“And if we are discovered?”
“We hyperspeed it out of there as fast as we can.”
He mulled over her logic in his head.
“Well, we will never make warp drive in this old boat, overloaded as she is. And I’m not a green Xenaclon cadet anymore, filled with more bravado than good sense; I will not make the mistake of underestimating the Terran Guard! So floating past an armada of drone ships is probably out of the question.”
His irony wasn’t lost on her. There was more inflection in what he wasn’t saying, than in what he did. Elias already knew the shuttle wasn’t capable of making it through the armada. Any Terran drone with descent speed capability would be upon them in seconds.
His hands frantically reprogramming the computer dials in front of him. “So that takes outrunning them out of the equation.”
Looking up at her through the overhead mirror, he grinned wryly.
“It looks like retreat is the best option.” He settled deeper into the pilot’s seat and pulled the helm closer toward him, preparing for action. “Fasten your seat belts! It’s going to be a wild ride from here on out!”
He flipped the aft rudder, dipping the wing of the ship and allowed the moon’s gravitational pull to swing the ship around soundlessly. Once in position, his agile fingers, nimbly turned on the rocket thrusters for a few seconds, and then switched them off again. The ship began gliding toward their point of entry. He repeated the process several more times, gently coasting through the colorful dust cloud.
A glance at the sonar told him there were no bleeping red dots close to their position. But he knew that a least one stealthflyer was between them and their exit, searching for them.
Elias had a bad moment when the stealthflyer navigated too close to their position. He held his breathe when the drone ship chose a navigational flight path that took them on the other side of one the planets close to them. In a game of cat and mouse, he steered the space-hopper through the noxious atmosphere, hovering a few hundred meters above the strange red soil that seemed to cover the entire planet.
Keeping his eye on the sonar, he waited until the bleeps were far away from the red planet and then using his thrusters once more, continued to guide the ship through the nebula.
He could only hope the shuttle wasn’t flying into an ambush with a squadron of cloaked stealthflyers waiting for them on the other side, armed and ready.
The gliding ship finally reached the edge of the nebula.
Elias detected no bleeping red dots on the sonar screen. Holding his breath, he started the powerful engines. He watched the reflection of the jet wash streaking behind them in the mirrors attached to the outside of the ship. The nebula was too cloudy to see if the drone ship was on their tail.
Mentally crossing his fingers, Elias pushed the space-hopper into gear. The overloaded ship shuddered violently and then lunged forward, as the hyperdrive engaged. Taking a chance that they wouldn’t be shot out of the sky by MBryO drone ships, he accelerated away from the nebula.
As Freezhia had indirectly pointed out, taking the direct route to Nyla 6 was now out of the question. He wasn’t willing to take the chance that they would lead the Terran Guard back to the small planet. The trajectory they were on would take them light years out of their way, but he would rather be safe than sorry.
The space station was the perfect hiding place for what was left of the Xenaclon race. And if his suspicions were correct, that had been the intention of Pax’s ancestors from the very beginning.
Elias wasn’t buying the deserted crew theory anymore. Nyla 6 had fallen off the radar because someone high up in the DOD had made sure it had.
When Melara had activated that computer beacon by mistake, the mission had been exposed. The fates had allowed him to intercept that packet of information before Maxim Bryant had seen it. If the clone master had gotten his hands on that information the starbase would he a thing of the past, and those seeking refuge there would be back at MBryO UNIX by now, chained and persecuted.
Getting Freezhia and his passengers to the safety of Nyla 6 was Elias’ top priority right now. As one of the only remaining Xenaclon warriors left, it was his duty to protect his queen at all costs. Skirting the nebula and playing hide and seek with the armada would add days to their trip, but it was the best plan he could come up with at the moment.
Guiding the nose of the ship deeper into space, he began to plot his way around the squadron of drone ships looking to destroy them. His cargo was much too precious to put in harm’s way.
It would take a couple of extra days making their way back to Nyla 6. And it would take even longer to make his way back to Terra. But, Elias swallowed his impatience and determined that he would do what he had to, to keep everyone safe.
Even, if he had to abandon his friends and comrades, Melara Sivanza and Pax Vitar; leaving them alone and at the cruel mercy of Maxim Bryant!
Chapter Twelve
Pax roused from his deep sleep very slowly, at first. His head whirled as flashes of memory surfaced through his fog. He felt disoriented and nothing about his surroundings seemed at all familiar. But then it all came back to him!
He remembered the frantic escape from MBryO UNIX, the dangerous trek through the forest, the instant his psy-talent had reached sensory overload. And last of all, he remembered the feel of Melara’s arms as she embraced him from behind. He must have passed out after that, because he could remember anything else.
The coolness of the rock ledge beneath him reminded him of his favorite lookout spot on the mountain back on Nyla 6. In marked contrast was the soft feel of Melara Sivanza, curled up next to him. He lay there unmoving, enjoying her womanly softness, afraid to move, lest he disturb her and she move away from him.
Ruefully, Pax realized his body was reviving much faster than his psy-talent, though. From past experience, he knew it was going to take several hours before his psychic ability returned.
That really was too bad, because he surely would like to read her thoughts right now. Her dreams certainly must have been interesting if the way she was curved into his shoulder, her lips nuzzling his neck, was anything to go by.
With one finger he gently picked up a long auburn curl from its resting place on her breast, watching it wrap playfully around his finger. He had never seen such bright hair, even on the library vid screens. It reminded him of the red-gold sunrise back on Nyla 6.
Pax was actually very sorry when she opened her eyes. Her blue eyes blinked rapidly, then she sat up away and scooted a short distance away from his side. Her Terran Guard training had her instantly awake.
“How are you feeling?” she asked, pushing the tangled of red curls back of her face. Her trained eye evaluated his lean frame from the top of his dark head to the bottom of his leather boots, looking for signs of weakness.
“Much better, I think,” Pax drawled ruefully. “How long was I out?”
“If the length of the shadows coming through the branches is anything to go by, I’d say about sixteen hours. It will be dark soon.”
“I must apologize. I tried to warn you. Sometimes my psy-talent goes into overload and everything shuts down.”
“I’ve seen something similar to it before in soldiers coming off the battlefield. It’s a type of mental burn-out!” She told him matter-of-factly. “Can you see or feel anything with your psy-talent?”
Pax tried to focus his mind on the surroundings outside the makeshift cave. “Not a thing! I’m blind as a baby! I owe you my thanks. If not for you, I would have been captured by the Terran Guard,” Pax told her ruefully.
“Think nothing of it. You would have done the same for me,” Melara told him, reaching for the canteen and helping to a sitting position against the back wall of the ledge. “You managed to swallow a few sips of water or you might have dehydrated.”
“After I got you up here, I went back down the hill and salvaged what I could from the jet packs; the canteens, a heat reflector blanket we can share, enough
Mre’s to last us a couple of days. After that we’ll have to find another water supply.”
Not giving him time to dwell on the fact that they would be sharing the blanket if they wanted to keep warm during the night, she hurried on.
“This place will do for now, but it’s strictly a temporary place to hide. We can’t stay here long, or we run the risk of MBryO scouts tracking us.”
“How soon before Elias can return for us?” he asked, taking one of the silver foil packages from her. She tore open one of the Mre’s to reveal some sort of freeze dried fruit. His stomach chose that moment to growl loudly, causing Melara to laugh.
Her throaty chuckle sounded pleasing to Pax’s ears.
Chagrined, he tore open his own foil package to reveal a similar concoction of dried fruit and nuts. Realizing he hadn’t eaten in a couple of days, he shook about half the packet into the back of his throat and began to munch hungrily.
“If everything goes according to plan,” Melara returned, “Elias should be here in about five days, six tops. That’s if he doesn’t encounter any MBryO drone ships along the way.”
“And if he does?”
“We better hope he doesn’t,” she replied soberly, thinking of the danger they were in.
Maxim Bryant tended to hold a grudge against anyone that crossed him. Not only had their team breached the sanctity of MBryO, but they had released his prize menagerie of mutants and cloned children. Not only would he hold them responsible, but he wouldn’t rest until he hunted them down.”
“Either way, we need to move out first thing in the morning. In the meantime, I’m going to get some more wood and get a fire going. This is primarily a desert region. It’s going to get really cold out here when the sun goes down.”
“I will help!” Pax started to get to his feet, but Melara’s hand on his shoulder stopped him.
“No! You must rest until your psy-talent returns.” She added, “You’re no good to us without it.”
Actually, Pax figured Maxim was using his own powerful psy-talent out across the area to try and locate them. With Pax’s own talent dormant, the mind probes might over look them for a time, or simply dismiss them as any kind of threat. But, that wouldn’t throw their foe off for long.
Nodding, he watched as Melara moved the branches aside and slipped into the dimness of the rocks beyond their makeshift hideout. Pax needed some time to think, to plan.
And he needed his psy-ability to return as quickly as possible.
Melara was right! They didn’t have chance against Maxim without it.
Nameless knew the instant the humanoids awakened down below. With one part of his mind he had been waiting for them to surface from their deep sleep.
He listened to their earlier conversation from his perch up above. His psy-feelers assured him that the man told the truth. Except for his unusual fascination for the female with the red mane, his strong mind was a complete blank. His psy-talent lay dormant for now. The irony of the situation was not lost on Nameless!
He slid back into the shelter of the overhang, as the female with the bright red hair emerged from the cave to scavenge the area for firewood. Once she was satisfied she had enough, she piled the dried branches inside the entrance to their hideout. The male had lost consciousness again. But this time was different. It was a healing sleep.
The female knew the temperature would drop drastically out here in the desert at night. She assembled a ring of good-sized rocks and using small broken twigs, she built a small fire. Tendrils of smoke filtered through the woven branches covering the cave, wafting upwards to tickle the edges of Nameless’ nose.
Satisfied with her small fire, she resumed her former position beside the male, pulled the silver blanket over the two of them and closed her eyes. It wasn’t long before the sound of his even breathing lulled her into a deep sleep.
While the two slept below Nameless kept watch over them, his cunning black eyes periodically scanning each direction. The last thing he wanted was to be surprised by his father or Terran drone ships.
Night was approaching. He watched the brilliant sun set to the west, casting long shadows upon the foothills and the desert beyond.
As a precaution, Nameless sent tongues of psy-talent out past the foothills every so often. The feelers flowed and curled toward the open desert, searching for signs of sentient life. He detected nothing.
Yet, the feelers paused and explored a cool hollow in the bluffs a few miles away. There was something curious inside that hollow.
It was something that seemed almost familiar, and yet different at the same time. Not psy-talented, but possessing intelligence in abundance. He felt the creature’s extreme sadness. And then he sensed the word, “Alone!”
Nameless pulled back the psy-feelers instantly. He harnessed his psy-talent, damping it down. The last thing he wanted was another weak and dependant being to take care of.
Once he had repaid his debt to the humanoids on the ledge below, he was outta here! His powerful body would soar into the warmth of the sun. Then he would extend his wings as far as they would go and fly as far away from here as he could. His mouth watered as thoughts of freedom were almost more than he could bear.
Deliberately rejecting the call of freedom, he turned his gaze to the city skyline just barely visible on the eastern side of the hills. The scientists that worked at MBryO had talked about the city throughout the years.
They called it ‘Los Angeles’ or City of Angels.
He knew that angels were winged creatures sent from another place called Heaven. Maxim’s lab assistants had often compared his velvety black wings to the angels. They talked about angels with reverence and awe. And then they would hit him with a lightsabre or jab him with another syringe of neuro-snooze. “To calm him down,” they said.
The hot sunlight glinted off the fence enclosing the village at the far end of the city. It was Barriosi. They had spoken of that place as well.
The Barriosi had been allies of the Xenaclons during the long war. Because of their friendship with the super warriors they had been exiled completely from all other humanoid life. The fenced city had been their punishment for their allegiance.
Nameless knew from the conversations he had overheard at MBryO that no human had ever been able to prove the Barriosi were sentient. This made the government, especially the Department of Defense, extremely suspicious of them.
And now, Nameless figured he knew why their psy-talent was so difficult to detect. The naturally sentient Barriosi operated on a different frequency than the average, everyday cloned variety of humanoids.
It was the same frequency the man down below operated on. And, which seemed to be hardwired into Nameless’ own DNA, as well. In fact, he had intercepted more than one psy-conversation rising from the center of the barrio.
The more sentient the Barriosi, the deeper into the matrix of the burg they seemed to dwell. It was a ploy! A tactic designed to disguise the extent of their psy-ability.
Opening his mind to the noisy maelstrom coming from the barrio, he listened. His black eyes narrowed as he overheard snippet after snippet of conversation coming from the center of the burg.
“…you said this was the last time, Fleur. You cannot continue to run away every time you and Papa have an argument.”
“…easy for you to say Esme. Papa never gets angry at you the way he does me.”
“He only gets angry when you disobey…”
Nameless tuned the two young females out, moving his psy-feelers to the next conversation.
“Hardesty?” yelled an older man’s voice. “Get in here.”
“Yes, sir?” came the sullen reply. “What can I do for you Mr. Pruitt?”
“Let me know when that load of Tequila arrives at the warehouse. The last shipment was a little light. I should have known better than to give Marciano and his fat, lazy sons extra Myconeum to smuggle the stuff into the fence. They have some explaining to do.”
“...keep your opinions to your
self, Brock! If I want to know what you think, I’ll ask!” This came from a young boy to his over protective older brother. Nameless shrunk away from the depth of anger and frustration the boy felt.
And then…Nameless’ psy-talent met with a mental wall. His feelers gently probed the edges of the mind curiously, looking for a way in. But this one was too strong. The barrier surrounding this one’s thoughts was too tight for the cunning wolf to penetrate. Cautiously, Nameless reined in his psy-feelers, backing completely out of the thoughts of those that lived in the Barriosi.
He found himself on the cold dark overhang, alone once again. The irony of the situation was not lost on the wolf-like creature. He sighed in disgust, blowing air through his snarling jowls.
Until the male recovered his abilities, the two down below would be vulnerable to attack. Nameless would not be able to leave until the man was able to fend for himself and the female.
Without the male’s help, it was possible Nameless would have been recaptured in the forest and taken back to his cage inside MBryO UNIX.
He owed the man. He wouldn’t abandon him now, in his hour of need!
Not when he felt somewhat responsible for the overload of his psy-talent during their escape. To do such a cowardly thing went against Nameless’ personal code of honor.
So Nameless would hang around this cold Zander-forgotten rock until the male and female were able to leave. It was the right thing to do! But, it still irritated him!
Cramped from being on the overhang for so long, Nameless stood up and twirled around in a small circle. He sent one last psy-feeler toward the desert. He detected no immediate threat from Terran drones.
The feelers stopped at the entrance to the hollow, buffeted by the overwhelming sadness of the creature taking shelter inside.
Sighing, Nameless backed warily away from the primal call of the lone female wolf. She was a weak and tattered critter, her body thin and worn from lack of nourishment.
He listened to the rumble of his own belly and realized he was a bit hungry himself. He had been refusing his nightly food bowl for several days now, suspicious of its contents after overhearing a conversation between the lab assistants.
MBryO: The Escape Page 14