"And once we impossibly get past them, what's your plan?"
"I don't have one."
"So you're relying on luck?"
"It wouldn't be the first time." She massaged her temples as she spoke. Sharp jabs of pain shot through her brain every few seconds.
"Well better to die fighting I suppose," Codon said. "Because this damned ship isn't getting off the ground any time soon."
"Lock and load," Nova said.
She pulled the pistol out of her belt and checked it over. As she turned it on its side, a trickle of sand fell out and clattered to the floor. Tiny, shining crystals spread out across the metal.
"Sand!" she said. "From the tomb. See? It wasn't just a dream!"
"Nova," Codon said and rolled his eyes. "You've spent the last two days in a desert. That sand could have come from yesterday. There's no reason to assume it came from the future."
Nova bit her lip but she couldn't argue. Her trip to the future could have been another hallucination, hell, she could be hallucinating right now. All the other images had seemed so real and yet each time she'd come back to reality, or at least, what she thought was reality.
"I'm ready," Codon said. He wore a Confederacy issued side arm at his belt and a less-conventional heavy-duty shotgun slung across his back.
"All right." She put her gun back into its holster and led the way through the ship.
The path was familiar, right down to the dangling pipes and pieces of torn wiring. They climbed over fallen furniture and avoided the mangled bodies. They were almost at the exit door when Nova tripped on a loose piece of piping and stumbled against the wall. Her arm scraped along the jagged metal, flesh tore from her arm and clung like limp cloth to the sharp steel.
She cried out and gripped hold of her wrist. It stung. The pain coursed up from her wrist, through her arm, elbow, all the way to her shoulder. The wound burned hotter as she gripped tighter.
She forced her eyes down to look at the damage. Blood poured out around her fingers, seeped over her hand and dripped to the floor. A wet, crimson splatter dotted her shirt, which was already dyed red from Tobius' blood.
A strip of her flesh dangled from the jagged piece of metal behind her.
She stared at it and then back to her arm. She squeezed tighter but more blood seeped out and made her hands slick.
She turned to Codon. "Do something!"
He stared at her.
She legs quaked and her head spun. Her knees collapsed and she slammed onto the metal floor, shins first. The drop made her head snap forward and her eyes locked on her injured arm.
So much blood.
It created a pool by her legs that reflected the dim lights of the ship. The red was deep, crimson.
Codon squeezed her shoulder and said something but she couldn't make out his words. Her vision dimmed and all sound turned blurry, indistinct. It wouldn't be long now and the last drop of blood would fall out of her veins. She'd be dead.
Codon pulled on her arm.
Couldn't he see that she was dying? Couldn't he let her do it in peace?
She gritted her teeth and pulled her shoulder out of his grasp. She clutched her injured arm to her chest but the wound was too big, too deep.
The bloody pool on the floor got deeper.
Strength flowed out of her arms and she couldn't hold them up. They flopped to her sides and without pressure, the blood flowed faster. It cascaded from her arm and into the pool like a red waterfall. Her eyes locked on the rapids and ripples which splashed away from the waterfall's base.
Then she was there.
She stood next to a red lake. A waterfall dropped sticky crimson droplets into the pool. A rusty smell filled the air.
She smiled, and dove into the pool, head first. She broke the surface with a splash and stared up at the bright sun overhead.
The sun.
She frowned and looked up from the puddle. Something wasn't right about it. It was too bright… or not bright enough. It was the wrong color. And wait, there were lots of them, all lined up in a row… like lights.
She turned in circles. As she spun, the red pool and waterfall disappeared. The lights brightened. She blinked against the glare.
She was kneeling on the floor, staring up at ceiling lights. Her legs ached, wrist stung. A small cut marked her arm.
"What the hell are you doing?" Codon said. He shook her arm.
"What?"
"What the hell happened? You were walking along and suddenly you collapsed to the floor wailing about blood."
"I cut myself…" she said, trailing off as she looked at her arm.
"I'd hardly call that a cut."
She clasped her head in her hands and stared down at the floor. There was no pool of blood, or a red waterfall.
"I don't know what's happening to me," she whispered.
Her heart pounded in her chest. She'd been so sure she was going to die and yet it had all been part of her madness. It was just like the quicksand. How many times would she have to die before she really went mad? If she wasn't already.
"When will it stop?" she said. She rocked back and forth.
"I have no idea. But you're sure their helmets will break? That wasn't a delusion?"
"I… I…" Nova looked up at him, begged for him to take charge, show her the way.
He frowned down at her.
"I don't know," she said.
"Then I'll be damned if I'm going in first," he said. "After you."
CHAPTER TWENTY
Nova used the wall to get to her feet. Her legs wobbled like jelly and threatened to collapse beneath her at any moment. She forced herself on. Better to die fighting than be thrown into a mental asylum. She shivered at the thought.
It was surreal to step out of the ship's side door and find that the sand had barely created a mound. The massive dunes she'd seen were gone, or perhaps hadn't been formed yet. It was a confusing concept to get used to.
"We'll go around the side," she said. She breathed hard, still recovering from her near-death experience. "And make our way into the tomb. I know where we're going so just follow my lead. Only engage if we're actually seen. Once we're inside the tomb, I need you to provide cover fire."
She tried to sound confident even though every fiber of her being screamed at her to turn and run away.
"Right," Codon said.
They darted across the sand, using fallen ships as cover. The Ancients worked on the ships and didn't see the two humans move closer. Nova had expected them to be more on edge; there were two Ancient corpses down in their catacombs. Perhaps they hadn't found the bodies yet.
They skirted around the edge of the Confederacy ships. From there, it was just a small distance to the trees, where they would have reasonable cover to the tomb entrance.
Nova sprinted to the trees first. The hot desert sun beat down on her face and the sand made it difficult to run. She darted under the trees and held her breath.
She strained her ears; nothing except the rustling of leaves. The cool shade of the oasis felt good after the desert and she relished in the green shadows.
She leaned around the tree and gestured for Codon to follow. He nodded once at her and glanced at the Ancients, then sprinted to her.
They both held their breaths.
Nothing.
Nova's shoulders sagged and she crept through the trees, rubbery leaves brushed against her arm and blocked her view of the tomb, but also provided cover.
They reached the edge of the trees, where they opened onto the tomb. Unlike the last time Nova had seen it, no vines encroached on the entrance.
Ancients darted in and out of the pyramid with tools and hunks of metal.
"We're just going to have to go for it," she whispered to Codon. "Remember, follow my lead and only shoot if you have to."
"Got it," he said.
Nova waited for the next alien to lumber past and then darted into the tomb. The blue lights lit her way and she followed them without looking back.
If Codon was following her, he was being very quiet. She couldn't waste precious time or resources on turning around and checking, so she kept moving. The tunnels felt shorter this time, in the light. Somehow the darkness had made them stretch on for what felt like forever.
Footsteps crunched in the distance.
Nova's heart lurched into her throat. Smooth tunnel walls surrounded her on both sides. Where could she hide? She spun in a circle, like an animal trapped in the headlights of an oncoming train. Two yards back, a small alcove curved into the tunnel wall, most of the space taken up by a stone pedestal. There had probably been a carving sitting on top before Codon and his Confederacy goons had shown up and taken it.
She ducked back and squeezed in beside the pedestal. The rough stone scraped against her skin and left grazes that oozed blood over her arms. She bit her lip and kept quiet.
The footsteps got closer and Nova dropped her hand to her pistol, sure that the Ancients, with their all-powerful technology and the ability to read minds, would sense her.
She hoped Codon had found a place to hide.
The Ancient got level with her alcove and strode past.
Nova's hand tightened on her gun but it didn't look back. It rounded a far corner and went out of sight. Nova sagged against the wall and let her hand fall away from her gun.
"That was close." Codon appeared beside the alcove.
"Where the hell were you?" she hissed.
"Found a side tunnel. You may be small enough to fit into one of those things, but I know I wouldn't." He gestured to the alcove with his gun.
She grunted and squeezed past the pedestal, back into the main tunnel.
"Not much further," she said.
They crept through the passages to the small chamber where so much had happened. She'd seen the two Ancients with yellow eyes, left a note to herself, gone to the future, and now hopefully she would end it all.
"So what—" Codon began.
"Shh!" she said, slapping her hand onto his shoulder to hold him flat against the wall. She pointed to her ear and then to the room beyond.
Voices. Her mouth filled with the bitter taste of déjà vu. She imagined the scene beyond: two Ancients together, and an empty pedestal between them.
"How long?" the familiar voice said. Nova knew deep down that it was the one with yellow eyes who had descended deeper in the tombs during her hallucination.
"Two turns of the sun at most," another voice replied.
"Good, I should have full strength by then. There have been no signs of attack?"
"No. We had one survivor, but Tobius is dealing with her."
"Ah, very good, very good. We need to know the state of this quadrant as soon as possible. For all we know the Zions could be at full strength. They'd wipe us out without a second thought."
"Tobius will be able to tell us more soon."
"Good. We need every advantage we can get."
"Yes, sir."
Nova tensed. She had to act now before any more Ancients came down the tunnel behind them. She turned to Codon and looked him straight in the eye.
"I'll take the yellow-eyed one at the back," she said. "You take the other. Remember, shoot for the button near their shoulders and then for the helmet."
Codon nodded once.
Nova drew her gun and stepped around the corner. The room was just as she remembered it, only the massive carved letters were missing and the pedestal was empty.
The two creatures rounded on her and brought up their arms. Purple blasts of energy crackled through the air at Nova and Codon.
They dived for opposite sides of the room.
Searing heat sizzled past Nova's side and singed the flesh on her leg. She winced, landed hard on her side, and brought up her gun.
She aimed at the blinking light near the creature's neck and fired.
Her blue plasma blast whipped across the room and an audible click filled the chamber. The Ancient cursed and fumbled for its helmet. Nova fired three more shots, each aimed directly at the Ancient's helmet.
The Ancient gripped its helmet and blocked her plasma blast with its arms. The blue energy hit its metal armor and dissipated with a faint hiss.
Codon fired on the other creature. His small handgun fired yellow bolts, much smaller than Nova's. They flicked across the room, barely visible. The first bolt hit the button. The second slammed into the top of the thing's helmet, and it toppled to the floor. Pincers and gray-green flesh emerged from beneath the helmet. The hard beak-like mouth snapped at the air and the thing hissed in the back of its throat.
Codon faltered and his mouth fell open.
Nova tore her eyes away and fired at her an Ancient.
It adjusted its helmet and it clicked into place. A charred piece of broken plastic protruded from where the flashing button had been.
Nova's stomach clenched. If the button was broken, how was she supposed to get the thing's helmet off? She fired a stream of plasma blasts but they did little more than leave black marks on the silver armor.
The Ancient stomped toward her. Its footsteps shook the sand and sent loose granules flying.
Nova scrambled to a sitting position and scooted backward.
The Ancient lunged forward and snatched hold of her jacket, hauled her to her feet and then higher so that she dangled in the air. She brought her gun up and squeezed the trigger. Hot blasts slammed into the Ancient's chest and made sweat pour down her forehead.
The Ancient slapped her hand and the gun toppled to the ground.
"The prisoner has escaped!" the Ancient bellowed.
His voice echoed around the chamber and up the surrounding tunnels. The rumble of running footsteps echoed back.
"You killed Tobius! I can smell his blood all over you!" The Ancient slammed her into the wall. Her head collided with the sandstone and stars flashed in front of her eyes.
"Did the Zions send you?"
The creature shook her and slammed her back again, sending another wave of pain through her body. Her teeth clapped together. A sharp chip broke away from her back tooth and lodged itself in her cheek. Blood seeped out of the wound and coated her tongue.
"Did the Zions send you?"
Nova's head throbbed. "No!" she said, blood dribbled out of the side of her mouth.
"They must have. Who else would have the power to kill Tobius?"
His grip around Nova's collar was so tight that she struggled to breathe.
"Scouts! I need soldiers! The Zions have infiltrated!"
The Ancient's yellow eyes flickered away from Nova's face to the main tunnel where the footsteps grew louder.
Nova's bleary eyes looked to the other side of the room, in time to see Codon stumble backward. Blood poured from a smoking wound in his shoulder but he had the shotgun out.
The blast echoed around the small room. A bolt of energy crashed into the other Ancient's bare head and it exploded. Pieces of meat scattered across the room and patterns of blood adorned the walls. Codon turned his gun toward Nova.
"Look out!" Nova kicked at the Ancient holding her but her boots clunked, useless, against its armor.
More Ancients loomed in the hallway, at least three of them, one leapt at Codon.
"Look out!" she screamed.
Why wasn't Codon defending himself? He was going to be killed.
"What?" Codon called. He spun in a tight circle.
"They're right there!" she said. " Kill them now."
"What are you talking about?" The Ancient pushed Nova against the wall and leaned against her throat so that she couldn't breathe. His yellow eyes cast a glow over her face and made her squint. "I can see it in your eyes. Tobius got to you, didn't he? Good, now answer me, you little primate. Where are the Zions?"
"I don't know! I don't even know what they are!" Specks of blood flew from Nova's mouth and splattered the Ancient's armor.
Tears stung the corners of her eyes as she glanced at the tunnel. She could still hear approaching footsteps and raised voices b
ut she didn't know what she could trust anymore. Codon had his back to her, his gun aimed down the tunnel, so she guessed that he could hear them too.
"I don't have time for this," the Ancient said.
He let go of Nova's jacket with one hand and pointed at her leg. A sudden blast of purple light exploded out of his finger and engulfed Nova's boot. Agony blasted out of her foot and spread up her leg.
She convulsed as fire consumed her limb and sent her thoughts into spirals of pain. She glanced down at her foot, but all that was left were pieces of tattered flesh mixed with charred leather. Blood dripped out of where her ankle should have been and created a pool on the floor.
Her stomach churned and she wavered on the edge of consciousness.
"Where are the Zions?"
The Ancient moved his hand so that it was pointing at her other foot.
Nova sobbed. With each beat of her heart more pain surged up from her mangled foot. A mixture of adrenalin and panic boiled inside her.
"Tell me where the Zions are and I'll end this quickly. Otherwise I will keep blowing bits of you off until there's nothing left."
"There are no Zions!" Nova gasped. "Humans control this part of the galaxy. This planet belongs to us."
The effort of talking made Nova's head spin. She closed her eyes and focused on the darkness to still the nausea but all she could see was the mangled remains of her foot.
"We don't recognize your authority," the Ancient said. "Humans would never come so far alone. This is your final chance to tell me where the Zions are."
"More are coming!" Codon bellowed from the tunnel.
Nova tightened every muscle in her body. New pain surged through her leg as she tried to pull it up to her body. It was now or never. She whipped her head to the side and lashed out with all of her limbs. Her arms and remaining leg slammed against the Ancient's body and knocked him back.
Her leather jacket tore and she fell to the ground. She landed hard and the air flew from her lungs. She writhed like a dying fish, gasping for air. She reached out a shaking hand and grabbed her gun off the floor. She aimed it at the Ancient but her quaking arm made each blast go wide. They left black soot marks on the walls.
"Enough!" The Ancient ran at Nova and swiped a heavy fist at her head.
Survivor Page 13