* * *
“Major, Gunny's down!!!”
The edge in Ren's voice made Tom's stomach hollow as he spun around, searching out his best friend automatically in the mess the courtyard had become. There were two or three of the beasts focusing on something about thirty feet away. A quick glance at his sniper told him that's where the big bloke was. Still was. Shit.
“Keep him covered, Richards!!” Charging down the steps, Tom jumped the last two and hit the ground at a dead run.
As he approached them, the head of one exploded in a spray of gunk before the body collapsed. A second one reared back just before its head was also shredded, no doubt from Richards's sharp shooting. The third screamed in defiance, yanking at Derick's leg, and trying to dislodge its prize from the tree the Gunny was holding onto for dear life.
Yanking his machete free, Tom swung for the back of its legs, the blade cutting into the meat and spraying cold, oily blood. He swung again at its back, then a third time in the same cut before going for the tentacle wrapped around Derick's leg. When it snapped loose, Derick hit the ground with a thud.
“No time for lying about, Gunny! Get off your ass!!” he joked, extending a hand for his friend.
“Fuck you!” Derick growled as he grasped Tom's hand and got to his feet.
“Fuck you both, get inside NOW!!”
Tom shot a glare over his shoulder to see Jules standing on the steps, a rifle in her hands. To his left, two more Subs shot out of the ground and he slapped Derick's shoulder. “Run!”
The Subs seemed to understand their prey was going to escape because as Tom and Derick ran for the temple, the beasts seemed to surge from the ground. Between the sprays of dirt and the rifle fire, it was chaotic as they charged up the steps and ran for the now smaller opening.
“SEAL IT!” Tom shouted as soon as they were through.
“Harwood, blow alpha point!” Derick called over the noise as the last of the plating was dragged quickly into place. Several Sharks descended on it with torque drills from the shuttle just as something thudded against the heavy metal sheet. A second later, there was a loud whoomph that puffed dirt and dust around the edges of the plating and made the Sharks holding the sheet stagger.
“Get your backs on it!” Derick ordered, rushing back to the door to put his weight against it.
Tom quickly joined his friend and the other Sharks, until someone yelled that the entrance was secured. Glancing at Derick, he saw his friend still leaning into the metal as if not quite trusting, not at least until he saw for himself.
Two by three, they backed off the makeshift door as something thunked against it. There was a second and third hit and then a rapid-fire set of something heavy pounding against the metal.
A few minutes passed by with no one moving before Tom realized the noise had stopped. Glancing at first Derick and then Jules, he stepped forward and pressed his ear to the metal. “I think they're gone,” he said after a minute, moving back. “Probably looking for another way in. I want another sweep of this place! If there is a patch of soft dirt anywhere, I want to know where it is and I want it covered! Check every bloody corner you can. Luke, come here!”
“Beta squad, fan out!” Derick ordered. Alpha's orders were clear. Hold the door. Around them, the members of Beta fanned out and disappeared into the various open doorways.
As Luke and then Derick joined him in the corner Tom indicated, he set a hand on Luke's shoulder. The younger man looked tired, probably like they all did, and it was salt in the wound stinging Tom right now. “We need that transponder beacon, mate. What's your timeframe on it?”
“Um…” Luke blinked, glancing at his brother before replying. “Maybe an hour…”
Harwood's voice broke in on the link. “Gunny, there's windows on the third level. More like slots, about three inches across and two feet high. Four on each wall.”
“Post a guard on them,” Tom ordered, turning to Luke. “We need it as soon as possible, yeah?”
“Yeah but I…”
“No buts, Luke,” Tom shook his head, hating what he was about to say. “Make it work or we die.”
Luke jerked, shooting Tom a frown before he nodded and moved off. Tom glanced at Derick, who was watching his brother with a concerned look. “You too, go be with him for a minute.”
Derick nodded and headed after his brother. Tom watched the big guy go and finally let out the huge sigh of relief he'd been holding in. After losing Lisa, Tom wasn't sure he'd survive the loss of his best friend too. He dragged a hand across his head, feeling the stubble of a day's worth of not shaving. Rolling his shoulders, Tom surveyed the group in front of him.
Like before, his eyes went to Jules automatically, where she was helping Mayday tend to an injured squint. They were all stepping up to comfort each other, even that battle axe that liked to bitch. There was no laughter, no chatter like before… not that he expected there to be. Instead, there was terror and tears, the sounds of lost innocence and crushed naiveté.
Finally, his gaze moved to Luke, who had the transponder in his hands. Tom let out a breath, his teeth grinding. He didn't like being an ass to the younger man but as Tom surveyed the room, he knew he made the right choice.
The thought was cold comfort, knowing first hand that sometimes, to save everyone, you had to be an asshole.
XXV
Barricade
Luke was on autopilot.
Forced into a gear he didn't know he possessed, the reality of Tammy being gone from his life warred with the orders given to him by Tom. Anguish and grief were waiting in the shadows to take him down, like it had right after the Exodus, when he faced a world without his family.
Derick spent a few moments with him, at least until someone yelled for the Gunny. His big brother, in every sense of the word, bumped their foreheads together like they used to and left without even hesitating. Luke let him go and turned back to his work table. Nothing had been upturned but a good five minutes went by before he realized he was just staring at the transponder. Rubbing his face, Luke glanced up to check on his brother. Right. Back to work.
Fifteen minutes later, Luke was frowning at the electronic guts spread across his table when a shadow fell over his work. He looked up, surprised to see Tom studying him thoughtfully.
“How you going?”
“I'll live.” Maybe. Luke sniffed and picked up the damaged motherboard. He needed to keep working.
“I know you will,” Tom nodded, wishing like hell they were in a position where he could offer the kid a shoulder. Instead, he indicated the transponder. “What's our status?” He felt like a shit for pushing but they were literally on borrowed time.
This, Luke knew. Shut it down. Push it away. Courtesy of one Dan Rickman. Tammy's death became a dull ache as he pointed to the dissected equipment and showed Tom his findings. “The beacon's motherboard needs resoldering. Someone was trying to locate my soldering iron but I have other options.”
A loud noise, something clattering to the stone floor made Luke jump and just like that, panic and grief swept in. He gripped the table tightly, eyes smashed shut as he tried to get himself under control.
The noise startled Tom but nothing like the panic he was seeing in the younger Rickman.
“Luke…” he began, stomach clenching in sympathy. He knew that look, knew that grip and bloody hell, he hated to see the boy like this. Luke was a smart mouth bugger, arrogant and brash. Tom liked that about him, liked he didn't give a shit about airs and graces even though he was usually the smartest person in the room.
“Hey… hey….” He took Luke by the arm and glanced behind him. Derick was with the Sharks and Jules was talking to Dr. Nordin. Mayday was attending to some of the other injuries incurred during their mad dash into the pyramid. Basically, everyone was busy and they wouldn't have interruptions. “Come here.”
Not giving him a choice, Tom pulled an unresisting Luke towards a corner.
“Look, can I tell you something? Something
not even your brother knows?” he asked in a quiet voice.
That got Luke's attention. He'd nearly forgotten what Tom had told him earlier. He nodded, brow knotting.
Tom dragged a hand over his face and let out a deep breath before he began. “Derick probably told you I've been drinking.” When Luke tried to protest, Tom shook his head. “No, mate, I have. Can't seem to sleep properly without a nip from the bottle.” How he wasn't blind from cheap grog, he didn't know. “The Ruthie was hit with solar flares just before the sun went nova. Since we were in port, we were down about a quarter of the personnel and I was on duty. When the cargo deck took a hit, I helped the wounded get to medical.”
The next part was bloody hard and it required Tom pausing, taking a breath deeply and exhaling before he could start up again. “A plasma fire broke out in one of the shuttle repair bays. The emergency systems fired up, sealing the hatch into the repair bay, trapping six people with the plasma fire.” He paused again before continuing, as if fighting to get the words out.
“One of them was a sheila I knew. We'd taken a tumble a couple of times. Bloody beautiful blond hair and a smile that would break your heart. Blue eyes that could make you forget what you were thinking. Her name was Lisa.”
They hadn't been a couple, just a few quiet moments during voyages, sharing a bottle and intimate company. “She must have been closest to the door when it shut. She was screaming for me to open it. I couldn't hear her, not through the fucking door but I know that's what she was saying. When she realised…” Tom trailed off, jaw clenching as he looked away. “All that lovely hair went up. She looked like she was glowing from the inside, like she had a halo.” Rubbing his face, Tom met Luke in the eye. “They were all alive but it was Lisa who saw me. I was looking right at her when I decompressed the bay and blew them into space to put the fire out. She knew I couldn't…”
“…save her.” Luke finished, staring at his friend. He had known Tom for several years but never once had seen him look so… broken.
Tom nodded. The kid understood. “I don't regret it. If I'd opened that door, I would have compromised the rest of the ship and chances are, they wouldn't have thanked me for saving them anyway. Not in the shape they were in by that point. They were in agony. The rational part of me knows I ended to their suffering and saved the ship. But none of it fucking matters when I close my eyes and hear her screaming in my sleep. I keep thinking I should have been able to save her, I should have been able to do something.”
“I should have been able to save Tammy…” Luke interrupted him, staring at his friend with hard, shining eyes before he looked away. “If I hadn't stopped to…”
“You did the best you could,” Tom looked up then, grabbing Luke's vest to get his attention. “Nearly being gutted counts as doing everything you could. You had no choice, mate. No options. Just like I didn't. You hear me?
Luke didn't want to believe that Tom was right. Despite his intellect, despite multiple degrees in physics and engineering, there was no way he could have known what was coming, no way he could have saved her. At best, he was hurt and she was gone. Worst case scenario would have been both of their deaths. He nodded once. “I'll try to keep that in mind.”
“Good.” Tom let him go and stood up straight. “I think Lance Corporal Harwood has your solder kit. She's the mouth-”
“I know who she is,” Luke nodded, familiar with the brunette under his brother's command. He started to move away but stopped and glanced back at Tom. “Thanks.”
Tom shrugged one shoulder. “Even before this mess, you and Derick were family, mate. Now go on before I start picking out bloody curtains.”
Chuckling despite the situation, Luke headed off in search of Harwood.
* * *
With Luke on the move, Tom sought out Jules. He found her, sitting next to a young woman who looked barely old enough to be out of high school, let alone a full-fledged scientist. Jules leaned in close, telling the woman something in soft and no doubt reassuring tones.
Moving into her line of sight, Tom waited until he caught Jules's eye and canted his head towards the passageway.
Jules nodded and gave Dr. Chin Yi Liu a quick squeeze around her thin shoulders. “We'll get out of this. Look what we've survived so far.” After Yi nodded and offered a quiet 'yes ma'am', Jules quickly joined Tom in the passageway.
“I saw you talking to Luke. How is he doing?” she asked once she was close enough for them to speak quietly.
“Better,” Tom explained, crossing his arms over his chest. “Got him focused on the transponder. It's going to sting for a bit but he'll be okay. He's a tough bloke.” Tom knew he was vastly underplaying what passed between them but he wasn't ready to tell Jules about Lisa yet. “How about you?”
“I'm good.” She had to be. For everyone here, for the Ruthie and even, she suspected, for the man in front of her. Later, once the rescue ship was here, maybe they could find some time to forget about everything else but each other for a while. “So, I was thinking,” Jules said, looking out across the room. “How about we get some of the scientists to set up shop in the other rooms. They can get started on their analysis and get distracted,” she added, glancing up at him.
“Great, it will get their minds off things and maybe get us some more intel on those creatures. There's got to be some kind of beastie expert among them, right?”
Jules winced remembering who their xenobiologist had been. “I'll check, but I think that was Dr. Adelaide. There has to be more than one, though. It might also be a good idea to have people start drawing what they remember of them. Do you have any artists among the Sharks?”
Tom thought about it and was there something about Richards? He'd read her file when he was putting together his squad. “Yeah, Orphan Annie went to some school …sounded like one of those liberal places… Art Student League or something in New York.”
“Then I say we get her on a slate with a stylus.” From their vantage point at the entry to the passageway, she could see the redhead in question sitting with Maya, the Gunny and the one they called Ozzy. The four of them were going through packs she assumed belonged to the dead. Watching the Gunny grimly pull several ration bars from one of the rucksacks, Jules frowned. “We're need to start rationing water,” she said, barely above a whisper. “And maybe food.”
Tom stiffened because fuck, she was right. He'd been more worried about ammunition and the rifle plasma packs that would need recharging at some point. Rations hadn't even been a thought because of the promise of a rescue ship. Now, though? When they weren't even sure the signal had broken the atmosphere?
“Yeah,” he nodded. “We might see if one of the squints managed to do an analysis of the water in the river. If worse comes to worse, we can make a supply run.” The idea of going out there didn't please him much but, if the rescue ship was late or — worse yet — didn't show, they were going to have to consider it.
“Let's hope it doesn't get to that. I wish like hell I knew if the signal got out or not.” Jules let out a sigh and rubbed her face.
” Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.” Pod's words. Paraphrased. “I'm also going to find the best place to make a hole if we need bug out and the door's not an option.”
I'll speak to Corporal Richards,” Jules said, glancing back to the woman in question and her friend. “Do those two always look like they're plotting world domination?”
Tom cracked a fond smile. “I think it's worse than that; its world domination where all the blokes are enslaved as beasts of burden.” And there was no question on who Ren would pick first, he smirked.
That made her laugh. “Maybe I'll throw my hat in with them,” Jules retorted and headed off to speak to the redhead in the pair.
* * *
Even though she'd known Luke for a couple of years, Cori swore he aged another ten today. His normally bright blue eyes were dark grey with grief and shadows mapped his face in new paths. Having lost people, she cared about (and not just in th
e Exodus), she wanted to say something. Wanted to tell him he wasn't alone. But she didn't. One of those lost used to say Cori had a heart of gold, a head of rocks, and a mouth that was too smart for her own good.
Translation - she meant well but would probably just succeed in upsetting or pissing Luke off.
She remained quiet while he inspected the backpack with RICKMAN, L written across the webbing with a black magic marker. In the fall-back rush, she'd spotted the pack lying on the steps and had snagged it in a last-minute decision. Eyeing him, she glanced at the contents. “Did I break anything?”
Luke didn't look up. He knew Harwood, had spent a few holidays with her when Derick dragged home any of his people that couldn't make it to a home-cooked meal of their own. This exposure embarrassed him.
“Uhm no…” he said quietly, not meeting her eyes.
“Good.” Cori gave him a grin that faltered when she remembered the situation. Right. Next topic, moving on. She indicated his work. “How can I help? I was raised in a mining colony and apprenticed as a drill repair tech before I signed up.”
For a moment, resentment flared in Luke, despite knowing it wasn't fair. He didn't want hers or anyone else's help. He wanted to work alone, he wanted the whole damn world to go away for a while. One hand closed tightly around the pack strap and he smoothed it out three times before answering. She meant well and he knew better than to send her away.
“We need to,” Luke grit his teeth when his voice broke. He swallowed against the dryness in his throat. “We need to rig the transponder to generate a signal capable of being detected through the ionisation. So, the rescue ship knows where we are.”
“All right. Is it anything like the beacons on an A90 Speitz Ice Drill?” Some of the parts laid out on the table looked familiar, just like the look on Luke's face. She got it. He didn't want her here but that was too damn bad. Gunny said to help but she didn't feel the need to rub that in his face.
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