Sideris Gate: A Paradisi Chronicles novella (Paradisi Exodus Book 2)

by Cheri Lasota

  It didn’t stop the guy, but he lowered his volume at least.

  “What do you want to do with him?” Tavian asked, kneeing the technician in the back to get him to lie still.

  “Did he get a call out to Command?”

  Tavian grimaced. “Yes, unfortunately.”

  “Then we need to neutralize him the best we can, so we can get out of here.”

  “What’s your name, technician?” Solomon asked the guy.

  “Marley Penniman, asshole. Let me go.”

  “All right, Marley Penniman. You’ve got two choices: either you tell us what we can tie you up with or we punch you out cold. You have three seconds to decide.”

  While Marley gave that proposition some serious thought, Tavian scowled. “I say we punch him out, boss. We don’t have time for this.”

  “Marley? Time’s up.”

  “Agh! I can’t think of anything.”

  “All right. We’ll try to go easy on you. Tavian, lift him up.”

  “Stop! You can’t do this. It’s against—”

  Solomon didn’t hesitate. The moment Tavian brought Marley’s head up, he put all the power he could behind his weaker left punch, connecting with the side of Marley’s chin. His body fell against Tavian, his head snapping back as he instantly fell into unconsciousness.

  “Damn, boss. Remind me not to piss you off.”

  Solomon shook off the tension in his hand and felt for the guy’s pulse. “He’s still alive. Let’s go.”

  “I’ll follow you anywhere.”

  “Since Challenge Command is likely going to float me or throw me in lockdown, I wouldn’t be too keen on that.” Solomon took off at a run toward the slider leading out into the corridor between the upper deck of the Lacuna Lab and the Olympia vivarium. They ran right into Dextra, who stood off to the side of the slider.

  “I saw the whole thing. How are you both still alive?” Dextra gave them both a once over, presumably to check for injuries.

  “Noble cause and desperation?” Tavian offered while Dextra checked the bandage on Solomon’s hand.

  “Or dumb luck?” Dextra replied, taking down their egos a notch.

  “All of the above,” Solomon added. “We have to go. Security is going to be crawling all over this sector soon.”

  “Why?” Dextra asked.

  “Damn tech put out the emergency call for the cavalry.”

  “Oh, you mean the defenseless man you punched the living daylights out of?”

  Solomon held a finger up, considering several defensive responses but thought better of it. Desperation wasn’t a good enough reason for this woman. He lowered his hand and gave her a sheepish smile.

  “That’s what I thought.”

  Tavian walked between them to peer through the slider’s window. “Challenge Command will automatically assume we’d head toward Olympia, since it’s the nearest sector to Lacuna. We could take a more diagonal route through Tibet.”

  “No.” Dextra shook her head. “That’s alpine tundra. Not enough cover.”

  Solomon looked through the slider toward Olympia. “I think we could probably lose them in Olympia. Far more trees, and there’s some decent-sized bushes as well.”

  Tavian nodded. “Hmm... true.”

  “Do your codes actually work on these doors?” Dextra asked Solomon.

  “Yes, they do. I just can’t disable them from the inside. Safety measure.”

  “For the record, I disagree with your level of due diligence in the safety measures aboard this ship,” Tavian stated.

  “Noted.”

  “We can’t stay here any longer.” Dextra waved her hand in impatience.

  “We’ll take the Olympia route.” Solomon keyed in the code. “Stay close. If we get separated, remember to head to the Astro Lab.”

  “Got it.”

  The moment he walked through the slider to Olympia, the scents of the trees and fresh, crisp air filled his lungs. There was nothing like these vivaria in the universe, save the regions on Earth for which they were named. Even then, the vivarias’ namesake biomes on the planet had long since been decimated by drought, volcanic disasters, floods, and the waste borne of human greed. Each of these labs, including Olympia, a replica of the Pacific Northwest rainforests of the old Olympic National Park, were priceless. Almost, it seemed to Solomon, more priceless than their human cargo. They were bringing with them a nearly impossible-to-encapsulate world in the hope that these little pieces of their home would not be lost or forgotten.

  The original hope was that the ships would remain in orbit above New Eden and be used as living museums of Earth life among other more practical scientific pursuits. And, of course, they had no guarantee these fragile flora and fauna would even survive the gatejump or the long months across the Paradisi Planetary System to New Eden. Yet when the construction budget was discussed among the Founding Families and the Joint Command Board, there was never any question of approving Solomon’s proposals for the Lab Sector. Even the most greedy and selfish among them all knew how important preserving Earth’s life forms would be when arriving on an alien planet. If nothing else, a little bit of home in a foreign land was life sustaining in and of itself.

  Solomon reveled in New Olympia’s teeming life as they moved quickly into the forest: the mushrooms and lichens dotting a fallen cedar tree eaten through by insects; the trickle of a stream feeding life to the young spruce, cedar, and hemlock trees; the calls of the thrushes, wrens, and kingfishers ringing through the breezy air. A few wildflowers were scattered among the meadow grasses along the edge of the forest where they entered.

  It was always easy to know the season in each of these ecosystems. He noted it on the screen above the code panel: spring. May, to be exact. They monitored temperatures constantly, relying on centuries of Farmer’s Almanac data to fluctuate seasonal temperatures to simulate Earth-like conditions. They even used thermo-control systems to regulate lighting, heating, and humidity. It was the most advanced ecosystem humans had ever created. And it was mind-blowing to be surrounded by all the beauty of the Earth while being thousands of kilometers above it.

  “Let’s take the northwest path,” Tavian said in a low voice, taking Dextra’s hand as they all vaulted over the downed cedar. Oddly, it bothered Solomon, which was foolish given the circumstances. He barely knew the woman. Then he thought back to the kiss she had given him back in the Cavitran Room, when he had knocked out his boss, Mads Graversen. And he remembered again when she had saved him from further torture from Commander Edge. She must feel something for him, despite the short time they’d known each other. Or maybe he was just hard up for a woman.

  “Toward that grove of trees?” Dextra asked, pointing to a dense grove of young spruce trees.

  Tavian nodded.

  “And it will provide us cover if someone takes this path,” Solomon added.

  “Exactly,” Tavian said a bit too loudly.

  “Shh,” Dextra whispered, “I hear footsteps.”

  Solomon froze, listening. The crackle of boots plodding on leaf litter and wood mulch was faint but clear. “Hurry. We’ve got to get to those trees, or things are going to get messy fast.”

  They moved as quietly as possible through the bushes and trees, along a moss-covered path that followed the meanderings of the stream running throughout the vivarium. At least the rush of water masked their footfalls.

  They heard voices from time to time, voices that were getting closer.

  “Hurry.” Solomon picked up his speed.

  Eventually they rounded a grove of trees and came out into a clearing featuring Home Lake, which was more along the lines of a pond in size, but named for an actual lake in the original Olympic National Park. They pressed on until they reached its edge.

  Solomon gestured to the right. “Let’s circle around to the back, and then hide in the underbrush beneath the trees.”

  They took pains to hide their tracks as they rounded Home Lake, swiping away footprints with branches.
Solomon never had much call to know how to hide his tracks, but he was starting to get damn good at it lately. Maybe he missed his calling.

  “Here?” Tavian veered off the path and trudged through the undergrowth toward a stand of bushes.

  “I can’t tell which way they went.” Dextra crouched down behind a particularly thick bush.

  “Still likely behind us but hard to tell if they are still on the path. Keep your eyes out for movement.” Solomon took a knee beside her.

  “What’s the plan here?” Tavian asked. “Stay put and hope they think we passed on to Tibet or even the Everglade?”

  “Well, they don’t know our end game—”

  “At least we’ve got that working for us,” Tavian interrupted.

  “Yes, let’s hope they pass us by. We’re running low on time.”

  For a few tense moments, they heard nothing. This alarmed Solomon more than hearing their approach. It meant either that they had left Olympia, perhaps in search of a computer to track heat signatures in the vivarium to pinpoint their location or, more likely, that their pursuers had figured out where they were hiding and were preparing to ambush them. The thought made Solomon glance behind him. He suddenly imagined dozens of Tasers and stun guns coming down on them from all sides. He’d had quite enough of that already.

  He caught a movement out of the corner of his eye, heightening his attention, but it was only a doe and her fawn coming to drink from the lake. He looked at Dextra who gazed at the deer with a faint smile.

  “Beautiful, aren’t they?” she whispered to him.

  “Yes, and hopefully they’ll hear the guards approaching before we do.” He’d barely finished saying the words, when the doe whipped her head up, listening intently. She swung her head around and looked right at Solomon, and then she and her fawn bolted away.

  A shout erupted behind Solomon, and several guards jumped from a hedge of bushes from their left and rear.

  The main question on Solomon’s mind was whether their pursuers were Challenge Security Guards or if some JCorpers were in the mix. Some of the Janus Security Corporation guards had superior fighting skills and weapons. Sure, he might spar every once in a while with a boxing partner, but he was no match for JCorp elites. He’d have to assume they were all skilled fighters, even if they weren’t.

  He wasn’t even sure if JCorpers would deem him an enemy. As they had with Reachers, the Founders had always viewed Janus crew as a step below themselves. Maybe he could leverage that somehow.

  The key was not to get snared in one of their Lewies, a nunchuck-style nightstick that expanded into polymer handcuffs that tightened on impact. They also shocked those unfortunate enough to get caught with a fairly significant electrical pulse. They were perfect for belligerent drunks stumbling out of the Paradise Bar, but he didn’t fancy a go at this particular moment. He had a schedule to keep.

  In seconds, Solomon had assessed the situation. Outnumbered: four to three. Two JCorpers, one rushing him with a Lewie at the ready. Two Challenge Security guards heading for Tavian, also holding a Lewie. Dextra was nowhere to be found.

  The tall JCorper with the blond crew cut and cold eyes immediately whipped his Lewie forward and caught one of Solomon’s wrists. Luckily, he’d had his other up in defense. Solomon was ready for the forthcoming shock, so he grabbed hold of the guy and let the uncomfortable jolt rock through him as well.

  The other guard, a stocky, muscled dude who actually appeared mildly amused Solomon had had the foresight to zap the other guy, too, stood well away. Maybe they didn’t like each other.

  “Lay off the button, Jenks,” the stocky guard finally shouted, and Solomon was blessedly released from the electrical charge hitting his wrist. With that, he didn’t hesitate to throw a punch into Jenks’s undefended abdomen when he’d recovered.

  “We’ve got you surrounded, Reach. You’re under arrest—”

  Solomon didn’t wait for him to finish his BS. He spun around and used his momentum to whip the Lewie toward Mr. Smiley. It hit him square across the jaw. His shout of pain startled a group of birds, which scattered noisily above them. Winging the stick up into his hand, Solomon wielded it golf-swing style and got the guy right in the balls.

  Eyes-wide, he fell to his knees, clutching his crotch. Solomon immediately spun around to finish off Jenks who had recovered from the Lewie’s shock. But he got a solid punch into Solomon’s kidney before he could fully turn.

  Solomon instinctively shied away to recover and regroup. He felt like he was in a drunken bar brawl in the Old West. Much higher stakes this time. He faced his opponent with a grim smile.

  As they circled each other, Solomon desperately wanted to sneak a peek at how Tavian was making out. He heard some grunts of pain toward his left behind a stand of trees. Sounded like they were still going at it. He didn’t hear Dextra at all. He hoped she had made a beeline straight for the far exit.

  He and the JCorper threw out some feints, gauging each other’s skills and reflexes. Solomon quickly assessed he’d be no match for this man. Brute force was his only chance to take him down, since he was pulling some kind of martial arts moves. Solomon wasn’t up on any of those fighting styles. He was more of a slugger than a true boxer anyway.

  Jenks leaned in and got a jab into his abdomen. Dude was quick. And his move was surprisingly effective. Solomon circled again, waiting for an opening, but the guy had some solid defense moves, which was smart because, despite his height, Solomon’s reach was longer.

  “Sol, I could use your help over here, yeah?” Tavian shouted. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw one of the guards had already tackled Tavian to the ground with a Lewie around his wrists.

  Damn. There went his backup. He was also running out of time. A glance in the other direction showed him the muscly JCorper was recovering from his groin hit and had nearly made it to a standing position.

  Those distractions resulted in Jenks punching Solomon in the same spot. And again, he sucked in a breath, the pain a little more intense. Solomon shrugged off the pain and rushed the guy, whose eyes widened in surprise. He shouldered into him while pressing the end of the Lewie into his throat. The guard fell back, taking Solomon down with him. Solomon jerked up and landed a solid right punch to the guy’s windpipe, which he hoped would give him some time to handle the other guard. While Jenks struggled to breath, Solomon yanked his hand up and pressed his forefinger to the Lewie’s fingerprint locking mechanism. It beeped and released Solomon’s wrist.

  While he was messing with the lock, the second guard circled behind Solomon and pulled him by the forearm into a vice-like arm lock move. The pain ripped a shout from Solomon, as the man shifted to finish the move with a headlock.

  Solomon wasn’t having any of that. He grabbed the Lewie stick and whacked the guy upside the head. Then he pushed back and away, knocking him off-balance, as they both fell to the ground. Solomon slid his hips off him, and with as much strength as he could muster, he hammerfisted the guy’s groin, which elicited a strangely satisfying gasp from him, leaving Solomon free to turn around and slug the guard into unconsciousness. He whipped back around and did the same to the winded JCorper who was still sprawled out, clutching at his throat.

  Solomon glanced around at his handiwork, and felt oddly pleased with himself. Apparently sloppy brute force got the job done too. With those two taken care of, Solomon took off toward the direction of Tavian’s expletive-ridden shouts.

  The stand of trees blocked his immediate view, and he kept out of sight until he could see how to assist. From the flashes of movement between the tree trunks, it looked like the guards still had Tavian by the Lewie and were attempting to hold him still while he kicked at them.

  Solomon moved around behind the three and quietly approached. How he was going to handle the situation he didn’t immediately know, but he’d just taken down two Janus security guards, so that was something.

  Positioning himself, so he could rush them, he took a deep breath and went for it
. He was in the middle of a high kick to the first guy’s left kidney when he looked up in time to see something that made him gasp in surprise. It was Dextra, looking for all the world like a ninja as she leapt down from the branch of a large tree onto the shoulders of the other guard.

  It stunned Solomon to the point where his kick went a little sideways, as his guy let go of Tavian, who face-planted into a batch of moss on the ground. The guard whipped around to face Solomon.

  Hesitation was not an option. Solomon landed what he hoped would be a KO to the guy’s jaw. The man’s head whipped sideways and up, and he fell to the ground with a thud. A quick glance told him the guy wasn’t unconscious but wouldn’t be getting up any time soon.

  At this point, the other guard, who had the look of a pale-faced, broad-nosed Viking, had pulled Dextra down off his shoulders and had her pressed up against his chest, a Lewie barred across her neck.

  The image of her in danger—and that look of fear in her eyes—made Solomon see red. He took a breath and tried to think clearly. Tavian was struggling to get up, and Solomon circled around the guard and Dextra to position Tavian behind them.

  “Look,” he started in, trying to keep his voice steady, “you’ve seen me neutralize three guards. Do you really want to risk your life for this?”

  “You are under arrest, Solomon Reach.” The guard’s accent was thick. Ah, Solomon thought, so he’s Russian. He wasn’t familiar with any of these guards, mostly because he rarely needed to deal with security issues. He let his Reach Corp security team interface with Janus Security Corporation and Challenge Security crews most of the time.

  “Do you even know who this woman is? She is the daughter of XO Alexandra Justice. I’m sure she’s watching you on the lab cameras right now. Do you want to jeopardize your ticket to New Eden by threatening the XO’s daughter? Let her go, and we’ll walk out of here without further incident.”

  This gave the guard pause. After an uncomfortable silence, he finally spoke. “I can’t let you walk out of here, Reach.”

  By some miracle, Tavian had made it to a standing position just steps behind the guard. Solomon kept his eyes on the guard, who was still hesitating.