CHAPTER 5

 

 

 

Kari cursed her own stupidity as she sprinted down the broad street toward the outskirts of town. Of course people on Albion would be looking out for her face; it had probably been plastered over every screen for weeks after she escaped from the Tournament. She'd been so focused on collecting information, finding out the state of Albion and Zenith, and who the other mysterious controller could be, that she hadn't properly considered that someone might recognize her. Stupid! She should have sent Atticus. He might not be as good with a pistol as her, but at least he wouldn't be recognized.

A flurry of plasma blasts streamed by on either side. Kari dodged and darted, zipping back and forth across the street. A quick glance over her shoulder showed a mob bearing down on her, carrying pistols that they fired one-handed, each blast shooting off uncontrolled. A small miracle, seeing as Kari would be dead already if anyone who actually knew how to shoot had caught up. It wouldn't be long now though; wailing sirens echoed through the streets, getting closer. The enforcers would have automatic rifles, probably with auto-aim software.

Sweat trickled down Kari's face. The clinging fabric of Wren's purple silk and the weight of Kari's cloak made the heat worse. The cloak kept tangling in Kari's arms, slowing her and making it harder to shoot behind.

One more corner and she burst free of the town's outer limits, into the bright green fields that surrounded it. Paved roads led away from the city to the surrounding hills and the mansions that perched atop them. Kari could just make out the distant blob of Captain Jic's house. Was Wren still there? Had she succeeded? Or had she been killed?

Kari's boots thudded on the pavement, echoed by another series of blasts that chewed into the road to her right, sending up loose pebbles and rocks. They pattered against Kari's side. What a damn mess she'd gotten herself into.

A roaring engine sounded behind her. Kari glanced back to see a huge enforcer tank bearing down on her, a cannon protruding from its front. Enforcers hung from the sides, huge rifles slung over their chests. One leveled his gun at Kari's back.

Kari hurled herself sideways, into the grass at the side of the road just as the man fired. The blast carried over the top of her head with a hiss and a bang. She scrambled to her feet, kept running.

The tank closed the distance in seconds, racing many times faster than she could ever run.

Kari fired a few shots over her shoulder but the pistol did nothing against the enforcers' armor. She should have brought the rifles they'd taken from the Imperium ship; at least then she'd be leaving more than scorch marks.

A sharp whine warned that the tank's cannon was warming up.

Kari twisted away from the road, leapt over a small gully that ran parallel to the street, then vaulted over a wooden fence into the field beyond.

Brakes screeched and people cried out. Kari didn't risk looking back. Fifty percent chance that the tank had hover capabilities and the fence would offer no protection. Even if the tank couldn't follow, she still had the enforcers to worry about. Better to keep running and hope to put some distance between them.

Soft dirt gave way beneath her shoes. Grass that came up to her knees parted before her, opening a way across the hill. A faint dot darkened the field ahead. Ghost. It seemed a hundred miles away. How could she possibly get there before the enforcers caught her? And even if she did make it, the tank or the enforcers would shoot her down.

Kari squeezed her eyes shut for a second, forcing the thoughts away. She wasn't done until they actually killed her. She leaned forward and ran harder, muscles burning.

No more rumbling, which meant the tank hadn't followed her over the fence. Kari allowed herself a brief flare of relief. It meant the enforcers were limited to running, same as her, and she had far more to lose.

"Stop and we'll let you live," called out an enforcer.

Kari had to admire his ability to lie. There was no way she'd survive this; she'd already done too much damage to the Imperium, both real and in terms of reputation.

A sudden blast exploded the grass to Kari's left, only one step away from her. She darted right, but another blast scraped past her shoulder. Her skin flared, the burn eating through her flesh. She gritted her teeth and kept running. The rabble that had chased her through the streets were gone, replaced with enforcers who knew how to hit a target. The first two shots were getting their eyes in. They wouldn't miss again.

Kari hurled herself forward just as a plasma blast streamed through the air where she'd been standing. It would have blown a hole in her chest if she'd stayed upright. She let the heat of it singe the grass in front of her, then scrambled up and kept running. A good trick, but it only ever worked once.

Kari lifted her communicator. "Atticus, better get those engines fired up."

"What—"

"I'm coming in hot."

Atticus muttered something just at the edge of hearing. Kari thought she detected the familiar noise of Ghost's engines. She put every last ounce of strength she had into racing toward her ship. Enforcers puffed and panted behind her. Despite the lightweight material, armor would get heavy after a while, especially running uphill.

Kari took the advantage, sprinting with everything she had. Ghost grew bigger. A heat haze distorted the grass near the rear thrusters. Kari didn't think she'd ever seen a more welcome sight. Even the dents and marks from their recent battles didn't make Ghost any less beautiful.

Kari's attention was distracted from Ghost by a commotion on the other side of the field, in the direction of Captain Jic's house. Two figures sprinted through the grass, behind them a troop of rough mercenaries waving guns. Wren ran with a lithe grace that seemed to eat up the distance without effort, while dragging a girl who staggered and stumbled with every step.

An explosion to Kari's right made her realize that she'd slowed. She tore her gaze from Wren and the girl and focused on reaching Ghost. Wren could more than look after herself and the hostage.

Ghost's main door slid open as Kari drew close. Piper appeared in the doorway, waving her forward. Kari hurtled into the opening, diving to avoid the flurry of plasma blasts that careened over her head.

Kari fought to catch her breath as Wren and the hostage darkened the doorway behind her, piling into the ship. Enforcers and mercenaries closed in on the door as Piper slammed it closed. The engine roared to life before it clicked shut.

Inertia grabbed Kari's stomach as the ship shot upwards. She turned, putting her back to the wall while panting hard. Atticus was driving her ship again; she wanted to feel angry or annoyed, but if he hadn't then they'd probably all be dead.

Kari wiped sweat off her forehead as she glanced up at Wren, still clutching the girl's collar. The girl cradled one hand to her chest; swollen and blue.

"This is Mirriam?" Kari said.

Wren nodded.

"You'll pay for this," Mirriam said between sobs. "Whatever you do to me, you'll pay."

Kari grimaced. "Lock her in the empty sleeping cell. I don't want to have to listen to her."

Wren disappeared, returning a few minutes later without the captive.

"I'm guessing everything didn't go according to plan?" Kari said.

Wren snorted. "Bitch tripped a personal alarm. We had to jump out the window."

"Is that what happened to her arm?"

"Clearly has no experience landing."

"Do we need to see to it?"

"I will," Wren said. "But it might come in handy in the negotiations."

"Good point. We'll get Captain Jic on the line as soon as—"

"What the hell did you two do?" Atticus said, bursting into the hallway.

Kari assumed they'd left atmosphere and made a clear break from Albion. No doubt they were still near the top of the Imperium's most-wanted list, but they probably wouldn't give real chase until the people in charge realized that Mirriam was missing, and even then they might be too busy with the war. "They recognized me," Kari said.

"Not that," Atticus said, eyes wide.

"Then what?"

He turned and stomped through the ship. Kari sighed, got to her feet, and followed him through to the kitchen where a rolling newsfeed played on their screen. It showed a picture of Senator Olfred. The text read: Esteemed senator shot dead by terrorists. Enforcer troops are still hunting for the culprits. Two known terrorists were spotted on Albion today. The image changed to show two grainy pictures; one of Kari running through the street, and the other of Wren standing with two guards outside of the mansion's gates.

"Oh shit," Kari said.

"You were just supposed to get information," Atticus said.

"I did. I didn't have anything to do with this."

"Wren?" Atticus said, turning on her.

"How could I possibly have had time to track down Olfred and kill him? Did you see me running from that place?"

Kari slumped into a chair. "This is bad. This is very bad."

"They're probably sending the whole Imperium army after us right now," Atticus said.

"It's worse than that," Kari said. "Don't you see? Someone killed the senator."

"Isn't that good for the rebellion?" Atticus said.

"Not if someone worse gets elected. But don't you see? We didn't do it, and the rest of the rebel troops are trapped in a cave on Zenith."

Realization spread over Atticus' face and he slipped into the chair beside Kari.

"I feel like I've missed something important." Ryker sauntered into the room. His eyebrows rose as he read the text scrolling over the screen. "Olfred is dead?"

"And the rebels didn't kill him," Kari said.

Atticus tugged a screw from his top pocket and rolled it between his fingers. "In-fighting happens all the time. Perhaps another contender for the title saw this as an opportunity."

Kari shook her head. "Perhaps if the war was won, then someone might consider killing the senator, but not now, not with the heat of everything breathing down their necks."

"Which means…" Atticus said.

"It was probably the external force," Kari whispered.

"Whoa," Ryker said. "That seems like a pretty big jump. They've laid so low for centuries that we didn't even know they existed, and now they're killing senators?"

"It's only obvious because we know about them," Kari said. "No one else does. The people on Albion, and hell even the rebels too, will assume it was us."

"We're a target," Ryker said.

"A target?" Atticus said. "We've got the biggest damn bullseye in the whole system."

Kari could only shake her head. How deep did the conspiracy go? Why had they killed the senator? And how the hell were she and her crew supposed to survive now?