“Just go away,” Keryn replied with little conviction. “Just leave me alone.”
I can’t do that either, the Voice said, spouting a familiar rhetoric. We’re stuck together forever, you and I. And if we are both going to die, it won’t be today in a snow covered graveyard where we may never be found again. If we’re going to die, it will be in a blaze of glory. But we can’t do that unless you get back up and keep moving. Now, get up. Just make it a few more steps, and then you can start feeling sorry for yourself again.
Keryn pushed herself up, using a nearby tree for support. Her knees cried in angry defiance as she tried to straighten her legs again. The cold had settled deeply into her bones during her brief reprieve from walking and now each step sent explosions of pain through her legs. Still, the Voice cried in her head, driving her forward even as her own thoughts sunk into the dark recesses of her mind. The memory of her shared kiss with Adam rose to the forefront of her mind and, with the Voice taking control of her movements, she lost herself in the memory. She remembered the feel of his strong arms around her back, pulling her body toward his. His warm breath had danced across her lips as they leaned into one another, her body melting into his strong embrace. Their lips had met and she had hungrily leaned in for more as explosions of pleasure rippled down her spine. Though she knew she had to leave him soon, she had held tightly to the sides of his face as they kissed, their tongues probing on another’s mouth first playfully, then passionately. She had wanted more, even then, but…
Wake up and look, the Voice yelled, the strength of its words striking her awake better than any physical blow.
Keryn felt the memory fade into her subconscious again as the aches of her body slowly reemerged. Looking ahead, her eyes grew wide. After all this time, she had finally found the stream again. Though the freezing winter had killed the jungle and dumped feet of snow over all surfaces, the stream still bubbled happily across her path, unfrozen from the arctic winds. Glancing upstream, she watched the waterfall slowly dump its contents into the pool below. The waterfall no longer roared as water rolled over its edge. Instead, the water fell in swollen droplets, as though the surface of the water itself had congealed in the cold, revealing a small erosion-worn cavern behind the once proud waterfall. Remembering her painful splash into the water, Keryn leaned forward and pushed on the surface of the water. The tension remained buoyant and strong, if not a little more solid than she remembered. The memory of her first encounter with the stream also reminded her of something else: Penchant had found a way to cross just a little ways downstream. Turning to her right, she walked down the stream just a short distance until she found the large rocks jutting from the water’s surface.
Keryn walked gingerly over the impromptu bridge and climbed up the short cliff face. With a higher vantage point, she was able to watch the waterfall dump its contents slowly into the gathering pool below. Between the waterfall and her location, however, something else caught her eye. Protruding from the snow was a dirty brown object, standing out clearly in the continual twilight against the pristine white snow. She walked down the sloped ground as she approached the object, silently swearing at her stiff joints. Keryn reached the object and bent down, picking up the surprisingly lightweight item in her hand. Holding it up in examination, her face fell. She twisted the large white feather in her hand, looking at the dried brown blood that coated its surface.
Tossing the feather to the side, Keryn dropped to her knees and started digging through the snow. Though the cold bit at her fingers and burned her skin, she continued digging, exposing first an arm, then a torso. She pushed the snow free in heaps, clearing away the drift on both legs and around the wings. Dreading the inevitable, Keryn cleared away the snow that had collected over the golden hair and face. Stumbling away from the body, Keryn collapsed in the snow and covered her mouth, suppressing the cry of anguish she wanted to let out. Lying uncovered and broken on the rocks near the stream, Cerise’s body rested where it had fallen, undisturbed over the past two weeks.
One wing lay at an odd angle, the thin bone shattered from the collision with the stone surface. One leg and part of Cerise’s skull had suffered a similar fate. The other wing was missing, severed cleanly near the back. The rest of her torso was peppered with holes of varying size; gunshot wounds that had torn through her body. The dark, dried blood surrounded her body and soaked into the bag on her hip. Keryn’s imagination told her the tale. The Terrans fighters had gone off in search of survivors. Wherever Cerise had been, she was caught unaware of the danger and had flown away, skimming the treetops in an attempt not to be seen. But white against the deeply dark jungle, she had been easy to spot. The fighter had opened fire on her; bullets tearing through her soft flesh and severing her wing. Keryn could see her spiraling out of control, her body ripping through the tree limbs before slamming into the rocks below, her fingertips dipping into the cool waters of the stream. Shot, bleeding, broken. Cerise had struggled, broken on the rocks, trying to gasp for air through lungs that had been pierced by both gunfire and broken ribs. Alone, scared, and in the darkness, Cerise had died on these rocks. Keryn cried uncontrollably as the scene played out in her mind.
The Voice let the silence build for a while, allowing Keryn to cry herself dry, before speaking. We need to go, it said comfortingly. We can’t stay here.
In her mind, Keryn could feel the Voice tugging, wanting to say more. “Just say it,” she said, feeling defeated.
We need her pants and bag, it said, devoid of the emotions that Keryn felt welling inside of her. It was true that she and the Voice were two very different people. Keryn wished she could stare introspectively, letting the Voice see her displeasure.
Your own pants are still soaked from the trip through the sewers, it said, explaining. Hers are treated, which means that they’re relatively waterproof and a lot warmer than your thin pants. And if she has any food in her bag, you’ll need it to keep up your strength.
Keryn sat, unhappy with the advice but knowing the truth of the Voice’s words. Still, she couldn’t escape a simple realization: if Cerise was dead, what hope was there that the Cair Ilmun was still intact?
Reaching forward, she unhooked the bag from Cerise’s hip. She twisted the latch, which was resistant after being frozen for so long. Peering inside, Keryn’s heart leapt in her chest. She pulled free a grain bar and, unwrapping it, reveling in the nutty flavors as she took a bite. The first bit of real food in two weeks protested in her empty stomach, but didn’t stop her from ravenously finishing the food. Shifting aside the remaining grain bars, Keryn discovered the first aid kit that all members of the team traditionally carried. Near the bottom of the bag, Keryn paused as her fingertips brushed against a filmy material, its thick mesh feeling too good to be true. Turning the bag upside down, she dumped out the contents. The food and first aid kit tumbled into the snow, followed by a flowing silver cloth, which floated to the ground. Grabbing it before it could reach the snowy surface, Keryn pulled the deep space blanket to her chest in elation, her concerns and mourning temporarily forgotten as her basic need for survival overrode her worries. Used for deep space travel where temperatures inside cabins would plummet while crews attempted to conserve fuel, the blankets were thin and lithe, easily packet into most any container, but capable of keeping crewmen warm in almost any temperatures. To Keryn, it was her personal savior.
I think it’s time we went to sleep, the Voice said, echoing her own sentiments.
Solemnly removing Cerise’s hide pants, Keryn pushed the snow back over her teammate so that she wouldn’t be found by any Terran patrols. Turning toward the waterfall, Keryn skirted around the outside of the pond, cautiously moving across the slippery stones, until she was able to climb into the exposed cavern behind the falls. She stripped free of her pants, donning the warmer hide pair, and collapsed into the warm blanket. With it enveloping her like a glove, Keryn hardly noticed the discomfort of lying on the hard, stone ground before she was sound asleep.
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Keryn awoke more refreshed than what she had in many months, but unsure of how long she slept or whether the darkness around her was day or night. Stretching, she felt the stiffness that had settled over her body from sleeping on the hard rocks. Her neck ached and her shoulders were sore, but she reveled in the pain, knowing how much better her body felt as a whole. Donning the waterproof boots once more, she packed her supplies back into the pack and slung it over her head and shoulder, letting it droop at her waist. Eating a quick breakfast consisting of a grain bar, she stepped out of the overhead cover, feeling more confident than she had since the Terran arrival. Still, she couldn’t shake the inevitable feeling that continuing her quest was a waste of time.
“Why even keep searching for the ship?” Keryn asked to the empty air, knowing that the Voice was listening. As she took another bite of food, the weight of her mission weighed heavily on her shoulders. “Cerise is dead, which means McLaughlin was left alone. He wouldn’t have survived without treatments. So can I expect the Cair Ilmun to still be intact as well?”
Would you be able to return to Miller’s Glen without knowing, the Voice asked, sounding as though it were standing beside her. The question struck a chord within Keryn. Your own doubts would tear you apart if you don’t finish here with definitive proof one way or the other.
Satisfied and refreshed, Keryn set off through the snow, heading toward the answer to her burning question: did they still have a way off this planet? The trek through the snow seemed easier today, her body stronger and warmer, making her strides more powerful. After only a half hour of walking, Keryn started to recognize landmarks. A jutting stone that she had passed upon their arrival protruded from the snow on her left. A twisted tree that was full of leave two weeks ago still drooped over the trail, its now barren fingers reaching toward her hair. Keryn slowed her pace and pulled out her pistol, knowing that the grotto lay not much further ahead. Crouched and moving cautiously, she moved up to the edge of the clearing and peered through the darkness.
Crestfallen, Keryn looked around at the debris that littered the grotto. Shards of metal lay strewn throughout the area, some having been blown apart with enough force to be lodged into the trees around the grotto. The ground itself was pot marked with small craters, the type that would have been caused by repeated explosions of fuel cells igniting under intense heat. Looking across the clearing, she frowned at what remained of the Cair Ilmun: a skeletal ship and shredded engines melted and fused to one another in an unflattering orgy of metal.
Keryn leaned against the nearest tree and lowered her pistol as she drank in the sight. Her one hope for escape had been taken from her and her mind whirled at the ordered effects from the ship’s destruction. The trio no longer had a clear plan for escape and would now have to rely on a new plan, one that she struggled even now to formulate. The only ships that remained on the planet were under tight control of the Terrans, who would never relinquish one of their ships without a grueling and deadly fight. The trio just didn’t have the firepower to stand against the Terrans, not without help from the other survivors of Miller’s Glen. But even the survivors were hesitant to help; their spirits had been crushed with the loss of so many friends and family during the bombing and their bodies, after two weeks of hard manual labor, were a reflection of their spirits. Somewhere there was an answer, but Keryn was pretty sure she wouldn’t have it until she had a chance to meet with the others.
Turning back toward town, Keryn took a hesitant step away from the wreckage when a booming voice erupted from the darkness behind her.
“There she is,” it roared, the voice’s words were slurred and hard to understand. “I told you they’d come back for their ship!”
Keryn glanced fervently over her shoulder. Behind her, green eyes flared to life in the darkness; pinpoints of light glowing like savage creatures hunting their startled prey. Stepping into the grotto, Keryn saw the sleek black uniforms and assault rifles of the Terrans, their eyes glowing brightly from behind their masks.
Night vision goggles, the Voice said, as they both cursed themselves for not realizing the Terran patrols would be so well equipped.
Stepping up beside the Terrans and dwarfing them with his sheer size, Keryn stood in disbelief at the disfigured Oterian who cried out in fury. “Recognize me, you bitch?” Cardax screamed over the short distance. “Take a good look at what you did to me. Look at me one last time before I kill you, you whore!”
Most of Cardax’s fur was gone; the tan, leathery skin underneath was warped from blisters that refused to heal. His right arm hung limply at his side, its once impressive size withered, blackened, and shriveled. Keryn’s eyes lingered on two wide scars running across his chest, the blatant marks of the torture he had endured while her prisoner. Most startling, however, was what remained of his face. The skin on the right side of his face looked like running wax, melting down the side of his cheeks and running over the side of his mouth, causing the slurred speech she had heard earlier. His ear on the side of his head was missing and she saw no sign of the ear canal that should have been there in its stead. His horn was also missing on that side of his body, though the other one still glittered venomously in the darkness.
Keryn was honestly stunned that Cardax managed to survive the bombing of Miller’s Glen. The room in which he had been kept had been decimated in the explosion, the heat from the blast lifting the walls and ceiling from the room and scorching the floor. She could only imagine his anguish as, strapped to the chair, he was unable to escape as the flames rolled over his body. He had every right to be furious, but she couldn’t find a justification for him siding with the Terrans
“So you sold your soul to the devil for a little retribution,” she spat angrily.
“I’ve made new friends,” Cardax hissed, spittle flying from his mouth. “And you, you slut, are as good as fucking dead now.” He turned to the Terran standing beside him. “Kill the bitch.”
The Terran turned toward Cardax, glaring with obvious disdain. After a pause, he turned back toward his soldiers. “Kill her.”
Keryn was already running before the Terran commander was able to give the order. Rounds slammed into the trees as she ran, weaving along the path that she made on her approach to the grotto. She stopped occasionally to fire behind her, once striking one of the Terrans who chased her. Though he was hit solidly in the chest, he quickly climbed back to his feet.
“Damn it,” Keryn growled. “Of course they would have body armor.”
She ran on, firing just often enough to discourage her pursuers. Their automatic weapons, however, continued to punch holes into the snow around her and splinter the trees throughout the jungle. After a short time, Keryn saw the stream rolling past up ahead. Sliding into the clearing, she scrambled for purchase on the icy rocks as she tried to stop her momentum. She turned and ran toward the rock bridge she had crossed before her night’s sleep; rounds ricocheted off the stone outcroppings behind her as she fled. She pointed her weapon behind her and fired a couple more rounds, sneering in frustration when she heard the click of the bolt sliding to the rear. Her magazine was empty. She pressed the magazine release and let it fall into the snow as she pulled her last magazine off her belt. Keryn slammed the new magazine into the well as she bounded gracefully across the stones.
Landing on the far side of the river, she leapt to the ground as she saw more green eyes emerging from the trees to her left. Their automatic fire tore through the air above her head as she scrambled for cover. The pursuers on the far side of the river, including the infuriated Cardax, ran from the trees on that side just as Keryn, still firing, found a large rock behind which to hide. Rounds now struck the rock from two sides, both from the Terrans on the far side of the river and from those on her side who were approaching from downstream. The bullets gouged chunks of rock from the boulder she was behind and she cursed again.
“Armor piercing rounds?” she screamed. “You have got to be kidding me! Is there anything you all
did not bring with you?”
In response, the Terrans fired another volley. Sweat that had nothing to do with the exertion from running ran down her face and traced the curve of her back. The heavily armed and armored Terrans were closing in on her position quickly.
Let me help you, the Voice whispered enticingly in her ear. We can make it out of this situation if you let me help you.
“No,” she yelled into the darkness. “I won’t let you take over again!”
As though to prove her point, she spun around the stone and opened fire on the closest Terran. The first couple rounds struck his body armor, driving him to his knees but not killing him. She adjusted her fire and her next round caught him in his exposed neck. Blood sprayed across the white snow as the Terran gurgled and pitched forward. She continued firing, her next round aimed at the unarmored leg of the Terran behind him, striking him between the thigh and knee plates. The round tore through the insulated pants, ripping the soldier’s leg from under him. Off balance, he fell to the snow, bringing his face on level with her aim point. She squeezed the trigger and one of the two green lights vanished on his face plate. The round pierced his eye and exited the back of his skull, stopping only when it struck the heavily armored helmet. The other two Terrans on her side of the stream ducked for cover while the far side opened with another barrage. Keryn dove back for cover behind her boulder.
She clutched her pistol to her chest as she took a mental inventory. She still had grenades, but only one was a high explosive. The others, smoke and flash grenades, would be useful, but she needed killing power. Beyond her grenades, she had fired enough rounds that she had no more than…
One, the Voice interrupted, its mental faculties free to do math while Keryn fought. You only have one round left. Are you ready for me to take over yet?
“I’ll never let you take over again,” she whispered, her frustration stinging her eyes. She paused as she examined her options. The two Terrans who had taken cover before were now advancing on her position. Cardax still screamed at her from across the stream
Purge of Prometheus Page 14
