Deathstalker 06 - Deathstalker Legacy

strip the guard of his uniform, switch clothes, and then reprogram his holo face to duplicate the guard's features. It would have helped if the clothes hadn't been at least three sizes too large, but he couldn't have everything.
    Lewis dragged the unconscious body, in its frankly appalling underwear, into the side room, locked the
    door, and then set off again, walking openly now through the corridors. He nodded calmly to other guards he passed, as he moved up from floor to floor, and they nodded back. Lewis couldn't risk using his own voice, so he just nodded and grunted, and mostly the other guards just grunted and nodded back. Until finally, on the fifth floor, Lewis ran into two guards in modern uniforms, watching over the old steel gates that blocked off Traitor's Wing from the rest of the Tower. They were wearing full body armor, and carrying energy guns as well as swords. They were playing cards on a folding table, but they both looked up immediately as Lewis headed unhurriedly towards them. One of the guards stood up, and stepped away from the card table to block Lewis's way, one hand resting on the gun at his hip.
    "That's far enough. You know you historicals aren't allowed anywhere near the Wing tonight. Give me the password, and then piss off out of it."
    "Right," growled the other guard. "How many times do we have to tell you people? We don't care how many years you've been making your rounds, or how historically significant it is; tonight the Wing is off limits. And if you've forgotten the password as well, I'm going to give you a serious slap, just for annoying me. Password!"
    Lewis went as though to answer, and then broke off and coughed harshly, as though bothered by something in his throat. He tried again, and coughed even more horribly. He kept walking towards the waiting guards, gesturing helplessly, and the one who'd stood up sighed heavily and came forward to meet him. Lewis coughed even harder, making a big deal of the hacking and spitting, until the guard was in range, and then Lewis straightened up and punched the man right between the eyes.
    Unfortunately, although the man stumbled backwards, making loud sounds of distress, he didn't go down. Lewis jumped him, tore the gun from its holster and threw it aside. The other guard watched open-mouthed, and then started to rise from his seat. Lewis was still grappling with the first guard, who turned out to be strong and fast and a bloody good fighter. Lewis supposed he should have known they wouldn't choose just anyone to guard Jesamine.
    He ducked a clawed hand heading for his eyes, and hit the guard hard under the sternum. All the color went out of the man's face, and his legs buckled. The other guard was dancing around them, gun in hand, shouting and cursing and trying to get a bead on Lewis. So Lewis threw the first guard at him. The two of them went down with a satisfyingly loud thud, the second guard pinned under the first. Lewis stepped forward and kicked the gun out of the second guards hand, and then had to fall backwards as the second guard pushed the first off him, and surged to his feet again. He went straight for Lewis, who spun around and hit the man right in the forehead with a vicious back elbow. The second guard went down as though someone had kicked his feet out from under him. He lay still, twitching a bit, while Lewis walked around in little circles for a while, cursing and holding his elbow, which hurt like hell. Always go for the soft spots.
    You'd think he'd know that by now.
    He glared around him, breathing hard. He had to work fast. Unless the other guards were all asleep in the control room, someone had to have seen the two guards going down, even if they couldn't see him.
    He searched the two unconscious guards, and found the old steel key that opened the steel gates. He pushed them open and ran into Traitor's Wing, calling out Jesamine's name. He could still get them both out, if they moved fast. Only one cell had been opened, for the Wing's first actual prisoner in centuries, but when Lewis got there, Jesamine wasn't there. They must have moved her.
    And then alarms went off everywhere at once, loud and piercing, and there was no longer any need for secrecy or stealth. The bait had been snatched away, and the trap was sprung. Lewis spun around, snarling, gun in hand. Whatever happened, he wasn't going to be taken prisoner. No show trial, and public disgrace for his family. He ran back down the corridor, past the steel