The X-Variant (The Guardians Book 1)

by Rosemary Cole

  Tiny beads of sweat broke out along Jennie’s hairline. She willed her finger to pull the trigger, but it wouldn’t obey her. At last she let out a long breath and lowered the gun. “You’re right. I can’t,” she said.

  Kala nodded. “Do not worry. They will not know in which direction we went, and I will keep careful watch with my drones. We will be safe at the camp.”

  “I just hope to God no other poor souls stumble across this place,” Jennie muttered, grabbing Snap’s knife off the counter and following Kala out of the room. “I hope the two of them starve.”

  They went back upstairs to the bedroom where Alex lay. He was filthy and very thin. His ragged beard and moustache were caked with dried blood and vomit.

  Kala took a small device of some kind out of a pouch at her waist and attached it to him. “Help Victoria gather their things; I will put him in the Jeep.”

  Jennie’s mouth fell open when Alex slowly rose into the air. Kala left the room, gently tugging him along behind her.

  Jennie shook her head. Now she’d seen everything.

  Jennie sat in the back seat with Alex’s head on her lap as Kala drove, trying to get him to take tiny sips of water. His breathing was shallow and he appeared to be delirious. “Looks like he’s in the last stages of SHAV,” she said. “I seen it before.”

  “He couldn’t walk no more, and then he stopped talking to me,” Victoria said, turning around in the front seat next to Kala to watch her father. Her big eyes were swimming again. “Please can you make him better?”

  Kala said, “We will try our best to help him, but we cannot promise he will recover.”

  The girl nodded, seemingly satisfied with that answer. “I was sick, too, but I got better.”

  “Wow, she survived the virus,” Jennie said.

  Kala was silent for a moment, gazing ahead as she steered the Jeep.

  Victoria slapped her arm and said, “Ow! A mosquito just bit me.”

  “My drones just sampled them,” Kala said. “He is alpha; she is delta.”

  “And I’m an epsilon,” Jennie said.

  “That is right.”

  She turned the Jeep onto the dirt road leading back to camp, and her eyes lifted to meet Jennie’s in the rearview mirror. “Thank you.”

  “What for?”

  “You did not kill anyone. That makes me very happy.”

  Jennie pondered this. “Yeah—I’ve never killed anyone before, but I guess if I did, I’d feel pretty bad about it. Even if it was a scumbag like Snap.”

  “That does not surprise me, Jennie. You and Brandon are good people.”

  Jennie smiled, feeling surprised and a little warm. She’d never really thought about it like that. “You think so?”

  They pulled into camp, and Brandon and Wilm came running. Brandon’s relief at seeing Jennie alive and well was written all over his face.

  Jennie jumped out and gave him a hug. “See?” she said. “I told you it would be fine.”

  “You have no idea how worried I was,” he said. He let go of her and noticed Victoria standing there, twisting her hands together, and then saw Kala floating Alex into the cabin, Wilm close behind her.

  His mouth fell open. “What the—never mind. Who are these people? More betas?”

  “We found them at the other lake,” Jennie answered. “It’s a long story.”

  Curious, Jennie and Brandon poked their heads into the cabin to see what was happening. Some of those small, strange Unathi devices were lined up next to a bed of blankets on the floor, upon which Kala gently settled the patient.

  Now a small metallic ball rose and floated above Alex, projecting a holographic medical diagram into the air. Small paragraphs of data popped up in places around it. Wilm selected another device and pressed it to Alex’s arm, then attached a translucent ball to it. There was a tiny hiss.

  “What’s that?” Brandon asked.

  “Nutrients and cell rejuvenators,” Kala replied.

  “Don’t you have an antidote?”

  “No—only medicines to help him survive the virus,” she answered. “Will you two please go back outside now?”

  Brandon frowned, but Jennie tugged him back outside.

  She checked the baby, who was lying on her blanket, and saw that Victoria was sitting next to her, stroking her soft head and murmuring to her. The baby squealed and grabbed Victoria’s finger in one strong little fist.

  Brandon and Jennie looked at each other and grinned. They walked back to the Jeep.

  “So what’d you get?” he asked.

  “There wasn’t much there, unfortunately,” Jennie said. “Although there’s some good furniture in the resort we can use. We’ll have to go back and get it.”

  Brandon stopped. “Let me get this straight. You didn’t find any food, but you brought back two more mouths to feed?”

  “Don’t be that way. They needed our help. Look, we did get a couple cans of peaches—your favorite.”

  “Great,” he said, grimacing.

  The two busied themselves unpacking and storing the scant supplies, and then they prepared a noonday meal for everyone.

  Victoria’s eyes went wide when she saw her plate. “Is that all for me?” she asked.

  “It sure is,” Jennie said. “Eat up, honey, you’re way too skinny.” She winked at Brandon.

  He smiled, and she smiled back.

  For the first time in a very long time, she felt good.

  Kala sat and watched Brandon feed sticks of wood to the fire he had built in the stone fireplace. The sun had already sunk behind the mountain range to the west, which lay between them and the sea, and the humans had set up dim torches around the camp, charged from the Jeep’s battery.

  To celebrate saving Alex and Victoria, they had cooked a special supper on the stove; something Jennie had taken from one of the houses at the other lake. They called it something that sounded like macancheez. It had tasted all right, Kala thought. She also liked the canned peaches they’d had for dessert.

  Victoria was sitting in the cabin with her father, who had managed to eat a little. He was feeling better, but couldn’t get up yet.

  Brandon sat down next to Jennie on the blanket and stroked the baby’s head as Jennie nursed her.

  Jennie looked up at Kala, smiling. “We’ve got something to tell you, Kala.”

  “Yes?”

  “Yeah. It’s something good,” Brandon said. “Something we wanted to do to show you how much we appreciate everything you’ve done for us.”

  “That’s right,” Jennie said. “You see, we were calling the baby Meghan, after my adoptive mother, but we’ve decided to change her name to Kala, in your honor.” She beamed, waiting for Kala’s reaction.

  Kala raised her brows, glancing from Jennie to Brandon. She didn’t know what to say.

  Jennie grinned and held the baby up. “Big Kala, meet Little Kala.”

  Little Kala, who had not finished eating yet, promptly began to squall.

  Chapter 22

  SanFran Guardian Refuge

  July 15, 2079

  CRISFER STORMED DOWN THE hallway to the back exit and over to the garage, where Liet was changing the oil on one of the transports. Did she think he wouldn’t find out what she’d done? He stopped abruptly in the middle of the parking lot, put his hands on his hips and took a few deep breaths, trying to calm himself down before speaking to her.

  What was going on with his bondmates? Kala had turned her back on the mission—on him, on Liet, on everything. He still couldn’t believe she had attacked him so viciously. Had she ever really loved him? He’d been doing his best to hide the hurt that still ate away at him inside, but it usually found its way out, dressed as anger.

  And now this.

  Liet must have sensed him coming, for she had come out of the garage and was heading toward him, wiping her oily hands on a rag. She looked at his face and seemed to realize right away that he knew, because she hung her head, her shoulders sagging.

  “
I’m sorry, Crisfer. I couldn’t help it. I had to know where she was.”

  He had been sitting in the conference room with Kasana and some others this morning, studying maps and trying to figure out where to move the refuge. The city was becoming unlivable; rotting corpses lay everywhere, drawing a multitude of rats. Downtown was burning and the fire was becoming a serious threat.

  He had sent his drones out in a wide sweep as soon as he woke up this morning, as he did every day, searching for a trace of Kala’s drones. They had returned with news, but it wasn’t what he’d been expecting. His drones had intercepted a few of Liet’s as they were returning to this area from some distance north.

  It could only mean one thing—Liet knew where Kala was.

  Crisfer glared at her. “Why didn’t you tell me what you’d done? Where is she?”

  She flinched and he clenched his teeth. He hadn’t meant to yell.

  “You need to calm down,” she mumbled. “I can’t talk to you when you’re like this.” He could hear impending tears in her voice.

  His bondmates were no longer who they’d been when the three of them had stepped through the wormhole into this hell. A human word—there was no word for it in Unathi. Like everybody, Crisfer had quailed at the idea of killing humans, but he had expected to get plenty of support from his bondmates—the strength to get on with whatever unpleasantness the mission might entail. Instead, one bondmate had betrayed him, and the other had turned into a worthless pile of quivering jelly. How did he deserve this, the one who had stayed true to the mission? He had hardened himself so he could go on; it was the only way. And now he was alone.

  He wanted to reach out and grab Liet’s shoulders, shake her until her teeth rattled. Why wasn’t his sym doing a better job of helping him cope with this anger, these impulses, the emotions that had been chewing him up since the day Kala had left?

  He swallowed and asked her again. “Where is she, Liet? You know I won’t leave you alone until you tell me.”

  Eventually he got her to come around. Sniffling, she followed him to back to the conference room, and her drones pinpointed the spot on a holo map. Kasana watched curiously.

  “Come on,” Crisfer said to him. “We’re leaving.” The two of them walked out, Crisfer steadfastly ignoring Liet’s questions, which followed him through the Dronet after he’d left the room. When she needed to know what he was doing, he would tell her. He and Kasana walked into the beta wing and found David, a human who had been a soldier before the pandemic. He’d been teaching some of the Hunters how to shoot and handle the guns the agents had confiscated. David was full of information about the way the military had worked, and interesting stories about things he had done while in the service.

  Crisfer contacted all of the other Hunters who weren’t on duty. They took the big transport truck and drove across the Bay Bridge, heading for the NAU base over on Alameda. He knew there was an enclave of humans there—a mixture of military and civilian. They probably had it in their heads that they were in control of SanFran and Oakland Mega. But there weren’t that many of them; it shouldn’t be too much of a challenge. The agents knew exactly what to expect now.

  They parked well outside visual range and their drones swarmed over the base, pacifying everyone and terminating the epsilons. Crisfer and the other Hunters followed, David tagging along behind, as they picked up all of the sleeping humans and put them in the brig, keeping the betas separate to bring back in the truck later. They would be packed in there like cattle, but it would be a fairly short journey.

  They stepped outside and Crisfer felt a flush of satisfaction. The base was theirs. He set the Hunters to gathering up the base’s food supply and stowing it on the truck, and then he turned to David, who had been hovering behind him like his little shadow the whole time.

  Crisfer pointed across the yard to an attack helicopter sitting on its pad. “You told me you were a pilot,” he said to David in English. “Can you teach me how to fly that?”

  Grinning, David replied, “You bet.”

  Toward nightfall, Liet started pestering him again. What are you doing, Crisfer?

  I’m taking care of business. What do you need, Liet?

  You’re at a military base. Is it safe? Aren’t there armed humans there?

  Not anymore, he replied with a snort. It’s safe enough now. I’ll be back later tonight with some new betas and a big surprise.

  What is it?

  You’ll see. Now I need to concentrate on something. See you tonight, okay?

  Around midnight, Crisfer piloted the big aircraft back to the SanFran refuge himself, David sitting behind him in the rear cockpit, ready to take control if he had any trouble. But Crisfer learned quickly and was handling the machine very well. He surprised even himself.

  He maneuvered the roaring beast into place above the refuge grounds and lowered it to the ground, crushing part of the vegetable garden Kala had loved so much. Liet was outside in the lot, waiting for him; she ducked back under the back door overhang as the chopper’s blades whipped up wind and dust. Some of the others came out and stood with her.

  What’s going on, Crisfer? Adira asked him.

  Just a minute, I’ll explain everything, he answered. He turned off the engine and took off his helmet, then opened the cockpit door and jumped to the ground. It was a long drop, and he turned to help David climb down. Ducking, they ran under the blades toward the main building. The noise had quieted to only the slowing whup-whup-whup of the blades.

  Crisfer walked up to Liet, Adira, and the others, wearing a proud smile. “What do you think? Nice, eh?”

  “You took a beta out there?” Adira asked. “Why have you brought this machine back, and why didn’t you tell anyone what you were doing?”

  Crisfer felt a burst of rage. Who did she think she was? But he pressed down the anger, determined to control it. “Just another Hunter mission,” he answered mildly. “I wasn’t aware we had to clear them with you.”

  Adira just stared at him.

  Crisfer smiled as if nothing was wrong and said, “I saw this chopper, as the humans call it, at the NAU base on Alameda and thought it would be good to have. I also got a lot of good weapons and ammunition. Some of my Hunters are bringing it back in the truck, along with the betas we found. We got some grenades, too.”

  Adira’s mouth fell open slightly. “Crisfer, what is wrong with you? What do we need with any of that?”

  He shrugged and said, “You never know, it might come in handy. My guys will put it all in the storage room when they get here.”

  Right on cue, an armored transport vehicle came roaring around the side of the building and pulled up to a stop, and the Hunters and the new betas got out. Crisfer started toward them, then stopped and looked back. “Oh, and let me know when you want to use the chopper—I’m the only one who can fly that thing. David taught me, and it’s locked to my bios.”

  Before they could say anything, he turned and walked away. His face was calm, but his stomach was trying to eat itself. He swallowed the taste of acid in his mouth. He should have expected this. Try as he might to do things to further the mission, he was met by criticism and ingratitude every time. Why was everyone against him?

  Liet’s Journal

  SanFran Guardian Refuge

  July 16, 2079

  After Crisfer landed that monster of a machine on the refuge grounds, I went straight to our quarters and waited for him, thinking about how he had acted. This was definitely not the Crisfer I had met back home during the X-crisis.

  When he finally came in, his face looked strange. I can’t quite describe his expression, but I didn’t like it. He was all coiled up, like he had a giant spring inside him.

  “Are you coming to bed?” I asked.

  He shook his head. “I still have some things to do. I just came to tell you to make sure you’re up early in the morning. You and I are going on a trip together.”

  A chill hit me and I folded my arms tightly across my stomach.
“You’re going up there,” I said. “Crisfer, no! You can’t do that.”

  “I can and I will. And you’re coming with me.”

  I shook my head. He walked up to me and lifted my chin to look right into my face. His eyes glittered like ice; I couldn’t look away.

  “So you condone what she’s done,” he said quietly. “Are you telling me you want to betray the mission, too?”

  “No,” I said meekly. “Of course not.”

  He stepped back and nodded. “Be ready at oh-five hundred. See you then.”

  I don’t think I slept much at all. Lying in bed, tossing and turning, I realized what that expression on his face was. Up until then, I’d only seen it in old movies on the Hub.

  It was hate.

  Kala and the others spent the next several days working on the camp, making it more comfortable as Alex convalesced in the cabin. Victoria was devoted to the baby and Jennie seemed happier with the girl around. Brandon spent a lot of his time helping Wilm improve his English. He seemed to go out of his way to teach the scientist to use contractions and as much slang as possible.

  Kala scouted the area with her drones and learned that Snap and Kitty had moved on. She and Brandon went to the deserted resort and brought back some beds and other furnishings for the cabin, much to Jennie’s delight. There was even a bathtub which they used as a tank for filtered, purified water so that they wouldn’t have to go down to the shore so often.

  “I wanted us to move into the resort, but she said it’s too easy to find,” Brandon said.

  “Good point,” Jennie said. “We’re fine here.”

  But Kala was worried. They weren’t growing any food, and their supplies wouldn’t last much longer. She began to go on scavenging expeditions to the east, looking for isolated houses to raid outside the larger towns, rising very early and leaving before the others were up so she could go alone without any argument. There were few people or Ghal out in these lands, but there was also little to find by way of supplies.