by AM Scott
Ferra jerked again, then did the same thing she’d done, closing the aperture down to a pinprick. She moved along the cavern wall slowly, Saree following—for now. Ferra stopped again, looking at the wall. It was marked with a ‘DE’ so Ferra kept moving. Saree stopped, letting Ferra get ahead of her. Putting a hand over her light, she scanned out into the cavern. Blast and rad, there they were. She could see their lights bobbing along, two or three of them. She looked back toward Ferra and she could see her light shining all too clearly on the tunnel wall. Blast, blast and rad. Try to catch up and warn Ferra, or hide? Saree’s first instinct was to catch up, but she heard the whiny man’s voice again, still complaining about wasting time. It was much more distinct. Ferra’s light swung out into the cavern. Blast! Ferra obviously heard the men too, but didn’t think about her light. Suddenly, Ferra’s light went off. Saree sagged in relief.
“Hey, did you guys see that? There’s a light over there,” a different male voice said. This one sounded young and excited.
“Yeah, sure you did, boy. Just like you did last time,” a third voice said, this one a low bass and bored.
“Yeah, sure you did,” Whiny echoed.
“I did. I saw a light. It’s gone now, but maybe Dalm was right. Didya think about that?!” Boy said loudly. There was a scuffle—maybe they were fighting? It was a good time to move. Turning off her headlamp, Saree turned back around, moving away from Ferra, feeling her way in the dark. First, the gap of the dead-end tunnel, then a long stretch of wall, but how long, Saree wasn’t sure. She kept moving, careful to pick up her feet and not shuffle them in the sand. Her heart thudded so hard, she couldn’t tell if Ferra followed her or not.
“I’m telling you, there was a light!”
“Okay, kid, let’s go check it out. That’s what we’re here for,” Bored Guy said, still sounding bored. Clearly he didn’t expect to find anything.
Saree kept moving slowly. She wanted to run so badly but she held herself back. She could fall if she ran. A thud and a faint exclamation came from behind her. Saree froze. Oh, by the seven suns of Saga; Ferra fell. She’d panicked, run and fallen—a stupid mistake.
“Did you guys hear that?” Bored Guy said, no longer sounding quite so bored.
“No,” Whiny said.
“Yeah, I heard something,” Boy said.
“Boy, you might be right. Let’s go.” Bored Guy was definitely not bored now. Blast. Saree kept going. She had to get to the tunnel and get as far down it as possible. Light swept across her and she froze. But the light didn’t come back, so she moved again. The light must have flashed past her when the three men turned but they didn’t actually see her. She was lucky—this time. Saree couldn’t count on luck—she had to make her own.
Saree’s heart thudded like a Klee dance party, but she carefully stepped at quarter time. Someone once told her, ‘slow is smooth, smooth is fast,’ and they were right. She kept moving, carefully feeling ahead with her toes before transferring her weight, trying to minimize any noise and her chances of tripping. Saree could hear dull clanking and shooshing sounds—probably the men’s equipment and their feet against the sand. The light grew brighter too, but in odd flashes. They must be looking down at the ground, then up at the wall and sweeping side to side, looking for someone.
“There! I saw something!” Bored Guy thundered.
The clanking and shuffling picked up tempo and the flashing of lights increased. He must have spotted Ferra, not Saree, so she kept moving. She dragged her fingertips on the wall, abrading them further, but scratches were nothing next to the damage those men would do. The closer to the wall the men got, the more light came her way. She moved a little faster, carefully picking up each foot and putting it down softly—she did not want to draw their attention.
The rock under her fingertips disappeared. Whaaat? Oh, the tunnel mouth. Relief cascaded from her head to her toes. She sagged for just a split-second. You’re not safe, you idiot—move! Saree slid into the tunnel mouth and stopped. She didn’t dare walk one of these tunnels without any light. Reaching up, she pulled her headlamp off, brought it down close to her body and covered it with both hands. Saree turned it on and reddish light shone through her fingers. It had been so long since she’d used this thing, and even longer since she’d needed something other than white light. How did you change it? She held the button down longer and got flashes of pink. Muffling her instinctive curse, she held it down again and the light dimmed. Oh, please be red! Saree pulled a finger away—the red glow brightened. Oh, thank the egg of Zarar, it worked.
Over the sound of her pounding heart, she heard men shouting. Blast it all to the black hole of Andromeda. They’d found Ferra. Saree collapsed against the tunnel wall. And she had nothing. Three against one and she didn’t have so much as a rock to try and even the score. Sure, Ferra had a laser pistol, but could she take out three of them? Three hardened criminals? Unless she fired first, taking them by surprise, they would capture Ferra, and there was nothing she could do. Not without being captured herself. And that was a chance Saree wasn’t willing to take for someone who’d kidnapped and drugged her. A laser pistol fired with the distinctive whine, then a scream of pain and yells of anger echoed down the tunnel.
Oh suns, Ferra had Saree’s e-torc! How could she contact Hal if Ferra had her e-torc? And… her stomach dropped to her feet. Ferra had the slave collar controller. Saree clutched at it, then made her fingers release. Those men would undoubtedly recognize it—they probably used them all the time. It had a tracker on it. Worse, all they’d have to do right now is hit it on the high setting and she’d collapse. She’d be easy to find, writhing in pain on the ground. Suns, rad and blast.
But wait… would all this rock block the signal? It blocked Hal…Saree was running down the tunnel before she finished the thought, but she slowed immediately. Running was too noisy. Holding herself to a quiet, fast walk was necessary. Knowing the more distance, the more rock between her and them made her want to sprint, but it was too dangerous in the tiny amount of dim red light she allowed to seep between her fingers. She’d hope and pray she was right. And walk fast. Once the men stopped yelling, it would be easier for them to find her. She had to move now, figure out how to get off Gliese later.
Saree jumped at the unmistakable whine of laser pistol fire again. Suns, she hated leaving Ferra to defend herself three against one, but at least Ferra had a weapon. And she’d put herself in this position. If only Ferra had talked to her about this excursion—Saree might have helped. No, she wouldn’t have made this useless trip. She would have explained the differences in transuranic metals and made it clear the trip was a completely unnecessary risk. But either way, Ferra didn’t ask, she just took. And now… Saree shuddered a little. No, she couldn’t even think of this as poetic justice. She hated leaving anyone to those horrors. But there was nothing she could do to save Ferra. She only had a tiny chance of saving herself. Especially when not only did they have the slave collar controller, they had her e-torc and all of Sister Trena’s notes on the tunnels. Unless Ferra dumped both, and Saree doubted she’d think about that during a firefight.
If the Inquisitors figured out which tunnel Saree was in, they could wait for her at the exit. Or send men in from both ends. Her only real hope was Ferra—if Ferra told them she was alone, Saree might have a chance. It wasn’t much of one—they’d wonder why she had a slave collar controller and why she didn’t have the sample she’d obviously gone for, but it was a better chance than going back.
The sounds faded behind her, and with nothing else to occupy her, she couldn’t help but think about the terror and pain Ferra was facing. Even if she managed to fight off this bunch, they’d send more. Eventually, Ferra would be captured. Or killed. She may have been selfish and stupid, but nobody deserved that level of evil.
Saree pushed herself to a jog, stepping lightly. She’d use all this adrenaline while she could and get as far as possible before she collapsed. And she would, all too soon. She de
sperately needed some rest. Her legs, hips and back screamed from the hunched, awkward positions and the rest of her body didn’t feel any better.
The tunnel twisted and turned in front of her, sending relief twisting through her too. The tunnel sloped down steadily, with occasional chambers and small tunnels off those chambers, but nothing big enough for a person. She heard nothing but her own panting and her thudding feet.
After eighteen minutes, Saree dropped to a walk. She couldn’t run anymore, not right now. And she didn’t want to sweat—she didn’t have much water. But she had to keep moving, even if only at a slow walk.
Trudging along wearily, Saree’s whole world was red. The red glow of her headlamp bathed the red, yellow and beige of the rock, turning it all into shades of reddish-gray, and her mood matched. Even though Ferra had treated her badly, being alone was worse. If only Ferra had removed the collar and given her some sort of weapon, just a staff or a knife. If she’d had anything at all, she would have stayed and helped.
And they’d have both been captured.
Even if Ferra overcame her initial panic and took out those three men, the Inquisitors would send more. It would be a race, a race she and Ferra would lose, because they were both exhausted. Even if they’d hidden effectively, they would be caught when they came out. There was no way they’d miss Hal coming in to pick them up.
Saree had to get out of the tunnels; out of the Badlands entirely, to someplace far enough away that a shuttle coming in wouldn’t make the Inquisitors shuttles investigate. And with a single bev-tainer of water left, that would be tricky.
She would do it—she would survive. There was no way she was going to die here on Gliese. If she was going to be taken out, it would be for her real abilities as a fold clock maintainer, not because she was a human female in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Saree would live, no matter what.
Chapter 19
Stumbling, Saree caught herself on the tunnel wall again. Another small dip and hollow in the red-hued rock. She had to pay attention, be alert. She was going to fall and break something. Or get a foot caught in one of these little ground-level tunnels. Saree trudged along, the scuffing of her feet on rock all too loud. Every time her boot rasped against the stone, she’d be careful to pick them up, but exhaustion was taking a toll on her, body and mind. At least the air was fresher without the dust of Gliese billowing up.
What was that?! Saree froze. Listening, she heard nothing but the sound of her own breathing. And her heart pounding. Again. She trudged forward.
After what seemed like forever, but she knew was only twelve minutes, the tunnel opened into one of the larger chambers, two tunnels splitting off from here, the shades of red varying again. Oh, thank the egg of Zarar! Finally, a chance to lose anyone coming after her. Saree smiled and snorted a little. Assuming she didn’t get lost herself.
The left-hand tunnel was marked ‘DE’ and the other ‘O.’ She blew out in relief. She’d worried they might not be marked at all. Now, go down the dead end and get some rest, or the out tunnel and wait for another intersection? She shook her head, impatient with herself. That was a stupid question. She had to keep going, at least another one or two intersections, no matter how long that might take. She took the ‘O.’
Thirty seconds later, she came to another split, marked the same. Saree took the tunnel out. Twenty-two seconds later, another split. The splits were coming closer and closer together and she kept taking the tunnels out. She’d like to find one of the big chambers with multiple tunnels and take one of those to sleep in. She’d barely had the idea when she entered one. The chamber was at least five meters wide and more than two meters tall, with five different tunnels, the shades of gray slanting through the chamber. Three weren’t marked at all, one was marked ‘DE’ and the second from the right marked ‘O.’
She sagged against the chamber wall. Now, take the out tunnel, or one of the others to get some rest? Saree trudged over to one of the unmarked tunnels and looked down it. The red light didn’t penetrate far, but the tunnel seemed to keep going. Same with the third from the right. The next one dropped precipitously and she took an instinctive step back. The last tunnel ended just a few meters in front of her. She peered into the dim, red light. There was something there, a pile of something on the tunnel floor, not rock. She didn’t have time or energy for curiosity, but she wondered. Had someone else explored down here? Maybe an early settler? Another sentient species?
Saree took a few steps into the tunnel and froze, staring. Were those bones? They weren’t human bones. Not even close to human bones. No arms, no legs, no appendages at all. She found herself stepping back, stopped and made herself move forward, closer. Saree shivered.
The bones, remains, whatever, were hollow circles, a couple of meters in diameter, a couple of centimeters wide and thick, stacked one on top of the other. They’d slid and cascaded down on the tunnel floor. Saree looked closer. The bones weren’t just circular, they were a spiral, like a spring. A spring that started narrow, got wider and wider, then narrow again. She couldn’t see the far end of the spiral in the stack of bones and she wasn’t sure she wanted to.
Looking at the tunnel with new eyes, Saree shuddered. This wasn’t a water-worn tunnel. This tunnel, all these tunnels, were eaten away. This thing, whatever it was, ate rock. What else did it eat? Would it eat her?
Saree found herself backing away from the remains. Suddenly, she wasn’t the least bit sleepy. Terrified? Yes. Sleepy? No. Definitely not. She jogged over to the tunnel marked ‘out’ but stopped at the entrance. What if one of those things was down there?
Stepping into the tunnel, she forced herself forward. Well, Saree knew there were animals behind her. Worse than animals. Real animals acted on instinct to eat and procreate, kill or be killed. The things behind her were humans, thinking beings, who chose to behave in a depraved manner for fun, not for survival. She might have something horrible in front of her, but it wouldn’t torture her. It might kill her, for food or out of fear, but from instinct, not evil. At least she hoped so.
Stopping, she listened. All Saree heard was her own heartbeat and her too-fast breathing. She couldn’t hear footsteps, equipment or voices, so no humans within her hearing. A rock-eating animal must make a lot of noise, and she didn’t hear rocks grinding, so she was probably safe. Either the tunnel monsters were long gone, or gone from here or who knew? But…Saree turned her light back to white, wincing a little in the brightness. These creatures would most likely live in the dark. Maybe white light kept them away? It was worth a shot. Besides, she was really tired of living in a sea of red, like she was swimming through the veins of a huge creature. She snorted. Oh, and wasn’t that just a lovely thought? Suns.
Pushing into a fast walk again, she kept moving. She had to get away from the enemies she knew were there. Besides, the tunnel-eaters were probably long gone. Gliese’s climate had changed dramatically more than once and there was nothing here except rock. The remains were spiral, so something covered those remains, some sort of flesh, and there was nothing down here to form flesh from. No plants, no animals, and no water. Maybe they were made of rock too? Giant rock worms—Suns! Saree shuddered. Still, oxygen-breathing life required water. Every kind of oxy life they’d found so far, anyway. If there was water here, it was far, far below them. Logically, if the tunnel-eaters still lived, they had to be far below as well.
But it was so very creepy knowing she walked through something eaten away by a burrowing animal. Time after time, Saree found herself peering into the darkness beyond her headlamp and straining to hear any noise in front of her. She should be listening for noise behind her—that was the immediate threat—but she couldn’t convince her base instincts of that truth. No, her primitive self was convinced there were monsters in front of her.
Saree chuckled. It was weak, but at least she’d managed it. She a child again, worried about the monsters under the bed, rather than the ones beside her. After forty-two long minute
s, she came to another chamber. This one had three tunnels marked ‘A,’ ‘B,’ and ‘DE,’ all in yellow rock. Saree stared in disbelief. Which was out? At least she knew another human had been here—Trena had survived the tunnel monsters.
Saree shrugged. Guess she’d just pick A or B and go with it. She wasn’t going down the dead end to find more bones, that was for sure. But wait… could she make it more difficult for her pursuers? If there were any? Stepping up to the tunnel wall, Saree pulled her jacket sleeve down over her hand, shrugging it, and her pack, off her shoulder a bit. She scrubbed at the wall but the writing didn’t change. Blast. She looked at again, and wet her finger, rubbing it across the rock. Nope. Trena used permanent marker. Saree snorted. Figured. Trena wanted those marks to last. If she had a knife, she could try scraping them, but that would be noisy, and might carry down the tunnel. Besides, she didn’t have a knife.
Now, which tunnel? A, or B? She considered all the kilometers of tunnels down here and the description of Sister Trena. She wasn’t young or healthy. Maybe she’d gotten tired of travelling each tunnel three two or three times? She’d have to explore the tunnel, see where it went, then come back and mark it. If it went out, she’d be going back down the same tunnel again. So, if Trena went down tunnel A and it went out, then she wouldn’t have come back to mark tunnel B, right? Maybe she never got to the end of tunnel A?
