Anna curled her lip in disgust at the image.
“And before I could wrap my head around that, this Croft guy showed up and took into custody the person that had signed my death warrant. I should have cheered about that, but there was something about the guy that terrified me more than your aunt Lilly did.”
Anna put her hand on his. Her hand was warm and soft.
“The truth is, Anna, I’m not sure who the good guys are anymore. This actually hurts me to say, but your aunt Lilly may be right. If there are more of those ships coming, conventional weapons will be like trying to kill a bear with a BB gun. Alecto and your aunt Lilly may be our only hope. So I’m coming with you. And yeah, partly it’s because Sewell may make good on his implied threat if I try to go home. But mostly it’s because after what I saw down there, I can’t just go to classes and play on my PS4 and write poetry while I wait for those bastards to come back and annihilate us.”
Anna smiled. “Jack Wilson. Freedom fighter.”
Jack shook his head. “You mean Steve Harper, fighting because he’s afraid not to.”
16
ERIKA
Erika wasn’t dead. At least not yet. For the first time in her life, she was disappointed to wake and find herself still alive. She was cold, hungry and ached from eyebrows to little toes. But the fire in her veins was gone and she was no longer nauseous.
“So they didn’t kill me.”
Erika assumed she was alone, but Xenos responded, “You will recover.” Her voice was flat and even.
After Xenos had been caught helping them, even if it was against her will, Erika assumed the Conexus would kill her. “I didn’t know you were here. I’m glad they didn’t – well, you know …” Xenos was a shadowy silhouette kneeling on the ground a few feet from her.
“I do not understand.”
“Terminate you. Why did they decide to let you live?”
“I do not know the answer to your question. I am not interfaced with the collective mind of the Conexus. But I do know that though I am Infractus, I have a purpose.”
“And what purpose is that?”
“I can communicate well with humans. Do you require nourishment?”
Erika’s stomach grumbled so loudly, she thought people back on Earth could probably hear it. Even the dense, viscous drink and bark-bar she’d had before sounded appetizing.
“Yes. I think I could use something to eat. How many days has it been since I got sick?” Erika tried to push herself up. This time she was able to manage to sit up, but as soon as her upper body went vertical, her head throbbed.
“You were ill for ten rotations.”
Erika had no idea how long a rotation was. Without a window to the outside world or knowledge of the size and spin of the planet, one rotation could be minutes or many Earth days.
“Are Dr. Randall and Ian still here?” Erika blinked her eyes, trying to see in the dim light.
“The Conexus have taken Dr. Randall away.”
“To where?”
“I do not know.”
Each time they took Dr. Randall, he came back more gaunt and tired looking than he’d been when he left. If we don’t get out of here soon, they’ll kill him.
“And Ian?” Erika searched the room, but her eyes were still blurry. She couldn’t see much past a few feet in front of her.
“Your companion is here. He still has the sickness. He has not begun bleeding yet, but he soon will.”
“What do you mean by bleeding?”
“It is the sickness you were given. Before it takes the life of the host, it causes bleeding. Most often from the nose first. Then the mouth. Last they bleed from the eyes.” Xenos told her of the bleeding in the same deadpan voice she always spoke in. And she talked about it as though she had seen it many times.
Erika forced her body up from the floor. When she got to her knees, her head swam with wooziness. She stayed in a crouched position for a few seconds, allowing her head to get used to being upright. As soon as the feeling that she would faint passed, Erika rose onto her wobbly legs.
Though the room was quite small, it was so dark – her eyes still so tired – that she had difficulty seeing. She searched the shadows. There was a lump lying on the floor less than five feet from her.
Erika’s feet were like lead. “Xenos, could you please get me some nourishment? And some for Ian too. We need to keep our strength up.”
“I will do as you request though the male will not be able to keep the nourishment inside him.”
“Maybe. But we’ve gotta try.”
Xenos waved her hand and there was a slight breeze on Erika’s face as the door opened. There was a fleeting thought of escape that scampered across her mind, but she let it go. She wasn’t strong enough to face down a Conexus, and Ian was in no condition to run.
She knelt beside Ian, and before she touched him, she could feel the heat coming off his body. He’s racked with fever. Erika touched her hand to his forehead. Ian’s skin was dry and hot. Remembering what Xenos had said, Erika touched Ian’s face. First his eyes then nose and lips. Her hand came away from his face dry. She sighed with relief.
“Ian?” Erika whispered.
There was no response.
She put her hand to his throat, feeling for a pulse. At first she felt nothing but his hot skin beneath her fingers. Panic welled inside her. But a dead man would be cool to the touch, not burning with fever. Erika took another deep breath to calm herself and pushed her fingers more firmly against his throat. Finally, she felt the slow beat of Ian’s blood through the artery in his neck.
“Hang in there, Ian. Please. I’ll find a way to get you out of here. I … I can’t lose you.” Erika’s shaky hand wiped the tears from her cheeks.
Frustration swelled inside her. There was nothing she could do to help her friend. She had no soup to soothe him nor cool cloths to lay on his forehead and ease his fever. There were no blankets to thwart his chill. She could do nothing but hold his hand and pray for a miracle.
Erika tried to remember what her mom did for her when she was sick as a child. As a child, Erika was rarely sick. Her dad had said she was blessed with his hearty genes, to which her mom would roll her eyes. “The Martinez women live into their nineties, and the Holt men die before they hit seventy. So how do you come up with that?” her mom would chide. Whether it was genes or luck, Erika was blessed with good health.
The few times Erika caught a cold or flu, Erika’s mom turned into supermom. It was as if crisis urged her mom into pulling it together. She’d keep Erika comfortable with fluffed pillows, make her tea with honey, cook homemade chicken tortilla soup for her (“Chiles and garlic are good for whatever ails you,” her mom would say), and help Erika to the bathroom if her stomach was unwell.
Erika hadn’t been sick since her father died. She somehow had willed herself to remain healthy. And she’d all but forgotten what a good nurse her mom could be.
The memory of her mom’s tortilla soup made Erika’s stomach rumble again and fresh tears fall from her eyes. Mom, what would you do if you were here?
The door swooshed open. A small, shadowy figure moved silently toward Erika.
“The nourishment you require,” Xenos said.
Erika took the small cup of liquid and choked it down. Though she longed for cool water, it was the best she figured she’d get. Erika greedily chewed the pulpy bar of so-called food. It tasted no better than it had the first time she’d eaten it, but she was so hungry she didn’t care.
Erika took the second cup and knelt to Ian once again. “Ian, come on. You have to have something in that belly. I know you’d prefer your nana’s pasole, but this is all I’ve got.” Erika put her hand behind his head and tried to force his head up.
Ian’s hair was soaked with sweat. He was unresponsive save for a moan of pain when she moved him.
“I’m sorry.” Erika gently laid his head back down. She stood and faced Xenos. “Why am I getting better but he’s not?”
&
nbsp; “You were given the medicine that stops the sickness. He was not.”
“So they have an antiviral? But why give it to me and not him?”
“I do not have the answers to all of your questions. I am Infractus, not Conexus.”
Erika took the small Infractus by her shoulders and shook her. “I don’t care what you are. You have to get that antiviral and get it now. For Ian. We can’t just sit and watch him die! You’re supposed to keep us alive, remember? So do your duty. Help him.”
The tray and cup that Xenos had been holding clattered to the floor. A small cry of surprise escaped her lips, but she didn’t attempt to free herself from Erika’s angry grip. “I am unable to assist you further.”
“Just go get a syringe full of the stuff and bring it back.”
“I cannot help you.”
“Why?”
Erika shook her again but harder. Her fingers dug into Xenos’ thin flesh. Xenos was so slight of build, so thin and seemingly lacking in muscle under her clothes, Erika was briefly afraid she might break her arms. But Erika was no longer able to hold back her anger and fear and worry.
“I cannot help you because I no longer have access to that portion of Tro. I have been told. I have been warned. If I attempt to go there, I will be extinguished.”
Erika looked into the creature’s eyes in an attempt to see the truth. But it was impossible to gauge truth by looking into eyes that merely reflected back rather than revealed what was within.
Erika backed away from Xenos. Her hands were balled into fists at her sides. Her stomach no longer rumbled with hunger, but her head still throbbed in pain, and her back ached like she had been beaten. She was so completely sick of the world of the Conexus. So fed up with the dark and illness and lack of food. The thought of wringing Xenos’ neck occurred to her, not because it would get her out of the place but because she needed to lash out.
Erika’s conscience quickly dashed the thought, but the fury within frightened her. She hadn’t even eaten animal flesh for over five years so that no living thing would die for her to live. She had begged Tex not to take the lives of Sturgis’ soldiers back on Earth. And now the dank world of the Conexus had forced her so low that she was having murderous thoughts.
I’m going mad here. “Xenos, I’m sorry for hurting you. I didn’t mean to. It’s just that Ian is my best friend. He’s like family to me.”
No, that wasn’t right. Ian wasn’t like family. He was family.
“Look. Maybe you can’t go to the place where they keep the antiviral. But there’s got to be a way. Tex … That’s it. If you could find him. Bring him to us. Maybe he could –”
There was a slight breeze as the door swooshed open. Dr. Randall was pushed into the room. He fell to the ground a few feet away from Erika. The doors slid shut before Erika had a chance to bolt through.
She went to Dr. Randall. “Are you okay? Did they hurt you again?”
Dr. Randall lifted a hand, and Erika reached for it, helping him up. He was more gaunt than last she’d seen him and his eyes more tired. “Don’t worry about me. I’m glad to see that you’re doing better. How is your friend?”
“Not well.”
“I was afraid of that. They took you but not him.”
“They must have given me an antiviral.”
Dr. Randall nodded.
“Why would they give the antiviral to me and not him?”
“Perhaps they were testing it. Who knows? But I do know this. If we do not find a way to acquire the antiviral for him soon, your friend will die. And I’m afraid I’m not long for this world – or any other, for that matter.”
“Did they give you the virus as well?”
“Not yet. But I can see their frustration with me. I’m not exactly being cooperative. My guess is that they’ll put up with me for only a few more days.”
“Then we’ve got to not only get the antiviral for Ian, but get the hell off this planet.”
Dr. Randall nodded but didn’t offer a suggestion or hope. He held out his hand to her. “Please, my dear, help this old man to the ground. I need to rest.”
Erika did as requested and helped Dr. Randall to the hard floor. “Xenos, Dr. Randall needs liquid. Water, if you have it. Can you go get him water?”
“Don’t bother,” Dr. Randall said. “They know that we know water is their Achilles’ heel. They wouldn’t risk us getting our hands on it.”
“But if Ian doesn’t get some water soon, he’ll die.”
“I’m afraid that’s the point.”
“Well, I can’t just sit here and watch you two die. I’ve got to get the antiviral.”
“You’ll never get past the Conexus.”
Dr. Randall was a genius. He had, after all, created Tex. Surely he could think of a way out of their mess. But instead he spat on every idea that came out of Erika’s mouth. She wanted to lash out at him, but she pulled herself back from it. Dr. Randall was old and tired. He’d been grilled by the Conexus, and though he had not spoken of what they did to him, each time he came back, he looked even more tired and in pain. They must be torturing him.
“We know their weakness. And they must have water to make that crappy drink they give us. If we could somehow find the source of the water, then we might have a chance,” Erika said.
Dr. Randall chuckled softly. “If we were at A.H.D.N.A., we could crank up the humidity and walk right past them. But we’re not at A.H.D.N.A.” Dr. Randall took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. “I’m sorry, Erika. The lack of oxygen and my meetings with the Conexus have worn me out. I’m not thinking as clearly as I’d like.”
They were quiet for a few minutes, then Erika asked, “The drinks that you bring us. Where does the water come from to make those? Are there pipes or something from the outside or from deeper in the ground?”
“Pipes?”
Dr. Randall tried to help. “You know, tubes. Umm – hollow cylinders that carry the water.”
“Cylinders of water. Yes, I know of these. It is ancient from the time before the Age of the Regina. From the Ancestors. They created the cylinders. Many no longer function properly. The Conexus attempt to hide their fear, but they worry much for their future if all of the cylinders of liquid fail. We do not need much water, but we do require some.”
Erika couldn’t care less if the Conexus all shriveled up and died. Maybe that’s why they want to kill us – so they can take our watery planet for themselves. But there were pipes that carried water. If we can burst them, it will flood. Maybe …
“Xenos, you have to take me to the cylinders of water. Now.” Erika moved toward her.
Xenos shrank from Erika, perhaps remembering the pain of Erika’s fingers as they dug into the flesh of her upper arms. “I-I cannot –”
“You will.” Erika grabbed her again. “I have to help him, do you understand? I won’t sit here and watch him die. If I have to hurt you to help Ian, I will. Do you understand me?” Erika shook the Infractus hard enough to make her bulbous head wobble like a bobblehead on her neck.
“It’s no use harming her, Erika. She cannot think for herself. None of them can,” Dr. Randall said. “They know only the will of the collective and the orders they’re given by the Regina. And even if you manage to get the antiviral, we’ll perish here anyway. One way or another.”
“Maybe. But I’m not going down without a fight. And I’m not going to let either of you go down without a fight, either. Now get up. You’re going with us.”
Dr. Randall looked up at her but didn’t get up off the ground. “Going where?”
“Not sure exactly. But we’re going to walk the damned halls of this hell until we find us some pipes of water.”
“And what about the Conexus?”
Erika didn’t know how to combat the Conexus’ telepathic weapon. So far, they’d failed to protect themselves, armed with nothing but hope. But she wasn’t about to die a slow painful death in a dark room while watching Ian waste away to nothing beside her. And Dr.
Randall needed encouragement, so she balled her hand into a fist and smacked it into her other hand. “We’re physically stronger than them. Ignore the pain and take them out before they take us out.”
Dr. Randall smiled and gave a nod.
Who knows, it might even work.
17
JACK
After twenty-four hours in the car, any hint of excitement Jack might have felt about his first road trip across country was gone. He made a game out of counting armadillo carcasses on the side of the road, their tiny feet sticking up in the air as if they’d been placed upside down. But after a couple hundred miles of flat Texas dust and roadkill, he was bored out of his skull.
Anna stopped for gas somewhere between Odessa and Lubbock. Jack offered to pump, as he had the prior times she’d stopped. She said she had it. Jack was a bit tired of Anna taking care of everything. She insisted on doing most of the driving, and she was paying for everything. The least she could do was let him be of some use and pump the damned gas.
“Suit yourself. I’m gonna grab some caffeine. Want anything?”
“Mm, what do I want?” Anna stared blankly at the digital numbers on the gas pump churning the bill higher and higher. “Oh, I know what sounds good. A big sour pickle. And a cherry coke. Not diet.”
“You’re really living on the edge today, Anna.”
He wandered the aisles more to stretch his legs than out of a need to peruse the merchandise. Every twenty-four-hour pit stop was pretty much the same as the last.
Jack found Anna’s fat dill pickle on the counter in the front. He dropped some sodas, a huge cup of coffee, various bags of chips and Anna’s pickle on the counter.
“On a road trip?” the guy said as he handed Jack the change.
“Yeah.” Jack stuffed the money into his pocket. “Hey, what day is it?”
“Um, Friday.”
“No, I mean the date. What’s today’s date?”
The man looked up at Jack like he’d grown two heads. “Man, you really are on a trip, huh?” He chuckled. “It’s the twenty-third, man. October 23.” He put emphasis on October like Jack might be so out of it, he didn’t know the month.
H.A.L.F.: The Makers Page 11
