by AJ Super
“What are you doing? There are people in there,” Nyx exclaimed. “They’ll never get out.”
“They will. It’ll just be a while, because they’ll need cut out with a laser saw. And if they have any information about where we’re headed, it’ll be too late to pass it on,” Malcam growled. “Besides, why are you whining? We killed two people already.” He kicked the corpse of the female Guardsman Red had pulled the key from.
“That was self-defense. Not in cold blood,” Nyx said.
“Cold blood, warm blood, it’s still blood.” Malcam squinted at her from under his brow.
“It’s time to get out of here,” Kai interrupted. “Shuttle’s at the Eastside docks.”
“Looks like we’re traveling in the same direction,” Malcam grumbled.
Nyx straightened. “Let’s get going then.” She started east down the grey-paved road between the drab, oxide-dripped buildings.
The misfit band swept through the quiet street, weapons up. Nyx stepped carefully. No one made a sound. They didn’t want attention.
Kai and Malcam silently strode in front of her, each glowing, each with their own distinct energy, white flames burning brightly underneath. White flame that looked a lot like the white tendrils playing off her fingertips.
Lost in thought, Nyx caught her foot on a crack in the pavement and stumbled. Malcam’s giant hand wrapped around her shoulder, righting her, his eyes soft. She smiled weakly at him and pushed his hand off as she stepped forward.
Doc Lenus would have to do some tests, on her, on Malcam, on Kai, on anyone she infected, to know exactly how her power worked. Until she had more information, she had to keep her blood to herself. The universe didn’t need a bunch of people wandering around who could live forever. And short of being shot in the head, like her maman, it seemed that she was the only one who could effectively kill someone who had been infected.
She rubbed her shoulder, trying to shake the warmth of Malcam’s hand.
Her gut hardened and her heart beat faster. This wasn’t what she wanted. She wasn’t AI. She wasn’t a Star. She didn’t want powers over people. This wasn’t her life.
Nyx turned to the display screen in the middle of the street flashing a warning. The image of a buttoned brunette in navy blue blinked in and out between static, and another woman in a red, cowled tunic appeared in the flashes. Nyx squinted at the display. The picture of a bald woman with fawn-colored eyes with a gold ring around the irises flickered between the snow. Nyx tipped her head and called out to the screen. “Erebus?”
Erebus’ mouth moved, but the displays were silent, sound off for the curfew.
Nyx walked to the display and stared up. “I can’t hear you.”
Kai strode up behind Nyx. “What’s going on? We have to go. There’ll be Queensmen at the shuttle, and we need to find a way to get to it.”
Matthews, Falak, and Betty crowded in front of the view-screen.
Matthews tipped his head and muttered. “Interesting avatar she chose. My old Sia?”
“Erebus.” Nyx pointed at the screen. “She’s trying to tell us something.”
Words flashed across the screen.
Thanatos boarded. Queen taking the ship. Don’t come.
The queen had Erebus. Phoebe had her sister.
“She hasn’t taken the Medusa yet?” Kai whispered.
One word.
No.
The screen quit flickering. Erebus disappeared.
Kai spun around to a smirking Malcam. “Guess you’re giving us a ride.”
Malcam guffawed. “Ordinarily, I’d be glad. Especially since that puts Nyxie on board the Medusa. But you have to understand, I don’t want you on my ship.”
Kai leveled his pistol at Malcam. “And you have to understand. You don’t have a choice.”
29
Nyx crossed her arms. Getting into a fight on the street was a bad idea. Kai steadied his pulse pistol at Malcam’s head. Betty swung her weapon up and pointed it at Red. Red drew down on Betty with her heavy pulse rifle, pale-blue eyes hard.
Malcam grinned. “And here I thought we were getting along so well.”
“We weren’t. Weapons up, Falak.” Kai ordered the confused engineer. “Nyx, you too.”
Nyx glared at Kai. The screen behind her flashed red warnings about the morning curfew times. It was only a half hour until the streets and docks would be filled with people. They would have the cover of a crowd, but they wouldn’t have privacy. They were lucky enough not to run into a patrol already, and if it came to a fire-fight at the docks, there would be too many people on the streets if this lasted too long.
Nyx stepped forward and pulled the pulse rifle Kai had taken from the dead guard off her back. She pointed it in Malcam and Red’s direction. She rolled her head back, eyes to the side. This was a waste of time.
Malcam growled with a smirk, “You too, huh, Nyxie? Thought we were friends now.”
“I wouldn’t go that far,” Nyx said. “But he is my captain.”
“And you always obey your captain,” Malcam nodded in the direction of Matthews, lounging against the pole propping the screen display with the curfew notification blaring across it.
“Just lower it, Red. You’re outnumbered. And both of you hand over your weapons,” Kai commanded.
Malcam raised his hands and, with two fingers, handed Kai his stolen energy pistol. Red slid the shoulder-strap over her head, lowering the silver pulse rifle and handed the gun to Falak as Elizabet covered the muscular woman.
Kai strode to the corner of the street and pressed his back to a metal-clad building. He peered around the corner and down the wide-open street fronting the line of space-docks. “Now where is the shuttle?” He pointed to the right. “Our shuttle was about fifteen berths that way and one row over in G. But with a troop of Queensmen waiting for us, we’re obviously not going there.”
Malcam’s smile grew. “You think I’m going to walk into a guarded docking bay unarmed? That’s a laugh. You’re a funny-man.” He nervously tugged on a black gauge plug in his ear and pressed his lip with his tongue.
“You’ll just have to trust us,” Kai said smoothly as he straightened.
“Like you trusted my plan?” Malcam snapped.
“If you want to get off this rock, you’re going to have to tell us. Curfew ends soon. There’s going to be too many people to get around if we don’t do this now,” Nyx warned. She wanted as few casualties as possible. And as few eyes on them as well. The less information that the queen could get her hands on, the less apt she would be to make an accurate prediction of their next moves.
Malcam clenched his jaw. “Two berths down. H-one-oh-six. We’re close. There are stacks of crates we can take cover behind. But same for anyone else. You’ll have to move in quick. Be precise. Utilize the best marksmen—” Red glared at him “—markspeople we have, and not green engineers.” He eyed Falak juggling two guns.
Kai reached over and stilled Falak’s hands. He eased a pistol away from him and handed it to Matthews. Matthews held the gun with two fingers and scrunched his face.
Nyx raised a brow. “Who’s going to find out how many Queensmen we’re up against?”
Nyx, Malcam, and Kai stared at each other. She couldn’t ask any of the others to do it. If being infected by her blood made the two men heal more quickly, then they wouldn’t be in as much danger.
“Getting shot hurts,” mumbled Malcam.
Kai murmured his agreement.
Nyx rolled her eyes. “I’ll do it.”
Kai and Malcam both reached out and grabbed an arm.
“Absolutely not. I can’t let you get hurt,” Kai said.
“No. I have promises to keep,” Malcam said simultaneously.
Nyx wrenched her arms away from the two men. “Like you deux cons get a choice. I’ll go first. Just hope I don’t get shot in the head.” She stepped out from around the corner of the building and stalked forward. After a few paces, she motioned for the rest of the
company to follow and stay close to the building and what little cover the recycler bins and doorways offered.
Nyx strode down the center of the street. The edge of the grey building lurked to her left, windowless on the long stretch of avenue facing the ship berths. The morning curfew clock ticked down on the caged view-screens dotting the center of the street. A few barred or steel-rolled doors cowered along the face of the walls. Crates and recycler bins stacked along the right side, creating narrow, stinking passways into the individual docking ramps. Each ramp had a yellow letter and number painted on the base-step, worn by feet and red mud.
She reached a stack of crates and paused. ‘H106’ was scuffed nearly invisible at the edge of a teetering pile of metal boxes. She turned up the narrow walk to the shuttle, stacks of crates on either side of her and pulse rifle slung across her back.
She shuddered. There were three guards in queen’s white lounging at the base of the back gangplank of the shuttle and three more standing at attention with rifles up just beyond the crates. Immediately, she backed down the walk and pivoted.
“Hey, you!” someone yelled behind her.
She turned back around, facing the voice, which belonged to a Queensman in white, with a gold-lined capelet swung over his shoulder. Nyx frowned. The queen must have not predicted they would turn up here, or she would have put stronger defenses in place, like her armored soldiers. But with six Queensmen guarding the Medusa’s shuttle, there had to be more nearby. The Thanatos’ shuttle was too far away for a commotion to bring attention. Nyx tightened her fist. They would have to make quick work of these guards or reinforcements would arrive soon.
Nyx paused partway down the docking ramp to the entrance of the shuttles’ platform.
“What’s your business?” the Queensman drilled.
Nyx cleared her throat, backing away. “I forgot where I parked. I thought this was my berth. I was wrong.”
“Hey. I recognize that rifle. It’s Queen’s Guard. Where’d you get that? That’s not civilian issue.” Another white-clad soldier stepped forward.
“I found it?” Nyx eased backwards, to the edge of the crates and the entrance of the dock. She glanced to the side. Kai nodded to her.
“Hold it there. I think the local authorities will need to be informed of your presence here.” The first Queensman stepped towards Nyx. “Hands up, please.
She turned her head sideways and eyed Kai, peeking around the stack of crates at the mouth of the walk. She raised her hands with three fingers high on either hand. Then she motioned with three fingers forward on one hand and three fingers backward on the other. She hoped Kai understood her gesture. Three soldiers forward, three soldiers back. Six total. He needed to do something before she got caught. Or shot. Or both.
The first soldier in white continued forward.
Kai nodded to Nyx and gave her a thumbs up. He pointed at her and lifted one finger up then sliced his throat. He wanted her to start the fight.
Nyx’s heart crashed and all the air left her lungs. She shook her head lightly. He nodded. He was trying to get her killed.
The Queensman reached out, signaling her to give him the weapon. With her left hand, she grabbed the butt of the pulse rifle and pulled it under her right arm. She flipped the stock into her right hand and aimed roughly.
The soldier stood directly in front of the barrel of the gun. There was no missing. She pulled the trigger.
The pulse jarred the soldier, and a trail of blood spewed from his mouth, dribbling down the white fabric of his uniform.
The other soldiers scrambled, pulling guns from decorative gold holsters.
Nyx brought up her gun and aimed, more carefully this time. She caressed the trigger. She hit the second soldier who had questioned her in the shoulder. She aimed again at the soldier.
A shot from the Queensmen zipped past her ear.
Nyx glanced to her right as she dove to her left. Elizabet squatted, sighting down the large silver rifle with Matthews sitting next to her, his eyes closed, petting the gun in his lap. Kai pulled Nyx in with the rest of the group and peered around the corner of the crate stack. He pressed his back against the metal cases, then leaned forward, rubbing his temples.
Red ground her teeth. “You need another marksperson. Not someone who’s just going to stroke his pistol for the whole damned show.” She nodded to Matthews.
Kai sighed and pointed at Betty. Then he jerked his thumb at Matthews and then pointed at Red. Betty’s eyes went wide, then she nodded, snatched the pistol from Matthews’ lap, and tossed it across the chasm to Kai.
“Fine. Red, you get your pistol, two shots.” Kai reached over Malcam and slapped the weapon in the woman’s hands. “When you’re out, you’re out. Better make them count.”
“Seriously?” Malcam mumbled.
Red stepped over Malcam and squirmed underneath Kai’s legs in between him and the stack of crates. She knelt, pistol cradled in her hands. She pulled off a carefully aimed shot. “Putain. Winged her,” she hissed. “One shot left. You sure I can’t have another gun?”
Kai grunted and peered around the crates. “They’ve taken cover. Elizabet nailed one, Red winged one, Nyx winged one and got one.”
Two shots fired at the same time. Red whooped, and Elizabet flapped a hand in excitement.
“Got ‘er,” Red crowed. “But I’m out.” She peered around the crates. A shot pinged off the edge, and she pulled back quickly. “Looks like Betty clipped one too, but not so badly the Queensman… woman… whatever can’t keep shooting back.”
“So, now we have two down and three winged but still shooting,” Kai mused.
Betty sighted down her barrel again and pulled the trigger with a loud crack of energy.
Someone screamed. Betty flapped her hands. Clipped another. Nyx frowned. Just grazing the Queensmen, who were under as much cover as the pirates were, wouldn’t help. With four soldiers left shooting, they wouldn’t be getting on the shuttle any time soon, and they were quickly running out of curfew time.
Betty slipped the gun off, pointed to it, and ran a finger across her throat.
“We only have four guns now.” Kai scratched his head.
“I only have one shot left. The other rifle only has two shots. The pistols have three.” Nyx counted. “Nine shots.”
“We need something bigger.” Kai ground his teeth and set his jaw. “Something that will surprise and stun, so we can get up there, close, and take four people out at once.”
Betty squinted as she sighted down her rifle across the chasm of the walk, finger off the trigger. She pointed to the power pack on her gun.
“Oh.” Falak raised his hand, his alarm-red spikes hanging in his widening eyes. “I could do that. Make the guns overload. Gang the power packs together. Make a bomb.”
Nyx’s fingers itched. She flexed them. It wouldn’t take much tinkering to put the guns’ batteries together to create a big enough pop that would disorient, even disarm, the Queensmen. The resulting explosion would send shrapnel from the guns everywhere. They would be able to go through and clean up what was left over, whoever was left alive.
Malcam snickered, sitting with his knees up and his hands draped over them. “Engineer’s good for something.” He slid the pistol lying on the ground next to Falak surreptitiously towards himself, toying with the grip.
Nyx swung her rifle to Malcam. “You don’t need that,” she said quietly.
“Hey! W-what?” Falak stuttered. “Give. Give… that… back.”
Malcam glowered. “He’s too green to be using any kind of weapon.”
Nyx placed the barrel of her rifle to Malcam’s head. “Do it.”
Red turned. “They’re going to figure out we’re not shooting soon. And start advancing. And if they haven’t called for back-up, I’d be surprised. Make a decision. Make it fast.”
Betty poked her head around the corner of the crates and glared at the whispering group. The pings of the Queensmen’s return fire sparked off the
edge of the metal crate near her face, and she pulled back quickly and nodded, platinum ponytail bobbing.
“Okay. We keep four shots.” Kai snatched the pistol from near Malcam and tossed it across the space between the stacks of crates to Elizabet, who threw him her rifle. He snatched it out of the air and reached for Nyx’s gun. Nyx handed it to Red.
“Only take a shot if it’s guaranteed,” Kai ordered under his breath.
“No shot is guaranteed,” Red muttered.
Kai lifted an eyebrow at the copper-headed woman then turned to Falak. “The power supply from the pistol and the rifle will have to work. Do what you can.”
Falak pursed his lips. “It’ll have to do. But it won’t be a big boom.”
“Make it as big as you can,” Kai said through grit teeth. “They’re spread pretty far apart.”
Falak stripped the power pack from the pistol and pulled an electronic screwdriver and tiny wire clippers from the small pouch at his side. Nyx covered her mouth, smiling. Only an engineer would come to the surface with tools and plastic ties in a bag like Falak did. She liked fiddling with things, but he obviously took the calling to a whole different level.
He began unscrewing the rifle and rewiring the power-source, bypassing the safety protocols and setting it to overload when the trigger was pulled. It was a quick and dirty job, not elegant, but he got it done. Nyx cringed when he plastic-tied all the parts together again. It was so un-finessed and untidy that she would definitely need to check out Engineering on the Thanatos to make sure he wasn’t rigging her ship with plastic ties.
Falak handed her the bomb.
“How long is the delay?” Nyx stared at the heavy silver rifle and pistol ganged together in her hands.
Falak shrugged. “Can’t build in a timer. Five seconds ‘til it overloads. Tops.”
Nyx bit her cheek. “Just pull the trigger?”
Falak nodded. “Yes, sir.”
She didn’t want to do this. She didn’t want to get blown up. Again.
She looked at everyone’s faces as she stepped over the prone Red who was focusing on making her last shots kill-perfect. Malcam’s cerulean eyes followed her as she walked to the corner of the crates. Kai’s head bowed.
