by Kory Shen
Don't worry, Dustin. I'm recording it all for you.
I didn't have to reply. Zoe knew I was a hypocrite about these things.
Someone, likely Stella, made a loud exasperated sigh.
"What?" Claire asked. "Who knows how long we're going to be stuck together here. Might as well get comfortable."
The bathroom door creaked open. Kayla's voice rang through the cargo bay.
"Dustin, care to join me?"
"Damn it, I should have thought of that," Claire muttered.
I stared hard at the footlocker, shaking my head. "Uh, that's okay. Looks crowded in there."
"Not too crowded for us," Kayla said. "I'll leave the door unlocked." The door swung shut with a gentle thud.
Is it safe yet?
Hold on, Dustin. I haven't started yet.
Started? Zoe. Zoe! What are you doing?
"Look, Zoe wants to play with Claire!" Nikki cried.
I snuck a glance to see Zoe walking up to a still naked and wet Claire.
Zoe! Stop that!
There was a surprised gasp.
"Aw, Zoe, you naughty girl," Claire giggled.
Nikki laughed. "Did she just—"
"Zoe!" I roared. "Get over here."
A few seconds later, Zoe joined me on the footlocker, snuggling against me.
Claire's putting her uniform on now. You sure you don't want a better look? She's bending—
Stop it, Zoe.
I leaned backwards on the footlocker, realized my mistake, and turned over, acting like I was trying to sleep.
Sometime later, the bathroom door swung open. I didn't budge.
"Looking good, Kayla," someone said.
Dustin, you don't want to miss this. Kayla's wearing her snake and—
It took all of my willpower not to ask Zoe to share her view.
Oh god. It was going to be a long night.
***
By the time I finished washing up, it was past three in the morning. Someone had pounded on the bathroom door while I was in the middle of my shower. When I had cracked the door open, a towel wrapped around my waist, it had turned out to be Nikki. She had snatched my towel, the only remaining one, and raced away, cackling. A few minutes later, someone returned it. I had only seen the hand stick past the crack in the doorway, but I had known it belonged to Stella.
After that, the rest of the night had been relatively uneventful. I woke up to the sound of someone banging on the walls of the cargo bay.
"Rise and shine!" Drake said. "Time for your morning workout!" He pointed at me. "Hunter? Really?"
I rubbed my groggy eyes with my hands. "What?" I looked down and realized that I wasn't snuggled against Zoe. Nikki and Claire were sleeping next to me on the cargo bay's floor. Zoe peeped her head down at me from the footlocker next to us.
You could have woken me! Done something!
But you looked so cute together.
I scrambled away from the girls. Nikki sleepily raised her hands and stretched, jutting her pert chest forward. Claire buried her face, still half-asleep, in the crook of Nikki's neck.
"Nothing happened. I swear, I didn't know they were there." I glanced around at the others. They were staring at me. Stella turned away. Mia blushed and did the same.
"Nice salute," Julie said a little too casually, nodding towards my lower half.
I glanced downward, then raised my one leg and hopped over to the side of the footlocker. God damn it.
Zoe! Get in front of me!
Zoe didn't move.
Zoe! Zoe!
"It's the morning," I said.
Drake glared at me.
"Come on, man. I mean, sir. You know how it is in the morning." I smiled weakly.
Drake's glare intensified. "Hunter! I want a hundred pushups from you. Now!"
***
After Drake put us through a brief workout, he gave us an update.
"Last night's attack proved we're too vulnerable," Drake said. "I can't trust that the Mekanics haven't penetrated the other major bases. But there are a few people I do trust. We'll be linking up with another Beastmaster squad."
There were excited whispers among the girls. Other than Drake and Staccato, if you counted him, we hadn't really interacted with other full-fledged Beastmasters.
"Can you tell us anything about who we'll be meeting?" Mia asked.
"We went through the Academy together. I'm sure they'd be happy to answer all your questions when we arrive." Drake narrowed his eyes. "Try not to embarrass me."
He looked at me when said that, didn't he?
Do you want me to play it back for you? Or play back something else? Zoe wiggled her tail provocatively.
No, nevermind. Nevermind.
"Any news on the Academy?" Julie asked.
Drake shook his head. "I'm afraid not. There's some word that there may be survivors, but I don't have much more." He checked his wrist. "We'll land in half an hour. Pack your bags, if you have any, and be ready to roll." Drake left.
Some of the others started chattering. I walked over to Stella, who was packing her large bag.
"Stella. About this morning…" I began.
Stella stopped packing to look up at me. "You don't have to apologize for Nikki and Claire. I know what they're like."
"Right," I said awkwardly. I nodded toward her bag. "You sure brought a lot, didn't you? I bet the other girls are jealous. Claire was complaining that she couldn't do her hair properly without—"
Stella gave me a flat look. She beckoned to me with a finger, then unzipped her bag. Inside were…suitcases. The kind that Dr. Hill had used. Stella tapped a gray case. "Boosters. Two of them."
"Boosters? You got those from Dr. Hill?" I immediately regretted mentioning Dr. Hill. "Sorry," I mumbled. Damn it. "Um, do you want to talk about it?"
Stella shrugged and stopped packing. She leaned against the wall. I sat down next to her and waited.
"I never knew my real parents," Stella said. "She's the only one I remember."
"Same here," I said. "But who cares about a bunch of people who didn't stick around. How was she? As a mom?"
Stella smiled faintly. "The same as she usually is."
"So a hardass, stone-cold bitch?"
Stella's eyes widened in surprise. For a second, I was worried whether I had gone too far, but then, she chuckled. "Yeah, that's about it."
"Makes sense, with how you turned out."
"Oh?" Stella raised an eyebrow. "Are you calling me a—"
"Nah," I said with a grin. "You're, like, all there. Focused, smart. It seems like you always know what you're doing. I wish I was like that."
Stella moved an inch closer to me, her arm and leg were pressing into mine, her brown hair brushing my cheek. "Go on," she said.
"I mean, like none of the other girls have it all together. Except maybe Mia. She is on top of things, too."
Stella twisted her head, shifting slightly away from. "You definitely don't know what you're doing."
Zoe groaned in my head. Dustin…
"I know. I'm not like you guys. I just…make it up as I go. Stumble forward." I could salvage it. I put my left arm around Stella, pulling her closer. She didn't resist.
Stella smiled. "Don't be so hard on yourself. You've made it this far."
Yeah, see Zoe? Zoe yawned in response. I laughed. "Even Zoe thinks she can do better than me."
Miney crawled from Stella's shoulder to mine, then ran down my belly, settling in my lap. "Miney's the same," Stella said with a sigh. "Miney, don't bother him."
Miney squeaked while running in circles around my lap. Stella reached for the ferret, but Miney burrowed its claws in the inner thighs of my suit as Stella pulled the ferret away.
I winced at the sudden sharp pain and withdrew my arm from Stella.
"Miney!" Stella scolded, giving the ferret a light tap on the back of its head. The ferret squeaked once more, then let go and ran back onto Stella's shoulder.
Stella shook a fing
er at the ferret. "No, I am not!"
I stared. Stella glanced at me. "Sorry, Miney's—"
"Was Miney talking with you?" I asked.
Miney squeaked. Stella looked flustered. "We all talk to our Avatars, don't we?"
"But—"
Stella reached out and held my hand. "Dustin. I…I'm not ready for some things." She let go of my hand, then leaned over and gave me a peck on the cheek. "Thanks for cheering me up."
She abruptly stood and raised her voice so that the others could hear. "I have an extra round of recovery charges for everyone. Our bodies should be ready for them by tomorrow."
Zoe, did you see that?
Zoe was upright, no longer lazing around. Her ears were pointing forward. Interesting.
The other girls walked over.
"Nice. Every little bit counts in a fight," Julie said.
"Damn, girl," Claire said. "You really came prepared. We barely had any time to get ready."
"Thank you," Mia said. "That was very thoughtful." The others murmured in agreement.
I watched as Stella displayed the syringes, then packed them away. Zoe? What do you think?
Not even on the mouth? Bleh. Good effort, though.
Not that, Zoe.
Zoe swiped playfully at Miney once, then leaped onto a footlocker. I frowned as I joined the golden cat. So that's how it was.
***
Half an hour later, the vectorjet landed in a rocky valley. The cargo bay opened, and the seven of us plus Drake walked out onto the stony ground.
Drake was in a better mood than usual.
"He looks happy," I whispered to Stella.
Drake heard me. He nodded. "It's been too long since I've seen them. They're a good group."
"Is there a base here?" Mia asked.
Drake had a small device in his hand. He clicked it. The rocky valley wall in front of us shimmered, revealing a large metal door, enough to fit the entire vectorjet. "That way. It's a minor outpost, not a proper base, but still well-equipped. Now we wait for them."
As Drake finished speaking, the metal door began rising with a mechanical whine, revealing moving shapes on the other side.
With the bright sunshine outside, it took a moment for our eyes to adjust to the dark interior of the outpost's entrance.
Zoe saw them first. No. It's a trap!
For a brief moment, no one spoke. Then, Drake melded, roaring in fury.
In front of us were Cody and Staccato in their Beastforms, five twisted bodies piled at their feet.
Cody shook his bloody jaws at us, growling. "Hey, ladies. Little-D. Miss me?"
CHAPTER 14
"Get back on the jet!" Drake shouted. "Go! Go!"
Julie melded and took a step forward, but Drake swatted her backwards in the direction of the vectorjet. "Get him away from here!" he screamed.
We all knew who he meant. Me.
Without waiting for us to reply, he launched himself at Cody and Staccato.
The rest of us had melded, and we retreated towards the vectorjet.
I caught a glimpse of Staccato's bug-like Beastform colliding with Drake.
So the report had been right. Staccato had survived.
Something's different about Cody…
I didn't have time to check what Zoe meant, though. We ran up the cargo bay's ramp, piling inside. Claire unmelded and ran towards the front of the vectorjet.
"I'll get us in the air!" Claire shouted.
Claire knew how to fly the vectorjet? I guess I shouldn't have been surprised.
Julie crouched near the door as it began to close.
"Julie," Mia warned. "We have our orders." She pointed her turtle beak at me. "He's the priority."
Fuck. We were leaving Drake behind because of me. I moved closer to the closing doors. We couldn't abandon him like that. I took another step towards it. Maybe—
Someone nudged me away from the door. It was Stella. "Dustin. He can take care of himself."
She's right. I hope.
I didn't like the sound of that. What did you mean before, that Cody's different?
The cargo bay slammed shut with a final, echoing boom.
He was carrying something. I don't know.
Zoe sent a mental picture of Cody's Beastform. He was the same gray bulldog as before, but there was a glare from his back, like the sunlight had caught something metallic there.
It didn't matter. I couldn't see him with the closed door. The vectorjet's engines started to rumble.
Our priority was getting away. Drake would find us afterwards. It's not like Staccato and Cody could fly.
Nikki had unmelded and was back at the command console, tapping away. "I'll peek into the external cameras," Nikki said.
I hadn't realized Nikki was so good with computers, either. Everyone was stepping up, damn it. I hated standing around doing nothing.
The rest of us unmelded and joined her. An image of Drake grappling with Staccato appeared on the screen. The image of the battle below started to shrink as the vectorjet took off.
"What's that?" Stella asked, looking over Nikki's shoulder. She pointed at a corner of the screen.
"That's Cody!" Julie shouted. "Meld!"
The gray ball grew larger on the screen until I recognized the familiar cannonball attack.
I melded an instant before something struck the vectorjet, tilting the craft.
"Hang on!" Claire said over the speakers.
The vectorjet righted itself, then slowly steadied.
"Where's Cody?" I asked.
Stella unmelded and checked the command console. "Back on the ground," Stella said.
The other girls and I unmelded. Kayla sighed in relief.
"We made it?" Nikki asked.
"We just have to wait for Drake to catch up with us," Julie said.
"Drake can probably handle Staccato. And Cody, too," I said.
Staccato had been much stronger than me the last time I had fought him, but Drake was similarly beyond my level. I figured it was a fair fight. And Cody was basically another recruit.
I wouldn't be so sure about that. We don't know what's happened to them since we've last seen them.
"Do you see any other enemies?" Mia asked. "I can take over the vectorjet, so Claire can cover us from outside."
"Nothing," Nikki said. "Wait. Is that Drake?"
The rest of us crowded around the screen. Something was flying towards us.
Can Mekanics fly?
They developed interstellar travel, Dustin.
Right.
"There are three of them," Mia said.
"Shit," Julie said. "We're sitting ducks here. Except for Claire."
"That's Drake," I said. A bulky silver form crashed into one of the three approaching figures. The two others continued towards us.
We stumbled as the vectorjet accelerated hard.
"Uh, so what's the plan?" Claire asked over the speakers. "I don't think I can outrun them."
Zoe, any idea what we're up against?
Flyers and other specialist forms are typically Grade C or higher.
Higher? Damn!
"Bad news," I said. "There's a good chance those are Grade C or higher. There's no way we can take them on."
"How do you know that?" Julie asked.
"Trust me," I said.
"I don't think even Drake can take on multiple Grade C Mekanics," Mia said.
Stella gave me a strange look. "We can't outrun them. And there's nowhere to hide in the skies."
I'm sure I wasn't the only one remembering Drake's lesson.
"Fuck. What the hell are a bunch of Grade C's doing here anyway?" Julie asked.
Kayla nodded towards me. "Him. They want Dustin, so we can't let them get him."
No one spoke for a while. We stared at the screen. The two figures were getting closer and closer. They would attack soon, and it would be over. Maybe Claire would be able to get a few of us to safety, but I doubted even Mia could survive a fall from this heigh
t without zeroing. With a couple Mekanics on the loose, not to mention Cody and Staccato, that would be it. Game over.
Even if we somehow all managed to cling to Claire, it would be easy to pick us off.
I had to do something. I had to help them.
No, Dustin. That's a bad idea.
It's the only idea I have. You with me, Zoe?
She sent a mental sigh. Aren't you afraid of heights?
Terrified.
Stella was by the command console. "Stella, open the cargo bay," I said.
"What are you up to?" she asked.
"Just do it. We don't have time."
Mia stepped in front of me. "The mission is to keep you safe."
"Fuck the mission," Julie snapped. "What's the plan? What are we doing?"
"Not this time, Julie. It's me they want."
Stella screamed at me. "You're doing it again. Don't hold back on us. We're soldiers, too!" Her eyes were red, bleary.
"I know, damn it. But we're outmatched here."
Kayla pushed Stella aside and tapped the command console. The cargo bay doors creaked open.
"I'll do whatever you want," Kayla said. "Remember?" She forced a tight smile.
"What's he doing?" Nikki asked.
"Something stupid," Stella said. She turned away from the others, hiding her face.
The wind roared as the cargo bay opened fully. I could see the Mekanics pursuing us. It was now or never.
I sprinted towards the open exit and jumped while melding at the same time.
The rushing air around me sounded like someone screaming. It was screaming. I was screaming.
I fell.
The ground loomed in the distance, little trees like miniature broccoli. They grew bigger and bigger as I plunged through the sky.
Can I Phase Shift, uh, through the Earth.
Don't be silly, Dustin. You knew there's only one way you're getting out of this.
I could make out a new sound, a mechanical whine above the roar of the wind.
They're coming.
I could see the Mekanics clearly now. They were humanoid in form, roughly the size of a tall person, but they had sharp stiff wings like fighter jets extending from their backs.
Metal angels of death.
They swooped towards me head first, arms outstretched. I flinched inwardly as the closest one grabbed me with its metal hands.