The Ganymede Legacy

by A C Bonesteel

  Leo looked taken aback, but he stood firm. He wanted to talk about Ganymede, and he wasn't going to be denied. "I'm not blaming you, Alice. Anyone else would have done the same thing in that situation. You were dedicated to a cause, and you followed your orders..."

  "And I killed two billion people!" Alice suddenly burst out. Her outburst caused a few people seated near them to look over with concern, but they quickly returned their attention to their tables.

  "What are you talking about?" Annabelle inquired. Apparently, Leo had not informed her of Alice's past.

  Leo turned to Annabelle and explained. "Sorry... Alice is the Ganymede Operative. She is the only survivor of Ganymede..."

  "Holy shit..." Annabelle gasped. "That's nuts! I can't believe that it was you. I had no idea. You'd think Idi would have told me, at least... Oh fuck, of course, that's it!"

  "That's what?" Leo asked.

  "That's why it's her. That's why the Council sent you, Alice... You survived... You're immune to Exony's shit, aren't you?"

  Alice stared at the table. "Hopefully..."

  Annabelle continued, her voice brimming with excitement. "But, I studied the Ganymede Incident in school. You were cleared of any wrongdoing. It was a big deal. Everyone wanted your head, but they cleared you. The agent malfunctioned, they said. No one knew it was going to kill people. It was supposed to knock them out, not kill them. It's not your fault... You shouldn't beat yourself up like that!"

  Alice shook her head. "Trust me; it's my fault. I had a choice. I could have said no. I could have stopped it, but I didn't. I should have known..."

  "How could you have known?" Leo demanded. "No one knew what it would do..."

  Alice couldn't help but remember Shonn, and it brought a sad smile to her face. "Shonn, my captain. He told me just before I did it, but I didn't listen. I loved him, you see, and I thought it was the only way to save him. His leg was blown off, and the New Republic was already breaching the doors... I thought I had to do it to save him, and he ended up dying anyway..."

  A moment of silence passed.

  "Yeah..." Leo sadly agreed. "I can see why you feel guilty... At least it ended the war, though. At least it put an end to that madness. It could have been worse; hell, maybe it would have. That war could've killed billions more if it hadn't ended there. Maybe another war was prevented by the disaster before it even started. Maybe it scared people into being more decent to one another... Even when we make a mistake, sometimes it works out... There's always a flip-side..."

  "Yup. That's the punchline, remember?" Annabelle solemnly agreed.

  Alice nodded. Her guilt still roiled away within her, but Leo and Annabelle had helped to give her at least some perspective.

  With a deep breath, Alice cleared her mind and decided that she had spoken of Ganymede enough. They needed to focus on the future. She needed to find out how Leo's gift functioned.

  "Leo, since we're on to serious subjects... We need to talk about your gift. Can you use it against Exony?"

  Leo chuckled, but his face suddenly tensed. "Now that is a great question... If the Void decides it wants to help when we need it, I suppose it will figure out how to kill Exony on its own."

  Alice leaned in with interest. "Void? That's what you call it when you..."

  Leo nodded and closed his eyes. "It's always there, waiting. Sometimes, I feel it... In me. At certain moments, it comes into me, and then crazy, impossible things happen. I don't know how to explain it. I get this odd feeling of peace, then my sense of reality disappears, and I can't think. It's all instinct. It does what it wants..."

  Annabelle listened to Leo thoughtfully, then chimed in. "I've thought about it, and I think it's all in Leo's subconscious. I think it only happens when it absolutely has to..."

  Alice listened with interest. "Why do you think that?"

  Annabelle's face fell, and she became slightly abashed. "Well, I don't really know. I mean, I've only seen him use his gift once, and it was to save people. Maybe it only pops up when he's trying to save someone, and only if there's no other way..."

  Leo shrugged. "Could be... That's as good as any other explanation I've come up with. I sure as hell can't use it to save myself at will. I was useless when Thrall had me tied up."

  "You would have only been saving yourself, not anyone else..." Annabelle reasoned.

  Alice thought back to what had happened with Leo on the Epiphany. His gift had shaken the ship, but he had controlled it. "What about back on the ship. Your gift manifested then, and you controlled it."

  Leo shook his head and finally opened his eyes. "That was different. When it happened on Osiris, it was perfect. Everything was in balance... When it happened on the ship, it was different. It was chaos, not balance. There was no light. It was only darkness..."

  Alice wanted to dig deeper. "We're going to have to work on it, Leo, every chance we get. We're going to have to learn more about it and help you to gain control over it..."

  Leo gave her a solemn nod. "I'll try..."

  Then, Alice became distracted as a group of four people sat down at the table next to theirs. She recognized one of them. The tall woman dressed in black leather was the same person they had encountered in Randell's shop. She was the one who had so rudely insulted Leo and Annabelle.

  Alice watched for any sign that the group had ill intent. At first glance, they appeared to be normal restaurant customers, talking about the menu and other meaningless things, but Alice's suspicion lingered.

  They were probably just four ordinary residents of Rithe Island. However, Alice still thought it was time to leave the restaurant and find somewhere safer to wait while Randell completed his work. If Exony was tracking them, then it wasn't safe to stay in any one place for long anyway...

  Alice looked over to Leo and saw that he had also taken note of the woman's presence. He nodded surreptitiously to Annabelle, who stealthily turned her head and peeked at the woman, then closed her eyes and mouthed a few silent words.

  After several seconds, Annabelle opened her eyes, turned back to Leo and Alice, and leaned over the table to whisper to them.

  "They're all armed to the teeth. Mag-pistols and gas grenades... They have low-grade scan-blockers, too, but I saw through them."

  Alice didn't know how Annabelle had been outfitted with advanced threat detection implants, but she supposed it didn't matter at that moment.

  "Leo," Alice whispered as a tingle of fear tickled up her spine. "I think it's time to leave."

  Leo stared into Alice's eyes as if trying to divine the legitimacy of her fears through a look alone. After a few seconds of searching, and another speculative look at the table next to them, he nodded and stood up. Without a word, Alice followed suit, followed shortly after by Annabelle.

  Together, they walked through the loud, boisterous tables of restaurant patrons, carefully observing their surroundings for any threats. Alice looked back across the main dining area to see if anyone had followed them, and was relieved to see nothing more than the expected behavior of hungry and intoxicated customers.

  They reached the front door of the restaurant without incident, but as they were about to exit, Annabelle grabbed Alice's shoulder.

  "Lifesigns outside..." Annabelle explained. "Weapons, too... I think it's a trap."

  "Who?" Leo asked. "Why?"

  "Doesn't matter," Alice interjected. "We'll go out the back entrance. Quickly, calmly; follow me and stay alert!"

  Then, Alice quickly led them swiftly along the perimeter of the dining room, past the nautical paintings and framed rope knots that hung from the wall.

  Alice looked across the dining room to the group that had aroused her suspicions. They were still seated, eating, and drinking like everyone else.

  Within ten seconds, Alice reached the slatted doors that led to the bar area and pushed past them. As she led Leo and Annabelle into the bar, they were greeted with the loud, boisterous cheers of drunk and enthusiastic sports fans that were crowded around a
screen behind the bar.

  Alice was grateful for the distraction. She pointed and drew Leo and Annabelle's attention to the exit. It was twenty feet from them, and only a few patrons stood in their path.

  Together they quickly walked to the exit, edging efficiently between the long, rustic bar and the booths that lined the wall opposite it.

  When they reached the exit, Alice held them there with a hand signal and commanded Annabelle to scan outside the door with a pointed look.

  Annabelle closed her eyes and pursed her lips while Leo and Alice kept watch.

  "I can't get any readings..." Annabelle revealed as she opened her eyes. "Something is interfering with my scans. "

  "Shit," Alice swore. "Okay, we're going back to the ship. It's not the safest place, considering Exony could have hacked it, but it's still the best option right now. It's only a kilometer or so... Be on your guard for anything suspicious. If anyone makes an aggressive move, you have permission to use any force necessary to defend yourself."

  Leo and Annabelle nodded while Alice reached inside her tactical satchel and discreetly took hold of one of Randell's ancient, gas-powered pistols. Her hand position wouldn't look threatening to anyone, and it ensured she could draw the weapon and fire within seconds.

  "Let's go."

  Chapter 33

  Alice pushed through the door first, followed by Annabelle and Leo. An explosion of noise met them as they stepped right into the middle of a raucous celebration that filled the small alley outside the bar. Crowds of people wearing elaborate costumes strutted by as they sang, shouted, and made merry.

  "What the hell..." Alice wondered aloud.

  "Street fair!" Leo shouted behind her. "They happen every night here!"

  Alice turned to her companions and pointed west, down the alley and towards the connecting street. They nodded in agreement, and the three of them began walking laboriously through the crowd of people blocking their way.

  They quickly pushed past a group of women who were dressed in identical, skin-tight, pink outfits as they played a joyful melody on flutes and danced in a circle, then edged around an impromptu bare-knuckle boxing match.

  They managed to make quick progress considering the tight quarters of the crowded alley. After a minute of struggling through the crowd, they neared the more spacious connecting street.

  Alice remained calm as she jostled past a man in a glittering, red dress. Once they got out of the crowd, it would be a short run to the Epiphany. Then, they could plan their next move.

  After a few more paces, however, Alice suddenly heard Leo cry out in pain behind her. She instantly turned and saw him clutching his chest as he fell into a stumbling run behind her. then shoved her forward.

  "Shot... Someone shot me!" Leo coughed as blood spewed from his mouth and he shoved Alice forward.

  His eyes were wide, and Alice could see copious amounts of blood already spilling from under his hand. She quickly grabbed his arm to help support him, then pulled him into a clumsy jog.

  "Shit!" annabelle screamed as she rushed forward and eyed Leo with concern.

  Luckily, they managed to bully their way through the rest of the tightly packed alley and burst into the wide open space of the connecting street within a few seconds.

  "C'mon!" Alice yelled as she pulled Leo forward.

  "He's not gonna make it to the ship!" Annabelle yelled as she grabbed Leo's other arm to support him. "He's losing a shit-ton of blood!"

  Alice nodded and pulled them farther down the street, searching for a place that would be safe. People near them looked on in concern as they noticed the blood dripping from Leo's chest, but no one made anything more than a halfhearted attempt to assist.

  If anyone called the authorities, Alice hoped it would take them long enough to arrive to allow for an escape. In normal circumstances, official help would be welcome in that type of situation. However, all it would mean at that moment was an unnecessary delay and potential issues because of the illegal weapons in their possession.

  After stumbling a block farther down the street, Alice spotted a dark alley and hurriedly pulled Leo and Annabelle into it. As they entered, Alice saw that the alley was empty, except for a few passed out drunks that leaned sloppily against a green dumpster.

  Loud booms and cracks echoed through the Oberon night, and sparks of blue and gold flew through the sky above them.

  Fireworks... Great cover for a sniper, Alice thought, as she turned her attention to Leo.

  "Let me see!" she commanded as she sat Leo down against the dirty brick wall of the alley, peeled his hand away from the wound and began to inspect it.

  The injury was small but deep, and it was oozing copious amounts of blood onto Leo's chest with each pump of his heart. It looked to be fatal if she didn't treat it immediately.

  "My lung..." Leo coughed as blood dripped from his mouth.

  "Annabelle! Put pressure on the wound. Press as hard as you can!" Alice commanded as she reached into her satchel and searched for the small metal cylinder that would save Leo.

  Annabelle hurried to obey. She quickly knelt next to Leo and shoved her two hands to the wound. Leo coughed roughly as he felt Annabelle's hands press down on his chest, and more blood spewed from his mouth, spattering down his neck and onto her hands.

  Alice watched with concern as she rifled through her satchel. She ignored the two pistol there, and quickly found what she was looking for. Her fingers wrapped around the familiar shape of a nanite tissue repair injector, and she whipped it out. With practiced speed and accuracy, she then unscrewed its cap and primed the device by pressing a button on its side.

  "Take your hands off the wound Annabelle," Alice ordered. "And draw your weapon! Cover the alley entrance! Leo, hold still. I'm gonna inject nanites into your wound!"

  Annabelle eyed the cylindrical device in Alice's hand warily, then pulled her bloody hands from Leo's chest. She then reached inside her black handbag and drew another of Randell's ancient gas-operated pistols.

  When Annabelle removed pressure from the wound, it released a massive spurt of blood, and Leo shuddered as he coughed and choked raggedly.

  Leo stared into Alice's eyes."Not, ugh... Not yet... Annabelle." Then, his eyes slid shut, and his body went limp.

  With steady hands, Alice inserted the metal tube into the hole in Leo's chest and pressed her thumb down on it. The silvery substance inside slowly issued forth and began to intermix with Leo's blood before penetrating into his body to repair the damage to his tissue.

  Alice watched closely as she injected the rest of the nanites, then tossed the empty cylinder aside. Within ten seconds, a silvery flow of nanites swam up through the bloody hole in his chest, then covered the wound and stopped the profuse flow of crimson blood.

  Good, Alice thought. She had done all she could. If he wasn't already dead, the nanites would repair his injury and destroy any parts of the projectile that remained within him.

  Suddenly, Annabelle's terror-stricken voice sounded in Alice's ears.

  "Look out!"

  Then, shock pierced through Alice as something next to her exploded and flashed white-hot light into her eyes. The explosion threw her against the wall of the alley and she felt the air leave her lungs. More bright flashes clouded her vision, and more deafening booms pounded through her ears as she tried to regain her senses.

  Panic came over Alice as her vision filled with flashing tracers. She quickly reached down and searched for her satchel and the weapons inside of it, but instead, she found only Leo's hand. She squeezed it and shouted his name, but it remained limp and motionless.

  More muffled, but still snapping explosions penetrated the fog of deafness in her ears. They also emitted from right next to her, but then were intermixed with slightly different, but still loud snaps from farther away. As the chaos erupted, a torrid stream of thoughts fought through the concussion trauma that afflicted Alice's mind.

  She had been hit by a stun grenade. It had probably been th
rown by the same people that shot Leo, and now, a gunfight was in progress. Annabelle might not have been hit as hard by the grenade and could be returning fire at their attackers.

  Alice blinked her eyes, but to no avail. She couldn't see anything but bright, flashing light. With full knowledge that she could be killed at any moment, she felt across the ground. She needed to find her weapons so she could defend her team. her satchel had to be close by, she thought frustratedly. She had set it down right next to her.

  As she searched, her ears began to recover, and she heard more shots, a pained grunt, and Annabelle's screaming voice.

  "How's that merlot taste, fuckhead!?”

  Then, mercifully, Alice finally felt the soft fabric of her satchel. She grasped it hungrily, and reached inside for her weapons.

  She heard Annabelle cry out in anguish just as her right hand found the cold, deadly salvation of a firearm. A keen sense of purpose came over her as she drew it.

  Her vision was beginning to clear, and she could now make out the dark shape of three individuals coming toward her. She raised her weapon and fired, then saw one of the them fall to the ground.

  But then, Alice felt something pierce her shoulder. She immediately knew it wasn't a bullet. There was little pain...

  She quickly lined up her next target and tried to fire again, but instead of squeezing the trigger, her hands went limp, and her pistol fell to the ground. She tried to turn her head to look for Annabelle but found that she couldn't. She felt rage as her legs went limp, snd and collapsed on top of Leo.

  Tranquilizer, she thought. No. She would have been unconscious if a tranq-dart had hit her. It was something else... Maybe a paralytic agent...

  She had no more time to debate what she had been hit by, however, as the two remaining attackers quickly stepped into her blurry, unfocused vision.

  "Do you enjoy that feeling?" a woman's soft voice goaded. "It'll wear off quickly, don't worry. Thrall wouldn't want you to miss out on all the interesting experiences he has planned for you."