Camron

by Veronica Scott

  “Stop walking,” she said. “Do a quick visual survey, see anything suitable for a campsite?”

  He rotated in a slow circle, apparently able to exercise limited discretion now, within her order. “I think we could be pretty well sheltered from the wind and predators if we made camp under the tree there.”

  “Take me to it,” she said, not sure which spot he had in mind.

  His chosen location was beside a giant tree, whose trunk was easily fifteen feet around, and others of a similar girth grew close by, creating a good windbreak. Gemma sank onto the soft earth, which was covered in moss and dry leaves, and rubbed her aching calves. “I couldn’t have gone much further.”

  Camron stood where she’d ordered him to halt. His brow was furrowed and his fists were clenched. “I’m not going to be able to exercise enough independent judgment to hunt tonight. And I can detect the first hints of the drug withdrawal.”

  “Come sit next to me.” She patted the ground beside her and he lowered himself into a cross-legged position. Immediately, his body heat warmed her, bringing a sense of comfort. She had to restrain herself from leaning closer to soak up more. Her jumpsuit was thin and the late afternoon breeze was cold. But she wasn’t going to take any liberties with this man while he was forced to remain under her control. “Tell me what we need to build a fire. Sticks, I’m assuming?”

  “And two stones to strike a spark with.”

  “All right, you rest. Off I go to forage.” She dusted off her rear as she looked for fallen branches. It was satisfying to have a useful task to complete to contribute to their successful overnight sojourn in the woods. So far her medical training had been a nonfactor and her biggest role had been giving poor Camron orders.

  “Don’t wander too far.” He definitely had a grin on his face as he issued the admonition.

  If he was confident enough to tease her, the situation must not be too dire.

  Buoyed by the thought, she gathered two armfuls of sticks and dry branches and brought them to Camron, asking him to arrange them properly for a fire. He created a crude fire pit and was able to get the small blaze going. Gemma was hungry, her stomach growling, but there was nothing to be done tonight so she meditated briefly and tried to attain a neutral state. I’m not going to starve to death in one night.

  Camron leaned on the tree sheltering them and closed his eyes, although she could feel the tension in his body.

  “Now,” she said, determined to do her duty as a doctor, “I want to look at your bite wound once more before the light goes completely then tell me what we’re facing in terms of withdrawal.”

  He rolled up his pants leg far enough for her to examine the bite, which was nearly healed and apparently wasn’t even going to scar. “What I remember from the old days in the lab is having the shakes and nerve pain. We Badari have certain mental exercises we’ve taught ourselves, to help get through the withdrawal.”

  “The Khagrish subjected your people to this drug often enough that you developed protocols for coming down off of it?” Disgust rose in her throat like a bad taste.

  He nodded, as if his neck was stiff but Gemma was happy to see independent movement. “Fluids help flush the med from the system—did you happen to see a stream or pond anywhere close by when you were gathering the wood for the fire?”

  “I did actually. Do you think the water will be safe to drink?" She was thirsty now just thinking about the cold, clear stream so she crossed her fingers his answer would be positive.

  “For me, yes. It might be a risk for you but I don’t think so because the humans who live in the valley with my pack drink freely from the lake there." He closed his eyes and shifted as if unable to find a comfortable spot. Sweat beaded his forehead.

  Gemma was curious to know more about his home but, observing him, she decided he needed to concentrate on himself right now more than he needed to talk to her. She shuttled to and from the stream, refilling the one empty nutrient drink bottle multiple times as Camron drank thirstily.

  The night was long. Gemma kept the fire going, drowsing now and then. Her companion lay on his side, shaking as he’d predicted and once or twice going into full convulsions, which she monitored, making him turn onto his side to breathe more easily. There was nothing else to be done, distressing as it was to watch him suffer, except curse the Khagrish, which she did freely.

  “I’m sorry I can’t do my part to stand watch,” he said after one seizure, lying on his back with one arm thrown across his eyes.

  “No problem, I’m used to monitoring patients in less than nominal states.” Despite the unusual setting, there was a certain amount of relief in focusing on a medical issue. “Besides, we’re not in any real jeopardy right now.”

  “The large predators know better than to challenge a Badari,” he said, deploying the gigantic black talons. “They’ll stay away.”

  “If you can’t travel in the morning, I could catch fish,” she said, trying to be practical and think ahead. “I saw a school of good sized ones in the stream flitting in and out of the plants on the creek bed.”

  “I should be fine. We need to travel faster tomorrow, in case the Khagrish decide there were survivors.” Eyes glowing in the dark, he watched her. “How is it you’re so calm?”

  Raising her eyebrows, Gemma couldn’t repress a question in return. “Aren’t the human women you know calm?”

  Camron considered the issue, apparently doing a mental review of humans he knew. “Some of them, not all.”

  “I’m a doctor,” she said. “We’re trained not to overreact.”

  “Were the two women who died in the flier your friends?” he asked. “I should have expressed my sorrow for your loss earlier, but I had other priorities on my mind.”

  “I didn’t know them at all actually. There wasn’t anyone in the cell who was captured with me. And people seem reluctant to get to know each other in that place.” She’d been surprised how unfriendly some of the other prisoners had been. Although, to be fair, there were always a few who pitched in to help her treat the newly arrived and their stasis syndrome sickness.

  Camron nodded. “We’re finding the Khagrish are breaking up groups and sending people to different labs. I guess the authorities learned a lesson from the first set of human prisoners we know of, who were all from one colony and were processed in large numbers together. And on occasion less honorable humans collaborate with the enemy for the promise of better treatment for themselves.”

  Gemma mulled the depressing information over. “Your people try to free the prisoners? Is that what you were doing at the lab when you were caught?”

  “I’m a scout. We’re trying to track the truth of a specific piece of vital intelligence.” He rolled onto his stomach, resting his head on his arms. “I can’t tell you more about my assignment. We do try to rescue as many humans as we can, but there are only so many of us, we’re poorly armed and equipped and there are way too many labs. From our position as prisoners, we had no idea of the scope of the Khagrish efforts on this planet. It’s been eye opening all right.”

  “Thank you for saving me,” she said. “I might not have gotten out of the flyer without your help. I was in shock after the crash and your voice pulled me out of it.”

  “And you saved my life, so we’re even.” His smile came and went but Gemma found herself captivated by how handsome he was. He had dimples when he grinned.

  Not the time or the place. She gave herself a mental shake. “How are you feeling?”

  “Praying to the goddess not to have any more shakes.” He held out one hand in the firelight and she observed the subtle tremors. “At least I can move without your orders now.”

  Her stomach growled, and she rubbed her belly. “Those berries were a long time ago.”

  “I’ll forage for edibles at first light,” he promised. “We may have to breakfast on grubs.”

  “Not my first choice, but I’ve had worse.” She pushed the memories away again. Oh indeed she’d had wor

se. This was a vacation compared to some of her experiences.

  “You’ll be welcomed to the valley,” he said. “We have a large human contingent, men and women, and a lot of work to be done. We need another doctor desperately.” Camron bit his lip, obviously withholding more specific information. Shaking his head, he said, “I’m sorry, but I can’t risk your knowing too much about us. We’re a long way from getting safely away from the Khagrish. They have enhanced interrogation techniques and a human wouldn’t be able to resist successfully.”

  “No offense, I understand. Although I might surprise you, in terms of what I can withstand.” Speculating about why his people might need a doctor—no, another doctor, he’d said, implying there was at least one in residence already—she found herself highly curious about what might await her in the sanctuary valley. She was a bit annoyed he didn’t trust her, but why should he? They’d only met earlier in the day.

  “I’d be happy to be in any location the Khagrish couldn’t get at me, frankly, no matter who else was there.”

  In the morning, Camron was as good as his word and used his formidable talons to strip bark from several young trees near their informal camp. He filled a leaf bowl with orange-and-brown grubs and brought them to Gemma. “These are good eating.”

  Despite her brave words of the night before, she eyed the squiggling creatures with trepidation. Each was as long as her middle finger and fat. “Do you swallow them while they’re alive?”

  Laughing, he plucked several long thin branches from the pile of wood they’d gathered, stripped off any remaining leaves and proceeded to spit the grubs. He handed her a stick full for herself and held the two remaining ones over the fire. “Takes just a few minutes. Keep turning them or you’ll have one side burnt to a crisp and the other side raw. I wish we had spice or a sauce, but at least these are protein.”

  She stood beside the fire and cooked hers as he was doing. “I saw more berry bushes beside the stream too so we could check. But I’m not volunteering this time, not after yesterday’s close call. You can be the official berry harvester from now on.”

  “As we leave this spot, we can pick berries,” he said, plucking the first grub from his stick. Sampling the blackened insect larva, he licked his lips in approval. “Ready to eat now, give it a second to cool.”

  Gemma heaved a deep sigh and took the first bite of her serving. She was pleasantly surprised to find the skin crispy, the inner consistency a bit like barely scrambled eggs and the flavor slightly nutty. “Not bad at all.” She had to pace herself on consuming the others because once her stomach realized she was eating, she was ravenous. “Are there any more?” Licking her fingers, she tried not to eye the ones Camron had left on his second skewer. With a laugh, the soldier handed her the stick. “I can go get more easily. Help yourself. I’m glad to see you have a good appetite.”

  Less than half an hour later, much more content now she wasn’t hungry, Gemma followed Camron away from their camp. He’d kicked the fire out, covering it with dirt, and seemed determined to set a good pace today. They detoured by the stream to refill the one empty nutrient bottle and grab berries for dessert.

  Gemma was munching a handful as she walked, when suddenly Camron spun, swept her off her feet and sprinted into deeper cover under the trees. Overhead, she heard the engines of more than one flyer. The berries fell from her hand, rolling everywhere as she reacted to the sound of their enemies, scouring the vicinity for them. We’re not going to escape after all. “Why do they care if one or two people got away?”

  “No offense, the Khagrish probably wouldn’t search for a human. Your bad luck to be with me because the bastards will go to great lengths to get their hands on one of us. Someone must have run a scan and discovered I survived.” Camron kept his voice low and his gaze fixed on the sky. The flyer came around for another pass and he drew her further away from the path they’d been traveling. “Listen, we should separate—you might be able to escape on your own.”

  “And go where?” She heard her voice rising, ending in a squeak as an overwhelming sense of dread flooded over her. “I have no idea how to reach your sanctuary valley and not much hope of surviving on this planet either. I’ll stick with you—we’re a good team.” She appreciated his offer but the idea of running off and leaving him held no appeal. It wasn’t just about her own survival, although she’d presented it to him that way. Camron fascinated her on many levels and she had no desire to be parted from him. “We’ll get away together or not at all.” Surely our good luck hasn’t deserted us.

  The flyer was joined by another one, and together the two craft crisscrossed the sky. For a time, Camron and Gemma were able to elude whatever scanners or devices were being used, running under the trees, using all the available cover Camron could find, zigzagging randomly and going in a different direction, even backtracking.

  Gemma’s legs were tired and she had scratches on her arms from the detours they’d taken through brush, but she bit her tongue and refused to complain, not wanting Camron to feel he had to carry her. She figured he knew, though, from the way he was eyeing her and frowning as she crouched next to him in the lee of giant boulders, surrounded by old growth trees.

  “If we can elude them until night falls,” Camron said, “We might be able to sneak away. Right now they’re too well calibrated on the quadrant we’re hiding in. The new scanner must be something wonderful—a major advance—because the Khagrish have never been able to track one of us so efficiently before.”

  The flyer cruised close again, idling at treetop level. Gemma jumped, pressing one hand to her chest in a vain attempt to suppress the pounding beat of her heart. This situation was worse than anything she’d ever experienced, probably because the enemy appeared to be toying with them, and her hopes of escape faded.

  Banking, the craft came back, this time firing a blast from one of the barrels protruding from the underside. The tops of the trees where she and Camron were sheltering burst into flame and burning embers dropped through the branches noisily.

  “They’re going to burn us out.” Gemma brushed a hot coal away from her arm. She had the shakes again and the sense of total unreality about the events going on.

  “We’ll go in a direction they aren’t expecting.” Camron took her hand and retraced their original path before veering west.

  The fire grew behind them, but the wind was pushing in the opposite direction so there was no imminent danger.

  “Who sets an entire forest on fire trying to recapture two people?” she asked as she went to ground again in a narrow defile, the soldier crouched protectively by her side.

  “This is over-the-top determination even for them.” Camron scrutinized the sky warily. “Give it another minute, and we’ll move on. I do have to wonder what their agenda is, working so hard to flush us out.”

  He rose to a crouch and moved along the gully wall, Gemma right behind him.

  Their luck ran out as the gully became shallower and shallower and the two flyers appeared overhead, swooping like birds of prey.

  “Stunners!” Camron shouted as a hazy iridescent wave rushed through the air toward them. He tried to knock Gemma out of the path of the paralyzing rays, but limp and numb, she tumbled like a rag doll and rolled helplessly.

  He staggered a few more steps before collapsing. One of the flyers landed close by and the sound made tears gather in her eyes. They’d tried so hard to escape. With a supreme effort, Camron stretched one arm in her direction and clasped her fingers loosely before he was completely immobilized.

  Terror had her trembling while she lay helplessly, waiting for the Khagrish to arrive. Soon enough she heard them stomping through the bushes, and two black uniformed security guards stood over her. One nudged her with the toe of his boot, laughing as her body flopped.

  “Led us a merry chase but we’ll make you pay soon enough.” He hunkered down to stare into her face, running his fingers through her hair in mock affection. “You won’t be going back to the general human population in the lab.”

  “It’s the Badari’s fault the hunt took so long,” said a third person, walking up to them and kicking the helpless Camron savagely in the ribs. “Bastard. He’ll get what’s coming to him soon enough.” Guffawing at a private joke, the man kicked his prisoner again, then reached to fist his hand in Camron’s hair, lifting his head. “Look at me when I talk to you, animal. I hope you enjoyed taking us all over the damned mountaintop. Good audition for what the commander has in mind to use you for. He’ll enjoy the vids of today’s efforts.” Removing his hand and wiping it on his pants as if Camron was unclean, the officer stood. “Get them braceletted and put force binders on them both. Bring the antigrav litters—I want to be on my way within the hour. I want to see Commander Parryfilmunn’s reaction when we bring him his quarry, and I want the generous bonus he promised.”

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Gemma closed her eyes as the Khagrish carried out their officer’s orders, taking as many liberties with her body as they dared and continuing to abuse Camron, although the man in charge put a halt to the beating fairly soon, stating Parryfilmunn wanted his Badari prisoner healthy.

  “He’ll heal before we get to the lab,” said a guard nonchalantly. “The animals were made to bounce back fast so more punishment could be applied. But you never learn your lesson, do you?” The last taunt was said to Camron directly as the guards heaved him into an antigrav litter and carried him away, out of Gemma’s line of sight.

  She was dumped onto a litter and conveyed to the waiting flyer. She had a few places where she was bruised and sore from the Khagrish’s rough handling, although nothing had happened beyond groping and fondling through her clothes. The officer intervened once the craft was in the air and ordered his men away from her. “In case the commander has a plan for her as well. Trust me, you don’t want to get crosswise with him.”

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