Unleashed

by D. R. Johnson

  Naos gulped, pointing at Lady Cerasi. “So is she.”

  “Last warning,” Alsia said, stepping closer. “Drop your weapon and let him go.”

  Lady Cerasi glanced at Alsia, lifting the rifle with her free hand and firing three times. The blasts hit Alsia’s chest and burned through her armor, before sending her into the opposite edge of the balcony. Alsia yelped and dropped her own rifle, while Takk rushed Lady Cerasi. Lady Cerasi ducked and pulled the pistol off Cecil’s face before firing four times, hitting Takk’s thigh and temporarily stopping his movement.

  Lady Cerasi turned back to Cecil, but Naos raised his pistol and darted out of the shadow. He fired and kept charging as Lady Cerasi dodged the incoming blue lasers. Nait stepped onto the balcony and provided cover fire, running to Alsia’s side. Sora and Natalia did the same, heading for Takk, while Navit pulled herself to her feet in the background.

  “Naos!” Natalia said, keeping her eyes on the teenager as he ran past Takk and dodged Cerasi’s returning fire. “What’re you—”

  “Focusing on what I can do!”

  Lasers flew all over the balcony as Takk lifted himself and fired again, while Natalia reached his side. Naos dove into Lady Cerasi and Cecil, sending all three to the ground. Nait pulled Alsia off the ground, while Sora also reached Takk and helped Natalia carry his weight.

  “Governor Badesha,” Takk said, breathing heavily and firing again. “We have to get him.”

  Lady Cerasi slammed her elbow into Cecil’s face and released him, rolling onto her back. Naos tried to point his pistol at her, but before he could aim, Lady Cerasi knocked it out of his hands and punched him in the lip. He cried but attacked again, shoving his fist into her chest. She yanked a knife out of her belt and slashed his shoulder, before using his recovery time to shove him off her.

  “Requesting backup on the second story balcony. I repeat, emergency crisis with the Governor,” Alsia said, speaking into her comm and firing again. Lady Cerasi dodged, grabbing Cecil’s ankle before he could escape.

  “Please,” Cecil said, gasping for air. Blood ran across his face. “We can discuss this. Whatever the Queen’s issues are, I plead with you to—”

  Lady Cerasi punched him again. Alsia, Takk, and Sora all fired, but she rolled out of all three’s trajectory and leapt to her feet, before Natalia and Nait fired. Naos remained on the ground but fired, and as Lady Cerasi whirled around to dodge Nait’s and Natalia’s shots, Naos’ shot collided with a clamp on the back of her neck. The helmet fell, revealing her face.

  Scout.

  “H-Hold your fire,” Sora said, nearly letting go of Takk. Natalia’s and Sora’s grip on him loosened. Sora glanced at Takk and Alsia, trying to resist the numbness from overcoming his entire body. “She’s one of o-ours.”

  The confusion dominated the soldiers’ faces as they looked from Sora to each other. Silence overtook the balcony, replacing the noises of gunfire and yelling. Sora, Natalia, Nait, and Naos stared at Scout. Sora saw the brown hair, the blue eyes, the round cheeks, and small jaw. Once, those features informed him that Scout was a teenager, but now, they informed him that Scout was Scout.

  “We…saw your body,” Nait said. His hands shook. “She…she electrocuted you, Sc-Scout. You were dead. How…why…”

  “Scout, you’re still with us. You’re…here,” Naos said, wobbling as he stood. He took a step toward Scout, who examined every person on the balcony but kept a firm grasp on Cecil. “You…if it is you…no, it is. I know your eyes. You’re really here.”

  Sora focused on her familiar blue eyes. As he locked onto them, he wanted to speak, but he didn’t know what to say. He didn’t know if he should say anything. Something felt off and Sora didn’t know how to handle it.

  “Scout,” Naos said, dropping his pistol. His lips quivered. “I’ve missed you so much. Why…why are you doing this?”

  Again, silence overtook the balcony. Sora only heard the howl of the wind as it breezed past the group. He didn’t take his focus off Scout’s eyes, but instead, tried to look closely at them. They turned in every direction but briefly settled on Naos.

  “Scout?”

  Sora shuddered. He didn’t see Scout in her own eyes.

  “I know no such person. I am Queen Bettina’s most faithful follower and you will tremble at her name.”

  Scout raised her pistol and looked at Cecil. He opened his mouth, but before any words escaped, she fired. Navit shrieked as she released his limp body. Alsia and Takk let out cries of rage and fired, but Naos only stumbled back. Two shots hit Scout’s armor, but she catapulted herself over the edge of the balcony and disappeared.

  “Fugitive on the run, I repeat, fugitive just escaped from the balcony. Divert your course from the balcony to the landing pads,” Alsia said, shaking her comm. Sora heard the anger in her voice. “Governor Badesha…”

  She couldn’t finish the sentence. Horror consumed the eyes of every person on the balcony. Navit stumbled to her father’s body, dropping to the ground and cradling him. Nait and Naos seemed frozen, while Takk leaned toward Alsia.

  “I…I think I can walk,” Takk said, attempting to limp out of Sora and Natalia’s grasp. The soldier sounded distraught. “Um, I need to help catch her…”

  They released him, turning their focus to Nait, Naos, and Navit. Navit sobbed, while Nait and Naos stared at the ledge where Scout disappeared. Sora ran a hand over his face, not sure which tragedy to address first. He neared Navit and crouched, watching her tears drop onto Cecil’s body and wash some of the blood off his face.

  “I’m so sorry,” Sora said, attempting to clear his throat. He didn’t know what to say, but this woman needed more than silence. “I…don’t know how this happened, but your father shouldn’t have been caught in it. We will honor him in any way we can.”

  “There’s no way left to do that!” Navit said, raising her voice. She locked eyes with Sora. “Neither of my parents did anything wrong, and now, they’ve met the same fate. My father researched, considered, and worked to begin the underground movement, but she killed him before it could even begin. There’s nothing left to do.”

  Sora glanced at Natalia, who hovered above him. He wanted her to give some type of insight, wisdom, or decision. Once again, he didn’t know what move to make. Natalia shook her head, knowing what he wanted her to do. Just as on Graig, he felt unqualified to lead these people. Every choice ended with death.

  “How?” Nait said, pointing to the black helmet that rested beneath their feet. “How?!”

  The echo of engine roars radiated over the balcony. The group looked to the left to see a government shuttle escaping into the sunrise, as small bolts followed from the ground. Sora closed his eyes, refusing to watch Scout, or Lady Cerasi, flee from the people she once called friends.

  As he kept his eyes shut, Scout’s blue eyes flashed before him. He didn’t see Scout in her own eyes.

  “The Fi that we fought in that prison was not the Fi we know.”

  Sora remembered the camera that watched Fi fight him and Selas. He remembered questioning Bettina’s actions, wondering about her goal. He opened his eyes, allowing everything to click. Bettina didn’t set that trap on Danforth to kill the crew. She set the trap to fake Scout’s death and to use Fi as a test subject.

  “Selas snapped Fi out of her trance because she remembered their relationship. She remembered all of us,” Sora said, narrowing his eyes at Nait. He only felt frustrated at himself for not realizing any of this sooner. “Scout didn’t know her own name or who we are. That’s how this happened. She thinks she’s Lady Cerasi.”

  Naos put his hands on the back of his neck and approached the ledge, breathing heavily. Nait stared and didn’t speak, but Sora didn’t see any confusion left on his face. Instead, he saw a mixture of horror and anger. Natalia looked from the boys to Cecil, grimacing.

  “How did Bettina know that we were here?” she said, glancing at Sora again. “Did they track us from Danforth?”

  So
ra glanced over the balcony, focusing on the Killer. Trika and Natalia guarded the ship while the others went after Fi and Scout, so if anyone had tried to plant something, they would have noticed. Chok would have detected anything that interfered with the ship’s navigation system. He didn’t want to put anything past the Queen, but that explanation didn’t make sense.

  “No. She sent Scout here for Cecil, which means that they probably discovered the underground movement.”

  Sora’s chest tightened, allowing the last piece to click. If Queen Bettina discovered Cecil’s plan, then she didn’t just discover Ondon.

  “Scout’s going to Catalan next,” he said, causing everyone to look at him again. “If the Queen knew about Ondon, it wouldn’t be hard for her to find out about Catalan. There are too few people on Catalan to defend themselves. If we want Scout and the underground movement to survive, we need to go now.”

  “There is no underground movement,” Navit said, still clinging to her father. Tears still soaked her face. “He…my father…he led the charge on it. I can’t do that, not after this. Any uncertainty you had about this…you were right.”

  Sora paused, staring at the disheartened daughter. Yes, he doubted this cause and constantly reconsidered it, but Cecil proved himself to the crew. He proved himself as trustworthy, even when Kit and Jaskia said that trust didn’t matter. He’d never doubted the need for justice, and now, that need had grown. Scout needed justice, Cecil needed justice, and Catalan needed justice.

  Every choice ended with death, but once again, Sora no longer had a choice.

  “No. You are right about your father, which is why the underground movement has to continue,” he said, extending his hand to Navit. “People are still in danger, so it has to continue. Your father and mother died because of Bettina, so this has to continue. Your father may not be here to lead it, but…”

  Sora glanced at Natalia, Nait, and Naos. Now, he didn’t want Natalia to speak. He needed to do this. “We will. I will.”

  Natalia gave one of her classic, gentle smiles. He knew that she’d waited for this since that moment in the command center on Graig.

  “I believe you have good values, Sora Trok. You are right to not undervalue them,” Navit said, taking his hand and barely holding it. “But that woman, your friend, is well-trained. She could be leading the royal army. How can you fight that?”

  “That’s the point of the underground movement, correct?” Sora said, squeezing her hand. “People standing together. My crew will stand with me and I will stand with them. Together, we will keep Catalan from extinction. Together, we’ll get Scout back.”

  “Yeah,” Nait said, swallowing and tilting his head. “Not stopping now. Not stopping now.”

  Sora looked at Naos. Naos tightened his lips and Sora saw the fear and uncertainty on his face. However, in his blue eyes, he still saw Naos. He saw the Naos who cared about Scout and even the crew. The Naos who Scout believed in.

  “She’s alive,” Sora said, nodding at the teenager. “That’s more than what we had an hour ago. There are still actions that can make strides.”

  “Sora’s right,” Natalia said, stepping to his side. “We will do everything we can, Navit. I promise.”

  “When they can, have Takk and Alsia send a message to Ursun and give him an update,” Sora said, releasing Navit’s hand and turning toward the elevator. “But for now, we have to get to Catalan. Scout’s already ahead of us.”

  “Good luck,” Navit said, wrapping both her arms around Cecil. He imagined the shock would not wear off soon, but still, he hoped he’d brought her some encouragement. She sniffed. “My father w-would be proud and grateful. So…so am I.”

  The four crew members again rushed toward the elevator. A breeze touched Sora’s cheek, but this time, he didn’t feel the need to shudder. He wouldn’t overthink because that no longer served as an option. He couldn’t question himself anymore. Now, he only needed to act.

  “The assassination of Cecil Badesha is a great victory for my government,” Queen Bettina said. Lady Cerasi bowed before the screen in the main hold of the shuttle, pressing her face to the ground. “Although it is unfortunate that your helmet was removed, it is a testament to my training that you overcame the defectors. I am sure that they tried to persuade you to their side, Lady Cerasi.”

  “Their words are meaningless, your Highness. Nothing hinders my knowledge of you.”

  “You are correct,” Queen Bettina said. Her tone didn’t change, but Lady Cerasi detected satisfaction. Only the Queen’s satisfaction mattered. “The defectors will follow you to Catalan. I am sending a squadron of soldiers to provide back-up while you negotiate with Catalan’s leadership.”

  “I will apply whatever is necessary to ensure that they tremble at your name, your Majesty.”

  Only the Queen’s orders mattered.

  “Considering the minor complications on Ondon, I will not delay in joining you. After you have forced the planet into submission, I will arrive and resolve what is unfinished. We will end this madness in the Nebula in my name and by my authority.”

  “I am not far from Catalan,” Lady Cerasi said. Her body hadn’t budged. “I will take decisive action immediately upon arrival, as you ordered.”

  “See that you do. Raise your head and look at me, Lady Cerasi.”

  Lady Cerasi lifted her eyes and looked at the white face of her leader. The face remained unchanged.

  “The fugitives you encountered will stop at nothing to manipulate you and to defeat me. No matter what words they spew or what actions they take, you cannot let them dictate anything. You must kill them. When I arrive, you and I will finish what remains of this freighter crew.”

  “I only submit to you, your Highness.”

  Only the Queen mattered.

  Queen Bettina’s face disappeared and the screen de-activated. Lady Cerasi stood and turned to the opposite wall, where Chief Bosnan stood. Individual chains still wrapped around his hands and feet, while another chain connected his torso to the wall. Lady Cerasi spotted the growing frailty in his facial muscles, including his tentacles.

  “Queen Bettina’s commands are shortsighted. I have fallen out of favor with my people,” Chief Bosnan said, swaying against the chains. The only movement he could make. “My presence may increase hostility.”

  “The emotions of you and your people have no relevance to me,” Lady Cerasi said, turning to face the cockpit. “Regardless of their emotions, I will carry out her orders and end their defiance.”

  “Most of my planet is uninhabited. My people are so much of a mere remnant that they only live in four facilities,” Chief Bosnan said, pushing against the chains around his torso. The movement did nothing. “Queen Bettina is wasting her efforts. No benefits come from finishing this genocide. Her throne continually grows more repulsive.”

  Lady Cerasi walked through the cockpit’s doorway but paused when hearing Chief Bosnan’s next words.

  “However, it is remarkable that you hang on her every word. If only I had perfected this technology for my creations. You are her slave, Lady Cerasi.”

  Lady Cerasi didn’t respond to the captive scientist. She continued into the cockpit, shutting the door behind her. She reached the ship’s controls, ensuring that their journey proceeded smoothly.

  Only Queen Bettina mattered.

  15

  “We have to play this smart. We don’t know what all we’re walking into, but we know what we need to walk out with,” Sora said, standing behind the round, brown table in the Killer’s main hold. The rest of the crew either stood around the table or sat on the maroon couches feet away. “We need to keep Kasco, his people, and Scout alive. If we can get Scout away from Bettina’s assignments, I believe we can get through to her.”

  Selas didn’t have Sora’s optimism, but perhaps the fresh news hadn’t settled in yet. Selas had taken Scout being alive as good news, but the news also filled him with indignation. Not only did Queen Bettina torture Fi, but she also us
ed her as an experiment. She captured Fi and toyed with her mind only to see how she could perfect her brainwashing. Selas wished to tear Bettina apart, but also, he knew that she didn’t act alone. She devised the plan, but he had no doubt that Anziar nudged her in Fi’s direction.

  “Reaching Fi was difficult and she had her memory,” Selas said, clearing his throat. He glanced at Nait and Naos, before returning his focus to Sora, standing on the opposite end of the table. “Even then, Fi wanted to kill herself. How can we convince Scout to willingly leave with us if she doesn’t know who Scout Gash is?”

  Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Naos’ brief tremble.

  “I don’t know, but it’s our only option. You reached Fi by tapping into your connection with her,” Sora said, looking to Naos. He hadn’t heard this level of confidence in Sora for some time. “That stopped her from carrying out the Queen’s orders. We can do the same. You can do the same, Naos.”

  “Me?” Naos said, scoffing. He bit his lip and shook his head. “Talking to her on the balcony did nothing. How would this be different?”

  “You accomplished something on the balcony,” Natalia said, raising her voice and narrowing her eyes. “If you hadn’t fought her, we wouldn’t know that she is Scout. We need you to have that same boldness.”

  “Focus on what you can do,” Sora said, nodding in agreement with Natalia.

  “Focus on her soul, not her body,” Kossk said, standing upright next to Selas and Jekk. His yellow eyes drifted from Selas to his twin. “Her body may fight your body, but do not let that deter the focus of your mind. No mind can take Scout’s soul.”

  “They’re right,” Nait said, swallowing and elbowing Naos. Nait looked fearful, but Selas could tell that he wanted to push through it, just as he did in their conversation on Ondon. “They have to be, man. Scout’s strong enough to be in there somewhere.”

  “I hope you’re right,” Naos said, shaking his head. “Really. So, how am I supposed to get her away from trying to kill everyone?”