Exhaustion began to set in, so Gabi loosened her grip on her leg and sprawled on her back in the moist dirt. Her stomach gave a sharp reminder of its condition. Gabi grasped her belly in a vain attempt to soothe the pain, and then eventually curled up in a ball. She longed for one of her mother’s home cooked meals, especially the enchiladas verdes. She imagined the smell of the cooking tomatillos and peppers as a vision of her mom came to her, gracefully dancing through the kitchen as she cooked.
Gabi could not contain herself. The memory of home and her mother was too much to bear. It was difficult to be in this alien environment far away from home. The fact that her mother was gone sat on her as crushing weight. Gabi cried, this time with the bitter tears of sorrow. She called for her parents, even though she knew they could not hear.
The sun had set, and gloomy darkness descended upon the jungle. The birds were silent, and the insects followed suit soon after. Eerie sounds that she could not identify cut through the silence every few minutes, and her heart raced with fear. She had no protection save for the mass of fallen timber that lay next to her and the shroud of brush above her body.
Gabi ached in body and heart as she closed her eyes and cried herself to sleep.
Capt Haruka Kimura
30 March 2058, nightfall
About 4 miles west of ex-Raphael engineering skiff crash site
Haruka ducked down and peered into the gnarled root structure of a large tree. Her flashlight barely pierced the dark, and the shadows it cast under the trunk looked like the cruel talons of some great beast. To her dismay, Haruka found the space under the tree to be too small to shelter her. She heard a snapping noise to her left and wheeled around with the flashlight, bringing her pistol to bear just underneath the light. Nothing showed in the light, save for a patch of brush.
Haruka crept forward with her weapon trained on the brush. She crouched in the hope that she could get a better view, but the leaves of the dense plant barred penetration from her light. She gave a quick nudge to the bush with her toe and then leaped back, but nothing came out of the tangle.
She sighed and lowered the pistol. Nothing there. Still, this place is creepy as hell. Her bare left arm tickled as a gentle breeze ran over it. Haruka had sliced the sleeve from her flight suit and used it as a bandage to staunch the bleeding from the predator’s wound. I need to get someplace safe, she thought. I can’t afford to tangle with any jaguars at night. Or anything else that might be lurking on this planet.
With a broad sweep of the light, she surveyed her surroundings, then decided to climb over a steep berm and into the swale below. Again she scanned the jungle floor with her light. Her eyes caught another root structure, this time surrounded by thick brush all around. Haruka walked forward to the tree and circled just outside the halo-like shrubbery. The cavity under the tree indeed looked large enough to accommodate her modest height. The underbrush ran all the way to the tree, and in places crept as high as three feet up the trunk.
Haruka stepped cautiously into the bush as she tried to make her way to the root cave with as few scratches as possible. She slipped off her pack and dropped it through a small crack between the trunk and bush, then followed that with the rifle and finally her body. For her troubles, she received a fresh scratch from the shrub, this time on the back of her right hand.
Once inside she found the hole to be much larger than she had first judged. She was able to remove her belt, retrieve items from her pack, and maneuver her light with ease. She taped a small gauze strip to her latest scratch, and then bit her lip and stifled a cry of pain as she peeled off the makeshift bandage from her shoulder wound.
Haruka shined her light on it to get a better view. The dark brown scabs seeped with fresh blood near the edges, and the skin around each of the three cuts was bright red. She reached into the pack and pulled out what was left of the first aid kit, and pulled out two tiny sealed packages that contained antiseptic wipes. She brought the wipes to her wound and gently washed it. Searing pain gripped her; she grunted and panted as she forced herself not to scream. Once she was done with the cleaning, she quickly taped fresh gauze in place and collapsed on her back. Her head spun, and her stomach churned as if she might throw up again.
Not the time to get sick, Haruka. C’mon.
Haruka closed her eyes and forced deep breaths through her lungs. The pain took what felt like an hour to diminish to a tolerable level. Once she could think again, she returned the first aid kit to the pack and retrieved the survival blanket, which she unfurled and began to wrap around her body. After she was sure she could maneuver the rest of the way blindly, she killed the flashlight and curled up. The chilling thought of an ambush from another one of the jaguar-like creatures made Haruka grope along the dirt floor until she found one of the Berettas. She placed it within easy reach, and settled in once more.
The night air was not particularly cool, but after dark the humidity dropped significantly and gave her lungs respite from her muggy trek earlier that day. The ground beneath her was cooler than the air, and she shifted the blanket to compensate.
Haruka listened to the sounds of the night. It seemed that Demeter was not all that much different than Earth from the perspective of an audio track. Staccato squeals in the night air reminded her of fruit bats, and a distant warbling sound could have belonged to either a night scavenger or something similar to an owl. As Haruka thought more about her surroundings, the less alien the concept of the world became. While she couldn’t point out any given species on the new planet like she could at a zoo on Earth, she was beginning to understand similar principles between the planets.
The spear-like fronds of the trees under which she had traveled the whole day were quite similar to the tropical palm species on Earth. The bush that served as the barrier to her cave reminded her of a cross between a blackberry bush and ivy, though it was both less prickly and less itchy. It only made sense that there would be other forms of similar life, and it appeared that on Demeter there was a class of predatory cats, just like on Earth.
Her mind flashed back to the moment that one of the creatures tore the life out of Lisa Evans. She replayed the incident in slow motion, like the aerial combat footage in her combat flight training. The height that the jaguar reached when it pounced at her was impressive for a creature its size. Haruka recalled the desperate placement of her shots into the torso of the beast, and the reach of its claws, even as it had been mortally wounded. Then the realization sunk in when she remembered the odd look of surprise on the other animal’s face.
A class of predators that isn’t afraid of humans. Why should they be? They’ve never seen us before, and probably haven’t seen firearms before.
Haruka knew that any further encounters with these fierce beasts would likely be fought to the death. These creatures might not know the difference between Haruka and dinner, and she had no desire to become the latter. Her hand reached for the pistol, and her fingers brushed against the cold, reassuring steel of the barrel.
Part of her wanted to stay awake and watch for predators. Another part simply wanted to pass out from exhaustion. Yet a third reminded her of everyone she had lost today. A morbid curiosity rose within her, and she repeated names to herself.
Major Nathan Emberley. 2nd Lieutenant Julio Morado. Staff Sergeant Craig Overton. 1st Lieutenant Ignacio Perez. Her mind spoke the next set of names with bitter contempt. Colonel Marissa Fox. NSA Agent Lisa Evans. She took a deep breath and put them out of her mind, then continued. 1st Lieutenant Harjit Singh. Captain Zachary Maynard. Airman First Class Nova Weyler.
Haruka opened her eyes. No, Nova wasn’t real. She was a treacherous plant named Evans. She closed her eyes, and an image came to her of the first time she met “Nova”. Haruka remembered the upset young blonde girl who Haruka cruelly grilled, thinking she was a spy for Fox. For a moment, Haruka truly believed that Nova was a different person than Evans, and that the memory of the vulnerable girl might be able to live separately than that of the
calculating assassin.
Haruka’s hand fumbled inside her breast pocket and withdrew the broken chain from which Nova Weyler’s tags hung. She could not see the tags through the darkness, but she could feel the raised relief of the girl’s name stamped in the steel of the tags. She ran her fingers over it several times.
No, she balled her fist over the tags until the rubber edges dug into her palm. Nova Weyler never existed. Remember who she took from you. She slipped the chain back into her pocket and rolled onto her side, closing her eyes.
1st Lieutenant Marco Mancini. A lump formed in her throat instantly as she thought of her slain friend. He had been dead only a few hours, and in that time both his companionship and his dorky, arrogant sense of humor had been missed greatly. Haruka felt a tear flow down her cheek as she remembered how he could always find a way to lift her spirits on Raphael right when she needed it most. Memories came back about his goofball antics back at the compound in Laramie, where he made officers and enlisted alike roar in laughter. She even recalled with bitter fondness the nights out on the town when Haruka had to save him by beating up a jealous boyfriend and a protective brother.
God, I’m going to miss you. I already do. It’s not fair…
She wiped away her tear and took a long, deep breath.
Doctor Tadashi Kimura.
These three words from her mind sliced through her very core like a frozen knife. Tough as she was, there was no way that Haruka could keep from crying like a child at the realization that she would never be able to talk to her sweet, gentle father again. She would never hug him, or tell him about her day; no longer would she be able to surprise him with her cooking, or see his radiant smile. Tears flowed in rivers down her cheek and to the ground.
Haruka felt no spite or anger, as she knew that his assassin was dead; her cold body lay on the jungle floor. A voice of justice cried from within as it lamented the fact that Haruka had not taken the opportunity for revenge. But mostly, she felt sorrow and loneliness. Death had taken her father and her friend. Her only companions on this dark night were her standard issue M4 carbine and M9A1 pistol. As she cried herself to sleep, she knew these to be her only remaining friends.
Gabrielle Serrano
Planetfall +1 day, mid-morning
Lost in the jungle
Orange light shone through Gabi’s eyelids. She groaned and rolled onto her side, and her cheek brushed up against something. Her eyes popped open and for a moment she panicked at her surroundings. Her body rested on hard packed dirt, although thin clumps had loosened and built up around her body as she had tossed and turned during the night. The bleached white trunk of the log was cool and rough to her touch, and the sun pierced the hole in the shrub where she had fallen through.
Gabi stood up and pulled her way out of the hole and onto the fallen tree. She stretched and looked across the swiftly moving creek. Brightly colored flowers pocked the far side in bursts of red, blue, and orange. She scanned the bank on her side of the stream and saw the outline of a large white lizard stretched out on a light gray rock, like a dog might stretch out on a bed.
A sharp pain in her stomach made her double over. Gabi could only faintly remember the last time she ate; in the cafeteria only a short time before she and her parents ran for the rocket ships. Her hands clutched her stomach, and she looked around for something to eat. The trees, mud, and rocks were obviously not going to help her.
Gabi wandered over a short hill along the river. More bushes and trees sprang up from the ground. Flowers dotted some of the taller shrubs. She was about to ignore these plants when something next to a bright yellow flower caught her eye. It looked like a small, round fruit, about the size of a small apple, with a speckled green and orange skin. It grew from one of the flowered shrubs that grew as high on the tree as Gabi was tall. She picked her way carefully through the underbrush and reached for the fruit, then twisted it from the stem.
She turned the fruit over in her hand several times as she inspected it. The skin appeared to be thin, and the soft flesh gave way easily when she squeezed her hand. Gabi sunk her teeth into it and tore a large bite away. Juice from the fruit trickled down her chin, and the flesh had a sweet tang as she chewed. After she swallowed the first bite, her mouth tingled, and there was a slight kick to it like a mild pepper. She attacked the rest of the fruit with zeal, only slowing when she bit into the pit of the fruit, and was forced to pick a dozen tiny seeds from her teeth.
The single piece of fruit helped with her hunger pangs, but did not sate her. She looked around on the same bush but found no more specimens. Gabi trekked to the next bush that she could find, about twenty feet away, and was rewarded with branches that were laden with dozens of pieces. She picked two and carried them back to her hiding spot on the creek bank where she consumed them in under a minute. She discarded the seed pits and then stuck her hands in the creek to wash the juices off. She then ran them over her face. Mud dripped from her cheeks and fingers when she pulled her hands back, so she continued washing until her hands and face were clean. For the first time since she had come to this strange place, Gabi smiled. Her stomach was full, and she had been given a chance to play in a creek.
Her smile was short lived, however. When she stood up, her eyes locked on a large, brown, cat-like creature on the far shore. Its head was down as it lapped at the waters with its broad, pink tongue. Gabi froze for a second, unsure of what to do. Then she saw the cat raise its wide, flat head and lock its yellow eyes on her. Its ears flattened and it bared its long fangs at her. Terror gripped Gabi, and she squeaked and ran away from the creek bank as quickly as her legs would carry her.
The animal let out a deep, throaty scream, and she could hear it splash in the creek. Gabi hopped up on a log and tumbled back through the hole in the top of the bush. From her back, she saw a brown flash as the cat sailed over the hole. She could hear it skid to a halt, and it let out a long, fierce growl. Then she saw it leap over the bush and land on the log. Gabi rolled as far into the shelter as she could. Her eyes met one of the terrible slitted eyes of her stalker. Another terrifying growl echoed into the hole, and was followed a second later by a thick, clawed paw. The cat scratched around in a bid to grab Gabi. She let out a shriek as the paw nearly raked her leg.
“Go away,” she screamed at it. The cat ignored her and its paw groped for her again, inching ever closer.
She tried to make herself smaller and recoiled even deeper into the shelter. Something hard poked her in the shoulder. Her hand fell to it, and from the dirt she pulled a rock the size of a cell phone. The cat growled and lunged forth with its paw again, and Gabi flailed out with the rock. By chance she struck the animal in the side of the leg. There was a hiss and a jerk, and the animal retracted its deadly limb from the shelter, causing Gabi to lose her grip on the rock. It clattered to the dirt just below the hole above. Again the sinister eye peered at her.
“Go away,” she repeated as her voice became an ear piercing howl.
The animal growled and shoved its paw through the opening once more. Gabi shrieked as the paw edged closer to her. She could clearly see each hooked claw as they dug into the dirt just an inch from her body. Suddenly, Gabi heard two loud booms, like giant firecrackers, and the creature’s claws retracted and its leg hung limp.
Gabi whimpered and clutched at her ears as she expected the creature would start clawing at her again at any moment. She stared attentively at the paw in anticipation of a twitch, but instead she saw a trail of blood drip down the long, furry leg and onto the ground. She sniffed and wiped her eyes, and her muscles tensed as she waited for the creature to finish playing its cruel trick and swipe at her again.
Instead, the limp limb withdrew from the hole and there was a thump outside. Gabi looked to the opening in her shelter and saw a flash of blue, followed by a glimpse of dark hair and a pair of brown eyes. Human eyes.
“Anyone in there?” called a woman’s soft voice from outside.
Gabi didn’t respond.
Instead, she lay completely still, staring out of the gap at the woman’s tanned arm. She could not believe that there was another person here; she was sure that the fire had killed everyone in the giant metal pod. Gabi drew in a breath and held it.
“It’s okay to come out, I killed it,” the voice beckoned. Gabi heard a soft thump on the wood above, and again saw the woman’s eyes looking in at her. “You okay in there?”
“Y-yeah,” she stuttered softly.
The woman’s face disappeared for a moment, then reappeared right at the edge of the hole. The woman stretched both of her arms into the bush, her hands beckoning to Gabi. Cautiously she crawled closer until the woman’s hands crooked under Gabi’s armpits and heaved her out of the bush and into the bright daylight. Gabi squinted as her eyes adjusted to the sudden flood of light. Her savior wore blue pants and a white shirt caked in dried blood. Her left shoulder had a bandage taped to it, which was also bloodied. Two straps running down her front told Gabi that she wore a backpack. She smiled at Gabi as the wind teased her straight black hair, partially obscuring her almond shaped eyes.
“You’re pretty far out here, sweetie. Are you lost?”
Gabi nodded.
“What’s your name, sweetie?”
“I’m Gabrielle,” she replied. Gabi saw the woman’s smile evaporate for a second. “But if that’s too long, you can call me Gabi.”
The woman smiled again and said, “Alright, Gabi, short for Gabrielle. My name is Haruka.”
Gabi giggled. “That’s a funny name. Haruka. Hah ROOOOO Kah!”
Haruka chuckled softly. “Glad you like it. So where are your mom and dad?”
Gabi’s lip turned upward and she began to sob. Through her bleary eyes, she could see the woman’s smile turn to a frown. Her slender arms reached for Gabi, as if to comfort her. Gabi looked down at the dirt and cried.
Project Columbus: Omnibus Page 32
