by G J Ogden
“Remind me never to piss you off,” said Hudson, as the hunter scarpered.
Liberty smiled, but then the sound of more heavy boots filtered into the room. Liberty leaped up onto a nearby pillar and then turned back to Hudson, “It’s the RGF!”
“Shit, come on!” Hudson called back, “If they catch us here, we’ll be forced to pay for any damages, with money we don’t have!”
Liberty jumped down from the pillar and ran to Hudson’s side. Together they raced away from the approaching squad of RGF cops.
“Where do we go?” Liberty asked as they ran.
Hudson glanced back, counting five or six RGF officers at the far side of the room, creeping slowly towards them. “I don’t know… just pick a tunnel and keep running.”
Liberty darted left and accelerated, but then noticed that Hudson wasn’t with her and slid to a stop. “Where the hell are you going?!”
“I’ll catch you up!” Hudson called out, heading towards where he’d last seen Tory. “Go, I won’t be long.”
Liberty cursed, and then picked up speed, “Damn it, Hudson, that woman is going to be the death of you!”
Maybe… Hudson thought, as he vaulted a pillar, and raced on. But, if I don’t warn her about the RGF, she’ll probably skin me alive…
Hudson reached the location where he’d kicked Tory’s revolver back to her and saw someone on the floor, face down. “Tory!” he called out, and then slid down by the side of the body. However, it was immediately apparent that it wasn’t Tory. Flipping the body onto its back, Hudson saw that it was the stocky female hunter. Hudson felt for a pulse, but there was none, and then he noticed the hole in her chest, right above her heart.
“You need to get out of here.”
Hudson looked up and saw Tory, blood smeared down her face and neck, casually reloading her revolver. Hudson sprang up at her side, and then spotted another body, lying motionless on the ground about ten meters away.
“You killed them both?” said Hudson, phrasing it as a question, though he already knew the answer.
“Yes,” said Tory, coolly, as she closed the cylinder of the six-shooter. However Tory must have seen the disappointment etched into the lines on Hudson’s brow, and added, “They attacked us, Hudson. This isn’t a game. It’s kill or be killed.”
“You’re right,” replied Hudson, trying to put the bodies out of his mind. It was true that the rival crew had attacked them, but he still wished Tory had found a non-lethal response. Maybe I’m just being naïve… Hudson thought. In a dog-eat-dog world, surely it’s better to be the dog that doesn’t get eaten... The shouts of the RGF squad snapped his focus back to Tory and their predicament. Hudson reached out and held Tory by the shoulders. She flinched momentarily, startled by Hudson’s touch, but didn’t pull away. “You need to run too,” he urged her, “a whole squad of RGF just arrived; we have maybe a couple of minutes before they find us in here!”
“I can’t leave Cutler,” said Tory firmly, while holstering the revolver.
“Damn it, Tory, what is it with that guy?” protested Hudson. “The RGF will charge you for the damage in here; is he worth that? Why the hell are you so loyal to him?” It was the last part, more than any other, that really irked Hudson.
This time Tory did step back, shrugging off Hudson’s hold on her shoulders as she did so. “We can afford the hit,” she said, ignoring Hudson’s probes into her relationship with Cutler. “Now get the hell out of here, while you still can.”
Hudson was about to argue back, but then from the gloom the younger relic hunter that had run from Liberty emerged. He saw the body of the woman on the deck and his face twisted into a ghoulish mix of anger and grief.
“You killed her!” he yelled, raising his weapon at Tory. His hand was shaking and tears were starting to cloud his vision.
Tory slowly moved her hand to the grip of her revolver again, but she did not draw it. “Yes, I killed her,” she said, meeting the relic hunter’s eyes. Her tone was dispassionate and matter-of-fact. “And the man too; your father, I’m guessing? What exactly did you expect to happen when you started shooting at us?”
“You murdered them!” the man yelled, tears now streaming down his face.
“There’s no murder in here, boy,” Tory hit back. Hudson could hear the malice in her voice; this was the side of Tory he hated and feared. “There is just survival.”
Thanks to her reinforced clothing, Hudson knew that Tory could take a bullet – he’d even shot her once himself – but the young relic hunter would not be so fortunate. And there was still a chance that Tory could get shot somewhere the armor couldn’t protect. He made a split-second decision, knowing even in that fractional amount of time that it was a foolish choice. He stepped out in front of the hunter, putting his own body between Tory and the weapon, and held his arms out wide. “It’s over, kid,” Hudson said, aware his voice was shaky, “No-one else needs to die.”
“Get out of my way,” the man howled back, trying to aim around Hudson, but he was shielding Tory completely from view. “You knew the risks coming in here,” Hudson continued, taking another pace towards him. “We all knew the risks. Shooting her won’t change that. It just makes you a killer too.”
Hudson could see the young hunter’s resolve was wavering. Despite the tears, he could see it in the man’s eyes. They were not the eyes of a killer.
The man lowered the weapon. “I told them not to attack…” he said, forcing the words out through barely-restrained sobs. “I told them…”
Hudson moved in and stripped the weapon from the hunter’s hand. He wanted to offer the young man some comfort – some words of consolation – but there were no words, and there was also no time. The RGF squad was creeping ever closer, and he had to get away. If the RGF caught him, he’d end up in a cell on some crappy penal station for being unable to pay the RGF’s fine.
Leaning closer to the young hunter, Hudson said, “You have to go, now, or they’ll catch us both. Run, and don’t look back.” The man glanced beyond Hudson, presumably to Tory, whose presence Hudson could still feel, like sunlight on his back. Then he met Hudson’s eyes again, before he span on his heels and started to run.
Hudson breathed a sigh of relief, but then he heard the tell-tale click-click-click-click of a revolver’s hammer being drawn back. He turned and confronted Tory, putting his body between the barrel of her revolver and the fleeing relic hunter. Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see the flickering shapes of the RGF officers. They had sixty seconds to get away, maybe less.
“Get out of the way, Hudson,” demanded Tory. He could see that his actions had given her pause, but there was still fire burning behind Tory’s eyes, and Hudson knew he could easily get burned.
“Let him go, Tory,” replied Hudson, tossing the hunter’s weapon to the floor and holstering his own. “You’ve already won.”
Tory shook her head, “You still don’t get it, do you?” she hit back, talking down to Hudson in the same way Griff always used to. “There is no honor amongst thieves. There’s no mercy, not inside these wrecks.”
“There is while I’m here,” said Hudson, standing tall. He wasn’t going to allow Tory to give in to her baser instincts. Despite her actions, he had to believe there was something more to her than a callous killer. He had to believe she wasn’t the same as Cutler Wendell.
Tory took two paces forward, standing so close that Hudson could feel the warmth of her breath. “That hunter will be back,” she said, softly, though the words still dripped with menace. “If not today, some other day. All your noble deed does is delay his revenge.”
“Not everyone is like Cutler Wendell,” said Hudson, holding his ground, despite Tory’s intimidating proximity. “You can still choose. You can still come with me.”
Tory raised her revolver and stroked a line down Hudson’s cheek with the tip of the barrel. She then leaned in so close that her hair brushed against Hudson’s cheek. A shiver ran down his spine; he didn’t know
whether she was going to kiss him or kill him, assuming the anticipation didn’t slay him first. Then Tory de-cocked the revolver and whispered into his ear, “You’re playing a very dangerous game, Hudson Powell. Be sure you are willing to finish what you start.” She then drew back and holstered the revolver. “It’s time you left.”
Hudson had almost forgotten about the RGF squad, but they were now practically on top of them.
“You two, halt!” cried one of the officers.
Hudson glanced over to the squad, fixing their positions in his mind, before turning back to Tory. “I’ll see you again soon,” he said, and then he ran, harder and faster than he’d ever run in his life.
“Hey, stop!” he heard a voice shout, and he gritted his teeth, half-expecting shots to ring out after him. However, there was only the sound of the air rushing past his face. Hudson spotted the corridor he’d seen Liberty head towards and adjusted his course, legs and lungs burning from the exertion. He slowed and ducked inside the tunnel, which was smaller than the usual hexagonal openings. A few hurried paces inside the gloomy, cramped space, he collided with something solid, and bit down hard to avoid crying out in pain. Hudson tried to maneuver himself around the object, but the corridor was growing darker, making progress more difficult.
“Liberty!” he shouted out in a hushed, but urgent call. “Liberty, are you in here?” There was a faint reply, but he couldn’t quite place its location. Pushing on, stumbling over yet more unseen obstacles, Hudson called out again. His lights were still in his rucksack, and he considered stopping to dig one out, but then he heard Liberty’s voice calling back. It was still distant, but clearer than before; he was getting closer. He pressed on through the encroaching darkness, calling out again and again, until his foot failed to land on solid metal. He stumbled forward and slipped. The next thing he knew he was falling, only for a second, before his body hammered into a solid wall, rebounding him along another corridor, like a marble falling through a marble run. He bounced off another surface and then was sliding, faster and faster, unable to stop himself. Fear and panic gripped him as he tried desperately to arrest his fall, until he finally landed on something soft and rolled out into a dimly lit room. Rubbing his head, he groaned from the multiple bumps and scrapes he’d suffered during the plunge, and attempted to take stock of his new location.
Suddenly, Liberty’s face appeared above him, a torchlight strapped to her head. Hudson shielded his eyes from the glare. “There you are; I heard you shouting, but I couldn’t make out what you were saying.”
Liberty rolled her eyes, but then, unexpectedly, laughed. “I was trying to warn you not to come any closer, or you might fall and get trapped down here with me…”
“Oh…” said Hudson, as he pushed himself to a sitting position and rubbed his aching muscles. “That was pretty good advice.”
Liberty smiled, “Uh huh… But, seeing as though you’re here now, you can help me find a way out.”
CHAPTER 12
In addition to the torchlight strapped to her head, Liberty had also set up a small lamp in the corner of the room. It was like having a log fire burning inside a dusty, old study. And although the lamp didn’t flicker as firelight would, its dim illumination still created an eerie atmosphere. Hudson got up and brushed the dust off his pants. Remarkably, considering how far and how quickly he’d fallen, he didn’t feel too bad.
“I’m glad I landed on something soft,” he said, removing his pack and searching for his own headtorch. “I wouldn’t fancy trying to climb back out of here with a broken arm or leg.”
Liberty laughed again, “I think our new friend here agrees.”
Hudson scowled and then looked behind him to see the skeletal remains of a hunter squashed on the floor. “Oh, shit!” Hudson yelled, jumping back as if he’d just seen a giant spider. “Damn it, Liberty, why didn’t you warn me?!” he asked, however Liberty was still too busy finding Hudson’s evident discomfort amusing to reply.
“It’s just an old skeleton,” said Liberty, after her giggles had subsided. “Haven’t you seen a skeleton before?”
Hudson’s brow furrowed even more deeply, “Well, of course not. Why the hell have you seen a skeleton before?” Then he realized he’d rather not know the answer. “Actually, don’t tell me, I really don’t want to know.”
“You should be thanking our bony friend,” said Liberty, “his rucksack and bedroll is what cushioned your fall. Unfortunately for him, it seems that there was no padding in place when he fell in here.”
Hudson went over to inspect the remains. He was no expert in decomposition, but the bones were dry, which even he knew meant that they had probably been there for many years. He gingerly pulled the dead man’s rucksack towards him, dislodging the skeleton’s shoulder as he did so. This caused Hudson’s face to twist into a sickened grimace and Liberty to laugh. He opened the bag and cautiously began to rummage around inside.
“This room was once part of a larger space,” said Liberty, tapping her knuckles against a crumpled wall nearby. “It perhaps buckled when the ship crashed onto the planet,” she added, while Hudson carefully emptied the contents of the dead hunter’s rucksack onto the floor. “I haven’t found a way out yet, but I’ll continue to scout for exits, while you rob old skellybobs, there.”
Hudson shot Liberty a dirty look. “Have a bit of respect, will you? This was a person at one time, just like you and me.”
“And I have no desire to end up like him,” said Liberty, more seriously. “Think about it – he died here, alone, injured and in the dark. I’m not going out like that.”
Hudson shuddered at the thought of it; Liberty’s description painted a pretty bleak picture. “Don’t worry, there are two of us, and we still have all our gear. We’ll find a way out, even if it means climbing back the way we came in.”
“Whatever you say, skipper,” said Liberty, continuing to inspect the walls for any possible collapsed exits. “Let me know if you find anything exciting.” Hudson laughed, causing Liberty to shoot a curious glance back at him. “Is that a funny ha-ha, laugh, or a nervous, we-are-going-to-die laugh?” she asked.
Hudson held up a fistful of alien relics, which included a high-grade CPU shard. “It’s a, ‘this guy had a decent score’ laugh.”
Liberty rushed over and dropped to her knees at Hudson’s side, excitedly examining the alien components that her partner had discovered. “There’s some good stuff here,” she said, grouping them on the floor. She then pointed to each little collection in turn. “This guy knew his alien components, that’s for sure. There are super-conducting thermoelectric generators, broad-spectrum sensors, a bunch of components that are essential for high-end astrionics systems, and that high-grade CPU shard, of course.”
Hudson picked up the CPU shard, while Liberty busily packed the most valuable items into her own rucksack. The shard was similar to the relic he’d auctioned back on Earth, and alone might be enough to cover the remaining balance of the VCX-110. “Looks like our little trip down here was a lucky break,” said Hudson, slipping the CPU shard into the shielded compartment in his jacket. “This wreck would have mostly been cleaned out of top-grade components like these decades ago.”
Liberty finished packing and closed the flap on the rucksack. “Sadly for this guy, that’s probably how long he’s been here,” she commented, looking down at the remains of the dead hunter.
Then Hudson noticed something poking out from a small rip in the dead hunter’s rucksack. He checked back inside, but the bag was empty. “That’s odd,” he said out loud, drawing another curious look from Liberty. He returned to the exterior of the bag and dug his finger inside the tear, ripping it wider to reveal a hidden compartment. “Well, I’ll be damned,” he said, reaching inside.
“I’ll be damned, what?” asked Liberty, shuffling closer.
Hudson smiled and pulled out a small object, about the size of a champagne cork. It shone with an alien, almost metallic hue. He turned it over and over bet
ween his fingers, while both of them stared at it in rapt attention.
“Is that what I think it is?” asked Liberty.
Hudson reached inside the hidden compartment in his jacket and pulled out the alien crystal shard. Slowly, and as tentatively as if the object was an explosive charge, he drew the two crystals closer. At about an inch distant, the smaller relic snapped out of Hudson’s fingers and latched on to the top of the larger object. They created a seamless, whole crystal; it was as if the two relics had never been parted.
“Yep, I think it is…” said Hudson.
CHAPTER 13
Hudson examined the newly completed alien crystal for a few more seconds, momentarily entranced by its hypnotic beauty. He then held it out to Liberty. “Here, take this while I see if there’s anything else hidden in this guy’s rucksack.” Liberty hesitated briefly, but then tentatively accepted the crystal off Hudson. She cradled the relic, as reverently as if it were the long-lost Florentine Diamond.
“I can’t believe we’ve found the missing piece,” Liberty said, shining the beam of her headtorch directly onto the crystal. The light reflected and refracted, creating a mesmerizing cascade of colors and patterns in the room.
Hudson was again busying himself searching inside the newly-revealed secret compartment. His fingers touched on another object, and he slowly removed what turned out to be a small leather wallet. “Maybe this guy had some notion of what the crystal is,” he said, unfolding the wallet gently and setting out the contents on the floor. “If we can figure that out, we may just become the richest rookie relic hunters in the galaxy.”
“Speaking of riches,” said Liberty, as she spotted a clip of hardbucks. She picked it up and removed the wedge of cash, before quickly counting it. “Twelve hundred and fifty,” she said, wafting the notes at Hudson. His eyes lit up and reached for the stack, but Liberty drew it back before his fingers could close around the notes. “I’ll look after these,” she said, in an almost motherly tone, “Just to make sure you don’t drink it all away.”