Primal Link 2

by L Bowers

  The third spun as it lowered itself to the deck, and its tentacles fanned out. They knocked my legs from under me, and the next hit sent me flying to the wall before I could land on the deck. Another silver and purple ball hit the head of the squid, and caused it to slow and wobble. My wings pushed hard against the wall, and I slid toward the remaining squid with talons swinging. Dark green claws shredded the whippy appendages as the squid spun. The attack slowed it enough for me to grab a tentacle stump and yank the thing toward me. I buried the talons of my left hand into the head with a jab. It went limp.

  I didn’t doubt that more of the damned things would drop from above, so I jumped to my feet and ran. One hit the deck in front of me, so I jumped again and dove headfirst over it. Tentacles tried grabbing me from below, but I made quick work of them as I flew by. I landed close enough to reach out and slice through the cable.

  Another scream flooded the heart chamber. Everything stopped moving, since the cry caused pain in humans, and who knew what effect it had on the machines. The sound died out quickly, and I recovered much faster. I destroyed the squid that tried stopping me, then ran to Pruise.

  When I reached her, she was already up and smashing her blue gorilla fists down on the machines. I joined her to finish the last of the creatures, then we both turned and ran to Kopf. He was up on his elbows and trying to rise, but fell back. Pruise and I split up to destroy the last two lizards.

  With the machine threat gone, Pruise dropped to Kopf’s side. I turned to the heart, ready to fight Squid-man. He was nowhere in sight, though. Instead, I watched as the heart quivered, then went still and finally sagged in its metal mount. We’d done it.

  17

  Goshawk

  The moment the rescue dropship docked with the ship, I was summoned to the captain’s ready room. When the door opened, I faced the same reception as last time. Upon entering, I came to attention.

  “At ease,” Major Carver said. “Grab a seat. We’ll make this quick so you can get some rest.”

  The second my butt touched down, Captain Stiles spoke. “Good job out there, Sergeant. Unfortunately, in the wake of a job done as well as can be hoped for, I have to deliver bad news. Command has seen fit to quarantine us until they can determine the nature of the Lenashal and decide if they pose a threat.”

  “But sir…” the captain held up a hand and cut me off.

  “I get it, Sergeant. The Lenashal have been nothing but helpful. I’m also aware of their stated motivations, so I’m not one to believe their intent is hostile or malicious. I have the safety of this ship and her crew to worry about, but those above me have to worry about the safety of the entire species. I understand their concerns, and frankly, I would be disappointed if they didn’t take these precautions.”

  When a moment passed without him talking, I did. “I understand, sir.”

  “Good,” Major Carver said. “Unfortunately, this isn't the end of the,” she made air quotes with her fingers, “good news.” Her attention turned to Staff Sergeant Lupita. It hit me then that he had been promoted earlier, though I hadn’t fully registered it at the time.

  “Which is where we come in,” Lupita said. “Our mission is to return to the planet and gather intel. We believe there are still SEALs there, and they may have answers. Our secondary objective is to retrieve any of them still residing on the planet.”

  “In lieu of the number of injured Marines in your squad, we’re doing things a little differently,” Major Carver added. “We’ll be setting up two bases of operations. The main base will be any able-bodied Lenashal combatants you can muster. The second base will be support, and offer you whatever we can deliver while maintaining a safe distance.”

  “The aim here,” Lupita said. “Is to keep the infection of Lenashal to a minimum. Everything the support team provides will be airdropped. Aside from supplies, there will be a couple of artillery batteries available to call for fire.” Lupita sat forward and gave Major Carver a conspiratorial glance. “Have you ever called for fire support?”

  “No, Staff Sergeant,” I replied. “But I suspect you already knew that.”

  He sighed. “Look, Goshawk, we have to set aside the history between us and do what the mission requires. Right now, that means you leading my Marines into battle, and me providing support from afar. I have no problem, or very little problem, letting it go and moving forward. Can you do the same?”

  “Yeah,” I said, but there was some doubt. Lupita had threatened to make my life hell, and had to some degree. Sure, I’d screwed up, but I was inexperienced and trying to prove myself to become augmented like him and the other grunts on the ship. Since I no longer needed the augments to be more than a normal Marine, maybe it was time to let the past go. “I can do that, no sweat.”

  “Great,” Major Carver said. “Before you go, I need to remind you that what is said in this room stays with us. Everyone else will be informed of the plan as the need for them to know arises. Understand?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Good,” she replied. “Go get some rest.”

  When I reached the berth, I discovered two things. First, there was a sign informing those bonded with Lenashal that their gear had been moved. Second, my Marines were already gone. I followed the directions as listed to a much smaller space near the engine room at the rear of the ship.

  As I looked at the small hatch, I wondered if I was in the right place. I took the last two steps to reach the entry and heard a familiar sound.

  “I’m telling you,” Kopf said. “They’re worried we’ll be taken over by our Lenashal, and eventually mesh into one giant grey goo monster and devour everything.”

  I was in the right place. I pulled the door open, and was surprised to see how much space there was. We would be able to move around and train our Lenashal abilities with no problems. But the fixed bunks we were accustomed to were absent. Replacing them were cots tied to magnetic anchors that held them to the deck.

  “Hey, stranger.”

  The unexpected voice from behind caused me to jump and scream. As I spun around, I saw Angela standing by the hatch with a red face and her hand over her mouth. Sounds of laughter broke out behind me, and Angela gave in, too. I waited for her to finish laughing before I tried to speak.

  “You scared the shit out of me,” I said. “What the hell were you doing by the door?”

  She opened her mouth to talk, but more laughter spilled out. I had to wait a little longer for her response. “I’m sorry,” Angela managed to say after her laughter died. “Your reaction… That was too much. Do you know you sound like a girl when you scream? I mean, full-on tweeny-bopper.”

  “So,” I said, desperate to change the subject. “What’s up with this space? Somehow, I didn’t think they would stick us in the back with the engines.”

  “It’s a storage space,” Angela replied. “Makes sense, because it puts us far from everyone else and there’s plenty of room.”

  “So they told you about segregating us from everyone else?” I asked.

  “Yeah, but that’s all they told us. Said we would hear more soon.” She stepped closer and continued in a whisper. “Anything you care to share?”

  “Not much, I’m afraid. We’re going back planet-side. Once there, we get our new marching orders.”

  “Oh.” Angela sounded upbeat. “That’s not too bad.”

  “You sound relieved, and almost like this is good news. What gives?” I asked.

  “I didn’t want to be stuck in this can for a long time while the brass figured out if they wanted to embrace us or kill us with fire. This is better.”

  “When you put it like that, I have to agree.”

  The dropship recovered from the dragon had been fixed enough to ferry us down to the planet. The other, fully intact ship transported the non-infected. My squad had to don our EVA gear since there was no guarantee the craft wouldn’t spring a leak. Fortunately, it didn’t.

  “This is new?” Standish remarked after our camp was e
rected. “I wonder why they put us so far from our previous campsite.”

  “I wish I knew,” I said. “All I know is we’re looking for the remainder of the SEALs and answers. I guess intel thinks this is the best spot for both.”

  “I feel like my entire career has been spent looking for those damn squids,” Kopf griped. “When can we get a mission to go and kill some shit? That’s what we’re good for, not this hide-and-seek babysitter shit.”

  “We’re good at following orders,” Standish said. “So do what you’re told.”

  “On that note,” I said. “I’m going to make my rounds and see how everyone is doing.”

  “Give us a shout if you need anything,” Kopf said, to which Standish grunted.

  The first place I went was the infirmary. Three tents connected to a smaller one, which served as the entrance. I entered and stopped. A field desk sat in the middle of the entry tent with a sign stating that the attendant would return, and to wait.

  The wait was short as a woman in full hazmat kit moved a tent flap aside and entered. “Hello, Sergeant. What can I do for you?”

  “I’m the ranking bonded here to check on my Marines.”

  “Oh,” her face brightened as she smiled. “That’s good to hear. Go through the flap and have fun. Most are doing well, and I’m sure after your visit they’ll be much better.”

  “Thanks, Doc,” I replied as I left.

  I was surprised to see Angela sitting cross-legged on the floor of the tent while the Marines that were able mimicked her pose on their cots.

  “Breath deep and slow,” she said. “Good, now close your eyes and imagine the sphere like I said.”

  The other Marines did as she asked, and peaceful silence blanketed the tent. Angela’s eyes snapped open, which allowed a blue light to spill out and cover her pupils. Her breathing became rapid and shallow while hints of green swirled in the blue. Sweat beaded up on her forehead and ran down her face.

  I took a step toward her, but Aspen’s voice stopped me. “Wait. I believe she is ascending. Give it a moment.”

  “But she looks like she’s in pain,” I thought back. “I have to help.”

  “How do you propose to do that?” Aspen asked with a hint of mirth in her voice. “This is part of growing and becoming stronger, Ray. We must let her and her bonded do this if we are to succeed.”

  “I get that, but it wasn’t that difficult for me in the first stage.” Angela screamed, which startled every person in the tent and interrupted their meditations. “See! This is too much.”

  “Have faith in her,” Aspen said in a calm voice that ran counter to my frantic responses. “She is a strong woman and will be fine.”

  “Why is it hurting her so much?”

  “I believe it is because of the machines in her body. The very same augmentations you lamented not having will make any progress with a Lenashal difficult. Ah, see. She is already coming out of it.”

  Sure enough, the blue in Angela’s eyes now carried a greenish hue and was fading. Her breathing slowed with each inhalation and the sweat stopped pouring down her head like someone shut off a faucet.

  “Angela?” I said as I approached. “Are you all right?”

  “Help me up.” She held out her hand. “I could use some water.” I pulled her up and was rewarded with a smile and a chuckle. “That was amazing,” she whispered. “I can’t wait to see what I can do.”

  Angela looked around the room at the collection of worried faces. “I’m all right. It’s part of the process. Soon, you will all go through it and become stronger. With Sergeant Goshawk’s help…” She rapped her knuckles against my chest as she spoke my name. “We will all grow stronger.”

  After a few minutes of answering questions and wishing everyone well, we left the infirmary. While the transition to blue-green had been painful, I was pleased to see Angela wore a big smile. We stopped at the tent that held our supplies and grabbed a couple of MREs as well as filling our canteens with water.

  We were two steps away from the tent when we found ourselves inside a building. Open air became stone, and artificial light replaced the sunshine with a blue hue. Motionless cool air replaced the warm breeze.

  “What the hell?” Angela asked.

  I gazed at our new surroundings a good once over before I responded. I was sure I knew what had happened, but I needed to verify it. The sight of aliens moving around the room was all the confirmation I needed. “We’re in the past again.”

  18

  UNKNOWN

  I am Chief Bryant. I repeated that to myself during the punishment. No matter the amount of pain they tried to inflict on me, I wouldn’t give in to these animals. At least, not when I could help it. More than once I sensed that they had won—that I had blanked out and who knew what had happened in the in-between time. I had no concept of how long it had been since I tried to make contact with the two Marines but knew they weren’t acting fast enough. I knew because they still weren’t here. They hadn’t yet won.

  A name came back to me as I turned to the demi-bear at my side. “You…were Green. Your name, I mean.”

  The demi-bear glared at me fiercely, then slammed a fist into my cheek. “I am reborn.”

  Damn, that hurt. It wouldn’t last, but it was enough to cause me to see spots for a moment. More of it came—the suffering, the blacking out, then returning to a state of confusion, only to remember again that I had once been Chief Bryant. Something about me was broken, though. How much easier would it have been to simply be one of them, to lose myself to the monster I had merged with?

  Unfortunately, I was in this limbo state, somewhere between being myself and something else. I couldn’t understand why the others didn’t suffer this way, until one day when I saw a familiar face and large, metal wings. My vision was blurred, but I heard the voice clear enough as it first said, “Go,” then “Free.”

  I had an ally amongst them. Help and hope—at that moment, I was reminded that humanity always had a chance. That no matter what these bastards tried to do to us, we would find a way through.

  Maybe I was out of luck in the traditional sense, since most of my body was gone, and replaced by this living metal. Most, but not all. And I could still save others.

  As before, I escaped and ran. My only hope in terms of making a difference, as far as I could tell, was the man I had seen before. There was something about him, the way he had looked at me. And the fact that he had traveled through what I assumed to be time meant there was something special about him. Something we could share, and maybe I could reach him in the past.

  Who knows how long I ran and searched? But then I was there, exactly where I needed to be. Not that I had found him, no, but I had found a disturbance. Something about my old and new selves combined to let me see translucent runes floating in the sky. They didn’t make sense, or I couldn’t make sense of them at any rate, but I knew they were the location of a slip in time. And as I approached, patterns became apparent. One in particular, and it started to make sense—they were in there, or rather, it didn’t matter if they were or not, because the time I was about to step into would be to a time that they were in as well.

  Not only them, though. Others I knew…somehow. For a split second, doubt hit me. Not at what this was, but whether it was meant for me. Whether me entering was the right thing to do. Could I potentially mess everything up? A glance around, then down at my body reminded me that everything was already well beyond the point of messed up, so I grunted and stepped through.

  Goshawk

  “I’ve never seen anything like this,” Angela said. She turned her head in a slow arc to take in the space. “This looks like a high-tech society, not the simple people from before.”

  “Yeah,” I agreed as I saw holographic displays hovering over workstations and sleek robotic arms manipulating a gray substance behind a glass wall. As I was getting the lay of the land, a familiar face turned and stopped dead in his tracks. He looked around like he expected an attack. Seei
ng that everything was the way it had been when Angela and I arrived, he walked over.

  “Krawtesh.” I nodded at the alien. He returned my nod without speaking.

  “What do we say?” Angela said. “I don’t think he’ll understand us if we talk.”

  “I don’t know. It seems like we’re not here to talk, but to take action.”

  Krawtesh frowned, which caused deep wrinkles to crease the area around his mouth. He spoke in words I couldn’t begin to understand. Some of the sounds leaving his lips were too high-pitched for a human to utter. Communicating wasn’t an option.

  I shrugged and apologized. His expression fell, and he turned and walked away. He continued speaking with another alien close to a workstation with the biggest holographic monitor. He waved in our direction several times and seemed to become more agitated the more they talked.

  “What do you think we should do?” Angela asked.

  “Heck if I know,” I replied. “Then again, in the last visits, we’ve stopped attacks against Krawtesh, then we were sent back. So maybe we keep our eyes open?”

  “Yeah, that’s not a bad idea. I’m going to stand close to the door as it’s the only way in or out. If someone comes in, I’ll be ready.”

  “Yeah, and I’ll stay close to Krawtesh. If an attack comes and we can’t interact, I can manipulate him to get him clear.” We sealed the plan with a fist bump.

  Krawtesh and the man continued speaking with his occasional pointing moving to match my location. As much as I wanted to keep an eye on him, the scene behind the glass was fascinating. The arm projected some sort of energy or field that was slowly changing the shape of the metal. So far, there was a pair of boots and legs for a set of armor that looked kinda badass.

  “What do you think is going on here?” I sent to Aspen through our mental link.

  “It would appear they are manipulating the metals from beyond. I wasn’t aware this had happened. It makes me curious about how long this practice went on.”