* * * * *
It took Angel almost fifteen minutes to find the spot where the shuttle landed. Her trek had taken her across several fields to the top of a small escarpment. She looked down into a large ravine and saw that someone had constructed a building at the bottom. There was with enough light streaming through its high set windows that Angel could just make out the shapes of several people unloading cargo from the shuttle parked beside it.
It was impossible to see what the cargo consisted of, so Angel started cautiously down the embankment. The darkness provided her the perfect cover, but it also made her descent more dangerous since the steepness of the embankment required she climb down rather than walk. Facing the rocky side, she searched first with her feet and then her hands for solid places to step and hold. Several times, her foot slipped, causing a shower of smaller rocks to rain down to the ground below. Each time she regained her balance and froze, waiting to be discovered, either from the sound of the rocks she’d dislodged or the pounding of her heart.
When she reached the bottom of the escarpment, she crouched low and waited in the shadows, pondering her next move. Going back to get Nicoli would have made sense, but she didn't want to take the time. So instead, she waited and watched.
Her patience was rewarded almost immediately when two men exited the large building and walked to the cargo ship, disappearing inside it.
A few moments later, they reappeared, each holding opposite ends of an anti-gravity pallet. Piled on top were various pieces of equipment. Though she couldn't be sure what their purpose was, the mere construction of the pieces suggested it was more advanced technology than any found on Coronado outside the ruling houses and flight towers and therefore not approved - hence the reason someone was trying to keep it a secret.
As the men disappeared inside the building, Angel crept over to the ship. She wanted to look inside it, but it was impossible to tell if anyone else was aboard without exposing herself in the process. It was a chance she’d have to take.
Staying low, she walked the length of the ship toward the open cargo bay studying the markings - or lack thereof - on the side panels. There was no name or call letters, which was common for ships that transported illegal goods and the information gave her no better clue whether this ship belonged to Harvesters or some other group.
She rounded the back of the ship just as the two men she’d seen earlier reappeared. Quickly shrinking back around the side, she listened for the men to board and leave with their next load.
Instead, what she heard was the sound of the cargo door closing and then, before she could formulate a plan, the engines fired to life cutting off any chance of searching the ship. Worse still, if she didn't make a run for it and risk the pilot seeing her, she was likely to get cooked alive when the heat from the under-thrusters hit her.
Not giving herself a chance to think about it further, she raced the distance from the ship to the building, staying as close to the side wall as possible and hoping to blend into the shadows.
Seconds later, the shuttle rose vertically into the air. The force of the thrusters against the ground caused a hailstorm of dirt and small pebbles. Covering her face with her hands, Angel turned her back to it, but there was no way to avoid getting hit and all she could do was grit her teeth against the biting pain until it was over.
Mercifully, the ship ascended quickly and soon disappeared into the night sky.
For a moment or two, Angel stood there considering her options. She could always return to the ship and wait for Nicoli. Together, they could come back and discover whatever was going on inside.
What was she thinking? Nicoli wouldn't let her come back. He'd insist she stay in the ship while he came back alone. To hell with that. She was perfectly capable of investigating the building and discovering its secrets by herself.
Angel searched the night sky and found it clear and open. No sign of the shuttle returning, but the fact that the men had left the building lights on suggested she wasn't alone in this ravine. She'd have to be careful.
Moving to the door through which the men had carried the equipment, she pressed her ear against it, listening for any sound on the other side. When she was met with continued silence, she tried the door handle. It turned easily.
Slowly, she pulled open the door, hoping no alarm sounded inside. There was no one visible, so Angel stepped inside. Well lit, the place had the clean white sterile feel of a research lab or medical facility. This made the small trail of dirty footprints on the floor stand out even more.
Assuming they belonged to the men from the shuttle, Angel decided to follow them in hopes they'd lead her to the equipment they'd just delivered. Maybe if she got a closer look at it, she'd know what it was for.
The footprints ran down the main hallway and she was careful to keep her own steps quiet as she followed them. Around her, the silence was oppressive, convincing her that despite the lights, she was alone in the building.
The trail was growing fainter but Angel was able to see where it turned down an intersecting corridor and then led into the first door on the left.
The minute she stepped into the room and looked around, she knew she'd found what they were looking for. All around her stood empty gurneys like those she and Nicoli had laid on back at the Harvesters’ main processing building. Thankfully, these gurneys were empty. But for how long?
Looking around, she spotted a pallet of equipment against the side wall. She assumed it was the one she'd seen delivered. On the adjacent wall, opposite the door through which she'd entered, stood a second door.
Crossing to it, she pressed her ear against it to listen for sounds coming from the other side. When she heard only silence, she tried the knob and found the door unlocked. She supposed the Harvesters didn't expect anyone to know about their facility, much less go snooping through it.
Beyond the door was another room. This one had a medical exam table in the middle of the room with a gurney sitting beside it. Beyond the table, against the far wall, was a counter, on top of which sat an array of equipment. The equipment and the room looked familiar and she knew exactly where she'd seen it before; this was the same setup as in the lab at the Harvesters' main processing building where she and Nicoli had found the computer.
This was life essence transfer equipment!
She had to tell Nicoli. She turned to leave and in doing so, noticed that her shoes had tracked in dirt. Unlike the other footprints which led only to the pallet of equipment and back out, hers trailed about the room. There was no reason for the Harvesters to suspect anyone other than one of their own made the prints, so she didn't give them more than a passing worry as she hurried from the room. She headed directly back to the door through which she'd entered, but upon reaching it, she hesitated before opening it.
What if the shuttle had returned?
She spared a glance at the nearest window, thinking maybe she could look through it to check, but it was too high up. Feeling the weight of time running out pressing upon her, she decided to take her chances and opened the door.
She was in luck. There was no shuttle.
Hurrying outside, she crossed the open area to the escarpment where she began climbing. She ignored the scratches and scrapes as she groped for handholds to support herself while her feet fumbled for toeholds. She felt certain that Nicoli and her grandfather would have returned to the ship by now and noticed her absence. The sooner she returned and told them what she'd found, the sooner they could return.
The climb back up seemed interminable and several times, Angel found herself leaning precariously to the side in search of a hand or foot hold. By the time she reached the top and dragged herself over the top onto level ground, she was breathing hard and the palms of her hands and her knees were scratched and bleeding.
She only gave herself a minute to recover before she was on her feet; then suddenly she realized she wasn't sure in what direction to head. Worse still, when she'd set out from the ship, she'd had the dying light of the two suns to light her way. Now the suns had set and each step away from the ravine carried her further into the dark abyss of night.
The memory of hiding in a small closet rose up sharply, along with the bitter taste of fear.
I am not that little girl anymore.
The knowledge did little to soothe her.
Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and thought back to the route she'd taken after leaving the ship. She'd cut straight across the open fields until she'd reached the ravine. When she'd looked down, the warehouse had been slightly to her right. Since she had just climbed up directly in front of the warehouse, it stood to reason that she had only to head off to her left to be on the correct path back.
She opened her eyes and the darkness seemed less oppressive, so she headed off to the left. She'd only taken four or five steps when, on the next step, she went to put her foot down and there was no ground. As her foot dropped into the crevice, her momentum carried her forward and she fell, hitting the ground hard and twisting her ankle.
Pain lanced up her leg and prickled the palms of her hands where she had scraped them. Perched at an awkward angle, she realized that her foot was stuck in the crevice. Gritting her teeth, she used her hands to push herself into a standing position and tried to pull her foot free. It wouldn’t budge.
She threw her hands up in the air in a gesture of helpless frustration.
Could things get any worse?
She should have known they could.
Off in the far distance came the sound of a ship. If it was the cargo shuttle returning, they would use the ship’s perimeter lighting to help them land in the valley beyond the escarpment and she was standing too close to the edge for them not to see her.
With renewed vigor, she pulled at her foot, trying to free it. She bent over and clawed at the rocks, ignoring the way the hard dirt and rocks tore her skin.
Suddenly, a beam of light hit her with an intensity that blinded her. Instinctively, she threw her arms up to shield her face and realized with a sick feeling that she'd been spotted.
Chapter 25
The beam of light bobbed but otherwise remained fixed on her so she couldn't see beyond it to the ship. She silently chastised herself for not being more alert. She never even heard it land.
Then she heard the crunch of gravel beneath booted feet and felt an icy cold dread course through her. What would they do to her? Kill her on the spot? Turn her into a donor?
She could try to fight them off, but with her foot stuck, the fight was lost before it'd even begun.
“Good God, woman. You’ll be the death of me yet.”
Angel’s knees almost buckled in her relief. “Nicoli?”
“What are doing out here?" He asked, nothing more than a disembodied voice.
“Not much, she replied, voice filled with sarcasm. "My foot’s stuck in these rocks.”
She heard Nicoli’s sigh. It sounded closer but she still couldn’t see him. It didn’t help that he was dressed in dark clothes. “Let me take a look.”
“No. Don’t turn on a light. They'll see.” Angel looked up to scan the horizon.
"Who'll see?"
"Listen. Do you hear that ship? It's transporting medical equipment to a warehouse at the bottom of a ravine not far from here. Nicoli - I found the Harvester's transfer facility. We don't want to be standing here when it flies overhead."
“Did it mean nothing to you that I ordered you to stay on the ship?"
"Did you hear what I said?" she countered. "Harvesters. Here."
"I know," he said, kneeling before her and sliding his hands down her calf to her ankle, exploring first one leg and then the other, until he determined by touch which foot was stuck. Despite the gravity of their situation, she thrilled at the warm roughness of his hands. "The entire village is made up of reborn Harvesters."
"We have to do something."
"We will, as soon as I figure out how to free your foot."
Nicoli’s hands left her foot to explore the surrounding rock, leaving her to feel bereft and cold. In the silence, the sound of the approaching aircraft grew louder.
“Is there any place to hide around here?” Nicoli’s voice sounded strained and she felt his hands working feverishly to dislodge rocks from around her foot.
“There’s an escarpment about five meters behind me and a line of trees about fifty meters to the left. Not much else.”
“How steep is the descent on that escarpment?”