by SY Thompson
“No wonder you people got caught. If you can’t even support each other, you’re not the heroes you think you are.”
Another ruby blast caused the small group to dive to the narrow floor.
“Lee, give up now and I promise to kill you quickly.”
Kinsky’s voice came from around the bend where he huddled against the wall for cover. Ronan let go of Ben and headed back toward her former partner.
“Keep going. I’ll try to slow him down.”
“Ronan...”
Fear was obvious in her voice and Ronan met her eyes briefly. “I’ll be right with you,” she promised softly. Then she was gone.
Sidney longed to chase after her, but Ronan trusted her to lead the rebels out of the tunnels. Although she didn’t know the way, all she could do was travel the path Ronan had set them on. She had to have faith that she would overpower Kinsky and re-join them before Sidney managed to get them lost down here. At least they weren’t in a sewer.
RONAN KNEW SHE had to stall Kinsky to allow time for Sidney and the others to get away. She remembered how she felt when she’d killed him before, and she hoped to avoid that now. Still, if it came down to it, she would do whatever it took to protect her lover. She had tried to sound confident when she told Sidney that she would be right behind her, but Kinsky was a deadly adversary. To underestimate him would be a huge mistake.
When she darted back down the tunnel, Ronan expected an immediate shootout of the old west variety. But it wasn’t high noon and they weren’t on Main Street in front of the livery. The bad guy did not wear a black hat and he did not react as expected. Instead, he turned and ran back the way they’d come, which led Ronan to believe he hadn’t received a copy of that particular script.
Kinsky reached the pile of waste near the manhole cover and dove behind it. It was only then that the reasons for his behavior became clear. There was very little concealment in these tunnels and when he dashed behind the pile of refuse, he took advantage of the only camouflage available. Ronan barely had time to duck back around the corner to avoid a laser blast. Her skin burned where the shot grazed the side of her face and singed the hair at her temple.
“Knew you’d follow me back, Lee. You’re nothing if not predictable.” Kinsky’s jibe caught her attention. If he was a part of the altered time line, he couldn’t know anything about her. “How can you predict anything? You’re just a parasite that looks like my partner. You’re not the real Boris Kinsky.” “Very good, you’re smarter than I thought, but how do you know that your partner wasn’t a willing participant?”
“Hah,” Ronan shot back. “I doubt he was willing to be killed so you could fill his shoes. So what’s the plan? I heard you and Sloan talking in the office. Why do you want to go back in time and start the Konservative government then? Why is it so important to kill so many people?”
To her surprise, he answered. “Because the people of the past are weak, they are looking for strong leadership and we will give it to them. The Neue Konservative Regime will be the most powerful government of all time. Anyone who stands in our way must be eliminated.”
“Where’s the transport matrix, Kinsky, or whatever your name really is?”
The man was quiet for a moment and Ronan figured she must have gone too far. He confirmed her suspicions a moment later. “Do you think I’m stupid? If you overheard our conversation then you know how to destroy our cause. I will not allow you to leave these tunnels alive.”
Kinsky stood up and fired down the tunnel. Ronan ducked and hoped his energy cell wasn’t fully charged. Sidney and the others must have had time to get to the exit by now, and she didn’t plan to stay here until he killed her.
The threat of the knowledge Ronan possessed proved too much. Kinsky came out from behind the trash pile and rushed toward her. Although desperate, he still wasn’t ignorant enough to make a good target of himself. Huddled near the tunnel wall, he used the shadows for concealment as he hurried toward her. Ronan turned and ran down the concrete maze.
Ruby lances of light shot past her all around while Ronan tucked her head down and ran. One of the bolts of energy came a little too close and Ronan bit off a curse as pain seared her left shoulder.
The sound of whitewater came from just around the corner. It was the containment pool but she didn’t have time to worry about how narrow the overhead catwalk was. Instead, she hoped that what lay just ahead would catch him off guard and it would give her a few more seconds to get away.
Ronan ignored the stab of pain from her injury and ran toward the sound. Seconds later the catwalk came into view and she hesitated at the sight before her. The water had risen to just below the suspended catwalk. Splashes went over the edge of the platform, making footing dangerous. The water was all the way to the top of the marker and yellow warning lights had started to flash. The system was only seconds away from releasing the torrent into the flood tubes, but with the killer behind she was out of options. Ronan leapt forward onto the catwalk.
Grasping tightly to the thin rails, she moved as quickly as possible. With the sound of the water in her ears, Ronan couldn’t hear Kinsky, but knew that he must be close behind her. She ducked down to present a smaller target of herself just in time. Another shot went over her head and struck the side of the tunnel. Concrete dust flew into the air while a large chunk crashed to the floor. Ronan squinted to keep the rock dust out of her eyes and kept moving. Her foot slipped on the next step and she fell into the side of the narrow platform.
Then Kinsky was standing over her. He shoved his laser into the holster. “As much fun as it would be to shoot you, I think I’d like a more personal touch.”
He wrapped an arm around Ronan’s neck from behind and put his other hand on the back of her head. With her squatted against the edge of the rail and him standing behind her, Ronan knew that it would take only an instant for him to snap her neck.
“Maybe after I kill you, I’ll have your body replaced. How would you like that, Lee? I’ll send someone else back to your precious girlfriend.”
That was too much. Ronan felt anger mount swiftly in her chest, outweighing the fear of death and she suddenly had an idea. Kinsky was holding her on the swaying platform without any other support. She had hold of the wire rail. As flimsy as her grip was, it was better than his.
Ronan moved so quickly that she caught him completely unprepared. She lunged up and out toward the rushing water, but made sure to keep her hands wrapped tightly around the support. Things went almost exactly as planned. Kinsky had his arm wrapped so tightly around her neck that he flew over her body with the movement and toward the raging flood. If he’d just let go, everything would have been perfect. Instead, his strong hold dragged her with him. Ronan found herself hanging by the rail with Kinsky holding onto her legs tighter than ever, this time in panic.
“Let go of me, damn it.” Ronan tried to kick Kinsky away. He was too close to get a good shot and she could feel her hands starting to slip. “I can’t hold on.”
“Good. At least I’ll have the pleasure of taking you with me.”
Kinsky’s words proved prophetic as Ronan’s left hand slipped off the wire. She tried to grab hold again, but at that moment an alarm sounded and the yellow caution lights turned to red. The floodgate came down and the water surged all around them. Kinsky clinging to her, the sodden clothing, and a one-handed grip were too much to overcome. Ronan slipped away from the rail with a shout and the rip of a fingernail.
The surging tide carried them both away and she lost sight of her adversary in the sudden fight against kinetic forces. Water rushed over her and pushed her toward the bottom of the concrete trench. The top of her head scraped against stone and she raised her arms to protect herself. Flipped end over end, she wasn’t sure which way was up. Ronan tried to relax and let her body float toward what must be the surface. Her lungs burned with the urge to breath and her vision had started to grow dim around the edges when her head suddenly popped above the water.
She took in a few quick gulps of air before the white rapids pushed under again, but this time she was oriented enough and had lost her passenger so she was able to stay near the surface. She kicked hard and cleared the surface once more. The water wasn’t as chaotic now as it had been during the initial release and she managed to keep her head up, but there was no way she could fight the current. All she could do was go with it and hope she would spot a way out before the water poured into the river. She had been able to see that particular junction on the blueprints and didn’t relish the thought of falling twenty meters and landing on who knows what.
Ronan looked around and tried to find Kinsky but he was nowhere in sight. Maybe if she were very lucky he had drowned at the bottom of the deluge. Just then, he popped up only a few feet away and looked directly at her.
Perfect.
Kinsky fumbled in his jacket looking for his laser pistol. From the look of rage on his face, Ronan guessed he must have lost it. Then he started splashing toward her with murderous intent.
“Forget replacing you. You’re too much of a pain in the ass. But I am going to kill you.”
Ronan glanced ahead and saw something that made her heart pound. A discarded plastic chair had gotten wedged against a corner very near where the runoff dropped straight down. It was colored bright yellow, just a child’s toy, but the color made it stand out like a beacon. If she could just get to it, maybe she would have a chance.
“Not today, Kinsky.”
Ronan struggled against the tow. By swimming diagonally, she was able to let the surge carry her toward her anchor. Swimming proved difficult with her shoulder injury, but Ronan tried to ignore the pain. Kinsky hadn’t heard her comment over the sound of the water and probably assumed she was trying to get away from him. The water propelled her directly into the legs of the small chair and she felt it move under the impact of her body. A quick glance told her only the lip of the concrete wall held the chair in place and it wouldn’t take much to pull it loose. Quickly Ronan reached out and grasped the concrete ledge in case the chair popped free. An instant later, she felt a hand close over her ankle and attempt to jerk her back into the rushing water. She refused to let go of the concrete protrusion.
This time she was far enough away from Kinsky that she used her free leg to kick him in the chest. The first kick did little more than push him farther away, but the third one knocked him loose. The last thing Ronan saw of him was Kinsky going over the edge of the waterfall clutching the little yellow chair. Ronan panted in exertion and her arms trembled from hanging on to the edge of the platform. She knew that eventually the torrent would pass and she would be able to walk out of here. If only she could hold on that long.
“Ronan.”
She was sure she was hearing things. It sounded like Sidney’s voice, but she was gone. She had led the rebels out of the tunnels when Ronan went back for Kinsky.
“Ronan, darling. Please, hold on. I’m coming.”
She finally looked up toward the voice and saw that it was Sidney. The water had gone down far enough for her and the rebels to walk down the tunnels toward the runoff point. She lay on her stomach only a few feet above Ronan’s head while the youths hung on to her legs.
“Give me your hand.”
Ronan was terrified to let go of her tenuous hold. If she missed Sidney’s hand, she doubted she would be able to hold on and the remaining water would carry her away.
Sidney picked up her hesitation. “Trust me, Ronan. You’ve saved my life so many times, please let me save yours.”
She looked at the outstretched hand and then into the eyes of her lover. She’d always been the strong one, the one people counted on in a pinch, but Ronan had difficulty putting her life in another’s hands. Still, this wasn’t just anyone and if she were ever going to trust someone it was this woman. Ronan tightened her hold with one hand and reached for Sidney with the other. The hand that met hers was strong and sure. Sidney’s eyes never left hers as she grabbed for Ronan. Reassured that she wasn’t going to slip away, Ronan let go and reached for Sidney. As soon as Sidney had hold of her, the rebels went into action.
“Pull!” Franz shouted, and they all hauled back on Sidney together.
When they had managed to get Ronan to the edge, Ben let go of Sidney. He limped to the side and dropped down on his belly to help pull Ronan from the water. With her sodden clothing pulling her down it wasn’t an easy task, but they managed to haul her up. Finally, Ronan lay in Sidney’s arms while Ben sat against the wall trying to get his breath back. Olga and Franz just smiled at Ronan, glad that she was alive.
“I guess,” Ronan panted, “that you four finally learned to work as a team.”
Her comment had the three youngsters looking at each other in surprise.
“Yeah,” Olga said slowly. “I guess we did.”
Sidney pushed the wet hair back from Ronan’s face and then bent down to kiss her slowly. The kiss was almost chaste, just a press of the lips meant to convey how very much Ronan meant to her and Sidney’s relief that she was alive.
After a moment or two, Ben cleared his throat and said, “I don’t mean to rush you or anything, but do you think we could get out of here now?”
Sidney chuckled and helped Ronan to stand on shaky legs while Franz walked over to support Ben with an arm around his waist. The walk out of the tunnel was uneventful after that. All of the water was gone and only the wet concrete remained as testament to Ronan’s struggle with the imposter.
Ronan had a plan in mind now that she had gotten a little information from Kinsky but needed the rebels to stay out of things from here on out. She couldn’t give them the whole story, but they already knew of the Regime’s plans so at least she wouldn’t have to lie to them.
“I need you guys to promise me that you’ll lay low for now.”
“What? You can’t be serious.”
“Ben, just listen to her for a minute,” Olga urged, clearly the more cautious of the four.
“You know these people are not benevolent and I realize it is hard for you to just do nothing,” Ronan acknowledged, “but I need for you to stay out of the way for a few days. Right now, you’re on their radar and they will be looking for you. I have a plan, but if you start going off half-cocked you’ll only get yourselves in trouble again and I don’t have time for any more rescues.”
The words were a little sharp, but she wanted to make a point. From the embarrassed looks on their faces, she knew she had made it.
“Besides,” Franz said, “you’re hurt, Ben. We won’t be able to do anything until you’ve healed.”
Ben looked ready to argue and Ronan couldn’t fault his bravery, but finally common sense won out. “Fine, but only for one week. After that, if we haven’t heard from you we’ll have to do what we think is right.”
“Agreed.”
Ronan hugged Sidney closer with the arm around her waist. Hopefully, they would set things right again in the next few days and there would be no need for Ben to remember his promise.
Chapter Thirty
THEY MADE IT to the squad car without attracting any attention, but expected the streets to be flooded with military, Guard, and police vehicles at any time. It wouldn’t be long before an alarm sounded to indicate that the rebels had escaped and then searches would begin in earnest. Since they were in a police vehicle, it would buy them a little time but they had to hurry.
Ronan sat in a puddle of water on the cloth seat and tried not to shiver as she drove to the downtown district. The laser blast from Kinsky’s pistol had cauterized the wound even as it burned and she felt the pain more intensely now. Ronan kept her arm as still as possible knowing she could heal the wound once she arrived back at the apartment. She dropped the rebels off near Schultz’s location and waited until she was back on the road to fill Sidney in on everything she’d learned. At least that was her intention and she surprised herself by what she actually said.
“I was so scared when I found out they
had taken you. Don’t you ever do that to me again.”
She gripped the steering wheel hard to conceal how her hands shook, trying to concentrate on traffic as they headed back into the more populated sections of the city. Her heart pounded in her chest and she couldn’t look at Sidney, didn’t dare to or she would release the flood of tears. After a few seconds of quiet, she felt Sidney’s hand rest on her thigh and gently squeeze. Somehow, Sidney understood what truly generated Ronan’s anger, the circumstances that could have culminated in her death.
“I’m sorry you were frightened, but I was pretty scared, too. I’m just glad you came after me.”
Ronan let out a shuddering breath and ignored the tears that swam in her eyes. Relief gradually took over and the anger melted away. She turned her head to look into gray eyes. “I will always come after you.”
Sidney smiled and listened as Ronan began to fill her in. “I went to my office at EDU headquarters and overheard Sloan and Kinsky talking.”
“EDU?”
“Elite Detective Unit.” Ronan flashed a grin. “I never said we were very creative when it came to naming things. Anyway...”
“Then they were both in on what’s happening.”
“Yes. I heard them say that tonight would begin the major part of the infiltration. I’m assuming that means that once they feel all the loose ends are tied up they plan to send a full-scale replacement
regiment into the past. Kinsky said that after that, no matter what we did it would be too late.”
“So whatever we’re going to do, we had better do it fast. I don’t suppose you overheard something we can use against them?”
“Actually, yes. I heard them say that the leaders of this little insurrection, along with the bulk of their followers, have retreated to a vessel in synchronous orbit above the planet.”
“You have that kind of technology?” Sidney asked in surprise.
