In Ice We Burn (The Liftsal Guardians Book 1)

by Alexandra Moody

  She was still struggling against the arms that held her, but slowly she began to nod and her shoulders slouched with defeat. She didn’t particularly feel threatened by Murphy, but she knew this was one fight she wouldn’t win.

  ‘And you,’ Murphy said as he turned to Skinner, who was still smirking despite the blood that dripped from his face. ‘Do you have a problem with my orders?’

  Skinner blanched. ‘No, sir.’

  ‘Then stop complaining about them or you can stay behind with the other teenage girl.’

  There were several soft murmurs of laughter at this, and Skinner threw a glare at Sloane that was filled with loathing. She rolled her eyes at him and retreated to the back of the habitat so she could sit and listen to the rest of the briefing in peace.

  It was probably for the best she didn’t go with the group. She’d probably end up killing Skinner if she were stuck with him on a trek. They hadn’t even been on Aeris for two days, and she was already contemplating whether she’d prefer to finish him off quickly or if she’d want to draw it out and really make him suffer. Probably the latter.

  Once Murphy ended his mission brief, the four men didn’t waste any time about leaving. They had their packs gathered and they were ready to set out less than an hour after the meeting finished.

  Sloane stood at the edge of the camp to watch them go. Even after they’d disappeared behind the trees, she stood there looking after them. She resented that she hadn’t been chosen to help, and the attitude of the men who were selected left her feeling cold. She’d listened to them as they’d prepared to leave. While the rest of the group hadn’t been as blunt as Skinner, they’d all seemed more concerned with gathering supplies and attempting to re-establish communication with the Explorer than the missing team.

  Ash and his team should be their first priority—their only priority—and they barely seemed concerned that they had vanished.

  When she returned to the habitat, the other men were all rushing around inside the tent. ‘What’s happening?’ she asked Wilson, who was sitting on his bed.

  ‘They’re planning to start exploring, to see if they can find any food to sustain us.’

  Her eyes narrowed and she turned to watch the others’ movements. They were loading small packs, checking their weapons and looking over the map they had of the area. It looked like they were nearly ready to go, and no one had bothered to come and tell her.

  Sloane made a beeline for Murphy. ‘Need some help?’ she asked.

  ‘Yeah, you can stay here and help Lynch man the camp while we go out and recon the area. We need someone else to stay with Wilson.’

  She felt Murphy’s rejection like a slap across the face, but her mind quickly moved past it and onto the opportunity his departure would give her. With the others gone, she’d have a chance to forage some supplies and there would be no one to stop her from following the team who’d just left.

  ‘If you’re leaving me with Wilson and Lynch, can you at least leave me with a gun?’ she asked. ‘Wilson can’t fight and Lynch isn’t much better. I’d like to have a small chance of defending them if I need.’

  Murphy hesitated but eventually nodded and passed her the gun he had stashed in the back of his pants. Sloane tried not to show surprise on her face as she took it. No way in hell did she think he’d actually pass it over. Especially after she’d attempted to rearrange Skinner’s face earlier.

  ‘And if someone could help me bring Wilson outside before you leave … it’s much nicer out there, and I think it makes him feel better.’

  Murphy nodded. ‘Get Dean to help you.’ His eyes then flickered down to the gun in her hand. ‘And please try not to shoot anyone while I’m gone.’

  CHAPTER SIX

  Sloane stared up into the bright blue sky as she lay on her back on Aries’ mossy earth and listened intently to the sound of Lynch rattling around inside the habitat. It felt like hours since Murphy’s team had left for their recon mission, and she still hadn’t found an opportunity to scavenge some supplies and track the other group to Ash’s pod.

  This mission wasn’t going at all like she’d planned. They were supposed to land by Ash’s pod, making the initial search for him easy. The fact that it was hours away was one problem. The other problem was that nobody trusted her to be of any use. She wasn’t going to let either obstacle stop her though.

  The team would be nearly at Ash’s pod by now, so she would have to leave soon. Their trail shouldn’t be too hard to follow, but she didn’t have a map and wasn’t too keen on the idea of getting lost on an alien planet.

  ‘They’ll find them,’ Wilson said, from where he sat in the grass a few feet away.

  She shrugged, not wanting to reply. She didn’t trust the men Murphy had sent to find Ash and his crew. Murphy had briefed them to search for a few hours before they returned with supplies. That wasn’t nearly enough time to spend on something so important. They may not even get a clue of what had happened in that time. More than ever she wished she were with them.

  ‘Where’s Perry?’ Wilson asked, taking Sloane by surprise.

  She wished he’d gotten the hint that she didn’t want to talk and stayed silent. Perry was the last thing she wanted to talk about on Aeris. She’d been dodging questions from the others about him ever since they landed. If they knew the truth, they would consider her a traitor for what she’d done to him. Especially considering the fact she didn’t even know if he had survived.

  Wilson cleared his throat when she didn’t answer him.

  ‘Probably still looking for his space suit,’ she responded, sitting herself up but still not turning to look at Wilson. She didn’t like outright lying to him, but it was better he was left in the dark.

  ‘Is he okay?’

  She shrugged in response. ‘He’ll live.’ Perhaps.

  ‘Why would you steal his spot?’ There was barely concealed anger in his voice. He’d been training with Perry for months, probably considered him a friend, and she’d hurt him, stolen his suit and risked everything to get aboard the drop pod.

  ‘I needed to be on this mission,’ she said. ‘My brother’s missing. How could I stay behind?’ she asked, her voice deep with unexpected emotion.

  He frowned and looked out towards the trees. ‘You jeopardised everything. Why couldn’t you trust our team to find him?’ he asked. His question hung in the air, and she could feel his disapproval radiating off of him.

  Sloane chewed down on her lower lip as she watched him but then turned to look out into the trees. She didn’t know how to respond to his question. A part of her wondered the same thing. Why couldn’t she leave it in their hands? Did she really have so little trust in everyone but herself?

  Her stomach tightened, and she rested her chin on her knees. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust them; it was the fact she knew they had other objectives on this mission. Ash deserved at least one person on this planet who would make finding him their sole priority.

  She also couldn’t stand the idea of a team being sent who weren’t as skilled as her. She knew that she was better trained and more capable than most of the men on this team, and if anyone could find him, it would be her.

  She snuck another glance at Wilson. She thought he was one of the few crewmembers who were beginning to warm to her, but seeing the way he glared into the forest now, she could tell that she was wrong.

  She quickly dismissed the thought and climbed to her feet. She was running out of time and needed to get some supplies from inside the habitat, whether Lynch was still in there or not. She was about to make her way to the entrance when a crackling noise erupted from the radio at Wilson’s side.

  ‘Skinner to Murphy.’ Skinner’s voice sounded over the radio. After a moment his voice came again. ‘I repeat, Skinner to Murphy.’

  ‘Go ahead.’ Murphy’s reply sounded back from the radio clearly. Sloane’s heart raced as she waited for Skinner’s response. Had his team reached the other pod? Was he standing with her brother? She’
d risked so much to be on this mission to make sure Ash was okay.

  ‘We’ve just arrived at the pod, and it’s deserted,’ Skinner said. ‘Alpha team are gone. Over.’

  ‘What do you mean they’re gone? Over.’ Murphy’s voice crackled back through the radio.

  ‘I mean they’re not here,’ Skinner responded. ‘There’s no sign of them. The pod has been abandoned, and there’s no sign anyone has been here for days. Over.’

  Sloane froze to the spot, allowing Skinner’s crackled words to rush over her skin. It wasn’t just a possibility anymore. Her brother was missing. He and his team were gone, and she needed to get to that pod and track him down fast.

  There was a pause before Murphy spoke. ‘Copy that. Salvage what you can and return to base. Over.’

  ‘Roger Wilco,’ Skinner replied. ‘Over and out.’

  Silence followed the conversation, and not even the wind rustled the leaves in the trees around them as the truth sunk in. Ash was gone.

  Sloane glared at the radio, hating it for the bad news it had conveyed. A small part of her had hoped that it was simply some mechanical problem that had caused the lack of communication. Deep down she had known it was something more than that though. Either way, she needed to get to the pod and see it for herself more than ever now. She began to make her way back to the habitat.

  ‘Did you see that?’ Wilson called from behind her. Sloane turned to look at the man, sitting in the grass. He was pointing his finger out towards the trees on the other side of the clearing and his face had drained of all colour.

  ‘See what?’ Sloane pulled the gun from the back of her pants and spun to face the direction Wilson was pointing in one swift movement.

  ‘I thought I saw something move in the woods over there.’ He said the words quietly as if scared he’d be overheard.

  ‘It’s probably just the others,’ Sloane responded. She didn’t feel certain though. Murphy’s team hadn’t been gone long, and Skinner’s team were still at the pod.

  ‘Are you going to check it out?’ Wilson asked.

  Sloane hesitated. She didn’t want to leave Wilson out there alone, but the idea of some unknown entity being near their camp was even more concerning.

  ‘Lynch, get out here,’ she called, causing the lanky scientist to rush out of the habitat and join them. ‘Wilson saw something in the woods, so I’m going to go take a look.’

  Lynch’s eyes shot to the woods. ‘Is that really a good idea? There shouldn’t be anything out there,’ he said. He sounded terrified and a little pathetic. Sloane hated seeing weakness in others and thought Wilson would probably be better off without the guy, even with his injuries.

  ‘I’m sure it’s nothing. I’d like to check it out all the same.’

  Lynch nodded and his gaze flickered nervously towards the woods again, fear colouring his cheeks. Such a pansy.

  Sloane took off at a light jog in the direction Wilson had pointed. It was over towards where their pod had crashed. She slowed as she neared the wreckage. The afternoon light threw long shadows across the area. Not a breath of wind disturbed the silence that saturated the air around the remains. It was cooler there, almost as if the charred and terrible ruin had caused the very air to shiver.

  The earth surrounding the pod was covered in glittering, dark cinders and the trees that looked onto the crash site were singed from the explosion. They almost seemed to bend away from the area, recoiling from the horror the small place had experienced.

  Her gaze barely settled on the pod as she surveyed the area for signs of what Wilson had seen. She hoped he was imagining things, but there had been a moment yesterday when she could have sworn she’d seen something too. A bad feeling twisted in her gut. Maybe this planet wasn’t as empty as they’d been led to believe. Could that have something to do with Ash’s mysterious disappearance?

  As she neared the outer edge of the clearing, Sloane noticed several small shoots of grass had been disturbed. She bent down to examine the broken blades. The way they were damaged indicated footfall heading in the direction of the trees.

  Her eyes lifted to survey the still woods. She couldn’t sense anything nearby or feel any eyes watching her, hidden from sight in the silent trees. That only meant whatever she was following had gotten a head start. A smile tugged at the corner of her lips. She’d always loved the chase.

  She stood and moved soundlessly into the woods. She wasn’t supposed to leave the camp, but a thrill rushed through her as she entered the trees. She couldn’t leave the first response team so exposed, she reasoned. If there was someone, or something, out there, they needed to know what it was. She couldn’t stop until she found out what was going on. Yes, Murphy would have to agree with that.

  There was only a hint of a trail for her to follow, but if anyone could pick up on the small signs of disturbance, it was Sloane. She was following subtle clues in the path; pebbles that had been upturned; stones that had been pressed into the ground and areas where the dirt had been scuffed.

  The woods on this planet were stranger than Sloane had first realised. The trees all grew equidistant apart, like they’d been planted in perfect rows, and there were many small circular clearings within the trees similar to the one they had crashed in. It was curious, but Sloane didn’t have time to consider the phenomenon. She was too busy eyeing her surrounds and staying alert for any movements in the woods.

  She trekked for an hour before the trail ran totally dry. She swore under her breath as she continued to search for any other sign of what she hunted. Something had definitely been by their camp, and she wanted to know what it was. It nearly killed her that she’d lost the trail. She hadn’t failed to track a quarry in years.

  She was about to begin her walk back when something glinted through the trees and caught her eye. Her guard went up immediately, and she moved to cover behind the closest tree. As she slowly peered around the trunk to get a better look, she startled. On the other side of the tree was the strangest thing she’d ever seen.

  There was a large square of air that shimmered in the clearing. It was framed with small balls of startling blue light that danced along the edge of it and glittered as the light from the two suns hit them. The shimmering square itself reminded her of a mirage, similar to the air that would sometimes waver above the road on an intensely hot day back on Earth. It had an indistinct quality to it, and she was unable to depict anything behind it clearly.

  She scoped the clearing before judging it empty and then stepped out from behind her tree. The enigma was alien and beautiful. As Sloane got closer to the mirage, it seemed to change in appearance. At certain angles, where the woods beyond were blocked by the shimmering square, the trees disappeared and Sloane thought she could see snow. She shook her head, convinced she was seeing things. There was no way this thing was possible.

  When she reached the shimmering air pocket, she slowly began to reach her hand out towards it. An icy cold breath of air whipped out from the mirage and touched her fingers. Her eyes were wide as she looked at her hand. But then she caught sight of movement out of the corner of her eye. Within seconds her gun was up and she was crouched down as she pointed the barrel at the man who stood across the clearing.

  Sloane breathed heavily, and despite her shock her hands were steady around the pistol.

  ‘Who are you?’ she growled at the man.

  He was tall; maybe half a foot taller than her, which was unusual. She was considered unnaturally tall by most and usually towered over men. The man stood there casually, but Sloane could tell by his stance and the way he held himself that he was a fighter and ready to move at any second.

  His dark hair fell in perfect waves and his ice blue eyes were the colour of a glacier that had been pierced by sunlight. They held a strength that could only come from a leader and a certainty that came from someone who rarely failed. Sloane’s jaw tightened as she tried not to notice his flawless features.

  ‘WHO ARE YOU?’ she repeated, when he made no
move to respond.

  Sloane’s mind went into overdrive as she tried to make sense of the situation. Had another ship been sent to Aeris? She eyed the man’s features again, this time in an attempt to pick his heritage and what language he may speak. He didn’t fit any profile she recognised though, and she wasn’t about to repeat herself in fifteen different tongues to try and elicit a response from him.

  He looked human, but there was something different about him. His eyes were too big and the colour too light to be human. He had a jawline that was more firm and chiselled than anyone she had ever seen on Earth. He was the tallest man she’d come across and his chest was broader than any she’d seen before. The combination of his features was too perfect and that made him more alien than any one thing.

  He took a step towards her, and she lowered the safety on her gun.

  ‘Don’t you dare come a step closer. I will shoot!’ she exclaimed.

  He stepped closer again. Was this guy mad? It didn’t matter whether or not he spoke English; surely her tone and use of a firearm was enough of a warning to stay away.

  As he continued to move towards her, Sloane took a fraction of a second to weigh her options. The man wasn’t armed and wasn’t making any move to hurt her, but he also wasn’t speaking or showing any acknowledgement of the gun she had pointed at his head. She couldn’t let him go, especially if he’d been loitering around their camp since they arrived. If he was from Aeris, maybe he had something to do with Ash’s disappearance. She’d have to bring him back to the others, and they’d want to try to talk to him, so he’d need to be alive.

  The corner of her lip lifted in a smile. Now for the part she enjoyed the most.

  When he got close enough, she moved into action, throwing her arm up to slam the pistol against his head. He easily deflected the blow, sending the gun flying from her hands, and lowered into a fighter’s crouch. A smile also touched his lips. She was finally speaking a language he understood.

  He whipped his leg round at her at lightening speed, and she only just managed to dodge it, diving out of his way and rolling on the ground before coming up in a crouch.