Raif snapped his fingers. “Fresh out,” he lamented. “You’ve got to order stuff like that in advance, man. I can only do so much. But I’ve got a thing or two that will jaunt your juice in a different way.” He gestured towards the cart and a drawer slid out from the side, revealing four pairs of black gloves. “Check these out. Fresh from the fabricator.”
“What are they?” Adan asked. He already had gloves. He doubted Raif was just bringing him these in case he lost his others.
“Gloves, man, what else? Way cooler than those raggedy looking ones you’ve got.” Raif cracked a grin. “Okay, actually they’re cutters. I made a little modification to make them less conspicuous. Here, try one on.”
He tossed a glove at Adan who caught it and slipped it on. He inspected it briefly, but saw no indication that they were anything more than well-made, form-fitting gloves.
“Okay, you had me going there—” Adan said, shaking his head.
“No, really. The controls are in the tips of your fingers. That way you don’t need a bioseine to use it. Touch your first three fingers to your thumb in sequence to start it up,” Raif said.
Adan did as instructed and a yellow blade of light about the size of his palm sprang from the tips of his fingers. Instinctively, he jerked his fingers back, but the beam stayed in the same location, as if it were an extension of his arm and not of his hand.
“Clever,” Adan remarked. “How do I control the length?”
“Press and hold your middle finger to your thumb. You’ve got to give it a little pressure or it won’t register. That way it avoids incidental input. Then you press your thumb to your index finger to shrink it back.”
Adan followed Raif’s instructions, finding that the blade grew or shrank more quickly based on how much pressure he applied. When he pressed hard, the change in length was almost instantaneous.
“Tap your thumb to your fifth finger three times to turn it off,” Raif concluded his little tutorial. The blade had barely winked out when he resumed his excited chatter. “Oh, and they’re neutralizers too. Great for giving a pesky Wayman a sand nap if he’s stressing you out. Just snap your wrist like this.” He mimicked the motion for Adan. “But point your arm over that way before you do it, okay? I don’t want you messing up my hair.”
“I’ll try.” Adan chuckled at Raif’s pretended vanity. Redirecting his hand, he shot a white blast of energy into the floor where it dissipated harmlessly.
“You can also use those to protect yourself from Waymen spears and other thrown weapons if you see them coming,” Raif reminded him.
Adan nodded, remembering how the assessors had subdued his entire team with neutralizer blasts when he was in the Viscera—everyone but him. The memory had nagged him ever since, but he hadn’t had the chance to ask anyone about it.
“Raif, do neutralizers ever fail to stun their victims? I mean, assuming they hit.”
A wounded expression came across Raif’s face. “You’re questioning my tech and you haven’t even tried it out? Man, you really know how to hit a guy where it hurts.” He sniffled, but at Adan’s confused expression he burst out laughing instead.
Adan couldn’t help joining him, glad to have Raif there to take his mind off what lay ahead. But he still wanted an answer.
“No, really, when we were in the tunnels we got attacked by some assessors,” he said as their laughter died down. “They stunned everyone with neutralizers, everyone but me. One of them hit me with a neutralizer blast, but it didn’t work. I wasn’t stunned. That’s the reason I was asking.”
Raif gave him a dubious look. “For real? That doesn’t make any sense. The device must have malfunctioned.”
“I checked it after we took them down. It was working perfectly,” Adan insisted.
Raif shrugged. “I don’t know, then. I’ve never heard of anything like that. Maybe the Admins did something to you when you went under the articulator. That’s the only thing I can think of.”
“That’s what I was thinking, too,” Adan said, taking off the glove and tucking it, along with its match, into a pocket inside his garrick.
“But hey, if you’re immune to neutralizers, that’s one up for us, right?” Raif slapped him on the shoulder playfully.
The door to the prep room slid open with a whisper and Sierra walked in with Trey right behind her.
“Hey, Raif,” Sierra said, her eyes glittering with anticipation. “What do you have for us today?”
Raif motioned to the cart and the open drawer. He repeated his gushing description of the hybrid cutter and neutralizer gloves he’d crafted, adding that Adan had tried to zap him with one of them already and that they better not try the same stunt. Sierra laughed at his antics as she and Trey tested them out.
Adan felt a little odd seeing Sierra come in with Trey. Gavin had told him that Trey was coming with them on the mission, but he had not expected the two of them to walk in together since they were quartered on different floors. It was probably nothing, but uncomfortable thoughts crept in at the back of his mind. And, as happened so often when he was around Sierra, he couldn’t quite make sense of exactly what was causing him to react this way.
“You’re looking more like flesh and blood again, Trey,” Raif remarked. “Sierra fixed you up good, didn’t she?”
“Yeah, she’s the best.” Trey glanced at her with a smile. Adan’s face flushed hot when Trey looked at her that way, but he couldn’t put a name to the emotion. Whatever it was, he didn’t like it.
Trey and Sierra opened the lockers behind them. Each of them pulled out a neatly folded garrick and kaff from inside.
“You know, I’ve always wanted to try one of these on,” Sierra said, unfolding her coat and putting it on. Adan watched her intently, trying to navigate his way out of the maze of his thoughts. Suddenly her expression shifted and became serious and she swallowed hard and brushed away a tear.
She’s thinking about Zain and the other Waymen, Adan read in her thoughts.
Suddenly his discomfort with Trey seemed insignificant. Sierra’s sadness washed over him, burying his other emotions. The reality of Zain’s death brought back the seriousness of their mission. Adan wondered how many of the people in this room would even make it back from Hull. His nerves plucked at his insides and he thought again about asking Sierra to remain behind.
Adan forced himself to take a deep breath and close his eyes. He felt like he should pray. It had been a while since he had. Slipping back into that sacred place within himself, the tension drained from him. He let his mind drift towards the infinitely distant and infinitely near Creator of the universe. Adan still knew so very little about him, but he knew enough to know that they needed his protection now more than ever. Everything, Adan’s mission as well as Gavin’s, ultimately depended on him.
A swishing sound interrupted his prayer as the door opened once again. Adan looked up to see a man wearing a weathered brown garrick walk into the room. It was Tarn, the fourth member of their team. His darkly complected face and sharp-looking eyes were typical for a Wayman as was the tattered kaff that hung loosely about his neck. The concept of youth was still new to Adan, but he had learned to see some of the signs: an absence of care about the face, a freshness to the skin, an expectant gleam in the eyes. Tarn had all these and a sure footed step as well. He greeted each of them in turn with curt, respectful bows.
Adan had only met Tarn a few days before, but Sierra and Trey had known him before that. He was a companion of Zain’s and having him there was a little like being in the presence of his friend. Gavin believed a Wayman guide would be helpful on the mission and Adan didn’t think he could have picked a better one.
Tarn was even more confused by Raif’s new gloves than Adan had been, but he caught on surprisingly fast to Raif’s instructions. Unlike most Waymen Adan had met, he showed a keen interest in technology.
“Right,” Raif said, clearing his throat after he got Tarn up to speed. “Now just one last piece of equipment and you
’re ready for launch. Tarn won’t have one of these since he doesn’t have a bioseine, but three should be enough.”
He caused the chromium cart to swivel around. A drawer on the side slid open revealing three silvery oscillathes and four polymeric pouches inside. Adan recognized the oscillathes by the thin tapered bodies set on rounded stocks, eerily similar to the hand held pistols so often carried by the somatarchs.
Raif passed out one to Trey, Sierra, and Adan. The deathly cold metal stung Adan’s hand. Memories of the deadly whispers from these weapons echoed through his mind as he shoved it into a belt loop at his side. Gavin had insisted that they take them, but Adan would gladly have left them behind.
“You should know that these have been modified,” Raif explained. “They’re only able to stun someone. But that means the range is longer.”
This bit of information eased Adan’s fears. He wasn’t interested in killing anyone. Hopefully there wouldn’t be any fights at all if everything went according to plan.
“What’s in the pouches?” Trey asked. “Are those for us too?”
“Yep,” Raif answered. “Just some food, the tracking band you can use to find your way back to the ship, and a few other surprises. You can check that stuff out later. Gavin’s waiting for you in the bay. You better hop and skip.”
Adan looked over the three other people who would be going on the mission with him. Why in the world had he taken on this responsibility? He was no leader. He wanted to save Senya, yes, but he hadn’t thought through what it would mean to lead a group into a place like Hull. The Waymen who ruled the city were as tempestuous and unpredictable as the desert winds. His temples throbbed with the memory of the riot that broke out among them when the Waymen assembled to attack Oasis. Adan had almost been trampled to death that day and he couldn’t shake the thought that he was leading these people straight back into the midst of a frenzied mob.
Eight
A Crack in the Hull
Gavin stood before Adan, Sierra, Tarn, and Trey amidst the massive cargo bay. Next to them rested the attack skiff the team would use to travel to Hull. The oscillathe cannon on the front had been unmounted from the cramped, triangular platform to make more room for more passengers. The skiff had no cockpit, only a seat for the gunner and a column for the pilot to stand behind and steer the ship. Two polymeric chairs had been grafted onto the rear section to bring the ship’s riding capacity up to four.
Silence fell over the massive chamber. The maintenance crews around the perimeter of the bay paused in their work to observe the sendoff.
Gavin placed his left hand on Tarn’s shoulder. “Wind at your back,” he said. The words, as well as the gesture were part of the traditional Wayman parting.
Eyes glowing with anticipation, Tarn echoed the address back to him.
Gavin repeated the farewell to Sierra and Trey. Trey fumbled his reply, his nerves getting the better of him, but Sierra’s response was as clear and bright as her unblinking eyes.
Finally Gavin came to Adan. After going through the same formalities, he looked his friend in the eye. “So it is time for us to part again.”
Adan kept his hand on his friend’s shoulder.
“At least we are parting on our own terms this time.”
“You saved my life—twice,” Gavin reminded him. His face flushed with a rosy sheen, but his eyes shone clear. “If anything happens to you, know this. I will come for you.”
Adan nodded wordlessly. His tongue felt thick and cumbersome and words failed him. If he had not known it before, he knew now that he was looking into the eyes of the greatest friend he had in all the world. Adan squeezed his shoulder and released him.
Gavin turned to address the team as a whole.
“It won’t take long before you will be out of communication range. If anything goes wrong, do not hesitate to abort the mission or send someone back. After you make contact with the captives you will stay in the city until the time for the extraction arrives. Stealth is your best weapon. Do not engage the Waymen unless absolutely necessary.”
Adan adjusted the oscillathe on his belt. Strictly speaking, it wasn’t uncomfortable to wear, but he noticed it every time it chafed against his jacket, even slightly.
Gavin motioned towards the skiff. “I think it’s time.”
Adan took in a deep breath. So this was really happening.
The team boarded the ship, Sierra settling into the gunner’s seat while Tarn and Trey took their places at the back. Adan stepped onto the skiff last. He gave Gavin what he hoped was a confident nod and then pulled back the steering column. The skiff lifted gently into the air. The circular opening in the middle of the bay floor grew steadily wider. Howling winds swirled up from below and a musky, sandy smell rushed into the chamber.
The wedge-like ship glided gracefully towards the hole. Not for the first time, Adan wondered how they were going to pull this mission off.
The ship passed over the middle of the empty aperture. It was only about halfway opened, but gave them ample room to maneuver safely down and out of the cargo bay. Adan paused long enough to catch the gaze of Gavin one last time. He waved and then, gripping the steering column with sweaty hands, he plunged the ship into the sandy swirl of the open Vast.
Six slices after they left the Maven, Adan landed the skiff in the midst of an outcropping of rocks. The natural barrier surrounded a shallow depression, the perfect place to stash their ship. The only way to find it would be if someone walked in through the surrounding rocks or flew overhead. Working swiftly, the team battened down a faded gray tarp over the ship to shield it from the wind and prying eyes.
The grotto was a little over three clicks from Hull. They would have to walk through open terrain, but in the pitch black night of the Vast they would be almost impossible to spot unless the Waymen had some form of zoetic sensors. Based on what Adan had seen the last time he had been here, he doubted they possessed such advanced technology.
Adan’s foot slipped on one of the smooth rocks as he stepped off the skiff. Catching himself on the steering column, he narrowly avoided falling face first onto the rocky terrain.
Not a great way to start the mission.
The texture of the surrounding rocks had been entirely blasted away by the wind. They were covered with just enough sand to make them treacherous to walk on. The others followed behind Adan, everyone stepping lightly.
Once out of the grotto, they took a moment to survey the rolling dunes which lay before them. A massive dust storm shrouded the horizon. The city would have been invisible to them had it not been for their lentes. These green lenses allowed them to see through the debris as if it were nothing more than semi-transparent smoke. The massive outer walls looked like pieces of scrap, strung together in a line across the surface of the Vast, stitched into the ground by little knobs which represented the towers.
The team set off towards the city. Barely half a slice into their journey it became clear that the storm was not content merely battering Hull. It swept towards them at an ever-increasing rate. Hurriedly the team tied themselves off with polymeric cords which they pulled from a small tube Raif had included in their gear as one of his “surprises.” Each tube had enough cord for a hundred micro clicks, but they only needed about fifteen each. Adan took the lead with Sierra, then Trey, and then Tarn tied off at the rear.
The storm broke over them a few microslices later. The winds sent waves of dust slamming against them. Though the garricks held up against the constant blasts, the winds knocked them about, making the dunes twice as hard to traverse. The gusts seemed intent on pummeling them into submission. Sierra stumbled on nearly every dune and would certainly have fallen behind had it not been for the polymeric cords.
The only entrance to Hull which Adan knew of was in the northeast section of the wall, but he had no intention of going anywhere near that. It was too closely watched. Instead, he angled the team towards the southwest as far away from the towers as possible. Once they reached the
outer wall they would use their cutters to slice their way through. The feeding tent where Adan had met Senya was in the western part of the city and the plan was to look there first. Once they found Senya, she would hopefully be able to help them get in contact with the other refugees and start organizing the escape.
As they pressed on through the storm the winds rose and fell, but overall grew in strength. The howling drowned out all speech and scrambled their bioseine signals, making even mind to mind communication impossible.
Tarn yelled something at Adan, but all he could make out was the word, ‘shelter’ and he wasn’t even sure about that. Adan wondered if the Wayman wanted them to unfurl their garricks and use them as emergency protection against the storm. But if they had to wait it out, there was no telling how long they’d be trapped on the dunes. If the Waymen spotted them out in the open when daylight hit they might never make it inside. Adan decided it would be better to press on and reach the protection of the city’s walls. It was not far, less than a quarter of a click away now.
The relentless winds fought them every step until the fused scrap walls rose before them. Two hundred paces more and they would be within their shelter. Watchtowers stood resolutely against the tempest on either side, looming in silent vigil over the metal encrusted city. No lights or figures peeked through the narrow slits in the tower walls, but no doubt they held Waymen inside.
While Adan paused to study the turrets, the cord behind him snapped taut. A moment later it jerked him off his feet and sent him tumbling down the side of the dune he had just climbed. The tower, the dunes, and the horizon spun together before he rolled to a stop at the base of the slope.
He whipped his head around to see Sierra flailing in the wind, a full body length off the ground. The only sign of Tarn and Trey was the abrupt end of the polymeric cord jittering behind her.
“Sierra!” he cried out, not knowing if she could hear him.
He grabbed the cord with both hands and tried to wrestle her back to the ground, but the wind refused to surrender her. He dug his heels into the rocks. Sand showered his face, stinging his eyes, but he kept hold of the cord, wrangling it from side to side. The winds shifted again and a downdraft plunged Sierra into the sand. Adan scrambled over to where she had fallen.
The Chronotrace Sequence- The Complete Box Set Page 75
