by Charles Case
As soon as his face wasn't buried in her neck, he saw Tis kneeling right in front of him. Behind her, the gunships still rained fire into the Colossus, wreathing Tis in flame from Corbin's perspective. He looked down and saw that she had her hand on Seena’s side, which was now whole again.
“You healed her,” Corbin said, disbelievingly.
“She is my daughter.” Tis bit her lip in uncertainty, and Corbin was struck by how much they looked alike.
The gunships ceased fire, their magazines and capacitors running dry all at once. The flames behind Tis went out and were replaced with thick clouds of roiling black smoke.
Tis stood and began to back away, unsure what was supposed to happen next. “Tell her that I—” she began, but was cut off when a giant metal hand reached out of the smoke and snatched her up.
She didn't scream, just looked sad that she would never get to finish her last sentence. Then she was gone, pulled into the smoke and the waiting maw of her own beast.
29
The air around Corbin and Seena whipped up into dust devils and the roar of belly jets as one of the dropships banked around them and landed. The back ramp opened up and Corbin felt a wash of relief when he saw Ren waving them to come aboard.
Corbin struggled to his feet, trying to not drop Seena’s still unconscious, but now whole body. He finally got his feet under him and was easily able to lift her. He ran to the dropship, stumbling several times as he stepped on sharp rocks with his bare feet.
As soon as he was on the ramp the ship lifted off, and Ren had to reach out and steady him so he didn't fall out the back. As they rose, Corbin looked at what was left of the battlefield. It was obvious that the military was pulling out. The front lines had dissolved as dropships came and performed quick evacs, one group of soldiers at a time. Then the ramp closed and his view was cut off.
“Why are you naked?” Ren asked, purposefully not looking at Corbin.
Corbin gave her a grin. “It’s a long story.” He took Seena to one of the folding wall beds and motioned for Ren to lower it. “I need the medic.” He called to the Security team, but nearly bowled the man over when he turned to put Seena in the cot.
“I’m here.” The man had taken his helmet and gloves off but was still in his power armor. “What happened to her?”
“She was injured pretty badly, but I healed… she was healed by a super. I just want to make sure everything is fine. Do a scan and see if you can wake her up. I’m going to find some clothes.”
Corbin left Seena in the medic’s care, pulled some fatigues from a storage locker, and stepped into the pants. By the time he had his second boot laced up he saw Seena sitting up on the cot. He quickly tied the second boot and rushed over to her.
“How are you feeling?” he asked, taking one of her hands as he brushed her long black hair behind her ear with the other.
“Pretty good, actually.” She gave him a smile. “I’m assuming you did this?” she indicated her side, which Gert had reformed her armor over.
“Some. It’s a long story.” He frowned. “We didn't stop it. The Colossus is awake and free.”
Seena bit her lip, her brows furrowed, and Corbin was reminded of Tis.
She looked up and found Ren standing nearby. “Ren, I need you to get me in touch with the general.”
“Uh, that could be difficult. I don't exactly have access to their networks. I could probably set up a direct line through Lieu Tower. Let me give—”
“Ren.” Seena held up a hand for the woman to stop talking. “Just call the base. They’ll put you through.”
Ren gave her a sheepish nod and went to work.
“What’s the next step?” Seena asked, turning to Corbin.
He laughed. “Why do people keep asking me that? I have no idea.”
Seena frowned but nodded. She was about to say something else, but her tablet rang. “Damn, Ren. That was fast.”
Ren looked confused. “I haven’t even found the right contact yet.”
Seena raised an eyebrow but hit the accept button. “Hello, General. I was just about to call you.”
“Miss Lieu,” the general sounded a little worried, “I have a report on my desk saying that your father is dead. Is this some kind of joke?”
“No, it’s not a joke, unfortunately. I saw it happen with my own eyes. He and a group of his men came out to the battle happening on Rush, and he was killed trying to save us all.” She gave Corbin a shrug that said so much he gave up trying to whittle out its meaning. “That means I’m the last surviving Lieu. In those circumstances, the company and all its holdings fall to me.”
Corbin went a little white. He hadn’t thought of that. They literally just went from rebels to owning the whole farm in the blink of an eye. Things were about to change in a big way.
“That’s correct, ma’am.” The general had done a one-eighty. He now knew the order of things, and he seemed like a man who needed to know exactly where the buck stopped.
“Good. I am declaring a state of emergency.” Seena hopped off the cot and began to pace. “In the colony charter it is clearly stated that during a state of emergency, colony-wide decisions are to be made by the head of the Lieu Corporation.”
“Yes, ma’am. That’s the way it works. So you already got the report then?”
Seena cocked her head to the side. “I don't follow you, general. What report? You know what, hold that. The first thing we need to do is evacuate Rush. The whole population. We have a thing on the loose down there that’s going to eventually kill everything on the planet. I need every boat we have getting people off Rush and over to Vale.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He sounded confused. “What do you want to do about the fleet coming out from Nhi?”
“What fleet—” Her and Corbin's eyes went wide. “It’s happening now? Shit. How long do we have?”
“Uh,” the general sounded like he was flipping through screens on his tablet. “Right now, they seem to be massing in Nhi’s high orbit. We estimate that they could be here on Cinder in fifteen hours, but we have no idea how long until they have the whole fleet organized. Our best guess is somewhere between twenty-four and seventy-two hours.”
Seena stepped to the ship’s comm and hit the button for the cockpit. “Pilot, change of plans. Head for the military base on Cinder, and get us there as fast as you can.”
The pilot acknowledged and they all stumbled a little as the dropship quickly picked up speed.
Seena told the general to expect them, then hung up.
Seena wrapped her arms around Corbin and rested her cheek on his chest. “On a scale from one to ten, how screwed do you think we are?”
Corbin put his hands on her back and thought that over for a second. “On a scale from one to ten, I would say rotten brussels sprouts.”
She laughed. “Yeah, that seems about right.”
About the Authors
Charles Case
Charles is a writer
He writes books
He once ate an entire pizza then ran through the streets shouting to anyone that would listen that he was full.
Satisfaction comes easy for those who find satisfaction satisfying.
Charles really doesn't know what to write here... He made up that part about running through the streets and yelling. He has done that, but not after eating an entire pizza; though he has done that as well. Actually, everything so far is true, just not in the right order... That happens a lot.
If you're still reading this, Charles feels like you might be going through a tremendously boring time in your life, and recommends picking up a book. He just so happens to have a few you can choose from. If you don't like his books, then there are a few million on Amazon you can peruse at your own leisure. Though, if you don't like his books, why are you here? Why are any of us here? Is the universe just a simulation that will be reset when we die, like the restarting of the worst/best game in history?
Sorry, Charles may have gone down a Wikipedia rab
bit hole last night, starting with 'Brown Bananas' and ending up with 'The Heat Death of the Universe'. it was a long night...
If you have any questions feel free to reach out and ask Charles, he might even show you how to make pancakes.
Justin Sloan
Justin Sloan is the bestselling author of the Space Fantasy and Superhero series SHADOW CORPS, BIOTECH WARS, and coauthor of the vampire post-apocalyptic series RECLAIMING HONOR (A Kurtherian Gambit series) with Michael Anderle.
He also writes video games with credits on games such as Game of Thrones and Walking Dead, and has sold/optioned several screenplays/teleplays. Because of his five years in the U.S. Marines, you just might find some of his Devil Dog attitude coming to play in his novels. Justin's books are available in audio and print editions, and he has sold Turkish and French rights to several of his series.
You can also find Justin’s fan group on FB. Enjoy!
More Superhero Books?
To learn more about superhero books, talk to authors including myself, and just have an awesome time, please join the Superlit FB Group..
Link Here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/SuperLit/