by Kelly Jensen
Something thumped to the ground outside. Rather than waste time questioning what it might be, Flick, Todd and Andy reached for the weapons. Zed went for the door, the Zone within his reach if he needed it. Flick had his back, while Todd and Andy set themselves up under the windows, ready to rise and fire. Slowly, cautiously, Zed turned the knob and pulled the door open. Outside dusk had fallen, and light from the cabin spilled out onto the three people sprawled on the ground.
“Holy shit—Elias?” Zed stepped aside dazedly as Flick pushed his way past, scrambling to Elias’s side. Zed followed him, skidding to a stop beside Nessa.
“Fuck, oh...fuck,” Elias moaned, clutching his head. “Don’t wanna do that again.”
“Do what?”
Qek clicked as she pushed herself upward, the sound vague and indistinct. Like the ashushk version of slurring. “The Guardians transported us.”
Zed knelt on the ground and held back Nessa’s hair as she retched, his stomach clenching in sympathy. The only times he’d been transported by the Guardians, he’d been unconscious. Seemed like something he should be thankful for.
“But why?” Flick steadied Elias and extended a hand to help Qek get to her feet.
“We said we wanted to help you, so here we are.” Elias looked up at Zed, his eyes dim and bleary. “Yay.”
* * *
To make any sort of bomb, Felix needed three things: explosives, detonators and something to hold it all together. Todd had a cache of supplies near his cabin—enough to last one man a couple of years. He’d given a good portion of what he had to raising the colony he’d never intended. If Felix requisitioned what he needed to make enough charges to collapse the ceilings on Preston’s laboratory and medical facilities, he’d be leaving Todd with very little—especially as creative as he’d have to get. Turning basic sustenance into a bomb wasn’t covered in specialist training.
Felix glanced up from the map he and Qek were studying. “We need to visit the settlement. If I can get my hands on two, three, maybe even four power generators from the prefabs, I could bring the whole mountain down on Preston’s head. I could even make a charge for Todd to drop into the landing crater, seal that exit.”
Studying the overlapping displays projected over his wrist, Qek extended a blue finger toward the map Todd had helped them construct. “The medical facility is also close enough to this junction to cut off immediate access to the landing crater.”
“Yep.” Even if the medical facility wasn’t a strategic target, Felix would want to blow it up.
It was beyond good to have Qek here, even if Felix had had to add another level of fret to his already anxious state. Getting himself and Zed off the planet had been enough of a challenge. Now his whole crew was here. But, damn if he wasn’t grateful to see them. And just as thankful to hear Marnie and Ryan were safe. The fact the Blythe had been destroyed? He didn’t quite know how to process that, except to give in to the occasional shudder as he acknowledged the absolute reality of the Guardians’ threat. They’d already taken the hacker from Chloris and his partner out of the equation. Apparently they considered Preston’s soldiers part of the program, which they were, if you considered knives and forks part of the whole eating thing. Would they insist on...disposing of the soldiers as well? At the end of the Human-Stin War, they’d simply requested that Zed’s team be disarmed, or retired. Surely the same rules could apply here? Felix glanced over at Zed, who’d reluctantly submitted to Nessa’s need to confirm his well-being.
“The Mendo has bonded the bone, but I suspect the dose was out of date,” she was saying. “You need to keep this wrist braced and not rely on it until we can get you another shot.”
“We don’t have time to worry about my wrist right now,” Zed grumbled.
“I’m surprised you can even spare it a thought. Did they tell you you had a concussion?”
“Yes, and I don’t have time for that, either.”
Nessa tucked her hands in against her hips. “You need rest, Zed. Twelve hours minimum. Hell, you both should be confined to Medical for at least a day. How Fixer’s nose isn’t broken, I have no idea.”
Felix tapped the side of his nose and winced as he disturbed one of the bruises on his face. “Unbreakable, remember?”
From where he’d been in conference with Andy and Todd, Elias looked up and snorted.
Nessa had also been concerned about his shoulder and missing finger. She’d numbed the healing incisions, muttering all the while about Preston’s barbarism, but agreed regrowing his finger could wait for now.
“We don’t have twelve hours. Hell, we don’t even have one to waste. When this is done, I’ll hole up in Medical for as long as you deem necessary. You can confine Flick and me to quarters for a month if you like.” Zed tried out a charming smile. It came off a little wonky and a lot weary.
Nessa shook her head. “Save it for Fixer.”
Andy glanced over at Felix. “That you she’s callin’ Fixer?”
“Felix, Fixer, Fix, Flick. All me.”
“Must get mighty confusing.”
“Not really. It’s all F for Fucker.” Grinning at Andy’s upraised brows, Felix made his way over to Zed and showed him the marked-up holo map, explaining what he needed from the settlement and why. “The bigger I make these bombs, the less fussy we can be about where I put them.”
“We don’t have—”
Felix overrode the objection he’d anticipated. “We need to make time, Zed. Like Ness said, you could use a rest. Eat, sleep, get mended and fit for this op. I’ll take Andy and Elias back to the settlement now, while it’s still dark, and we’ll grab what we need. In and out. I don’t even need to bring the generators back here.” He turned to address Andy and Todd. “You mentioned other caves. Is there one between here and there I can hole up in for thirty minutes to tinker with a couple generators?” Before Zed could open his mouth again, Felix continued, “A forward operating base. Somewhere we can use as a rally point. We’re too far away here anyway.”
Breath left Zed in an irritated rush, meaning he agreed with Felix’s last statement, if only that.
Andy ambled forward and poked at the map. “Here.” He’d indicated a spot about a kilometer along the ravine from the settlement. “There’s a small cave here. Shallow, not connected to Preston’s. Scraggler nest right outside it, though. We cleared it three times but they always come back.”
“Fuck.”
“What is a scraggler?” Qek asked.
Felix lifted his chin to show off the welt around this neck. “Tentacle things with personal space issues.”
“And you call this place Paradise?” Elias said.
Todd shrugged. “It’s all relative.”
Zed was being quiet...too quiet. Felix turned to check on him and frowned at the crease between his brows. He touched the back of Zed’s hand. “Thinking too hard.”
Zed met his gaze. “Tired.”
“So rest.”
“No time.”
Back to the time issue. “Guardians are bullies.”
Zed barely cracked a smile.
“Do they do this often?” Todd asked.
Nessa looked between Felix and Zed and smiled. “You get used to it. You guys want to share the conversation with the rest of us?”
“Tell ’em we’re working on it,” Felix said. Andy opened his mouth. Felix pointed up. “Them.”
“What all are you goin’ on about?”
Zed closed his eyes and breathed out. The crease between his brows deepened and his lips moved—once. He didn’t have to close his eyes and he didn’t have to verbalize. But speaking with the Guardians did require a lot of concentration, particularly when asking the big questions. When he opened his eyes, he looked even more tired. “The unaltered recruits can be spared. The others—” He bit off a curse.
Felix frowned. The unaltered...”Wait—”
Zed cut him off. “If a single craft leaves this planet before Preston’s operation is shut down, they will destroy it, whether we’re aboard or not.” Just like the Blythe. “They’ve given us until both suns rise in the morning.”
“Stop, just stop.” Felix patted the air in front of him. “What do you mean the unaltered ones?”
Zed gave him a look that said don’t ask me to explain.
“We’re gonna blow up the mountain with Preston’s soldiers inside?” Andy asked.
“Now, wait a minute.” Todd stood up. “That ain’t what we agreed to.”
Qek uttered a pair of clicks and stepped back. Nessa found something interesting to look at on her wallet. Elias adopted a ready stance. Thoughts whirling, Felix stared at his boots.
Zed spoke quietly into the pause. “If we don’t do this, they will.” He met Todd’s gaze. “Now’s the time to say so if you’re gonna pull out.”
Todd laced his hands behind his head and paced the length of the cabin. He turned and walked back to stand directly in front of Zed. “It’s bullshit orders like this that drove me out of the AEF.”
Felix clenched his fists, pushing them into his thighs. “I don’t have time to tell you how many ways the AEF fucked me and Zed over. But it was your choice to leave and if you’re going to duck out again, you need to tell us now.” Not when our backs need guarding. “I don’t like it. I fucking hate it. Preston’s soldiers are dupes. They might not be innocent, but you can bet she conned them into her program. If we don’t follow the Guardians’ instructions, though...” He took a quick breath. “Do you have any idea what they’re capable of? Besides smearing the Blythe across space? Besides...”
Felix glanced at Zed. He’d been spared last time, but only because of who he was. The Guardians had refused to help his teammates. Was it because they had known this might happen? His shoulders slumped. “Maybe they’re right. Maybe the only way to shut this thing down is to destroy all of it.” Fuck, had he really just said that? Had he really just voted to kill men and women who’d been fooled by Preston’s twisted idea of glory?
Todd looked over his shoulder at Andy, and they conducted the sort of silent conversation any two people who spent enough time together could—without the aid of resonance shards. Todd turned back to Felix, then Zed. “We already pulled the trigger up the hill there, didn’t we? When we killed two of Preston’s people.” He let out a tired sigh. “Okay...we’re in. To the end.”
A collective exhale whispered quietly through the cabin as postures eased. Over by the wall, Nessa moved her hand away from the hypo at her belt. Any other time, Felix might have smiled. Instead, he checked his bracelet. They had six hours. It’d be tight, but he’d been given less time to do more with fewer supplies. “So can I go get my generators?”
Zed touched the back of their hands together. Their minds brushed up against one another, thoughts mingling. It was a confused exchange, as if they were arguing...but not. Beneath the messy stuff lay a single phrase. Thank you. Felix didn’t know if he wanted Zed’s gratitude. Hell, he didn’t even know if he could send back the fact he understood. All he had was a sick swell of fear. He moved his hand away.
Zed breathed out something like a small sigh. “Go get the generators.”
Chapter Eighteen
“So this deal with the Guardians...”
Felix shook his head at Andy. “It’s a long story.” He turned back toward the settlement, a hundred meters distant and almost thoroughly cloaked by night. The lights at the corners of the prefabs barely penetrated the darkness.
“They got anything to do with Project Dreamcatcher?” Andy asked.
“Other than the fact they disapprove? No.”
“And Zed talks to them?”
Elias cut in. “He’s their emissary. Where have you been?”
“They don’t get a lot of news out here,” Felix said.
“They really gonna blow this place up if we don’t shut Preston down?” Andy asked.
Felix liked Andy. On another world, at another time, he could imagine befriending him. Simple men made easy companions. Now, however, he had only one word for him. “Yes.”
Apparently sensing his frustration, or just his thoughts, Elias launched into a description of exactly what had happened to the Blythe.
Spotting movement near the fence, Felix shushed his companions. “We need to continue this discussion later.” Or not. Felix would prefer not to discuss the Guardians at all, but had a feeling he and Zed would be having a very detailed conversation about them anyway. When this was all done. When they were confined to quarters by Nessa’s orders.
The patrol—two figures, both armed—disappeared back around the end of the last prefab. Felix glanced at the small display over his wallet. “Okay, that’s the third pass. I think that’s enough to establish a pattern.”
“We’ve got ten minutes before they come around again,” Elias murmured.
“Is that enough time?” Andy asked. He’d been rattled by the appearance of the first patrol, but had quickly conceded Preston wasn’t stupid enough to leave her back unguarded. Not with Zed and Felix at large.
“It’s enough time to get in. We might have to wait for another pass before getting back out.” Which would leave their ingress exposed. The fence was full of holes and tears, some bigger than others. The patch Andy had suggested they try was an inferior grade of wire latched over the hole—they should be able to hook it back in place. “Let’s go.”
Felix shifted his ankle in his boot, a gesture of habit, and smiled grimly as the hilt of his knife rubbed across the bone. Todd and Andy’s allegiance might still be in question, but the return of his knife had gone a long way toward evening the score between them. Todd had also equipped them with charged stunners and backpacks to carry the power generators. They slid out from behind the rock and made their way to the section of fence Andy had marked. Conveniently, it was in the shadow of the cliffs, giving them even more cover for their approach. Felix led his party forward slowly, wary of the uneven ground, just as wary of the seconds ticking past. But a twisted ankle would slow them down even more and he had enough aches and pains to deal with already.
The lights hanging from the prefabs seemed to glow brighter the closer they got—and the ground fell deeper into shadow. “I hope we don’t have to run out,” he muttered.
“Light will be behind us then,” Elias pointed out.
To a point, except in the vicinity of their own shadows.
The patch was exactly as Andy had described it—a chunkier, cheaper grade of metal wire, woven and latched onto the finer mesh with a series of easily manipulated hooks. Between them, he and Andy had the patch off in two minutes, leaving them six to get through the hole and into hiding. Not enough time to grab the generators and run, but they could hook the patch back in place using a couple of latches, concealing a faster exit for later.
Felix led a short jog behind the closest prefab and ducked into the shadowed side of it so he could activate his holo map. Andy had marked three prefabs as the easiest to get into. Their immediate shelter wasn’t one of them, but they were in the right row.
The first prefab on the list was locked.
“It’s not supposed to be locked,” Andy hissed.
Felix studied the panel outside the door. “Is there a general passcode?”
“It’s probably been changed,” Elias whispered.
“Shit.” This was going to add time and increase their chance of exposure. Sighing, Felix activated his wallet and ran a quick diagnostic. He pushed out more air when he realized the hack would be simple. “Okay, we should be good.”
Thirty seconds later, the panel flashed green. Elias had already scanned the prefab for heat signatures to determine it was unoccupied, bu
t Felix still pushed the door open slowly and listened for a beat before letting anyone inside.
Andy led the way to the power setup, and Felix eyed the battery connected to the solar array and the backup generator with healthy interest. They were in better condition than he’d expected. New models, more compact. He didn’t need the battery, but...
No, better not to improvise now. Just grab the generator and move on. He unhooked the auxiliary power couplings and hefted the generator. “Elias?”
Elias turned and Andy opened the pack on Elias’s back. Felix tucked the compact generator inside and zipped it up. “One down, three to go.” Andy had volunteered to carry the fourth one out while Felix and Elias handled the weapons.
They had one minute to make it to the second prefab before the patrol passed again. “We should wait until they pass.”
“We’re probably going to have to let two passes go by before we make our exit,” Elias said.
“We’ll see.”
Andy had opened a storage cabinet and was wrestling out a box of packaged ‘factor substance. He set it down and pulled out another, stacking it on top.
“What are you doing?” Felix asked.
“How ’bout if I run this to the fence while you and Elias hit up the next unit?”
“That’s not the plan.”
“It’s right here.” Andy pulled out another box and Felix began to suspect he’d marked this unit on purpose. It was obviously storage, and the question of what they kept in here had just been answered. “If you pull this mountain down, there mightn’t be a lot left of the settlement. We need this food, man.”
Felix’s resolve wavered. A more thorough survey of the cave system would help him place his bombs with minimal risk to the settlement outside, but they didn’t have that kind of time...and Andy was right. The remaining colonists might need this food. Zed had been adamant about them not bringing out supplies, though. Was that because of the increased risk, the shortage of time, or...Surely the Guardians would leave the colony alone if they solved the Preston problem?
