by Erica Rue
“It’s working! I can feel the current moving along through the branches.” She pulled away an especially leafy branch and, before she could react, the increased flow of water pinned her against the hole she had made. She was trapped.
“Zane!” she cried, frantically moving her arms to keep her head above water. “I’m stuck.”
“I can crawl out on the log, try to untangle you,” Zane said.
She bobbed beneath the surface, just for an instant, and in her panic choked on the silty river water.
Dione coughed. “I’m not caught in the branches. It’s the suction from the water.”
“Delta P,” he nodded. “Change in pressure.”
Dione had read about it before. What was the solution? She was trapped in such an awkward position that she really had to work to keep her head above water. It was exhausting. She didn’t know how much longer she could keep it up.
By dislodging that piece of debris, she had lowered the pressure in the area, and the velocity of the water had increased. The faster moving water had trapped her. She might be able to struggle enough to get herself free, but she might make things worse. She wasn’t actually forming a perfect seal against the the water flow. There had to be other small openings in the dam. They were just too small. Creating a larger opening, however, would reduce the velocity of the water pinning her.
“Zane, start clearing another opening on your end. Climb out on the trunk. Don’t get in the water!”
“Already on it!” he said. She couldn’t see him from where she was, but he’d apparently already figured out the solution. She heard splashing, which she assumed was the sound of debris being thrown downstream on the other side of the dam.
He was doing his best, but her arms in their perpetual struggle were getting tired. She had to take a break. Dione put her face down in the water and stopped struggling, relaxing her body as much as she could.
“Dione! Dione!” She could hear Zane’s cries even though they were muffled by the water.
She lifted her head suddenly above the surface. “What’s wrong?”
“Thank god. I thought…”
“Just resting my arms.”
“Then blow some damn bubbles next time.”
She had forgotten about that. She put her head back in the water and blew bubbles slowly. A few more of these, and she was back to keeping her head above water.
Finally, she felt the water’s chokehold loosen. She kicked away as hard as she could toward the shore. Canto was there, pacing at the water’s edge as if he was nervous. When she climbed out, the maximute nudged her with his nose and gave her a lick before leaving her to a sunny spot on the bank.
Zane kept removing debris, tossing it to the other side of the blockage. Her successful rescue aside, they still needed to lower the water level.
“You okay?” he asked.
“I’ll be fine. Thanks, Zane.”
After a little more work, Zane crawled back to the bank. They waited. It was surprising how quickly the water level dropped.
“Look!” Dione said. There it was, the top few centimeters of the cave entrance. The water level looked like it had stopped falling, but it was enough. She could make it this time. If only her mind would stop focusing on that suffocating darkness.
She inched back into the river and shuddered once the water reached her waist. Professor Oberon needed her help. She ignored the earthy taste of silt that lingered in her mouth and picked her way to the half-submerged cave.
It wasn’t that bad, once she got going. She was able to keep her head above the water most of the time. When the ceiling of the cave dipped below the water level, Dione held her breath and kicked her way to the next air pocket. After that dip, the cave opened up into a larger cavern, about the size of the cockpit on the Calypso. Small holes in the ceiling let tiny spots of sunlight through. The ground seemed completely dry. This area had not recently drained.
One of the tiny spotlights landed on something dark blue. The professor’s uniform. Dione gasped. He was here. He was actually here.
“Professor Oberon!” she said, rushing to his side.
The professor coughed. “Dione? How—”
She cut him off, speaking into her manumed. “Zane, I’ve got him. You were right again. Thank god.” She turned back to the professor. “Are you hurt?”
“My shoulder’s not much use,” he said. “Where are the Vens? I’m sure they’ll find us soon. You and Zane need to get out of here.”
“They’re dead.”
“But there were four of them.” He looked down at his arms, and Dione followed his gaze. There were four Ven symbols cut into his arms, recognizable despite the dirt and blood.
“All dead. I’ll tell you about it once we’re on the riverbank.”
“I don’t think I can swim back out. I barely made it in here before I passed out. Adrenaline’s the only thing that kept me going.”
She shook her head and gave him a weak grin. “We drained the reservoir. If you can hold your breath for just a few seconds, and swim enough to keep your head above water, you’ll make it. Plus, we’ve got some food. You’ll feel better once you eat something.”
He sat up with some struggle. “You know, I never underestimated you before. I don’t know why I bothered to start now.”
“I couldn’t have done it with out Zane.” It was true. He had saved her life. Dione guessed it didn’t really matter if he liked her or not. He’d done what was necessary, and she was grateful for that.
She guided the professor back to the bank, and a joyful Zane helped get him onto the shore. The professor lay there, shivering despite the warmth of the day, eyes closed. His skin was dull and covered in goosebumps. She was painfully aware of her bare legs in the broad daylight.
“Zane, can you give him some food and warm him up? I’m going to call Bel.” She held up her leggings, and he seemed to understand.
She walked off into the woods to a safe distance. “Bel, we’ve got him. The professor is okay,” she said, removing her wet underwear and replacing them with the dry leggings. She removed her tank top to wring it out. Water poured from the fabric.
“That’s great! What’s that sound? Are you… going to the bathroom?”
“Nope, I’m going commando. Have you heard from Lithia? Can she come get us?”
“I haven’t heard anything. Dione, I’m worried. I don’t think the Ficarans will evac, and she and Brian aren’t communicating with us. I think they’re being detained.”
“There’s no way we can get back there any time soon. Canto’s hurt, and the professor should really get some rest. He’s been through a lot.”
“The Vens are going to attack again, I’m sure of it.”
Sam’s voice cut into their call. “Don’t forget about the Ven beacon. It needs to be disabled as soon as possible.”
Dione wrinkled her brow in thought. “It’s not far, but at the pace we’ll be going, it will still take us a while.”
“Then make the most of the daylight. I cannot stress enough how important it is to disable the signal,” Sam replied.
“It never ends, does it?” she sighed and put her damp top back on.
She signed off, the joy of finding the professor wearing off quickly as she realized how much there was left to do. She looked around on the ground, making sure she hadn’t forgotten anything, when she caught sight of a small, white pebble, smooth and flat and wet. It must have been stuck in her tank top.
A sign of good luck. She slipped the coin-sized rock into her pocket and headed back to Zane and the professor.
17. LITHIA
Brian had stopped banging on the door hours ago and had taken up residence on the bed. His eyes were closed, but Lithia knew he wasn’t sleeping. She was staring out the window at the square. The cleanup was long over and everyone was getting back to work. Lithia stared at the statue. What she had imagined to be modern art last night turned out to be a part of a spaceship welded to a plinth. Odd.
&nb
sp; The back of the square was lined with waist-high posts. At first she had wondered what these posts were for. Then a boy, maybe thirteen years old, rode up on something like an elephant-horse. He tied up his mount and hurried inside the main building holding something.
“What is that animal?” she asked.
“Machi.” Brian hadn’t even turned to look at her.
“Ah, Cora told me about them. They are strange-looking.” Even from up here she could see its elongated snout curling around something on the ground. Probably scraps of food.
She looked at Brian who still hadn’t moved. “I wish we could see the tree line from here.” She could see the canopy, but not into the woods where the Vens would be gathering.
When he remained quiet, she started in. “So, Brian, about last night…”
“What about it?”
“I’m sorry if that kiss crossed a boundary.”
He laughed bitterly. “It doesn’t matter. It’s too late to change anything now. Just drop it.”
Lithia thought about saying something else, but she had never seen Brian like this. She didn’t even know how to describe it. Fragile? He seemed like he was on the verge of breaking.
Brian sat up and spoke in a low growl. “I can’t believe I’m locked in this room, and in a few hours, aliens will be inside the walls killing everyone I know and love. I’m trying to figure a way out of this.”
“Don’t take it out on me,” Lithia said, crossing her arms. She wasn’t the one who organized last night’s celebration. She wasn’t leading the Flyers on another raid. Those were Victoria’s mistakes. “Can’t Melanie free us?”
“Victoria’s probably got someone keeping an eye on her. If she can help us, she will.”
“Good. Because we need to start taking the people who will leave in the Flyers. I imagine a lot of the people who were on the walls last night would be happy to come with us.”
“We can’t get out of here,” Brian said. “We’re locked in and guarded.” He was right. Lithia had seen the lock on the door. It was an electronic lock with a key pad. Not only did they not have the code, they were on the wrong side of the door.
Speaking of which… Lithia heard voices on the other side of the door for the first time in hours.
“Please, just five minutes. I want to thank them,” an unfamiliar voice said.
“I can’t let you in. I have orders.” That was the guard, Lithia was sure.
“Five minutes. You can lock me in there. My mother sent me. Please.”
The guard took a moment to reply. “I can’t guarantee your safety.”
She exchanged a look with Brian. This was their chance to escape.
“When he’s leaving, we make our move,” Brian whispered. Lithia nodded and relaxed for a moment. The door opened and the guard looked surprised to see them at the back of the room, Brian on the cot, Lithia by the window.
Lithia’s gaze shifted to their visitor whom she immediately recognized as the boy who had ridden his machi into the square a few minutes ago.
“Roy, what are you doing here?” Brian asked. The boy called Roy stepped into the room and the guard locked the door behind him.
“I wanted to thank you. You saved my little brother last night. Our aunt was bitten and nearly killed him. He’s badly bruised and has some broken bones, but he’s going to be fine.”
Lithia remembered. That woman who had been pounding on that boy. “I’m glad he’s okay,” she said.
“Brian,” Roy said, lowering his voice and speaking more urgently, “Melanie’s got a plan. She’s already getting groups together for the Flyers.”
“She’s going to evacuate against Victoria’s will?” Brian said.
“Some people have been pretty vocal about wanting to leave. Others have joined in,” Roy said.
“A perfect time to be divided,” Lithia said.
“Well, Colm hasn’t figured out our plan yet. Once everything is in place, Melanie will come for you.”
“What about everyone else?” Brian asked.
“We’ll come back for them. We have to remove the most vulnerable as soon as possible.”
The guard knocked on the door. “Time’s up. Let’s go.”
Roy headed back to the door.
“Do we wait for Melanie?” whispered Lithia. If they were going to try and make a break for it, they needed to get into position now.
Brian frowned. “We wait. Don’t want to screw up her plan.”
The door opened, Roy left, and the lock clicked back into place when the door closed. They were still trapped.
“Then it’s my turn on the bed,” Lithia said, sprawling out on her back. She hoped Melanie would come soon.
***
Lithia must have dozed off, because when Brian pounded his fist against the window, she bolted upright, disoriented. It was almost dark outside.
“What happened?” she asked. Brian didn’t need to answer. Lithia could hear it. Gunfire.
In just a few strides, Brian had reached the door. “The Vens are here, Jared. Let us out. We can help. We have to help.”
Jared didn’t respond. The only answer Brian got was footsteps thumping away down the corridor. Their guard was joining the fight, leaving them trapped in this room. Lithia wasn’t eager to join the fight, but she felt a responsibility to the people here. She had to help. She could hear screams mixed in with the gunfire now.
“What now?” she asked.
Brian clenched his fists so hard they trembled. “Nothing we can do. We wait for Melanie.” Lithia tried to read Brian’s face, but she couldn’t. He sat on the floor next to the door, but she went to the window. She wished she hadn’t. The Vens were already inside the walls. Ficarans were running through the square, talking into their communicators, trying to organize.
Soon, she saw her first team of Vens. Some they bit, but others they killed effortlessly. She saw one Ven go down, but the others avenged him. They were heading toward the Temple, toward them.
Lithia watched from the window until she heard gunfire coming from inside the building. Brian stood up. She heard footsteps pounding down the hallway followed shortly by the click of the lock on their door.
Brian pulled open the door just in time to see a monstrous Ven eviscerate Jared. Brian cried out and took a step forward, but he was unarmed. They both were.
Lithia looked around the room for anything they could use as a weapon, but there was only one piece of furniture. She tore the thin mattress from the bed, leaving only the frame. “Brian, the bed. Get that side. Like a shield.”
Thankfully, he understood. He grabbed the other end, and with the legs pointed away from them, they faced the Ven.
“If we can switch places with him, we can get to the hallway, then lock him in,” she said.
“We need to be fast. More will be coming.”
The Ven stepped into the room, and at first, it tried to move around to get to them on the other side of the bed. In no time they were in position, their backs to the door, the Ven fully inside the room. They inched backward toward the exit, but the Ven must have sensed what they were up to. Arms extended, it rushed them, pushing on the center of the bed, forcing them back until Lithia and Brian were pinned to the wall on either side of the door.
The bed pressed hard against Lithia’s chest. She gasped for air, but it was like her lungs weren’t working. She tried to take deep breaths, but the Ven kept applying pressure. She couldn’t breathe. Brian was struggling against the bed, but with no success. She couldn’t help him.
Panic set in and filled up her rib cage, like an overinflated balloon that pressed outward, like it would break her open. She struggled and flailed, but it was no use. She still couldn’t breathe or talk or scream.
As soon as it had come on, it was gone. The pressure released. Lithia sank to the floor, waiting either to breathe or die. She tried to inhale, but nothing happened. She felt like a fish out of water, silently opening and closing her mouth with each failure.
“What happened to her?” Melanie’s voice.
At that moment, Lithia finally rasped in a breath, then coughed. She took a few deep breaths before responding. “Knocked the wind out of me.”
Brian helped her to her feet, and she glanced over at the Ven. One of the Ficarans was severing the neural connections with a wooden sword. Cora had called it a pila blade when they were stealing the shuttle. Protruding from the Ven’s forehead was a metal rod.
“What the—?” Lithia began.
“Harpoon gun,” Melanie said, holding it up. “Thought it might come in handy.” She dislodged the harpoon from the Ven, reloaded, and glanced up and down the hallway. The other three Ficarans nodded at Lithia in greeting. They all had handguns.
“Here’s your stun rifle, manumed, and a long knife,” Melanie said. She handed Brian a pila blade.
They all hurried out of the Temple and into the town. Melanie spoke as they moved.
“Several groups already evacuated on the Flyers that Victoria left behind. We got the coordinates for the Mountain Temple. Sam’s directing them—she contacted us through the communicators. That was certainly a surprise. They’ll come back soon.”
Not soon enough, Lithia thought grimly. They should have started this hours ago.
“My mom?” Brian asked.
“She was in one of the first groups,” Melanie said. “We’ve been sending people to the hangar to wait for the next group.”
Melanie was already halfway down the stairs that led to the hangar when someone started screaming over her communicator. Lithia was too far behind to make out the words, but Melanie stopped in her tracks and responded. “Where are you?”
Melanie apparently understood the garbled response because she dashed back up the stairs, directing the others to follow. Lithia and Brian kept pace with her as she explained.
“The other half of our team was getting more people out of the apartments. The gates are the hot point right now, but they ran into Vens raiding the houses. They’ll have a lot of vulnerable people with them.”