Vanished (2 page)

She tucked her legs and head toward her center, knees straight.
Her breath whooshed out of her lungs as her bottom met the neighboring tree. Agony jolted up her spine. Her arms shot out, seeking purchase as she fell. Agony shattered through her wrist as it collided with a branch. Pain stabbed through her ribs as she folded over a thick branch, halting her plunge.

The lioness pawed wildly to catch herself, smacking branches before hitting the ground. A thickening thud cut her screech short on a blood-chilling note.

Papria took stock, adrenaline pumping through every pore. The sniper rifle still lounged at the base of the other tree, a good ten or fifteen feet the other direction. Her uninjured hand trekked over her ribs. Pain lightning bolted through the area, and she guessed she’d fractured - if not broken - at least two of them, likely more. Agony throbbed through her body, and she lowered herself down a branch and sat. Misery arced up her spine as her bottom rested on the hard wood and she wondered if she’d bruised the bone.

Her right wrist
throbbed, already shifting to a deep purple and swelling like she’d glued a half an apple to each side of the limb. Keeping it still as possible, she waited for the stabbing light behind her lids to subside.

“Damn.” Hot tears strea
ked down her cheeks, but she ignored them. She was alive. She was still in the running. With careful motions, she climbed to the ground, favoring her injured wrist and careful not to put pressure on her ribs. The grass rustled as she took small steps and circled around to the other tree to retrieve her rifle.

The
bodies of the dead cats scattered to golden light particles, and she shook her head. Anything they could do to mess with her. She imagined coming back to find no bodies would have freaked her out more and wondered why they’d waited so long. Perhaps they were gauging her reactions, reminding her they were in control.

With
her gun safely over her shoulder, she took quick, careful steps. Making her way from tree to tree, she climbed each a bit to scan the area for danger. Seeing nothing else, she made her way to Zoltan, hoping she’d been quick enough. Reaching his side where he sprawled in the dirt, she found a pack and other scattered gear.

Ignoring other things,
she knelt at his side, ready for what she expected to hear next.

“Zoltan?”
Her voice was little more than a whisper.

Dark lashes parted to reveal onyx eyes. “Papria?”
His head rolled to face her, his lips parting just so to gain her attention. They’d been so soft against hers. But that was another lifetime. It might as well have happened to someone else. Despite that knowledge, a jolt of pain filled her to see him this way. Maybe she’d loved him, but she’d hurt him, and herself.

“What happened?” Steeling
herself, she waited for the story.

“Our team was scouting and we were attacked. Dax and Kred left to find help.” His hand crept up to cradle
her cheek, dried blood drifting away in rusty snowflakes. Fighting the surge of emotion, she tried to rein in her instincts.

Haunted j
et irises sought her attention, and she faced him. His pistol pressed into her uninjured palm. “Please, there is no hope for me.”

Her
hands shook, the weapon cold in her fiery fingers. Her mind slipped to her mother for an instant; the woman’s lips moving as she spoke.

“When a patient says they are about to die, they are usually right.”

The flashback faded. Forcing her hand steady, she leaned down, pressed her lips to his and squeezed the trigger. She pulled back, gazing down into vacant eyes before closing his lids.

“In death, there is mercy. In mercy, there is love.”
The words left her sounding as hollow as she felt. She got to her feet and searched the small camp, scavenging supplies. Dark straps caught her eye, and she grabbed a spare pistol holster. Wrapping the belt around her waist, she buckled the thigh strap and slipped the gun into place on her left leg. 

She
refused to glance down at him again, lest her mind slip to memories she wasn’t ready to handle. She needed to be on guard, even now, she was sure the techs were begging to throw something insane at her; a bolt of lightning, perhaps, or an army of cannibals.

Fighting to remember it was just a test designed to cripple her, emotionally or physically, she put the agony out of her mind.
If she let them win now…

Snagging
the pack without checking it, she rushed to the nearest set of trees, spooked by the events that had already happened and those she imagined were coming. Climbing up a particularly sturdy tree, she carefully navigated the branches without putting pressure on her wounded wrist. With any luck they’d left her a minor reconstruction tool in the pack. As it was, every breath snagged and her hands trembled so hard she doubted she’d be able to shoot.

The pack was equipped with a keypad lock.
Touching the screen, she tried not to fret. It was likely Zoltan’s pack, his code would have been…. She struggled to remember anything that would work as the small blue screen on the black pack pulsed.

Sucking in a deep breath, she
traced a single word.
Papria.

The screen flashed, before the lock offered a soft
snick
and released. With a delicate sniff, she struggled to fight back tears and paused, remembering.

“You’re twenty years, you’ll be assigned a partner soon.” Zoltan studied me with serious, dark eyes, his hands fondling the apples I’d just washed. With impatient fingers, I grabbed the fruit and rinsed them again before replacing them on the towel.

His small grin annoyed
me as I answered. “Not for another few months. Besides, I hope it doesn’t happen. I want to be among the stars then.” I turned away from the apples on the cutting board to look at him. The soft tickle of my earring on my neck reminded me why I hated the feminine garb expected of me now that I’d hit sexual maturity.

The dark purple dress wrapped my figure and offered a startling contrast to my light skin and white hair. I’d seen the shock on Zoltan’s face when he’d arrived, along with impressed appreciation.  Though flattered, I still didn’t like the outfit.

“It’ll never happen. You’re a woman. You are to bear children, be kept safe.” His words, though infuriating, were sadly true. The odds were stacked against me. With a false grin, I blinked at him. Though uncomfortable with the abrupt change into womanhood, I had already learned how to use womanly charm to my advantage.

He seemed to catch my unspoken warning. His mouth dropped open and
he bolted toward the door, but I was quicker. I launched myself at him, dropping him to the floor. My thighs straddled his hips, gripping with all the power I had.

I
pushed the blade to his throat, the cool flat of the steel pressed into my forearm. The edge gleamed as he swallowed, his adam’s apple shifting the weapon still flush with his skin. His eyes drifted behind me, and I glanced over my shoulder, worried we’d been busted.

His hand locked on my arm, shoving the blade away. My knuckles slammed into the wall, knocking the knife from me to skitter across the floor.
His hips bucked, unseating me and we rolled. His fingers closed around my wrists, searing palms holding them firmly to the floor. He pinned me under his weight, his body tense over mine.

“Think you’re quick, woman?” His teasing grin infuriate
d me. I hated the dress limiting my movement but I wrapped my legs around him. With a small smile, I pressed my heels into the sensitive flesh behind his knees. He flinched, his smile fading, replaced by something dark.

“Never fight angry, you’ll lose.” He leaned down, his breath tickling over my throat. His lips tagged mine, soft, sweet as the apples I’d been prepping. My breath caught, an odd thrill drumming in my blood; my heart kicked up to a gallop.

I turned my head to the side, breaking the contact. He trailed blazing kisses down my neck, his hands loosening up on my wrists.

“You have to stop, we’ll be caught.”

His breaths were quick, chilling the damp skin he’d left along my throat. “Do you really want me to stop?”

He’d know if
I was in pain, men could sense or even feel that from us, but I worried he misunderstood my concern. “You’re breaking code. I don’t want to go to be corrected.”

“The laws shouldn’t police our bodies like this.” He groaned, pulling back and sitting on the kitchen floor.

“You know better.” My hands shook; my heart vibrated in my ears and I was afraid to look him in the eye. What he’d done could earn us both a stint in the facility, a place that prided itself on correcting those who screwed up.

His fingers brushed my chin and I lifted my gaze to his.
His words stung, bringing tears to my eyes. “I love you.”

I shook my head, fear bubbling in my chest. I got to my feet, pointing to the door. “Get out.”

“Ria, don’t do this.” His tone begged me, but I knew I had to put him in his place, for both our sakes.

“Get out, now, or I will be forced to report your behavior.” I refused to meet his gaze, staring instead at the
crisp, red and white fruit against the honey brown of the cutting board. Outside the bubbled plastic wall to my right, a school of fish danced. Their silver flashes blinked like beacons drawing my attention as they fed on tiny flowers that floated up from the bottom.

His footfalls echoed in the tight space as h
e approached me, his hand reaching to touch my face. I blocked him, laying a stinging slap across his cheek. His face snapped to the side, shock clear in his dark eyes.

“
Out!
” The word burst from me like a freed animal.

His expression twisted in a mix of fury and hurt, but he left
, pausing at the door to glance back at me. I stared at the floor, unwilling to meet his glance. It wouldn’t do to lead him on, we’d only suffer heartbreak if things continued. Once the portal went opaque behind him, I let the tears consume me while tiny white flowers danced in the waters outside my clear walls.

The memories trickled away, and she sorted through the bag. A water kit, some dried meals, a datapad that tracked two specks. She sighed, the clues abundantly clear. This was an extrication mission.

Taking a sip of water, she dug deeper into the pack, her hand contacting a length of metal. Her heart soared with hope. Taking the length from the bag, she couldn’t help the smile that claimed her lips. A minor reconstruction tool with one charge.

She sighed. It would only repair one of her two injuries. But which? With a deep breath, she gauged the pain of her ribs. The arcing agony ignited her blood.

A glance at her wrist warned her that it was uglier, but fear that her broken ribs would puncture
a lung overwhelmed her. Her mother was the medic, and had passed on enough knowledge to help her decide. Heal the wound that threatened delicate organs first.

She tucked the gun-like tool between her teeth and gathered her snowy
-white hair back from her face. Her legs kicked over empty space as she sat, completely at ease, a sense of hope tickling her mind. The straight locks tickled over her hips as she tugged them into a ponytail and wrapped her hair tie in the length.

Her fingers reclaimed the tool, and she programmed it, her breath hitching.
She squeezed her eyes closed, thankful the pain would dissipate soon. The blunt end pressed into her ribs and she touched the button. With a buzz, the thing shorted out, shocking her fingertips.

She shook her hand, tossing the
tool. It fell, smacking a few branches before shattering in the dirt. Tears gathered, clinging to her lashes before falling to dot her thighs. For a moment, she tried to gather her strength, but the harder she tried, the more the pain fought to get loose.

Her shoulders shook and she pressed her hands to her eyes, letting the pain retreat
in her escaping tears. After a moment, she regained control. Setting her teeth until her jaw ached, she lifted her chin. She wasn’t broken yet. With deft hands, she repacked the bag, trying to ignore the agony stabbing through her chest and the fire roaring through her wrist.

She eased down the branches, the sc
rape of bark on her aching palm a dull throb. The lower she got, the stronger she felt and her resolve tightened. A loud crack and the sensation of settling stole her breath. For a heart-stopping instant, she hesitated.

The branch gave. Weightless, she seemed to hover for a second. Gravity snatched her, sucking a scream from her lips.
A sickening crack echoed through her head as she hit, flat on her back, choking as her chest screamed in protest to the abuse.  Her body curved up into a loose quarter moon shape, trying to relieve some of the pain before she collapsed back into the musty dirt.

Her head pulsed, the rush of pain followed by bright lights that flashed through her vision before fading to black stars.

Wake up, wake up, wake up!
Her screaming thoughts sounded like a whisper in her sleeping ear and she jerked awake. She sat up, pulling her pistol in the same motion, leveling it at the surrounding landscape. Nothing moved, and she got to her feet. The branch had shattered to light and dust. A small, angry chuckle broke over her lips as she realized they’d done that too.