by R H Nolan
In the skiff behind them, Trox and Herk were reacting much the same way.
“Just keep going north!” Max shouted, and chopped his hand through the air for Trox’s benefit.
North was the only option they had left. No circling around the city walls, no darting to safety in Zryk’s ship belowground.
Max knew that eventually they would have to stop and fight.
He just didn’t know that it would happen quite so soon.
There was the sound of a gigantic energy blaster, and a massive cloud of sand exploded thirty feet off to their right.
Max glanced back to see massive cannons atop the troop transports behind them.
Their accuracy was unpredictable with so much distance between them—but it wouldn’t be for very long.
On their left came the larger force straight from the city itself, at least three times the size of the detachment that had been waiting near Zryk’s ship.
Shots fired again. Sand exploded twenty feet ahead of their skiff and slightly to the right.
A lucky shot, and a terrifying one.
As their skiff passed through the sand raining down on them, grit assaulted Max’s eyes—but the goggles protected him.
So he saw what was coming as soon as they passed through the cloud.
A giant dip in the desert floor. Part dune, part canyon, all of it invisible from even fifty feet out.
Ayla, though, had been blinded by the sand.
She didn’t see it coming.
“STOP!” Max screamed.
Ayla tried, but she wasn’t fast enough.
The next thing Max knew, the floor of the skiff dropped out from under his feet.
He, Ayla, and Lyra screamed as the skiff fell away beneath them.
Ayla struggled valiantly to recover, but the twenty-foot drop was just too much, the canyon too narrow.
The skiff decelerated fast, but not fast enough.
“AYLA, JUMP!” Max screamed as he shoved Lyra over the side.
Max tumbled over the side of the skiff and rolled across across the sand and rocks.
Behind him he heard a horrible metallic rattling as the skiff tumbled over and over, then a CRASH as it slammed into the opposite wall of the canyon.
Even when Max skidded to a stop, the world kept spinning.
He felt bruised and battered, but nothing seemed broken.
His stats told him that he’d taken a beating, but not a terrible one. Apparently his armor had absorbed some of the impact.
HEALTH: 1092/1400 (78%)
ARMOR: 218/300 (72%)
Chest 81/100 (81%)
Back 52/100 (52%)
Helm 85/100 (85%)
Lifting his head, he looked around.
Lyra was lying on the ground ten feet behind him. Her Health stats hovered over her head—81%, despite her not having any armor. Maybe she’d landed in a sandier patch, or maybe she just healed faster given her powers.
“Lyra?” Max called out.
She raised her head and winced. “I’m okay… ow…”
Max looked in the other direction.
Ayla was halfway between him and the twisted carcass of the skiff.
She wasn’t moving, and her Health was 32%.
“AYLA!” Max shouted, and scrambled over to her. “Lyra, get over here now!”
Lyra moved as fast as she could.
Max crouched beside Ayla and looked at her head. Blood stained a shock of her blonde hair. “Lyra—”
“Get out of the way!” Lyra said as she put both her metallic hands on Ayla’s body.
Her hands began to glow, and Ayla’s stats began to rise.
37%… 42%… 47%…
52%.
“That’s all I can do,” Lyra said, real anxiety in her voice. “At least for now.”
“That’s great, you did great,” Max reassured her.
Ayla’s eyes fluttered open. “Wha… what happened?”
“We crashed. We’re fine, you’re gonna be okay.”
Herk’s voice suddenly yelled from up above. “What’s going on down there?!”
Max looked up. Both Trox and Herk were standing at the edge of the canyon looking down at them anxiously.
“We’re okay!” Max shouted up at them. “Did you guys stop in time?”
“Yeah, but that’s not really important right now!” Trox yelled as he looked over his shoulder. There was a shimmer and he disappeared—
—only to reappear five feet away from Max, Lyra, and Ayla.
“They’re here,” Trox said somberly.
Max could hear it now. The whine of dozens of skiffs and transports.
Herk looked back over his shoulder in panic, activated his powers, and then slid down the twenty-degree slope of the canyon wall using the green flames around him as a buffer. He somersaulted a few times when he hit the bottom of the canyon, then popped back up to his feet.
The whine of the skiffs had become a roar, and dust billowed over the top of the canyon like a cloud.
Running away wasn’t an option anymore. They’d never be fast enough or get far enough away without the skiffs.
It was time to fight.
“We have to get up,” Max said, and helped Ayla to her feet. “Come on.”
She held onto him as he pulled her to her feet. Once they were both standing, he realized one of his hands was at her waist, and the other hand was holding her arm.
He stared at her.
Her blue eyes shimmered as she stared back into his.
Max knew he might not ever get another chance—so he went for it.
He pulled her in close and kissed her on the lips.
For a second Ayla froze, then her hands came up and wrapped around his neck.
It wasn’t a long kiss—they didn’t have time for anything more—but she definitely kissed him back.
Then Max pulled away, and Ayla took a deep breath.
“Dude, is this really the time?” Trox said with a half-smile.
Max grinned, but he spoke directly to Ayla. “I wanted to do that in case I don’t have the chance to do it again.”
Ayla smiled the tiniest bit. “So let’s make it out of here, okay? Then you can do it a lot more.”
His heart skipped a beat when she said ‘you can do it a lot more.’
“Deal.”
“Look,” Lyra said, and pointed up.
Dozens of skiffs and transports appeared against the hazy sky at the edge of the canyon. Rather than power down and let their troops out, though, they kept moving until they eventually found a spot where the angle of the canyon walls wasn’t quite as steep, then descended to the bottom of the canyon. Since the skiffs and transports went slow and were in control the entire time, there were no crashes or tumbles along the way.
Max would have gladly run the opposite direction along the bottom of the canyon, but there was only so far they could go until the skiffs overtook them. Better to make a stand here than get mowed down while they were running.
Max took the opportunity to disintegrate as much sand as he could, until both of his arms were glowing bright yellow.
“Get ready,” he murmured to the others.
Once the skiffs and transports were at the bottom of the ravine, that was when they disgorged their troops.
Within sixty seconds, Max and his friends were staring down hundreds of Neo Angeles soldiers, all with rifles drawn.
The soldiers stopped about seventy feet away. Then they parted, and out of their ranks walked Saris.
His arm was raised, his hand pointed right at Max.
“Well, well, well,” Saris said. “What a nice little corner you’ve backed yourselves into.”
Max raised one of his glowing hands—
“Ah ah ahhhh,” Saris warned as he twitched his own fingers. “Hear me out first.”
“You don’t have anything we want to hear,” Ayla snarled.
“Well, then, my darling little niece, I suppose you can die instead. If that’s what you want.”
Max’s mind raced. They were hopelessly outnumbered. They could take down dozens of soldiers with them, maybe, but they weren’t going to make it out of here alive—not unless they had a plan.
And he desperately needed time to think of one.
“What do you mean, hear you out?” Max asked loudly.
Saris smiled as he waggled a finger at Max. “You’re getting smarter. You can stall for time all you want, but there’s only one way out of this. The sooner you realize that, the better.”
“You wanted to talk,” Max snapped. “So talk.”
Saris looked around at Ayla, Trox, Herk, and Lyra. “Just this morning, you were all a bunch of helpless, sniveling brats, depending on Max here to save you—and then you broke in and stole him right out from under my nose, with powers I’ve never seen before. A teleporter. You…”
Saris gestured at Herk.
“Some sort of chemical-based shield, with the power of speed. My darling niece appears to be a telekinetic. And you—”
Saris pointed at Lyra.
“—I didn’t catch your power. What is it?”
Max’s stomach churned, because he knew what Saris wanted most of all was a healer.
Before Lyra could answer, Max snapped, “She can kill with her touch.”
Lyra glanced at Max questioningly, but he just gave her a warning look.
“Well, I won’t get too close, then,” Saris replied with a smile. “The point is, you all gained the most extraordinary powers in the span of just a couple hours. First, I want to know how. If you tell me—if any of you tell me—I’ll let all of you live. Secondly—”
“You weren’t about to let us live this morning when you released all those Sandwalkers,” Ayla interrupted him, her voice bitter.
Saris smiled. “That’s because earlier, you were of no use to me. Now you are.”
“Do your men know you’re doing experiments on human beings?” Herk snarled.
“Of course. And they all know that when the process is perfected, they’ll become the first super-soldiers in my army, more powerful than any human beings on the planet. Why do you think they’re so loyal to me?”
Max thought about saying that Saris’s true intention was to heal himself, but he was afraid Lyra might react and give herself away, so he went a different direction.
“Why would you want to give anyone else powers, anyway?” Max asked. “You want to be the most powerful man there is—why make people who could be more powerful than you?”
Saris suddenly grew somber. “Earlier today, I didn’t tell you… everything.”
“Surprise, surprise,” Trox called out.
Saris humored him with a tiny smile.
“I told Max that I wanted to benefit all of humanity. He asked me what part of humanity. It’s true, I don’t give a damn about the Scavengers… but I do give a damn about my city. My people. My tribe,” he said, peering into Max’s eyes, as though he were trying to find some commonality.
All it did was make Max want to puke.
Saris continued. “A war is coming. A war between the cities. For years, other governors have been trying to do the same thing I have—use Bug technology to give themselves and their armies superhuman powers. The one who gets there first, wins, and the victor will rule the entire planet. Everyone else will either live with the winner’s boot on their necks… or they will die.”
Max’s eyes widened. “You’re lying.”
“I’m not. What I was doing in that laboratory was trying to find a way to ensure that every person in Neo Angeles winds up a victor, that their families are safe and taken care of, and that they don’t become slaves like the Bloodletter women and children scavenging out on the Heap.
“The five of you… you’re already evolved. You could be my generals. You could be the key to Neo Angeles winning the war before it even starts. Your families would be safe. And as a reward, you would get everything you could possibly desire.”
Saris turned specifically to Max and stared him in the eye. “And you? In return for your help, I’ll give you what you really want: I will bring the Peacewinds into Neo Angeles. As citizens. They would be integrated into society… housed… fed… educated. I won’t bring in the Bloodletters or the Chaotix—they’re beyond saving—but your tribe? I’ll do everything in my power to make sure they’re safe and well taken care of. All I ask in return is your loyalty… and a way into that Bug ship. Just tell me how, and I’ll do the rest.”
Max struggled with his emotions. He didn’t believe Saris… but he wanted to. The idea that his people could finally live in peace? No more hunger, no more fear, no more violence?
And the idea of a war between cities… that was unthinkable. The Peacewinds barely scraped by as it was. What would war do to them, other than wipe them from the face of the earth?
Max wanted to believe…
But Saris was a liar.
…wasn’t he?
Saris looked at them all in turn, one by one. “Will you help me save Neo Angeles? Save your families? Save the Peacewinds? Only one of you has to tell me where the Bug ship is, and I’ll let all of you live. And if any of you agree to help me in the war, I promise you, the rewards will be greater than anything you can possibly imagine. What do you say?”
Max looked at Ayla. She glanced at him, her eyes fiery, and shook her head ‘no.’
“Hey Governor, I’ll help you,” Trox shouted out. “But I want something first.”
Max and Ayla looked at him in shock. Herk and Lyra in particular seemed like they couldn’t believe it.
Saris smiled triumphantly, knowing he’d peeled off the one person he needed. “Name it.”
“Trox, no,” Herk hissed.
“Trox, please,” Ayla whispered. “Don’t.”
“Anything I want?” Trox yelled.
Saris smiled. “Anything at all.”
“Okay.” Trox stared at Saris. “I want my father back.”
Max’s heart soared. From his friends’ faces, he was sure they felt the same.
Saris froze, and his smile faded into a stony frown. His eyes flitted from one face to another. “Anyone else?”
“Yeah,” Herk said. “I want his father back, too, you murdering, lying, medical-experiment-conducting, scum-of-the-earth son of a bitch!”
Saris smiled grimly. “Well… it seems you’ve made your choice.”
The soldiers all tightened their thumbs on their rifle triggers.
Max knew what was coming.
He tensed and was just about to fire preemptively when another voice shouted out from up above them.
“WAIT!”
28
Max, his friends, Saris, and every soldier looked up at the top of the canyon.
Over a hundred hulking silhouettes appeared on one side of the rocky ledge. They all carried either machetes or crossbows.
The Bloodletters.
From the other side of the gorge came a series of yips and screams as men with pierced faces raced up, all of them holding spiked clubs or heavy metal chains.
The Chaotix.
Damn it!
Now Max and his friends faced two Scavenger tribes and a city’s entire army. Any hope he’d had of surviving vanished completely.
Although that didn’t mean they would go down without a fight.
Oryk, the chief of the Bloodletters, called down into the canyon. “Hello, Governor.”
Saris laughed in delight as he gazed up at the men along the ledge.
“Oryk! Good to see you!” he yelled, then turned back to Max. “I never asked them to fight for me, but here they are. At least someone’s smart.”
“Smart, or beyond saving?” Oryk snarled.
Saris’s smile turned to a look of shock, then nausea, all within a second flat.
Max’s eyes widened in surprise.
Could it be…?
Was it possible…?
“Whatever you think you heard, that was just a negotiating tactic!” Saris yelled up at O
ryk.
“I’m sure,” the chief shouted back.
“We can cut a deal! One that will be highly beneficial to you and…” Saris looked up distastefully at the Chaotix on the other side of the canyon. “…everyone in your group!”
“Of course,” Oryk agreed, then shouted, “Hey, sand mouse!”
“Yeah?” Max called out.
Oryk pointed at him with his battle ax. “Remember what I said I wanted!”
Max stared at him, confused. The only thing he could remember the Bloodletter chief saying was, Fifty years of eating trash in this hellhole, and two oranges in all that time. You get me oranges, boy, and I’ll kill whoever you want me to.
Of course, that was right before Oryk betrayed him.
The Bloodletter chief turned to his men and shouted, “NOW!”
Suddenly every single Bloodletter with a crossbow fired.
The bolts only hit about half their targets, but twenty Neo Angeles guards went down at once, arrows in their chests, thighs, or arms. Saris just narrowly avoided getting skewered.
Max hollered with joy.
Oryk hadn’t brought the Scavengers to help Saris take down five kids. He’d come to fight the man who wanted to destroy them all.
Max remembered what else Oryk had said:
I would have taken you up on that offer, sand mouse… if only you’d shown up a little sooner.
Apparently Oryk had decided to take him up on the offer after all.
Every Bloodletter and Chaotik with a melee weapon bellowed and streamed down the sides of the canyon, sliding down on boots and hindquarters with weapons raised.
“Kill them!” Saris screamed.
Unfortunately for him, he didn’t say precisely who he wanted to be killed.
The soldiers turned away from Max and his friends—who appeared calm and helpless—and started firing at the rampaging Scavengers hurtling towards them.
Bad mistake.
Herk erupted in green flames and raced towards the Governor.
At the same exact instant, Max raised his arm and shot an energy blast at Saris.
But Saris was quick.
He fired a sonic blast that ripped through Max’s energy blast and slammed into Herk as well.
Herk flew ten feet backwards and crashed to the ground.