Shadow of the Coalition

by Jamie A. Waters

  Activating the device, Kayla moved closer to the river. The ground was even more slippery closer to the water. It was too deep to see the bottom, but the distance across the river was fairly wide. She glanced down the length of the tunnel where the rushing water disappeared into darkness. They’d have to bring down some equipment to cross the river and follow it to its source.

  Her excitement was bubbling over, but she managed to keep the image mapper steady and focused on scanning the dimensions of the river and cavern. At least thirty minutes passed before she heard movement from the direction of the tunnel. Dropping the image mapper back into her bag, Kayla moved over to where Carl was climbing down into the room.

  Kayla still felt that familiar flutter in her stomach whenever she looked at him. Even in his UV-protective gear, the OmniLab trader was a gorgeous hunk of man.

  At the sight of Kayla, he pulled off his helmet. Long, dark hair was tied back away from his face displaying a strong jaw with just a bit of stubble, giving him a more rugged appearance. Although his brown eyes were full of frustration and concern, his expression quickly changed to one of shocked amazement at the sight of the cavern.

  Another figure climbed through the tunnel and dropped onto the rocky ground. Kayla recognized Cruncher, Carl’s short and stocky right-hand man. A former ruin rat like herself, they’d both developed a deep respect for each other’s skills and abilities. He pulled off his helmet and let out a low whistle.

  “Damn, girl. What the hell did you find now?”

  “It gets better,” she promised and motioned for them to follow her toward the river. Stopping just a few feet from the moving water, Kayla turned to gauge their reactions. Both men stopped short and stared slack-jawed at the river.

  Their stunned reactions mirrored hers. Underground rivers were extremely rare and critical to their survival. Most water sources were heavily contaminated and unusable. Using special water treatment techniques, they were able to purify and treat a scarce few to create safe drinking water.

  “You guys wouldn’t happen to have a water testing kit with you, would you?”

  “No, but we can quickly change that,” Carl replied before speaking into his headset. “Veridian, I need you to send down the water testing kit that’s in the compartment of my bike. We’ve got an underground river down here.”

  “No way!” Veridian’s eagerness and disbelief were apparent, even through the headset. “I’ll send it down right now. Grab some images of the river. I want to see it.”

  “I’ll grab the kit from the drop point,” Cruncher offered.

  At Carl’s nod, the older man headed back to the tunnel. Carl turned away from the river and focused on Kayla. She smiled up at him, but it faded quickly at the intensity in his expression.

  He took a step closer and abruptly pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her. She stiffened, surprised by the sudden movement. Burying his face in her hair, he inhaled deeply. “I think my heart stopped beating when I heard about the earthquake.”

  She felt a twinge of guilt at the realization he’d been more than worried. Uncomfortable with the thought, her initial response was to shrug it off, but she hesitated. Although he would never demand it, she could sense his need for reassurance.

  The moment she acquiesced and relaxed against him, he let out a sigh and threaded his fingers through her hair. They remained that way for a long moment, and then he tilted her head back to look into her eyes. The depth of emotion in his expression floored her.

  Without saying another word, he crushed his lips against hers. Sensations exploded as the heat between them ignited. She wound her arms around his neck, demanding more, and his kiss deepened in response. His hands traveled down her length until they reached the edge of her shirt, brushing at the skin beneath it.

  How did this man get her worked up so quickly? The slightest caress seemed to set her off like a blazing inferno. The desire to touch his bare skin became consuming. As though sensing the direction of her thoughts, Carl reluctantly eased away. Damn him.

  His eyes were clouded with passion, but his hands were gentle. He cupped her face and pressed a tender kiss against her forehead. “How long does it take to retrieve a water testing kit?”

  “Not long enough, you two crazy kids,” Cruncher’s voice sounded over the commlink. Kayla bit back a groan and dropped her head onto Carl’s chest. They’d forgotten to disable the audio. Again.

  “I’d take my time getting your kit, but seeing as we just had seismic activity down here, you two are going to have to wait to get your freak on back at camp.”

  Carl chuckled and shook his head. Kayla squeezed her eyes shut, imagining the comments Xantham was making. Any day now, they’d probably see copies of Carl and Kayla’s greatest hits distributed throughout camp. She’d have to kill all of them if that ever happened. It wasn’t so much modesty she was concerned over, but rather Xantham’s tendency to assign a point system for performance.

  “It’s safe to come back. I think we can manage to keep our hands to ourselves,” Carl said before focusing again on her. His eyes darkened in concern as they scanned over her. “Are you sure you’re not hurt?”

  Trailing her fingers lightly over the rough stubble along his jaw, Kayla offered a reassuring smile. “I’m okay. I promise. I did some preliminary scans of the area while I was waiting for you guys.”

  Carl took a deep breath and pressed his forehead against hers for a long moment. Pulling away, he let his gaze sweep the dim cave again. “All things considered, this is really incredible. We had no idea this river even existed. How did you find it?”

  She debated whether to say anything about the trail of energy that led to the tunnel. It was hard enough for her to understand this energy stuff, but it was even worse for Carl. Even though he had some limited knowledge from living in the towers, Kayla suspected his reservations stemmed more from the fact she was permanently bonded to Alec than anything else.

  OmniLab claimed she was a descendant of the Drac’Kin, those legendary creatures also referred to as dragons. Supposedly, they’d lost their shapeshifting abilities centuries ago, but they still retained some of their other supernatural powers. At least that was their basis for explanation when it came to her strange talents. In all honesty, the idea freaked her out. Up until a few weeks ago, she hadn’t known it was even possible to manipulate energy. If she hadn’t experienced it firsthand, she never would have believed it possible.

  Deciding it would be better not to remind him of the shared connection with Alec, she shrugged. “The quake must have opened up the tunnel.”

  Carl looked skeptical, and she turned away, hoping he would drop it. When she didn’t offer more of an explanation, he sighed. “I see. This is an amazing find, but you shouldn’t have taken the risk. You could have been hurt.”

  She glanced back and offered a teasing smile. “I don’t die that easily. Besides, I like keeping you on your toes.”

  His forehead creased, and he rubbed the back of his neck. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed.”

  Although touching, Carl’s concern left her disconcerted. Would she ever grow accustomed to people worrying about her? Maybe she did take some risks, but they were hers to take. Kayla had been on her own for too long to just sit back and let someone else run the show.

  Deciding a change of topic was necessary, she said, “Thanks for coming out here. Do you have any idea what caused the shaking?”

  Carl shook his head. “Not yet. Our initial stability scans didn’t show any potential for seismic activity, but the readings we just received say different. I notified OmniLab on my way over. I believe they’re going to launch an investigation.”

  Kayla frowned. The scanners should have picked something up. Luckily, there hadn’t been any more tremors since the initial incident, but it was always a possibility.

  Before she could ponder the issue further, Cruncher returned with the water testing kit. “It’s all yours, girl. You found it, you get to take the sample.” />
  She flashed him a huge smile and eagerly took the kit. It was a metallic box with a cushioned lining, which contained several empty vials where samples could be stored and tested. Careful to remove one of the vials without breaking it, she knelt beside the river. Once a small amount of river water had been collected, she slid the detector wand into the vial. A moment later, the unit beeped and displayed the reading on the screen.

  Carl took a step toward her. “What does it say?”

  Kayla shook her head, studying the display. It couldn’t be right. “I must have gotten an error. I’ll try it again.”

  Carl knelt next to her, watching while she collected another sample and ran the test again. When the reading displayed the same result, Kayla bit her lip. She looked down at the river and back at the display, contemplating its accuracy. Was it possible this was the first nontoxic water source they’d seen in generations?

  She glanced up at Carl, who was frowning and rubbing his chin. It looked like he was wondering the same thing, but neither one wanted to give voice to their hope. A discovery of a relatively clean water source could revolutionize their efforts in locating new resources.

  “There might be a problem with that machine,” he said cautiously. “We can take a couple of samples back with us and test it at camp.”

  Kayla nodded and bent down to retrieve a few more samples. After locking them into the water testing box, she slid the unit into her bag and stood to find Cruncher touching one of the stalagmites with an expression of awe on his face. He shook his head and said, “This place is incredible. I’ve seen images of caves on pre-war data cubes, but seeing it in person is unreal.”

  Carl nodded in agreement and motioned for them to start heading out. “We’ll need to run more stability tests and get some additional equipment down here. Once we get the water test results, we can plan our next move.”

  Kayla stared into the darkness and bit her lip, hesitant to leave. Caution was warranted, but she was really curious how deep the cavern went. It wouldn’t take long to explore just a little further.

  Before she could take a step toward the darkness, Carl wrapped his hand around hers. “Don’t, sweetheart, the river will still be here tomorrow. Until we figure out what caused the earthquake, it’s not worth risking your safety.” She opened her mouth to argue, but he pressed a finger against her lips. “Veridian’s above ground. Your little stunt with switching channels aside, he’s been worried about you since it happened. Let him see you’re okay before you get into a worse situation.”

  Kayla wrinkled her nose. That was a low blow. As much as she wanted to explore, Carl was right. The man had the insufferable tendency to consistently be the voice of reason. Veridian usually went along with her schemes, but he still worried. She blew out a breath and slumped her shoulders. “Fine, but no one else gets to come down here without me.”

  The corner of his mouth twitched in a small smile, and he nodded. With one last longing glance at the river, she added, “I want to see if OmniLab has some flotation devices and underwater cameras we can use to explore this tunnel. I might be able to rig up an underwater speeder using compressed air so we can find out how far and how deep it goes.”

  He chuckled, slipping his hand behind the small of her back and nudging her in the direction of the tunnel. “That can be arranged. Figure out what you’ll need so we can put in a requisition.”

  Kayla pulled on her helmet and considered the necessary equipment. Caught up in mentally designing an underwater speeder, she barely noticed Carl lifting her back into the narrow tunnel. Details and possibilities raced through her thoughts while she climbed after Cruncher. The sooner they got back to camp, the faster she could start working.

  Excitement lightened their feet, and it took less time than expected to make their way back through the ruins. Once they reached their equipment, Kayla climbed into her harness and pressed the button to pull herself up to the surface.

  Veridian’s face lit up in relief when he saw her. Taking his offered hand, she let him pull her the rest of the way out of the ruins. Before she could even remove her harness, he enveloped her in a tight hug. She returned the gesture and then ducked out of the way so he could help Carl and Cruncher.

  Kayla removed her helmet and grabbed a couple of hydrating packs. She tossed one to both Carl and Cruncher before opening hers. Exhausted, she sat and drank it down while Veridian packed up the equipment.

  Now that they were above ground, all three men seemed more relaxed. Carl and Cruncher took turns describing the cavern to Veridian, using gestures to show him the size of the rock formations. Using the back of her hand, Kayla wiped her mouth and tossed the now empty drink container into a disposal bag. “Maybe we can talk you into going down there and checking it out, V. It’s incredible.”

  Veridian’s eyes widened, looking horrified at the suggestion. His aversion to going into the ruins was well known, but she held out hope that he’d get over his fear one day. “No, thanks. I’ll leave that sort of thing to you guys. I’d love to see the images you took though.”

  Unsurprised by his refusal, Kayla nodded in agreement. It had been worth a try. Standing up, she grabbed a bag of equipment and began to help load it onto their speeders. Once they were ready, Veridian pressed the button to deactivate the UV guard over the area. The machine emitted a loud beep as it signaled the sixty-second warning before it disengaged. Kayla and the rest of the guys climbed onto the back of their speeders and fired up their engines.

  She crouched low on her bike and took off toward Carl’s camp with the other three bikes trailing behind her. The hot, dry air whipped around them, and Kayla was thankful for the upgraded OmniLab UV-protective gear and equipment. This time of year was always especially brutal. It made the contrast between the arid landscape even sharper against the memory of the cool underground cavern.

  They drove through areas that had once been teeming with life. Now, only collapsed and ruined buildings remained, breaking up the otherwise barren terrain. As they approached the trading camp, Kayla slowed down and pulled up outside the entrance. Carl pulled up alongside her just as she dismounted.

  She reached over, grabbing the bag from her bike, and then headed toward the entrance. A large roar from some sort of engine sounded overhead and a dark shadow appeared on the ground. Shielding her visor from the harsh light of the sun, she could make out a sleek aircraft flying over their camp.

  Apprehension filled her at the sight of the foreign aircraft. She didn’t recognize it as belonging to OmniLab, but she wasn’t an expert. Kayla turned back to Carl, but he was already in motion and running in her direction. He grabbed her around the waist, hauling her backward, and she almost lost her grip on the bag. She caught a glimpse of Cruncher and Veridian rushing toward them.

  The moment they reached the covered entrance, Carl released her. Kayla swallowed, searching the sky to track the aircraft’s progress, but it was almost out of sight. She frowned and headed inside with Carl and the others.

  Pulling off her helmet, she tossed it on a nearby rack and looked around at the equally alarmed and confused faces. “What the hell was that thing?”

  Carl shook his head. “No idea, but that wasn’t one of OmniLab’s drones. They would have notified us if they were sending out some sort of new aircraft in our area.”

  Cruncher rubbed the back of his neck. “Could it have been from another facility?”

  “That’s the most likely possibility,” Carl admitted with a frown and pulled out his commlink.

  Xantham strode into the hallway, and Kayla nodded a greeting while pulling off her jacket. The communications expert for Carl’s camp was dark-skinned with short, dark hair and eyes. He was an outrageous flirt and a bit of a goofball, but there was no denying his skill as a tech.

  He winked at her before turning to Carl. “Boss, I’m glad you’re back. Master Tal’Vayr has been calling for the past hour. He needs to speak with you right away.”

  “Maybe he already knows about th
e aircraft or something about the earthquake?” Kayla suggested when Carl frowned.

  “Possibly,” Carl replied, slipping his commlink back into his pocket. “No details, just several urgent messages from him. Xantham, I want you to pull up the camp surveillance and tracking system. See if you can get an image of the aircraft. I want it sent to OmniLab right away.”

  At Xantham’s confused expression, Cruncher filled him in. After hearing what had transpired, Xantham’s hands swatted the air in frustration. “Well, shit! This wasn’t my fault. I would have seen it if I hadn’t been too busy playing messenger boy for the High Council. I’ll get on the radar now.” He turned and raced down the hall in the direction of the communications room.

  Kayla opened her bag, checking to make sure the water samples hadn’t been damaged. Thankfully, the case was still intact.

  Carl motioned for Cruncher to take them from her. “Cruncher, start scanning the samples for contaminants. I’ll call OmniLab and be in there in a few minutes to check your progress. Veridian, check with Xantham to make sure it’s clear and then bring in the rest of the equipment. Kayla, do you want to start on the imaging?”

  She shook her head. “Not just yet. If you don’t mind, I’d like to listen in and see what Alec has to say about the earthquake and aircraft.”

  Surprise and concern flickered in Carl’s eyes. “You sure?”

  She hesitated briefly and then nodded. It was no secret she’d been trying to avoid Alec since she’d left the towers. Thankfully, Alec hadn’t pushed the issue, at least not overtly. He still believed she would eventually return to the towers on her own. So far, she’d managed to prove him wrong.

  “Yeah, he’ll be more forthcoming with information if I’m with you.” Kayla followed Carl into his office, waiting until he closed the door and engaged the privacy settings.

  His office was spotless as usual. A large desk stood in the center of the room with several cabinets displaying unusual artifacts on two of the walls. The third wall held a video screen he frequently used while working. Kayla walked over to the desk and sat on the edge of it.