“Let’s get a wag on, shall we?” Janix said, jogging past the two of us. Good to know that in the middle of an escape for our lives there was still time for some well-placed awkwardness. I really needed that on my plate at the moment.
But he was right and we went back to running. Sure enough, there was a metallic lift at the end of the hall. We pelted toward it, so far no kodadt dropping down into the hall after us. Maybe they wouldn’t be able to wiggle through the hole we had left?
Sure, and maybe Santa was real.
We reached the doors as a roar shook the hall. Whoops, it looked like one of the poor beasts following us had accidentally burned itself. What a tragedy.
Jyra slammed the button to the side only to have nothing happen. “I was afraid of this,” she demurred, her soft, rounded features darkening just a little. “I’ll need a moment to override the crystals in the panel. “Mooreerie friend, would you be so kind as to rip this panel cover off?”
“Janix. And no problem.” Surely enough, he got it off and Jyra immediately went to work, leaving both of us to face off against the first kodadt that came through the hole, dropping to the floor and shaking its half a head while it’s six lopsided arms felt about.
“Remember that joke you made about me holding them off to buy us more time?”
“Yeah.”
“Seems a bit ironic now, doesn’t it?”
I smiled and readied my fist. “The only thing that’s ironic is how much more I’m going to kick their asses than you are.” Janix, in response, shot the thing six times and it settled into a heap just as two other ones felt down. Were they widening the hole? I was fairly certain that they were.
“That’s not the definition of irony at all,” Jyra offered.
“You just concentrate on rewiring.”
“Wires haven’t been used in elevator technology in at least a hundred years. Currently, the most favored method is memory crystals attached to a central hub relay.”
“Thank you for the technology lesson. More hacking, less teaching.”
“Oh, I finished with the elevator a moment ago. I’m just waiting for it to come down.”
“Really? That was fast.”
“I’ve done faster.”
I couldn’t help but grin. It was great having a super genius around. “I bet you have.”
“First wave is coming,” Janix reminded, his statement punctuated by several shots.
Right. I should probably deal with that first. “You know, I feel like I’ve played this exact level in a couple games. I never was very fond of survival rounds.”
“That’s a shame,” Janix retorted. “I always enjoyed the ‘last five minute’ sims.”
“To each to their own, I guess.” I sprinted forward, readying myself to slam the closest kodadt in the jaw. But I overextended and mistimed the blow, leading me to more of a shoulder bump against its partially exposed ribcage.
“Ow,” I groaned as it picked me up, it’s nails biting into my sides. Dammit, I was getting too cocky. Just because I had strength and a random grab bag of abilities didn’t mean I was suddenly a fighting expert. I needed to remember that.
However, my legs were still free so I lifted one up and lashed out with my foot, landing so hard on the bone that I could feel it crack and a couple of shards go into my shoe.
…that was not going to be fun when we went back to running.
The kodadt dropped me and stumbled back, only to be peppered with two shots in the head from Janix. I rolled back to where he stood before rising back to a standing position.
Yup. My foot definitely was not happy.
“That was really smooth.” He said, voice much tenser than he face was.
“Sorry. Won’t do that again.”
“Good. You know it’s going to catch up with you one day. But it hasn’t yet,” I said with a wry grin.
He didn’t have a comeback, instead focusing on laying out an intense fire pattern on the roiling, surging crowd of beasts dropping into the hall. Once more my nose was assaulted by the smell of burning hair and flesh, but Janix stood there impassively, basically a living turret.
And then, above the cacophony of squeals, fired shots, roars and snarls, a simple ding sounded behind us.
“Our ride is here,” Jyra said.
We backed up carefully but quickly, Janix still firing away until the doors shut. Of course a kodadt’s arm stuck through, claws slashing, so I gripped the limb and ripped it off, spraying my front with a small shoot of blackish blood.
We were silent for several ticks, a very harsh and sudden juxtaposition to what we had just come from.
“That was…” Jyra paused for a moment, seeming to search for the appropriate word. “A unique response to stimuli.”
“Yeah, I kinda also do that now,” I said, dropping the limb into the corner. “I should probably learn how to fire a gun, but it’s just easier to use my hands in a pinch.”
“I see. And all of these are a result of swallowing the creature, yes?”
“Yes.”
“Fascinating. Utterly fascinating.”
“I guess you could call it that, yeah.”
Finally, the lift’s doors slid open once more and we were back into the drab, barely colored employee area. The three of us walked out, bruised, battered and dirty, to meet an also-blood encrusted Viys’k. I was confused for a moment before my now-sluggish brain supplied that she too had been involved in the whole falling from the sky bit.
“You guys look even worse than when I left you,” she said, eyeing us up and down.
“It’s been a long rescue.”
“Well it’s almost over. This way please, to your next thrilling ride on Viys’k space lines.”
We jogged after her, the halls even more empty than they had been on our way through. It indeed looked like everyone had dropped everything right where they stood and made a break for it.
Our ear pieces went live again and the first thing I heard was banging. “Are you guys on the ship yet?” Angel cried.
“Almost. How are things on your end?”
“Good. I’ve got the blow all set up, but I don’t want to shimmy out the hatch unless I’m sure you guys have taken off. Just in case, you know.”
“Give us three minutes.”
Another ear-shattering smash followed by a roar.
“Um, might not have that long, but I’ll try.”
“If you have to buggy out, then buggy out. You don’t have to blow this place sky high.”
“Yes, I do. If we leave a facility like this in its hands, and pass up on an opportunity to kick its ass out of this dimension, then I’m not a Stranger worth my weight in stardust.”
“All right then. If you insist.”
“I do.”
I was expecting more opposition as we sprinted down the halls, turning this way and that, kicking open doors and the like. But nothing. It was like a ghost town.
When we finally reached the ship, I felt like a bit cheated of my grand finale. Maybe I was getting too used to things being down to the wire.
We ran up the ship ramp and Viys’k went straight for the pilot seat as usual. It was very de ja vu of when we had first escaped the prison, but this time, with Jyra in tow.
“Here we go, to the opposite side of the facility.”
As if life itself had heard, giant tendrils of black broke through the floor, practically vibrating with their malevolence.
“Of course, that cloud had to get the last word in, punching it!”
And punch it she did. She shot forward, Janix barely managing to buckle himself in and grab Jyra with one arm, then me with the other two.
We rattled our way out of the hangar, my face pulling back from my skull.
And then we were off, taking to the air with tentacles reaching for us.
“Uh, Angel, you better be ready for a fast pick up. We’ve got Genesis on our tail.”
“I’m not coming.”
Janix let go of me and I jumped up. “What do you
mean you’re not coming? Get to the hatch and then you can detonate your thing when you’re clear.”
“There is no hatch, Andi,” Jyra whispered.
I whirled to her, eyes wide. “What do you mean? You said—”
“I am aware I told a falsehood. I knew Angel’s intent and I also knew you would never allow it.”
I went to storm toward the hatch. I didn’t care if I had to rip it off, I wasn’t leaving someone behind. But Janix caught me, now wrapping all three of his arms around me and rooting me to the spot. I fought at him, snapping his arms from me, but Viys’k tossed something to Jyra, which she stabbed into my thigh.
Suddenly I didn’t feel so strong. In fact, I was kind of like jelly.
“You… you played me!” I wanted to rip things apart. I wanted to jump down to the ground and save Angel. But I couldn’t move. Not effectively at least. Everything was drawn out and laggy.
“I did what was best to ensure that her plan was successful and we all survived.”
“Don’t jump down her throat,” Angel said over my ear comm. “You and I were going to have a fight about it that might have gotten us all killed. I’m doing this.”
“But why?” I asked, voice breaking. “You could be on the ship with us now, you could live! This is totally unnecessary!”
“Look, Andi, I’ve been around a very long time, and when you get to be as old as I am, you realize there are certain sacrifices that must be made. I’ve watched hundreds and thousands of my kin be tortured without any rights because of this creature, and I’ve watched hundreds of thousands more die at the hands of its creations. We can’t keep going, and give it a machine that will let it take its turning point from one dimension into others.”
Tears were streaming down my face and I felt my voice break. But it couldn’t be like this! It shouldn’t be like this. “Angel. Please don’t. We can come back down. We can find you.”
“I’m afraid my kodadt friends who are about to break into the door wouldn’t like that. Besides, you need someone with enough experience in hacking to override this system, and that’s a bit of a manual job.” There was only a slight waver in her voice. “How far are you now from the ground?”
“We’re about halfway to orbit.”
“Good. This is good.” There was the sound of metal ripping away, and then a series of several roars. “Sounds like my cue. Oh, and Andi?”
“Yes?” I croaked, face red, snot dribbling down my nose and tears obscuring my vision.
“Tell Arq that it’s time for her to stop being a decoy and do the real thing full time.” There was the tiniest pause and more sounds of chaos punched through. “Oh, and that I love her. More than anyone else I’ve ever met.”
“I will.”
“Thanks. Cheers, love. It’s been wild.”
The comm clicked off and less than a moment later, an ominous rumble came from below. The tentacles stopped their pursuit of us and rocketed back to the ground, but it was too late.
Then… it happened.
It wasn’t fire, as I expected. Or a blast full of debris rocketing outwards in orange bursts like in the movies.
Instead, it was a solid beam of light that shot up from the center of the facility before spreading out in a rippling, blinding wave. Our ship rattled back and forth and alarms began to blare in waves.
But I didn’t care. I could only cry. This couldn’t be it, she couldn’t be gone! How did you survive an entire revolution just to blow yourself up in a Hail Mary?
My chest wracked itself and my throat squeezed. My tears were hot and singing, and I could hear a couple of sniffles from Janix.
Jyra was impassive, looking out of the windshield of our escaping ship without a single expression on her face. She caught my stare and she turned her head to me. “I am sorry,” she murmured.
I couldn’t respond, so I just slid onto the floor. She couldn’t be gone. Where was the grand send off, the dramatic ending fitting of her legacy? It didn’t make sense for her to die offscreen. She was glorious. A hero of the ages.
She couldn’t be dead.
I wouldn’t allow it.
Thirty seconds until orbit achieved.
Even the computer’s voice couldn’t pull me from my stupor. The drugs took deeper root in me and I started to slide backwards into slumber. I couldn’t help but think, as I fell into unconsciousness, that I didn’t want to wake up in a world where my friend was dead.
Chapter Six: Martyr
“We have been told we owe you an apology.”
I opened my eyes slowly to find myself in the dark, blank space. The Meeting Place. I sat up slowly, only to find that I was already somehow standing.
“That might be an understatement.” I said, my voice raw from my sobs even in this strange world between worlds. “And a good lot your apology will do for Angel.”
“We have felt her passing, and are grieving in our own way.”
“Well, jolly good for all of you. You have each other! You locked me out for ages and I didn’t even know!”
“Andi,” it was a familiar voice beside me, and I turned to see Jyra standing there. She was just as gaunt as before, but it looked like she had had a good shower. Her rat’s nest of hair was brushed now and hanging loose around her shoulders in a dark halo. Her expression was weighted with everything she must have survived. I wanted to be angry with her, I really did, but how could I? She was ensuring the entire universe’s survival, whereas I was willing to risk everything for a single soul.
But were either of us wrong?
It was hard to say. I was chock full of burning, ardent emotions and they had no place to go. I was angry at Angel’s death, at its senselessness to me. I was angry that I had no way of knowing if her sacrifice was successful or not, unless the enemy suddenly showed up again. I was angry at everything.
“Angel was a grown woman and a Stranger for a very long time. You need to respect her decision, even if you do not understand it.”
I opened my mouth, then closed it again. She was probably right, but I didn’t want to hear it. I just wanted to smash things, and I was growing increasingly vexed that there was nothing around to smash. Where was my wanton destruction when I needed it?
“In addition.” One of the hazy figures stepped forward and they were suddenly much clearer than they had ever been. Instead of slip-shod shadows, I saw a tall, incredibly lanky man with a contrite expression on his face. “We don’t know if this will offer your any respite, but one of our number has disappeared the moment that asteroid blew. It is too soon to say for sure that it was our shared enemy, but we are quite hopeful.”
“That’s… that’s good, I suppose.”
The man cleared his throat awkwardly before continuing, “As I’m sure you have put together, we’re lifting the ban on your visit to this realm.”
“That’s all well and good, but isn’t this all over now? We killed the bad guy. This is normally where you send me home and the hero’s fanfare plays, right?”
“We would, but we’re not the ones who brought you here. That was Jyra’s doing and she will be the one who will have to return you to your home.”
“I’ll need to build another machine,” she explained. “That will take time, but I am leery sending you away when we have only just been united. Surely, we have so much to learn. Such as why we were able to communicate in a way nobody else was. Also, while we did destroy the main body of Genesis, what if the little remnants of it gather themselves and try to enact the final push of their plan?”
“Wait, final push, what?”
“Like I said previously, that facility was its back up plan. It definitely had a main course of action that was set in place long before you and I arrived on the scene to make a mess of things.”
“You couldn’t have mentioned this previously?” I sputtered, feeling blindsided once again. Granted, I was a bit sensitive, but still!
“When should I have? In the vision where I was frantically warning you not to come to
me, the part where we were running for our lives, or the moment where I had to sedate you then watch as you sobbed over someone you clearly cared about?” Although her volume remained the same, I did hear her voice begin to warble in tone as she continued, “You may not remember, but I am not always the best with emotions. I do not know the right thing to say, or what is appropriate, but I do know that there is a time and a place for everything, and I did not have any opportunity to explain the situation in full!”
The Strangers, the small group that they were now, looked between the two of us uncertainly. “Um, perhaps… do you two need a moment?”
“No. We’re fine,” I lied, not wanting to deal with this all. It felt massively inappropriate considering that the Captain had just given her life for us to survive.
“We need to return to consciousness as it is,” Jyra continued. “We’re needed for the—” She cut herself off for a moment, and I could tell that she was debating whether it was couth for her to finish her sentence or not.
“The funeral,” I finished, putting two and two together.
“Yes. You are still unconscious in your room. Neither Janix or I were sure if you would appreciate our dropping in to rouse you.”
“It’s fine. I’ll be up in a bit.”
“Of course.”
“Right, good,” Another Stranger said. “So, if we’re all on the same page, can we call this uncomfortable meeting to an end?”
“Yes,” Jyra and I answered.
“Very well then. Be safe, both of you. We’ll be in contact if we learn anything on our side.”
“And the same on ours,” Jyra promised.
The tall man nodded and then I was slipping out of that world and back into my body.
I stared at the ceiling, a complex combination of feelings within me. I was mad at Janix, Jyra, and Viys’k for drugging me. If I hadn’t been injected, I might have been able to do something to save Angel. I couldn’t think of what, but there had to be something.
And then there was the disbelief that she was actually gone. I was on her ship. I was in the room she had provided for me. How could she be gone? It seemed impossible that this dimension’s most infamous pirate could have just vanished in a single blast.
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