Something moved before her eyes and she tracked its progression until it became stationary, several inches from her face.
* * *
Commander Jarial watched Boomer closely on his small cockpit display. His viewing droid was about a foot from her face and Jarial could just make out the light peppering of freckles across her nose and cheeks. She’s really quite beautiful, he thought, though he instinctively knew she wouldn’t regard herself that way.
It was strange. Only days earlier, he so badly wanted to kill her, desperately seeking to avenge his uncle’s death. To destroy the threat—the one chronicled in the ancient writings—inscribed onto rock tablets two millennia ago.
Now he felt a different kind of desperation. How had that happened? Jarial continued to watch as light slowly dimmed from the girl’s eyes. She was dying. He tried to think of something, anything, to save her. But it always came back to that huge suspended rock. Any weight change and, within an instant, she would be crushed.
He feared those with her would do something stupid, like trying to cut through the shaft while grabbing for the won. But to do that, someone would need to stand on the rock below her, or balance on one of the other extended shafts. Undoubtedly, any added weight would trigger the booby trap.
Jarial considered his options. His small craft was still in orbit around Draggim. Even if he tried to help, he’d be perceived by them as the enemy he was. Saddened, he maneuvered the viewing drone away from Boomer’s face.
* * *
Boomer realized the only reason she was still alive was due to the internal nanites coursing through her bloodstream—working overtime, to both stem the bleeding and close the ragged hole in her chest. But that was impossible as long as a metal shaft was sticking into her. Mentally, she thanked the teeny microscopic wonders just the same.
A commotion could be heard, back toward the start of the course. Lots of yelling—but it wasn’t hostile. Boomer felt fresh tears form in her eyes before she even knew why. Felt a lump in her throat before comprehending what was happening. A blinding white flash brought her around from her semi-conscious state. Moving her eyes toward the wall, she saw a new set of legs, clad in a combat suit.
Mollie knelt down, then sat on the top edge of the nearby wall. She retracted her visor and looked over at her.
Boomer said, “It’s been so … long. You look pretty, Mollie.”
“Thanks … you look like shit, Boomer.”
Boomer laughed and immediately regretted it; the ensuing pain the most intense yet. She coughed out more blood and swore.
“Why is it you’re always getting into trouble?”
Boomer didn’t answer her, hoping the look in her eye conveyed the right sentiment. By Mollie’s smile, it did.
“We need to get you out of here.”
“Get away … the rock … above …”
“You haven’t seen me in years, and already you’re trying to get rid of me?”
Boomer gave her the same look.
“I have an idea. But for this to work … I’ll need your help,” Mollie said.
Boomer stayed quiet.
“I’m going to take your place.”
“No!”
“Just listen to me.”
“No. Too dangerous.”
“Sitting under one hundred tons of rock is dangerous!”
“You have a point there,” Boomer croaked.
“I’m going to take your place. We are pretty much the same exact weight, give or take a pound or two. You being the heavier one, I’m guessing.”
Boomer winced and smiled.
“Here’s the plan. First, you’ll initiate your SuitPac device. Leon believes it will compensate around the metal shaft, like it does for other things—like enhancement shields worn on the wrist … or one’s clothes. I suggested you simply phase-shift away, but Drom, here … says we need to get that statue thing at all costs; that you wouldn’t consider leaving without it. Is that right?”
“Yup … Drom’s right.”
“So, like I said before, I’ll take your place.”
“How?”
“We phase-shift at the same instant. You out and me in.”
Drom said, “Mollie will need to put herself on an adjacent shaft. Perhaps the one next to you.”
“Won’t work,” Boomer said.
“Why?” Drom and Mollie asked at the same time.
Boomer took several moments to answer, speech taking a huge toll on her waning energy. “When I phase-shift … I’ll probably take the shaft with me.”
Boomer heard another voice. It was Rizzo, on the opposite wall. She couldn’t see him, from her present angle, but it was nice hearing his voice.
“We’ll give Mollie a little extra weight … to compensate.”
Boomer thought about that and said, “She already has a little extra weight … but … that could work.”
“You don’t have to do anything. I can control both phase-shifts from my HUD. You just need to tell Mollie what to do once she’s there,” Rizzo said.
Boomer thought about it. Had they considered the extra weight of their initialized combat suits? She didn’t think it was much … maybe only an added pound, or two, but she wasn’t sure how sensitive the course was. Some kind of mechanical, counterbalance workings were going on below. After ages of time, the mechanics could either be more sensitive or less.
Drom said, “Mollie, you just need to reach out and grab the won. But don’t put your weight on anything but the shafts … the spears. And don’t touch the pedestal, either.”
Boomer listened to Drom’s voice—so soothing and confident. She could listen to him all day. She tried to see his face, but winced again at the sudden movement. She noticed then there were more holes, forward of the shaft now spearing her. She tried to raise her arm to point at them—but in the process, everything went black.
* * *
Mollie watched Boomer’s eyes flutter, then close. She’d lost consciousness.
“Probably for the best,” Rizzo said. “She must be in a lot of pain.”
“You think?” Drom asked.
Mollie, detecting something going on between both males earlier, let it go, and asked, “Are we going to do this?”
From a distance, Leon’s voice said, “Better make it fast. More bugs are coming. A lot of them.”
Mollie looked at Rizzo, sitting on the opposite wall. Even behind his helmet’s visor, she noted a trickle of sweat running down his cheek. He was nervous—probably not as confident of success as he’d portrayed he was to Boomer.
Mollie closed her visor and stood on the wall’s narrow top surface. Drom handed her a long piece of metal.
“It’s an old spear Hanna found on the ground,” he said.
She took it, looking down at the now slack body of her sister, Boomer, and the mostly bloody, dripping, Shadick she wore. She looks so vulnerable. Mollie nodded toward Rizzo. “Let’s do this.”
Chapter 52
The flash came and Mollie suddenly felt off-balance. Her feet landed upon the intended shaft, to the right of where Boomer had been, but there was nothing there to grab on to. She swung the spear in her hand in one direction, then swung her other arm in another—moving them up and down like someone walking a tightrope.
“Use your enhancement shield!” Drom yelled.
“I don’t know how!” she barked back, barely able to steady herself. Her eyes took in the open space where Boomer had been only moments earlier. She was gone, along with the shaft and a chunk of the wall. There was a significant weight difference now. Mollie glanced up and saw the massive rock above her sway back and forth.
“Don’t look at it!” Drom ordered.
“Were you always this bossy with Boomer?”
He shrugged. “Probably.”
“Um … now what?” Mollie realized she wasn’t quite close enough to reach the statue.
“Maybe just jump forward, and grab it,” Rizzo said.
“It’s not a time to guess
. One misjudgment and she—all of us … die,” Drom said.
Mollie contemplated Rizzo’s idea. Suppose she did miss grabbing the statue? It looked like the pedestal was within the confines of the course. If she landed on the pressure sensitive rock below, that would be the end. She shook her head, following the course’s path back in the opposite direction. There, countless spears jutted up across the obstacle course. How in the world had Boomer made it this far? She was amazing.
“Concentrate!”
She looked at Drom. The guy was really starting to annoy her, but he was right. Mollie looked again at the statue-thing everyone called a won. What a stupid name. Her balance teetered and she used the spear to re-balance herself. Hey, that’s it!
“I think I can use the spear to lift the won off the pedestal. There’s an opening … like a gap where the wings of the statue are connected.”
No one said anything.
She looked at the statue. It was beautiful, like an angel, or something with long wings.
“I don’t know if that little gap is big enough,” Rizzo said.
“It’ll have to be.”
Again, no one spoke.
“Everyone get back. Go away from this rock.”
“No way, I’m not going anywhere,” Rizzo said.
“I’m not leaving,” Drom said.
“Everyone! Get back! You’re distracting me. I can’t do this if I’m worried about hurting someone else. I’m serious! Go now, before I lose my balance.”
No one moved for at least a minute. Slowly Drom, then Rizzo, moved away. Mollie heard their footfalls echoing in the darkness. Only the won effigy’s soft-blue glow provided enough light for her to see. Drom had been using his enhancement shield as a light, and now darkness crept in around her. She let out a long slow breath and tried to steady her heart rate. Slowly, she reached the four-foot spear forward, with one hand, while reaching backward with her other arm to counter balance for the expected weight. She wobbled.
The tip of the spear tapped the top of the won. Somewhat relieved at that small achievement, she tried to maneuver the spear downward and over toward the small gap. Losing balance, she had to abruptly pull back. Overcompensating, Mollie felt herself teetering uncontrollably. It took her several moments to get back into a half-standing, half-crouching, position.
In the distance, a voice said, “You’re going to have to use your shield.”
Uhhg. It was Drom, again. How had Boomer put up with that annoying Blues ass!
Part of her knew he was right, though. She’d never be able to compensate for the weight of the won and still remain balanced. She studied the enhancement shield and thought back to the last time she’d used it—back at Loma City. She’d gotten somewhat acclimated to the thing. How it felt; how it had … almost … become a part of her. She had to try.
“You’ll need very little power. Think of it … like a soft breath, or whisper,” Drom said. “Anything more and you’ll send yourself right off that spear.”
Mollie stared at the curved, triangular face of the shield, obviously made of the same material as the won effigy—Glist. She remembered back to Rizzo and his patient instruction on the use of the ancient Dacci weapon. Ever so carefully, she did what she’d done before—what she’d been instructed to do. She connected with the shield as if it were a living thing—part of her very being. Eventually, she felt the gentle stirrings, then the tingle. Violet waves emanated from the face of the shield and she felt an ever-so-faint pushing-back motion. Mollie increased the energy—the power—and the darkness around her gave way to brighter light.
“That’s it, Mollie … that’s how you do it!” Drom shouted.
Encouraged, she slightly increased the power again. “Wooww!” she said, bending her knees and teetering. Easing off some in using the distortion waves, she said, “Way too much gusto.”
Mollie spent a fair amount of time practicing—increasing and decreasing the shield’s power in subtle increments. She knew there’d be no second chances, no retries. While battle was the use of unbridled, destructive power, this task required the utmost tactic in gentleness and finesse. A part of her wondered if she would ever get it right. How long had she been standing there? Thirty minutes? An hour? Her legs were starting to shake and her balance becoming erratic.
Mollie heard footfalls coming closer. “I told you … all of you … to stay back.”
“Yeah … that’s not going to happen.”
Mollie carefully turned and saw Boomer emerge from the darkness, wearing her combat suit. Behind her visor, her face looked drawn and white. She said, “Had them set the timer on the Stellar’s MediPod to the minimum healing time.” Mollie had never been happier to see anyone. “I’m glad you’re here. Any words of wisdom … how to go about this?”
Boomer sat, letting her legs hang over the wall’s side. “In the end, you’ll have to go with your gut … find a way to just go.”
“That’s the best you’ve got … just do it?”
She watched Boomer as she quietly continued to assess her predicament. But just having Boomer there, within reach—was a help. Mollie’s legs ceased trembling and her confidence somewhat increased. She caught Boomer staring up at the massive rock. “Can’t you stop looking at that thing?”
“Oh … sorry.”
They smiled at each other and Mollie raised the spear in front of her. Proportionally, she countered her off-center weight using her shield. This time, she pointed the shield to face down, in the direction of the won. The farther she leaned forward, the more she increased the ray’s power. The spear again pointed at the top of the statue. Lowering the spear’s point ever so slowly, she let its tip find the small gap where the wings met the base of the effigy. A sound of metal chaffing against metal could be heard as the spear slid into the gap. Suddenly, the spear caught and the statue tilted precariously on its base.
“Raise up the spear, Mollie!”
“I’m trying … my arm’s so tired.”
“It’s slipping,” Boomer barked.
“Shhhh!”
Mollie, ushering forth every ounce of strength she had left, continued to raise both the spear and the won effigy. Now raised high enough, and the angle steep enough, the statue began to slip backwards, down along the shaft. All at once, it slid the rest of the way and Mollie grabbed it.
Both girls screamed in delight, as clapping and cheers erupted from the darkness around them.
Mollie let go of the spear and, holding on to the won in one hand, reached out her other hand. Boomer pulled her up next to her on the wall and they hugged.
“I knew you could do it,” Boomer said.
“Really?”
“No … but I hoped you could.”
“You’re a brat … you know that?”
“We’re out of time! Need to get out of here … Now!” Leon yelled.
Mollie triggered her SuitPac device and waited for her combat suit to initialize around her. A moment later, in the bright flash of their joint phase-shift, Mollie saw something horrible, rising above the wall just behind Boomer.
Chapter 53
Boomer immediately returned to Medical to finish off her MediPod treatment. An hour later, feeling somewhat back to normal, she and Mollie sat together on one of the plush couches placed within the main cabin of the Stellar. Boomer watched Mollie, staring at the won effigy now propped up in her lap.
“It’s beautiful,” Mollie said. “Perhaps because I helped you rescue it.”
Boomer hadn’t thought of it in those terms before … rescued it?
Drom flopped down on the other side of Mollie without looking in her direction. She noticed he, at some point, had put his long dreadlocks into some kind of a knot at the top of his head.
He opened Boomer’s satchel and pulled out a second, almost identical-looking, won effigy. Without saying anything, Mollie and Drom exchanged statues. They also exchanged less than warm glances.
Drom said, “The one you’re holding is called the Gold
won. One thing I just learned … see that symbol at the front of the base?”
Mollie ran her thumb along the engraved metal.
“That is the symbol for the Goldwon.”
Mollie nodded and retrieved the one Drom held in order to hold both herself and looked at the other symbol. She raised her brows toward Drom.
“That’s the symbol for the Lortwon.”
“They do look like angels to me,” Mollie said, looking at Boomer. “To you, too?”
Boomer shrugged. “Hadn’t thought about it. Maybe half angels and half some kind of beast.”
“So we’re guessing Zintar has the Nordwon … and the last one … that’s the Palwon?” Mollie said.
Rogna, who had been uncharacteristically quiet since the untimely death of Gain, plopped down on the couch directly across from Boomer. She crossed her arms under her small breasts and tilted her head—her face souring into a scowl. “I hope you’re satisfied.”
“You talking to me?” Boomer asked.
Rogna kept her eyes on the two wons. “How many of us had to die so you could find those stupid things?”
Boomer wanted to say something cutting—something mean back to Rogna, but what could she say? The cost … the toll … had been so high.
Mollie ran a finger down the intricately carved Goldwon effigy in her lap. “What happens when you have all four of them … together?”
“Something we’re supposed to ensure will never, ever, be allowed to happen,” Drom said.
“It’s pretty. They are both pretty. But, come on … why not just destroy them?”
“It’s not supposed to be possible,” Boomer said. “But I’ve been thinking about that very same question too.
“Five years ago, Rom Dasticon came close to entering our … this … realm. According to ancient Dacci writings, his presence here is inevitable—entering through a habitat on the Minian, or a portal created by bringing four won effigies together, or it will be something else. He’s apparently immortal—thousands of years old. Maybe more. Yes, we could attempt to destroy the two wons we possess. Throw them out an air lock, or even fire nukes at the damn things, but what about next year? Or five years from now?”
Boomer (Star Watch Book 3) Page 28