Christopher Nuttall - A Learning Experience

“Teleport her out,” Mongo urged. “Then the SEALs can take the vessel in peace.”

Steve checked the interface, then shook his head. There was just too much metal and electronic interference to allow a successful teleport. Mariko wouldn’t thank him if she rematerialised with her head sticking out of her ass… and that was only if she was lucky, he knew. Most teleport accidents, according to the files, were instantly lethal and there was rarely a body to bury. The quantum uncertainty principle would see to it.

“We need to stun them all, then board the ship,” he said. “The SEALs can have her afterwards.”

He stood up. “And I’ll be leading the mission in person,” he said. At least they had a strike team on alert, composed of a handful of augmented soldiers. “I will not…”

“Steve,” Mongo said, sharply, “you shouldn’t be leading the mission. You shouldn’t even be there. You’re far too personally involved.”

Steve glowered at him. “And would you be happy if Jayne was on that ship and you had to remain behind?”

“No,” Mongo said. “But I’d accept it.”

He pushed Steve back into his chair, then headed towards the hatch. “I won’t let her get hurt,” he said. “And we will get her back to you. Just get ready to stun her captors upon command.”

Steve nodded, reluctantly.

Alannah Theodori stood on the deck and watched America fading into the distance. She hadn’t been sure what to expect of her first voyage across the ocean, but she had to admit she enjoyed it despite the cramped working conditions and the sometimes crude language of the older sailors. But then, she knew there were only handful of jobs in the shipping industry and she was incredibly lucky to get this job. Besides, it was a stepping stone to greater things.

She took a breath, tasting the sea air, then turned to head down to the hatch. As always, there was no shortage of work for the crew, even when they were miles away from land. Her duties weren’t difficult, but they were tedious and her supervisor got very snippy whenever she and her fellow crewmates got bored and started to play with their smartphones instead of working. But she couldn’t blame him for that, not really. They had to keep everything shipshape onboard ship — he made the pathetic joke at least once a day — and slackness would be a grave mistake.

A funny feeling flickered through the air, as if they were about to be struck by lightning. She looked up and saw a strange silver light appear along the deck, rapidly growing into the shape of a man. No, several men. She stared, unable to quite believe what she was seeing, as the man came into view, all wearing black uniforms and carrying strange-looking weapons. And then one of them pointed a weapon at her…

There was a flash of blue-white light and everything went black.

Mongo watched the girl fall, then keyed his communicator. “Have you got them?”

“Stunned them all,” Steve said. The tiny drones could stun as well as kill, thankfully, even though it had never been tested in combat. “Hurry up.”

Mongo nodded, then rapidly issued orders to his men. One group would secure the bridge, the other would go after the armed guards, then the hold. Anyone they encountered would be stunned without warning. Stunners had one definite advantage over automatic weapons; they could be used without fear of accidentally killing an innocent person. The safest course of action was to stun everyone on the ship, then transport them all back to shore and sort them out with the help of lie detectors and truth drugs. Afterwards, the innocent would be released and paid compensation, while the guilty went to the moon.

The six guards — or terrorists — didn’t have the faintest idea the assault team was there until it was far too late. Mongo wasn’t particularly surprised; if they’d hoped to hide their true nature from the crew, they wouldn’t have been patrolling the decks in full armour this close to the United States. They threw a stun grenade into the room, then followed up as the terrorists dropped to the deck. Mongo checked them rapidly, then marked them down for later attention and moved down towards the hold. Unsurprisingly, the hatch was locked. A quick burst from his alien-designed weapon burned right through it.

It wasn’t the first container ship he’d searched, but it was the first he’d actually known where to look for something. Deliberately or otherwise, the terrorists had placed their container on the second level, making it very hard to search. Mongo, undeterred, organised a set of ladders, then burned his way into the container. Inside, the air already smelt rank. He couldn’t help wondering just how the terrorists had intended to endure at least two weeks of an increasingly foul stench.

They’ve probably been in worse , he thought. Back in Basic Training, he’d been pretty rank too. And he’d crawled through sewage in Iraq. It was astonishing, he knew, just what one could get used to if there was no choice. And Mariko wouldn’t have been offered one .

He released the girl and carefully lowered her out of the container, back to the deck. Behind him, his team grabbed the three terrorists and moved them out too, using rather less care with their bodies. Mongo snapped at one of them who deliberately banged a terrorist head against the deck. He understood the impulse to just hurt the dishonourable bastards, but they needed evidence. Besides, it was unlikely that lunar courts would show any mercy to the fuckers.

“Steve, we got her,” he said, as he carried the girl back up to the deck. “Can you get a lock on her now?”

“Yes,” Steve said. “Are you coming up too?”

“Not yet,” Mongo said. In the distance, he could see a pair of Stealth Hawks flying towards the ship. Seal Team Six would no doubt be outraged that the crew had already been stunned, leaving them with nothing more than clear-up duties, but it hardly mattered. Once the ship was taken into a naval port, the SEALs would have plenty to do. “Let me hand the ship over to the newcomers first.”

He would never admit it, certainly not to the SEALs themselves, but they had always impressed him. Perhaps he would have considered trying to transfer if it had been possible, yet there were no guarantees. Outside cross-training, he would have had to enlist in the Navy and work his way through training a second time. And he’d been reluctant to do anything of the sort after Steve had left the military.

The SEALs dropped down from the helicopter and looked around, weapons at the ready. It was hard to tell — their faces were hidden behind masks — but they seemed to be rather surprised at the sight before them. Mongo grinned, then saluted the team leader. After a moment, the SEAL returned the salute.

“Everyone on the vessel is stunned,” he said. “We’ll be taking the terrorists with us, but everyone else should be treated gently. Most of them were not aware of any wrongdoing on this vessel.”

“Understood,” the SEAL said, gruffly.

Mongo nodded, picked up Mariko and triggered the teleporter. The world vanished in a shimmer of silver-white light.

“Is she going to be all right?”

“Physically, I believe so,” the medic said. He’d been in the French Foreign Legion before retiring and then applying to join the lunar settlement and he still had a faint French accent. “Mentally… it is always questionable after such a shock.”

“I know,” Steve muttered. Mariko had been scanned, intensely, using alien technology. She had suffered no physical damage, apart from a handful of bumps and bruises. Mercifully, she hadn’t been molested or raped. “Can you wake her up?”