by L. V. Lane
“You know, I prefer the less chatty version of you,” Reeve muttered
“Everyone does.”
“Yeah, it’s a tough gig. They’re all tough gigs, though, so I guess it doesn’t matter much… Any predictions about me?”
“None.” Other than a strong notion that Rose Reeve was sleeping with my brother. But then there was Riley, and Eric definitely had feelings for the Technologist. I guess I wasn’t the only person suffering a tangled relationship. “I rarely predict individuals.” And our future is so fearful and uncertain, I’ve no idea what will happen beyond the next arrival.
Reeve grunted. “Yeah, I never considered myself suicidal, but I’m not big on the thought of being a slave. No one wants to die. We want to survive so we fight, hoping we will win. Fight right until the last moment, and that’s how we end up a slave… I’ve never met any of our ruling caste, but they must be really twisted.”
“I have interviewed several.” They were benevolent, self-righteous, and even narcissistic, but underneath all that was a darkness. “They speak eloquently of peace.” And they had, at great length. “They are humble.”
“Humble! Are you shitting me?”
“They lack consensus on the use of the pain collar. Some wish to see it abolished. They suffer a great internal divide.” Know thy enemy. I’d witnessed former slaves beg to be collared again, for their free choice to be taken away because they did not trust their ability to control the darkness. “Not all of them are cruel, nor do they all harbor darkness. The collar was first introduced to manage the afflicted. Over time, they lost their way.”
“You’re talking about the Mad Wars?”
“I am.” We did that to them. Our genetic warfare created the darkness. They tried to manage it—they failed.
“We were losing. When you’re out of options, you have to use what you have.” There were no hints of remorse in Reeve’s words.
Too many generations, too much hatred, and there was no way back. All our failed attempts to end the war had become ever more extreme, ever more dread. “We still lost the war.” Maybe we deserved to?
That final prediction had been the catalyst for me leaving. A sadness, so great I wanted to weep, enveloped me. There were no winners in war, only the dead or the living, and being dead wasn’t always the worst outcome as those who had been subject to a pain collar would attest.
“Both sides lost the war,” I said sadly.
CHAPTER FORTY
Landon
IT HADN’T RAINED for many days, but a fresh storm had just kicked off outside the transport. Prior to arriving on Serenity, I’d thought very little about rain. Getting wet, while not pleasant, never had an intensity to it that made you feel like the skin was being stripped from your bones.
A transport was designed to withstand the extremes of weather and space, and while I was certain the design had been tested in tougher conditions than this, it still shook under the force of the wind and watery deluge.
Brent was huddled in the corner. I didn’t need to worry about him attempting to flee while the storm was taking place.
I unclipped my shell armor as Eric entered behind me. Eric had arrived a few hours earlier with a jubilant Marik and a relieved Rachel. There was much to discuss, but I’d been saving a conversation with Brent for Eric’s return, and we were both eager for closure.
There were a dozen questions I wanted to ask Brent, but instead I punched him hard in the face.
Brent’s groan and the dull thwack of contact were immensely satisfying. The sharp deadening pain that sent numbness shooting the length of my arm, not so much. “Damn, that hurt a lot more than I remember.”
Eric stepped up beside me, unclipping the front of his wet shell armor. “Those twig fingers aren’t going to get the job done.”
I inspected my fingers. “Twig fingers?” I didn’t have twig fingers.
A loud smack and muffled squeak arrested my attention as Brent crashed to the floor.
“That’s better,” Eric said with a self-satisfied nod.
“Now I remember why I like you so much,” I said.
“Like?” Eric raised an eyebrow. “Come on. It’s a stronger emotion than that.” He gestured at himself. “This here is a work of art.” He winked, and then dragged the cowering Brent back to his feet.
“You know, I’ve not seen you this cheery-assed in a long while,” I said. “Violence suits you.”
“Didn’t realize how much I missed it.” Eric returned his attention to Brent whose collar he held tight in his fist. “I should thank Brent for providing me with the opportunity.”
He glanced back at me. I nodded.
“You think you need to beat me to make me talk?” Brent’s face twisted with contempt. “You want to know something funny?”
“I couldn’t care less whether you talk.” I nodded at Eric to release Brent. “But since you’re offering, by all means enlighten us.”
“I infiltrated this ship just to take the predictive out. When the next ship arrives, the Federation will be on it. I almost hope that defector Riley survives so we can enjoy returning her to her rightful place.”
Eric punched Brent in the gut again. I was guessing Brent missed the memo where Eric had a mile-wide protective streak toward Riley. Or perhaps he sensed he was already a dead man and genuinely didn’t care.
Brent slumped and retched noisily on the floor before lapsing into laughter. “You’ve got nowhere to go. Nowhere to run. You’re going to be collared and controlled and there’s nothing you can do.” He fell into another round of braying laughter.
I pulled my gun from its holster, leveled it at Brent, and pulled the trigger.
Eric jumped back as blood splattered the back wall and his legs. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”
“Sorry, I had a momentary lapse of judgment.” I holstered the gun. “I should have shot him the moment I entered the transport.” I waited as Eric continued to splutter about missed ‘opportunities’ and ‘psychopaths’ for several minutes. Eventually, he ran out of steam. By this time, a pool of blood surrounded Brent.
“All done?” I asked.
Eric gave me a cagey look. “Base-44 looked bloated when I was there. I think they might have begun moving their people in.” He nudged his head at Brent’s lifeless body. “I was going to ask him about it before you shot him in the head.”
“How bloated?”
“Hard to tell, maybe fifty percent.”
“Then we should assume they have moved their people in. I am still satisfied I shot him in the head. Go and collect his psychologist friend and bring her in.”
Eric huffed out a breath, but stomped out of the transport, returning a few minutes later with the dripping Shenson Sull.
“Doctor Sull, so nice of you to join us,” I said in my best reasonable tone. We had been careful to keep Brent’s capture quiet but had watched Shenson ever since. Her face paled as she noticed the body.
“It’s Brent, in case you’re wondering,” I said. “And yes, I just shot him. Did you get the flu? Another virus?”
She swallowed, unable to tear her eyes from the gruesome scene. “The sickness? No, nothing.”
I shared a look with Eric.
“Why am I here?” She dragged her eyes away from Brent. “What happened to Brent?”
“Well, if you haven’t been sick then I guess they will collar you along with the rest of us.”
“What do you mean?” Her trembling fingers reached instinctively toward her throat.
“According to Brent, we are due to be collared after the next ship arrives. I’m sure you’re familiar with the control collar the Federation use on their afflicted and Aterran prisoners.”
Her mouth gaped but nothing came out for the longest time. “The city? But you said it’s not Federation? I don’t understand.”
Eric wiped a tired hand over his face. “Just shoot her.”
She sent a swift, fearful glance Eric’s way.
I drew my gun aga
in. The flight instinct kicked in and she fled for the door where Eric collected her. Her whole body trembled violently. I felt no remorse for her predicament as I stepped closer. “Why did you want Eva not to predict? Why did you help Brent?”
“She was working with Riley! We needed to stop them!” Tears streamed down her face, but her struggles gave Eric no trouble. “Riley sabotaged the ship!”
I indicated Brent’s prone body. “Brent sabotaged the ship, not Riley.”
“No!” She redoubled her efforts to break free.
“Brent was the first person out of stasis. It appears he was busy for a few days before he woke anyone else. Eva visited him ten days ago. She had suspicions, but her conversation with him provided the catalyst to recover the lost prediction.”
“But she can’t predict!”
“Yes, that was Brent’s intent when he drugged her. But she has been predicting for a while, and aware of your deception for most of the time you’ve been meeting… The Federation are coming on the next ship, according to Brent. I doubt there is anything any of us can do about it now, but had you not aided Brent, then we might have had some chance. Not a lot, but some. You are a doctor and a professional. You should have come to me with any doubts or concerns, not started a personal vendetta. Your targets were innocent. You colluded with a member of the Federation. There is no way back from this. A part of me wants you to live and experience the full horror of your labors. But today, I’m inclined to go with instant gratification.”
I pressed the gun to her temple, and as Eric turned his head away, pressed the trigger.
More blood splattered the wall and floor. Eric released her, and she slumped to the floor, dead.
“You are one cold bastard, you know that, right?”
“So I’ve been told on many occasions.” Given what Brent and Shenson had done, I felt justified in this response. I didn’t suffer traitors. I couldn’t afford to keep liabilities around. “Don’t knock my approach. I should have gone with my gut instinct and shot Brent out the airlock when we were back on the ship. I wanted to. If the proverbial shit hadn’t hit the fan, I’m confident I would have questioned him and done so.”
“What now?” Eric asked. “We’re screwed once the Federation arrive. Assuming Brent wasn’t lying.”
“Eva also believes they are coming, Brent has also confirmed that. The city is our one and only hope. But you know what happened when we sent the drone. Using a transport is a suicide run. So, now I’m going to catch up with Eva and Reeve on foot. Riley seems to think the city will accept people so I’m going to drag her sorry ass all the way there, as well. Eva might be able to predict what will go wrong, but Riley is the only one who has a chance of understanding the technology.”
“They have a ten day head start,” Eric pointed out.
Outside, the wind had dropped and the rain reduced to a gentle drum. “Riley’s convinced she will be well enough today. Even so, she’s in for a rough time,” I said. “I’m glad I kept some rations in reserve now.” I glanced down at the two people who had sought to destroy us. One deliberate. The other, misguided. The result was the same. “Have someone clean up this mess.”
Turning my back on the scene, I left the transport with Eric. The rain had dropped while we’d been busy, but I clipped my armor shut just in case it picked up as we descended the ramp. “I better check in and see how Riley is doing. If she’s well enough, I’ll leave today.” Pausing, I turned to Eric. “It’s good to have you back.”
“It’s nice to be back. I was genuinely worried for a while,” Eric replied with feeling. “You did good in Marik.”
I smiled. “He has his moments. I did good in you too, eventually.”
Eric raised an eyebrow “Don’t go there.”
“You had a lot of attitude. It runs in your family.”
Eric grinned. “Yeah, I really did.” His smile faded. “I don’t like Eva being out there. But at least Reeve went with her. You could take Jax with you.”
I laughed. “Are you trying to get rid of him? Or are you finally admitting he’s a great Marine?”
Eric grimaced. “A bit of both.”
He gave me a speculative look. “So about you, Eva, and Jax… how’s that working out?”
“Fine,” I said, narrowing my eyes. I didn’t have a clue if it was fine, but I wasn’t letting it get in the way of what needed to be done.
Eric chuckled and raised both hands.
“I don’t like leaving the camp,” I said. “But I’ll feel better knowing you’re here in charge and Jax can support you. I don’t know what we’ll find in the city, but we have to try.” We came to a halt outside the medical transport.
“Yeah, I know,” Eric said. “I still don’t think that Riley is up to the journey.”
I nodded. “Me neither, but we don’t have much of a choice.” I’d become aware since his incarceration on Nammu that Eric had a soft spot for Riley.
Inside the medical transport we found the Technologist up and dressed. “Riley, how are you doing?”
Riley looked up. “Horrible, just horrible since you asked. But I’m determined to push through.”
“Well her brain hasn’t suffered any damage,” Eric said dryly. “Still as despondent as ever!”
The look I gave Eric quickly shut him up. Turning back to Riley, “We’ll take it steady for the first few days,” I said, noticing how her hands trembled. “We can’t allow them to enter the city without us. Well, without you specifically. I’m confident I won’t be of any use when we get there given my complete lack of technical prowess. We both know Eva’s ego will get the better of her and she will convince herself she knows best how to save us all. That we are chasing after her is evidence enough.” The city would be our final hope, and like the day we abandoned the ship, we were out of options.
“Yes, she does struggle with the concept of humility or failure,” Riley said, smiling. “Self-belief is synonymous to who she is. I was worried about her for a time, but I’m relieved she didn’t lose her ability to predict. Serenity would have been a lesser place.”
I gave Eric another look lest he jump into an enthusiastic Eva bashing session. He shrugged and helped Riley to clip her shell armor closed. Her cheeks flushed bright red and she huffed out a breath.
My lips twitched as I eyed the backpack resting on the floor beside Riley. I’d named the planet after Eva. A name that turned out to be ironic in more ways than one, but I’m grateful it wasn’t also tragic. “Yes, she’s certainly unique,” I said.
“Jax brought it earlier,” Riley said. “I think you can assume it has everything we need.”
As I hefted it up, Riley’s lips pursed into a glum line. “I wish I could be more helpful.”
“Just walking is going to be a challenge after what you’ve been through,” Eric said. “But I get that we need the city.”
He was right. Without it, we were defenseless if, and when, the second ship arrived. It was possible we could disperse into small groups and lose ourselves in the dense forests, but to what end? The Federation would hunt us down. We would become little more than savages living in the wild.
If that fate was all we had, I would take it. But the city had protected us before and I was counting on that protection now. Our fate loomed before us. The city remained an unknown product of unknown people. Another culture had colonized this planet, a splinter group who fled the Federation, or someone else. If Riley could infiltrate the system, then there was a possibility for our future. It was the best we had. I was going to embrace it. “Ready?”
“Yes, I’m ready.” Her lips tugged up in a rare smile she usually reserved only for Eva. “You know, you have that determined air about you. I almost feel sorry for the Federation if they are foolish enough to come. Almost. I hope they are not coming, I really do. I’m so tired of running from them. But if they are coming, then I believe you are the one person who will do whatever it takes to stop them. There was a time when I feared that might mean killing me. If y
ou ever doubted me, I knew you would… will. After everything that has happened, I’m grateful to still be here, and I pray my presence might tip the balance of this fight.”
Eric made a choking sound.
“I’m glad you’re here too, Riley, and I’m glad I haven’t had to kill you yet.” I winked.
“He’s joking! For fuck’s sake, Landon, stop joking about killing her already.”
“I’m joking,” I agreed before Eric had a meltdown. “We need to get through this. But after, I’ll see about having the inhibitor removed.”
Her eyes glistened and her lips trembled. “Thank you,” she said.
“Let’s move out,” I said. “Eva has built quite a list of insubordinations, and I’m looking forward to hearing her elaborate justifications.”
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
50 Serenity-days later
Eva
I CROUCHED DOWN to fill my bottle from the stream. It was late, and the turn toward evening had darkened the sky, enfolding the forest in shadows.
We were about to make camp for the night. Tomorrow, we would reach the city.
“I thought Landon would have caught up by now,” I said quietly.
“Yeah, I know.” Reeve dumped her backpack on the ground before rummaging inside.
“We need Riley,” I said.
Pausing her task, Reeve sat back against the nearby tree trunk dragging the pack with her. “Eva, you know Riley was in a bad way. They were restarting her heart when we left. You have to face the possibility that she might be no longer with us. And Landon? There had been no word from him when we left the camp, and you know there were Technologists in his team. I heard him complaining to Jax about half of them having the flu. We have to face the possibility that he might also be gone.”
“You mean collared?” An inner instinct told me Landon would thwart any such attempt. “He will follow with Riley.” They might have needed a few days, Reeve had said as much earlier. “We’ll wait.”
