Rivers of Orion

by Dana Kelly

  “He should’ve answered,” said Mike. “Nimbus, I’m worried. How do we get this door open?”

  “Shona could certainly smash it open, but I doubt we wish to draw that kind of attention.”

  “We might have to,” said Mike. “Lucky for us, this place is eerily quiet right now. I doubt anyone’s around to notice.”

  At that moment, hotel guests began filtering back in through the main entrance and side doors. Excited chatter filled the air. “It’s like a dream,” said an older man. “It’s so hard to remember details.”

  “Like a shared dream,” said his son. “I’ve never experienced anything like it!”

  The older man paused and glanced at Mike and Nimbus. “Having trouble getting into your room?”

  Mike held up his key and obscured its numbered plastic keychain. “It’s these old-world locks. They’re a little tricky sometimes.”

  “Excuse me, I don’t mean to be rude,” said the son, and he looked upon Mike with starstruck hope. “You’re… are you…?” He beamed and rested his hands just within his pockets. “If you’re not, I’m sorry, you just look so much like Prince Miguel!”

  “I get that a lot,” said Mike, and he smiled kindly.

  “I can see why,” said the son. “Well, have a good night!” The father opened their door, and they stepped inside. The son stole one last glance before closing the door.

  “Why did you deceive him?” Nimbus quietly asked.

  “I’d rather not draw a crowd until I know what’s going on with Orin,” said Mike. “Actually, I have an idea.” He stepped aside, facing the wall as he hunched over his phone, and Nimbus joined him. He entered Orin’s number into the t-net’s phone finder, and they soon heard it ringing from within Orin’s room.

  In time, nearby guests emerged to glare at Orin’s door. Muttering, most returned to their rooms, while others lingered with arms crossed. The couple right next door stormed off.

  “Good. That should do it,” said Mike.

  Nimbus furrowed her brow. “Explain?”

  Mike nodded toward the angry couple as they returned with the manager. “Probably drunk or high,” grumbled the manager, and he pounded on the door as he yelled, “Sir! Sir, please open the door!” Shaking his head, he retrieved his master key.

  As soon as he unlocked the door, Mike rushed the entrance, blocking the view inside. He offered an embarrassed smile to the manager. “I’m so sorry,” said Mike. “We ran over as soon as I realized.”

  Nimbus dashed inside and silenced Orin’s phone.

  Addressing the disgruntled guests, Mike held up his hands and cleared his throat. “I’m so sorry, everyone! I hope we can put this behind us.” He smiled awkwardly and nodded before turning swiftly around, closing the door, and locking it.

  “Mike Santos, something is wrong with Orin Webb!” said Nimbus. She regarded Mike with dread.

  “What’s that around his nose and mouth?” asked Mike.

  “I do not know,” said Nimbus. “It is green and powdery, and…” She pinched some of the fungal matter. “I do not know!”

  “We should save some of it if we can.” He hurried to the bathroom, dampened a washcloth, and removed the plastic wrap from the paper coffee cups. Walking to Orin’s bedside, he used his keychain to scrape a spore sample into the plastic wrap, and he tied it off. He wiped off Orin’s face with the washcloth and set it on the nightstand.

  Orin inhaled deeply, sharply, and he gasped awake. With bloodshot eyes, he sat up and coughed. “Thank God it’s you two,” he wheezed. Wincing, he got to his feet and leaned over the bed. “I’m parched. Can someone please get me something to drink?”

  Nimbus steadied him as Mike returned with some water. Between sips, Orin told them about his encounter with Ellylle. “Then she said she didn’t want me interfering, and I blacked out,” said Orin.

  “That news she hinted at—I bet that’s why Casey is calling a team meeting,” said Mike. “Do you feel okay to walk?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine,” said Orin, and he coughed out the last of Ellylle’s spores. “Let’s go see what she wants.” He donned his orange jacket and put on his boots.

  Moments later, Nimbus, Mike, and Orin joined the rest of Casey’s team. “You had me worried for a minute,” said Casey. “Did you pass out?”

  “Actually, yes,” said Orin. He and Mike told their comrades what had happened.

  “Well, I’m glad you’re okay,” said Casey. She retrieved her datapad and stood awhile in silence as the room quieted down. “I have terrible news.” She wore a pained look. “Everyone who was at Cavern Lake this morning is dead. Mike, Orin, Nimbus… I am so sorry.”

  “What?” asked Orin. “What does that mean? Our families were at Cavern Lake this morning! Torsha was at Cavern Lake this morning!”

  “Actually, that’s the one bit of good news in all of this. Torsha and Eridani are okay,” said Casey.

  “There’s been some mistake,” said Mike, and tears welled in his eyes. “Who told you this?”

  Woefully, Casey shook her head. “There’s been no mistake.”

  Nimbus trembled. “How… How did it happen?”

  Casey activated her datapad and played back Eridani’s message. Bitter tears filled his eyes as Orin learned of Thuraya's murder, and news of Bloodtusk’s death brought little comfort. Eridani related their families’ last moments. “I hope we can reach you in time to help,” she said, and the screen went dark.

  “No,” whispered Orin, and grief wracked his body. “Mom and Dad, you can’t be dead, because…” He looked pleadingly at April. “They can’t be dead! You can sense them, right? Can’t you?”

  April sniffed and shook her head. “I wish I could. I wish that more than anything.”

  Orin fell slowly to his knees, his mouth open in silent agony. He wrapped his arms around his head and crumpled into himself. “I can’t do this anymore,” he sobbed. “What do I do? Tell me what to do!” April knelt beside him and gently rested her hand on his back. “I don’t know what to do.”

  Fury and sorrow clashed within Mike’s gaze. Gritting his teeth, his chest shuddered with each woeful breath. “I’ll kill him,” said Mike. “I’ll rip him apart.”

  Shona took Mike’s hands into hers and pulled him in close.

  “Shona, I…” Mike faltered, and he surrendered to his grief. “Gabi,” he wept. “Oh my god, Gabi, I’m sorry!” His whole body shook. “Mamá… Papá, I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”

  Nimbus sat on the bed, shaking her head as she looked away. Over and over again, she wiped tears from her eyes. Cajun sat close and held her sidelong. “I miss my mom too,” he said. “They’re not gone, ya hear? They’re never really gone.” She folded into him, sobbing.

  ◆◆◆

  Orin placed a call. After a moment, Eridani answered. “Hey, Orinoco,” she said. “You got my message?”

  He sniffed, and grief surged right back to the surface. “I did.” He pressed away tears and forced a calming breath. Clearing his throat, he stared at the ceiling for a moment as he gathered his thoughts.

  “It’s okay. Take all the time you need,” said Eridani. “If you think it would be easier to do this in person, I invite you to project to my ship. I’d welcome your company.”

  “I wish I could, but I can only do that when I’m in my nightmare body,” said Orin. “Is a phone call okay?” The urge to cry overwhelmed him for a moment.

  “Of course, it’s okay,” said Eridani.

  Mike splashed water on his face as Orin and Eridani continued their conversation. “Schurke’s brought some heavyweights,” said Mike, and he glanced at Casey. “You’ve been in this business for years. You must have some ideas about how to take them down.”

  “Actually, I just got word my shuttle’s out of impound,” said Casey. “I recommend we all head back to Watchtower and set course for the nightmare gate. Schurke’s got the homefield advantage here, and I’d much rather face him on our own terms.”

  Mike turned around and c
rossed his arms. “You saw his roster. If we manage to take off before Meteor Mo smashes the shuttle flat, Frostshadow would portal as many of us out of there as she could before we got out of range, and Lafuega would shoot down whoever’s left inside! Even if we got past them somehow, Schurke’s here in person. That means his flagship is here too, and since he’s not about to let us leave, he’ll cripple Watchtower, or worse.”

  Casey sighed. “Well, shit. I hadn’t considered that. Give me a minute to think about it.”

  “Captain Cartwright, if I may, I would like to share my observations,” said Nimbus, and she pinched her nose with tissue paper.

  “Of course,” said Casey.

  “Simicron is a denshi-tengu capable of assuming heavily armored states,” said Nimbus. “Almost certainly, he will command the front line and share it with Meteor Mo. As Meteor Mo is highly mobile, he is likely to jump in and out of combat, coordinating his attacks with Lafuega and Frostshadow while they strike at range. Kodama will send his forest spirits to repair any damage his allies sustain. Even if Orin were able to shield us from their attacks, his power will fade in time. They will outlast us.”

  “I ain’t too keen on your observations,” said Malmoradan.

  Nimbus regarded him with a raised brow. “Patience, friend Malmoradan. I wasn’t finished.” She returned her attention to Casey. “Schurke picked these binaries because they fill key roles. His squad tactics are flawless. If we attack him and his team directly, we will lose.”

  “Which means we can’t come at him head on,” said Casey.

  “Correct!” said Nimbus.

  “Are you saying we should separate them, so we can take them on one at a time?” asked Shona.

  “Yes and no,” said Nimbus. “I believe we should focus on immobilizing and capturing them one at a time.” She indicated Shona’s lightning gun. “Furthermore, I was able to discover that Frostshadow was raised by a single mother who died when she was very young. Unfortunately, the details are attached to a criminal case, and I cannot access them without April’s help.”

  “But I could get into them, since I’m a cop,” said Casey. She squinted slightly and regarded Nimbus sidelong. “I feel like you’re suggesting I should fight dirty.”

  Nimbus smiled slyly. “All is fair in love and war, is it not, Captain Cartwright?”

  “I suppose so,” said Casey.

  “Because Schurke commands them, his binaries are either believers in his purported cause, or they have been brainwashed—and I highly doubt the latter,” said Nimbus.

  “If we can find the scars that turned them into believers, we might be able to exploit that,” said Casey. “At the very least throw them off their guard.”

  “Precisely,” said Nimbus. “Now we must select our arena. It will need to be a place that has ample cover and a preponderance of hiding places.”

  “On the way out of the starport, I saw streets full of abandoned buildings,” said Malmoradan. “If we can find a spot that borders that ghost town, we should be able to draw them in.”

  “Brilliant!” said Nimbus, and she grinned. “That is exactly what we need.”

  “Now, if only we had a man on the inside,” said Casey.

  “Nathaniel Knox may be such a man,” said April. “If we play our cards correctly, I believe he will turn against Lord Blösch.”

  “I think you’re on to something,” said Orin. He slipped his phone into his pocket and stepped close. Taking a moment to rub his eyes, he retrieved the bloom Ellylle had given him. “Ellylle made this special for Nathaniel. She said it would allow him to speak true.”

  “I’m not sure what that means exactly, but I’ve suddenly got a very good feeling about this.” Hope swelled within Casey as she thought of a plan. “Edison, Cajun, get over here!” With her team huddled around, she took a deep breath and nodded. “This is what we’re going to do…”

  ◆◆◆

  Dressed in their BICOM gear, Orin and Casey waited beneath an overpass two blocks over from the starport. Wind whistled through the empty streets. Up ahead, a shadowy figure approached. The end of his cigarette glowed bright, and he exhaled a cloud of blue smoke.

  “Constable Knox,” said Casey. “Thanks for coming.”

  “You’re late for dinner,” said Nathaniel, and he leaned against a concrete pillar some distance away. “Lord Blösch was expecting you at Jump the Moon five minutes ago.”

  Casey regarded him with disappointment. “Don’t lie to me. Blösch may have been expecting us five minutes ago, but dinner was never part of the plan. Admiral Schurke and his binaries are over there right now, staging an ambush.”

  Nathaniel chuckled dryly. “So, we’re not here to discuss community outreach after all.” With most of his face hidden in shadow, his eyes glinted as he smirked and tapped the ash from his cigarette. “Are we?”

  “No,” said Casey. “I had something else in mind.”

  “Where’s the rest of your team?”

  “They’re safe,” said Orin, and a halo of blue flames surrounded his hands.

  “You don’t scare me, kid,” said Nathaniel. He ground his cigarette out on the pillar. Amidst embers and ash, the cigarette butt tumbled to the asphalt below. “Officer Cartwright, why did you call me here?”

  “I’m curious,” said Casey. “Lord Blösch mentioned it, as I’m sure you remember, but crime in Sunset Beach really did take a nosedive since you started walking the beat. Except for missing persons cases. Those have skyrocketed. Why is that?”

  Nathaniel lit another cigarette. “It’s not what you think. I can tell you that much.”

  “What else can you tell me?” asked Casey.

  “I wish I could help you, for one. I hope you’ll win somehow, but I know you can’t,” said Nathaniel.

  “Why’s that?” asked Orin.

  Nathaniel nodded his way. “Let’s just say the numbers aren’t in your favor.”

  “We could change the numbers,” said Casey. “You could join me.”

  “I really wish I could,” said Nathaniel.

  She studied him intently. “You’re a binary—I know it. I felt it when I first saw you. Listen, if you’re UBA, I can help. I can help you.”

  Nathaniel smiled distantly and shook his head. “You almost got me, Cartwright. Almost. You sounded so damn sincere.”

  “So, you admit you’re a binary!” said Casey.

  “I can’t admit to something I’m not,” said Nathaniel.

  Casey’s phone buzzed, and Florin’s face appeared above his number. “Hold on a minute.” She tapped her commlink, answered the call, and started recording it. “Officer Cartwright speaking.”

  “It’s 8:15,” said Florin. “Are you having trouble finding the place?”

  “We’re taking the scenic route,” said Casey.

  “That seems unlikely,” said Florin. “Where are you, Officer Cartwright?”

  “Not far,” said Casey.

  “But not where you said you’d be,” said Florin.

  April’s voice came in over the commlink. “Someone is using the transmission towers to triangulate your position. I can bounce your signal for a little while, but I can’t make any promises if you don’t hang up in the next thirty seconds.”

  “Lord Blösch, you can stop pretending,” said Casey. “We know you’re working with Schurke.”

  Florin sighed. “I’d have preferred doing this at the tavern. Now we’ll have to track you down, and there could be significant collateral damage as a result! I’ll tell you what. If you and your team head over to Jump the Moon right now and hand Orin over peacefully, no harm will come to you. I swear it, on my seal of lordship.”

  “Casey, hang up!” said April, but Casey ignored her.

  “You can’t really make that promise though, can you? You have no idea what Schurke’s planning,” said Casey. “I think I’ll take my chances, thanks.”

  Cajun spoke into his commlink. “They’re on the move, mon Capitaine. Looks like they’re all headed for
the that sky bus.”

  “You’re joking,” said Florin, and he regarded Casey with a smug grin. “You have to be joking, because only an imbecile would fail to see that it’s hopeless winning a fight against Schurke’s binaries. You’re no imbecile, Officer Cartwright.”

  “It’s a longshot,” said Casey. “I’ll give you that much, but it’s not hopeless.”

  “They’re lifting off,” said Cajun. “Thought ya should know.”

  Suddenly the screen jostled, and Schurke appeared within the display. “Listen here, Cartwright! I’ve gone to great lengths to secure Orin Webb. You ignored a direct order when you refused to deliver him to the Ixion MABAS lab! Because of his participation in Falcon’s bloody and unprovoked attack against an independent fleet, Orin has been branded a traitor to his nation and deemed a war criminal! That’s a direct result of your actions. Now, the only hope for freedom he has left is in the care of the United Planets military.”

  Casey laughed. “We’re calling Blacktusk’s Buccaneers an independent fleet now, huh? As to the rest of that schlock, I have the contact info for a dozen rehab centers that can help you get clean today.”

  “You dare insult me,” growled Schurke.

  “Not at all,” said Casey. “I figure there’s only three ways you could actually believe all that garbage you just drummed up: one, you’re delusional; two, you’re an idiot, or three, you’re on drugs. Since you’re still an admiral, I figured it couldn’t be the first two. Well, maybe the second one, but my money’s on drugs.”

  “I could destroy Watchtower with the push of a button,” said Schurke.

  “Ah, but I’ve been recording this call,” said Casey. “And since binaries are believed to be involved, I wasn’t required to inform you of it beforehand. Unfortunately, the evidence Eridani collected against you only proves you’re militarizing binaries. The rest of it’s circumstantial, so proving you’re responsible for what you did at Cavern Lake will be very difficult, but…” Her tone grew menacing. “If you push that button and kill my deputies, this call is all the evidence I need to put you away for life. And if you think your status as a war hero will save you, you’ve never seen the IPF mobilize to avenge one of their fallen.”