by G J Ogden
“He’s already turned,” said Summer. “It won’t be long before his body starts to change too. Whatever there is left of Kurren will soon be gone, consumed by the Maddening.”
Maria flipped on the safety and backed away from Kurren. The General’s legs failed him and he dropped to his knees, growling and murmuring the word, “SALUS… SALUS…” over and over again through his crushed throat.
“So what now?” said Maria, staring down at what was left of General James Kurren.
Summer replied without hesitation. “We leave him here. We leave him here to rot.”
Maria nodded and watched as Kurren began again to crawl towards her, but she felt no pity for him. She remembered Ethan’s prophetic warning, about how killing Kurren would only make her more like him, but perhaps now killing him would be a mercy. She could spare him the horrific fate that lay ahead of him. Maria examined the weapon in her hand, considering the act, but she could not bring herself to do it. He did not deserve mercy; he deserved to rot, and if this was to become a stain on Maria’s honor then so be it, she could live with herself.
The two women watched the creature for a few moments more, as it attempted to claw its way toward them, croaking and spitting blood. Then they looked to each other and turned, together, to make their way back to the engineering complex, leaving the remains of James Kurren behind.
Chapter 34
Yuna had expected the survivors to be frightened, but as they steadily filed into the newly re-opened and decontaminated east wings, she realized that terror had now become their default state of being. There had barely been a moment since they had been crammed into hastily-prepared ships and propelled to the planet, as their home and families exploded in space behind them, that they had not been in mortal danger. Perhaps, now, finally, their ordeal would be at an end, Yuna hoped. But as one ordeal ended, another would begin as they attempted to come to terms with what they’d lost.
The east wings were just empty spaces, but thanks to Tyler’s efforts, they had light and heat and unpolluted air. Yuna had divided the spaces into specific functions, such as sleeping areas, living areas, cooking and eating and so on, while the rest of the scientists and engineers were busy gathering what they could to furnish these new rooms. Neils, Zoe and Tyler had begun to draw up plans to fabricate whatever they did not have, such as additional beds, storage, tables and so on. It would take time, but everyone could play a part, and eventually the barren spaces would be transformed into homes, reflecting the unique character of their occupants – the first community comprised of both GPS and UEC. That most were children helped, because the prejudices of their peoples had not yet become ingrained. Instead, they had been brought together by shared tragedy and common purpose. Yuna hoped it would forge a bond that, in time, could help to heal their wounds.
Maria was amazed at how quickly the space had come alive, with adult survivors working to erect tables and move in furniture, while the younger children played around them. In time, they would not even remember their old home in the stars above. Many of the older children joined in with the efforts to help transform their new home into something more comfortable. Maria wished that Diana were here to see it, and had to bite down hard on the inside of her mouth to suppress the surge of emotion that threatened to overwhelm her. Now was not the time to grieve; her job was not done yet.
Maria and Summer had barely made it back to the engineering complex, before the entire cavern had become overrun with the maddened. After Ethan had returned with Ann and her sons and explained that they were still out there, Page had remained just inside the door leading into the cavern, waiting for them to return. He had held back the creatures with Yuna’s bolt-thrower, firing volley after volley with such relentlessness that the constant recoil had cracked his armor and crushed his shoulder to the point where he could no longer move his arm. But it had been enough, just, to allow Maria and Summer to make it back inside mere seconds before deformed hands and claws scraped and hammered against the door.
Ethan had been waiting for them when they arrived, but Summer had simply rushed past him and disappeared into the complex without a word. Maria had watched Ethan’s face light up with joy at seeing Summer alive, and then darken as she ignored him and ran away. Maria had wanted to tell Ethan what Summer had told her, but it was not her place to interfere. She realized now, more than ever, that she did not belong planetside. All she had ever done was bring hurt and destruction to this world, to its people, and to those she cared for. Somehow, she had to right that wrong. She must. But it could not be achieved planetside. Not yet.
At Gaia’s request, Ethan, Page, Maria and Tyler had gathered by the giant viewing gallery, overlooking the cavern. Close to an hour had passed since Maria had returned, and in that time the fires that had been started by UEC grenades and bullets penetrating electrical conduits had engulfed the buildings around where the heaviest fighting had been. They could still see the two black UEC transports parked in a vee formation at the far end of the long street where they had made their last stand. Now these vehicles were all that remained of the UEC forces; the blue boots had stood against the swelling tide and been swept away. But the tide had not yet gone out, and the city had been flooded with thousands of maddened creatures, stalking the streets like ants crawling through their nest. The whole city was alive with death; a city of deformed and decaying souls.
“What are we here to see?” asked Ethan, but the phrasing of his question implied no interest in learning the answer. He was tired and angry and confused and this was the last place he wanted to be right now.
“We need to make a decision,” said Gaia. “About what to do with the city.”
“I don’t follow,” said Maria. “You said we would be safe here, in the complex?”
“I’m... no longer sure of that…” said Tyler.
All eyes turned to the brilliant, yet twitchy engineer.
“What does that mean?” snapped Ethan. He was close to losing control, and giving in to his anger.
Gaia stepped back in and her calm, assured delivery helped to keep a lid on the growing tension in the group. “Tyler is concerned that the door between here and the city may not hold indefinitely.” Then she added, before there was opportunity for any more protests. “But, this is not our immediate concern. More worryingly, with the cavern now exposed to the outside, the radiation level will steadily increase. We have already monitored a slight rise, which itself is alarming given the short time-span.”
“So what are you proposing?” asked Page. The prospect of G-DARP still terrified him.
“We can purge the city and re-seal the entrance,” said Tyler, rubbing his knuckles slowly. “I can rig up a makeshift drone with explosive charges and collapse the entrance, and then modify the fire-suppression systems to release a flammable compound instead of CO2.”
Everyone looked at him blankly, so Tyler spelled it out. “We seal these things in and then burn the city to ground, with them in it. This compound can withstand the fires outside, and it will solve our two most pressing problems. The increase in radiation, and… those things.”
“Then just do it!” said Ethan, feeling even more frustrated. “Why are we even discussing this?”
“Because if we purge the city, we destroy any chance of returning to it,” said Gaia. “It would be destroyed beyond our ability to repair.”
Maria understood the dilemma. Here, beyond the giant viewing gallery window, was a city in pristine condition, bar the recent damage, never before lived in, encased inside a mountain and shielded from the damaging effects of the radiation. It was capable of supporting thousands of inhabitants, including, most importantly, those who had not been born on the planet. If they could cleanse the infestation and repair the gate that General Kurren had blasted through then this city could again be a haven, safe from roamers and the maddened. But any attempt to kill or drive out the creatures from inside the cave would be a perilous task, and even if it could be done, even if they could recrui
t the numbers and employ the technical prowess of the scientists and engineers to build weapons and machines to assist them, there would still be a heavy cost in lives, and no guarantee of success. And during the time it took to prepare and execute any such plan, the radiation level in the complex would continue to increase, threatening the safety of the survivors, and the engineers and scientists too. Perhaps, the maddened would even break through the door, and then the survivors, and all that they had fought and suffered to protect, would certainly be lost. If they purged the city and re-sealed the engineering gate then the threat from the maddened would be gone, and the engineering complex would remain protected from the radiation, but it would mean sacrificing the only habitable city on the planet.
“Ethan, this city could be home to thousands,” said Maria. “Not just planetsiders, but the survivors from GPS and UEC too. It’s the only place on the planet where roamers and the maddened can’t get to us.”
Ethan shook his head. “No… If I’ve learned anything it’s that we can’t move forward if we’re still looking back. This place was a tomb when we found it – let it continue to be a tomb. Burn it… Let it all burn.”
Of all the people she expected to hear this sort of talk from, Ethan was the last, thought Maria. This was the young man that only a few years ago was willing to alienate his friends and risk his own life to learn about the Fall and the civilization that preceded it. But, she supposed, a lot had changed in those five years, for him as well as for her.
More curious than Ethan’s reaction was Maria’s own feelings; she understood how important this city was, yet she found herself agreeing with him. The planetsiders had moved on from the past long ago, but the divide between the UEC and GPS had proven to be too great; their prejudices ran too deep. Perhaps the only way forward was to throw away the past, like those on the planet had done over a century ago – to let it all burn, and raise something new from the ashes.
“Ethan is right,” said Maria, breaking the silence. “Let it burn. Purge the city and find a way for the survivors to live here, planetside. Let them have a future that isn’t burdened by their past. No more UEC. No more GPS. Let it burn.”
Gaia’s eyebrows lifted so high on her forehead that they vanished beneath her fringe. “Well, I must confess that I am surprised,” she said. “I thought that we would be the only ones in favor of such a radical course of action.”
Page snorted a laugh. “Based on what I’ve seen since landing on this rock, torching this city is the sanest idea I’ve heard all day.” He stepped closer to the window and peered out at the twisted shapes, moving in shadows cast by the flickering red fires, and shuddered. “So, to hell with it. Let it burn.”
“Very well,” said Gaia, looking back at Tyler and nodding. “We will make the preparations at once.”
Maria watched Ethan move away from the group without another word, and she followed him, careful not to let him get too far ahead. “Ethan, hold up,” she called out, and reluctantly, Ethan stopped, but did not turn to face her.
“Can we speak later, Sal?” he said, wearily. “I just need to be alone for a little while.”
“You need to talk to her.”
“She doesn’t want to talk to me. And, no offense, Sal, but it’s really none of your business.”
Maria stiffened and folded her arms tightly across her chest. Had she not known Summer’s secret, she might have hit back at Ethan for such a cold remark, but she bit her tongue. Still, she was surprised to discover that it hurt to find herself on the outside, looking in.
“You’re right, it’s not,” she said, and despite her efforts to remain civil, her tone was icier. “But there are things you need to know. Things she has to tell you.”
Ethan turned around. “Things she told you?” He knew that Maria was hardly Summer’s favorite person, and surely the last soul she would confide in, so this only made it more upsetting that Summer was keeping things from him.
“Just speak to her, Ethan.” Maria allowed some warmth into her voice. “She’s pushing you away for a reason. Don’t let her.” Ethan tried to press her, but Maria backed away. She couldn’t say anymore. Perhaps, she should not even have said this much. “Just speak to her, Ethan, please,” she repeated, and then she turned and went to rejoin Page, who was still by the viewing window, observing the shadowy shapes with a morbid curiosity.
Ethan watched Maria leave; he didn’t think it possible, but he actually felt worse than he did before she had spoken to him. But her words had started to burrow into his conscience, and a sick sensation returned, as he agonized over what could cause Summer to push him away. His mind fell to the darkest places and he was overwhelmed with anger and fear, and most of all guilt for leaving Summer to face whatever fate she had suffered. He had to find her, he realized. He had to know.
He hurried through the nearest archway into an unfamiliar corridor, and rushed from room to room, section to section, frantically pushing open doors and peering into corners, calling Summer’s name. Eventually he passed deeper into the complex and into the engineering sections, running past the machines and contraptions that kept the complex alive, shouting her name. He entered a section marked ‘Danger’, and was assaulted by a sudden increase in heat and noise from whatever machine worked invisibly behind the scenes to provide light, heat, air and more. He pressed on, despite the din making it impossible to even hear his own shouts, until he heaved open another heavy door and entered a huge, domed garden. Slamming the door behind him, the noise and heat vanished as suddenly as they had appeared. The contrasting sensations were dizzying and Ethan had to crouch to prevent himself from passing out. Eventually, the ringing in his ears stopped and he stood up and looked around his new setting. The garden was full of plants that reached from the floor to the domed, iridescent ceiling high above. He pushed on through leaves as large as plates, and through vines and branches that scraped against his clothing and prickled his skin, all the time calling her name. And then he saw her. She was sitting by a patch of vivid red flowers the likes of which Ethan had never seen before. The leaves were reflecting a soft crimson glow onto Summer’s face, enhancing her already vibrant red hair. She was not looking at him, though she was also not looking away, and she did not acknowledge his arrival.
Ethan rested against a glass partition, which separated two very different-looking species of plant, and caught his breath. Fatigue, both mental and physical, was catching up on him, and his legs felt heavy and sore, like he’d just returned from an arduous scouting sortie outside Forest Gate.
Forest Gate! Ethan thought. The events in the cave had caused him to forget the reason why Summer had remained in the settlement in the first place. Had she been forced to abandon the settlement, and was that why she was so despondent? But then, how had Kurren found her? He knew that the only way to get answers was to ask, but he was apprehensive of doing so, for fear of what she might say. He stepped cautiously over to Summer and sat beside her. This time she did not shrink away.
“I’ve been looking for you,” said Ethan, and then instantly realized how stupidly obvious this opening statement was. He composed himself and started again. “I’ve been worried about you, Summer…”
“Ethan, don’t,” Summer said, and the suddenness and sharpness of her response caused Ethan to recoil. “I don’t deserve your sympathy, and when I tell you what you’ve come here to learn, you won’t be worried about me. You won’t care about me at all.”
“Summer, don’t say that,” said Ethan. “Whatever it is, we’ll face it, together.”
“Elijah and Katie are dead!” Summer blurted out, forcing herself to maintain eye contact with Ethan, despite an overwhelming impulse to look away. She watched Ethan’s eyes widen and narrow and then quiver, and then his lips trembled, incapable of forming any sounds.
Eventually, tremulously, he managed a single word. “How?”
“Kurren came to the settlement.” Summer had rehearsed what she was going to tell Ethan over and over in her head
, and practiced speaking the words in her head countless times, so that when the time came, she would not stumble or stutter. But now the moment had arrived, she could not manage to recite her speech while looking into his eyes, and so her head fell low, and she hated herself even more for her cowardice and weakness. “He wanted to know where you and Maria had gone. I was arrogant and cocky, and defied him, and he shot Elijah and Katie to teach me a lesson.”
Ethan’s head fell into his hands. It hadn’t even occurred to him that the source of Summer’s distress might have anything to do with Elijah and Katie. If Summer was alive then they would be too, because Summer would never let harm come to them. But not this time, and now he understood that Summer was pushing him away out of guilt and shame. Ethan buried his face in his hands and tears flowed openly. “Why?” he sobbed. “Why them?”
Summer’s lips quivered and despite all the force of her will, she could not stop a tear from tracing a path down her cheek. She swiped it away, violently, grazing her face with her fingernail and causing the tear to mix with fresh blood and stain her face with a thin red streak.
“It doesn’t matter why. It only matters that it’s my fault,” said Summer, battling to hold herself together. “I wanted to stay. I wanted Eli with me because I was selfish. They are dead because of me and that’s all there is to it.”
Ethan registered the words but was unable to process them. He was thinking of his tree on the mound outside the settlement, and the narrow gap in the wall that a seven-year-old Elijah had seen his rebellious uncle sneaking through. He was thinking of the all the nights he had spent there with his nephew, talking about guardians and roamers and the Fall, and making up stories about the pre-Fall civilization, and what they were like, with each tale becoming more grandiose and far-fetched. And he was thinking of how that perfect boy had grown up into the man Ethan had known he would become; strong, fair, honest, adventurous, and caring. He was a mirror of the best qualities in himself, Katie and Summer combined; the three people who had loved him and raised him. His family. And now he was gone, and the planet seemed so much smaller, and so much colder.
