by L. A. MARIE
The broken glass sliced my back and shoulders and I grunted. When I hit the bars, the vibrations shuddered through me and for a moment, I was suspended in the air, pushed up against the bars, shards of glass sticking into my skin.
But the wall gave way, the bolts ripped out with the immense force I had used to hit it, and I fell to the ground three stories below.
I hit the ground so hard, I was winded. For a moment, I couldn’t breathe. I lay on the ground, gaping like a fish. The first bullets biting into the ground all around me was my cue – I needed to get out of here, even if I was suffocating. I jumped up and lifted my arms over my head, hoping it would flip my diaphragm back where it belonged.
It worked and I sucked in sweet air.
A bullet hit me in the shoulder. Another in the thigh. I ran toward the wall with the razor wire on top. I scaled it, using the momentum of my running, and grabbed onto the top. My hands were slick with blood and I nearly lost my grip, but I managed to hoist myself up and onto the wall. More bullets flew in my direction. The razor wire cut me as I launched myself over it and down the other side.
No man’s land, where I had nowhere to hide from the bullets. The wall around the prison was surrounded by an outer fence, with a few feet between the two.
And vicious dogs doing the rounds.
I heard them baying not too far as I started scaling the fence.
They reached me before I reached the top, jumping at me, teeth bared. One bit my ankle and drew blood. I kicked it in the face so that it felt back to Earth yelping and whining.
The fence had razor wire on it, too. But I was so pumped on adrenaline I barely felt pain. I grabbed a hold of it without even thinking, vaulted over the fence, and landed on the other side. Only a few feet more, running directly away from the prison, and I was in the cover of trees.
I only had a moment to catch my breath. I did a quick inventory on my body. Cuts, bruises, a wound on my ankle, and my hands were sliced up pretty badly. But I was alive and I was outside. If I didn’t get to running now, they were going to catch up with me. It would take them all of two minutes to get those dogs on leashes, to suit up and storm out after me.
I turned and ran toward Nenthemar.
Heading toward the city seemed counterintuitive, but I knew where I was going. It was dangerous to go where the civilians wandered around, but I had to take the chance. I flanked the city, creeping through alleys and climbing over walls. Finally, I made it to the junk yard where I had hidden the bag. I prayed to the gods it would still be there.
The bag was stuffed into the back of a rusted locker, just where I’d left it. When I opened it, everything was still there. Clothes, food, water, and the Noether. The rest I could still do without, but my entire plan rested on the Noether and what I could do with it.
The device was smaller than the palm of my hand and it had small hooks. I took a deep breath and pushed it against my chest. The hooks dug into my skin and I gritted my teeth for a moment against the sting. But then warmth flowed through my body and I felt better. I could feel the wounds starting to heal from the inside out. I felt a surge of energy, and I stood up, letting out a gasp of air.
My shoulder was bleeding badly where I had taken a shot. I dug my fingers into my flesh, my finger becoming tainted with blood, and found the bullet. There was no pain, now. I reached down to my thigh and did the same.
When I looked up, feeling like I was being watched, a young Malaki was gaping at me, eyes wide.
“Get the fuck out of here!” I shouted.
The kid spun around and ran away. Good, if the guards found me here, I was going to put up a hell of a fight and the kid didn’t deserve to see so many dead bodies so early on in life.
Enach had developed the Noether himself. He had studied all kinds of degrees while he had been in the military, specializing in weaponry, and the device had been his breakthrough. I used to be angry that he was prouder of a tech device than of his own son.
Now, I was glad there was something I could take away from the son of a bitch, that I could hit him where it hurt.
The device was the only one of its kind, a prototype. It was meant for only the highest in status. My dad wanted something he could use against the humans, something that would allow him to take over the world. It offered all kinds of things like healing, strength… it made the wearer unstoppable.
Yes, please.
It had a list of extra gifts, too. It created the perfect soldier. And now I had it.
When my wounds healed enough that they were nothing more than scrapes, I got rid of the prison jumpsuit and dressed in my civilian clothes. A drink of water, a bite from something the humans called a protein bar, and I was good to go. I pulled the backpack onto my back and climbed over the back wall of the junk yard. I only had a short distance to go.
Dogs barked behind me, and the sound wasn’t too far off. They had picked up my scent. Dammit, I had taken too long in the junkyard. But I had been hurt more than expected and I had needed to heal.
I didn’t want to have to fight if I could help it. It would only slow me down, and if I was ever caught, it would add so many years to my life sentence, I might as well kill myself and get it over with. I had the Noether, and I would be able to fight them all, but I’d rather just get the hell off this shitty planet and get it over with.
It took me just a few minutes to get to the old shipyard. The place was abandoned, the gate locked. But with my newfound strength, I easily climbed over. The ship in the back worked. I’d put it there a while ago, when I’d known I might need a way to escape. The rest of the ships were rusty, older versions of what the Malakus used now, and they had been stripped of all their elements by scavengers and second-hand tech hunters. Not this one, though. I slid my hand over the body of the large ship and smiled.
Chapter Eight
Emori
I had managed to gain a bit of time with that guard having to break through the wall, but not a lot. Almost in no time at all, I could hear him behind me again. I turned into an alley, cut through from one street to another. But another guard came at me from that side – there were about three or four after me if I wasn’t mistaken.
Maybe more by now, but I doubted it. The lab wasn’t very well protected – it wasn’t like I’d broken into a bank or something.
At least, I hoped that was the case. If I had tons of guards after me I was screwed.
The guards were gaining on me. I was running as fast as I could and using all the escape routes, holes, and alleys I knew of. But it wasn’t enough. I couldn’t get away fast enough. There was always at least one of them who knew where I’d gone, and even though they hadn’t caught up to me yet, I couldn’t lose them until I went somewhere they couldn’t follow.
I wasn’t going to be able to keep going forever, either. I had the worry of losing Naira driving me, as well as a hell of a lot of fear, and my system was running on a lot of adrenaline right now. But soon, I was going to run out. And if they caught me, it was all over. I was going to lose Naira.
I headed into a part of town I didn’t know so well. Shit, wrong turn. I could get caught here because I had to focus, because I didn’t just know where to go. I looked over my shoulder. Two of them were behind me. They looked fierce, faces twisted into a snarl, their movements almost militaristic as they ran, legs pumping, dark hair ruffled by the wind. The anger on their faces made them look scary. I could have been running in a horror movie.
My whole life was a horror movie, now.
A wall popped up between buildings and I jumped, grabbing onto it and pulling myself over. I was suddenly in an old shipyard, with Malaki ships scattered everywhere, broken and rusted. I crept through the skeletons, straining my ears for the guards. They stopped on the other side of the wall and talked to each other in their own language. They weren’t sure where I’d gone.
This was good.
But it wasn’t to last. There weren’t a lot of places I could have disappeared to, most of the surrou
nds were tall buildings and unless I’d escaped into one of them, the wall was the next option.
I saw a Malaki head pop up over the wall and knew they were going to come in here after me, looking for me.
I headed toward the gate to escape into the next neighborhood, but the gate was locked with chains. I rattled them and cursed under my breath.
The Malakj guards climbed over the wall with ease. I spun around and ducked into the collection of space crafts. They knew I was in here. And I couldn’t get out until I got back over that wall. Until then, I could hide between the ships. I was much smaller than they were and I could hide between the wrecks, crawling through small cracks where they would have to go around.
It was my best bet and I headed toward them, climbing into one of the ships, moving through it.
The ships were all in a terrible state, rusting in parts, falling apart here and there. Some of them looked a little newer, like they might still work, but when I climbed through one, the inside had been stripped completely.
I moved quietly – this had turned from a chase to a game of hide and seek. If I could quietly slip back over the wall while they guard’s kept searching, I had enough time to get away.
For a while, it seemed to be working. Crawling through small spaces and wiggling through tough spots was something I’d done a lot, and I was comfortable with it. As long as I could move, I didn’t panic that I might be trapped. And the ships had all been built for the tall Malaki, the ceilings so high it felt like I stood in double volume rooms whenever I crept through them. But I didn’t like the space, I didn’t like it when I couldn’t tuck myself away and hide.
I managed to get closer and closer to the wall. I was almost there and could already anticipate the feel of the bricks under my fingers, when I spotted a third guard climbing over the wall.
Dammit!
I ducked into a ship close by, avoiding the guard and hoping he hadn’t spotted me. I tucked myself into a corner, and looked around. This ship seemed to be more intact than the others. It looked newer and it hadn’t been stripped of its tech and equipment. I glanced through the door, keeping to the shadows, watching the guards as they walked past.
Suddenly, the gates blasted open with a loud clang as the chains snapped. I could see the gate from my vantage point, it was far but, in the direction,, I was looking. Guards poured in through the gate, some of them with dogs that snapped their jaws viciously and strained against their leashes to rip free.
What the hell? How many guards had they sent out after me? And dogs? Was what I had taken really such a big deal?
I had nowhere to go. If I climbed out of the ship now, I was dead meat. Those dogs would know where to find me, even when the guards didn’t. But there were so many guards there was no way I was going to get out unnoticed. They surrounded the ship and a bright light from somewhere above illuminated the shipyard, making it seem as bright as day.
If I left, I was going to get it. If I stayed, they would find me. What was I going to do? Feverishly, I tried to think of a solution.
The ship suddenly rumbled to life beneath me, engines switching on, the ship trembling. I pressed myself against the wall, trying to keep my balance as the ship lifted into the air. I cried out.
Someone was flying this thing! And I couldn’t get off it, not without getting caught.
I crawled through a narrow opening into a cargo hull, and then through a doorway that led to the cockpit.
Behind the wheel sat a Malaki. His hands were steady on the controls, his lips pulled back into a snarl, and he looked positively wild, eyes focused on what he was doing.
He pulled the ship up but it bumped something and jerked forward. I cried out as I fell to the floor.
When I cried out, the Malaki whipped around in his seat and his features were terrifying. He looked just about ready to kill me. I didn’t doubt that he would, either. He didn’t look like the guards did.
“Who the hell are you?” he demanded, speaking English.
“You’re flying this thing?” I asked.
“Get the fuck off my ship!”
“No!” I shouted. “They’re going to catch me if I get off!”
“Does it look like I give a shit?”
Well, he was an ass. But there was no way in hell I was getting off this ship. And he didn’t look like he was going to make me, either. He kept lifting the ship higher and higher into the air, until it cleared the buildings.
“Just drop me off here,” I said.
“Do I look like a fucking taxi?”
Wow. “I’m not along for the ride.”
“That sounds a lot like not my problem,” he snapped at me.
I couldn’t believe this guy. He was so rude, and he wasn’t going to let me off this ship. He had to let me off!
“Look, this is a mistake,” I said.
“Damn straight it is.”
“If you just let me off, I’ll find my way home.”
He didn’t answer me. He lifted the ship even higher. I was starting to panic. I gripped the straps of my backpack as if that was going to help me. The Malaki maneuvered the ship expertly around buildings, moving through the city. His skin was pale, his hair jet black and long on his shoulders, and his body was taut and lean. He looked like a fighter.
The scowl on his face gave it away.
“You have to let me go,” I said again.
The Malaki turned his head to me and snapped his teeth like an animal. “I don’t have to do anything.”
I was getting angry. “So, what? You’re just going to keep me hostage on this ship?”
He jumped up and lunged at me, his teeth bared, a hissing sound coming through them. His eyes spat fire and he was terrifying. He stopped only inches away from me, his face pressed up almost right against mine. He was aggressive and animalistic. And I wasn’t scared. I was terrified. But I was also pissed off.
And I could work with anger. I understood anger. It was better than fear, stronger. I used it to fuel myself.
“Are you going to hiss and spit at me like an angry cat? Or just let me off so I can go about my business?”
He made a low growling sound at the back of his throat and grabbed me by the neck. His hand was so big, his fingers wrapped almost all the way around it. His thumb dug into my throat and I couldn’t breathe. Pain flooded my body and I made a gurgling sound.
A loud beeping sound started up from the controls. His eyes were locked on mine, cold and filled with the promise of death.
This was it, this was where I ended. He was going to snap my neck at any moment. My vision was starting to go black around the edges and my eyes rolled back.
The beeping sound got louder, and he let go of me, dropping me to the floor. I gasped for air, oxygen rushing into my lungs. I coughed and spluttered, my hand on my chest.
He hadn’t killed me.
Not yet.
He hurried back to the controls, pushed a couple of buttons, and grunted, muttering to himself.
“You got on the ship, you suck it up,” he said, almost an afterthought to the question I’d asked before he’d nearly killed me. “If they catch me, we’re all dead.”
“You?” I asked. My voice was hoarse. Talking hurt. I was going to bruise all around my throat. There was no way I would get away from him grabbing me like that without a mark. My mind spun, trying to figure it out. The guards, the dogs, the floodlights. I had stolen something, and one or two guards were after me. But this guy…
“What did you do?” I asked, my voice trembling. Why did they have dogs to go after him? What kind of a monster was he?
The Malaki looked at me with cold eyes, so cold it sent a shiver down my spine. He didn’t answer me, but he didn’t have to. I could guess. After what he had nearly done to me, I didn’t need proof.
Men who had expressions like that, who ran from the law, weren’t men who had committed petty crimes. I didn’t doubt that this man had killed. And I didn’t think he might only have done it once.
/> I was on the ship with a hunted murderer. And he wasn’t going to let me go.
What the hell was the alternative!?
I was too scared to think about it.
Chapter Nine
Thane
What the fuck was this human doing on my ship? I was trying to get away from the guards, to win my freedom, and she was a weight around my ankles, making life difficult for me.
Drop her off? As if I was some kind of commute system. Uh, no. That wasn’t happening. In case she didn’t realize what was going on, there were only a metric fuck ton of guards trying to kill me. And I may have had the Noether but it was better that I got away from then than me turning this planet into a battle ground littered with the bodies of my enemies.
One moment longer and I would have killed the bitch. If the ship hadn’t threatened to stall out like the rotten piece of shit it was, she wouldn’t have been my problem anymore.
She wasn’t scared to mouth off at me, either. And that just pissed me off. I hated it when the rats talked back. They were good for work and nothing else.
If it had been up to me, we’d have colonized the fucking planet the moment we’d arrived, enslaved the whole damn race, and be done with it.
But no, my dad wanted to come in peace.
A waste of fucking time.
If we’d done it my way, it would have been a cakewalk and I wouldn’t have pests like the human on my hands.
The guards started shooting at us and I swore in several languages, letting out a string of whatever came to mind while I tried to steer the ship to avoid as many bullets as I could. The ship had been built take a beating, but that was a fucking century ago by the looks of how outdated it was. Even back then it would only have lasted up to a point. I wanted to avoid damage as best I could.