***
Thora stared at the server. The huge metal box filled the table. Its ends going over each side. Thora stood next to it, her fingers tapping on its metallic surface.
“We can’t break through the security without her,” Aaron said.
He stood next to Thora, staring at the box while his hand absentmindedly rubbed the scars on the side of his face. Aaron had been her constant companion since she’d left the facility. He was the one she called to meet her after she’d left. He had also removed her tracking device so her sister Selene wouldn’t be able to find her. In addition, Aaron had arranged the recovery of the server they now looked at. With his children Remiah and Dessa, they infiltrated the building that the server was stored in, then bombed the Priestess’ facility to sneak it out. Thora looked to where his two children sat cleaning their weapons on the other side of the cavern. Both had been trained at the Priestess’ Defense Training Facility, but after helping their father acquire the server, they hid with Thora and Aaron. They were deserters. They both would be killed if caught by the Defenses. The fact that they were in danger rested heavily on both Aaron and Thora.
“She’ll come,” Thora answered turning back to her companion.
“Are you sure?” Aaron asked. “It’s not like you told her to meet you here.”
“She’ll come. And she’ll bring Gideon. Just wait,” Thora responded with reassurance. “If what I suspect is true, Lena saw the footage of me here in Everleigh. I know her well enough to know she’ll try to come here.”
“You’re placing our ability to access the server on a guess. I don’t like it. Are you sure you can’t contact Dorry to help us retrieve the information?” Aaron asked.
“Dorry left the planet. And he is helping us. He programmed Evangeline’s insignia to access the server,” Thora responded.
“Thora, I know you think she’s coming, but are you even playing with the possibility that she might not? That the Priestess will capture her, or that Gideon will convince her to leave the planet?” Thora turned her head to look at Aaron as he continued. “I don’t think it would hurt to help her remember that we need her.”
“We can’t send anything that might be intercepted by the Priestess or any other world,” Thora responded.
“And I know you have a connection with the mystic Xenia. And she has a way to send a message without electronics,” Aaron said.
Thora looked back at the server, but her thoughts seemed far away. After a moment, she nodded her head. “I’ll arrange it.”
Chapter Four
“I’ve been trying to get your attention,” A woman said, her voice sounding like she hummed the words.
“I’m sorry, you must have me confused with someone else,” Lena answered.
Lena stepped back. The woman’s silver and black hair stuck out in all directions. She carried necklaces on her arm and across her neck. Her neck looked burdened under the weight of it all, or maybe she was just old and stood like that naturally. The woman lifted her hand towards the chain Lena wore around her neck. She pulled out the medallion Lena had hidden under her shirt.
“A warrior and an angel. One with the power to save, the other to destroy. Alone you will accomplish nothing. It’s only when you work together that you’ll be balanced enough to accomplish your destiny.”
“I know you,” Lena studied the woman. “You’re the mystic Xenia.”
“Yes. And you’re Evangeline,” Xenia purred.
“What do you want?” Lena asked.
“I want you to remember.” Xenia placed her hands on the sides of Lena's head. Flashes of colors swirled in Lena’s mind. Lena tried to step away, but she couldn’t move. Memories of her childhood and life as a servant flipped like photos across the screen of her mind.
Memories of her parents laughing with her. Stories and games they’d play. Her and Gideon running through the Citadel as children. Her parents’ deaths. Gideon shooting her. She felt the emotions of each moment like she was there.
“What are you doing to me?” Lena panted. She saw the first—and only—time she’d met the mystic. Gideon buying the necklace for her.
“Helping you remember what you must do.” Xenia released her face. Lena fell panting to the ground. “Thora waits for you. Have courage. You are no longer alone. You have Gideon. Now wake up and get to work.”
***
“I think she’s coming around,” A male voice said. Lena opened her eyes. Boots surrounded her. Someone in Camouflage knelt by her. “Yeah, she’s awake,” the same voice said. Naos, Lena remembered. His name was Naos.
“Sorry to wake you,” Naos said. “The General has requested your presence." Lena nodded and pushed herself up. She shivered. She was still wearing the silk wrap Azara had given her before the Cimmerians had captured them. As if reading her thoughts, Naos turned his back to her. “Go ahead and change,” he said, motioning for the other guards to turn around as well. Lena slipped on the clothes. They were the same camo that the soldiers wore. They’d even supplied her with a tie for her hair. Lena tried to run her fingers through her tangles. In the end, she smoothed the sides the best she could and rolled the rest into a bun at the base of her neck. When she finished tying her boots, Naos motioned her into the hall. He stepped in front of her while the rest filed in behind her. This time, they moved towards what Lena assumed was the back of the ship.
The room they entered was large and filled with screens on all the walls and tables throughout the center. Lena was surprised that they didn’t use holograms. Everything was projected on flat-screen consoles. Lena hadn’t ever seen technology as old as this looked. Naos guided her towards the center of the room, through the array of chairs and people that cluttered the walkway.
General Carina and Jonah met Lena in the center of the room. Jonah rubbed his head. When he removed his hand, Lena saw a large lump forming on the side of his skull. He held a sour expression that let the whole room know not to ask about it. Naos moved to the side of the room and stood with his back to the wall with several other guards who did the same.
“Agent Vernalis tells me that you are quite handy with technology,” General Carina stated.
Lena stiffened, out of all the things she expected to be asked, this was not one of them. She cleared her throat. “I was taught how to fix things at the Defense facility,” Lena replied. “My skills are limited beyond that.”
The General nodded and continued, “We need to leave the planet without being seen. But, as you can decipher,” she gestured to the images throughout her ship, “the Priestess has increased her patrol. If we lower the cloaking device that shields our camp, we’ll be spotted immediately.” Lena examined the screens that spread throughout the room. Several of them bleeped with images of Defense ships, and a large circle marked the Cimmerian location. If the equipment was accurate, the Defenses were a few hours from the Cimmerian camp.
“I’m not helping you,” Lena said.
“Agent Vernalis warned me you might say that,” General Carina stated. “But he says he can persuade you.” The General gave a curt nod to Jonah who then raised his arm to guards on the other side of the room. A side door slid open, and Gideon was ushered into the room surrounded by several guards. Lena gasped as she looked at him. He walked along the wall’s edge. His arms were cuffed behind him and his face covered in blood. Lena looked to Jonah who crossed his arms and gave her a hard stare. Gideon looked at Lena. His eyes moved across her face and seemed to relax when he saw her unharmed.
Jonah stepped towards her causing her to cringe. Leaning in, he whispered, “How devoted are you to your friends? To Gideon? To Thora?”
Lena turned back to Jonah. “Are you implying you’ll hurt Gideon if I don’t help you?” Lena asked. She couldn’t believe this was the same Jonah she’d been friends with only a day ago. He looked different to her now, ugly and uncaring.
Jonah responded with the raise of his eyebrows. Lena wasn’t sure what it meant, but the look in his eye wasn’t a caring
look.
Lena’s throat constricted. “You are awful.” Cimmerian guards stood around the edges of the room, their feet shoulder width apart, their hands tense around their rifles. They kept their faces pointed straight ahead, but their eyes kept jerking to the computer screen that flashed the location of Defense patrols. The Cimmerians that sat at the computers all watched her with a look of anticipation. She figured it was because she was their only way off the planet. No wonder they were acting so anxious. There were less than fifty Cimmerians in the room with her. These were probably their most devoted. Lena really didn’t know. And why didn’t they have a tech guy?
“You will help us,” Jonah said.
Lena looked to Gideon. The veins in his arms pulsed as if waiting for a fight. Rubbing her neck, she looked around the room. The guards and soldiers looked at her with anticipation. Some sat at the edge of their seats. General Carina stood tapping her fingers glaring at her uncaring glare. She looked back to Gideon who still looked as angry as she felt. Still, the way he looked at her made her thoughts clearer.
If they were going to her for help, she was the only one capable of accomplishing what they asked out of everyone on this ship. This meant no one would know if she was cloaking the ship correctly. Gideon had gone through a lot to keep her out of the hands of the Priestess. She would do the same to get him away from the Cimmerians.
“I’ll get us out of here,” she said not taking her eyes off Gideon. “Show me where the ships cloaking controls are.”
Chapter Five
Lena ran her finger across the computer controls. The General stepped up behind her as Lena wiped sweat from her brow. She looked at the time then at the blinking dots that monitored the Defenses’ location. She’d only been working for a few hours but she was tired, and the Defenses were getting close.
“Are we ready?” General Carina asked unable to keep the anxiety out of her voice. She put her hands on the desk Lena worked on. Leaning forward, she read over the numbers Lena had written across the screen.
Lena cleared her throat and sat up taller in her chair. “Almost, General. The Defenses are patrolling heavily. We need to wait till their distance is optimal for our escape.”
“I don’t need to tell you to hurry,” General Carina said.
“No, ma’am. You’ll know when it’s time for you to leave. The camp has been cleared, and your pilots are ready?” Lena asked.
“Yes. You gave us insufficient time to load all our equipment. But we are ready to depart on your command,” The General said.
Lena nodded and opened the screen of her insignia. The General eyed her suspiciously. “I’m linking my insignia to the computers,” Lena said. “I’ll be able to monitor the Defenses as I reprogram the cloaking device. She flicked her eyes to Gideon then back to her screen. Hitting a button on the computer’s controls she stood up and wiped her sweaty hands on her pants. I do need to know how you’re leaving Mir, though,” Lena said, trying to remain as calm as possible.
“I’ve acquired a device that will get us through the atmosphere without alerting the Defenses or the Port authorities,” General Carina said. Lena nodded, acting like she was listening, but her anxiety kept her from really focusing on anything specific that the General told her.
“I need to reconfigure the camp’s cloaking device in person.”
The General whistled for Jonah who sat hunched in a chair next to Gideon. “Take her where she needs to go, make sure she hurries,” the General said.
Jonah stood, in three strides he was next to Lena. Lena eyed the electric rod in the holster at his side. “I need to see the cloaking device,” she said looking past him at Gideon. With his arm still cuffed behind his back, Gideon rolled his shoulders and stretched his neck from side to side. Stopping, he looked directly into her eyes. Once again something about the way Gideon looked at her cleared Lena’s mind. He trusted her. “I’m going to need to reprogram the cloaking device to cover the ship while it flies,” Lena said.
Jonah looked annoyed. “I need guards to accompany me to the roof,” he called across the room. Immediately three guards surrounded her; one in front, two in back. They led her only steps beyond where Gideon sat and opened a closet that revealed a ladder. The closet barely held a soldier at a time. Three guards went up before Lena. Grabbing onto the ladder’s first rung, she turned looked at the General. “Be ready. We don’t have much time.” As she turned back towards the ladder, she stopped at Gideon. His muscles tensed and he planted his feet on the floor. He nodded his head to Lena. Her adrenaline rose. Gideon somehow knew she was planning an escape and he was ready. she started climbing with Jonah close behind her. She scrambled on top of the ship. The guards who went ahead stood holding their guns to their chest. Standing on the arched roof, she turned. She could see the whole camp. Walking to the edge of the ship’s roof, she started walking its perimeter. Its large black surface radiated the warmth of the planet's sun. Its cupped wings met with the top of the ship and slid to the ground below. Lena adjusted her gaze to their surroundings.
The ship sat nestled in the trees. Its roof was even with the trees surrounding them. Lena could see that the mountain took a steep decline not far from where the ship sat.
“What are you doing?” Jonah demanded. His eyes were narrow as he followed Lena across the airship.
“I have to see what we’re going to be cloaking,” Lena replied. Still walking the ships perimeter, she wiped her hands on her pants and looked at the numbers projected from her insignia. She didn’t have long.
Jonah crossed his hands and stood in front of her. “I know you. You and Gideon are up to something,” Jonah said his face set in a deep frown. “I saw the way he was looking at you.”
“You don’t know me,” Lena snapped. “You were using me. There’s a difference.” She couldn’t believe the anger that surged through her words. She looked at the numbers on her insignia again and forced herself to push thoughts of Jonah aside.
Jonah studied her for a second more before Lena began moving towards the tower holding the cloaking device. She started typing on her insignia screen.
“What are you doing?” Jonah asked.
“I have to unlock and then sync a part of your security system with the cloaking device for us to get away.”
“I don’t like it.” Jonah reached for his com device. He looked at Lena and turned away from her, whispering furiously into the device. Though Lena couldn’t hear the words, Jonah’s shoulders were tense, and he swung his hands as he talked.
He stepped even closer to her. She looked at the cloaking device then at her insignia screen. Pressing a button on her insignia, she hit the control she hoped would unlock Gideon’s cuffs. She strained her hearing waiting for the sign that it worked. She heard nothing.
Jonah yanked her arm. “I’m warning you, Lena. I will tell what I know about Thora.”
“Not if you never get the chance.” Lena moved before thinking. Yanking her arm from Jonah’s grip she spun into a kick that sent the cloaking device flying off the ship’s roof. Alarms began to blare at the same moment she pulled the electric rod from Jonah’s holster. She pressed it into his side sending the current through his body. He fell to the ship’s roof convulsing with the pulse of electricity. Gunfire sounded around her. The guards ran towards Lena at the same time Gideon pulled himself through the hatch. Gideon was upon the guards in seconds, knocking them unconscious and throwing them into the hatch he’d just climbed out of.
Jonah moaned from his spot on the roof. “Let’s get out of here,” Gideon yelled over the roaring of the engines.
Lena and Gideon ran towards the wing of the ship. Gideon grabbed Lena’s hand. The vessel was now lifting from the ground. Gideon pulled her towards the sloping wing at the same time she felt Jonah’s arms grab at her waist pulling her back. As Jonah pulled, her hand slipped from Gideon’s. Gideon spun and propelled himself into Jonah’s side causing Jonah to loose his hold and knock Lena over. Lena started sliding down the ship
’s wing. She pushed her feet against the metal, trying to stop her decent. Both Jonah and Gideon plowed into her from behind. The three of them slid down the ship’s wings, free falling the last fifteen feet. They rolled as they hit the ground. Gideon released Jonah as the plane lifted above them. Gideon rolled, grabbed the gun from Lena, and pressed it into Jonah’s side.
“Don’t move,” Gideon commanded.
Chapter Six
Jonah lay on the ground. Gideon had already grabbed the cuffs hanging from Jonah’s belt. Kicking Jonah with his foot, Gideon used his boot to roll Jonah onto his stomach. Gideon grabbed his hands and twisted them behind his back, locking the cuffs in place.
Jonah took a breath as if to say something.
“Don’t talk,” Gideon and Lena yelled at the same time. Lena clenched her fist and examined the sky looking for Defense Ships.
“We need to leave now,” Gideon said.
“Let’s go,” Lena said.
“You can’t leave me here in the open,” Jonah pushed himself from his stomach to his knees.
Gideon raised his weapon and pointed it at Jonah. Jonah’s eyes widened in alarm as he stared at the gun’s barrel. He turned to Lena as Gideon released the gun’s safety. The thought of Gideon killing Jonah made her stomach churn. Lena took hold of Gideon’s arm.
“Let’s go, Gideon. Jonah can fend for himself,” Lena said. Lena looked at her insignia. The dots signifying the Defenses had increased in speed and direction. They were moving directly towards the Cimmerian ship. Gideon pushed Lena ahead of him and started running. They only got a few steps before they heard Jonah again.
The Mir Chronicles- The Complete Series Page 24