by Darcy Town
She nodded. “I see.”
“Up you go.” Rake picked her up and set her on his shoulders. “Lemme know when you see a big triangle sign, it’s orange-colored.”
“How much further?”
“Don’t know, but it’s the landmark we’re looking for.”
Ravil smiled. “All right, Rake.” She stared at the buildings and sky. For the first time since she’d come to this city, she felt safe. She dropped her gaze to Rake; he’d looped his arms around her legs to keep her stable. He hummed and she recognized the song from his movie player. Ravil puffed her cheeks and whistled along with him. He smiled and took off at a run, making her grab his hair and shriek.
***
Lincoln held up a bleeding marine by his ribcage. He glanced over at Marx. “Any more?”
Marx looked down the hallway. “No. Kennedy barricaded the door. No one else will come for some time.”
Lincoln smiled slightly and let the bleeding marine slide off his claws. He stuck a gory finger in his mouth and looked around. The tile was slick with blood and other bodily fluids. Dead doctors and nurses littered the ground, dead from slash marks and puncture wounds.
He stepped over corpses and pulled back a cotton divider. A marine on oxygen stared at him. The marine noticed the claws and clutched at the bandages that covered his healing bullet wounds.
Lincoln pulled his finger out of his mouth with a pop. “Good, you’re awake.”
The marine looked past Lincoln to the bodies on the ground. He gasped. “What the hell are you?”
Lincoln pulled down his sunglasses. “Nothing to concern yourself with. I am looking for a child and a man.”
The marine leaned away from Lincoln’s yellow gaze. “Why are you asking me?”
“You sustained your injuries during a fight at a gambling establishment.”
“We were attacked by men with—”
“Do not lie for pride. I have heard this story many times.” Lincoln tapped him on the chest. “You and your men were struck down by one man, a man that has the name of a tool.”
“That guy.” The marine hissed. “He was our card dealer.” He winced as he struggled to sit up. “He is obviously ex-military of some kind.”
Lincoln raised an eyebrow. “Why do you say this?”
“He was trained to fight and kill.” The marine thought back. “And he knew how to use our weapons.”
“Was he with a child?”
“There was a boy, but they weren’t together.”
“Did they leave together?”
The man shrugged. “I have no idea. I passed out outside and stayed down in the alley until our reinforcements arrived.”
“Anything else?”
“No, look—”
Lincoln slashed through his throat and stood as blood sprayed his suit. “Same information.” He looked to Marx. “Though apparently this Rake might be worthy prey.”
Marx frowned. “He is Waster, none are worthy prey. They go down too easy.”
Kennedy bounded down the hall on all fours. He skidded to a stop and dropped a gun at Lincoln’s feet. He looked up, expectant.
Lincoln picked the weapon up off the floor. “Odd present, Kennedy.”
Kennedy tugged on Lincoln’s pant leg. “I found another!”
“Another what?”
“Another survivor. This is weapon from that battle, tagged see! Others were in a storage place with tags. There was a fingerprint in blood! I licked it! It alive! Two now to track, not just one left. Two!”
Marx took the gun and flipped it over. “Where is the print?”
Kennedy touched his tongue. “I licked it off!”
Marx sighed. “We could have scanned it and found a picture that way. What if it was this Rake?”
Kennedy frowned. “Picture?”
Marx bared his fangs. “Do you only use your tongue and nose?”
Kennedy went cross-eyed as he stared at his nose. “What else should we use?”
Marx glared. “Your eyes, you imbecile. We could recognize the person on sight.”
Kennedy sat back. “What fun would that be?”
“Fun? This is our duty.” Marx tossed the weapon to Lincoln. “We have a job to perform.”
Kennedy snapped his teeth at Marx.
Lincoln stepped between the two. “Kennedy, can you find this new one?”
Kennedy chewed on his lip. “The sample was not fresh and not very much. I can tell only that it currently lives, but without something more, no.”
Lincoln sighed. “If we found this person, would you be able to tell it was a match to the fingerprint?”
“Yes.” Kennedy nodded. “Yes, if close, identification is possible.” He licked clotting blood from the floor. “Do we go soon or stay to fight more? I still hungry.”
Marx growled and stalked off towards the barricade.
Lincoln looked after Marx and grabbed Kennedy by his braid. “You irritate him unnecessarily.”
Kennedy rubbed his cheek up against Lincoln’s leg. “He been here too long, he forgotten what it is to be Hunter. I try to remind him. Marx will need to be less like Wasters if he wants new mate.”
Lincoln scratched Kennedy’s chin. “Perhaps that is not what Marx wishes. It does not matter. We leave.”
***
Ravil held onto a chain-link fence and looked down at Rake. She wiggled her fingers, dropping rust onto his forehead. “That does not look safe.”
“It doesn’t look that bad.” He looked up at her and took off his sunglasses. “The program has been shut down for a few years.”
She eyed the empty tarmac. The afternoon heat made the air above it shimmer. “Where is this ship? I do not see it.”
“Of course you don’t, if it were just sitting there it would have been taken apart awhile ago. It’s hidden under that building there.”
Ravil’s heart pounded as she gazed at the abandoned warehouse. “I don’t know, Rake.”
Rake lifted her off his shoulders and held her up at eye height. “I promise, I am not taking you here to leave you, sell you, kill you, lose you, or do anything thing else mean or unseemly. I promise there’s a ship in there.”
Ravil gazed into his eyes. He smiled, she blushed. She grumbled, “Fine.”
He set her down and jumped up onto the fence. He dropped over the side and hit cracked concrete. He watched her climb to the top, he held up his arms. “Jump.”
“You’d better catch me.” Ravil dropped. He caught her and set her on her feet. She held her head as her world spun.
Rake steadied her. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” She touched her temples. “Just a little dizzy.”
“Right.” He took off at a lope towards the unmarked building. “Come on!”
Ravil hurried to keep up with him. She wiped her brow as sweat poured down her face; it was humid and hot, hotter than she was used to. She tripped on a crack and scraped her knees on the concrete. She ignored the pain and limped after Rake.
He looked over his shoulder and eyed her knees. “Clumsy aren’t you?”
“Shut up.” Ravil glared at him and followed. “This place is a safety hazard, everything is falling to pieces.”
They reached the concrete building. Rake grinned and ran along the wall until he came to a stack of refuse. He moved barrels to the side. She watched him work. “You aren’t doing this randomly.”
“Nope.” He moved a few more and stepped back. “Ta-da!” He pointed to a hole in the ground.
“It’s down there?” Ravil leaned over and a wave of dizziness hit her. She stumbled.
Rake lunged and seized her arm. “That is not how you jump in a hole, Ravil.” He stared into her eyes. “Are you sure you’re feeling okay?”
“I’m fine, Rake!” She pushed him away. “You’re going first.”
“I know.” He jumped in feet first, his head popped up. “Come on, it’s only a few feet.”
Ravil sat down on the edge and scooted in, dropping for
a split second before touching down. She looked around, there were no working lights. Rake beckoned her from a doorway. He stepped out of the narrow circle of light and vanished into darkness.
She took a mental picture of the space, a long hallway that ended in a sealed door. She followed Rake without fear, unafraid of the dark. Midway down the passage, he crouched, waiting for her to near. She stopped. “Are you planning on jumping out at me, Rake? I don’t scare that easy.”
He stood and walked stiffly towards the door. “Do you have magic ears or something? I was silent.”
She smiled and followed. “Yes, magic ears.”
He put his ear against the steel door. He tried the knob and it swung outwards into a descending stairwell with another door at the end of it. He hopped down the stairs without a misstep.
Ravil hurried after him. “You have done this before.”
“A few times.” He found the door at the end and pushed it open. He reached inside the new room and slid his hands along the wall until he found a switch. Lights came on with a buzz, illuminating an underground warehouse many blocks long. He slipped a key off the wall and locked the door behind them. He put the key back on its hook and pointed. “Ship.”
She followed his finger and stared at the ship. It was bulky, powered by fossil fuels by the looks of the engines, probably slow and hard to maneuver. She frowned. “It is not very attractive.”
“Of course not, it’s a ship-to-ship refueling tanker.” He grabbed her hand and ran towards the vessel. “This isn’t exactly like our American ones, but it’s pretty damn close to the same thing.” He skidded to a stop near the back of the ship. He touched the hull, flipped open a keypad, and entered in a few numbers. The door beeped and swung outwards, inside two rows of lights flicked on. He looked down at her. “Want to go inside?”
She peered in. “You first.”
He threw her in and jumped in after. He slammed the door shut and hit another code. The light by the door turned red and sealed shut.
Ravil lashed out and kicked his ankle. “That hurt!”
Rake frowned. “Oh, sorry.” He picked her up and looked her over. “Are you bleeding?”
She elbowed him. “No, but I could have been hurt badly.”
He rolled his eyes and set her down. “I didn’t toss you that hard.” He poked her shoulders, pushing her towards the front of the ship.
She slapped his hand. “What is the hurry? I want to look around.” She shrugged him off and looked at a bank of electronics. She ran her fingers across the keys. She stared at the rungs that went up and down the length of the ship. “So this one does leave the atmosphere?”
“Most definitely. They were made with the idea of travelling between planets, which never materialized. But, it could if it got working.”
Ravil nodded and rapped on the hull, listening to the sound. She found rows of screens. “Do these display status?”
He nodded. “Yeah for the cargo and life-support systems.” He gestured towards other sealed passageways.
“But they are not near the cockpit.” She frowned. “The pilot does not work from here?”
“Well, this ship’s on auto most of the time for deep space journeys.”
“Auto?”
“Autopilot.”
She looked up at him. “What is that?”
He frowned. “The computer that runs the ship while the pilot fucks off.”
Ravil gaped. “But, how is it decided where the ship will go?”
“The pilot tells the computer and the computer charts a course.”
She looked back at the controls. “Oh, at low speed.”
Rake took her by the hand and pulled her towards the front. “At the speed the rest of us go. What do you mean low speed?”
Ravil touched things as she passed them. “I mean going from one distance to another with no jumps in-between.”
He grinned. “We can’t go into hyperspace, Bebette, no worm-holes or warp drives remember.”
Ravil flinched. “Yes, of course. Where are you taking me?”
“The cockpit.” He hit a door and it slid open to reveal a chair covered in synthetic webbing. There were three large screens and a number of controls past the seat.
Ravil pointed at the buttons and levers. “Why so many?”
“It’s complicated work.” Rake pressed a few buttons that did nothing. “But most of this is for landing and takeoff. Once you get out into the dark, we only use that part.” He pointed to a few controls to the side. He jumped into the seat and spun it around to face her. “Neat huh?”
She nodded. “Not what I expected.”
He smiled. “Most people are surprised, I think.”
She climbed up beside him and stood on the armrest. “It’s cramped.” She grabbed onto rungs and hung upside down so that her face was near his. “Are they all this undersized?”
“Depends on the model.” He stretched. “This one is actually spacey considering the area back there, room enough for people to sleep. The fighters like the ones I had weren’t made for long distance travel, so they only have seats and a few compartments for a few extra things.” He slid out of his seat and gestured to her. “You going to get down?”
“I like it up here.” She followed him from above. She hooked her legs over the bars and hung upside down.
He pushed a lever on the wall and a few padded cots slid out. “See?”
Ravil moved loose chains and cargo webbing out of the way to get a better look. “Those don’t look comfortable.”
“They’re a bit more utilitarian than ours, but they get the job done. And if you think this is bad, you should see the Russians. Talk about bare essentials. Those people can sleep on metal and plastic.” He shuddered. “I like pillows. Now get down, I feel like you’re going to drop on me like a freaky alien.”
“Sure, sure.” She flipped to her feet. She staggered as a wave of nausea and dizziness swept through her. She shook her head. A headache was coming on, she could feel it.
He eyed her. “Did you get enough to eat earlier?”
“Yes.” Ravil nodded. “I don’t know what’s wrong. Maybe it’s the heat. I’m not used to it.”
He reached out and touched her forehead. “You do feel warm.” He padded to a wall of compartments. He knocked on them until one popped out. He pulled out a bag and threw her a water bottle from it.
Ravil eyed it. “How old is this?”
Rake popped one open. “Not very. People take turns hanging out here, that’s probably only a few days old.”
She drained the bottle. “Thank you.” She sat down on the floor opposite the cots and leaned on the wall. The room grew hotter. “Are we staying here long?”
Rake jumped up to a top cot, he kicked his legs over the side and shrugged. “For the day, maybe night too.”
Ravil noticed his twitchy hands and feet. She sighed. “You are ill again.”
He frowned. “Stop that.”
“You need to stab yourself with the needle.” She rubbed her temples, her headache definitely getting worse.
Rake didn’t meet her gaze. “Yes, but no one will sneak up on us here. It won’t be like last time, you’ll be safe, I promise. I won’t put you in that position again, okay?”
She tucked her knees to her chest. “Is that the only reason we’re here? So that you can have a spot to get high?”
Rake shrugged off his jacket. “No, it serves a dual purpose, you seemed interested in space! I thought you’d like to hang out in a ship for a bit.”
“I am and I do.” She watched him slip off the hoodie, leaving him topless. He rolled up the hoodie and tossed it to her. She caught and hugged it. “Do you have to do this?”
Rake rubbed his eyes. “Yes.” He scratched his bare arms and chest. “I do.”
“Why?”
He looked at his feet. “Have you ever seen someone go into withdrawals?”
She shook her head. “No.”
“I am not going to subject you to it the
n.” He pulled off his belt. “I can’t care for you or anyone if I start down that path. I’ll be a danger and liability to the both of us.” His hands shook. He shut his eyes and took a deep breath. “I’m sorry, Ravil.”
Ravil set the hoodie down and stepped up to his side. “Can I help you?”
“No. Sit down, Ravil.” He steadied his hands. “I’m fine.”
“You don’t look fine.”
He stared down at her. “Look in the mirror sometime, kid. You look pretty bad too.”
Ravil backed up and leaned on the opposite wall. She struggled not to cry and say something in response.
He fiddled with his belt. “Can you go away for a bit or lay down on another bunk?”
Ravil took the bunk directly beneath his. She flipped onto her back and stared up at the metal cot he sat on.
He leaned on the wall and smacked his head against the plastic. He let his veneer slip to the side. He sagged, his teeth chattered. Rake set the syringe down and stared at his hands. His skin and blood itched with increasing pain. He scratched his fingernails up one arm. “Fuck.” He swallowed and tore open his water bottle. He finished it off and threw the empty into the corner. He closed his eyes. “I’m sorry, Ravil.”
“Don’t be.” Her voice floated up from the bunk below. “I’ll be fine.”
Rake tightened the belt around his arm. “I’ve...” He grabbed the needle and stared at it. A part of him desired it, what it would make him feel and the normalcy it would bring. Another growing part felt utter disgust; what he did to get the money, how he must look to her. Usually the self-loathing faded when he had a needle, but not now. He didn’t want to do it anymore, but he had to, he needed it. Rake cringed. “I’ve tried to—”
“Do or do not there is—”
“Shut up.” Rake managed to smile. “Or I’ll come down there and spank you.”
Ravil punched at the bottom of his cot. “I doubt that, twitchy. I could probably beat your ass right now.” She held her sides, trying to ignore the growing ache in her stomach.