Children of the Void: Book One of the Aionian Saga (22 page)

“Hmm,” said Gideon, “I wish we would have gotten here earlier.”

Joseph’s smile faded. “You did what you could, Gid. What good does it do to beat yourself up over it? I mean, look at Connor. The man had a good cry when he found his wife and then moved on. Did what had to be done.”

Gideon shrugged. He looked over his shoulder at Mrs. Preece sleeping on Takomi’s lap, then turned back to Joseph. “I hope things start getting better. I hope we find everyone else.”

“I’m sure we will,” said Joseph. “They would have landed with a big group of SFs. Guaranteed they’re doing better than us.”

Gideon nodded. “That makes sense. I’m sure you’re right.” He looked down at the ground.

Joseph looked at him for a while, then put a hand on his shoulder. “And your dad’s fine too. He’s smarter than all of us.”

Gideon looked up. “Thanks, Joe.” He pulled his own bedroll from his pack. “I’m dead tired, you know? Let’s get some sleep.”

“You’re one to talk,” laughed Joseph. “Your armor practically carried you here. I had to actually walk!”

Gideon laughed. As he turned and looked out into the night sky, the word pesadilla repeated in his head again. He drifted off to sleep, haunted by nightmares of terrifying creatures chasing him through a forest.

☥

In the morning, Gideon awoke to the sound of raised voices. The soft light of dawn was starting to creep into their fort. He stood and stretched his aching muscles, wondering why no one had awoken him for his watch. Joseph rolled over and peered up at him. “What’s all the commotion?”

“Not sure,” said Gideon, putting on his Sentinel Armor. Joseph stood and stretched. They moved to the edge of the shelter and looked down to see a small group of people arguing about something. Padre, Connor, Vincent, and Tawny stood on one side, and David stood on the other with several other crew members behind him. It only took Gideon a moment to realize that it was the same old argument they’d been having for days.

“You’re not even listening to me,” yelled David. “We’ve all been lucky so far, but now we know we’re in over our heads. I mean, look at that thing down there.” He pointed down into the ravine at the huge creature’s remains.

“Which is exactly why we need to look for the others,” yelled Connor. “We need to regroup and come up with a long-term plan. Something better than hiding in a little cave.”

“Not to mention, the rest of the crew may need our help,” said Vincent.

“We’ve got a defensible position here,” said David. “I say we set up a beacon and dig in. The others can come to us.”

“And what happens if the others are thinking the same way you are?” said Gideon before he could stop himself. He strode down the hill to stand above David and those that stood with him. “What if everyone is sitting around waiting to be rescued? I don’t care if you all stay here. I’ll go out there by myself if I have to. I’m going to find my dad and anyone else I can.”

David was taken aback by Gideon’s sudden appearance. “That’s very brave of you, Gideon,” he said, “but what about the rest of us? We don’t have your Sentinel Armor to protect us, and there are wounded people here. This overhang provides us with some protection, but if another giant creature attacks, we’ll need everyone here to repel it.”

“You want my armor?” said Gideon. “Fine. I’ll leave it here and go on without it. There are enough weapons for you to give me a rifle and a pistol.”

“That’s not going to happen, Gideon,” said Padre. “We’re sticking together. My AI estimates that the bulk of the crew is only a day’s march away from here, two at most. We’ll all be safer once we’re together.”

“You can’t force us to come with you,” said a woman standing behind David.

Connor picked up his pack and rifle. “You’re absolutely right. Anyone that wants to stay here can. Everyone that wants to continue on should be ready to leave in thirty minutes. We’re burning daylight standing around here squabbling.” He walked back up to the main encampment, followed by Vincent and others.

“You wouldn’t just leave us here?” said David.

Padre took three steps forward and looked up into David’s face, his teeth flashing in a pleasant smile. “Yes, we would.” He turned, grabbed his pack and rifle, and followed Connor back into the camp.

Gideon scrambled back up the slope and did what he could to get people ready to leave. Most of the survivors from the attack the day before were happy to be moving on in search of the main group, but a few of them had the same disposition as David and his friends. For a moment, Gideon actually thought some of them would stay. However, after they did the math, they relented, grumbling and dragging their feet.

With their increased numbers, the group moved much slower, and security became tricky due to the lack of Sentinel Armor. Several times they came across large animals. Instead of trying to guess if they were dangerous or not, the group decided to play it safe and go around each time. As they crested hill after hill, the beacons became stronger. Late into the afternoon, they came to the summit of a large hill, and Padre had them stop to rest. “I think we’re close enough for radio contact. Connor, why don’t you climb that tree and see if you can reach someone?”

Connor set down his gear and leapt up the tallest tree around. Once he reached the top, he started broadcasting on the common band. “This is Connor Hallows. Does anyone read me? Repeat, this is Connor Hallows. Does anyone read?”

The answer that came was so sudden and so clear that Gideon jumped. “I read you, Connor. This is communications officer Don Rich. It’s good to hear you’re alive.”

“Don! Good to hear your voice, too,” said Connor. “How many are with you?”

“Currently two hundred eighteen,” said Don. “Small groups have been trickling into our main camp here since we arrived, but we haven’t heard from anyone new in over two days. How many are with you?”

“There are thirty-two of us,” answered Connor.

“That’s great news,” said Don. “I’m sending up some flares to mark our position. Let me know if you see them.”

Gideon and the others looked around for several seconds. Three red flares streaked over the forest, and Connor’s voice came back over the intercom. “I see you,” said Connor. “You’re closer than I thought. I’d say about two klicks northeast.”

“Great,” said Don. “I’ll send some help your way to bring you in. See you in a few.”

Connor scrambled down the tree, jumping the last few meters to the ground. He had a grin that split his whole face, as did the rest of the group. The need to rest fled their minds, and they all had their gear back on in no time. Connor led the way, and Vincent had to keep bellowing to him to slow down and keep in defensive formation.

It wasn’t long before a woman’s voice came over their coms. “I’ve got eyes on you, Connor. Up here to your right a little.” They all looked up through the trees. Up the hill, a group of about ten people were waving down at them.

“Is that you, Hannah?” asked Connor.
 

“You’re damn right it is. You’re late to the party, Connor. But since you brought friends, we’ll let you off easy this time.”

“Thanks. You’re a real sweetheart,” said Connor as he climbed the hill. The rest of the group followed and exchanged warm greetings with the party that had come out to find them. Hannah McDermott was a petite woman, but judging by the way she carried her rifle and barked orders to the group, you’d think she was bigger than Vincent. Gideon mostly knew her as an associate in the agricultural school, but seeing her like this reminded him she was also part of the infantry. She didn’t let them swap stories for long, and soon they were headed off.

They followed Hannah up a steep hill for some time. At the top, they found another half dozen survivors guarding a makeshift lean-to. A cord ran out of the shelter and spiraled up a tall tree next to it until it ended at a small antennae array. Don Rich stepped out of the lean-to with a big grin on his face.

“Good to see all of you,” he said as he stepped forward and hugged some of them, waving at the rest. “Glad to see so many still coming in after all this time.”

Tawny Drexel made her way to the front of the group. “There should have been more of us,” she said as she hugged Mr. Rich. “It’s a miracle any of us made it here, to tell you the truth.” She related the story of the attack from the giant creature while Mr. Rich and his crew listened with open mouths.
 

“What a nightmare,” said Mr. Rich when she had finished. “I can’t imagine... I’m so glad the rest of you made it.” He motioned for them all to follow him to the lean-to. “Why don’t you all rest a bit? We’ve got a little food and fresh water. Then we’ll get you to the main camp. It’s only about twenty minutes from here. As you can see, this is just a communications station. We’ve got this one and two more monitoring the radio traffic in the area in case groups like you come looking for us.”

“Have you seen my parents?” yelled Takomi from the back of the group. With that, a chorus of voices called out names of loved ones, asking if anyone had seen them. Mr. Rich had to yell over the top of them.

“I’m not the person to ask,” he yelled, quieting them a little. “We’ve been here manning this station since we crashed. They’ve got a list back at HQ of those who are accounted for, and those who are still missing.”

Padre spoke for the first time. “Who’s in charge anyway?”

“Devereux’s assumed command,” said Mr. Rich. “You’ll find him back at HQ.”

“Has he sent out any search parties to pick up stragglers?” asked Padre.

“I don’t know,” answered Mr. Rich. “We report back in with any pertinent news and they tell us how many crew members are accounted for. You lot make it an even two hundred fifty survivors. Other than that, we’re pretty much in the dark.”

A murmur rippled through the crowd. “So many missing,” whispered Takomi, gripping Gideon by the arm. They looked at each other, and Gideon couldn’t hide the fear in his eyes.

Gideon made his way to the front of the group. “Well, I’m rested enough,” he said to no one in particular. “Is someone going to show me where camp is, or do I have to find my own way?” A commotion rose through the crowd. No one wanted to wait any longer to find out what had happened to their friends and family.

Hannah stepped up onto a boulder. “I’ll take anyone who’s ready to go now.” That was all the encouragement any of them needed.

L
ESS
THAN
HALF
an hour later, the group marched into a clearing littered with tents and gear. The shuttles sat in the middle of the clearing while people milled about. At the sight of the group emerging from the forest, people in the camp shouted, coming out of their tents to take a look.

“This camp is disgraceful,” said Vincent, eyeing the clearing. Here and there, an occasional guard idled around the perimeter with a rifle slung over their shoulder, but other than that, there was a conspicuous lack of defenses.
 

“I guess Devereux doesn’t quite get it,” said Connor. “We’re going to have to do something about this.”

Members of the group would break off occasionally when they spotted a loved one. There was an equal share of laughter and tears as more and more of them found a familiar face to run to. Many of Gideon and Takomi’s friends were among those coming to greet them, but each second Gideon became more and more frantic as he scanned the faces for his dad. He hadn’t noticed that he was gripping Takomi’s hand. Or she was gripping his.

The face he sought didn’t materialize from among the throng of survivors. Gideon asked people until he got the attention of a crewman he knew, but the crewman shrugged. “They’ve got a list on that big rock over there,” he said, pointing over to a large boulder off to one side of the clearing.

Gideon took off running, dragging Takomi behind him. They reached the boulder, circling it until they found a list of names written with chalk on the flat side. The list was huge, divided into three categories: Alive, Missing, Killed.

The first name on the list of those missing was Ethan Killdeer. He let out a sigh. As long as his father was missing, there was still a chance he was alive.

Takomi cried out. “No. No. No. No!” She pounded her fist on the boulder until a crack appeared on its surface. She fell to her knees sobbing and gasping for breath. Gideon’s eyes flew to the list of those who were confirmed dead. It didn’t take him long to find the names of Hiro and Diana Tsukamoto.

Gideon felt sick. “Takomi, I...” There were no words for what he wanted to say. He reached out to put a hand on her arm, but she slapped it away. She turned and ran in the opposite direction, pulling off her helmet and wiping away her tears. He stood there awkwardly. As Takomi disappeared into the camp, he struggled to define how he was feeling. So many people he’d taken for granted growing up, gone forever.

The longer he stood next to the stone, the more an oppressive weight pushed down on his shoulders, and he too had to remove his helmet to wipe away his tears. A chalky stone lay next to the rock, and he reached down and picked it up. Falling to his knees, he added the names of those they had found. Veronica Hallows, Sanjay Patel, Garth and Jared Fitzsimmons, and the rest. All told, there were three hundred sixty-six confirmed dead, an unbelievable number. “Pauline,” he said, barely able to push the word through his emotions, “find out if you can confirm this list of those killed.”

His AI responded immediately. “Data from the shuttles in the area confirm two hundred ninety-two crew members killed in the destruction of the
Leviathan
and the ensuing battle. The remaining figures were logged into the shuttles’ systems manually within the last seventy-two hours.”

Gideon swallowed. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “How were the Tsukamotos killed?”

“Diana and Hiro Tsukamoto were aboard a shuttle that was destroyed by enemy fire. Probability of survival zero percent.”

Gideon gritted his teeth. For several moments, he kneeled in the dirt with his eyes closed, chalk in hand, until he calmed down again. When he opened his eyes, he was looking at the name of his father written on the stone.