Reborn (The Cartographer Book 2) (23 page)

“It was
them,
wasn't it?” I asked.

She emitted a dry chuckle. “Yep. Apparently I stumbled upon them dismantling the car for parts.” She looked nervously toward the door and lowered her voice. “Ironic, isn't it?”

“What?”

She sighed. “We always view aliens as being technologically superior to us. But they needed parts from us in order to repair their ship. I guess we aren't as backwards in the universe as originally thought, eh?

“You're Canadian, aren't you?” It was the “eh” that got me.

“I'm from Hamilton,” she replied.

I wanted to tell her there was no Hamilton anymore. I decided not to because she appeared depressed enough already. Instead I switched the conversation toward my current predicament. “Why am I paralyzed? I never heard of anyone becoming paralyzed by a shoulder wound.”

She nodded toward the box on the table. “They call it a cerebral inhibitor. The beam is programmed to prohibit movement.”

“Why?”

She shrugged. “Captain's orders.”

I closed my eyes and tried to move. Despite my best efforts nothing moved, not even my pinky. I grunted with frustration. “Why are you with them?”

Sorrow lined her voice. “I helped one of them with some injuries. Once they realized I had medical training they decided to keep me around. I guess I was more useful to them alive.”

She flinched. The fluorescent light reflected the pain in her eyes. As bad as it was I needed to exploit her pain if I planned on making it out of there alive. “What's your name?”

A smile cracked the corners of her lips. “Deena Trask.”

“How old are you?” I asked.

“Twenty-four.” She relaxed and tapped a button on the side of the box. “What about you?”

“Well, I kind of lost track of time, but I was sixteen at one time.”

She giggled. “Yeah, I suppose time sort of loses its meaning in space.”

“Are you going to be my nurse?” I asked with a smile. It was good to feel my facial muscles working.

“Yes,” she said with a smile.

“Can you turn that machine off?” I smiled mischievously.

Her smile faded and she looked at the box uneasily. “Sorry, I can't do that.”

Frustrated, I blurted, “They killed my friends.” When she narrowed her eyes suspiciously I softened my tone. “What do they want with me?”

She looked down at the machine and refused to look at me. “I don't know,” she said in a hushed tone. “I'm only here to make sure the wound is healing and make you comfortable.”

Before I could press her further, the door opened. Because of the paralysis I couldn't see who walked in, but judging by Deena's face it was bad news. The voice confirmed my suspicions.

“How is our patient faring?” Shai asked.

“Stable and restrained,” she replied.

“You can go,” he growled. “Nathan and I have some catching up to do. I'm sure he has questions.”

She turned and walked out. After the door closed he leered over me. “Why am I here?” I demanded. “What do you want with me?”

He looked me up and down before smiling. “Bah, you are no threat,” he spat. He turned toward the box and switched it off. The beam vanished and I felt a slow numbness creeping along my extremities. “Corvus needs you,” he responded as if the statement was the answer to everything. “Don't bother asking me why because I have no idea. I am just a simple mercenary for hire who does what his boss tells him to do.”

I turned my head away and stared at the far wall. A mirror hung over an oversized basin sink. It was big enough to bathe a baby. I wanted nothing more than to fill it up and shove Shai's head in it until he drowned. “You're nothing more than an overrated pirate,” I muttered.

His fist smashed against my jaw. Lucky for me my head was already turned which made it more of a glancing blow. Despite the angle, my vision still filled with stars and I felt a dull pain as the numbness from the inhibitor began to wear off.

“You better watch your mouth,” he warned. “Corvus asked me to deliver you but he didn't say anything about it being in one piece.”

I turned my head and narrowed my eyes. “Go to hell.”

I readied myself for a blow that never came. Instead he simply smiled. “I'll give you that one. You have balls, kid. I understand your anger at that bit of ugliness on Earth.” There was one chair on each side of the gurney. He eased into the one closest to the machine. “It was business, mind you. I was paid to recover you, but your friends wanted to make a big deal out of it.”

The memory of the events in New Mexico brought forth a fresh bout of anger. I reached for Shai but crashed to the floor, bringing a fresh stab of pain to my shoulder. My limbs failed me. The numbness lingering in my extremities prevented me from controlling them effectively. Shai's heckling filled the room.

“Whoa, don't go getting yourself in a tizzy, soldier,” he mocked. He scooped me up like a rag doll and tossed me back on the gurney. “I wouldn't want you to hurt yourself.”

“What do you want from me?” I roared. “Congratulations, you caught me. Take me to Corvus. If I have to hear your voice anymore I'm going to rip off my ears and shove a blade into my brain.”

“There's a bit more to it,” he replied. “Corvus wants information regarding his enemies.” Shai pushed a rolling cart toward me. On top of the cart were several tools. A scalpel and needle was just two of many. “You're special in that you have been a part of the Consortium as well as the Insurgents.”

“I won't tell you anything,” I sneered.

He picked up the needle and worked the plunger. The needle spit out a tiny amount of golden liquid. He turned and waved it back and forth with a smile.

“See, that's where you're wrong.”

Lianne

When she stepped off the ramp, her thick synthetic fiber boots crunched the gravel underneath. It sounded like the crunching of bones and she shivered, despite the warm, New Mexico air. She placed a hand over her eyes and surveyed the surroundings. The sun settled upon the horizon. In the distance along the highway she spied a small building. Further up the highway was a corpse. Due to the distance it looked like nothing more than the carcass of a large animal, perhaps killed by one of the fast moving metal conveyances the humans used to move about.

“Are you sure they were here?” She turned to Embeth.

“Captain Muriel assured me that Gard's emergency beacon leads to this region,” Embeth replied grimly.

“It still pings here.” Muriel confirmed as he emerged from the ship and wiped at his beaked maw with the back of his hand. “By the gods, is it this hot everywhere on Earth? I feel like my brains are broiling inside my skull.”

As they approached the building, Lianne's heart sank when she noticed the smoldering wreckage in front of the building. It sank further when she saw the corpse. It wasn't an animal carcass after all.

“Oh no!” Lianne exclaimed and ran to the body. She slipped her hand behind his head, but it was hard to lift due to the congealing blood causing it to stick to the ground. She tried to locate a vital sign, but she knew Wraith was dead.

“Damn!” Embeth exclaimed bitterly. Captain Muriel ran up to them with a Defense Fleet soldier in tow.

Lianne removed her hand and looked past the corpse. She spied a trail of blood leading off into the distance. “Look,” she pointed at the fire house. “That trail of blood leads to the building over there.”

“So does Gard's beacon,” Muriel added.

“Weapons out,” Embeth growled. “Be on alert.”

They approached the building cautiously, keeping their weapons locked on the fire house. They passed the burnt corpse of the fireman. Lianne acknowledged it with a grimace.

“The beacon is getting stronger,” Muriel acknowledged.

Embeth gestured toward the side of the building. The Defense Fleet soldier acknowledged with a nod and moved to the location. Muriel crouched low and approached the lone window. Embeth covered him. Lianne leaned against the burnt shell of the fire truck with her weapon pointed toward the open bay.

“It's coming from inside,” Muriel whispered.

Muriel crouched in front of the window. Embeth waved her in. With a nod she rushed in. The bay was dark. She flipped a switch located at the top of the rifle and a beam of light penetrated the gloom. Embeth stepped in beside her.

“Nothing,” she said. “But look.” She pointed at the trail of blood leading into the office.

Something hard and heavy fell in the other room. They turned their weapons toward the door to the office. They approached it carefully. Inside they heard a crackling sound, like bacon frying.

“Are you gonna sit out there all day or come in here and join us,” a gruff voice called out.

They entered the office and the scene was grim. Kedge sat on the floor propped up against the wall. Gard was hunched over his midsection and a small blue flame burned at the end of his clawed hand as he welded something in Kedge's gut. Kedge himself was surrounded in a pool of blood.

“Don't worry, it's only a flesh wound,” Kedge laughed dryly.

“What the hell happened?” Embeth demanded.

“Where's Nathan?” Lianne asked.

Kedge flinched. “Ow! Gard watch it! That was flesh.”

“
Sorry the light is limited in here
,” Gard replied. “
Now quit moving
.”

Kedge sighed. “Robots! They are so damn temperamental. Anyway, there is a lot you need to hear so take a seat.”

“Muriel. Barlow. Get in here,” Embeth ordered. They appeared in the doorway. “Barlow return to the ship and keep an eye on things. Muriel keep a watch outside.”

They nodded their acknowledgement and vanished. Lianne kept an eye on Kedge who clenched his teeth as Gard worked on him. His abdomen was sliced open from hip to sternum. Tiny red lights could be seen inside where his stomach should have been. Kedge caught her staring.

“Yeah, it's not pretty but it keeps me alive,” he grunted. He looked over at Gard. “Can we hurry this up?”

“Will he live?” Embeth asked.

“
The sword strike pierced his abdomen but fortunately most of the damage was to mechanical parts
,” Gard responded.

“What happened?” asked Lianne.

Kedge grimaced as Gard welded some piece of him back together. His staff lay on the floor next to him and it looked like it had been through a battle. Large chunks of wood were hacked out of it. Between the blood and the dust, the formerly white staff took on a charcoal gray appearance.

“It's dead,” Kedge lamented.

“What's dead?” she asked.

“The staff.” Kedge groaned as Gard stopped welding and started sewing. “I found him during an excursion through the Forests of Nisus. The Forest Monks taught me the commands to bring the wood to life.”

“Are you trying to tell me that thing is alive?” Embeth crouched over it. He poked at it with his index finger.

“Was,” Kedge moaned. “He had fought by my side for decades. Always tireless, forever faithful. To think a lowborn, bandit scum like Shai killed him is only adding salt to the wound.”

“Shai is here?” Lianne asked.

“They were. Him and his merry band of idiots,” Kedge sneered. “A sniper got Wraith.” He hesitated and drew in a deep breath. “The sniper got Nathan too.”

The news was like a shot to the gut.
The sniper got Nathan too
. The words haunted her. She hoped he was alive since his body wasn't nearby. “Where is Vayne?”

Kedge winced as Gard stitched him up. “I don't know. We thought he was coming to get us but then the ships came.” He bit his lip as Gard welded something else together. “There's something else you should know.”

“What's that?” Lianne asked.

“There is a new player in the game,” he muttered. “It seems the Erudites have teamed up with the Kamilians to rescue human survivors.”

Embeth fixed him with a confused look. “The Erudites are watchers and scholars. They never interfere.” He folded his arms across his chest and his lips tightened. “Why would they do that?”

Kedge shrugged and struggled to stand. Lianne hurried over and caught him under the arm before he fell over.

“
You should sit and rest for a bit
,” Gard stated.

“We don't have 'a bit',” Kedge grumbled and leaned against the wall. “I have no idea why Bree would get involved. But the Kamilians mentioned something about an Ark coming to Earth.”

“An Ark?” Lianne repeated. “Do you mean
THE
Ark?”

“Wait a minute.” Embeth ran his fingers through his beard. “During a Council meeting I heard rumors of the Kamilians developing a ship large enough to contain independent ecosystems. This ship was also large enough to hold over a half a million people. The High Prince was toying with the notion of including it during Helios Protocol missions. They called it the Ark. Are you telling me that this is what is coming here?”

Kedge shrugged.

“If so,” Lianne said. “The ship is large enough to rescue a lot of human survivors,” Lianne added. “Perhaps they have a chance after all.”

“Are you okay to move?” Embeth studied Kedge.

He looked pale and leaned a bit too much on the wall for Lianne's comfort, but for a guy who just took a sword through the gut he seemed to be holding his own. She wondered how many battles he had seen and how many grievous wounds he had suffered. She also found herself wondering how many grievous wounds it would take to kill him.