The aliens carried my limp body to a table. I thought they might sacrifice me in some arcane ritual. But instead, a thick paste was slathered on my chest wound and the split on my cheekbone. Once they finished doctoring my wounds, I was carried back to the cage and flung inside. I managed to pull my cammie jacket over myself before I lost consciousness.
Chapter 9
I woke in the night to searing pain. I had been hurt before, but the lacerations to my chest seemed to be on fire. I couldn’t help but moan. I was so tired. Thirst was my greatest need. My mouth was so dry my tongue felt swollen. I wanted to get up and scream at my captives that I needed water, but I was too weak. The fight had taken all my strength, and the torture was slowly killing me.
The night passed in a blur of semi-consciousness. I cried, even though I had no tears. The truth was, I longed for death. But just before dawn, the pain began to subside. As the sun rose, a strangely sewn animal skin was dropped into my cage. I reached for it with a trembling hand and was overwhelmed to discover it was filled with water. The water was warm and smelled like a wet dog, but I drank it happily. I still had no strength. My energy was completely sapped, but the pain was nearly gone. My lips were chapped, and the inside of my cheek was raw where I had chewed it during the night. But I wasn’t thirsty anymore, and I could sleep.
At midday I woke up feeling better. In fact, the wound on my chest was completely healed. I considered perhaps I had been unconscious much longer than I thought, but that couldn’t account for the lack of a scar. I knew I had been cut open. My compression shirt was in tatters. My pants were covered with dried blood. The paste was still on my chest, but it had dried into a hard crust and was beginning to flake off.
It was a mystery, but one I knew I couldn’t solve. The more pressing concern was getting free. I had to find a way to escape my captors and get back to Staff Sergeant Barnes. After drinking a little more water, I got to my feet. There were still a few aliens nearby, keeping an eye on me. I put on my cammie jacket and took a mental inventory of the supplies still in garment’s large pockets. I had six magazines of depleted uranium rifle rounds and a roll of quick-clot gauze, but nothing that would really help me escape. Perhaps if I could get close enough to the fire pits, I could toss a few rounds into the flames. The explosions would surely surprise the aliens, but getting away in the dark was still an issue. If I were to have any hope at all, I would have to retrieve my Command Helmet.
It seemed like a hopeless cause, but I held fast to Staff Sergeant Barnes’ advice. If I could keep a low profile and convince the aliens I wasn’t a threat, they would drop their guard eventually, and I could escape. I just had to bide my time and stay alive until they made a mistake.
That night, I was left in my cage after dark. I watched the aliens gather by their fire pits. The aroma of cooked food made my stomach growl painfully, but I didn’t complain. I considered working to untie the bonds that held my cage closed, but something made me hesitate. I still didn’t know what had happened to my helmet, and I was as good as blind in the dark. The jungle canopy left the forest floor in complete darkness. Not even a full moon could illuminate the forest floor. As poor as our equipment’s night vision was, it was the only thing that would allow me to navigate through the jungle at night.
A new group of aliens eventually arrived in the village. Keeping track of time was difficult at night, but I was certain at least two hours had passed since the sun set. The Vena were much more active at night, but unless they were near the fire pits, I had trouble making out their movements and actions. The new group walked in a long file, marching past my cage. I had no idea who they were or why they had come, but I did recognize one of their number. It wasn’t an alien, it was Master Sergeant Eubanks. His hands were tied in front of him, and as I watched, he was leashed to the short stake while his captors joined mine by the fire pits.
If Money had seen me, he gave no indication. Instead, he sat quietly by the the stake, looking as calm as if he were waiting to see a superior officer on a space station instead of being tied to a stake like an animal on a hostile alien world. I wanted to call out to him, but I didn’t want to draw the attention of the Vena. Instead, I began to discretely work to untie the lashings of my cage.
In less than half an hour, another group of aliens arrived. They also had a prisoner, one of the tall, simian creatures called a Prog. The creature had a large, thick hump on its back, and muscular shoulders — although it’s arms and legs were long and skinny. I watched the new-comers meet my captors, and soon the Prog was tied to the same stake as Master Sergeant Eubanks. The three groups gathered in a circle, blocking my view, but it was clear what was happening. Money had to fight the Prog. There was howling, barking, and the eerie yelps that sounded like laughter from the Vena. I could also hear the Prog’s grunts, screams, and high-pitched wails. The fight didn’t last long. The crowd fell silent. I couldn’t see who had won, and my heart was in my throat as I waited for the crowd to break up.
The aliens moved in, and soon I saw the Prog lifted up. The alien’s limp body sent shivers down my back. They carried the hairy simian to their fire pits and began to work on the body. The rest of the Vena followed, and soon I saw Master Sergeant Eubanks sitting all alone again. The Prog was skinned, it’s hide stretched on a huge drying rack. The body was hacked into small pieces and carried away by individual hunters. The aliens that stayed in the village ate and drank around their fire pits. Eventually Money curled up near the stake and went to sleep. I wanted to sneak out of my cage and rescue him, but there were still twice as many aliens in the village as normal. It was clear that I needed a better plan if I was going to escape.
I retied the braided twine that held my cage closed, leaving the knots just loose enough that they would be easy to untie if I needed to get them loose again quickly. I took several of the bullets from one of the rifle magazines still in my cammie jacket. I hid them in the waistband of my pants. There were no rocks or even sticks inside my cage, but I managed to snap a portion of the metal from one of the magazines by propping it against my cage and stomping on it with my boot heel. The shard was as wide as my index finger and almost as long. I spent the rest of the night rubbing the shard against the magazine to sharpen the edge. As the sun began to rise, I tucked the metal shard into my waistband and laid down.
I slept for several hours, and when I woke up, I found Money at the end of his leash. He was still sitting on the ground, but he was facing me. We were at least fifty meters apart. Communicating verbally wasn’t possible without rousing the interest of my guards. Instead, I used hand signals. I pointed at Money and flashed the okay signal with my hand extended just outside my cage.
Master Sergeant Eubanks nodded slowly, then pointed to me. I gave him a thumbs up. I had to be careful that my captors didn’t see what I was planning to do next. They were all busy mending clothing, sharping knives, or stringing beads to their wooden staves. I mimicked putting on my helmet, then shrugged my shoulders. Money looked over his shoulder and pointed discretely at the large tree in the center of the village. That made sense. I could see the tree from my cage, but it was too far away to make out anything on it. My helmet was about the same size as the crystal of IX gas I had taken from the volcano. It was possible that it had been placed in one of the tree’s ornate nooks.
I pulled a bullet from my waistband, and when none of the aliens were looking, held it out between my thumb and index finger. Once Money nodded, I showed him the metal shard. He looked confused, and I made a sawing motion with my right hand onto the palm of my left. Money gave me a quick thumbs up.
The light faded early that day. The jungle floor was always in shade. But the light grew dim, and the air cooled slightly. Wind shook the leaves overhead. Late in the afternoon, thunder rumbled in the distance. At twilight, rain began to fall. The Vena set out buckets with large cones to catch the rain. They made troughs from the leaves in the trees to funnel the rain into containers. They lit their pit fires and cooked their
meals under canopies, then most returned to their shelters once the food was prepared. I couldn’t see if I was being watched or not, but I felt a sense of urgency. The rain was beating down hard, and lightning flashed overhead. The lightning gave flashes of dim illumination. It was just enough light that I could see there were no guards nearby. It was time to make our escape. We might be killed trying to win our freedom, but I feared that if we didn’t do something soon, the Vena would pit me against Master Sergeant Eubanks in a fight to the death.
Chapter 10
My wet fingers fumbled on the strands of twine that held my cage shut, but I managed to get them untied. Lightning flashed, and the thunder boomed so loud it sounded like an explosion. I slipped out of my cage and dashed to where Money waited, the little shard of metal in my hand.
“What the hell are you doing here, Orry?” Money said in a furious whisper.
“Getting you out,” I said as I began to saw at his leash with the shard of metal.
“And once you get me free, then what?”
“Then we make a run for it.”
“In the dark?”
“If I can get my Command Helmet, we can find our way back to Base Camp.”
“That’s a big if Private.”
“It’s all we’ve got.”
I jerked the ends of the leather leash apart just as more thunder crashed overhead. There were aliens moving near the tree in the center of the village, but they had their heads covered and were hurrying from structure to structure.
“I guess we answered the water question,” I said.
“We’ve been here almost two weeks. They can’t live on rain showers,” Money said.
“Well, it seems to be one of the ways they stay hydrated. You stay here. I’ll get my helmet,” I told him, putting the shard of metal into his hand. If I don’t make it, get the hell out of here.”
“Who’s in charge here?” Money said with a grin.
“I guess you can go after the helmet,” I said.
“No, it’s a good plan. Get your helmet, and we’ll make a break for it. Just don’t get caught near their sacred tree.”
I wanted to ask questions but there was no time. I didn’t know anything about a sacred tree, but I knew we needed my Command Helmet. And I was determined to get it back. I ran, bent low, straight for the tree. I was almost to the huge arbor when a hunter caught sight of me. He raised his arm, tracking me as I ran. Desperate to escape his shot, I dove behind the huge tree trunk. To my great relief, I found myself face to face with my battle hemet. It was in a small nook near the base of the tree. I pulled the helmet on and activated it. The fires in the pits were sputtering, but they gave just enough light to see by. The hunter was circling the tree, trying to get an angle on me. I hoped the tree was sacred enough that he wouldn’t shoot at me if he risked hitting the huge trunk.
I pulled several bullets from my waist band and tossed them into the nearest fire pit as I continued to circle the mighty tree, trying to keep the trunk between me and the hunter who had spotted me. I had taken several steps when the heat from the coals set off the bullets. They exploded, sending coals and hunks of dirt flying into the air. I sprinted back toward Money, who was waving me on like a third base coach in a little league game.
I looked over my shoulder to see several more hunters coming out of their shelters, looking for the source of the explosions. Right at that moment, lightning shot down and split one of the tress near the village. Sparks flew in all directions as a large section of limbs were sheared off the trunk. The wet leaves caught fire from the powerful bolt of lightning, and the limbs toppled onto one of the shelters. The yurt partially collapsed, and the roof caught on fire. But that wasn’t the most exciting thing I saw as I glanced over my shoulder. To my left, only a dozen paces away, was a covered workbench of some sort. On it lay my assault rifle. I changed course, snatched up the weapon, and dashed back to Money.
“Let’s go!” Master Sergeant Eubanks said.
He put one arm on my shoulder, and we double-timed it out of the village and into the forest. Through the helmet’s HUD I could see the jungle in the murky green light of night vision. The rain made it even harder to see, but it was enough to keep from running into trees. We stopped for a second just inside the tree line, while I pulled a magazine from the pocket of my cammie jacket, and I rammed it home.
“How the hell did they not take your jacket?” Money asked.
“Beats me,” I said. “They took everything else.”
“Fire up your GPS and get us out of here. This storm won’t hold them back for long.”
“Roger that, Master Sergeant,” I said.
I brought the navigation display up on my Command Helmet. It showed that we were thirteen klicks from Base Camp. I toggled on the com-link.
“Staff Sergeant, Barnes, do you read? Over.”
There was a pause as we trotted through the jungle, zig-zagging around trees and looking over our shoulders for any signs of pursuit.
“Staff Sergeant, Barnes, are you there? Over,” I asked again.
“Porter? Is that really you?” Barnes said, his voice cracking and sounding weak.
“It’s me, Staff Sergeant. I’ve got Money, and we are thirteen klicks from your position.”
“My God, Orry, is there anything you can’t do?”
“We’re not out of danger yet,” I said. “The rain is helping, but the aliens will be hot on our trail soon enough.”
“What can I do to help?”
“Think happy thoughts, Staff Sergeant. Cross your fingers, and say a prayer that we don’t fall into another trap.”
“Roger that, Orry. Good luck.”
The jungle floor was muddy and slick. The trees loomed up around us like deadly sentinels. The rain fell in cold sheets, as lightning lit up the sky and thunder crashed like the tantrum of an angry god. It was slow going, yet every step we took added to my hopes that we might make good on our escape.
According to our tracking beacon, we had gone for about three kilometers when the rain began to slack. The torrential downpour became a steady, light rain and the lightening was much less frequent. My adrenaline began to wear thin, and fatigue set in. I was cold and weak.
“How are you doing, Porter?” Money asked when I stopped and leaned my back against a thick tree trunk.
“Not so great,” I admitted. “I haven’t eaten in days.”
“Yeah, they only feed you after a successful fight. How long were you held captive?”
“Four days. Two before you got there.”
“You survived the initiation, that’s something,” Money said. “Did they cut you?”
“Yeah, a big X across my chest.”
“Me too. I wish I knew what was in that salve they used to heal us.”
“I’m ready. Let’s keep moving.”
“You sure?” Money said.
“Yes, Master Sergeant. I’ve got this.”
We pressed on through the night. The only part of me that wasn’t soaked was my head. The Command Helmet kept my head warm and dry. The skin on my hands and feet felt shriveled and raw. I was so cold I couldn’t stop shaking. My teeth were chattering and I couldn’t seem to catch my breath.
“Sun’s almost up, Orry,” Barnes said over the com-link. “You’re halfway home.”
I couldn’t respond. I was desperate for the sun to rise. My back tingled with fear that at any moment we would be shot down from behind. I had to stop and dry heave just as the first rays of sunlight turned the sky above in a dull, slate gray. It wasn’t much light, but it gave us just enough visibility that I could switch off the night vision on my Command Helmet.
“Let’s take a short break,” Money said.
“The hunters may catch up with us.”
“Perhaps, but we’ll be able to see them soon. You mind if I take the rifle?”
“Of course not, Master Sergeant,” I replied. “Here, take the Command Helmet too.”
“No, Porter. You lead the way. I’l
l watch our backs.”
“Yes, Master Sergeant.”
I handed him an extra magazine, which he slipped into his waist band at the small of his back. He checked the rifle’s breech, making sure the rain hadn’t done anything that would interfere with the weapon’s operation. Once he was satisfied that everything was in order, he nodded.
“Let’s go.”
The clouds sat heavy, making the jungle even more gloomy than normal. There were places where the water stood in wide, shallow pools. We avoided the standing water as much as possible, trying to stay quiet as we hiked back toward our Base Camp. It was two hours after dawn, and we were only three kilometers from our destination when the hunters caught up with us.
“I’ve got movement on our six,” Money said.
“Damn, I was hoping we would make it.”
“This party isn’t over yet, Private. How do you feel about being bait?”
“I think at this point, it’s all I’m good for.”
“Alright, keep moving, but go slow.”
“Yes, Master Sergeant.”
We circled around a tree, and Money broke off from my position. I kept moving forward, but Money moved to my right, creating some distance between us. I didn’t know what was going to happen, and I missed my armor — even my heavy backpack. I wanted something, anything, to protect me from the attack I knew was coming. But all I could do was to keep moving and trust my NCO, and friend, to keep me from getting killed.
Chapter 11
I had gone maybe a hundred meters when the first shot rang out. The CR 2280 had a distinct report. I spun around to see what had happened. A hunter was on the ground no more than a dozen paces behind me. I recognized my own knife in his hand. I went back and picked up the weapon. I felt better having something I could defend myself with.
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