by K. Webster
“Are you okay?” he asks, breaking me out of my stupor. He straightens and takes a step closer to me. The bulk of his suit magnifies just how big he is as he hovers over me. “Do you feel sick?”
Oh, I feel sick all right.
Stupid sick.
“I’m fine,” I answer. “Let’s get going. I want to be to the ridge before dark.”
He eyes me over again, as though confirming the validity of my words, and says, “Keep behind me. Let me know over the comms if you’re having any difficulty.”
“I can keep up,” I bristle.
Famous last words.
We trek for an hour without speaking, but I learn a lot about Hadrian in those quiet moments. For one thing, he’s absolutely friggin’ tireless. The mountain rises around the prison like a natural barrier at an almost perfect gradual incline. I’m glad for the lack of conversation, because as my lungs ache and my breath wheezes, I don’t think I’d be able to talk even if I tried. All I can focus on is putting one foot in front of the other and hoping I don’t make a fool out of myself.
Some leader.
I can only grit my teeth and follow the big impressions in the red-black dirt. Hadrian doesn’t pause and he doesn’t falter, making me wonder what he and his kind must have faced for them to survive the perilous conditions on this planet. It had once been beautiful—a thriving, delicately balanced ecosystem more beautiful than any planet in our reachable universe. I’d seen enough pictures and video feeds in the brief times I was in history class to recall the beauty. It looked nothing like that oasis now. Only ruin and death as far as the eye could see. And yet, the morts are alive and well. At least they are now if Hadrian and Theron are to be believed.
“You all right back there?” Hadrian asks over his shoulder. The brilliant sun is reflecting off his mask, but I don’t need to see his face to know he’s smirking. The asshole.
“I’m…fine,” I puff out.
“Do you need to rest?”
“Didn’t I just say I was fine? Stop chattering or we’ll never make it to the ridge by nightfall.”
“Whatever you say.”
I resist the urge to throw him off a cliff.
It’s not until a short while later that I realize he’s purposefully slowed his pace for me to catch up. Damn him. I’m grateful for the reprieve, but I don’t want him to be so nice to me. It’s much too easy to like him that way.
“Why is this so hard for me?” I exclaim, when I can no longer go and need a break. Hadrian stops and turns to me. “I bet you could run out here and not be so winded.”
“I told you it wouldn’t be easy. Your lungs have to work harder to breathe the filtered air. If you’re not used to it, it can be very taxing on your body.”
“If it’s so dangerous out here, how are you used to it?” This is said between deep, unsteady breaths.
“We often have to hunt for food if we want to eat. There are also repairs that need to be made to the Facility on occasion and Breccan believes it is important for me to understand the terrain and our surroundings.”
“You look up to him a lot, huh?”
“He’s like a father to me. He raised me after my parents were killed by The Rades. I would have died without him.”
“And yet you love his mate.”
The soft expression on his face turns to a scowl behind his mask. “What is it with your obsession about how I feel about Aria? She is my family. That is all.”
I have a feeling if I had him hooked up to the truth-teller it’d be as red as the sun. “What do you do at the Facility?” I ask to change the subject.
“I am being trained as Breccan’s second-in-command.”
“Really?” I don’t bother to hide my shock. “But you’re so young!”
“You are a female, yet you’ve managed to wrest control of an entire complex from its overseers and free its prisoners.”
“Fair point.”
“Why did you?” he asks as I motion for him to walk again now that my breathing has returned to normal.
“Take over the prison?” The topic makes my stomach roll, but talking is better than focusing on my already aching muscles. At his nod, I say, “I knew the only way I could ever see Aria again would be to get myself sentenced to Exilium, which to people on Earth II is a fate worse than death. The prison began as an experiment, as you’re aware, to see if this planet was inhabitable. What you don’t know is we were the experiment. Scientists were sent to perform tests on the prisoners to see how compatible we were with the atmosphere here.”
Hadrian stops short. “Scientists?” he asks.
“That’s right. Real sadistic sonsofbitches. That or robotic, like we weren’t even human anymore. When we woke up here, it was awful. You can’t even imagine it. Exilium is a women’s prison—men are more valued on Earth II and here we were treated like dogs. Or worse. Zoe, Willow, and I formed a tight bond from the get-go and began organizing our revolt almost immediately. Honestly, I never intended to be their leader. Willow is the smart one and Zoe has the fire. I just did what I had to do to survive. To get back to Aria. Really all it was, was pure selfishness.”
Hadrian is silent for a long, long time. “What happened to these people, the guards and the scientists? Did you kill them?”
“Bloodthirsty, are we?” But he doesn’t laugh at my joke. “We locked them up in the cells where they used to keep us. They’re fed and clothed, but they’ll never be free again.”
“You’re more forgiving than I would have been. I would have ripped them apart.”
“Believe me, I wanted to. Zoe, too. Shocker there. But we’d had enough violence. We wanted peace. Most of the women are incredibly fragile. Like Stella. That’s why we can’t have you and Theron disrupting their lives and threatening to kidnap them and take them away. Most of the women are scared of their own shadows let alone monsters like you two. They deserve to hold onto whatever semblance of peace they have now, not be kidnapped and sent to a strange place where frightening aliens are eager to breed with them.”
When he’s again silent for a time, I prompt, “Are you having a hard time breathing now?” I tease. “Need to take a break?”
I don’t know how far we’ve traveled, but we’re nearing the top of the mountain. The prison is but a miniature version of itself to our right and the vast expanse of the sea stretches off into the distance. “Wow,” I say, pausing to look at the view. “I’ve never seen anything so beautiful.”
“I never knew Mortuus looked like this,” Hadrian says from behind me. “And I’ve traveled for solars beyond the Facility.”
“You’ve never been to the prison before?”
He shakes his head. “Travel can be dangerous, like I said. Beasts and the weather. We’ve never risked it until now.”
“What’s changed?” I ask.
“You’re here,” is all he says before motioning me to continue up the rest of the ridge. I’d estimate we have a couple more hours of daylight left, and it’ll take about that long to get to the tall antenna I see at the top of the mountain.
I turn to say something, but the words lodge in my throat. Thick, tentacle-like protrusions shoot from the ground and wrap around Hadrian’s legs. They’re as thick as his bicep and an opening on one end flashes with shiny, pointed teeth. Armworms. I freeze for a moment, then dart forward, falling to my knees on the ground at his side.
“STAY BACK,” he shouts, trying to shove me away with his free arm.
“Like hell,” I snarl.
I yank the knife I’d stowed on my belt and thrust it deep into the nearest armworm, wincing a little at the sound of the blade squelching through the thick flesh. It shudders in pain and rips away, freeing one of Hadrian’s legs. Hadrian elbows an armworm attempting to ensnare his free hand and manages to get his own knife. He slashes at the armworm, leaving a brilliant red gash in the wake of the blade.
We go to work on the remaining worms, slicing and stabbing until they retreat into the ground. The only thing lef
t of them are the holes in the ground and splatters of blood on the dirt and smears on our suits.
“Are you okay?” I ask, after I’ve made sure the beasts aren’t lying in wait. I scramble forward on my knees and inspect his suit for punctures from those vicious teeth. “Did they get you?”
“No, I don’t think they had the chance.”
I hold out an arm and help him to his feet. Smirking, I say, “I told you we’d be fine.”
Then, the ground shifts under my feet and I have a split second to realize the ledge is giving way underneath me before the world shifts and I begin to fall. A scream rips from my throat. Fear and adrenaline surge to replace the short-lived relief and then there’s a snap at my waist as the rope connecting me to Hadrian stops me short.
Beneath me the valley slopes down, a shower of rock and boulder, until the prison rises up. If I were to fall it would be onto those boulders…and I wouldn’t be getting back up.
My gaze goes to Hadrian, who is pulling on the rope, trying to steady me. He’s the only thing standing between me and those rocks below.
“You were saying?” he says between grunts.
The armworms must have destabilized the soil near the precarious ledge and my weight must have done the rest. I could kick myself for being so stupid.
“Don’t start with me,” I warn, my voice shakier than I’d like. “Just help me up.”
“Hold still,” he says.
I close my eyes and try to imagine hearing Aria’s voice for the first time.
I’m doing well, until I hear the thrashing sound of the armworms winnowing through the earth, coming in our direction. But it’s the loud, guttural sound coming from the skies that has us freezing.
My gaze meets Hadrian’s and for the first time, there’s fear in his eyes.
8
Hadrian
The armworms, I can take. Sure, they’re rekking awful and vicious, but it’s that thing flying above us that changes everything.
Think, Hadrian.
What would Breccan do?
He sure wouldn’t leave her there hanging while that thing could get her. It swoops low, confirming my fears.
Predator.
It makes a loud cawing sound and nearly knocks me over with its powerful yellow, scaly wings that glimmer in the setting sunlight. Its mouth is filled with shiny, sharp teeth that it bares at me as it passes. It flaps its wings and starts swooping back around.
“What the hell was that?” Lyric screeches, dangling from the rope.
I dig my feet in and stab at a nearing armworm, all the while keeping my eyes on that thing.
“Oh no,” Lyric calls out. “Big Bird is coming back!”
When it starts to dive toward her, its mouth open, I make a quick decision. I don’t have time to think about what Breccan would do. All I can do is make a hasty calculation and assessment.
“I’m sorry,” I bark out. “Find somewhere to hide.”
“Wait! Hadrian, no!”
With gritted teeth, I saw through our rope that connects us with my magknife and she freefalls just as Big Bird snaps its jaws in the air she was just hanging. It has to fly hard to the right to avoid colliding with the rocks. While it circles, I smash and kick a few more armworms before peeking down to look for Lyric.
She’s sprawled out on the flatest rock below, unmoving.
Rekk!
It didn’t seem that far of a drop and the rock I wanted her to land on seemed the safest, but perhaps I misjudged it. Big Bird swoops again and I have a choice to stand my ground or roll around with hungry armworms. I’ll take my chances with the thing.
As it nears, I raise my magknife, shoving it into its underbelly. It screeches and its clawed foot grabs onto my pack on my back. I’m too heavy for Big Bird to carry, but that doesn’t stop it from dragging me to the edge.
“No!”
The giant thing flaps its wings hard the moment my feet hit air. It can’t handle my weight, especially being injured. We fall fast down toward Lyric, the hard flapping of the wings the only thing keeping us from crashing into her. It’s not a long fall, but if we land on her, we could seriously hurt her. Swinging my arm up, I stab the side of the creature, burying my magknife to the hilt, and then jerk on it. We flip, just as we hit the rocks a mere arm’s length away from her. A sickening crunch can be heard as the creature’s bones snap from the impact combined with my weight.
“Lyric,” I grunt, rolling away from Big Bird and shuffling over to her.
Her eyes are closed.
“Lyric, please talk to me,” I beg, cradling her helmet in my hands to look at her closely. It’s then I see the crack in the glass.
Panic seizes me. She absolutely cannot be exposed to the air. I haven’t tested the R-levels and if anything happens to her…
That train of thought is a dark one. One I cannot go down. Not when her life is in peril. Quickly, I pull out a roll of sealtape and rip off a giant strip. I smack it down over the crack, sealing it off. I crane my neck and look around for some sort of shelter.
It’ll take some work, but if I can climb up a little there seems to be an unnatural ledge. A shadow darkens the area above that. I won’t know for sure until I get up there. Lyric is still quiet and unmoving. She’s light, so I easily pull her onto my back, holding on to her arms around my neck. With my pack on my back, the bulk of her weight rests on that.
Now.
To climb.
I survey the side of the rock wall and note any places I could use to be a foothold. Once I figure out my path, I move quickly. I’m focused and my veins are buzzing with the desire to protect what’s mine.
Mine?
She’s family.
Anyone Aria cares about makes them important to me.
“We’re almost there,” I rumble. “Stay with me. I’m going to take care of you.”
I’m not sure if she’s able to hear me, but I say it anyway. To comfort us both. I need for her to be okay. As soon as I crawl onto the ledge and see a door, I let out a whistle.
“As Molly would say”—I grunt, rising to my feet—“blingo.”
“Bingo, monster man.”
My heart races in my chest at hearing her voice. “Close enough.”
Her chuckle is soft. “What is this place? You think it’s connected to the prison? I haven’t seen it on the maps.”
“It’s our home for now.”
I jam my magknife into the side near the door handle and use my strength to break through the lock. It pops open without any more trouble. I swing open the door and then step inside. We’re in a decontamination bay.
“Are you okay to stand?” I ask as I start mashing buttons, bringing the panels to life.
“I think so. I’m dizzy, though.”
Carefully, I set her to her feet and turn her so I can look at her. With my arms around her, I hold on to her as the machine begins cleansing us. For several long moments, I can’t look away from her. The black sealtape makes it so I can only see one of her eyes. Droopy. Unfocused. Watery.
“Hey,” I rumble, resting my mask against hers. “I have you. Big Bird is dead.”
Her lips twitch with a smile. “What was that thing?”
“I have never seen one.”
“Back home, Big Bird is a big yellow bird that talks.”
I frown. “Do you have anything back home that’s yellow, scaly, and has a mouth full of teeth? What do you call those?”
“Nightmares,” she says with a breathy laugh.
“Big Bird Nightmare. Works for me.” I grin at her. “Come on, let’s see what this place is.”
I scoop her into my arms and push through the door into another chamber. It blows air on us, eliminating any remaining moisture. Once we’re cleared and the light turns green, I take her into a huge room. On one side is a large window overlooking the ocean. There’s a desk, a chair, and a small bed.
Gently, I set Lyric back to her feet and begin removing her zu-gear. I manage to take off all her zu-gear and
then help her to the bed. She sits and watches me as I strip out of mine. Once I’m unencumbered by the suit, I kneel in front of her.
“Where does it hurt?” I ask softly, running my clawed fingertip along her brow.
She winces. “My head. I hit it hard when you threw me.”
“Threw you?”
“Oh, yeah. Dropped me like a bad habit.”
“On Mortuus, we call that rescuing the female from becoming food.”
“On Earth II, we call it cutting your losses and going home.”
I pin her with a serious glare. “I told you I wasn’t going home without you.”
The air seems to crackle with energy. She’s the first to break the stare down.
My palm cradles her cheek and then I slide it down along her neck, checking for her pulse as Avrell does. Steady and hard. Good. But unlike Avrell, I don’t pull away. My thumb slides across her smooth throat.
“It’s just a headache,” she murmurs. “I’ll be okay.”
I squeeze my eyes shut before giving her a defeated look. “Your face mask cracked.”
“You taped it back up.”
“I…Lyric…” Pain cuts through me sharply. “You’ve been exposed to the elements.”
“I feel fine,” she argues.
Now.
But what about later?
“If you start to feel fevered or ill, please tell me.” I rise to my feet and walk over to my pack. “Relax and I’ll feed you. Later, I will check the R-levels out there.”
Please let her be okay.
“It’s cold,” Lyric says once I reenter the room.
I panic for a moment, wondering if she’s gotten a fever, but then I realize the temperature has dropped since nightfall. She’s shivering, curled up under the thin blanket.
“The R-levels are non-existent. I checked everywhere, including where you landed.”
She smiles. “Good.”
“Small problem.” I frown. “Big Bird is gone.”