“Sorry. I didn’t mean it that way.” He shut his mouth as they entered the ship through a misshapen gap carved out of the hull.
It looked like they were landing near the once-beautiful courtyard, and the ship used magnetic latches to affix to the floor. The vacuum of space had torn so much from the interior, and the plants were gone, the familiar waterfall no longer there. It was like walking into a nightmare.
“Bridge, we’re inside Horizon,” Papa told them.
“Unknown crafts are on their way. ETA is forty-nine minutes,” Sergo advised through the speakers.
“Activate your boots,” Papa told the others as they quickly worked their way to the rear of the Kraski ship. The ramp was lowered, and Jules floated down in her sphere, not bothering with the EVA.
The others landed on the floor, their boots clicking to the metal. “Mary, go with Jules to the sealed-off section near the residences, see if there are survivors. Slate, Loweck, and I will check on the bridge. The sensors showed it was airtight as well.”
With the orders given, Jules hovered in her green energy sphere beside her mother as they walked away from the transporter. They only had twenty minutes, so they had to make this fast. Jules tried to force away her revulsion at seeing the ship like this away. She had so many fond memories of this place. It was hard to imagine it was in this current state. She told herself it was just a dream, that she’d wake up tomorrow, and Dean could go with Patty to visit his parents for the weekend on Horizon, but it didn’t work. All she felt was an emptiness in the pit of her stomach.
“Jules, can you…” Mary pointed to the elevators, and Jules nodded, sending a strand of energy forward. The doors slid open, and they climbed inside the lift. The light emanating from her body was enough to show the way, and Jules saw her reflection in the shiny metal walls. What was she? Why had she always been so quick to accept the fact that she had glowing eyes and could do all these things?
Suddenly, she hated what she saw. Was she really just a girl who’d been infused with a Zan’ra’s entity? Would this Ja’ri take over at some point? There were too many things going on in her mind, and the fact that they were moving through the skeleton of Horizon nearly pushed her over the edge.
“Jules, stay with me.” Her mom took her hand, and Jules realized she was crying as her powers moved the elevator up the shaft. “We’re going to make it through this.”
Her mom’s voice was comforting, and Jules latched to it, letting it guide her away from the ball of despair clouding her thoughts. “Thanks, Mom. I love you.”
Mary smiled at her through the helmet’s glass front. “I love you too.”
They arrived on the proper deck, and Jules opened the doors, floating through before her mother.
Every corridor had a main door that would seal in case of an emergency. Each deck had approximately thirty of these doors, allowing for things like fires or gas leaks to be dealt with safely. The entry to the crew quarters was the same way, and they approached the thicker metal slab, Jules fully aware that there was no air on this side, but the other would be safe to breathe behind.
This passageway had something like an airlock, and the one between this corridor and the suites on the other side had a decontamination spray as well. They moved through the first doorway, and Jules ensured it was locked and secured behind them before using her abilities to open the next slab.
She could only hope her loved ones were securely stowed away behind here. The door opened, and Jules floated inside.
____________
Each step took us closer to the bridge. Once we passed through the courtyard, we’d located the door and used the manual lever to enter the hub of the ship. From there, we took the proper path toward the bridge, using stairs instead of the dead elevator. We were protected from the vacuum of space, but the gravity generator was down along with everything else. Our armored EVA lights shone over the walls and floor as we moved as fast as we could, and Slate lifted a hand as we rounded a bend.
“There’s someone ahead,” he said, and I peered over the corner. The body floated there, and then I saw another, and another. The crew members were dead. I swallowed hard, and we moved past them. I recognized some and glanced to see burn holes where they’d been shot with pulse beams.
“The Arnap were on board,” Slate said, taking the lead. His pulse rifle was raised, but I didn’t suspect any of them remained. This had probably happened a while ago.
We stumbled across another dead being, this one likely the enemy we’d never seen before. They weren’t large, not like the Bhlat or Keppe. This one was slender, tall but strong. I’d seen a short brief on the beings, and I guessed she was a female. The face was gray, ridged lines ran up and over its head from the brows to the spine, and its eyes were black, staring toward me.
A few more deceased Arnap were around, but we spotted far more of the Horizon crew here than the enemy. Finally, we found the bridge, and I checked in with the bridge on Light, learning we had fourteen minutes to return to the courtyard and get the hell out of here.
The bridge was closed, and with no power on the ship, it was designed to stay that way. But I was a captain, and had been given the knowledge no one else would have been provided. I slid a panel open on the right edge of the entrance and found the nine-digit keypad, using it to enter the Alliance code reserved for situations like this.
The bridge doors sprang open, and the gunfire nearly hit me. It did strike Slate and deflected off his armored suit, sending him reeling to the side. I ducked away, trying to find the source of the weapon, and there it was. The Arnap was crouched behind the console that Suma used to sit at when I was on board, and she fired again. I glanced around, finding no one else, until a body came floating near the rear of the bridge. I focused on the target. The Arnap was armored too, its boots affixed to the ground like ours.
Slate and Loweck appeared to have a secret language, and they nodded to one another, using hand signals, and I held back as Slate entered the bridge, staying low and rushing to the left. He took fire, and Loweck ran to the right, jumping higher than humanly possible, and she landed near the Arnap, kicking out and sending the enemy’s gun floating away.
I followed them inside, pistol raised, and moved straight to the enemy, aiming at its head.
This one was bigger than the others, and it opened its mouth, revealing an extra row of teeth on the top. They were jagged and sharp, longer than the others.
“Dean Parker,” she said in a heavily accented voice. She wasn’t wearing a helmet, and Loweck slashed out, striking the woman in the face.
I moved toward her, my heart racing hard. “How do you know my name?”
She laughed, the sound terrifying. “I didn’t believe him, but after all these years, it happened.”
“Who?” Loweck hit her again, and the woman licked the blood away from her lips. “He asked you a question!”
I raised a hand, indicating her to stop the violent attack. “How do you know my name?” My voice was a whisper.
“He visited me a long time ago. Told me you’d come here.” She grinned wide, her sharp teeth covered in thick blue blood.
A door opened, and ten Arnap poured from Magnus’ office at the far end of the bridge.
____________
The corridors were empty, but there was blood on the floor, dark red smears covering a lot of the ground. Jules saw some along the walls too, and she hurried, anxious to find someone.
“We only have twelve minutes,” Mary told her, and she nodded, barely processing her mom’s words. Her veins pulsed with energy, and she saw the blood streaks end at Magnus’ suite. Maybe they were alive!
She banged on the door. “It’s us! It’s Jules and Mary!”
She waited a moment longer, and when no one replied, she tore the door from the jamb, thrusting it farther down the hall with a loud clatter. She rushed into the suite, past the bedrooms and into the living room. A gun pointed at her, and she saw the robots first.
Dubs st
ood guard, a pulse rifle in his metal hands. The NannyBot was beside him, and Carey and Charlie ran toward Jules, barking at the abrupt intrusion.
“It’s us.” Jules let the shield down, settling to the ground. Her mom ran by her, past the robots and to the two humans sprawled out on the couches. It was Leslie and Natalia, and blood crusted both of their faces. Auntie Natalia’s arm was bandaged and wrapped in a sling, and she appeared to be sleeping, or worse. But her chest rose and fell, as did Leslie’s, telling Jules they were alive.
“Dubs! What happened?” she asked the pilot robot.
“They were waiting for us.”
“How did they find out?” Mary asked, kneeling at her best friend’s side.
“That is unclear. We didn’t stand a chance. I’m afraid to say that the captain ordered me to escort his wife and the commander to this suite, but we encountered resistance along the way. We made it, but many others didn’t.” Dubs stood firmly beside the NannyBot, and the dogs stopped barking. They came to Jules, and she petted them quickly before remembering they were running out of time.
“We have to go.” Jules didn’t think there was a way to transport the unconscious forms to the ship, but the two robots each grabbed one. Mary picked up the fussing dogs, and Jules took the lead.
“Where’s Magnus?” she asked.
“He was on the bridge,” Dubs said.
“Dean, give us an update. We found Natalia and Leslie alive. Status?” Mary asked, but it was clear she received no response. “Jules, I’m going to need you to help us get onto the ship, then you have to find your father.” Her mom was trying to speak calmly as they ran toward the courtyard, but it was clear how scared she was.
Jules filled with power, her sphere encompassing her once again. “I won’t let anything happen to him.”
____________
Mary’s voice passed into my earpiece, and I relaxed slightly at the news that Nat and Leslie were alive. I wanted to reply but couldn’t do it quite yet.
“Let me guess. Was he about this tall?” I lifted my hand over my head a good foot above me. “Half machine… really ugly?”
She almost seemed surprised by my guess, and she nodded in confirmation that Lom of Pleva had somehow predicted this moment. I thought about the time-travel device, and his goal of merging the timelines collectively. He might not be showing up in our timeline after twenty years, like I’d thought for so long, but it was clear he had other means of sending information to our dimension from wherever he was.
“He said you were a smart one.”
“And you never met him, did you? In person?” I asked.
“I didn’t…. I don’t need to banter with you, Parker. I’m only here to detain you. I’m afraid your friends aren’t part of the bargain.” One of the Arnap fired, striking Loweck square in the chest. Her armored suit deflected the blow, but they would only hold out for so long.
“Impressive technology. Too bad it’s not going to save your lives.” She stepped toward me, but I was still holding my pulse pistol. There were ten of them, and my odds were poor, but I couldn’t let them win, not like this. Slate was steady as a rock beside me, his rifle ready to blast someone at the drop of a hat.
“How about you step away, and I won’t shoot you in the head,” I warned her, but she only smiled again.
“Do you want to end up like your friend?” she asked.
I wasn’t going to be taken by the bait. “I said step off.”
She moved a yard closer. I knew there were at least ten guns pointed at me, but I didn’t budge. “Him. The captain. He put up quite the fight.” She pointed to the far side of the bridge, to the floating body near the office, and I groaned. I allowed myself a quick glance, and saw she was right.
Magnus was dead, and his body slowly rotated, turning to face us. Even from this far, in the half dark, I knew it was him. Grief flooded me, and my arm went slack for a moment. One of the Arnap took the opportunity to fire again, this time at Slate, and my hand went rigid. The pulse pistol rose, and I pulled the trigger, shooting their leader in the face.
The room erupted into chaos.
Twenty-Three
With everyone returned to the Kraski ship, Jules tore through the other craft, melting walls along the corridors as she went. Her sphere burned hot like a star, and she found the bridge entrance in under a minute. According to her math, they had five minutes to return to their ship in order to beat the incoming Arnap through the wormhole.
She paused, not wanting to hurt her dad or Slate and Loweck. Instead of entering at the main doors, she scorched through the wall, opting to come out the rear of the bridge, making her own entrance.
She heard gunfire inside, and hurried, pressing past the divide and onto the bridge near Uncle Magnus’ office. Jules emerged and instantly saw the room was filled with bright beams cutting through the space. She bumped into a body, and it spun toward her.
“Uncle Magnus…” His eyes were open, his face locked in a frown. How could this…
“Jules!” Papa’s voice was frantic, and she broke from her daze, seeing Loweck on the ground, Slate being blasted by the Arnap, and Papa crouched behind a console, the four upright Arnap moving toward him.
For every time Jules wished she didn’t have the power of the Zan’ra, she pushed harder. For every strange glance she’d received as a young girl, and for every comment whispered under the breath of another student, Jules filled with energy. For Patty, for the lost crew of Horizon. For her Uncle Magnus who she loved like a father, and for the loss of her own innocence. She was only fifteen, but too much had happened, too many hardships for someone so young, and she knew this as she filled, her fury at the Arnap and the universe consuming her.
It was like fighting the Sprites all over again, except then she had been wilder, unsure of her own actions. She knew now.
Everything slowed as she stopped time. She was Zan’ra; of this there was no doubt.
Jules walked casually through the bridge, each beat of her heart bending space and time on the outside of her sphere. She moved to the first Arnap, a tall man with thick ridges running away from his brow over his bald gray head. She pointed at him, and he incinerated until there was nothing but spectral dust remaining.
Papa was frozen with everyone else, and she wanted to console him, but there would be time later. She peered at the next enemy, and it burst into nothingness. Then the other, and finally, the last of them vanished.
Jules didn’t stop there. She walked to the viewscreen, and saw the incoming Arnap warships, three of them in total. She lifted from the ground again and passed through the viewer, her sphere vibrating so fast, she could make the transition without disrupting the structure of the barrier. That was new. Something had snapped inside her, and she understood more than ever.
Trauma had healed the broken links. Pain and loss had connected the last remaining circuits together, and she smiled as she floated toward the incoming fleet. The ships were huge, menacing hunks of metal and electrical systems.
Jules felt the flesh and blood behind the hulls, the hundreds of Arnap, who were forever her enemies. They’d killed the Ritair, the beings from Sterona, the planet of her birth, the world her father had first traveled through the portals to. That world connected it all, had started the path for Papa that had led them here, and Jules couldn’t let these beings exist any longer.
The first ship buckled inward, the exterior hull bending as she pressed her palms. She floated a kilometer away, the thing huge and imposing from this close, but she had nothing to fear from them. She slapped her hands together and the warship splattered; pieces of it floated where an entire warship had sat one breath before.
She unfroze time now, wanting the others to know they were being destroyed, wanting the Arnap to feel pain as the Ritair had as they’d been attacked on their colony, their safe haven from the bullies. They’d spent twenty-five years making colony ships, being forced from Sterona, and after all that time, and countless years over on this si
de of the wormhole, they’d been killed. For what?
Jules duplicated the action, wrecking the other two ships as she had the first. She glanced back, staring toward Horizon, before heading toward the planet halfway across the star system.
____________
My lungs filled with my EVA’s recycled air, and I gaped around the room. The Arnap were all dead, four of them gone. A smear on the ground was left behind where they’d been.
“Boss, what the hell was that?” Slate asked, staggering to his feet. We helped Loweck up, and she blinked a few times, shaking off the cobwebs.
“Mary, come in.” I said, and my wife’s voice carried to my ear.
“We’re waiting for you. I sent Jules to help,” she told me.
“I think… I think she did.” I walked to the viewscreen. Even with the ship powered off, our screens remained functional – at least until the reserve power ran out, which would take weeks.
“Boss, where are the ships?” Slate asked.
“Jules!” I called, wondering where she’d gone. If she was the one who’d saved us, why didn’t the bridge door open, and where had the incoming warships gone?
“We need to leave,” Loweck said, limping toward the exit.
“She’s right, boss. There could be more to this trap.” Slate grabbed my arm, tugging me away from the viewscreen. I let him, knowing Jules wasn’t on the bridge.
“We can’t leave him.” I ran for Magnus and moved to his office, pulling a blanket from a drawer from a dresser beside his desk. He used to have the occasional nap in there when he was pulling double duty. I used it to cover Magnus, and found a cord to tie it around him. He floated in the no-gravity bridge, and I pulled him along, trying hard not to look at my lifeless friend.
“Dean, something’s happening,” Rivo told me from Light.
“What?” I asked. We moved faster now, Loweck being assisted by her husband. The armor on her leg was dented, but not breached.
The Survivors (Book 12): New Discovery Page 21
