"Jack has a plan," Draycos said, hoping it was true. "But I need to locate the weapon. I think I know where it is, but it'll be faster if you can carry me part of the way."
"Okay," Langston said. "You ready?"
"One moment." Pulling the comm clip off his ear, Draycos set it beside the grille. It would have been nice to be able to take it with him, but there was no way for a K'da to carry anything while in two-dimensional form. Another thought occurred to him, and he set the clip on mute so that Jack could still hear but not transmit. "Ready."
Langston turned toward the two Brummgas standing guard by the door. "Hey—Vimpru," he called. "How'd you like to hop over to the mess and get me a drink?"
All five Brummgas in the room turned to face him, identical expressions of disbelief and contempt on their faces. The two at the door looked at each other, then deliberately turned their faces away from him. The three at the Death's controls gazed at him a moment longer, then did likewise.
Smiling tightly, Langston lifted his hand and poked a finger through the grille. Draycos touched it and slid up the man's sleeve onto his arm.
Draycos felt a shiver run through Langston's skin as he settled himself across the other's back, legs, and arms. "Whoa," Langston murmured. "That's . . . interesting. Out of sight, now."
Turning on his heel, he headed for the door. "Fine—I'll get it myself," he said as he passed between the two guards. "Lieutenant Pickering won't be happy to hear you weren't being helpful."
Neither Brummga bothered to answer. Keying the door, Langston exited the room.
The corridor outside was very quiet. "I see they've moved everyone else out of the line of fire," Langston commented. "Which way?"
"To the right," Draycos said, flicking out his tongue. There was nothing nearby but Langston's own scent and that of distant Brummgas. "We're heading toward the forward power substation on the port side."
"Got it."
Langston started down the corridor, his footsteps sounding unnaturally loud in the quiet. Easing his head along the other's chest, Draycos peered out through his collar.
This wasn't one of the main cross-ship corridors that cut a nice straight path between starboard and port-side hulls. This was instead one of those that meandered all over the place, angling and teeing every thirty feet or so as it worked its way around the more oddly shaped rooms at the ship's bow.
"It's forward to that T-junction, left, right, and left again, correct?" Langston asked.
"Yes, but I can't let you go that far," Draycos told him. "You told the Brummgas you were going for a drink. Just take me to the nearest mess room and I'll be gone."
Langston continued on in silence another few steps. "I think I can do a little better than that," he said. "What's Jack's plan?"
"I don't know yet," Draycos admitted. "I'll need to get back in the ducts before I can find out."
"He's in the ducts, too?"
"No, but my comm clip is," Draycos said. "I can't carry anything in two-dimensional form."
"No problem." Langston dug something out of his side pocket and pressed it against the base of his throat. "Here."
Draycos lifted his head slightly and focused on it. "Your comm clip?" he asked, frowning.
"A spare, actually," Langston said. "You can reset it to your private frequency and pattern specs and call Jack without having to go back into the ducts."
"Excellent," Draycos said. "Thank you." Lifting his front paws from Langston's chest, he took the comm clip and started adjusting its settings.
He was still working at it when Langston took a sharp turn to the right, keyed open a door, and went inside a room.
A room with the well-remembered aroma of permanent disinfectant. "A relief station?" Draycos asked.
"Why not?" Langston countered. "Low ceilings, no cameras, and as much privacy as we're going to get. And we're only three rooms away from your power substation."
"You're also way too far from your station here," Draycos warned. "There are two other relief stations closer to the starboard weapons bays."
"Both of which have been fitted with Brummga-sized equipment," Langston countered. "No, we token humans usually use one of the three that were left the way you and your Shontine friends originally had them. Perfectly normal behavior for me to be here. You ready with that yet?"
"Just finished." Draycos keyed on the comm clip. "Jack?"
"Here," Jack's voice came. "You find it?"
"Not yet," Draycos said. "But we're near the substation, and I can get into the ducts from here."
"Keep your voice down, will you?" Jack warned. "I can hear Brummgas in the background."
"That's coming from the comm clip I left by the weapons bay grille," Draycos assured him. "I'm using Sergeant Langston's spare comm clip."
"Oh," Jack said, sounding a bit taken aback. "Okay."
"Should I have hidden the other comm clip better?" Draycos asked. "It is muted, so they can't listen in."
"No, that's okay," Jack said. "Actually . . . yes, actually, that could turn out to be useful."
"I gather you have a plan?" Langston asked.
"Yes, I think so," Jack said. "How are you doing, Langston?"
"They don't trust me, but they're being good enough to give me plenty of rope with which to hang myself," Langston said.
"Sounds like Neverlin's style," Jack said. "How game are you to wrap some of that rope around your neck?"
"I'll do whatever's necessary," Langston said, his voice calm but deadly serious. "I'm a warrior." He looked sideways down at Draycos's face pressed against his shoulder. "Draycos understands."
"I think I'm starting to, too," Jack said. "Okay, here's the scheme."
Quickly, concisely, he laid it out for them. "Going to take some careful timing," Langston commented when he'd finished.
"Yes, but with three comm clips I think we can pull it off," Jack said. "My biggest question is for Draycos."
"Don't worry about me," Draycos told him, ignoring the creeping feeling shivering across his scales. No, he certainly didn't want to do this. Not this way.
But he could see no other way to do what had to be done. "As Sergeant Langston said, we're warriors. We do whatever is necessary."
"You also do what's right," Jack reminded him. "Is this going to conflict with that?"
"I do not kill without need," Draycos said. "Not even enemies. But this is a war of survival. I'll do whatever is necessary."
"Especially given what's at stake," Langston murmured.
"Yes," Draycos said. "Let's get on with it."
"Okay, then," Jack said. There was still some lingering doubt in the boy's voice, but he clearly knew better than to press the issue. "Get into the ducts and confirm the other Death is actually there. Langston, you get back to your station. Don't forget to pick up a drink on the way—that was your excuse for leaving, remember."
"Right," Langston said. "You need a hand, Draycos?"
"No, thank you." Draycos leaped out of Langston's collar, landing on one of the relief station's dividers. Balancing there, he got a claw under the corner of the ventilation grille and popped the hidden catch. "Ready."
"Good luck," Langston said, holding out his hand.
Reaching down, Draycos touched the outstretched hand with his paw. "And to you," he said. Turning, he swung the grille open and crawled inside.
I'll do whatever is necessary, the words echoed through his mind as he started toward the power substation. Whatever is necessary.
CHAPTER 19
Two minutes later, as Jack finished setting up his additional sabotage, the word came through.
"It's here," Draycos's voice murmured from his comm clip. "Eight guards on duty, all Brummgas, with another bank of video displays showing the approaches and the other weapon's room."