A moment later, Tar’Lock was at his side. “Is that wise?” he asked doubtfully.
“I don’t really care,” Chase replied. “He might just get to live for another few minutes depending on how things go inside this hell hole, but I didn’t want to be the one who drew his last breath. He was only doing his job after all. We’re the intruders here.”
Tar’Lock nodded but stared at Chase speculatively. “I must admit it was an impressive takedown.”
“Yeah, I’m starting to get used to my powers.”
The insect made an impressed clicking sound. “I’d hate to be on the wrong side of things, whether you master them or not.”
Chase chuckled. “Well, I don’t know you very well, but I doubt that will happen. I really appreciate your help and hope you can stay with us when we reach Earth.”
“Is that an official invitation?”
“Did it sound like anything else?”
It was Tar’Lock’s turn to laugh. “I’m sorry. After years in this place, I’m not used to acts of kindness, no matter the circumstances. Thank you, Chase. I accept your invitation.”
“You’re welcome. Now with all due respect, let’s get the hell out of here.”
They rushed back to the landing bays where the rest of the party was waiting near the Omega fighter. The cloak was not fully operational anymore and the silhouette of the ship blinked in and out of existence, giving it an almost creepy vibe. Chase approached and it de-cloaked fully, as it was programmed to do so.
“I think we can fit three people in the cockpit, perhaps Tar’Lock as well,” he declared. “It won’t be a pleasant flight, but hopefully it will only last a minute tops.” He touched a panel at the back of the ship and a small ramp lowered to the ground, revealing a small cargo hold. “I’m afraid two persons will have to crawl in there.”
Ryonna stepped forward. “My son and I should go in there.”
“I’m not sure you’ll both fit.”
“We’ll just have to. There’s no room for us in the cockpit. Ronan, get in.”
While Ronan was just a young Droxian, he was still as tall as Chase, but he fit without issue in the small cargo hold. However, there was no way Ryonna could do the same—no matter how hard she tried—without at least one limb sticking out.
Chase glanced around nervously as the shouts of oncoming sentries drifted their way. Ryonna followed his gaze and took a deep breath. The next second, she snapped her leg at an absurd angle and folded it up along beside her.
“That’s it, Chase.” Her voice was strained with pain. “Let’s go.”
He and Daniel stared at her in shock as Sarah covered her mouth with a gasp. “Did you just break your—”
“We’ve got to go!” she shouted. “Step on it!”
Without another word, Chase pressed the panel again and it closed, pressing and pushing both bodies even further into the tiny space. Then Sarah went into the cockpit followed by Daniel, squeezing together onto one seat, while Chase took the main seat and Tar’Lock used his extreme bending abilities to manage himself a position somehow on top of them, all limbs extended against the canopy windows.
As Chase turned the engines on and lifted the fighter from the landing bay, the four of them gazed down at Argos’ ship.
“Should we destroy it?” inquired Sarah.
“I was thinking about the same thing myself.”
“Take it down, Chase!” Daniel agreed.
“Alright.”
Without hesitation, he acquired a target lock on the ship and squeezed the trigger. A volley of laser fire made direct impact, but Argos’ shields must have been still up as they were instantly deflected in all directions. One even hit their own fighter on the port wing. Chase immediately stopped firing and carefully avoided another two shots, not easy to do inside a landing bay with not much room to maneuver.
“Forget about it, Chase, we need to go,” said Daniel.
“Agreed. Engaging cloak.”
The onboard computer spoke.
“Not enough power to engage cloak.”
“Dammit!” Chase keyed a few functions on the ship’s touch pad, redistributing shield power to the cloak systems. The ship’s engine made a higher frequency roar and the cloaked engaged. “We maybe have thirty seconds of cloak… if we’re lucky.”
“Punch it then,” Daniel urged, impatient to get out of there. He didn’t like closed spaces, and while he had gotten used to cockpits over the years, being squeezed against both the walls and Sarah with a smelly insectoid so near his face… It was a little too close for comfort.
Chase took the fighter out of the bay and hit the afterburners as soon as they were out of Hellstar.
“How did you get the cloak back?” asked Sarah.
“I transferred any ounce of juice from the shields.”
“Is that wise?”
“We’re about to find out.” Chase opened a channel to the Iron Fire. “We’re coming in hot. Cloak should fail any second and we have no shields.”
“Understood, Lieutenant Commander.”
Some systems lights on the ship started to blink orange then red. The cloak was failing.
“Will we make it?” Tar’Lock asked anxiously.
Chase frowned. “I don’t know. We need another five seconds to get out of range of these turrets.”
Right on cue, the onboard computer sounded off. “Target lock!”
“Oh crap. Hang on guys.”
Chase entered into a spin as some extremely powerful green ion shot illuminated the canopy and grazed it.
“I never thought I’d say it,” Tar’Lock whimpered, “and I’m really sorry about the timing too, but there is a slight possibility I might soil myself here.”
Both Daniel and Sarah instinctively looked up, Tar’Lock being only a few centimeters over their heads. He gave them a constipated smile.
“You wouldn’t dare,” Sarah warned. She’d been through a lot these past few days. She was in no mood to add this to her list.
“Not exactly the optimum position for me to control every one of my bodily functions right now. I promise I will do my best to avoid any leak.”
Daniel groaned as Sarah glared upwards. “And I promise I will kick your ass otherwise.”
Another flash of green light illuminated the cockpit.
“That was too close for comfort,” Daniel muttered.
“I know.” Chase turned sharply. “We’re almost out of range.”
Just then, the Iron Fire started firing a volley of torpedoes towards the Hellstar turrets. They didn’t destroy them, but it gave Chase the necessary time to exit firing range.
“My god!” exclaimed Sarah, putting both her hands in front of her nose. “What’s that smell?”
“I don’t smel—” Daniel couldn’t finish his sentence before gagging dramatically.
Tar’Lock dropped his gaze. “I am really sorry.”
“Chase, get us on board Iron Fire on the double, I beg you!”
They touched down on the ship’s landing bay a moment later. Sarah and Daniel were the first to jump out, followed by Tar’Lock, who looked ashamed. Chase followed shortly behind and was quick to open up the panel to release the Droxians.
As the door dropped on the ground, Ronan called out, “She must have passed out from the pain. Please help her.”
“Don’t worry, Ronan,” Chase assured him, “it will be alright.”
He dragged Ryonna’s unconscious body to the ground next to the ship, then quickly put his hands on her leg. White light engulfed her and her leg made a snapping sound again, this time back into place. A second later, it looked like nothing had ever happened.
Sarah knelt down beside them as Ryonna opened her eyes and touched her leg. It was completely healed. “Thank you, Chase. I owe you both our lives.”
“No, you don’t owe me a thing. I’m just glad you and Ronan are safe.”
She shook her head fervently. “I won’t ever forget this, Chase.”
Sara
h leaned back on her heels with a very peculiar look on her face. “I think Argos did something similar to me. Many times, actually.”
Chase looked up sharply, blood boiling as he imagined the horrors his brother must have inflicted her. “Did he—”
“Later, okay?” Sarah asked softly. “I promise.”
Chase sighed but nodded his head. They might have been back safe, but he had a feeling the trouble was just beginning.
* * *
Argos slowly opened his eyes as he regained consciousness. A controlled shockwave propelled the debris out of the way and he rose to his feet. As he started dusting himself off, a huge smile spread across his face.
Mission accomplished.
Within moments, he reached his ship and took off from Hellstar. The ion turrets acquired a lock on his vessel and started firing. His shields depleted a bit faster than he was used to, but not before he entered hyperspace.
Once he was safely there, he touched a control on his holo-display and opened a comm.
“Status report?”
A Zarlack face appeared on the one the monitor. “Subject tracker reports vital signs are stable.”
“Good. How about the transmitter?”
“Receiving live telemetry.”
“Perfect. Argos out.” The holo-display faded off and Argos leaned back against his chair with a smile. “It has begun.”
C H A P T E R
XIII
Chase’s fingers traveled delicately across Sarah’s naked, burning skin. His lips were soon to follow, kissing her tenderly on the neck and sending her into waves of shivering anticipation. Her nails raked down his back as he made his way slowly to her face, and then they kissed for what seemed like an eternity.
Everything was going perfectly until an involuntary shudder ran through Sarah’s body.
Chase pulled back immediately. “Are you alright?”
“I’m sorry.” She flushed. “It’s just… I can’t believe this is all real, you know?”
He bit his lip nervously. “Maybe you should tell me what happened the last few days.”
“Somehow I don’t think this is the appropriate time,” she stalled.
He looked steadily into her eyes. “You’re safe now, and we’re alone. Nothing can happen to us and we’ll be on Earth before you know it. Maybe it’s best if we talked about it before.”
Her face fell. “Maybe... I guess you’re right.”
The two of them sat up against the headboard and she launched into the tale. She took him through every bruise, every scar, and every resuscitation. No detail was too small to ignore and no memory too painful. No matter how difficult it was, she plowed on through, taking special care to describe Argos’ powerful mind control. She’d never seen anything like it.
There was a deafening silence when she was finished and she looked up to see that Chase had tears in his eyes. Hard anger and bitter remorse were etched into every line of his face, and when she squeezed his hand, he took a second to control himself before talking.
“I... I don’t know what to say. I’m so sorry.” His face grew dark. “He will pay for this, I promise you that much.”
“Maybe he already did,” she said hopefully. “I mean, who survives a quadrinium enhanced bomb and three thermal grenades?”
Chase’s lips thinned to a hard line. “Furies do...”
“You seriously think so?”
“Sarah, when I faced him, I felt a kind of power flow through my body like nothing else I ever felt before. I sent attack after attack upon him, each one powerful enough to kill ten men, but he dealt with them as if they were nothing more than mosquito bites.”
Her face paled. “Can I tell you something?”
“Yes, of course.”
“I’m… I’m also a little scared of you now.” She glanced away, looking embarrassed.
Chase straightened up in surprise. “Why? You know I’d never let anything bad happen to you. I’d rather—”
“Be that as it may, this man is your brother. You’re from the same planet. What if something happens to you and you lose control? You said it yourself, when you’re angry you could potentially be uncontrollable.”
Chase got up from the bed and walked towards the window. Blue and purple lights from the hyperspace corridor flashed across his bare skin. He stared at his reflection in the glass, deeply impacted by what Sarah had just told him.
What was he now? Was she right? Was he something to be feared?
But at that moment, she got up as well and embraced him, slipping her arms under his and resting her palms on his shoulder. Her soft skin and delicate curves pressed against his back, and when she squeezed his wrist, he lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it.
“Chase, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“You didn’t. And you’re right. I destroyed my quarters on board the Destiny and that was just a reaction from a vision. In that same vision… I destroyed entire worlds.”
She pressed his face against the back of his neck and kissed him. “Visions and nightmares are one thing… but do you seriously think you could do such a thing?”
“Aphroditis seems to think so.”
“Right...” She suddenly remembered. “Argos is very interested in the Olympians. When he was in my head, I tried to make him tell me why—he seemed obsessed.”
Chase considered this thoughtfully. “He seemed pissed at her during our confrontation.”
“Maybe they hurt him somehow… and he’s seeking revenge?” Sarah guessed.
“It doesn’t matter what it is,” Chase said firmly. “What matters is that I have to stop him.”
Sarah was quick to jump in. “We—”
“What?”
“We have to stop him, Chase. You’ll need my help and the help of your other friends too. Argos is too dangerous a threat for you to deal with alone.”
Chase shook his head. “Be that as it may, I don’t want any of you to get hurt. Again.”
“I don’t think it’s your choice to make.” She smiled warmly. “But that’s very sweet of you. In fact, it’s why I fell in love with you to begin with. But you have to be smart.”
“Interesting choice of words,” Chase murmured, more to himself than to Sarah.
“Why is that?”
“Something Aphroditis said during the battle: that I couldn’t defeat Argos based on powers alone. That I wasn’t ready yet so I needed to outsmart him.”
“And you did, so that was good advice. How do you feel about your powers right now?”
He considered. “I’m starting to feel some sort of control, even though they scare me. But I’m nowhere near his level. At least for the time being, I’m ill-equipped to face him again.”
“Then when we reach Earth, you should focus on training,” she suggested. “There are desolate places on Earth where you wouldn’t risk doing too much damage.”
“Perhaps...” Chase doubted there were any places with such low risk, not if he lost control.
She tightened her embrace and laid her head on his back. His mind wouldn’t stop racing; he kept thinking about his visions, replaying the fight with Argos again and again. He knew full well his fear of hurting innocent people was holding him back, but how could it not be? To wield such power was not something to be taken lightly. He took small comfort in the fact that the healing power at least had come naturally to him. That had to be a good sign.
“Sarah…” He sighed. “I am so sorry for what Argos put you through.”
She trembled a little but held strong. “It’s not your fault.”
“Maybe it is,” he countered. “Maybe if I had been stronger, I could have prevented you all this pain and suffering.”
“We both know that’s just wishful thinking,” she murmured. “It won’t do either of us any good. And may I remind you that you saved my life jumping in front of my ship when he was about to blow me out of the sky?”
“Maybe he wouldn’t have.”
“You can�
��t second guess yourself. You’re not this guy.”
“What guy?” he asked curiously.
“The guy that keeps obsessing about the past. This isn’t you.”
“Right now it is”—he sighed again—“and it makes me feel cold and sad.”
She squeezed him firmly. “Then I suggest you leave the past where it belongs. Focus on the now. I am here, I am back, and thanks to you, I am no longer under the control of this mad man. That has to count for something, right?”
Chase turned and took her in his arms. They looked at each other in the eyes for a moment before he lowered his lips slowly down to hers.
* * *
Ryonna looked at Ronan sleeping. These past few days had been quite the ordeal for him, and he had fallen asleep as soon as they arrived on board the Iron Fire. She stroked back his hair, thinking—with a concerned frowned—that perhaps the ordeal had left marks on her too.
For the first time in her life, she had been unable to sense anything about the crewman that had escorted them to their new quarters. Not his death, not anything. It was unnerving.
But it was also perhaps a blessing in disguise; she had never liked this power. She knew it was supposed to be gift, a highly regarded one amongst her people, in fact, but to her it had only made things more difficult throughout her life.
How do you manage to develop any sort of longtime relationship with people when you know how and when they’re going to die?
No. It was not a gift, it was a curse. And if she had lost it… it was for the best.
Ronan started moaning in his sleep and she stroked her hand again through his hair. She was so happy to be reunited with her son, so proud of the strength it must have taken to survive Hellstar, so proud of the man he was becoming right in front of her eyes.
A sudden pain in her stomach made her reel back with a gasp. The damn nanite factory was acting up again. Maybe that was the reason she had lost her ability. But what started out as tolerable pain, soon escalated to a near-crippling paralysis. She fell to the floor and tugged herself out into the hall so as not to wake Ronan.
A passing crewman ran towards her. “Are you alright, ma’am?”
Fury to the Stars (Universe in Flames Book 2) Page 9