by Trevor Scott
Nix snarled, clenching his teeth tightly together. Liam had hardly seen him angrier.
“One.”
Liam looked to Nix and said, “It’s over, Nix.”
Tears cascaded down Sestra’s face, her vertical black pupils only slits. The redhead’s face came into Liam’s mind once more.
“Two.”
“Put it down,” Liam pleaded.
Nix closed his eyes and screamed, firing a blast at the mercenary’s core, which ricocheted off his chest plate, the scaled material glowing eerily even after Nix released the trigger. The man was still standing, unscathed.
“Three,” the mercenary said, squeezing the trigger of his weapon and firing a bright blue beam through Sestra’s skull.
34
Saturn twisted the controls to the right, guiding the ship into a steep turn. Their pursuers weren’t giving up easily. The Ansaran ships were sleek, trading the dual rotors of the ground patrol ships for engines built solely for speed. Their weapons were light, but with enough direct hits they would be effective just the same. Saturn’s earpiece was exploding with the sound of laser blasts from inside the spire. They didn’t have time for this.
“Ju-Long, Astrid, get on the guns. They need our help in there so let’s make this quick. I’ll bring her around, then light ‘em up.”
Ju-Long manned the port gun while Astrid took the starboard. Saturn dipped the nose of the ship down and went into a dive, using the angle to put some distance between them and the spire.
Ju-Long said eagerly, “It’s been hours since I’ve blown something up.”
•
“No!” Nix screamed, firing once more at the man in blue. His armor deflected the shot, the refraction taking out a chunk of the nearest support pillar. White dust filled the air where the fragments combusted.
Liam retrieved his weapon from its holster and fired, strafing and finding cover behind the Caretaker’s desk. For a moment, Liam saw Toras and Vidu up close. In his white ornamental armor, Vidu seemed serene, much calmer than in life. The chain which hung down over his breastplate was coated in blood, coagulated over the many links. Toras, on the other hand, bore a scowl that suggested his end was bitter. Liam’s gaze lingered there a moment longer, unsure what to feel for the Caretaker’s passing. There were better alternatives to his leadership, Liam knew. But dying like this? It seemed a waste.
Nix had gone off in the opposite direction, leaning his back up against one of the wide stone pillars. The mercenary still hadn’t fired back. He was calm, taking the time to kneel down next to Sestra and gently close her eyelids. The man spoke softly to her so that Liam couldn’t make out what was said. When the mercenary finally stood, he took a couple of measured paces forward and stopped.
“They call me Death Wish,” the mercenary said casually. “Not sure where the name came from, but it fits, doesn’t it? Come out now and I swear I’ll make it quick like I did for her. I have no desire to make you suffer. I’m only doing what must be done.”
The Garuda’s familiar shape rushed past the windows that spanned the circumference of the room. Shortly after, more shapes followed, along with an explosion that rattled the floor.
Nix popped out from behind the pillar and fired at the mercenary. The beam was deflected into the ceiling, causing crumbles of stone to sprinkle down on the marble floor. Nix cursed and returned to the safety of his cover, back up against the wide pillar. His anger was palpable, visible in every crack and crease of his face. The last several months had aged him unfairly.
“The weapons here are feeble. It seems my world got one thing right.”
Death Wish raised and fired his weapon, a laser penetrating Nix’s cover like it was moving through air. The beam barely missed his head, scorching the scales of his left cheek from the piercing heat.
Nix dropped down to one knee and looked to Liam for guidance.
“Thoughts?” Nix called to him from across the room.
Liam pressed on his earpiece and asked Saturn, “Any chance of some help down here?”
Saturn replied through a thick field of static, “A little busy.”
The feed cut out.
“I’ll say it again,” Death Wish said. “If you come out now, your deaths will be quick. I keep my word.”
Liam could hear the mercenary’s clanking footsteps approaching at a leisurely pace. He held a hand up to Nix and holstered his weapon. Liam mouthed, “Trust me.”
He held his hands out beyond the desk and said, “I’m coming out. You win.”
Liam stood up and stepped out from beyond the desk.
“Let Nix go, I’m the one you were hired to kill, am I right?”
Liam continued to edge closer.
“Hired?” Death Wish laughed. “Who ever said I was hired to kill you?”
“You said I was a mark.”
Liam and the mercenary were only a few yards apart. Death Wish’s silver pistol was a hair’s breadth from Liam’s pounding chest.
“I only accept payment for jobs I was already going to do in the first place. Let the buyer think it’s their idea. Believe me, Liam Kidd, I have nothing against you. Killing you will not bring me pleasure. Things are set in motion beyond your comprehension. I’m simply making room for better men.”
Liam examined the mercenary’s mask up close for the first time. The shape was similar to an Ansaran guard’s, but for the scales that descended down its defined cheekbones. Liam’s image was reflected back at him through the thick blackened visor that hid the man’s eyes. Death Wish was shorter than Liam by half a head and visibly thin despite the armor.
“I respect that you have a job to do,” Liam said, his right hand feeling the knife attached to the back of his belt. “But I’ve got one to do too.”
Nix came out from behind the pillar and fired a shot at the mercenary’s head, the beam glancing off to his rear. Death Wish pivoted and fired back. Liam had his opening.
35
Saturn jerked the controls and sent herself and the crew back into their seats as the ship accelerated into a climb. Only one Ansaran ship remained on their tail. She could tell the pilot was skilled because none of her maneuvers could juke him. The bastard just wouldn’t give up.
“I’m coming about, focus all fire on that last ship. He favors our starboard side, so Astrid, that means you.”
“I’m ready,” Astrid said, closing her gloved hands tightly around the firing controls.
Saturn flipped a switch and extended The Garuda’s wings. Out the window to her right she could see the mix of mechanical and biological living as one, flowing purple energy being channeled along the ship’s venous underbelly. She felt the controls shift, adding immeasurable agility. Saturn thrust the control handle forward and turned their climb into a rapid descent. Her stomach flew up into itself and for the briefest moment she felt weightless.
For half a second The Garuda’s belly was parallel to the Ansaran ship. Saturn held her breath. They would never get a better chance than this.
Astrid squeezed the trigger and thousands of brilliantly lit blue pellets rained down on the Ansaran ship until it splintered and exploded into countless fragments. Saturn could hear the clinking of metal shards bounce harmlessly off their hull. A gurgling sound sprung up from within the ship’s core, one of countless noises the ship was prone to make. Saturn, however, had heard it before and understood that the ship was happy. Even thinking such a thing made her self-conscious, as though admitting to herself that the soul of the Garuda inhabited the ship was preposterous. A year ago, it surely would have sounded so.
“Got him!” Astrid said with glee.
Ju-Long turned and commended her, “Nice shot.”
Saturn let herself smile before turning back toward the Caretaker’s spire. The sun was crawling up the sky and reflecting off the tall tower, making her block the light with her free hand. They really knew how to bring it down to the wire. She only hoped they weren’t too late.
•
Liam’s
knife found its way into the groove between the mercenary’s armor at his wrist, making him drop his laser pistol. Before Liam could strike again, Death Wish’s fist found Liam’s jaw. There was an audible crack. Liam tried to shake it off and rushed him, tackling him to the hard marble floor. The mercenary’s jagged armor cut into Liam’s body. Even the channels between the scales were sharp to the touch.
Death Wish rolled on top of Liam and hit him hard in his left eye, the metal ridges on the mercenary’s gauntlet tearing through his flesh with ease. Liam wheezed, the after-effects of the Phage were kicking in fully now. He didn’t know how many more blows like that he could take.
The man in blue wound up for another strike. Liam’s vision was blurred but he could still make out Nix’s shape as he jumped on Death Wish’s back in an attempt to wrestle him off Liam. Death Wish stood, trying to shake the relentless Dinari off of him. Finally, the man in blue twisted his weight and threw Nix to the ground next to Liam. The motion had seemed effortless.
The mercenary picked up his chromed laser pistol and pointed it at Nix, who immediately froze in place.
“I admire your spirit,” Death Wish told the Dinari. “You’re far braver than I remember.”
Liam’s heart was pounding, his head spinning in a daze. He felt his muscles weaken as though sick with a nasty flu. Whatever strength he’d had before must have been derived from adrenaline, and that rush of power was fading quickly. Liam only knew one thing for sure. This was it. Whatever happened, there was no going back. The mercenary’s finger crept back on the trigger. Liam focused on every articulating plate of Death Wish’s gauntlet, creaking together for what seemed an eternity.
“No!” Liam yelled, using whatever remaining strength he possessed to force himself up to his feet.
The laser was much brighter at close range, brighter than anything Liam had ever seen. He was on his feet, though he couldn’t feel them. The heat in his chest, was it the adrenaline surging again? No. It was much too hot. Liam reached for the mercenary’s mask, his fingers latching on to the seam at the man’s neck. He fell forward toward Death Wish, collapsing as the man’s helmet was torn from his head.
Liam’s eyes were betraying him. The figure standing before him wore a form-fitting black material that covered his skin. Woven into the fabric were two circular lenses that covered his eyes, faint bits of yellow escaping through the mesh around the edges. It was the shape of the head that took him by surprise. That was no Ansaran and definitely not a human. Liam’s breath slowed even as his thoughts hastened. His dream manifested itself in his mind. Takara, Liam thought. If not her, then who?
“Who—” Liam began to ask before his breath faltered.
36
The Garuda hovered in front of the great span of windows on the topmost floor of the Caretaker’s spire. Saturn felt her eyes fill with tears, her mouth opening but no sound able to escape her lips. The man in blue stood pointing his weapon at Nix, the lifeless Liam forgotten by his feet.
Ju-Long fired a laser high, blowing out several banks of windows. The mercenary shifted his gaze to their ship. Nix turned his head as well, eyes wide and hands clawing at the floor trying to put any extra distance between him and the mercenary as possible. When the man in blue looked back, Nix froze.
Saturn flipped an overhead switch and found the microphone on the console. The microphone came to life, but she didn’t speak right away. She waited for a brief bout of feedback to quell while she prepared her voice. Saturn wasn’t sure anything would come out at all, but her fury drove her forward.
Her shaking voice was darker, grittier than she ever thought possible, “Listen here, you son of a bitch. Lower your weapon and back away or I’m going to open fire until this whole tower crumbles and so help me, no one will be able to distinguish between your ashes and the dust of this godforsaken planet.”
Saturn flipped the switch back, squelching the mic.
“Ju-Long, Astrid, prepare to fire.”
Astrid protested, “We could hit Nix.”
Saturn said with darkness coloring her speech, “Then you’d better aim carefully.”
Ju-Long and Astrid exchanged worried glances.
The mercenary inched backward, leaning over slowly to get a grip on his helmet. He tucked it under his arm, his face never leaving The Garuda, his weapon still pointed at Nix.
“Wait for it,” Saturn said.
The man in blue was several yards away when he briefly turned back to Nix. Saturn never intended to let him get away. Not after what he did to Liam. One thing was abundantly clear. No matter what happened from here on out, she’d be the one to shoot first.
“Fire.”
Ju-Long and Astrid fired thousands of glowing bits of light, concentrated at the mercenary. He was quick. He fired back at the ship, the powerful laser boring a hole through the starboard wing. The Garuda jolted and purple energy flowed angrily along the channel overhead. The Aether, life force of the departed, nearly impossible to be calmed once infuriated. Ju-Long and Astrid continued to fire, following him as he disappeared into the depths of the spire.
Saturn could see Nix hovering over Liam’s body, putting pressure on his chest. She turned the ship around and flipped a switch, lowering the cargo bay ramp onto the marble spire floor.
“Ju-Long,” she said feebly, the adrenaline leaving her body until all she felt was the emptiness. “Take the controls.”
Saturn stood up from the pilot’s seat and passed through the cockpit quickly, ignoring Astrid’s consoling words which washed over her without meaning. At the top of the ramp she stopped, clenching her fists and preparing herself for what might come.
“Saturn!” Nix called to her urgently, “Get over here, now.”
Saturn suspended her disbelief and sprinted down the ramp, her body pumping whatever strength it had left through her veins. Nix was at Liam’s side, fingers and palms covered in his blood.
“Help me get him to the ship, there isn’t much time.”
Liam’s expression was devoid of life. He was dead weight in Nix’s arms. Even with Earth’s advanced medical technology there would be no bringing him back. Ultimately, the human body was a fragile thing, she thought. No matter how much she wanted him to live, she knew better than to hold onto false hope.
“Nix, he’s dead,” she said through her tears.
Nix donned a grave expression and met her eyes.
“Not all of him.”
37
“Ju-Long, up,” Nix commanded.
Ju-Long’s eyes traveled from the Dinari’s bloody hands up to his urgent expression. He did as he was told, shifting over to the co-pilot’s seat. He’d never seen Nix more serious.
“Nix, what’s going on?”
“There’s no time,” Nix said, flipping several switches, engaging the engines and retracting the wings.
Ju-Long felt the familiar rumble resonating through the floor from the engine room below. It was as though the ship itself understood the urgency of the situation.
“We should destroy the spire before that monster has a chance to escape.”
Nix’s fingers were hard at work running through a complicated sequence. He said vaguely, “This is more important.”
Without another word he fired every forward thruster and they shot off to the east at maximum speed. The landscape moved quickly, making Ju-Long woozy if he didn’t stare at a particular point. In time the light began to fade, until soon enough a sliver of light was all that remained on the horizon. Ju-Long didn’t know how fast they were going, but he knew if they maintained that speed for too much longer, they’d make it around the whole planet in short order. The ship shook, creaking and showing signs of its age under the stress.
“Did you see his face?” Ju-Long asked.
“No,” Nix responded. “But he was no Ansaran, I would have recognized the ears. He was a Dinari.”
Astrid asked, “Are you sure? Who would do this?”
Nix regarded her over his shoulder. “Tha
t’s what worries me.”
Nix pulled back on the accelerator and they dropped down to a manageable speed. Ju-Long brought up a holographic map of the planet, spinning silently. Apart from the colony, there were a few other settlements marked but nothing for thousands of miles around their current position. It was a vast and lonely desert, colored with red ridges which grew out of the sea of sand. Where were they going? There was nothing there.
The Garuda slowed even further and dropped down to a lower altitude. Ahead, Ju-Long could make out a structure built into the valley floor. It was some kind of temple, with a sprawling field of flattened stone that made up a massive circle. As they approached the center, he noticed several pillars jutting from the ground, supporting a small structure with open walls. Nix started the landing sequence and set the ship down as close to the center as was safe.
“What is this place?” Astrid asked, dumbfounded.
Astrid’s face was painted with wonder. Ju-Long noticed how soft her skin looked in the light of the setting sun. The blue tones shimmered with a tint of orange. Ju-Long made himself focus on the hologram once more.
“It doesn’t show up on any of the maps,” Ju-Long said, scrolling through different variations of holographic maps.
Nix glanced sideways at Ju-Long.
“You won’t find anything in the ship’s computer. Only a select few even know this place exists.”
Nix powered down the engines and rose from his seat.
“I’ll explain later. Just worry about getting Liam’s body out there,” he said pointing to the structure with the hint of a tear in his eye and quiver in his voice.
•
Saturn sat with her back up against a cargo crate, Liam propped up on her lap. She stroked his wild blond hair, now matted with dried sweat. The warmth was beginning to leave his body, something that made it even more real for her. The scar that ran the length of his right cheek had turned from tender pink to a stark white. She felt it with the back of her hand, remembering how he’d gotten it.
