by Piers Platt
The two other crewmen nearest to Falken opened fire a moment later – both fired a pair of shots, hitting him in the proxy’s chest. Falken ignored the bullets and closed with the men, decking one with a vicious right hook, and then grabbing the second by his combat vest. The man fired again, point blank this time, and a panicked look crossed his face as he realized that Falken was completely oblivious to the wounds. Falken kneed him hard in the groin, and then threw him over the shipping pallet, into the wall of the bay.
“Falken?” Vina asked, fear and confusion in her eyes.
“It’s me,” he said. He bent over her, and gripped the metal of the pallet where her handcuffs were attached. With a grunt, he peeled the metal bar back, and it snapped, letting her slide the handcuffs off.
“Look out!” she yelled, seeing another group of crewmen approaching from one side of the cages.
Falken pulled her close, shielding her from them. He heard several more gunshots ring out – they impacted along his back, but he felt no pain.
“Stop shooting!” Ed yelled, still handcuffed to the shipping pallet. “You’ll hit me!”
“You okay?” Falken asked.
Vina nodded against his chest. “Mm-hm.”
“Hang on,” Falken told her. He wrapped an arm around her and lifted her up, then ran, carrying her across the bay, as another salvo of bullets flew past him. As he passed the edge of one of the cages, another pair of crewmen appeared, weapons drawn. With his free hand, Falken grabbed the first one by the throat, and then threw him into the second – they landed on the deck in a tangled heap.
More shots rang out from behind, but Falken ignored them and continued across the bay to the far wall, where an emergency hatch stood, recessed into the wall paneling. Falken punched the hatch’s access panel, and the door swung back, revealing a small escape pod, with a handful of padded seats and a porthole in the far wall.
Falken set Vina down inside the escape pod, and handed her the master key to the Liberty Belle. “Hold on to that. When you land, stay put,” he told her. “I’ll come find you. Don’t get out!”
“Okay,” she said, nodding.
He winced as a bullet ricocheted off the door frame. “Get strapped in!” he told her. “I’ll see you on the ground.”
He tugged the door closed, and then turned and yanked down on the pod’s release lever. An inner door slid down over the pod door, and a second later, he heard rockets firing, and felt the ship lurch as the pod blasted free.
Okay, that’s Vina sorted out. Now I gotta try to bring this ship down. Or at least disable their ship-to-ship weapons.
He felt another bullet hit him in the back – Falken turned and faced the Starfarer’s crew again. Several had taken cover behind the shipping pallets and dragon cages; Auresh was back on his feet again, too, wincing in pain. The captain waved with his good arm, shouting to get his crew’s attention.
“It’s a proxy,” Auresh snarled. “You’re not gonna kill it. Just aim for the knees. If he can’t walk, he can’t fight.”
Shit, Falken thought.
He ran toward the front of the bay, into a hail of bullets – many missed, but more than a few struck him in the legs, and he felt his right knee give out. He stumbled, but caught himself.
I’m not gonna make it to the bridge, he thought. Better think of something else.
Falken changed course, hobbling now – he saw several of the men step back, trying to keep their distance from him.
That’s okay, run. I don’t need to catch you.
Falken reached the nearest dragon cage just as another round hit him in the leg, splintering his left shin bone. He propped himself against the side of the cage, and took hold of the heavy steel bar that held the cage’s door locked in place. Falken lifted the bar up and tossed it aside, and a split second later, the door burst outward, knocking him onto his back. The dragon landed on the shipping pallets, spread its wings, and roared.
Ed, cringing beneath the dragon, screamed in fear. The dragon sunk its teeth into Ed’s chest and yanked him into the air – Ed’s arm, still handcuffed at the wrist to the shipping pallet, tore off at the shoulder. The dragon shook Ed like a ragdoll, then tossed him aside, and leaped onto a crewman nearby, who went down firing and yelling.
Amidst the mayhem, Falken pushed himself out from underneath the cage door, and saw Auresh kneeling, holding his broken arm flat against the floor so that he could type on his wristpad. A moment later, the cargo bay ramp dropped open, and swirling cold wind rushed into the bay.
Falken tried to stand, but his legs could no longer hold him upright – he fell forward. His chest felt strangely constricted – he found himself coughing, and a burning sensation took hold deep within his lungs. For a second, his vision wavered, and went dark.
My real body’s suffocating, he realized. Running out of time.
He crawled toward the second dragon cage, and saw the first dragon jump into the air again, flying overhead to attack another crewman, who had been fleeing for the stairs at the front of the cargo bay. Falken pulled himself to the base of the other cage’s door, but he could not reach up high enough to get hold of the locking bar.
Across the bay, the surviving crew had begun to concentrate their fire on the freed dragon – their pistol rounds weren’t dealing it much damage, but in the face of persistent harassment, the creature finally screeched and then launched itself into the air, disappearing through the open ramp with two quick beats of its wings.
Falken abandoned trying to reach the locking bar on the second cage; instead, he took hold of the closest cargo strap tying the cage to the deck, and pulled. The strap held, but as Falken continued to pull, using all of the proxy’s formidable strength, he saw the strands in the strap begin to give. He felt another bullet hit him in the arm, and then the strap broke, and the cage jerked suddenly. Another strap snapped apart with a loud tearing sound, and the cage began to slide, slowly at first, then with increasing speed.
Falken saw Auresh swear and tap on his wristpad again – at the far end of the bay, the ramp began to swing upwards. The cage slammed into the back of the bay a second later, and for a second, it hung there, trapped in the half-open ramp. Then with a shriek of metal-on-metal, it slid free, and dropped into the darkness outside. The ramp shut, sealing the bay again.
Falken’s eyes dimmed again – the pain in his chest was all-consuming now. He gasped, and then flipped over onto his back, turning to see Auresh standing over him, his broken arm hanging limply at his side. He had a pistol in his other hand.
“You son of a bitch,” Auresh said.
He fired, and Falken’s vision went dark.
Chapter 33
Holding his broken arm, Auresh limped onto the Starfarer’s bridge. Cadellium stood behind the pilot’s seat – he eyed the captain’s injuries with alarm.
“What happened?”
“We were boarded,” Auresh growled. “They left one of their proxies in the cargo bay.”
“You took care of it?” Cadellium asked. “He’s dead?”
“Not ‘dead,’ ” Auresh said. “Disabled … disconnected. And I tossed the goddamn proxy off the ramp, just to be sure. But the dragons are gone.”
“What?” Cadellium seethed. “Gone? But … I need those specimens.”
“You’ve got the research data,” Auresh said. “You said that was the most important part.”
“No, no,” Cadellium said, shaking his head angrily. “I need blood samples, too. Our contract was for the data and two dragons.”
“Fuck your contract!” Auresh told him. “No other crew could have gotten you that data. If you want the dragons, you’ll have to find someone else to get them. Or maybe I’ll drop you back on the surface to catch them yourself.”
Cadellium’s jaw worked in silent rage. “We’re going to discuss this when we get out of here,” he promised Auresh. “This is unacceptable, Captain.”
Auresh opened his mouth to reply, but a crewmember interrupted. “Captain, I
’m picking up a number of airborne radar signatures coming from Mount Olympus.”
“Ships?” Auresh said, hurrying over to the man’s station.
“No, too small,” the man replied. “Either my sensors are acting up, or a bunch of dragons just took to the air.”
“How many?” Auresh asked.
“Most of them,” the man said. “Hundreds. Some of them are headed our way.”
“Shit,” Auresh observed. “Any word from Kuda?”
“Not yet,” the man replied.
“Call him now,” Auresh demanded.
The man tried calling Kuda, twice. When there was no answer, he shook his head.
“No luck, Captain.”
“Give me a visual on the research center,” Auresh ordered.
On the man’s computer terminal, a thermal image appeared. Auresh could see the Liberty Belle sitting on its landing pad, and further away, the entrance to the vehicle bay. Scattered over the side of the mountain, on the hull of the Liberty Belle, and crawling in and out of the vehicle bay, were numerous heat signatures, glowing white-hot against the cool background.
“Jesus. Dragons all over the place,” the crewman observed. “It looks like they’re inside the vehicle bay, too.”
Auresh gritted his teeth. They got Kuda. That fucking tour guide played us.
The pilot cleared his throat. “Uh, Captain: that fuel line is acting up again.”
Auresh turned and crossed to the pilot’s station.
“It … it doesn’t look like it’s fixed, sir,” the pilot reported, tapping on an indicator at his station. “The pressure in the line’s definitely dropping.”
“God damn it!” Auresh exploded, punching the computer terminal. “Is anything going to go right tonight?”
“Sorry, sir,” the pilot said. “But if it leaks, I’m going to have trouble going to full thrust on engine three.”
“Can you get full power now?” Auresh asked.
“For a little bit,” the pilot guessed. “Not sure how long it’ll hold, though.”
“Do it,” Auresh decided. “Take us up into orbit, now.”
“You’re just going to leave?” Cadellium asked.
“If we stay any longer, we’re going to be stranded here,” Auresh said.
“What about the survivors? The witnesses?”
“I’m not finished with them yet,” Auresh said.
* * *
Falken’s proxy slammed the pod door shut, and Vina felt a massive jolt, and suddenly the hull of the Starfarer disappeared out of view through the porthole. Her stomach dropped as she felt the pod fall, then the capsule jerked again a moment later.
“Parachutes deployed,” a robotic female voice announced.
The falling sensation stopped, replaced by a gentle swaying – in her seat harness, Vina craned her neck to look out the porthole behind her, but all she could see was the black of night. She clutched the master key to her chest and waited, trying to will her heart to slow down to a normal pace.
A minute passed, then two. Then, with a bone-jarring crash, the escape pod landed. Vina was thrown against her restraints as the pod rolled onto its side. It flipped again, and then came to a stop.
“Emergency descent complete,” the female voice told her. “Sensors assess that the exterior atmosphere is not safe to breathe. Remain in the pod for safety.”
Vina released her harness buckle and stood up, crossing to the hatch to peer out the porthole. White fabric covered the reinforced glass – she realized one of the parachutes must have draped itself over the pod, blocking her view. Then the fabric flapped, and a gust of wind caught it and blew the parachute to the side.
Vina saw that she had landed in a wide, crater-like depression. But none of the familiar terrain of Olympus was visible – no circular rock formations or groves of giant mushrooms could be seen. Instead, in the moonlight, she spotted several dragons, and her breath caught in her throat. One was preening itself, while nearby, two others fought over territory. A fourth dragon shook its head as it gnawed on the white bones of a faun that littered the gravelly ground.
Where am I …?
The parachute ballooned again in the wind, and the two dragons stopped fighting. They faced the pod, and seemed to be evaluating it. As she watched, they hopped closer, sniffing the night air. Vina looked past them, out over the rocky landscape, and realized that entire crater was full of a host of dragons of all sizes. Her blood ran cold.
Oh, shit, Vina thought. I landed in the aerie.
* * *
Falken gasped, throwing the sensory displacement helmet off his head. The air was choking him, his lungs aching as they fought to find the oxygen they needed. He fumbled at the pod’s lid, and then it swung open, and he lurched out into the room, tumbling to the floor.
I’m back inside the research center – why can’t I breathe?
He shook his head, confused. And crawled forward along the floor.
Kuda! The thought pierced his foggy brain. He vented the air. Get your mask back on!
Falken’s vision blurred; he turned, trying to pull himself up, searching for the oxygen mask he had left in the room.
Where is it?!
He heard halting footsteps. Falken held his hands up, shielding himself from a possible attack.
“Easy!” he heard a male voice say. Falken felt a hand on his shoulder, and then a mask was held in front of his face. He pulled it to his mouth and sucked in air hungrily, his chest heaving. Finally, he pulled the mask’s straps over his head and stood.
Raynard stood facing him, leaning on a mop handle as a crutch.
“You okay?” the journalist asked, from under his own mask.
“Yeah,” Falken nodded, still catching his breath. “Thanks for the help.”
“About time I returned the favor,” Raynard replied.
Falken smiled, steadying himself against the lid of the pod. Then a look of worry crossed his face. “Kuda? And the crew trying to break in?”
Raynard shook his head. “Your plan worked like a charm. Nearly got me killed, too, but it worked.”
“Are they sending anyone else after us? From the Starfarer?”
“I doubt it,” Raynard said. “Right now there are about a dozen dragons roosting in the vehicle bay, which looks more like a slaughterhouse. Did you get Vina?”
“Yeah,” Falken said. “She’s off the ship, and the two dragons they caught are, too. One of them ate Ed.”
“Oh,” Raynard said. “Uh … is this the part where I’m supposed to act sad?”
Falken shook his head. “I don’t know. But we need to find Vina.” He crossed to a computer terminal mounted in the room’s wall, and opened up the communications app. “Muir, you there?”
“I’m here. You guys okay?”
“We’re okay. The research center is secure,” Falken told her.
“Good. I’ve got angry dragons crawling over my ship right now thanks to you guys, but I guess I can’t complain.”
“That’s what the armor’s for, right?” Falken asked.
“Yeah, we’ll be okay. But we shouldn’t hang around much longer,” Muir said. “They’re liable to start doing real damage if we do. Starfarer just boosted into orbit, so that’s good news.”
“Are they gone?” Falken asked.
“Well, they disappeared over the horizon, but I haven’t picked up traces of a leap signature yet. It’s a good bet they’re waiting up there for us.”
Falken and Raynard shared a worried look. “Probably,” Falken agreed.
“We don’t really have a choice, though,” Muir continued. “Talus is in a bad way, Luthena says we gotta get him to Harrison’s ASAP. Did you get the master key?”
“Kinda,” Falken said. “Vina has it. Did you see the escape pod?”
“From the Starfarer?” Muir asked. “Yeah, I saw it. It landed upslope on the mountain.”
Falken felt his stomach flip. “Where upslope?”
“Looked like it was headed righ
t for the aerie,” Muir radioed.
“Ah, shit,” Falken said. “Raynard is headed your way.”
“Where are you going?” Muir asked.
“The aerie,” Falken said. “Be ready to take off as soon as I get back.”
“Be safe,” Muir said.
“Yeah.” Falken cut the connection, then looked at Raynard. “Can you make it back to the Liberty Belle on your own?”
“Think so,” Raynard said, glancing down at his ersatz crutch. “Slowly, but I can make it.”
Falken patted Raynard on the shoulder then hurried out into the corridor, jogging back toward the funicular base station. He paused at base of the ladder, tugging open an equipment locker, and sorting through it for a moment until he found another noise cancellation staff. At the top of the ladder, the hatch sat open – Falken climbed through, then pulled it shut, sealing himself inside the vehicle. He tucked the noise cancellation staff over one shoulder, took a seat, and then jammed the control lever up. The pod jerked, and then rose smoothly up along the track, emerging out of the tunnel a moment later.
Hang on, Vina.
Chapter 34
Vina shrank back from the escape pod’s porthole, willing herself to remain quiet. Outside, a dragon laid its head along the side of the pod, sniffing it curiously. The creature’s breath fogged the porthole glass momentarily, and then it disappeared from view. The pod shook, and Vina heard a loud scraping sound coming from overhead.
It’s on the roof. And I think it’s trying to get in.
Moving carefully, she crossed to the other side of the pod, to peer out the opposite porthole. Less than fifty yards away, she was surprised to see some kind of large, metal box embedded in the earth on that side of the pod. The metal was twisted and buckled in places – it looked as if it had survived a major impact.
Something familiar about that box …?
As she watched, the huge container shook, and then Vina realized what it was.
