by KD Jones
Bloody hell! She did as he said and covered her head. Please, God, help us land safely. Jenny repeated the prayer over and over. She had never been religious, but it couldn’t hurt. Another hit crashed into them, jarring the shuttle off kilter. Right, left, right.
“We’re going down!” the pilot yelled.
Alarm sirens blared, deafening her. The engines squealed a death cry. The craft rocked side to side, churning her stomach. Jen scrunched tighter, holding her breath, knowing she was going to die. The shuttle pitched violently, sending anything loose crashing into the wall and seats.
The first tree slapped the undercarriage, twisting them sideways. The battering slammed against the wall at her back. She was afraid it would rip away, throwing her into the open sky.
Limbs ripped away the wings and external engines. The floor fell away as Jen felt the world shift and she hung from her seat belt before continuing to whirl.
With a bone-shuddering crash, everything stopped. The only thing she heard was her heart pounding in her ears. Did that mean she was alive? Jen let out her breath, dizziness overwhelming her, and everything went dark.
*****
ZenIM walked through the jungle heading toward the open field where the shuttle bringing the human medic would soon land. It was nightfall as he had requested. He didn’t want any witnesses to the shuttle arriving to draw unnecessary attention.
His ears picked up the transport’s engines, but another sound was not right. Jumping and climbing the nearest tree, he looked to the sky. The shuttle didn’t have its lights on, but he used the sound to find its location—a few miles out still over the jungle. A little higher and behind the shuttle flew another type of ship. It wasn’t like any he had seen.
He felt the jolt as the second ship fired on the shuttle. “What in Kitana is happening?”
ZenIM slid down the trunk, barely touching the branches as he went. As his feet hit the ground, the air trembled from the shuttle taking another direct hit. No question—the small craft wouldn’t survive. Driving his thighs into high speed, he raced forward, hoping to find someone still alive in the wreckage.
His heart raced faster, and he listened for any change in direction. The sounds of snapping tree trunks told him they were about to crash. The speed it traveled and loss of power made him wonder if anyone would survive.
While he ran, he jumped over logs fallen in his path. He couldn’t help but speculate who the attacker was. It could be the rebels, but it had been many months since they had any incidents with the group. The noise of the firing ship’s engines were not familiar to him. He’d been to the city many times, and Leader LarIS and Commander AshOR showed him their newest equipment. ZenIM even flew in a two-person warship—not that he would ever do so again—but he experienced and would recognize it.
ZenIM listened for sounds in the distance. His hearing reached farther than most of his people due to his mutations. His other senses were also enhanced greatly. Looking up, he could make out smoke from an engine streaking through the sky. Pushing himself faster, he reached the ravine quickly.
Slowing, he heard the other ship circling, looking for the shuttle. Luckily the trees were very tall and had plenty of leaves to give coverage. He had to get to them before the enemy.
Kitana! He had hoped the shuttle had made it onto this side of the chasm splitting the two bodies of land. A hundred feet below, the rushing current swept boulders and earthy debris to a waterfall less than a mile away. With no sight of the ship at the bottom, the shuttle must be on the other side. Only three ways over: flying over the ravine in a shuttle, going down the steep slope of the mountainside to the riverbank below and crossing, and the rope bridge his people had made. It was rarely used with no bracing and frayed line but would be the fastest route.
Ten minutes later, he reached the crossover; some of the wooden steps on the bridge were missing. Luckily, he had really long legs. He wasn’t sure how he would get an injured person back over the bridge. He’d have to think about it when the time came.
Reaching the other side, he took off running again. A noise to the side sounded like a ship trying to land. Jumping up the nearest tree, he climbed to find out how far the enemy was. Close, but the terrain in that direction was rough.
He hoped those in the shuttle were in good enough shape to make it over the river.
Chapter 5
“Ugh…” Jenny groaned as she tenderly attempted to push herself up. Her body felt like lead, and she ached everywhere. Where was she? What happened?
Opening her eyes, she glanced around, squinting. Her glasses had fallen off, but she could identify where she was. It all came back to her in a rush. She was on the shuttle—or what was left of it. It had crashed on its side, the front end angled upward as well. Panels on the roof were torn open, and tree branches had breached the interior. She was trapped by the seat belt but felt grateful. Without it, she could have been thrown from the shuttle or possibly be dead right now. Bloody hell!
She heard a groan somewhere above her—the pilot. What was his name? It started with an A, and it reminded her of a type of plant. AkeLY? No, AkER.
“AkER? Can you hear me? Are you all right?”
He groaned again. She had to get to him. Reaching for the buckle, she struggled to get it unhooked. “Come on!” Shaking it, she finally broke free and fell from the seat to the floor of the shuttle.
Her glasses had fallen from her face. She reached for them, frowning at the bent frames. With no time to fix them, she shoved them on her face. Crawling up the aisle, she had to step on the seat bottoms to get to where the pilot lay face down on the console. His seat belt had been nearly ripped out of the connection on the pilot’s chair.
Gently, she moved him back so she could get a look at his injuries. Pressing her fingers to his throat, she checked his pulse. Steady beat, which was a relief. He had cuts all over his face and hands, and a bump forming on his forehead. He could’ve had a concussion as well. She needed her bag for her medical scope to check internal injuries.
“AkER? Come on, handsome, open your eyes for me.”
Thankfully he responded by blinking. His eyes moved separately, not able to focus on her.
“What...happened?” he asked in choppy breaths.
“We crashed.”
Gulping in air, he said, “Hurt.”
“Yes, you’re hurt.”
“No...you hurt?”
She gave him an endearing smile. “Don’t worry about me. We need to take care of you. Follow my finger for me.” Holding up a finger in front of him, she moved it side to side. He definitely lost focus. The emergency lights flickered allowing her to see somewhat, but they would die soon. He also had a hard time breathing. She needed to get him out of this seat but worried she would cause more damage. A pungent scent filled the air, almost like rotten eggs.
“What is that smell?” she asked.
“Fuel,” AkER answered.
“We’re leaking fuel?” Things were getting worse by the minute.
“Help me up,” he told her, trying to reach for the seat belt buckle but not able to get to it.
Jenny pulled the clasp while bracing AkER so he wouldn’t fall. Putting his arm over her shoulder, they both slowly staggered their way back to the cargo bay ramp. At that moment, the lights died.
“Can we get out with no power?” she asked.
“There’s a manual control in the panel to the left of the door. Push against it and a flap will pop open.”
She leaned him against the wall then felt around for the compartment. Thankfully, the grooves outlining it were distinct and easy to find. She pushed against the panel, and it popped open, flopping down to hit the bottom wall. Reaching inside, she clasped a lever.
“How do I do this?”
“Pull the lever toward you and turn clockwise.”
Biting her bottom lip, she did as instructed and was surprised to find the process easy. The ramp began to lower. “It’s working!”
When she g
lanced at AkER, he was sliding to the ground. No no no! She scooped him up, wrapped her arms around his waist, helping him to his feet.
“Come on, handsome. I don’t want to be caught in this metal can if a fire breaks out.”
He half coughed, half laughed. “Neither do I. As a warrior, it’s not how I want to leave this world.”
Shuffling onto the ramp, she frowned, seeing they were still a foot off the ground.
“We have to jump down,” AkER said, not sounding all that thrilled.
“Let’s make this a little easier on both of us. Sit down and scoot to the edge.” She held on to him as he awkwardly lowered to a sitting position, then she pushed to help him reach the edge. She hopped down first.
“It’s not as far from a sitting position.” She reached up to help him as he leaned forward, falling more than hopping. She caught him, but his weight almost took both of them down.
Jenny struggled while her eyes adjusted to the darkness and to the fact that her vision through the broken glasses was not clear. How far should they go from the shuttle? The question was answered when AkER collapsed six feet away. Passed out would be more accurate. She pulled him a little farther but wasn’t strong enough to move his large size of pure muscle. He could have internal damage she didn’t know about.
“I need my medical scope.”
Without second guessing her actions, she ran back to the shuttle. Crawling onto the ledge of the ramp was more difficult than coming down. She scraped her hands and arms. After moving inside, she pulled her medical bag from the storage box in the floorboard in the back of the shuttle. Looking around, she also spotted her digital tablet lying face down against the wall. Picking it up, she frowned at the crack. Maybe it could be fixed. Opening her bag, she stuffed the tablet inside. Then she headed back out.
AkER was awake but looked even more confused. When he caught sight of her, his shoulders relaxed. “I worried when I didn’t see you.”
“I needed to get my medical bag.” Kneeling at his side, she opened the case and pulled out her scope. Holding the pencil-shaped instrument, she waved it over his body. The results displayed through a window along the side.
“You’ve cracked a rib, have bruises and cuts, and may have a concussion.”
“What’s a cutcuson?”
“Con-cu-ssion. It’s a type of injury to your brain.” She saw he didn’t understand still. “When the shuttle hit the trees and crashed, it jolted your head and body back and forth. That could result in fuzzy vision and loss of balance. I’m going to give you an injection of nanos to repair the damages.”
“Just give me a booster.”
That made her stop and look at him, brow raised. Shaking her head, she said, “No. With injuries like this, I don’t recommend that. A booster is used in the midst of a battle where there’s no time to reach a medic. It speeds up the healing for some injuries and increases energy. It’s a Band Aid not a real fix, and could be dangerous making you feel like you could take on more than you should.”
AkER growled. “It will be fine. We need to get far from the wreckage. Whoever shot us down will be looking for us.”
The thought made her shiver, but her patient’s wellbeing came first. “I won’t endanger you by giving you something that could cause more damage.”
“Just give me the booster!” he ordered. At her look of surprise, he cringed. “Sorry.”
She understood he was hurting and feared for their safety, but he wasn’t telling her how to do her job. Jenny narrowed her eyes, peering through the broken glasses. “Who is the doctor—medic—here?”
“You are.”
“Exactly. I don’t tell you how to pilot, you don’t tell me how to heal.”
She must have shocked him with her firm voice because he shut up, leaned back against a tree, and let her take care of him.
He winced, and she pulled out meds to ease the pain, but she couldn’t give him anything too strong or he would pass out. She needed him able to move in case the shuttle did catch on fire. Jenny also didn’t want to be helpless if the enemy showed up.
“Thank you, that’s better,” he said as the pain was relieved somewhat.
She nodded and scanned the medical scope near his foot. “Did you injure your ankle?”
“Yes, something hit it when we struck the trees. Not sure what that was.”
Jenny thought he had been limping because of his ribs and dizziness. The nanos should repair that, but it would be best if he didn’t walk on it for at least a day, possibly two. Bloody great. This meant they were stuck here until help came.
Sensing her mood change, AkER asked, “What is it?”
“You’re not able to move around until your ankle heals.”
“Leave me.”
“What?” She must’ve heard him wrong.
“Leave me. Even if you gave me the booster, my ankle would probably slow us down. You need to get as far from here as possible.”
“I’m not leaving you here injured, alone and unprotected.” She shook her head; no way would she abandon him.
“It’s okay.”
“Bloody hell, it’s not okay!”
Wrinkles formed in the middle of his forehead. She knew that look well. He was about to argue with her. She opened her mouth to hash it out, but he held up a hand to silence her.
“What is it?” she whispered, fear building inside her.
He pulled out his phaseray gun. “Someone or something is coming this way. Get behind this tree I’m leaning against.”
“I’m not…”
“Let me do my job, Medic Sampson.”
Sighing, she stood and jogged around the tree. Halway around, the toe of her shoe lodged under a root sending her flat on her face, glasses falling off. She didn’t have time to look for them, so she crawled the rest of the way around the trunk then stood. Her heart raced and palms sweat. She was a doctor, not a fighter, but she hated leaving her patient to handle the danger they may be facing.
Peering through the foliage, she didn’t see anything—not that she expected she would with her glasses on the ground. A sound behind her made the hair on her neck stand. Turning slowly with dread, she watched in shocked silence as something high up swung from tree to tree, coming closer and closer.
Was it a gorilla? Did the Colony have gorillas? She tried to warn AkER, but her voice was lost. The figure came closer, her eyes trying to track its progress. Just when she thought it had passed over, something large dropped down in front of her.
She pushed back against the tree and let out a loud shriek.
“Hush, female. I am not going to hurt you,” the stranger said.
It was a man, tall, shirtless, well muscled and gorgeous with a short beard and the strangest swirling eyes she had ever seen. Every inch of him exposed was toned and gleamed in the moonlight. Tarzan had nothing on this guy. She worked to find her voice.
“Who...who are you?”
“ZenIM. I am here for you.”
Chapter 6
ZenIM couldn't take his eyes off of the small female before him. She looked so delicate and scared, it brought out his protective instincts. Who was she, and what in Kitana was she doing here?
“Medic Sampson?” a male’s voice called from the other side of the tree. ZenIM glanced from her to where the voice came from. Slowly he stepped around the trunk, blade in hand ready to protect the female.
“No!” the female yelled, running past him around the tree.
He tried to catch her, but she was faster than he thought. ZenIM followed, concerned, and froze at the sight. The little female stood in front of a warrior propped up on the ground, holding a weapon while trying to get the female in front of him to move.
Looking to the side, he took in the damaged shuttle. It was a miracle they survived the crash. The female must be the medic LarIS was sending to his village. The thought of someone so delicate and fragile could have perished in a heartbeat tore at him. He took a step closer to her wanting to comfort her.
“Move, Jenny!” the male on the ground said with frustration as he tried to get to a sitting position, the weapon in his hands shook.
ZenIM looked past the female and made eye contact with the warrior. “I’m ZenIM from the mountain village.”
The warrior dropped his weapon arm with relief. Sweat dotted his forehead, and he winced. ZenIM noted cuts and bruises on the male. He sniffed, catching the whiff of blood. Then he turned his eyes on the female.
“Are you injured?”
The female seemed confused as she looked back at the injured warrior.
“It’s okay, Jenny. He’s the leader here to take you to his village.”
She relaxed slowly and dropped the stick. Jenny didn’t answer the question about herself; her worry was on her patient.
“AkER needs medical attention. I gave him nanos and a pain reliever, but he may have something more serious going on.”
“I’ll be fine,” the male responded. AkER tried to stand, but his ankle gave out making him fall. The female named Jenny rushed to his side.
“You shouldn’t put any pressure on your ankle until it’s had time to heal fully.”
ZenIM knelt at the warrior’s side. “How bad is it?”
“I can manage,” AkER said firmly. “A booster will help.”
“He’s got broken ribs, cuts and bruises, a head injury that could get worse, and a sprained ankle. A booster would only speed up his heart rate, and then he could crash—his heart could possibly stop.”
That shocked ZenIM. “So we shouldn’t move him?”
AkER sighed. “Take, Jenny. Get her to safety.”
“I am not leaving you here!” Jenny insisted.
“I will only slow you down.”
“I don’t care. If you don’t go, I don’t go.”
ZenIM watched in fascination as the small female and the injured warrior argued. He had never really seen a female so feisty verbally. It intrigued him, however, they didn’t have the time to waste. He stood.