‘Marie!’ Mark’s scream drew Aneka’s attention away from the dead ogre and she turned. Another of them had grabbed Marie and was running for the top of the field at an alarming pace for a man carrying a woman slung over his shoulder.
‘Fuck,’ Aneka snarled, slamming her pistols into their holsters. She dropped to one knee and grabbed her rifle case, unzipping it quickly and pulling the huge weapon free.
‘He’s too far away,’ Mark said, his voice despairing.
‘Not for this baby,’ Aneka replied. She raised the rifle to her eye and sighted through the scope while targeting information appeared in-vision. Range: 40m. Target velocity: 2.4m/s. Wind: negligible. Aneka squeezed the trigger. There was a sound like the world had split open in such close quarters and the ogre’s right leg exploded just above the knee. Dropping her rifle onto its case, she got to her feet and started running. Mark was close behind when they started, but she got to the fallen ogre a full two seconds before he did.
Marie was lying on the grass several metres away where she had scrabbled to when she had been dropped. As far as Aneka could immediately see, she was unharmed; the ogre was far from unharmed. A trail of blood led from where he had been hit to where he had crawled. He had to be losing blood quickly, but he was still moving, dragging himself across the ground. Aneka pulled Bridget from her holster and levelled it at the ogre, but did not fire.
‘Kill it!’ Mark yelled as he ran up.
‘He’s no danger to anyone. He’s going to be dead in a few minutes anyway.’
‘They heal fast. Really fast.’
Aneka swallowed. ‘See to your sister.’
‘But…’
‘I won’t repeat myself.’
The ogre had stopped moving. He rolled onto his back and tried his best to snarl at Aneka, pulling a long knife from his belt.
‘Are you fucking crazy?’ she asked him, but she got no reply. The effort had been too much and the knife slipped from nerveless fingers as he collapsed, unconscious but not dead. Aneka stepped closer and looked down at the misshapen form.
‘Clearly Human,’ Al commented, ‘but also somewhat regressive. Almost Neanderthal.’
‘Aneka,’ Gillian’s voice said over the radio, ‘get blood samples.’
‘That won’t be difficult,’ she replied.
‘If you let him live,’ Al said, ‘I suspect Mark will use that shotgun on him.’
‘The thought had crossed my mind.’ Aiming carefully, she fired five rounds through the man’s right eye and the breathing stopped.
Mark was carrying Marie back towards the shelter and Aneka stalked after them at a fast walking pace. Ella was already working on David when she got back, ahead of the couple. ‘How is he?’ David’s shirt had been cut open at the shoulder and there was a patch of artificial skin pressed over a wound on his left bicep.
‘The bullet went through,’ Ella replied. ‘I’ve stopped the bleeding and patched the wound. Medi-scanner says there’s no serious internal damage, but that arm’s going to be useless for a while.’
Aneka nodded. ‘Abigail. I need you to walk, not run, into town. Get some people to come out here and help with these bodies and the flock.’
Abigail got to her feet, nodding rapidly. ‘May I walk quickly?’
‘You may walk as quickly as you wish.’
Nodding again, Abigail hurried away while Aneka turned to Ella’s rucksack to retrieve a sample container. There was plenty of ogre blood around, getting a sample was not going to be too hard.
‘Thank you,’ Marie said. ‘Both of you.’
‘I’m just doing my job,’ Aneka replied.
‘Not that many citizens would help like this,’ Mark said. The hint of anger in his tone suggested that he had not met any that would.
Aneka shrugged and went to find blood to put in her bottle.
~~~
Linden looked as though someone had rained on his parade as well as his bald head, but he was there along with his daughter and half a dozen of the townspeople, four of them armed. His pace quickened as he spotted Aneka watching his approach, her rifle cradled in her arms, but he hurried as best as his limp would allow past her to the shelter where Ella was sitting, her attention on David.
‘Citizen, were you harmed?’ the Reeve asked, worry obvious in his voice, though Aneka did not think it was actually for Ella’s safety. ‘I must apologise for this terrible incident…’
Ella looked up at him, blinked once at the stream of apologetic garbage pouring from his mouth, and snapped. ‘What the fuck are you apologising for, man? I’m not angry.’ She was, in fact, shouting loudly and angrily, which seemed to confuse Linden more than anything. ‘We were attacked by ogres. It’s not something you can control. I asked to be out here, you didn’t force me, so unless you’re saying you have some means of telling the mutants to not attack people, this is not your fault. You’re not saying that, are you?’
‘Of course not…’
‘So it would seem then that it was a very good thing that we came up here today. If it were not for Aneka, Mark and David would be dead, and Marie would currently be playing house with the ogres!’ Her annoyance reaching a crescendo, Ella took a deep breath and turned back to her patients. ‘Now, David took a bullet, but I’ve stabilised the wound, strapped up his arm, and given him a shot to increase cellular regeneration. He should be fine in a day or two, but he is to get some rest whether he wants it or not. Marie also needs rest…’
‘I’m fine,’ Marie began, ‘really I…’
‘You have a mild concussion and severe bruising on the shoulder from the fall,’ Ella replied sharply. ‘Don’t think I haven’t noticed you favouring your right arm, even if my scanner hadn’t detected the clotting.’ Ella looked back up at Linden. ‘I’ve given her something for the disorientation and pain. The bruising should go soon enough, but she is to spend the rest of the day in bed. Both of them should be good to walk back into town, with some help. We’ll need some people up here to take care of the sheep and dispose of these bodies. Any questions?’
‘I love it when you take charge,’ Aneka said over their intercom.
‘I am feeling rather assertive,’ Ella replied. ‘I guess a couple of days of being simpered at is enough to make me want to smack someone.’
Linden’s jaw was still working up and down. ‘I’ll see to everything personally,’ he managed. ‘Thank you for assisting our people.’ He looked around at Aneka, properly acknowledging her for the first time. ‘And thank you for dealing with the ogres. Are you hurt? There’s blood in your hair.’
‘One of them clipped me with a sledgehammer,’ Aneka lied. ‘I got lucky, just a scrape really, but you know scalp wounds. They bleed like crazy.’
Linden’s brows knitted. ‘A… sledgehammer?’
‘Yeah.’ She turned slightly, pointing to the body they had dragged over to join his three dead friends. ‘That’s him.’
Linden wandered over to the bodies, looking down at the figure of the ogre. Abigail, who had come back up with him, walked over to stand beside him. ‘Dad, didn’t the one who took…’
‘That’s the one. The sledge is one thing, but I’ll remember that face until the day I die.’
Abigail looked back at Aneka and Ella. ‘The one who took my mother used a sledgehammer. He shattered Dad’s knee with it before carrying Mum away.’
That explained the limp. He turned, looking back at Aneka. ‘I owe you doubly for your work today.’
‘Why do they take women?’ Ella asked.
Linden glanced at her. ‘It’s thought their own women cannot carry to term. They steal Human women to mate with and then, so the legends say, they eat the children who come out too Human.’
‘Hence the name,’ Ella said, nodding. She shivered and looked to Aneka. ‘I am going to have to think of a special reward for you for this one.’
~~~
‘Is this my special reward?’ Aneka asked. She was head down in the large sink in the kitchen while Ella w
ashed the fake blood out of her hair.
‘You’re lucky the blood matted your hair over the wound,’ Ella said in reply. ‘He split your skin right down to the bone. I can see metal through there.’
‘It’s healing already,’ Aneka told her. ‘Come morning it’ll be good as new.’
‘Uh-huh, and your hair should hide it tonight, but make sure Abigail doesn’t get a good look at the back of your head.’
‘I think I can manage that.’
‘And no, this is not your special reward. We’ll get to that later.’
Aneka straightened up, feeling water cascade over her breasts and down her back. Ella handed her a towel. ‘Going to give me a hint?’
‘No. That would spoil the surprise.’
‘Huh.’ Aneka started out of the kitchen rubbing at her hair and being careful not to disturb the wound. She was heading for the stairs to get a clean shirt from their room when Abigail came in carrying her basket. ‘Hey, Abigail. Bringing dinner?’
For a girl who seemed slightly uncomfortable with same-sex relationships, Abigail was fascinated with Aneka’s breasts. ‘Uh-huh,’ she managed to get out, still staring.
Suppressing a grin, Aneka walked on, moving her towel to cover the back of her head as she turned. ‘My shirt’s covered in blood. I’m just going to get a fresh one.’
Freed of her optical paralysis, Abigail started for the kitchen. ‘I’ll wash that for you. My mother taught me a great trick for getting blood out of cotton.’
‘Okay, thanks.’ The shirt looked like cotton, but was actually Bi-weave bioplastic. It would clean itself given a bit of time, but Aneka was not going to tell Abigail that. Instead she spoke silently through her connection to Ella. ‘Abigail’s on the way to the kitchen, you might want to put your dress back on.’
‘Too late. The girl’s got a breast fixation.’
‘Just as long as she’s not the special reward.’
‘Not my plan. You could likely have her if you wanted. Glass of wine and those sex pheromones you can give off…’
Aneka dug through her rucksack and pulled out another beige shirt. ‘I am not going to use chemicals to seduce that poor girl. She would feel terrible in the morning.’
‘I know. I was just joking. I’m here to observe these people, not to educate them in the joys of Sapphic sex.’
‘I’m glad to hear it. How’s the food looking?’
‘Looking good. You know, I’m sure there’s a little more than usual. And there’s two bottles of wine.’
‘I guess Linden thought we should have a special reward too.’
16.9.526 FSC.
Things had started getting a lot better the morning after the incident with the ogres. Townspeople had started coming to the cottage to be interviewed by Ella not long after the sun was up. They varied in age, sex, and profession so she got a broad cross-section of the town’s population, and they all seemed to be a little nervous but quite happy to be volunteering their time. Word had, apparently, got around that this Citizen was not quite like the ones they were used to.
Aneka had busied herself making tea for Ella and their guests, and letting Gillian listen in on, and watch, the interviews as they went on. And she was doing the same again the following morning.
‘It would appear,’ Gillian said over the radio, ‘that your actions in the field have gained a considerable degree of trust.’
‘Seems like it,’ Aneka replied. ‘We’ve had several people calling us “Manu Dei’s Blessing” or something like that. Little old ladies smile at us in the street.’
‘Manu Dei?’
‘Not sure. Sounds like Latin, and my Latin’s not that good. Uh, “Dei” sounds like it’s to do with God… Son of God, maybe? Might be a reference to Jesus.’
‘It seems to be a reference to the person who leads the citizens,’ Ella said. ‘Maybe a title, but definitely referring to a living person.’
‘Are we getting any further on this “Prime City” they’ve mentioned?’ Aneka asked.
‘Not really,’ Gillian replied. ‘There is, or was, a city in the south. London, I assume. However it was badly damaged during the Xinti attack. The Hyde’s sensors are showing significant radiation even after this time. The bombs must have been enhanced to give particularly long-lived fallout. The central part of the city is little more than a hole about two kilometres across. The ruins stretch out a long way.’
‘Could they have built under London?’
‘If they have, the surface entrances are well hidden. I think that you should pull out tomorrow morning. Perhaps our best course of action would be to go down there and take a look.’
‘I’ve gathered about as much information as I’m going to here,’ Ella put in.
‘Fine by me,’ Aneka said. ‘We can tell Abigail tonight. What are Drake and Shannon up to?’
‘They’re taking a leisurely trip out to the Moon,’ Bashford replied. ‘There were several facilities up there, we think. They’re going to map it and see whether there’s anything still standing.’
Picking up the tray with its pot of tea and other crockery, Aneka started into the lounge where Ella was interviewing a woman who had to be almost ninety. ‘Well, we shouldn’t need back-up from them. I think Mrs Broadstairs here can be considered fairly safe.’
‘I suspect the worst thing we’re going to have to contend with in London is the radiation,’ Bashford said. ‘These city dwellers seem to be less than wonderful people, but we’ve seen no evidence of actual hostility.’
‘That’s assuming we can find them.’
‘I hope we can,’ Gillian replied. ‘If they have more technology they may have far better records of history since the war. I would really like to meet them.’
Aneka poured the tea. ‘I’m not sure I would, but I guess they may be more open to meeting the Jenlay. They could be the best hope for reuniting this world with the Federation.’
‘Let’s hope so.’ Gillian really did sound hopeful. Well, they would find out in a few days.
17.9.526 FSC.
Aneka brought the anti-gravity system online, checked its functional status, and retracted the landing struts. ‘You’re just getting me to fly this thing because it means you don’t have to, right?’ she asked Bashford who was in the seat across the cockpit from her.
‘You said yourself that you lack experience,’ he replied smoothly. ‘Now you’re getting some. Sensors are picking up no activity nearby. We’re good to go.’
Aneka’s hands shifted over the controls and the shuttle began to rise upwards on its thrusters. ‘That is just an excuse,’ Aneka persisted.
‘Yes, it is. I’m not overly fond of fiddly shuttle manoeuvring, and you are really good at it. Get us up to about a kilometre and then you can cut in the main engines.’
Aneka grinned at him. ‘Yes, Boss.’
They had left town late because Abigail had insisted on making sure they had eaten before going, and then they waited for her to get some packed food ready for them. And then Linden, David, Marie, and Mark, and several other people, had come out to say goodbye. Then, of course, they had been unable to take off until nightfall, but that had been fine because the people who had been left on the shuttle for the last few days got to try the food Abigail had made up. Also, they were in a spacecraft and getting to their intended landing site was going to take well under an hour.
‘Computer’s coming back with the genetic data,’ Gillian said over the cabin intercom as they rose into the night.
‘Anything interesting?’ Aneka asked, not really paying attention.
‘Just looking,’ Gillian replied, her voice sounding distracted by the data she was looking at.
Aneka checked their altitude, set the navigation system on a course to the general area of what had once been Luton, and powered up the big fusion engines at the back of the shuttle. The light cloud began scudding past at an ever-increasing pace.
‘Yes,’ Gillian said just when Aneka had almost forgotten the question, �
�there is something interesting. The ogres have significant genetic manipulations…’
Aneka began taking more interest. ‘Someone engineered those things?’
‘Engineered is a little extreme. They made some modifications to assist in survival and, since we know rather more about Humans than we do about sheep, I can tell you the functions of those changes. It would appear that they were modified for survival following the war. Their lungs are less susceptible to inhaling pathogens and dust. Their bodies are more resilient to radiation tissue damage. They have significantly enhanced tissue-regeneration capabilities, including the capacity to rapidly replace tissue damaged by radiation. There are also modifications to their retinas to improve their night vision. The thickened skin is from adaptations to improve cold resistance.’
‘So… someone engineered the ogres to survive the fallout from the war?’ Aneka asked.
‘No,’ Gillian replied, ‘probably not.’
‘Huh?’
‘The blood I got from David,’ Ella said, ‘is showing most of the same modifications. They’re just expressed to a far greater degree in ogres. And sheep. Now that we have the comparison data between Jenlay and modern Humans we can see several of the same gene-mods in the sheep.’
‘The ogres,’ Gillian added, ‘are likely a mutation. Either whatever caused the gene-mods had a more pronounced effect on them, or they’ve mutated since.’
‘Something modified a number of surface species to survive the fallout from the war then,’ Aneka said. ‘Someone with a more advanced technology than the stuff we’ve seen up here.’
‘Which would seem to indicate the city dwellers are responsible,’ Gillian said, ‘but that would suggest that they had extensive genetic manipulation capabilities a thousand years ago.’
Aneka Jansen 3: Steel Heart Page 27
