by Siren Allen
More males filed through the entrance. Why the door wouldn’t shut still puzzled Silver. He blasted those that made it through. Some stumbled as they entered, tripping over dead bodies littering the floor.
From the corner of his eyes he saw Ep moving his way. The male was carrying three guns. Silver kept shooting, walking sideways. He raised his free hand. Ep tossed him a weapon.
He winced when he caught it. The adrenaline pumping through him made him momentarily forget he’d been shot in that arm.
“Once open, the doors won’t close. I think that was the purpose of the virus they transmitted,” Ep told him, falling in line next to Silver. “When we left the cargo hold we couldn’t seal it off behind us. My mate is in there.”
“We won’t allow them to get to her.”
The four members of the Striker stood side by side, firing at any who stepped through the entrance. Soon no more males stumbled inside. He could hear someone screaming fall back. It wasn’t Rhodes’ voice. Still, they could count this as a victory. Rhodes would think twice about attacking them again.
“Should we let them go, let them release us from their gravitation pull?” Beta asked.
“I don’t think they’ll release us. They’ll probably try to carry us to the nearest space station. They all have to die. But I want Rhodes alive. I want to know what he’d planned to do with Nahid and the boy before I kill him.”
“So no turning him over to the authorities?” Beta asked.
“He’s already with the authorities. They don’t want him. They want us.”
“Then we kill them all.” Beta raised his weapon.
“Guys,” Gamma was staring out the flight window. “Look.”
Three more ships had uncloaked themselves and were heading their way, missiles aimed in the Striker’s direction. The ship in the middle was the Iron Bender.
Fuck.
***
“Frost, you have to stay here.”
“Can’t. I must check on Nahid.”
“You mean, she’s here?”
Frost wasn’t listening to her. He was standing in the middle of the room staring at the bedroom door.
“Frost?”
His little body began to tremble.
“Frost, are you okay?”
What was he looking at? Her eyes followed his gaze. He was staring at the door. But why? A strange noise filled the room. It was coming from the door. The temperature in the room dropped.
What the hell? The door was turning to ice. Malia grabbed the sheet from the bed and wrapped it around her. The whole room was freezing. Frost was doing this, he had to be. Now his name made sense.
“Frost, stop.”
“Can’t, must save Nahid.”
“I’ll help you. But you have to stop this.”
He turned to her, his eyes were blue and looked like shards of glass, no, ice. His eyes resembled shards of ice. What sort of creature was he?
“I won’t hurt you,” he told her. “But I can’t let them hurt her.”
He turned back to the door. Malia watched in shock as he took a deep breath and blew toward the door. A groaning noise filled the room before the door fell forward. How was this even happening?
Before she could say anything he raced from the room. The noise on the outside of the room was horrible. She could hear gun fire. She didn’t know what to do. Malia moved to the door. Part of her was afraid to go out there.
If Frost was frightened and he could blow doors off the hinges, then she should be really frightened. Still, she couldn’t let the kid run around on a ship that was at war. She didn’t even know whose side she was on.
Malia walked down the hall. She pressed her hand to the wall as the ship jolted. Was that… had they been struck by a missile? Malia didn’t know what direction Frost had run in. She simply followed the cold temperature. It led her to a room filled with crates and boxes.
“Frost,” Malia called, looking behind a box.
“I am here.”
Malia followed the sound of his voice. “There you are. We have to go. I think I know a way out.” She would need Striker’s assistance. She sure hoped he remembered their deal.
Frost didn’t move. He just stood staring down at a box on the floor. Malia cautiously made her way over to him as the ship rocked. It was no longer safe to be on board The Striker. She had to take Frost and leave.
“What are you staring at?” Her hand flew to her mouth when she leaned forward and peered down. It was a stasis container, and inside was a woman who looked frail and malnourished.
“This is mata,” Frost told her. “They keep her here.”
“Silver and his crew keeps her here?”
Frost nodded.
“Is she alive?”
“Barely. I have tried to see into her future. I am not good at this. I have never been good at it. It’s why I’m only allowed to live for a few years.”
“What? I will not let anyone kill you Frost.”
“You can’t stop them. I have to die. I am not skilled at predicting the future.”
“They would kill you for that?” What type of monster had she fallen in love with?
Frost nodded. “They blamed my failings on mata. They would not feed her. She was my watcher. She was supposed to help me progress. She failed. They starved her because I couldn’t answer their questions. But the things they wanted to know, no person should know. It isn’t supposed to be known.”
Frost placed his hands over his ears. The ship rocked harder, Malia fell to the ground. It continued to jerk. She had no idea what was happening. The gunfire was endless. They had to leave, now.
“Frost,” she stretched her arm out. “Come with me.”
“You should go. Run, Malia. They want you too.”
Shit. Did Silver know she was out of her room? She struggled to stand. “Frost.”
“Go,” he yelled turning to face her. “And don’t trust them. No matter what they say.”
“I can’t leave you. I’ll get help for her too.”
“Go!” This time he took a deep breath. When he released it, it blew her backward. Her head connected with a cargo box. Malia was slow to rise.
“Run.” He yelled.
Malia gripped the box and pulled herself up. The back of her skull throbbed. She touched where the pain was the worse. Blood coated her fingers. She had to leave here or she would end up dying here.
Malia held the wall for support as she walked from the cargo room. When she made it to the hall she slumped to the floor. “Striker, remember.”
Nothing happened. Shit. The tears fell. She truly was going to die here.
“Malia. I am here. Rise and do exactly as I tell you.”
“Striker, thank the stars. You were right. They are wanted.”
“Yes. Now move. I need you to go back to Silver’s room.”
“No, I have to get off this ship. I can’t go back there.”
“You must. Silver has a hatch under his bed. You must use it to get to the lower deck. On the lower deck there is an escape pod.”
“Really? If that’s true, why didn’t they escape the GP via the escape pod?”
“It only seats four. There are more than four of you on the ship. Go now Malia.”
Gathering her strength and courage she stood and raced to the room, tripping as the ship jerked.
“Are the GP bombing us?”
“Yes.”
When Malia made it to the room she grabbed hold of the bed and pulled it out of the way. Striker was right. Underneath it was a hatch.
“Don’t just stare at it. Open it.”
Doubt gnawed at her. Malia gripped the handle, telling herself that she was doing the right thing. She might not be able to trust the crew of this ship, but she could trust Frost. He said they’d starved his mata because he wasn’t progressing the way they deemed fit.
They were going to kill him because he couldn’t see the future. She’d tried to save him, but he wouldn’t come with her. What more could
she do?
“Malia, you don’t have much time.”
“I know!” She wished Striker would shut the hell up.
“I know this is a lot for you to process. I am sorry things are happening at this pace. But the GP is still hooked to the Striker. Silver is preoccupied. I can get you off without him noticing. If you make it to the escape pod, I can make sure you dock on one of the GP ships, The Iron Bender.”
She could do this. She had to do this. Malia lifted the hatch. There was a short staircase that led into darkness. She couldn’t see a thing. Malia climbed down. When she made it to the bottom she saw a light flicker. She moved closer to the light. It was an escape pod. Thank the stars. The door to the pod opened.
“Is that you doing this Striker?”
“Of course.”
“Thanks.” Malia climbed inside and buckled up. “I’m nervous, just so you know. I hope I’m doing the right thing.”
“You are.”
“Yeah, I think so.”
Malia tapped her foot, eager to get this done but also slightly upset that she was leaving. She’d come to love Silver. He’d even admitted to loving her. But he had so many secrets.
And he was planning to kill Frost and his mata. Malia shook her head, shaking off any doubt. This was the right thing to do. She would tell the authorities about Frost and his mata. They would save the child.
“I’m ready,” Malia said out loud.
“In a few moments you will be on the Iron Bender. You will be safe. This is the day the crew of the Striker will pay for their crimes.”
What she should’ve been feeling was relief. Instead, she felt dread and the urge to cry until she passed out.
Chapter Nineteen
The Iron Bender had arrived.
“That victory was short lived,” Beta sighed.
“We can’t defeat them all,” Ep whispered. “I think we have to put Striker back online and enable warp drive. I don’t give a damn where it takes us.”
“That may be our only way out of this,” Silver agreed.
Silver moved to the console, preparing to bring Striker back into the fold. The screen flickered, an image appearing.
“Someone is trying to contact us. Ep, Beta watch the door. Gamma keep your eyes on those ships that have dropped down in front of us.”
Silver sat down and pressed receive. The image that appeared was Palenzo’s.
“It seems your crew has gotten into trouble with the Galaxy Patrol,” Palenzo’s deep voice filled the room.
“It seems we have.”
“Why are you so close to my home?”
“We were heading to Qoaran when they stopped us.”
“You need my help?”
“Yeah, we need help getting rid of these asses and we need a place to lay low for a while.”
“I can help you get rid of the asses. But I cannot allow you to lay low here.”
“Why not?”
“You’re wanted for killing a whole race.”
“It was… a misunderstanding.”
“Be that as it may, I cannot bring trouble to my people.”
“Listen Palenzo, my mate is on board and…”
“I have a mate now also, Sebastian. Her safety is the reason why I cannot aid you in this. She is a respected leader. I do not want to tarnish her good name. I will help you fight. Then you will be on your way.”
“I need fuel.”
“I can help with that. But that is all, agreed.”
“Agreed, wait, our ship has been hacked.”
Palenzo gritted his teeth. “My sister is great with technology. I will allow her to help. Then you must leave.”
The image disappeared.
“At least he’ll help with some of it,” Ep said.
“Yeah.”
“Incoming,” Gamma yelled.
Silver raised his head in time to see a missile coming their way. He gripped the console as the ship pitched. He couldn’t imagine how frightened Malia and Frost must be. Help was here now. Soon, they’d be free. To go where? He didn’t no. But they’d be safe.
When the ship was balanced once more, Silver stood. “We have to hold them off until Palenzo arrives.”
“Look behind you. I think our boy just got here.”
Silver glanced back out the window to see five ships appearing behind the Iron Bender.
“We’ll let him handle them, we need to take over this GP ship. Our ship is wanted. We can’t land on a space station in The Striker. Ep, Gamma, stay here. If Rhodes is still on board the GP ship, I know he’s bidding his time to come here and steal back his cargo. I want him alive.”
“What if I just happen to kill him?” Gamma asked.
“Try not to. I want to know why he called Frost and Nahid weapons. There’s a bigger picture here. I just can’t seem to figure it out. Beta, let’s go.”
“I’m with you Captain.”
Epsilon and Gamma stood at the door, guns at the ready, providing cover for Silver and Beta as they left the Striker and boarded the GP vessel. They had to climb over bodies to reach the bridge connecting the ships. One of those bodies was commander Novencahl. Good riddance.
Silver stared over his shoulder, “If we don’t come back in ten minutes or if The Striker takes too many hits, put the ship into warp drive and leave us.”
“Not happening,” Gamma announced.
Silver grit his teeth. He didn’t have time to argue. Beta patted him on the shoulder.
“That’s one argument you won’t win. There’s no way they would ever leave us behind. Let’s go.”
Silver led the way onto the other ship which was eerily quiet.
“Escape pods?” Beta asked.
“Could be. I just can’t imagine Rhodes leaving without first attempting to get back what we took.”
“Yeah, he’s a tenacious bastard.”
Silver pointed to the right. He’d seen movement in that direction. Beta headed that way. Silver kept going forward. There was no one on the flight deck. He hated walking onto ships that he didn’t know the layout of.
Guards could be hiding anywhere. Beta checked the area Silver had pointed to. He shook his head. Nothing that way. Silver could’ve sworn he’d seen something.
“Captain,” Ep’s voice came through the comm device.
“Yeah?”
“The two GP ships and Iron Bender are retreating.”
“Fuck.”
“That’s a good thing, right?”
“Could be. But we can’t find Rhodes. Give us a minute. We’re going to check the whole ship.”
Silver and Beta continued their search and came up empty handed.
“Escape pods?” Beta said as they headed back to the Striker.
“I guess so. Shit. I wanted that bastard. This will never be over with him free, looking for us.”
“Yeah. We’ll get him next time. We need to update The Striker. We’ll be ready for those idiots when they return.”
Silver stepped over the bodies to get back to his ship. They’d have to space them all. No burial ritual for them. They didn’t deserve it.
“Captain,” Gamma was standing at the main console. “Transmission coming over from Palenzo.”
“Bring it up.”
Palenzo’s image appeared on the screen. “Your enemies have departed. Have you claimed the GP ship that currently has you in their pull?”
“We have,” Silver told him. “Thank you. We owe you.”
“Yes, you do. What are your next moves?”
“We will dock the Striker on the GP ship. Then we’ll dock the GP ship on your world to refuel and get help with that virus I mentioned.”
“Perhaps we should make a trade. You give me the GP ship and I give you one of my fighter crafts.”
“That’s very generous of you. Why are you offering up a fighter craft?”
“You will need it. Your own commander has turned against you. His ship is better than yours.”
Though it pricked his pride, Sil
ver couldn’t deny the truth.
“Why do you want a GP ship?”
“I don’t. But you can’t fly to a space station in it now. It’ll be reported as stolen.”
Shit. He was right. “Okay. We’ll trade.”
“You know the way to Qoaran. Follow when ready.”
Palenzo’s image disappeared.
“Ep. We need this door closed. I don’t want any surprises.”
“On it.”
“Beta, you can fly the GP ship, right?”
“Hells yeah.”
“Good. Gamma, I thought I saw movement onboard the GP ship. We didn’t find anyone. Grab the sensor goggles and do a sweep of our ship and theirs. I want to be sure everything is fine.”
“Gotcha.”
“I’m going to go check on my mate and the kid. We all know what we have to do. Let’s get it done.” Silver left the flight deck. When he entered his room. His heart dropped. Malia and the kid was gone. The bed was moved and the hatch was open. The fucking door was on the floor.
“Malia?” Silver ran over to the hatch. He didn’t bother taking the stairs down. He leapt to the bottom. The pod was gone. “Malia.” Silver raced back up the stairs. Where the hell was she. No one had gotten on the ship. Had they? Fuck.
“Malia.” Silver pressed his comm-device. “Malia is missing.”
“No one got on board,” Gamma spoke.
“No one got past us,” Beta chimed in.
“She’s got to be here,” Ep added. “Where’s the kid?”
“Looking for them both.” Silver raced down the hall. Ep had mentioned the cargo hold being left open. Perhaps they hid there. Bingo. Silver found the kid standing guard at Nahid’s stasis chamber. Ice coated the child and the stasis chamber.
“Frost.”
“I protected Nahid. I watched over her. I couldn’t protect them both, I couldn’t.”
“Okay, come on. Let me take you to the flight deck.”
“I have to stay here. It isn’t over.”
“It’s not?”
“No. There will be more blood. I don’t know whose. Please don’t get mad.”
“I won’t. Why would I get mad?”
“The others got mad. They would ask me questions, about the darkness, about the monsters that lived in the darkness. They wanted me to call to the monsters, to try to bring them forth. I couldn’t do it. I could feel how bad they were. The creator put them in the hole for a reason. They’re not supposed to come out. I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t bring them out. It was wrong.”