by Lara Morgan
“Let’s move!” she shouted and they were out and racing down the hall. The sounds from outside were louder, the rumble increasing. Now it sounded like a mass of vehicles coming their way. A high siren began to chime. What had Riley brought, an army?
They had almost reached the outer door when a loud explosion shook the floor and, with a creak, the roof in front of them dropped. Rosie lunged back against the wall, almost falling over Dalton, Gillian beside her. Dust billowed. A louder alarm like a raid siren began to peal. None of them was hurt, but the hall was now blocked.
“We’re cut off!” Sulawayo shouted, her hair and skin speckled white. “Back to the caf.” She pointed behind them.
They all struggled to their feet and ran. More distant explosions vibrated the floor. They didn’t meet any operatives until they sped through the iris into the vestibule leading to the cafeteria. There were operatives and zeroes there, but none of them paid them any attention. All were running on orders to defensive stations, pushing past them. Rosie heard one of the operatives shouting into a com about Senate Elite forces being outside. So Riley had brought an army.
“Here.” Sulawayo headed for the door to the Enclave’s inner yard.
Outside, it was hot and bright and Rosie could clearly hear the sound of fighting coming from the opposite side of the building. Pulse blasts pinged off walls and short thuds of explosions made the ground vibrate.
They ran on an angle towards the corner of the building. Rosie thought they might have a chance, but then the blast of a shot ripped past and hit Sulawayo in the back. With a grunt, she went down. Rosie spun around and Alpha was suddenly there, right on her. She tried to dodge him, but he grabbed her and she stumbled, falling against him.
“Stop!” He pressed a gun to her head, glaring at Dalton who was about to shoot.
Dalton and Gillian froze as Jebediah came wheezing up behind.
“Should have let her shoot me, son,” he said.
“Let her go!” Dalton’s gun raised higher.
Alpha pulled Rosie in front of him, using her like a shield. “I don’t think so.”
“Stand down, Dalton.” Jebediah pointed a gun at his son.
“This is a pretty mess, isn’t it, Jeb?” Alpha said. “But at least we’ve been able to cut it off before the damage is done. You won’t be taking those Dark Star plans anywhere, little girl.” Alpha put his mouth to Rosie’s ear. “I’m so sorry, but we can’t allow that.”
He flicked the setting of his pulse gun and she heard its whine dialling up to maximum. To kill.
The strength almost went out of her legs. This was not the plan. “Don’t you do it.” Dalton’s voice was rough with emotion.
“Put the gun down and he won’t.” Jebediah said, his tone certain.
Alpha pressed the barrel harder to her head. “I’m afraid we can’t let her live, Jeb,” he said. “What if she manages to escape again?”
“She won’t.”
But Rosie felt the determination in Alpha’s body, the coldness of him. “Too risky,” he said and his finger shifted on the trigger. Rosie stood frozen, but Gillian didn’t.
Without a sound, she lunged at Alpha, and it was as if the world had slowed. He turned towards her, bringing Rosie with him and she saw Gillian’s face. She would remember it for the rest of her life. Wide-eyed with fear, but also with a kind of desperate determination, Gillian reached for his gun, but Alpha had the training of a soldier. In a heartbeat, he changed aim and shot Gillian at close range in the chest.
Gillian was flung back, her body shuddering as she hit the ground. Rosie screamed and wrenched away from Alpha as Dalton leaped on him. Gunshots ripped the air close by, but they barely registered as Rosie fell to her knees at Gillian’s side. But Gillian was gone, dead before she hit the ground. One moment she was alive and furious, the next she lay gazing at the sky. It was wrong, all wrong. Rosie touched a trembling hand to Gillian’s cheek.
“Rosie!” She heard her name and there was a blast of sound from the Enclave behind them and the air was filled with the spit of pulse weapons firing. Rosie flattened herself to the ground. Something soft was under her hand; Gillian’s hair. A short high-pitched sound came, like a firework, and the ground exploded. It was as if some great invisible hand picked her up and threw her backwards in a hot wave of air, and rolled her in the dirt.
Coughing, Rosie lay dazed. Her back felt like it was snapped in half. She tried to get up, but stumbled and someone grabbed her arm, pulling her upright. Pip. His face was covered in dust, eyes bright. He was saying something but her ears were ringing from the bomb. Then Essie was there and grabbing her in a swift fierce hug.
“Idiot,” she spoke in her ear before she let her go.
Rosie looked around. Alpha was lying on the ground nearby, probably dead. Jebediah had disappeared. Dalton came towards them and behind him Sulawayo, dragging her gun, face pinched with pain.
And then Riley.
“Jebediah ran,” he said to Essie. “There’re operatives on the way. We’ve got to move.” He looked at Rosie, his expression taut. “Can you run?”
Rosie couldn’t move. He was here in the flesh, alive. Even when she’d seen him on the com, it hadn’t quite clicked it was really him.
“Rosie?” His tone gentled the tiniest amount, but she felt like she was having trouble figuring things out. She turned to Gillian lying so still. “I can’t leave her here.”
“She’s gone, kid,” Essie said. “We’ve got to go.”
The door to the yard slammed open and figures appeared in the doorway.
“They never stop.” Sulawayo hefted her gun. “Go, I’ll cover you. Meet you at the ship.” She let loose a barrage of fire and headed back towards the operatives.
Pip took her hand. “Follow me, okay?”
“Okay,” she echoed.
“Come on.” Riley led them at a run to the corner of the operatives’ wing. Pip stayed at Rosie’s side, Aunt Essie behind, Dalton ahead. Riley put up a hand and they all paused, hugging the side of the building.
The other side of the Enclave was barely thirty metres away, and the pop and whistle of pulse blasts and the impact of shots against the walls echoed down to them.
“Sounds like the Elite might have the transport bay,” Essie said. The ground and walls of the Enclave shuddered with another explosion.
Riley made a gesture and they ran out from the cover of the wall heading for a low breakaway that ran east into the desert a few metres ahead. Behind them, another explosion shook the Enclave and they hunched lower on instinct as the reverberations carried through the ground. An Elite guard began hailing the Enclave, his voice carried by a sonic projector.
“We know you have children in there. Stand down and surrender or we will apply deadly force.”
His reply was a barrage of gunfire which was returned in thunderous force. It was so loud none of them realised they had pursuers, until a scatter of shots ripped a line in the dirt behind them. Essie swore and spun around, opening fire.
“Keep going, the breakaway!” Riley shot a round of fire, as Rosie, Pip and Dalton sprinted and lunged behind the low outcrop of rocks. Essie and Riley joined them a moment later, ducking down in the dirt as a volley of blasts picked at the top of the rocks above their heads.
“They’ve got goddamn protective shields,” Essie said.
“The pulse weapons won’t get through that,” Riley said.
Pip pulled a few small bombs from his pocket. “You get these close enough, the blast might short out the shield.”
Riley took two of the small explosives.
“On my mark.” He held up the bomb. Pip passed the other to Essie and the three of them crouched, facing the rock, while Rosie and Dalton prepared to run.
“Now!” Riley, Pip and Essie activated the bombs and shot upright, hurling them over the low barrier, then they sprinted away, keeping low. Tiny missiles of dirt and rocks spat at their backs and a second later the bombs went off and the shock wave hit
, blowing them almost off their feet. Behind them they could hear screaming, and before them, there was a low wall of rock and scrub. They dodged around the obstacles, the sharp dry branches catching in their clothes.
“This way.” Essie was in the lead. Pip stayed beside Rosie, hard-faced and looking back every few steps.
“Don’t see anyone,” Dalton panted. The sounds of the explosions and fighting became fainter. Essie made a sharp bolt to the right behind an outcrop of rock where three bio bikes, covered in dust and camouflage waited.
“Rosie with Pip,” Riley gave curt instructions, “Dalton with Essie. I’ll lead.”
No one argued and in moments, they were speeding away. The terrain was rough and Rosie held tight to Pip’s waist as they bumped over the rocky ground. It was a relief to see the ruins when they came out of the copse of scrub. She began to believe they might make it.
They entered the outskirts and Riley gestured for them to follow him down a short side street. Nerita had to be bringing the ship in on the far side. Rosie glanced skywards but could see no sign of it yet. Low cloud was hugging the horizon though, so visibility was poor.
They coasted in silence along the narrow street, Pip swerving the bike to avoid random piles of brick and metal. It was so quiet. Too quiet. The back of her neck prickled and she checked behind. Nothing. She couldn’t shake the feeling someone was watching.
They passed a few more dilapidated buildings and then the town ended, opening out again to the desert and a field of stunted dead trees that could have been an orchard once, complete with a broken-down shed at the far end. Riley stopped his bike in the shadow of the last building and the rest of them joined him, the bikes idling.
He had a com in his hand. “I got hold of Sulawayo; she’s still alive. She said Nerita will be here in five minutes.” He pointed to a spot half a kilometre away. “Beyond those dead trees.”
Rosie suddenly felt an odd hot wind skim past her face, and a popping sound followed it. Her heart turned inside out. “Get down!” she cried, but the shot had found its mark.
Riley was still sitting astride his bike and his eyes widened with shock. He made a small noise, staring at Rosie with a frown and clutched at his chest then slipped sideways off the bike.
And everything fell apart.
CHAPTER 24
“Riley!” Rosie started to go to him, but Pip pulled her back.
“Aunty!” he shouted.
Essie let go of her bike’s handlebars and grabbed for Riley, swearing. She pulled out her gun, firing blindly down the street. Pip revved their bike high and, twisting around, pushed a gun into Rosie’s hand.
“Curtis!”
But Dalton was already on Riley’s bike and, clasping Riley in front of him, skidded the bike around and roared out of the street towards the desert.
Then they were all moving. Essie screamed obscenities as she fired over her shoulder and drove at the same time. Rosie held tight to Pip’s waist, blasting away behind her at the unseen enemy, and Dalton led the way, plunging into the dead orchard.
“The shed!” Rosie shouted at Dalton, but he seemed to already have that idea, as he wrenched the bike hard towards it.
Behind her, Rosie could see their enemy now. A transport from the Enclave, probably full of operatives. It couldn’t manoeuvre as fast through the trees, and they were pulling away out of weapon range.
Where was the ship? Rosie scanned the sky then let out a shout as she saw the dim shimmer of a massive shape through the clouds.
“She’s coming!” But wasn’t sure if anyone heard. They reached the shed, but the front was collapsed so Dalton skirted around to the back. There was a narrow entrance through two pieces of tin leaning against each other. They drove the bikes inside, ducking through the gap.
Essie and Pip got Riley off the bike and onto the ground. Essie kept swearing. She held him across one knee supporting his upper body. He was still conscious.
Light came in through the chinks between the metal, enough to see how bad he was. Rosie kneeled by his side.
“You godforsaken idiot,” Essie said. Rosie had never seen her aunt cry, but tears were there in her eyes now.
“Haven’t we got something, anything?” Rosie said. Pip’s face was a mask and Dalton was frowning hard, like it was the only thing keeping him together.
“Nothing,” Dalton said softly.
From outside came the closer rumble of the transporter and a deeper drum bass and higher pitched whine of the Cosmic Mariner dropping into the atmosphere.
Riley blinked and took in a short shudder of breath. “Rosie.” His reached out his hand. She held it tight. He was so grey and pale now.
“The ship’s here,” she said. “I heard it. Did you?”
“Yes.” He nodded.
It felt like there was a big hole opening up in her chest, splitting her apart.
He squeezed her fingers then looked beyond her and up. “Pip, you’ve got the vial?”
“It’s safe.”
“You give it to her … after.”
Rosie didn’t know what he was talking about and didn’t care.
“Riley … I got all the stuff, on my implant,” she said.
“I knew you would.”
People were shouting outside now, and there was the sound of a vehicle pulling up, then a volley of fire hit the shed. Dalton and Pip raced to the front, spying through the holes in the wall. Finding their own spots, they poked gun muzzles through and fired back. The noise vibrated off the walls of the small shed, but it was as if Riley didn’t really hear it. He gripped her hand hard.
She wanted to tell him get up, get up, you’re okay. That they could all get to the ship. But it was no good.
It was obvious Riley was concentrating, focusing on something. “Listen. Rosie, you’ll have to leave us here. We’ll cover you.”
“No.” She shook her head.
“Rosie.” Aunt Essie looked at her, eyes hard with pain. “We won’t all make it to the ship. Not with them out there, you know that. We stay here.”
“I can’t.” This wasn’t happening. “You have to come with me. Jebediah’s already turned Dark Star on. He said we had six hours. I can’t do it on my own, Riley …”
Riley’s voice was hoarse. “Essie, my pocket.”
Her aunt fumbled her hand into Riley’s pants pocket, and brought out a single temple patch and a fine collapsible headpiece with a tiny holo attached.
“This will download from your implant right into Dark Star,” Riley said. “Study the plans. You’ll find a destruct sequence. It will be in the construct files. The holo will help you find them – I already programmed it.” He coughed and a spot of blood appeared on his lips.
Essie put the holo and cords in her hand and Rosie’s vision blurred with tears.
“I don’t–”
“You can do this.” Riley put his hand over hers. “I’m sorry I have to ask, but I know you can.” He smiled, a thin pained smile. “Go with Pip, Rosie. He knows the plan; he’ll help. And be brave, get it done and live … for me.”
Rosie was really crying now, and then Pip was lifting her to her feet, pulling her away. Essie seemed devastated and scared, one arm locked around Riley’s neck holding him up. Dalton was still at the wall firing. He turned and looked at her once as if he wasn’t quite sure of what he was doing, but was doing it anyway.
“Run, Rosie,” Essie shouted at her.
Rosie ran.
She and Pip burst from the back of the shed on a bike. Rosie on the back had two guns and she fired them to either side. An operative who’d been creeping around the corner fell back with a grunt and she hit another in the shoulder. Pulse blasts spat around her, flinging up dirt and smashing through the dead trees. But then Essie was firing too, covering them as they went.
Pip swerved the bike into a track between the trees and opened it up. Rosie clung to him as the land rushed past. Up ahead, a tremendous blast of hot air almost knocked them backwards as the Mariner cut thr
ough the clouds and hovered down to meet them. She felt numb, emptied.
The cargo bay ramp lowered as they approached and Sulawayo came running out of nowhere in the dust, shouting at them to hurry and firing behind at a squad of operatives. Pip revved the bike and they hit the edge and continued up it at full speed. The ramp began to rise again before they were in, Sulawayo flinging herself over the lip as it shut. Pip brought the bike to a screaming halt in the cargo bay at an angle, barely missing a container.
Neither one of them moved. Rosie’s arms were frozen around Pip’s middle and they were both breathing hard. She could feel the pounding of his heart where she rested against his back.
“Always were one for an entrance, weren’t you, Pippy?”
Startled, Rosie saw Sulawayo’s cousin, and current owner of the ship, Nerita, step from the elevator hatch. Tall, dark skinned and with sharper features than her cousin, Nerita was as intimidating as she remembered. She still wore her head completely shaved as well, to help with the communication between the ships bio controls and herself. Rosie slid off the back of the bike.
Nerita appraised her. “A lot’s happened since we last met, hasn’t it? More scars?” Nerita had been the one who had first told her about the scars on the heart that form from living this kind of life.
“A few,” Rosie said and Nerita nodded with understanding.
“Never see them coming, do you, kid?” she said softly, then her expression lightened as she saw Sulawayo. “Hey, cousin, you look like hell.”
“Who’s flying this thing?” Sulawayo said as she came limping towards them. “You trust the autopilot?”
Nerita grinned and began to walk back to the elevator. “Come on up. Pip, I’m sure you can remember the way.” The two women left them alone.
Rosie just stood there. Everything had happened so fast it was hard to believe they’d made it here.
Pip got off the bike and pulled off his jacket. He looked as tired as she felt and there was a shadow of pain behind his eyes. It suddenly hit her that this was it. The end. And Riley might not see it. More tears filled her eyes and she felt a terrible wavering moment. She’d left them all behind: Essie, and Dalton, both fighting so she could escape. Gillian was gone and Riley …