Star Road

by Matthew Costello

  “When it was floating overhead,” she said. “I recorded the Star Road Map. It’s all there.”

  She pressed the chip into Ivan’s hand, his fingers touching hers in the exchange. They were ice-cold.

  To Jordan, she said, I m already dead. The ultimate trip, they say, right? That’s why they save it for last.”

  “You don t have to do this,” Jordan said, his voice cracking. “We can get you to the medical facility—”

  “Stop it. You’re only making this harder for me.” She swayed on her feet, struggling to stand. “Let me stop them. Let me give you a chance.”

  And Ivan saw in Jordan’s eyes that he—Jordan—finally accepted her logic.

  Annie’s pulse blasts were deafening in the narrow tunnel.

  Jordan handed the two grenades to Sinjira.

  She smiled and then, leaning forward, kissed him on the mouth.

  “Y’know ... we could have made some interesting chips together.”

  The she turned to Ivan and said, “Now get everyone the hell out of here. Just follow this tunnel. Trust me. It’ll get you out of here.”

  Ivan nodded.

  He yelled down to Annie, who was kneeling and ready for the next wave of undead to charge them.

  “Annie!”

  As Annie scrambled back, Sinjira, looking unsteady on her feet, started walking down to meet the army streaming toward them. Kyros, hanging in the back, was shouting commands, urging them on.

  Ivan started up the incline as fast as he could go. Jordan, unencumbered by Sinjira, was guarding the rear, making sure Annie made it up the slope.

  Annie was a short distance behind him. Jordan waved her to hurry, shouting, “Go! Get the hell out of here!”

  Ruth helped Rodriguez keep up with the retreat.

  The Seeker showing that she had a level of strength maybe she didn’t even realize until now.

  ~ * ~

  More twists and turns, more climbing, making their way as fast as they could through the narrow tunnel until up ahead, Ivan saw a faint trace of light—daylight. It had to be an opening.

  Nearly there... Hope.

  And then—as if to remind everyone of the price they were paying—an orange flash lit up the tunnel behind them, followed by the concussive blast of a thermite grenade.

  Sinjira, Jordan thought, genuinely pained by the thought of her sacrifice.

  They kept running, the ground leveling out now ... the opening ... the cave mouth of the hidden entrance.

  But Ivan tensed and looked back the way they had come, waiting to see and hear the second blast.

  And then it came—flashing and roaring—too close.

  Rocks and dirt fell from the ceiling, and a wave of searing heat rolled over them, charring their eyes and lungs.

  For an instant, the explosive cloud filled the cave, obliterating the walls and the entrance.

  Ivan was sure that the second blast was going to bring the entire mountain down on them.

  They all ran as a deep-throated rumble of shifting stone and earth filled the cave.

  As the smoke cleared, Ivan saw only a few more meters ahead the odd glow of the sun beaming down on the mountain’s side.

  All of them were coughing, their ears ringing. They waved away the swirling dust as best they could and staggered out into the open as a dense cloud of dust belched from inside the mountain.

  Jordan—the last to leave.

  He held his pulse rifle at the ready, but there was no need. The ceiling of the cave had come down, sealing off Kyros and his undead army, at least for now.

  Ivan stood and watched with the others as Jordan finally turned and walked away.

  Ivan waited, looking at Jordan, not wanting to break the silence.

  Finally: “That was a brave thing she did.”

  “She saved our lives,” Ruth said.

  Jordan looked around at all of them, his mouth a thin line on his dirt-smeared face.

  “That’s the thing about people,” Jordan finally said. “You just never know.”

  Then Ivan, with Jordan at his side, went back to the cave mouth to make sure it was sealed.

  “Nothing’s getting through that,” Ivan said.

  Jordan was silent as he studied the wall of rock.

  “She brought the whole damn thing down.”

  “On all of them, even my brother.”

  Jordan kept staring at the opening and then added, “And that fucking machine, whatever the hell it was.”

  The gunner turned and walked away, and when he came abreast of him, Ivan said, “You think so? You think it’s all sealed?”

  “No way to know for sure.”

  Maybe it was over.

  But being absolutely sure?

  Not possible.

  Ivan shrugged.

  And he saw Jordan glance at Ruth, his face lined with worry.

  So what is it between the two of them?

  Then Jordan walked over to Ruth. He put his hand on her shoulder. She patted it.

  Yeah, Ivan thought. It makes total sense that they know each other... that they had a relationship that still might not be over.

  And then one last thought: We’re all done here.

  He turned and walked away.

  ~ * ~

  The cave had let them out to a spot high above what had once been a miners’ camp.

  Ivan looked down the forested slope at the now-empty camp, then back at the cave opening.

  He tried to ignore Ruth as she walked away from Jordan and approached him.

  “Think there might still be some explosives down there?” he asked Annie, who was walking a few paces behind him.

  “If not,” she said, “I’m sure Jordan wouldn’t mind a little target practice if we bring the SRV around this side of the mountain.”

  Jordan stopped beside them and also looked down at the camp.

  “Miners. Tunnels. Gotta be explosives, right?”

  “One would guess,” Ivan said as he started down a narrow, winding path to the camp while he shouted back to Annie.

  “Lead the others back to the SRV. Jordan and I can handle this.”

  They got to the camp and looked around. One rickety shed contained several crates of explosives, all powerful timed devices.

  Jordan opened a crate.

  “How many?”

  Ivan stared at the neat line of explosives.

  “I think one box should do it.”

  Ivan grabbed one end of a box, and Jordan the other.

  It took some effort to go back up the steep incline, but they finally arrived at the cave opening.

  Chalky dust still swirled in the air like a smoke haze.

  “Explosives aren’t exactly my area of expertise,” Ivan said.

  “Me, either. But I’m guessing we can’t go wrong filling the mouth of the cave with them, right?”

  “As long as we give ourselves enough time to get away.”

  They set the box down on the ledge outside the cave mouth.

  Ivan took a few of the explosive devices, studied them for a few seconds, and then walked as far as he could into the cave opening.

  Sinjira’s sacrifice may have stopped the undead army, but this would be an added guarantee.

  Now, with Jordan on one side, and him on the other, they lined the mouth of the cave with a dozen explosives.

  “Set ‘em for ten minutes?” Jordan asked.

  “Your guess is as good as mine,” Ivan said.

  Should be enough time.

  He entered the time on the digital display of each explosive. Then hit the ignition button.

  Ivan looked at Jordan, who had finished arming his set of explosives at the same time he had.

  He remembered when he and Kyros were little kids, messing around with firecrackers on the Fourth of July, exploding neighbors’ garbage cans and mailboxes.

  A world away.

  They nodded to each ot
her and then turned and started running down the mountain trail, heading as fast as they could away from the cave.

  As he ran, Ivan wondered if—even now—they would make it past the miners’ camp and back to the SRV.

  By the time the ground leveled out and the trail was wider and more clearly defined, they broke into a desperate run.

  Ivan laughed as he ran, and even Jordan appeared to be enjoying himself.

  In the distance, they could see the SRV parked in the glaring light of the sun.

  And then the ground began to shake, throwing Ivan and Jordan off balance. They both fell, sprawling in the brush that lined the trail. And the mountain towering above them trembled and then roared as the explosives went off in a rapid series.

  They might not be at a safe distance yet, but both of them stayed where they were on the ground and watched the display.

  The mountain erupted in a fiery display that sent a roiling cloud of dust and huge slabs of rock into the air and then tumbling down the mountainside. A few began a crazy slide to the ground below, plowing into the trees, leveling them along with the deserted miners’ camp.

  Was the passageway sealed now?

  Were all the horrors and mysteries inside locked away forever?

  No way to know.

  We just have to hope, Ivan thought.

  With the SRV in sight, he and Jordan got up, brushed themselves off, and started down the trail, both of them the silent... both of them knowing this still wasn’t over.

  When they were steps away from the SRV, Ivan thought, There are things we have to deal with.

  The Runners were no doubt waiting to see what their leader would command them to do now.

  When that was done, Ivan could be free, especially now that he was sure there was most definitely something between Ruth and Jordan.

  And the right thing for him to do was to walk away.

  He was good at that.

  Being alone. The way things should be.

  And free. What would he do with all that freedom?

  For now he didn’t have a clue.

  ~ * ~

  45

  NAHARA

  Ivan entered the cabin of the SRV to see everyone else seated, looking exhausted and tense.

  Jordan entered behind him and stopped in the doorway, leaning an arm on the frame and panting with exhaustion.

  At the rear of the vehicle, Nahara was holding a gun, which was aimed directly at Annie’s head.

  Jordan looked up, saw what was happening, and started to move. Raised his rifle.

  “Easy there, gunner,” Nahara said. “I wouldn’t want to hurt anyone because you go and do something stupid.”

  “Looks like you already have,’ Jordan said as he lowered his rifle.

  “Good. Now just... put your weapons on the floor. Your pistols, too, Delgato.”

  Ivan gently laid his rifle down, the stock positioned so he could grab it easily if he got the chance.

  Did Nahara know that he had a handgun stuck under his belt at the back?

  “How did you—?”

  “Get free of the neuro-collar? Turns out one of your Runner friends came by to check things out. Figured that any friend of Kyros was a friend of his.”

  Ivan noticed that Nahara was still wearing the leg shackles.

  “Didn’t have the key for these, though.” Nahara’s stare was icy. “I assume one of you does? My guess would be our captain.

  Ivan shrugged.

  “So whoever has the key, come over here and undo the shackles. Oh, and the data crystal, too.”

  Ivan shook his head. Annie and the others all had their eyes on him. They looked scared, but Ivan was sure Jordan would back his play ... whatever it was.

  “You really have it in you to kill innocent people?”

  “Now!” Nahara shouted, his voice more of a bark. “Someone give me the damn key!”

  Ivan started to dig in his right pocket, pretending to fetch it.

  “Nice and slow,” Nahara said. “No tricks. No surprises. There’s no telling what a mistaken move might trigger.”

  “Right,” Ivan said. “Got it. Nice and slow ...”

  A quick glance at Jordan.

  Both of them probably thinking the same thing.

  What was the way out of this?

  What would Nahara do once he learned what had happened to Kyros?

  Slowly, Ivan slipped his hand in and pulled out the key to the ankle chains.

  “Good. Now, walk up here and hand it to me nice and gentle.”

  Ivan took a quick breath. If there was going to be an opportunity, it would be coming soon.

  But first—

  “You can give it up, Nahara,” Ivan said. “Kyros is dead ... buried under that mountain. Your deal, whatever it was, is off.”

  “Oh? I should give up?” A laugh, low and hollow. “And what do I look forward to? A life on a prison planet? Some dismal dark rock?” He shook his head. “No, I don’t think so.”

  “You could beg for clemency.”

  “I don’t beg!”

  Ivan kept moving forward slowly while engaging Nahara.

  “Do you really think I’d get it? Stealing the Star Road OS?” Nahara shook his head. “I’m not stupid.”

  But you are distracted, Ivan thought.

  Time to turn up the agitation a notch.

  Ivan stopped, paces away.

  “The data crystal. That’s gone, too,” he said. “It’s buried up there along with my brother.”

  Nahara’s face went pale, his eyes narrowing. Ivan knew that chip would have been his bargaining chip, something he could have used anywhere in the universe.

  Now—without it—what did he have?

  “You’re lying.”

  Ivan shook his head and held his hands up like he was surrendering.

  “I wish I was,” he said. He glanced at the others. “Ask anyone. It’s gone. Like it never existed.”

  Nahara’s eyes darted wildly from side to side.

  A rat trying to chew a new escape hole.

  A way out.

  Ivan gave the key a little toss in the air and caught it in the palm of his hand.

  “So, you can have this for all the good it’ll do.”

  But instead of handing the key to Nahara, he threw it to him. Instinctively Nahara’s free hand flew out to catch it, and—

  Jordan moved.

  Ivan leaped forward to tackle Nahara, but the man stepped back, catching onto the game, stumbling backward.

  Then, seeing Jordan reaching for his rifle, Nahara fired.

  Jordan tried to dodge to the side, but the blast caught him in the shoulder, sending him spinning around to drop on the floor.

  Ivan moved fast, digging around his back and pulling out his handgun as Nahara moved to aim his own pistol at him.

  A race to see whose barrel would be on target first.

  But Ivan moved smoothly, and his handgun came up while Nahara was still trying to get a shot off.

  “Should have taken the deal,” Ivan said as he fired.

  The shot hit Nahara in the throat, throwing his head back in a shower of blood and shattered bone. His eyes went wide, as if surprised as they bulged out of his head.

  Nahara never got his second shot off.

  Eyes still wide, he looked up at Ivan, leaning over him, and tried to say something. But nothing would come out of his ruined throat.

  His plans for incredible wealth and unimagined freedom ended in a widening pool of his own blood.

  As if preserving the solemnity of the moment, no one moved or said a word for several seconds.

  Then, the first sound.