by Sarah Noffke
When Julianna turned Eddie shot her a big wink and spun to face Knox, his arms out in alarm. “What? What did you do with it, Knox? You were the last one to step out.”
The color drained from Knox’s face. “I promise I didn’t do anything. I just followed you!”
Eddie looked at Julianna with a serious expression on his face. “Do you think he hit the D-button on his way out?”
Julianna agreed with a nod. “It appears so.”
“Great, now we’re stuck forever on this planet. Damn it, Knox, never step on the D-button!” Eddie groaned in feigned frustration and shook his head.
Knox’s frightened expression diminished as he stared at where the ship had been and then at Eddie. Something was computing. He slowly walked back to where the ship had landed and reached out to touch its invisible surface, understanding dawning on his face. “The ship is—”
“Cloaked,” supplied Julianna. “And you’re right, Eddie’s a real jerk. You’ll find it strangely endearing…maybe. That’s what I hear from the crew, anyway.”
“Aw shucks, Jules,” said Eddie drawled. “I hope one day you’re endeared as hell to me. It would swell my cowboy heart.”
“I think I’m going to puke on my boots,” said Julianna, and ambled toward the main road. The other two laughed as they followed her.
The road wound at first but finally straightened, just as Knox had described. Brown buildings bordered both sides, and it seemed to go on well into the horizon. Julianna stopped to survey the last stretch.
Eddie halted at her side with his hand resting on the pistol in his holster and peered out from under his cowboy hat, squinting and measuring up the town. It appeared quiet. A bit too quiet.
A tumbleweed rolled out from between two squatty buildings, continuing straight across the road and knocking into a pair of posts with a couple brown horses tied to them. A sign above the building read Saloon.
Eddie’s mouth pulled to the side, and he looked at Julianna as if he were asking permission.
“No,” she said plainly.
“But don’t you want to taste their version of whiskey or bathtub bourbon or whatever their specialty is?” he asked.
“Their specialty is death to your insides. You don’t want the drinks here,” Knox cut in. Then he swiveled his head over his shoulder, looking unnerved. “Something isn’t right. There should be more people out right now, since the winds haven’t kicked up yet.”
“What do you mean?” asked Julianna.
“I think we better get out of here,” said Knox, glancing in the direction of the ship. He looked scared. Focused, but scared.
Eddie kept his attention on the long main road, but reached out and placed a hand on Knox’s shoulder. “We aren’t backing out now, kid. We’ve come all this way. Stay close to us.” He looked at Julianna for confirmation, and she tipped her head.
They strode forward, sand and small pebbles crunching under their boots. In a nearby window of the General Store Julianna spotted an older woman, but she ducked the moment their eyes met. That couldn’t be a good sign.
Aerial surveillance scans complete, said Pip.
Please take your time with any updates. I don’t get the impression at all that we’re being watched by an enemy, Julianna replied, her tone overflowing with sarcasm. She flexed her fingers over her pistol as they moved forward.
Don’t worry, the locals all appear to be inside.
Because?
Because there are six Brotherhood soldiers stationed around Axel’s building.
Julianna skirted over to the opposite side of the road from where Axel’s building stood and Eddie followed at once, taking his cue from her crouched position. Without Julianna having said a word, he sensed her caution.
They’re camouflaged to blend in, unlike you in your plaid shirts.
Hindsight, thought Julianna.
She stopped moving when she reached a trough roughly three buildings down from Axel’s place.
“You wanna tell us what’s going on?” asked Eddie, sinking beside her and looking over his shoulder. He kept his head low.
“The Brotherhood are here, six soldiers on Axel’s building. I’m getting positions now,” she said.
“Dammit, they beat us here,” hissed Eddie.
“Brotherhood? How do you know that?” asked Knox, staring at the empty road.
“She has Pip in her head,” explained Eddie, retrieving his second pistol from his left ankle.
“Pip?” asked Knox.
“He’s an AI,” said Eddie. He handed Knox the gun. “Take this and watch your ass.”
Julianna held up two fingers and pointed to the roof, then indicated two more soldiers on either side of the building. Eddie, understanding at once, nodded. She pointed to another trough roughly twenty yards down the street.
When she had received confirmation, she ducked and sprinted down the wooden boards of the sidewalk. The gunfire started immediately and dogged her footsteps, nearly catching her boot several times.
She jammed her back to the trough and waited for the pause in the gunfire. In unison she and Eddie sprang to their feet and fired over their respective troughs, Julianna shooting at the north end of the building and Eddie toward the roof. She saw Knox using the weapon Eddie had supplied in her peripheral vision.
Two Brotherhood soldiers fell from the top of the building and another dropped flat onto his chest from the alley’s shadow with a bullet in his forehead.
Julianna slid back behind the trough and reloaded, taking steadying breaths. When she finished, she lifted up enough to survey the scene: Three bodies, not a bad start.
A moment later Eddie and Knox ran to her position, crouching to avoid enemy fire.
Eddie slammed into the wall beside her breathing heavily, sweat on his face. The two exchanged a look as he reloaded his pistol, and he grinned. “What do you think, did we nail them all?”
It would appear so, but you might have one playing possum, suggested Pip.
Did you just make that reference?
I believe I did.
I don’t think I even know you anymore.
Or are you just starting to really know me?
Why don’t you make yourself useful and download all available data from the network drive once we’re inside?
Did you mean to say please?
I did, with all my heart.
She shook her head. “Pip says we might be in the clear. You take the south end and I’ll take the north.”
He nodded, lifting his pistol parallel with his cheek.
Soundlessly, guns at the ready, the veteran soldiers slid out from behind the trough, and Knox trailed Eddie. His form wasn’t bad, Julianna noted, observing his posture and how his eyes meticulously scanned.
She fetched up against a building with boarded-over windows and toed the body of the Kezzin in the opening of the alleyway, which didn’t budge. After a short breath she slid out, ready to shoot, but the alleyway was empty. There had been two soldiers here so Julianna looked up, her gun following her gaze.
From Eddie’s relaxed demeanor she guessed the other two targets were dead, so she jogged over to him. Two Brotherhood soldiers lay in front of the building, and two more reposed in the alleyway.
“We’ve got one missing,” Julianna informed them.
“Then he’ll be that way,” said Eddie, pointing to the back of the building.
Pip, did you see which way he went?
I didn’t. He disappeared before I could track him. Backing up footage now, but the Brotherhood soldiers are wearing special equipment to avoid detection, as I said before.
“Shall I lead the way?” Julianna asked her two companions.
Eddie shook his head, then pointed toward the opposite end of the alley where the dead Kezzin was lying on the ground. Without another word Julianna nodded, letting him know that she understood.
She raised her gun and walked backward, scanning the rooftop and the opening of the alleyway, then paused and list
ened to the sounds of this place. Air whistling. Old wooden boards creaking. Heavy breathing, but not hers or Eddie’s. There was someone else here.
A gun cocked.
Julianna opened her eyes and whipped around. “Eddie, move—”
The soldier came out of the alley ahead of Julianna and fired.
Julianna slid to the opposite wall and shot back at the enemy soldier. He returned it, but then took Julianna’s shot directly in the head and collapsed.
His bullet missed her, whizzing by her head and going farther into the alley.
“No!” yelled Knox. In a swift movement he pushed Eddie out of the line of fire, knocking him to the ground and covering him with his body.
“Fuck!” exclaimed Eddie, pushing himself up and rubbing the back of his head. “That’ll leave a mark.”
Knox staggered to his feet beside Eddie. He cupped his bicep and there was blood on his fingers when he pulled them away.
Julianna ran to the boy’s side. “You’ve been shot!”
Eddie’s eyes widened when he saw the wound. “Knox!”
“It just grazed. S-sorry,” said the former gunrunner. “I should’ve been faster.”
“What the hell were you thinking, man?” asked Eddie, holstering his gun and gently taking Knox’s arm to look at the wound.
“He was thinking about saving you,” said Julianna, surprised and relieved at the same time.
Chapter Eight
Gun Barrel, Planet Ronin, Behemoth System
Eddie yanked the bandana off his neck and tied it around Knox’s arm. “Are you all right?” he asked, grateful that Julianna was guarding them so he could tend to Knox.
Although breathless, Knox nodded. “It went through. I’ll be okay. I think.”
Eddie frowned. “What were you thinking, pushing me out of the way? You could have gotten yourself killed.”
“If I hadn’t you would’ve been shot,” answered Knox.
Eddie stared at the spot he’d been standing in, which was squarely in the middle of the alleyway. The bullet would have hit him, no doubt about it. He could’ve even died.
Eddie tied the bandana tightly, making Knox grimace with pain. It was for the best, since they needed to stop the bleeding. “Just don’t make this a habit, okay? You let me handle it next time.”
“Hopefully there won’t be a next time,” said Knox weakly.
“There always is,” said Eddie, pulling his gun back out of his holster. He turned to Julianna, who was still on guard and scanning the area. “What does Pip think?”
“That you’re lucky as hell,” said Julianna, glancing at the wound in Knox’s arm and then at Eddie. There was a new expression in her eyes he hadn’t seen before. Did she look relieved? Relieved he hadn’t taken a bullet to the chest? “And he says we’re clear, as far as he can tell.”
Eddie blew out a sigh of relief and turned toward the rear alley. “No more pushing yourself, Gunner,” he said to Knox. “Take it easy for the rest of this trip.”
Knox laughed despite a bit of pain. “Sure, I get ya.”
Eddie flattened himself against the wooden building when they neared the end and looked at the space across from the structure, checking that all was clear. Then he spun around, gun out, to ensure no more soldiers were in hiding.
“Up there,” said Knox, pointing to a set of stairs at the back of the building that led to the second floor.
Eddie took the lead again, listening for waiting Brotherhood soldiers at each step.
“Oh, fuck,” said Julianna.
Eddie saw what her enhanced vision had already discerned. The back door’s lock had been blown off and the door was half-open.
“I thought you said Axel shot trespassers,” said Eddie, looking at Knox.
“Seems like he did,” said Julianna, pointing with her gun at the body lying just inside the doorway. She stepped around them and kicked open the door all the way. Another Kezzin lay farther inside.
“A-axel…” Knox stammered and tore around Julianna straight into the second floor. She reached out for him but dropped her hand, giving up before she’d even tried.
Eddie launched forward to stop Knox, but Julianna held up a hand to halt him. Knox was already in the main room of a loft building.
“It’s too late,” she said in a whisper.
Eddie mouthed, “What?” and narrowed his eyes, gazing down the narrow hallway that led into darkness. It took several moments for his eyes to adjust and the figure sprawled on the ground to come into focus. Knox had knelt and was shaking the body, rocking its shoulders.
“Do you suppose?” asked Eddie, letting the question hang quietly in the air.
Julianna slowly nodded and her eyes slid to the side vacantly, indicating she was speaking with Pip.
A moment later she straightened, looking tense. “We’ve got company. There’re Brotherhood ships in orbit, and they appear to be waiting for us.”
Eddie nodded. He didn’t like what he was going to have to do next, but it couldn’t be helped. “Gunner, we’ve got to go.”
Knox looked up, eyes wide. He seemed to have forgotten where he was. After a long few seconds he pushed to his feet and walked to where Eddie was waiting.
“We’ve got company,” said Eddie. “We need to get back to the ship.”
Knox wasn’t shaking, but Eddie was certain the boy was rattled. Before they continued, Eddie placed his hand on his new friend’s shoulder. “I’m sorry we didn’t make it in time.”
“I am too,” muttered Knox, “but at least he didn’t suffer, right? Or is that just something people say to make themselves feel better?”
Eddie didn’t know what to tell him. Knox had lost so much, time and time again. He pointed to the stairs, suggesting that Knox go out behind Julianna.
Without another word Knox complied, and Eddie quickly followed.
A hot wind blew hard, knocking sand into their faces, and Julianna put her arm over her face to shield her nose and mouth. She waited until the two had caught up with her.
“Protect your face. Looks like a dust storm is starting,” she ordered.
Knox, using his good arm, pulled the bandana he’d been wearing around his neck up to just cover his nose. Julianna’s eyes shot to the rag tied to Knox’s arm and she realized Eddie didn’t have his bandana anymore. It was only a thin piece of cloth, so one wouldn’t think it would be that important, but in a dust storm it might be the difference between breathing and suffocating. She yanked her bandana off her neck and thrust it at Eddie. He looked up, bemused.
“No, I’m good,” said Eddie, pulling his cowboy hat down over his eyes.
“You’re only human. Take it.” She refused to accept the bandana back. “I’m going to speed off and get the ship ready. Be prepared to jump in and take off when you get there.”
Reluctantly Eddie consented, covering his mouth and nose with the cloth. The wind had kicked up, making visibility poor. Julianna gave them one last look before she streaked off, losing them at once as she headed farther into the storm.
“What did she mean by ‘you’re only human?’” asked Knox as he marched against the wind. It was impossible for them to sprint as Julianna had. They were striding straight into forty-mile-an-hour wind, and the dirt it threw up made it feel like they were walking into sandpaper.
Eddie only shook his head at the question, unwilling to speak as the dust storm continued to pick up. Knox asked a lot of questions, and he figured there would be many more. There had to be, because Eddie wasn’t getting rid of Knox, not after he hadn’t hesitated to save his life. Some people were taught to be good, and then there were those who were born that way. As far as Eddie could tell, Knox was definitely the latter.
Living outside of Federation space had kept Knox from knowing much about the civilization or culture of the bulk of humanity. He knew about ships and guns, but his concept of technology would be minimal. That was what happened when one wasn’t raised in Federation space. He’d understand in time, b
ut for now Eddie would ease him into it.
Visibility was so poor that part of Knox’s face was obscured, and before long they’d need to take shelter. Now Eddie understood what Hatch had meant about the weather in Gun Barrel. This place was meant for cowboys, who were tough enough to survive it.
Eddie grabbed Knox by the arm and pulled him close to the nearest building, under the porch eaves. It provided a bit of relief but not quite enough so he pushed forward again. He felt as though they were making no progress at all. They weren’t even halfway down the main road, and the storm was still growing in ferocity. Was Julianna back at the ship? It was smart that she had returned, but what if they couldn’t make it in time?
Knox, beside Eddie, was holding onto the side of the building and looked like he might blow away at any moment. Eddie could relate. He stomped forward, clapping his boots down but making no audible noise over the howling wind. He pulled his other boot to meet it, feeling as though he were walking through quicksand. Again he picked his foot up to step forward, but he was blown backward several inches instead. He got low to the ground to try a different tack, hoping to make progress.
Knox had been knocked off his feet, too. His face was covered in sand, and his eyes were like little green beams peering through the brown covering.
“Don’t give up!” Eddie bellowed, crawling next to Knox on the wooden boards of the walkway. “We can do this!” The bandana flipped up, caught by the wind, and before Eddie could secure back on his face a mound of sand zoomed down his throat, instantly making him gag. He tried to breathe, and realized his nose was nearly stopped up from the harsh sand. They couldn’t make it any farther.
Beside him Knox nodded. “We can do this,” he said repeating Eddie’s words but more softly.
The wind sounded like a shrieking siren and they could hardly make out the next few feet, but beside them was a door. All Eddie had to do was bust through it and they’d have the shelter from the harsh storm, but he looked toward the ship.
They couldn’t desert Julianna. She’d wonder where they were, and if they had made it into a building. He tried to move forward once more and again was pushed back by the wind, and his gaze returned to the door. If they didn’t get to shelter, they were going to die. Julianna would understand, and she’d find them once the storm passed.