by S. J. Bryant
Both of their voices sounded strained. Nova's arms and legs quaked, threatening to give out at any minute and send them both plummeting to their deaths. Sweat poured down her face and stung her eyes. The slickness made her arms slippery where they locked against Aart's. Her heart pounded hard in her chest and her lungs ached as she gasped for more air.
"The wooden stakes below us," Nova said.
"Are you serious?" Aart squeaked.
"Yep. It's the only way. Ready?"
"No."
"Just be ready to grab on."
"This is a bad idea," said Aart.
"One," Nova said, ignoring him.
"Nova, it's been good knowing you."
"Two."
"Three!"
Nova and Aart unlocked their arms and pushed against one another as hard as they could. Their backs slammed into each other and pain erupted up Nova's side.
She let her legs drop and felt like a rag-doll falling through the air. She stretched for the ledge as her boots landed on the wooden stake just below her. They caught for just a second, long enough for her to snatch the ledge, before the wood snapped and her legs swung through empty air.
Her fingers flicked with spasms, threatening to let her drop. How high had they come? Too high for her to survive the fall, that was for sure.
Somewhere beneath the panic she hoped Aart was doing better than she was.
Her palms scraped against the rough stones and her fingers cramped with the force of her grip. Her fingernails tore against the stone as her hands slid towards the edge.
She kicked forward, straining for purchase. Rocks and loose stone fell away from the walls, bouncing against the sandstone on their way down.
She swallowed as she imagined following one of those rocks.
She scrambled, feet scraping. Her right leg found a rock and she used it to take some of her weight while she adjusted her grip.
The rock fell loose, taking her leg along with it. She grabbed at the ledge again and this time found purchase. She gripped the cliff and let her breath return. She dangled above the perilous drop, held only by the strength of her hands. She risked a glance up. The loose stones of the ledge wouldn't hold long.
She flexed her arms. They shook with exhaustion. She felt around with her feet and found a ledge, resting some of her weight against it. It held. She put more of her weight and it continued to stay firm. She took a deep breath and pushed down on her leg, throwing her body up and forward so that she could clamber the rest of the way over.
She lay on the sandy floor breathing hard. Her cheek pressed against the dirt and it dug into her face. Her stomach burst with pain from being pressed against the floor but all of her muscles ached so badly she could barely face moving an inch, let alone rolling over. She relished in the feel of solid ground beneath her. The tingling in her legs from dangling above the drop dissipated, leaving just her gasping breaths.
"You know, I don't want to trouble you," Aart said, his voice strained.
Nova winced as she twisted to look back over the chasm at Aart. Pain surged up her side and her arms shook under the weight of her body.
Aart dangled from a single stone a foot below the ledge. His white knuckles strained to keep hold but his fingers slipped closer to the edge. He bit his lip and looked up at Nova, his face red. Dark patches covered his ripped clothes where they dripped with sweat. His legs kicked beneath him, where broken splinters jutted out of the wall.
The shaft fell down between them, gaping like an enormous beast. Nova's stomach churned as she looked over the edge. To reach Aart she'd have to jump to the other side, it wasn't far but the drop down made it seem much further. All of her survival instincts told her to walk away, but Aart had saved her life more than once. It was only fair that she do the same.
She got to her knees, breathing hard. She clasped her hand over the wound in her side, it came away sticky with blood. She stood on shaky legs facing Aart. Her heart raced against her rib cage and her blood pounded in her ears.
Her stomach clenched as she leaned forward and sprinted the few paces to the gap. She leapt, arms outstretched, her stomach dropping as the ground fell away beneath her.
Her feet smacked against the hard stone on the other side and a flood of relief rushed through her.
The jolt of landing sent new waves of pain up her side. She winced and tears stung the corners of her eyes. She lay down at the ledge and held out both hands.
"I don't want to rush you or anything…" Aart said, his fingertips clutching the edge of the rock. He stared up at her, the whites of his eyes shining in the semi-darkness. The walls kept moving, only thirty centimetres apart.
"I don't suppose you can grab on?" Nova said.
"Not really, no," Aart replied through gritted teeth.
Nova frowned; his hands were just within arm's reach. She could try pulling him up but she doubted if her upper body could hold his weight. She reached further so that most of her chest hung over the ledge.
Sweat poured down Aart's face. "I really can't hold on much longer."
"I'm getting there. You can use the wall behind you to brace your back."
Aart did as she said and some of the panic left his eyes. "If it keeps closing I'll be minced meat."
Nova said nothing, inching further so that her fingertips grazed his.
Blood rushed to her head, making her vision swim and her brain pound. Spittle leaked to the front of her mouth and dripped down through the air. A drop landed on Aart's fingers.
"That's disgusting," he said.
"I'm sure you've had worse."
She strained, stretching as far as she could and grabbed hold of his wrist with both hands. "Gotcha."
Aart slipped free of the rock. He snatched Nova's arms, his full weight tugging on her injured side and threatening to pull her over the edge.
She gritted her teeth, face red. "Climb up now. But I swear if you drag me down there with you I will come back and haunt you."
"Yeah, well you and me both." Aart glanced over his shoulder and grimaced.
"Ready when you are," Nova said.
Aart kicked out at the rock wall and grabbed Nova's wrist with his other hand. She slithered backwards as best she could while he climbed her hand like a rope.
"So far, so good," he said.
"Just climb your lazy arse up," Nova said, face scrunched.
"Dammit. I can feel the walls on both sides."
"Just keep climbing."
Grunts and curses floated up from the shaft. It took a few moments but then Aart's brown hair appeared above the ledge followed by the rest of his head. His face shone red with sweat as he hoisted himself up. He slithered over the edge just as the two walls slammed together with a puff of dust.
He lay on the floor next to her, panting. She collapsed and rested her back against the sandstone wall. She stared up at the ceiling, breathing hard. Every muscle in her body ached, overcome only by the agonising pain in her side. Blood dribbled out of the wound, soaking her shirt. Still, they were both alive. She let out a deep sigh.
CHAPTER SIX
Aart pushed himself off his belly and rested against the wall opposite Nova, his outstretched legs almost touching the wall by her side. They looked at one another, their faces mirror images of exhaustion and relief.
"I guess you owe me now," Nova said with a wan smile.
"I think we should call it even."
"Fair enough. As long as you give me some more of that Parapem. Also, I think you're going to have to do another patch up. Apparently your sewing isn't as good as you think it is." Nova waved her hand at her side.
"I didn't know it would have to stand up to that." Aart waved towards the shaft gaping to his left.
He tossed the box of Parapem to Nova and she pulled out a tiny blue square with shaking hands. She placed it on her tongue and relief surged through her body, melting her aches and pains.
"Just don't OD on that stuff," Aart said. "I might need to be hoisted out of a cav
ern again someday."
"You can find someone else to do it. I'm done with hoisting. Or even better, why don't you start working on your cardio?"
Aart snorted and pulled out the needle and wire as he shuffled over to Nova.
She lifted her shirt and winced at the sight of her own wound. Blood covered her side.
"You know you're a terrible patient," Aart said. "I'm sure I told you to keep this clean and get plenty of rest."
"What can I say? I was never very good at following instructions."
Aart reached back into his bag and pulled out a relatively clean cloth. He dabbed at Nova's wound, wiping away the excess blood. He pushed the needle through her skin and sewed her shut. The two flaps came together again in a jagged line. This time it took ten stitches to close the wound.
"You keep tearing it like that and soon you'll break clean in half."
Nova waved her hand at him. "Trust me; I'm planning to keep all strenuous activities to a minimum."
"Good. What say we stop for lunch?"
"Please. I feel like I could eat half a planet."
Aart grinned. "Maybe one of the smaller ones."
He pulled out a nutrient bar and handed half to Nova.
They chewed in silence, both regaining their breaths and allowing the sweat to evaporate from their skin. This was no place to be glamorous. Dirt, sweat, and blood coated their flesh and they smelled like the slums of Tabryn. Their clothes had been reduced to barely more than rags, but still, they'd seen worse. They were both orphans of the outer planets and no strangers to dirt and blood.
"With this little detour I have no idea where we are," Nova said.
"Me neither. Although I would suggest we avoid any further leaping or falling and continue down this way." He nodded into the darkness away from the shaft.
"Agreed," Nova said.
They struggled to their feet. Aart's stitches held firm as they hobbled down the dark tunnel. The smooth sandstone walls mirrored those of the tunnels below, stretching out like a maze.
"What sort of ancient culture puts traps in their tombs?" Aart said from behind Nova.
"From what I've read, most of them."
"I'll be damned."
"Probably," Nova replied with a chuckle.
They walked on in silence, their feet making a steady rhythm on the sandy floor.
"Wait!" Aart hissed, snatching Nova's wrist.
She stopped dead, her hand landing on her gun.
A new tunnel disappeared into inky blackness on her right. She took a step back so that she and Aart stood side by side. He already had his gun out and was staring into the dark side tunnel. Nova knew better than to ask what he'd seen or heard. If he thought it was safe to elaborate, he would. She strained her ears against the silence, searching for any hint of what Aart had caught. It didn't take long for her to hear it too.
Something skittered along the floor. Lots of somethings. The sound of grains of sand sliding against one another got louder. What had started as barely a whisper grew as it echoed down the tunnel towards them. Nothing moved within the light of the glowball, no hint to tell them what was coming, only the inarguable certainty that something was.
Nova and Aart aimed their guns into the darkness ahead of them. Her shoulders tensed as they stared into the unknown. Nova slowed her racing heart and forced her mind to focus. It was harder than normal around the drug-induced clouds that filled her head. The tapping grew louder, into a continuous whir, like a swarm of bees.
It seemed like an eternity that she and Aart stood shoulder to shoulder, waiting in the darkness. The feel of his arm against hers gave her some comfort, a fellow Hunter. She and Aart had seen many things. If she was going to face an enemy, she was glad that it was with him.
"You know I really don't think now is a good time to smile," Aart said as he glanced at her in the light of their glowballs.
"When's a better time?" Nova said. "Laugh in the face of danger, my friend."
"I'd rather laugh at the back of danger. You know, once it's passed me by."
"That would be a very boring way to live," Nova said.
"Maybe. But at least I wouldn't look like a madman, laughing while I was killed by… whatever is coming down that tunnel."
"Maybe it's just the wind?"
"If that's wind, then you can have Sylar."
"Ha! As if I want that cosmic crap-pile," Nova said, her smile widening.
"If we weren't about to be killed, I would shoot you for that. We both know that Sylar is one of the best bounty ships on the market. She has a four times capacity storage bay, can sleep up to fifteen AND the AI is ten times better than that rust bucket you drive around."
Nova chuckled. "Aart, I really don't think now is the best time to be comparing ships."
"And why's that?"
"Because they're here."
Shapes loomed out of the darkness into the circle of light. Their many legs tapped on the stone floor and their pincers snapped together, the noise echoing about the tunnel.
"Scorpions?" Aart said, incredulous.
"Giant scorpions," Nova confirmed.
The massive creatures lurched past one another in their effort to get to Nova and Aart. They were as long as Nova was tall and their bodies were just as thick. Their shiny carapaces glinted orange in the light from the glowballs, like a thick layer of armour. Their black eyes glimmered, reflecting their snapping pincers.
Nova squeezed her trigger.
The gun fired in her arm, sending small vibrations up to her shoulder. A blue bolt of energy shot out and slammed into the head of the closest creature. The orange shell turned black and the creature shrieked. Its cries reverberated and pierced Nova's ears, making her brain ring.
The beast closed its eyes and scuttled forward, pincers snapping like rusted scissors. They threatened to cut Nova in half if she gave them the chance. More creatures streamed into the circle of light. Their bodies extended down in segments, ending in a pointed tails. The very tip glinted a poisonous green in the dim light.
Aart fired green bolts into the creatures as they rushed forward. Their shells cracked under the heat and energy of the attack but they didn't stop coming. Their hard legs scuttled over the stone ground, bringing them closer.
Nova held her finger down on the trigger and her gun blasted a stream of shots aimed at the creature's face. The bolts of energy slammed into the scorpion and the concentrated blasts added together created an extreme centre of heat.
Small flames erupted from the creature's eyes. It squealed and reared up onto its hind legs, pincers snapping at the air as flames ate away its eyeballs, leaving behind blackened ruins made of ash. The rest of the orange shell turned to charcoal and bits flaked off, falling to the ground.
Nova gritted her teeth. "Aim for the face."
Aart focused his fire and a few moments later a second scorpion screeched in pain and came to a stop, clawing at its face. The two blind creatures bumped into one another as they jostled in the small tunnel, rearing up and smashing back to the ground. They scrambled in circles, but the press of the other scorpions pushed them forward.
The uninjured scorpions clambered over the shrieking beasts, their pointed legs crushing the burned shells of the injured scorpions and leaving gaping holes that leaked clear liquid.
The burnt scorpions screeched, flapping their pincers.
Nova lifted her hands up to her ears, sure her eardrums would burst at any moment. The noise vibrated straight through into her inner-ear, scratching at her brain. It was worse than fingernails on rusted metal. Her teeth tingled and sat on edge as goosebumps ran up her arms. Her neck stiffened as she risked a glance at Aart. His hands clamped around his ears and his eyes squinted shut against the pain. A trickle of blood trailed out of his nose and dribbled down to his mouth.
Aart flicked his tongue out, scooping the drop of blood with it. His eyes shot open and he spat and spluttered. He took his left hand away from his ear and wiped his upper lip with his sleeve,
staring at the blood with an open mouth. He glanced at Nova, his brows drawn together. "Your nose."
"What?" Nova said. She lifted her own fingers to a warm wetness on her upper lip. Crimson blood coated the tips of her fingers. Her head rung with the screeching and she imagined more blood vessels bursting. How long until her ears started bleeding too?
"You bastards," she said, taking a firmer hold of her gun.
She held down the trigger and fired into the mass of insectoid bodies, focusing on the injured creatures. Their screeches died as another wave of scorpions lunged at Nova and Aart.
Their pincers snapped, inches from Nova's face.
She whipped her head back and a loose strand of hair flicked up. The pincers cracked shut, clipping through the strand like a razor. Nova's mouth dropped as it fell to the dirt.
The scorpion snapped again and its pincer scraped Nova's cheek, leaving a bloody line.
She gasped and smashed her gun down on the creature's head. It crunched under the force, caving inward, and the beast's legs went still. The rest of the scorpions raced over its dead body.
The scorpions swarmed forward, the first line falling into mounds of charred shell as Nova and Aart focused their fire. The rest of the horde scurried over the dead bodies, crushing blackened shell into the ground.
Nova took a step back, her spine pressing against the cold stone of the tunnel's wall.
"We need a better plan," said Aart, breathing hard. "How many do you think there are back there?"
"It's impossible to say, but it sure sounds like a lot."
"Bloody Hell. At least they can only get through the tunnel two at a time."
"My gun won't last much longer. Damn thing will need to cool down."
"Mine's still got a little bit left but it won't last forever."
Nova grimaced and glanced at Aart. "I don't suppose you've got any more contraband weapons in your bag?"
"I've got a few pulse grenades, but I don't think we should let them loose down here."
"Just throw them."
"They could bring the whole tunnel down on our heads."
"Okay, no grenades." Nova wiped a trail of sweat off her forehead with her shoulder.