[Detective Thursdays] The Overnight Shift
#4 of Detective Thursdays
"Round five, James." A boar called Tenchal remarked as he passed a jaguar on the midship decks. James simply growled back at him, the big cat's hand drifting down to his knife.
Tenchal waved his hands as he apologized profusely. "Geez, I'm sorry, K? Don't get you tail in a puff."
The cat squinted at him for a moment and the moved off along the metal grating, his foot falls making no noise.
"Fuggin mercs... all business and no sense of humor." The boar snorted after the cat had passed around the bend in the ship. He turned and looked out at the bay, waiting for his relief to show up. Suddenly gunfire lit up the dock and the search lights clicked on. He grasped his AK in anticipation. A figure jumped into the water and his splash was riddled with bullets.
"Feh. Serves him right." The boar turned and huffed. "Where is that lazy dog?" Fuming as he paced the boar didn't hear the sound of splashing below. He leaned back on the railing again, looking up along the rest of the ship's hull. An arm grabbed him from behind and then he was flying out towards the bay. Looking back, there was just a glimpse of a ringed tail topping the rail.
-*-
I turned and watched the guard fall. His body made a particularly large splash in the water a few feet from the moored ship. After I pulled up the rope that had been left hanging over the rail I collapsed against the far wall and lifted my shirt to check the wound. Pressing my fingers against it, I could tell it was only a glancing hit. A few layers of skin and fur lost. Already the bleeding had begun to subside.
From my vantage I could see small boats sweeping the area where I had vanished. It wouldn't be long until the guard I had tossed overboard was found. Gritting my teeth I got to my feet and took the first hatch I could find. If I was lucky I could get to a short wave and get in touch with Uki. The gun procession alone would give the force enough evidence to make a raid. I would just have to hold out until then.
Stumbling down the hall I had picked at random, I came to a hatch I couldn't pry open and a set of stairs down. Down wasn't the answer I was looking for. I was two steps back down the hall when the sealed hatch unlocked and Girum walked into the hall talking with Jigun. Given my options I dove down the stairs and hunkered down under the metal grating of the stairs.
The hyena brothers stood at the top of the stairs, Jigun with his left foot on the top step and Girun going up the hall I had just come down. It seemed like they had to split up but wanted to talk more.
"-aha! Well, hurry up and relive Tehchal. You know how he gets when you're late." Jigun chided.
"Yeah yeah. You get going on your shift, too. Wiseass." Girun snipped.
The brothers parted and Jigun came down the stairs. As his ankles passed the step at eye level I had a wonderful idea. Two steps later I reached through the spaces in the steps and grabbed the hyena's ankles, his momentum did the rest of the dirty work. I moved quickly to keep the hyena from making a scene. I put a knee on his chest and drew my gun.
"I thought you hadn't seen Girun in weeks, Jigun." I whispered inches from his face. I watched his eyes clear as the focused on me and felt his body tense in preparation for a brawl.
"I wouldn't." I preempted, clicking the hammer on my 85 back. "I'm willing to let bygones be bygones if you point me to the radio room."
With an expression that nearly shot knives he stared at me for nearly a minute before lowering his eyes. "It's through the hatch at the top of the stairs, along the walkway in the hold and up the stairs in the next hall."
"Thanks." I said as I clubbed him in the head and watched his eyes lose focus again. His lids slid shut as his body slumped. He'd be out for a few hours. Long past when back up would arrive at sunrise.
Choosing instead to take the door at the bottom of the stairs I found myself in the hold. Something amazing was settled on the floor in front of me. Shaking my head I took another glance at what I could only describe as a partially scrapped flying saucer.
"There is...no way this is real." Pushing my hat back I whistled. It seemed real enough. The Reds had recovered a real live UFO. I swore a little as I walked around the wreck. "It looks like a missile brought it down. Guess Regan's insistence for a anti-missile defense system wasn't just rumors if they could take something like this out..."
Bristling with unease I looked for the radio room that the hyena's directions had placed in here. I found it finally two decks above. It took a half hour of ladder climbing but I eventually made it. The sun was coming up. I could see the sky lightening through the portholes. The radio had a few knobs on its front. None were labeled. Twisting the largest knob randomly I overheard a lot of jumble but I eventually found the dispatching frequency.
"Dispatch, this is Detective Tanu Ikura. I am requesting back up. Location: East Side, pier 23. Over?"
"Rodger over. How bad is it?"
"Two dozen armed." I looked back out the door at the just visible rim of the saucer. "There's also something else. Something Washington might want to know about."
"Understood. I'm sending five units. ETA of 15. Also Tanu, Daddy says he hates you."
I put my paw to my face. Of course the commissioner's daughter had to be the one to take the call. "Tell him I'll get him a dozen when this is over. Tanu, over and out."
April 30 response to Poetigress' Thusday Prompt. Theme was 'sunrise/sunset'.