by L. E. Howel
“How did you escape that one?” Birch whispered.
Karla shrugged. “I heard him coming, that habit they have of whistling like a bird comes in handy you know. All I had to do was stay still for a while. He must have missed me by about two feet,” she added coolly. Birch shook his head in wonder. How anyone could be so broken up over a simple thing like a climb, yet so calm over something like a near miss with a deadly enemy was a mystery to him. He still couldn’t understand Karla. He probably never would.
The Ares’ speed of assent was almost superhuman. To them a climb like this seemed as natural as walking or running. As a result they were reaching the top not long after Karla and Birch had reached the bottom.
From up above the calls of the Ares were growing more frequent and loud. They formed a discordant chorus of sound that grew and echoed in the air around them. Birch shuddered. They had to get out of here; if they were looking for Karla they’d find her missing pretty soon and he guessed things would get pretty uncomfortable around here once that happened. He wasn’t sure what their plans had been for her up there, but he didn’t want to be around to give them a second chance at it.
“Let’s get going,” he murmured and led the way cautiously back toward the trees. Once under their boughs he might have allowed himself a moment of relief, a brief thought of safety, but he still realized that cover in the forest worked both ways, and probably more to the Ares’ advantage than his. They had to find somewhere to hide, and quickly. They couldn’t run in the darkness. It was too treacherous and there might still be plenty of the enemy down there. They needed to get out of the way for a while; if they were still on the move when that mass of savages came back down he knew they wouldn’t have a chance.
The sudden howling screech made Karla jump. Birch’s eyes narrowed, they had gone to get her from the rock pile and had found their cupboard bare; he was sure of that. Now they would be after them. Their warlike screams came hard and long, a hundred angry voices raised in raging tempest. It didn’t stop, it seemed as though the mountain was erupting with sound and Birch and Karla quaked involuntarily at the fury of it. At all costs they knew they must never fall into the hands of those howling savages!
In dreadful fear they sought any cover, any place that might hide them from the coming attack. The voices already were moving. They had not lessened in their intensity, but had grown in power and seemed to be descending the cliff. Soon a tidal wave of maddened Ares would hit them again and desperately they sought for safety.
It wasn’t much, but eventually Birch found a hollow dip at the base of a huge coniferous tree. A few large, needle covered branches lay about it. It wasn’t a great hope but if they passed by quickly enough it might suffice. “Over here,” he whispered. “It’s not great but it’ll have to do. They’re getting close by the sound of it.” Indeed they were. Their speed down the rock was in striking contrast to the long descent of Birch and Karla. This wasn’t a surprise to Birch, who remembered the Ares youth who had attacked him in that tree the night before. They could move like wildlife.
Karla looked at the rut dubiously. “That’s it?” Her voice was disappointed and desperate, she’d hoped Birch had found somewhere to hide, something that might save their lives, not some dip at the foot of a tree.
“It’ll work,” Birch reassured her, “I’ll get in first, then you. We cover it up with the branches and wait for them to pass. They’ll be in a hurry to catch us. They’ll probably expect us to run so they could easily miss us if we lie low here. You better hurry though. They sound like they’re almost down already.”
Karla nodded.
“I guess it might work,” she said, picking up the branches by the tree, “but we could make it a little harder for them.” She retraced their steps some twenty yards back and then, carefully ensuring that she left prints in the dirt, ran out in another direction toward a large clump of pine needles. She then returned to their original path, taking care to brush away all their other tracks with the branches. Birch shook his head. Karla was full of surprises.
“Hurry,” Birch’s voice was barely a whisper, “they’re almost here.” The screaming was deafening now. It was impossible to tell how many of them had come down on their side, but it sounded like a lot and Birch was anxious to take cover.
Coolly Karla finished erasing the final footprints.
“Get in,” she responded, “I’ll be right there.” Birch dived in first and Karla quickly followed. The hole was inadequate. Birch could barely fit much of himself in and Karla was hanging out pretty far. Desperately he pulled her closer.
“Pull yourself into a ball. Get as close as you can!” he hissed. Finally they covered themselves, settling under the branches where they lay quietly waiting. Under their green canopy they sweated and listened for any sound. The air was stifling. The heady mix of pine, sweat, and the sweet scent of Karla’s hair in his face made it hard to breathe.
They waited. In a way it was like a childhood game of hide-and-seek, except that the delicious anticipation of discovery in the game was replaced with actual fear. Under the blanket of branches the stale air became hard to breathe. In the childhood game you would finally give up and come out gasping for breath. They knew death would follow if they did, so they held on to each other and their hope in the stifling atmosphere.
The screeching voices were nearing. Quickly a few passed their spot and kept running. Birch tried to see them through the small gaps between the branch’s needles, but Karla’s head was in the way. It was dark anyway and there wasn’t much that could be seen out there. Another form passed by a moment later letting out the same intermittent scream. The sound brought back the horrors of the night before, but this night’s new terrors alone was enough to make him cold beneath the suffocating branches.
Another form passed a short time later, not so quickly or noisily as the others. It paused near them. It seemed to be sniffing the air, as if he could find the scent of their location. It was unnerving. They were helpless, like the innocents of the womb in total darkness. Safety and warmth were the illusion that surrounded them, but with adult knowledge they knew it could all end in the next instant. Karla shivered and Birch squeezed her reassuringly. He shivered too. He heard the slow, deliberate footsteps coming back toward them. At any moment he expected the branches to disappear and the snarling face of an enemy to glare down into their tiny sanctuary. That moment didn’t come. Instead the footsteps continued past them, paused again as though checking something, and hurried off into the distance. Birch couldn’t help but think that Karla’s forethought in laying a false trail had probably saved their lives. He should have thought of it.
For a time they just lay there silently. In his mind Birch considered the possibilities. They could wait there overnight and get the rest that he knew he desperately needed. The danger of course was that the Ares would realize they had started after a false trail and trace it back to them here. The other option was to leave and set out through the woods looking for better cover. This too had its dangers though, since wandering through the darkness with a swarm of angry Ares looking for them might easily end in their capture.
It was an easy choice in the end. In his mind Birch had favored the latter solution. Instinctively he just wanted to get away from the whole area and move on. Physically though it was impossible. He needed to rest. Karla had already taken on the rhythmic, peaceful breathing of sleep in the few minutes since the footsteps had died away in the distance. She had fallen asleep, and he marveled at how quickly exhaustion had so totally transformed her fear into a peaceful dreaming. He needed it too, and so it was only a short time later that he too was drifting into an exhausted slumber. They would just have to face any dangers when they came. For now they slept in peace beneath their piney covering.
TWENTY-THREE
When a day goes as well as this one, particularly after a night as bad as the one that had proceeded it, it is possible to feel a certain disconnection from reality. As a child you might ask f
or someone to pinch you, and the pain would reassure you that this was true. For Edwards the pain was already there, it had remained from the night before.
They had made it through the last of the mountains and come out on the other side into the wide open plains. They were literally out of the woods, but in a very real sense danger still surrounded them. The Ares would not let them go so easily. Ares groups were on the plains too, but they didn’t have the same advantages in this terrain. They would find it more difficult to surprise them. Just a short day ago this might have been enough to allow Edwards some small feeling of confidence and comfort, but the attack that night had shaken his old beliefs and left him doubtful.
As night fell the same routine of the protective field was followed. The trucks were positioned, the sticks were set out, and the guards were placed. This time Edwards set two guards outside the perimeter to watch for any signs of attack. It increased the chances of detection, but he wanted to be ready for anything that came at them. Altogether the precautions were as thorough as could be managed, but they were greatly reduced from the night before. They just didn’t have that much left to work with.
The stealth field about them sparked to life, sending a silvery shimmer across the sky. It was not as comforting as it had seemed before, that illusion was gone, but its eerily beautiful glow was calming and seemed to finally draw them into a more restful frame of mind. The day had been one long retreat, and while their fears still gnawed within them there was some respite in this pause, if only for this instant.
The weary travelers naturally congregated together at the center of the camp. Three separate elements: soldiers, DA, and passengers, all merged now into a single unit. Alone in this hostile world they craved the company and had become as a family and support. They were their solid earth to cling to in troubled times. Of course like all good families they fought. Even now under the threat of personal extinction this instinct continued as Jane and Lauren sought answers from Special Operative Edwards.
“You should have done more,” Jane remarked bitterly, “it was wrong to leave them like that. I thought it was your job to protect us.” Edwards sighed and shook his head.
“It’s my job,” he responded evenly, “to advise and assist the military in protecting you, not to be your guardian angel. That was Konik’s job, and I think you could say he did his best for you there. He paid the price.”
“You know what I mean,” Jane argued. “This has nothing to do with Konik and everything to do with you. You’re the one who decided to leave them all there without looking for them. You’re the one who left them to die.” Jane was turning crimson, but Edwards continued to look down at her coolly.
“I’m sure it looks that way to you,” Edwards’ voice remained calm, “but you don’t know what you’re dealing with. We could have gone out there chasing them, but we would have been giving the Ares exactly what they wanted, a chance to attack us on their terms. It would have been stupid to go out there, and since we didn’t even have any trace to follow it would also have been useless. We did what we had to do, and because of that you’re alive at least.”
Jane’s head shook sullenly, Edwards knew she understood, but he also knew that she couldn’t accept it. They had already had this same fight this morning. Nothing had changed. What he had said then and what he had said now hadn’t altered her view. He doubted anything would. Some things were too hard to accept, and nothing was harder than the death of your friends. She would have to learn to accept it. Edwards changed the subject.
“It looks like we should reach the base in a couple of days,” he continued. “I’ve tried radioing ahead, but the Ares must be jamming us. I can’t get through. We’ll be an unannounced arrival. They’ll be on high alert when we get there. They don’t like unannounced visitors in these parts. It’ll be worth it in the end though. If we can dodge the Ares that long then we can at least get our equipment restocked and get out from the mountain clans’ area of influence. They’ve always been a pretty divided group but last night it looked like they’ve overcome that problem. If they’ve started joining forces we had better leave them far behind as quickly as possible. The plains clans are much more dispersed.”
“What do you mean, they’re ‘jamming us’?” Lauren asked doubtfully.
“Just what I said, I can’t get a radio signal through. They’re blocking us.”
Jane shook her head. “How is that even possible? I can’t see how that rabble could do anything more complicated than shouting and screaming or killing and running. They threw as many bodies at us as they could yesterday. It didn’t look like they had a plan more intricate than that, and when they failed they ran like a bunch of whipped dogs. How could they ever do anything more than that?”
Edwards smiled knowingly. “I can see why you’d think that, but there’s more to the Ares than what you saw last night. They can be pretty ingenuitive. They know how to use technology against us. Their methods seem crude, but there’s a primitive cunning there that you should never underestimate. Their power, of course, is destructive. Their purpose is to thwart and hinder rather than establish or build. They could never build a city, but they could destroy it. They could never create anything, but they are experts at dismantling what already exists.”
“They’re just a bunch of hooligans, then,” Jane concluded.
Edwards laughed.
“Most people would agree with you. After last night I’m almost ready to agree with you too, but I’ve seen more than that in them. I know there’s more than that in them. I’ve seen it myself.”
“Do you think you’ll ever beat them?” Lauren asked.
“Yes,” Edwards answered simply.
“If last night’s anything to go by you’ve got a long way to go,” Jane remarked coolly.
“Well, yes. It’s true we’ve had a few setbacks recently, but we’ll win, not because of any physical advantage or technology, no, but because of this.” He gestured to his head and to his heart. “It’s what’s here that will win it for us.”
Jane looked unconvinced, and for a moment Edwards felt ashamed. These were the words he had learned and that he had heard others repeat with confidence, but they sounded hollow in his own throat. He returned to a subject he was more comfortable with.
“Yes, communication, like travel, has been made harder by the Ares. Transmission towers can’t be kept operational, and they have monkied with our satellite systems, sending reverse jamming signals and even adjusting their orbit and sending them crashing into the debris field. We’ve tried encryption codes and security setups of all kinds, but they always find a way through. If they’re now joining forces the greatest danger won’t be from attacks like the one we saw last night, but from the things they might imagine if they work together. The product of their collective thought would be far worse than anything we’ve seen yet.”
“And you still think you’re winning?” Jane asked sternly. “It sounds like you’re just hanging on for your lives.”
Edwards’ eyes narrowed. Jane’s tone was dismissive and her interpretation of their struggle stung him. Of course some of what she said had been a part of his own deepest fears: that they weren’t winning, that they weren’t superior, that theirs was not a manifest destiny to change the world. Perhaps in his darkest moments he had doubted, but he had never given voice to those thoughts. It had troubled him before, but hearing it from her raised his defenses and made him angry. What did she know?
“I guess you haven’t been here long enough to judge that, Major,” his voice was like steel, “but you’ll have to make up your own mind. We saved you though, didn’t we? I doubt you would have found life as easy if the Ares had gotten hold of you when you landed. I’m sure things would have been quite different.”
The bitter words hung uncomfortably for a moment and Jane offered no rejoinder. Finally Lauren spoke.
“I hope that base has a bath,” she commented innocently, “I really need one right now.” No one answered. Hers was an ob
vious attempt to give the conversation a lighter tone, but the subject was so disconnected from what had gone before that it was difficult to think of an appropriate response. It was a valiant attempt and the absurdity of it in these difficult circumstances made it all the more amusing. Jane smiled involuntarily and Edwards laughed outright.
“You’re right,” he responded, “though looking at the rest of us you may have to run to beat the competition for it.” It was true, they were a bedraggled, muddy band, but as they laughed they were strengthened and reminded of their bonds of family. They were all they had out here, and to survive they would have to work together.
TWENTY-FOUR
For one terrible moment he thought that he was back home. His arm lay in its old accustomed position over the warm form beside him, and he lazily drew her closer to him before the thought flashed through his mind; he shouldn’t be here. Icy, electric fingers stroked his spine as he sat up in fear. He was instantly relieved to see the towering trees and the wild forest around him. Karla was still sleeping peacefully among the evergreen branches that had covered them. He was glad to be here, despite the way things looked. He pulled away from Karla and got quickly to his feet.
It was morning and the cool air was refreshing after a night lying under the heavy branches. The world seemed changed, and the sound of noisy day birds gave a lively sense to the daylight hours, so different from the ominous night.
His mind swiftly turned to the task ahead. Though he was aware of the peril around them his first thought turned to food and water. He hadn’t eaten or drunk at all yesterday, and in the danger of their circumstances he had thought little of it, but now it was the one thing that surpassed all other thoughts in his mind. He was gasping for water and after the exertions of the previous day he felt weak. He needed to eat and to drink.
