Augment
Page 34
“Learning,” he said. “I don’t know why I’m telling you this. Maybe it’s just good to see a smile on your face. Maybe because I’ve broken more rules than I can count.” His hand rubbed across his temples. “I’m just glad you’re alright. When they told me you were gone, I….”
She pulled away as his hand reached out.
“Sorry,” he stammered.
But it was her that was sorry. She turned away and stared at the starchart — some distant galaxy his ship passed through, that’s why she couldn’t recognize it. Maybe that was her escape, to go somewhere that no one knew existed.
The sutures on her hands had faded to invisible fine lines, but the healing was superficial.
“The good news is,” Kieran said, “we saved all of the Augments from Junk. Everyone is safe now, including you.”
She would never be safe. Guitteriez was gone, but others would continue. There had been cameras in the room she didn’t disable.
“Sarrin?”
She should tell him what happened on Junk. He was a friend. He could help. But what would he say? Would he see her for the monster she was truly? She tested the words on her tongue, but each combination felt worse than the last.
“I have bad news too.” He shifted uncomfortably. “Your brother, Halud, he’s missing.”
“Missing?” She didn’t want to believe, but she couldn’t sense any part of him on the ship. “What happened? Where is he?” She struggled out of the bed, numb legs folding as they hit the ground.
“Sarrin!” He reached to help her.
“Don’t touch me!” she screamed. If he died, if she killed him….
“I know, I know. Just, please — sit back down. Hoepe says you need to rest. Whatever happened on Junk nearly killed you.”
She pulled herself up with her arms, failing body collapsing onto the mattress.
“Halud left the ship while we were attacked by the warship. We think he tried to stop them. No one had any idea he’d left until after.”
Sarrin crawled to the pillow. Halud gone, and she hadn’t said a single word to him.
“I’m so sorry. Hoepe wanted me to tell you.”
She shook her head, voice pleading, “What if they’ve taken him. I don’t know what they’ll do.”
“Probably, his shuttle blew apart in the firefight.”
“He can’t be dead.”
“We’ll find him,” he placated her. “As soon as the ship isn’t falling apart.”
“There’s a war coming, Kieran. That’s what Guitteriez said. They’ll use him. Against me.” She paused. How to make him understand something she barely understood herself? “Halud thought Gal could help us.”
“Gal doesn’t know up from down, right now.”
“He’s our only chance.”
* * *
Gal swirled the warm liquid around his cup, letting the sweet, spicy aroma wash over him. It was comfort, it was peace — if only for a minute. The empty bottle stood on the desk in front of him, the very last of it in his hand. Tiny grey hands reached from all sides, threatening to pull him down.
He breathed deep, savouring the Jin-Jiu, relishing in every minute of the experience.
The demons, stronger now, closer, clawed at his skin, leaving it cracked and bleeding. They pulled at his hair and swiped at his eyes. A fist reached in and pulled at his spinal cord, making his chest dance like a puppet.
One of the demons leaned close, it’s slimy breath chilling across his cheek. It’s your fault.
He blinked — it couldn’t be. At the back of the room stood Rayne. He willed it to stop, but everything was inevitable. The demons fell around him, dying out in a wave. Rayne fell.
“No,” he gasped. Scrambling from his chair, he rushed over to grab her. Demon Rayne disappeared in his arms.
“You killed her,” said a voice.
Gal spun around, panting.
Aaron sat on his desk, his head tilted with a silly smile. “You killed them all.”
His heart pounded in his chest. “I didn’t kill anybody.”
The apparition flipped his head back and forth, weighing, deciding. “Nobody?”
“Not me. They — they all wanted to.”
“What about me? You brought me there. Try to drink me away all you’d like, but I’m still here. I’ll always be here.”
“That’s not fair!” he screamed.
“Death for John P.” Aaron gave him a pointed stare. “You drowned him, Gal.”
“He was drowning me.” His voice nothing more than a whisper in the freightship, but it echoed around in his head like a storm of flash smoke and ash.
“More than now?”
On his knees, Gal clutched at his scalp, squeezing his brain to make it all stop.
The demon voice whispered to him, You knew they were dangerous.
Yes. All the warning signs had been there, the writing on every single wall — literally.
You disobeyed the Gods, and now look at you.
Their orders were clear: report them, destroy them, fear them. For Gods’ sake, don’t help them!
Who were you to do what you did?
A fool. If, if, if — too many wrong turns on the road. How did he end up on this path?
In the Gods we Trust.
A flash of red jolted across his vision. “There’s no such thing as Gods!” he shouted out loud. “You don’t know what they were doing, what they’re trying to destroy!”
Aaron arched an eyebrow. “Why did you give up?”
He shook his head, the voices quiet, for now. “This fight is too big. No way to win.” The liquid sloshed dangerously close to the edge of the trembling cup. He brought it to his lips and drank.
“So that’s it? You’re out. Now what happens? How will you forget all the people you abandoned. They didn’t have anyone else to fight for them, Johnny.”
He threw back the rest of the Jin-Jiu. The last of it, gone.
The warm liquid ran down his throat and coated his insides, quieting the fire.
It was always cold in space.
The Story Continues….
Traitor by C R MacFarlane
Red Fever Book 2
Coming August 2018
Pre-Order available on Amazon
Stranded above Junk, the crew rushes to repair the wrecked freightship. Tempers flare between the Augments and former UEC officers. Time ticks down before the expected reappearance of the warship Comrade and her Commander, bent on the merciless destruction of every last Augment.
A mysterious planet may be the safe haven they have been hoping for, but Gal refuses, adamant they must not go but unable to offer an explanation why. Determined to keep them from reaching the demon planet, Gal will stop short of nothing, including destroying his own ship to keep them from discovering the secrets of his past he has buried so deep.
Meanwhile, Halud is transported back to Etar, where he continues his dangerous game with Hap Lansford and the Central Army Speakers.
Traitor is a story of sabotage, desperation, and the limits of human endurance.
About the Author…
C R MacFarlane is an award winning author of short stories and poetry. Fascinated by the human experience, her fiction strives to explore deep and meaningful themes in exciting ways. She lives in Alberta with her ever-patient husband, three cats, dog, and horse.
Augment is her debut novel.
More of her work can be found at
www.thewritable.com
@CRMacFarlane
CRMacFarlane
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