by Piers Platt
“The proxies will be green,” Talus said.
“Right. Let them feed the dragons, if it comes to it, you just worry about the survivors, and your own butt.” Muir tapped on her wristpad, and a vidscreen at the front of the cafeteria sprang to life. “This is who we’re looking for.”
Greban’s face appeared on the screen, and then Falken’s soon afterward.
“Greban and Falken you know – that takes care of the crew. They only had five pax this trip, and all of them flew in with us, so they should all look familiar.” The screen changed again, and a passport photo of a brunette woman appeared. “Here’s Vina, the only woman. Male guests are: Raynard, Edmark, Shep, and Kuda.”
“The two brothers,” Talus nodded. “I remember.”
“Seven total,” Muir said.
“Right. And we gotta find them and pull them out in under twenty minutes.”
Muir set her spoon down in the empty bowl. Talus was playing with his empty banana peel, twisting it slowly between his fingers. “You okay?” she asked.
Talus took a deep breath. “I guess so.”
“Listen,” Muir said. “I’m scared, too. But this is our job. And they’re counting on us to do it.”
Talus nodded, then met Muir’s gaze. “You’re scared, too?”
“Oh, yeah,” she said. “The first time wasn’t any fun. I don’t imagine this will be, either.”
Suddenly, the ship shuddered, and Muir’s empty tray slid across the table toward the bow of the ship.
“What was that?” Muir asked.
“Felt like a deceleration,” Talus said frowning.
Muir checked her wristpad. “We’re still forty minutes out from Olympus. Did we just punch out of FTL early?”
“I don’t know,” Talus said, standing up.
From the bridge a level above, they heard warning klaxons sounding. Then they heard a sharp, metallic clang, and the ship trembled, as if from an impact.
“What the hell was that?” Talus asked, his frown deepening.
“Get to the bridge!” Muir shouted. “Go!”
Chapter 19
Falken took one look at the three dragons flying toward the truck, and then swerved away from the exposed river, steering the truck back up into the rock formations. With his free hand, he gestured toward the disembodied proxy legs in the front passenger seat. Ed, understanding, reached forward and grabbed the first pair, and then labored to pass it back to the brothers. He handed another set to Greban and Raynard, and then set the final pair of legs on the seat between him and Vina.
Falken had lost sight of the dragons when he left the river – he had been concentrating on finding the road again, and in the short span of time that he looked away, they had disappeared behind a rock column. They were close by the mountain now, the steep, moss-covered sides towering above them. But the research center, Falken knew, was on the far side of the mountain, and several wide spurs of rock stood in their way. When he found the path again, Falken checked the map once more.
About two miles out.
Vina tapped him repeatedly on the shoulder, and Falken tore his eyes off the map – one of the dragons was flying close overhead, appearing to inspect the truck. Falken jerked his thumb at the bloody legs on the seat next to her, and with an effort, Vina and Ed managed to lift them, and toss them over the side. The dragon peeled off immediately, dipping a wing and dropping into a steep dive to pounce on the legs.
Let’s hope he’s a slow eater.
Falken spotted an oddly-shaped stone formation up ahead, and for a moment, he flashed back to his encounter with the huge female. But this object turned out to be merely rocks, eroded by some unseen force – the massive female was nowhere to be seen.
She ate a truck full of Adrenaline Junkies guests. She’s gotta be full … right?
A shout of alarm broke through Falken’s reverie – another dragon was diving right at them, from the left side. Falken braked hard, throwing off the creature’s aim – instead of landing amongst the seats, its claws scraped across the truck’s hood, and Falken felt its wings beat the air over his head. It slid across the truck and tumbled in a leathery heap to the ground on the far side of the truck. Falken jammed the accelerator down. He lost sight of the dragon in the wet spray from the hoverfans.
“Another on the right!” Vina called.
Falken jerked the wheel, and a set of claws closed over the empty space where Ed’s head had just been. The older man screamed in fear, but Greban, just behind him, heaved the second set of proxy legs out of the truck. The dragon’s head whipped around, scenting the proxy legs, and it broke off its pursuit to investigate.
They rounded a wide, sloping finger of rock at the base of the mountain at full speed, the truck’s fans whining in protest. Falken risked another glance at the map on the display screen.
Just a little farther.
“Air!” Kuda gasped. In the chaos of the sudden attack, Shep had forgotten to pass him the oxygen bottle they were sharing. He took several deep breaths, and then passed it back to his brother.
The truck sped past a thick rock column, and suddenly Falken felt a jarring impact – one of the dragons must have been waiting in ambush behind the formation, and had pounced on them as they passed by. Falken swore and turned the wheel hard right, then left, and then right again, but the dragon’s claws were sunk deep into the side of the truck, and it held on tight, using its wings for balance.
Fine. Try holding on now.
Falken aimed the truck at another tall rock column, gauging the angle. The dragon opened its jaws, preparing to strike, but they were already beside the formation, and Falken scraped the side of the truck along the sheer face of the rock, swiping the dragon off in one fell swoop.
“Almost there!” he called out. Hang on, guys.
Suddenly, Falken felt a rush of wind and heard a thunderous flapping of wings and a cry of pain from Raynard. The first dragon had attacked them again, this time from a near-vertical dive at full speed. It crashed down into the middle row of seats and impaled Raynard’s right leg, pinning it to the seat with its hind claws. The impact slammed the truck downward, and Falken heard the shriek of metal on rock as the truck bottomed out on the ground. Over his shoulder, Falken could see the dragon’s head swivel, its jaws bloody from eating proxy meat. He ducked as the beast’s tail whipped around and slammed into Shep’s head, knocking him unconscious.
The dragon focused on Kuda next, who yelled in alarm and held the last set of proxy legs over himself, like a shield. The dragon bit down, shaking its head to tear off a chunk of meat from the proxy’s thigh.
“Falken!” Vina screamed.
“I know!” In the distance, Falken spotted the research center’s vehicle bay, a bunker-like building protruding from the rocky base of the mountain. The bay’s armored outer door was swinging slowly upwards, revealing several trucks parked inside next to an airlock.
The dragon bit down again, tearing the rest of the proxy legs out of Kuda’s hands. Vina was beating at the dragon’s belly with Falken’s noise cancellation staff, while Ed cowered in fear, holding both arms over his head protectively. The dragon ignored them both, tilting its head up to swallow what remained of the proxy. Falken aimed for the vehicle bay, pressing down on the accelerator, but it was already floored. Then the truck slowed down.
What the …?
On the display screen, Falken saw a warning symbol appear.
>>>Batteries depleted. Leaks detected. Would you like me to find an authorized service center?
Falken swore as the truck slowed, then jerked to a halt. He reached into the vehicle’s glove compartment and yanked out the emergency kit, fumbling until he found a flare. Pulling the cap off, he slammed the flare against the dashboard and it hissed to life, bright red flame sputtering from one end. Falken unbuckled his seat belt, clambering up onto the seat behind the dragon. Above him, the dragon was rearing back, preparing to deal Kuda a killing blow. Falken snarled and grabbed the beast’s wing,
pulling himself upward and jamming the fiery flare into one of the open sensory glands along the dragon’s neck. It screamed in pain and anger, and threw Falken off – he landed on his back on the hood of the truck. The dragon beat its wings, roaring in anguish, and then lifted off, shaking itself in a vain attempt to get rid of the flare. It fell to the ground a dozen paces away, and lay there hissing, biting at its own neck.
“The truck’s dead,” Falken said, pushing himself off the hood and onto the ground. “Everybody out, let’s go!”
“Shep’s hurt!” Kuda said, pulling his mask off and slipping it over his brother’s unconscious head.
“You gotta carry him,” Falken said, pulling open the door next to Raynard. The photojournalist’s leg was bleeding heavily – he held it between shaking hands, and Falken could see multiple deep puncture wounds, each several inches across.
“Hurts bad,” Raynard said. “I don’t think I can walk.”
“I got you,” Falken said. “Ed, Vina – you help Greban.”
“Take my mask,” Greban said, handing it to Raynard. “I’ll share with Ed.”
Kuda jumped off the truck and pulled his brother out, stopping to take a deep breath from the oxygen mask, before putting it back over his brother’s head. Then he grabbed Shep under the arms and began dragging him toward the bunker. Falken unbuckled Raynard and then bent over, putting the other man’s torso across his shoulders, before lifting him in a fireman’s carry, an arm in one hand, and his injured leg in the other. On the far side of the truck, he saw the dragon was still writhing in pain, distracted by the embedded flare.
He’s gonna be pissed when he gets that thing out.
“Ed, come on!” Vina shouted, helping Greban down out of the truck. They hobbled a few paces, Vina supporting Greban under one shoulder, while Greban used the noise cancellation staff as a cane in his other hand.
The older man still lay huddled in his seat, sobbing, his arms held up over his head.
“Ed, move!” Falken yelled, grunting under Raynard’s weight. “Vina needs your help.”
Ed seemed to recover then; he sat up, wide-eyed, and surveyed the scene. His eyes seemed to focus when he caught sight of the bunker ahead of them. He tumbled out of the truck and ran toward Vina and Greban, but instead of stopping, he brushed right past them, sprinting toward the airlock.
“Ed!” Vina yelled.
“Son of a bitch!” Falken swore.
He took a deep breath, but the air in his mask felt suddenly thin. Falken continued forward and took another breath, but the taste in the mask had changed, and he felt a tickle in the back of his throat.
Fucking out of air now, too?!
He tore the mask off, letting it drop to the ground. Ed had already disappeared inside the bunker – Falken could see him beating on the airlock’s inner door. Kuda had stopped for another breath of air; he and Shep were just inside the vehicle bay, but still twenty or thirty feet from the airlock. Vina stopped to hold her air mask to Greban’s face for a moment, letting him breathe. Falken held his own breath and hurried on, catching up to Vina and Greban.
“Put me down, I can crawl,” Raynard groaned, from over Falken’s shoulder.
Falken shook his head silently.
The hell you can. Falken looked at the airlock. Not much farther. You can make it.
Then, with an earth-trembling thump, another dragon landed directly between the four of them and the bunker. It shook itself, then furled its wings and paced toward them, jaws wide. Falken heard a snort, and turned to look behind them – the injured dragon had rid himself of the flare, and was stalking toward them from the truck. Falken’s lungs had begun to burn, and he could feel his heart racing in his chest.
He turned back to face the first dragon, and saw Greban take his arm away from Vina’s shoulder, straightening up. He turned to the other three and smiled, quickly, then reached down to touch the noise cancellation staff in his hands.
“Go!” he yelled, and Falken saw him switch the staff into “lure” mode, the device’s speakers now broadcasting the sounds of an injured faun. At once, both dragons’ heads snapped toward Greban, who braced himself, and then half-stumbled, half-ran a dozen yards away from the other three, gasping at the pain in his sprained ankle.
The dragons pounced nearly simultaneously. In a daze, Falken heard Vina scream. He pushed her toward the airlock, gasping ineffectually for air. They ran, Falken stumbling once and nearly falling, but she pulled him up again, and he steadied Raynard across his shoulders. His vision began to blur, the edges of his sight darkening. And then they were inside the vehicle bay, and, after what seemed an eternity of steps, inside the airlock, too. Falken collapsed to the floor, his chest bursting. The last thing he saw was one of the dragons, flying low through the vehicle bay directly toward the airlock, as the outer hatch began to slide closed.
Chapter 20
“Falken!”
Falken gasped, feeling cool, fresh air fill his lungs. Vina knelt over him, shaking him urgently. In the background, he heard a dull thudding sound – he realized it was one of the dragons, trying ineffectually to break down the airlock door.
Falken sat up, holding his head. He saw Brondi and Luthena, the two research center scientists, lifting Raynard up between them. The photojournalist moaned in pain as they jostled him, and then managed to lay him on a medical gurney. Beyond, inside the research center’s main hallway, Falken could see Kuda catching his breath, leaning against the carved stone wall, his unconscious brother at his feet. Ed stood off to one side, his oxygen mask held in one hand.
“You bastard!” Falken pushed himself off the tiled floor and strode over to Ed. The older man backed away, but Falken grabbed him by the shirt, yanking him close.
“Greban’s dead because of you,” Falken growled.
Ed shook his head. “I … I didn’t do anything.”
“You ran instead of helping,” Falken said. “You killed him, sure as pulling a trigger. And I’m going to see that you go to jail for it, you selfish asshole.”
Ed snorted. “I did what any reasonable person would do. And my lawyers will have no trouble proving it.”
Falken snarled and wrapped his fingers around Ed’s throat, lifting him off the floor. “There was a time when I would have dumped your ass right back outside,” Falken said.
“Falken!” Brondi called, concern creasing his face.
But Falken ignored the researcher and tightened his grip. “Or killed you myself.” He saw Ed’s eyes go wide, his mouth agape. “You’re lucky I’m not that man anymore.”
He let go, and Ed fell to the floor in a heap. Falken turned away. He crossed the hallway and knelt next to Shep.
“He’s still breathing,” Kuda said. “He moaned a second ago. I think he’s coming to.”
Falken pushed open one of Shep’s eyes. “Concussion,” he said.
“Will he be okay?” Kuda asked.
“Has he had any head injuries in the past?” Falken asked.
“I don’t think so,” Kuda said.
“Then he should be okay. Just make him comfortable.”
Brondi and Luthena passed by, pushing the gurney between them, with Vina in tow.
“Heading for the infirmary,” Luthena told Falken.
“I’ll come,” Falken said.
They hurried down the long hallway, its stone walls scarred in spiral patterns from the massive drill bits that had carved the research center out of the mountain. After passing several side tunnels, they turned into a larger, circular cavern, lit by wall sconces. In the center of the room, a small conference table cluttered with papers, test tubes, and various tools sat facing a bank of vidscreens. One of the screens showed scenes from various security cameras both inside and outside the research center, while another appeared to have a large spreadsheet open on it. Luthena and Brondi wheeled Raynard through the room, and into the infirmary’s surgical bay. The room’s lights flipped on, bathing the bay in bright, white light.
Luthena
donned a pair of sequined e-glasses, which had been dangling around her neck from a string. Falken had used a similar model when he worked in the center himself, dissecting animals for study – they overlaid information on what she was seeing, augmenting her normal vision and displaying data from the research center’s computer.
“I need surgical guidance,” she said. “Victim has blood loss and open puncture wounds on his right thigh.”
The research center’s computer chimed to confirm her request. “Assessing patient now. Stand by for detailed treatment instructions.”
Brondi was pulling supplies out of a medical locker, setting bandages, sutures, and blood transfusion equipment on a rolling tray.
“You guys need help?” Falken asked, feeling suddenly helpless.
“Three’s a crowd in here, Falken,” Luthena said, cutting Raynard’s pants leg with a pair of scissors.
“Okay,” he relented. “Holler if you need a hand.”
“Will do,” Brondi said.
Falken backed out of the surgical bay and took a seat at the central conference table. For a moment, he just stared at the table, lost in thought.
“Is Raynard gonna be okay?” Vina asked.
She had taken the seat next to him – Falken hadn’t even noticed.
“Well, Luthena and Brondi are xenobiologists, not surgeons,” Falken said. “But they’re pretty damn close, with the computer backing them up.”
“That’s good.” She seemed to hesitate, then put a hand on his shoulder. “Falken, I’m … I’m sorry about Greban,” Vina said.
Greban. Falken felt a lump form in his throat. He clenched his jaw.
“That was incredibly brave, what he did for us.” She sighed. “And what Ed did doesn’t take away from Greban’s sacrifice at all.”
Falken nodded. “That’s just Greban. Always putting other people before himself.”
“Well, I won’t soon forget it. Or him,” Vina said. “And you, too. You got the rest of us here safe,” she said. “Thank you.”
