by Richard Fox
“We are the torch that finds the way,” her team responded, finishing the motto.
Carson switched off her HUD tracker to watch her team move with the naked eye. Slightly blurred shapes in the growing darkness were all she could make out. They moved well, avoiding sticks and rustling branches. Anyone in the woods would dismiss their passing as just noise in a breezy forest.
She was, she had to admit, impressed.
They reached the facility twenty minutes later, tucked away at the base of a small hill, surrounded by trees. At the head of their column, Nunez took a knee and pointed. His voice came through the IR, low and alert. “Looks like remains of a fire, three o’clock, twelve meters in.”
Carson could barely make it out through the trees. “Controlled?”
“Affirm. Looks like it might be a campfire. Slight pit, rocks around the edge. Got an IR glow from embers.”
To Carson’s left, Popov stopped abruptly. “Awww…shit.”
“What’s wrong?” West asked, stepping toward her.
Popov held up a hand. “Stop, Sarge.” She lifted her foot and checked the underside, then rubbed it back and forth along the ground. “I think I found a latrine.”
“Is it human?” Moretti asked.
“How the hell would I know that, Doc?” Popov inspected her boot again before holding it out toward the medic. “You want to come give it a whiff and tell me?”
“Movement,” Birch announced. “Two o’clock. Halfway down the building.”
Carson dropped to a knee, bringing her carbine up to the spot indicated. She did a double take as two figures stepped up to the smoldering campfire. “Son of a bitch.”
Two young human boys came out of the building, talking and smiling. One was about a head taller than the other, and both were dressed in clothes that looked almost too small for them. Their shirts were discolored and dark stains covered their pants.
“They can’t be more than nine or ten,” Birch said.
“If that,” West added.
The taller boy slapped the other on the shoulder, turned, and started trotting toward the team.
“And he’s coming right for us,” Popov said.
The kid passed within feet of Nunez, oblivious of the slight distortion field. He stopped several feet away from Popov and began untying a length of rope that held up his pants.
“Chief?” West asked.
“Grab him,” Carson said. “Try not to spook the other one.”
Popov’s outline stood and slowly navigated the distance between her and the kid. Reaching him just before he dropped his pants, she took him from behind, one hand around his chest, the other cupping over his mouth to muffle his screams. His arms shot up in a panic, clawing at his unseen attacker as she pulled him back farther into the forest. He kicked a leg out and twisted around, trying to break loose, but it was no use. Popov’s armor-enhanced muscles held him like a vise.
“Calm down,” Popov told him, but the disembodied voice only seemed to terrify him more.
He kicked a tree truck, knocking bark loose.
Carson saw the other boy stand and strain to see into the trees.
“Steve? You OK in there?” he called out in a meek voice.
“Shut him up,” Moretti hissed.
The boy kicked another tree.
Carson cursed and ran up to the struggling boy, swept her hood back, and pulled her helmet off. The boy froze as she materialized in front of him, eyes locked on hers.
“It’s OK,” Carson said. “We’re not here to hurt you. You’re not in danger.”
Shock and terror filled the boy’s eyes.
“Do you understand what I’m saying?”
The boy took several rapid breaths, then without taking his eyes from Carson’s, nodded.
“If my friend lets go of your mouth, will you promise not to scream?”
After hesitating for a moment, the boy nodded again.
Carson motioned for Popov and she lifted her invisible hand.
“Hel—”
Popov cursed and slapped her hand back over the boy’s mouth. Carson looked to where the other boy stood, poking at the fire with a small stick. He looked over his shoulder for a second, then turned back to the fire.
“Looks like we have trust issues already,” Popov said.
Carson took a moment to look over the kid who wasn’t much more than skin and bones. And despite her original assessment, he wasn’t outgrowing his clothes as much as they were falling apart from wear. They hung loosely around his skinny frame. He looked like he hadn’t showered in months.
“Look, I know you’re scared. Here.” Carson pulled out a ration bar, ripped a corner open, and held it out for the boy. “Are you hungry? Go on, take it. Eat.”
The boy’s frantic gaze hovered on Carson for another second before locking on to the bar. Cautiously, he reached out and took the food. Popov pulled her hand away as he inspected it, turning it over in his hand, before taking a small bite out of the end. His eyes went wide as he swallowed, then immediately took another bite, practically shoving half the bar into his mouth.
Carson waited for him to take a second bite before continuing. “My name’s Katherine. What’s yours?”
“Sterphern,” the boy said, his mouth full. He swallowed and said, “Stephen.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Stephen. I’m from the Enduring Spirit, from Earth. You know where that is?”
“That’s where Mom and Dad came from.” He folded the wrapper over the ration bar and looked toward the fire. “But Earth was destroyed by the zar-o’s.”
“No, we won the war. The Xaros are gone forever. Where are your parents?”
The boy didn’t answer. Instead, he looked down at the half-eaten bar with longing. Carson took another one from her pack and gave it to him. He started eating again, looking from her to the other boy.
“Who’s that over there, Stephen?” Carson asked.
“My brother.”
“Is your brother hungry too?”
The boy nodded.
Carson stood, holding out her hand. “Should we go give him some food too?”
“Did Miss Shannon find you?”
“There’s that name again.” West’s disembodied voice came over Carson’s shoulder.
Stephen’s eyes went wide with fear and he shrank back against Popov.
Carson frowned. “Who is Miss Shannon?”
Stephen hesitated a moment, concern evident on his face. “She’s our teacher. She brought us here when the monsters came.”
“Where is she?”
“Miss Shannon said she was going to get help. To get a knight. Then she’d come back to take care of us. If she didn’t call you, then that means…” His bottom lip began to quiver.
“Hey, hey now, be brave, OK?” Carson touched his shoulder gently but awkwardly. Comforting children was not part of her training. “Let’s get your brother some food, then we’ll all leave here and go to my spaceship. Have you ever been on a spaceship?”
Stephen shook his head.
“It’s very nice. Other kids to play with…showers. Grown-ups who’ll protect you from the monsters. That sound good?”
Stephen nodded quickly.
“OK, get your brother for us. I don’t want him to get scared and run away,” Carson said.
The boy led Carson out of the forest, toward the campfire. The other boy turned as they neared and cried out, backing away from them.
Stephen went after him, grabbing him by the arm. “It’s OK, Tony. She’s nice. She has food.”
At the mention of food, all fear seemed to fade from the shorter boy’s face. He stepped toward her, his expression a mix of concern and excitement. “Can I have some?”
Stephen gave him the other bar. The boy snatched it greedily, ripped it open, and took a bite with no hesitation.
“Is there anyone else here? Any adults?” Carson asked.
“Just my brother and me,” Stephen said.
West’s voice came t
hrough Carson’s earbud. “Chief?”
“I want to introduce you to my friends, OK?” Carson said, kneeling. “They’re nice people just like me. We’re all here to help you.”
The boys huddled against each other, the smaller one licking the inside of the wrapper. Carson’s heart ached to see them like this. How long had they been out here fending for themselves?
“Come on out,” Carson said into a mic on the back of her hand. “Try not to look too threatening.”
Her team emerged from the forest, their camo deactivated and helmets off. The boys watched the Pathfinders warily as they approached, as if still not convinced they were friendly.
Tony tossed the wrapper into the fire pit “Do you have more?”
“Lots more.” Carson took out a pack of electrolyte jelly beans and poured them into their hands. “I need to look inside,” she said, pointing to the squat building behind them. “Would that be OK?”
The boys exchanged glances, obviously conflicted about letting these strangers into their home.
“I promise, you’re safe with us. And we have more food.”
This seemed to settle the issue.
“Come on,” Stephen said.
“Popov, Moretti, inside. Rest keep perimeter security,” Carson said into her mic.
The boy led them through the door, into a small room filled with open crates of field rations, discarded wrappers, empty water bottles, and piles of clothes. A row of decade-old computer terminals sat along the left hall, also covered with worn clothes and discarded food wrappers.
Almost overwhelmed by the smell of trash and body odor, Carson had to fight the urge to vomit as she stepped inside. “Let’s make this quick.”
Popov crossed to the terminals and went to work. Moretti knelt in front of Tony, setting his pack down next to him. After convincing the boy his medi-gauntlet wasn’t going to hurt him, he proceeded to scan both boys in turn, shaking his head as the medical data flowed in.
“Well, aside from some borderline malnutrition and mild dehydration, they appear to be in good health. Field rats save the day.” Moretti motioned to the boxes. “Looks like they had a few months left.”
“We picked mushrooms and tube-ies,” Stephen said, going to a box and picking up what looked like a cross between a potato and a turnip, “just like Miss Shannon told us. We had the packs when we couldn’t find anything else.”
“Do you have cocoa?” Tony asked. “I want cocoa.”
“We have all you want back on the Enduring Spirit,” the medic said.
“Any sign of infection?” Carson asked.
“None. They’ve got green blood cells in their system. Both need a booster.”
Across the room, Popov slammed a fist against a terminal. “Oh, come on.”
“What’s wrong?” Carson asked.
“All the cores are gone,” Popov said as she slammed the access panel shut.
Stephen finished his second water bottle and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “Miss Shannon got rid of those right after she brought us here.”
“Did she hide them nearby?” Popov asked.
“She broke them with her hammer, then threw them in the fire. Then threw the melty parts in the river,” the older boy said.
Popov threw her hands up. “Well, thanks. Just great.”
“Call in evac. We’ve got some records right here,” Carson said, inclining her head slightly toward the boys. “Just not the ones we thought we’d find. How long has Shannon been gone?”
The boys shared another glance, then Stephen shook his head. “I’m not sure. It’s been a long time.”
“Did she say where she was going?”
“She was looking for knights!” Tony said, almost jumping up and down.
“Knights? You mean armor? Big soldiers taller than this building?”
“No, Tony. She said she was going to find Knight, not knights. I think it was her friend,” Stephen said.
Tony sat back down, glaring at this brother.
Stephen continued. “She told us to stay right here. That we were safe here and the bad ones couldn’t get us. She said she’d be back in a few days, but she never came back.”
“It’s been a hundred years almost,” Tony said.
“Where is everyone else in the colony?” Carson asked.
“I don’t know,” Stephen said. “They’re all gone.”
“OK, tell me what happened. Start from the last time you saw your parents.”
“They took us to school,” Stephen said. “It was the last day before Christmas break. They were going to take us to the waterfalls on the weird island and let us see the carvings too.”
“Carv—” Moretti stopped when Carson held up a hand.
“Miss Shannon was teaching us math when there was a big boom on the other side of the city. She was talking on her thing,” he pointed to Carson’s gauntlet, “and got very angry. There was shouting and banging and more booms. Then she broke the window. Which is a very bad thing, isn’t it, Tony?”
The younger boy looked down and shuffled his feet.
“There was a big ship in the sky over the city. Miss Shannon said a bunch of naughty words and climbed out of the window, then told Tony and me to come with her. She said the city was going to fall down and we had to go with her. I don’t know why she took us and not our friends,” he said.
“What did the ship look like? Was it alien?” Carson asked.
“It was the rock ship. It was in the Christopher. Christo-feel, Chris—the big ship Mom and Dad came in. Miss Shannon said it was full of the bad men.”
“OK, then what did Miss Shannon do with you?”
“She took us on a walk,” Tony said. “Very long walk. Through the mud and stuff. Then here.”
“We stayed here for a long time,” Stephen said. “Like a hundred years. Then one day, Miss Shannon said she was going to go find the knight and she’d be back in a few days and we had to stay here or the monsters would get us. She never came back.”
“Why would the doughies want a schoolteacher?” Moretti asked. “Doesn’t strike me as a key person for the entire colony.”
“Do you know anything about the bad men? Did Shannon ever say what happened to the city?”
“Mom and Dad would talk about big adult things,” Stephen said. “Kept talking about Negev and the problem there.”
“What’s Negev?” Carson asked.
Stephen pointed to the window.
“It’s the red star,” Tony said.
“No, Tony, not a star. A planet.” Stephen shook his head at his brother. “It just looks like a star.”
“OK, but what happened to the city? All the people?” Carson asked.
“Miss Shannon said it’s one person’s fault. A very bad man. He brought the monsters and took everyone away.” Stephen’s hands balled into fists.
“Who’s that, Stephen?”
“Hale. Mr. Hale took our mom and dad away.”
Chapter 6
Ken Hale stepped into his quarters on the Enduring Spirit and unfastened his collar. He dropped a data slate on a small desk and unzipped the top of his utility overalls half way down his chest and let hours of sweat and stench billow out.
Two bedrooms, small living area, single bathroom and kitchen unit in three hundred fifty square feet was lower class living back in Phoenix, but the quarters were almost opulent by the rest of the ship’s standards.
On small round table was a foil wrapped tray, one corner turn open and with steam wafting out.
Hale looked at a clock on the wall and rubbed his face. How long had he been on his feet?
“Boys, come on out,” Hale said. “I know you’re up.”
A bedroom door opened and two teenagers stuck their heads out. Jerry, the older had his father’s frame and looks. He had a faint stubble that drove Hale crazy, but his son wasn’t in the service and had worked on that peach fuzz for several months. Elias took after his mother, with thick black hair that seemed immune
to brushing.
“How’d you know?” Jerry asked. “We were in our cots and everything.”
“Reheats cool off in minutes,” Hale pulled back a chair and sat down. He pulled off the foil of his meal; beef and black beans, and jabbed a fork into the mush.
“Jerry ate the last ravioli,” Elias said. “I told him that’s your favorite but he said if he had to eat the tortellini again he’d—”
“Really? Going to narc on me about that?” Jerry slapped his brother on the shoulder.
“Stop,” Hale took a bite. “So long as it’s hot I’m doing better than most days during the war. It’s not like you ate the last lemon pound cake.” He looked at Elias, who suddenly found his shoes very interesting. “How’d you know I was on my way back?”
“Mom came in for a shower and change,” Jerry said. “You two always swap out when things are going bad.”
“What’d she tell you?” Hale half got up to go for the fridge but Elias waved him down and got a bottle of electrolyte laden water and tossed it to his father.
“Nothing,” Jerry said. “Which means its real bad, huh Dad?”
“Don’t play dumb,” Elias took a data slate from a pocket and swiped a finger over the screen. The log entries from the bridge scrolled up, all with Hale’s crypto-key stamped on them.
Hale choked on his food and snatched the slate out of his son’s hand.
“How the hell did you get this?” Hale asked.
“I may have…cloned your security profile,” Elias said. “Don’t be mad. I waited until we were through the gate to use it. No way Earth security caught the hack. I learned my lesson.”
“The lesson was not to hack, not to keep from getting caught,” Hale rolled his eyes and slapped the slate against the desk. “Elias you can’t keep—wait, you can’t clone my security profile without a ton of biometric data.”
“You fell asleep on the couch last week,” Elias shrugged. “You don’t wake up if I only open one eye at a time for your iris map.”
“He was at this for weeks and you said nothing,” Hale narrowed his eyes as he spoke to Jerry. “What’s he got on you?”