Mars Rising (Domeworld Saga Book 1)

by John Corwin

  "If you think Alderman is in charge, you're wrong," Max added. "There's a whole world he doesn't know about out here. There's no reason to go back and tell him anything."

  Garth backed away cautiously and knelt next to the other prone figure. His lips curled into a snarl. "That bitch killed one of my men."

  "You shot her," Scarlett retorted.

  "I thought she was you," Garth said. He stood pressed his lips together, remaining silent for a long moment. He blew out a breath. "You're right. There's no reason to go back to City 7." The marshal walked forward. "Is there another city down this tunnel?"

  Scarlett's forehead wrinkled as she stood. "So, you're with us?"

  Garth sighed and nodded slowly. "Like you said, Alderman doesn't know about this place. That means someone else is in charge." When he was a couple feet away, Garth lunged forward.

  Scarlett grunted as Garth shoved her in the chest hard enough to send her tumbling. Quick as a cat, the marshal spun toward Max. Max dodged to the side. The marshal stumbled past, leaving himself open to attack. Max didn't miss the opportunity and brought the knife hilt down hard on the other man's skull.

  Garth bellowed in pain and whipped around. Arms spread wide like a cattle wrangler, the marshal dove toward Max. All the air exploded from Max's lungs from the impact and his back slammed against the floor.

  An enraged Marshal Garth raised both fists over his head and brought them down toward Max's face.

  Chapter 35

  Max threw up his hands to ward off the blow. Blood sprayed in his face and Garth howled in agony. Max looked with surprise at the knife he still held in one hand, the blade lodged in Garth's forearm.

  A bubble helmet smashed into Garth's temple and the marshal's bellows abruptly ceased. He tumbled to the side, knife protruding from his arm. Scarlett dropped the bubble helmet and grimaced at the blood spurting across the floor.

  "Is he dead?" Max asked.

  Scarlett touched the other man's neck and shook her head. "Unfortunately, the son of a bitch is still alive." She turned back to Yana and unzipped the toughsuit, peeling it down to reveal a blackened spot on the skin.

  Max jerked the knife from Garth's forearm. Blood poured from the tear in the toughsuit and pooled on the floor. Max dragged the unconscious man back to the airlock and dropped him next to his dead companion. A red-stained puncture in the other marshal's toughsuit just above the heart told the story of his demise. Yana had stabbed him in the chest. What didn't make sense was how or why she'd dragged the two men into the airlock with her, especially after being shot.

  "Max, come here," Scarlett called. "She's awake."

  He returned to the ranger's side. Yana blinked several times, as if trying to bring the world into focus. Her face had a greenish cast to it, but it appeared the blaster bolt had grazed her side and cauterized the wound all at once instead of punching a hole through her vitals.

  Max knelt. "Yana, can you hear me?"

  The ranger nodded. "There were others," she whispered.

  "Dealt with," Max said. "What happened?"

  "They saw me on the hills. Opened fire." She swallowed hard. "I got back to the airlock, but they cornered me." Yana's eyes shifted to Scarlett. "They thought I was her."

  "How did you survive?" Scarlett asked.

  "Threw the knife at the first. The big one fired his blaster, hit me." She licked her pale lips. "I kicked him in the crotch and knocked him out with a blow to the base of his neck."

  If Max's earlier knockout by the ranger hadn't been enough to convince him just how lethal this woman was, her story made it obvious she was no one to mess with.

  "How do you feel?" Scarlett asked.

  "Nauseous," Yana replied. "Dizzy."

  "Well, you took severe burns to your right hip, but the toughsuit protected you from the worst of it." Scarlett shook her head. "You're lucky to be alive. Garth is a murderous bastard."

  "Speaking of which"—Max looked back at the airlock—"what do we do with him?"

  Scarlett's lips curled into a snarl. "Drag him outside."

  Max shook his head. "Not possible. All the toughsuits have holes in them now."

  "Well, shit." Scarlett screwed up her lips. "We can't just leave him here alive. He might come after us."

  "We'll take him with us," Max said. "Let the jungle have him."

  Scarlett looked at the slumbering hulk on the floor and gave Max a dubious look. "How do you reckon you'll carry him, hmm?" She shook her head. "It'll take ages to drag that monster all the way to the other dome."

  "Maybe I should kill him now and be done with it." Max gripped the knife. "I don't want to be constantly looking over my shoulder."

  A thud and a hiss echoed down the hallway. Max and Scarlett spun around and watched in horror as the airlock door closed.

  "That crazy bastard is going back outside!" Scarlett said.

  Max ran down the tunnel toward the door. "He might just make it too."

  "But he had a hole in his suit!"

  "In the arm." Max pounded the button but the control panel buzzed negative because the outer door was already hissing open. "He might be able to keep it sealed by pressing a hand over it."

  Scarlett pounded the flat of her hand against the door. "If he makes it back to City 7, he'll tell Alderman everything."

  Max pressed an ear to the cold metal and heard the outer door closing. "We're screwed either way. If Garth doesn't return, Alderman will probably send someone else to find out what happened."

  "Maybe not," Scarlett said. "Maybe he'll think Garth died on the surface and not risk sending out anyone else."

  The outer door clicked shut. Max hit the button and the inner door began to open. "How do you reckon we could stop him, Scarlett? We don't have an undamaged toughsuit." He dropped to his knees and slid under the door the second he had enough room.

  Scarlett stooped down and looked inside. "Then what in the dome are you doing in there?"

  Max checked the puncture in the dead man's suit. It was small enough to cover with a hand, but he didn't know if that would work. If Scarlett was right, he had to try to stop Garth. "Help me get this off him."

  Scarlett poked a finger in the hole on the toughsuit, but didn't argue. She twisted off the bubble helmet and lifted the dead man by the shoulders so Max could tug off the suit. Garth's comrade was nearly the same size as Garth, so the suit fit Max, albeit loosely.

  "What are you doing?" rasped a weak voice. Yana leaned against the tunnel wall outside, a hand over her burn wound.

  "Going after Garth." Max's voice echoed inside the bubble helmet. He shooed Scarlett away. "Get out of here."

  "You're going to kill yourself, you big fool." Scarlett looked doubtfully at the hole. "Better keep that sealed tight."

  Max hit the button and the inner door began to close. Scarlett ducked underneath it and joined Yana.

  "Get the ranger to a shelter," Max shouted. "There's a first aid kit there." The door latched into place. Max hit the other button and the outer door shuddered open. Keeping one gloved hand over the hole and the knife clenched in the other, Max sucked in a breath of cool air emanating from the micro-breather and prayed he wasn't about to die a horrible death.

  The orange-red sands came into view and just ahead, the red dunes. Garth struggled up the closest one and Max realized something else—if the marshal made it up the hill, he'd be in view of the external cameras. City 7 would see him.

  Air whistled between Max's fingers as his imperfect seal failed. He shifted the heel of his hand over the puncture and pressed harder. Garth fell to his knees halfway up the dune, one of his hands clamped around his injured wrist. Max reared back his arm, prepared to throw the knife though he had a pitifully small chance of hitting the marshal, much less impaling him from this distance.

  Max swung his arm forward but stopped the throw at the last second. Yana had been shot by Garth. Since the weapons weren't inside the airlock, that meant they were still out here somewhere. He turned around and fo
und the blasters to the left of the door.

  Garth struggled up the dune, nearly to the top. Max aimed and fired. The first shot blasted a divot in the sand next to Garth. The marshal glanced back, a terrified look on his face. He released his wounded arm and began clawing his way up the dune. Max fired again. The laser bolt pierced Garth right between the shoulders.

  The marshal went limp and rolled backwards, red dust clouding around his body. Max felt lightheaded and realized air was no longer whispering from the micro-breather. It had probably been in use all this time, blowing extra air to compensate for the suit puncture while its former occupant lay dead.

  Max held his breath and walked through the chalky dust to Garth. The marshal's eyes were wide, mouth working like a fish out of water. "Feed the father, you son of a bitch," Max said, and pulled the trigger two more times.

  The airlock, several yards away seemed impossible to reach as Max's eyesight blurred. He dropped to his knees and felt the blaster drop from a hand. It seemed Garth would have company. "You damned fool," Max whispered to himself. "You got yourself killed."

  He looked down at the black holes in Garth's chest as vision faded. It was worth it.

  Scarlett paced back and forth in the tunnel. "That big fool!" She pressed a hand over her chest. "He just ran outside to die."

  Yana's teeth chattered as she nodded. "He was a brave fool."

  Scarlett felt as though something had torn her insides apart.

  Max smiles at her and it fills her with joy.

  Another daydream. When was the last time she'd seen him smile at her like that? Never. Max and Scarlett hadn't gotten along a single day in their lives. Then why did the prospect of his death make her feel so awful?

  Bearing down with all her might, she forced herself to remember Nathan. Forced her emotions to feel the steady current of hate that fueled her life. If Max Planck was dead, so much the better.

  "I'm sorry for your loss," Yana said.

  Scarlett flinched. "It was no true loss." She studied the ranger's pale face and grimaced. "Reckon I'll help the living since there ain't no helping the dead." She helped the injured ranger out of the damaged toughsuit since the added weight would hinder their retreat to a shelter. Soon Yana was stripped down to her original skintight uniform, a blackened blemish at her waist.

  Scarlett went to the ranger's uninjured side and slung the other woman's arm over a shoulder. "Let's get you back to that shelter."

  Yana hissed with pain, but began limping along with Scarlett. They reached the turn in the tunnel and headed east.

  "Why help me?" the ranger asked.

  Scarlett didn't quite know the answer herself. "I reckon you could have killed us at any time, but you didn't." She looked over at the taller woman. "Maybe you're worth saving."

  Yana nodded grimly. "If it's any consolation, I believe your story now."

  "First smart decision you've made." Scarlett closed her eyes and pictured Max lying dead on the red sands. The anguish clenching her chest caught her by surprise, wiping away the hate she wanted to feel. A tear trickled down her cheek. "I can't help him," she whispered.

  "Your suit is too damaged." Yana sagged against the wall. "I am sorry I misjudged you, but—"

  "No—you were right at first," Scarlett said. "Then you carried it too far." She stared back down the tunnel, silent hope straining in her heart that Max would appear. After a moment of waiting, she leaned Yana against her and began the slow journey back to the jungle.

  When they reached the jungle, Scarlett retrieved Max's backpack and Yana directed her to the shelter Scarlett and Max had visited earlier. Scarlett gave the ranger a painkiller from the first aid kit then cleaned the wide wound with a rag. Bits of cloth and material from the toughsuit had melted into the skin, leaving a trail of mutilation about two inches long on the ranger's hip. Scarlett shuddered. Aside from applying ointment, there wasn't much else she could do.

  "There's a better medical facility at the station," Yana said in a weary voice.

  "How will you explain a blaster burn to your security personnel?"

  The ranger squeezed shut her eyes and remained silent for a moment. "I'll tell them it was an accident with my blaster." She opened her eyes and pointed to the backpack. "It's in there—the small black one."

  Scarlett found it and removed it from the pack.

  "Take it outside and fire off a few shots," Yana said. "That way the battery pack will show some usage."

  "What about your bow?" Scarlett asked. "It's back outside the airlock."

  "We'll have to go back and get it." Her eyelids seemed to grow too heavy to keep open. "Tomorrow." With that, she fell asleep.

  Scarlett stared at the unconscious woman, wondering if it was a good idea to let her return to the station. What if Yana was only pretending to like Scarlett because she was too injured to do anything right now? She might return from the station with marshals. Unfortunately, Scarlett had no one else to turn to for help. As Yana pointed out earlier, she was soft and untrained, especially in this environment.

  Max is dead.

  "Stop thinking about it!" she hissed angrily. But she couldn't. Something was wrong with her. The strange visions of Max and other people and events she didn't remember seemed to be coming more frequently.

  Alderman shakes his head and sighs. "You two just won't give up, will you?"

  Scarlett rubbed her eyes with the heels of her hands. "Must be something in the water. What is wrong with me?"

  After gathering the blaster, Scarlett lowered the trap door and climbed down into the outside. Dusk settled in, casting the jungle in eerie shadow. Unsettling hoots and animal cries set her on edge despite the weapon in her hand. She aimed into the foliage and fired off a few shots.

  Someone shouted in surprise.

  Scarlett nearly dropped the blaster.

  Max burst from the foliage and glared at her. "Are you trying to kill me again?"

  Scarlett stumbled backward. "Max? You're alive?" She felt far too happy for her own liking and barely resisted the urge to hug him.

  Max stared at her with longing on his face. He backed up a step, forehead wrinkling. "You ask me that after you nearly shot off my head?"

  She looked at the blaster in her hand. "I wasn't shooting at anything—just emptying the battery for Yana." Scarlett wanted to touch his face, to be sure she wasn't hallucinating.

  "Emptying the battery?" Max stepped in a wide circle around Scarlett. "Why waste the charges?"

  Scarlett took a deep breath and willed her limbs to stop their trembling. Willed her heart to stop beating so fast. "She wants to go back to the station for treatment. She plans to tell them that it was a blaster accident." Happiness warmed her from the center out as Scarlett realized she wasn't alone anymore, even as she despised herself for rejoicing Max's survival. "What happened with Garth?"

  "I chased him down and shot him with a blaster before he climbed the dune." Max no longer wore the toughsuit, reduced back to Creed's clothes. "The micro-breather was out of air when I turned to come back. I almost passed out, but then I took Garth's canister and it had just enough left to get me back inside."

  "That's good, Max." Scarlett kept her tone neutral. It was growing impossible to hate Max, especially after sharing their pain earlier, but actually liking him would be a betrayal to the memory of Nathan.

  Max looked at her uncertainly for a moment. "Something on your mind, Scarlett?"

  She considered her response and finally spoke her mind. "I will never truly like you, Max, and a part of me will always despise what you've done." Scarlett swallowed the pride creeping up her throat. "But I'm glad you survived. I would rather have you with me than be alone."

  His eyes flared and his mouth gaped. "You should hate me, Scarlett. I was a tool and Alderman was the hand that wielded it."

  Scarlett shook her head. "No, Max. You had a conscience and you tried to do right. Tools don't fight their owners." She walked over and put a hand on his arm. She hated herself
for enjoying the warmth of his skin against hers. "You may be a big fool who doesn't think things through sometimes, but sometimes, you come through." Scarlett realized she was still touching Max and pulled back her hand.

  Another memory of him smiling at her sent her heart racing. Max wasn't smiling now, but blinking his eyes in confusion. "It's so weird," he said. "It's almost like—"

  "Never you mind, Max." Scarlett felt disgusted with herself for admitting she needed him. "Just be happy you're alive." She hurried back to the ladder and climbed back inside the shelter.

  Max followed her up a moment later and looked at the wounded ranger. "So she wants to return to the station."

  "Yes." Scarlett set the blaster inside the backpack and tucked away her tangled emotions.

  "Well, I reckon we don't have much to lose by letting her," Max said. "Unless she decides to tell security to hunt us down."

  "I thought of that," Scarlett said. "Doesn't seem likely she'd involve them now if she didn't earlier."

  Max nodded. "Sounds about right."

  "The question is, how long will it take her to recover, and what do we do in the meantime?" Scarlett dug into the fridge and pulled out a beer, eager to feel the bite on her tongue. It was the only thing this day that would leave a good taste in her mouth. She held one out to Max who licked his lips in anticipation.

  Max held his bottle toward hers. "To surviving one more day."

  Scarlett hesitated, then clinked her bottle against his. "One more day."

  It was something to be thankful for.

  Chapter 36

  Max took a shower while Scarlett ate, and then they switched.

  Scarlett leaned her head under the shower head and let the soothing hot water run down her body. She found bruises on her legs and arms that she hadn't noticed before, and her bones ached with weariness. This jungle shelter was like a tiny taste of paradise in a hostile world that could consume her in an instant if she wasn't careful.

  Closing her eyes, she summoned the memories of Max smiling at her. It seemed like such a simple thing to get all worked up about, but ever since she'd known Max, she'd never seen such a genuine grin on his face. It didn't matter. Scarlett might loathe what he'd done for Alderman, but she also needed him. Besides, he'd proven himself. Going into the red wastes of the kill room to kill Garth was no mean feat.