by F. T. Lukens
The guard shoved Ren toward his subordinate. “Take him to the cells. I’ll go report.”
Ren tripped and landed on his hands and knees. The charge of a baton reverberated in his veins as the tip pushed hard against his ribs. He opened his eyes. His fingers curled in the sticky earth.
“Get up.”
Staggering to his feet, Ren complied. Head ducked, his hood hanging in his eyes, Ren meekly followed. Moving farther into the camp, Ren noted the pole lights in various areas. Finding one near the main generator, Ren reached out and cut it off.
“Cheap lights,” his captor muttered. “Always shorting in the cogging rain.”
Ren took that as permission to cut out a few more.
The soldier led Ren to the building in the middle of the camp and scanned his silver tags in the reader. The door swung open. He grabbed Ren by the back of the neck and pushed him over the threshold.
“Dim duster,” he spat as he manhandled him into the building. He pushed him down a few corridors and into a room with two forcefield cells. Ren stifled the hysterical laughter that bubbled in his throat at the irony and kept his head down as they pushed him into the electric cage.
He tripped and landed hard on the wood floor, and dust from the hay wafted into his face. Ren sneezed, and the soldier laughed.
“You’ve got a roommate for the night, Private. We’ll figure out what to do with witless dusters who snoop in the morning.”
The forcefield went up around him; the hum buzzed in his chest, under his skin. Once the soldier left, Ren sat up and rubbed his sleeve over his face while keeping his back turned to the other occupant of the room.
Asher sighed. “Sorry for them. They’re not exactly the pinnacle of Phoenix Corps decorum.”
Ren closed his eyes and allowed Asher’s voice to soothe him. The anxiety that had swelled in him during the encounter gradually bled away, like the tide receding from the beach, a slow ebb and flow, until he calmed. He had made it. Asher was next to him. Anything else could transpire and it would be fine because Asher would be by his side.
Asher cleared his throat. “Hey, are you okay? Don’t be afraid. They’ll release you in the morning.”
Ren stood and turned, wearing a smile so wide his cheeks hurt. A tear spilled down his cheek. His body filled with warmth and happiness, and he was going to burst. “We won’t be here in the morning.”
The gasp was immediate, and Asher stumbled away from their shared wall. “Ren?”
Asher’s face was smudged with dirt, but his green eyes were bright despite the mud smeared in his hair. Dark circles spread like bruises beneath his eyes, and the sharp cut of cheekbones spoke of harsh weeks.
Ren moved forward and pulled his hood away. With a thought, he powered down the forcefields, leaving nothing between them except the musty air and the thick memories from the last time they parted. He reached out a trembling hand. His star instinctively sought out the mechanism in Asher’s shoulder and tingled through it, inspecting the joint; a blueprint of the metal fused with bone lit behind Ren’s eyes. Nothing appeared damaged despite the beating Asher had endured.
Ren’s fingertips grazed Asher’s jawline, then across the line of his cheek, until they caressed the soft skin of Asher’s ear and his palm cradled Asher’s face.
“Ash.” Ren said his name on a sigh. “Oh, Ash, I’ve missed—”
Ren’s words were cut off by Asher’s mouth on his. His hand cupping Ren’s face was gentle, but his arm wrapped around Ren’s waist in an iron grip and pulled him tight enough to bruise. Ren kissed back. His loneliness and grief and relief at finally finding Asher manifested in every rough pass of his lips. He brimmed with emotion—good and bad, light and dark—his body and spirit were bursting and overcome. Power crackled in the air, and goosebumps bloomed over his skin despite the stifling heat and the tight grasp of Asher’s hands. They kissed, needy and frantic, as if they were each other’s air and life and everything good in the world. Ren didn’t pull away despite the need to talk, to plan their getaway. Instead he allowed Asher to back him against the wall and devour his mouth with the same intensity he did everything else.
Asher finally broke the kiss but didn’t move away. He buried his face in Ren’s neck; his breath was a hot, rhythmic brush on Ren’s skin. He trembled when Ren clutched his body in a desperate embrace.
“You’re alive,” Asher said, voice breaking. He cradled the back of Ren’s neck with his hand; his fingers scratched through the short hair at Ren’s nape. “You’re alive. You’re alive and you’re here.”
Ren’s stomach swooped, and his throat clogged with tears. “I thought you knew that.”
“You were when I left, but I didn’t know. I didn’t know if Pen was going to be able to save you. If you were going to wake up.”
“I’m alive,” Ren said. He patted Asher’s hair. “And you’re found. And we’re getting out of here.”
Asher pulled back and placed his hands on Ren’s shoulders. “What the cogs are you doing here?” he said, eyes narrowed, jaw clenched. “You’re risking yourself. You could be anywhere. You had your freedom.”
Ren took Asher’s hand and threaded their fingers. “What’s freedom without you?”
The blush spilling over Asher’s cheeks in the dim light was the most beautiful sight Ren had ever seen. Erden’s sunsets paled in comparison. The view of stars rotating outside a drift window was breathtaking, but nothing in the face of the shy lift of Asher’s mouth.
“When we get out of here, we are going to have a fight about this—a loud fight—but right now, I’m so happy to see you.”
Ren smiled, his eyes crinkling. “As I was saying, I’ve missed you. Every bit of you, even the surly part. Now, are you ready to run?”
“They’ll know it was you. Or they’ll blame Rowan. I can’t leave.”
Ren shrugged. “Actually, the soldiers didn’t log me in because suddenly their data pads wouldn’t work. And you’re not escaping. You’re going to go missing in all the confusion.”
Asher raised an eyebrow. “Confusion?”
Ren smiled. “You don’t think I was stupid enough to come alone, do you?”
Asher’s brow furrowed. He shook his head; his lips were pulled down at the corners. “Who did you—”
The explosion cut Asher off with a tremendous boom. The sound deafened them, swallowed the words Asher shouted, and left the world muffled for agonizing seconds. The ground shook violently, tossing Ren to his knees; the packed earthen floor of the prison scraped through the fabric of his trousers. The makeshift building shuddered. The walls threatened collapse from the force of the shockwave. The remaining forcefield wavered, then fell, as the lights cut out.
Pitched into darkness, Ren had the breath knocked out of his lungs when Asher stumbled and collided with him. Knowing the explosion was imminent didn’t keep Ren from being rattled. His ears hurt and rang. His head pounded as he fell forward on his palms.
“What the cogs was that?” Asher’s voice sounded squeezed, as if his breath had been surprised out of him.
“Our cue,” Ren said, overly loud. He shook his head, hoping the fuzz would clear. “Let’s go.” Ren held out his hand in the darkness to what looked like Asher’s outline, and Asher grabbed it with a strong grip. He threaded his fingers through Ren’s and tugged Ren to standing.
“Follow me.” Asher stepped out of the cell and pulled.
Together, they ran. Bursting from the building, they found the night sky lit with flames almost as bright as the planet’s sun. Thick smoke plumed and curled and blocked the scant light from the stars and the moon. The combination of flickering flames and smoke bathed the camp in moving and twisting shadows; frightening omen-like shapes danced around them, chased them as they ran, but provided reassuring cover for their escape. Asher skidded to a stop, mouth open, orange fire reflecting in his eyes. Around them, soldi
ers scrambled to put out the burning generator, trampled over the grass and dirt, yelled orders in panicked voices.
Ren flipped up his hood and hid his mouth with the back of his sleeve to keep from choking on the smoke and the ash which fell like snow.
“What did you do?” Asher coughed, mirroring Ren’s pose.
Ren shrugged. “It wasn’t me. It was a friend. Come on, we need to leave, quickly, and use the diversion they created for us.”
Asher gave the camp one last, lingering glance: the mayhem as soldiers poured from buildings, officers yelling orders as the flames climbed higher and leapt to another building. The wood framing caught quickly despite the rain as it crackled and warped with the heat.
Ren didn’t know what Asher saw, other than chaos, but something in his expression told Ren, despite the urgency and their need to run, to allow Asher to have this moment, to allow him to say goodbye.
“Okay,” Asher said with a nod. “Okay.”
They ran from the camp to the road. The second explosion hit the generator on the far side of the camp. The concussive force was not as devastating, but Ren staggered as they crossed the road and hid in the ditch beside it.
Ren’s muscles trembled. He wheezed in the hot air. “We need to get to the rendezvous.”
“Please don’t tell me you’ve docked the ship here. The Corps logs everything at that spaceport. The Star Stream is too recognizable.”
“The ship isn’t there. It’s in the jungle. Come on.”
Ren stood and took Asher’s hand. His palm was damp against Ren’s skin.
“How did it get there?”
Ren tugged and stumbled to his knees. The trek through the rain forest and the spent adrenaline from being captured again made him quake with exhaustion. His legs didn’t have the strength to hold him, and his hands shook like leaves in a wind.
“Ren?”
“I’m fine. Help me up.”
Asher pulled Ren to standing, then looped Ren’s arm over his shoulder. “You’ll tell me what’s wrong.”
“Later. This way.”
Ren and Asher took a few steps before Ren’s power pinged with the burst of a pulse gun. The hair on his arms stood on end. The electric charge fizzled behind his eyes. “Drop!”
They fell to their knees, and the blast flew over their heads and smashed into a tree. Splinters rained on them. Ren lurched to his feet and spun to find the guard, who leveled his weapon at Ren.
“You! Cogging duster. I should’ve known there was something wrong with you! You did this!”
“I did.”
Asher stood up behind Ren, and the soldier’s face went nearly purple with rage. He swung his gun arm to focus on Asher. “You are a traitor.”
The sky opened on a crack of thunder, and a torrent of water unleashed. The rain pounded on their heads and shoulders and turned the ground into treacherous swift-moving puddles. Ren’s boots filled; the muddy runoff from the road was suddenly up to his ankles. In the dark and the heavy rain, only the pulse of electricity from his weapon and the shadowy outline cast from the riot of fire yards away gave Ren an idea of where the soldier stood.
Asher disengaged from Ren and raised his hands. “Let us go.”
The soldier laughed, body shaking; the sound bled into the chaos of the camp and the roar of the fire. Ren focused on the weapon; its signature was within his grasp. Ren could stop him if he shot again, but he wasn’t going to risk it.
“No,” he called out. “You’re both going back. The only question is alive or dead.”
The weapon charged with a whine, and Ren’s eyes flashed.
Asher took a step forward, positioning himself between the soldier and Ren. His boots made indents in the mud. The rain flattened his blond hair. His hands were steady, and his voice was low and even when he spoke.
“It’s not going to hurt anyone if we escape. Let us walk away and disappear. That’s all we want.”
The guard sneered. “If you think I’m going to let a duster and traitor escape after burning down half the camp then you’re out of your cogging mind. Now, up on the road.”
They didn’t move. Asher tried again. “Please, understand. This is bigger than this moment. This is bigger than this camp.”
“I’m not interested in your cause. Quit stalling. There might not be a cell to throw you in, but I’ll find something.” His finger twitched against the trigger, and Ren shuddered with gathering potential.
They had to leave. And if they left the soldier alive, he’d tell his superiors that Asher ran away with a duster. It wouldn’t take much for the Phoenix Corps to put it together. They’d know Ren was alive. They’d come after the crew. They’d never be free.
Narrowing his eyes, Ren raised his hand. “I can’t let you stop me. And I can’t let you tell anyone else.”
Asher whipped his head around, eyes wide. “Ren, no—”
“What are playing at? You can’t do anything to me.”
Ren allowed his eyes to go blue. “Corps tech tends to short in the rain.”
Lines of blue lashed and arced from the pulse gun up the soldier’s arm in a tangle of power. The comm on this uniform burst into flame and sizzled. The soldier fell to the wet earth, like a puppet with strings cut; twitched once, twice; and then lay still. Smoke wreathed around the body and mingled with the plumes rising from the camp.
Ren pulled back and settled his star in the center of his chest. He dropped his arm, boneless and weary. Ren hunched forward and slapped his palm over his mouth so his fingertips dug into his skin and hooked against the bones of his jaw. He bit back a scream and a sob, swallowing it into the depths of his self.
Asher clutched his other hand with force so bruising the bones of Ren’s fingers mashed and ground together.
“Ren, we should go.”
Ren nodded, shaky and unsure, and straightened. The edge of his hood lay sodden on his forehead. Rivulets of water ran down Asher’s face. Ren swiped his thumb over Asher’s cheekbone so it smeared mud, and his hand trembled. “Yes, but I….” Ren trailed off. He swallowed the lump in his throat. “I had to.”
“I know.”
Asher didn’t offer a platitude. Ren didn’t want one. He’d made a choice. He’d make the same choice again.
“This way.”
They loped to the thick edge of the rain forest. Ren’s pace was spurred by adrenaline and fear. His actions ran on loop in his head, and he was terrified of running into another Corpsman. He didn’t think he could be responsible for anything else tonight.
Finally, they pushed into the cover of the jungle along the path Ollie and Lucas had created. Once under the cover of the dense foliage, the scant light created by the fires and explosions dimmed until all Ren could see through the branches was an occasional streak of orange. They stopped and rested. Ren leaned against the slender trunk of a young tree and hoped that nothing crawled or slithered nearby in the impenetrable dark. Only by keeping close and allowing his eyes to adjust to the darkness, was Ren able to see Asher. The furrow of his brow was unmistakable, as was the set of his shoulders.
“We’re okay,” Ren said. “We’re okay. We’re okay.”
“We’re okay.” Asher squeezed Ren’s hand. He didn’t let go. “How did you find me?”
“It’s a long story.”
“You didn’t put yourself at risk, did you? You didn’t reveal yourself to anyone.”
Ren sucked down the thick soupy air and pressed a hand to his side. “No. I’m dead.”
“Good.”
“Wow, and I thought my relationships were twisted.”
Ren jumped and whirled on his heel. Darby emerged from a cluster of brush with Ollie right behind her holding a small light.
Darby pointed at Asher. “Is this him?”
Asher’s fingers curled tighter around Ren’s hand. Ren brushed h
is thumb over Asher’s knuckles to soothe him. “Yes, this is him.”
Darby grinned. “Awesome. Glad you found him.”
Ren smiled. “Good job with the blowing things up. Were you seen?”
Darby smiled wider; her teeth flashed white. “It was fun. And no. We set the charges and ran. But I don’t want to stand out here with critters. That big flying thing I saw earlier was terrifying.”
Shuddering, Ren agreed.
Ollie snorted. “Rowan should be a little way in with another light.” He brushed past them and grabbed Asher in a fierce one-harmed hug as he passed. “Good to see you, brother.”
Asher slapped Ollie hard on the back before letting him go.
Darby followed close on Ollie’s heels. She gave Asher an appraising glance, then knocked her fist into Ren’s shoulder. “Come on. We’re going to need freaky science-magic to get us out of here before those soldier folks figure out where we’ve gone.”
Asher raised an eyebrow and mouthed “freaky science-magic.” Ren shrugged.
A bright orb bobbed in the dark where Rowan waited. They followed Ollie and Darby down the trail.
6
Rowan grabbed Asher in a hug, and Ren stepped back from the reunion. It only lasted a moment, but the intensity was not lost on the group. Holding a small light to illuminate the path, Rowan ushered the others the rest of the way. The ship waited for them, silent and dark, save for the low hum of the background systems.
Ren stepped through the bay door, and the ship welcomed him with a warm, familiar sensation. It enveloped him and soothed his frayed nerves. Touching the bulkhead, he closed his eyes and embraced the comfort of the Star Stream’s systems. His clothes dripped onto the deck plate in small puddles, and he shrugged off the sodden cloak. It fell with a plop, and Ren squelched toward the bridge with his toes swimming in his boots.