The Kota

by Sunshine Somerville

  “She’s so little,” he was thinking. “I like ‘em little. Just need to knock the fight out of her…”

  Tigris linked with his mind. Crobar lifted his arm to punch her in the face, but she heard his thoughts in time and moved her head so he punched the floor.

  “Ow!” he cried out. He nursed his meaty hand with a grunt of pain.

  Tigris used the distraction to push him off and get to her feet. But he was between her and the door. She raised her fists and waited for him to attack again.

  Crobar laughed at her and got to his feet. He lunged only to find that she dodged his every move. He kicked and swung at her, but she knew his moves before he followed through with his thoughts. Soon Crobar was so tired that he rested his hands on his knees. Tigris flew at him with more panic than courage, kicked him in the face, and watched as he tumbled backward against the wall. Slumping, he fell to the floor and lay still.

  Tigris gasped for air and threw open the door. She scrambled out of the storage room and slammed the door behind her. She shook with fear, but she picked up her gun and hurried on to search for a hiding place.

  You’re okay, she thought. Now try to stay okay.

  Rave wasn’t doing well. He was humiliated, but not very concerned, to find that a standard-issue drone had him pinned to the computer center’s floor.

  The drone was tiring, so Rave kicked and forced him off. He leapt to his feet and punched the drone backward through one of the holographic diagrams of the station. The drone slammed into a control panel, and his arm caught in power cords Rave had been hot-wiring before the drone appeared. Rave ran to the controls and cranked the power online at the same moment the drone reached for a holstered gun.

  The shock forced Rave to duck behind a console, but the effect was far worse for the drone. The buzzing of the damaged generator drowned out the inhuman screams, and Rave covered his face to protect his eyes from flying sparks. He used one hand to reach the power controls and turned the system offline. A humming whine slowed as the generators faded, and the sparks ceased flying.

  Rave, panting, rested against the lower part of the console and saw the drone’s body slump to the floor. He picked himself up and checked his own body for damage, then hurried out of the computer center into the corridor.

  He’d lost track of where he was on deck 20. But, he hoped this corridor would intersect with the hall leading to the access room. It was strange how the station’s gravity worked, but his overactive senses allowed him to run in a smooth glide.

  Where am I? he thought.

  Rave continued to run along the curving corridor until he discovered a metal staircase. This only ran up to the next deck, but he scaled the stairs and now found himself on deck 19. This new corridor was empty, and he paused. His tingling mutate-genes snapped into overtime. From what he could hear, heavy fighting was contained to the higher decks in the interior sections.

  Good, he thought. As long as they don’t rupture the exterior walls, let them fight.

  He continued on his way. It wasn’t long before he came to another staircase and rose to deck 18. Here he halted, having landed in an exterior section. The outer wall was solid glass. Earth reflected faint light through the glass, illuminating observatory seats and telescopes stationed around the open area.

  No time to admire the sights, he thought.

  He picked up his pace and hurried through the curving room, but he didn’t get far before he pulled up again. Ahead, five drones and two Underground soldiers lay lifeless on the floor. The window here had a crack from a ricocheted bullet.

  His senses flared, and he unsheathed his katars. Someone ran up from behind, but he was too slow to defend himself before the man knocked away his weapons. A fist swung at him out of the shadows, but Rave dodged by throwing himself to the floor. He hadn’t seen if the man was armed or not, so he rolled over the floor until he collided with the interior wall. He scrambled along the wall and found an open door, and he ducked inside.

  Inside this even darker room, he crouched beside the doorway and held still. He had no idea where his assailant was. He peeked around the doorframe but didn’t see anything. He didn’t hear anything either.

  Then, footsteps approached the open door. The way his attacker operated told Rave this wasn’t a drone. And the person’s breathing was regular, suggesting confidence.

  Great, thought Rave. I managed to run into one of the tough ones.

  When the attacker reached him, Rave somersaulted out of the room and kicked the man’s legs. The man fell to his knees, but he swung around with his arm and connected with Rave’s side. Rave lurched but spun around and tackled the bigger man. They crashed into a set of chairs, but Rave didn’t let go as they wrestled and fought for control. The man grabbed Rave’s arm and twisted it hard, and Rave punched the man in the gut several times to make him released Rave’s arm.

  The other man raised a gun.

  Sand, thought Rave. If another shot hits that glass… Party over.

  Rave picked himself off the ground and lunged before his attacker could turn with the weapon. The man saw him coming and punched him right in the face. Rave fell on his back.

  But he realized something. Caressing his face, he sniffed the air. “Whitewolf?”

  The man’s shadowed silhouette froze. “Rave?”

  You’ve got to be kidding me, thought Rave.

  With a humiliated groan, he picked himself off the floor. “Where’d you come from? I thought you were on the other side of the station?”

  Whitewolf stepped into a stream of light from the windows, now plainly himself. “I was, but the Underground had it covered over there. Since I was supposed to be clearing you a path, I came over here and started doing it.” He motioned to the dead drones lying in the room. “Sorry I almost cleared you from your own path. I assumed you were one of them.”

  Rave made a face at this insult.

  Whitewolf’s deep chuckle cut short as he coughed to cover his amusement. “We should get back to it. Let’s never mention this to the sisters.”

  “Deal.” Rave turned to lead the way onward. “We have to hurry. I found absolutely nothing in the lab.”

  “No blood samples?”

  “Not one. But when I got to the command center, the station’s signal was back up and running. I looked in the computers for anything on viral research, but there wasn’t anything there either.”

  “Think the Dominion wiped everything already?”

  “No.” Rave realized he wasn’t being clear. “Whoever fixed the signal used Underground access codes to do it – that means Matsuri or his men. My guess is Mat’s people took the treatment-containing blood sample, transmitted the research planet-side, then erased everything so the Dominion couldn’t see what they had. If Mat’s following protocol…”

  “He’ll detonate the station next.”

  Rave nodded as he finally saw the hall that led to the access room. “Most of the fighting’s in the upper decks, so Mat might not know we’ve come. And Bulls might not find Mat in time. If not, we’re in trouble. I say, if we’ve got the research secured, let the Dominion have the station! Even if Cruelthor himself is here, killing him isn’t worth blowing us all out of the sky!”

  Whitewolf looked as if he couldn’t agree more.

  “Left!” shouted Commander Brew.

  Underground soldiers in the lead swung their weapons and fired at the squad of drones arriving from a side passage. The echoing blasts caused many of the un-factored refugees they were protecting to duck and scream, and the group stopped in the wide corridor.

  “Move!” Bullseye ordered.

  Two soldiers with her in the rear hurried to block the refugees and fire at the drones, and four others got the civilians moving again up the curving corridor.

  Bullseye, a gun in each hand, dematerialized and ran to the connecting passage with the drones. She materialized in their midst, shot each, and checked behind her. But the passage was clear for the moment. She held her guns ready
but returned to the main corridor, where the Underground soldiers had shot down the leading drones. The refugees and their protectors had escaped out of sight.

  Commander Brew, a MOB with scaled skin, stepped to support one of his wounded men. He nodded at Bullseye in thanks. “We’ll catch up with the group. It’s not far to the access room, is it?”

  Bullseye looked left and right along the metallic corridor. “This level should be-”

  “Incoming!” yelled a soldier.

  Bullseye turned to see six operatives running around the curving corridor in pursuit. They opened fire. Bullseye dematerialized a split second before shots flew her way, and the bullets clanged into the metal wall behind her. Three Underground soldiers dropped with fatal wounds. Commander Brew and the rest of his men returned fire and backed away.

  Crouched, Bullseye materialized only long enough to yell, “Go! I’ll cover you!” Dematerializing again, she ran back at the operatives.

  She materialized and shot four operatives in half as many seconds. But, then she heard a familiar, mechanical sound and looked back to discover Silver Eye with her flamethrower. Just in time, Bullseye pulled the fifth operative in front of her to shield the flames. The man screamed but died with a second blast, and Bullseye dematerialized to hit the floor as the fire flashed overhead.

  Is she crazy? she thought. What if the station catches fire?

  Bullseye jumped up and ran at Silver Eye. Materializing, she kicked the flamethrower and knocked it from the operative’s grip. It fell to the corridor floor and clattered across the metal, but Bullseye kept her focus on Silver Eye. The woman dove at her. They crashed to the floor, kicking and punching.

  Not this time, thought Bullseye.

  After taking a few punches, she dematerialized, somersaulted, materialized to pick up her gun, and spun on her knees. Silver Eye had also found a weapon on the floor, and they fired at the same time. Bullseye dematerialized as soon as she fired, and Silver Eye’s bullet only struck the wall. Bullseye’s bullet, on the other hand, hit home in the middle of Silver Eye’s facemask. The woman’s head snapped back, and her body fell forward to the floor.

  Bullseye materialized and winced from a punch to her face. She scanned the corridor but detected no further danger, only the sounds of distant gunfire. She looked at Silver Eye’s fallen body.

  It’s her, she thought. It must be her… But I have to know for sure.

  She picked herself off the floor, still holding a gun, and walked to stand over the body. She stooped to peel off the woman’s metallic facemask, then threw it in anger when she saw the face.

  It was Nikki, the Youth girl who’d wanted to be an executive in honor of her parents.

  With gasping breaths, Bullseye began to sob. Then she lost it and turned to run, not caring where she was going. All the pain she’d repressed completely enveloped her. She’d been unraveling over the past few days – and this was the most inappropriate time for her despair to rupture – but now she couldn’t stop the breakdown. Seeing that Silver Eye had in fact been Nikki…

  I ruin everyone, she thought. Will this never end? What kind of sick, all-guiding purpose was this? For the rest of my life…

  She’d thought that, after the Dominion was destroyed, it’d all be worth it. But now she knew she’d never be at peace. She couldn’t escape reminders of her horrible past like Erik, Jib, Galcon, the Romanovs, Malice, dozens of others, and now Nikki. Even after the rebels won today, she’d carry on in a world scarred by a tyranny she’d remember more than most. She could stop looking back, but she couldn’t stop looking around.

  She continued to run and sob.

  I’ll be haunted, she thought. No one’ll understand because the Dominion-free world will be rejoicing.

  When her legs wouldn’t run anymore, she stopped in a shadowed corridor. Alone, she slid against a wall to sit at the base of a staircase. She heard gunfire from the level above and knew she should fight, but she couldn’t move. All she had the presence of mind to do was sob quietly.

  Why’d my life follow this path? she thought. Was it just for training and knowledge of the Dominion’s world? Well, it wasn’t worth it! It wasn’t fair! Look at everything I’ve done! What was the point?

  Bullseye’s emotional free-fall was interrupted by someone running up the corridor. She drew and aimed a weapon at the tall, lean man coming around the curve. He slammed to a halt when he saw her raised weapon, and he threw his hands up.

  “Whoa! Whoa! Don’t shoot!”

  She recognized her old partner and lowered her weapon. “Mat? I looked all over for you. Where-”

  “Bulls!” Matsuri stepped forward and hauled her to her feet. He was panting like he’d been running for his life. “Come on, let’s get out of here! I’m trying to reach the docks before Cruelthor leaves! They trapped me and went to get on their ship! He took Beathabane!” Matsuri turned to the stairs.

  Bullseye signaled him to wait and lower his voice. “What are you talking about? Beathabane’s here?”

  “Of course he is. He always goes on missions he shouldn’t, but this time he’s in serious trouble!”

  “Cruelthor took Beathabane?”

  “No, Bulls.” Matsuri sucked in a breath. “Abduction took Beathabane.”

  His words might as well have been a slap in the face. Abduction had been a memorable character in their Youth days, and she knew what Matsuri was saying was possible – she’d witnessed Abduction take several bodies.

  Oh, God, she thought. Have I lost a brother before I ever met him?

  She tried to stay strong. “Abduction… He took Beathabane’s body? You’re sure?”

  “Yeah…I saw it happen. I don’t know how Cruelthor caught Beathabane away from his men, but I saw on surveillance that they took him into the empty medical ward. I got there as fast as I could and tried to stop them, but I’m no match for Cruelthor! Abduction took Beathabane’s body, and Cruelthor thought it was funny to lock me in the medical ward. He said-”

  Bullseye felt a presence in her head, and she heard Tigris’s mind-voice. “You aren’t going to believe this, but Cruelthor and Beathabane entered a Dominion ship – together! I’ve told Whitewolf and Rave, and they’re on their way back. But Rave says he couldn’t get the blood sample because it wasn’t there. He thinks Matsuri got the station’s signal online, though, so maybe Mat has the sample. That means we can leave, doesn’t it? I think something’s wrong. Why would Cruelthor suddenly leave? Why’s Beathabane with him?”

  “I’ll explain when I get there,” Bullseye thought back at her.

  She looked back at Matsuri and asked what mattered. “Is the treatment-containing blood sample secure? Did you transmit the DRK research to Undertown?”

  He nodded. “Our top scientist has the blood sample and is on his way to a ship. But, Bulls, we need to get out of here. Cruelthor said-”

  A shrill alarm blared over the station’s intercoms. Lights flashed, and the station computer’s voice broke through the alarm noise. “Self-destruct system has finalized initiation. Deck 20 will close and divert power to the system in five minutes. Deck 19 in six minutes. Deck 18 in seven minutes.” The computer continued to count off the evacuation times of each deck.

  “Bulls, didn’t you find Matsuri?”

  She shook the Seer out of her mind and turned on her oldest friend. She had to yell over the alarm, but she wanted to yell anyway. “Mat, what is it with you and explosives? We don’t need to destroy the station! There’s no point!”

  Matsuri put his hands on his head and moaned as he looked around in the flashing lights. “That’s what I was trying to tell you! Cruelthor said he activated the self-destruct, and he changed the security codes!”

  Bullseye, knowing how her eldest brother worked, realized this made perfect sense.

  Get moving! she thought.

  She turned to lead Matsuri up the stairs. “What level are we on?”

  “Deck 16!”

  “And that gives us how long to get off thi
s level?”

  “Nine minutes!”

  “I hope everyone below us-”

  A man came into view at the top of the stairs. Because of the pulsing security lights, he couldn’t see where he was going as he descended. Before he collided with Bullseye, she dematerialized so he moved through where she’d stood. In her annoyance, she pushed the space dimension like a bubble against him and sent the man tumbling down the stairs. She returned to physical form facing the opposite direction, and she watched as the man slammed into Matsuri.

  Oops, she thought.

  The two men tumbled down the stairs, shouting with cries of pain and anger. They fell to the lower floor, and Bullseye ran back down and watched as they wrestled. In the flashing light, she noticed that the stranger was dressed in a medical suit. He raised a fist to punch Matsuri in the face, but Bullseye grabbed the man’s arm from behind and spun him off her friend. She shoved him to the floor and pulled a gun from its holster. The gun she aimed at his head.

  “Stay down!” she ordered.

  Matsuri rose to his feet. “What the hell…” He squinted in the pulsing light as he came to inspect the man.

  Bullseye holstered her weapon and left the man in Matsuri’s custody. She turned once again to the stairs. “Slay him or leave him, but let’s move!”

  Behind her, she heard the man apologize over the alarm. “Sorry, Matsuri! I couldn’t see it was you! I thought you were one of them!”

  Bullseye froze with a leg lifted for the next stair. She spun on the stairs and examined the man. He rose from the floor, holding his arm where she’d wrenched it. Bullseye had noted when grabbing him that he was fit and tall, though not nearly as tall as Matsuri. Now looking at his face in the flashing lights, she saw he had blue eyes and dark hair. A streak of grime ran across his nose, but he was still easily identifiable. When Galcon glanced back at Bullseye, it was obvious he didn’t recognize her behind her facemask.