by J. N. Chaney
I spun to look behind me. The pillar had dissolved and transformed into something else entirely. If I had to describe it, the only thing that came close was a fist, or block. It didn’t drop on top of the wreckage so much as it punched down, clearly attempting to obliterate the foreign object.
“Let’s get out of here,” I told St. John.
“I should stay and watch,” he countered. Curiosity was pushing past the fear, and I tried not to groan.
Instead of arguing, I just grabbed a fistful of his coat and started walking. My wrist unit pulled up a holo map with three glowing markers on it.
“H-hey!”
I ignored his complaint and kept heading for the first marker on the map. I found Noah, just inside the tree line and holding his leg.
“Broken?” I asked, letting go of St. John.
Noah shook his head. “I don’t think so. Just useless at the moment. Give me a few minutes to stretch it out and I should be okay.”
I turned to the doctor. “Stay with him. I’m going to track down the others. If the water shaping tech can reach out here, start moving him to safety.”
“That would be amazing. WST is mostly theoretical back home. I mean, we’ve been able to achieve some results, but nothing like that. I just can’t believe...” He trailed off, then cleared his throat when he caught sight of my glare. “Sure, no problem. I’ll stay here.”
With a last nod at Noah, I set off for the second marker. It wasn’t long before the sounds of thumps followed by painful grunting reached my ears.
There was no mistaking who it was. I found Mitch leaning against a tree, sweat dripping from his face. He didn’t see or hear me, but I couldn’t fault him for that. His shoulder was dislocated, the arm hanging limply by his side.
“Hold on,” I called out as he reared back. He was trying to put it back in place by ramming it into the tree, which accounted for the noises I’d heard.
“Shit. I hit the water wrong, but AMI told me I had to get out and into the forest.”
“She’s right,” I told him. “Hold still.”
Mitch’s eyes were glassy from the pain, but he nodded. I’d done this to myself and others a number of times and knew the best method involved being fast. I was no doctor, and bedside manner was barely in my vocabulary. Most people preferred a little warning, but they usually tensed up if they knew when the pain was coming. I didn’t give Mitch the chance.
I gripped his arm and performed the motion that brought the shoulder snapping back into place. He didn’t scream, but one knee buckled, and he staggered back to support himself against the tree.
“Thanks.” The word came out breathless, his face still pinched from the discomfort. Even so, the relief had to be palpable.
“Noah’s injured. Nothing serious, but he’s not walking at the moment. I left St. John with him to find you and Tara.”
“Where is she?”
I held up my wrist to show him the map. “Not far. She’s on the move. Walking, so I don’t think there’s any danger.”
Mitch pushed off of the tree and rubbed his shoulder. “Okay. I’m good. Let’s go get her. I think we’ll all feel better together again.”
“The ship is destroyed,” I told him. “The weapon destroyed it. If we hadn’t jumped, we’d all be dead.”
“You’re welcome,” AMI said in my ear.
I ignored the comment. “AMI, send a report to Director Wright. Don’t send a replacement yet. Can you scan for another pickup point? This one is obviously compromised. Let’s avoid water this time.”
“Of course, Kent. It is done. I’ve selected several acceptable rendezvous points. You can let me know which one will work best at your leisure.”
I barely stopped myself from snorting at her verbiage. Leisure.
Tara’s dot was moving steadily closer, and it didn’t take long to intercept her.
I pulled up and held up a hand to halt Mitch.
“What?” he asked, keeping his voice low.
“She’s not alone.”
His brow knitted together, and his hand went to the weapon in its harness. I cocked my head, trying to make out what she was saying.
“It doesn’t sound like she’s in distress, but let’s proceed with caution.”
Mitch and I moved slowly, trying to avoid making too much noise. Thankfully, this section of the forest was a little thicker than the wide-open areas we’d traversed before. It provided more cover, something I preferred.
“I’m glad you found us,” said Tara. “Do you know what that thing was?”
“No. I’ve never seen it before. That is quite concerning.”
Whoever she was talking to, I didn’t recognize them. Based on what I was hearing, they weren’t Turned. That was good enough for me.
I nodded at Mitch. “I think we’re good.”
“Better announce ourselves,” he suggested.
I had already planned on doing so and started to come out from our position when a movement to my left caught my attention.
My weapon came out in the next instant, and I barely stopped myself from firing on instinct.
“Good reflexes, Chief Kent.”
It was Riva.
5
I lowered the pistol and scowled at the rebel leader. “If I didn’t have such good reflexes, you might be dead. What are you doing?”
“Scouting,” she said simply.
“Okay,” I told her. “Right now, I want to meet up with Tara and get her back to the rest of the team.”
“I’m here, boss.”
I turned to find her standing a few meters away with an unknown Volcuri scout. This one had similar bone structure and musculature as Riva, so I pegged them as female.
“Chief Kent, this Nami. My second in command.”
“What happened to Kava?”
“He remains in the bunker. When I am not there, he leads in my stead.”
“Okay. Tara, how the hell did you get so far out here? No one else made it this far into the forest.”
“That—what did St. John call it? Water tech? Anyway, it made waves. Big ones. The water was so choppy I couldn’t see anything after I hit it. I ran into Nami on the other end of the beach,” Tara explained.
“We saw the attack from the bluffs,” Nami added. In an almost unconscious movement, she cast a searching glance toward the beach. It wasn’t quite visible, but I still saw the way she gripped the hilt of her weapon instinctively.
“Speaking of that, what the hell attacked us?” I addressed the question to Riva.
Her feathers jerked once, then calmed with what looked like deliberate effort. “I do not know.”
“That’s not Volcuri tech?”
“No.” She too looked toward the lake, but her demeanor struck me as perplexed and a little fearful. “Whatever happened to the water is something new. Makin must have technology from the Mind Thieves that we were not aware of. If he has access to that...”
It dawned on me what she must be thinking. “You thought they might have the black water too. That’s why you didn’t announce yourself at first.”
Her feathers seemed to vibrate with agitation. “Yes. I’ve long feared Makin’s masters would attempt a more direct approach of infection. After learning what happened to your people before your arrival, we thought it best to be cautious.”
“We need to get to the rest of my team. Noah and Dr. St. John are together but I’d rather not leave them to fend for themselves. If that really was First technology, then we have no idea what else Makin might have in his arsenal.”
The others fell into step without saying anything else.
I used the map from my wrist unit to lead the way back. We were less than a kilometer out, and I spent the time putting together my report for Captain Wright. AMI had no doubt briefed him, but that wouldn’t be enough. Makin’s attack had changed things. We needed to start planning now, maybe even strike back.
If we did nothing, Makin might take that for weakness.
“I
s that part of the ship?”
The shock in Tara’s voice had me looking up to see that some of the dropship’s wreckage had washed up on shore. “Yes. I barely got St. John out in time. As soon as the ship crashed, the water beat it to pieces.”
“How is that even possible? You saw it. The water acted solid.”
I lifted a shoulder, less concerned with that than figuring out the logistics of an advancement on the mountain. “You’ll have to talk to our resident scientist. He seemed to know something about it.”
Riva, who’d been quiet for most of the walk, spoke up. “This technology is something I’ve never heard of, not even in the archives of what happened when the Mind Thieves first arrived. I believe it must have been brought here after they already had control. This doesn’t bode well.”
“No,” I agreed. “It doesn’t. We need to discuss plans to attempt a takeover soon. There’s Noah and Dr. St. John.”
The pair were right where I’d left them. As soon as they saw us, they walked out. Noah looked to have been right about his leg—I could barely tell that he was favoring it at all. That was good because we didn’t have a ship to get him back up to the Ark.
“The sooner we leave to meet the Elders, the better,” remarked Riva.
I shook my head. “Sorry. That might have to wait. I have to update Director Wright and see what his orders are.”
Though I could tell she wanted to argue, Riva gave a brief bow, then moved off to give me some privacy. Tara and Mitch went to take inventory of the gear we’d managed to save, and I found myself with a little breathing room.
“AMI, get me Director Wright.”
“Please.”
“We don’t have time to mess around, just get him on the transmission,” I growled.
The AI tsk tsked me. “That’s no way to ask a lady for something, Kent. But, given the situation, I’ll allow you some leeway. Here’s the Director, as demanded.”
There was a soft click, then Wright’s brawny voice came on. “Kent, glad to see you still in one piece.”
“Me too, sir. I’ve rounded up my team. We didn’t make it to the rendezvous point, but Riva and her people found us.”
“Good, good. I’m getting another dropship prepped in case you need it, but I’m going to hold off sending it.”
“Until we have a different pick up site?”
There was a pause on the line. “Yes, after you go to this meeting with the Volcuri Elders. Why, did you have something else in mind?”
The usual comfortable discourse we shared dissipated and a hard note came into his tone, surprising me. I hadn’t expected any pushback.
“As a matter of fact, yes. The weapon used to attack us was First technology. Makin is obviously accelerating his timeline more than we thought. The next step should be preparation for war.”
“Negative, Chief. I’m perfectly capable of utilizing your backup to help get those balls rolling. For now, I’m telling you to meet the Elders, then report back. If at that time I think we should mobilize, I will be sure to inform you.”
The hardness had turned sharp, and I knew I was on uneven ground. Still, I couldn’t stop myself from pushing forward. “With all due respect, sir, I disagree. We should mobilize now. Priority should be gaining control of the mountain before Makin strikes again.”
“Might I remind you of who’s in charge of this mission then, Mission Ward? As you’ll recall, that isn’t you. I’ve given my orders. If you cannot follow them, rest assured I will find someone who can.”
I opened my mouth to retort something, then bit down before it could come out.
“Wise choice, Kent,” said AMI in my ear. “I would suggest an apology, then confirmation of the orders unless you want to get fired and possibly incarcerated.”
She had a point. Besides that, I knew better. Even if I disagreed, it wasn’t my place to correct a superior.
“Well, Chief?”
I snapped back to attention. “Acknowledged, sir. I’ll proceed with the meeting and report back.”
“Good,” he said. “I’ll be waiting to hear from you.”
The line went dead.
“That went well,” chimed AMI, sounding a touch cheerful for my liking.
I found Riva at the edge of the nearby clearing. Her scouts had to be in the area somewhere. I couldn’t see any of them leaving their leader alone.
Even though the Volcuri didn’t have facial features in the human sense, their body language could still be similar. Hers was tense. The red feathers around her skull and shoulders looked stiff and pointed straight rather than being relaxed to her figure.
“Riva. We can leave now to meet with your Elders.”
She dipped her beaked jaw in return. “Thank you. I realize my request was unexpected and doesn’t seem as important now due to the attack. It is of the utmost importance. I hope you understand.”
“It’s not a problem.” That wasn’t necessarily true, but I didn’t let my annoyance show.
“First, we need to return to our camp. The Elders specifically requested your presence and no one else’s.”
Tara snorted softly behind me. I turned and shot her a look.
“Might I ask if Skan will be available?” The question came from Dr. St. John.
Riva turned her attention on him and nodded once. “Of course, Doctor. We caught another Turned scout recently. I know Skan is eager to meet with you regarding possible cure tests.”
St. John’s eyes flicked to me in question. “You’re clear to do it,” I said.
“That’s good, Chief Kent,” Riva put in. “Because I’m afraid I must ask you for another accommodation.”
This was beginning to take its toll on my patience. I just wanted to go already. “And that would be?”
“There are customs to be observed. Requirements for visiting that cannot be ignored. In this case, no more than three attendees may arrive at a time. I’ll be your guide, so that will leave you and one other.”
With Dr. St. John going to meet Skan, that left me three choices. Tara, Mitch, and Noah. Mitch was someone I trusted to have my back, but Noah was the best tracker. Then again, we were going to meet individuals who meant a great deal to our allies. Tara was my people person. I knew she’d be able to help guide me through the meeting.
“Perez,” I said without preamble. “Mitch and Noah, stick with St. John and make sure he stays out of trouble.
“I resent that,” St. John said with some indignance.
I lifted a brow and pinned him with a look. “Do I need to remind you of the incident with the carnivorous plants?”
I was, of course, referring to when he snuck off with the excuse of using the bathroom in order to obtain samples from the local killer plantlife.
“Ah. Okay, I suppose not,” he conceded. “Still, you have to admit that it worked out for the best.”
That was beside the point I was getting at, so I didn’t bother to reply.
“Sure thing, Chief.” That came from Mitch, who went to stand beside our crack scientist. Noah was right behind him.
“That’s settled, but who’s going to take them to Skan?” asked Tara.
Riva wasted no time in letting out a series of clicks and piercing calls. There was a soft swish, followed by a thump, then another Volcuri landed just behind her. I recognized them at once as being Nami, Riva’s new second in command.
Swishes and thumps signaled the arrival of more Volcuri. I didn’t recognize them all, but the party was well armed and shouldn’t have any problem escorting my people to their destination.
Once the party was gone, I turned to Riva. Her feathers were relaxed, but the stiff set of her body indicated she carried a burden. All of my training on body language was geared toward humans, but after the time I’d spent with the rebellion I’d come to the understanding that some expressions and their meanings were universal.
To my eyes, Riva was upset and trying to cover it up with false bravado. She certainly had plenty to be pissed about. The
First had come to her home and enslaved her people. The survivors lived in a bunker to avoid detection and teetered on the brink of extinction. That was enough to ruin anyone’s day, something I could say from experience.
“Riva, can you tell us more about the Elders?” asked Tara as the rebel led the way.
Again, this was why I had brought her along. I never would have asked the question, or thought to.
“Yes, of course,” Riva replied. “Elders have always existed throughout Volcuri history. Keepers of knowledge and wisdom gained through years of experience. Great care was taken to ensure that those who were alive when the First made their initial, although unknown, contact, survived to pass on what they knew.”
“That’s smart,” I commented. “A way to make sure information isn’t lost.”
Riva nodded. “Exactly. They have direct knowledge that isn’t shared with the rest of the survivors. This is to keep sensitive information from making its way into the First’s hands. I consult them occasionally. The last time was a few months ago. I was warned not to attack the mountain. I don’t know why they didn’t want me to, but I do not question the Elders.”
I recalled her telling me about Makin and his people protecting something that was stolen, something hidden in the mountain. Thinking back, I brought up the memory.
“The time to act is now. We should spend the next few months preparing to attack the Turned before the First arrive. And there’s one other thing.” I waited, interested in what else she had to say. Her feathers gave a little rustle before going still again. “There’s something hidden in the mountain. Something that will help.”
“How do you know?” I asked.
“There are mentions of it in data caches stolen years ago. They’re protecting something. That’s at least part of why the Turned are so possessive of that place.”
“What is it?”
“No one knows exactly, but we believe it to be of great technological value.”
“I take it you think we can use whatever this is against them.”
“Indeed, Chief Mission Ward, and with your help, we may finally be able to do exactly that.”
I decided to bring it up. “Could it be something to do with the references in the data caches you told us about?”
