“Not all of us have that option.”
The ship shifted underneath them. The chains hanging from the ceiling moved from a perpendicular angle with the floor to a sixty-degree slant. Nebula felt her circuits speed faster, her defensive programming kicking in. “The ship is landing.”
Radian rose and shook Eldin and Illena. “Put your shackles on quickly, before they come to get us.”
Eldin rubbed his eyes, groggy. “I’m not putting those things back on again.”
Nebula had already collected his and was by his side. “You have to. They cannot know we are free.”
“Come now,” Radian encouraged him. “You said you want to help. Besides, you won’t get anywhere if they see you’ve already escaped their handcuffs.”
“All right.” Eldin held out his hands. “But don’t make them so tight.”
“I will make them only as tight as you can wiggle your hands out when it is time.” Nebula adjusted the metal restraints.
Meanwhile, Radian slipped Illena’s cuffs on as well. Nebula noticed how gentle his fingers were as they re-clasped the metal around Illena’s slender wrists. His punk appearance was all show. There was a gentleman hiding underneath.
“Who’s gonna do your cuffs?” Eldin wriggled his hands to see how far he could bring them down before the cuffs fell off.
Nebula turned her head back. “I can do them myself.” She secured the restraints with a click of the metal and turned to help Radian. When she reached out for his hands, he surprised her, taking her hands into his. She almost dropped the cuffs back on the ground.
“We’ll find her, don’t worry.” He rubbed the palms of her hands with his thumbs.
Nebula’s body temperature rose by a degree. She could feel her cheeks go red. “I appreciate your reassurance, but we do not even know if she is still alive.”
“I know she is. I can feel it.”
Nebula took a step back. Was he referring to empathic abilities or just a hunch? She’d heard of some humans having a degree of paranormal powers, but never to the extent of Trilithians, like Venus. Although Venus failed to read Nebula’s burgeoning emotions, she was considered by the UPA to be a true empath. If Radian did have these abilities, did he sense her feelings as well?
A loud thud from down the hall made everyone in the cell jerk. The main door to the prison chambers opened. They could hear the taloned feet of the Gryphonites scraping the metal floor as they marched toward the cells. Nebula surveyed her team. Radian looked determined, giving her a brief nod, and Illena looked up at Nebula in resignation. Eldin was the only one holding a glimmer of fear in his eyes.
Nebula smiled and saluted the boy with the formal UPA hand wave. She tried to be encouraging. “Come on, soldier. Let us go.”
The metal door unhitched and swung open. Two Gryphonites stepped in, holding a long chain. They attached each set of cuffs to a link in the chain and pulled them forward. Nebula stood in the lead, followed by Eldin, Illena and Radian. She’d planned it well. The weakest links were in the middle, and in her heart, she knew Radian always had her back.
They emerged from the darkness onto a drop chute. A blue sky and a simmering sun blinded everyone except Nebula, who had inner shade protection underneath her lids. She’d heard the Gryphonite home world was a lot like the Grand Canyon back on Earth, the plateaus and canyons covering ninety percent of the land mass. She’d never seen either in person, and one look at the landscape left her swooning.
Cliffs layered in the colors of burnt red and blazing orange dropped thousands of feet into bottomless crevices. A sheer wind molded curves into the rock, blowing so hard she felt it rip through her UPA uniform to penetrate the pores in her skin. The starkness and extreme contours of the land made her dizzy, thrilling her sensory inputs with loads of new information.
Nebula saw Gryphonites soaring through the air, reaching each plateau with no need for bridges or ladders. It was the ideal environment for an air-bound species, one in which they would thrive at the handicap of every land-ridden mammal.
The platform dropped underneath their feet. Eldin screamed and Illena clutched her son to her chest. Radian put a hand on Nebula’s shoulder as if to lend her strength and down they went, reaching a lower plateau in seconds.
When the door opened, Nebula began her calculations. There were only three Gryphonites with them, and she believed she could take them all on. She’d been studying their bodies and analyzing any points of compositional weakness in their muscles and bone structure. Although wide, their wings were light and brittle, and she suspected she could break a few bones here and there if she had the chance. The probability of a diversion long enough to allow a getaway was high—the terrain made for easy hiding and there were enough factors of surprise on their side. All she needed was an alternate escape route.
The Gryphonites yanked the long chain and they teetered near the canyon rim. At first Nebula thought they were going to push them all to an untimely death and braced herself to fight, but then she saw the narrow staircase carved in the rock, descending to the lower ground levels of the colony.
Radian caught her eye and blinked a question. Nebula guessed he was asking if they should make a move. She tilted her head and shook it slowly three times. Not now. She put a hand over Eldin’s quivering fingers and tapped gently. Soon. They followed the lead Gryphonite down the steep incline.
Halfway to the ground, Illena slipped and the chain pulled taut. Nebula gripped the chain and pulled against her weight as Illena flailed on the edge of the rim. She looked over and saw Radian yank on the chain. Meanwhile, Eldin cried out and held his mother up as best he could with her robes. Although the cuffs were meant to hold them in place, Nebula knew Illena’s were loose and she could slip through any moment. If she pulled any harder, the Gryphonites would suspect she was more than an average human and their plan to escape would be jeopardized. But her programming to preserve all human life overrode all other concerns.
Before she could react in a definitive way, the Gryphonite in the back took flight, its wings spread. It swooped once in the air and lifted Illena, placing her back in line.
“Thank the gods!” Eldin hugged his mother.
Nebula heard Radian let out a sigh of relief. The Gryphonite separated the mother from the son with a jerk and motioned for all of them to keep going. Eldin had tears in his eyes. He looked like he would shed his cuffs right there and fight.
Nebula gave him a stern look to keep him in check. “Come on, solider, I need you to play along.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he whispered through gritted teeth.
As they continued, Nebula computed the rescue venture. The Gryphonites did not want any of them to die—they were too valuable as slaves. That would mean the Gryphonites would be reluctant to use the lasers in their side holsters.
The stairway ended in a series of crevices leading like open tunnels throughout the colony. There were so many options, an escape might be feasible. Nebula counted the Gryphonites flying in the air and the time it would take for them to descend. If she waited any longer, chances were they would move ever closer to the horde in the center of the establishment. Now might be the optimum time.
Nebula shot a look at Radian, who was watching her like a lion ready to pounce. She brought her chin down and blinked twice, giving him the answer he’d been waiting for.
Before anyone could react, Nebula sprang into action. She jumped on the back of the lead Gryphonite, wrapping her legs around its torso. In one motion, she grabbed the wing and bent it at an unnatural angle. To her satisfaction, the bones gave way and snapped, loose feathers falling to the ground. The Gryphonite let out a high-pitched shriek as Nebula leaped off and pushed it into the chasm below.
She turned to see the other two Gryphonites coming at her. Radian ran to help but she yelled, “Stay back! Get Eldin and Illena to safety. I will catch up with you later.”
The Gryphonites closed in. Out of the corner of her eye, she
could see Eldin and Illena slipping through their handcuffs and disappearing down the farthest tunnel.
Radian stopped in mid-step and looked back. “Nebula, I can’t leave you here!”
“You must protect Eldin and Illena.” She shifted from foot to foot, preparing for battle. “I will be okay. Go!”
She watched as he stood in indecision, shaking his head. Eldin was a surprisingly good listener and followed Nebula’s direction, reemerging from the tunnel to pull Radian behind the corner with him. Soon her friends were obscured by the feathered bodies coming at her.
Her chances for victory were twenty-four point eight two percent to one. She’d outsmarted one Gryphonite, but she knew they were fast learners. These two would be more careful to protect their wings. Her combat program was judicious in selecting her next move. She dropped to the ground and swiped her leg at their feet, sending them both into the air. The move was meant to knock the attackers down, but the UPA programs had not considered flight as a defense. Although the maneuvers kept them back a step, the Gryphonites had the advantage in the air.
Nebula ducked as they dove toward her. She grasped at their sides to steal the laser but missed. She fell into a roll and somersaulted until she was far enough away to leap to her feet. The Gryphonites swooped in the air and turned back around.
Meanwhile, the cry from the first Gryphonite as it went over the rim had been answered and her radar calculated twelve more Gryphonites on the horizon. She needed to dispense these two quickly or she would be taken in. And now they knew her secret. She was too powerful to be considered a mere human.
Nebula leaped into the air and knocked one Gryphonite to the ground, landing on top of it. It pierced her shoulder with a talon, but the claw did not go in far—underneath her skin was a skeletal frame made of synthetic bones reinforced with iron. The bird man’s eyes went wide as it tried throwing her off, but she outweighed him. In one swift gesture, she chopped her hand down on its neck.
She had just enough time to jump off the limp body before the second attacker reached her. Nebula double-feigned a move and grabbed its laser gun. Within the next fraction of a second, she fired and the Gryphonite’s wing exploded into a cloud of feathers before its body disappeared over the cliff.
Nebula did not need to look behind her to know more Gryphonites were meters from closing in. Following the tracks in the sand, Nebula ran, swifter than a leopard and lighter than a gazelle, propelling herself through the narrow crevices and underneath the sharp ridges jutting over her head.
Radian waited for her underneath a rock outcropping on the escape route he’d taken with Eldin and Illena. He led her into an underground tunnel, where a small alcove led to a subterranean cave. With one swift blow to the cavern wall, Nebula released a cascade of red-veined rocks. The boulders tumbled to the floor in a heap, sealing them in.
Chapter 9
Underworld
“Wow! You were awesome! You kicked Gryphonite butt!” Eldin exclaimed as Nebula surveyed the pile of rocks to make sure they wouldn’t be followed.
After deeming the cave secure, Nebula’s gaze immediately darted to Illena and assessed any sign of harm. The woman looked weak and dehydrated, but otherwise all in one piece.
“My mom’s fine.” Eldin came close enough to stare at Nebula’s wounds. “But you’re bleeding.”
“What?” Radian examined the place where the talon had cut Nebula’s arm. Nebula pulled away, embarrassed. She could see the synthetic bone through the hole in the skin. “It is nothing.” She ripped a piece of fabric off her uniform and tied it around her arm. “My body will heal quickly.”
“Wow, so you really are indestructible.”
“Leave the poor woman alone, Eldin.” Illena’s voice was raspy and hoarse.
“Fine.” Eldin threw a rock across the cave. “I thought it was a compliment.”
“It is no problem.” Nebula finished dressing the wound and gave Illena a smile to show there weren’t hard feelings.
Radian put a hand on her shoulder. “You saved us all back there. You were wonderful.”
“I was not aware my programming allowed me to kill so readily.” Nebula looked at her hands. They were so clean and petite, with pristine ivory skin and slim digits. How could anyone tell she was such a lethal killing machine?
“Hey, it was in our defense.” Radian’s breath moved wisps of her hair. She didn’t realize he stood so close. His shirt had come undone and she could see the bronze skin running smoothly over his muscles.
Nebula looked away. “I did not realize I had it in me.”
“There’s a lot in you that you don’t realize.”
Nebula turned to meet his face and saw intensity in his blue eyes, tempests churning within the depths.
“We need to find water.” Nebula’s response came out flat and she cursed her pragmatism. Radian turned his head, suddenly engrossed in the wall. She’d pushed him away again. To face her feelings of affection would add to the other, more violent feelings raging inside her, such as anger and revenge against those who took Mora. She had enough complicated emotions to deal with as it was.
When Radian spoke again, his voice was bland. “We should look deeper in the cave. There’s a bunch of tunnels heading east, away from the mines.”
“Let us go,” Nebula agreed. “Illena, you can wait here until we find a better shelter.”
“No.” Illena rose from the cavern floor. “I’d rather go. I don’t think it’s wise to split up.”
“Very well then.” Nebula dusted off her UPA uniform. “We will make sure to travel slow and easy. And we will all stay together.”
Eldin and Illena followed Nebula and Radian through a labyrinth of tunnels, heading deeper into the layer of hard rock beneath the surface. An indigo glow gave off enough light to illuminate their path. It glimmered from small particles in the rock. Eldin reached out to touch it but Nebula grabbed his hand. “Do not. That is Vitheranium Nucleate. It is poisonous.”
“How can something so beautiful be so bad for you?” Eldin’s voice sounded hurt. Feeling guilty for acting so dramatically, she let go of her grip. Nebula was surprised at the maternal instincts that Eldin’s presence summoned inside her.
Radian put a hand on the youth’s shoulder. “Vither is the substance the Gryphonites mine from these rocks. It powers their ships.”
His face was stretched in horror and disbelief. “You mean they force the slaves to touch it?”
Radian sighed. “Yes, Eldin. They do.”
“Do they die?”
“After so much exposure, it is possible.”
Nebula saw Radian’s eyes roam to the shadows. She could tell he was thinking of Mora and swallowing oncoming tears. “Come on, we must continue,” she said in an effort to change the subject.
She was the first to locate a gushing sound just beyond the bend. Before she could alert them, Eldin burst into a run toward the noise.
“Eldin, no!” Illena called. He ignored her and disappeared down an adjacent tunnel.
“I will catch him, Illena.” Nebula sprinted after the boy. When she reached Eldin, he stood frozen in place just beyond a waterfall veiling the entrance to a great cavern. “Look.”
A tall figure was silhouetted against the rush of water. At first Nebula thought the Gryphonites had outsmarted them and had to remind herself the tunnels were too narrow and short for their wide-winged bodies. It would take hours for them to squirm their way through. The shadow must be a human, a man.
Nebula looked at Radian and put her hand over the laser she stole from the Gryphonites. He nodded and put a protective arm around Eldin.
The man stepped down from the waterfall and his face came out of the shadows into the diaphanous Vither light. He was middle-aged with a scar an inch away from his eye running from his temple to his chin in a crescent arc. He had a scraggly beard and broad shoulders and wore ragged clothes with lasers, knives and other weapons attached. Although his
appearance was fierce, his words were welcoming. “Well, hello there, fellow escapees. Name’s Max.” He extended a calloused hand.
“Nebula.” She accepted his handshake. “And this is Radian, Illena and Eldin.”
“You guys just get here?” Max looked at their clothing, which was sandy and stained but looked brand new compared to his tattered breeches.
“We did, yes.”
“And you got away that fast?”
Nebula cocked her head. “Yes.”
“Wow. Seems to me those birdmen are getting sloppy these days.” He gestured over his shoulder. “Come on, I’ll show you the city.”
“City?” Nebula didn’t move. She needed more information before making the choice to follow him.
“That’s right. Founded by escapees, it spans the entire underground system here on Gryphod. We’ve been building for a century now.” His eyes sparkled. “You can be our newest citizens.”
Nebula analyzed his tone and the pitch frequency of his voice. He spoke the truth. The man was no longer a potential threat but an ally.
When Illena caught up to them, Nebula gestured for them all to follow Max who led them down a path under the waterfall and into a domed cave. “People have been running away from those worker mines for decades now, and our job is to make sure they have somewhere to go.”
Beyond the rim sprawled rows of clay buildings. People scurried on the makeshift streets below, carrying buckets of water and bundles of hay. It was astonishing: an entire subculture of runaway slaves. Nebula stored the images in her central processor to study them later. “Why is it no one has tried to leave the planet to alert the people back on Earth?”
“We would if we could, but we can’t.” Max crinkled his upper lip in frustration. “I’ve been here almost my whole life, dreaming up ways to get out of this hell hole. I was about this young man’s age when they brought me here.” He pointed to Eldin and the boy watched with wide eyes. “Yep, they came to my home planet, snuck through the detectors unseen and started taking people during the night. I was camping with my brother, Harry. We watched as their ships turned from flickering lights to flying machines.” He squinted upward like he was still staring at the nighttime sky. “By the time we realized they weren’t friendly aliens, it was too late.”
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