A poor job. If she'd paid for it in a salon she probably would have set Cal on the hairdresser. The tips of her hair shone blonde but black patches showed through the rest.
She sighed. It was a good thing it would be dark.
"Nova," Ringer said from the door.
"Yeah?"
"I'm ready to take those bots down if you're decent."
She opened the door.
Ringer looked at her patchy hair and wet shirt and burst into laughter. "You trying to make yourself pretty before you leave?" he asked between chuckles.
Nova scowled and slammed the door shut behind him.
"It's part of the plan."
"Are you sure?" he asked. "Because it looks like it's not going according to plan."
Nova rolled her eyes. "It could have come out better."
"So what, you have a special man waiting for you on the outside?"
Her scowl deepened. "No. It's part of the plan, a disguise."
"I think they'll definitely be confused."
"Oh, get out of here." Nova shoved him towards the robots.
Ringer chuckled. "I bet Carter takes one look at you and changes his mind about your plan."
"Just get the bots down there. We've only got twenty-four hours."
"I know. Game of cards before you leave?"
"Sounds good. Come back when you've delivered those. Hopefully by then I'll be dry."
Ringer laughed and hoisted the two labourbots under his arms, making the monstrosities look like cardboard cut-outs. "Back in a tic."
***
"Seven, and I believe I win again," Nova said.
Ringer threw his cards to the floor with a curse. "Grishnak! I don't know how you do it."
"I couldn't let you win right when I'm leaving," she said. "That would ruin everything I've been trying to build."
Ringer laughed. "I would have thought you'd let me win as an apology for leaving me here."
Nova frowned. "You told me you wanted to—"
"I'm joking, I'm joking."
He gathered up the cards and dealt another round. "So everything's sorted?"
Nova's stomach twisted. "Yeah."
She was doing her best to focus on the game but if truth be told, Ringer had nearly beaten her in the last hand. She just couldn't stop panicking. Her heart jerked around in her chest and her feet wouldn't stay still.
"You'll be fine," Ringer said.
"Yeah."
"Just be careful with that radiation field. I saw a man go like that once. It's not pretty, and it's not worth it."
"What happened?"
She could almost hear time ticking away but part of her wanted to know what to expect if things went badly. The armoured labourbots should work, but if she'd missed a crack, or if a screw came loose; they'd be dead in seconds.
"It was horrible," said Ringer. "Tim Bucklin was his name. He just couldn't take it here. He didn't belong. The Confederacy sent him here based on some made up bullshit. The truth being that he dared to speak out about some of the shit going on in the Resources Sector."
Nova nodded. That was pretty much what got her here, with some additional charges.
"People picked on him all the time. I didn't mind the guy. He was super clever; just not very tough. I tried to stand up for him once but it got me beaten to a pulp, that was before I met Carter. Kept to myself after that. Poor Tim. He just got worse and worse. A few too many knocks to the head and he stopped making sense. He lost all that cleverness I mentioned and became just another raving lunatic.
"People mostly left him alone after that. I suppose even here people feel sorry for the crazies. He spent about a year wandering around the Outer tents. He ate whatever he found. A lot of it was poisonous so he spent half his days eating and the other half throwing his guts up everywhere.
"The radiation in the plants made him lose his hair, then his teeth. His skin went all yellow, then his eyes. He looked like a walking corpse towards the end. Bits of skin flaked off everywhere he went and he had massive sores that leaked all over the place. You always got out of his way if you saw him coming, in case it was contagious."
"This one day his sickness was really bad. I was sitting around the Mids at that point. I watched him walking along. He'd go three steps and then throw up all over his feet. Another three steps, vomit. It went on and on all up the road towards the guard tower. When he got close enough I saw that there was a lot of blood in that vomit. There were chunks too, I dread to think what of, because it wasn't food; probably his stomach lining.
"It must have been agony for him to walk up the road like that. It hurt me just to watch it. If I'd been in his position I would have just curled up and died where I was. Not Tim though. He kept on going, hobbled all afternoon. He moved so slowly, what with having to throw up every few steps, but he kept going.
"He made it to the Inners and headed straight for the guard's area. He didn't speak to any of us on his way. I think he was mentally preparing himself for the end. You could see it in his eyes. They were dead but determined."
Ringer shivered. "Still makes me sick to think of it. He went up the hill, dragging those sorry feet of his, and leaving a trail of vomit.
"He made it all the way to the top, to the gate. The sirens started ringing. I'd watched him the whole way. I guess it was out of respect in a way; my way of seeing him off and of saying sorry for the hell he'd had to suffer. He got to the top and he stared up at the gates. He stood like that for four whole minutes. Then he ran forward.
"Full pelt he ran. Faster than I'd seen him move in a long time. I don't know how his mangy legs managed it. He sprinted right up to the boundary. As soon as he reached it, he stopped dead and started convulsing like he was being electrocuted. The rest of his hair fell out in an instant. After that it was like his illness continued, only at super-speed. His skin went yellow and then fell off. It literally peeled off in these giant flakes that I could see even from a distance. Blood and bile poured out of his mouth in a continuous stream. He collapsed onto the ground and bits of his body just kept falling off. His muscles, his nose, his eyes. They all fell apart and disintegrated until poor Tim was nothing but a pile of bones on the dirt."
Nova swallowed, nausea rolling through her stomach.
Ringer hung his head. "Poor Tim."
Nova laid a hand on Ringer's arm. "There was nothing you could have done."
Ringer shrugged. "Maybe not, but… Just be careful."
Nova nodded. "I will. We'll be okay."
Ringer glanced out of the window as the sun disappeared below the horizon. "I think it's time."
Nova sucked in a deep breath. Something squeezed her heart and made it hard for her to breathe. This was it. She either did the impossible, or she died, just like Tim.
"Keep calm," Ringer said, laying a hand on her shoulder.
She nodded and pulled her knife from her belt, the hilt soothed her jagged nerves. This was one of the most dangerous parts of their plan. She had to get through the prison complex and to Carter's room on the ground floor. The prisoners had gotten more desperate as the days went on and were almost always at her door. Ringer and Carter had had to threaten their families just to get them to move.
Ringer stood at the door and listened. "Get back you bastards or you'll regret it," he bellowed.
Footsteps scuffled outside and then silence.
Ringer turned to her. "They're gonna be waiting."
"I know," Nova said, drawing another ragged breath.
"Alright. Let's go!"
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Guard change now.
Ringer threw open the door and started down the hallway. His head moved back and forth, scanning the cells and doorways they passed. He had a knife in each hand and his muscles rippled.
Nova stayed close to his back, ears straining. Voices echoed down the corridor but she couldn't tell if they were coming from right now or if they were just the ghosts that had been whispering to her ever since her encounter wi
th Wood. Her knuckles glowed white against her knife.
At the end of the hallway they stopped, Ringer stepping into the junction. He took several steps down each corridor, head thrust forward, before waving her on. They turned left and despite Nova's best efforts her footsteps echoed in the empty hallway.
She shivered.
They just had this hallway, the stairs, and then one more corridor. They'd made it this far, just a little further to go.
The stairs loomed into view at the end of the corridor, spiralling down into darkness. Other corridors peeled off to either side but Nova's eyes stayed fixed on the stairs.
A puff of air brushed against her right shoulder and she jumped, knife lifting and back slamming against something solid. Heavy hands pushed her back into the middle of the corridor where faces loomed from the darkness.
"Where you going, Hunter? Ringer?" said Kravkof, his facial tattoos twisting as he spoke.
"We know you're planning something with Carter," said a skinny man with a knife clutched in his white hands.
"There's no way that bastard is getting out of here before me," said Kravkof. "And thanks to the Confederacy my chance has come. So Hunter, either go down quietly or go down with a fight. Either way, you're going down."
Nova's hand clenched around her knife and she spun in a slow circle. "Back off."
Her heart hammered in her throat. Time was ticking. The transporter would only be in the compound for a few short hours and she couldn't afford to waste time with these low-lives, let alone get killed by them.
"Go down fighting it is then," said Kravkof.
Cruel-faced prisoners jumped at them from all sides with knives and sharpened chunks of metal. Their glazed eyes sparkled with desperation and their lips curled back from blackened teeth.
Nova's back pressed against Ringer's and they spun in a slow circle, knives up.
Two men with blades lunged at Nova, slicing at her head. Their daggers glinted in the dim corridor lights, stained with dried blood.
She ducked, feeling a brush of air as the knives sailed over her head, and lunged forward. She jabbed, slamming her knife into the first man's neck, before ripping it free and stepping back to Ringer.
The man collapsed in a growing pool of his own blood, making gargling noises and clawing at his throat. The second man barely glanced at his fallen fellow. His eyes locked on Nova and he waved his knife back and forth like a cobra waiting to attack. His mouth twisted up in a mock-smile.
Something shuffled to Nova's right. On instinct she ducked low and spun.
A knife slashed, inches from her throat.
She lashed out with her leg and her foot slammed into her attacker's groin. A solid thump vibrated up her leg as she leapt to her feet.
He grunted and bent over double, clutching his crotch.
Behind her, Ringer stepped to the side and cracked his knife down into their first attacker's back. Blood dribbled out around the blade and the man collapsed to the ground, convulsing.
Nova turned and ploughed her fist into the man still clutching his crotch.
He lost his grimace beneath a flurry of broken teeth. Blood spurted out of his face and dripped down his chin.
Nova danced forward, lashing out with her other fist. Two more hits and the man collapsed, unconscious.
Ringer dodged, brandishing his blade as three prisoners that Nova recognized from Kravkof's crew swiped at him with jagged knives. Han darted around Ringer faster than Nova could follow, leaving bleeding lines along Ringer's arms.
Fi wielded her knife like an extension of her arm, slashing Ringer's cheek she stepped back, grinning.
The other prisoner, Red, towered over the others, his shoulders so wide they almost scraped against the sides of the corridor. He lumbered towards Ringer, boxing him in.
Han ducked under Ringer's arms, knife whipping back and forth in a blur. More red gashes opened up along Ringers arms and legs, dripping blood.
Red's shoulders tensed and his knees bent while Fi sidled around to Ringer's blind side.
Nova saw it happening in slow motion, saw shadows of them moving forward, attacking Ringer, killing him.
"Ringer, look out!"
Ringer turned, saw Fi, and stepped out of her reach.
Nova ducked around her own attackers and lunged for Han. He side-stepped to give Red room but Nova was already there, knife waiting. The tip plunged into his neck and his eyes boggled. He gasped and blood sprayed out over Nova's face in crimson droplets.
She ripped her knife out and sprung at Red.
He half-turned, gaping down at Han, but already barraging towards Ringer.
Nova ducked low, and as Red ran past she thrust her leg out, bracing herself.
Red's broad legs slammed against hers and he tripped, plunging forward. Nova's leg wrenched sideways.
She gasped and toppled, pain shooting up her shin and bursting through her thigh. It felt as if her leg had been pulled out of its socket. She drew a rasping breath and clutched her knee, teeth gritted.
Red stumbled, chin slamming into the cement floor. His flesh split open and leaked blood as he blinked at the ground, mouth hanging open, and shook his head.
Nova forced herself to her feet, stumbling through a haze of pain. She tried to put her weight on her injured leg but it wobbled and gave out beneath her. She clutched the wall to stay upright and hopped towards Ringer.
Ringer dashed forward and slammed his foot down on Red's head. Red's face slammed into the cement and stayed there, blood pooling beneath his face.
Three more of Kravkof's crew loomed out of the shadows; Pete, Victor, and Jen, stood in front of Fi, and Kravkof. Kravkof smirked and licked his lips while Fi hung back, her eyes narrowed and calculating.
The other three prisoners lunged at Nova, scrambling over their fallen companions. Their knives slashed the air, whizzing like deadly insects.
Nova braced one hand against the wall, her leg still useless, and clutched her knife with the other. It wavered, unsteady, and her weak fingers felt like they'd lose grip at any second.
The prisoners lunged, teeth barred, and hacked at her face.
She hopped backwards, arms wheeling. Her injured leg buckled, sending shots of pain up to her back. She winced, tears stinging the corners of her eyes. Fiery spurts of agony crackled through her knee and hip but she took a deep breath and made herself stay grounded. It was the only way to survive.
Pete reached Nova first, gnashing sharpened teeth and grinning. He clutched a knife in his hand, almost like an afterthought.
Nova's shoulders tensed and she readied to stab.
Instead of coming at her with the knife, he darted forward and slammed his foot down on her injured leg.
Agony burst through her knee as the rest of his weight careened into her, taking them both to the floor. Nova's knife fell out of her hand and clattered to the ground as she clutched her knee.
Pete fell on top of her, grinning, and pinned her down. He leaned in close to her face and his breath wafted over her, carrying the scent of rotten meat and blood.
Nova's vision blurred with memories of the lecheons, sucking the life out of innocent victims, draining them dry, and of Scrim, sucking her hair.
Her stomach rolled and vomit rose to the back of her throat. She strained to get away from Pete and his blood-soaked breath but couldn't budge him.
He smiled wider. "I bet you taste delicious." His voice shook with anticipation. His tongue slid out of his mouth, running along his lips and leaving a glistening trail.
Nova shuddered, a chill carving up her spine.
His head suddenly lashed down and his teeth latched onto Nova's shoulder, sharpened fangs piercing her flesh.
She screamed, feeling each individual point as it punctured her skin, like a handful of needles.
Blood poured out of the wound and dribbled down her shoulder.
Pete made sucking noises and his warm tongue ran over her bare flesh.
Nova struggled harder, e
very muscle straining to get free, to get away from the freak. Her insides twisted, disgust rocking through her body like she hadn't felt since her encounter with Scrim.
His tongue flicked across her wound and around her shoulder, leaving a cold trail of spittle.
Nova rocked her body sideways and bucked beneath him, but he didn't budge. His teeth latched into her skin like a rabid dog, refusing to let go. Hard suction pulled at Nova's shoulder as he suckled blood from her wounds.
"Come on, Pete! Finish it," said Victor.
Pete didn't respond. His eyes were closed as he feasted on Nova's shoulder.
"Look, you sick bastard, get a move on," said Victor.
"Can't," Pete said, lifting his head with a gasp. His face clenched in ecstasy. "She's too delicious."
He returned his face to the feast and ripped new holes in her flesh.
New pain exploded out of Nova's shoulder along with new blood. Her eyes flew around the room. Victor's nose scrunched as he glared at Pete with almost as much disgust as she felt.
Victor's nostrils flared and his hands clenched into fists. He stepped forward and put both hands on Pete's shoulders, ripping the other man up and off of Nova and tossing him away towards the stairs.
Pete's clenched teeth tore a chunk of flesh from her shoulder as he was ripped away. The gaping wound poured more blood all over the floor.
Nova screamed, her hand flying to the wound to stem the flow of blood. A huge section of flesh was missing.
"Don't worry, darling. You won't live long enough to worry about it," Victor said.
He stepped forward, brandishing his knife.
Nova lifted her legs in a pitiful attempt to kick him away. It was no good. Her injured leg barely made it off the ground and she'd lost a lot of blood. Victor brushed her legs aside and knelt by her head.
"I'll make it quick," he said. "Not like that sick bastard."
Victor ripped his knife towards Nova's neck.
"I'm not a bastard!" Pete roared and leapt at Victor's back.
Victor's knife fell from his hand as a blade protruded out of his stomach.
Prisoner Page 14
