by J. N. Chaney
From the way he lowered his voice and glanced around the room nervously, I guessed he suspected the room to be monitored. The thought made me curse inwardly. I hadn’t thought of that, and I should have. The sensory bomb must have rattled a few screws loose.
“You won’t,” Riva insisted. “And the Elders are unharmed.”
He started to argue some more, but Riva cut him off.
“You are forgiven, brother. And to know you have been fighting the enslavement all this time… it will give people hope. If the mind is strong enough, the Mind Thieves can be fought.”
Andro turned haunted eyes on her. “No, they can’t. The influence is a disease. It cannot be held off indefinitely. I can’t say how I lasted this long… It’s too much, and I’m too tired to keep fighting anymore. You have to kill me, Riva. I can’t be one of them.”
A glimmer shone in Riva’s eye, then a tear fell and dropped onto his head. “I can’t do it. There might be a cure. Even if you Turn, I’ll bring you back.”
The next few hours passed with Andro in and out of consciousness. While we waited, I racked my brain for some semblance of a plan. The lack of resources and opportunity made the task all but impossible. I’d asked Riva’s brother to share any information that might help, but he was too out of it to contribute.
At the moment, the only ideas that came to mind were of the last resort variety. The kind of shit brained ideas people got when they were backed into a corner, naked, with no ammo and figured one last ditch effort was better than waiting for the killing blow.
I couldn’t believe I was even entertaining the idea of accepting Makin’s offer. Crazy as it was, I had a vague notion that maybe I could negotiate with him. My life for the team’s. If all but one of us made it out, that wasn’t half bad. I figured with Jay on the Exodus Ark, they might have another opportunity to get inside the mountain.
He was just as good as I was, but more vicious.
By the time Makin returned with a larger entourage made up of a pair of guards—one of whom held a white box—and two scientists, I still hadn’t come up with anything better. If all else failed, I’d pull out the knife and start hacking until they killed me.
“A warning,” Makin announced. “Do not attempt to attack us. If you do, action will be taken. Unpleasant action, for every one of you. Now, Chief Kent. The knife, if you please.”
Okay, so I’d start punching if it came to it.
Suppressing the urge to hurl it at his head, I tossed the blade at Makin’s feet. Instead of picking it up, he merely swept it aside where it rolled to midway between him and the healing pod near the opposite wall.
“Andro goes first,” Makin continued.
The scientists—the same pair from earlier—moved forward.
Riva’s entire body was stiff with tension. I waited, prepared for the moment she lost control and tried to stop them. If that was our final stand, I’d back her up. Beside me, Tara was coiled like spring, just as ready and willing. I knew both Nami and Mirtos would back their leader without delay, which left only Moore.
Then Riva backed away to join us and watched the scientists inspect Andro. Makin must have outfitted them with translation devices because I could understand what they were saying when they stood and talked to him.
“The specimen is not physically strong enough to withstand more change,” the first one said. “We recommend putting him in the healing pod for the procedure instead of the bed.”
“Do it.”
Riva managed to hold onto her cool, even when the guards picked Andro up like an unloved toy and hauled him to one of the pods. The box-holding guard handed his burden off to the scientist who had yet to speak.
The medical bay stayed quiet except for the sounds of preparation, and even those didn’t last long. I wasn’t sure what I expected from the procedure, but an injection made the most sense. Then the scientist opened a compartment instead and loaded a vial filled with thick black liquid.
Riva’s delicate control slipped at the sight of it, and she hissed. “Black Water!”
Nami and Mirtos echoed their leader’s hiss while Tara let out a curse. Moore hadn’t been awake during the First’s attack using Blight as a contagion, so he just looked confused.
The black liquid appeared contained. That was enough to keep me from putting more distance between it and me. Still, I’d have been lying if I said it didn’t make me want to shudder.
The Turned lab coat tapped a console with jerky movements. The compartment closed, along with the pod’s lid, and a low whirring noise signaled that the procedure had begun. No going back now for Andro.
Through all of it, Riva stood fast.
“I see you recognize the inoculation,” Makin commented. “Each dose is tailored to the individual, of course. There were unprecedented complications with the mixture that Avery Garnett received. We didn’t realize it until it was too late. She would have died not long after you left with her.”
He probably thought that our surprise came from his knowledge of Avery’s death. It didn’t. Dr. St. John hadn’t said anything about the transition failing. That led me to believe that he didn’t know. He’d blamed himself for the cure not holding up when that wasn’t the case at all.
Makin focused on me. “Thanks to Avery, the one called Miguel, and you, the Human genome has been properly studied and the virus adapted to perfection. There shouldn’t be any more issues.”
“Your infection isn’t perfect,” Riva spat. Her feathers stuck straight out. “Andro fought you. He’s still fighting, and so will I. The Mind Thieves won’t win.”
“Yes, as I said, he did have a strong mind,” Makin said without feeling. “Those times of struggle are nearly over. Once the Mind Thieves’ influence is permanent, he will join the working ranks. I’m afraid there’s been too much damage for more.”
That time it took Nami and Mirtos working together to hold her back. I don’t think they could have stopped her for long, but the medical pod containing Andro emitted a loud alert.
It did the same thing mine had done and went vertical before opening. Andro looked much better now than he had going in, with the addition of more grey. He walked past our group without so much as looking at his sister and joined Makin’s ranks.
Makin waited until Andro settled into place, then faced him. From my limited view, it appeared that the Turned leader was inspecting his newest braindead foot soldier. Apparently, whatever he saw pleased him, so he did an about face and focused his gaze on me.
“The time for talking is over. Chief Mission Ward, have you made your choice?”
I let the silence hang in the air for a long moment. “Go to hell.”
His eyes went to slits, the first sign of emotion I’d seen in him since entering the room. “As you wish. Guards, restrain the prisoners. Andro, start with Riva.” To the scientists, he nodded. “Prepare the procedure for all of them.”
17
As the guards started to advance, Makin shook his head. “You should have listened to me. You could have been spared.”
“You talk too much,” I said, keeping my tone even.
Makin didn’t reply and looked over to Riva. She stood with her legs bent, ready to attack.
I studied the scene playing out in front of me, looking for some weakness to exploit. Whatever last stand I was going to make would happen in the next few seconds. This was where Makin hadn’t been smart. It was one thing to keep us all in here under threat of the sensory bomb. Right now, they couldn’t deploy it because Makin was in the room and didn’t have on armor.
He thought we were beaten down. He thought his victory was inevitable. Well, I had news for him. He was wrong.
Three of the guards moved forward, including Andro. Each, with the exception of Riva’s brother, held one of the Turned’s favored weapons. The two with him stalked forward in unison, but I noticed something off about Andro.
It probably had something to do with the fact that I’d been raised in the Black Shield Corp
s, which prized precision, then spent the rest of my life up to the point I’d been retired around military installations. I’d also seen how Makin’s guards interacted, almost like one entity.
But Andro was out of step, just a little. Curious, I concentrated on him. While his body language and movement said Turned, his eyes told a different story. They were blinking rapidly, looking from Riva to each of us in turn.
He was still Andro, and he was fighting the Mind Thieves’ influence to save his sister.
I didn’t want to do anything to give away what I’d just learned. My mind went to the knife still on the floor, and I started to make a mental plan to reach it. Andro wasn’t about to force his sister to take the cure, so he had about three whole seconds to take his shot.
For all our sakes, I hoped this worked. When the group reached the midway point, Andro broke ranks. Whatever the medical pod had done, it had at least fixed his physical issues. I thought he might go for a guard first, but he dove for the knife.
Instead of using it, he tossed it to me. I caught it in one hand and charged. Tara was already moving with Moore, as were the rebel Volcuri, but I couldn’t worry about them. If Makin left the room, they would be free to deploy the weapon that nearly killed me only hours before.
It went easier than I expected. With only four guards and two scientists, Makin was outmatched against seven of us. The guards were too occupied with the rest of my team, and the scientists just froze. That left me free to go after their boss.
After lining it up as I crossed the room, I let the knife fly. His eyes going wide, Makin tried to jerk out of the way, no doubt thinking I was going for a kill shot. Not only did I anticipate the move, but I had also been aiming for his head, his threat be damned. The blade sunk into his lower leg.
Unlike his minions, Makin seemed to be able to feel pain. He gasped as the blood began to run, then bent to try and take it out. By that time, I was already closing in on him, and he didn’t get the chance.
I kicked out with enough force to shatter bones. Makin saw it just in time to turn slightly. It saved his joint from being blown out, but it still put him on all fours. I had the feeling it had been some time since the Volcuri had participated in real fighting. His tail came up and tried to swipe at me, the movement jerky and unpracticed.
I dodged it easily, then ducked down and ripped the knife out of his leg none too gently. That elicited a cry of pain from my opponent and another lash from the tail. It connected with my side. It hurt, and I was sure going to feel it in the morning, but I knew how to work around the pain.
I didn’t waste any more time. Makin stared up at me with an unreadable expression as I put the blade to his throat.
“You can’t kill me,” he said. “If you do, there’s nothing to protect you from the guards.”
“I’m aware,” I told him. Then, to my team I said, “You guys about done back there?”
Tara came up to Makin and me holding what looked like a club, except it was on the end of a long staff. “The new prisoners are secure, Chief.”
“Good. Watch him for a second. If he tries anything stupid, hurt him.”
Tara’s smile went predatory. “Oh, I hope he does.”
Unsurprisingly, he said nothing, just clutched at his bleeding leg.
Leaving her to that duty, I went back to the others and gestured at the pod. “Nami, can you work that? I want to put Makin in it and lock the whole thing down. He did that to me.”
“I’ll see what I can do.” She walked over to it.
The pair of guards were dead. Someone had moved their bodies to the furthest wall, leaving dark streaks of blood on the floor.
Mirtos guarded the two scientists again. This time, he wasn’t playing around. He held his weapon, another halberd, and had it leveled at the pair. Moore stood at his side with a sword, helping. Riva was holding onto Andro. From the tremble in his limbs and feathers, I surmised the short altercation had worn him out.
“Is he okay?” I asked, hoping she got the subtext since I knew that was obvious. I was really asking if he was going to be able to come with us.
Riva nodded, maybe a little too eagerly. “He’ll make it.” She said it in a tone that stated she wouldn’t leave him behind.
“I’ve got it,” Nami said from the pod.
I went back to Makin and pointed the knife at him. “Get in the pod.”
“My leg is injured,” he protested. “I can’t possibly—”
On my signal, Tara raised the club. “If you don’t want to follow orders, pal, I’m happy to bash your head in. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure it’s not a death blow. Maybe you’ll live long enough for them to come stick you in the pod and heal you.”
Her threat did the trick. Makin struggled up to a standing position, then began limping to the pod. His leg wasn’t as injured as he made it out to be. The knife wound had torn through the flesh for sure, but it wasn’t so mangled as to be useless.
Without preamble, Makin put himself in the pod. As soon as he was in, Nami worked the controls and had the lid closing. Seconds later, the same low-grade electrical hum I’d heard in mine started up.
“Chief, last time we had these two yahoos, they set off an alarm,” Moore called out. “What should we do with them?”
I glanced at Riva. “What do you want to do?”
She let out another chuffing sound, then looked back at Andro. When our eyes met again, hers were cold. “I don’t want them to have the opportunity to turn anyone else. Kill them.”
“You heard her,” I said to Moore.
Riva also issued the order to Mirtos, who no longer had his translator. Both he and Moore prepared to do the job when one of the scientists leaned back and held up his hands. “Wait!”
His reaction, so out of character for the Turned Volcuri, startled us into not moving.
“I’m not one of them,” he swore. “I only had one dose. Because of my expertise, they put me in the lab. I’ve just been acting like I was easily influenced so they didn’t make me take any more.”
Riva stepped forward and held out a spear. “If you’re not Turned, why did you activate the alarm?”
“I had to,” he claimed. “The lab is under surveillance. Please believe me. I can prove it to you!”
She lowered the spear and looked back at me.
“How?” I demanded.
“I don’t want to die,” he said earnestly. “I just need to access the pod. You’ll see that the Black Water is still there. Andro didn’t get another dose. All I did was heal him.”
Intrigued, I let him go to the pod. If he tried to let Makin out, I’d kill them both. “Do it.”
He worked fast and quickly had the compartment open again. The vial holding the Black Water was still full. “See? I’m telling the truth. If you take me with you, I can help you escape. I know my way around, mostly.”
“What about the other prisoner?” Tara asked.
“Put him in the other pod,” Riva decided.
Knowing that her brother had only been healed must have put her in a magnanimous mood, and I didn’t argue.
Mirtos reached down and took the translator from the last scientist to wear for himself. “That is better,” he commented.
Then, he and Nami moved the prisoner to another pod and secured it.
I slanted a look to Riva when they were done. “That’s good enough for me. You ready to go?”
“Yes.” She slung Andro’s arm over one shoulder. Nami came to his other side and mirrored the action.
“Let’s move out,” I said.
When Moore passed me to take up the flank, I handed him his knife. He accepted it with some surprise, then tucked it into its sheath. “Thanks, Chief.”
I picked up Makin’s staff where it had fallen near the door. Mirtos took Nami’s spot so she could open the door since Riva wasn’t going to leave Andro’s side. There were open medical pods still in the room, and I gave them a cursory glance. It would have been practical to see if another round i
n one of the devices would do Andro any good, but there just wasn’t time.
The door opened without any fuss, then we left the wrecked medical bay behind and ventured out into the hall.
I had a better feeling about this escape than the last time. For one, we had more weapons. Secondly, with two Volcuri who had spent enough time in the mountain to know the way, we at least weren’t running blind.
Andro was walking on his own, but Riva and Mirtos stuck close in case he stumbled. Some of his color was back, though, and that I took that as a good sign. The eight of us crowded down the hallway with the scientist offering directions.
“They won’t have been able to seal off the tunnel yet,” he explained. “At least not fully. There are more passages than the one that brought you to the lab.”
“Just get us out of here, preferably on the path with the least amount of guards,” I bit out.
From the way he snapped his head forward, I’d come off harsher than intended.
“Speaking of guards,” commented Tara. “Why haven’t we seen more? Last time they were all over us. Don’t they know what happened?”
The scientist, whose name I realized I still didn’t know, looked over his shoulder at her in surprise. “You don’t know, then?”
“Enlighten us,” Riva said, speaking for the first time. “But first, tell us what to call you.”
“Oh, my apologies. I am Havu, of Tachu Clan.”
Riva’s head jerked back in surprise. “Tachu Clan? I thought you were all dead. Or captured.
“There are still some of us. We took up nomadic ways, like those of the forest. Instead of living in the trees, we wander from ruins to ruins. Not all are dead. A few have usable equipment that those of my caste use to study the Mind Thieves.”
I was listening with half an ear because the corridor was winding and had more splits for me to clear. Havu still hadn’t explained why there wasn’t much of a resistance, but I could wait a little longer for that story.”
