Chapter 31: Sneak

Tocarris looked at a screen filled with data on human beings. Over the past few months, as she was headed to Earth, she had been looking at data on what humans and other life on Earth were like. Her assignment was to remove humans from the planet, and it was difficult to think of how to do so without destroying other parts of the planet. Of course, the natural landscapes and wildlife had to be preserved in the process because PVC would exhibit them to tourists, sightseers, vacationers, and other customers, so she couldn’t just hurl a giant rock and destroy the surface of the planet.

Doing this task was about as difficult as selecting and destroying cancer cells without harming the rest of the body. Such selection on an individual level, without causing panic among the humans that would result in them preparing against and hiding from them, was impractical on a scale of fifteen billion people. A solution had to destroy them all in one go. It had to be a surprise attack of some sort. It was a difficult problem indeed.

Tocarris sat down and sighed. How was she, a microbiologist, going to handle all this data and find a way to cause a mass extinction? She was hardly qualified for this role. What was PVC thinking, hiring me for this job? Did they just want someone they could trust? No…

She thought about why she was chosen for the job for some time. Suddenly, she got up. She’d realized the reason why. By hiring her, PVC was suggesting a solution to the problem: one that was on a microscopic level. Tocarris started thinking. Something that can secretly enter the human body and somehow kill them. It was certainly possible. A Microbot? No, maybe a bacterium?

Tocarris started jotting down ideas. She now had an idea of what she had to do.

* * *

Cadonif and Geenud sneaked down the long, broad complex of interwoven corridors in the massive spaceport building. Staff members transported carts full of goods through the facility and guards patrolled the hallways. It was well-lit, and it felt like the inside of a world-class hospital, except with only guards instead of patients, doctors, and nurses.

Every few yards or so, Cadonif and Geenud would have to bolt and hide behind a corner or swiftly retreat into a vacant room at the sight of people walking down the hallways, afraid they would be asked for identification. Fortunately, security cameras weren’t very popular in the galaxy as they were undeveloped and expensive. Some technologies were not as advanced as on Earth, and the contrary was also true.

“I’m surprised by the lack of guards,” Cadonif commented quietly.

“As am I,” Geenud agreed.

Considering this was a rare facility operated by the cautious and fierce government, and that this was a poor planet known for crimes like burglary, one would expect that they would take more precautions.

“However, it may be attributed to the fact that the entrance and route that we have chosen are less traversed upon. Whatever the reason for this, do not allow this to distract us,” Geenud advised, tired from sprinting through the hallways. “From my memorization of the great philosopher and strategist Hoe Hovenknifraz’s teachings, we must be steadfast on our objective, despite any vicissitudes and unforeseen circumstances.”

“That sounds like you took it out of context! How do you know it applies here?! Shouldn’t we be cautious?”

“You may indeed be correct. He said this while gambling, and lost most of his wealth subsequently.”

“See?! Process the information you memorize!” Cadonif’s voice rose to a quiet yell. Realizing this, he quickly turned it back down.

“Hmmm… Even so, it does not appear that we have the scope in our plan to handle or prepare now for any sudden changes in circumstance. It is simply that difficult to enter this facility. Stay focused on our first objective.”

Cadonif remembered the plan he and Geenud had formulated a few days prior:

“Once we get inside, we’ll look too conspicuous,” he’d told Geenud. “That’s why we’ll need guard uniforms to blend in. Then, we’d be able to easily make our way onto the runway without anyone stopping us.”

While Geenud had an excellent memory, Cadonif was known for his ability to understand situations and think. It was why he had been chosen to form and execute the plan.

“Understood,” Geenud had replied. “Then our first priority shall be to procure the uniforms. However, they are not available on the market. They are not among the list of items being sold that I have memorized.”

“Of course not! But see here.” Cadonif pointed to a spot on the blueprint of the spaceport’s main building.

“I see… Then that shall be our first destination.”

Now, the two ran to their first destination—step one of their plan.

A ship cargo-loader turned a corner and became visible. The two immediately changed course and hid behind a doorway, hugging the wall and having lost count of the number of near-heart attacks they’d had so far.

“How much further?” Cadonif asked quietly after the person had passed by.

“The destination is certainly around the oncoming corner, according to the blueprints that I have memorized.” Geenud visualized their location in the building at all times, preventing them from getting lost.

The two stopped in front of a door that read ‘Guard changing room’. Stepping inside, the lights turned on automatically as a thermal sensor picked up their presence. Opposite to them was a long clothing rack hanging from which were fifty-one fresh-looking guard uniforms. There was no one present—Geenud had made sure there was no shift-changing happening in the Guards’ schedule by the time they arrived by watching the flow of guards at the gate throughout the day beforehand.

This room was where guards could change if they wanted to don their uniform when they came to work and also where the excess uniforms were stored. Now, the two could disguise themselves as guards.

After changing, Cadonif said: “Wow, this plan is going smoothly. I can’t believe the spaceport has such exploitable flaws in their security!”

“Like I always say: ‘Even minute falters in security lead to solemn hindsight’,” Cadonif responded.

“Since when have you said that?!”

“Recently. In fact, I said it only fifty-one days ago.”

“You memorized that too?!? And how is that recent?!”

“There is no defined quantity of time within the boundaries of which an event would be considered to have taken place ‘recently’, is there?”

“Oh, forget it!”

It was now time for the second step of their plan: to go through the Dock to reach the spaceship onto which their target was being loaded.

The two tried their best to stride the halls with confidence and act as if they were guards, but they weren’t the best actors and they were extremely nervous. Guilt affects actions; it causes hesitation.

They passed a pair of guards. The guards looked big and tough. They were clearly from another planet and well-trained, unlike the guard posted outside who was in charge of regulation and light inspection of the influx and outflux of goods. These ones were ready to detain any persons who were there illegally and easily could.

The guards turned and glared down at them. The wimpy intruders held their position with much will and effort. They wouldn’t act weak.

“I’ve never seen you two around. Which unit are you with?” one of them demanded.

Geenud couldn’t handle the pressure. He seemed to be so scared that his ordinarily robust vocabulary was deteriorating. He melted like ice under the hot sun: “We… new… work outside…” he breathed. He attempted to form a story based on information that he knew. The guards posted inside the building, those at the gates, and those on the Dock were rarely in contact with one another. They could use that excuse.

Cadonif, thankfully knowing his lifetime best friend well and being quick to understand situations, put together what he was trying to say. “What my friend means to say is that we’re relatively new to the job. We’re actually posted outside, at the Dock.” He used his persuasion power to make the guards perceive it as more believable. “We came inside here to, uh…” he didn’t want to restrict the story to something he didn’t know about. “—to use the restroom.” He wanted to punch himself.

“What happened to the ones outside?”

“They’re… uh, under maintenance,” he restricted the story.

“Wait,” the other guard spoke this time. “You two go to the bathroom together?”

The persuasion power made something more believable and made people want to do what Cadonif told of them, but when something was unbelievable, a person’s intuition or will could break through it.

“Uh…”

Cadonif looked at Geenud. Neither could think of anything on the spot. Cadonif tried to improvise.

He sighed. “Actually, that was a lie. We were actually called by our boss for breaking some cargo.”

“Mrosterro,” Geenud said.

He’d memorized all the staff members’ names as well, and spoke of a boss of an outdoor unit. There were three divisions of guards: ones in the Dock to ensure proper cargo facilitation, at the gate for intimidation, accounting, and surface-level inspection, and in the building for inspection of cargo in-depth and of staff.

“Our unit’s leader is Mrosterro,” Cadonif explained, going off of Geenud’s hint. “It was too embarrassing. We’re new and didn’t want the word to leak or our reputation would be ruined. Sorry.”

“Ah, whatever,” one guard sighed as the other snickered. “We won’t tell anyone. Don’t worry.” He shooed the matter off.

The two left Cadonif and Geenud.

“I can’t believe they’re hiring Sartoogians inside the complex too now,” Cadonif heard one say to the other. “They’re already making mistakes and breaking stuff. What are the managers thinking?”

“You think someday, we’ll be replaced too? By someone cheap and incompetent guys?” the other said, concerned. Their voices faded away.

As soon as they lost sight, Cadonif and Geenud fell on the floor and sighed with relief.

After a small break to reduce their stress and dry off sweat, they got up and continued their journey, eventually reaching an exit double door to the building which also served as an entrance to a massive, outdoor spaceship launch-way area: the Dock. They were nearly at their objective.

Through the doors’ windows, they could see that, although there were plenty of floodlights in the expansive area, it was still quite dark under the twin orange and red Sartoogian moons and it would be difficult to inspect a person’s face at a glance—an advantage for the two of them. The ‘platform’, or road, extended for miles, and about a hundred spacecraft of various sizes were stationary and spaced out by a few dozen yards with hundreds of crew members busily loading and unloading cargo. Guards were spread out and patrolled the area.

“Alright, Geenud. This is it. We’re on time. You remember which area the target ship is being loaded in, right?”

Geenud nodded. “Of course.”

“Then let’s go.”

Cadonif opened the door and took a step outside. Suddenly, a deafening sound blared.