SHIP was a perfect sphere. Its shape reminded her of an eye and indeed the front of it was like the cornea, transparent so that she could see inside. A tall thin shape, vaguely human sat within. A long arm stretched toward the window, hand extended up; Meeta's signal that she was well. The signal was repeated; Belliah was also well. They could proceed.
The gateway was open. She smiled, full of the usual anticipation and steely determination. “To my enemy's death or to mine," she mouthed the age old mantra. Then she concentrated and they fell for thirteen hundred and thirty three seconds exactly. Each second was a new world. Some were at a glance industrious, some primitive and some had no life at all. Each had its own time and space and was, in essence, its own universe. They fell unseen or if seen, at least unknown; barely a flicker of light to anyone who may have witnessed their brief appearance. To anyone but her it would have been a kaleidoscope of colors too swift to form an accurate picture. To her, each world was a vivid moment that she could explore if needed. When she traveled, time was malleable, at least up to a point. This made her work possible. It allowed her to learn what she needed of the world. Knowledge was always valuable. It allowed her to determine where she would appear and gave her time to select a shadow. She was only a mind and a mind without a body could not survive for long.
She found what she wanted. Beneath her stretched a rocky plateau. To her right was a lake with water the color of soft emerald. A slight wind pushed at the water, creating waves that rolled across the surface like thousands of icy diamonds turning over and over in the dusky light, for it was late in the day. Night was not far away now. The lake was bordered by a string of mountains that went north to south; while not high, the mountains were rugged and rocky like most of the area she could see. Trees and greenery broke sporadically if enthusiastically through the craggy earth. On her left, the plateau fell off steeply. A swollen river paced the edge of the mountainside. Farther down she could see the river break away and become a waterfall that fell in ragged drops some two hundred feet or more. Immediately below was a stone trail that had been carved or chipped in some manner from the mountainside. Two figures negotiated the incline. The pathway was wide enough that it wasn't dangerous but it was steep.
Concentrating hard she pulled SHIP into this reality and carefully stripped her shielding from it. SHIP materialized before her, hovering high, a clear bubble of turbulence above the rocky ground.
She sent a question.
"Meeta, confirm world thirteen hundred and thirty three."
She wasn't afraid this world was the wrong one. She'd been taught to confirm everything. Mistakes meant punishment. Failure to correct mistakes brought greater punishment. It was best to be careful.
She waited, frowning when no answer came snapping back to her. Abruptly she realized she was still in slow-time and made the adjustment while repeating the question.
"World thirteen hundred and thirty three confirmed," came back to her immediately.
Meeta sounded amused. She was smart enough to know what had happened; had probably even flagged the broadcast in slow-time. Katal-Tik winced. She’d made a fledgling mistake. This was not something she did normally. She wondered if there was something wrong with her. She'd had strange thoughts lately.
Meeta's voice continued.
“Starting recording. Nanos released for real-time scanning."
She relaxed. The mistake hadn't been recorded. Meeta had waited before beginning. Meeta was looking out for her. That thought should have made her happy, but it didn't. She shouldn't need help. She sent the tag to SHIP.
"Confirm shadow," she ordered, then waited while Meeta checked the tag against her data carefully.
"Confirmed. Two viables: one male, one female. Both in good health." Meeta's voice hesitated, "The area is hazardous. The river is high with a strong current. The embankment is steep. Insertion will be dangerous. I recommend waiting until they reach a more stable area."
Still smarting from her earlier mistake she interrupted Meeta, “That’s my concern not yours!”
"Insertion will cause disorientation," persisted Meeta. "You risk injury and more delay."
“Stop!”
The single word erupted from her. It was full of anger Meeta did not deserve to hear. The hatred she held for the hunted was beyond words.
“You know who we hunt. You know this one is special!”
As close as she was, she could feel Meeta’s sharp acceptance of her authority. There would be no more questions.
She sighed. Meeta was prone to worry, and also an empath who cared too much for the shadows they took. This often made things difficult. Shadows didn’t last long; they were expendable. Since they grew stronger with time, it was protocol to use them hard, then end them before they became troublesome. If Meeta had her way the mission might never begin.
She put up with the questions; no other Hunter would. She did this because Meeta was excellent at what she did. She hoped the Tik knew that. If Meeta was ever assigned to another Hunter it would end badly for her. She made a mental note to speak with Meeta later about that. With a start she realized she‘d already made a second mistake. She’d taken more slow-time than was needed. Slow-time was draining. Just when she needed her full strength to be effective, she felt tired. Worse, she felt hungry.
She gathered her strength and focused on the male below. He wasn't her target but she needed to know more about him before taking the next step. Once the process began there was no going back. She scanned him, careful to make the touch light and unobtrusive.
He was a big man, six feet four inches with a pleasant enough face framed by soft mid-length black hair. Pretty hazel eyes. He was deep in conversation with the female who seemed to like him. A mated pair perhaps? Judging by his easy stride on the slope, he was in excellent physical shape. Body lean and athletic. His smile caught her attention. Happy and confident. She frowned, wondering what it would be like to be happy. To do whatever you wanted. She pulled away quickly. That was enough from him!
She had drifted again which was sloppy and dangerous. Clearly something was bothering her. It was probably because of the one they hunted, she thought dismissively.
Now for the girl. She reached down and let her senses pick through the girl's memories. Sylvia, blonde, five foot two. Lived in Vancouver. Was unmarried but very attracted to her current boyfriend, Nick.
She dug deeper absorbing thousands of other thoughts and images. She didn't really need all this detail but she'd been taught to be thorough. She might need to fool people into believing this female still lived. That seldom happened. Shadows didn't usually last long enough to present that kind of problem.
When she knew enough she began the insertion process. Sylvia's mind would resist, but it was a primitive thing, defenseless compared to hers. She'd done this many times and the struggles were always fierce but brief. Therefore she was unprepared, in fact, horrified to hear Sylvia scream when that part of her should have been shut down. When Sylvia actually grabbed her reeling boyfriend, Katal-Tik knew she was in trouble.
The boyfriend's expression went from surprise to concern. When Sylvia grabbed his arm he’d pulled away, dragging her forward. The action twisted Sylvia around, causing her to fall. For several moments she lay on the narrow path, arms and legs akimbo, gyrating without control. Then she suddenly popped to her feet, her actions jerky.
She gave him a wild look, eyes rolling in her head.
"Help me!" came out garbled but clear enough to make out.
She started babbling, mouthing words that made little sense while Katal-Tik worked to shut her down.
“Something's in my head!" she said clearly.
Katal-Tik was shocked. This had never happened before. Sylvia’s mind was fighting harder that any had before. Clearly Hunter DNA existed closer to the surface on this world. Entering Sylvia’s mind had woken it!
Suddenly Sylvia was running down the mountain pathway at a dangerous speed. Branches came from nowhere slashing and
stinging her face and hands. Then she fell and rolled several yards down the path. Katal-Tik felt rocks rip through her jeans and top, battering Sylvia’s body. To her right was a long drop to the water below. She'd been lucky not to have gone over but knew that could change at any moment. This shadow was fighting her every attempt at control!
Suddenly the body leapt to its feet and began another wild run down the trail. Some part of Sylvia was fighting effectively but irrationally. In fact, Sylvia was too frightened by what was happening for any thought at all. It was animal instinct Katal-Tik realized. Somehow she'd triggered it. Sylvia had recognized a predator and was running for her life.
"Meeta," she snapped. "What happened?"
"You've lost control," came the worried response. “She's gone wild."
"Wild?"
That meant Sylvia’s body had released chemicals making normal control methods impossible. If she followed protocol she should feed. That would destroy Sylvia and give her enough energy to go back for the second option. She hesitated. For some reason she didn’t want to do it. She’d never hesitated before. Why now? The girl wanted the boy. She had a chance at a life. If Katal-Tik fed that was over. The GateKeeper would punish her for this but she'd always been stubborn. She was Katal-Tik. On HomeWorld she was feared.
"I can get her back. I just need to dig deeper."
“No! Abandon this body or feed!” instructed a clearly surprised Meeta.
She was running down a steep embankment that was in no way easy to navigate. The body was fatigued and running on adrenaline. With time she could regain control but how to get that time? She took a risk and went into slow-time.
Immediately she felt drained. She was more tired than she'd thought. She felt a twinge of fear. NO! Fear was not her path. She calmed herself, reached hard for the rational mind. There was little for her to grasp, nothing there had control of this body. She went deeper, poured more energy into the insertion, digging through the rational to the primitive hidden at its core. If she could reach the primitive, she could regain control. This mind resisted. Somehow it still fought her. She responded like any Hunter by fighting harder. Abruptly she broke through the defenses and found herself in a mind ruled by fear. Thoughts crashed against other thoughts, impulses surged and were defeated only to surge again! For the first time she doubted.
How could anyone control this? she wondered with amazement. She had to retreat but that too took energy. Too much! She released slow-time and fought her way to the surface of the rational mind where things were strangely quiet.
"Katal-Tik, abort the insertion." It was Meeta's calm voice. "Abort now, please."
That seemed like a good idea, thought Katal-Tik. "Affirming abort."
Just as she prepared to leave, the body did something unexpected, it turned off the trail while still running full tilt. Branches that had been whipping at her eyes suddenly disappeared. Then the ground disappeared as well!
Katal-Tik felt Sylvia's head hit a rock; then the world was full of a cold, rushing quiet.
Water! She was in the river!
Katal-Tik was angry with herself. So many mistakes! Far too many. Something was happening inside herself. This wasn't like her. Everything felt wrong today!
Steeling herself she released all control and began the process of leaving which was itself exhausting. Dismally she realized she might not have enough power to direct SHIP home. If she had to call for help... she decided not to think about that then did so anyway. She might be declared unfit. There, she'd thought the worst. If unfit she was of no use and her masters would take appropriate action. Still, she’d probably survive this. She’d had too many previous successes.
She was almost out when she realized Sylvia was dying.
'Now what?' she wondered. Tentatively she crawled back inside the mind, let herself feel the body. There was a head injury, the brain was injured. The right leg was broken and the lungs were taking in water. Sylvia was unconscious and no longer able to save herself.
“That's what happens when you run in fear!'” Katal-Tik shouted into the mind of the female, disgusted by it.
Then another emotion came to her. Sylvia had fought well. Such bravery deserved respect, not disgust. She felt embarrassment for her previous thought. It had not been a true thought. Worse was the realization she need not let the body die. With the mind injured and unconscious, control was hers. She went back in.
Swimming to the surface, she puked water while trying to get air into her lungs. She stroked powerfully toward the nearest embankment. She hadn't gone far when she realized the current was too strong. She wouldn't make the embankment. Worse, the body was succumbing to the river's icy grip. The cold was killing her. With a broken leg she was being swept down river. She couldn’t heal it. She was too weak. Shocked she realized she was also too weak now to leave!
If the body died, she would die. It was an amazing thought. She'd been close to death many times but that had been in battle. Not like this. This wasn’t honorable. Yet real death was in front of her. The thought energized her enough that with a last kick she made it to a thick log wedged between rocks. Too far from safety but at least she wasn’t drifting towards the falls. She tightened her grip. The embankment wasn’t far but the cold had leached her available strength. It was even getting hard to maintain her hold. In the distance was the sound of the falls. If she let go and didn't make the embankment the body would go over. She tried to remember how long the drop was. Enough, she thought. The body wouldn't survive. She was going to die after all. Both of them.
The body was injured. For any chance at survival, it needed to be healed. She’d have to dip into her core to heal it. Would the expenditure be worth it? The falls were close. Going over would finish her. A brief look downstream revealed nothing she could use to pull herself in. Once she let go, she'd either make the embankment or go over.
I’m not going to die, she told herself firmly.
She began pushing power into the leg. Forcing healing, until she felt the bone knitting itself back together. When she could do no more she stopped, her breath coming in sharp gasps. She was hot, very hot, a consequence of over extending the body's metabolism. She'd also been oxygenating the blood through hyperventilation. That was everything she could do. The leg was not fully healed. Deep healing required time she didn't have.
She eyed the shoreline, marshalling her strength. The first few kicks would determine everything. Two deep breathes and she threw herself forward. Stroke, kick, stroke, kick! She beat at the water like it was an enemy. Kick and pound the water, kick and pound. She was making progress. The current was less strong now. Almost out! The Hunter in her rejoiced! She doubled her efforts only to feel a sudden harsh tearing in her leg. The bone torn lose! She lost momentum. Helplessly she felt the current renew its hold on her.
The leg was useless now. All she could do was prevent the body from drowning as the river swept her downstream. A rock loomed like a mountain in front of her and she grabbed at it. Managed to hold for only a second. Another rock. This time she had to let go because there was too much water pouring over her and she couldn't get a breath. The waterfall! She was going to go over.
"Katal-Tik! Let go of the body. Save yourself!" messaged Meeta frantically.
"Can't."
And it was true; they'd go over together. She'd used up everything. They were committed. She'd do what she could for the body. Perhaps they'd survive the fall, miss enough of the rocks. The water would be calmer beneath the falls. She might be able to get it to shore. More likely it would be an ignominious end for her. She should be angry, she thought, but she was too cold and tired for that. So many mistakes today. She should have left the shadow at the first sign of trouble. It had been foolish to try and save it. The GateKeeper had told her many times her stubbornness would kill her. This day would prove him correct. She hated that thought. She hated him. She hated the Masters. She hated her life. Idly she realized being close to death had also brought her closer to truth.
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br /> She drifted swiftly now. The body had little life in it so she fed it a little more from her core. If the fall didn't kill them, Sylvia still needed to get to shore. She’d decided to give Sylvia the last of herself before going over. One of them would survive. The girl should have a chance at a life. That was more than she’d ever been given.
The noise from the waterfall was a roaring rush now. She had moments left. She steeled herself while she willed the body to relax. Only feet from the edge she suddenly stopped; something had grabbed her! Clumsily she grabbed onto it, pulled it to her chest. It was a long branch with a hook at the end. The hook had snagged her. The other end was held by a man. He was a big man, over 6 feet with shoulders to match. Though his footing on the rocks seemed uncertain, he held her firmly against the pull of the current. This body’s boyfriend!
She accessed the body's memories of him. She needed to know more. Grabbed what she could.
"Nick! Thank God, thank God," she babbled. "Pull me in!" Relief flooded through her. They wouldn't die after all.
"I'm not sure I should," He replied carefully.
"What?"
She must have misheard. A replay of his answer in her mind reaffirmed what he’d said.
"Pull me in! Quickly. I can barely hold this branch!" She let fear creep into her voice. He was male. He’d try to protect a potential mate.
"Not yet," he returned. He was watching her carefully, very carefully, actually.
She saw he had hazel eyes. She would have described them as mischievous. There was something about him, a quality that made you want to like him if for no other reason than his eyes. There was no laughter in them at the moment. Just scrutiny. Perhaps a touch of fear. He was looking at her like he couldn't believe what he was seeing.
The God Hunters Page 3
