by Adam Carter
“Captain Taylor can’t run any more.”
“She what?”
“Look at her. She’s dead on her feet.”
Panic flitted across Arowana’s face as she attempted to work through the best solution. So far the surviving daspletosaurus had not given chase, but that would change at any moment. I could even see the beast between the trees, although its attention was strangely on its fallen comrade. I had never thought much about dinosaur social habits, but if the creature’s compassion was going to help us survive another few minutes I was hardly going to argue. Or perhaps it was simply contemplating cannibalism.
“Taylor,” Arowana snapped, “what’s your status?”
“Bleeding out my guts. Go on, Iris. No sense in all of us being killed.”
“You don’t get to play the hero here.”
Taylor leaned against a tree and closed her eyes. “Never been called a hero before, Iris. Give me my rifle back and I’ll cover you. Least I could do, having shot you down and all.”
Arowana looked nervously between the captain and the dinosaur and reached a decision. She tossed the rifle to me. “Hawthorn, cover us.”
“Cover you?” I held the rifle out as though it was a snake. “I don’t know the first thing about firing a rifle.”
“Then learn quickly.” Arowana grabbed Taylor and hauled her into the air, thrusting her over her shoulders as though the captain was a neck warmer. She took a few steps, but it was clear her speed was going to be sorely affected.
Examining the rifle, I reasoned I would be able to fire the thing, but reloading would be another matter entirely. Also, I still had that stupid case to carry. The fallen dinosaur had ceased moving and the other one was looking about for us again. Our eyes met and the beast lowered its head. There were a lot of trees between us, but I had already seen how easily it could tear through the woods and I was nowhere near the perfect shot Arowana was.
I ran with the women, the dinosaur roaring behind us as it began its charge. Arowana did not look back, her entire concentration focused on where her feet were landing. A single misstep would get us all killed and she was trusting me to have her back.
The trees parted ahead of us and a daspletosaurus appeared. For an instant I thought the one chasing us had somehow managed to cut us off, but it was the final member of the pack which had until that moment remained unaccounted for.
We ground to a halt as the two dinosaurs slowed. Having surrounded us, they had all the time in the world to close in for the kill.
Dropping Taylor so harshly it made the captain cry out in pain, Arowana snatched the rifle from my hand and threw it to her shoulder. If she was going to seize it back at the first sign of trouble it made me wonder why she had ever given it to me in the first place.
“Run,” Taylor said. “Even you can’t shoot, reload and shoot again before they kill you.”
“Hawthorn, grab her and move.”
I did not know what to do. The mighty beasts circled us, keeping their fierce eyes upon us at every moment. A single slash of claws, a swipe of a tail, the snap of teeth … anything the behemoths did would have killed us. Running was not an option, fighting was not an option, and I could see no way out.
“Hawthorn, stop standing there.”
The command set me to motion, mainly because I could think of nothing better. Crouching to Taylor, I tried to help her to her feet, but the captain winced as blood flowed from her side.
“Don’t do that,” she wheezed and I released her. “Seriously, I’m not going anywhere. You need to get Iris out of here.”
“She won’t leave without you.”
“Of course she won’t. Which is why you have to make her leave.”
“Make her? I don’t think I could make that woman do anything.”
“Then you know her better than you think.”
“Captain, this isn’t the time for a cosy chat.”
“Odd, it’s the only time I have. I’ve been saving something, Gordon. I was going to use it back in the valley, but then you two came along and rescued me. Hand me my boot.”
I thought I had misheard her, but when she thumped her foot I grabbed her boot and worked it off. I was fully aware the dinosaurs were still circling, that Arowana was tracking them with her gun, but there was nothing I could do about that. At least Captain Taylor was giving me something to focus on.
I handed her the boot and she tipped something out into her hand. It was a small flat device which looked very much like a cigarette lighter. Flipping up the end, she revealed not a flame but a button and she pressed it soundly.
Suddenly I had a fair idea what the thing could be.
“Now, Mr Hawthorn,” she said in a weak voice, “you don’t want to be here when I release this button.”
Scrabbling to my feet, I ran for Arowana. She fired just as I collided with her and screamed curses at me for ruining her shot.
“Never mind that,” I said. “Run.”
“Run? What are you …?”
“Just trust me and run.”
Arowana looked back to Taylor and her eyes widened. I was already fleeing, half dragging Arowana along with me, although the woman began to run of her own accord as soon as she realised what was happening. The dinosaurs were momentarily startled by the single gunshot, which was perhaps all that saved us from an immediate death. We had placed fewer than ten paces between us before they recovered and set out after us.
I could imagine Captain Taylor smiling to herself as she lost the will to live, her hand collapsing to the woodland floor, her finger leaving the pressure of the button.
The entire area went up with the explosive force of a ruptured engine from a C-97. That may mean nothing to you, but it was what was passing through my mind at the time and it was enough to make me scream. Arowana and I were blown forward, crashing through the undergrowth with enough force that should we have struck against a tree we would have shattered our spines. The daspletosauri wailed as the explosion engulfed them, but their cries were drowned by the echo of the detonation.
My body ached in every muscle and I was oblivious to how far I had been thrown or what had happened to me during that time. All I knew was that I was lying on my belly, with blood seeping into my eyes, a thousand tiny scratches covering my body and tearing my clothes to shreds. Raising my eyes, I looked back to the site of the attack. It was a blaze of orange and red flame, the light so intense, the smoke so black and thick that woodland fauna ran past me without even noticing me. Small predators which may have viewed me as a tasty meal ignored me, deer bounded over my head, while even snakes slithered their way quickly from the inferno. I could feel the heat on my face then and realised my senses were returning. Along with my other sensations came the pain and I winced even as I moved an arm.
Turning my head, I could see Arowana lying on the woodland floor. She was on her side, her back to me, a great vertical gash having torn through her black vest, ripping through her flesh and spilling blood into the soil.
Ignoring the pain, I pushed myself to my feet and stumbled towards her. Something collided with me and I went down, sprawling with a creature vastly similar to the predator which had been chased away by the arrival of the daspletosaurus. The beast was almost my height and weighed more than I did – I could tell as much because it fell on me. It made no move to kill me and was more shocked than I was that we had fallen into one another. Struggling to get back to its feet, it tore off through the woods, leaving me behind barely wounded.
Putting the incident behind me, I slid across to Arowana and shook her.
“Iris, wake up. Iris!”
Her face was pale, and as I placed my hand to her skin I found it cold. I examined the injury to her back, but the sight and stench of the blood brought bile to my throat. There was nothing I could do for her. I was an engineer: if she was a cargo hauler I could have pulled her apart and put her back together with my eyes closed, but human beings were beyond me. Physically and emotionally, I had never underst
ood what made them up and as I knelt there in the carnage of the explosion, my trembling hands covered in blood, I would have given my entire career for a single course in resuscitation.
“Iris, please.”
She did not respond, either in words or motion. I could not even tell whether she was dead; I had never in my life felt more useless than in that moment. Aware that moving her could kill her, but knowing equally that leaving her in the woods would do the same thing, I took her gently in my arms, keeping her back facing outwards so I did not press it against me. She did not weigh as much as I had feared, but a career spent lifting and moving heavy machine parts had grown me strong muscles more than capable of hoisting a single woman. Keeping the blaze behind me, I walked through the woods, hoping I was headed in the right direction. If there was someone at the sword-shaped tower they would have some form of medical facility. My only hope now was that someone there would have the knowledge to save her.
My foot bumped against something and I looked down to see her metal case. There was no sign of the rifle, which would have been a far more useful thing to take with me, and I almost left the case where it was. But it was valuable to Arowana, and if it did indeed contain some form of bacterial plague it would not have been responsible for me to leave it abandoned in the woods.
Besides, Arowana would want it back once she was better.
Crouching, I picked up the case. Thankfully it was light and small, so it did not interfere with carrying Arowana. Straightening my back, I resumed walking. My mind was a mess, my heart hammered at the thought that Arowana was already dead. I was trying hard not to look down into her face but I could not help myself. I had expected to find her eyes staring out vacantly, her bloodless lips mouthing a silent question as to why I could not save her. Instead her eyes were closed and her face was soft, without the hard lines of worry. The woman was at peace. Whatever happened from that moment on, Iris Arowana was at peace.
I could ask no more for her.
Yet still I hurried on that I might yet save her life.
CHAPTER NINE
I don’t know how long I spent wandering through the woods, but I know I didn’t stop. When I could, I ran; when I could not run, I jogged; when I could not jog, I walked. I did not stop moving, did not set Arowana down, did not so much as pause to rethink my direction. I trusted she knew where we were headed and followed the route in as straight a line as I possibly could. I did not lose hope in Arowana, yet nor did I think about what I was doing. Looking back, I have few memories of that time, for all I did was push myself onwards and trust that my faith in Arowana was enough to see her survive.
Then, after an eternity, I broke out of the trees and found a large area cleared of vegetation, with a single great tower rising before me. It was a huge structure, without windows or any obvious door, and as I stared upwards all I could see of its metallic black mass was that it blocked out not only the light of the sun but also the orange glow of Jupiter. I had arrived at the one place I might yet save Arowana’s life, yet frustratingly I could see no way in.
“Hey!” I shouted, not caring about the risk I was taking. Whoever was inside might well have been criminals for being on Ceres, but they would also be human beings, and if there were any cameras pointed our way they would be able to see two unarmed people, one dead or dying. I assumed there would be scientists working in the tower, along with a military presence. From what I had seen of both kinds of people, they had little regard for human life, but there had to be someone who cared.
“Hey!”
Adrenalin pushed me on and I moved quickly about the tower, searching for a way in. The metal walls were dented in several places, indicating the possibility that the local animal life had taken exception to this tower suddenly appearing in their home. If there was a way in, though, I was just as ignorant as the wildlife.
“Anyone see us?” I cried. “Anyone hear me?”
I shouted until my dry throat was hoarse. Arowana still did not respond at all, which only made me all the more desperate to find an entrance.
“If anyone can hear me, please open the door! She’s dying. She’s … I don’t know what to do. Please, just someone help me.”
I stood staring at the black metal tower, impotent to do anything as the realisation sank in that I had run all that way for nothing. There was no pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, no faithful wife waiting for me at the end of my long Securitarn tour. All I had were shattered hopes and nightmares.
Then I heard a grinding sound. It was so quiet I at first assumed I was imagining it; but I could see the metal moving and watched with a lifting heart as a metal hatch slowly swung upward, as though this was a garage awaiting the return of a beloved car. I did not hesitate and hurried through, ducking as I entered.
It was dark within, and the floor was formed of metal. Behind me I heard the steady grind of the door as it lowered and I quickly looked about for a light switch, but could see nothing. As the door thudded back down I was plunged into total darkness.
A light flashed on and I winced. Ahead of me a thin filament was flickering, while beyond it I could see another, and another. Whoever was controlling the lights clearly wanted me to head in a specific direction, and so long as it had a medical area at the end I did not mind playing the game. Hurrying along, I took care not to thump Arowana’s head against the walls. The corridors themselves were fairly narrow and sterile-looking. Everything about the tower was metal and my boots rang hollow on the ground, suggesting there was grating beneath, as though we were in a large warehouse.
The lights led me past several rooms and I glanced into some of them as I passed, but did not stop to conduct a proper examination. For the most part they appeared to be small cabins, complete with bunks and small chests or cabinets. The whole place reminded me of a submarine I had once serviced, which made me think the tower could have been military after all.
Following the lights, I came to a large room filled with beds and medical equipment. Moving across to one bed, I gently set Arowana down, making sure she lay on her side so she did not put pressure on the wound across her back. There were trays of scalpels and stethoscopes, cabinets filled with all manner of labelled bottles and pills. There were also large pieces of equipment which would provide light or pull teeth or something – I had no real idea what any of it did. A doctor would know, or a nurse, but thus far I had seen no one.
Leaving Arowana on the bed, I placed the metal case beside her and wandered about the room, looking for signs of life. Someone was leading me around, which meant there had to be at least one person still alive in the place.
I decided they could probably see me, so it would not hurt our relationship to introduce myself.
“Gordon Hawthorn,” I said loudly and clearly. “I work for Securitarn. You’ve heard of Securitarn?”
Silence.
“My friend is dying. She’s a security guard. She’s a good woman. Please, if there’s someone here who can help her, I need you. I … I can’t work this equipment. Please.”
Silence.
“Damn it, talk to me! At least tell me your name.” I threw something, I don’t know what it was. Knowing my luck it was the one thing I would need in order to save Arowana’s life. Whatever I threw struck a tray filled with utensils and the whole lot flew across the room, clattering loudly and sending tinny echoes about the room as everything settled.
I stood silently in the eerie infirmary, once again seeing that I had come so far only to beat my head against the wall.
I fought for an alternative tactic. “All right. All right, maybe there’s something I could do in return. If you save her life, I’ll do whatever you want. I’m an engineer. You have equipment that needs mending here? Vehicles, computers, anything? I can fix it, just so long as you fix my friend.”
Silence.
I sagged. It was over.
“Mr Hawthorn,” a clear, crisp voice sounded over a public address system. “We have been without an engineer for some t
ime.”
“Yes,” I said. “Yes, yes, I’ll do it.”
“Do what?”
“Whatever you want.”
“I want nothing. I merely note we have been without an engineer for some time.”
I blinked. “Then you must need an engineer.”
“An engineer would be desirable. ‘Need’ is the view of an extremist.”
The voice was male and sounded like my old English professor. I could imagine there was someone sitting somewhere in a booth, tweaking his monocle to get a better look at me.
“She needs a doctor,” I pressed.
“Her trapezius muscle is torn, her latissimus dorsi muscle is bleeding out and she has severe dermatological damage. On the bright side, her spine is untouched so there is no paralysis.”
“How can you know all that by looking through a camera?”
“You placed her on the medical bed.”
I went back to Arowana and understood what the voice meant. There was a small electronic box on the table beside the bed, positioned so it could scan anyone placed there. I had not even realised I had done it, but I had placed Arowana at just the right angle to have her injuries fully scanned.
“Send a doctor,” I said.
“Unfortunately, we have also been without a doctor for some time.”
“A nurse?”
“Unfortunately, we have also been …”
“Anyone who’s been on a St John’s Ambulance course?”
There was a pause. “There is no one who has been on a St John’s Ambulance course.”
I gripped the bed with both hands, furious at having fallen now. “Is there anyone else I could talk to? Someone with a soul, maybe?”
“Unfortunately,” the voice said somewhat sadly, “we have been without someone with a soul for some time.”
That was when it hit me. I was not talking to a human being. The tower was run by some form of computer programme, or at least certain operations were. The doors, the lights, the scanner … the computer could remotely run it all. And it was programmed to answer simple questions.