on the encrypted team wireless.

 

She had entered the last office area before the open expanse of a storage and delivery warehouse connected to the administrative sections. The captain pressed a finger lightly to her earbud and responded to the young Cait officer.

 

“Felis Two, Lightwind. According to our grid maps, I’ve entered the final administrative area, just off what looks like shipping and receiving. No sign of Litasha as of yet…” Crash moved cautiously among the desks and cubicles.

 

The silence was shattered when the glass exploded inward from a picture window, sending shards and decorative blinds flying. With a yelp, she reflexively threw herself to the side out of the debris field. With a roar, a male Kzinti* flew into the office through the window and rushed at Calestorm.

 

She managed to make a mental note of the Black Kris Captain of the Guard uniform that he wore before the big cat slammed into her and then she felt nothing.

 

To Be Continued…

 

*Note: The Kzinti are a felinoid (a brown tiger/lynx) species native to the planet Kzin. They appeared in the Star Trek Animated episode “The Slaver Weapon”. The full article can be located at the Star Trek Memory Alpha website.