AEGIS EVOLUTION

by S. S. Segran

  Aari heard Mariah clear her throat nervously. “Yes. But it’s off.” She pulled it out, and as she did, Aari caught sight of her thumb on the dial, discreetly turning the radio off. “See?”

  “Where other one?”

  Aari whipped around. “She chucked it over the side of the mountain! She threw it away in one of her stupid fits!”

  Mariah kicked dirt at him. “Don’t make me look insane!”

  “I don’t have to! You’re doing a damn fine job on your own!”

  “Enough!” the guard shouted, glaring at them both. “Okay, that’s it. You go down. Now. And you will not come here again.”

  Jag didn’t need a walkie-talkie or Kody’s acute hearing to overhear the raised voices on top of the mountain. Jeez Louise, if I didn’t know better, I’d think there’s actually a lovers’ quarrel going on up there.

  Did you hear ’Riah, though? Tegan said. ‘My mother warned me about you’?

  She’s adorable.

  She is. But I guess we’re compromised now.

  No, we’re not. They are. Question is, what’s the guard going to do with them?

  They were caught trespassing at night on a romantic date. They’re teenagers with American passports. That can’t get them into much trouble… Can it?

  I don’t know. We’re entering a whole new world with all that’s going on everywhere. They may want to be more cautious and hold them in a cell or something.

  You wanna check with Marshall, see what we should do?

  Yeah. Jag ended the link with her and established another with the Sentry. Hey, Marshall.

  The Sentry heaved a sigh. That was something. I think Mariah purposely held down the transmission on her radio so we could hear what was happening.

  Smart girl. What do we do now?

  We need to find those seeds, but we also can’t lose Mariah and Aari. It’s your call, Jag.

  Jag, sitting in the hollow of the first cave he’d searched, bowed his head and groaned as he thought to himself, Seeds, friends. Seeds, friends… Actually, no. Save the world, friends. Save the world…

  He reestablished the link with Marshall. We need to keep searching. But let’s make it quick.

  Wilco. I’ll let Kody know.

  Jag linked back with Tegan. Find the box.

  Roger that, Captain.

  Stop that.

  Sorry. She withdrew from his mind, though Jag suspected that she wasn’t sorry at all.

  He gingerly backed out of the big cave, his toes expertly finding footholds as his hands worked across the hard surface, gripping tightly. It had been a while since he’d done any rock climbing. As much as he loved it, the activity haunted him. All he could think of was seeing Roderic’s face as the defective cam gave way; his friend screaming as he plunged toward the ground far below and landing with a sickening, gut-churning crunch.

  Jag dug his fingers into the rock face. Stop it. Stop thinking about it, dammit! At least Roddy’s alive!

  The other voice, pervasive and dark, wormed into his ear. He’s alive, yes, but paralyzed from the waist down. Stuck in a wheelchair—because of you.

  The cam was defective! I never thought—

  You led that team up the mountain! You promised you’d look out for them! You told them it would all be just fine, didn’t you? That they were safe in your great hands! You cocky son of a—

  It wasn’t my fault!

  It was! You didn’t check the equipment as thoroughly as you should have! Now Roderick’s paralyzed for life! And you—you have the audacity to think that you can lead your friends into this battle against an enemy undoubtedly more powerful than you? Watch them all fall! Step by step, THEY—WILL—ALL—FALL!

  Jag pressed his forehead against the rock wall, teeth gnashed, doing everything he could to expel the voice from his mind; it had been gone for so long, he’d dared to hope that it would never return. But it always did.

  He timed his breathing until his jaws unclenched, then continued along, crossing the twenty-foot gap to the second cave and pulling himself in. Digging out the small flashlight from his pocket, he crouched in the space and ran the beam over the ceiling. Nothing.

  He reported back to Tegan and Marshall; neither of them had had any luck either. Kody radioed the Sentry to say his search had also turned up nothing. Jag lay on his back, the crook of his elbow covering his face. Is there another cave we missed? he asked Marshall.

  No, the Sentry said. He sounded peeved. I guess it’s the curse of finding a cure. It won’t be where it’s supposed to be.

  Jag remembered how Marshall, Aari and Tegan had flown to Nevada during the summer to search for the dopant—a countermeasure to stop the nanomites from laying waste to the Great Plains. Of course, it ended up being somewhere else.

  Jag hurled his flashlight deeper into the cave. It hit the wall and rolled back to him, flickering. Great. So what now? We don’t have the seeds, Mariah and Aari are caught, and we can’t contact them. Just… great.

  The Sentry said nothing.

  Marshall?

  The man’s voice returned, and he was animated. Sorry about that! Kody just radioed in, said he thinks he might have gotten a visual of another cave like sixty or seventy feet below him.

  Jag scooped up his flashlight. Really? Is he sure?

  Ninety percent sure.

  That’s good enough for me. I’ll head down and have a look.

  Jag, no. I’ll check out this one. The ladder only goes another twenty feet down. That’s maybe fifty feet of free-climbing. Let me handle this.

  But I should be the one to go. This is our mission. We call the shots, right? Then I’m calling this one. It’s okay, Marshall. I’m in my element.

  So am I.

  Jag started to work his way out of the cave. I’m going.

  NO!

  He faltered. It had been a long time since he’d heard that tone from the Sentry.

  No, Marshall reiterated, calmer this time. Not for this. This bears too much risk and I will not put you in that position.

  We’re supposed to learn how to call these shots for ourselves. Your words.

  Fine, you’re right. I did say that. You decide if you want to go, but bear in mind that we can’t afford to lose you. Or the others.

  Jag hunched forward. I’m trying to be a leader, he thought to himself. Doesn’t that mean their safety comes first? How can I ask the team to take a risk while I remain protected? This is messed up.

  He gritted his teeth and said, Alright. You go.

  Thanks, kiddo.

  Jag leaned out of the cave, watching the Sentry work his way toward him. He moved with a certain ease and comfort, and when he arrived at Jag’s cave, he looked up and patted the teenager on the cheek with such affection that Jag managed to crack a small smile. Once he passed, Jag climbed out and followed him. The moon lit the ground a thousand feet below with a ghostly sheen. That’s a fatal fall, he thought. Be careful, Marshall.

  Jag waited until the man had descended to the edge of the ladder before getting on it himself and hanging on tight. He spotted Tegan and Kody looking down at the Sentry from their respective caves; they looked as apprehensive as he felt.

  Below them, Marshall navigated the terrain like he’d been raised on it. His effortlessness should have put Jag’s stomach-churning to rest, but it didn’t.

  The Sentry made it to the cave and slipped in. Jag allowed himself to let go of the breath he’d been holding and exchanged weary smiles with his friends. They shook their heads, simultaneously stressed and relieved.

  The beam from Marshall’s flashlight suddenly appeared in their faces just as his voice filled Jag’s head. It’s here! The crescent, it’s right here just like the Elders said!

  Jag almost let out a whoop but quickly slapped a hand over his mouth. By the jubilant grins Kody and Tegan shared, Jag guessed that the Sentry had passed the message on to them. Marshall! he called. Is the box there?

  I haven’t checked! I wanted to tell you guys first. Be right b
ack.

  The light and Marshall disappeared into the cave again. Jag adjusted his grip on the ladder impatiently. Come on, come on…

  More than ten minutes passed, but there was no sign of the Sentry. Jag waited for a few moments before deciding to reach out telepathically. Just then, Marshall emerged and started to scale up the rock wall.

  Do you have it? Jag asked.

  The Sentry paused to look up at Jag, his face dark. No.

  The elation in Jag’s chest fell like a cement block. What?

  It doesn’t look like that soil’s been turned over in ages. Marshall continued his ascent, testing each foothold and handhold with care. I dug and I dug. It’s not there.

  Jag shut his eyes. So. We’re back to… square one.

  He opened his eyes and gazed down, and everything he saw moved as though time had slowed.

  As Marshall reached up to grab the next handhold, the rock under his left foot gave way. He slipped, hands and feet scrambling, fingers digging into the disobliging face of the mesa. He looked up at the teenagers, terror slashed across his face, before gravity pulled him backward.

  Jag, paralyzed, watched the Sentry plummet toward the ground, a falling angel gone to meet his end.

  25

  NO!

  Jag pushed his heels into the rock wall and released his hold on the ladder. The force of the Earth yanked him downward and he used it to increase his speed until he was rocketing down the slope. The world around him slowed as he outraced the acceleration of gravity. Adrenaline blazed through his veins. He felt the wind slap his face viciously as dirt and rocks jet-washed behind him in a turbulent wake.

  As he drew even with Marshall, the Sentry turned his head to him, face frozen in horror. Their eyes met for a microsecond, then Jag pulled ahead as the dry riverbed in the canyon below rushed to meet them. Now ahead of the free-falling man, he slowed just enough to match the Sentry’s velocity.

  Marshall’s weightless body made contact with Jag, back-first. An intense burning flared throughout Jag’s legs from thighs to his feet as he dug his heels into the slope, trying to slow their fall. He grunted heavily, feeling the Sentry’s full weight bear down on his spine and shoulders more with each passing instant. A sudden realization hit him—a soft landing would be impossible at this speed.

  He shot past the dusty riverbed at the base of the mountain, the Sentry fused to his back by inertia, and travelled a quarter way up the opposite slope, using its gradient to soak up his momentum. As he slowed, he felt the world around him edge toward its normal speed.

  Jag gasped as his pace slackened, losing his footing. He dug his toes into the incline but had no traction and tumbled backwards. He twisted around, grabbing Marshall, but his grip loosened and the Sentry toppled after him.

  Everything was a dizzying whirl of earth and rocks and pain. Jag felt something snap but had no breath to cry out. He finally rolled to the bottom, landing spread-eagle on his back. His vision blurred from eyes damp with shock.

  A second later, Marshall landed on top of him. The cords in Jag’s neck pulled as he fought not to scream in agony. He forced himself to sit up and shakily, weakly, put his arms around the Sentry. “I got you,” he wheezed. “I got you. I…”

  He collapsed and blacked out.

  Kody had witnessed the entire event in horror. He tried to swallow but his mouth had gone dry. Zeroing in his vision to the crumpled bodies nearly a thousand feet below, he saw their chests just barely rise and fall. He groaned in relief. “They’re alive!”

  Tegan swung out of her cave and worked her way toward the ladder. “Then we need to get to them.”

  They climbed back to the top of the mesa, scraping knees and arms in their haste. Kody started to sprint towards the entrance of the fortress but Tegan drew him back. “Wait!” she hissed. “The ladder!”

  He did a one-eighty and ran back to the boulder to untie the climbing ropes. “Where are our bags?”

  She cursed. “Aari and Mariah probably hid them. I’ll look around.”

  “Hurry! And watch out for the guard!”

  Kody unknotted the ropes and pulled up the ladder, checking over his shoulder every few seconds until Tegan returned with their bags. They packed the ladder away, shouldered the bags and, staying close to the eastern wall, moved quickly toward the entrance. A beam of light worked down in the opposite direction, but it was on the other side of the plateau.

  “The cable cars wouldn’t happen to be working, would they?” Kody whispered, though he knew the answer.

  Tegan led them out of the entrance and down the steps to the Snake Path. “Brace yourself,” she warned. “I don’t think it’ll be an easy hike down.”

  This was an understatement.

  The rocky path wound for two and a half miles and though Kody, like the rest of the group, was in peak physical condition, he soon felt fire searing in his legs. Tegan had to use the railing to steady herself at one point. They passed a water bottle between them as they ran down, sweat coating their skin in spite of the cool night.

  The vastness of the mountains was lost on Kody. Any other time he would have felt small among them and in complete awe, but in his head he kept playing Marshall’s fall and Jag’s rescue over and over.

  When they reached the river bed, Kody’s legs instantly turned to jelly. He stumbled but Tegan hoisted him to his feet. “Up!”

  He sucked in air and, trying to block out his body’s screeching protests, fell in step with her as they veered into the canyon. It took longer to get down than I thought… I hope they’re okay.

  They found Marshall slumped, unconscious, on top of Jag. Both were battered and bloodied. Kody wrapped his arms around the Sentry’s chest and pulled him off their friend, then gently lay Marshall down as Tegan knelt beside Jag. He pressed two fingers to the man’s neck and felt a pulse.

  “Check them for injuries,” Tegan whispered.

  Kody carefully did a head-to-toe assessment of the Sentry. “Apart from some bleeding and bruises, I think he’s okay,” he reported. “Jag took the brunt of the fall.”

  “Seems like it.” Tegan sat back on her heels, completing her own check on Jag. “I could be wrong, but I think his left leg is broken.”

  “What do we do?”

  Tegan got up and paced, hands on her hips, lips pressed together tightly. Kody looked up at her anxiously. “Teegs?”

  “I… I don’t—”

  The radio clipped to Kody’s belt suddenly crackled to life. “Marshall? Kody?”

  Kody whipped the device to his mouth. “Mariah! Are you guys okay?”

  “Yeah! The guard let us go with a warning after checking our passports again. He said we could wait till the first tour bus comes in the morning to leave, but we said our car is parked at the hostel and that we’re staying there for the night.”

  Tegan took the radio from Kody. “Glad to hear you’re okay, but we’ve got a situation. Get to the canyon north of the visitor’s center and be prepared to punch the gas out of here.”

  “Yeah, okay. We’re half a mile out—we’ll be there in about two minutes. The guards might see us, though.”

  “I know, but there’s no other way.”

  “Did you find the box?”

  “No. Just get here and we’ll fill you in on the way out.”

  Tegan passed the radio back to Kody and he clipped it onto his belt. She took out an extra t-shirt from her bag, ripped it in half and doused the strips with the last bit of water from the bottle. Kody took one of the cloths and together they wiped the blood off their unconscious friends.

  “I can’t believe that just happened,” he murmured. “I… I still haven’t processed—”

  “Don’t think,” Tegan advised him curtly. “Save it for later. Here they come now.”

  Kody turned and saw the black SUV making its way along the riverbed. The headlights were off but the roar of the engine echoed in the quiet night.

  The vehicle skidded to a halt. Aari and Mariah leapt out, mouths h
anging open. “What happened?” Mariah squeaked.

  “Later!” Tegan barked. “Get them in first!”

  They carefully heaved Jag and Marshall into the SUV and clambered in after them. Tegan dove into the driver’s seat and Kody jumped in beside her, beating the dashboard wildly. “Go, go, go!”

  They tore out of the canyon, hearts racing, not bothering to see if the guards had spotted them, and left Masada shrinking in their rearview mirrors.

  26

  A dirty white sedan trailed some distance behind the SUV as it raced back toward Jerusalem. Behind the wheel sat a monster of a man with pupils as black as the pits of hell and a hulking body scarred in ink. A cigarette stuck out from the side of his mouth, the glow from the cherry barely lighting up a face marred by an untidy scar that stretched from the forehead, past the partially-blind left eye, to the chin.

  The much shorter auburn-haired man in the passenger seat watched the SUV with the sharpness of a hawk; his square face twitched in distaste. The Lebanese-born giant glanced at him. “What is that look for, Mr. Ajajdif?”

  “It’s thanks to Tony’s stupidity—nyet, ineptitude—that we’re stuck out here keeping an eye on these brats. I could be running the mine site and Sanctuary in peace. Dr. Deol just rolled out the new line of Marauders and they’re even better than the last.”

  “All I heard was that they’re not hindered by daylight anymore. A minor upgrade not worth wetting yourself over, if you ask me.”

  “I didn’t ask you. Besides, that’s only the tip of the iceberg. Point is, they were supposed to bond with each Head of Sanctuary and I wasn’t there.”

  “You still have the first field models, sir. Those love you… or something. I don’t think killing machines created in labs are able to feel love. Are they?”

  “Elias, would you please shut up and drive?”

  “Ah, come, come, this isn’t bad. I like the change in pace. Better than being holed up at the Sanctuary. We get to stretch our legs out here.”

  Vladimir Ajajdif grimaced. “Once a mercenary, always a mercenary, hm?”

  “Of course, sir.” Elias Hajjar blew smoke out the window. “Ach, those little punks. Do you know how hard it was to keep a cool head around Tony when the girls escaped the Sanctuary? It was humiliating that they got past me, but I couldn’t let Tony see that or—”