The Phoenix Descent

by Chuck Grossart

  “But, it exploded!”

  “The mist ignited behind you. Now, we must go.”

  The cloud of spores had ignited, like the dust in a grain silo. If Litsa hadn’t hit it with one of her fire arrows, she would be on her way to becoming a Riy. Sif nodded at Litsa and ran.

  They followed Litsa, heading back in the direction of the Dak—again giving a wide berth to the other hive they encountered—until Litsa finally slowed her pace and stopped.

  “There is a stream close by,” Litsa said, pointing off to their left. “Just past those trees. We will go there, take a drink.”

  “What about the jumpers?” Hunter asked.

  “We are far enough away, and there were only a few. The hive was small, and at night it reacts much more slowly.”

  Sif could hear the gentle burble of the stream as they approached. “If you hadn’t shot it right before it hit me,” Sif said, “I’d be dead now.”

  “Not quite,” Litsa replied, “you would be transforming, turning into Riy. But I wouldn’t have let you live long enough to experience that. I would’ve killed you where you stood.”

  Sif nodded. “I suppose I’d do the same thing.”

  “It is the only merciful thing to do, Sif. I can assure you. You would suffer. Greatly.”

  Sif, not “Caitlyn” or “woman.” Sif took a drink from the stream and rubbed the water against her face. “So, here’s the million-dollar question. What the holy hell happened to Beagle?”

  “It must’ve been the Takers,” Hunter said. “Maybe they still have choppers powerful enough to sling-carry something that big.”

  “They have airplanes, with wings and propellers,” Litsa said. “I’ve seen pictures of things like them in the records. Big and gray, with huge bellies where they put the people they kidnap.”

  “Transports.” Sif looked at Hunter, and he nodded in agreement.

  “They have other machines, too, helicopters, with a big propeller on top.”

  “You really did spend a lot of time going through those records, didn’t you?” Sif asked.

  Litsa nodded. “I like to look at how things used to be. I wonder what it was like to live in the old times. Your time.”

  “It wasn’t always fun and games.” Sif shook her head slightly. “We managed to screw things up pretty darn well. Obviously.”

  “But, you’ve been to the stars.”

  Sif smiled at her. “Yes, we have. And it’s beautiful. It really is.”

  “Litsa,” Hunter interrupted, “we need to contact Lucas, let him know what we’ve found and tell him about Beagle. The only way we can do this is to leave here and go to a place called Ellsworth.”

  “Ellsworth?”

  “In the old times, Ellsworth was a place where the flying machines were, and we think we can find a radio there that will let us talk to Lucas.”

  Sif watched as Litsa absorbed what she was being told, and could tell she knew what Hunter was going to ask next.

  “And you need me to take you there.” A statement more than a question.

  Hunter nodded. “We could use your help. You know the dangers out here, not to mention you know how to live off the land a whole lot better than either Sif or I do.”

  “You want me to leave my home?”

  “We know it’s a lot to ask,” Sif added, “but Hunter’s right. Our chances of making it there are greater with you than without you.”

  Sif searched Litsa’s face, watching as she again struggled with her decision.

  “How far away is this Ellsworth?” Litsa asked.

  “Probably a week’s travel, northeast of here,” Hunter said. “We can move at night, when the Riy are less active.”

  “I must discuss it with Conrad and Geller first. I also need to consider Talia.”

  That’s better than a no, Sif thought.

  “I understand,” Hunter replied.

  Litsa looked to the east. The sky was starting to brighten, and Sif could tell what little light there was had begun to affect Litsa’s eyes.

  “The sun will rise soon. We need to get back to the Dak before then.”

  Sif stood, wiped her hands on her thighs. “I’d hate to run into one of those drones in the daylight. A sluggish one was bad enough.”

  As they turned to leave the stream, Litsa reached out and touched Hunter’s arm. “You said Ellsworth was where flying machines used to be, yes?”

  “That’s right,” Hunter replied. “It was a military base in our time. The Takers might very well be operating from there.”

  “I will help you find a radio to talk to your Lucas. Conrad and Geller will stay here, with Talia.”

  “Then, you will come with us?” Hunter asked.

  “The Takers have my people,” Litsa said coldly. “And I want them back.”

  When they reached the Dak, Sif could tell something was not right as soon as Litsa saw the secondary portal, stopped, and sniffed the air. Sif could feel the heightened tension pouring off Litsa’s body.

  “What is it?” Hunter asked, having seen Litsa’s reaction, as well.

  “The brush covering the entrance has been moved.”

  “Could Conrad or Geller have done it?”

  Litsa looked at Sif. “No. They would stay with Talia. They wouldn’t leave the Dak.”

  “If they didn’t leave,” Sif started to say, but Litsa finished the thought for her.

  “Someone entered.”

  The Takers. Litsa bolted through the hole before Sif could say another word. “Dammit, Litsa, wait!” Sif dropped to her knees and scrambled into the hole, Hunter right behind.

  “Fuck, it’s dark in here,” Sif said. All the wall torches were out. “Litsa!”

  “Shhh,” Hunter whispered. Sif felt his hand on her shoulder.

  From farther down in the cave, they could hear Litsa shouting Conrad’s name, echoing back toward the mouth of the Dak.

  “Come on,” Sif said, “We have to help her.”

  “All right. We’ll feel our way down. Keep one hand on the walls and keep your other hand on my shoulder.” He moved into the lead.

  “Conrad? Geller?” Litsa was still shouting their names.

  Sif felt the heat begin to rise in her face. They’re just kids, for Christ’s sake.

  The sharp crack of a gunshot echoed from the depths of the cave. They heard Litsa scream.

  “No!” Sif yelled. She let go of Hunter’s shoulder and ran blindly toward the sound, but fell to the dirt as Hunter tackled her.

  “No, Sif.”

  “They shot her!”

  “There’s nothing we can do. We need to get out, now.”

  She struggled against his grasp, kicking, but he was too strong.

  “We can’t fight them here, not now. There’ll be another chance,” he pleaded.

  He was right. They had to get out now, before the Takers made it back up to the mouth of the Dak. Outside, in the daylight, she and Hunter could at least see what they were up against.

  “Okay, okay, let’s move,” Sif said. She heard Hunter stand, and as she got to her feet, she heard a popping sound—a soft whistle passing by her ear—and then heard Hunter gasp.

  Another pop.

  A stinging sensation in her neck. She reached up, felt the dart embedded in her skin.

  And then the darkness took her away.

  PART III: PHOENIX

  Chapter 35

  Ignoring the pain, Sif opened her eyes, squinting against the glare. Her mouth was dry, and her tongue felt as if it were glued to the roof of her mouth. The air was cool, yet sterile. A hospital smell.

  She was in bed in a small room, windowless, blindingly white, with the whir of a ceiling fan above. There was an IV line taped to her wrist and wires stuck to her chest, which she promptly ripped off. To her left, monitoring equipment beeped a warning to whoever was watching her screens.

  They would come. Soon.

  She swung her legs off the side of the bed, noticing she was clad in a thin hospital gown. S
he also realized she was clean. They had scrubbed her from head to toe. Her head swam as she tried to stand, dizzy, feeling the aftereffects of whatever drug they shot into her neck. She steadied herself against the side of the bed, gripped the white sheets tightly, and again tried to stand.

  As she did, the door opened.

  It was a woman, wearing light blue hospital scrubs. She was older, roughly Sif’s height, dark skinned. “Whoa there,” she said, stepping closer, “you’re in no condition to go traipsing around just yet.”

  “Where the fuck am I?” Sif yelled.

  The nurse—at least, she looked like a nurse—stopped in her tracks.

  “You’re in a medical facility, and you’re okay. There’s nothing to be afraid of.”

  Sif quickly looked around the room for anything she could possibly use as a weapon. Nothing. “Where is my partner? The man I was with?”

  “He is in another room, recovering just like you are.”

  “From the goddamn dart in his neck, right?”

  “Please,” the nurse said, “we’re not going to hurt you.” She held her hands out in front of her, palms out, saying I’m no threat and Please don’t come any closer.

  Sif was suddenly aware that she could feel the air from the ceiling fan blowing across her bare backside. Her gown was hanging open. God, I hate these things. She ignored it. “I want to see him. Right now,” Sif snarled, taking a step toward the nurse.

  “I need you to get back in bed, Miss Wagner.”

  “How the hell do you know my name?”

  From behind the nurse came another voice. “You’re Commander Caitlyn Wagner, United States Navy.”

  Sif watched as a hulking figure entered the room wearing a fatigue uniform, dark gray, mottled camouflage. He was big—way over six feet tall and two hundred pounds, with arms almost as big as her thighs. And here come the thugs.

  “You were born on November tenth, 1986, in Virginia Beach, Virginia,” he continued, his voice deep and booming in the small room. “Daughter of Deke and Carla Wagner. Pilot-astronaut of the first manned mission to Mars, lost and presumed dead on May thirteenth, 2025.”

  “Impressive, but you forgot my favorite color, asshole.”

  He only smiled, which infuriated Sif even more. And then, incredibly, he snapped her a salute.

  “Ma’am, I’m Major Kyle Murphy, North American Alliance Security Forces.”

  Sif returned the salute before she could even think about it, and then dropped it, staring at her arm as if pissed that it would do such a silly thing. “Okay, Major, so you know who I am. Wonderful. I want to see Lieutenant Colonel Webb. Now.”

  “He’s in the adjoining room, resting comfortably, Commander.”

  “Super. I said I want to see him.”

  “He hasn’t woken from the sedative yet.”

  “Did I say anything about waiting until the sedative wears off, Major?”

  Sif watched the major glance at the nurse. “We’re okay here. You can leave.”

  The woman quickly exited the room, obviously glad to get away. Sif heard the door lock with a click.

  “Now hold on a minute. Do not lock me in here.”

  “We need to talk, Commander.”

  “No shit, Sherlock.” Sif tossed a strand of hair from her eyes, still wet from being washed. “First off, I need to know what you fucksticks did with our lander, and second, I want to know what happened to the people who were in the Da—the cave when you shot us with your friggin’ darts.” She overdid it. Her legs gave out, and she swayed, lightheaded. Don’t faint in front of this moron, come on!

  Before she could react, Major Murphy grabbed her and gently helped her lie back down on the bed. She pushed him away.

  “Don’t touch me.”

  “Sorry, but you looked like you were going to faint there for a second. It takes a while for the sedative to wear off.”

  Sif found the major’s appearance much different from Litsa’s people. His eyes looked much like her own, and his skin had obviously seen the sun. He hadn’t spent his life hiding out in a cave.

  “Once you feel up to it, we can see Lieutenant Colonel Webb. I promise.”

  “Oh, you promise? Can we pinkie-swear, too?” All Sif got in return was a confused look. “I feel up to it right now.”

  The major thought for a second, then nodded. His orders were to make sure the two astronauts were treated with the utmost respect until they could be transferred to the Phoenix Complex, and the airplane would be ready in a couple of hours to do just that.

  “I’ll take you to his room.” He offered his arm.

  “I can walk,” Sif said, swinging her legs off the bed again. “But first, you need to bring me some clothes. I don’t care what, but I’m not leaving this room with my ass hanging out.”

  She watched as the major reached up to his collar and pressed a small button. “This is Murphy. I need a uniform for Commander Wagner.” As he nodded, Sif noticed he was also wearing an earbud. Integrated comms.

  “They’ll have clothes for you in a few minutes, ma’am.”

  Sif nodded. “Thank you.”

  “And ma’am? Welcome home.”

  Chapter 36

  Sif had to admit, they were quick about it. Major Murphy handed her a uniform much like his own, with her name and rank printed above the left breast pouch pocket. He didn’t leave the room as she dressed, but turned his back.

  It fit perfectly. Even the boots were the right size—there were no laces or zippers, but once she slipped them on, they seemed to conform to the shape of her legs, almost as if they were alive. She gasped, then hid her confusion as soon as she saw the major smiling at her.

  She surprised him as she pushed past and grabbed the door handle. It was still locked, which explained why he didn’t try to stop her. “Really?”

  The major reached down and grabbed the handle, and the door automatically unlocked. Some sort of biometrics, Sif guessed. It recognized his hand, but not hers. Interesting.

  When the door swung open, he gestured with his arm. “After you, Commander.”

  Sif stepped outside into a short hallway, just as white and brightly lit as her room. Surprisingly, it resembled a hospital from their time—including the smell—although some of the equipment certainly wasn’t as familiar.

  It wasn’t a large facility, with maybe three or four rooms. A few people in hospital scrubs manned a monitoring station, and all turned to look at her. Sif stared back and didn’t return their smiles. They looked away.

  “Everyone wants to see you, Commander. It’s not every day that we get patients like you and Lieutenant Colonel Webb.”

  “Where is he?”

  “Right in the next room. I’m told he’s awake and has been asking to see you.”

  Earbud again. He was receiving info that she couldn’t hear. Once more, Sif watched the major grab the door handle and heard the lock release.

  “I’m sure he has,” Sif said coldly. She strode into the room and saw Hunter sitting up in bed, drinking some sort of cloudy, thick liquid from a straw. At first, he didn’t recognize her in the uniform, but when he did, he smiled.

  “Nice duds, Sif.”

  “I’d have preferred a flight suit, but these’ll do. How’s the neck?”

  “Other than the needle mark, not bad.”

  “I suppose you’ve already met Major Muscles here?” Sif said, turning toward him and pointing her arm.

  “I have.”

  “So did he happen to tell you what happened to Litsa and the rest of them, or where the hell our ship is?”

  “Not a word.”

  Sif turned toward the major. “Now seems like a pretty good time, doesn’t it, Major?”

  “As soon as Lieutenant Colonel Webb feels up to it, we need to debrief you. All your questions will be answered then.”

  “Debrief?” Sif spat back. “You’re kidding, right?”

  Major Murphy crossed his arms and stared right back at her. “No. I’m not kidding.” />
  Sif turned back toward Hunter, who was already sliding out of bed. “You’re up to it right now, right?”

  “Damn straight. Hey, do I get one of those snazzy storm trooper uniforms, too,” he said to the major, “or do I have to walk around in this gown?”

  Sif could tell the major didn’t know what a storm trooper was, either, but didn’t seem to like the sound of it. “Your uniform will be here shortly, Colonel,” he said.

  “Can you at least answer some of our questions, Major?” Hunter asked. “Like, for starters, where the heck are we?”

  “This is Ellsworth Field Staging Point, Colonel. I believe it was called Ellsworth Air Force Base in your time, close to a place once called Rapid City.”

  They made it to Ellsworth, after all. “And our ship?”

  “Beagle is here, too. We received your landing coordinates from Mr. Hoover and retrieved the ship shortly thereafter.”

  “You’ve contacted Lucas?” Sif asked.

  The major nodded as one of the nurses brought in Hunter’s uniform. “We picked up what turned out to be one of your automated radio calls. He was pretty frantic about finding you two when we responded. We’ve been communicating with him whenever Resolute is within range.”

  “Does he know we’re alive?” Hunter asked.

  “Not yet. The next scheduled comm window will be in”—he looked at a digital timepiece embedded into his sleeve—“about three hours. I’m sure he’s going to be relieved.”

  So they have high-tech uniforms but are still limited by comms. No satellites. “You brought Beagle here? Why?” Sif asked.

  “Repairs. Your number three engine’s fuel pump needs to be replaced, and the radio is shot. We couldn’t do that in the field. And anyway, it’s too dangerous to be out in the open.”

  “The Riy, you mean.” Sif watched as he paused for a moment, as if he were unsure of how to respond.

  “Yes, the Riy. Please, we can talk more during the debrief. A lot has changed since you’ve been gone.”

  “How did you know about the fuel pump and radio?” Hunter asked.

  “We plugged into Beagle’s main computer when we found her. The info was all right there. Look, I can answer more of your questions at the debrief,” the major said, clearly getting annoyed at the endless stream of questions. “But before we do that, I’m sure both of you would appreciate a real meal first, correct?”