by T. A. White
"I take it from your sudden silence, elevated breathing, and increased heartbeat, you've decided engaging the primus without a proper plan was the way to go," Jin snarled.
Kira was too preoccupied with not dying to give him an appropriate response.
Best way to get a primus's attention was through pain.
The distance between them narrowed. Fifteen feet. Ten. Five.
Warning filled Joule's face as he caught sight of her. She ignored him, already mid-leap.
She landed on the primus's back, throwing her weight to the side. They tipped, the primus falling. She let go, hitting the ground and rolling before landing on her feet.
A bellow of surprise left the primus.
"Come on, big guy. Let's see what you've got," Kira snarled, facing him.
Take the bait. Come on.
"Oh, that's smart. Let's anger the big, dangerous beast," Jin groused.
The primus shook his head. Confused eyes came up to find Kira's.
She didn't know how much of the world registered for him. During her transformation, it was like a haze descended. She was still her on some level, but every primal instinct was dialed up to the max.
It hadn't always been that way. The first time she took primus form, she'd blacked out, only piecing together what happened from other's accounts and snippets of memories that came to her much later.
Judging by Joule's and the other initiates presence, she was betting this Tuann didn't have a lot, if any, experience with the form. He was likely one of the initiates who'd been attacked by the tala dogs, fear and pain catapulting him into the form.
His control would be nonexistent. Without something to fight, he'd attack randomly. She needed to get him away from the rest before that happened.
The primus's lips lifted in a snarl, and his head lowered. He charged. Kira spun out of the way, sharp satisfaction filling her as he careened head first into a tree.
Not the brightest of lightbulbs.
Primus form came with increased power and strength. It was ideal for war, but she knew it took trial and error to use effectively.
Kira waited as he lumbered to his feet, smashing his fist into the tree that had offended him. It splintered.
If his primus was anything like hers, his prey drive would be all-consuming—especially since she'd thwarted him once. He'd fixate and be drawn into the hunt. He wouldn't be able to help it.
Kira's grin held anticipation. Well, buckle up, buttercup, this was going to be a frustrating experience in delayed gratification.
A puff of air escaped him, his hands opening and shutting as if anticipating burying his claws in her flesh.
Kira’s wave was taunting as she sprinted for the trees, calling over her shoulder. "Let's play follow the leader, shall we?"
The roar of a predator denied its prey proved her gamble had paid off.
Her smile fell from her lips as her pace flattened into a sprint. Now that she'd gotten its attention, it was time to see how fast he was.
Kira didn't let concern over the rest distract her. Finn would take care of them—or he wouldn't. Either way, their fate was out of her hands. All she could do was hold up her end of things. That was the only thing you could do in war. Do your part while hoping the next person down the line did theirs.
Underbrush cracked and rustled behind her. He was gaining.
Kira maintained her current speed. Getting too far in front of him would be risky. If he got distracted or stumbled on another Tuann, the situation could turn deadly.
Baiting. Whoever thought she'd be on this end of it?
The number of times she'd lost control of the primus form could be counted on one hand. You didn't even have to use all your fingers.
The concept was familiar as it was for all Curs. It only had to happen once for them to institute a protocol. Of course, it hinged on being on a warship where airlocks could be used as traps, and a berserker Kira could be spaced if it looked like she was going to compromise the integrity of the ship.
Sadly, no handy airlocks lurked in these trees.
"Do you have a plan or are you going to run around all day?" Jin asked.
While his tone was sarcastic, Kira could hear the tightness in Jin's voice.
"Working on it."
"Work faster. He's closing on you."
The smallest whisper of instinct warned Kira. She planted a foot, using it to launch herself sideways. The primus tore out of the bushes, his claws tearing into the trunk of the tree where she'd stood seconds before.
He whirled, swiping at her, his claws nearly cleaving her head from her shoulders. She dropped, rolling and gaining her feet in the next instant.
Reaching for her ki was instinctive—and misguided. Her vision narrowed, black eating away at the edges. Her head throbbed a warning as she rebounded off that glass wall.
"Kira!" Jin screamed, his voice sounding like it was coming from a distance.
Instinct took over. She ducked, then raced forward, running two steps up the tree before pushing off, flipping in midair and kicking the primus in the head.
She landed several feet away, chest heaving as he shook his head as if batting away a fly. His tail thrashed. Good to know her blow hadn't even budged him. More evidence a physical confrontation wouldn't end well for her.
"What the hell was that?" Jin demanded.
Kira thumped her bracelet. "I tried to use ki. It didn't work."
"No shit. You haven't been able to draw ki since Quillon put that on you."
Not for the first time, frustration ate at her. Weakness had never been something she accepted. That she had no choice at the moment, galled.
The primus attacked in the next second, leaving her no further room for self-pity. She was too preoccupied with surviving.
"Find a way to get this off me," Kira ordered, evading. She used the trees as obstacles, putting several between her and the primus.
She ran toward one, using the trunk to propel herself higher. She caught a branch and swung herself up.
"No dice. You don't have the time. You'll have to figure another way out of this," Jin said.
Kira made a grumbling noise, going still as the primus crossed under her position.
He sniffed the air, his eyes lifting abruptly to meet hers.
"Don't think you're special," she told him. She held up the arm with the bracelet. "If I didn't have this on, I could do that too."
There wasn't even a glimmer of reaction in his gaze. It was like speaking to a mindless beast.
"Oof, you really are gone, aren't you?" Kira said.
Even when lost to madness, no one had ever compared her to a beast. Her primus form was never stupid. It possessed a diabolical cunning, making her difficult to bait. It was also what made her such a threat to the enemy.
The primus inhaled, its mouth dropping as a roar filled its chest. A slow rumble built, deeper and deeper, a freight train barreling toward her. The pressure in the air condensed, spearing away from the primus in a blast. The tree branch Kira perched on splintered as she leaped away from it.
Kira tumbled to the ground, barely landing upright.
"What was that?" Jin shouted.
She didn't get the chance to answer as the primus charged. There was no time to dodge. Kira threw her arms up to block as its fist smashed into her, desperation exploding out of her.
The air millimeters in front of her forearms shivered, the faintest existence of a ki shield taking the brunt of the blow. It popped, and his fist landed on her arms. Kira flew, her spine hitting a tree. She stumbled, somehow managing to remain on her feet.
The primus panted as its yellow eyes glared.
Kira shook her arms out, pain running their lengths. The ki shield might have protected her for the most part, taking the majority of the force, but she'd still felt that blow.
A shiver worked through her. If she took one of those head on, it would shatter her bones.
"Good news and bad news," Kira said, not taking her eye
s off the primus. "I finally used ki. Bad news—he can too."
"How is that fair?" Jin asked in outrage. "That form is already dangerous enough without being able to use ki too."
The primus rushed her; claws extended as if it planned to dig out her guts by way of her stomach. She slid to the right with a light laugh. "Better luck next time, little puppy."
"Are you purposely trying to enrage it?" Jin snapped.
Kira took off, the primus following close behind. "I need it mad. That'll keep it entirely focused on me."
"Well, good job. You succeeded."
Yes, she had. Now she had to figure out what to do with it.
Kira darted through the trees, the primus only feet behind her, as she considered her options. Luring it to anywhere populated was a no go. At this point, escaping to leave it wandering the forest was also impossible. She doubted she'd be able to outrun him.
Gradually, the scenery grew familiar. She swerved right, already knowing what she'd find. Her feet touched a section of the running path she didn't normally bother with since it led right to the section of the forest filled with drones.
Kira grinned, a plan forming.
"Where are you going?" Jin asked. "The archway and safety are in the opposite direction.
"I'm not going there," she told him.
He was silent several seconds as he worked through her logic. "The course?"
She grunted.
"Is that wise?"
"Probably not, but I don't have a better idea, do you?"
Silence crackled over the line.
"You can do this, Kira." There was certainty in Jin's voice, even if she detected a trace of fear.
Fear was okay. It kept you sharp. Made you faster. Letting fear overwhelm you was not good. Panic made you miss things.
"If you could hack the course, that would be great," Kira said.
"You think the drones can slow the primus down," Jin guessed.
He didn't wait for her to answer, already thinking out loud. "The settings the last time you ran one of these were too low to do more than irritate it. I think I can boost their power."
Jin went quiet as he worked.
Kira rounded a bend in the trail, trees rushing by as the shimmery haze of air marking the boundary of the course came into view. Whatever Jin was going to do needed to happen fast.
"I'm in the system. Programming the drones to a higher setting will be easy, but I’ll be locked out of their controls as soon as the course starts. It will be extremely painful, possibly debilitating if you're not fast enough to evade their fire."
Kira allowed herself a bloodthirsty smile. She loved it when a plan came together.
The simple gate of the course appeared twenty feet away, the welcome sight of it marred by the presence of Maida and her initiates next to it.
Kira raced toward them, considering and discarding her options. Trying to change course now ran the risk of the primus fixating on those in front of her. Maida might be able to hold her own, but Kira didn't know the other woman well enough to say for sure.
Confusion crossed the initiates’ faces until they caught sight of the primus chasing her.
Maida screamed, "Shield."
The initiates hesitated for only a second before ki shields popped into existence.
Runes around the gate lit up as a chime sounded, announcing the course's start. Maida's eyes widened in realization, her gaze moving from Kira to the course. She cursed, whirling and yanking a practice blade out of the closest initiate’s hands.
Kira drew closer, only feet separating them.
Maida twisted, tossing the sword at Kira. It tumbled through the air, almost in slow motion.
Kira snatched it up.
The primus's presence grew larger behind her, until she could practically feel his breath on her neck. Some instinct warned her.
Kira sat, sliding through the gate as the primus sailed over her. He tumbled to the ground and rolled.
The gate snapped closed, the intangible barrier around its perimeter hardening until it was impermeable, locking the primus and Kira inside. There would be no escape until she crossed the gate on the other side of the course, a good three miles away.
All around her, drones woke up, coming out of their hiding places, one goal in their mind. Seek and destroy.
Kira tested the sword's weight before eyeing her foe. "Let the games begin."
TWELVE
The primus climbed to his feet, thunder filling his throat.
Kira watched him carefully, even as her senses detected faint flickers of movement as the drones started toward them. There was a swarm of them forming, many more than the last time she'd stood on a course like this. Their nearly inaudible buzz shook the leaves as they started their run.
"Be careful, Kira," Jin warned. "Death is unlikely but possible."
"I'll manage."
Somehow.
There was no other choice. She didn't want any further unnecessary deaths on her conscience. If she had to suffer a little pain, so be it.
The primus pounded over the ground toward her.
Kira let him come.
Ten feet. Five. Three.
A drone drifted from the shadows; its weapons already locked on the primus. Laser fire arced toward him, hitting his torso from three different directions.
It was the distraction Kira needed. She dodged the two bolts aimed at her, breaking off for the trees. The ground dissolved under her feet. She propelled herself to the side, barely grabbing onto a stump. She pulled herself up and took off again, never settling in one place long enough to fall afoul of the traps, never pausing for the drones to target her.
Attracted to his commotion, the drones swarmed the primus, ignoring the howls of fury and the repeated attempts to destroy them.
They were unrelenting, even when the primus leaped, catching one and using it to club another until it was nothing but scraps of metal.
Still, the drones came.
Whatever setting Jin had chosen, it was a doozy.
Even Kira had trouble, every bit of her attention and skill going to avoiding being turned into a pincushion.
The drones’ sizes varied. Some as small as her fist; others as big as a beach ball.
Not all flew. Kira nearly got tagged by two as they snaked across the ground, their movements somewhere between a centipede and a snake.
Kira jerked back as one dangled in front of her, its lower body curled around an upper branch. Light rippled across its smooth sightless head as its mouth opened, spewing a web.
Kira's blade flashed up, knocking it aside. She changed course, barely avoiding the laser fire of its brethren.
She streaked through the trees, finding her way into the canopy. Danger brushed across Kira's senses. She twisted sideways as red lanced from a hollow in the tree. She wasn't fast enough, the laser catching her upper bicep in what would have been a flesh wound had this been real.
A cry of agony tore from Kira, pain searing her flesh.
"Damn, that felt like a Tsavitee fire lance," Kira panted, swallowing any further sounds as she gingerly touched the arm, half-expecting blood and a gaping tear. To her surprise, the flesh was whole, except for a single red mark where the laser had grazed her.
"You really outdid yourself with these." Kira rested her head against the tree trunk as she took a moment to catch her breath. She hated to think what a full hit would do to her.
"I calculated based on your primus's known tolerances," he told her.
Probably a good call.
Pained bellows from beneath drew Kira's attention. Where she had relied on stealth and the path of least resistance to make her way through the trees, the primus had decided on brute strength.
The drones had acted accordingly, sensing the primus as the bigger threat.
Kira was more than happy to let them do the work for her. She made her way through the canopy, relying on instinct and experience to tell her when danger was near.
Unsurprisingly
, Kira found the primus had been overwhelmed by the swarm of drones. He was going to lose. It was simply a matter of time.
Kira straightened, careful not to draw the drone’s attention. It was time to find the second gate and make her way to safety.
A low moan of pain and a heavy thump had her pausing as the primus collapsed face down into the dirt. His form dissolved to reveal Devon.
The drones’ laser fire didn’t abate, despite his change. Strike after strike landed on unprotected flesh.
Kira hardened her heart against empathy. Better him than her.
Ahead lay safety. Below, pain. The smart move—the only move—would be to find the exit while the drones were still distracted. Out there, she could shut down the course.
It'd likely be painful for Devon, but sometimes pain was necessary.
"Kira, I'm reading you as stationary. The exit is right there. Get out."
A broken moan of agony drifted up from below.
Kira closed her eyes.
Walk forward. You don't have to help. Jin said death was unlikely. Take the chance.
Leaves rustled as a drone took position behind her, her inaction giving it an opening.
“Jin, play me some music. Something with a powerful beat,” Kira said, backflipping over the drone as it opened fire. She fell toward the ground as the rest moved in for the kill.
Kira landed in a crouch on one drone, her sword spearing through it. Music blared in her ears as electricity crackled, the sparks illuminating the dark interior of the forest.
Kira ripped her sword free in the next instant, flipping off the drone to place herself between it and Devon.
The rest paused, assessing the new and unexpected threat.
Kira's grip tightened on the sword, her gaze on the drones as they reconfigured.
This was going to hurt. A lot.
Kira bared her teeth. "Bring it."
Between one breath and the next, the drones lit up the forest. Their lasers swam through the air, a merciless storm of fire. Kira's body moved without conscious thought, acting on muscle memory. The blade cut the air as she parried, over and over again, catching and knocking the lasers away from her and Devon.
Patience crouched in the back of her mind. Panic had no place here. She'd do what she could and wait for her opportunity.
