She had a few minutes to examine her surroundings while the rest of the party made their entrance through the eye. There was little room for maneuvering between the columns formed by stalactites and stalagmites whose desperation to be together had reached fruition over the millennia.
John was next through. He came over to stand beside Bethany Anne, joining her inspection. “It looks like someone stuck two boards together, then changed their mind and pulled them apart before the glue had a chance to set.”
Bethany Anne could see why he thought that. “It’s going to be a PITA to find our way through. Maybe the front door wasn’t the worst option.”
“I assure you it would have been,” Mahi’ told her amiably. She pushed with her hands to free her lower body from the eye. “It won’t take more than an hour or two to reach the mountain trail.”
Bethany Anne launched a series of energy balls into the air to give them some light. “That’s better. Is everyone intact? Check your extremities for frostbite before we leave. If anyone needs time to heal, I want to know about it.”
Mahi’ watched with some confusion while the humans pulled off gloves and boots to wiggle their digits. “Is this some human ritual Tu’Reigd failed to teach me about?”
Bethany Anne pressed her lips together in amusement. “Humans don’t have an antifreeze agent in their blood,” she explained, grateful for once for the bulk of her battle armor.
Da’Mahin boomed laughter. “A little frostbite never hurt anyone.”
That statement set off a round of anecdotes among the veteran Guardians about incidents of just that happening, interspersed with loud bitching about the inconvenience of re-growing limbs.
Bethany Anne left the party to warm themselves and wandered a short way into the cave, thinking to see where her husband had disappeared to. She made a new energy ball to light the way as she followed the clearest path through the maze.
Minerals embedded in the rock caught the light as Bethany Anne walked. She ducked under a jutting spar that was shot through with all the colors of the rainbow and paused to touch her fingers to the iridescence, thinking it was too pretty to be locked into the sooty walls around her.
The momentary diversion made the next thing Bethany Anne came across all that more dissonant with her expectations.
The columns ended suddenly and the ground dipped, letting out onto a huge, open field that was sheltered from the ice above. Bethany Anne ventured out, her intentions of finding Michael lost for a moment to the splendor of the view from the top of the world.
She saw endless jungles punctuated by mountain ranges and backlit by lava-light, and that was only the view from where she stood.
Bethany Anne skirted the deep, flowing channels that collected the water briefly in a churning pool at the edge before gravity sent it thundering over the drop-off.
She noted the active lava flow that had almost but not quite been strong enough to make it to the surface some hundred and fifty feet to the right. The cherry-red lava poured over the edge with the same ferocity as the water behind her, casting a dim glow over the hidden world below.
Bethany Anne walked through the wild grass, holding out her hands to catch the meltwater raining gently from the roof of the underworld. There was a spot halfway between the waterfall and the lavafall that looked like the perfect place to get the panoramic view she wanted.
Once there, Bethany Anne sat with her legs over the edge and took her time examining the landscape that was revealed in all its glory. She glanced briefly at the Citadel, a brightly-lit smudge on the other side of the mountain range.
The steep drop under her feet, the peaks biting at the roof of the world through the vibrant canopy that hugged every curve of the land, and the pervasive deep-red glow far in the distance from where the mantle surged up into an underground ocean.
Mahi’ was right. This planet was beautiful.
It was also wild, Bethany Anne concluded, picking up the sounds of carnivores making dinner arrangements in the jungle below. She got to her feet to continue her search for Michael. As long as the predators didn’t confuse any of her people for food, she had no problem with them.
Of course, she expected the guys would have a different view.
A movement to her left tripped Bethany Anne’s awareness.
She had an energy ball in each hand before her next breath.
The foliage that had been tough enough to surmount a mountain and the lava flow parted as Michael crested the peak in Myst form.
I wondered where you disappeared to, Bethany Anne remarked, her eyebrow lifting playfully as he returned to his more usual human form beside her. You couldn’t wait for me?
Michael smiled and slipped an arm around her waist as they walked back to the group. You looked peaceful. I didn’t want to disturb your moment.
Bethany Anne touched her head to Michael’s. That’s not fair at all. How am I supposed to be mad at you for that?
Michael stilled, sensing a trap. Um, you’re not?
Bethany Anne sighed in exasperation. Exactly. You infuriate me sometimes. Did you find a passable route down the mountain?
Michael frowned at the abrupt change of subject. I did. I also found several groups of raptor-like creatures in the jungle beyond.
Bethany Anne tilted her head to meet Michael’s eyes. Raptors? Like birds?
Dinosaurs, he clarified with that all-too-familiar light in his eyes. Which, I should point out, is a welcome change from tentacles.
Bethany Anne put her hand on her forehead and groaned. We should call Alexis and Gabriel before we go back.
Michael didn’t miss the purposeful change of subject. Very well. It could be a while before there is another opportunity.
The route Michael had found down the mountain was easy enough for the expedition party to travel, if somewhat narrow in places.
It brought them out in a clearing between the two lakes at the base of the mountain after what felt to Bethany Anne like an eternity in Hell’s waiting room.
Peter’s Guardians had their camp set up and waiting. The foot-weary party shuffled to their allotted tents and went about making themselves at home for the night.
What was missing were the crude jokes, colorful language, and merciless teasing that usually accompanied any military group who had been together for a while.
Bethany Anne stopped by John and bumped him with her shoulder. “This reminds me of Florida after we got out of the swamp. If I have to listen to one more awkward, overly polite exchange between two people who’ve been told to get along, I might just be tempted to abandon the idea of an alliance altogether.”
John grunted softly. “Find me a Baka with a sense of humor and I’ll call your bluff.”
Bethany Anne should have expected the short reply. “The warriors need to loosen up. They make you look like the life of the party.”
John snorted, his attention on the surrounding area. “No fair. I’m plenty of fun. If this reminds you so much of the ‘Glades, maybe the same solution would work. Pity you can’t get a takeout delivery here.”
“I’m not seeing too many food trucks handy. Unless you’ve got a business directory hidden in your…” Bethany Anne slapped John’s arm. “That’s actually not the worst idea.”
John lifted his hands as she walked away. “You’re not going to tell me?”
Bethany Anne waved over her shoulder. “Nope.” How edible did those raptors look? she asked Michael.
I’m glad to see you’re coming around to my way of thinking, Michael replied dryly. They will be as edible as any other beast as long as nobody is squeamish about fighting with their dinner before eating it.
Don’t get too excited. Bethany Anne ran through her plan and the inspiration behind it. This is a bonding exercise, not an invitation to turn our land bases into hunting lodges.
Then perhaps it is not food trucks you require, Michael suggested, but a common enemy to bond over.
You mean to drive the raptors into camp. I
like it. Bethany Anne made a mental note to reward Michael for his unselfishness at a later date. She met him where their paths intersected and they walked over to where Mahi’ and Gabrielle stood with Kel'Len and Li'Orin.
Bethany Anne put her hands on Mahi’s and Gabrielle’s shoulders. “Just who I need.”
“We can go?” Li’Orin asked.
Bethany Anne nodded. “Sure. Get yourselves set up for the night.”
Gabrielle slipped out of Bethany Anne’s grip as Kel’Len and Li’Orin left. “I’m not sure I like that look. You always get it right before you ask for the impossible.”
Bethany Anne laughed. “It’s like you know me.” She shifted her body slightly to include Mahi’ in the discussion. “I’m not happy with the lack of bonding, and for some inexplicable reason, yelling at everyone to get their shit together isn’t working.”
“It is as I said,” Mahi’ told her with a fatalistic shrug. “The only way to get my people to accept change is to beat acceptance into them. Repeatedly, and often.”
Bethany Anne waved off her suggestion. “Be that as it may, I’m sure as hell not wasting my energy on it. Brawling won’t free your planet.” She shrugged at Gabrielle’s reaction. “I’m not ruling it out as an option, but I’ve decided to give everyone one last opportunity to play nice first.”
Mahi’ wasn’t convinced. “What if they don’t?”
Bethany Anne’s mouth twitched in response. “Then I stop playing nice. Understand?” She pressed her lips together. “We need our people working together, and I have a plan to make it happen.”
“Wait, what was that?” Michael frowned as the sense of someone trying very hard not to be noticed brushed his awareness.
Bethany Anne knew when something wasn’t sitting well with her husband. “Are we being watched?” She reached out with her mind. “I’m not picking up anything out of the ordinary.”
Michael shrugged, dismissing it as a passing prey creature since nothing in the sensation had told him there was a threat. “It’s nothing, just a feeling I had. It was gone almost sooner than it arrived.”
Bethany Anne patted Michael’s chest. “It’s never just a feeling. Keep your senses peeled while we’re looking around in there, okay?” She let her hand rest for a moment before moving off toward the jungle, with Michael and Mahi’ close behind.
Gabrielle stayed where she was, looking skeptically at the tree line. “You haven’t told us what we’re looking for yet.”
Bethany Anne turned to her and raised an eyebrow. “You’ll find out soon enough. What are you waiting for, an invitation? Let’s go already.”
Qu’Baka, Low Orbit, QSD Baba Yaga, Secondary Bridge
The bridge was silent, save the occasional click from Addix’s mandibles as she reacted to her reading material.
Izanami and the crew had everything under control with the ship.
Addix knew for a fact that Bethany Anne had only left her aboard the Baba Yaga to keep a rein on any sudden impulses the AI might get.
An alert popped up on the screen to her right. The alert from the external doors in Transport Bay Three was canceled immediately by Izanami.
Addix turned her upper body to the avatar at the main console, curious as to what the AI was hiding. “What was that?”
Izanami smiled serenely. “Nothing to be concerned about, Spymistress.”
Addix narrowed every one of her eyes at Izanami, her mandibles clicking sternly as she spat harsh Ixtali in response to the obvious lie. “Do I need to call Bethany Anne and get ADAM to check you over?”
Izanami held her hands up in submission. “I accepted payment for passage to this planet from Demon. She just took a transport Pod down to the surface.”
“Payment?” Addix spluttered through her disbelief. “What does an AI need money for?”
Izanami flashed Addix a mysterious smile. “Insurance, of course. Don’t be so uptight, Spymistress. There is no need to spoil my fun or Demon’s hunt. I programmed the Pod to take her far from civilization and any battles that might happen.”
Addix’s internal organs flipped as thoughts of Demon encountering a predator she couldn’t handle flashed through her mind. “Izanami, did you consider the consequences of allowing a creature Michael considers to be his pet to roam free on a hostile planet without protection?”
Izanami’s avatar flickered briefly. “I must admit, I did not.” She dipped her head, her aura rippling with darker shades of red. “I apologize.”
“Call her,” Addix demanded. “Get her back to the ship before we’re both on the firing line.”
Izanami gave Addix an apologetic look. “Her neural chip isn’t active.”
Addix quit raging in an instant. “What do you mean, ‘it’s not active?’”
Izanami lifted her hands. “It was the only way to keep her from being discovered in transit.”
“So?” Addix waved a hand at the console. “Switch it back on!”
Izanami shook her head. “I cannot do that. It requires an active connection at Demon’s end.”
“Well, that’s just ridiculous.” Addix cradled her head in her hands for a moment while she worked through her options. “I need to call Bethany Anne, and I need weapons.” She pointed at the HLD cradle as she ran for the armory. “I hope you have a good range on that thing. We have no choice but to go down there to get Demon back.”
11
Qu’Baka, Lavafall, Camp
Bethany Anne sat in a foldout chair under her tent awning, tuning out the sounds of the jungle to listen in on the conversations around the campfires. Their earlier exploration had turned up a few raptor packs scattered throughout the area, which suited her purpose exactly.
They had returned to camp to wait out the time until everyone in camp was at their most vulnerable. Nothing was as leveling as being ambushed in the dead of night.
Sco’ren swept the tree line with a nervous glance. “Do the humans know we’re camped in dangerous territory?”
Da’Mahin scoffed under his breath at his second’s naivete. “You can bet your last blade they do.”
Sco’Ren let out a low rumble. “They’re going to get us killed long before we get anywhere near the Citadel. I haven’t forgotten how dangerous they are when there are enough of them to form a mob.”
John laughed. “You’re kidding, right? Big, tough Bakas, afraid of a few overgrown reptiles?” He tossed a clump of dirt at the Bakas’ fire, laughing as the sparks it threw up illuminated their faces. “We have bigger, badder beasts than those in our backyard.”
Peter joined in, jumping to his feet to demonstrate with wide sweeps of his arms. “He’s right. You haven’t seen big. We have a place with T-rexes roaming free. Maybe if you guys turn out to be okay, we could get permission to—”
“Not happening,” Bethany Anne cut in before Peter could finish his thought. “Don’t think I didn’t see the mess you made the last time I let you go T-rex hunting.”
“Perhaps a select few could be allowed to earn the experience,” Michael mused.
Bethany Anne hated it when he was right. “Fine. Impress me while we’re here and I’ll think about it.”
Peter whooped and punched the air. “Guys, seriously. Fifty feet of solid muscle, claws, and teeth the size of Da’Mahin's ego. You’ve never had a fight like it.”
John stopped in his tracks. “Did I hear that right, BA? You just changed your mind. You feeling okay?”
Bethany Anne was distracted from returning his snark by a request from Addix to speak. She narrowed her eyes at John. “Count your blessings.”
John winked and flashed a grin at Bethany Anne. “Every damn day, Boss.”
“Ass,” Bethany Anne shot back, chuckling as she opened a video link to the Baba Yaga. “What’s up, Addix?”
“You should ask Izanami,” Addix returned in greeting. “The short story is that she allowed Demon to hitch a ride aboard the Baba Yaga and facilitated her transfer to the planet.”
Bethany Anne include
d Michael in the link. “Demon is here on the planet.”
Addix repeated herself for Michael’s benefit. “Now the cat is somewhere in the jungle below the surface,” she added. “Alone. With her neural chip switched to ‘off.’”
Michael’s wave of anger was trackable by the silence it left in its wake. “Where is she? Why haven’t you gone after her?”
“Izanami and I are tracking her as we speak,” Addix replied.
Bethany Anne cut through Michael’s hot response in an icy tone. “What do you mean by tracking, exactly? Because if you have allowed Izanami to leave the ship and risk her hard light drive again—”
“We are still aboard the Baba Yaga,” Addix confirmed, confused by the conflicting responses. “But we are ready to leave at a moment’s notice. I was calling to get your orders.”
“Do not leave the ship,” Bethany Anne told her.
Michael spoke simultaneously. “Retrieve Demon.”
Addix spluttered. “Which is it? Stay aboard, or retrieve Demon?”
“Do I not have the freedom to choose for myself?” Izanami demanded.
“Yeah, no.” Bethany Anne put an end to the debate. “You’re staying put. Addix can find Demon without you.”
Izanami wasn’t done. “Then why bother to give me the capacity?”
Addix shrugged. “It’s not like I couldn’t use her help.”
Bethany Anne sighed. She got enough of this from the children she’d birthed; she wasn’t about to get into it with Izanami. “Fine. But back yourself up before you leave the ship, and on your own head be it if you damage your HLP drive. I’m not going to replace it a second time. Am I clear?”
Qu’Baka, Jungle
Demon padded through the undergrowth, savoring the silence that fell wherever she placed her paws in the cool, deep mulch. This world was alive with untold possibilities for a lion on the hunt.
Bribing the AI with Tabitha’s precious dust had been enough to get her to the planet. Getting past Michael had been the most difficult part. He had almost sensed her when she made the error of reactivating her neural chip to send the Pod back.
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