by J. N. Chaney
When I woke the next morning, it was to my alarm chirping.
“Alarm, off,” I called out.
When I sat up, the slight sting in my hands and soreness in my upper body reminded me how I’d spent several hours the night before. Too exhausted to care about how I smelled, I’d just fallen into bed and dropped into sleep without showering.
A knock at the door interrupted my decision between breakfast and proper hygiene. It was Tara.
“Shouldn’t you be in recovery?” I asked, surprised to see her standing there in a white tanktop and black cargo pants.
“Got the all clear to leave,” she replied, coming in when I stepped back. When the door closed, she lifted up her top to show me a swath of bright pink—new skin. “It was just a scratch. Anyway, I came by to see if you wanted—”
Tara stopped talking and strode forward to take my hands, still raw and caked with dried blood from my workout, in her hands. “What the hell, Kent? Did you get into a fight or something?”
“No.” I didn’t quite know how to take the physical contact. She’d done the same thing the night before, but I wrote it off as a mixture of fatigue and pain meds.
She seemed to notice my discomfort and let go. “Why don’t you explain while I get the medkit.”
I could have said something about being her superior, but it didn’t seem worth the trouble. “Training with a combat dummy last night,” I explained.
“Did they have to replace it?” Though Tara’s tone was light, her stiff posture betrayed her concern as she pulled the medkit out from the wall.
“It survived. I just needed to burn off some energy before I could sleep.”
“Hmm,” was all she said, busying herself with applying a healing salve to my hands, followed by a clear bandage.
“Thanks. As far as breakfast goes, I need to clean up first. You can go ahead without me.”
That broke the tension, and she leaned back, waving her hand in front of her nose. “I didn’t want to say anything, but that’s a good idea. Don’t want to clear out the cafeteria during rush hour.”
I felt the corner of my mouth twitch and gave in to the small laugh. “It amazes me how immature you are for a grown woman.”
Her brow furrowed, and Tara stepped forward. “Hey, there’s something wrong with your face.” I started to turn to the nearby mirror, but she continued, “Ohhh, it’s a smile. I didn’t think you knew how to do that.”
“Alright, Perez, enough fun and games. Go get some chow. I’ll follow up after my meeting with Director Wright.”
Tara breezed out the door, still laughing.
A beep from the holo unit on my desk drew my attention. AMI appeared a second later, this time decked out in an elegant dress that cut up to mid thigh. “If you’re done flirting, I would suggest getting a move on.”
I glared at her glowing avatar. “I was not flirting, AMI.”
A chair materialized, and she lowered herself into it, then crossed her legs in a graceful motion. “Let’s see. You bought flowers, took them to her, held hands, and now you’re exchanging witty banter.”
“I shouldn’t have to explain this. Flowers are customary when visiting someone injured or in the hospital. It was in the training. We didn’t hold hands, at least not in the way you’re implying. As for the witty banter, that’s just Tara.”
“Exactly.” AMI smiled triumphantly. “Just Tara. You don’t interact with anyone else the way you do with her.”
I was starting to get tired of the whole conversation. “Tara is an acquaintance. One that I happen to get along with due to the amount of time we’ve spent together. She’s been with me since the beginning, remember?”
The AI shook her head. “Correction. I have been with you from the moment you woke up. But that’s not the point. You met Mitch the same time you did Tara and you don’t act the same around him.”
“Mitch isn’t teaching me how to act around people,” I pointed out.
“That is true.”
“Why does it even matter?”
She looked taken aback at the question but recovered fast enough. “DICK was rogue. Taking his matrix on has given me a glimpse into the emotions he unlocked. I am in no danger of going rogue myself, but I am… intrigued. I care about what happens to you.”
“Don’t worry. I’m more likely to die at the hands of the First than go on a date.”
“I’ve run the probabilities, and you are correct. Tara was right about one thing. You should shower so you’re presentable for the meeting.”
I grunted in response and strode out.
“That was in the training too, Kent!” she called out after me.
An hour later, I stood in the Director’s office with Riva on a holo transmission, thanks to an upgrade patch AMI had worked out. She assured us that the encryption on the transmission would prevent any eavesdroppers.
“Riva, our most recent scans of the planet discovered posts run by Makin’s people. Instead of building our own base of operations, I believe it will be more effective in terms of time and materials if we use what is already available.”
A ripple rolled through the leader’s feathers. “Ah, yes. We were aware of them. The locations are a strategically placed series of Turned outposts that border the base of the mountain.”
“They’re important,” Director Wright guessed. “We thought as much.”
“Most of them are,” she confirmed. “We’ve identified at least three that lead directly into the mountain via a tunnel system.”
“Wait,” I said, holding up a hand. “This is vital information. Why are we just now hearing about it?”
“Because we just discovered it ourselves. The data cube we received from the Elders is still being deciphered, but we learned that much. It would appear that we are on the right path. It is kismet.”
Director Wright cleared his throat. “If you knew the outposts existed, why did it take data to learn about the tunnel system?”
“Previous attacks by my predecessors were unsuccessful. All the survivors could report was that the Turned would suddenly double in number. No one ever got close enough to get any usable intel to help us infiltrate. The risk eventually became too much, and all further attempts were banned.”
Riva paused as someone else entered the room. I recognized Nami from the woods by the beach. She went to Riva’s side, bowed, and passed something to her superior before speaking too low for me to catch any words.
Once the warrior was gone, Riva turned her attention back to us and held up the object. It appeared to be another data cube.
“The report regarding the attack on the Elders’ compound. One moment please.”
She plugged the cube in somewhere out of view, then scanned the contents. From the way her feathers bristled, it wasn’t good news.
“With the help of your AMI and reports supplied by scouts in the area, we know that Makin’s warriors did not follow or track us, as I previously thought. Their confirmed point of entry came from a different direction. Adding how they so easily circumvented the Elders’ guards leaves only one conclusion.” Eyes flashing, Riva drew herself up. “A traitor betrayed the location. But how? They haven’t turned anyone with knowledge of the Elders.”
My eyes snapped over to Director Wright. He wore a troubled expression, mirroring my thoughts. While the news wasn’t earth shattering, it did bring to light some concerning implications.
“Riva, is the hideout in danger?”
“Before seeing the report I would have said no. Now… I cannot say with any amount of certainty. Going forward, all information will be kept under wraps.”
“The compound attack was a bold move,” Wright commented. “Makin is stepping up his game because his masters put him in a corner. That’s going to make him unpredictable. ”
“We should move to take the mountain. Not right away,” I conceded after getting a sharp look from Wright. “First we need to take the outpost with the best tactical advantage. After we establish a foothol
d, we can shut Makin down once and for all.”
The next day I stood, arms folded across my chest. “In your condition, you’d be a burden.”
Tara hadn’t taken well to the news that I planned to leave her behind. Now we were at the launch bay where she had arrived in her light armor and carrying a pack with none of her good humor from the day before.
Her stony-eyed stare didn’t scare me. I did, however, keep an eye on her gun hand. Her desire to go was understandable—impressive, even. And I was being harsh, but bringing her along was just asking for trouble.
“Tara, you were almost dead not forty-eight hours ago.”
Her chin jutted up stubbornly. “That was then. This is now. C’mon, I’m as good as new.”
“It’s not about fair. You know that. As for being good as new…” I raised a brow at Dr. Gray, who was standing off to the side with her pack and pretending not to hear us. She’d insisted on coming along, a sentiment I was against but that the Director outranked me on.
“The new tissue is healing well, almost completely integrated. I gave her two units of blood, and her hemoglobin has returned to an almost normal level, but the more time she has to recuperate, the better.”
“Just give me more of that stuff the Riva gave me. That shit worked.”
Dr. Gray swiped a page over on her tablet. “My analysis of the herbal remedy Riva treated her with shows it is high in iron and vitamin C, and it contains three different pain relievers. It can certainly aid in her healing, especially if I administer it with an electrolyte solution.”
“Come on, Kent. You can’t leave me behind when you break into the First outpost. I am ready for this, and you need me there.” Tara ducked, threw a few air punches, then stood up again. “See, I’m fine. Besides, the op isn’t going down right away. By the time we attack, I’ll be more than ready”
Though I did notice the wince she came back up, Tara didn’t appear lightheaded, so I reluctantly gave a nod. “Okay, you’ll be part of the team for this, but I won’t be able to watch you. If you’re not up to the task, you’ll have to get yourself out of there.”
“Like I’d need your help,” she bit out, but I could see a smile playing at the corners of her mouth. Her sarcasm told me as much about her health as the doctor did, and I was glad to see it.
“Just get your gear on the bird and strap in. We’re gone in ten.”
12
We made it to the surface without getting attacked.
Whether that was due to the pair of defense crafts that flanked us the whole way or the fact that we avoided any large bodies of water, I couldn’t say. Part of me wouldn’t have minded a good fight, but the smaller vessels weren’t made for heavy combat. It was one thing to take out fleshy targets like would-be mutineers (or meandering zombies) and quite another to confront alien armor and whatever vehicles Makin might have access to.
We’d packed its belly with the equipment needed to build a temporary base. The plan was to move fast once we hit the ground. Riva and her chosen warriors, along with Mitch and Noah, had rendezvous coordinates. Two full squads were crammed into one transport shuttle.
Under the cover of night, Riva and I would lead a primary force to the first outpost we planned to hit. If all went according to plan, we would have our first established foothold in Turned territory.
It had been somewhat of a relief when Dr. Rhys St. John had opted to stay in the underground lab with his Volcuri counterpart, a scientist named Skan. According to the sparse update I’d received from St. John the night before, the pair were hard at work trying to find a way to cure the victims of the First. He mentioned temperature fluctuations and a few other experimental options, but that was the least of my concerns. To my mind, a cure wouldn’t matter if we were all dead, or worse, captured.
As I exited the transport ship at the designated landing site, I thought back to the transmission Riva had intercepted between Makin and his superiors. Specifically, the threat to wipe out everyone on Kainos if the Turned leader didn’t do his job and defeat us.
That left us with a double-edged problem. If we did nothing but avoid death by Makin’s hand, the First would finish the job. That wasn’t an option, which was why we had chosen door number two: take the mountain. The one thing that I hadn’t figured out yet was how to convince the First not to hit the big red genocide button.
One thing at a time. That was all I could do. Right now, the focus had to be on our presentation. If Makin was somehow watching us the way the Elders had, my plan hinged on him only being able to guess at what we might do. If Makin did figure it out, well, that was mission failure.
“Let’s pick up the pace,” I instructed those helping set up the camp. “Everything has to be ready for tomorrow.”
Theatrics didn’t come naturally to me, but I could pretend for the sake of the mission.
“You’re handling the new role well,” said a voice to my right.
It was Tara, and she was smirking.
I raised a brow and motioned to the commotion. “Shouldn’t you be helping?”
She pointed to her side. “Nope. If you want me at a hundred percent for the main event, I need to rest up.”
“Neatly done,” I said, turning back to keep an eye on things. “But if that’s the case, I’m going to have to order you to the medical wing.”
“Medical wing?” she echoed. “You mean the single cot in one corner of the main tent?”
“That’s the one. Go get another treatment.”
Tara snorted. “Right. Well, aye aye, captain.”
As she spun on her heel and marched off to the tent, I heard her mutter, “And people say he has no sense of humor.”
“Stay alert,” I told Mitch and Noah later that night. The temporary camp was set up, and I was eager to get going. “There’s always the chance that Makin’s scouts will pay you a visit tonight.”
“Can’t say I don’t wish we were going with you,” Mitch replied.
Noah nodded his agreement but didn’t say anything, sticking to his quiet routine.
I understood his desire to be part of the squad getting a first crack at the outpost. If our roles were reversed, I would have felt like I was being left behind. For some reason I thought of 1286-J back up on the Ark. No doubt he felt the same. I wouldn’t have minded having another BSC operative along for this mission. Our chances of success might be in an acceptable range then. Oh, well. If war were easy, I wouldn’t exist.
“Noted, and I appreciate you both staying behind,” I said. “Besides me and Tara, you’re the only two humans who know what to expect down here.”
“Speaking of Perez, I heard she got wounded. Is she combat ready? ” Mitch glanced furtively to where she was strapping on the last of her gear. “Don’t tell her I asked. I like my balls where they are.”
I shrugged. “She got the all clear from Dr. Gray. I don’t have a medical degree, so who am I to argue?”
“Careful, Kent,” said AMI in my ear. “That was dangerously close to sounding snarky.”
I wanted to reply that I didn’t do snark, but the others hadn’t heard the private transmission. “Remember to stay radio silent. AMI will give the signal for you to move out when it’s time.”
Noah waited for Tara, who was walking toward us at a brisk pace, to speak. “We’ve got it under control, Chief. Good luck.”
“Let’s hope we don’t need it,” Tara replied. “But thanks.”
“Perez, with me. See you two on the other side.”
Together, we left the tent and headed north in silence. One klick out, we began to circle around, making it look like we were on a random patrol. None of my senses picked up anything abnormal, but I knew better than to trust that alone and continuously scanned our surroundings.
It was different from our first day landing on the planet some weeks ago. Then, everything had been foreign and the whole team had been on edge, with good reason. We’d come across the galaxy expecting to find an uninhabited world ripe for colonizin
g. Instead we got Kainos, a world embroiled in war, with its people on the verge of extinction.
That was all about to change if I had anything to say about it.
After circling for nearly half an hour, I changed course again, this time on a western heading. An even deeper stillness settled over the area, so I felt confident enough that we were alone and broke the silence.
“I don’t like that Dr. Gray is down here,” I said. “That’s two men acting as her bodyguards that could be supporting the teams. Tomorrow, you’re going to escort her back unless Director Wright says no.”
“He will.” When Tara chuckled under her breath, I looked sharply over at her. “What?” she asked. “Oh, come on. The whole ship knows. Don’t tell me you didn’t notice.”
“Notice what?” I demanded, annoyed.
“They’re an item. You know, like together.” She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.
I cycled through all the normal people jargon I’d been learning until I hit on a connection. “Fraternization?”
Tara made a choking sound but managed to stay quiet. “Fraternization, wow. Sure, that’s one way to say it. I think the common vernacular is canoodling. Dating. Doing the mattress rumba. Jesus, Kent. Call it anything but that archaic word.”
My back stiffened slightly. “It’s not archaic. My reintegration packet specifically addressed the subject and said that individuals in certain positions aren’t supposed to fraternize with each other.”
She shrugged and kept walking. “I don’t know how to explain it other than to say that some rules are ignored. I know it was rigid for you in BCS, but remember what I told you. Normal people don’t always do what the system says they ought to.”
I was having a hard time wrapping my head around this. “If some rules can be broken, then they all can be broken.”
“Exactly.”
The conversation perplexed me, and I began to regret opening my mouth. “That logic is faulty. If all the rules can be broken, then why have rules at all?”
