by S. J. Bryant
Nova swallowed and cursed herself for ever entering the race. People recognised her, and that could only be bad.
"Makes sense why you're laying low," Bill said. "I would too."
Nova nodded without looking up.
They spent the few hours until sunset in quiet conversation until Nova slid down from the trunk to the leaves and rested her head against the hard wood. No sooner had she closed her eyes then she drifted into tormented sleep.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
A booming voice ripped Nova from sleep as dawn's light pricked through the trees. Her eyes flew open and she gasped, but her lungs spasmed and she choked. Pain, like a long metal spike being driven into her ribs, filled her chest and made even shallow breathing agony.
"You Hunters have made the Watcher very mad." The voice sounded strained, very unlike the over-confident voice Nova had come to know and hate. He hadn't expected them to beat the Reapers. She suspected that he wasn't too far away either. This was supposed to be the grand finale, they were killed by Reapers in the greatest hunt and then he could come and gloat over their bodies.
"You've made me pretty mad too," Aart yelled into the trees.
"And you've damaged my property. Zudikas didn't come cheap, and don't get me started on the Reapers. You will have to pay for this."
"Hey, Watcher," Nova said, ignoring the choking pain that set stars dancing across her vision. "We're coming for you. We will find you. And when we do, you'll be sorry."
"Oh, I don't think so," he replied. "This ends now. I've had enough of you. You're like toys that have outlived their usefulness. Goodbye Hunters, and good riddance."
Nova glanced at Aart and then at the other Hunters. What new hell would the Watcher release on them now?
Bill, Vayla, and Sid gripped their guns tight and stepped together so that their backs pressed against one another. Cara and Maya levelled their guns at the forest.
Nova held her breath, pain flaring up her side and through her shoulder. Aart held out his arm and helped her stand. Her legs wobbled and she leaned against a tree, peering into the forest.
A nearby twig quivered, leaves shaking. A second later they twitched again.
"Something's coming," Nova whispered.
Heavy footsteps shook the ground, drawing closer. The forest fell still, silent, except for the footsteps. The earth shook, rocking beneath whatever creature approached.
Maya stumbled back. "We've got to run."
Aart clenched his fist and glared at her. "Nova can't run! Look at her."
Nova gritted her teeth but her legs wobbled when she tried to move. "She's right. You should all go. I'll hold it off as long as I can."
Cara and Maya took a few faltering steps, glancing between Nova and the shaking branches.
Aart turned away from them and watched the forest, his knuckles white against his gun.
Maya groaned and stepped next to Aart, followed by Cara. Bill and the others joined them.
Nova used her free hand to pull her gun from its holster while leaning heavily against the tree. Each breath wheezed and sent waves of agony through her chest. Stars flashed across her vision but she blinked them away.
Metal glinted in the trees, sparkling.
Nova squinted.
The metal flash came again, closer.
"Fighter droid!" Aart roared, diving to the side behind a thick trunk.
The other Hunters ran behind trees while Nova did her best, half-falling, behind cover.
She peeked between two twigs and her stomach dropped.
The fighter droid stood twice as tall as her and at least twice as wide. Thick metal arms ended in gaping guns and steel legs crushed the undergrowth into kindling. Black sensor panels glinted where its face should have been.
Nova swallowed and gripped her gun tighter. A single fighter droid could take on a whole army; seven wounded Hunters didn't stand a chance.
It lifted its right arm and a red light flashed on its wrist. A thick barrel protruded where its hand should have been. It turned and pointed at the trees beside Nova. Light exploded through the forest, followed by a deep boom.
Nova crumpled to the ground, blind. Her eyes burned and heat scorched her side. She scrambled away from the warmth, hands held-out. Her ears rung, shaking her brain and making it impossible to think straight.
Firm hands snatched her wrists and dragged her sideways, tugging her wounded side.
She screamed, pulling against the grip.
Muffled voices whispered at the edge of her hearing and shadows moved in front of her stinging eyes. She squinted, trying to focus. The shadow looked familiar.
"Nova!" Aart shook her shoulders.
She shook her head and mumbled.
"Nova! Bloody hell."
"I'm okay," she whispered, voice cracking.
"Aart, it's coming this way," a woman's voice said, barely audible.
Aart looked at something over Nova's shoulder. He bent and wrapped her arm over his shoulder, hauling her forwards.
Pain seared up Nova's side and she tried to scream but it came out as a quiet moan.
"Stay here," Aart said, dropping her to the ground.
Nova tried to grab him as he turned away but he slipped out of her grip. She blinked and rubbed her eyes. Her vision seemed to be clearing; she could make out nearby trees. Roaring gunfire that had sounded far away grew louder with every moment until it boomed right on top of her.
She took a deep breath and peered around her tree. Aart and the others stood behind cover firing at the monstrous droid. A section of the forest burned with red hot flames that licked at the dry leaves.
She glanced at her hand, still clutched around her gun, and couldn't help but smile. At least her survivor instinct hadn't completely failed her. She slid around the tree-trunk, using it for support, until she had the robot in her sights.
The droid levelled its right arm at Maya and the red lights flashed. She dived out of the way just as a stream of red flames surged out of the droid's wrist and engulfed the forest. The tree she'd been using as cover burst into flames, turning to black ash in seconds.
The droid lifted its left arm and pointed at Maya's new position. She scrambled through the dirt as it fired. This time an invisible pulse careened into the closest trees and turned them to flying splinters. Branches shattered into twigs, leaving nothing but jagged stumps.
Maya flew through the air as if she'd been kicked by an invisible giant. Her body thumped to the ground, motionless.
Aart roared and swung out of cover, firing at the robot. His green blasts left black soot marks on the droid's surface, the only sign he'd even hit. Cara crept through the bushes on the droid's other side, towards Maya.
The droid's middle section turned, rotating so that its cannon-like arms pointed at Aart. Red lights flashed.
Nova fired a stream of shots at the robot. "Get out of there!"
Aart dove behind a tree as a stream of fire ate more forest.
On the other side of the clearing Bill, Vayla and Sid knelt behind a fallen log, firing at the droid, but it seemed not to notice.
The robot turned and Nova ducked behind her tree, wincing as the stitches pulled at her side. Her knuckles gleamed white on her gun, divided by red cuts.
"It's a long-range fighter," Aart called. "If I can get in close it won't stand a chance."
Nova's stomach dropped. "No! Aart it's too risky."
"I'm going in."
Nova crawled around her tree to see Aart running out from behind cover, gun blazing. In the trees Cara knelt over Maya's motionless body, frowning. Bill and the others did their best to provide cover fire. The robot spun to face Aart. Its yellow light flashed.
Nova aimed down her barrel and fired.
The blue blast slammed into the robot's arm and knocked it up a fraction of an inch. The branch above Aart's head exploded into a thousand splinters. He ducked and kept running, firing into the droid's chest.
The robot brought its arm back down but Aar
t darted inside its reach. It fired but the blast slammed into the ground, creating a hole in the red dirt.
Aart pushed his gun against the robot's chest and held down the trigger, firing a continuous stream. The robot jerked and took a step back. Aart hurried forward, staying out of the line of fire.
Smoke curled out of the robot's chest from a pocket of twisted metal.
Nova's heart fluttered; if they could hurt it, they could stop it.
Aart slammed his gun into the robot's chest and fired, creating another stream of smoke. The droid swung its arm back over its head and brought it crashing down.
"Aart look out!"
Aart stepped away too slow. The droid's arm slammed into his shoulder and he crumpled to the ground with a howl. His arm hung loosely from its socket.
Nova cried out and crawled forward.
The robot took three deliberate steps backward and aimed its gun at Aart's chest.
Bill stepped out of cover, gun blazing. "You bastard."
Nova's head buzzed. She glared at the robot through burning eyes, straining for any weakness. She'd spent so many hours mech-fighting that she knew a combat suit like the back of her hand, and battle droids weren't really that different.
Some old robots still had emergency cut-off switches, a relic from the time when everyone thought robots were going to take over the world. Not this one though.
Black panels glimmered on the droid's shoulders.
"Solar!" Nova croaked, her voice scraping her throat.
Aart curled into a groaning ball, clutching his shoulder.
Nova grimaced and levelled her gun, arm shaking. Pain surged through her body and stars danced across her vision.
Red and yellow lights flashed across the droid's arms.
Nova steadied her gun with her other hand, held her breath, and fired. A plasma bolt shot through the trees and slammed into the robot's right shoulder. It exploded in a shower of black shards and the droid's arm flung wide as it shot.
The ground to Aart's left erupted in a shower of dirt and he groaned.
The droid rounded on Nova, guns flashing. She tried to crawl behind cover but her arms and legs wobbled, unable to pull her weight. She bit her lip and held her chin high, ready to face the robot head on.
It lifted its right arm and the red light flashed. The noise of building energy buzzed through the trees but as it reached a crescendo it died, whirring down to silence. A dull beep echoed from the droid's interior.
Nova's heart fluttered and she swallowed. "Power trouble?" she whispered.
The droid lowered its right arm and instead aimed its left at Nova. Where the red light had died the yellow light flashed full of life.
Nova's stomach dropped. "Shit."
She scrambled to aim her gun at the droid's other shoulder but her arms shook, her gun waving through the air. She clutched the butt with both hands but couldn't steady it.
The robot's weapon powered up, the yellow light flashing faster.
Nova held her breath; just when she'd thought she'd made it, the bastard had to have another trick up its sleeve. She fired but the plasma bolts went wide, slamming into the trees behind the robot.
The buzz of power reached its peak and Nova's heart clenched.
Something flashed through the air behind the robot and slammed into its shoulder, metal glinting. Cara. She clung to the droid's back like a monkey, her arm hooked around its neck, and with her free hand she slammed a jagged knife down on the second solar panel.
It cracked and sparks flew through the air.
Cara snatched the loose pieces and ripped them free, hurling them to the ground. The robot swung its handless arms and caught her on the side of the face. Her head whipped sideways and she slipped free, body crashing to the ground with a dull thump.
The robot staggered back and aimed its gun at her. The yellow light flashed once, twice, and then died. The droid twitched and its arms fell loose by its sides, all lights and movement stopping dead.
Nova stayed frozen next to the tree, holding her breath.
The robot didn't move.
Cara pushed herself off the ground and wiped a hand across her forehead. "Is it dead?"
Nova bit her lip. "I think it's out of power. Let's hope it doesn't have a backup. How are the others?"
"We're all fine," Bill said, kneeling by Aart. "That was incredible. You guys are amazing."
Cara crawled to Aart's side. "Maya will be okay, but she has a broken arm. Aart's shoulder is dislocated, but nothing fatal."
Nova let out a long sigh. "And you?"
Cara massaged her jaw. "It'll bruise but I've had worse. How are your stitches? You know Aart will kill you if he has to sew you up again."
Nova chuckled and winced as the stitches tugged her abdomen. "I think they held." She leaned her head back against the tree trunk. "But I'm exhausted."
"Me too."
Cara and the others helped Maya and Aart to Nova's side where they made a sorry circle. Aart's arm dangled out of his shoulder socket and white bone peaked out of Maya's forearm. Her face glowed white and dripped with sweat.
"You all look like shit," Cara said, standing over them.
Nova squinted up at Cara's face which was already turning purple. "You don't look so great either."
Cara rolled her eyes. "Aart, hold still."
She knelt at his side and gripped his arm. With deft movements she pushed his arm back into its socket with an audible crack.
"Oi!" Aart's scream echoed through the trees and he fell to the ground gripping his shoulder.
Nova patted his side. "Stop being a whinger. I think Maya has it worse than you and she hasn't said a word."
Aart bit his lip and his groans subsided into the occasional whimper.
Cara turned to Maya and bit her lip. "I'm not a medic."
Maya shrugged. "None of us are. I sure could use some Parapem or something though."
"Aart's got some painkillers in his bag," Nova said.
"Here I've got some." Vayla handed two strips of Parapem to Maya who took them and laid them on her tongue before closing her eyes. A few moments later her shoulders relaxed and the line between her eyebrows eased.
"I'll try to set it and then I'll hold it in place with a bandage. It's the best I can do for now," Cara said.
Maya nodded but didn't open her eyes.
Cara gripped Maya's forearm and pushed the bones back into alignment. Sweat poured down Maya's face and she grimaced. Cara snatched a clean bandage from Aart's bag and wrapped it around Maya's wound and then over her shoulder to keep her arm in place.
When she'd finished Cara fell back to her knees and let out a long breath.
Maya pursed her lips and nodded.
Cara wiped a sheen of sweat from her forehead and turned to the others. "So what do we do now?"
Aart pulled himself up beside Nova. "We head to the ships and get the hell out of here."
Maya nodded but didn't speak.
Nova bit her lip. Most of her wanted to get as far away from Kopet as she could, but another, deeper, part thirst for revenge. "I say we go after him."
"Who?" Aart said.
"The Watcher, or whoever the hell he is. He can't get away with what he's done."
Cara nodded. "She's right. He needs to pay. We kill the bastard."
"We can't let him keep doing this," Nova said, her own voice stinging her throat.
Bill, Vayla and Sid shared a glance.
Aart shook his head. "No. We need to get out of here now. We can send in an army or something once we're out of here."
"Last I checked, you didn't have an army," Nova said.
"We call in back-up, we get friends, we go in hot," he said.
Cara took a long drink from her bottle. "He'll get away. As soon as we leave he'll be gone, if he's not hopping into his space-ship right now. If we're going to stop him, it has to be now."
"Look at us!" Aart said, waving a hand at his injured arm and then to Nova and Maya. "We can'
t fight any more. Whatever giant monstrosity he's got lined up for us next, we won't win."
"I don't think he has anything more," Nova said. "I think he's scared."
"Why?" Aart said.
"Because he's so quiet. If he had something lined up he'd be gloating about it, but he's not."
Cara nodded. "So now's the perfect time to strike."
Maya sighed and tried to sit a little higher, her eyelids flickering. "I want revenge for Tommy, but even if there aren't any more giant robots, I don't know how much good I'll be."
Nova grimaced and looked down at her wounds. Her head spun and bright lights flashed across her vision; she knew how Maya felt.
"I'll go on my own," Cara said with a shrug. "Either way, I'm going after him."
"No," Nova said, "We're all in this together. We all go."
Bill cleared his throat. "I don't think we'll be joining you."
"You can't mean to let him get away with this?" Cara said, her mouth hanging wide.
Bill shrugged. "I want him dead as much as you, but we're tired. We've been here longer than you, our strength is used up. We just want to leave."
"You're leaving us to do the dirty work?" Cara said.
Nova waved her down. "They've been through enough and lost good people. Plus, we'll need someone to send back up, just in case."
"And how are they planning to get out of here?" Maya said through gritted teeth.
"During our stay in the city we managed to get up on top of one of the roofs," Bill said. "We saw the ships, the real ones, not the hologram. They're just a little further down-hill from here."
Nova swallowed, her mouth dry like the sands of Tabryn. The ships were so close… would it be so bad to leave now?
Aart sighed and flexed his injured shoulder with a grimace. "Fine. We'll get the son-of-a-bitch."
"There's still a few hours of daylight left," Sid said. "If we start now we might make it to the ships before night, and that is something I'm very keen for."
Bill nodded. "It was good to meet you all. I think it's safe to say you saved our arses."
"You saved ours first," Aart said with a grin.
The Hunters exchanged awkward handshakes before Bill and the others disappeared into the trees.