Jack's Wage Slavery Pt. 01

"I got one better than that. This place made me think of those old movies involving drug smugglers. They used small planes and flew really low to avoid detection. I tapped into the weather imaging satellites and found a thermographic image of this region taken about an hour ago. There is an anomalous heat signature about two hundred miles due west where nothing should be. The streak pattern it made could be the exhaust from a propeller plane. Internal combustion engines give off a lot of heat."

"Where would it land?" Gee asked intensely.

"Only two places along that course and one is owned by the air force so that's not a likely candidate. The other is next to a Gate Shipping Terminus. Where goods are placed in shipping containers for sending through the larger gates at the Los Angeles Gate Terminal."

"THAT'S IT! That's how they are going to get Jack off planet!" Gee yelped and started to run for the personnel carrier. Bal was right behind her and the others quickly caught up. Once they were inside the Major barked out an order to head for Los Angeles at top speed.

"We have a little problem, Major. We've been flying a maximum speed all night so we're going to have to stop to refuel. That means stopping in Baker but they have no rapid recharging stations. It will take thirty minutes to recharge there. We could reach Barstow which does have rapid recharging stations if we didn't use top speed. But we'll lose more time that way."

"FUCK! Get us to Baker!" the Major barked and the carrier lifted immediately. She cursed herself once more for not listening to the Altarian. She wouldn't make that mistake twice. "Ray, get me in touch with the Los Angeles Gate Terminal."

Moments later a face appeared on the screen before Ash. "Los Angeles Gate Terminal, how may I direct your call?"

"This is Major Cha'Risa Ash of Earth's Security Council Force. I'm placing the Commercial section of the Terminal on lockdown. The Altarian Ambassador Jack Danner has been abducted and we believe he is being smuggled off planet through one of the cargo gates."

The man's face showed his shock. "I'll have to contact my supervisor."

"DO IT NOW!" the Major barked. The screen snapped to the hold image of the Terminal buildings at night. A current image. Sappy music played and the Major groaned.

A minute later the image snapped back to the clerk. He looked definitely frazzled. "Uh, I can't locate my supervisor and the Terminal Administrator isn't answering her comm. I don't have access to the codes needed for a lock down!"

"Find them and lock it down! Contact me when it's done!" she growled and hung up.

"Holy fuck! What does it take to light a fire under their asses!" she said incredulously.

"Maybe you could just order an airstrike and set the place on fire," Ray said with a grin.

Chapter 13

Fuck he was hot! Jack struggled to breathe. His head pounded from his repeated experiences with the shock stick but he opened his eyes and saw he was now chained to a metal rack inside a long metal box. It looked like a shipping container. Like the ones they shipped products through the gates to other worlds in. He got a really bad feeling about this.

He was wearing a breathing mask but it was too loose and the scorching temperatures in the container were drying out his lungs. He couldn't snug down the straps on his mask so... he was going to die.

Crap, crap, CRAP!

His head slammed back against the rack and a hand covered the face plate of his mask. The straps were pulled tight and the cool moist air being fed to the mask were a welcome balm for his lungs.

The hand pulled away and he could see a man standing in front of him. He was wearing his own protective mask but he also had a suit to protect his skin. The leather and rhinestones weren't doing much to keep the moisture in Jack's body.

Jack looked closer at the man inside the mask. The scruffy beard was new but he recognized him! "Director Goodson?"

"No, just Goodson now. I no longer work for the agency. You should know that. You've had them hunting for me since... since before you turned into a freak."

"Hey, I'm not badmouthing your crazed lunatic beard... oops." Jack jabbed back.

"As much as I'd like to rip that mask off and watch you shrivel into a sad little raisin, my customer wants you alive and is paying me a great deal of money to deliver you in that state. So for now it's just good night."

"But I'm not sleepy! Tell me a story! You know, the one where you think you're going to get a lot of money for me but really you're just going to end up dead in a gutter on some alien world. Discarded like so much trash."

The man glowered at him but Jack had scored a point. There was real fear in the man's eyes. Fear and doubt. Jack could work with that.

"Seriously, tell me what you're involved in. I may be able to help," Jack ventured.

Goodson scowled and reached up beside the breathing mask. Jack heard a hissing noise and his vision began to go blurry.

"No! Wait..." he started then darkness.

Cold. Jack's mind protested the ping ponging between temperature extremes. A shiver shook through his body and he suddenly needed to vomit. His eyes flashed open and he saw he was still wearing the mask so he fought the nausea with everything he had and barely kept it down.

His body continued to shake but in his weakened state even that was feeble.

He heard voices in the distance, still too far away to recognize words, so he took in his surroundings. Still chained to the rack but no longer in the shipping container. He wasn't sure what that meant.

"I don't understand why I can't deal directly with the client!" argued a voice he recognized, Goodson.

"They don't works without a middlemans. I keeps telling yous" replied a slurring voice Jack didn't recognize. "I verify the products is genuine and yous get paid and leaves. That's how it's done."

Goodson grumbled and opened the door leading into the room where Jack remained on the rack.

They walked in and Goodson reached up and yanked the mask off of Jack's head roughly. He stepped aside so the other being could see Jack clearly.

The short scaled Sinosian stepped forward to peer up at Jack's face. It had pox all over its body and rot had set in. It probably didn't have long to live.

The stench hit Jack and his weakened stomach rebelled. He couldn't hold it back this time so his stomach contents surged up and out, over the face and body of the Sinosian. It screamed in terror as it tripped over its own feet in its haste to escape and fell onto its back.

"YOUS POISONS ME!" it wailed trying to scrape the stuff from its scales.

Goodson watched the Sinosian with amusement. "It's just vomit. He had a reaction to the gas. Don't get so excited!"

The Sinosian went into shock, trembled violently, and died. Goodson stared at it in dismay and just a little panic.

Jack saw movement by the doorway and saw the three cowled figures enter the room.

"Oh fuck." Jack moaned in dread.

"Exactly! Oh fuck! That was my contact!" Goodson growled.

"No. You made a deal with the Allsa Komanae? They don't honor deals. We're both good as dead."

Goodson looked up to see the three cowled figures standing before them.

"Mr. Goodson. You attempted to sell our product to a Sinosian? You tried to double cross us?" said the Allsa Komanae in the center, menacingly.

"No! He said he represented you-"

"LIES!!!" the voice hissed harshly.

"Hold on-"

"Save your breath Goodson. They hired the Sinosian so they could accuse you of cheating them. They probably poisoned the fool so he'd die as they arrived. It's how these bastards operate." Jack growled.

Goodson stared at Jack, the hate in his eyes plain to see.

"Hey, you're the one making deals with the devil. This mess is on you man. You've killed us both." Jack wheezed as his strength ran out. He rested his head back against the rack as he looked at the three, waiting for his death.

"Now wai-" Goodson stepped forward and found himself impaled upon a fine metallic filament. It didn't hurt... until all he felt was pain. Every nerve in his body was screaming in absolute, unending agony. He couldn't even make a sound though his jaw dropped open in a rictus of despair. There was a sudden crackling sound and Goodson toppled onto his back. Jack looked down to see the expression of agony frozen on the man's face, his eyes bright red from the burst blood vessels. Jack shuddered and closed his eyes.

"It's your turn Mr. Danner. Would you like to beg for your life?" the cold voice from the cowl whispered in delight.

"No."

There was a pause. "No?"

"You hold no significance. I no longer see you." Jack decided he'd go out giving his foes one last kick in the balls. He'd learned the Allsa Komanae's greatest obsession was status. Mattering mattered most to them. So, they did not exist. The ultimate insult.

Three almost identical squeals of rage vented from three cowls and went on and on. Yet... he was alive. Interesting.

Middle guy's scream went up another octave as Jack looked away undisturbed by their outburst. The Allsa Komanae began to attack but was quickly knocked to the ground by the others and stomped a few times. His squeals became high pitched plaintive wails and the stomping immediately stopped. A little push and shove ensued between the two still on their feet then the one on the left took center position. The one on the ground picked itself up and took its new position. The new center reached out and touched Jack's throat with a metal rod and Jack's nerves overloaded. As he tumbled into oblivion he worried about the effect these constant shocks might have.

Chapter 14

"What do you mean not ALL shipments are stopped during a lock down! What the hell do you think lock down means!!!" Major Ash yelled at the Terminal Administrator as they questioned her in the main boardroom of the Terminal building. Two police officers stood by the doors waiting to take the Administrator once she'd been questioned.

The clerk they'd spoken to had performed a miracle in locating his supervisor and got the codes for the lockdown. But when the Major arrived at the Terminal they discovered a dozen containers had been sent through the gates to a number of different destinations during the lockdown.

The clerk had grilled his supervisor's secretary and bluffed she would be facing criminal charges for obstructing an order from Earth's Security Council Force if she didn't talk. She caved and told him her boss was having an affair with the Terminal Administrator. Triangulating on the Supervisor's active but muted comm, they'd finally been found in a hotel across the street.

The Major would put in a good word for the clerk to be promoted into the supervisor's position as that position would be opening up very soon as would the Administrator's.

"Containers flagged as medical supplies being rushed to their destination due to medical emergencies like plague outbreaks cannot be delayed," the Administrator insisted.

"Did you verify the destinations have officially registered these emergencies?" Gee asked.

"I don't recognize your authority," the woman belligerently answered the Altarian.

"Answer the question!" the Major yelled.

The woman jumped and looked at the officer. "It's standard policy!"

"Only if the emergency is officially registered, which you must verify. Your policy is suspiciously incomplete." Gee said and received a sour look from the woman.

"Well, even these containers are scanned prior to being shipped through the gate. No one could be inside the containers without being detected. Many have internal environmental conditions no one could survive," she suggested.

"We will need to see these scans for the containers." Gee said to the Major. "If we eliminate them then the Ambassador is likely still on Earth.

The Major gestured for the police to take the Terminal Administrator into their custody. There would be charges filed. At least she would be fired for incompetence. At worst she was looking at time for smuggling.

Once they had the room to themselves Ray flipped on the boardroom's huge display wall. "Here are the scans. Only one of the emergencies was registered. The scan is clean. Medical supplies only. The other eleven went out to planets known for dealing in contraband. Someone in the Terminal may be working for smugglers," Ray said.

"Put a bookmark in that issue for now. Anything anomalous in the scans? Any heat signatures from stowaways?" Ash asked Ray. He frowned and shook his head.

"Silver. Can you detect silver content in the composition of the shipments?" Bal asked.

Ray looked puzzled but ran a search algorithm against the scan values of the containers and one had a large quantity and a second had only a small amount.

"The second one. What was in it and where was it going?"

Ray pulled up the details. "It indicates it was filled with a growth enzymes. Used for manufacturing pharmaceuticals. The interior was kept at close to 170 degrees and almost zero humidity to keep the enzyme dormant. It was shipped to Rehm."

The Altarians froze and glanced at each other in worry.

"Why silver and what's significant about Rehm?" Ray asked.

"Ambassador Danner's horns both contain pure silver in small amounts. Approximately the amount the scan detected. Rehm is a hub world like Earth but with fewer destinations. The Grellians, the Jhan Jnneg, the Dankerel Protocol... and the Allsa Komanae are all direct trade partners with the Rehm." Gee said.

"The Grellians I've heard of and everyone knows about the Allsa Komanae but the other two are new to me," the Major said.

"The Jhan Jnneg are hive mind insectoid race who cannot travel through the gates themselves. No one knows why but their mental link breaks once they cross the threshold of a gate and they become catatonic in a singular state. The theory is their consciousness is somehow bonded to their planet. The Dankerel Protocol don't see any need to leave their world when others can come to them. Only on the rarest occasions will you see one traveling and rarely will it travel for long. No, we don't know why they call themselves that." The question died on Ray's lips.

"The Rehm are facilitators for the others. Their entire society is based on acting as agents for the others. The Grellians are racists and restrict their interactions to their own kind and the Rehm. They do travel through the gates but will only interact with others when they must.

Gee sighed and had a sick look in her eyes. "The only race amongst these who might have an interest in Jack are the Allsa Komanae. He was attacked by one and injured it badly. Its companions stomped it to death. The abduction may be retribution from that event."

Everyone was silent as the words sunk in. If Jack was in the hands of the Allsa Komanae his continued survival was not likely.

"We need to report but first we need to follow the lead to Rehm. Bal and I will go alone. I understand your authority does not extend beyond Earth." Gee said calmly.

The Major looked at the two black Altarians and admired their bravery but she'd be damned if she'd let them step into what could be a trap and was at minimum very hostile territory. Besides, Ambassador Danner might not have been in the hands of the Allsa Komanae if she'd listened to Gee in the first place.

"I'll be going with you as a private citizen to assist in the search and rescue of the Ambassador," she said.

"I will too. Leo and Maxim have always wanted to visit Rehm, right boys?" Nann grinned and the grins they gave her in return were just a little blood thirsty.

"Ray, I need you to find the source of the contract. It's possible Maury Levine grabbed the Ambassador for his own purposes but he handed him off to parties unknown who somehow had connections to get him through the security of a major Gate Terminal. Follow the money. Also, have the local authorities find the transport that got the Ambassador to the Gate Shipping Terminus. Find me evidence of his presence. I'll need that report when we get back," the Major ordered.

Ray breathed a sigh of relief as his tech skills would be useless to them on Rehm. While he was skilled at using his weapons his favorite was his brain. He nodded to his boss and caught Nann's smirk. He flipped her the bird.

"Are we going to be able to get through Rehm's Gate Terminal with our weapons?" Nann asked.

"How much will you need to carry?" Bal asked.

Nann frowned sadly at her rail gun and stepped out of the augmentation suit. She looked to Ray and he linked it to his terminal and walked it over to stand behind him. Maxim handed Nann a slim rifle from the pack at his feet. She took off the barrel and snapped it in place against the stock.

Leo and Maxim both showed their compact assault rifles which matched the one the Major was carrying.

Bal and Gee nodded. "You can carry your ammo in your pockets but we will carry the weapons through. You'll get them back once we are outside the terminal."

The team looked at the two agents in surprise.

Gee and Bal held their hands out for the weapons. The Major was first to hand over her assault rifle which disappeared inside Bal's gown. Nann gave her the slim rifle and that disappeared as well. Bal's gown now only looked a little bit more bulky than before. Gee took Leo and Maxim's weapons and everyone confirmed they had sufficient ammo in their pockets.

They had to move so they nodded to Ray who was already lost inside his digital world and headed to the Commercial Gate Building. The Gates weren't any different than the passenger ones except for size. They ranged from large to huge depending on what was being shipped.

They marched directly up to the Custom's desk. A Tik was operating the cargo gates as these were large enough to allow for military invasion, something the sentient mechanical race would not allow with the Gate Network they administered, managed, and maintained. Tik's resembled large chrome garbage cans except for their sensory bands, metallic, retractable tentacles, and their ability to fly courtesy of their internal antigrav. There was a tense moment when the Tik passed a scan over the two Altarians. It paused before it spoke with the security agents.

"Greeting Gee and Bal! I am Jerrican. What is your destination and purpose of your visit?"

"We are on a search and rescue mission for the Altarian Ambassador Jack Danner who was abducted. We have reason to believe he was smuggled through this terminal in a transport container delivered to Rehm," Gee stated calmly.

"The scans of all recent containers did not register illicit passengers," the Tik responded.

"The container in question had environmental conditions to hide the passengers." Gee held up her comm to show the Tik the ID for the container. "If you scan for silver you will find silver content which is a reasonable match to the silver on his horns," she finished. The Tik interfaced with its terminal using one of its metallic tentacles.

"The silver content and composition is an exact match to the records the Tik have for Jack Danner, born of Earth and resident of Altaria. Good luck in your search. Gate one is being directed for Rehm."

The others relaxed and followed the two Altarians to the huge gate.

"What a relief! I was sure the Tik detected the weapons!" the Major sighed quietly.

"It did. Our gowns do not shield against Tik sensor sweeps." Gee responded just as quietly.

The Major stared at Gee in shock. "Then why-"

"The Tik are the most civilized beings in the Network. While they are mechanical in nature and have lifespans beyond any organic species they value life more highly than any other. That said they are also highly practical and ethical beings who know when to look the other way for the greater good. Our mission is just and righteous. The Tik have recorded Jack Danner's history and while they will not participate they approve of our mission," Gee explained.