“Ghosts,” Webb cried. “Fucking run.” He turned and did just that. Hugo swore and followed.
“Split up. Webb, that way,” Hugo called as they reached the walkways over the yawning engineering levels. “Dana, follow me.” He turned to the left and heard Webb’s boots rattle in the other direction. He risked a glance over his shoulder and saw his sister was close behind.
“Get the tall one alive,” Yoshida’s shout could be heard from somewhere behind them. “Kill the other two.”
“Kale, go left again,” Dana called as they came to another junction.
“I’m not leaving you,” he growled.
“You got any better ideas?” she said then skidded off to the right and started climbing a ladder to another level in the web of walkways.
“Dana,” Hugo called but then a lenslight flashed in his eyes and one of the Ghosts was bearing down on him. He bolted left, found another ladder and scrambled up it, his pursuer cursing at his heels. There was a clang as a night stick crashed into the rungs just below his ankles.
He hauled himself onto the next level and ran, trying to picture the ship’s engineering schematics. The Ghost was catching up. The beam from the light sliced holes in the darkness and illuminated the bulkhead blocking his way. He skidded to a halt, breathing heavily, looked around and climbed up on the walkway’s railing. There was an angry shout as his pursuer reached him, then Hugo flung himself into the darkness.
As the seconds and cold air sped by and his reaching hands grabbed nothing, he panicked that he had miscalculated, but then with an almighty wrench, he caught hold of an anchor cable. His sweaty hands almost slipped but he gathered all his strength and flung one elbow over, then another. He dangled there over nothing, trying to get breath into his lungs and make the black spots stop dancing in his vision. When he could see again he looked around. The Ghost was cursing from the walkway, scanning around for a way to reach him. For the first time Hugo was grateful for the no-guns precedent.
“Dana,” he cried, seeing her on the level above. A Ghost was closing in behind her but she was concentrating on staying out of reach of his long knife and didn’t see the one who had broken off his pursuit of Webb to lurk in the shadows near the next ladder.
Webb’s warning rang out, but too late. Dana cried out as the hidden Ghost grabbed her. The one chasing her caught them up, bringing up his knife. Hugo felt himself go cold and time slow town. A lenslight lit up Dana’s terrified face and the blades of the Ghosts’ weapons.
Hugo called out again but then there was a confused mess of shouts and clangs of metal on metal and Webb’s voice rang out above it all. In the fractured light, Hugo just made out his tall frame dropping from a walkway above into the scuffle and then there was a wild yell as the man with the long knife was heaved over the railing. Hugo got a knee over the cable and started scrambling hand-over-hand toward the nearest platform.
The commotion continued along with the sound of running as the remaining Ghost converged on the struggle. Hugo reached the platform and scrambled on. He didn’t pause for breath but raced towards the nearest ladder.
He reached the walkway just as the Ghost with no ear reached it too. Hugo flung himself at the broad-shouldered man, using all his weight to pin him against the railing. He managed to get a grip of the Ghost’s weapon-hand and pulled his own knife. The man wrestled his free hand up and got a crushing grip on Hugo’s throat. He tried to use his knife but his knees buckled. His vision swam but then Dana yelled somewhere far away. He pulled together some strength and plunged his knife into his assailant. He wasn’t even sure where the weapon had bit, but the man loosened his grip with a cry.
Hugo ran as soon as he was free. Everything had gone very dark with only one lenslight glowing somewhere along the walkway. Hugo pelted toward it, heart thumping, breath heaving and praying. He staggered over a man crumpled on the floor then came up on the crouched figures of Webb and Dana.
“What’s happened?” he said.
Webb was slumped against the railings, half supported by Dana who was scrabbling for the lenslight that had rolled away.
“Webb’s hurt,” she muttered and Hugo felt his heart come into his mouth. He dropped down next to his friend. The younger man’s breathing was pained. Dana found the lenslight and brought it up. Webb was grey-faced, a hand clutched at his side just above the hip. Blood soaked his clothes and hand and dripped onto the walkway.
“Shit,” Hugo said, fumbling through the pouches on the cargo suit but finding nothing to help.
“Keep watch,” Dana snapped, pulling the kerchief off Webb’s head and lifting up his hand to press it to the wound.
Hugo grabbed the lenslight. He stood and scanned around the engineering deck but everything was motionless. “No sign of anyone. No sign of Yoshida either.”
“We need to get him out of here,” Dana said. “Help me.”
Hugo pushed aside the wash of fear when the lenslight shone on the amount of blood that had pooled on the walkway and bent to get Webb’s arm over his shoulder.
“Shut the light off,” Webb bit out between gasps. “They’ll see us a million miles away.”
“Quiet,” Dana scolded, getting her shoulder under Webb’s other arm and helping get him to his feet. “Kale, keep this pressed hard.”
Hugo felt Dana’s hand, slick with blood, find his own and press it to the wad of sodden fabric at Webb’s side. Webb hissed and swore as Hugo took a step, helping Webb along.
It was painfully slow going. Every step was accompanied by a hitched breath from Webb and the echo from his dragging feet. Once they heard voices somewhere behind them and a light sliced through the dark, but they managed to stagger behind one of the towering reactor chambers before they were seen.
He turned them down the first corridor they came to and closed his eyes to try again and remember the layout.
“Hold on,” Hugo muttered to Webb as he staggered again. “Just round this corner.”
Sure enough weak light greyed the darkness ahead and the entry hatch to the airlock tunnel came into view. Hugo crept ahead then softly called the all clear. He took up Webb’s arm again and pushed the non-coded internal hatch control. He kept their pace as fast as Webb could manage down the airlock tunnel, listening for any sound of pursuit, but they reached the end unmolested.
“All clear,” Dana muttered after peering out the viewscreen. They got the hatch open and were swamped with the constant clamour and oily smell of Haven.
“Careful, just take it slow,” Hugo said as they got Webb to the ladder. His skin had taken on a sickly sheen. Hugo deliberately didn’t look at the blood but helped his sister manoeuvre Webb onto the ladder.
It took an age to get back to the deck and Hugo was sweating from climbing with one hand, taking Webb’s weight and straining to keep watch to see if they were noticed. Webb stifled a cry as their boots hit the floor. Hugo’s pulse thundered in his ears in time with the heaving groans of the shipyard as he scanned around for a way through.
“This way,” Dana said, edging Webb along to the vacuum shield platform again. “I think there’s a way into the between-ways on the other side of this yard.”
“Stay where you are!” Hugo felt the bottom drop out of his stomach. He watched in slow motion as two Enforcers in dark coveralls closed in on them. Hugo untangled himself from Webb who staggered just as he recognised the small but determined figure of Simone Sinclair stepping on to the platform with two more Enforcers who closed in and surrounded them. They all had their nightsticks drawn. Simone’s face was grave as she took them in.
“You two, go and get more men,” she snapped and two of the Enforcers threw them poisonous glances and paced away.
The two remaining flanked them, their expressions dangerous. Workers from the nearby welding pit pushed up goggles to stare.
“Foreman Michalski recognised your Service-walk a mile away,” Simone said, bitterness sharp in her voice. “I told her you wouldn’t have the gall to come back to yo
ur own yard after what you’ve done and yet here you are.”
“We should secure them, ma’am,” one Enforcer said.
“Simone,” Webb croaked, trying to take a step away from Dana and buckling.
Simone’s eyes widened as they took in Webb’s blood-soaked clothes. “What’s happened here?”
“He’s hurt,” Dana began, but Webb cut her off.
“We can’t tell you,” he said, wincing, but drawing himself up and looking the Elder in the eye. The two Enforcers shifted on their feet, exchanging glances. “Simone, please, you have to listen to me.”
Heat had flushed her face but it looked equal parts pain to anger. “No, Ezekiel, I don’t. We trusted you. August trusted you. You have abused that trust and betrayed this colony. All three of you,” she pointed at each of them in turn. “One of you is an illegal immigrant. You have abandoned your shifts, attacked citizens and stolen property. You’re lucky we didn’t find any black paint in your boarding house or we’d be having a hanging here and now.”
“That wasn’t us. You don’t understand,” Hugo said.
“I don’t have to understand,” Simone said. “You are traitors and you will face justice.”
“We’re after our own justice,” Webb pleaded, taking another shuffling step and a hitching breath.
“Webb, stay still,” Dana said, but the clone ignored her.
“We can’t explain it all, Simone. Not yet. And it may be that we end this owing you more than we can repay…but you trusted me before. You have to trust me now.”
“You’re after recompense of you’re own, is that it?” she said, folding her arms. “What for?”
Hugo clenched his jaw, searching Webb’s face. Dana’s looked almost desperate but Webb shook his head.
“Don’t be an idiot, Webb. Tell me.”
“We can’t,” Webb said, voice tight with regret. “The colony can’t know about this…until it’s over.”
“If you won’t tell us why you’re doing what you’re doing, we can only judge you on your actions, which make you a criminal. God help you when August gets here,” she said, shaking her head. Webb kept his face blank but Hugo could see pain wash through his eyes.
“I will explain when it’s over,” he said. “Please, Simone. You know me. Would I be doing this if it weren’t for something serious?”
Simone’s hard glance softened, doubt creeping into it for the first time and Hugo felt hope begin to flicker.
“Ma’am,” one of the Enforcers said, craning his neck to look over the increasing numbers of workers gathering below in the pit to gawp. Some were muttering and pointing at them. Others were fingering tools.
“Get them back,” Simone said. “Keep order here.”
The Enforcers looked uneasily between the workers and their prisoners, but Simone barked her orders again and they moved into the crowd, brandishing their sticks and shouting for the workers to step back. With a start, Hugo saw Lola Michalski was on her moped at the far end of the pit. Her goggles were up on her head and she was staring at him. A tightness wrapped around his chest at the cold anger in her eyes.
“Lady,” Dana suddenly said as Webb gasped and buckled again, jerking Hugo’s attention away from the foreman. Simone swung her heavy gaze to Dana. “He’s hurt. Either take us away right this second or let us go so we can get him help. Do whatever, but do it now.”
Simone’s jaw worked, her glance flicking between them all, lingering on Webb’s grey face and the increasing ruckus in the pits.
“Get them out of this yard,” someone yelled. “Drift them. Get them off the colony!”
“Traitors! Scum! Outsiders!”
Dana had to stagger to the side with Webb to avoid being hit by a spanner flung at her head. The Enforcers voices raised over the increasing noise and Simone stood rooted to the spot, watching the crowd with uncertain eyes.
“Simone,” Hugo came forward. Her jaw tightened and her eyes flared. “Let us go. This is not a Service matter. I didn’t lie about that. It’s personal. And it could help us get to the bottom of something that’s a far bigger threat to your colony than us.”
Defiance hardened Simone’s face for a moment more. But then she looked back at the swaying Webb and Dana whose eyes flashed fury and hands were coated in blood.
“Get him out of here,” she hissed, glancing down at the Enforcers breaking up the melee and calling out to their colleagues arriving at the yard gates. “Now. But Hugo,” Simone called as Webb and Dana began to shamble away. “You will not get away a second time.”
Hugo nodded, let out a shuddering breath and ran after his companions as more shouts rose behind them. They finally staggered around some towering scaffolding, blocking them from the view of the pits.
“Where are we going?”
“There,” Dana panted as they shambled along, hauling Webb with them. They rounded another corner into a narrow gap between the scaffold and the hull. She propped Webb up and dropped down, feverishly working at a grate in the floor locked with bolts. Hugo bent to help his sister throw back the bolts and heave the heavy grate open.
“Quick,” Hugo said as the noise from the yard gathered in volume. “Webb,” he snapped. “Stay with us.”
Webb nodded, breathing shallow.
“Kale, look fast,” Dana said, then scurried down a creaking ladder into darkness. Hugo followed. The ladder was short and he shuffled in beside Dana in the narrow dark space as she was calling up to Webb. The clone moved slowly and Hugo resisted the urge to hurry him. He sat on the edge of the hatch and fumbled his way down, Hugo and Dana catching him as soon as he was in reach.
“That way,” Dana barked, waving off down a gloomy passage before scurrying back up the ladder to close the grate.
Hugo shuffled off down the passage with Webb. There was the clang as Dana shut the grate and they were plunged into darkness. The air smelt dusty and stale. It was very cold and, above their shuffling steps and heaving breaths, eerily quiet.
“Quick,” Dana said, taking the lead and switching on the lenslight. “It’s only a matter of time before they figure out where we’ve gone.”
They came to a junction of three corridors, all identical and dark and Dana turned them left. “Hurry,” she said.
“He can’t hurry,” Hugo said as Webb stumbled.
“Yes I can,” Webb said, attempting to get his feet under him. “Keep going.”
Dana cast about at the next junction they came to. The ceiling was lost in darkness and a clanging echoed down the corridor on their left. A dull light shone from the one ahead. Dana took them right.
“Where are you getting us?”
“Lost,” she said.
She always chose the dusty corridors and tried only the rusted and creaking hatches and doors, only some of which opened. She tutted and cursed over rooms and sheltered sidings. They turned away from light and sound and passed over abandoned work pits and storage areas. They even passed through a rusting cockpit that must have belonged to one of the original vessels that first made up the colony, until Webb was sagging on Hugo’s shoulder.
“Here,” Dana said as she came back out from yet another darkened room. “This one’s safe. The hatch still locks from the inside.”
“Thank Christ,” Webb groaned. They helped him over the threshold. Dana propped the lenslight on a shelf and it lit the interior of the narrow, dusty room. There were broken storage shelves against one wall, some sacking in the corner and no ceiling, just a tangle of cables ranging from pencil-thin to the width of Hugo’s arm. A faint buzz was the only thing that indicted they were still active and Hugo eyed their cracked casing warily.
They eased Webb down onto the sacking. He muffled a cry as he collapsed and Hugo felt his chest tighten as he rubbed blood off his hands.
“Get the light,” Dana said as she knelt next to Webb and eased his clenched hand away from the wound in his side. Hugo shone the light on it as Dana worked at Webb’s belt.
The clone gave a strangled
laugh. “Hugo, your sister is taking my pants off.”
“Quiet,” Dana snapped and pulled his coveralls open at the hip. Webb hissed but made no more sound.
“Damn,” Hugo muttered and knelt beside his sister. The stab wound was ugly, and deep, stretching from Webb’s hip bone up to his ribs.
“It doesn’t look like they got the artery,” Dana said, voice shaking only slightly as she covered it back up, pulled off her scarf and pressed it on.
“He’s lost so much blood,” Hugo muttered. “He needs a medic.”
“We’d never make it to a clinic,” Dana said. “Even if we did, they’d turn us in as soon as they recognised us.”
“Webb,” Hugo said, shaking his friend’s shoulder as his eyelids fluttered. “Stay awake.”
“Go away, Hugo. I’m tired.”
“Stay awake,” Dana snapped and pinched his good thigh.
“Ow. You little -”
“We have to think of something,” Hugo said as Dana flipped the scarf over as it soaked.
“Jazz is a medic,” Dana said.
“No,” Webb croaked.
“Webb, this…” Hugo rubbed his mouth. “It’s not good.”
“We can’t ask her,” Webb said, sounding defeated. “She won’t come anyway. Not now.”
“Is there a medkit back in that bolthole?” Hugo asked Dana.
She nodded. “But it’s a two-hour moped drive away, or a four hour stagger through the between ways. He’ll never make it.”
“You go,” he said. “Find help. Steal a medkit from a yard, anything.”
“Hugo,” Webb grated.
“I’m on it,” Dana said, getting to her knees.
“Use the betweenways,” Hugo said. “Stay out of sight.”
“It’s what I’ve been doing since I got here,” she said, with the start of a smile. “You,” she said to Webb and poked his stomach. “Stay awake.” Webb cursed and muttered but shouldered himself up a little more against the wall. “I’ll be quick,” Dana said, standing and wiping blood on her coveralls.
Haven (The Orbit Series Book 2) Page 21