Free Rebel Lexis by Paul Alan Page A

be done on your activities and you’ll pay the ultimate price for failure.”
    “Fine but you better hope I succeed!” Learner said plaintively before disconnecting his communicator.
     
    The sling supporting Learner’s injury only made walking through the entryway of the Tactical Communication Pod difficult. Squeezing through the tight space leading to where Mitchell worked, he flinched from the pain after bumping his elbow into one the many rows of computer and communications equipment towers. The dingy room was darkly brown in color, and covered in dust. Equipment faceplates danced in spectral lights of red and green wavelengths. Speakers popped, hissed, and clicked, in a symphonic madness of harmonic squelches as they continually frequency hopped. The old equipment continually struggled to hack into Polaris satellites and off world communications networks. 
    Compared to the sophisticated onboard equipment of the Chameleon, there was no match. The outdated equipment was many generations older, and could easily be defeated by Polaris spoofing; at least that is what the Security Specialist at the Polaris Corporation liked to believe. However, Mitchell Thacker, a certifiable genius, overhauled the entire Vril network, modifying their antiquated equipment to predict, with modest results, the encoded frequency changes before they occurred. This would allow them a window into all secured transmissions.
     
    “How are you feeling Mitchell?” Learner asked the injured man who now reclined in a chair.
    “Better now that I have painkillers coursing through my veins, but it hurts when I move,” he said while thinking about the well-placed kick Jason Bjorn’s SYN put to his chest, cracking a hairline fracture to his sternum.
    “Just take it easy…however, don’t take too many pills…I’m going to need your help tracking Bjorn.”
     
    Sitting behind a set of keyboards, Learner began his request for men, and specific equipment. He also needed iOSAT Potassium Iodine because their medical kit was out from the constant use. iOSAT Potassium Iodine was used to counteract mild radiation poisoning, and Learner suspected he might have been exposed when left lying unconscious in the early morning Sun.
     
    “Tracking down Jason Bjorn won’t be easy, Mitchell,” Learner said while trying to rub away the pain in his temples; he was suffering from a mild concussion too. “That bitch, throwing me around like I was some piece of trash…and what did she mean, I am an insignificant bug?” Learner wasn’t really thinking straight. His memory of being assaulted by Sofia only angered him, flummoxing his train of thought.
    “The Fissure Point Pipe is not a viable option for him…so I am calculating possible routes to the nearest Polaris Portico,” said Mitchell in a wobbly voice.
    Feeling the effects of radiation poisoning, Learner turned and vomited into a trashcan. After wiping his chin, he responded in a guttural voice, “We’ll need to block all egress points, that’s for sure.”
    “Sir, we need to get you to a de-particle emission unit.”
    “I have ordered a portable unit from the Devonian Enclave, including an Emergency Medical Staff to administer DNA reactive agents to heal our injuries. They should be here within the hour…”
    “Where are you getting the funds for all this, sir?” asked Mitchell. It was obvious he did not hear the conversation Learner just had outside with the Vril superior.
    “Don’t you worry about the small stuff, Mitchell, you just stay on top of the analytical and technological aspects of what we’re doing. Just be ready to haul ass, because as soon as we get treated, we’ll be heading towards the Pacific Pipe Portico but fast.”
     
     
     
     

E ND A ROUND
     
    Sofia sprayed a mild disinfectant across the stub of her shoulder, including what looked like bone. However, synthetic people are designed to look more human than they actually are in tissue biochemistry and make-up. Although,