“Touchy.” Triena braced herself. She didn’t have the strength to reach into the energy to see if she could get a hint at what was on the other side. Besides, the movement of the lift had disrupted her balance and she struggled to keep standing.
Stop moving, she told the rabbit. You’re making me feel worse.
Triena swallowed against a wave of bile.
“Did we just go past the ground level?” asked Braklen.
Triena looked at the panel. “Yeah.”
“Shit.”
They watched the numbers increase. Three, four.
“This isn’t good.” Her body sweated, more from the motion sickness than the stress of the situation.
Five, six, seven.
Don’t worry, everything will be fine.
Eight. The elevator jerked to a stop and she pressed against the side of the elevator to keep from falling to the ground. She held her breath as the doors slid open and raised her gun.
The elevator opened out into a dimly lit room. Eagar to get out of the elevator before it took off again, she stepped out into the dimly lit room.
“Hey,” whispered Braklen. “Behind me.”
She looked around, desperate to get her bearings. She went from being underground to level eight above ground and the dizziness lingered, buzzing in her head. She took a few more steps into the room. It was big and she felt overwhelmed by its size. It was like the whole floor was this one room. For someone special. Now, Triena absorbed his Energy she knew who. Priest Junqi.
Braklen stepped in front of her and began systematically checking the room. “Keep behind me.”
Not wanting to get into further trouble, Triena did what she was told. Back to back, she moved with him, doing her own sweep of the room. It was hard with the lack of light. Light filtered in from the windows on the other side of the room and there were a series of small electric lights in a line mid-wall either side of the elevator.
Triena could just make out a big table in the center of the room, and a chair behind it, black and throne-like, possibly made of metal. Something moved. By the chair. Without thinking, she fired.
“Fuck the Queens.” Braklen turned around.
“I saw something over there.” Triena kept her gun pointing in the direction she had fired.
“What? It’s too dark.”
“Lights,” said Triena on a whim. The room flooded with white electric light and they both shade their eyes.
When Braklen could see again he looked around the room. “Nothing.”
“There was something.”
He walked around to the back of the office table. “Well, there used to be a chair here.” He kicked the bottom half of what was left of the chair. It rocked uneasily as it swivelled.
“Nothing like announcing ‘we are here’ by firing a gun, and destroying the furniture.” He looked around. “How the fuck are we going to get out of here? We can’t go down the lift. Someone’s bound to be up here soon to find out what’s going on.”
Triena walked over to the desk. “Better I was wrong than there actually be someone here.”
“I’m sure someone will be here soon.”
An intercom flashed on the desk. “Sir? Sir? There was a noise.”
“Shit.” Braklen pushed the com on. “It’s okay,” he said with a husky voice.
“Sir, you okay?”
“Swallowed something the wrong way.” Braklen coughed.
Triena glared at him. “Is that the best you can come up with?” she mouthed at him.
“The space pod’s ready on the roof for you.”
“Thanks,” said Braklen.
“And it’s dock two for that ship.”
“Okay.”
“Anything else?”
“Don’t disturb me.”
“Sure, Sir. I’ll make sure no one will come up there. You better be quick. The ship will leave within the hour. Go up the stairs to the roof. The lift isn’t working.”
Braklen coughed and struggled to regain his composure. “No disturbance.” He took his finger off the button.
“Do you think they bought it?”
“No way,” said Braklen.
“Right, looks like we got to get to the roof and to dock two within the hour.”
“Here, give me that gun, before you blow my head off.”
Triena didn’t want to let go and held on tight, but he was stronger and won the tug-of-war. “What am I going to do now, Braklen? I need to defend myself.”
“You are going to do what I tell you and we’re going to get out of here.”
She rearranged the rabbit, so circulation returned to her left arm. Then she felt it. The moisture seeping into her clothes where she’d been holding the rabbit. He’d pissed on her. “You little shit.”
What else do you expect? You’re the one who’s gun happy. Unnecessarily, I might add.
“What’s wrong?” Braklen’s voice didn’t sound very sympathetic.
“He pissed on me.”
Braklen laughed and patted the rabbit between the ears. “Good man.”
“You want to hold him?”
“Your pet.” Braklen began searching through the desk. “We’ve got five minutes to pinch a few things and then get the hell out of here.”
“So you know where the stairs to the roof are?”
“Nope, I will soon. We need money and food.” He rummaged through the desk. “Here.” He squirted some cologne on her. “It will stop the smell.”
“Great now, I’m going to smell like a man.”
“Better than rabbit piss.”
Stop wasting time. Come on. The stairs are over there, behind the lounge.
Triena ignored the rabbit. Drawn to look through the desk too, she opened a compartment under the table. My belt and the vials. “Perfect.” She put down the rabbit and picked up her belt and buckled it under her jacket.
Don’t leave me behind.
Wouldn’t think of it.
Hey I think I can smell some Quem tea over there, you’re going to need that.
Triena went over to the wall where some food had been set up. She wasn’t going to give up the chance to get some Quem tea. She also took a jar of nutrient tablets.
“Right, let’s go.” Braklen tried to move the couch out of the way.
“There’s no door there.”
Triena looked at the woven wool. The scene caused her to shiver. A grey castle stood at the side of a mountain. It looked barren and dry. Somewhere she most definitely never wanted to go to, not now. The Queen’s home.
“Behind the wall hanging.”
You’ll be there soon, thought the rabbit.
No way. The place isn’t for me. “Braklen, look behind the tapestry.”
“I found it.” He lifted the wall hanging, revealing a door. A small cloud of dust billowed out. “Right. Next stop the docks. Then, let’s get the hell out of here.”
Triena unlocked the door with the ID chip. “Easy.” All she could see was about three steps going upwards into darkness. The air was musty. “Things are looking up for us.”
She smiled, confident that very soon she would be off this planet, heading towards Inite and getting the damn chip out of her arm. She sneezed from the dust in the wall hanging.
“Lights.” A series of guiding lights on the stairs began to glow. She put her foot on the step.
“Here. I should go first.”
Triena stepped down. She turned around and came face to face with Braklen waiting to pass her. They paused, for a second. A long second. She felt the strength of his chest as it pressed into her. The warmth of his body sent a ripple right to the core of her body.
The rabbit squirmed and broke the tension building between them.
“Sorry.” Braklen tried to shimmy sideways to the door. He stumbled a little and fell into her, their heads knocking.
“Ow.”
“Sorry.” He kept moving and finally got to the door.
She felt the warmth in h
er body dissipate and wished something more could’ve happened between them, even though this wasn’t the time for something like this.
A sound in the room made them both freeze. The warmth from touching him fled from her body.
Braklen held out his hand to Triena as he stood in the doorway. She grabbed his hand and used it to steady herself as she tried to sidestep towards the door without moving the wall hanging.
She held her breath. No matter how much she tried, the wall hanging kept moving, just a little. Maybe they won’t notice? She was right next to the door and just needed to take one more step.
“Oi,” said a man.
A blast hit the lounge chair and then another blast hit the wall hanging. The room filled with the smell of burning synthetics as the lounge caught on fire.
Braklen pulled Triena through the door. Her arm burned from the strain of the movement. He didn’t release the pressure. She had to move up the stairs or he’d dislocate her shoulder. The door slid shut and they stumbled up the stairs. She didn’t even bother being quiet. There was no way of telling how far to the roof as they wound their way upwards on the spiral stairs.
Braklen lost his grip on her. “Hurry up.” He kept moving.
Triena heard a noise below them and tried to quicken her pace. It was hard trying to keep hold of the rabbit and move at the same time. Without Braklen holding her, she began to lose her balance from the tight movement of going around and around in the stairs as well as the change in height.
He was further in front of her and she couldn’t see him. She just kept moving, hoping at the next bend she would get a glimpse of his foot, something to give her hope he was here with her.
Her muscles ached, the acid build up made her legs burn and she felt like she was about to combust. But, she kept moving. Her lungs weren’t coping with the lack of oxygen in the air. Somehow her feet kept finding the next step and she moved upwards and upwards.
I can’t. She sobbed as she went around one more bend. I can’t. Her legs kept moving, slower and slower. She heard someone coming up the stairs behind her. I don’t care.
I’ll bite you if you stop.
Triena sobbed but kept moving. She ran one hand along the side of the wall to keep her balance. I can’t go much further. She stopped leaning on the wall. The sounds of footsteps were closer but she didn’t move.
She sobbed loudly as the rabbit bit into her arm. Triena pushed herself from the wall and went up a few steps.
“Triena?” called Braklen from above. “It’s not far now.”
Triena dug deep into the last of her energy and ran up the stairs. She tasted the air becoming sweeter and fresher. It helped relieve the restriction in her chest. She powered up the last steps.
She burst through the door into the daylight of late afternoon. She stopped and shielded her eyes.
A pod revved to her right and she moved towards the sound, hoping it was Braklen inside. Her eyes hurt from the bright light.
“Hurry!”
Triena ran quicker towards the pod. She saw better now. It was easier to move on a flat surface. Her leg muscles ached and trembled, begging for rest. She stepped into the open door of the pod. A blast hit her. She fell forward into the door, dropping the rabbit, landing heavily on the metal floor of the small ship.
Chapter 18
Trying to get to the docks, Braklen flew the pod erratically while keeping an eye out for the Priests and Peacekeepers who were probably following him. So far, he hadn’t detected them.
“They’re probably waiting for us at dock two.” He swerved to miss another pod. They flashed their lights at him. He quickened his speed. “Fuckheads.”
He knew it wouldn’t be wise to go to dock two. Not after they were chased up the stairs. “What am I going to do with you?”
He glanced over his shoulder at Triena. Her chest moved and he knew she was alive, which was something. But, she was out cold and that worried him.
Another pod beeped at him and he returned his attention to flying. “Shit.”
If he kept this up, the local authorities would be after him for bad flying. He didn’t need to be making matters worse or drawing even more attention.
“Right, docks, then but not number two.” He changed lanes, and was immediately beeped as other pods were forced to let him in front. “Fuck, I hate flying in cities.” He went even faster, ignoring the beeping and flashing of pod lights at him. He kept moving the pod along as quickly as he could. He had a plan and not enough time.
He landed the pod at the loading area of dock two, immediately unbelted and got up and went to Triena. “Wake up.” He shook her shoulders, relieved when she groaned. “We’re nearly there.”
“I don’t think I can move.”
Braklen helped her to sit up and she groaned in pain from the movement. “Do you think you can walk?”
Triena shook her head. “Where’s the rabbit? I can’t hear him.” Panic rose in her face as she looked around.
The rabbit was lying in the corner. Still.
“Fuck the Queens.” Triena tried to get up, but her body ached so much she couldn’t.
“Wait.” Braklen got up and went over to the rabbit. “Please be alive. Please be alive.” As much as he hated the rabbit, he didn’t want it to be dead, and he realised Triena wouldn’t be much help if she was mourning the animal.
“He’s still breathing.” Braklen picked up the rabbit. “He’s not moving at all. I think he’s seriously injured.”
“Bring him here.”
Braklen took the rabbit to Triena.
She held him to her chest. “We need to get some help.”
“We can’t stay here.”
“I’m not going until we get some help.”
“Fine.” Braklen went over and grabbed the first aid kit. He took out some painkillers and handed them to Triena. She swallowed them.
He looked in a few compartments before finding a small backpack. He put the kit inside, grabbed a few more supplies, a bottle of water, and some dried food packets.
“We are going to need more than that.” Triena stroked the rabbit’s back gently. You’ll be fine. Hang in there. No answer from the rabbit made her worry even more.
“It will get us out of here. Then, we can work out the issue of supplies, that is if we are still alive. Can’t you help the rabbit?”
“No, I’m not a healer.”
Braklen walked over to Triena. “We got to get moving. I need you to trust me and not argue. We got to work together now. They know we are at dock two.”
“Why did you bring us here? That was stupid.”
“Didn’t have much choice, or time to think of an alternative. Besides, I thought you wanted to get off this planet.”
“Yeah, but I have to look after the rabbit. I can’t leave him like this.”
“Do you trust me?” Braklen bent down and looked directly into her eyes.
“As long as you’re getting us somewhere to help the rabbit.”
“Good, make sure you remember that.” He put down the pack and helped her on her feet. She groaned against the pain in her chest as she forced her muscles to move. She held the rabbit tightly to her chest as she practiced a few steps.
“Looks like nothing’s broken.” Braklen stood next to her. He lifted up the pack.
“I’m not putting him in there.”
“Triena, we’re at the docks. People here are under-paid, hungry and they’ll hurt you to have fresh meat for a meal.”
“No.” She held the rabbit tighter.
“You said you’d trust me.”
Triena stared back at him. “No, I can’t put him in there.”
“You have before.” Braklen took a deep breath. “If you’re going to be like this, then we should just get out of this pod and walk up to the first Peacekeeper we see and turn ourselves in.”
~
Triena tried to blink back the tears. Her body ached and she could barely feel the rabbit’s energy. I don’t
think he’s going to make it. And that scared her more than the idea of the Peacekeepers catching them and taking her to the Queens. “I would rather face the experiments if it meant the rabbit could live.”
“You don’t mean that.” Braklen reached for the rabbit. “I’ll be careful. He would want you to look after yourself.”
“You really don’t know this rabbit.” Triena didn’t struggle and let Braklen take her friend.
“Here.” She picked up a jacket that had been left in the pod and put it in the pack. She held it open while Braklen laid the rabbit in the pack. He’s so still. Tears collected in her eyes.
He zipped up the pack and put it on his back. “Right, let’s see if we can get off this planet.”
A gas cylinder depressurised and the door of the pod opened upwards revealing a hectic scene outside as people ran around loading and unloading ships. Orange street lights automatically turned on in the fading evening light, giving an eerie glow over the chaos. Metal banged against metal, as oversized containers were lifted by forklifts, moved inside the ships and men yelled at each other.
Braklen helped Triena down the few steps. She walked awkwardly by his side as they moved between people away from the pod.
Please keep breathing. Triena sent her energy to the rabbit in a desperate attempt to try and help. Someone bumped into her and she stopped, gripped with a wave of pain she couldn’t move, until the intensity subsided a little. She teetered and Braklen reached down and held her hand. Straight away she felt his strength, and it distracted her from the pain.
“Just keep walking slowly,” he whispered in her ear. The close proximity of his lips near her and his breath on her cheek altered her balance, enough to trust him and to know she could to keep walking. For the sake of the rabbit.
Triena squeezed his hand as she walked and found the strength to keep going. Braklen steered her through the crowds, looking at the ships, they kept moving further and further down the dock.
Triena began to worry. “Do you even have a plan?”
“Yes.” Braklen turned to her. “Nearly there.”
A man bumped into Braklen and dropped the small crate he was carrying.
Flower Readings Page 23