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Sky City (The Rise of an Orphan)

Page 52

by RD Hale


  Proceeding to the periphery of the spacestation, we reach a circular corridor which contains windows to the stars and hundreds of sealed doors where escape pods have been ejected. We run towards one of the few remaining capsules and I punch a red button on the wall to its side.

  The door to outer-space hisses and comrades scramble beneath rising metal. Turbo's fizzing physique slumps but Anguson drags him to safety by his ankles and I cannot control these shuddering muscles as the door closes. I am released from the paralysing grip of a phaser beam, only to be met by the sight of dozens of emerging apemen.

  As I brace myself for blackness an unbearably loud scream emerges from the sealed escape capsule and I watch in disbelief as floating primates distort as though crossing the event horizon of a blackhole.

  Flames streak past and my forehead sweats from the heat of the magnificent phoenix now floating before our enemies. A chain of plasma surges from ape limb to ape limb and just as the escape pod is released the apemen explode in a torrent of blood and guts which splatters on my face.

  These aching legs sprint with Mila still sleeping on my shoulder, but a colossal punch smashes my skull against the outer window and my fragile cargo drops to the ground. Unhurt, but infuriated, I tear an arm clean from the apeman's gushing shoulder socket to bludgeon his lumpy head into unconsciousness.

  Phaser fire stiffens my body but I focus through the relatively low intensity beam to throw the severed arm, knocking the weapon from the shooter's grasp.

  Leaping oncoming fire, I flying kick an apeman and then body slam another endomorphic henchman into his hapless ally. I grab the sleeping princess before our incapacitated enemies awaken, carrying her to another unused escape pod and I hammer my fist on the red button. Several apemen emerge at the far end of the corridor and as they glance around I drop to the cold floor, but the hissing door takes an eternity to sufficiently rise.

  'Self-destruct in sixty seconds.'

  The door rises enough to push Mila under, but as I roll into the escape pod my body is struck by yet more phaser fire which scrambles my internal components. Trembling, I stretch up until numbed fingers reach the launch button and I pull my trailing leg to safety. Enemy boots emerge but the door seals shut and there is a swishing sound as we are catapulted out of Orbital City. The twin-spiked oblate spheroid rapidly shrinks as we drift into open space. Then four horrible words enter my mind:

  INEVITABILITY LEADS TO DESTRUCTION.

  A tiny capsule shelters us from the blood-boiling vacuum of infinity. And there is a blinding light as anti-matter contained within the core converts the space station into pure energy.

  Suddenly I feel the true extent of the battering my reconstructed body has taken. Every part is tender, painful to the touch and far from indestructible. A stinging headache impairs my recently gained mental capacity and these blurry eyes squint repeatedly at the precious, exhausted girl nestled in my arms. The delicate face I never expected to see again is so perfect, regardless of her swollen cheek.

  Despite her sometimes intentional cruelty and the repeated rejection I can see only glimpses, only true love. And I cannot believe I am a fool, although this is no doubt how anyone would perceive me if they knew of our history.

  'Mila... Mila...'

  She does not respond and tears well in my eyes, because I just need her to be alright so I can be given one more chance to repair the bonds previously forged, to reinforce the few unbroken chainlinks still interconnecting our hearts. And her unstirring sleep causes unconscionable anxiety.

  Minutes pass. Numbing. Lost. In time and space. She remains motionless and my failing vision cannot tell whether she is even breathing. Unable to move or help her, I am shutting down again. But then I see a flicker of eyelashes. My face inches closer and starlight reaches into eyes which sparkle vivaciously as her frail body clings to life. And without saying a word she acknowledges the unconditional driving force of love. Joyous tears pour because I know this is the real version of my forever demanding soulmate. The bewitching inhabitant of those blissful memories.

  'I did it... I did it...'

  'Wh... where... am... I?'

  'We're free, we're... drifting through space.' I stroke her face with the back of my fingers.

  'Did we... Is this the end?'

  'The end? No... This is only the beginning.'

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