“Chok, can that scanner pick up if there is any life on the ship?” Scout said, gripping the co-pilot’s chair. She put a hand to her face.
“Results not exact, but yes, some life still onboard,” Chok said, tapping a button next to the screen. “Very little activity inside ship either. Not much electronic activity.”
“Can you tell if they were attacked?” Natalia said, stepping beside Sora. Her wide eyes looked up and down the viewport. Her suit fit better than Sora’s. He felt like he had drowned inside of the huge outfit.
“No. Not much exterior damage or evidence of attacking vessels,” Chok said, examining the latest results. “Any exterior damage caused by interior damage. Exterior defenses still active and at full strength.”
Sora grimaced. That meant that the Killer still couldn’t get much closer to the flagship. “We’ll have to stick with our original plan.”
“Where should be the entrance point for our bodies, Captain?” Kossk said, standing directly behind him. He also wore an oversized suit.
Sora leaned forward, eyeing the Bombard again. He couldn’t see many windows or emergency hatches due to the darkness, but he could see the bridge near the top of the cruiser. The bridge and its six, large windows extended out from the rest of the ship. If they could break through the windows, they could use the bridge to assess the damage and locate the crew.
“The bridge,” Sora said, looking at the three others clothed in orange. Orange did not blend well with the rest of the cockpit. “That’s our best option.”
“Are we sure that the turrets won’t spot us?” Scout said, slipping on her helmet and connecting it with the rest of her rubber suit.
“No,” Chok said and Scout received that reply with a groan. “However, most turrets too large to detect a body. They look for ships. We are barely out of range.”
“Again, it’s our best option,” Sora said, frowning.
“It’s now or never,” Scout said, sighing. The four of them turned and exited the cockpit.
As they proceeded through the corridor and main hold, Sora’s thoughts started running. What if the turrets killed them? He didn’t want to get Scout, Natalia or Kossk killed. What if the crew had already died? Sora didn’t want to do this for nothing, but he also couldn’t live without finding out for sure. If Talek, Fi, Naos, Trika and Viktor lived, then this would all be worth it.
If Bosnan lived, they’d have to deal with him. If Felicia lived, they’d have to deal with her. The heat of the flames hit Sora and flashed before him, but he stared at the next hallway. He needed to focus on his people.
He reached the ramp first and touched his neck, securing his helmet. He tapped two of the three buttons on the side of the suit, ensuring that both the oxygen and jetpack would activate immediately on departure. Scout, Natalia and Kossk all did the same.
Sora reached the final button and pushed it, activating the comm. He looked down at his belt beneath the suit. He had his rifle and his square comm. He had everything he needed.
He took a deep breath, consuming all of the Killer’s oxygen while he could. “Everyone ready?”
“Yeah, Sora,” Scout said, exhaling. “Let’s do this.”
“Our bodies will follow your lead, Captain.”
“I’m good to go,” Natalia said, standing closest to Sora. She motioned to the ramp. “Let’s get our friends back.”
Sora’s gloves hit the button to the right of the ramp and heard the hiss of the disengaging locks. Unlike all the other times, he didn’t feel air hitting his face or smell the newest planet. Instead, space sucked him out of the ship and into a quiet, blank emptiness that he’d never experienced. Sora’s body spasmed and he felt all of the air leave him, but a beep stopped all of those reactions.
Air filled his helmet and he felt a burst on his back. The jetpack controlled the floating and propelled Sora forward. He stared at the massive cruiser several feet away and hit the front of the suit’s middle button. The jetpack increased speed.
“Everyone good?” Sora said, swallowing the precious air that relaxed his insides.
“Yeah, yeah,” Scout’s mechanical voice said, panting. “Really weird, but yeah, I’m here.”
“I’m right behind you. The suit kicked in instantly,” Natalia said, sounding less frazzled than Sora and Scout. “How far do you think these jetpacks can take us?”
“It seems like they were designed to mimic the function of a ship, like a mini-engine, but I imagine that they won’t last long out here,” Sora said. Many people used space suits, but no one used them for long journeys. “Get to the bridge as quick as you can.”
He glanced to his side, observing the stars that surrounded them. They seemed far and Sora still viewed them through a lens of glass, but they looked more real out here. They shined brighter and, even from a distance, seemed far more intimidating. Sora spent so much of his life traveling space and technology allowed the nebula to do it with ease. Still, this mesmerized him.
Space also seemed much blacker. He always imagined it felt just like a planet, except everything felt a little lighter. Now, he knew much different. It felt vacant, yet powerful and magnetic. If he didn’t have this suit, he believed that his body would have swelled beyond his imagination with this type of pressure.
Sora knew that gravity existed here and he knew that gravity felt much different in space. Most people knew those facts. Still, he never thought he could feel so devoid of weight. Even after all that Sora had endured and all that he had done, he still knew so little of the nebula. He had the inclination to think that all of this went beyond his head, but he thought of Talek. He believed what Talek told him on Con. Nothing in the nebula went beyond anyone. Not if they chose to see the truth. All life interweaved and floating through space put that in perspective.
“We’re coming up on the edge of the ship,” Scout said, breaking Sora’s trance. “Get ready, guys.”
Sora stared forward and pressed the middle button again. Sora’s back grew hotter and he zoomed forward, flying over the edge of the flagship’s exterior. Sora tensed, noticing the turret that sat ahead and to his left. He took another deep breath but made it quick. He didn’t want to use up this oxygen too soon.
Sora flew forward, entering the turret’s sphere. His hands twitched inside his suit.
“Are you alright?” Natalia said.
Sora stared at the turret, waiting for the inevitable targeting to kick in. He waited for a burst of energy to break forth and encompass him. He kept drifting forward.
The burst never came. The turret never looked at him. Sora took another deep breath, deciding to enjoy the oxygen. “We’re good. I repeat, we’re good. It didn’t notice me.”
“Good,” Scout said. He thought he heard her exhale. “We’re passing by it now.”
Sora looked below and saw the exterior of the ship beneath him. The silver panels looked much larger than they did before. He saw hundreds of small devices on the surface of the ship and he thought that he even spotted a few hatches and windows between the shadows. Electricity crackled on occasion, but Sora remained high above it.
He looked up and focused on the bridge. It grew larger with every passing second.
“We’ll be there within minutes,” Sora said. “Once we reach the windows, I want everyone to push their jetpacks to the limit. We’ll use that force to break through the windows.”
“How do we know we won’t just get sucked right back out?” Natalia said.
“The ship should have an automatic emergency gravity system,” Scout said, inhaling. “If not, well, just keep your suit activated until we get to a sealed room or something.”
Sora tapped the middle button again, increasing the jetpack’s power. “We’ve made it this far. Just be ready to bust that window.”
Sora blew out a breath. Almost there.
Anziar tapped his fingers together, taking in the sight before him. Fi Kal stood at the front of the armed group of fugitives. These people fought their way from th
e cell block to the bridge, even killing one of his army on the way. That did not please Anziar, but nonetheless, he enjoyed the gruesome aspect of it all. The gruesome aspect of these people.
“I intended for Felicia to kill all of you in your cells as I poured my havoc on this ship,” Anziar said, standing straight. The handful of pointed guns did not phase him. “However, you’ve proven yourselves worthy of a much greater death. I suppose I should have expected that, considering the history of your crew.”
“Talek,” Trika said, throwing her free hand in the air. “This isn’t you. What is going on with—”
Anziar roared and let it reverberate off the bridge’s walls, silencing the woman’s complaints. “You know that is not his name, nor is it mine! Enough of this nonsensical pretense.”
“My apologies about rejecting your offer,” Felicia said, flashing him a smile as she aimed her rifle. “That’s just business, you know.”
“Both of you disappoint me,” Anziar said, growling. His eyes settled on Bosnan. “I assume you know that the time limit on my most recent offer has expired. You will die with these heroes.”
“I stayed to regain my army. They will listen to me,” Bosnan said, stepping out from the rest of the group. Fi held out a hand, retaining her place in front.
Anziar laughed. He saw that the deep-throated chuckle made Naos cringe, but he kept his attention on Chief Bosnan. “You cling to dreams that will never come to life. I will end your misery first.”
He darted toward Bosnan, extending his nails. This time, they would strike deep enough to kill. Lasers emerged from the rifle, bouncing around him. Several made contact, but he ignored them. He reached for Bosnan, but a sensation overcame his shoulder. Not a laser. A hand.
He spun around, roaring again. Fi held his shoulder with one hand and pointed a rifle with the other. Selas’ rifle. Three more lasers flew toward him and Anziar held up his left hand, letting them take the brunt of the burn. The pain did not phase him. The pain did not matter to him.
“Hold your fire!” Fi said, looking at the trembling crew. She dropped the rifle. “Let me handle this!”
“I’m killing this madman!” Felicia said, firing again. Anziar again allowed his arm to absorb the shots.
“If you are what you say you are, that won’t work,” Fi said, lowering her voice. She kept her hand on Anziar’s shoulder. He pulled back, snarling and flashing his teeth, but she growled back and squeezed his shoulder.
“I intended to kill you last, Fi Kal, but you left me no choice,” Anziar said, throwing his right hand toward her. It landed on her face and he prepared to squeeze.
“No!” Naos shouted, firing. Anziar’s left hand swatted the bolts away.
“This is unnatural!” Viktor yelled, firing again. The bolts hit Anziar’s back, but he gave no reaction.
“Stop! It’s of no use, and even if it is, we don’t want Talek dead!” Fi said, screaming above the madness. She grabbed Anziar’s hand with her other hand and pulled it off her face, resisting his strength. He still lunged for her, snarling again. “I don’t want you dead, Talek. I want you back!”
Anziar shoved her hand down, shoving his body closer to her. He would not allow this. This woman had the defiance to face him and he would give her pain for her disobedience. He had entertained the mystery, but no more. He would solve it by ending her.
“Fi, he’s going to kill you!” Trika screamed, firing again.
Anziar’s hand returned to her face, but she yanked it down. He responded with another raspy scream. “You are fighting a useless battle, Fi Kal! Your death will be more excruciating than you can fathom—”
He pulled his hand back, but she grabbed it again and placed it on her hip. He strained against her, but she held it there. “If you are what you say you are, you could have killed me already, but you haven’t. That shows me that Talek is still in there.”
“You are a fool.”
“Stay centered, Dano,” Fi said. Her stoic expression had yet to break. She leaned in closer. “Stay centered.”
Anziar froze. He huffed air out of his nose and mouth, but he didn’t roar. He wanted to continue his attack, but he couldn’t. “Come out of the abyss, Talek. Whatever abyss that is, come out of it,” Fi said, placing her other arm underneath his.
“You have no idea how far my influence reaches!” Anziar said, ripping away from Fi. He backed toward the center of the bridge and locked eyes with each one of the crew. “My touch brought these creatures to life. Each time Selas touched you, I was in that touch, bringing forth your anger, fear and insecurity. My touch is lethal and it will massacre each one of you.”
Fi rushed forward. He slapped her, grazing his nail across her right cheek. She recoiled while Trika and Naos fired again. The lasers flew through the bridge, shrieking as they did. Fi ignored them, pulling her head up and running for Anziar.
“You weren’t there when he touched me,” Fi said, calling out above the lasers that resounded off the walls. “I was at peace. You made me smile. You made me laugh.”
Pain burst into Anziar’s head. A pain that hurt. He rubbed his temples, trying to push it away. However, the pain turned to throbbing. He felt an itch inside of his brain. The itching tingled throughout his mind. He had only experienced this once before.
“You are your own person. Your name shall be Selas Taban, and you shall keep him at bay.”
This time, it hurt worse. The itching had more persistence.
“Silence!” Anziar said, grabbing Fi’s neck. The others fired again.
“Talek, Selas, whatever your name is, come back to me,” Fi said, coughing as Anziar squeezed. “Come back and stay centered. Stay…”
He squeezed tighter. She gasped. Naos charged and launched himself at Anziar, but Anziar used his other hand to shove him to the ground. Trika cried out, running at Anziar from the other direction. He slammed into her with his left shoulder and she crashed to the ground. Fi wheezed.
“This is my domain and you will obey me,” Anziar said, snarling. He tightened his grip again.
Fi let out a long, exasperated breath. “…stay…st-stay that way.”
The itching crawled around his head. Anziar heard a scream. A scream that turned into a thousand and rang throughout his mind. The crawling would not stop. It only gained strength. He released Fi and stumbled back, putting his hands to his ears.
“Enough!” Anziar said, scratching the sides of his head. He roared as the throbbing rose.
“Fi!” Viktor said, grabbing her arms as she rubbed her neck and regained her breath. “Are you alright?!”
“I can finish this,” Fi said between gasps. “Let me.”
“Wait,” Naos said, pulling himself off the ground. He pointed to the viewport. “There’s something out there!”
Anziar spun around, still clutching his head. The shrieks continued, but the new sight distracted him. He saw four orange bodies flying toward the viewport. As they drew closer, their speed increased.
“Take cover!” Viktor said.
Anziar heard the other crew members dive, and seconds later, glass shattered. Gravity left and space pulled on everyone inside. This only worsened the shrieking and the throbbing. As every piece of glass hit the floor, Anziar pressed his head harder. Space called, but the screams called more. They held more power than the universe that Anziar knew so deeply.
An alarm sounded and gravity returned to the ship. The emergency systems of the Bombard sealed the new holes in the windows and the new arrivals reached the floor, tearing off their suits.
“Scout!” Naos said, dropping his gun. “You…you’re…”
Scout Gash threw her helmet to the ground, biting her lips as she looked at the other teenager. “She didn’t execute you. You’re okay.”
Anziar could use this distraction to drown out the screams. He could use this distraction to regain control.
“Sora!”
“Captain!”
Anziar stood straight, watching Sora Trok approach
the center of the bridge. He smiled, taking in everyone. “It is so good to see all of you. You’re all okay.”
“Talek isn’t!” Fi said, charging again and grabbing Anziar from behind. He roared again. The throbbing regained its power. “He needs you!”
“What?” Sora said, focusing on Anziar. He looked up and down his body, realizing that something had changed. His eyes widened. “What happened to you?”
Anziar snarled. “Now that you are here, Sora Trok, I will kill all of your crew at once.”
He tried to throw Fi back, but she clung to his shoulders. He swung at her, but she jumped around to his front, again placing her right arm under his. He curled his left fist and punched her chest, but her fingers clung to his arm. The screams prevented him from attacking again, but instead, he grabbed his head out of reflex.
Anziar needed to finish her. Now.
“Remember Adli, Sora!” Fi said, still staring at Anziar. “Remember what you said to him at the Consortium. It’ll bring him back!”
Sora’s eyes darted from Anziar to Fi. He raised his eyebrows. “I-I don’t under—”
“Listen to me!” Fi said, resisting as Anziar attempted to rip away. The shrieks stopped him. “Just think about Talek! Not the one in front of you. Just Talek!”
Sora cleared his throat, hovering closer to Anziar. “I said that you are one of the strongest men I ever met. You are a valued member of my crew and I want to help you through whatever you are going through.”
Anziar allowed himself to screech. The throbbing worsened. The crawling consumed his entire mind. All of the gunfire had stopped, all of the external screams had stopped, but this only grew.
Sora glanced at Fi, shifting closer to Anziar. His eyebrows dropped and his eyes looked calm. Peaceful. Anziar hated it. “I don’t know what you are going through and I know you have secret demons that I can’t comprehend, but I see beyond that. Nothing in this galaxy is above our heads because all life is interweaved. You taught me that. I am intertwined with you, Talek. You’re intertwined with all of this crew and we won’t let anything overcome you.”
Survival, Dark Times Page 26
