Mack 'n' Me: The Wolves of Alpha 9

another open cavern, and my guide ran through. There were others running with us, but he was the only one that had spoken—and the others didn’t look like they were about to start trouble.
This cavern was lit by some kind of phosphorescent rock that ran through the walls in wide veins, and a variety of mushrooms and lichen grew in its dim light. It screwed with the goggles, blurring what I was seeing until they adjusted. The altering vision me stumble. In an instant, one of my running companions came alongside, reaching out a hand to steady me.
“Thanks,” I managed, just as my foot hit another rock, and I went down.
It made me doubly grateful for the hand wrapped under my other bicep. It tightened, pulling me up before I could hit the floor. My ankle gave a gut-turning wrench, and I hoped there were enough nans left from the last stim pack to put it right. In the meantime, I was going to have one Hell of a limp.
“You right?”
Stupid question.
“Any point in being otherwise?” I retorted, but the jolt of pain that arced through me the next time I put my foot down, made me falter.
I rode through that first wave, and tried to roll through the second, but didn’t quite manage it. Another hand grabbed hold of my other arm, and my two assistants helped me make it to the other side of the cavern. I tried to keep going, but they stopped me, pulling me into a walk.
“It’s okay. We’ve gone far enough.”
“Yeah, you can take a break.”
They guided me out of the cavern and round a corner into a small chamber. I was still registering the rough stone table, sided by two benches, and the plassteel door in the opposite wall, when there was a low hum, and static curled over my skin. Glancing back towards the source of the sound, I saw a faint haze dance to life across the door, and realized half a dozen other humans had come into the room with us.
My helpers settled me on a bench with my back to the table, and sat down, one on either side of me.
“How you feeling?” one asked, but I didn’t answer straight away.
I turned my head, eyeballing the hard-eyed faces of those with me—and, suddenly, I had a very bad feeling about things. I tried to push myself to my feet, still holding the blaster in one fist.
“Not bad,” I said, “but I have to get going.”
It wasn’t really a surprise when I was shoved back onto the bench, and the blaster taken out of my hands. Honestly, I’d thought I was holding onto it better than that. I watched as the safety was checked and left off, and the blaster was pointed back towards me. Well, that was interesting. I cocked an eyebrow and looked up at the guy holding my gun.
“I’m gonna want that back,” I said, and he backed up a step and smirked.
“Not gonna happen,” he retorted, mimicking me. “You introducin’ yourself?”
I rested my elbows on the table behind me, doing my best to look relaxed.
“This is your house,” I told him. “Why don’t you go first?”
He looked around, and more weapons appeared.
Now, why was I not surprised?
“What are you doing down here?”
I crossed my good left leg over my bad right and tried for nonchalant. Pain shot up my right leg as my boot brushed my ankle, and I uncrossed them, again, all too aware that I was the center of attention. The dude asking the questions was not amused, but he didn’t push. He just waited for me to get settled, and raised an eyebrow.
I raised one in return, and decided today wasn’t a great day to start being cooperative. I waved my hand, inviting him to continue.
“Like I said, it’s your house—and I didn’t know I was expected. What was with the welcoming committee, upstairs? And thanks, by the way.”
I heard movement on the other side of the table, but I didn’t take my eye off the guy in front of me. After all, he was the one most likely to hurt me. The dudes sitting on either side of me hadn’t made a move—and whoever had come in on the other side of the room, hadn’t come near the table.
I wondered where Tens and Case were, and why they were so quiet.

14—Varian, Arc and Hammer
“You weren’t expected,” said the man holding my blaster, and I took a good long look at him.
Dark-haired, brown eyed, a little taller than most, and pretty well built, he stood like a fighter, not a soldier. I was willing to bet he moved more like Tens than a Marine. And I was pretty darned sure he’d be hard to drop on his ass...and that was without the blaster. With the blaster, I had no chance, because he’d shoot me first.
His eyes told me that, and his face backed it up. I waited for him to get on with explaining what he meant. He seemed to be waiting for me to ask him something else. That was not how I was going to play the game.
It took him a minute to get the message, but then, he sighed.
“I don’t suppose you’ll tell me what you were doing down here...”
I looked at him.
“Like I said... It’s your house.”
His lips twitched, but he wasn’t amused.
“You’re the guest. Why don’t you introduce yourself?”
He made a fair point, except...
“I didn’t ask to be invited.”
Someone sighed behind me, and I was up and out of the seat, before I’d turned round.
I almost made it.
Two sets of hands grabbed hold and pulled me back onto my ass. This time they didn’t let go, and the holds were painful. A third person came into view. She was carrying an auto-injector that she slapped hard and fast into the base of my neck.
“Don’t be uncooperative,” she said, as my feet tried to run.
I looked at her, as she stepped back, and then around the table and out