Chapter 28

  On its way from the Free Inahri base, the Bochun carrying Caleb, Riley, Tsi and the others swept low over the mountains and around the west side of the Deliverance. They stuck to the river then, streaking along it at such low altitude Caleb was amazed Captain Ulia could maintain such calm control of the craft, with its short wings passing less than a meter above branches and other obstacles. At the same time, it was amusing to watch how the creatures along the river reacted to their passing. Fishers leaped in front of them and disappeared deep into the water. Birds retreated deeper inland, and the larger predators stared at them, displeased with the disturbance.

  Caleb looked away from the viewport to Sergeant Tsi. Her face was hidden by the mantle of the Skin, her features smoothed out to the small protrusion of her nose. Everyone on the craft had their mantles raised, using the Skin’s comm systems to translate between their languages.

  “So many life forms here,” Caleb said. “Were they here when you arrived?”

  “Yes,” Tsi replied. “We believed when we came that this was an undiscovered world, inhabited only by lesser intelligences. We never knew the Axon had already scouted the world and chosen it as our prison and testing grounds.”

  “They pitted you against the uluth.”

  “Yes. In increasingly difficult scenarios. This was many ens ago. Long before I was born. Long before any of us were born. The history is oral now, the true data lost during the rebellion when the Intellects chased us from the Seeker. Despite what is happening now, I am personally grateful to you for destroying the Guardian and giving us a chance to reclaim our birthright.”

  “You’re welcome,” Riley said.

  Caleb glared at her.

  “Well, I was the one who shot the Guardian. It never saw it coming.” She laughed harshly.

  “Sergeant, we’re approaching the ingress point,” Captain Ulia said.

  They were still ten klicks short of the Deliverance. The ship wasn’t even close to visible from their position, still hidden behind plenty of twists and turns in the river. According to Tsi, they were risking the edge of what Ulia considered the safe zone to come this close. They would take a boat for half of the remaining distance and then run the remainder.

  “Kizi, prepare the skiff,” Tsi said.

  “Yes, Sergeant,” Kizi replied, moving to the rear of the transport. He removed a long tube from its latch on the cargo space wall and took it forward to wait at the sealed hatch.

  “Corporal Kizi will go first,” Tsi explained. “He will expand the skiff so we can jump into it while he holds it in position. Remember, stay low and silent.”

  “Yes, Sergeant,” Riley said.

  “Chi Za,” Caleb said, using the Inahri response. Tsi glanced at him and nodded in appreciation.

  “Kiss ass,” Riley charged.

  “It’s called respect,” Caleb replied.

  The transport slowed quickly, forcing Caleb to brace until it was hovering static over the river. The hatch opened and Kizi jumped out, jumping feet first into the water with barely a splash. He activated the tube, and it quickly began to change shape, expanding and stretching into a long, narrow boat that reminded Caleb of an oversized canoe.

  “Go,” Tsi said, motioning for them. Awak went first, then Riley. Caleb moved to the edge of the hatch, found an open spot in the canoe, and jumped down to it, ducking low when he landed.

  The Bochun was already on the move by the time Tsi landed in the skiff, spinning around and rising slightly as its thrusters gained power and flared over their heads. The transport shot away across the river, vanishing in seconds.

  They remained silent as Kizi climbed into the boat and handed Tsi one rod from a pair of xix. They sat next to one another, each of them placing their xix in the water and activating it. The energy glowed a light blue beneath the surface and then began propelling them forward.

  Caleb had to bite his tongue to keep from asking if he had actually gone into combat with a pair of oars.

  The ride didn’t take long, but it afforded Caleb with an opportunity to take in the jungle at twilight from an entirely new perspective. The colors of the flora were breathtaking, the planet growing more beautiful to him with each passing minute. It was a shame the planet was already a place of war and strife.. It could have made a good home for the colony.

  Maybe it still could be. He wasn’t ready to give up on it just yet. It wasn’t as though they had a choice, anyway. They had no way off the planet. At least not alone.

  He glanced over at Awak. What would the Free Inahri do with the Seeker once they restored it to full power? Leave the planet behind? Leave them behind? He respected the Free Inahri. He wanted to believe in them and trust them as ongoing allies, but people like Valentine were making it hard for him to trust in anyone like that.

  The skiff made its way to the five-kilometer mark, at which point Kizi and Tsi used the xix to maneuver the vessel to the southern shore. Caleb would have preferred to take it all the way in, but Tsi insisted the Inahri would be keeping a watch on the river. It was too obvious as a passage in.

  They all climbed out of the boat, remaining silent as they climbed up the shore and into the woods. The sun was already beginning to set, and the canopy blocked most of the remaining light, casting them into darkness. At least for a moment. Caleb found the Skin adjusted automatically, providing almost the same level of detail as he’d had in broad daylight.

  They continued close to the river, with Tsi setting the pace at a fast jog. Caleb had no trouble keeping up with her, maneuvering over roots, fallen branches and loose river stones, all of it covered in moss and hard to spot. The potential to come across a group of wayward trife was always present in Caleb’s mind. The demons, not the Inahri, were the reason for their silence. While Hal had destroyed any of the trife who were directly under the Guardian Intellect’s control, there was a high probability others were either out of range or not under the Intellect’s thrall.

  It took fifteen minutes to cover four and a half of the last five kilometers, bringing the group to a stop at the edge of the clearing created when the Deliverance landed. They dropped behind the trunk of one of the many fallen trees, scanning the area.

  Caleb’s eyes immediately landed on the beginning of Metro’s migration, surprised that Governor Stone was already moving the city outside. There were no guarantees of safety. The planet was mostly unknown to them. But he had decided to leave the safety of the ship’s hold? It didn’t make sense.

  Then he saw the bodies. The soldiers were splayed across the ground, some intact, some less so. He felt their deaths in the pit of his stomach, and he glanced at Riley without turning his head. This was her fault as much as Stone’s. Knowing she was here now for herself and nothing else made it that much worse. He had to figure out what she was planning before she followed through with it.

  As if they had nothing else to worry about.

  His eyes rose to the large, open space of the main hangar. He could see the damage to the lift even from a distance, the metal bent and mangled, the lift dangling awkwardly off the edge. He thought about zooming in and the Skin responded, offering him a better view of the area.

  An Inahri soldier stood at the edge of the hangar in full battle armor, a rifle cradled across his chest. He was facing southwest, away from them. Caleb pointed to his face. Tsi waved her pinkie. They had gone through the hand gestures on the ride over. Hers had the same meaning as thumbs-up. She had seen him too.

  Tsi pointed toward the few large containers already on the ground and then held up her hand, shifting her position to get ready to spring into a sprint. The others did the same.

  They watched the Inahri soldier for a few more minutes, waiting for him to turn away. The moment he did, Tsi dropped her hand and the entire squad came out of hiding, charging the quarter-kilometer toward the containers with Caleb in the rear. The Inahri soldier remained outlined the whole time, his position clear in Caleb’s peripheral vision. The soldiers turned as Caleb neared the container.

  He wasn’t going to make it.

  He dove to the ground, keeping his entire body flat and static.

  “Hold,” Tsi whispered through the comm.

  They waited like that, counting heartbeats. Caleb was up to five hundred when Tsi told him to move. He scrambled to the others, making it to safety. Kizi patted him on the shoulder. That had been too close for comfort.

  They moved to the other side of the container, getting their eyes back on the guard. He remained fixed for another thirty minutes as the sun continued to set, forcing them to remain where they were. Finally, the man walked along the edge of the hangar, to the east and away from their position.

  Tsi pointed to Caleb, motioning him to take the lead. He moved to the front and then urged the group forward.

  Sprinting again, they crossed the open space and past the hangar, making it beneath the ship and angling for the massive front left landing sled. While the lifts hadn’t been installed inside the landers, the center was still hollow and would allow the squad to climb inside.

  Caleb led them across to the lander. The massive foot had sunk nearly four meters into the soft ground, leaving only the very top of it exposed. They climbed up onto the thick leg, where Riley quickly opened the access panel.Entering her security clearance, the lower door opened, revealing the empty tube inside.

  They were in.

  Chapter 29

  Caleb, Riley, Tsi and the rest of the team scaled the lander tube, using the Intellect Skins to climb up the smooth metal face of the cylinder. A slight charge to the hands and feet caused the skin to pucker, creating millions of tiny fibers on the surfaces that resembled a gecko’s toes.

  It only took a minute for them to scale fifteen meters into the lowest deck of the starship, with Riley taking the lead to open the secured hatch at the other end. Caleb was the first one out into the corridors. He held the ion pistol in a ready position, swinging it down both ends of the passage and waiting for the Skin to offer a target.

  There were none.

  “Clear,” he said into the comm, bringing the rest of the group out into the corridor.

  “Caleb, you have the lead,” Tsi said. “Take us to Metro.”

  “Chi Za,” he replied, getting them moving in the right direction. He was going to bring them the long way around the main hangar, not wanting to risk trouble by passing through. It would triple the time to reach the city, but they didn’t have to hurry. Now that they were on board, all they had to do was not be seen.

  They wound their way to the passage behind the hangar, connecting to a stairwell there that rose from deck eight to twenty-two. They moved cautiously and purposefully, the potential of having someone stumble on them unlikely but ever-present. The ship was huge, but there were only a dozen or so of the Relyeh Inahri inside.

  A half-hour passed during the course of their movements up to Deck Twenty-two and then back down. They approached the large blast doors that would allow the loaders into the city, interested to see if the Governor had time to lock Metro down. From the sealed state of the massive doors, it appeared they had.

  “How many entrances are there to your colony?” Tsi asked.

  “Six that I know about,” Caleb said. “This one is closest to the hangar, but it only has control access from the inside. There’s another up on Deck Sixteen. We blew that one open to get into the city. I don’t know if Stone had it repaired. I hope so.”

  It was the biggest unknown of the whole mission. Had the Relyeh managed to storm the city before it could be locked down? If it had been locked down, did the enemy have the tools and tech to open it?

  “It’s likely the opposition will have entered this way,” Tsi said.

  “Which means we probably shouldn’t,” Caleb replied. “We can swing around to the opposite end of the city. It’ll take more time, but if we come in from the north, we can probably get in unseen by Inahri or Earther.”

  “We need to make a stop first,” Riley said.

  “What do you mean?” Caleb asked. “We didn’t come here to sight-see.”

  “At the Research Module.”

  “Why?”

  “I need something there.”

  “Famous last words. What kind of something?”

  “Damn it, Card. Look at me.” She grabbed the mantle and lowered it from her head. The flaking, thick skin was spreading, and it had only been a few hours. “I might be able to stop this. I might be able to reverse it. There’s a sample in the module. I don’t know if it will work, but I need to try.”

  “Always looking out for everyone else, aren’t you?”

  Tsi put her hand on Riley’s shoulder, beckoning her to put her mantle back on. “We’re going to the north end of your colony,” she said. “No extra stops.”

  “Sergeant,” Riley said.

  “No extra stops.”

  “I see. Well, good luck getting into the city then. You don’t have access. I do.”

  She leaned against the bulkhead with no intention of moving. Caleb wished he was surprised, but he had expected her bullshit from the moment they left the Inahri compound.

  “You’re going to get us all killed,” he hissed at her.

  “I’m going to have a fate worse than that.”

  Caleb looked back at Tsi.

  “I could simply kill you, Doctor Riley,” Tsi said.

  Riley moved faster than Caleb could believe. One moment she was against the wall, the next she had Tsi’s head under her left arm, Tsi’s ion gun in her right hand, holding it against the sergeant’s temple. Kizi and Awak pointed their weapons at Riley. Caleb shook his head in disbelief.

  “I could kill you, Sergeant Tsi,” Riley said. She let go of her, holding out her gun. “I have nothing to lose. Do you understand? But you do have something to lose. All of you.”

  Tsi’s face was invisible behind the mantle, but Caleb could nearly feel the heat of her anger coming out through it. “Where is this Research Module.”

  Riley motioned down an adjacent passage. “That way. Not far. I can go alone and meet you at the north entrance. I won’t be long.”

  Caleb opened his mouth to argue. Leaving Riley alone was the worst idea he could think of.

  “No. Corporal Kizi will go with you.”

  “Sergeant,” Caleb said. “That’s not—”

  “Corporal Kizi will go with you,” Tsi repeated, cutting him off.

  “Yes, Sergeant,” Kizi said.

  “We’ll cross to the north entrance to ensure the way is clear. Doctor Riley, I have eyes on you through the Skin. Do not think to double-cross us.”

  “I could have killed you already if that was my intent,” Riley replied. “I want a possible cure. A chance to keep my humanity. That’s all. We’ll meet you back at the north entrance. Kizi, let’s go.”

  Riley vanished down the corridor with the Inahri in tow. Caleb turned to Tsi. “That’s a mistake.”

  “What would you have me do, Caleb?” she replied. “We didn’t come all this way to be stymied by a door. She’s right. If she wanted to harm us, she could have already.” She put her hand on her neck and rubbed at it for emphasis.

  “Maybe what she wants to do would be worse than killing us,” Caleb suggested. “I don’t trust her, and you shouldn’t either.”

  “I’m in charge of this mission. It’s my decision, and it’s final. If you want to be of service, stop arguing every other point with me.”

  “Chi Za,” he replied tensely.

  Things were going downhill fast.

  Chapter 30

  It took nearly an hour to wind around Metro from the outside. Not only was the route anything but direct, but the area to the north of the city wasn’t as abandoned as Caleb had hoped.

  They had nearly stumbled directly into a group of soldiers moving through the area, likely in the direction of the smaller secondary hangar where the starfighters and atmospheric transports were housed. Evading them had been more luck than intention, with the slightly better range of the Skin’s embedded sensors giving them early warning of the enemy. They had come to an immediate halt and waited, the targets continuing to travel perpendicular before vanishing from their extended sight.

  They had continued even more cautiously from there, finally arriving at the north seal without any other interruptions. They grouped together in the small alcove ahead of the blast door to wait for Riley and Kizi.

  Caleb was surprised when she and the Inahri corporal rejoined them only a few minutes after they arrived. He couldn’t see Riley’s face, but her body language and a new bulge beneath the belt on her hip suggested she had gotten whatever it was she wanted from the area.

  She turned her head toward him as she walked past to the seal’s access panel, putting her wrist up to it so it could scan her identification chip. “I’m not always up to no good, Card,” she said, smirking at him.

  “That remains to be seen,” he replied.

  He could see her face widen into a smile beneath the mantle. She tapped her wrist against the control panel and the seal unlocked, the heavy door beginning to slide up.

  “Stay alert,” Tsi said. “We don’t want to be seen.”

  The north seal fed into a short secondary corridor similar to the passage opposite the south seal, only much shorter. It afforded the group time to get deeper into Metro from outside the city, bringing them around to a second hatch that led into the city itself. That hatch was the smallest leading into Metro, a heavy blast door barely large enough for someone to step through. It fed out into an alley between Block Forty-two and Forty-three, the oldest and most run-down buildings in the city.

  The blocks were also deserted, abandoned after Metro’s civil war had cut over ten-thousand from the population. They were being used only for scrap now, the functional parts already stripped out of the structures, leaving them in a dilapidated state. Caleb had never been to this end of Metro before. He knew from the protocols the citizens were organized by value from most to least, with the artists, creatives, and other least-valuable workers typically relegated to the Blocks numbered above the mid-thirties.