Building New Canaan - The Complete Series - A Colonization and Exploration Space Adventure
Page 45
As soon as they were under the cave’s overhang, two Marines split off from the group and stationed themselves on each side of it, finding dark alcoves to slip into. They both disturbed large bats that fluttered from their hiding places and out into the night.
The major, Erin, and ten more Marines remained to find Pippa and her Tyrian friends. The cave system map Onyx had supplied showed a vast complex. Erin’s heart sank as she studied it and saw its extent.
That’ll help, Erin thought.
The deployment of nano wasn’t sufficient to inspect every nook and cranny of the place, however. The major split his squad into pairs and sent them out to conduct a manual search. The Marines moved off quickly across the wide cavern that led to the many branching passageways of the system. Automatic, motion-sensitive lights flicked on in response to their progress.
“This way,” said Usef, highlighting a path that led through the cavern and into one of the tunnels that descended deeper into the caverns.
Erin trotted beside him, taking two steps for each one of his. She held her weapon nestled in her arms, and read the running display on her HUD, which was currently giving information on her immediate location including temperature, humidity, and distances to junctions they were approaching. Usef passed several openings. The cavern was narrowing, and the ceiling getting lower. Usef turned and passed through a gap. Erin followed and found herself in a rough tunnel that soon began to slope steeply downward.
Well that’s morbid, Erin thought, adding that to her list of worries.
The tunnel became even steeper and rockier, so that Erin had to lean back into the slope and scramble down. Her HUD told her that the temperature and humidity had risen a little. Sparks and flashes were coming from all around them; the walls, floor and ceiling were twinkling like a galactic cluster.
Erin was panting with exertion.
When they finally reached the bottom of the passage, they climbed through an opening into a gigantic cavern. Brightly colored mineral deposits and gems covered the walls, and a wide lake spread away from their feet across the expanse of the cavern floor, doubling the display. As Erin looked at the lake, she noticed that the rock along the shore was wet, as if the water had recently been disturbed and washed over the stones. She couldn’t think of anything else except the passage of feet that would cause the lake water to slosh over its margins.
It looked as though they’d drawn the winning ticket. Of all Usef’s teams deployed on the search, they were the ones to follow the path taken by the targets.
They walked the same route the suspects had taken, skirting the edge of the lake. There was only one other exit from the cavern. A crack split the far wall, appearing just above ground level and continuing high up the wall, narrowing the higher it rose. At its base, he gash looked just wide enough to allow a person to pass through it.
From the angle of his head, the major seemed to be studying the crack intently.
When they reached the other side of the lake, she stepped up to the gap, turned sideways and edged through it, holding her weapon tightly against her chest. What she saw beyond was the beginning of another tunnel. She turned back to the crack.
Major Usef approached the gap and turned sideways as Erin had. He put one leg through it, moved the rest of his body to follow, and promptly got stuck. The edges of the crack pressed against his back and massive chest.
The major bent his knees and lowered his bulky frame and tried again. He had more room, but he still couldn’t fit through. The space just wasn’t sufficient to accommodate his chest muscles.
Erin peered down the tunnel. It remained dark and silent. She returned her gaze to the jammed major.
she offered.
She was armed, and as far as she knew, Pippa and the others were not. Major Usef also had ten other, somewhat slimmer Marines who could come to her aid if necessary. She wouldn’t take any risky chances.
He stepped away from the crack and studied it. He paused.
He moved back into the cavern and unclipped his helmet. He put it down on the ground and then began to take off his armor.
Erin saw on her HUD that the temperature and humidity in this new section was even higher. She looked down the tunnel, noting that the lighting was sparse and there were no jewels or gold seams to be seen. She wondered what might lie at its end.
TRANSUDATION
STELLAR DATE: 03.22.8937 (Adjusted Years)
LOCATION: Crystal Cave, Mount Ida Caverns
REGION: Tyre, New Canaan System
Nothing moved—except for a drop of sweat that fell from Isa’s nose.
Her leg throbbed. What had happened to Pigtail? Had she given up her chase? The woman had said that it didn’t matter what Isa or Martin told them, that Tyre was going to be ‘cracked open’ anyway. Had Pigtail left the cave? And what about Ada? She’d been injured, but was still alive the last time Isa had seen her. Did the two women intend to leave the planet soon in order to escape the catastrophe they’d set up?
If Isa and Martin didn’t get out of the caves in time and raise the alarm, about a hundred thousand Tyrians were going to lose their lives.
Stars, where are you, Martin?
The only saving grace was that Erin remained on Carthage, safe from these crazies and their insane schemes. Why would anyone want to destroy a planet and its population? Martin had said they were SSS, but Isa didn’t know what the letters stood for. She guessed the group had to be from ancient Sol, if Martin knew of them and she didn’t.
Now that her adrenaline had begun to subside, Isa realized she was nearly at the end of her strength. She was also incredibly thirsty and her leg hurt so much she dreaded moving it. But she had to move. She had to find Martin and get out of the caves.
She hadn’t heard anything for several minutes. She tentatively peeked out from her hiding place. The angled columns of white c
rystals filled the space around her with barely any room to move between them. Which way was the exit? And where was Martin? She couldn’t call out to him. If the Tyrians were still in the cave, they would hear her.
Slowly and painfully, Isa eased out from her nook. She didn’t know which direction to take, only that she had to go somewhere. She put her weight on her good leg and, bending at the waist, she hobbled a few steps while listening intently and sweeping the cave with her gaze.
The last time she’d been there, she hadn’t gone this deep inside. On the other hand, the last time she’d been there, she’d been half out of her mind. But she’d made it out then and she could do it again. She only needed to find a place she recognized, somewhere that would help her figure out where the exit lay. She limped on.
At least her sweat was beginning to dry up, though she was still incredibly hot. She actually seemed to be getting hotter and hotter.
Suddenly, a shape flitted across a gap in the crystals ahead of her. Isa ducked down and froze. Adrenaline surged again. Who had she seen?
Her heart beating a tattoo, she crawled a little way forward. If the figure had been one of the Tyrians, that could mean she was near the exit; Either Pigtail or Ada might be guarding it to prevent Isa and Martin from escaping.
Isa swallowed. To get out, she might have to kill one of them. She decided that if it came to it, she would do the deed. None of the Tyrians had thought twice about leaving her to die there.
She crawled around a crystal that lay across her path, and peered ahead. The area ahead was devoid of movement again. Isa strained her ears, but all she could hear was her own breathing.
And something else. A soft sound, coming from behind her. Someone was sneaking up on her!
Isa swung around and a hand grabbed her mouth. She struggled violently, almost throwing off the person who was holding her, but their grip was too strong. Then a cold, metal muzzle was pushed against her skull. She stopped struggling.
“You’re coming with me,” a woman said, her voice low and harsh. She dragged Isa to her feet and pulled her forward.
Pigtail had Isa in her grip, but she hadn’t shot her when she had the chance.
“Your boyfriend’s trying to hunt me down,” Pigtail murmured. “Trying to stop me from leaving. But you’re my exit ticket.”
With one arm wrapped around Isa’s neck and the other holding the weapon against her temple, Pigtail pushed Isa along. She was obviously familiar with the route. She navigated the crystals quickly and efficiently, though unconcerned with whether or not Isa was scraped against them as they went.
“I heard all about the Noctus bitch posing a threat to all our plans,” she muttered. “Ironic that you’re going to be the one who ensures it all goes forward in the end, isn’t it?”
“You’re deranged,” said Isa. “Carrying a grudge for hundreds of years? Don’t you think that’s a bit extreme? Maybe you should try therapy.”
“What would you know about it? You’re the offspring of filthy colonizers. You shouldn’t even exist. And pretty soon, you won’t.”
When they’d traveled some distance through the cave, the surroundings began to look familiar to Isa. She thought she might be able to guess the way out from there. Now all she needed to do was to get rid of the nutcase with the gun.
Pigtail pushed Isa forward, hard. Isa pretended to stumble, then crouched down quickly so that Pigtail’s momentum carried her over, unbalancing her.
The woman’s hold on Isa’s neck loosened, and the muzzle of her weapon slipped from Isa’s head.
Isa took her chance.
Isa grabbed the woman’s weapon arm, forcing it away from her. Pigtail’s finger was already on the trigger, and she squeezed, firing shots that hit the ceiling and rained crystal shards down around them.
“Isa!”
It was Martin. His voice came from somewhere behind her, but Isa couldn’t turn. She couldn’t move; locked in a struggle with Pigtail, who was forcing her weapon toward Isa’s face. Centimeter by centimeter, the muzzle crept closer. On top of that, the woman had gotten a hand back around Isa’s neck and was slowly choking her.
“Stop!” Martin demanded. “I’ll shoot, I mean it!”
The two women grappled, fear of death lending Isa exceptional strength. She shifted side to side as she did all she could to escape the deathly grip and the inexorable movement of the gun toward her head. But try as she might, it wasn’t enough, and Isa began to weaken. She knew she was no match for Pigtail. Terror of her impending death had kept her alive for a few moments, but her muscles were trembling and about to be overpowered. She had only seconds to live.
Then a round hit the crystal by her side. Martin was living up to his word, trying to hit Pigtail while at the same time trying to avoid harming Isa.
Then the pressure on her was released; Pigtail had let go of her.
Isa dropped like a stone. She heard another round fire, and cringed, waiting for it to hit.
But it didn’t.
She looked up. Before her gaze made contact with Pigtail, she saw Martin falling, blood running from his chest.
Pigtail had let go of Isa in order to fire at Martin—and she’d hit him center mass.
A primal scream began to issue from Isa’s lungs. Pigtail was turning the weapon toward her, but before the muzzle lined up with her face, Isa flew at the murderer, knocking her from her feet.
The impact knocked the weapon from Pigtail’s hands. It skittered across the floor, tumbling across the crystalline ridges. Both women went for it, but Isa was smaller and faster. As her hands alighted on the stock, she was already turning. She swept the weapon around at Pigtail, who was a second behind her.
Realizing she was too late, Isa’s attacker shifted direction. Isa fired, but her shot went wide. She squeezed the trigger again, and this time, the round passed through the space Pigtail had occupied a moment before, as her enemy dove out of the way, landing behind a crystal. Isa fired for a third time, chipping the white surface.
Then she was on her feet, running, chasing the woman who had shot Martin. She caught glimpses of her, but each time she shot, Pigtail was already behind another crystal. Isa ran on, cursing the obstacles that dogged every step she took.
Pigtail was getting away. She couldn’t catch up.
Eventually, she lost all sight of her.
Pain and exhaustion began to bite. Isa knew that every step she took chasing Pigtail was a step that took her farther away from Martin. He was hurt. She had to give up the pursuit and go back to him.
She stopped, reversed her direction, and began to return the way she’d come, retracing her steps as well as she could in the confusing maze. Now that she was armed and Pigtail had no weapon, she hoped the fanatic would leave them alone—providing she could actually move Martin and get out of the cursed cave at last.
Isa ducked under a crystal. As she came up on the other side, something hard cracked into her head, and the world went black.
She could feel herself falling, but she didn’t register hitting the ground.
* * * * *
When Isa came to, she briefly wondered how many more times she could pass out before her body gave up trying to regain consciousness.
Her head was a torment of pain, and blood had seeped stickily across her face. Her weapon was gone. How much time had passed? She had to assume that Pigtail had circled around her, intent on regaining her pistol once more.
She must have thought she’d killed me…kinda feels like she did.
Isa rose to her hands and knees, grimacing against the excruciating waves of agony that passed through her head. She couldn’t stand, so she crawled. She had to find Martin. If it was the last thing she did, she had to find him.
As she clambered over the jagged crystals, cutting her hands and knees, Isa wondered if she was going in the right direction. It looked right, and she was sure it was the way she had been going at first, but in all honesty, she had no choice but to continue. She couldn’t bring he
rself to give up on Martin.
Soon, all that existed for her was the cave floor and the ache of her head, legs, hands, and knees.
Before long—at least she thought it hadn’t been long—she saw blood ahead on the ground. She looked up and recognized the area where Martin had been shot. A darkening trail of blood ran across her path. Somehow, Martin had moved, though he’d been bleeding heavily. Isa changed direction to follow the hideous trace and crawled on.
Finally, she found him. Lying on his back, his own blood pooled around him, his chest barely moving. Isa reached for him. She touched his face. His eyes opened.
“Hold on,” she whispered. “I know the way out from here. I’m going to the upper levels to reach the Link, then Onyx will send an ambulance. You’re going to be okay.”
He’ll be okay.
The medics from Ushu had rescued her from there, they could rescue Martin, too. He would be okay.
Martin looked up at Isa, meeting her gaze. His lips parted, and he gave her a half-smile. And then he died.
FACE TO FACE
STELLAR DATE: 03.22.8937 (Adjusted Years)
LOCATION: Crystal Cave, Mount Ida Caverns
REGION: Tyre, New Canaan System
Usef was nearly done removing his armor, but the wait was still driving Erin mad. She had a feeling that something terrible was happening and they were going to be too late to spot it.
While she waited for Usef, she walked a little way down the tunnel. She wanted to keep going, but Usef had reminded her that Pippa was a ruthless murderer who crammed people into shipping crates.
Even so, she just wanted to see what lay ahead.
Lights flicked on in response to her approach, but they were weak and spread apart, as if only intended for the crew who would go on to make the place suitable for regular tourists. The tunnel wasn’t as steep as the one that led to the huge cavern, and its walls were fairly uniform. Erin wondered if the FGT had opened out and smoothed the surfaces of an existing natural passageway. She checked the map and saw that the cave it led to was full of selenite crystals.