by G J Ogden
“This frequency is not in use, Sal,” said Page, as he worked. “Are you sure anyone will be watching?”
Maria thought about Ashley’s equally hare-brained scheme, and hoped her old teacher had fared slightly better in her endeavors. “I guess we’ll soon find out.”
The holo emitter hummed into life and scanned Maria’s face. Page ran to the dead guard and searched his body, finding a basic stim tab and a spray gauze. He rushed back to Maria, handed her the stim and hurriedly sprayed a temporary patch over her wound just as the holo finished its scan and then bathed her in a cool white glow. Maria placed the tab on her tongue and the rush was instantaneous.
Page backed away and rested wearily against the curved glass wall of the Teardrop, peering out over the vast government sector. Then, to Maria’s surprise, he laughed.
“What’s so funny?” said Maria, feeling like she was about to laugh too, but the pain in her side told her otherwise.
“You’re on,” said Page, smiling.
“On where?”
“Everywhere…”
Maria nodded and focused into the emitter, while Page turned back to the window and peered out over the expanse of the government sector below where, as far as he could see, Maria’s face was on every public holo screen, on every building and every street corner across the entire sector. He smiled again and felt the tension fall from his body.
“We did it…” he said quietly, and then closed his eyes to focus on Maria’s voice.
All across the base, in every quadrant of every sector, Maria’s bloodied and battle-worn face began to make her address. And everyone stopped to watch.
“People of the UEC, my name is Maria Salus…”
Chapter 23
Maria opened her eyes and then squinted to dim the clinical white light of the medical wing. She propped herself up against the back of the bed and rubbed her eyes, feeling the skin-like chemical bandage around her waist flex and adapt as she moved. There was no pain, only a dull ache, which seemed to cover her entire body. As her eyes adjusted, she spotted that Ashley and Page were chatting to each other on the far side of the room.
“Hey, how long was I out?”
The pair stopped talking and then sprang up from their seats and moved to her bedside, both smiling gently.
“The pain meds they gave you kicked your butt, so we let you sleep for a few hours,” said Ashley.
Maria glanced across at Page; half of his face, including his left eye, was covered in a sort of skin-tight black mask. “Are you okay, Karl?” she said, focusing on the area where his eye should have been. “I mean, is it still in there?”
“If you mean my eye then yes, it’s still there,” Page answered. “Unfortunately, it doesn’t really function very well as an eye anymore.”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” said Maria, grinning, and not sounding the least bit remorseful.
“What the hell is so funny about me losing an eye?” protested Page, though he also couldn’t hide a slight smirk.
“Nothing, but… that mask… it’s a pretty good look on you, Karl,” she added still grinning. “Makes you look kind of dark and intimidating.”
Ashley and Page shook their heads almost in sync with each other. “I think the pain meds are still messing with your brain,” said Page.
Maria laughed. “They’re certainly doing something. So, what happened while I was in my drug-induced stupor?”
“You missed all the excitement, I’m afraid,” said Ashley, pulling up a chair and sitting by the bed. “Well, all of the recent excitement, anyway. Your broadcast was more effective than any of us imagined.”
“Seeing you, and hearing you confirm everyone’s worst fears about Kurren and Kuba; well, it just stole the fight out of the blue boots,” added Page.
“The sector commanders tried to fight back and keep control, but the movement against them was overwhelming. It was the rank and file blue boots that actually brought them down, pretty peacefully in the end. It seems that the Security Corps aren’t all bad.” Ashley winked at Karl as she said this.
Maria shuffled further back and leaned in. “What about martial law? What about the council of ministers? Who is in charge, with Kuba gone?”
A broad smile lit up Page’s face.
“You!?”
“Well, don’t look so damned surprised!” said Page, folding his arms. “I mean, I am technically the highest-ranking officer left. But, don’t worry, I ended martial law straight away, and put the sector commanders in cells, until we can figure what to do with them.”
“I have a few suggestions,” said Maria, darkly, and Ashley shot her a reproving look.
“The ministers are working on making some sense out of this mess as we speak,” Page went on. “There will need to be a new first minister, although, I don’t know about you, but I think we’ve had our fill of governors for the time being.”
Maria nodded. “That title should go. It’s tainted now.” She reached out and held Page’s wrist, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “I didn’t mean any offense, Karl. I was just a bit taken aback. Actually, you’re exactly what this place needs now. Besides, with that new mask on you’ll have no problem intimidating the troops and keeping them in line.”
Page laughed. “Thanks, Sal. But, actually, I’m thinking about disbanding the idea of a military force altogether. If the council agrees, of course.”
“I agree. We’ve no-one left to fight, after all,” said Maria. “There will still be a need for law and order. So, instead of Major Page, how about Marshall Page?”
“That’s got a nice ring to it!” said Ashley, smiling. “It will have to go through the council, of course, but with the way everyone is talking, we might end up with a first minister who is pretty sympathetic to the idea.”
“Why, who is in the running?” asked Maria.
“The word on the streets is that the front runner is some half-crazed, hot-head pilot called Maria Salus,” Ashley replied, winking.
Maria shook her head and let it rest against the backboard. She thought of Diana and how they had talked about Maria giving up the flight suit one day to begin a life of politics. The memory was so hazy and distant that it felt like a dream. “I don’t really think I’m the political type,” she said, still looking up at the ceiling.
“Our world is changing by the hour, Sal,” said Ashley, “and you made that possible. You should at least give it some serious thought. The people need someone who they can believe in.”
“You were as much a part of that change as me,” said Maria. “If not more so.”
Maria saw the doctor approaching in her peripheral vision and sat upright again, smiling. “Anyway, here’s the doctor, to rescue me from your devious machinations.”
The doctor’s pace slowed once she saw that Maria was talking to Ashley and Page, and she approached the group hesitantly. “I’m not interrupting?”
“Not at all, sis, come on in,” said Maria, chirpily.
Page frowned. “Sis? This is your sister? “He looked at the name badge, which read Angela Salus.
“Yes, she’s always here to patch me up, aren’t you?” Maria added, but Angela’s face was grave.
“What’s wrong?” said Page, also noting the doctor’s serious expression and beating the others to the question.
Angela glanced at Page, trembling eyes betraying her unease, and then addressed Maria directly. “Maria, perhaps your friends can give us a moment alone?”
Maria’s smile became more forced and her eyes dulled as if they had suddenly lost their color. She guessed what was coming; she’d been expecting it ever since her PVSM first returned a toxicity reading in the red, but there was a big difference between assuming the worst and knowing it.
“Whatever you have to tell me, you can say in front of Ashley and Karl,” she said, rubbing her arms; the room somehow felt suddenly colder.
Angela met the eyes of Ashley and Page in turn; the muscles in their faces were taught and unyielding, the same as if they were bracing ag
ainst a cold wind. Then she turned back to Maria, sucked in her lips to wet them and raised her eyes to meet hers.
“Your wounds will heal fine, Maria, but the tests came back with a worrying complication. I’m afraid that your DNA is showing significant signs of damage, conducive with the early stages of G-DARP.”
Page and Ashley were silent, but the impact of Angela’s words was apparent in their wide-eyed expressions. Maria, however, did not appear surprised.
“I’ve managed to dodge a lot of bullets,” Maria said, forcing a thin smile. “It was only a matter of time before my luck finally ran out.”
“What stage is she at?” said Page, urgently. Maria had a ticking bomb in her cells, but there could still be a chance to stop the timer. “Can you reverse the damage?”
“I’m afraid not,” said Angela, glancing at Page with sympathetic eyes, and then returning her attention to Maria. “Your exposure is simply too high and we do not have the means to correct the damage. Your body has already developed a resistance to our serums.”
“Wait, what about Gaia?” said Page, aiming the question at Maria. “She has been studying the effects of this genetic damage for decades.”
“Karl, it’s okay. We both knew my exposure had reached critical levels. This isn’t a surprise.”
“No!” Page yelled, hammering his fist against Maria’s bed. “Not after everything you’ve done and sacrificed. You don’t get to give up now!”
Maria leant forward and placed her hand on his clenched fist. “Karl, it’s okay,” she said again, but with more tenderness. “This was always how it was going to end for me.”
Page slid his hand from under Maria’s and backed away, his body shaking with barely contained rage.
“It’s not over yet,” he said, shaking his head. “Gaia said that Ethan’s blood was the key to a cure, don’t you remember?”
Maria stared back at him, calmly. She knew there was nothing she could do or say that would reach him; he was like a live grenade with a lit fuse.
Page turned to Angela instead. “Doctor, there is a scientist on the planet who was using Ethan’s blood…” then he hesitated, realizing that the name would mean nothing to her. “I mean, the blood of a planetsider; someone with natural immunity to orrum radiation...”
“I know who you mean,” said Angela, and her apparent familiarity with Ethan took Page by surprise, allowing the doctor further opportunity to speak, “but I thought that there was no-one on the planet with any advanced medical knowledge or equipment?”
Maria slid her legs over the side of the bed and placed her bare feet on the cool floor; it felt visceral and comforting against her skin, like the cool wind that blew planetside.
“It’s a long story, Angela,” and then to Page she added, “and it’s a wildly long shot too, Karl. We have no idea if Gaia was successful or not.”
“You’re right. So, I’ll go and find out.”
Maria laughed. “Karl, come on. It’s not like you can just take a transport to the next sector to see her. You’re talking about another trip planetside; it’s too much of a risk.”
“It’s a risk I’m willing to take,” said Page, undeterred. “If there’s even the faintest chance that Gaia’s research could save you then I’m going.”
Maria shook her head, and then glanced over at Ashley, who had been suspiciously silent. “It’s not like you to stay quiet. What are you thinking?”
Ashley was pensively stroking the underside of her bottom lip with her thumb. “I’m thinking that your new partner is just as stubborn as your old one.”
Maria frowned, but Ashley did not provide enough of an opening for either Maria and Page to protest.
“But, for what it’s worth, I also think that he’s right. It’s worth taking the chance.”
Maria threw up her hands, despairingly. “You two are as bad as each other. Look, I’ve told you before, I don’t want anyone else being put at risk because of me, and this very much counts in that category.”
“It’s not your choice, Sal,” said Page, much more calmly. Ashley’s support had given him confidence and reassurance, and instead of anger there was resolve. “I’m going.”
“I could order you to stay.”
“Sorry, Sal, we already agreed no ranks. The only order I’ll take from you is a lunch order.”
“Fine!” said Maria, realizing she was fighting a losing battle. “But who exactly is going to fly you planetside? You?” she said, sarcastically. “There’s no-one who could pull that off, and even if I wanted to fly your dumb ass back down to the planet’s surface, I couldn’t; not busted up like this.”
“I’ll take him.”
Maria, Angela and Page all stared at Ashley, mouths agape.
“What? Do you think you’re the only pilot who can manually fly that beat up old shuttle to the surface?” Ashley said, tossing her head back and staring down her nose at Maria. “I’ll fly his stubborn ass to the planet, and we’ll come back with what you need, no matter what it takes. It’s not over yet, Sal.”
Chapter 24
The old hermit had chosen to ride in the rear compartment with Ethan and Summer, since the prospect of the cabin’s tightly confined space had made his leathery face lose its color. The journey to the laboratory building had certainly been made more interesting by the addition of his quirky banter, though the last few minutes had been spent in relative silence.
Yuna and Gaia, on the other hand, had hardly noticed the extra cargo on account of being too distracted by the views out of the windows as the crawler rumbled along the shore of the great lake, which was bordered on all sides by rolling, rocky green hills. There were pockets that had clearly been scarred by the toxic debris that had rained down after the destruction of the orbital refinery generations ago, but this long lake, guarded on all sides by mountains, had escaped remarkably unscathed. As a result, it was an almost idyllic setting, certainly compared to the wastelands that occupied much of the rest of the region. In contrast to these, the lakeside oasis contained a wide variety of flora, and there was more wildlife concentrated around the shore of the beautiful, glassy lake than Ethan had seen across more than a hundred miles of woodlands around Forest Gate.
“Why are there no roamers or maddened creatures out here?” said Ethan, asking the question that had bothered him since arriving. The hermit opened his eyes; he had seemingly been napping, lulled by the gentle rocking of the crawler as it bumped and swayed over the rough terrain.
“I’m sorry, lad, what was the question again?” he said, managing to fit the entire sentence into the same breath as a yawn. Summer glanced over at the old man and smiled; an unexpected reaction which momentarily stunned Ethan into a confused silence, before he repeated his question.
“I used to spend a lot of time wondering about that myself, when I was a younger man,” answered the hermit, rubbing his craggy face. “By my reckoning, it’s because this place escaped the bombardment, for the most part anyway.”
“But why would that matter?” said Summer, engaging with the conversation amicably, again to Ethan’s surprise.
“My observation, young Summer, is that these creatures tend to congregate where the radiation fallout is highest; it’s like they are drawn to it, like metal to magnets,” said the hermit, in a wise-sounding voice. “That’s why you mostly find them in the cities. Or, at least they were, until that hunk of space station sent them spilling out like a river that’s burst its banks. They follow the waterways, you see, so we should watch our step, once we finally get off this infernal contraption.”
Ethan glanced ahead and saw a long, two-storey building in the far distance, which looked like it was partly overlapping the shoreline of the river, with the far wall vanishing below the waterline. “Is that the place, up ahead?” he said, pointing off into the distance.
The hermit shuffled to his knees and squinted off in the direction of the lake. “Aye, that’s the place.”
Ethan carefully moved up to the cabin and tapp
ed on the rear glass. Gaia looked back at him, quizzically, and Ethan motioned to the building up ahead. Gaia appeared to understand and communicated the message to Yuna, and moments later the crawler slowed and started to arc in the direction of the laboratory. Ethan stood up, grabbing hold of the railings above the cabin and studied their destination. As the hermit had indicated, the building was completely intact, but it was also shrouded in more than a century’s worth of weeds and overgrown trees and bushes, and the road down to it was impassible, even for the crawler. Yuna also appeared to have noticed this, and had eased the armored transport to a stop about a hundred meters away. The door hatches on both sides hissed open and Gaia and Yuna stepped out. Reaching into the rear cabin, Gaia then removed a bulky-looking backpack and pulled it on, and though it looked unwieldly, it did not appear to be encumbering her.
“This is as close as I can get,” said Yuna. “We’ll have to cover the rest of the distance on foot.”
Remembering what the hermit had said about the possibility of enemies close to the shore line, Ethan grabbed a bolt-thrower from the stow in the rear compartment, and lowered it towards Yuna.
“The hermit said there could be unwanted guests up ahead, so you’d better take this.”
Yuna anxiously looked around her and then quickly took the weapon, arming it immediately. “Thanks for the heads up, but I hope we don’t need these.”
The hermit jumped down in another demonstration of his unfeasibly adept agility, and grabbed his stick from the rear seat of the cabin. He gripped the old wooden cane tightly and then turned to Ethan, looking suddenly troubled.
“I don’t have a good feeling about this place, lad,” he said, solemnly. “We should get inside as soon as possible.”
Ethan wasn’t used to seeing the hermit so ill at ease and it put his senses on edge. He grabbed the second bolt-thrower and loaded it, then looked at Summer, who read his expression, picked up her bow and drew an arrow.
“Let’s try to find a way through that less dense patch of trees over there,” said Ethan, indicating just off to the right of the building. “Move quickly, but everyone stay alert.”