by M. E. Thorne
“The more I see of you folks, the handier you become,” Gnasher complimented him.
“We have many skills,” Marcella commented dryly.
We emerged into an abandoned observation deck. I saw that the station existed at the base of a massive, onion-shaped chamber. The walls of The Stack were far away, and the dome rose several stories above us, almost lost in the gloom.
The floor of the chamber had once clearly been a railyard, with hundreds of tramlines spreading out in every direction. The Panacea had transformed it into a garden, with kilometers worth of their strange, fungal life. Giant mushrooms, twined stalks, verdant polyps, and filigreed sculptures covered every meter of space. Even more remarkably, it all glowed in the dark, like some kind of fairytale forest, in shades of pink, blue, green, and purple.
Despite the immediate danger we were in, we all paused to take in the wondrous sight.
“We need to come back here when nobody is trying to kill us,” Gnasher murmured.
I nodded in agreement.
The violent quake that ran through the floor reminded us that we didn’t have the time to stay and truly admire the scenery.
The two Panacea directed us out of an emergency exit, which led to the roof of the station. Anthony pointed towards the distant wall.
“Follow tramline 3A-T, it will take you to a station near the Metrocomplex.” He nodded to Marcella, “Our kin can lead you to safety from there.”
Cleo held the door open while we ran outside, then slammed it shut behind us. More gray foam spurted around the edges of the door, sealing it shut and protecting us from direct pursuit.
Running, we heard more rattling explosions around the base of the building. The outside of the station was stylized with slanted roofs, bays of windows, and small spires with ancient flags attached.
All of this made for hazardous travel.
Gloria took off immediately, after handing Billy to Marcella, and began directing us from above, pointing out the easiest routes. Spinny, her legs fully regrown, maneuvered with ease, and Gnasher simply leaped from roof to roof. Sabra and I brought up the rear, struggling to keep up with the others even as the whole building shook.
Grabbing her by the arm, I pushed her across a narrow gap. Gnasher pulled me across a moment later, and we kept running. The group worked in tandem to make sure no one was left behind.
“It’s just up ahead!” Gloria yelled as she dove and landed along the edge of the building.
Fifteen meters below was a set of tracks, exiting the station via a narrow tunnel. They ran along a raised bridge. 3A-T was written across its surface in bold, white letters. There had been a service ladder attached to the wall, but one of the explosions had knocked it over.
“Hold on,” Gnasher picked up Sabra, pulled her into her chest, and jumped. I looked over the ledge and watched them safely land below.
Spinny quickly scurried down and joined them.
“I’m sorry, I can’t carry you,” Gloria said, looking at Marcella and me.
“It’s cool." I pointed to the hurried activity below. “Think we’ll be fine.”
After weaving a net, Spinny had Gnasher help her stretch it open. Perched on the edge, I held my breath and jumped.
The landing was a bit rough, but it worked.
“No broken bones,” I said, getting back to my feet. My leg throbbed fiercely, but I could still run.
Marcella landed a few seconds later, and Spinny tossed aside the net.
From out of the mouth of the tunnel came a black cloud of concrete dust and soot as another explosion almost knocked us down. Before we could react, a swarm of hazmat-suited soldiers poured out of a breach in the wall.
Gnasher crouched, ready to strike, but I could see at least a dozen guns trained on us.
“Freeze, don’t move,” commanded the woman in the front.
I placed a hand on Gnasher’s shoulder and shook my head. She snarled.
“What are you doing?” Sabra yelled at them, stepping forward. “You’re breaking about every statute and treaty in place between the Syndicate and El Finito. I seriously doubt the SADB or the Central Committee will let this go without punishment.”
“This mission has been fully authorized by the Central Committee,” their leader stated. “We’re no longer beholden to El Finito or their monstrous greed. This planet belongs to us now.”
“What?” Sabra choked and stepped back, looking utterly shocked. “Have you gone mad?”
I heard several gasps from the Syndicate soldiers as they recognized their former compatriot, standing outside without her suit. There were some unhappy murmurs from their side, but their leader shut them down with a few angry, snapped commands.
She turned back and sneered, “You’ve gone traitor, Sabra.”
Sabra retreated further. “What are you talking about?”
“Valash told us what happened in Nakamura-Ghosi Genetics,” the Syndicate soldier spat. “How you turned traitor and activated the facility's auto-destruct sequence, then ran away with the monsters. The SADB and the Central Committee have issued a warrant for your arrest."
She pulled a tablet out from her belt. The screen booted up, showing a grainy picture of Sabra with the text TREASON printed beneath. The seals running along the side looked very authentic.
Sabra was stunned and furious, her hands clenched into tight fists. “That’s a lie! Everything I do is for the good of humanity and the future of the Syndicate.”
The squad leader laughed. “Then care to explain how you’re still alive without your suit? Are you even human anymore?”
Marcella gently touched her elbow and shook her head. “There is no point reasoning with the unreasonable.”
“We only want the traitor and the human,” their leader instructed, indicating me with the barrel of her gun. “We don’t care about the rest of you beasts.”
“Bitch, if you call me a beast or a monster again, I’ll rip your guts out and give them to you as a garland,” Gnasher snarled.
“Why do you want me?” I asked, terrified, and confused.
“Valash’s orders,” she answered tersely, gun raised. “Now, are you coming peacefully? Please say you aren’t because I’d love to kill some monsters today.”
Before anyone could say a word further, a massive fungal tentacle smashed into the bridge. Bright pink, it erupted from the forest, whipping and crashing into the Syndicate troops. The soldiers screamed and began shooting the thing, but it simply absorbed the bullets and continued its attack. Soldiers were flung violently, forced to either retreat back into the tunnel or be knocked off the bridge.
More tentacles began to rise from the gardens, flailing and swinging wildly at anyone in a white suit.
“My kin is buying us some time,” Marcella said, “Hurry.”
We took off at a sprint, running between the tracks. My leg burned like fire, and I could feel half-healed things ripping and tearing even as I pushed myself harder.
“It’s about two kilometers to the other side,” Gloria yelled from above. “I don’t see any Syndicate soldiers, I think they’re still tied up around the station.”
Gritting my teeth, I brought up the rear of our group. Gnasher took the lead, while Spinny assisted Sabra. Marcella plodded along just ahead of me with machine-like determination.
Another detonation, the biggest yet, sent us all flying.
I landed awkwardly on an upturned piece of metal. It tore through my thigh wound. Blood was everywhere. It took everything I had not to pass out from the agony. I gave a wordless scream.
Rolling onto my back, hands wrapped around my bleeding leg, I saw a massive plume of black smoke rising from the garden. Multihued flames tore through the fungal forest, as the amazing growths blackened, wilted, and died.
“Those bastards!” I cursed as I tried to sit up. “They set it on fire!”
Marcella bent over me. “Stop moving. You need immediate first-aid or you will exsanguinate.”
“We can’t st
ay here,” I argued, still trying to get up, almost delirious with pain.
Spinny came over and crouched down. “You two, get on my back. I can’t promise it’ll be the nicest ride, but you should be able to help him.”
Gnasher and Sabra hefted me onto her broad abdomen, lashing me in place with strips of silk. Marcella climbed up after. She tore away my pant leg and immediately got to work.
“Fuck!" I couldn’t help but scream as she put a finger into the freshly opened wound.
“I am administering a pain suppressor and a coagulation agent." She twisted her finger, causing me to scream again. “I have resealed the broken artery, your life should be safe for the moment.”
“Thanks,” I muttered weakly. From my position, I could only stare up as black smoke slowly began to fill the dome. At least there haven’t been any more explosions. I hope the colony is safe.
Marcella pinched the wound shut with one hand, and created sutures with the other, tugging the two halves of my torn flesh back together. I ground my teeth and continued to stare at the ceiling.
Soon, that view faded as we made it to the far wall and into a tram tunnel. Feeling safe for the moment, we stopped to catch our breath and figure out our next move. Spinny gently let me off her back and staggered over to a wall to rest.
I felt dizzy and lightheaded like I wasn't all there.
“I just got these pants,” I muttered, twisting the bloody, hacked-off fabric.
Marcella spat into a water bottle, swirled the contents, and then passed it to me. “Drink. You’ve lost too much blood, this will help.”
Closing my eyes and pinching my nose, I drank the contents. It tasted like cough-syrup and eggshells, gritty and course. I swallowed it all, then sank against the wall.
Echoing through the tunnel we heard the staccato of gunfire and the occasional thrum of explosions. We all tensed up when we felt another bone-rattling shudder travel through the ground.
“I hope the colony is okay,” I said, crushing guilt coming to rest on my chest. “It’s our fault they came there. My fault, they’re looking for me.”
Marcella stood in the middle of the tunnel, her antennas wiggling. “My kin are safe, they have managed to awaken those in the most danger, and secured those still unable to move. The current fighting is happening outside the station, as our defenses force them away." She looked back at me. “Injuries have been kept to a minimum.”
“Thank you." I tried to get back to my feet, but I was barely able to support my weight. I limped over to Sabra, who was huddled over, her head against her knees.
“Are you okay?” I asked, as gently as possible.
She shook her head, burying her head further down. “You saw that warrant. Valash must have much more sway within the SADB and with the Central Committee than I ever thought possible. I’m no longer a Syndicate member, my life, my career, my home, they’re all gone.”
“Couldn’t you talk to them, explain the truth?” Gloria came over.
Sabra did not push her away when the bat-girl put a comforting wing over her back and shoulders.
“It doesn’t work like that in the Syndicate. Once the government finds you guilty of treason, they issue judgment right away. Did you see those red and black seals on the warrant? They call for my immediate arrest and execution. They don’t even want me to get a day in court.”
I couldn’t think of anything to say to that. I felt horrible for her. She’s done everything she can to help her people, trying to prevent an all-out-war between El Finito and the Syndicate, and this is how they reward her?
“We’ll stop Valash,” Gnasher stated, her face set in a harsh scowl. “We’ll get back and alert the State what’s going on, how that bastard is trying to steal from us, and all the damage he’s caused. Then we kick him, and all his asshole friends, out. Maybe while they’re strapped to the outside of his spaceship.”
“While I doubt it will be that easy,” Spinny nodded, “I support the idea behind it. We need to get back to the Metrocomplex as soon as possible.”
Marcella tapped the side of her head, mimicking the gesture she’d seen us use. “I have the route memorized, follow me."
I pushed off the wall but only made it about three meters before my injured leg gave out and I almost tripped.
Gripping the wound and sucking back a scream, I tried again.
Gnasher came over and looked at me carefully. “How much do you love me?”
Everything was spinning again. “What are you talking about? I love you more than can ever be put into words.”
“Good,” she waved for Spinny to come over. “Because I’m going to suggest something that I know you’re going to absolutely hate. I’d be sour if you dumped me over it.”
Jouncing across Gnasher’s back, I had my hands wrapped around her shoulders, and my legs cinched around her hips.
I felt utterly mortified. Like a damn little kid.
“You love me,” she reminded me, as she jumped over an obstacle and I braced for another round of pain from my leg.
I was bound to her back with a silk harness, like an oversized toddler. All I could do was hang on tight and hope I wasn’t slowing everyone down due to my injury.
“I’m never going to live this down.”
“Don’t worry,” Gnasher said, “this is nothing. Remember the time I carried that engine-block back from that machine shop we found way down in The Stacks?”
“It was one of our first jobs,” I nodded, peering down the tunnel over her head. I occasionally twisted back to see if anyone was pursuing us, but thankfully there was no one on our trail. “We had mole-steaks for dinner after we got paid.”
“Right,” she grunted as she redistributed my weight, “and that was way harder than carrying you. So don’t worry about it. Just remember to buy me a nice dinner when we get back.”
I smiled and bent forward to kiss the crown of her head.
Chapter 18
“We need to stop again, soon,” Marcella announced about an hour later.
I had fallen into a daze, the monotonous sameness of the tunnel and Gnasher’s steady pace working in tandem with my blood loss to put me into a stupor. Even my leg injury had withdrawn to a distant, steady pain.
“What’s wrong?” Spinny asked, surveying the area around us. There was nothing but the uniform, cement walls, and the tramlines running further into the dark.
“I need to check Locke’s injury again, to make sure it’s staying closed." She walked over to Sabra and put a hand against her forehead.
Sabra didn’t even flinch. She looked exhausted and kept covering her mouth to hide a cough.
“I believe Sabra requires an additional immunization treatment,” Marcella pronounced. “Her exposure to the burning fungus created a new vector that is attacking her body.”
“This planet is trying to kill me,” she gasped.
“I am going to remove your shirt,” Marcella began unfastening the buttons on Sabra’s shirt.
I turned my head, and the others turned around and looked in the opposite direction as if scanning the tunnel. Gnasher lowered me to the ground, taking a moment to stretch her shoulders and back.