by Darcy Town
Rake would have smiled at the wild ride, except he was terrified for Ravil. Her wound had stopped bleeding, but she had lost a lot of blood already. He leaned into Lincoln. “We need to get Ravil healed quickly. Can your people do that like you did for Danny?”
Lincoln shook his head. “Navigator blood is forbidden for our kind. Do not worry. This Charlie has doctors or is one, yes? He is here in Bombay yes? We go there.”
“He’s a medic. How do you know Charlie?”
A boom drove the Hunters to a slow lope. Lincoln and Marx cocked their heads and looked up the sky. Rake and Tasanee looked with them as everything in Bombay ground to a halt. People pointed, cried out, others were speechless.
A ship the size of a town descended from the clouds. Rake had never seen anything like it, matte black, enormous, it moved slowly. Beside it, smaller ships darted faster, patrolling as they dropped. Rake swallowed. “I can guess who that is.”
Rake and Tasanee shared a look. Tasanee attempted a roll, Rake tried to jump, but the Hunters’ braids were like steel. Marx rumbled with a low growl, he moved on his feet, antsy. Lincoln responded with a snarl and bark of his own.
Tasanee pushed on Marx. “You don’t have to take us to them! Please just let us go!”
Marx and Lincoln shared a look. Lincoln shook his head. “We must report in.”
Marx nodded. “We have no choice, little rat.”
“Of course you have a choice!” Rake shouted into Lincoln’s ears.
“Let us go! We worked together as a team! We’re a pack!” Tasanee punched Marx in the back of the head. Marx’s braid, which she now realized wasn’t dead hair at all, wrapped even tighter around her arms, cutting off circulation. “Marx! You’re hurting me!”
Marx looked back at her, his expression pained. “Do not give me cause me to permanently injure you, Tasanee.”
Kennedy slammed into a parked car next to them. He shook off the blow and scrabbled to his feet. “I dropped off the Danny one with his Charlie, and they are taking care of him. I see the ship!” He bounced in place. “Are we done? We’re done with the mission? We get a success! We get a win!”
Lincoln nodded. “Yes, once we drop these two off. Marx, you do not need to bring the tiny female.”
Marx tracked the ships’ descent through the sky. “I do not wish to be parted from her.”
“As you will.” Lincoln looked to Kennedy and shifted to let Ravil slide off.
Kennedy grabbed Ravil, using his hair to keep her secure on his back. He nodded to Lincoln. The trio took off at a gallop.
Rake tried to twist off. “Back-stabbing fuckers!”
Kennedy ran alongside Lincoln and gazed at Rake. “We do our mission!”
Rake lashed out and kicked the Hunter in the ribs. “So what, are you just lapdogs for the Empire?”
Kennedy hissed. “I am no dog!”
Tasanee begged, “Please let us go, Marx!”
Marx kept his eyes ahead of him. “I cannot. It is regrettable.”
“Regrettable?” Rake kicked at him. “That’s all you can say? It’s fucking regrettable? You’re going to subject her to slavery!” Flashes of his conversation with Ravil went through his mind. She’d be paired up with a male Navigator, getting pregnant and having babies until she died from it. Rake eyed her. “You can’t do this to her! She’s a kid! She’s just a child!”
Lincoln stared at the road ahead. “Shut up, Waster! Don’t you think we know all of this?”
Ravil opened her eyes, regaining consciousness. She saw she was on Kennedy and frowned.
Rake shouted, “Ravil, you have to get out of here. These fucking Hunters betrayed us!”
Ravil coughed. “I can’t, Rake. I don’t have the energy. I’d jump and never come out again.” Her head rolled to the side. She stared at Tasanee as the girl bit at Marx’s neck. She shook her head. “They can’t disobey. They are under orders to return me. They have no choice in this.”
Rake bit Lincoln’s shoulder. “They can break them!”
“No they can’t. Ampyr, Rake. Remember Hunters of all the races are the most susceptible.” Her voice took on an edge, “Even the weakest Ampyr can overwhelm them. They were bred to be no more than hunting dogs.”
Kennedy snarled. “They did to us because we were strongest!”
“The stupidest!” Ravil coughed and cringed.
Rake ignored them and tried to think. “The…the Ampyr they’re talky guys. The ones with voice control.”
She nodded. “All of us were raised with basic commands to obey if we receive an order. We cannot do anything else.”
Lincoln looked back at them. “This is true, and our order is to return the Langone alive. I do not wish any of you harm, or slavery. But what we wish and what we do, these are two separate matters.”
Marx sighed. “This is why this is unfortunate. I have enjoyed fighting alongside you, little rat, and I was looking forward to our duel, Rake.”
Rake set his jaw as the Hunters raced towards the descending ships. “This is straight up bullshit.”
***
Evgeniy and Katarina sped east on their motorcycles, heading to the meeting point and a transport from Charlie that would take them back to Bangkok. Oro sat in Evgeniy’s sidecar and tapped into the network. He turned his microphone on. “Hey Rake’s freed, but I have some bad news.”
Katarina smiled, then lost it. “What?”
“Da—Danny’s been hurt bad. Kennedy dropped him off at Charlie’s and dashed off. Charlie has him in a restoration tank. He…should—should be good in an hour, but he’ll be unconscious until he’s out.”
“Is that it?”
“No.” Oro grimaced. “News sites are indicating that ships of unknown origins have descended into the atmosphere above Bombay. They’re landing outside the city limits, meeting with the Chinese and Americans.”
Evgeniy frowned. “Do we know Rake and Ravil’s current whereabouts?”
Oro watched the live news feed. “They left with Lincoln and Marx. Ravil looked injured, unconscious.”
Katarina swore. “She won’t be able to jump with him and get him away.”
“Rat was with them as well.” Oro spoke in monotone, “She did not appear injured, in case you wanted to know.”
Katarina held back a barbed comment. “What are we doing now?”
Evgeniy frowned. “We meet Charlie’s plane and go from there. We cannot turn and reach Bombay in time to do anything. The plane can move faster than bikes.”
Katarina didn’t want to head in the opposite direction of Rake, but she realized it was the logical choice. She sighed. “Fine.” Evgeniy and Katarina pumped their bikes and raced east.
***
The Empire’s drop ships took up an entire airfield. The Hunters approached the area without being stopped, recognized instantly for what they were. The men and women on the ground looked normal, despite all having pale skin and pitch-black hair; they wouldn’t have stood out among the general population.
Ravil struggled to stay awake. “Those are Ampyr, Rake. Ruling class.”
“They look like underfed Goths.”
Chinese and American delegate ships parked in the shadow of the behemoth. Dozens of relatively smaller ships landed in orderly rows by type. Rake stared up at the flagship. He had never seen a vehicle that could fly that was that big. He couldn’t help but be impressed.
Ravil managed a dry laugh at his expression. “Don’t get too excited, that’s our prison.”
“Oh…uh…” Rake blushed; her words reminded him of their time in Tasanee’s workshop. His lack of control had set them down this course. Shame crept up on him.
“I didn’t mean it that way.”
Rake hid his guilt with an eye-roll. “Don’t know what you mean, Bebette.”
The Hunters came to a stop when they reached the bottom of the ramp into the docking bay of the metal beast. The Hunters sat and Ampyr soldiers approached them. The soldiers were a mix of male and female Ampyr, thei
r hair was black and shiny, their skin ice-white, their irises were as black as their pupils. They wore black and red uniforms. They ringed the Hunters and raised familiar looking weapons.
Rake frowned. “Those are our fucking blasters. We use those!”
Ravil smiled slightly, her speech slurred, “Where did you think you got them from?”
Tasanee grimaced. “Fucking alien bribes! I knew it.”
Rake sized up the Ampyr. “Why do they have blasters if they have their voice talent?”
Ravil spared the soldiers a glance. “With such a low position, they do not have much of a gift. Their breeding must be poor. They only have quick reflexes. Don’t get any ideas, Rake. You won’t be able to fight or outrun them.”
Rake nodded and thought about it anyway until Ravil reached out and pinched him. He set his jaw. “Fine, but how else am I supposed to get us out of here?”
“Silence.” A soldier stepped away from the others. He wore the same black uniform as the others but with a different collar that set him apart. His black eyes flicked to Ravil, saw her wounded, and jumped into action. “Hunters, take them into holding, I will send a Rexos.”
The Hunters padded up a ramp into the base of the large ship. They were let into the docking bay unmolested, though soldiers followed close behind. A door opened and the Hunters walked into a large well-lit room with Rake, Ravil, and Tasanee on their backs. The holding area wasn’t as dark and cramped or medieval as Rake expected it would be. The door shut behind the Hunters, leaving all six alone together in the cell.
The Hunters released Ravil, Rake, and Tasanee from their hair and went to sit by the door to wait. Rake cradled Ravil against his chest and carried her to the center of the room, away from the Hunters. Tasanee followed him. Ravil closed her eyes and leaned into Rake, appreciative of the comfort. His heart pounded and hers sped up to match his.
The group waited in silence. Time passed, measured by the rounds of the soldiers that marched outside their door. Rake rocked Ravil to sleep and kept constant pressure on her wound. He spoke quietly into her hair, a combination of encouraging words and nasty remarks about all the people he would kill once they were free. Ravil floated into consciousness from time to time to smile and mumble before fading back down.
The Hunters remained motionless. All three had lost their sunglasses and the bright lights in the room pained them. They kept their heads down, but Marx peeked at Tasanee through his lashes, unsure of what to say in light of their current circumstances.
Tasanee glared at Marx with unwavering malice until she couldn’t take his pitiful gazes anymore. She spoke up, “Those thoughts you had about dating, definitely a no now, forever no, don’t even fantasize. Just stop hoping.”
Marx’s face fell. “I did not have a choice, Tasanee. I had to return here at mission end.”
“But you did have a choice about kidnapping me!”
He gazed at her. “But I wish you with me when I leave.”
“Well I don’t want to go with you anywhere ever!”
Kennedy butted up against Marx. “You will have many to pick from once you return to Seed Planet Twelve.”
Marx sulked. “I don’t want others from Seed Twelve, I want little rat.”
Rake snorted. “Seed Planet Twelve. That’s your home? How fierce.”
Kennedy snarled. Lincoln grabbed Kennedy’s braid and gave him a tug. “Do not incite, we wait.”
Kennedy made a face. He popped his spine, unused to sitting still for quite this long. He wanted to move and considered running laps around the room. Lincoln smacked him across the face and forestalled the action. Kennedy lay down at his feet instead.
Ravil blinked awake at the noise. “What’s going on?”
Rake looked into her eyes. “How are you doing? How does your shoulder feel?”
Ravil managed a shrug. “It’s kind of numb, but throbbing all at the same time. Is that bad?”
“You’ll be okay.” He rocked her and glared at the Hunters. If she died, he was going to attack them regardless of the chances he had at survival.
The door to the room opened and an adolescent boy stepped inside dressed in white scrubs and a white knee-length lab coat. He tripped over his own feet and landed on his hands and knees. The door closed behind him. His short lemon yellow hair was mussed. Neon yellow lashes framed his lavender eyes, making them stand out against his sallow skin. He ignored the Hunters and knelt in front of Rake. “I am here to heal Ravilaea.”
Rake did not let Ravil go. He glared at the boy. “Why’d they send a kid?”
Ravil spoke though it took an effort, “Rake, he’s Rexos, he can heal me.”
Rake ignored her. “Why did it take you so long to get here? She’s been hurt for hours!”
“I am sorry.” The boy ducked his head. “Our ship is in slight disarray due to a change in plans and anti-sweep maneuvers. Communications are not what they should be.”
Rake eyed his yellow skin. “You look sick.”
“I can assure you, I am not.”
“Well…what do you need to do to help her?”
The Rexos shied away from meeting his gaze. “Just touch the wound.” He placed his hands against either side of her injury and closed his eyes. Kennedy slinked over. Tasanee kicked at him. Kennedy flipped and landed by the Rexos’ side. He watched what the boy did.
Rake set his jaw. “Why is he staring like that?”
Lincoln looked up. “Rexos are half of our ancestry, and he is curious to see one work.”
Rake looked from the timid yellow boy to Kennedy who was all claws and teeth. “I find that hard to believe.”
Lincoln shrugged. “We are all of us, malleable like clay. Spend enough time in a hostile environment and perhaps you too would change.”
Marx smiled, but did not add his opinion. Tasanee sulked and glared at his chest, wishing she could have driven her mop into him before he had betrayed them. He noticed her watching and got a hopeful look on his face. Tasanee purposefully looked away and watched Rake and Ravil.
Ravil winced as the boy poked and prodded. Rake grabbed the Rexos’ hand. “You’re hurting her!”
The Rexos didn’t look up. “I am sorry, but this is not a pleasant process. I have none of the effortless numbing qualities of a Hunter. This is also my first time healing a Langone, their bodies are new to me. My concentration is focused on mending her wounds, not her comfort.”
Ravil grabbed for Rake’s hand. “It is okay Rake, just let him work.”
Rake let go of the Rexos. He clenched his jaw. “You told me these Rexos guys were badass. Is that something they grow up to be after they’re done being pushovers?”
The Rexos kept his head bent. “An unchained Rexos is a dangerous thing; we are never to repeat the madness again.”
“You’ve been ordered to be a wet blanket?” Rake smirked.
“Stop being mean to him.” Ravil glared at Rake. “He’s on mood modifiers obviously.”
“Yes that is obvious, I should have known since everyone knows that.” Rake sulked. “How long does this take?”
The Rexos’ face was blank. “Her blood loss has stopped and the wound will close shortly, though it will take the equivalent of several hours your time in order for her to be fully healed and back up to full strength. I do not have stimulants on me to speed the process. We are low on supplies.”
“What kind of lame gift is that?”
“I can assure you the next time I need to heal Langone; the process will be much faster.”
“Ooooh. Can’t you do anything cool?”
The Rexos paused and held his hand out to Kennedy. “You’re hungry.”
Kennedy bit off the Rexos’ hand and swallowed it in one gulp.
The boy held the bloody stump out to Rake. His face gave away no indication that he felt pain. Bones built on themselves forming a skeletal hand, muscle and sinew coated the bone. A layer of fat and skin grew out from the muscle and his hand was healed. Overall, it had taken less than
a minute to re-form. The boy dropped his hand back to Ravil’s shoulder and continued to work.
Rake stared open mouthed. “Okay, that’s pretty sweet.”
Tasanee whistled. “Damn.” She sneered at Marx. “That puts your healing to shame.”
Marx nodded. “Yes, we do not have quite that gift, as we developed others.” He flicked his claws out. “But even a fraction of that talent has aided us immensely in our evolution.”
The boy said nothing and ministered to Ravil, her wound closed. The door opened for a second time and a man stood in the entrance. He had long black hair pulled into a ponytail. His eyes were black and his skin was as pale as Ravil’s. He eyed the scene with distaste. Rake noticed he had a gold star on his collar, a man in charge. The man gazed at the Hunters. “To the wall.”
The three Hunters jumped up in jerking motions and pressed their backs to the white walls of the room. They ducked their heads.
“Eyes up. At attention.” The three obeyed and squinted, their eyes watering from the light. The Ampyr nodded, and stepped into the room. A small group of mixed subspecies soldiers followed him inside. More waited just beyond the doorway.
Rake stood and placed himself in front of Ravil and the Rexos. Tasanee went to his side. The man in black looked at them coldly and stepped to the side to look at Ravil.
Rake got in his way.
The man glared at Rake, then looked past him to Ravil. “I am Commander Finlek. You are now in Empire custody. Any attempts to jump will mean I shoot your friends. Understood?”
The Rexos did not look up. “She won’t be able to jump for several more—”
“Did I ask you to speak?”
The boy cringed and kept his eyes on Ravil. “No sir.”
“Very good.” Commander Finlek looked to Rake and Tasanee. “Move out of my way and drop to your knees, I do not have time nor the inclination to deal with Wasters.”
Rake and Tasanee dropped to their knees. They shared a panicked look. Rake struggled under the compulsion. “What are you going to do with her now?”