by L H Whitlock
***
Ulrick entered his bedroom. Mickaal, Silra, and he had left for his personal ship and TIPed space so that they were in the general vicinity of Lily’s Home Ship. He skipped the pull of the satin sheets of his bed and went straight into the office. Now that he’d met her, when she wasn’t with him he felt as though a piece of him was missing.
Maybe seeing her would help fill the void. After flicking on the screen of the Holo-tablet, he placed it on the coffee table and sat in an oversized arm chair.
He waited for the bug he had placed on Lily to register and nearly jumped from his seat when he saw her being attacked. His heart slammed in his chest as the normally solitary creatures combined their forces to attack. He slammed his hands against the table and a forgotten glass of water spilled over, the contents dripping to the floor. Those Varlies are possessed, and I know by whom.
The beast collapsed before killing his mate and Brock pulled her out from beneath it.
Ulrick cursed his choice. He should have stayed and waited until he made certain Lily was safely aboard the heli-shuttle, but he never imagined the Varlies would attack in mass. He thought the greatest threat were a few K’lors, and they were nothing compared to Lily.
Ulrick watched Sara heal his mate and was grateful they had such a talented healer. He watched the gruesome, life threatening wounds close up into harsh pink scars. They stood out brightly against her pale skin. After cleaning Lily up, Sara secured IVs into her; one appeared to be blood, the other water and medicine.
“May I enter?” Mickaal’s voice broke Ulrick out of his trance.
“Please, my friend.” Ulrick motioned to the seat across from him.
Mickaal sat and leaned forward to watch the image in front of him. “I have failed.”
“You had nothing to do with this. I was careless in my pursuit. Golan has surveillance all over that prison.” Ulrick’s mind filled with ways he would kill Golan. Perhaps he would cut him apart, one sliver at a time, and let each strip of flesh float away in the void of space. Or, maybe he should drop him into a black hole and watch him stretch until he reached the event horizon.
“I’ll materialize onto Lily’s ship once she’s in stable condition. It wouldn’t be safe for her to dematerialize at the moment,” Mickaal said.
“Once you have Lily, bring her to my personal ship. Are you sure you want Silra here?”
“She wants to fight. I couldn’t stop her if I tried. Besides, we’ll be escorting those unable to fight, so we’ll be far enough away from the actual battle. She’s so excited to have another female around.”
Ulrick smiled. “Yes, it will be nice for Lily as well.”
Mickaal dismissed himself with a wave of his hand. “I have to go, my lady’s calling me. Try not to worry too much, I can tell your mate is surrounded by loved ones.”
“Thank you, my friend.” Ulrick turned his attention back to his sleeping mate. Even in her current state she was magnificent, with her light hair spread out around her head and her small hands dangling over the side of the bed, she looked like a sleeping princess. He wished that moronic cyborg would move her to the bed, but by the looks of it that wouldn’t be much better.
Ulrick rubbed a hand over his face. They had to work swiftly. If Golan knew about Lily he wouldn’t waste time in disposing her. He had to make sure he reached her first. His bed called to him. He had not slept in days but he ignored the pull, his eyes fixed on the image of his sleeping mate.
23
Lily opened her eyes to the blinding glare of florescent medical lights. Groaning, she quickly shut them to evade the attack. It seemed there wasn’t a single muscle in her body that was free of pain. She tried to roll off the thin med-bed but pain tore at her stomach. Crying out, she pulled the edge of her shirt up to reveal a jagged pink scar. Memories of the battle flashed in her mind, so vivid she could swear she still smelled the beast’s oily hair.
Brock rushed to her side. “El, we were so worried.” He bent to kiss her forehead. “How are you feeling?” His voice left a sharp ringing in her ears.
“How long have I been out?” Her voice came out in a harsh croak.
“Two risings.” He held a glass to her mouth so she could drink.
After taking a desperate sip she turned her attention back to the scar. It looked like Sara had done a good job. “Did Vincent get to Base?” she asked.
“Yeah, he’s stable. Sorry ‘bout the scar. We can get ya some ointment. If that doesn’t help we can do reconstructive surgery.”
“No, it is fine. I will just use the ointment.”
Brock handed her the container of Scar-lock. “This is all we got left. We can get more later.”
“It’s fine.” She rubbed the thick blue goo over the wound, wincing as the cold gel touched the sensitive skin. It visibly reduced in color, after a few more applications it should blend in.
“How’s the pain? We can administer more drugs.”
“No drugs.”
“Hungry?”
“Very. Can you help me up?”
“My pleasure.” Brock tenderly placed an arm under her and lifted her, pausing as she cried out in pain. “You sure you’re ready?”
“I am starving.”
“All right,” he said with a shrug. “If you’re sure you’re up for it.” He placed her gently on her feet and grasped her arm as she took a few shaky steps.
“Don’t be so stubborn. Let me help you to the kitchen.” Before she had a chance to argue, Brock lifted her into his arms.
“Thanks.” She rested her head against his metal arm. The cool surface felt refreshing on the nape of her neck. They made their way slowly down the hallway, pausing at the door to the kitchen. Laughter erupted from inside as Alberta and Gustavo teased each other. Brock set Lily on her feet. She looked up at him and took a deep breath before entering the kitchen.
The laughter immediately stopped as Alberta and Gustavo stared at her. Alberta gasped, slid off her chair, and wrapped her arms around Lily. “You scared us. Glad okay.”
Gustavo hugged her. “Happy to see ya up and about.”
“Thanks, you guys.” Lily walked past the chrome counters. Although they had a Rebi-maid to keep things clean, there were always dirty dishes littering the counter’s shiny surface. On the far side of the wall was a large writing board where the team left various notes for each other. Currently, there was a sketch of Gustavo with an exaggerated forehead. Someone had drawn eyes and a mouth on the extended surface with a speech bubble saying ‘the bigger the surface, the smaller the brain.’ Gustavo’s retaliation was sketched out overtop the image of himself. It depicted an animated Brock crying because he had a ‘small rocket.’
Lily sat at the table. “How are you?”
“We fine. Ship fine,” Alberta replied.
“Where are Zeth and Gloria?” Lily asked.
“Gloria had emotional time. Resting. Zeth go to comfort.” Alberta responded.
“That was nice of him.” Lily responded.
Brock huffed and punched a few buttons on the food generator. When it didn’t respond he banged his hand against the side of the machine, it whined and shook then spit out a concoction of Yar rolls and green fulon sauce. Brock looked at the strange meal with a frown then with a defeated sigh, he placed a serving in front of each team member.
Lily stared at the green slop and sniffed. “Man…I told you if you keep banging on it you’re going to break it.” She dug her spoon in and ate with forced swallows.
Brock sliced a loaf of dried Gurane. “Here’s some meat bread.”
Alberta groaned and chewed on a slab of rubbery meat. “You say good thing? Terribles.”
“We should stop by Eltue and grab some things at the market. Maybe we can sleep in a real bed and go see a show.” Gustavo shoveled the slop into his mouth.
“Actually, a trip to Eltue wouldn’t be such a bad idea.” Lily chewed on a piece of the rubbery bread. “We are also getting low on basic supplies.
&nbs
p; Brock leaned back in his seat. “Where to now?”
“Not sure yet, I have a meeting with Rowan when we get to Base. Hey…do you guys think Golan could possess something even if he is not on the same planet?”
“What’s mean?” Alberta asked.
“The Varlie that attacked me had yellow eyes, they were the same color as—“
“Golan’s?” Gustavo interrupted.
“Yes. It even said something inside my head. Just like Golan can do,” Lily explained.
“Oh shit! I never heard of him doing that before, but I don’t doubt it.” Brock rested his elbows on the metal table.
“You think Golan attack you?” Alberta twirled one of the many piercings in her ear.
“Yes,” Lily responded.
“How know where you at?” Alberta asked.
Lily shrugged. “That is what I am worried about. I do not know how he could have found us.”
“Do you think he knows where we are?” Brock asked with growing concern.
“We TIPed. The Developers have not given Golan that technology so I am sure we have lost him for now. Even if he is tracking us somehow, it will take him some time to catch up,” Lily responded.
“We’ll double the guard until we get back to Base,” Brock said.
“Sounds good. Nothing we can do about it now.” Gustavo brushed a hand through his golden hair.
“Where get necklace?” Alberta asked. “Can I see?”
Lily had forgotten about the string of rocks around her neck. She traced her fingers over the jagged stones as though to cherish them, then reluctantly unhooked it and handed it to Alberta.
Alberta ran her fingers over the stones. “This one from Rego,” she said examining the fuchsia stone then rubbed her fingers over three rainbow colored rocks. “These from Vikria.”
Gustavo snatched the necklace from Alberta and squinted as he examined the small chunks of stone.
“Where did you get this?” Brock asked while examining the intricate rocks.
“I found it inside the prison.” Lily could have sworn she sounded defensive.
“You can always count on women to steal stupid things. I thought you would have stolen something useful,” Gustavo jested.
“It’s beautiful.” Alberta handed it back to Lily who secured it around her neck. “Women deserve pretty things. Not’s like you know better, you got me nail color for my Regorna.”
Gustavo rolled his eyes. “It was a good gift…”
Lily smiled and scooted off her stool. “I’m beat. See you guys in the morning.”
“You need help back to your room?” Brock asked, already standing.
“I can manage, but thank you.” Although she could use some assistance, she didn’t want to deal with Brock’s flirting, or any other offers he may make once they made it to the sleeping quarters.
Brock grumbled. “Suit yourself.”
24
An explosion rocked the ship, sending Lily toppling off her bed. Pain shot through her arm as she hit the unforgiving surface. Her stomach felt as though it had been ripped open, but when she checked her wound it was thankfully sealed. Instinctively, she rolled beneath the bed.
Pictures, mirrors, and books fell from the wall and littered the floor. An explosion ripped through the steel wall, engulfing her desk in flame. Her ears rang as she crawled from under the bed toward the door, snatching up clothes on her way. Finding her pants she rolled onto her back slipped them on and shoved her feet into her boots. Rolling back over she scooted along the ground, managing to wiggle into a shirt along the way. Once she reached the door she pulled herself up and pressed on the open button. The light at the top of the door flared up with a pulsing red warning notice. Lily tugged on the release lever and pushed then yanked her hand back as the hot metal burned her hand.
Shards of glass glistened over the hallway floor and pockets of fire decorated the once orderly corridor. Holes were blown into the walls, exposing the innards of rooms and tangles of wire. She ran down the hallway, pulled the emergency lever to Brock’s door and pushed it open. Brock was trapped under a thick slab of metal. Gripping the jagged edges, she helped him lift it off, its sharp points tearing into her skin. Blood ran down her fingers, but she didn’t feel any pain. She held out a bloody hand, he accepted the offering and pulled himself to his feet.
Disoriented by the ringing in her ears, Lily turned in a quick circle unable to locate the door. Brock gripped her upper arm and directed her through the threshold. Just as they made their way through, he tackled her to the ground. The ceiling above them erupted with flame.
Gloria shrieked as she ran down the hallway, Zeth in tow. She stumbled, falling to the ground. Zeth nearly tripped over her but managed to catch himself on the wall.
“Under’s attack.” Alberta’s warped voice came through the damaged Comm.
Lily rolled her eyes. No shit.
Brock yanked Lily to her feet. They headed to Gustavo’s room and activated the emergency lever. The door opened with a rush of fire. Lily turned her head as heat engulfed her, Brock held up his mechanical arm, blocking the girls from the worse of the flame. Gloria stumbled back, her hands crossed over her face. The fire retreated and Brock burst into the room and signaled for Gustavo that it was safe to leave. Alberta ran out of her room and waited for the others at the end of the hallway.
The team ran in a triangle formation with their blades and guns drawn. Emerging from the hallway they filed onto the bridge. A battleship dominated the view out of the window-covered walls. The image of the large, dark ship was much too close for comfort. Alberta gripped onto a weapon control and launched missiles toward the ship. They struck against the enemy ship’s shield, dissipating in a flash of fire.
The tattooed pilot checked her RAB, which was linked to the ship’s control panel. “Ah, damns. Caughts in tractor beam.”
“Toward what?” Brock shouted.
“Toward gigantic battleship,” Alberta replied. “Look like going to dock.”
“What? We don’t want to dock!” Gloria’s voice came out in a tight squeak.
Lily bit her lip. No shit.
“All right.” Lily pulled her gaze from the window and faced her team. “The moment the ships connect and the divider opens, attack. Hopefully we catch them by surprise.” Lily knew any attack they made now would be useless against the shield, so they had no other option but to wait and hope for a miracle. Surely they were due one.
Adrenaline coursed through Lily’s veins as the docking ports joined with a bang. She waited on the balls of her feet, firmly gripping a blade. Her breathing was steady, her vision narrowed. She could hear the breaths of her friends. Slow, steady, in complete control. Even Gloria wasn’t letting her fear show.
The airlock slid open and a flood of K’lors and Liklins charged through the narrow opening and into the Home Ship.
Lily charged, striking down the first K’lor that passed through. He fell, blood spilling from his chest. His comrades climbed over him and lunged. Lily dodged, grabbed onto one of the enemy Liklin’s arms, and sliced it off.
Brock transformed his humanoid arm into a machine gun and shot at the oncoming army. They fell in piles, congesting the entryway.
Lily gasped as a bullet grazed her thigh then rushed the offending gunman, slicing across his face with her blade. He hobbled in a disoriented circle before crashing to the floor.
She glanced back at her team. Gustavo was using his long blade to engage in a fierce sword fight with a K’lor.
Brock was firing wildly at anyone who exited the tunnel.
Alberta threw a knife, lodging it into an oncoming K’lors eye.
Zeth, who positioned himself between Brock and Gloria, shot down anyone who made it past the front line.
Gloria hung back to allow her time to gather her bio-energy and morph it into shields.
A K’lor’s knife slashed at Lily from above. His weapon ricocheted off the shield Gloria had generated around her and the K’lor dropped th
e weapon, the impact vibrating through his arm. Lily stabbed him through the abdomen, sending him to the floor screaming in agony.
Alberta yelled as a Liklin sliced her leg, sending her to her knees. The Liklin hefted an axe above his head and roared.
Lily sprinted, launched herself into the air, and sliced the giant’s shoulder. He staggered, howling in pain.
Alberta plunged a knife into his gut. The unlucky soldier doubled over, clasping his stomach and collapsed, blood coating his hands. Alberta wiped her bloody fingers on her pants and prepared for her next attack.
Smoke billowed from the computer systems. A crack webbed over one of the floor-length windows, threatening to shatter. Bodies littered the battlefield and purple blood mixed with red against the metallic floor in a grotesque finger-painting.
A scream tore from Gloria’s throat.
Lily spun to see what was wrong. Standing in front of Gloria was Mickaal.
Lily’s mouth fell open, but no words came out.
Mickaal stalked to the port connection. The K’lors who were still milling around the Home Ship froze. Mickaal didn’t allow time for anyone to react before the Brink hit.
The sonic projections pulsed through Lily’s skull. She fell to the ground, her hands cupped over her ears. Alberta staggered, knocking into a control panel, a thin trail of blood trickling down the side of her face.
Mickaal paused when he reached the opened airlock, pulled out a small box from his back pocket and threw it through the connection and into the enemy ship. He shot the control panel and the port ruptured, leaving a gaping hole into the void of space. The ship lost pressure and air rushed out. Lily’s feet dragged across the ground as she tried to resist the force.
A wailing sound filled the air until the emergency door slid over the opening and the sucking ceased.
The Brink silenced, but the ringing still lingered in Lily’s head. Her vision blurred and her stomach twisted in knots. Where the hell did he come from?
