Variant: A science fiction thriller (The Predictive: Deep Space Fringe Wars Book 2)

by L. V. Lane

  “Go easy, Eva. Let the medic see to her first.” The fight went out of me as I got a good look at Riley broken and convulsing. Blood—the blood was everywhere. “I know,” Jax said. “I got here as fast as I could. She’s been a member of the Federation all her life. She’s tough, Eva.”

  The physical and emotional pain Riley was feeling undid me. So many Predictive triggers were exploding as I took in the scene. In the background came the continued scuffles and grunts as Jax’s team overpowered and dragged our attackers away. I’m not ready for you to die yet, and not today, I thought fiercely.

  She stopped convulsing, although the medic still worked furiously.

  “Is it true?” Riley croaked as she turned to face me. “The Federation are here?”

  Her once pretty face looked like raw meat. I nodded, wishing she was not thinking about this now when she needed to focus on surviving. I could not lie to her, though. We are not safe.

  I nodded.

  “Brent?” she asked.

  I nodded again.

  The medic and her assistant began to cut Riley’s clothing away. The task was performed with an urgency that made me certain that the young Technologist’s life was under threat. Tears began to spill again, my whole chest ached. Another soldier hurried over with a fluid-pack in his hand. There was so much damage. The monstrous ringleader had wanted to make the defector hurt.

  “No drugs,” Riley said, her voice hoarse and the words garbled through swollen lips. “I—Eva…”

  I pulled against Jax, and this time he let me go. Taking a few steps, I fell to my knees beside Riley.

  “Do you trust me, Eva?”

  “Of course, Riley, I trust you. I always have.”

  “You need to go to the city. You must convince Landon. We must go there. We’re in danger if we don’t.”

  “The city, but why?”

  Riley’s face twisted as a medic did something to her arm on the other side. “Make Landon go to the city.”

  “She’s going into cardiac arrest,” the medic said, her tone sharp.

  “Promise me. We must go.” Riley tried to grasp my hand, but her body began to convulse again.

  “Give her the drugs. Now!” Jax said, hauling me out of the way.

  “No!”

  Riley’s poor body jerked as they tried to restart her heart. The team worked tirelessly for several minutes, until the franticness left them.

  “She’s stable,” the medic said. She motioned another man over, and together, they shifted Riley onto a makeshift stretcher.

  “I need to go to the city,” I said to Jax as Riley was carried away.

  “No fucking way,” Jax said. “You’re not going to the city. I’ve sent a team to fetch Landon. No one is going anywhere until he’s back.”

  “I need to go, Jax.” I turned to face him.

  His jaw locked and he heaved a breath in. Before he could answer, a Marine approached. “We’ve cleared the area. We think we’ve apprehended them all.”

  “Good work.” Jax nudged his head to the man. “I’ll meet you at the base in five.”

  The man turned, leaving Jax and me alone. “Are you asking me or telling me?”

  “You know I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important.” I knew with certainty that if I left for the city, Landon would follow me there.

  “Jax!” The call came from the direction of the camp. “We’ve got trouble kicking off!”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

  Landon

  IT WAS LATE by the time I arrived at the main camp, and the sky was cloudy with the promise of rain. It should have taken us three days to return. But I was in a determined frame of mind, and we’d made it back to the transport in half that time.

  Earlier today, we had met the team sent by Jax. They had limited information to divulge, but it instilled some comfort that the main base was under control. Once we were close enough to make radio contact, I sent a quick communication through to Jax, who confirmed we were clear to land.

  The transport touched down at the far end of the chasm to a waiting committee. I knew instantly all had not been as well as he had hoped. Justin was still alive, and as I dragged down the transport ramp, Jax’s eyes settled on the collar with grim acceptance. “Start talking,” I said to Jax.

  “They’re Federation, all the people with illness.”

  I thought of those within my group who had instigated the attack—all of them had been ill. “Eva?” It could have been Rachel or someone else, but Rachel and Eric had left the day before me, and this drama smacked of Eva at her worst. If Eva had known this before I left, then I was going to kill her.

  “Yeah, she realized Brent was Federation, and the connection to the illness. We believe Brent is the ship saboteur—he was the first person out of stasis, so he had the perfect opportunity. Eva stumbled across collars in the store transport labeled as component construction material.”

  Brent? It was hard to wrap my head around the idea of that innocuous young man as a Federation player, but his involvement brought clarity to Riley’s sabotage suspicions. Riley was convinced the ship could not have made the long voyage while damaged, and further, that it must have been tampered with after we exited interstellar speed. Who better to perform such sabotage than our stasis expert, and the first person to be roused from the long sleep?

  As for collars, Brent could have easily manufactured and stowed them on the transports. The longer we remained in orbit, the greater the risk that the stowed boxes would be discovered. The disaster on the ship provided the perfect catalyst to see the colonists driven like herd animals planet side without opportunity to review any stores already within the transports.

  I wondered if our enemy had known about the planet’s inhabited status? Whether they had anticipated their susceptibility to disease, and whether it forced a deviation to their plan. Perhaps the consolidation of those suffering infection to the secondary base on the lake shore was part of a contingency plan? Their request for the geneticist, Rachel, as an ignorant and willing aid while they dragged the rest of the colony into chaos and took control.

  “Do you have Brent?”

  Jax nodded.

  Getting to punch Brent would make Eric’s day, the rest of it not so much.

  “It wasn’t an isolated attack, then. How many collars did you find?”

  “We don’t know what’s happening at the satellite camps, but we have enough collars for everyone, and some of the boxes are missing.”

  “How long has Eva known?”

  “I don’t know,” Jax said. “She told me about the Federation presence two days ago after she uncovered the collars.”

  I let that slide for now. Jax might not have known the details, but he’d been aware that Eva was predicting for some time.

  “We tried to keep it quiet,” Jax continued. “But Riley was targeted by a bunch of our own idiots, and it went downhill fast. We secured as many of the known Technologists as we could. A few have fled. Riley’s not doing well. They’ve given her strong pain-inhibitors, but it’s hard to say yet whether she’ll pull through.” Jax glanced over his shoulder at the growing crowd. “The camp is stable for the moment. Marik left with a team when we realized what Eric and Rachel were heading into.”

  “That whole camp is Federation.” I scrubbed at my gritty eyes. “Have we heard back from Eric and Marik?”

  “Not yet.” Jax met my eyes boldly, setting off a myriad of further warning bells. “Eva has gone. She left with Reeve for the city.”

  “What the fuck?”

  Jax sighed heavily. “I let them go.”

  “What moment of insanity led you to thinking that was a good idea? We lost the bloody team we sent. Then we sent a drone and it was shot down!”

  “She knows and she went anyway!” Jax ran tense fingers over his face. “Yes, we lost the team sent to investigate the city. But the journey is via what was the early stage of Base-44. Perhaps they uncovered something or saw something. Eva seemed to believe so. She’s pr
edicting, and you had your head too far up your own ass to see it.” He returned a glare that might have seen him officially reprimanded had there not been greater concerns.

  “How could Eva leaving for the city possibly be a good idea? There has to be more to this.” Maybe Jax had been right to let them leave. But he was still taking his insubordination close to the edge. “Marik can get away with that behavior—you can’t. You let Eva and Reeve leave during an attack. For the city. It’s going to take me a second or two. And Marik off the leash is a frightening thing. Although I’m less worried about him than Eva. I’m glad Marik left. Eva should have waited.”

  “When she said she had to go, I believed her,” Jax said softly.

  Yes, there was that.

  A part of me was fighting to keep the grin off my face at her predicting. It still stung that she hadn’t trusted me with the knowledge. “Where are our Federation guests?”

  Jax’s face hardened. “There were sixty-four in the camp. We found fifty-seven. They’re inside a transport under guard… What are you going to do?”

  “What do you think I should do?”

  Jax gave him an indecipherable look. “It’s not my decision.”

  “I know, but I’m asking.”

  “They were planning to collar us, all of us. They are nothing like Riley. They’re not looking to escape a war.” His eyes deadened. “They can’t live.”

  “No, they can’t,” I agreed.

  “The people who attacked Riley weren’t Federation,” Jax said. “Brent instigated their fervor toward Riley, but the culprits were all Aterran. Shenson Sull was also part of Brent’s circle. He had her watching Eva for signs she was predicting.”

  I thought back on those updates from Shenson and wondered how long Eva had been aware of what was happening. “They made their decision. This is a colony and colonists know the law. Dissension is not tolerated for good reason. Their fate will be no different to the Federation. I’ll talk to Riley first.”

  “She’s in the medical transport, but we’ve only secondary doctors here now that Brent’s a prisoner.”

  I nodded. “Have the military get everyone back in their tents. The camp will be unsettled enough by what has transpired. They don’t need to see the rest. Put Justin with the rest of the prisoners, then meet me in medical.”

  I found Riley propped up on a makeshift bed. Her face was distorted and swollen, while one arm was wrapped in restoration bandages down to the fingers. Her chest was covered in similar swathes, and cuts and bruises covered every bit of exposed flesh. The usual opening of ‘how are you feeling’ felt woefully inadequate.

  Riley saved me from awkwardness by opening her one functioning eye. “Landon! I’m so glad to see you.” Her normally mellow voice was little more than a croak… She sounded disturbingly cheery.

  “What the hell have you given her?”

  The medic in attendance rose from a desk where he’d been staring at a viewer. He ushered me away from the medical cot. “She’s stable for now, but her body has shut down several times. I don’t know how she’s still alive. There’s too much swelling, and we don’t have what we need to help her. She’s not Aterran and her body is struggling. Her heart won’t take much more.”

  “I need to talk to her privately.” And I need her not to die for many and varied reasons.

  “I understand, sir, but I can’t leave the room. This is outside my expertise and we’re down to basics here. We used most of the emergency medical supplies immediately after landing. What is left has been steadily dwindling for weeks. The drugs I’ve given her aren’t ideal.”

  “Yes, I worked that part out.” I regarded the Technologist. If anyone deserved a break, it was Riley.

  Behind me, Jax entered in a rush of energy that made me feel old. “Everyone is on lockdown. I think your return helped to bring calm. There are ample guards on the prisoners. We’ve enlisted the aid of some of the colonists to ensure adequate patrols. Given what’s happened, we’re prepared for a potential attack.”

  “Good.” I motioned the medic to the other side of the room out of earshot before approaching the Technologist. “You up for some questions, Riley?”

  “Yes,” she croaked. “Don’t have anything else going on right now.”

  “Well, you were never much of a comedian,” I said dryly. “So it’s worrying me that you’ve suddenly developed a sense of humor… Did Eva tell you she was predicting?”

  “No, I knew nothing about it. I’ve not spoken to her since we first arrived.”

  I glanced at Jax to find him wearing a fake blank expression. “You’re the only person I know who can look smug while not looking smug,” I said. As room dynamics went, this one might have been interesting had Riley not been on death’s door.

  Jax finally cracked a smile. “I guessed about a month ago when I found out she was sneaking rations from the store.”

  “I knew she was stealing from the stores,” I also admitted. “I was covering it up.” I realized double standards weren’t appropriate for the leader of a colony. Given what she’d been through, and what I thought had happened to her, I thought it a minor concession. I should have taken a harder bloody line with her.

  “I asked her if she was predicting. She denied it at first,” Jax said. “I told her Riley was in danger. She asked me to protect her, which was working fine until we lost teams to look for you and Eric. By then, I was more worried about watching the Federation in our midst.”

  Riley’s croaky harrumphing noise brought a smile to my face. “You couldn’t have anticipated what happened,” she said. “We’d both be dead if you hadn’t found us.”

  “Well, you might not have access to a mirror,” Jax said. “But trust me, you need a bit more rest before that’s a done deal.”

  There was no hint of malice in his tone and Riley waved her undamaged hand dismissively. “I feel much as I look,” she said. “Even Cathy looked like she might cry when she visited earlier. It’s the first time I’ve seen compassion on that cold woman’s face. Rest assured, I’ve no intention of dying. Besides, you’ll need me for the city.”

  “Yes, the city,” I said. “Why did Eva go to the city?”

  “Because she knew if she left you would follow her, I presume.”

  I sighed. “That’s a little cryptic.”

  “It’s a race,” Riley said softly. “A race between us and the Federation, both those here and those who might come with the next ship… assuming the next ship comes. Either way, it doesn’t matter. You told me yourself about the city’s PB capability. It could be our only means of protection. They came here with the collars. Their intent is clear. More will come.”

  “Whoever controls the city controls Serenity,” I said. That dawning revelation settled a lump in my gut. Had the Federation already made a move toward the city?

  “Indeed,” Riley agreed. “Unfortunately, I don’t believe Eva saw further than the opportunity to force your hand in the direction she knew was right. It isn’t that simple though, not since the drone. I fear she’s rushing blindly into a different kind of danger. So, you see, I do need to live, and I need to go there with you because without me, you will fail.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

  Eric

  WE HAD BEEN holed up in the cave for five long days. Outside, members of the Federation lay in wait. I thought we’d left this behind. No such fucking luck! We’d brought the bastards with us.

  They didn’t bother trying to force us out of our hiding. With limited rations, and limited water, we would soon be easy pickings.

  The two Federation guards had died yesterday. I’d thrown them out the front before they could go ripe and stink up the cave. Questioning them had revealed little beyond the obvious: they were here, they had collars, they intended to use them. Between the injuries and the lack of water, they’d been the first to die. I’d given serious consideration to putting the collar on them. But it represented the worst of the Federation’s dark past, and I preferred to use my
fist.

  Knowing it would be many days before anyone at the main camp realized something was amiss, we’d made a couple of attempts to get out. But we were locked down tight, and all it had achieved was getting another man killed.

  I worried about what was happening elsewhere. Whether we were an isolated case or whether every camp was under attack. The collars were with us, and, after dedicating considerable time attempting to destroy them and failing, were still in here with us. While I had the collars, the Federation didn’t have them. I intended to hold onto them for as long as I could—with my dying breath if need be. Yes, it might come down to that.

  It had rained yesterday, allowing us to gather the tiniest amount of water. We were out now. Unless it rained, we were screwed.

  Gael sat to my left. He was young enough to be fresh out of the academy. While there was a mix of ages and skills, none of the colonists were old for good reasons. It still twisted my gut when someone so young muttered, “Wish we’d taken a bit longer to kill them. At least questioning them gave us something to do.”

  I chuckled softly, giving a half-hearted kick at a hand-sized black bug as it scurried past.

  “We’re going to have to make another attempt,” Gael said.

  The bug made its way over to the man sitting opposite and proceeded to scuttle over his leg. He flicked it off with a curse.

  “Yes,” I said. “And they know we’re going to make another attempt, which means they’re going to be waiting.” I couldn’t decide if it was better for me to be the one trying next. I was a big man and the least capable in the group if it came down to a long distance run back to the main camp. But I couldn’t send another member of my team out to the swift death so that tipped it back in favor of me.

  It was a quandary. Staying put was suicidal; leaving was equally so.

  Dragging myself to my feet, I shuffled closer to the entrance. Here, I flattened myself against the wall, and peered out. I could see the clearing and the edge of the trees. The bodies were gone—that was new—and it was eerily quiet out there.