by Eli Ingle
Chapter Twenty-Five
They could not see. Fortunately, their female guard had not been looking directly at the sky, so whilst her vision was impaired from the glare, she still had enough sight to steer. Erdiz and Rona were not in such a good position and were fruitlessly holding their hands against their eyes and screaming.
“What the hell was that?!” the guard shouted. No-one answered her.
The flare had faded but now there was an onrushing howl of the wind as the fallout from the blast hurtled towards them. The dust and immense heat swept over their bike and made it veer to the right.
Now amidst the howling of the squall there was a low burr, like the sound of several engines flying together. Their guard could barely see anything and they had no idea whether they were still being chased by the other city guards. A shadow appeared next to them, keeping level with the bike.
“Erdiz! ERDIZ!”
“Who goes there?” shouted the guard over the roar of the engines and wind.
“A friend! I think … where’s Erdiz?”
“She’s here but I’m not sure she can hear you.”
“Erdiz!”
“What?” groaned the guru.
“I’ve got the cart and I’m receiving a transmission on the CB radio. It’s from Tink and it sounds like a location request.”
“Well, did you reply?”
“Yes, I gave our location and current trajectory.”
“Good.”
“So …?”
“So, what?” snapped Erdiz. “What do you want? I can’t see anything. Leave me alone.”
“Well aren’t you wondering how Tink got here?” asked Jhoan.
“I’m wondering more how you got here. Where the hell have you been?”
“I’ll tell you later.”
“Better do, little man.”
The bandit shook his head, realising it was a lost cause. The darkness in his head had crept away and he was having trouble remembering it, let alone believing that he had not imagined the events of the past hour. Had he not always been riding alongside the others on their bike?
The dust was starting to blow away and the shapes of their pursuers were becoming visible again along with something in the sky. Had Tink found them already? That was far faster than Jhoan would have thought possible …
Suddenly the dust was gone and a wave of heat overwhelmed them. The light had a cancerous tangerine tinge that shimmered and buckled, almost as if the air was warped.
“Look!” Jhoan called out, pointing to the sky as he saw five airships flying towards them at high speed.
“This is Tink. Jhoan, please confirm your position.”
“I can see you,” the bandit replied into the microphone. He waved. “We’re at the front of the convoy. We’re being chased and shot at. A little help would be appreciated.”
“You got it.”
The radio clicked as Tink closed the line. The bandit watched as the airships drew level with the cart and bike and turned to face them. The cart and the bike continued straight on their course and passed underneath the airships. The guards still chasing were up to half a mile behind them; this left time for the airships to angle towards them and aim. The batteries opened fire and laid waste to the whole procession. The bullets wrecked vehicles and guards alike, tearing them to pieces and blowing up fuel cells. Several cannons boomed and blew up the heavy transport ships.
In less than two minutes, none of the guards were left alive and the whole convoy of vehicles lay in smouldering ruins.
Jhoan swore loudly before picking the microphone up. “What did you do that for?” he demanded.
“Problem solved,” replied Tink. “Hang on – we’re coming down for you.”
“Get a medic. Laurie and Rigel are critically injured.” Jhoan put the microphone down and then stopped – realising he did not know how he knew they were injured. Moving to the front of the cart, he pulled the lever up until the vehicle came to a halt. He watched as the bike sped around in a circle and then pulled up beside him.
The airships were landing, and up close he could see that there were five of them, of varying sizes. The head one was the largest, with four engines at the back, a viewing platform on the roof at the front, a flag pole at the back and several gun placements on the top and sides. A fat airship that looked like a freighter had three engines and two small guns on the roof and huge cargo-loading doors on either side. Trailing behind and pummelling out trails of greasy smoke in its wake was a cumbersome ship with five engines, heavily armoured and had the most gun placements on. The last two were of equal size and were long and sleek with three engines with light guns. Dust blew up as the ships descended, their landing gear extending as they lowered themselves down to the ground before settling with a groan. Jhoan clambered down from the cart and shielded his eyes as he walked near to the ships. The female guard swung her leg over the bike and moved over to join him. Erdiz and Rona appeared to be still senseless from the blast, their hands clasped firmly over their eyes.
The door on the largest airship hissed and then opened as a ladder extended from underneath it and reached out to the floor. A small bearded man in a golden uniform hurried down, closely followed by a man and a woman in identical white uniforms with silver buttons.
“Where are they?” Tink asked Jhoan.
“Over there,” the bandit replied, pointing to the bike, “and something’s wrong with Rona and Erdiz but I don’t know what.”
“Thanks.”
The medics barely examined Rigel and Laurie before pressing devices in their ears and instructing someone else to come out and take them inside. They then moved over to examine Rona’s and Erdiz’s eyes.
“They looked at the blast,” the female guard informed them.
“Radiation blindness,” said the female doctor. “They’ll be fine in about half an hour or so. We should move them to a dark room and let their eyes recover.”
Tink nodded. “Do it.”
Several pilots came out of the airship and moved over to the bike.
“Take these two inside and put them in a dark room to recover,” the male doctor instructed. “I’ll be along to check on them later.”
Two pilots picked up Rona and Erdiz and carried them inside and out of sight.
“Clear the medical bay,” instructed the female doctor. “These two need emergency blood transfusions and operations to remove any shell fragments and reduce haemorrhaging. Move them inside carefully and we’ll begin operating right away.”
A pilot unfolded two portable stretchers and the group transferred Rigel and Laurie onto these before carefully taking them inside the ship. Tink, Jhoan and the female guard climbed up the ladder and moved inside the ship.
Jhoan was surprised: the inside was far more advanced than any ship he had seen when he was back on Kozenia (and he had stolen a fair few). There were computer screens, a reduced number of controls, a smooth plain floor and fluorescent lighting under the control panel and on the walls that gave the whole interior a futuristic look.
“Impressive,” commented Jhoan.
“State of the art,” agreed Tink, looking around the ship with pride. “How we got it is another story ....”
“Oh?”
“A story I think Laurie, Erdiz, Rona and Rigel will appreciate when they wake up.”
“Of course, of course.”
“I’m sure they’ll be fine,” the little mechanic continued. “This ship really is top line and the medical facilities are top notch. We’ll have them patched up in no time. Drink?”
“Please.” The bandit did not realise how tense he had been feeling.
Tink walked over to a blank stretch of wall and pressed his hand against it. There was a faint click and the wall folded out slowly turning it into a tray. The mechanic laid out three glasses and poured a shockingly bright blue drink out. When it hit the glass it crackled and sparked like live electricity. He passed glasses over t
o Jhoan and the guard.
“Cheers.”
“Cheers.”
Jhoan took a sip and bolted upright as the drink zapped his nerve endings and sent them buzzing, giving him more energy than he ever thought he would have again.
“I’ve missed our drinks from home,” he commented.
“I bet you have,” replied Tink. “I’m sure you’d like to sit down. Come with me and we’ll go through to my private quarters. You too, Miss … er—?”
“Griselle.”
“This way.” He spread a palm outwards and strode down the central corridor at the back of the control room.
The mechanic swiped a card through a reader. It beeped and the door opened silently.
Inside, the walls were dark and lit with the same blue fluorescent lights. A settee and an armchair were on the floor level. On either side, tiny sets of stairs led up to a second tier that had a long command table with chairs all around it. There was another door that Jhoan guessed led to Tink’s bedroom. The little mechanic sighed as he sank into the armchair and unbuttoned the top of his uniform, letting the fabric flap open.
“That’s better ....”
Jhoan noticed the embroidered rank on the crimson uniform.
“You’re not an admiral,” the bandit said, pointing at it.
“I ruddy well am!” grunted the mechanic. “A lot has changed since you left.”
“Like what?”
Tink sighed and ran a hand through his scraggly hair. “There’s been a civil war. The King and the Queen finally had an argument that shows no sign of abating and it’s split the city. Everyone’s fighting everyone else and forgetting who the real enemy is.”
“A civil war?! Have there been any deaths?”
“Far too many and there looks to be no end in sight. The whole fleet has been destroyed save for these five ships. I was promoted to Captain since you left and was in charge of air strikes against the opposite side. I wasn’t even on a side! I don’t know who’s right out of the King and Queen – in fact, I think they’re both wrong for falling out! Anyway, that continued for several weeks until I was instructed to carry out a strike on an area where my family was located in the city. Civilian casualties are always a risk in air strikes and so I drew a line then. I’d been rallying up people in my crew to disobey their orders and that was the final straw. I ordered the people loyal to my cause to leave the fight and regroup outside of the city. Some of the crew had to mutiny and those ships are under-crewed, but we’ve got by. The only safe place we knew to go was here in the Realm, but that was a problem because there was no known way to get into it except through the Institute. Anyway, we were trying to work out a solution as the other airships in the city destroyed each other. Once they’d finished they started coming for us. We lost one ship in the firefight and then made the leap into the Realm. These ships have the technology to travel long distances at the speed of sound so we can travel and cover long distances more easily. Anyway, those other ships were coming for us and we managed to find a tiny gap in the fabric of dimensions and made a calculation that it could be the Realm as we took it up to the speed of sound and leapt towards it. That’s what caused that atomic explosion you saw – that was us leaping through into the Realm. The blast destroyed the other ships that were chasing us and we managed to get through here. Probably should have died in the process but there was nothing waiting for us at home anymore so the chance of being able to link up with your mission was much more appealing than going on trial at home.”
“Gods,” muttered Jhoan.
“So here we are. What’s your story, Griselle?” Tink asked.
The guard described what had happened to them and how they had left the city. Tink looked impressed.
“A fellow dissenter! You’ll fit in just fine here and you’re more than welcome to join my crew.”
“Thank you,” she replied, sipping her drink and wincing.
“Can we go and check on the others?” Jhoan asked.
“No,” replied Tink. “It’s best to let the medics do their work. They’re very good and I don’t think much will have changed in the time we’ve been speaking. Give them an hour and then I promise we can go and check in with them.”
“Alright.”
For the next hour, Jhoan told Tink about their adventures so far across Endirin. The mechanic made a good audience, gasping and exclaiming in the right places, especially when he heard about Rona getting her key and the attack of the Fallen Ones in Uncle’s house.
When enough time had elapsed, Tink and Jhoan made their way to the medical bay. The room was brightly lit with fluorescent lights shining off the plain white walls.
Erdiz was sitting up on her bed, a strip of cloth tied around her eyes, attempting to smoke a cigarette. A harassed looking orderly was attempting to wrestle it out of the wise-woman’s hands, without success.
Laurie and Rigel were in various states of undress, stitched up where the bullets had hit them, grim-faced but thankfully awake. While they looked pale, there seemed to be no permanent damage.
Rona was sitting on the end of her bed, cloth also tied around her eyes. She was crooning over her key again, apparently whispering to it.
“Alright, you lot?” asked Jhoan, attempting to sound cheery.
“Never better,” replied Erdiz, exhaling a plume of red smoke in the direction of the orderly, who scowled at her.
“We got blood transfusions,” Rigel informed him. “The doctor says we’ll be fine.”
“That’s good,” Jhoan said, nodding. “How are you, Rona?”
The girl apparently did not hear him – she was still talking to her key. Jhoan watched as she held it up to first one eye, and then the other, sighing with relief as she did so. She reached for the cloth tied around her eyes and began picking at the knot. The orderly bustled over and tried to pry her hands off it.
“Don’t do that, Rona, please,” he said. “Your eyes need to rest.”
“Not anymore,” she replied serenely, pulling the cloth off. She rolled her eyes around the room and gave an exaggerated blink, wincing only slightly as she glanced at the fluorescent lights on the ceiling. “Much better,” she informed the room in general, “so long as I don’t look at anything too bright.”
“Well … I … .” The orderly was apparently lost for words.
Rona stood up and smiled.
“Want me to heal your eyes, professor?” she asked Erdiz.
“No, I like being blind,” Erdiz sniffed, nevertheless leaning towards where she thought Rona was.
The girl went over and spent a few moments murmuring to her orb again. When this was done, she held it up reverently to each of the wise-woman’s eyes. Erdiz gasped and shivered slightly.
“Better?” enquired Rona.
“Yes!” Erdiz exclaimed, pulling at the cloth. Her eyes darted around the room, taking in the detail. She grinned. “Thank you, Rona. That was very sweet of you.”
“Your turn,” she informed Rigel, turning to him. After more crooning, she moved the orb over his stiches this time, rather than the eyes. The wound did not appear to change, but as he watched, Jhoan saw more colour go into the boy’s cheeks and his eyes brightened. She repeated the process over Laurie’s wounds.
“Wow, thank you,” said Rigel, hugging her.
The door slid open and Opal stuck her head inside, breathless and pale.
“Sir, we’ve received a computer virus that’s disabling our systems!” Opal informed him.
“I’ll be right there,” Tink said.
Laurie made to stand up.
“You stay where you are, Captain.”
“I’m fine now, thanks to Rona,” Laurie said. “Not a hundred percent, but well enough to walk.”
Nodding, Tink followed the group out of the medical bay. Once Laurie had declared his desire to see what was happening, no-one else wanted to be left out. With the help of Rona, Rigel followed behind.
The
control room was a hive of activity as pilots and mechanics flitted around, either talking to each other or attempting to work at the controls.
“What’s the problem?” asked Tink.
“The virus has knocked out our take-off sequence and the auxiliary one too. We’re stranded here and it looks like the virus is moving to take out engine power next,” a female mechanic informed him.
“They’ll have sent it from the city,” Griselle informed them. The others looked at her. She paused, perturbed, and then continued. “There was a department working on technology that we didn’t really understand and that must have been one of the things.” She pointed at the screen. “They’ll know by now that their prisoners have escaped and probably that I helped them, and even if not, someone will have seen your airships blow up half the guards in the city. They’ll be finding any way to stop you from leaving so they can arrest and torture you.”
“What is it with governments trying to kill everyone at the moment?” demanded Tink, smacking his fist into the dashboard.
A siren wailed inside the ship and all the lights turned red and began flashing.
“What the—?” Jhoan said, spinning around.
“SIR!”
“What now?”
“Sir, I’m picking up radiological signatures on the radar coming from the city.”
“Radiological signatures.”
“Guess they don’t want to bother with arresting us then,” Griselle said.
“Radiological signatures,” Tink repeated, his voice sounding dead.
“Sir, they’ve launched nukes at us! The city is launching nukes at us! We’re stranded and can’t escape! Sir, what do we do? They’ve launched nukes! Sir! What are your orders? What do we do, sir? SIR, WHAT DO WE DO?!” shouted Opal as she viewed the monitor, her hands clamped to either side of the screen. The display was flashing an ominous red and yellow.
Distantly, Rigel could hear a deep whooshing noise – the sound of rockets launching into the sky. “I didn’t really want to die like this,” he commented. A small hand forced itself in his clenched fist. He looked down and saw Rona stood close to him. She squeezed his hand. He squeezed it back.
“Sit-rep,” demanded Tink. “Engines?”