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Nina Croft

Page 21

by Blood Hunter 03 Death Defying


  “I just want to know why,” Tannis ground out.

  “She gave you chocolate? When?”

  “Nearly thirty years ago. She came to the research center, and she handed out chocolate to the children, and I want to know why the fuck she did that when she was responsible for us being there.”

  She looked from one to the other of them. “I thought she was a goddamn angel. She was the first person in that place to show any kindness, and I want to know the fuck why.”

  Venna opened her mouth. “I…” she trailed off, licked her lips.

  “Venna likes to be liked,” Callum said. “It’s a weakness.”

  “Jesus,” Tannis muttered.

  “She could come there and see you, but only if you didn’t hate her to her face. She can’t take it. She likes to think she’s a nice person, and the only way she can make believe that is if other people think she’s nice.”

  “I am nice,” Venna finally found her voice.

  “No, you’re not, but you’re good at your job.”

  Tannis was overcome by weariness as the adrenaline from the fight drained from her system. She turned away. There was no such thing as angels anyway; she’d always known that.

  Glancing back over her shoulder, she spoke to Callum. “You want to fly this thing?”

  “Hell, yeah.”

  Callum took the pilot’s seat and rubbed his hands together.

  Tannis took the seat behind him and fastened the safety harness— she had no clue what Callum was like as a flier. But it was a pretty safe bet that he hadn’t done it for a while, and she didn’t want to die just now.

  Venna had very wisely disappeared; she’d obviously realized her chances of being “liked” were about zero in the present company. Tannis rested her head against the back of the seat and watched Callum as he familiarized himself with the controls.

  After a few minutes, when she’d assured herself he was competent enough to head in the right direction, she closed her eyes and let herself drift off into sleep.

  When she opened her eyes, he was sitting in the seat next to her, watching her.

  “We’re on automatic,” he said.

  He stretched his long legs out in front of him, folded his wings close against his back, and sat back as best he could.

  “You know,” he murmured, “I’m tired. I can’t remember feeling tired in a long while. Fed up, bored, but not actually tired.”

  “Sleep then. Find a cabin and sleep.”

  “Can’t. I’m too wound up. I’ve been waiting for you to wake up so you can talk to me.”

  “About what?”

  He shrugged. “Anything.”

  She thought for a minute. There was something she would like to know. “How about you talk instead?”

  “What about.”

  “Tell me about Meridian. About how you found it, what happened when you landed on Trakis Seven.”

  “We didn’t actually land as such—we crashed. Machines don’t work well on Trakis Seven.”

  “So how will we get down?”

  “You have to shut down the engines and let the planet pull you in, then switch them back just before landing. I’ve not done it—but I had a crash course before I left.”

  “Great,” she muttered.

  “It will be fine.” He settled back in his chair. “Okay—so the story of my life. Are you sitting comfortably?”

  She nodded.

  “Then I’ll begin.” But instead, he sat in silence for a moment as if deciding where to start. “When we reached the Trakis system, each ship was allocated a planet to check out for viability. We’d already lost contact with the Trakis One—we know now that she disappeared in to black hole, but back then she just went dead.”

  Tannis shuddered. “Holy moly. What a way to go.”

  “I’d forgotten. You’ve been to Trakis One, haven’t you?”

  “When we broke Jon out of the prison.”

  “You were lucky to survive.”

  “No, not lucky—Rico’s a brilliant pilot, though even so, it was a little hairy.”

  “Anyway, the crew was already on edge. And the planet was far from inviting—as you’ll soon see.”

  “How many of you were there on board?”

  “Awake? Twenty plus ten thousand or so in cryo. We orbited the planet for a while, then, when I couldn’t put it off any longer, we went in. I lost control almost immediately. I remember thinking— this is it. And what a way to end after five hundred years in space.”

  “What happened? Obviously you all survived the crash.”

  “Something slowed us down, some force field before we hit the ground. We still sustained a lot of damage, but the main systems were repairable. So we set about doing the repairs and exploring the planet.”

  He stared into space for a few minutes obviously remembering the past, and if his expression was anything to go by, the memories were not happy.

  “We’d heard from the other ships by then. The Trakis Four and Five had found habitable planets. We knew we had a safe place to go if we could get the ship fixed. So I made the decision to wake some of the Chosen Ones. There were scientists, environmentalist.

  While I was sure Trakis Seven wasn’t suitable for colonization, I wanted to find out if there was anything we could use in the future. It was a mistake.”

  “You couldn’t have known.”

  “Maybe not. It seemed fine at first, the planet actually has a breathable atmosphere though it’s a little thin, tiring for doing anything physical. But it was good to be off ship even on that hellhole.”

  “How long had you been captain?”

  “Ten years. It wasn’t too bad. There was space on the ship.

  Books to read, plenty of entertainment, which was just as well as the ship ran itself. I was redundant except for in an emergency.

  And when we did have one, I very nearly failed.”

  “But you didn’t.” Why the hell was she trying to comfort him?

  What was it about Callum Meridian that touched her as no man had before?

  “Well there are relative stages of failure. People died because of decisions I made, and back then I wasn’t nearly so comfortable with that idea as you believe me to be now.”

  “So what happened? How did you find Meridian?”

  “It was more like it found us. The planet’s a strange place, as you’ll see when we land. I never went back after that first time, but even after five hundred years, I can remember it clearly. I took a team out to explore.” He closed his eyes as if he was remembering.

  “It was as though something was calling to us. I found myself in a sort of cave. No light but the place glowed violet. Eerie.” He opened his eyes and stared at her. Violet. Inhuman.

  “There were these growths, like tentacles, hundreds of them, emerging from out of the walls. I touched one, and it reacted almost as if it was alive, wrapped itself around my arm and needles cut into my skin. I’ve never felt such pain, like fire through my blood. I blacked-out. When I came to, the rest of my team were unconscious on the ground around the chamber. The thing that had attacked me was shriveled to nothing. And there were others the same next to each of the crew members.” Callum jumped to his feet and started pacing the confines of the bridge. “They awoke shortly after me, and it was immediately obvious that we were changed. We could read each other’s thoughts.”

  “And the rest,” Tannis said.

  “Well, we didn’t know about the immortality then or the fact that we could repair just about any damage. Though the damage thing we found out early. One of the six, Tyler, was injured in a fall.

  We thought he was dead, it should have killed him, but it didn’t, and he recovered quickly—far too quickly to be normal—but we’d already left the planet by then.”

  “Why did you leave? Didn’t you want to stay and explore?”

  “No. You’ll understand when we reach Trakis Seven, the place has an unfriendly feel. But it was more than that. The rest of the crew, and the C
hosen Ones we’d woken from cryo, began to get sick. Then the first one died, and we knew we had to leave.”

  “I thought it took two years to die from the radiation poisoning.”

  Callum shrugged. “The planet can kill you quick or it can kill you slow, but it always kills you unless you undergo the treatment.

  But we didn’t realize we were immune back then. Not until we got clear of the planet, and then it took a long time for us to get any understanding. While the six of us felt immediately better as soon as we were away, the others only got worse. We took the ship to Trakis Five and settled there. Within two years, all those who’d been on the planet’s surface were dead. Worse than that, even the ones who had been in cryo, became sick and eventually died.”

  “And you were all fine?”

  “We never got sick. As the years passed, we didn’t age.” He shrugged. “The rest is history. That’s enough story-telling. Why don’t you go get some rest? It’s a big day tomorrow.”

  “What about you?”

  “I’m fine. Another side-effect—we don’t need much sleep.”

  “Okay. I’ll go find somewhere to lie down—enjoy sleeping while I still can.”

  He grabbed her hand as she went past and tugged her toward him. She didn’t try to pull away, just looked down into his eyes.

  “Are you absolutely sure this is what you want?” he asked.

  Tannis frowned at the question, unsure why he was asking her at this point.

  “Once we’re on the planet,” he continued, “there is no more choice. You take the Meridian or you die.”

  “I know. And I want it. I’ve always wanted it. Why ask now?”

  He shook his head. “Telling how it happened has brought it all back. And I suppose Aiden’s suicide affected me more than I thought. Then the way the council members are behaving…I just want you to be sure.”

  “I’m sure.”

  “Good. Go sleep.” He raised her hand to his lips, kissed her palm, and then released her. Tannis closed her fist around the kiss and stepped back. For a minute, she hovered, not sure whether she wanted to go or stay. In the end, she whirled around and left the bridge.

  …

  “Holy shit, we’re going to crash.”

  Callum glanced behind him to where Tannis sat strapped into her chair. Her knuckles white as she gripped on tight.

  Beside her Venna sat, eyes closed, appearing totally relaxed.

  But then she had done this many times before. She’d spent more time on Trakis Seven than any of them. At Tannis’s obvious panic, she opened her eyes.

  “Don’t worry, this is normal. We switch off the engines. Stops them being damaged when the planet tries to take charge.”

  “The planet tries to take charge?”

  “Well, obviously not really, but that’s what it feels like. We switch back on just before landing. Plenty of time to regain control.”

  “Yeah, I believe you.”

  Tannis stumbled as she stepped off the ramp and onto the planet’s surface. Callum reached for her, but she shook her head.

  “I’m fine.” Breathing in deeply, she blinked a couple of times.

  “I think.” She swayed and then righted herself.

  “You can stay in the ship,” Callum said. “I’ll come back for you after we’ve been to the chamber.”

  “No, I want to come.”

  He studied her for a moment, then nodded. The planet effected people differently. Some were almost incapable of functioning without anti-nausea drugs. Strangely, and unhappily for them if they had been brought here to work the “mines”, they were the ones who lasted the longest. The people who reacted the least to the planet, tended to die the quickest. Venna had done a detailed study of the subject. He remembered reading her report, but it had meant nothing to him—merely numbers. Now, he couldn’t help but think of the vast amounts of suffering reflected in those statistics. When had he become this person who didn’t care? He shook his head, now was not the time to contemplate his past inadequacies as a human being.

  Tannis had gone pale and a fine sheen of sweat coated her face, but she appeared perfectly capable of functioning. It was just as well she was getting the treatment, because she wouldn’t last long.

  “Let’s get going, then. You’ll only get worse.

  Callum felt the old familiar fog in his brain, the nausea in his stomach, but for the first time, he didn’t fight it. He allowed it to wash through him, and a sense of peace stole over him. Something whispered through his mind, not a voice—there were no words— but the need to move filled him, and a deep sense of excitement stirred in his gut.

  He didn’t know why he was sure he would find his answers here when Venna had searched for years and come up with nothing. But he had always been the strongest of their kind, even among the inner Council who had all been changed with him on that day. He was the first to get the wings. That had been a weird experience.

  And his telepathic powers were the strongest—he could enter any member of the Collective’s minds with or without their consent. He could even read many non-Collective’s, at least their feeling and emotions. Though he could still get nothing from Tannis.

  She appeared strangely subdued. He’d expected her to be fizzing with excitement, even taking into account the sickness.

  Maybe he shouldn’t have told her about the pain, but it was better to be prepared. Besides, he didn’t think the thought of pain would dampen her spirits.

  He’d asked her yesterday if she wanted to back out. He hadn’t wanted to ask, and he’d silently prayed she wouldn’t say yes.

  Whatever journey lay ahead, he wanted Tannis to share with him.

  Maybe he was a little scared of what he might find after all.

  Maybe he wanted someone to hold his hand through whatever eternity would bring. He’d never believed in love, wasn’t sure he did now, but there was something that drew him to her. And he knew she felt the same, otherwise he had a notion he would have been dead days ago.

  Behind her, Venna appeared composed, if a little green. She was coming with them to the chamber, in case she could cast any insights into what he found there, but then she would return to the ship—no need for her to accompany them to where Tannis would get the treatment.

  “Can we get on with this,” she snapped. “I hate this place.”

  Callum realized that he didn’t. This time felt different. His head was clearing and his stomach settling. It was around mid-day and the light was bright, showing up the harsh, hostile landscape. No vegetation grew on the planet, or at least nothing they recognized as vegetation. The rock that formed most of the landscape was a dull, grey green.

  But despite the obvious lack of any familiar forms of life, the planet had always seemed curiously alive to him. He turned to Venna.

  “Lead the way…”

  As she set off, he allowed Tannis to go in front of him so he could monitor how she was doing, and he followed slowly. But with every step he took, a voice in his head screamed at him to stop. He tried to ignore it, but then wondered why. Should he trust Venna, who had so far found nothing? Or should he trust his instincts? Even as the thought entered his mind, he realized that instinct wasn’t the right word. This was more than instinct.

  Something real and tangible was trying to communicate with him.

  At the thought, a sense of wonder filled him, and he came to an abrupt halt.

  Some sentient being was trying to talk to him. They didn’t share the same language, and he could sense its frustration. He stopped trying to think with words and opened that part of his mind where his innermost thoughts were hidden, the place where his telepathy arose and knew immediately what was wrong.

  Venna must have realized he was no longer following. She glanced over her shoulder. “What?”

  “We’re going the wrong way,” he said.

  Irritation flickered across her face. “No, this is the way to the chamber I told you about.”

  “That’s not where I
need to be.” He turned around, closed his eyes, and allowed the inner voice to guide him. “This way.” He cast Tannis a brief glance. “You okay?”

  She nodded but didn’t speak, and he set off, quicker this time.

  His steps sped up without conscious thought, and he knew he was leaving the women behind. That didn’t matter; they would catch up. In this wide open landscape he was impossible to lose and need was driving him on.

  Finally, he came to a tall cliff face of grey-green rock and paused while he waited for the knowledge to come to him. Placing his hand flat against the rock, a sense of rightness filled him, almost like coming home, as though he somehow belonged here.

  He followed the line of the wall, until he came to a crack, only an inch wide, but as his hands learned the shape of it, the fissure expanded until it was just wide enough for him to slip through. He didn’t hesitate, but stepped into the opening and found himself in a narrow passageway. After a few feet, the light vanished, and he was walking through darkness until, up ahead, an eerie violet glow lighted the way and suddenly the tunnel widened to form a large cavern.

  In the center was a huge glowing mound. Violet, like his eyes.

  He stepped forward and for the first time a flicker of fear ran through him.

  What would he find?

  What was he?

  What would he become?”

  The questions ran through his mind as he inched closer. This was the center of power. This was where the voice in his head came from. He could feel it now like a buzzing in his brain.

  As he placed both hands flat against the mound, a tingle ran up his arms and through his body. Then the buzzing vanished and his mind was clear. He banished all thoughts and opened himself.

  Blackness was closing around him, but he wasn’t afraid, he welcomed it and then he was flying through the darkness towards the truth.

  Chapter 17

  One minute, Callum stood outlined against the grey-green rock, and then he vanished.

  Tannis felt like crap, but she forced herself to stumble after him, coming to a halt in front of the narrow fissure. It was dark inside, and the place pulsated with energy, which seemed to simultaneously draw and repel her. She edged forward, her stomach churning as she got closer.

 

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