Aurora Saga 2 Immortality for Life (16 page)

‘I try to free you, and all you want to do is keep hitting me. Please calm down, Pilco!’

‘How do you know my name?’

‘I know all your names,’ she said, but then her vision blurred.

Woe! I feel a bit dizzy. Why did he do that? Activate emergency balance dampers. That’s better
, she thought and then focusing again on the Agonians said,

‘Please, I’m here with Zoren.’

‘Who are you?’ a young woman asked.

‘My name’s Kalrea.’

‘She’s one of them! Don’t let her take you!’ a man cried out.

‘Why are you doing this to us?’ another woman asked.

They’re going to need convincing. How do I convince them?

Kalrea noticed a terminal set into the wall.

I need Zoren, but where is he? He should have got back to the shuttle by now.
Kalrea viewed the inside of the shuttle.
Where are you, Zoren?

Kalrea had no option but to try and reason with them herself.

‘Look, I’m not one of them. Do you want to live because if you do, then we need to get out of here, fast!’

‘How do you know Zoren?’ a man asked.

‘Look, you have to-’ Kalrea stopped.

Zoren! Where the hell have you been?
she thought, and her words sounded within the shuttle.

*****

‘Hi, Kalrea,’ Zoren replied, hearing Kalrea’s voice within the shuttle. ‘I had a bit of a problem finding the ship, but I’m back now.’

‘Well that’s great! Look, I need your help. Please talk to your people. They don’t believe I’m here to help them.’

Kalrea opened an audio-visual link between the terminal on Onliv and the console within the cockpit of the shuttle. Zoren’s mouth fell open as he watched his people in the background behind her. Kalrea moved to one side, so they could see him.

‘Zoren! Is that you? You look different!’

‘Oh! Must be the hair.’ He quickly removed the wig from his head. ‘Mum! Are you ok?’

‘No, I feel I’m in a living nightmare.’

Kalrea was standing next to his mum, and added,

‘Zoren, you need to know three of your people are dead.’

‘But, you said you could save them,’ and then realising he was asking too much of Kalrea, said, ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that. I know you’re doing everything in your power to help us.’

‘That’s ok, Zoren,’ Kalrea replied.

Then Zoren addressed his mum. ‘Kalrea’s there to protect you. She has a ship. Please you have to trust her. She will save your lives.’

*****

Kalrea linked into the security system and using the cameras checked the entrance lobby. A number of armed men rushed into the building.

Transit maintenance override. Disable all transits.

‘We have to go,’ Kalrea said urgently. ‘Please!’ She helped one of the women to her feet. ‘Everyone, follow me.’

Kalrea entered the ward, with the others following close behind her.

Some of the Agonians gasped when they recognised the dead bodies of their loved ones. Zuki’s mother shouted out in despair when she saw her daughter’s body.

‘We can’t leave them here like discarded rubbish,’ Pilco said.

‘We have very little time. I’m sorry, but if you want to live, then we can’t afford to take them.’

‘No... No… Valon, my love. Why!
Why!
’ Supora rushed over to her dead husband lying on the bed.

Kalrea froze when she glanced to the empty bed where the Xangol male had been.

Where is he?

The click of a railgun drew her attention to the open door leading into the corridor. Standing in front of it was the Xangol.

Activate defence shield!

There was a burst of plasma fire.

A number of rounds struck Kalrea, but there was also a scream of pain from behind her. She pointed at the Xangol male and struck him with a bolt of light. He was thrown through the doorway against a lift door. He slumped to the floor.

Kalrea turned around, and then with concern said, ‘Supora, are you all right?’

‘I don’t feel too… good,’ Supora replied, before collapsing to the floor.

‘He’s getting up!’ Pilco said, pointing towards the doorway.

Kalrea glanced over her shoulder.

That’s not possible, unless!

The Xangol got to his feet. He reached down to the floor for the gun.

Kalrea ran straight at him as he picked up the railgun. She slammed into him, snatching the gun from his hand. She gripped him firmly on the shoulder. He screamed in pain as his skin turned black, but to Kalrea’s surprise he started to regenerate.

‘You can’t kill me,’ he said angrily. ‘Didn’t you know, I’m immortal! I’ll be forever young.’

He tried to strike Kalrea, but she stopped his hand with hers. She grabbed him by the neck, lifting him into the air.

‘If I can’t kill you, then I’ll have to make sure you cannot harm us.’

Open transit fifteen, level 105.

The transit door in front of her opened. She moved to the edge of the shaft.

‘I may not be able to kill you, but this will keep you out of our way for a while.’

She released her grip and he disappeared down the lift shaft.

Kalrea turned to see the Agonians at the ward doorway.

Close transit fifteen, level 105,
she thought and then said, ‘We need to get to the roof.’

She rushed over to Supora, who was being supported by two men.

She’s bleeding a lot. Disable defence shield.

‘Here, I’ll take her,’ Kalrea said and then lifted her in her arms.

‘Are you sure you can manage on your own,’ one of the men asked. He looked amazed by her strength.

‘I can manage. Now, get moving!’

‘Wait! What about the children?’ a woman said.

‘The children! We can’t leave without the children,’ another added.

Kalrea quickly checked the building using the cameras.

‘They’re not in the building,’ she said. ‘Do you have any idea where they are?’

‘That man... Do you remember that man, Pilco? What was his name?’

‘H... furn… Raxom, it was something like H…furni Raxom,’ Pilco replied.

‘That’s the name,’ a woman replied. ‘He mentioned that they were going to be taken to his home.’ And then addressing Kalrea said, ‘Does that mean anything to you?’

‘Yes, it does. First I need to make sure you’re safe, and then I’ll find them, all right? We must get to the roof.’

*****

Back at the shuttle Zoren was getting some unwanted attention.

‘Kalrea, I may have a problem,’ Zoren said, from inside the shuttle. ‘There are three official-looking men outside. Wait… now they’re pointing at me. I think… yes, they want me to go outside.’

‘Zoren, do not leave the shuttle, is that clear?’ Kalrea said sternly, from within the shuttle.

‘I wasn’t going to. What do I do?’

‘Damn, you have company,’ Kalrea said. ‘You need to get the shuttle out of there. Head into space. I’ll find you.’

Zoren moved hesitantly into the cockpit. He activated the console.

What did she mean, I have company?

Three small Gullin fighters, in formation, flew over of top of the shuttle.

‘What were they, Kalrea?’

‘You need to get out of there, now!’

The shuttle’s drive started and Zoren quickly lifted it from the landing pad, but in doing so slammed against one of the large ships next to it. He was almost thrown from the seat.

Shit, come on! Be more careful.

He grimaced, hearing a loud sound of scrapping metal as the shuttle continued upwards.

‘Sorry!’

He tried desperately to keep the shuttle steady.

What are you trying to do? Wreak everything!

The shuttle cleared the other ship and rapidly climbed into the sky.

Wait! Now what’s that noise? An alarm?

There were two loud thuds on the side of the shuttle.

‘What was that?’

Suddenly, there were three more deafening knocks, in quick succession, behind him, followed by the sound of an explosion. He felt the movement of air against his back.

‘What happened? Kalrea!’

‘The shuttle’s taken a number of hits from mechanical missiles. I’ll try to help you.’

The symbols on the console flickered and then went blank.

‘Kalrea, I’ve got no means of controlling it,’ Zoren said, lifting his hands away from the console. ‘What do I do?’

There were two more bangs adjacent to the front window. A ball of fire obscured his view for a moment as the missiles exploded, but they did not penetrate the hull of the shuttle.

‘Get into the back. Quickly!’

Zoren did not ask any questions. He rushed into the rear of the shuttle.

‘Sit down!’ Kalrea said.

Zoren did as she said.

He felt himself being sucked into seat and could not move anymore. He saw the telementor on his wrist turn white ready to protect him. A moment later the shuttle struck the ground.

*****

Kalrea sneaked out onto the roof of the Liyp building. She glanced around and then said,

‘Everyone, get to the centre of the roof.’

‘Where do we go now?’ Pilco asked her.

At that moment the noise of event horizon drives echoed between the buildings, and the front of the
Aurora
appeared from below the edge of the roof-top.

The Agonians all gazed up at the massive ship, as with greater precision, Kalrea positioned it directly over them. The Pojin lift descended from its belly.

‘Inside!’ she ordered.

Kalrea waited for all of them to enter the Pojin lift before carrying the injured Supora onboard.

Scanners indicate three fighters on intercept vector.

The
Aurora
turned away as the fighters approached.

Missile lock detected. Six incoming.

The
Aurora
was struck by the four missiles. The hull flexed inwards where they hit and bright coloured circles of light rippled outwards as they exploded. The hull then returned to its normal shape without any signs of damage. The
Aurora
accelerated between the towering buildings, leaving the fighters in its wake.

Locating H’furni Raxom’s house. It’s four hundred and ten kilometres away. Where’s Zoren? One hundred and sixty-two… Damn, in the other direction.

‘Zoren… can you… hear me?’ Kalrea’s broken voice said from within the shuttle. ‘Get away from the shuttle. Do you hear me?’

There was no reply.

Telementor readings indicate he’s fine. Why does he not respond?

The Pojin lift opened into the accommodation area onboard the
Aurora
where Gulco and the others were. Kalrea rushed into their room, the others followed her.

‘What happened?’ Gulco asked. His wife ran over to him and they embraced.

‘Vinuar!’ Kalrea called out to him. ‘Supora’s been hit by a plasma shell.’

The lid of the seatra, within the room, opened and she placed Supora carefully inside. Vinuar rushed over.

She turned to Vinuar and said, ‘The seatra will put her in suspended animation, but she’s been bleeding heavily. She won’t feel any pain and I’m hoping that by stopping all her internal organs she’ll survive until we can find a medical facility. You will have to try to seal her wound.’

‘Where’s Doc Korye?’ Vinuar said, glancing around at those Kalrea had saved to see where he was.

‘He didn’t make it. You were starting to learn how to be a doctor, weren’t you?’

‘Yes, but I’ve never seen a plasma gunshot wound before.’

‘Well, nor would have Doc Korye,’ she replied, and then reassuringly placed her hand on his shoulder. ‘Can you try to seal her wound for me?’

‘I’ll do what I can for her.’

‘Thank you, Vinuar.’

Vinuar glanced down at Kalrea’s dress, which was soaked in Supora’s red blood where Kalrea had been holding her, and then up at her neck, which had blue blood trickling down it. For a moment he seemed surprised by the different colour blood, but then asked, ‘What about you? Have you hurt your head?’

‘I’ll be fine, just worry about Supora.’

‘Where are the children?’ Gulco asked.

‘They were taken away from us,’ his wife replied.

I have to act quickly. Once they know I’m here, they’ll split the children up and I’ll never find them all. Time to get to H’furni Raxom’s house: two minutes, five seconds.