by Leslie Chase
"No!" Orshar's hand thumped into her chest as he glared at Cooper, pinning her in place. "If we don't face him now, we'll have to do it later. As long as she's aboard, he won't shoot at the vehicle, he'll have to get close. But if he has her, there's no reason for him not to just leave."
"He can't fucking catch us anyway," the older man said angrily, narrowing his eyes. Lilly didn't think he was used to being disobeyed like that, and he didn't like it. She grinned at that, trying to keep quiet and calm. Let them fight, she thought.
Hrail, though, saw the danger of her allies falling out and put a hand on each of their shoulders.
"We need to stay focused on winning," she said. "Orshar's right. Jaranak and the others have the core and the ship now. If they get the girl, we've got no leverage left."
Cooper took a deep calming breath. "That's that, then. We'll need to round up as many men as we can and get back there before they take the core. It'll need to be fast: if those fucking aliens can get their ship fixed, I'll lose everything."
Orshar shook his head. "I don't think that will be a problem. Jaranak won't stop coming for us as long you have his female, and if she's alive they won't leave the planet. Trust me, I don't want to lose this any more than you do."
Lilly looked back at them and couldn't help laughing. Cooper, Hrail, and Orshar looked around as though they'd forgotten that she was there. No, that wasn't right, she realized: they thought of her as a bargaining chip, not as a person. Their shock was that she might dare to have an opinion.
"What's so fucking funny, young lady?" Cooper demanded.
"You are, all three of you," she said. "You're talking about Jaranak as though drawing him to you would be a good thing. Look at what happened the last time you managed to get that to work! Your laboratory's on fire and you're running away."
They glared at her, and Michael's fingers gripped harder, digging into her arms painfully. She didn't care.
"Give it up, let me go and forget about this," she suggested. "You're still rich, Mr. Cooper. You've still got what you learned from the alien technology so far. Stick with that, and leave this alone."
Even as she said it, she knew he wasn't going to listen. If he'd been willing to compromise, he wouldn't be where he was today. But Michael's grip faltered — he was losing faith, at least.
Behind them, with a screech of tires, the electric car skidded into sight. Cooper swore, Michael gasped, and Orshar snarled back at it. Hrail braced herself, her expression stony. Lilly smiled delightedly, seeing Jaranak crouched behind the wheel.
Smoke rose from the engine block, but the car accelerated smoothly, faster than the truck could flee. She could just about make out Jaranak's expression, a fierce grin showing as he chased down his prey.
"That's not possible," Michael said. "It can't go that fast."
Orshar swore under his breath in whatever language the aliens spoke before throwing up his hands.
"It's just an electric motor," he said. "Powered by a battery. Simple technology, and all he needed was a better power source."
"The disintegrator," Cooper exclaimed, and for the first time Lilly saw him genuinely excited about something. She could see the shadow of the inventor he had once been, before the quest for alien technology had consumed him. "They must store more energy than a tanker full of gas. He can't keep that up for long though: the engine will burn out."
Orshar nodded gloomily. "It won't last for one of your hours. But he'll be on us in minutes and that's all that matters."
Behind them Jaranak was closing fast. The truck veered this way and that on the road, throwing Lilly around the back, but it couldn't outperform Jaranak's improved car. Gesturing to the guard, Cooper pointed out the back of the vehicle.
"What am I paying you for?" he snapped. "Shoot him before he catches us."
The man looked dubious, but drew a revolver and tried to aim. The truck bumped this way and that, and his first shot went wide, but Lilly's heart was in her mouth as Jaranak closed the distance. The closer he got, the more likely the guard would be able to hit him.
Struggling against Michael's grip, Lilly kicked out, managing to catch the thug in the knee just as he squeezed the trigger again. Another shot rang out, deafening in the tight space, but it went nowhere. Michael yanked her back, and the two of them tumbled to the floor as the guard took aim again.
The third shot cracked the car's windshield, but Jaranak held steady.
Jaranak ignored the guard, the gunfire. His eyes met Lilly's and she saw the promise there. He was coming for her, and wouldn't allow anything to stop him.
The guard knelt, steadying his hand and taking careful aim. Jaranak was only a few yards away now, and even from the back of a moving truck he couldn't be that hard to hit. Lilly couldn't help thinking her man was driving into certain death to save her.
I can't let him die, she thought. I just can't. But there was nothing she could do, helpless in Michael's grip. He wasn't a strong man, but he was strong enough to hold her back no matter how much she struggled.
So she stopped, going limp. The sudden change surprised Michael, and his grip loosened as she fell back against him. That was all the opportunity she needed.
Remembering her mother's self-defense lessons, she slammed her elbow back into Michael's groin. His cry of pain filled the truck, and the guard's concentration broke for just a second. That was all Lilly needed to pull free of Michael and jump at him.
The truck shifted under them, and her shoulder struck his arm rather than his ribs. But that still sent his gun spinning to the truck bed, and he swore, grabbing for her.
Lilly managed to get out of the way of his grasping hands, but there was nowhere to go. Orshar and Hrail turned towards her and behind them, Michael reached into his jacket and pulled out his gun.
Looks like I've just gone from 'hostage' to 'enemy' in their eyes, she thought. At least they're paying attention. But they aren't going to kill me here.
She grinned savagely and spun, leaping out into space. If she was going to die today, it would be on her own terms.
For a moment, she thought she'd misjudged. Doubts hit her midair — she'd never done anything like this, she wasn't an athlete, why did she think this was a good idea? The moment seemed to stretch agonizingly, but then the hood of the car was rising to meet her and she grabbed on as she hit it.
The metal was smooth under her fingers, and the impact knocked the breath from her. She felt herself sliding to the side, her hands trying to find a grip, and then Jaranak was there. Reaching through the shattered windshield, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her to safety.
A bullet snapped through the air above her head, and Jaranak turned aside, out of the line of fire. Cooper shouted something, his words lost in the wind, and another bullet hit the side of the car. Then Jaranak accelerated again, pulling level with the truck and out of sight of the gunman.
Lilly struggled up to sit beside him, panting from exertion. She'd done it, she'd escaped! But Jaranak's face was still a tight mask of concentration, and he showed no sign of trying to get away.
"We can't leave them behind us," he said, and Lilly knew that he was right. As much as she wanted this adventure to be over, Cooper wouldn't give up so easily. Unless they stopped him here he'd just come back with more men. He'd said as much.
The truck swerved suddenly, slamming into them, and Jaranak couldn't steer in time. The impact slammed Lilly's head into the dashboard, and stars filled her vision. Another smash, and the whine of the electric motor started to grind. The smell of burning plastic filled the air and it was clear that this chase couldn't last much longer.
"What are you going to do?" she asked, and Jaranak turned and grinned at her. It was a hunter's smile, hungry for prey, and she knew that whatever he was planning she wouldn't like it.
"Hold the wheel," he told her. "Keep the car steady."
There was no time to ask questions, he was already moving. Grabbing hold, Lilly watched with her heart in her mouth as he tu
rned towards the truck. She knew what he was planning, but it was a crazy idea.
As soon as the truck swerved towards them again, he leaped across the narrowing gap. Lilly bit down on a scream as he slammed into the truck's door, terrified that he'd miss his grip and fall. But no — his hands found purchase, and he wrenched the truck's door open with a battle cry that chilled the blood.
The truck driver didn't have time to react before Jaranak grabbed hold of him and threw him. Lilly could barely keep the car steady as the man sailed through the air in front of her, slamming into the side of the road with a crunch.
Lilly watched the body tumble in the rearview mirror and she lost sight of him. She was just as glad — she didn't need to see what had happened to his body.
The truck pulled off to the side as Jaranak turned the wheel away from her, steadying the truck's course. For a moment, they were racing side-by-side down the narrow road, and it would have been exhilarating if it hadn't been so terrifying. Lilly clung to the wheel, praying that she could keep control of the speeding car.
The crack of a gunshot broke her concentration, the bullet snapping through the air inches from her head. She squealed, the car swerving as her hands tightened on the wheel,
In the rearview mirror, she saw Orshar hanging out of the side of the truck with one hand. With his other, he steadied a revolver and tried to aim. Acting on instinct, Lilly stepped hard on the accelerator, and the next shot went wide as her car jumped ahead.
I can't control this, she thought with the small part of her mind that wasn't screaming. Glancing aside, she saw that Jaranak recognized the danger she was in. And he responded instantly, without thinking.
As though in slow motion, she watched him turn the truck away, aiming off the road and at one of the trees that grew beside it. Lilly wanted to scream at him, to tell him to stop, but there was no time and anyway she knew he wouldn't listen. He wanted this finished and her safe, and whatever he needed to risk to make that happen, he'd do it without thinking.
At the very last second before the truck hit, he leaped clear. The truck slammed to a stop, the impact throwing Orshar free. Lilly saw the look of shocked surprise in his eyes as he sailed through the air, and then he hit the pavement with a sickening crunch.
Lilly's car shot past the crash, and her eyes fixed on the mirror in which she saw Jaranak roll along the road. Her heart in her mouth, she stepped on the brakes, desperately hoping that he was alright.
That was the last straw for the modified engine, and it gave out with a bang. Lilly struggled to control it, skidding down the road, and when it finally came to a rest she sat there, breathing in quick, frightened pants and clinging to the wheel. It was almost a shock to realize that she'd survived.
When she finally managed to let go and look back along the road, she saw Jaranak slowly pulling himself to his feet. He was battered and bloody, his suit torn, but the broad grin of triumph he gave her made her heart soar. He's alright, she thought, unsteadily getting out of the stolen car. Black smoke billowed from under the hood, and it was clear that they weren't going to drive it anywhere.
At least it was in better shape than the truck. The cab was wrapped around a tree, and if Jaranak had been a second slower in jumping to safety he'd have been crushed in there. Lilly shuddered at the thought, making herself look away. This wasn't the time to dwell on the bad things that might have happened.
In the back of the truck, someone groaned. Jaranak's face hardened at the sound, and he turned towards it. This had to be finished, here and now.
21
Jaranak
The wreck of the truck stank of gasoline and Jaranak slowed as he approached. The humans' choice to fill their vehicles with volatile liquids disturbed him, and now they were leaking everywhere. One spark and the whole thing would go up.
A part of him wondered how a human would feel about his own ship, powered by part of a captive star. That's different, he told himself. Mostly because I know how it works, admittedly.
His right leg ached when he put weight on it, and he was bleeding in a dozen places. He knew that his thoughts weren't entirely clear or focused, but he was functioning well enough to finish this. He had to be, because it was going to end now, one way or another.
Passing what was left of Orshar on the road, he looked down to make sure of his foe. The impact with the road hadn't been kind, and Orshar lay still and unbreathing where he'd stopped. Jaranak looked down at him, contempt and sadness mixing strangely. The man had been on his crew, his responsibility, and now he'd killed him.
But he'd threatened Lilly, and betrayed his crewmates. He'd left Jaranak no choice.
Groans sounded from the back of the truck, and he pulled his attention away. Cautiously looking inside, he saw the chaos the crash had caused. None of the passengers had been secured, and the impact had sent them flying into each other along with the boxes of supplies. It was a bloody mess.
"Stay back," Michael Cooper shouted when he saw Jaranak. The young human male crouched beside his father, who lay unmoving against one wall of the truck. Whether the older man still lived wasn't clear, but he certainly wasn't conscious. Beside them, Hrail unsteadily pulled herself to her feet, struggling for balance. The remaining human guard was half-covered in boxes, and lying in a pool of his own blood.
Ignoring the warning, Jaranak pulled himself up into the truck. Michael scrabbled at his side, coming up with a ridiculously small gun. Before he could aim it, Jaranak closed the distance and smacked his hand aside.
The gun cracked, a bullet sailing off into nowhere, and Jaranak's fist met Michael's nose. The human dropped the gun, howling as he sat down again, blood spraying from his face.
"That is for betraying Lilly," Jaranak said, raising his fist again. Then he stopped and sighed. The human wasn't worth it. He wasn't the enemy, he was just too weak to not follow the path his father had laid out for him.
"You're lucky that she's unhurt," he said after a moment, meeting Michael's eyes. The fear and shock he saw there made him certain that the human wouldn't forget this lesson anytime soon. "You aren't cut out for the life your father lived. Do something better."
With that, he turned to Hrail. Her eyes were wide and full of rage as she staggered clear of the wreckage, snarling at him.
She was the one who'd started all this trouble, and his anger nearly matched hers. Everything that had happened to him, to his ship, all of it was her fault. If she had simply waited for rescue instead of setting a trap for him, all of this pain and suffering could have been avoided.
"You're coming with me," he said. Part of him wanted to take revenge, but he was better than that. She'd face justice for her crimes, not simply vengeance.
"Never," she spat at him. With a gesture so quick he couldn't follow it, she snatched a knife from somewhere and lunged for him.
She was fast, faster now than he was. But she was also off-balance and injured, and Jaranak had had enough. He swayed aside, barely avoiding the blade, and grabbed her wrist as it passed him. With a twist, he yanked her arm around behind her and drove her to the floor.
"This isn't a choice, Hrail," he hissed. "You are going home."
Her struggles were futile as he twisted the knife from her grip and dragged her out of the truck, coming face to face with Lilly who was running up with a wrench held high. Jaranak stopped and stared at her.
That's my Lilly, he thought with a bitter-sweet grin. Coming rushing in to save the day, no matter the risk.
It was wonderful and painful at the same time. She'd face any danger for him, just like he would for her, and if they were going to be together that would have been the best thing in the universe. But she had her passion to follow here on Earth, and he couldn't stay. The thought pained him, and he tried to push it away. There wasn't any need to burden her with his pain.
Lilly stopped, her face showing a mixture of relief and disappointment that he didn't need her help. Jaranak couldn't help laughing, and she glared at him.
&
nbsp; "I thought you'd need a hand," she said. "That's no reason to laugh at me."
"If I'd been losing the fight, the last thing I'd want was you running into danger," he told her. Then he relented. "But I am glad to see you care enough to take the risk."
She grinned, an expression that filled his world with light and joy. "You're impossible, you know that? Look at all you've risked for me today! And you think I wouldn't return the favor?"
Hrail squirmed again, reminding him of her presence as she muttered under her breath. "Black Sun, you two are ridiculous."
Jaranak almost laughed at that, but the undercurrent of pain in her voice stopped him. As much harm as she'd done, there was no need to mock her.
"How are we going to get her back to the ship?" Lilly asked, breaking his train of thought. "The car's dead, and I don't think either of us are capable of getting this truck running. Do we have to walk back?"
Jaranak looked at it and had to admit that she was right about the truck. If it was ever going to drive again it would need a lot more repair than he could give it. He was just as glad — riding in that wouldn't be his favorite plan, not by a long shot. But walking was out of the question too. They didn't just have a prisoner, they also needed to get Orshar's body out of the humans' reach.
"I've got a better idea," he said, tapping his earpiece with his free hand. "Karnan? Can you hear me?"
"Jaranak!" The reply was instant, and loud enough to make him wince. "Thank the stars you're alright. I couldn't get a reading on you."
Hrail stiffened in his grip, and Jaranak thought he heard her stifle a sob. Doing his best to ignore her, he continued. "We're fine, but stranded. Get one of the human vehicles and come pick us up."
"Yes boss," Karnan replied. Then he paused, and when he spoke again his voice was quieter. "And... Hrail?"
The connection was crackly with distance, but the conflicted worry in his friend's voice still came through. Jaranak looked down at his prisoner. "Don't worry. She's here, and alive. Come and get us and you'll see for yourself."
