by Jason Kent
Kate looked over at Sparrow. "Can you detect any sensors out there?" The last thing Kate wanted to do was trip some sort of an alarm.
"No," Sparrow said. "There are higher levels of radiation than I would care to be exposed to for long periods of time, but otherwise, the spectrum is dark. And from what we saw of the equipment out on the battle field, I'd say these folks are back to steam power or clunkers."
"Those aircraft were not steam-powered," Dagger remarked.
"An exception," Sparrow said, dismissing the comment. "Ardennes possessed hi-tech machinery before the war. Perhaps the fighter aircraft we encountered are part of their reserve forces. Once you remove the primary sources of power in a society, manufacturing advanced technology for any sort of large-scale application becomes nearly impossible. Thus the regression in war machines."
Kate nodded and felt a warm sense of approval from Nemus. "Agreed." Like the Tallinns, the people of Ardennes were using steam engines for power and locomotion. Although they had yet to see any up close, Kate also expected to see some use of clockwork devices or even fighting machines similar to the mechs used by the Tallinns.
Merrick raised his rifle to his shoulder. He scanned the buildings across the street with his scope. Satisfied there were no immediate threats, he ordered, "Follow me. Ross, bring up the rear." The sniper moved out without another word.
"Got you covered," Ross said softly. He waited for Kate, Sparrow, Tarun, and finally Dagger to fall into a ragged formation behind Merrick then took his place at the end of the line. The marine swung his rifle back and forth in an arc covering the area behind them.
"Unexploded ordnance," Sparrow warned. "Ahead twenty one meters, on the left." Having identified the closest threat, the Link Sprite focused the sensors in her hands further ahead along their route.
Merrick veered to the right without question.
Kate took in the dark buildings as they passed. Most of them seemed to have once been used for light industry and storage. Now, they were all empty shells, most missing their roofs. She stopped and held her breath when the sound of shifting rocks drew Merrick's attention to the structure on the left side of the street. He crouched and scanned the building with his scope. Dagger and Sparrow did the same; one with her handgun held in steady arms and the other with her upgrades.
"Some sort of wild animal," Sparrow whispered. She turned her attention back to the street. Off-handedly, she added, "Big sucker, though."
Kate's eyes darted back to the dark windows. She shuddered, not wanting to ponder upon the thought of what the rats of Reticort ate. Nemus suddenly showed Kate the image of a huge rodent with glistening red eyes. It was easily the size of a large dog. Before Kate could stop the vision, the abnormally large rat leapt upon the back of an unsuspecting human rummaging through a pile of trash, sinking its needle-like teeth into the man's arm.
Not so abnormally large, at least not on Reticort these days.
I'll keep that in mind, Nemus, Kate thought. She shook off the image and picked up her pace to close the gap between her and Merrick. Kate took only a few steps before Merrick stopped. He thrust his fist into the air and turned his head, listening. Before Kate could figure out what the sniper had heard, Merrick spun, grabbed her and Tarun by the arm and pulled them through a doorway of a deserted building.
"Incoming!" Ross shouted. He tackled Dagger and Sparrow with one broad-armed dive. Dagger almost slit the marine's throat out of reflex. Ross exclaimed, "Shells! Tral, I'm trying to save your freaking life!"
Kate finally heard the shrill scream of the projectiles falling on the city.
The first artillery round landed with a deafening explosion a few streets away. More shells began landing closer to their position but they weren't upon them just yet. Ross seized the moment and picked Dagger and Sparrow off the ground and hustled for the doorway Kate and Merrick were using as shelter. The trio hit the debris-strewn floor with a thump. They scrambled behind what was left of the wall as a round landed in the street back the way they'd come.
Kate was thrown off the ground then back down as Merrick landed on top of her. There was a secondary explosion a moment later. To Kate, it seemed to be even larger than the first blast. She knew without looking that the incoming shells must have hit the unexploded munitions Sparrow had guided them around moments earlier. Kate's heart was thumping and she was gulping for breath when the shelling ended as fast as it'd begun. Kate's ears were ringing but she seemed to be unharmed. She looked over at the others to check on them.
"Traltraltral!" Dagger hissed through clenched teeth.
The weight on Kate's back lessened as Merrick picked himself up. She rolled over and let herself be pulled up off the rubble. She coughed at the dust floating through the air and bent over as pain racked her stomach. Kate grabbed her mid-section and looked down at the sharp fragments of stone she'd slammed into when she was knocked to the floor. She opened her jacket and peeked under her shirt. The sheen of the second skin armor was unbroken. Once again, the reactive layer had kept her from serious harm. Although she guessed there would be quite a bruise. Murmuring from behind her drew Kate's attention away from her own aches and pains.
"I can see it's a cut!" Dagger seethed. She sucked in a sharp breath as Sparrow poked at her leg. The pilot was leaning against the wall holding her right leg. Sparrow was examining her calf where blood was oozing through Dagger's pant leg.
Sparrow looked at Kate. "Hey medic-girl, you're up!"
Kate unslung her pack and knelt next to Dagger. Back at the Archives, she and Merrick had decided it might be best to find a suitable role for Kate to fill if they found themselves in a firefight. Merrick had pointed out, as gently as possible, that Kate was a terrible shot. Since everyone else had proven themselves to be excellent marksmen, Kate volunteered to train as the team medic. She figured this was something she could learn faster than how to hit the broad side of a barn with any of the weapons the marines, Sparrow, or Dagger already used as if they were extensions of their bodies. So, while the others took up defensive positions looking out into the street, Kate bent close to examine Dagger.
Dagger gasped as Kate pulled back the bloody fabric covering the wound. Kate resisted the urge to say, 'ew' at the sight of the torn skin and gaping cut. She figured this would not be the sort of bedside manner Dagger would appreciate. Instead, she cleared her throat and nodded as if she'd seen and treated this sort of wound a hundred times before.
"Looks like you caught a bit of shrapnel," Kate reported.
"No tral!" Dagger cursed. "Just fix it!"
Kate laid her pack out and pulled out her combined spray-on wound cleaner, antiseptic, and anesthetic. She warned, "This is going to feel cold." Without waiting for Dagger to give another terse reply, Kate dosed her calf liberally with the foaming spray.
Dagger hissed but kept her comments to herself.
"That will take care of anything which could cause an infection," Kate explained as she put the bottle away and pulled out a staple gun. "You got nicked pretty good. Even cut right through the second skin. We're going to need to close the wound, and then we can wrap it and you'll be able to use your leg. We can redress everything when we get back to Blade."
Dagger eyed the staple gun then glared at Kate. "Oh no! Don't even think about it!"
"The wound needs to be closed," Kate said. She gestured at the pilot's leg. "I can't just wrap it."
"Yes," Dagger growled dangerously. "Yes, you can."
"What's Garrett doing coming down the street?" Sparrow said in a loud voice.
Dagger turned her head to look. At the same time, Kate took advantage of the Link Sprite's distraction. She squeezed the edges of the cut together with her finger then pressed the medical stapler against Dagger's leg.
"You freaking little..." Dagger started to yell as the staples took hold. She produced a blade in her hand with surprising speed.
Sparrow, expecting the move, grabbed Dagger's arm and held it in a firm grip. Dagger's eyes darted
to Sparrow and a grim smile spread across her face.
"Nice move, jack-head," Dagger snarled.
"Thanks," Sparrow replied.
Kate dropped the stapler into her pack and pulled out a roll of medical gauze. "Now I can wrap it."
Dagger huffed and relaxed her arm. Sparrow let her loose and the pilot sheathed her knife. Dagger shook her head and laughed, "You two make a good team."
"Well I—" Kate began.
"Don't ever do it again," Dagger interrupted, her tone threatening.
"Wouldn't think of it," Kate replied with a smile. She bound Dagger's leg and covered everything in water-proof tape. She examined the dressing. "Not too bad if I do say so myself," Kate stated. She offered her hand to Dagger, but the other woman ignored the offer and pulled herself up using the rough wall behind her for support. Kate closed her pack and slung it over her shoulders.
Dagger tentatively put weight on her wounded leg. When it held her up, she glanced at Kate. "I have to admit, that's some nice field work. How many times have you had to do something like that?"
"Including today?" Kate replied. Her cheeks brightened and she looked away. "Um, once."
"Well, I'm glad I could be part of your medical experimentation," Dagger growled. She rolled her eyes and limped away, muttering, "'Get us a medic', I tell Georges. 'We don't need a medic' he says, 'we've got Kate!' Tral!"
"We've got company," Sparrow announced softly. She pointed back into the dim recesses of the building. Shadowy forms could be seen shuffling closer.
"Great," Ross muttered. He shifted from his position looking out over the street to one where he could aim his heavy rifle at the approaching crowd.
The people approaching them did not seem overly hostile. Kate noticed they were moving with furtive, fearful steps. A flash from Nemus confirmed her suspicion about the newcomers.
"They're civilians," Kate whispered just loud enough for everyone to hear. "Most likely coming up from the basement levels to see if the shelling uncovered anything useful."
"They have a few weapons," Sparrow reported. "On any other world, I'd call them antiques. I can't be entirely sure they are even functional."
"Let them pass," Merrick ordered. He raised his rifle so it was not aimed directly at the crowd but could be brought to bear quickly if things took a turn for the worse.
Ross followed the senior marine's lead and lowered his rifle.
Sensing they were safe for the moment, the crowd surged forward. Kate eyed the citizens of Reticort passing by her and out into the street. It was not the tattered clothes, pale skin, or the dirt caked all over them which jarred her senses. Each man and woman had a deeply haunted look in their eyes. It was obvious they'd seen more carnage and destruction than anyone should be forced to endure. Kate started to reach for a child passing by as the girl looked up at her with sad, sunken eyes. Kate didn't know what she could possible say to the girl to comfort her but she felt the overwhelming urge to do something. Merrick gently laid a hand on her shoulder.
"The key," Merrick said. "We can't help any of these people if the Ater get it first."
Kate nodded and met the girl's gaze. She reached into one of her jacket pockets and pulled out a chocolate bar. Kate held it out. The girl looked at the bright wrapping suspiciously. Kate realized she had probably never seen anything like it, having grown up in the ruins of the city. Kate peeled back the wrapper, nibbled at the corner, and then held the bar out again. This time, the girl took the offering. After tasting the confection herself, the girl's eyes went wide, brightening her grimy face. She rushed off after the others, all smiles.
Satisfied she'd at least made the child's day, Kate let herself be led away from the scavengers scratching through the newly turned rubble out in the street. She was not sure what they hoped to find, but she silently wished them luck. Kate turned away and tried to focus her attention on their destination.
"Not far now," Kate managed to say. She pointed down the avenue. "The museum is eight blocks this way."
Sparrow linked her arm with Kate's and together they turned down a wide boulevard, which would have once been lined with trees and beautiful homes. Far ahead, they could just make out the columned portico of the Reticort Museum, beckoning to them through the dust drifting over the city.
"I hope they still give tours," Ross quipped.
"Don't count on it," Dagger replied.
Chapter 12
Reticort Museum
Dusk was falling as Merrick led the small band up to the main doors of the Museum. Angels three meters tall, their wings spread out behind and above them, decorated the bronze doors. He looked back at Sparrow and nodded.
At some point in the past, the massive front doors of the museum had been blasted from their hinges. The two halves canted inward precariously leaving just enough room for a single person to squeeze between to get inside. Sparrow stood in this gap and spread her arms as she traced patterns through the air.
The light from the Link Sprite's implants illuminated only a few meters of uneven floor. The marble tile, once set in delicate patterns in the entry hall, were cracked and blackened.
"Someone wanted to get in badly," Sparrow noted after scanning the interior. "But, no one seems to be home. For now, at least."
"For now?" Ross asked.
"There are signs of cooking fires," Sparrow clarified. "They appear to not have been used in some time."
"Inside," Merrick ordered. He turned his rifle and scanned the rubble and burnt-out vehicles littering the square in front of the museum.
Sparrow watched as Ross, Kate, and Dagger entered through the tight opening. It was a tight squeeze for Ross, but he managed to get himself and his weapons inside. Sparrow took a long look at the crumbling buildings at the far edge of the open space. She stretched out her senses across the scene and knew she was seeing a different world than Merrick. He would be seeing possible sniper hides, lines of fire, and potential avenues of escape to get her and the others back to Blade. She only saw the broken machinery of the abandoned vehicles and the severe damage inflicted upon the structures.
"Where do you figure they got the obelisk?" Sparrow asked and gestured at the stone spire piercing the sky. Despite the destruction all around it, the thirty meter spire appeared to have suffered only minor damage. "The stone's crystalline composition gives it many unique qualities."
Merrick's gaze traveled up to the point of the obelisk then back to its broad base. "No idea." He made a 'ladies first' gesture at the dark opening, the mystery of the structure put aside for more immediate concerns. "We should get inside."
Sparrow gave one long last look out into the courtyard. She reminded herself to ask Kate if Nemus could provide the history of the ancient artifact when they were safely off-world again.
As Sparrow stepped into the museum, her steps crackled on broken pieces of tile. Her upgraded eyes instantly compensated for the dimness of the interior, lit only by fading light coming through the windows set high above the floor around the base of the dome. She moved toward the others, who were congregated around a large pedestal under the soaring ceiling.
"This may be harder than we thought," Ross said.
Sparrow threw the marine a questioning look. "You didn't expect to find what we were looking for on the directory, did you?"
"That would be nice," Ross said. "Unfortunately, there's not a whole lot left." He flashed the light attached to his rifle at the empty display cases and frames around the circular room and down halls as far as the beam would reach. Finally, Ross let his light fall to the pile on the stone pedestal still surrounded by a sagging velvet rope.
Huge bones lay in a disordered heap, gleaming in the last bits of light. Sparrow yelped when the light landed on the skull of the huge beast. With its bare teeth, empty eyes, and massive jaw, she could have sworn it was leering at her.
"Don't worry, jack-head," Dagger snorted. "Your marine boyfriend will protect you."
"It should be here," Merrick commented. He
turned slowly in a circle, aiming his rifle and its light around the empty walls again. He looked sideways at Kate. "Could our information from the Archives be wrong?"
Tarun huffed.
Kate held up a hand to calm the archivist then closed her eyes. She reviewed the information. The key had been a big attraction at the Reticort Museum due to the mystery surrounding its discovery, purpose, and origin. It had been prominently displayed behind the pedestal featuring the fearsome predator.
With a stomach-jarring twist, Kate found herself reliving an old memory through the eyes of the museum's curator.
His hands shaking, Gared Dupont reached into the display case where the Key of Light had rested undisturbed for decades.
Dupont sucked in air between his clenched teeth and took hold of the Key. He gasped and nearly let go of the precious artifact. Cold pierced his fingers. Only the sound of explosions growing louder and the knowledge of how little time he had forced him to keep his hold.
"It really is cold!" Dupont exclaimed. He willed his frozen hands to stop shaking long enough to lift the Key from its holder. The curator turned and quickly placed the artifact into an oversized metal case. As soon as he was sure the Key was settled properly into place, Dupont pulled his hands back. He held them up to his face.
"Impossible!" Dupont whispered.
The white gloves covering the curator's hands were crusted with ice crystals. As he watched, steam rose as his body heat warmed the thin gloves. Dupont turned his gaze down into the packing crate and the artifact nestled within.
Some called the Key the Ignis Voti, the Light Comb. Because that's what it looked like. The key was big enough to cover both of his palms. One edge was curved while fine 'bristles' extended from the other. Each of the bristles was lined with a complex mix of ridges, bumps and indentations. Detailed scanning had shown the patterns never repeated themselves and continued down to a molecular level. The designs were as mysterious as the purpose of the device.
