Sanctuary

by Ken Lozito

  “Of course, Madam Governor. We’ll continue to gather intelligence and present everything we learn to your office,” Sean said.

  His mother ended the meeting shortly thereafter and asked him to stay behind. The rest of the advisors left the room, his mother’s assistant being the last one to go.

  Sean raised his eyebrows. “I think we’ll have a whole five minutes before someone knocks on that door.”

  His mother smiled tiredly. He’d been witness to the effects of this job on his father and was seeing the same in his mother. The past year hadn’t been easy for anyone.

  “In thirty days, it’ll be someone else’s problem,” Sean offered.

  “That really doesn’t help, son.”

  “We’re doing everything we can. I promise you we are, but we might not have much of a choice.”

  Ashley walked over to the windows and gazed at the commotion of a city being rebuilt. She sighed. “I thought after the Vemus were gone we wouldn’t have a need for you to use those weapons again. I don’t understand how this all started, but I guess that’s not important. I’ve read your report multiple times. Conventionally, you don’t have enough firepower if the ryklars come at us in force.”

  Sean’s chin drew down stubbornly. “That’s based on not knowing just how many ryklars there are.”

  His mother smiled. “You just reminded me of Connor. I wasn’t making a slight against the CDF’s capabilities. I was saying we may need to resort to more large-scale weapons.”

  Sean sighed. “I’m not sure we can defend population centers and keep our consciences clear.”

  His mother waved the comment away. “I wouldn’t worry about that. No one is really saying we should all die for the ryklars. They just want us to exhaust all our options. Have you spoken to Connor? I’d be curious to know what he has to say about all this.”

  “A large-scale ryklar attack could be almost as bad as when the Vemus attacked us. They’re not your garden-variety creatures and have been engineered for killing. Heavy weapons may be our only viable option,” Sean said.

  His mother leveled her gaze at him. “I don’t want to destroy large portions of our home as part of our ‘only option.’ I’m well aware of what the ryklars are capable of; after all, I was the one who treated your injuries.”

  Sean snorted. How could he forget? “I sent Diaz to Sanctuary, but Connor has been out of communication for the past twenty-four hours.”

  “Chasing one of Lenora’s gifted students,” his mother said and frowned. “Are you worried about him?”

  “No, not really,” Sean said and meant it. He’d worked closely with Connor Gates since the colony was first founded. He had no doubts about Connor’s skills and said as much.

  “Everyone can use some help every now and then—even Connor,” his mother said.

  “That’s why I sent Diaz to Sanctuary,” Sean said.

  There was a soft knock at the door and Sean smiled. “It appears that our five minutes is just about up. I’ll send you another status report in a few hours if we learn anything new.”

  Sean gave his mother a brief hug and left the room.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Winter was only just starting to lose its grasp this far north of the colonial settlements. There was a chill in the air and Connor saw moist vapors escaping his lips as he breathed. They’d left the Field Ops troop-carrier behind over an hour before. Lenora shifted the straps of her backpack again. The emergency beacon they’d brought was sticking out on one side.

  “Want me to carry it?” Connor offered.

  “No, I’ve got it,” Lenora replied. “Besides, you already have the secondary beacon.”

  She was right, of course, but the secondary beacon was much smaller. Since his backpack was stuffed with survival gear, as well as ammunition, Lenora had offered to carry the bulky emergency beacon.

  Lenora pulled her survival knife and sheath from the belt on her hip and handed it to him. “There, already better.”

  Connor took the knife and attached it to his belt on the opposite side of his own, then checked the status of the drones they had patrolling the area around them.

  “Still quiet out there?” Lenora asked.

  Connor nodded. “So far, so good.” Unless the ryklars were concealing their body heat.

  Captain Ramsey and Sergeant Hale walked a short distance ahead of them while Ian and Corporal Bennett brought up the rear.

  “Does it bother you?” Lenora asked and gestured toward Captain Ramsey.

  “He’s good at his job. I wouldn’t do anything different,” Connor replied.

  Lenora arched an eyebrow, her gaze challenging him to dodge the question again.

  “I don’t need to be in charge of everything,” Connor said.

  Lenora grinned.

  Connor looked away, taking in the area around them. “I do miss it sometimes . . . a lot of the time. The CDF and Field Ops. Before Bernard showed up with Ashley’s proposal, I’d offered to train a volunteer group to assist Field Ops.”

  “I know.” Lenora smiled wittingly. “You are who you are, Connor. I never asked you to become something you’re not.”

  “I thought you didn’t want me involved with the CDF and Field Ops anymore.”

  “Leading the CDF would require you to be away from me, and I selfishly want you all to myself. I want you near me, but I never expected you to be completely removed from it,” Lenora replied.

  Connor didn’t know what to say. He’d left the military, but there was always the allure of a life that was familiar to him. The more he thought about it, the more the ingrained patterns of who he used to be yearned for that life. But the fact that he could identify those patterns within himself meant that he had moved on, and if he went back to his old life, he suspected it wouldn’t be enough for him anymore. It wouldn’t be like it was before. So many of the old familiar faces were gone now. They’d paid the ultimate price in their fight against the Vemus, but he still thought about them, even dreamed about them, and Lenora was all too aware of the nightmares he sometimes had.

  “We can talk about it after we get back,” Connor said finally.

  “You should make Dash a member of this new group to support Field Ops,” Lenora said.

  Connor’s brows knitted together and his mouth formed a thin line.

  “You can’t honestly believe nothing is going to change once we get back home.”

  Connor sighed and didn’t reply.

  “I actually agree with many of the things Dash said about field missions,” Lenora said, continuing, “and with you as well, but you need to remember that you’re working with people outside the military. The way we’ve done things until now isn’t working anymore and I think they’ll be more instances like these where Dash or someone just like him will take it upon themselves to lead their own field expeditions. The best we can do is to train them on how to do it as safely as possible. Our methods need to evolve just as we do.”

  Lenora was right about one thing. Maintaining the status quo definitely wasn’t going to work for them anymore.

  “We’ll see about that—” Connor began but stopped when Lenora quickened her pace. The forest had thinned and they had a clear view of the bronze-colored buildings of the NEIIS city in the distance. Connor caught up with her.

  “I knew we should’ve surveyed more of the continent. We stayed relatively close to the settlements for support, but that will need to change as well,” Lenora said.

  The seed ship Galileo had arrived well before the Ark, but it had based its analysis purely on maximum survivability for the new colony. The Galileo’s equipment might have, in fact, seen the NEIIS cities but didn’t note them as anything other than a habitat unsuitable for the colony.

  Connor saw Captain Ramsey and Sergeant Hale come to a stop. Sergeant Hale had her weapon up as she peered into the area to their right. Connor brought his own weapon up and immediately accessed the drone feeds. He saw the gray spotted backs of twenty ryklars closing in
on them less than half a kilometer away. The ryklars staggered their approach but moved on a path directly toward their location, which meant they already knew Connor and the others were there.

  “Ryklars,” Connor said. “We need to move. We’re too exposed here.”

  He urged Lenora on.

  “He’s right,” Captain Ramsey said. “The city is our best bet.”

  They quickened their pace, trying to move as quietly as possible. Connor positioned himself to keep pace with Corporal Bennett at the rear and kept the drone feed on his internal heads-up display. The ryklars hadn’t changed direction yet, but he knew it was only a matter of time.

  Finally, they left the forest behind and made their way through the thick grassland that surrounded the NEIIS city. One of the drone feeds showed where the forests had begun to overtake the city, but it hadn't happened yet where they were.

  A flurry of activity showed on the drone feed. The ryklars had figured out that they’d been detected and were coming for them.

  “Run!” Connor shouted.

  The others sprinted ahead toward the safety and cover of the NEIIS city. Connor glanced behind him as he ran and saw multiple heads bobbing as the ryklars propelled themselves toward them, using their arms to get the greatest amount of speed possible. He’d seen them take down a landrunner before and knew the ryklars would soon be upon them. Connor stopped and brought up his modified CAR-74 hunting rifle. He picked the lead ryklar, and as its head popped up, he squeezed the trigger. A high-velocity dart left the barrel and slammed into the creature’s head, causing it to miss its stride and tumble to the ground. Several other ryklars barely swerved out of the way. Connor spun around and ran. He heard the cadence of clawed feet pounding the ground and the ryklars’ harsh breathing as they closed in on him.

  A hundred meters ahead, the others had reached the city. Captain Ramsey stopped, brought up his own rifle, and started firing toward the ryklars. Connor’s thighs burned as he ran. A ryklar screeched in pain as one of Captain Ramsey’s shots found its mark. As Connor reached the city, Captain Ramsey turned and ran next to him. The others were ahead of them, running on uneven pavement.

  “We need to find cover!” Connor shouted.

  Sergeant Hale went toward the nearest building, which had a square bottom and a rounded rooftop with a large overhang. Lenora was at the door controls, trying to open it.

  “It’s dead. I can’t get it open,” Lenora said.

  The door was sealed shut and they didn’t have time to try and pry it open.

  Connor slowed and turned around. A group of ryklars was racing down the street toward them. He brought up his rifle and began firing on them. It would take multiple shots for the others to bring down a ryklar, but a well-placed shot from his rifle would bring them down permanently.

  “More ryklars are on the way,” Sergeant Hale said.

  Connor clenched his teeth. They couldn’t stay there. They moved deeper into the city, pausing to fire a few shots at the ryklars to slow them down. Connor glanced at the rooftops and saw more ryklars running up there, following along in an attempt to cut them off. These were much closer and he could see the thick protrusions from the creatures’ cheekbones. Those protrusions ended in red tissue, giving it the look of fresh blood from their latest kill. They needed to get off the street.

  Connor saw a narrow gap between two buildings that was wide enough for them to fit in single-file and shouted for the others to go there. Quickly responding to his shout, they left the main street and ran down the alleyway, taking the first turn they came to. Connor heard the harsh breaths of the ryklars running on the rooftops nearby, stopping periodically to sniff the air. At least the alley was a bottleneck if it came to a fight, but Connor knew they couldn’t stay there very long. More ryklars would come. They were relentless once they were on the hunt.

  Connor and the others kept running and the alleyway opened to another street. He peered around the corner.

  “That way will take us further into the city,” Lenora said and gestured to the right.

  They had no choice; they had to keep moving. Connor led them out from the alleyway. They stuck close to the buildings on one side of the street, which provided some cover. No sooner were they away from the alleyway than several ryklars burst from it in an all-out run. More jumped down from the rooftop, their powerful legs absorbing the impact of the impressive leap.

  “There are more behind us!” Captain Ramsey shouted.

  Connor glanced behind them and cursed. They were trapped. A quick check of his ammunition told him he was half-empty. “Our only chance is to hold them off as long as we can and try to find another alleyway. Conserve your ammunition as much as possible and kill as many as you can.”

  They divided their efforts, each facing the group of ryklars closing in on them from opposite sides. Connor aimed his rifle and fired. Several of the ryklars paired up near the walls, with one lifting the other in a grand leap to propel themselves along the walls in an attempt to reach them. Connor aimed for their legs, causing them to lose their footing and fall.

  “Ian, do you still have the sonic blaster I gave you?” Connor asked.

  Ian's eyes were wide and he pulled the sonic blaster from the holster.

  “I modified it like before. Wait until they get in close,” Connor said.

  Ian nodded.

  “Hold your fire,” Connor said.

  The others stopped shooting their weapons and clustered together, the wall of a building at their backs.

  Ryklars approached cautiously.

  “I hope you have something clever up that sleeve of yours,” Captain Ramsey said.

  Connor brought up his modified sonic blaster. He’d changed the configuration of the weapon before they’d left the troop-carrier. The weapon would now emit a powerful sonic blast that could break rock apart.

  “Be ready to fire your weapons after,” Connor said, and Captain Ramsey glanced at the sonic blaster in Connor’s hand.

  The ryklars closed in, their predatory instincts overriding caution. Connor held his breath and sensed Lenora just behind him. The nearest ryklar was within three meters of them, poised to leap as he squeezed the trigger. The modified sonic blaster let out a powerful wave, catching the ryklars by surprise. Those closest to him were blown apart, drenching the street with their grisly remains. Connor strode forward and fired again. More ryklars instantly died. He heard Ian firing his weapon as well. The remaining ryklars, sensing the danger, quickly scrambled backward. The sonic blaster’s power supply fizzled out and it went dead.

  The remaining ryklars continued to back away. Connor heard the distinct sounds of a CDF-issued AR-71 assault rifle being fired and saw CDF soldiers closing in on their position. An alert appeared on Connor’s internal heads-up display for a ryklar-signal broadcast and he watched as the red ends of the protrusions lining the ryklars’ jaws became a dark gray, matching the rest of their skin.

  Connor and the others crouched, keeping their weapons ready in case the ryklars decided to make one last-ditch effort to kill them. The CDF soldiers moved into position, cutting the ryklars off from them. The few remaining ryklars fled. There were seven CDF soldiers and Connor recognized the squad designation.

  “Boy, are we glad to see you,” Captain Ramsey said.

  A tall soldier joined the others and Connor caught the intense gaze of Lieutenant Maddox. The CDF lieutenant looked just as surprised to see him.

  “It seems that we keep running into each other in the oddest places,” Lieutenant Maddox said and looked over at one of the soldiers. “Hudson, put one of our drones on them and make sure they don’t circle around.”

  “We have several of our own drones in the air,” Captain Ramsey said.

  “I think we can both agree that the drones in our arsenal are better suited for this task,” Lieutenant Maddox said and looked at Connor. “Gates,” he acknowledged, about as charming as he’d been before.

  “Lieutenant, thank you for the assist. Where�
��s Captain Fletcher?”

  Lieutenant Maddox’s gaze hardened for a moment. “He’s not available.”

  “Excuse me, sir. We should go back to the encampment,” Private Hudson said.

  Lieutenant Maddox nodded and turned back to Connor and the others. “The ryklars probe our defenses every few hours. We should get you back to the encampment.”

  “Have you seen any other colonists?” Captain Ramsey asked.

  Lieutenant Maddox smiled and Connor noted that there was something cold and lifeless in it.

  “Yes, we have. They arrived this morning,” Maddox said and turned back toward Connor. “It appears young Dash DeWitt has gone on another field expedition.”

  “Are they alright?” Connor asked.

  “No worse for wear. They’re actually helping us with something we found in the city,” Lieutenant Maddox said.

  The CDF soldiers started guiding them away.

  “What brings your squad way out here?” Connor asked.

  “Does it really matter? We’re here and we saved your ass—again,” Lieutenant Maddox said.

  “There’s no cause for that,” Captain Ramsey said. “You know you’re addressing a former general in the CDF, right, soldier?”

  Lieutenant Maddox’s gaze narrowed. “I know who I’m addressing.”

  Connor leveled his gaze at the man. The lieutenant’s eyes blazed with anger. “I don’t know what your problem is with me and I don’t care. I want to speak with Captain Fletcher right now.”

  Lieutenant Maddox clutched his weapon and stomped toward Connor. “Do you think for a second I give a damn about what you want?”

  The other soldiers raised their weapons several inches but hadn’t actually pointed their weapons at them.