by Stina Leicht
“Come on, Lou,” Angel said. “Help me out here.”
“It’s just a bump,” Lou said. “My vision is a little blurry, though. Back is okay. I think.” She squinted out the gap in the windscreen. “Is the ship on fire?”
“Maybe,” Enid said while cutting away Lou’s safety harness.
Angel asked Sukyi, “Do we have a stretcher back there? We’re going to need it.”
“I will look,” Sukyi said.
After a few minutes, Angel and Enid were able to clear a path to the door.
Peering out the narrow opening, Angel called to Sukyi. “Have you found the stretcher yet?”
“Not yet,” Sukyi said.
“Well, we’ve another problem we’ll have to deal with first,” Angel said. “We have to do something about this damned door.”
“There has to be something I can use as a lever,” Sukyi called back. “Stay there.”
Angel listened to Sukyi’s progress through the wrecked ship. One step at a time, she thought. Don’t think about Shrike out there, lining up its next shot.
“I think I’ve got it,” Sukyi said. She emerged from behind a partition and held up a longish piece of steel railing. “This should suffice.” She had a second one that she leaned against the bulkhead away from the doorway. “One moment.”
She made a second trip to the back of the ship. This time she returned with an armful of clothing. She dumped it and then set to work on the door.
With Sukyi using the makeshift lever and Angel and Enid shoving from the other side, the door finally gave way with a loud creak and crash.
“Thank gods,” Enid said. “What’s the rest of that crap for?”
Sukyi said, “Zip the jackets halfway.” She pointed to the pieces of railing. “Slide these through the neck and out the bottom, tie the sleeves together… Viola! Stretcher.”
“I didn’t know you were creative,” Enid said.
“Desperation is the mother of invention,” Sukyi said. “Or so I hear.”
Angel checked on Lou. Her eyes were closed. “Lou? You still with me?” she asked, trying not to sound panicked.
Lou didn’t open her eyes. “Still here. I’m just so tired.”
“No napping for you,” Angel said. “Not yet. We’ve got things to do.”
“I changed my mind,” Lou said. “I don’t want to move.”
“Not an option,” Enid said.
“Shit,” Lou whispered.
“Ready?” Angel asked.
Lou said, “This is going to hurt, isn’t it?”
“I’m sorry,” Enid said. The warmth in her voice was genuine. “But someone has to take care of Brendan. I’m not going to do it. Not even for you.”
“Damn,” Lou said. “Guess I’ll have to change my will.”
Enid blinked. “You did not.”
Lou smiled. “Let’s get this over with.”
With that, Angel helped Enid pry Lou out of the chair. Lou’s face pinched with pain, but she refrained from screaming. Holding Lou’s shoulders, Angel got the sense that Lou was entirely too light.
Must hurry. Get her some help. “All right,” she said. “We’re carrying you to the door.”
Lou moved a hand. “Give me a minute.”
Enid gave Angel a worried look over Lou’s body. Angel gave her a reassuring nod in exchange.
Angel said, “There isn’t much time. Ready?”
Lou mumbled an affirmative.
“Here we go,” Enid said.
They managed to maneuver Lou out of the wrecked cockpit and onto Sukyi’s makeshift stretcher.
“Wait! Wait!” Lou was now in a panic.
“What?” Angel asked. “Stop thrashing. Are you hurting?”
“Eject the compact drive,” Lou said. “I won’t leave. Not without Kurosawa.”
Enid said, “I’ll handle it.”
Angel whispered, “Hurry.”
Easing past the stretcher, Enid vanished back into the cockpit. Angel and Sukyi headed to the emergency exit, steering the prone Lou over chunks of broken ship. Debris made the trip an obstacle course, and the tilting floor contributed to the difficulty, but they finally arrived at their destination. There was a haphazard pile of weapons nearby.
“Hang on. I need my hands.” Angel lowered her end of the stretcher.
Sukyi did the same so that Lou wouldn’t slide off, but even if the floor had been level, there wasn’t space to lay it flat.
Angel unlatched the emergency door, expecting it to explode open. It didn’t. The ship let out a deep, shuddering groan. For a moment, she worried that it wouldn’t work at all, and they’d be trapped. Sukyi pointed to the security keypad.
“Oh.” Angel felt her cheeks heat before she hit the buttons.
After the second try, the hatch burst open. The emergency door crashed into the trees. She leaned out and searched the sky. The roar of distant engines thundered over the mountainside, but there was no visual sign of Shrike.
What’s holding them up? she thought. “Enough with the salvage, Enid. It’s time to go.”
“Coming,” Enid said.
Several loud thumps and curses came from the cockpit area. Finally, Enid appeared with a suitcase-size chunk of electronic components.
“This is what you wanted?” Enid asked Lou.
Relief spread across Lou’s pain-pinched face. Her voice was more faded. “There’s a green light? Yes?”
Enid frowned and shook her head. She set her burden down next to the weapons pile.
“Everything looks fine,” Angel lied. “We’ll sort out Kurosawa later.”
“Okay.” Lou drifted off.
Angel asked Sukyi to switch places with Enid on the stretcher in case Enid’s sniper skills were needed. Heading to the weapons pile, Enid stuffed her pockets with whatever she could. Then she straightened, slinging a pulse rifle over her shoulder. Lastly, she holstered a laser pistol, selected a few more weapons, and positioned herself at the emergency exit.
“Any idea of what we’ll find out there?” She held out a second pulse rifle and pistol for Angel.
“With Kurosawa gone dark?” Angel shook her head once. She accepted the weapons. Once checked, she tucked them away. With Kurosawa dead, she’d have to rely upon her CA’s short-range data. “This the last hand cannon?”
“There are enough for two apiece,” Sukyi said. “Including Lou.”
Angel said, “Lou won’t be needing one.”
“Fuck you,” Lou said. “I can still hold a gun.”
“You have a concussion,” Enid said.
“So?” Lou asked.
“You can’t even sit up,” Enid said.
“Lay still, Lou,” Angel said, and sighed. “Let’s just get to the fallen trees over there. We’ll work out the specifics then.”
27
TIME: 10:30
DAY: SUNDAY
OGENTH
The landscape around Kurosawa was unrecognizable. Smoking chunks of machinery lay scattered across the ground. Splintered trees, snapped in half during the landing, were in flames. Smoke reeked of burning pine and burning dropship. Raindrops vaporized on hot metal, hissing. The ticking of the engines kept time. A heavy mist clung to the ground, shrouding the scene.
Angel tried to contact Kirby and got no answer.
Turning to face the wreckage, she instantly wondered why they weren’t dead. Lou had done an excellent job of landing. Not only had the ship settled less than two hundred feet in front of the closest of the generator tunnels, but she’d done it without plunging them into the mountainside.
Still, it was a difficult thing to see. Everything Angel had spent the last five years of her life saving and living for—everything that represented her independence and freedom—was scattered like so much trash. The damage to Kurosawa was extensive enough on the inside. Seeing it for the first time from the outside was devastating.
There’s no coming back from this. She blinked back tears. It’s only a ship. Only it wasn’t. “So. Th
is is it,” she said, keeping her voice level.
“You had to know it would come to this eventually,” Sukyi said.
Angel shrugged. “That doesn’t mean I was looking forward to it.”
Enid asked, “You want to stop?”
“Hell, no,” Angel said. She pointed at the generator tunnel. “Ogenth isn’t safe yet. And none of this means a damned thing until they’re safe.”
Enid nodded.
“We could make a stand there,” Sukyi said.
She pointed to a mound of dirt and destruction created by Kurosawa during the landing. The nose of the ship on the right side had plowed the earth.
Sukyi whispered, “We should get Lou to the tunnel. We could call for someone inside to get her medical help.”
It was a smart suggestion. There’s only one problem, Angel thought.
“She won’t go,” Enid said.
“There’s no time to argue either,” Angel said. She glanced up at the sky. “I don’t know why Shrike hasn’t dropped hell on us and called it a day. But let’s not waste the time we’ve got.”
She stationed Enid near the top of the dirt mound with a portable pulse cannon. It was the only high ground they had. Lou was propped up just under the ship near the exploded emergency hatch. She was immobile and would need the most cover.
“Enid, you’re in charge of the com,” Angel said. “Get in touch with Kirby. See if she can get someone out here for Lou. I can’t raise anyone.”
Again, Enid nodded.
The fact that Lou hadn’t protested was worrying.
The roar of Shrike’s engines caused everyone to seek cover. Enid fired a few shots before the ship passed overhead with its landing gear down. The resulting wind turbulence shook the remaining trees.
Angel blinked. They’re landing to the south.
“Sukyi, you’re with me,” she said. “You and I will meet them. Maybe we can slow them down.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Sukyi said.
“Good luck, boss,” Enid said.
“Same to you.” Angel walked a few hundred feet down the mountain to face the inevitable with Sukyi at her side.
Angel’s CA was not as useful without a connection to Kurosawa, but at least she could track Shrike. There weren’t many places to land. As a result, they’d set down not far from the first set of obstacles she and the Emissaries had created—a wooden wall with a hidden ditch in front of it.
She and Sukyi helped each other ease over the ditch trap. When they’d gotten to the other side, the distinct sound of mechs forging a path through the woods brought them up short. Angel signaled to get to cover. They both made for the underbrush. Angel’s CA indicated the enemy’s likeliest position. She got herself and her rifle in the best position of attack. Beside her, Sukyi quietly set up a portable pulse cannon.
The woods around Angel acquired a new sharpness. The trees, the sky, the frost-covered earth. Persephone was beautiful—at least this part of it. She’d always considered the planet to be one of the ugliest in the system. It was a strange place to die.
Just let me finally make up for that Ulysses Mather cock-up. She’d wanted to do so much more with her life than she had—maybe even have a child. Even so, she was satisfied that at least she’d die doing one thing her mother and her teacher could be proud of. Attempting to save Ogenth was an honorable thing. And whether or not she succeeded, she and her crew had definitely bloodied the enemy’s noses.
It felt so good—No, right—to have Sukyi nearby at this moment.
“Sukyi Edozie, you’re a damned good friend,” Angel whispered. “Thanks for being here.”
Sukyi stared at the trees. “That reminds me.” She cleared her throat. “There’s something I need to tell you.”
An estimated time of enemy arrival appeared at the edge of Angel’s vision. “We’ve about one minute. If you’re going to say it, say it.”
“I have a daughter,” Sukyi said. Lying on her stomach, she was stretched out on the frosted ground. She tugged at the red scarf looped around her neck. “I want you to take care of her when I die.”
Angel blinked.
“I left her school’s address on the counter in your apartment,” Sukyi said.
“I knew you came back for a reason. I knew it,” Angel said, almost angry. “You’re dying.”
Sukyi nodded.
“Why didn’t you say anything before?”
“It never came up.”
“It never came up?”
Sukyi shrugged.
“Hell of a fine time to tell me,” Angel said. “I fucking hope you have a backup plan. Neither of us is getting out of this alive, you know.”
“I know.”
Something large crashed through the nearby underbrush.
Angel said, “Here we go.”
Three mechs were first to appear. Angel didn’t waste her ammunition—a pulse rifle wouldn’t do much against them. So, she waited for less well-armored targets.
Sukyi, on the other hand, sited the pulse cannon.
Angel held up a hand. “Wait! They’re too—”
The bolt hit the center mech square in the chest and exploded. The other two were knocked to the ground by the impact. The explosion set the nearby brush ablaze. Angel felt the concussion deep in her rib cage. A monstrous hand seemed to shove her deeper into the undergrowth. The blast was deafening. A burst of heat gusted past. After what felt like a muffled instant but was probably longer, she lifted her head.
Sukyi lay next to her in the frozen dirt.
Angel’s voice sounded distant in her own ears. “They were too close for that thing, damn it.”
Sukyi raised an eyebrow as if in question and then motioned to the fallen mechs. All that remained of the center mech was the bottom half. The heavily armored legs stayed upright. The only sign that a human had been inside was the spray of gore splashed across reinforced steel.
The other mechs began to stir.
“Far be it from me to discourage efficacy,” Angel said, keeping her head low. Her hearing slowly began to recover. “Be more careful next time.”
With a sideways nod to the recovering mechs, Sukyi said, “Time to go.”
Angel scrambled to her feet.
The ground erupted in gunfire. She sprinted to the trap, hoping Sukyi would do the same. Rapid-fire rounds threw up spurts of dirt and dead leaves. Angel didn’t stop until she spied a boulder. She threw herself into the frozen dirt behind it and waited. When the mercenaries paused, Angel peered through the greenery. Sukyi was hiding behind a wide-trunked tree twenty feet away. Angel’s CA silently indicated the probable locations of several mercs. She shot a few rounds at them and then lay flat in anticipation of return fire.
She caught Sukyi’s attention and signaled another retreat. Sukyi acknowledged the message. Angel backed up, feeling her belly brush the ground. Sukyi stepped from behind the tree, braced herself against the trunk, and fired the pulse cannon again. This time, the round took off a mech’s head. Once more, the forest burst into flames. Sukyi slipped backward out of sight.
Angel chinned her com and whispered, “I didn’t know you were good with a pulse cannon.”
Sukyi’s reply could barely be heard over the answering fire. “There’s a lot you don’t know.”
“Apparently,” Angel said. She joined her on the opposite side of the path. “What’s your daughter’s name?”
“Achebe.”
“That’s pretty,” Angel said. She aimed behind them and laid down some covering fire. “How old is she?”
Sukyi did the same. “Six.”
“Who’s her father?” Angel ran to the next position.
“None of your business.”
“Come on, Sukyi,” Angel said. She fired again and then lay in the dirt. “What am I to tell her when she asks?” Crawling to the next tree, she sat up and shot at the mercs while Sukyi made her way to Angel.
“No.”
“Sukyi. Don’t be such a—”
/> The two of them slipped farther into the underbrush, continuing their whispered argument. They lured the mercs off the path before circling back to the makeshift wall and pit trap. They didn’t slow until they had gained enough distance from their earlier position.
The mercs, for their part, seemed to be having some CA trouble. It was the only explanation.
Must be the mountain interfering with the signal, Angel thought.
She couldn’t understand why they seemed intent upon shooting up the entire forest rather than pinpointing their locations. She supposed they were used to brute-force tactics. The numbers certainly were in their favor.
Must be nice.
She and Sukyi finally arrived at their destination with their verbal altercation unresolved. Angel’s CA indicated that Shrike was again on the move. That was when she heard the distinct roar of a dropship engine.
“Shit,” Angel said. “They’re heading for Kurosawa.”
Sukyi glanced up at the sky and sighed. “Well, we tried.”
Angel motioned for Sukyi to go ahead. “Get back to the others. I’ll meet you there. There’s something I have to do first.”
Sukyi tilted her head to the side and lifted an eyebrow in question. “You don’t have to kill yourself to avoid motherhood. You can say no. If—”
“That’s not—” Angel let out a frustrated sigh. “I’ll do it if it comes to that. Achebe won’t have to be alone. I mean it. Just go. I’ll be right behind you.” Angel gave her best friend a gentle shove.
“If I don’t see you in two minutes, I’m coming back,” Sukyi said. “You hear me?”
“Whatever you say. Now, get the fuck out of here.”
Angel went to the pit in front of the makeshift wall. It’d be better if she set the thing on fire from a distance—preferably after several mercs had fallen in, but there wasn’t going to be time for that. She fished a lighter out of her pocket and lit it with a flick of her wrist. Then she dropped it into the leaves they’d used to hide the pit. When she was sure the flames had caught the fuel-soaked leaves, she bolted.
By the time Angel had returned to the path, she saw Sukyi waiting behind a log next to the downed ship—weapons at the ready. She was almost to Sukyi’s makeshift barricade when two mechs crashed through the trees. One was particularly familiar. Soot and burn markings on the pink striped nanocoating told a story. The mech pilots kept their distance from one another—seeming to have learned not to bunch together. Ten drones hovered above the fresh crash site. She was sure there were more that she couldn’t see.
