Warrior Forever (Warriors in Heat)

by Amber Bardan

  The woman opposite me looked up. I met her gaze, but didn’t say anything. The guards discouraged talking.

  They discouraged the heck out of it with their cattle prods. We’d learned fast.

  But this woman smiled.

  Her friendly brown eyes crinkled. This girl looked about seventeen. A decade younger than me. That was an extra decade of producing meat babies if she didn’t follow.

  “The escape craft has the capacity to evacuate this entire wing of two-hundred passengers, but we won’t have time to convince any who resist.”

  Escape craft. That’s how we were getting out.

  “Stand up and talk now, you don’t have long.”

  “Listen up.” I sprang to my feet, chair clattering to the floor. “The cameras are down; the guards can’t see us for the next few minutes. If you want to get the fuck out of here with me, you all better do what I say.”

  Jesus, I sounded like Macca.

  All eyes turned to me. Staring. Stunned. Mostly giving me, the look people give deranged patients.

  “If it weren’t true the guards would be busting in here right now and lancing me with their prods, but look, they’re not.” I pointed at the door. “Because they can’t see this. This is the only chance we get.”

  Every head turned to the door then back to me.

  “Tell them to line up on the other side of the dining hall.”

  I cleared my throat, dictating Macca’s instructions. People began to rise out of their seats, thank god. Not all though.

  Some remained fixed in place.

  Wide eyed.

  Probably too shocked and shaken to make a decision. I grabbed the woman next to me who’d stayed seated by the arm, and dragged her up.

  They assembled in front of the small door at the back of the dining hall. My heart did gymnastics.

  The door shimmied open.02

  I went through first, half expecting a reptile faced alien to burst out and stop us. The hallway stretched empty ahead.

  “Hurry.”

  “Come on.” I charged down the hall. Hundreds of footsteps thundered behind me.

  I glanced back. The door closed itself. Oh, fuck . There were still dozens of women who’d refused to follow.

  “I won’t be able to keep them out much longer, Leila, hurry.”

  Maybe it was that it was the first time Macca had used my name, but it gave me the fuel to bark orders like a general.

  We burst into a huge hanger.

  My knees lost strength. The entire floor was eaten up by a silver spaceship. A fucking spaceship within a spaceship.

  The escape raft.

  Silver plates covered the entire enormous surface reminding me of a fly’s eye.

  A ramp lowered underneath the ship and connected to the ground.

  “Get in,” I yelled, urging everyone up the ramp.

  “Not you yet, Leila.”

  I froze. The last passenger entered the escape raft. “What is it?”

  The ramp retracted.

  I stumbled backwards out of its path, inhaling a lungful of metallic tasting air.

  “Did you think you would leave without me?”

  “You’re not up there?” The hatch closed, leaving me alone in the hanger.

  “If I were, I would not have required your assistance.”

  I turned full circle, arms numbing. The heating wasn’t what it was in the rest of the ship down here. “You’d have left us.”

  “Nonsense, I would’ve conserve as many humans as practical.”

  I shook my head. That had to be the coldest reassurance I’d ever heard.

  “Hurry, Leila, it’s time to reciprocate, and rescue me.”

  I followed Macca’s directions to a small storage room not all that far from the hanger. Shelves lined the walls along with a dust covered medical pod. “Where the hell are you?”

  “The pod.”

  Releasing air hissed through the room.

  My spine tingled. I inched closer, and the lid lifted.

  A little girl lay inside. Eyes peacefully closed. Hands folded neatly over a toy on her stomach. Wearing a sweet white dress, her hair braided…

  No fucking way.

  Macca was a little kid?

  Well, that’d explain the narcissism.

  “Faster, they’re coming.”

  There wasn’t time to question how an unconscious little girl was communicating in my head. I reached for Macca.

  “First put the sphere somewhere safe.”

  I glanced at the toy clutched in the child’s hands. A blue sphere smaller than a tennis ball. I pried the girl’s fingers from the ball and stuffed it down the collar of my jumpsuit and into my cleavage, then scooped up Macca.

  “Okay, which way?”

  “Left. But faster. They’ve broken through the doors.”

  I jogged harder, adjusting the girl over my shoulder, and gave a little prayer of thanks for Neil, my former boot camp instructor, for all the running with tires.

  “Hide in the room on the left.”

  I darted left into a room scattered with tables, and pressed my back to the wall. Footsteps thundered past, then away.

  “Where are they going? The hanger is in the other direction,” I whispered.

  “I reconfigured the ships map to buy us time.”

  “You’re pretty clever for a seven-year-old.” I peered down the hallway. “But then you are an alien…”

  I started down the hall, then rounded the corner, gaze connecting with a cold slitted one.

  Fuck .

  My pulse boomed.

  “You didn’t warn me about this one.”

  The alien’s head tilted.

  “You have the element of surprise. Fight him.”

  What the actual—

  The alien marched toward me. I inched back. The prod in his claw flashed.

  “Macca, you’ve grossly overestimated my military training…”

  The alien drew closer. Close enough to see the red of his pupils. The overbite of its baby-eating alligator jaw.

  I eased Macca down and propped her against the wall.

  “I’m unarmed.” I held up my hands. The aliens might not understand English but they’d get hands up means surrender, right?

  The alien reached me, raising the prod.

  Nope.

  My arm darted out, catching a cold scaly wrist. I twisted, jerking the muscled body over my shoulder, and slammed him into the floor. I moved again, catching the prod, and turned it, then jammed the end through the unarmored yellow patch of flesh on the alien’s jowls.

  Blue blood spurted in an arc.

  I leaped back, heart making a deep drumming thud through my whole body.

  “What the—” I stumbled. “How did I do that?”

  “An additional upgrade during your adjustment.”

  I spun to Macca. Additional what nows?

  “No time. Get to the escape craft.”

  I bent on twitching knees, and scooped up what had to be the single most frightening child in the entire universe.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Space travel…

  It’s not for the weak of stomach. Or of bladder. At least not escape craft space travel.

  I gripped the harness strapped over my chest in both hands. The falling . The fucking falling. A never-ending plunge. Hours and hours of it. The pressure of an unseen force pushing down, wanting to snap my head forward.

  And still somehow, the scent of puke managed to fragrance the air.

  This was very different to the motionless sensation of our previous travel.

  Macca remained unconscious, though in keeping with her generous spirit, invaded the inside of my skull with a bombardment of facts I didn’t need to know while battling a cramping belly.

  Escape pods travel much faster but for shorter distances than passenger vessels. Apparently . Escape travel is grueling, but a Crestonian would never disgrace themselves by purging—so she said.

  If I’d trusted myself to
speak and not accidentally join the puke parade, I’d tell that annoying little unconscious alien child where to insert her superior Crestonian knowledge.

  I inhaled deep breaths through my nose, and counted through the nausea.

  Everything slammed to a halt. My eyes flew open. Hair drifted above the head of the woman opposite me. Vomit floated in the air. My feet rose from the ground and only the harness kept me in the seat.

  And it was so much better than falling.

  “What’s happening?”

  “We’re preparing to enter a planetary atmosphere.”

  The rising sensation subsided, gravity returning to the spacecraft. Yet, my heart still clogged my throat.

  “A habitable planetary atmosphere?” I glanced at Macca, whose eyes remained closed like a sleeping cherub.

  “The raft is programed to evacuate to the closest habitable, non-hostile planet.”

  Non-hostile. Hostile aliens hadn’t even occurred to me. Thank crap for small favors.

  “We’ve arrived.”

  The harness released. I eased up off the chair, stretching cramping legs. The sides of the spacecraft shuffled, then vanished.

  A chorus of shrieks rang out.

  “The walls are invisible—not gone.”

  I cleared my throat. “It’s okay everyone, the walls are transparent. Like windows.”

  But it didn’t feel like windows. It felt very freaking strange to walk across what appeared to be no floor with floating puddles of vomit.

  Burnt red earth stretched out ahead of us.

  The other passengers stood.

  I turned around scanning the horizon. Not a tree or living thing punctured the starkness of bright red dessert. Rocky mountains rose in the distance.

  “I think there might be a problem with the ships programing…”

  “I found no errors.”

  “Well, I don’t know what you call habitable, because this planet appears quite freaking hostile to me.” I swallowed over a closing throat.

  “Who are you talking to?”

  I glanced at the woman beside me. The same woman I’d dragged from the table.

  “Her.” I pointed to Macca. “She’s a telepathic alien, and she’s the one giving instructions.”

  “Human, you believe me to be a small child?”

  If Macca’s level voice could betray emotion, in that moment it panged with indignation.

  “Who else could you be?”

  The space between my breasts pinched.

  I jumped, and shoved my hand down my jumpsuit, and tore out the sphere.

  The sphere glowed a bright, bright blue, then floated out of my hand.

  “Holy crap, Macca, what the bloody hell are you?”

  The sphere intensified in color. “You do not possess the capacity to understand me, human.”

  Hmm, I’d expect slightly more humility from a supposedly superior sentient life form.

  I looked at the sleeping child, and moved to crouch in front of her. The girl’s forehead was a little too wide to be considered human. “All of this was to save this Crestonian child, wasn’t it?”

  Things turned over in my head. The reverence Macca had for Crestonians. I looked back to the orb. “You’re some kind of technology. A super computer?”

  The orb flashed. “Computer is a primitive term for the unevolved.”

  “I’m sure your existence is way beyond my comprehension.” I smiled and placed my hands on my waist. For the first time since I encountered Macca, things made some kind of sense.

  “Attention humans.” All heads glanced up. Macca’s cool tone blasted over the loudspeakers.

  Guess it wasn’t a private party anymore.

  “This escape craft rations will sustain the hundred and sixteen humans on board for approximately thirty days.”

  Mummers rang out.

  “What are you doing, Macca?”

  “Unfortunately, the solar cells require a minimum of forty human calendar days to amass the energy necessary to attempt a second evacuation.”

  The murmurs ceased. Fear filled the air in the sway of bodies and silence of held breath, as that math sunk in.

  “What do we do?” The woman beside me called out.

  Dammit, bitch orb was going rogue…

  “Be calm.” The orb rose higher.

  Bet Macca’s preferred state was hovering at ceiling height, way, way above inferior humans.

  “Your brave leader, Leila Heins, has been selected to venture out and secure the necessary supplies to sustain all passengers until the solar cells can be replenished.”

  Shit…

  My breath caught. Cheers rose around me.

  Guess it’s a very bad fucking idea to piss off an alien super computer.

  “What’s the matter, Macca, you not sun-proof?” I secured the utility belt on the space-suit and eyed the orb. As far as space suits go this one was not what the movies would have us believe. Form fitting and made of gray mesh, with a sleek completely transparent helmet that was a lot like wearing nothing.

  Macca hovered in the cargo hold. “I am with you even when I am not with you now, human.”

  Ouch . Way to take a jab at my discomfort over the implant.

  “Thermal scans of the planet upon entry indicate there is a plentiful water source within the mountain range.”

  I stared out the side of the ship. “You mean if I don’t die of heat stroke getting there?”

  “Nonsense . We will deliver you closer. It should take less than a day to locate the water source. Once you have it, I shall dispatch a drone to you to transport water and any edible vegetation you discover.”

  “And the drone can’t do this exploring?” I clipped the items Macca had dictated onto the belt, including one awesome looking gun thingy.

  “These basic drones are only able to travel as programmed. They possess no ability to analyze or make decisions.”

  “Unlike some machines…”

  The ship lurched, rushing toward the mountains. Then came to a staggering halt. I crashed sideways into an invisible wall.

  Pain streaked through my shoulder.

  “Petty, Macca.” I dragged myself up and stood. “Very petty.”

  “You are overly imaginative, human. I simply transported you closer to the mountains as promised.”

  The ramp lowered. Heat engulfed me. Not a blast of air, this was like stepping too close to a fire. A stinging warmth.

  “Move quickly, the suit cannot completely prevent dehydration at these temperatures.”

  I checked the belt one last time, then headed down the ramp.

  Sun blazed overhead, shimmering the ground.

  The helmet darkened like transitional sunglasses and closed off the glare. I jogged toward the base of the mountains. Like her or not, I’d take Macca’s advice and get this done quickly as possible.

  I circled the base, searching for a path, then started climbing in a place that seemed scalable. Sweat dripped off the bridge of my nose. I swiped at the drop, fingers butting into the clear helmet.

  Oh, that was going to be annoying.

  I leaned my chin to my collar and closed my lips over the straw inside the helmet, taking a small sip of sickly sweet electrolyte fluid.

  Then continued.

  No rest for the wicked…

  CHAPTER FIVE

  The wicked don’t rest because they’re consumed by the fiery pit of hell. Which I now knew was this fucking stupid red planet.

  “I’m done.” I crawled onto a sheltered ledge and collapsed. After climbing for hours, all I’d found was rock, and more rock. “Send a drone to get me.”

  “You are not done. The others are relying on you. Get yourself up. You can do this.”

  I turned my face to the straw and drank. If I didn’t know better I’d think that was a pep talk from Macca. “I can’t keep wondering aimlessly through the mountains.”

  “You are right.”

  A trickle of hope ran through me. Macca actually agreeing to
something I’d said?

  Wow, inroads.

  “I shall commence a more thorough scan of the mountains.”

  “Okay, you do that.” I lay back against warm stone.

  Movement flashed ahead.

  My gaze flew upwards to the hovering, only half visible, space craft. The spaceship vanished from sight, shifting the air around me and sending dust scattering.

  “There appears to be a cave a short distance from where you rest.”

  A cave…shelter from the blaze.

  I dragged herself up. “Okay.”

  “Keep going along this ledge.”

  I followed Macca’s instructions, sliding between two great bodies of rock and continuing until one side gave way to gaping dark mouth.

  Cave…

  I almost cried with relief and stumbled inside, then unfastened the hand-held lantern from the utility belt.

  Light streamed from my hand across the cavernous space.

  The air cooled as I progressed inside.

  “Wait is that—” I tilted my head, and walked faster. “That sounds like water.”

  I ran down the sloping stone ground. The texture of the walls changed. Red developed a spattering green crust, growing thicker until the cave turned a deep emerald.

  I slowed, raising the lantern and looking around. “Is it safe in here? Is that mold on the roof and walls?”

  “The environmental diagnostics on your suit detect no toxins. In fact, there appears to be suitable oxygen levels and temperatures for human habitation in here.”

  I followed the trickle of water deep into the cave until the only light was the one I held. “Please tell me these lanterns have a decent lifespan.”

  “Calm your imagination. That lantern will shine for two of your earth years.”

  “ Good.” Stuck in a mossy alien cave with a flat lantern was not on today’s agenda. The cave wall curved leading into a tunnel.

  My heart seemed to beat further down in my chest. A tugging sensation pulled at my middle, urging me toward the surface. “We’re getting pretty deep in here now…”

  But the trickle of water grew clearer.

  “Keep going, Leila.”

  A glow penetrated the darkness ahead. “Hold up, there’s light.”

  Water cascaded over rocks, flowing down a radiant tunnel in the cave floor. Cool blue tinged light streamed from the hole in the floor.