by Cheree Alsop
Gage pushed away from the craft. Swimming hurt; each movement felt as though the shrapnel in his side tore further. He wanted to pull it out, but had to remind himself that doing so would increase the flow of blood. The last thing he needed to do was pass out beneath the water. His intention was not to die on Corian. Too much depended on him getting back to the Kratos. Besides, he wanted to hear the anger in Lieutenant Brisk’s voice when he survived.
Gage eased himself onto a familiar, tiny beach. The half-light of dusk bathed the white sand in hues of rose and gold as he limped toward the staircase that had been hewn from the sheltering rocks. Blood seeped between Gage’s fingers. His breath came in a painful, wheezing gasp. A rushing sound like the never-ending waves filled his mind along with a lightheaded sensation that made him stumble.
Gage concentrated on placing one foot in front of the other. When he pulled open the door within the overgrown gate, blood from his fingers streaked the wood. Gage leaned heavily against the gate and fought to catch his breath. He knew he was running out of time. Clenching his jaw, Gage pushed forward toward the beautiful manor that rose above the garden with marble that glowed in the light of the setting sun.
The name ‘Day Manor’ had been inscribed above the beautifully painted wooden door. Gage knew the scene of a sun rising from a white, stark valley by heart. There was grace in the sandy slopes and the trickle of water down the edge of a ravine. An older painting crafted by the same hand covered the wall of one of the rooms on the Kratos. Gage’s mother had told them stories of growing up on Ralian. As beautiful as it looked, it didn’t sound like a pleasant place to visit.
It took much more strength to pull the back door open than Gage felt he could spare. The heavy door closed behind him. Gage leaned against it with his eyes closed; his breath came in wheezing gasps.
Footsteps crossed the tile. A gasp sounded and the footsteps paused.
“W-who are you?” a familiar voice asked.
Gage lifted his head. A pained smile twisted his lips. “Hello, Sis,” he said.
His knees gave out and he fell to the floor. Blackness swarmed over him, blanketing him in silence before he struck the tile.
Chapter Two
Fire raced through his side with a throbbing sharpness that demanded attention. Gage opened his eyes. The ceiling of the room brought back memories of jumping from bed to bed with his brother, hearing bedtimes stories told by his dad that made his mother chide because they filled the children with enthusiasm and excitement instead of helping them sleep, and of studying for finals at the Academy with Donovan’s help. Back then, his older brother had been his best friend.
A sharper pain struck Gage’s side and he sucked in a ragged breath. He felt like he was suffocating. Panic filled him. He glanced to the right and found his sister tending to the wound with gentle fingers. Worry creased her brow. It pained him to cause her concern.
Black spots dotted his vision. He tried to draw in another breath, but it felt like it stuck in his throat.
“Can’t…breathe,” he said.
“The metal went between your ribs. I think your lung’s collapsed,” his sister replied with a worried expression. “I sent Genny to get Sienna Rowe. I’m going to need her help.”
Gage shook his head. Even that movement hurt. He struggled in the bed, twisting the sheets in his pain. “Not…Sienna.”
Mateya gave him an understanding look. “She’s not going to tell anyone you’re here.” When he shook his head again, her eyebrows drew together. “Gage, this is beyond my abilities. I need help.”
As much as he might have wanted to, Gage couldn’t argue with his sister. Mattie held bandages to the wound, both of them quiet as they waited. Gage tried not to struggle with the pain, reminding himself that each movement made it worse. It was all he could do to lay there, sweat causing the sheets to stick to his skin, his torso bare from the waist up. He wondered how Mattie had managed to remove the top of his atmosphere suit and was grateful she had chosen to leave the bottoms where they were.
“I hurried as fast as I could,” a voice called up the stairs. “Genny said it was urgent. She said I could just run in.” Sienna paused when she reached the doorway and her gaze fell on the occupant of the bed. “Gage?” she said with shock in her voice.
Gage tried to reply, but another surge of agony flooded through him. A gasp escaped his tightly clenched jaw.
The sight of him in pain drew Sienna into the room. Her eyes widened when she saw the shrapnel sticking out from the ribs on his right side.
“Gage, what happened?” she asked.
He took a breath to speak and coughed instead. The pain was excruciating, and by the time he was done, he tasted blood.
“He’s bad,” Mattie said, gripping his hand tightly. “Will you help us?”
Her words hung in the air. Even though Corian was a neutral planet, it clung to a fragile alliance with the Coalition as they fought together to protect the Macrocosm against the Macsian Invaders. Helping a known deserter of the militia could be a punishable offense to any who left Corian and were found within the Coalition’s reach.
Sienna nodded after only the briefest hesitation. “Of course,” she said. She lowered her medic bag to the side of the bed and checked the wound. “Straight through the ribs. You’ve punctured a lung for sure.” She pulled a tube, a needle, a scalpel and bandages from her bag and spread them out on the bed.
Gage watched her actions through the haze of pain. Mattie gave Sienna a grateful look tinged with concern. “I know you’ve finished as much of your medical training as you can here on Corian. I don’t want to jeopardize your ability to go to University. I heard you planned to leave for there after the—”
Sienna shook her head, cutting Mateya off. “Your brother doesn’t have much time.” She touched the shrapnel gently. Gage couldn’t hide a wince. Sienna’s brow furrowed. “What have you gotten yourself into, Gage?” she asked quietly.
She took a careful grip on the twisted metal. Gage’s muscles tightened at what he knew was coming. He wished there was any other way. Just the touch of her fingers caused enough pressure for whatever remained of his breath to leave him. He felt like he had no air left in his body. His thoughts were muddled and disjointed. Sienna’s voice echoed in his mind.
“Hold here,” Sienna instructed. “Help me keep him still.”
Mattie did as she was instructed. Gage regretted the blood that colored his sister’s fingers. He wondered if he had made a mistake in coming to Corain.
“Did you get your ship shot up going after another girl?” Sienna asked, bringing his attention back.
Gage opened his mouth to protest and felt Sienna ease the shrapnel from his side. The pain was enough to make him double over despite Mattie’s attempts to keep him still. He tried to draw in a breath, but the gurgle of blood answered.
“We’ve got to get this needle in. Easy does it,” Sienna said more to herself than them. “We’ll drain the air. Just like with the haffot.”
Mattie held Gage down, but as soon as Sienna withdrew the pocket of oxygen using the needle, the feeling that he was suffocating began to ease. Gage willed his muscles to relax and concentrated on taking shallow breaths.
“That’s it,” Sienna said as she worked carefully. “Relax. It’ll go better that way.”
Mattie put one hand on Gage’s forehead and the other in the middle of his chest. He closed his eyes at the familiarity of her touch. Warmth filled him, running from her hand to the wound Sienna tended to. The pain eased and Gage heard Mattie’s breath catch.
He opened his eyes and brought up a hand to grab her arm weakly. She met his gaze in surprise.
“You don’t…have to do that,” he managed to get out.
His sister gave him an understanding smile. “I do what I can, Gage. You know that. I can’t stand to see anyone in pain.”
He swallowed and said, “But you don’t…deserve it.”
A slight smile touched her mouth. “Are you sugg
esting that you do?”
Gage tipped his head down in a shallow nod.
Mattie shook her head. “Same Gage. You disappear for two years, show up here bleeding and on death’s doorstep, and I’m supposed to let you lie here in pain if I can help otherwise.”
“Y-yes,” Gage replied. His breath rattled in his throat and another cough racked his body. He closed his eyes against the agony.
“I’m almost done,” Sienna said. “He can sleep now.”
Mattie’s hand moved to Gage’s forehead. He tried to protest, but he couldn’t will his eyes to open. Instead, he fell into a strange, drifting sleep that tangled around him, twisting his memories until he couldn’t remember where he was.
***
“Keep your heads down!” Corporal Ganik yelled. “Give them a chance, the Macsians will take your skulls off!” He motioned for Gage. “Officer Metis, take your troop around the southern side of that ledge. I want you to head them off through the valley.”
“Yes, Corporal,” Gage replied.
He motioned for his troop. The fifty men and women who looked to him to lead them didn’t question the trek through the jagged rocks and spires of Miklear. Gage’s senses strained for any sign of movement within the purple rock formations. He glanced back once and met Vanessa’s gaze. She gave him her ever-present smile, her confidence in him buoying him on.
Gage put a hand on the outcropping in front of him and peered over. The valley looked empty. He was about to signal for the troops to move forward when a yell sounded.
“They’re on the spires!”
“We’re surrounded!”
A puff of purple dirt rose near Gage’s hand. It instantly solidified into a melted glass formation.
“Laser fire; get down!” he yelled. Lasers struck the dirt and rocks around them. Cries of pain followed. Gage fired at the forms that appeared on the tops of the spires. They were silhouetted by the rising of Miklear’s two suns. Each shot was blinding.
A laser struck him in the shoulder, spinning him around. The scent of charred flesh met his nose at the same moment his gaze locked with Vanessa’s. The shield of her helmet had been shattered. Pain showed on her face along with blood that caked her cheek. She fell forward.
Gage dove and caught her before she hit the ground. Her head lolled back in his arms.
“Vanessa!” he shouted.
***
Gage’s eyes flew open. His tense muscles pulled at the bandages across his ribs. He put a hand to the wound. Careful probing showed that it was already healing. The fact that he could breathe without feeling as though he was suffocating wasn’t lost on him. He shook his head at the thought of Mattie using any energy to save him pain.
Gage looked around the darkened room. It hadn’t changed much since he had last been there. Memories pressed against his thoughts, but Gage pushed them away. A tingle of instinct ran across his skin. Danger was close by.
Voices caught his attention.
Gage, wake up! a voice called in his mind.
Gage realized the pushing was what had awoken him. He sat up gingerly and swung his legs off the bed with his left hand on his ribs to ease the throbbing of the wound. The floor felt cold to his bare feet. He realized his shoes were missing. He looked around, but they were nowhere to be seen.
“Don’t lie to me!”
Tension ran through Gage at the voice he would know anywhere. He glanced at the bed. The sheets were crumpled and blankets tossed aside from his nightmare. As quickly as he could manage without sending himself to the floor in agony, Gage straightened the sheets and smoothed down the blankets and pillows with the practiced motions he had carried with him from the military, hiding any sign that he had been there.
“If Gage is in the Skavian, you should have men trying to pull him out and save his life!” Mattie said, her tone near hysterical. “He’s your brother, Don!”
“He stopped being my brother the day he let Vanessa die,” Donovan growled.
Their voices drew nearer.
“He did everything he could.”
“How do you know?” Donovan shot back. “Were you there?”
“That’s not fair,” Mattie replied. “You know I would have been there if I could have enlisted. I should have been at Gage’s side fighting the Macsians.”
Gage could hear the tears in her voice. He had to give his sister credit for her acting skills.
“And he would’ve let you die as well. Gage is a criminal and needs to be brought to justice,” Donovan said.
“If he comes to our home looking for help, I’m not going to turn him away,” Mattie replied. “He’s our brother.”
“He should have thought of that before he deserted,” Donovan shot back.
They were nearly to the door.
Gage hurried to the window and pulled it up. The action made him wince. He glanced outside. It was a three story drop to the moonlit grass below. He looked up at the trellis. How he had ever trusted his life to the thin wooden frame during his youth was beyond him. Unfortunately, it was the only escape he could see at the moment.
Glancing back, Gage ensured that there were no signs of his occupancy in the room. He eased out the window and shut it gently with his hand in just the right place to keep the pane from squeaking. He saw the door open; light from the hallway flooded into the bedroom. Gage grabbed the trellis in both hands.
Pulling himself away from the window put the weight of his body entirely on his arms. The pain that ran up his right side was excruciating. Black spots danced in his vision and Gage fought his body’s want to pass out. He gritted his teeth so hard he thought his jaw would break and managed to work his way across to the slope of the roof above his parents’ empty room.
He collapsed against the wall with a sigh of relief that he stifled when the sound of the window opening caught his ear. He pulled his legs up just in time to see Donovan’s head stick out. Gage ducked from his brother’s sight before Don’s head could turn in his direction.
“He really isn’t here,” Donovan said. “Maybe he really did die in that wreck.” Gage couldn’t read his brother’s tone.
“Don, that’s a horrible thing to say!” Mattie replied. “I can’t believe you can even suggest such a thing!”
“I’ve got to tell Mom and Dad,” Donovan said, his tone level.
“They aren’t going to take it well,” Mattie told him. “Maybe you should wait. They don’t need any distractions right now. I’m worried about them.” True fear touched her voice.
“Mom and Dad knew peace negotiations with the Macsian Invaders was a setup. You know they’ll fight their way out if they have to. Uncle Brandis is on standby with the Day Combat Fleet. You don’t have to worry.”
Mattie sniffed. “And now with Gage lost, everything’s falling apart.”
“Now, now,” Donovan replied in a tender tone Gage hadn’t heard him use since childhood. “Maybe Commander Parragosh was wrong. Maybe it wasn’t Gage at all. He’s probably off robbing some vessel in the Centaurus A Galaxy. The Coalition’s building a new beta base there; I doubt Gage could pass that up.”
Their voices faded back down the hallway. Gage let his head fall back. Relief flooded him. He knew exactly what Donovan would have done if he had been found unconscious in the bed of his youth. Gage knew for a fact that Coalition handcuffs were even colder and more unyielding than the press of the roof against his back. He closed his eyes and his weary mind drifted.
“Gage?”
Gage opened his eyes. He stared at the mass of stars above. He knew the shapes they made by heart. The familiar constellations had been his study companions for years, beckoning him on toward the depths of the brilliant unknown. A glance to the left showed two moons near the horizon. It wasn’t the sight of the moons that surprised Gage; he couldn’t remember why he lay on a cold roof watching them. He should have been far from the Tucana Dwarf Galaxy.
“He has to be up there,” a voice said, breaking through the detached cloud of his thought
s. “Remember when he used to climb the trellis to read?”
“We’d find him asleep and sunburned with the impression of a book across his face,” Sienna replied. “Mrs. Metis couldn’t understand why he wasn’t content to read in his room.”
Mattie gave a little laugh that couldn’t cover the edge of her concern. “Gage used to tell Mom that words read better in the fresh air.” She paused, then said, “What are you doing?”
“If he’s up there, somebody has to get him,” Sienna said. “And you are definitely not built for climbing; though I worry Gage may be in worse shape. Your brother shouldn’t have been able to get out of that bed, let alone scale up the side of a house. He could be bleeding out.”
“But you can’t climb up there,” Mattie said. “We’re not children anymore. You could fall!”
“There are worse things than falling,” Sienna replied in a tone Gage couldn’t read through the fog of his thoughts.
The sound of commotion met Gage’s ears. He pushed up to his elbows. The movement sent raw pain through his side. He put a hand to his bandaged ribs. When he pulled it away, it was sticky with blood.
Sienna’s head appeared over the lip of the roof. Relief showed in her bright green eyes that were a stark contrast to the long red hair she had worn pulled back in a braid for as long as he could remember.
Their eyes met and a tremor ran through Gage. He couldn’t decide if it was from the injury or her presence. He definitely hadn’t experienced that before.
“Thank goodness,” she said at seeing him. Sienna grabbed the lip of the roof, levered her foot up, and wedged it against the angle where the roof met the slope the same way Gage had done.
Memories of showing her how to climb tickled at the back of Gage’s mind. He saw his young self pointing to the corner.
“If you shove your foot there, the shingles keep it from sliding. That’s the part Donovan can’t figure out no matter how many times I try to show him. He says I must be part firrel.”
“I agree with him,” Sienna said, her voice tight as she struggled to wedge her little foot into the angle. “You think this is worth it?”