by M. D. Cooper
She wove around, under, and over the myriad crystals, trying to keep her balance on the uneven floor, keeping her body bent double, expecting every moment to feel a fatal shot in her back. The cavern seemed hotter and more humid than ever, and the throbbing from her wound occupied nearly all her attention.
All she could hear was her own breathing and the noise her movements created, echoing faintly from the never-ending, hard, reflective surfaces. After some time, she knew she couldn’t go any farther without rest. She glanced back and saw nothing but a sea of crystals.
Martin, Pigtail, and the Tyrians had disappeared.
She halted and knelt down, tucking herself into a narrow gap amidst a cluster of crystals that would conceal her but allow her to see out through a narrow crack.
Then Isa waited and watched.
SPELUNKING
STELLAR DATE: 03.22.8937 (Adjusted Years)
LOCATION: Tyrian Constabulary Pinnace Darting Fire
REGION: Tyre, New Canaan System
“I think it’s time we make our move,” said Usef. “I know there are risks, but the time they’re taking…well, it’s too long for simple retrieval of the antimatter. They’re up to something else. If we get Pippa Dhami in custody, we can extract useful information from her. As it is, we’re playing a guessing game and letting them take the lead. I don’t like it.”
Seniority between Erin and Major Usef regarding the assignment had never been established, but Erin had a suspicion that if push came to shove, the major would have his way.
In all honesty, he was being generous in giving her a say. She suspected he was also right. They had been following and watching long enough; it was time to act. Erin was also growing more and more desperate to find out what had happened to Isa and Martin. Pippa’s associates might be able to tell her, or she could mount a search once they were in custody.
“Okay, Major,” she said. “I’m in agreement. It’s time to go caving.”
The major gave the command to his squad of Marines, and they began to prepare to leave the ship, assembling the equipment and weaponry they would need for the operation to extract Pippa and the Tyrians from the cave.
Chief Kang saw what was going on and correctly guessed what it meant, though the major hadn’t yet told her.
“You’re going into the cave?” she asked. “My officers will accompany you. They’re familiar with the territory and will know what to expect.”
“Thanks for the offer, ma’am,” Usef said. “But I don’t think that will be necessary. My Marines know how to work as a team and have been studying the cave’s layout the entire time we’ve been up here. Adding more individuals to the mix will complicate things and may make us less effective.”
The chief chewed on his response for a moment before nodding reluctantly. “We’ll be ready to back you up.”
“We’ll need to land somewhere soon to disembark,” Usef said. “Can you recommend a place near the cave entrance where we can set down unnoticed?”
The chief took the bone he’d thrown her and said, “That won’t be a problem. Give me a minute, Major.”
“I want to try to take them by surprise if we can,” Usef explained to Erin. “I’ve looked at the cave system map that Onyx provided, and if they know we’re coming and get away from us, there are thousands of places they could hide. I don’t want to spend forever down there trying to find them.”
When she got a chance to study the map, Erin could see what he meant. They would have to go in quickly and quietly. But the only place near the cave that was flat enough to land on was the lot directly outside the entrance. If they touched down there and the suspects were on their way out of the cave, they would likely hear the craft even in stealth mode.
The night was windless, and the mountainside would be quiet, especially at that time of night. Pippa and the others might then run back into the cave, and then it would be a long game of hide-and-go-seek.
Chief Kang walked over to consult the holotank which still displayed an image of the mountainside. She chatted with Usef and told him where the pilot would land the ship, and laid out the best route to the cave entrance. They would approach from up slope, Erin guessed.
Erin left the pinnace’s central room for one of the rear storage areas.
Ten minutes later, the police cruiser was gently lowering toward a small clearing. The Marines were queued up, waiting to leave the ship, and Erin joined the end of the line. Major Usef spotted her.
“I was going to recommend that you remain aboard the ship,” he said.
“I guessed you might,” Erin said, “but as you can see, I came prepared.” She was wearing the armor that Usef had requisitioned for her when they were working together to defeat the picotech thief. Erin’s small stature meant that though the Marines’ armor conformed to most sizes, it was far too big for her. She suspected that Usef had counted on that.
“I didn’t know you’d brought that along,” Usef countered.
“Just thinking ahead, Major. So, if I might have a weapon too? I have a pulse pistol, but….”
The major still wavered, so Erin added, “I hope I don’t have to remind you that it was me who spotted Hart at the space elevator site and who fired the first shot. And hit him.”
The major’s broad forehead remained creased in a troubled frown, but he told a private to fetch a rifle for Erin. Then he returned to the side of the line, muttering something that sounded like, ‘Stars save me from the logical minds of engineers.’
When the private returned with Erin’s weapon and handed it to her, Usef gave her a serious look. “Don’t point that—”
“At anything I don’t want to kill,” Erin finished for him.
His eyes briefly flicked heavenward, then he looked Erin up and down and said, “And if we encounter fire, feel free—”
“To stand behind you,” said Erin. “I remember that, too.” She settled her helmet on her head, ready to face whatever may come.
The police cruiser swayed a little, then bumped as it touched down. The ramp began to lower. Usef faced the front and told his Marines to get ready to disembark.
Despite her confidence in front of the major, Erin was growing more and more agitated. She was worried about Isa and Martin. The evening was getting late; even if they’d been beyond Link access for some innocent reason, like being on a caving trip, they should have been on their way back to their hotel by then, and easily contactable. Unless they were spending the night at an extremely remote location, Erin could only conclude that there was a more sinister explanation for their silence.
The ramp was down, and the Marines were stepping off, each soldier disappearing from view as they activated their armor’s stealth systems. A chill wind swept into the cruiser, due to the night temperatures and altitude, though Erin didn’t feel it—it only registered as a number on her HUD, one of many, as she followed the major, last to disembark.
As they stepped through the dark forest that covered the mountain, Erin saw the night terrain and heard the night noises through her helmet’s sensors. She realized that Usef was moving amazingly quietly despite his size. She stayed in his footsteps as they made their way down the trackless slope, their only natural light coming from the stars of the Cradle shining through the canopy of leaves overhead.
Chief Kang had said they would reach the cave entrance after a trek of seven or eight minutes. Erin hoped that their targets hadn’t left the cave in the interval. They’d already been down there an awful long time.
She was about to ask Usef if he thought that was likely when he added her to the combat net, and she saw a feed from a drone that was watching the cave’s entrance.
Erin’s th
oughts turned once again to Pippa and her plan. The woman had to know that Erin would discover that she’d left Carthage before long, and would follow her to Tyre sooner or later. Did she know that her disappearance had been discovered so quickly? She’d relied on Anwen’s silence, and, as it turned out, she’d been correct in predicting that her sister wouldn’t tell on her, even if she guessed that Pippa might be doing something prohibited. Especially if she thought Pippa might be doing something prohibited.
The ground was becoming more precipitous, and Erin was grabbing the tree trunks to prevent herself from sliding down on the leaf litter. Below them, a single light shone out above the entrance to the cave. Every so often, a black shape would pass in front of it. Bats, or maybe owls, she supposed. Erin could just make out the black wedge shape of the Tyrians’ pinnace in the lot opposite the entrance.
A slim trail had appeared between the trees, probably created by the local wildlife. The Marines at the front of the line were already heading down it, walking the last fifty meters or so to the cave. Swiftly, Usef and Erin followed, slipping around the rocky margin that marked the opening and then through the entrance.
As soon as they were under the cave’s overhang, two Marines split off from the group and stationed themselves on each side of it, finding dark alcoves to slip into. They both disturbed large bats that fluttered from their hiding places and out into the night.
The major, Erin, and ten more Marines remained to find Pippa and her Tyrian friends. The cave system map Onyx had supplied showed a vast complex. Erin’s heart sank as she studied it and saw its extent.
That’ll help, Erin thought.
The deployment of nano wasn’t sufficient to inspect every nook and cranny of the place, however. The major split his squad into pairs and sent them out to conduct a manual search. The Marines moved off quickly across the wide cavern that led to the many branching passageways of the system. Automatic, motion-sensitive lights flicked on in response to their progress.
“This way,” said Usef, highlighting a path that led through the cavern and into one of the tunnels that descended deeper into the caverns.
Erin trotted beside him, taking two steps for each one of his. She held her weapon nestled in her arms, and read the running display on her HUD, which was currently giving information on her immediate location including temperature, humidity, and distances to junctions they were approaching. Usef passed several openings. The cavern was narrowing, and the ceiling getting lower. Usef turned and passed through a gap. Erin followed and found herself in a rough tunnel that soon began to slope steeply downward.
Well that’s morbid, Erin thought, adding that to her list of worries.
The tunnel became even steeper and rockier, so that Erin had to lean back into the slope and scramble down. Her HUD told her that the temperature and humidity had risen a little. Sparks and flashes were coming from all around them; the walls, floor and ceiling were twinkling like a galactic cluster.
Erin was panting with exertion.
When they finally reached the bottom of the passage, they climbed through an opening into a gigantic cavern. Brightly colored mineral deposits and gems covered the walls, and a wide lake spread away from their feet across the expanse of the cavern floor, doubling the display. As Erin looked at the lake, she noticed that the rock along the shore was wet, as if the water had recently been disturbed and washed over the stones. She couldn’t think of anything else except the passage of feet that would cause the lake water to slosh over its margins.
It looked as though they’d drawn the winning ticket. Of all Usef’s teams deployed on the search, they were the ones to follow the path taken by the targets.
They walked the same route the suspects had taken, skirting the edge of the lake. There was only one other exit from the cavern. A crack split the far wall, appearing just above ground level and continuing high up the wall, narrowing the higher it rose. At its base, he gash looked just wide enough to allow a person to pass through it.
From the angle of his head, the major seemed to be studying the crack intently.
When they reached the other side of the lake, she stepped up to the gap, turned sideways and edged through it, holding her weapon tightly against her chest. What she saw beyond was the beginning of another tunnel. She turned back to the crack.
Major Usef approached the gap and turned sideways as Erin had. He put one leg through it, moved the rest of his body to follow, and promptly got stuck. The edges of the crack pressed against his back and massive chest.
The major bent his knees and lowered his bulky frame and tried again. He had more room, but he still couldn’t fit through. The space just wasn’t sufficient to accommodate his chest muscles.
Erin peered down the tunnel. It remained dark and silent. She returned her gaze to the jammed major.
she offered.
She was armed, and as far as she knew, Pippa and the others were not. Major Usef also had ten other, somewhat slimmer Marines who could come to her aid if necessary. She wouldn’t take any risky chances.
He stepped away from the crack and studied it. He paused.
He moved back into the cavern and unclipped his helmet. He put it down on the ground and then began to take off his armor.
Erin saw on her HUD that the temperature and humidity in this new section was even higher. She looked down the tunnel, noting that the lighting was sparse and there were no jewels or gold seams to be seen. She wondered what might lie at its end.
TRANSUDATION
STELLAR DATE: 03.22.8937 (Adjusted Years)
LOCATION: Crystal Cave, Mount Ida Caverns
REGION: Tyre, New Canaan System
Nothing moved—except for a drop of sweat that fell from Isa’s nose.
Her leg throbbed. What had happened to Pigtail? Had she given up her chase? The woman had said that it didn’t matter what Isa o
r Martin told them, that Tyre was going to be ‘cracked open’ anyway. Had Pigtail left the cave? And what about Ada? She’d been injured, but was still alive the last time Isa had seen her. Did the two women intend to leave the planet soon in order to escape the catastrophe they’d set up?
If Isa and Martin didn’t get out of the caves in time and raise the alarm, about a hundred thousand Tyrians were going to lose their lives.
Stars, where are you, Martin?
The only saving grace was that Erin remained on Carthage, safe from these crazies and their insane schemes. Why would anyone want to destroy a planet and its population? Martin had said they were SSS, but Isa didn’t know what the letters stood for. She guessed the group had to be from ancient Sol, if Martin knew of them and she didn’t.
Now that her adrenaline had begun to subside, Isa realized she was nearly at the end of her strength. She was also incredibly thirsty and her leg hurt so much she dreaded moving it. But she had to move. She had to find Martin and get out of the caves.
She hadn’t heard anything for several minutes. She tentatively peeked out from her hiding place. The angled columns of white crystals filled the space around her with barely any room to move between them. Which way was the exit? And where was Martin? She couldn’t call out to him. If the Tyrians were still in the cave, they would hear her.
Slowly and painfully, Isa eased out from her nook. She didn’t know which direction to take, only that she had to go somewhere. She put her weight on her good leg and, bending at the waist, she hobbled a few steps while listening intently and sweeping the cave with her gaze.
The last time she’d been there, she hadn’t gone this deep inside. On the other hand, the last time she’d been there, she’d been half out of her mind. But she’d made it out then and she could do it again. She only needed to find a place she recognized, somewhere that would help her figure out where the exit lay. She limped on.
At least her sweat was beginning to dry up, though she was still incredibly hot. She actually seemed to be getting hotter and hotter.
