by Kyle, Celia
Lokyer turns about in his seat and spots what’s got me spooked. An IHC marine, wearing his uniform and sidearm, is staring up the stairs with a harsh, suspicious sneer on his face. I note that he’s holding a glass of beer with something floating in it.
I figure out what’s going on. Varia and Ilya are upstairs, walking around on this level’s ceiling. At some point, they dislodged some dirt into this fellow’s drink. Now he’s looking for an ass to kick.
Maybe he won’t take the extra step of going up those stairs. Maybe…but then he starts tromping up them, one hand on his pistol.
I don’t think this is about dirt in a drink. I think this man knows exactly what’s upstairs in that office and is moving to protect it.
“Damn it.” Lokyer exchanges a worried look with me. “What should we do?”
“We can’t let them get caught.”
It’s a struggle to keep my voice level, and my limbs tremble with barely contained rage. This is the downside of having a fated mate. If anyone messes with them, they get the Kilgari by the horns.
I finish my drink and then as casually as possible walk toward the stairs leading up to the structure’s second level. Lokyer follows a step behind, and we almost make it before the pretty barmaid notices our ingress.
“Hey, that’s for employees only.” We just keep walking, pretending not to hear. “Hey, are you deaf? I’m talking here…”
We take the stairs carefully and quietly. I just want to explode into action, my instincts telling me to hack through flesh and steel to find my mate. But that could endanger her, and stealth is the wiser approach.
At the top of the stairs is a darkened hallway, but I can see light spilling out into the corridor from an open door at the end. A harsh male voice snaps at the as yet unseen women.
“Turn around, hands on the wall.”
The distinct sound of a blaster pistol being powered on reaches our ears, and Lokyer and I glance sharply at each other.
“Okay, don’t shoot. We’ll cooperate.” That was Varia. Just keep him distracted for a little longer, soldier. The cavalry is almost there.
We hear the marine stalk across the floor, and then both Varia and Ilya cry out in indignation.
“Hey, this is a frisk, not a date, asshole.”
“I’m not hiding a gun in my tits.”
“Shut up, both of you.”
“We were just looking for the bathroom…”
“I said, shut up.”
I peer around the doorframe and see that the marine has just handcuffed both women. The sight of Ilya in peril sends me over the edge, and I lose all sense of reason.
Crossing the floor in about two steps, I reach out and grab the marine by his prominent ears. Then I slam my forehead into the back of his head, and he sags in my grip. I add about three more slams, having just enough wherewithal not to gore him with my horns, but the heavy plate of bone does enough damage all on its own.
As he slumps to the floor, I can tell he’s out of the fight. Lokyer comes into the room and has the presence of mind to shut the door behind him.
“Ilya.” I rush over and embrace her, kissing her over and over again.
“I’m fine, Swipt.” She laughs. “Took you guys long enough.”
“Are you hurt, my love? Did he harm you in any way?”
“He’s a disgusting groping pervert, but otherwise we’re fine…uh, do you think maybe you could take these off of us?”
She holds her shackled hands around her waist so I can see them, and I feel like an idiot.
“Sorry.”
I kneel down over the IHC marine’s unconscious form and start checking for the keys to the shackles. At last I find them in his pocket, and I go to work releasing the women. I have Ilya’s cuffs half off when the sound of footsteps in the hallway grabs my attention.
“More of them are coming.” Lokyer throws his body against the door just as they attempt to force it open. He’s a burly, powerful Kilgari, far stronger than the humans individually, but I don’t like his chances of holding out by himself.
I hand Ilya the key so she can free Varia and add my own strength to holding back the barrier. It shudders under the force of their repeated impacts.
“What are we going to do?”
“I think we’re going to have to fight our way out.”
Lokyer and I lock gazes, and we nod grimly to each other. As one we leap back from the door and allow it to crash open. Just like I’d hoped, the lead marine winds up spilling forward into the room and sprawling on his belly.
I leap into the air, drawing my knees up to my chest, and then land on his head with both feet. There’s a sickening crunch, and his limbs jerk spastically before settling down into stock stillness.
Already more of them are pouring into the room, but Lokyer is in their path. He grapples with one of the marines, pushing him back into a wall and kneeing the man in his crotch. Another marine steps up behind him and drives repeated rabbit punches into Lokyer’s kidneys.
“Ow—little help—ow—here—ow.”
I grab a chair and bust it over the marine’s back. As he staggers away, arched in an agonizing seizure, I find I’m still holding the chair legs, though the rest of the seat is in pieces on the floor. I bring the legs down across the top of his stupid fucking haircut three times until he crumples like foil.
Lokyer finishes off his opponent, and then we turn to deal with the rest. One of the marines goes for his sidearm, but I foil his plan by grabbing his wrist and breaking it in several places.
My partner gives a savage snarl and lifts up the computer terminal over his head, busting loose wires, which dance crazily sending sparks shooting across the room. I dive to the floor, giving him a clear shot to hurl it into our foes’ midst.
They fall back, crushed by its heavy weight, but one of the marines scrambles out of the way just in time.
Unfortunately, he’s the worst kind of enemy—a smart one. He sizes me and Lokyer up and realizes he doesn’t stand a chance. Instead he grabs his comms and calls for backup, much to my chagrin.
“Fox three to home den, need immediate backup at Chances-R. I have the two female terror suspects and their Kilgari henchmen cornered.”
“Henchmen?”
I ignore Lokyer’s indignant response and leap over the terminal pinning the struggling, groaning marines to the floor. My foot lashes out and catches the smart guy on his chin, sending teeth scattering in all directions as he falls unconscious to the floor.
But it’s too late. The damage has been done.
“We need to get back to the ship. Now.”
I turn toward Varia and nod my assent.
“Indeed. We have no way of knowing who received that transmission, or who’s going to answer the call for help.”
There’s no window in this office, so we have to rush back down the stairs. Giving all thoughts of subterfuge away, we run right out the front door amid startled glances and gasps from the patrons and staff.
We don’t slow down even when we hit the street outside.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Ilya
“Stop. Running.” Varia’s hissed directive causes us to slow in our flight. Lokyer looks as if he wants to keep going nonstop until we get safely back aboard the Ancestral Queen, but Swipt reins him in.
“The last thing we want is to look like a bunch of fugitives on the run.”
It’s true. Many stares have been directed our way. The streets are teeming with sapient life, most of it human, and our headlong flight has been noticed.
“Just act casual, everyone.” We all stroll along the avenue, but none of us are having much success being nonchalant. I keep expecting an angry shout to ring out at any moment.
We turn off the main avenue and onto a side street, but it’s nearly as congested as the other lane. Our progress slows to a crawl, much to Varia’s chagrin.
“God damn it.”
“Casual, Varia. Remember?”
She shoots me a bla
ck look, but she does calm down, at least visibly.
“There aren’t many Kilgari hereabouts.” Swipt cranes his neck, examining the crowd. “We really stick out.”
It’s true. Having seven-foot-tall, horned golden-skinned aliens is not the best approach to subterfuge, but I don’t know what we can possibly do about it.
Varia suddenly grabs my wrist and drags us out of the sunlight beneath a shop pavilion.
“Hurry.” Swipt and Lokyer don’t question her thinking and soon join us inside the shop. In here, with the press of humanity, we should be relatively unobtrusive.
Hopefully.
“What’s wrong? Why did you drag us in here?”
“Hush. Swipt, Lokyer, get further back in the shop so no one can see you from the street.”
Varia grabs me again and firmly shoves a black velvet hat onto my head. Then she turns me so our backs are facing the street and pretends to examine the wares.
I see why a moment later when a four-man patrol of IHC marines tromps down the avenue. They peer suspiciously at everyone, but they don’t take notice of us. I sag with relief when they continue on past us and vanish up the lane.
“That was close.”
“Too close. We need to get back on the ship, stat.”
We gather our Kilgari companions and move back onto the street. Varia peers about cautiously before allowing us to proceed. Swipt’s hand slips into my own, and I’m glad for the comforting feel of his touch.
“All right, just walk slow and casual. Stop and check out a booth occasionally. Try and blend in.”
We do as she says, struggling to appear nonchalant while our insides roil with fear and anxiety. My hands tremble as I hold up a silk shawl to myself and turn to show it to Swipt.
“What do you think?”
“I think it’s lovely and brings out the color of your eyes.”
He pays the merchant, all the better to maintain our cover, and we continue up the side street toward a T junction. Varia walks more swiftly, getting ahead of us by nearly half a block so she can surreptitiously check out both of the intersecting lanes for trouble.
She quickly comes back to us, her face pale as a sheet.
“What’s wrong?”
“More IHC marine patrols. One on each lane, and they’re both coming this way.”
“Shit.” Swipt glances about, and his gaze widens when it falls on another tent. “Quick, duck in here.”
We file inside the tent and find that it’s thick with a haze of purple smoke. Numerous sapients lounge about on padded mats laid on the floor, most of them lolling with glazed eyes. Hookahs and water pipes abound, and one Shorcu proprietor turns an interested gaze our way.
“Please, pick an empty spot and I’ll be right with you. We just got some Death Lotus leaf in. Stygian, the best.”
“That sounds great.” Varia smiles at him and pulls us into one of the curtained-off booths. She kneels down and peers out the bottom of the tent. Minutes tick past in nervous silence as she keeps watch. Eventually she straightens up and sighs.
“One of the patrols has gone past us, but I haven’t seen the other.”
“Maybe they kept going down the other street?”
“Maybe. Let’s be cautious just the same.”
We duck back out of the tent, and the Shorcu cries out in terror of losing paying customers.
“Wait, I’ve got four doses ready. Did I mention it was stygian?”
“Something’s come up, my good sir.” Varia hands him some hard currency. “Here, for your troubles.”
“My, that’s most generous of you.” His eyes glitter as he makes the coins disappear. “You’re always welcome at Purple Haze.”
“Damn.” Lokyer looks over his shoulder. “Maybe we should have gotten an ounce or two off of him. I haven’t had stygian lotus since I was in secondary school.”
“We have more important matters than getting high, Lokyer. Like running for our lives.”
Our party goes back up to the T junction but hangs back a bit so Varia can go scout again. When she returns, I can tell by the glower on her face that it’s not good news.
“I found out why the second patrol never passed us. They’ve set up a roadblock on the south side of the lane.”
“Fuck.” I clutch my pack, which contains the datapad and the all-important files I’ve downloaded. We have to get back to the ship, but it’s looking more and more like we’re going to be caught. “What should we do?”
“Head in the opposite direction and hope they don’t spot us.”
It’s the best we can do, I suppose. We turn to our right and take the unblocked path, hoping beyond hope that no one happens to glance over and see the two golden-skinned Kilgari males padding along beside us.
Ironic that Varia and I are the wanted terrorists, but our innocent companions are going to get us caught.
Luck is with us because we turn the next corner at the end of the block without raising any alarms. Our relief is short lived, however, when we see another roadblock set up on this lane.
“Damn it.” Varia turns about, and we try the other direction.
Only to run into another check point.
“We have to find another way.” I swivel about, nearing panic as I look for an avenue of escape.
“There is no other way.” Varia scowls, her hands clenching into fists. “We’re boxed in.”
Swipt and Lokyer look pointedly at each other.
“We’re going to have to rush them.”
“I know.” Lokyer sighs. “We’re outnumbered and outgunned, though.”
“Wait.” I point down an alleyway, narrow and filled with trash but with a clear patch of blue sky at the end. “We can go this way.”
“Good work, Ilya.” We follow in Varia’s wake, making a beeline for the inviting alley.
Then my worst fears come true. There’s a sudden shout of alarm, and then the distinctive sound of blaster fire.
“The jig is up. Hoof it.” Varia takes off like a rocket for the alley, pumping arms and legs in perfect rhythm. Damn ex-soldier. Me, I run more than ten feet and I feel like I’m going to die.
Swipt pushes me along in front of him, spurring me so quickly I can barely keep my feet moving fast enough to avoid falling over. Lokyer brings up the rear, fully ten feet behind us as we enter the alleyway, blaster fire charring the brick walls behind us.
“Lokyer, come on.” Swipt stops at the mouth of the alley and frantically gestures for his friend. The Queen’s navigation expert stretches out his long legs, making great strides. But when he’s less than two feet from shelter, a wild blaster shot hits a beggar in the back of his head, sending him toppling into Lokyer’s path.
The Kilgari frantically tries to sidestep the half-dead obstacle, but he trips up in a patch of manure. As he falls, there’s a sickening crunch, and Lokyer cries out in agony.
I throw my hands over my mouth at the sight of his horrifically twisted left leg. White bone juts out of his shredded golden skin, and blood is already beginning to pool on the street.
“Lokyer.” Swipt goes to help him, but the navigator shakes his horned head with vehemence.
“Forget about me. Keep running.”
Lokyer locks gazes with me, and I freeze.
What should we do?
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Swipt
The continued blaster fire has caused a swell of panic in the throng on the street. Their panicked rush for safety has temporarily provided us with a respite from pursuit, but it won’t last long.
I’m not about to leave my friend and crewmate behind. Despite Lokyer’s continued protests, I half carry, half drag the navigator into the alley. We shelter behind the comforting black bulk of a rubbish incinerator as Lokyer cries out in agony when I lower him to the ground.
“You fucking idiot. I told you to keep going back to the ship.”
“Yeah, I’m an idiot. I’m also not leaving you behind.”
Varia curses and crouches down n
ext to Lokyer’s twisted leg. She looks up and meets his gaze for a moment.
“Remember that barmaid?”
“You’re bringing her up now?” Lokyer’s tone drips with incredulity.
“Just think about her, those sweetly curved hips, that large bust…”
Lokyer’s gaze grows somewhat distant, and while he’s distracted Varia grabs his ankle and yanks hard. The compound fracture sets with a sickening, wet pop, and Lokyer screams louder than ever.
“We have to rig up a splint.”
“No time.” Lokyer smiles at her sadly. “I appreciate you setting my leg—it’s somewhat less agonizing now—but you have to get going. I’ll never make it on this leg.”
“No.” I shake my head fiercely and reach down toward him. “I’ll carry you on my back if I have to.”
“You can’t do that and engage in a running firefight at the same time.” Lokyer laughs. “Guess I won’t be finding my fated mate after all.”
Ilya’s hand goes in front of her mouth as she tries—unsuccessfully—to stifle a sob.
Swipt growls and grabs Lokyer by the arm. “Bullshit. Come on, let’s get going.”
Blaster fire causes me to duck back behind the incinerator. We can hear the hiss as the energy blasts burn themselves out on the trash bin’s thick metal hide, but a stray shot might ignite the fuel cell and cause it to explode. It’s temporary shelter at best.
Varia leans out and fires her pistol, not hitting much but causing the marines closing in on us to scatter and seek their own cover. She curses and ducks back behind the bin.
“There’s more than a dozen of them, now. Sooner or later they’re going to decide to rush us or just keep shooting until this fucking bomb goes off”
She slaps the side of the rubbish incinerator, just in case we didn’t catch her meaning.
Lokyer growls angrily at me.
“Listen, you dumb motherfucker, you have to go. NOW, before they block off the other end of the alley.”
Varia nods.
“That is going to be their next move if they haven’t already sent men to circle around the block.”
“Shut up, Lokyer. I don’t leave friends behind. I don’t.”
