“You wonder what’s behind these doors?” Tom asked as he jogged, having gotten the hang of the motion, leaning away from the spin to run straight.
“No way! I want to get out of here as soon as we can. Holly cautioned us against exploring because of the mutations and other creatures, so time and danger say no way!” Zeller tightened her grip on her sword’s hilt, speeding up to keep Tom from getting adventurous.
With the ‘cat in his arms, he was hard-pressed to keep up, but they didn’t have too far to go. “No surprises,” he agreed when they reached the far end.
She flexed at the knees, standing on the balls of her feet, and with sword before her, she waved her bracelet at the panel. The smell and bright sunlight drove them both backward.
‘What is that smell?’ Neeson cried.
Zeller looked through at the fields of flowing grasses beyond. A herd of water buffalo grazed peacefully. Pigs foraged in the distance.
“It’s amazing,” Zeller said through the shirt she’d pulled over her face. She looked out the door and stepped through to stand on a catwalk above the deck known as the Livestock Level.
Neeson scratched Tom as he tried to get down and run from the smell. “Stop it. We’re going through.” Tom stepped onto the catwalk, took a left, and started walking. The ‘cat cried pitifully when the door closed. “On our way up. We need to climb five hundred meters, according to Holly’s map.”
Zeller pulled her shirt away from her face and took a tentative sniff. “You get used to it pretty fast.” She shrugged and leaned over the map. “Looks like twenty landings.”
They looked up together as the stairs climbed from deck to ceiling, appearing to hang precariously over the plains. Zeller started up, taking the stairs two at a time, but slowing to one when Tom started to fall behind. They trudged, climbed, rested, and climbed some more. Halfway there, Zeller took out jerky and water from her pack.
“Are you sure this is a ship?” Tom asked as he huffed and puffed to catch his breath, taking the offered snack with a smile, but waiting to eat.
“That’s what Holly said. This is what brought our ancestors to Vii.”
‘Not mine!’ Neeson replied.
“Afraid so,” Zeller said. “Your ancestors were created by using human genes spliced with a normal variety of cat in order to reduce the indigenous rat population. You came from Earth, as well.”
“How do you know that?” Tom asked.
“Micah and Braden told me. Being a Free Trader means having access to those with knowledge. It’s an opportunity to learn something new every day.”
“I hear the sound of the hammer pounding the anvil. People don’t hang around long when I’m working.”
“You should spend more time on the road with me,” Zeller said with a sly smile.
“Who would run the forge?”
“That young man, Yellowfin. He’s always watching you.”
“I hadn’t noticed.” Tom leaned over the railing until he looked down, then stepped back against the wall. “That’s a long way down.”
Zeller ran a finger down his chest. “Focus on what’s in front of you and you’ll probably be fine.” They locked eyes. Neeson scratched Tom’s arm.
For the hundredth time since they arrived on the Warden.
“Are you sure you want to have children? This one’s going to be the death of me.”
Zeller looked down her nose at the ‘cat. “What’s one more parent? Seems to work for Micah and Braden.”
“I wonder how they’re doing.” Tom stuffed the jerky into his mouth and chewed slowly, savoring the spicy, sweet taste. Zeller picked up the best as she plied the north Amazon trade routes. She always shared it with Tom. He knew that he wouldn’t have the self-discipline to wait.
“I love you,” he said softly.
“You love jerky,” she said, giving him a gentle push. “And me.”
Neeson scratched Tom’s arm again. “We better get going before I lose so much blood, we die between here and there.”
Zeller handed Tom a second piece of jerky, which he looked at longingly before offering to Neeson.
‘I wondered if the shmoopy talk made you forget that Hillcats get hungry, too.’
Tom mumbled an apology as they continued to trudge upward. His legs were getting stiff. As a blacksmith, his chest was thick and arms bulged with muscle, but he was ill-trained for such an epic climb. River Crook was established on the Plains of Propiscius. No hills. No mountains. And definitely no stairs.
“If Holly was a person,” Zeller said between labored breaths as they approached the twentieth landing, “I would punch him in the face for saying the trip here would be quick and easy.”
“I’ll second that.” Tom looked down at the steps, forcing his feet onto the next stair, taking them one at a time as if each was its own battle.
Zeller waited for Tom to arrive before she waved her bracelet and opened the door. Beyond was a wide corridor that looked similar to the one they’d traversed earlier, but less utilitarian. It looked more antiseptic, painted a soft white with rounded edges and open spaces to the sides instead of doors.
It also wasn’t empty. A person stood in the corridor, fingers interlocked as he waited patiently.
Zeller jumped through the door to give herself more room, raising her sword. “Who are you?” she demanded.
“Holly has assigned me to escort you through the medical procedure. I don’t have a name, only a designation. I am a medical Android, MA-2157.”
“What’s an Android?” Zeller asked, keeping her sword raised as she bounced from side to side to stay limber while remaining in her fighting stance.
“We are artificial life forms. Holly gives us direction, and we keep the ship operational. My specialty is medical procedures. Yours is already mapped out. Please, bring the patient in.”
“You couldn’t have escorted us up those stairs?” Tom asked.
“If you had notified me, I could have sent the elevator,” the Android said over its shoulder, pointing at doors across the corridor that were blocked open.
“I think my desire to punch Holly in the face has grown,” Tom grumbled.
“I’m with you.” Zeller kept her sword raised as she tentatively followed the Android into the medical space. Tables, gurneys, and tanks were arranged in an orderly fashion throughout. Wires, tubes, and hoses were stacked neatly out of the way.
“Please, lay down. You will get an examination first to confirm the treatment.” The Android pointed to a medical bed. Neeson didn’t want to be put down. He clung to Tom as if his life depended on it. “Not him, you.”
Tom stood back. “What about me?”
“You seem to be struggling to breathe. We will check your cardio-pulmonary functions.”
“No. Him.” Tom pointed to the ‘cat with his chin because he needed both hands to keep the ‘cat from climbing on top of his head.
The Android froze in place, its eyes staring beyond Tom.
Zeller removed her comm device. “Holly, I think we have a problem.”
The Fury Rises
Brandt’s eyelids fluttered, and he lifted his head for a few moments before it dropped back into the dirt.
The spark of hope within Braden died quickly. “Come on, Brandt, wake up or we’re leaving you here!”
The King of the Aurochs’ eyes slowly peeled themselves apart. ‘My head hurts,’ he said in an uncharacteristically soft thought voice.
“It was that damn grass. Holly says that numbweed might counter its effects, but you have to eat what we have. Ess and Zee weren’t able to find any and they searched for a while. You’ve been out for a long time,” Braden explained.
‘If I eat the numbweed, there won’t be any left in case someone is injured,’ the King replied. ‘I cannot rob you of that. I’ll be fine, but you have to help me up.’
“Brandt.” Braden shook his head as he laughed. “I can assure you that if we try to help you up, we won’t be fine. Eat the numbweed and help your
self.”
Aadi floated close to Brandt’s head, and the two talked privately. G-War stood and stretched, then jumped down from the King’s neck. He looked at Braden, tilted his head, and continued to stare.
Braden pulled a piece of smoked meat and handed it over. The ‘cat made a face as he chewed. ‘You don’t have anything fresher?’ G-War asked.
“You know that I don’t.” Braden put his hands on his hips and tried to glare back. G-War walked away, but Braden didn’t feel like he had won the contest. What am I missing?
‘Holly, what’s the latest?’ Braden asked as Brandt slowly chewed the offered numbweed.
‘Master Braden! So happy to hear from you. Did you ever determine if the leader of the raiders was among those who went south?’
‘We were not. Skirill and Zyena were exhausted from their search for numbweed, so they couldn’t carry G-War.’
‘Those four spears continue south, but they are moving slowly. The group might be hunting or foraging. The other power signatures remain as they were before. Five around the village and sixteen in storage. Bronwyn has arrived in Southport with a small herd of Aurochs. She will be meeting up with the President and her entourage soon.’
‘Entourage? Is that one of your special words, Holly? Never mind. Brandt will be back with us shortly and we’re going to close on the village. Our plan right now is that we’ll attack after nightfall.’
The others handed their numbweed to Brandt, who continued to reluctantly take it. He kept making faces. Braden held up his hands. What?
‘It tastes horrible, and my tongue is numb,’ the King replied. Braden turned away as he started to smirk. The King wasn’t wrong.
‘Take care, Master Braden, you and the rest of your group. The Wolfoid spears can be deadly,’ Holly said.
‘If we do everything right, there will be no lightning, no fire. If we do some things right, then people on their side may die. If we do everything wrong, then we are looking at a lot of casualties.’ Braden turned to the others. Aadi, G-War, Bounder, Skirill, Zyena, and the pups. ‘We’ll do everything we can to keep from getting hurt. You have my word, Holly.’
Braden’s blasters were fully charged. Bounder’s spear was charged. The pups carried only sharpened sticks in place of lightning spears. Cygnus had given Braden’s long knife back to him, but longed to hold it in his hand once again.
G-War, Aadi, and the Hawkoids were armed with what nature, and select genetic engineering, gave them.
Against raiders armed with lightning spears.
The thought kept returning to haunt Braden. The repairs to Aadi’s shell stood as a stark reminder of what happened when Braden failed to protect those in his charge.
Brandt’s struggle to stand brought Braden’s attention back to the real world. He closed the window in front of his eye and watched as the others ran from the great creature’s tottering. Unsteady hooves held him upright.
For the moment. Braden caressed the King’s nose. “I’m glad you’re back with us. Let’s go over the plan and fill in the last of any missing pieces.”
Micah led the way through the center of the town. Not because she was trying to create a spectacle, but because it was the only path she knew. Getting lost trying to get out of Southport was not a part of her plan.
People stepped aside as the menagerie passed. Treetis ran ahead, far enough to scare unsuspecting pets into dark alleys. He refrained from chasing them, pleased with their fear and finding that to be the respect he wanted. He didn’t need to fight them.
As Braden would have said, know your enemy, because how you treat an enemy is far different from anything else. Treetis knew what an enemy looked like. The Security Bots in Atlantis had shown him the face of an enemy, an unrelenting, merciless enemy driven by malevolent intelligence. That dog barking? She wasn’t the enemy.
Treetis stopped in the middle of the path and waited. Fea nuzzled him as she strolled past. Micah walked by, nodding to the scruffy-looking ‘cat. Just like G-War, she thought.
‘Do we have to walk the whole way?’ ‘Tesh asked. She held Luciana’s hand and Ax held Heloysius’s hand as the Rabbits skip-hopped in the way that they walked.
The children were gifted with the ability to mindlink and were more comfortable using it than talking aloud. Micah suspected G-War had something to do with it, but he would never admit to it.
‘I think Bronwyn might have an alternative.’
“Bronwyn!” the children cheered.
Gray Strider looked back at the Rabbits and the twins. ‘You have been gifted with joy,’ she told Micah.
‘I think so,’ she replied. “But I’m afraid that if we keep taking them into dangerous situations, we will dampen their love of life.’
‘Then don’t. Send the Rabbits, the children, their ‘cats, and the pups back to the ship.’
Micah stopped and held up her hand for the others to stop. “That would leave you and me.”
‘And Fea and Treetis. Together, we are four of the most able warriors on all of Vii. Do you think mere men can stand before us? Even with Wolfoid spears…mere men?’
“I don’t know what to say to that.”
‘Say the right thing. Send them back to the ship,’ Strider encouraged.
“You sound like Aadi, but you are right. Give me a moment.” Micah’s eyes unfocused as she brought up the window before her eye and accessed her neural implant.
‘I need to know Braden’s status and all the information you have on the spears.’
‘Master President. Such a timely request. I expect no less from your foresight and thoughtfulness. Braden has Brandt upright and they are moving toward the village where the spears are stored. They will attack after nightfall, using darkness to their advantage. Four people with Wolfoid spears are moving in your general direction, but they are moving slowly, as if hunting,’ Holly reported.
“Four of us and four of them, with Braden closing on Dunk’s Town? I don’t think they’ll know what hit them.” Micah kneeled and waved her children to her. “Come here, you two.”
The three hugged, while Klytus and Shauna complained. They were ready to go to war against the bad men.
“I know. You are both stalwart warriors and that’s why I need you to watch after Axial and De’atesh. We are all one family, but we have different jobs right now. I need to go be presidential and you need to spend more time growing and learning. Make sure that you kids get your lessons from Holly while I’m gone. When we get back, if you haven’t been listening, there will be hell to pay!”
‘Is Dad coming with you?’ Ax asked.
‘I expect so. We will meet him in a couple days and then we’ll come back to you.’
‘What about the fields?’ Luciana asked in her dainty thought voice.
Micah sighed and rolled her head. “New plan. Go to the fields first, take a look, Klytus and Shauna can start addressing the domestic intruder population, and then you can make recommendations to the Southport farmers. Everyone stay together and watch each other’s backs.”
‘Wind Runner and Low Crawler, you will keep them safe. I charge you with this task.’
Strider didn’t wait for a reply. They’d already dallied long enough. She started to lope toward the east. Micah waved one last time and dashed after Strider. Fea and Treetis ran easily to stay abreast with the human and the Wolfoid.
Zeeka circled lazily over the town. She reported to Bronwyn as soon as she saw Micah and the group cutting a path through Southport. The young woman encouraged Cragmore to one final run to beat Micah to the fields.
The Aurochs herd pounded through the open fields of wild grass to a narrow strip of land after which the meager tended fields stood. The Aurochs slowed and grazed on the rough, dry grass.
‘Don’t go into the fields, not until our friends the Rabbits tell you that it’s okay,’ Bronwyn told them. Cragmore yanked a bush out of the ground and devoured it. The young woman slid down the bull’s side and landed lightly on the ground. She found a st
ump to lean against while waiting for Micah and Strider.
The Hillcats arrived first.
‘Greetings, beautiful lady,’ Fea said.
‘And to you, beautiful lady,’ Bronwyn replied, bending slightly so Fea could put her paws on the young woman’s shoulders. Treetis stood tall next to Fea and danced on his back feet until he could lean against Bronwyn.
Micah and Strider slowed to a walk, smiling warmly as they approached. “I’m so glad you were able to come. I’m sorry it is under such circumstances, but you know us. If there’s a crisis, we’ll be right in the middle of it, dragging everyone else along with us.” Micah smirked, trying not to betray how the truth bothered her. “The Rabbits, twins, and the rest of that mob will be along shortly to check out the fields. If you could meet them here, they can explain the rest of it.”
“I’m going with you,” the young woman said matter-of-factly.
“Someone has to stay here and watch over the others. Someone has to share what the Aurochs are saying.”
“The twins can talk with them and the Rabbits are more than equipped to watch over the children. They are carrying their pistols, are they not?”
“Yes, but…” Micah’s thought trailed off. “It’s going to be dangerous.”
“I know,” Bronwyn said. She was thin and willowy, with an unrivaled mental strength. She pulled Micah into a hug, feeling the physical strength of the older woman.
Twenty-four cycles and she was the older woman. Bronwyn knew Micah was young but had seen more than nearly every other person on Vii. Despite being taller, Bronwyn looked up to Micah in a way that mattered most.
“I wish I were more like you,” she said.
Micah laughed. “I was thinking I want to be more like you!”
Strider joined the hug but only to inject a dose of reality. ‘We need to go.’
‘Faramor, you are in charge until we get back. Gable and Tally, I would like you to join us, carry Micah and Strider, if you would be willing.’
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