Rain Saga

by Barton, Riley

  “I can’t believe you think I would just sell out like that!” Luna spat, as indignation began fighting past her fear.

  “Now, Luna. Don’t be a fool,” Edgard replied, gripping her tightly by the arm. “Don’t you see what I’m offering you? You could be rich! Richer than God! All you need to do is name your price and keep your mouth shut!”

  “Keep my mouth shut, or what? You’ll kill me, like you did Jack Anderson?”

  Edgard’s smile vanished. “So … you saw that tape. I really wish you hadn’t told me that.”

  “Yeah, I saw that tape. Do you honestly think killing me will keep people from realizing the truth? One of these days they’ll figure it out, and then everyone in the world will know what you’ve done!”

  Before she could say anything more, Edgard’s hands had closed around her neck like a vice. “You still don’t get it, do you? Jack Anderson was a fool who couldn’t see the true potential of the company he created. He was unwilling to do what had to be done. But I am not! And I will not allow people like you to stand in the way of progress!”

  Luna kicked feebly, fighting for breath as her vision blurred. But just as the darkness began to close in, he released his murderous grip.

  Coughing violently, Luna toppled over onto her side and breathed in huge lungfuls of oxygen as Edgard rose and turned to the agents standing in and around the doorway.

  “Take Miss McKelly into the swamp and dispose of her. She’s too much of a threat to be left alive.”

  A moment later, he was gone. Two years of working for him. Two years of idolizing him … and he left her to die without even looking back.

  For the next thirty minutes, all Luna could do was wait while the agents changed into their armored environmental suits. But she wasn’t afraid anymore. Just because her chances of survival were practically nonexistent didn’t mean that she couldn’t try. Already her mind began to work at a plan. It was a long shot at best, and it definitely wasn’t foolproof. But even a long shot was better than the alternative.

  Before long two of the armor-clad men walked into the room, picked her up between the two of them and carried her outside.

  She squinted against the wind-blown rain as her kidnappers carried her down a steep, muddy embankment to where a small boat waited, barely visible in the stormy night.

  “Here, take her!” the man on her left shouted to the agents crewing the small launch. Several of the men grabbed hold of her then promptly deposited her on the boat’s pitching deck before helping the other two agents crawl aboard.

  They left her where she lay, so that she was forced to endure the nauseating voyage without a clear view of anything except the underside of one of the agents’ seats. However, this was exactly the sort of thing she had been waiting for.

  From her vantage point, she could clearly see the bolts running down the entire length of the boat—including the ones on the patch of hull directly behind her head. Slowly, she repositioned herself so that her back was against the hull and felt around for the bolt. Then she began carefully running the plastic zip tie over the rough edges.

  The boat lurched and bounced over the waves, bashing her body against the hull. Minutes turned into hours as the boat traveled farther and farther from New Denver.

  The storm was on top of them now, and the boat began to pitch even more violently, forcing the agents to hold on tightly to avoid being thrown overboard. Which meant that none of them noticed when the plastic tie finally snapped.

  Before any of the men had time to react, she jumped up and threw herself into the choppy water. Immediately she began to flounder, coughing as the gray-green swamp muck splashed into her mouth and eyes. Behind her she could hear the agents shouting and firing their weapons.

  A bullet hit the water near her shoulder, sending up a fountain of spray, and she dove, hoping that the rain and water would shield her from view long enough for her to get out of range.

  She continued swimming underwater for as long as she could, then she made for the surface and filled her lungs with the musty swamp air. The rain was coming down in torrents, forming a protective curtain around her. She smiled—surprised that her plan had worked—and made for shore.

  In the distance she could hear the sound of the boat’s engine circling just out of view. They were searching for her.

  She held her breath and waited as the boat drew closer then slowly began to move off. A few minutes later it faded all together.

  She had escaped certain death, true. But now she was faced with the reality that she was stranded alone in the swamp with no way to call for help. Now she was likely doomed to a slow lingering death— either by the Blister Wart disease slowly consuming her body, or by the teeth and claws of a massive predator.

  Slowly she struggled through the mud toward the remains of a nearby cottonwood. Shivering with cold, Luna sat down beneath the tree’s slimy, rotten boughs. No longer able to contain the emotions building up inside her, she pulled her quivering knees up to her chin and began to sob.

  Chapter 25

  Edgard’s fingers flew across his keyboard as he entered the kill codes for Luna’s all-purpose device. He quickly entered the last four digits of the self-destruct algorithms and pressed enter, watching closely as the headset’s blue status light slowly dimmed, flickered, and died.

  Smiling he tossed the tiny device to the agent standing beside him.

  “Here, Manning. Get rid of this; make sure no one ever finds it.”

  “Yes, sir. I’ll see to it personally.”

  Edgard nodded, “I take it you’ll do better than you did when you saw to it personally that Miss McKelly was ‘taken care of’?”

  Manning’s eyebrow twitched. “Sir, I assure you my men did all they could.”

  “If they’d done all they could, they would have put a bullet in her head,” Edgard sighed.

  “Don’t worry, sir. In her present condition, I doubt she’ll last more than a few days. The swamps are dangerous. They’re no place for a civilian—let alone a sick one. She’ll probably be dead by morning.”

  “I hope so,” Edgard replied, “because, as of tomorrow, Miss McKelly’s abduction will be all over the headlines. And it would be very … inconvenient if she showed up alive after she’s been declared dead.”

  “If she does show up again, my men will take care of her. Don’t worry.”

  “Excellent,” Edgard said, leaning back in his chair. “Well, I guess that means there’s only one thing left to do.”

  “You want me to notify her next of kin, sir?”

  Edgard nodded. “Make sure you’re convincing, and do it tomorrow afternoon—right after the media frenzy starts.”

  “Yes, sir. I’ll see to it immediately.” Manning saluted and walked through the office door into the dark hallway beyond.

  Edgard watched the door slide shut then smiled and folded his hands behind his head. Despite this little hiccup, everything was going to turn out exactly as he’d hoped.

  Chapter 26

  Luna shivered and pulled the tattered remains of her shirt around her drenched shoulders, straining her eyes as she tried to see through the downpour.

  If it hadn’t been for her curiosity, she would be back in her apartment, sleeping the night away in the warm comfort of her own bed. Instead she was trudging through knee-deep swamp muck in the middle of a torrential storm.

  She grimaced and struggled to pull her foot free of the thick mud that enveloped her numb toes. The swamp had already claimed both of her shoes and her socks.

  She struggled for a few moments to work herself free, took another labored step, and stopped to catch her breath, wishing desperately that the agents hadn’t confiscated her inhaler when they’d searched her.

  She was cold, wet, and tired and would have liked nothing more than to sit down and rest her eyes for a few minutes. But she knew that if she did, she probably would never get up again. Either she would sink into the mud and drown in her sleep, or she would become prey to one o
f the hundreds of predators she knew were lurking just out of sight.

  Initially she had been so disoriented that she had rested underneath what was left of an old cottonwood tree. But that had been before her mind had cleared enough for her to realize just how stupid it was for her to be anywhere near a tree during a lightning storm. At which point she had decided that she would try to make her way back to civilization on foot.

  She exhaled in frustration and ran a grimy hand through the tangled mess of wet, stringy hair that strayed into her eyes and mouth; wincing as her hand made contact with her injured cheek.

  It’ll be a miracle if I don’t get an infection from being out here, Luna thought grimly. But at least she hadn’t vomited again—not that she could. Her stomach was far too empty.

  That was another thing that could possibly kill her—starvation. With all the rainwater, there wasn’t really any risk of dehydration. But unless she could find some edible plants, or hunt and kill something with her bare hands—and then eat them raw—she would undoubtedly succumb to her hunger long before she got anywhere near New Denver.

  For every hour of strenuous work she put into pulling her feet out of the mud, she was only making about a half-mile of progress. The statistics were definitely not in her favor.

  She bit her lip and took another staggering step forward. As much as she hated the ideas of starving or being eaten, she knew that it was a far worse fate that awaited her: death by Blister Wart fungus.

  She coughed and pressed a trembling hand to her chest, wheezing painfully as her lungs strained to fill with the dank air.

  How long had it been since her last treatment? Two days? Three? Maybe four? It was hard for her to tell exactly how much time had passed since she’d entered the swamp. But she knew she was running out of time.

  “Okay, Luna … come on. You’ve got to keep moving,” she wheezed, pulling her tired feet out of the muck. But before she could take another step, her foot caught on something hidden beneath the mud, and she uttered a strangled yelp of surprise before she toppled headlong over a steep embankment into the marsh below.

  If the fall hadn’t winded her, Luna would have probably begun to sob. Instead she wrapped her bruised arms around her aching stomach and curled into a tiny, miserable ball as her quivering body struggled to breathe.

  Why couldn’t I just leave well enough alone? She thought helplessly, succumbing at last to exhaustion and to the swamp. She could feel her body slowly being dragged down into the foul-smelling slime.

  A bolt of lightning flashed overhead, and for a spilt second she thought she saw someone illuminated in the pale, white light standing in front of her. Then everything went dark, and she felt her head sink beneath the mud.

  She began to struggle,, trying to pull herself back out. But it was no use. Her arms and legs were sunk too deeply into the thick, immobilizing muck. She could feel the cold mud bubbling into her nose and ears.

  Her lungs burned, screaming for air. I’m suffocating! No. Please, someone, help me!

  Frantically, she tried to kick and squirm, but her efforts only caused her to sink deeper. She was holding her breath, but she knew that eventually her body would force her to breathe in the cold, wet mud.

  Just when she was about to slip into unconsciousness, a pair of strong hands grabbed hold of her and with one swift motion, pulled her free.

  Luna’s hands flew to her face, tearing furiously at the grimy muck clogging her nostrils as she gasped and choked for breath. She could feel her rescuer’s arms supporting her. Slowly she turned her head and looked up at the masked person who had saved her life.

  She swallowed and opened her mouth—her hoarse voice sounding strangely alien to her, “Mark? Is that you?”

  She couldn’t see his face, but she guessed he was smiling.

  “Yeah, Luna. It’s me.”

  Chapter 27

  Saul Edgard walked solemnly to the podium and leaned toward the microphone. Directly in front of him stood dozens of reporters.

  “Friends,” he began, “I’m standing here today to inform you that the rumors are indeed true. Miss Luna McKelly was kidnapped from her laboratory two nights ago by members of a Swamper radical group masquerading as agents of our own security staff. We have not received any demands from this criminal organization as of yet. And though we at Unitech do not wish to rule out the possibility that Miss McKelly is alive and well, we fear that this is not the case.” He paused briefly and looked over the silent crowd before continuing.

  “However, it has been brought to my attention that before her abduction, Miss McKelly did in fact complete her research on the Blister Wart cure. And we believe that this cure shall act as her lasting legacy for years to come.

  In light of recent events as well as the growing frequency of violent encounters with various Swamper terrorist cells—first and foremost being the gang headed by a one Leon Vespasien—I am taking it upon myself and the entire Unitech community to put an end to these fanatical sects once and for all. From this day forward a state of war exists between Unitech and the Swampers responsible for these crimes against humanity. Let it be known that we will not stop until it is again safe for our citizens to walk the streets without fear! We will not stop until every last one of these criminals has been brought to justice! We will not stop until we have peace!”

  Edgard stopped and the room filled with thunderous applause.

  When Edgard had first been informed that Luna had hacked into his personal files, he never would have guessed that he’d be able to silence both her and Leon Vespasien at the same time. Through his threatening holo-recording, the Swamper vigilante had made himself the perfect scapegoat.

  Even though his men reported that they had failed to kill Luna, Edgard knew it was probably safe to assume that she was dead—or would be soon enough. And with the meddlesome Vespasien framed for her murder, he knew that the terrorist’s days were numbered as well.

  Chapter 28

  Landers switched off the holo-vid of Edgard’s speech and turned to the two dozen suit-clad agents assembled around him.

  “All right,” he said, clasping his hands behind his back, “does somebody want to explain how a gang of Swampers managed to breach our security, assume the identity of our staff, and escape from under our noses with a high-priority asset?”

  Landers waited for a few moments then cocked a dark eyebrow at the row of figures standing stiffly at attention.

  “Alex!” he barked, addressing the Unitech central AI, “bring up all the information you have on case file number zero-two-two-nine.”

  “As you wish, Chief.” Alex replied as a holographic screen materialized between Landers and his agents, displaying all the intel the Agency had managed to piece together during the past forty-eight hours.

  “According to our initial reports,” Landers began, taking a step toward the shimmering holo-screen in front of him, “Miss McKelly placed a call to our department approximately five minutes before she dropped off the grid. The agent who received the call immediately dispatched a team to retrieve Miss McKelly. But she was gone before they arrived.”

  “Excuse me, sir,” said a tall, thin woman, “but did forensics find anything at the scene?”

  Landers nodded. “Yes, they did find blood and hair belonging to Miss McKelly in the parking lot. But nothing to help us in ascertaining the identity of her abductors.”

  “What about Alex’s security cameras? Did they pick up anything?”

  “No, they didn’t,” Landers sighed. “Apparently the cameras in Research Building 3 and the surrounding parking lots were all out of order. I had some of our men check with the maintenance staff, and they’ve confirmed that the problem had been filed in the computers, and that repairs were scheduled for the morning following Miss McKelly’s disappearance.”

  “This all seems a bit ... coincidental, sir.” The woman said slowly.

  Landers nodded again. “That it does. This is exactly why I’ve called all of you here today
.”

  A look of realization swept across the agent’s face then quickly faded as she nodded and stepped back into her place in the line.

  “I want every one of you working on this case. Something isn’t right here, and I want to know what it is”, Landers said, walking over to a desk covered with neatly organized files containing his written orders for each of the agents in the room. Usually he would have e-mailed them. But with all of the evidence suggesting that whoever was responsible for the kidnapping, had at least managed to gain rudimentary access to their network, he’d opted to do things the old-fashioned way.

  The chief reached down and picked up the first file. “Lieutenant Manning!” he called, addressing an agent in his early thirties, “I want you to work with Agent Tagawa. He was on the team that escorted Miss McKelly into the swamp a few weeks back. I want the two of you to go around the Unitech complex and interview anyone—and I mean anyone—who may have had contact with Miss McKelly. Check her apartment … her phone records … everything.”

  The blond lieutenant stepped forward to receive his file. “Yes, sir.”

  Landers watched the man leave and continued to dispense files to their respective recipients.

  Landers trusted his agents to see the investigation through to the end. If there were any chance that Miss McKelly’s abductors could be brought to justice, his agents would find it. The perpetrators would be found and punished to the full extent of the law. Anything less was unacceptable.

  Chapter 29

  Luna inhaled deeply, filling her lungs with steamy, hot air. Slowly easing herself down on the stainless-steel floor of the shower, she drew her scraped knees to her chest and lowered her chin down to meet them. The steady torrent of hot water continued to pour over her head and shoulders, washing away the mud and blood as heat seeped into her knotted muscles.