Aurora Rising (22 page)

“What’s that?” Sansa asked, as they all shifted to look around.

“If I don’t miss my guess, I’d say a very large hanger opening,” Ultin said in hushed tones.

“Hiymm,” Keyen said, “they’re leaving.” A cluster of hoversleds, large and small, rose in the air above them.

“I heard,” he answered.

“Do you want us back?” Keyen asked the words, though the thought of leaving without Rori tore at him.

There was silence for a second. “Negative. Go after Rori. I’m giving you full clearance for whatever force is needed.”

“You don’t think he took her with him?” Fear added a quiver to Cassie’s voice.

This time there was no pause over the link. “No, she’d be no use to him yet because he can’t control her. He’d want her kept where he thinks she’d be safe. That’s his fortress. You’ll have to be careful but get her and back here as soon as you can. We’ll hold them off until you do,” Hiymm said with conviction.

***

Rori came awake at the quiet swoosh of the door. She strained to see through the hood, but no light permeated the material, just the sounds of someone moving around the room. Again, she wondered how much time had passed.

“Good, you’re awake.” Phallip’s wheezy voice came out of the darkness. “Not that it matters.” A hand locked down on her arm. “You’ve been fighting with the bonds. So useless, there is no way you’ll get free.”

Despite his words, Rori tried to pull back from his grip, making the bindings bite into her arm.

“Now none of that, there’s no need. This won’t hurt. With all the noise of the preparation to leave, I couldn’t sleep, so I thought I’d get started on some tests.”

“What are you doing to me?” Rori twisted her head, not that she could dislodge the hood, but she couldn’t help trying.

“This is just a simple blood test. Edda has been sending me all your results, but I’m afraid she’s not reliable anymore, and Areathea isn’t looking for exactly the same things I am.”

“And what’s that?” Rori forced the words out over the fear rising in her.

“You wouldn’t understand.”

“I understand that what you’re doing is making these talents unstable.”

Anger flared in the room, assaulting her senses. The hand on her arm tightened painfully. Rori knew she’d hit a sore spot with the man, though, in an instant it was gone, replaced with what she could term only as a wave of pure justification.

His words confirmed it. “Some were less than suitable candidates. And it takes time to perfect greatness.”

Rori wanted to scoff at his ‘greatness’ but held it in. “Isn’t Creed worried you’ll create someone as or more powerful than him?”

“I only use lower-med levels. There is no risk. You would have been a candidate in your previous state, though I wouldn’t have bothered with your type. Who would have guessed you held such power, most intriguing, especially that you could suppress it for so long. It makes you wonder how many others might be suppressing the strength of their true latent talents. It is something I must study.”

There was a pause as Rori guessed he thought about it.

“But for now,” Phallip said abruptly, and the pressure on her arm tightened again.

Rori flinched and tried to tug away.

“Hold still,” Phallip ordered and she felt a jab of pain. “This will only take a minute. I want to start checking your blood to see what information is locked there that they missed.”

The hands were gone, and the words started to drift away as if he was already lost in another thought. A second later, she heard the door slide open and shut. But Rori didn’t relax. She tightened her muscles pulling on the bonds. Nothing happened. She wanted to scream out loud but settled for in her mind.

“
Keyen!
” she cried, knowing she couldn’t reach him, just taking solace in his name.

“
Rori
.” When her name trickled back to her she thought it was her imagination until it was repeated stronger. “
Rori.”

“
Keyen.
”

“
I’m here. Where are you? Are you safe?
” Need, desperation and love fueled the words.

“
I’m fine.”
Tears filled her eyes, dampening the hood, but she didn’t care. “
Where are you?
”

“
Just outside the estate. We’re coming for you
.”

Her relief was overwhelming. “
Bass.
”

“
We have him. He’s all right. Can you tell us where you are?
”

“
Lift, Bass can show you. Middle level, right, second hall.”
She tried to remember and send him the visual. She felt him understand and hoped it really did work.

“
We’re on our way
.”

“
Be careful. I don’t know how many are here, at least thirty enhanced talents then some plain guards
.”

“
Most have left
.”

“
The council.
” Dread rose in her.

“
It’s okay, we’ll get you first.”

Rori knew she should object, but her relief was too great, and she could feel Keyen already moving and knew he needed his concentration.

***

Keyen felt Rori’s touch pull back from his mind to just a feather-light contact and turned his attention to the fortress in front of him. He brought up the schematics on the IPI, refreshing his memory before turning to the others.

“Rori’s okay.” He looked to Bass. “Lift to middle level.”

Bass nodded. “I can find it. It’s halfway down the courtyard.” He looked at the IPI image Keyen projected and pointed to the location. “There.”

“Okay, we don’t know how many we’ll be facing. It’s safe to say the strongest talents left with Creed and the attack force, but he wouldn’t have left this place unprotected.”

“What makes you think Creed’s left with them?” Sansa asked.

“He’d have to be there. This is his big moment,” Keyen said.

“I’ll buy that,” Ultin agreed. “The man’s a megalomaniac.”

There were nods around of confirmation.

“Okay, first thing is, we want to take out the communication.” Keyen pointed to the spot on the projection. “Tank, do you think you can take that out from here?”

The big man looked to the top of the hill where the communication tower could just be seen over the foliage, silhouetted by the lightening sky, and grinned. “No problem, they’ll be hearing humming for a week.”

“Good. Simultaneously, we take out the guards and auto-weapon fields along here. Sansa and Ultin go left. Bass, you up to it?”

“Oh, yeah.” There was no hesitation.

“Okay, you and Cassie go right. Tank and I will take the middle. These two here,” he pointed to the image, “have got to be guards, and we have two in towers, here and here. Watch them, we don’t know if they’re talents, but we can be certain they’re armed.”

It only took them a minute to spread out. On Keyen’s signal, Tankin focused his talent into a sound wave directing it at the tower. Sparks and a squeal burst in the air.

“I guess a bit much.”

Keyen heard him whisper but knew the man had no remorse. Keyen broke into a run, using the distraction of the guard looking up to take him by surprise. Stunned, the man dropped. Not far away, the other guard did the same as Sansa and Ultin emerged from the trees. A burst from Ultin’s laser struck the guard on the tower overlooking the water. While, with less subtlety, the guard on the other tower was raised in the air, lowered over the edge then dropped ten feet from the ground.

“Nice,” Tankin said over the comm.

“What can I say, I owed them,” Bass returned.

A burst of energy erupted near Sansa, who dropped, rolled and came up returning fire at the top of the tower. Keyen spun, picking off the second guard on the tower. To his right, a laser activated, but in the second it took to turn his direction, it exploded thanks to Ultin, who already was shifting to take out another gun. Cassie and Bass demolished another guard, dropping an ornamental figure from the garden on him, and Tankin took out the last.

The way clear, they all ran for the balustrade. The touch of arrogant showing off ended as they took up positions along the rail, now they were entering their enemy’s stronghold, and they knew they needed to be more cautious. Keyen and Ultin took the leads rolling over the railing and dropping into a crouch. Keyen’s laser blast caught the guard just as he fired. The guard dropped, his shot going wide. Behind Keyen, lasers scorched the floor, but Ultin returned the volley, drawing the fire as Sansa leaned forward catching the man by surprise.

A second passed and at no other movement, the others dropped over the rail. Bass indicated down the hall, and the others followed the way to the lift.

Keyen motioned to Ultin and Tankin, who took up positions on either side of the lift while the others stepped inside.

***

Rori flinched as the wail of an alarm cut through the air.
Keyen
, relief coursed through her. They were coming. She was tempted to reach out for him, but the possibility of distracting him stayed her.
Patience
, she told herself,
it won’t be long now
. The thought hardly crossed her mind when she heard the door slide open.

“Keyen,” she cried out just before picking up the rush of panic and rage.

“No, No, No,” Phallip whined. “This can’t happen. My research. The perfect specimen.”

There was a shuffling around the room. Rori tried to follow the movements and cringed as he came near her. “We have to go.” The words were mumbled.

A hand clamped around her wrist, and she heard a clank of metal bump the side of the table. Instinctively, she knew it was binders. “No,” she screamed aloud and mentally, trying to put up a shield around her wrist. Not being able to see made it difficult, but from his reaction it must’ve worked.

“Stop that,” he yelled.

Rori was unprepared for the blow that hit the side of her head and, for a second, she lost focus on the shield. It winked out. There was the sickening click of the binders locking down, followed by a nauseating wave of tainted talent.

Only being one person, it wasn’t so intense but it was heightened by his rage. By the time Rori managed to settle her nerves, he had her unstrapped, the other binder locked on her other wrist with her hands behind her back, and was tugging her off the table.

For a rodent, he was surprisingly strong. Hampered by being hooded and her hands bound, she was dragged across the room. She stumbled, half on purpose, going down. She crashed into what she guessed was a counter, not that she cared. She was just trying to slow him down. Pain flared in her knee. She felt damp warmth soak the material of her pants.

“Get up.”

She was dragged to her feet by the back of her shirt. The door swooshed open. Rori used it as a hopeful distraction and threw her body back against the medic. There was a grunt, and they both started to go down, only to come in contact and be held up by the wall. Another blow caught her, this time across the back of her head.

“Don’t hurt her.” Phallip barked, his breath coming in pants. “Just get us out of here.”

“The sled’s ready.” A voice she didn’t recognize reached her as a large powerful hand clamped on her arm.

She detected no signs of talent but there was no relief from the hand that was like a metal band. Rori was propelled across the floor. No amount of dragging her feet seemed to make a difference. When she tried to drop to her knees, she was dragged back up and thrown over a shoulder without the man hardly breaking his stride.

“No,” Rori tried to scream but the air was knocked from her lungs.

“Come on,” the man under her rumbled out.

“I’m coming.” The medic wheezed, running to keep up.

“
No,
” Rori’s shout echoed in Keyen’s mind as the lift doors slid closed. He tried to reach her but the link was cut off. Like a caged animal, he struck out at the door of the small space.

“What’s wrong?” Sansa asked, studying the smooth walls looking for possible danger.

“I lost contact with Rori.”

“Binders.” Bass supplied the answer.

Keyen nodded as the doors slid open. Cassie touched his arm. He looked down and understood what she was saying.

He drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I’m okay.” He forced steadiness.

“Let’s go get Rori then.” Bass took up a position against the wall, and Keyen followed suit. With a nod from him, they both swung out into the hall, each facing a different direction, dropping low. A laser blast scorched the wall above their heads. Bass took out the first man. Keyen spun, taking out the second before he could get off another shot.

“Clear,” Keyen called and Sansa and Cassie came around the door, weapons ready. They made it down the hall without further contact, but as they peeked around the corner they met a wall of resistance.

Bass pulled back in time to dodge a laser burst that took out a chunk of the wall behind them. The shock wave was so strong it almost knocked them from their feet.

“Whoa. If Ultin was here, he’d say that wasn’t being very nice,” Bass exclaimed.

“What do you say we return the favor then,” Sansa said, shifting closer to the corner.

“My thoughts exactly.” Keyen fingered the control on his weapon strengthening the power. “On two.” He looked around making sure everyone was ready. “One, two.”

He and Sansa spun halfway around the corner, each firing at the same time. The explosion rocked the tunnel, throwing the five men at the end to the ground. Bass and Cassie were already around, locking on the single man trying to rise. The gun was ripped from his hands, flying a safe distance down the hall. A laser shot from Cassie dropped him to the floor unconscious like the rest.

They paused long enough to put on restraints before stepping over the men into the next hall, moving quickly but cautiously. Around the next bend, they found the hallway empty. Sansa covered the corner while the others trotted the half dozen steps to the door. This time it was Keyen and Cassie who took up position on either side of the door while Bass continued down to the next bend.

Keyen took up a firing position while Cassie activated the door. At a glance, the room looked empty. Cautiously, Keyen stepped forward as Cassie covered him. He registered the overturned table and a smear of what looked like blood on the floor but continued around the room, checking a small storage room off to one side.

“Empty,” he said, coming back to the door.

His communicator clicked and Ultin’s voice came over it. “It’s clear up here. Everyone’s fled.”

“Acknowledged. Head down to the cliffs. See if you can pick anyone up there.” Dread started to fill him. They were too late. She was gone. They’d taken her. He tried not to think of the blood smear on the floor, but it was there just a meter away.

“Keyen,” Sansa called his attention. “I heard something. It sounded like Rori.”

It only took a second to retrace his steps to her.

“Down the hall, that way.” She motioned with the tip of her weapon.

“That’d be toward the cliffs. A hanger opening,” Bass suggested, reaching them.

It made sense, and no one had to say they were trying to get Rori out that way.

“Let’s go.” Keyen took off at a ground-covering lope, slowing only briefly at each intersection to make sure it was clear and listen for any sound. Ahead, the hall ended at a set of double doors. They reached it as a faint whine penetrated.

“Hoversled,” Keyen yelled, activating the opening mechanism. Nothing happened.

“Locked.” Sansa supplied but Keyen was already concentrating his talent, gathering up energy. He sent it out in a large push and the doors blew back.

“Whoa,” Bass let out.

Keyen ran through the opening not waiting for the others. In front of him, morning sun poured through the open hangar doors, glinting off the hoversled just starting to lift off. Power again crested in Keyen. This time, he reached out and caught the sled, locking on and pulling it back. Engines whined then cut out as Keyen dropped the hoversled on the deck.

The side panel slid open and two men stumbled out, hands held high. Keyen and Sansa strode toward the vehicle while Cassie and Bass covered them. Sansa motioned the men down. Keyen was focused inside.

“No, no, no.” A gaunt, sharp-faced man rocked back and forth inside. “This can’t happen. No.”

Keyen turned his attention to a figure that sat in the chair in front of him. Even with a hood covering her head and shoulders, Keyen knew who it was. “Rori,” he let out, and she turned his direction as he climbed aboard.

“Keyen,” she gasped out as he reached her. Pulling off the hood, she blinked against the light then propelled herself up into his arms. Keyen was only too happy to catch her to him.

“You’re okay?” He turned his head, pressing his face into her hair, then pulling back to kiss her.

“Yes.” She edged back, tears trickled down her face but she beamed up at him. “Everyone all right?”

“All’s fine.” He steadied himself. Now that he had her, he could think again. Glancing back outside, he saw the others had the men in restraints. He turned back to her. “Let’s get these binders off you.”

“No,” screeched the man in the seat behind them, leaping on Keyen.

Keyen slammed him back into the wall, and the man dropped to the ground.

“No, she’s mine.” The man clawed at Keyen’s leg.

“Wrong,” Keyen declared. “She’s mine.” His hand flexed, and for a minute, he thought of hitting him, but looking at the cowering man, he reached down instead. The man threw his hands up as if to protect himself. Keyen pulled a set of restraints from his pocket, grasped one wrist, locked it on, then did the same to the other before turning his attention back to Rori. “Now, let’s get you free.”

Rori turned. A second later the binding fell away.

“You’re getting better at those.” Bass came up to stand in the doorway.

“I have them figured out now.” Keyen smiled as Rori moved past him.

“You made it.” She hugged Bass.

“Did you doubt me?” He winked.

“Let’s just say, I was worried.”

“I guess that’s acceptable.” He looked at Keyen. “I’ve never seen you pull a hoversled out of the air before. I didn’t know we could.”

“We probably can’t.” Cassie came up to them.

“True.” Bass looked thoughtful. “Don’t ever get you mad.”

“You mean,” Sansa joined them, “don’t ever get between him and Rori.”

Keyen felt his face heat as Rori looked up at him but was saved from any further comments as the comm-links came to life. “The council hall is under attack,” Tankin announced.

Keyen was relieved for the subject change, except that it meant people were in trouble. “Let’s go.”

“Think this will still fly?” Bass asked.

Keyen understood what he meant. “I didn’t do anything to the engines.”

A second later, Bass was at the controls and brought all functions on line. “We’re good,” he said over his shoulder. Sansa and Cassie finished moving the medic against the wall next to the other men and boarded.

“Tank, have you made it to the cove yet?” Keyen asked.

“Affirmative.”

“Good, we’ll pick you up.”

Bass was already nosing the sled out of the hangar. The two men were waiting, jumping on board before it touched down. They were off.

Keyen took the seat next to Rori. “Let me see your leg.”

“It’s okay. I just fell on something sharp.”

“And we don’t know what so we sterilized it.” Keyen cut her off, already removing the utensil from his pocket to slice through the material at the knee of her pants.

The cut was small, only the width of his thumb, but he took great care in tending it. Aware of the soft skin under his hands, Keyen forced his thoughts to a professional level, but it was hard. He’d almost lost her. He wanted to take her in his arms and keep her safe.

Her hand settled over his. He raised his eyes to meet her gaze.

“I love you,” she said softly.

He interlocked their fingers and raised his hand to cup her cheek. He leaned in to kiss her, long and deep.

Ahead, a throat cleared. “I’m all for you two being in love,” Ultin said. “But we’re approaching the city.”

Keyen dropped Rori’s hand and called up information from the IPI. Images of explosions and laser bursts filled the screen in what looked like a full-fledged war. Orn’s team and the security force were heavily outnumbered.

“Oh, my.” Cassie gasped as a corner of the council building collapsed as they watched.

“Bass, bring us in on the left. See if we can’t trap Creed’s forces between us and the others. Let’s stop this maniac. Formation two.” He looked to Rori. “You up to this?”

“I’m good to go. Believe me.”

Bass brought the sled down hard and fast just around the corner across from the council building, giving them some protection.

Rori was the last one off the shuttle, fastening on the equipment belt Sansa had brought for her as she went. The others were already fanning out, Sansa, Bass, Cassie, and Ultin going to the left, Tankin and Keyen heading right. She took up her position just to the left of Keyen, so she was centered to shield the group. She could hear Keyen’s conversation with Orn as the two worked out a strategy.

The second they came around the corner, they were immersed in chaos. Fires burned in dozens of locations, set off by the pyro and explosives. Sansa focused her attention on extinguishing the ones that endangered people while Ultin located the pyro. Rori found the pyro first.

“Behind the Unity statue,” she said to Ultin, feeling a touch of panic as she watched the pyro pulling in energy for another blast.

“Got him,” Ultin answered back.

Rori watched long enough to see the pyro’s fireball burst apart as it was intersected by Ultin’s.

“Anous is down.” Orn’s voice came over the link ripping Rori’s attention away.

She brought up the man’s location. He was behind a destroyed slider directly in front of the council building. There were so many laser strikes across the area there was no way anyone could get to him. Rori got up the shield just as Keyen called her name.

“I’ve got it. It’s safe to get him,” she said into her link then almost faltered when she saw a gray-haired man dash from the front council doors and down the steps to Anous. There was no mistaking her grandfather. Jattin Straye still moved well for an older man. Rori felt a twinge of panic as a burst of laser fire blew against her shield directly in front of her grandfather.

Jattin reached Anous’s location, stopped to return some shots of his own before disappearing down behind cover. A second later, her grandfather’s voice came over the link. “I have him, ready to go.”

“Ready,” Rori acknowledged and Jattin came into view, Anous slung over his shoulder. His pace back up the stairs was slower but still steady. The instant they disappeared inside, Rori shifted her shield to Tankin who was pinned down behind a small pile of debris just to her right.

“Thanks,” he said when the first blocked blast fell short.

“Wouldn’t you like to get somewhere a little bigger?”

“Sure would. About seven meters right was where I was headed,” he said back.

“Go.” He was already moving. A hail of fire bursts flared against her shield so intense it almost blinded her, but a second later, he was under cover.

“Tank, why don’t you give some of these guys a headache?” Keyen came over the link.

“My thoughts exactly,” Tankin answered. “Just making sure I had some space.

Rori had heard of Tankin’s ability to produce sound waves that could actually render someone unconscious but had never seen him do it because the sound waves affected anyone in their path. She felt his talent build, but her attention shifted to the left, giving cover to Sansa. Sansa’s acknowledgment was cut off by a large boom that shook the ground.

“Way to go, Tank!” Ultin called out. There was no more sign of the pyro. Ultin was now in a fire fight, along with Keyen, against several groups of Creed’s men.

Rori felt energy shift as Keyen pulled in a large amount of it and locked on to a hoversled from which Creed’s men fired. The sled lifted in the air tipped on its side and crashed down. For a second, silence filled the air.

Rori picked up waves of fear and panic from the attackers then, through it all, a burst of immense rage. She had no trouble tracing it back to its origin. Drasc Creed stood off to the side, back behind a group of his men, waiting to walk in as conqueror. Anger burned from the man as the tide against his forces began to turn.

Rori saw him point at Keyen and felt fear of her own. A shower of laser blasts rained down on Keyen’s position. She barely got up a shield in time to cover him. The decorative wall he was behind shattered and to Rori’s horror started to tip. Before she could shift her shield, the wall halted and tumbled back the other way as Keyen applied force of his own.