Impulse, page 25
part #12 of First Colony Series
Isaac grabbed Ella’s arm and pulled her away. They ran as the Konus soldiers erupted into shouts. Some of them were fighting each other, and Isaac ran past them. They needed to move. With the suppressors down, they had a chance to survive, and he wasn’t going to waste it—not this time.
As they ran toward the others, Isaac saw Curtis cowering under a table. He pulled him up. “Go. Go! Help is coming.”
Dr. Townsend and Dr. Rostova picked up Deasira and were moving as fast as they could.
Isaac saw a Konus long rifle on the ground. He picked it up and swung it around. Koukax was running toward them. He squeezed the trigger, but the Konus commander dove out of the way.
“Come on!” Ella yelled.
Isaac followed, pausing only to fire the long rifle once more. They had to keep moving, but his feet felt lighter than they had before. Help was coming. They had a chance.
29
“Contact!” Noah yelled.
Connor swerved toward the nearest holoscreen. Multiple distress beacons appeared.
“They’re not far,” Lenora said.
“Have the pilot take us in for a low-altitude drop. Then continue to search the area,” Connor said.
He walked over to the CDF squad. Specialist Weps had six recon drones ready to fly. They were lined up at the back of the loading ramp.
“We’re connected to the ship’s computers,” Sergeant Tui said.
Connor peered at the holoscreen. Diaz stood next to him.
“They’re running away. They’re trying to escape,” Diaz said.
The distress beacons disappeared.
“The soldiers are using a suppressor field. Lock onto their last known location,” Connor said.
The ship sped forward as the pilot increased its velocity. The loading ramp lowered.
Connor attached a tether to the harness he was wearing. Urret and the Mekaal soldiers did the same. Then Shuno and the remaining Konus scouts followed suit.
The CDF squad would jump first. Their combat suit jets would allow them to reach the ground faster. Then Connor and others would follow.
“It looks like they were splitting up,” Diaz said.
Connor nodded. “We’ll need to split up.”
Sergeant Tui looked at the holoscreen and then at his squad. “Eldridge, you and Schmiddy will stay with General Gates, and I don’t want to have to report in how you let something happen to him.”
Diaz arched an eyebrow toward the CDF sergeant.
“Don’t forget about Captain Diaz, retired,” Tui said and grinned.
“It’s about time,” Diaz said and looked at Connor. “At least they know who the real troublemaker is. Didn’t you almost get eaten by one of those snow creatures?”
“Snow beast. Get it right,” Connor replied.
Diaz rolled his eyes and then focused on the end of the loading ramp, almost giddy with hope.
The jump-indicator light flashed green, and the CDF squad leaped from the ship.
Connor counted down, giving them time to get clear. Then, he ran to the end of the loading ramp and jumped.
30
Isaac fired the Konus long rifle blindly, and bright flashes of plasma bolts blazed through the forest. He was hoping to slow down their pursuers. The rifle had a powerful kick every time he fired it. The weapon wasn’t designed for rapid fire, and he doubted he’d be anywhere near as accurate with it as he was with the standard hunting rifle he was accustomed to using.
The others were slowing down. Deasira was breathing heavily, even with Dr. Rostova and Dr. Townsend helping her. They were all tired and haggard from days of captivity, being beaten or threatened, and only provided minimal food and water.
“The suppressor field is back,” Ella said.
Isaac checked his wrist computer. She was right. “They’re coming. Someone knows we’re here.”
She nodded and looked to the side, slowing down a little. Curtis ran into view and Jordan followed, calling after him.
Several screeches echoed, and it was impossible to tell how far away they were.
“What was that?” Ella asked.
“Ryklars,” Isaac replied.
He felt a sharp pain in his side and looked down. His shirt was torn, but he wasn’t bleeding. He must’ve cracked a rib earlier.
“My God!” Ella said. “Curtis! Jordan! Watch out for ryklars!”
Isaac heard someone running towards them. “Go on,” he told Ella. “Help the others get away.”
Ella looked at him and her mouth twisted into a frown. “I don’t think so. I’m not leaving you here.”
“I’ll hold them off,” Isaac said and leaned against the gnarled trunk of a tree.
“Good, I’ll stay right here and watch your back,” Ella said and positioned herself next to him. “I wish I’d grabbed one of those when I had the chance,” she said, gesturing toward the rifle.
Isaac was about to reply when he caught movement near them. He raised the long rifle and waited. A Konus soldier emerged onto the path and Isaac fired. The plasma bolt slammed into the soldier’s chest and knocked him back in a short, brutal arc to the ground. He didn’t move.
Isaac peered back the way they’d come. No one else showed up, but he knew there were more of them out there. They should keep moving. He looked at Ella and raised his finger to his lips, gesturing for quiet. She nodded.
Isaac stepped away from the tree and headed along the path, moving as quietly as possible. As he approached another group of trees, he glanced behind, trying to see whether anyone else was following them. He then turned back toward the trees and walked around them. Koukax was there, feline gaze blazing.
Isaac halted as his breath caught in his throat.
The commander had several lacerations on his head, and dark green blood leaked down his neck. He glared at Isaac, snatching the long rifle away and throwing it to the side. Isaac charged forward and grabbed the handle of the combat knife on Koukax’s belt. He had just pulled it free when an armored elbow slammed into his face, and he fell backward. Stars exploded across his vision. Something felt loose and hot in his head, and the knife slipped from his grasp.
Strong hands pulled him to his feet.
“Pathetic and weak!” Koukax growled.
Isaac’s vision slowly came back into focus. A pair of hate-filled eyes glared into his.
“Look,” Koukax said.
Isaac felt his body turned toward something, and he blinked several times. Ella was on her knees, and one of Koukax’s soldiers was choking her. Both her hands clawed at the soldier’s arms, her mouth open and face turning red. She looked at him, and all he could do was stare at her. He kicked out his leg in a feeble attempt to break free of Koukax’s grip.
Isaac watched as Ella slipped her hand into her pocket. She pulled out an empty glass test tube and jerked it back over her shoulder, stabbing the soldier in the eye. The soldier screamed in pain and let her go.
Isaac looked down at Koukax’s forearm. Corded and unprotected muscle was right there in front of him. Isaac heaved forward, biting down on the exposed flesh, and the commander’s blood gushed into his mouth. Isaac growled and bit down harder. Koukax spun around, flinging Isaac to the ground.
Isaac fell to a knee and seized the combat knife. Twisting to the side, he rammed the knife upward into Koukax’s middle, hitting something ropey and hot and slippery. Isaac pushed forward, thrusting the blade deeper and deeper, screaming his throat raw while Koukax howled in pain. The Konus commander staggered backward and fell, pulling Isaac on top of him. Isaac jerked the knife from Koukax’s abdomen and stabbed him in the throat, yanking the blade to the side and cutting off Koukax’s scream until it was just a gurgling hiss as the Konus commander died.
Isaac let go of the knife and climbed off the body. His hands were slick with blood and stringy pink tissue from Koukax’s throat. He rolled onto his back, gasping. Each breath he took sent stabbing pain through his side.
Ella ran to him.
The soldier she’d injured was snatching at the broken tube in his eye as Ella picked up the long rifle and fired. The plasma bolt spun the soldier around and he sank to the ground.
She looked at Isaac. Her eyes flicked to his bloody hands and her lips quivered. “Isaac, are you okay?”
She began to put the rifle down.
“Don’t,” Isaac said. “There could be more.”
Ella held onto the rifle as she knelt by his side and tilted her head, listening.
They heard shouting. Someone was yelling their names!
“Over here!” Ella yelled.
Isaac tried to sit up, but it hurt too much.
He heard someone call his name, and it penetrated the fog his brain was slipping into. Then he saw his father.
“Isaac!” his father said. “Just lay still.” He glanced toward Koukax.
“I think he’s hurt,” Ella said.
His father nodded and gave Isaac a once over. “Who are you?”
“I’m Ella.”
“Keep that rifle handy. We’re not finished yet.”
Isaac gritted his teeth and sat up. “The others are out there, running,” he said.
“We’ll find them,” his father said.
Isaac stood up and winced, his hand coming to his side. “There are ryklar in the area.”
His father looked at him and smiled. “Damn, son. Are you a sight for sore eyes.”
Isaac’s throat became thick, and he smiled a little.
His father pulled out his sidearm and handed the pistol over. Isaac made sure the safety was off.
“Can you broadcast the deterrent signal?” Isaac asked.
“They are, but these ryklars aren’t responding,” his father replied.
Isaac moved his hand to grip the bottom of the pistol.
“Remember—” his father began.
“Check your fire. I know,” Isaac replied and smiled a little.
Several Mekaal soldiers appeared, and Diaz noticed Isaac stiffen.
“They’re with us.”
31
Connor looked at his personal holoscreen as the recon drones quickly mapped the area. They were broadcasting the ryklar deterrent signal, but the predators weren’t responding.
A comlink came from Diaz. “I found him and another intern named Ella. They said there are more.”
“Good. I have Sergeant Tui sweeping the area. They’re ahead of your location,” Connor said.
“I’ll send Urret to you,” Diaz said.
Connor glanced at the video feed from the recon drone. “No, have them hold up with you. The ryklars are heading toward you. We’re on our way.”
Corporal Eldridge and Private Schmiddy scouted ahead. Connor followed close behind, along with Shuno and the remainder of his scout force. They’d encountered other Konus soldiers. Some were fighting among themselves while others tried to run, but most didn’t get far. Shuno and the other scouts didn’t hesitate to engage them. Several of the soldiers looked at them in shock before firing their weapons, and a few managed to escape, but saving the hostages was the priority.
“They’re using an alternate control signal,” Shuno said.
Connor scanned the different frequencies and found the source. It was located near where Diaz was. “I can block it.”
“It won’t stop them from attacking. We train the ryklars to continue to attack even after the signal stops. It’ll be several hours before the effect wears off,” Shuno said.
Connor swore and began to run faster. There were at least six ryklars in the area, and they were heading toward Diaz. He considered ordering the two CDF soldiers to run ahead but dismissed the idea. Diaz had Urret and the Mekaal squad of soldiers with him.
He got an idea and slowed down. Recalling one of the recon drones, he uploaded the new high-frequency sound wave the ryklars were obeying. Then he had the drone broadcast the signal with more intensity to drown out the original control signal.
The ryklars screeched in response and altered course, heading toward the recon drone located midway between where Diaz and Connor were located.
Connor glanced at Shuno. “Get ready.”
Shuno aimed his weapon.
The ryklars ran into the area and entered the kill box. Plasma bolts and high-density darts fired from the AR-74s, cutting them down. Several ryklars scrambled to avoid being shot, but there were too many opponents. Soon, the ryklars were dead and the forest was quiet.
Shuno looked at Connor. “I’ll still need to report your ryklar relocation operation to my superiors.”
Connor nodded. “I know.”
Shuno considered this for a few moments.
“You thought I’d try to stop you?” Connor asked.
“I thought you might have requested that I didn’t report it.”
Connor shrugged. The time for secrecy about the mission was over. “I won’t. I’d report it if I were you.”
“This experience with you has been very insightful,” Shuno replied.
Connor nodded. “I can say the same. Maybe we’ll find some common ground.”
CDF Hellcats flew overhead and Shuno looked up at them. “The prisoners.”
“We’ll question them. Then, our governments will work something out.”
Shuno considered this for a few moments and bobbed his head once.
32
Isaac sat in a medical tent while CDF medics checked him for injuries. Healing packs had been attached to his broken ribs, which numbed the area and sped up the healing. A saline IV drip hung nearby. On top of everything else, he was dehydrated. They all were.
In the hours since their rescue, they’d been debriefed by the investigators who were still piecing together the details of the attack, and Ella sat on a nearby cot, speaking to a CDF officer. She nodded a few times and then said something. Sometimes, he just liked watching her mouth move when she spoke. She’d certainly caught his eye in the past few months.
There was a commotion at the entry to the medical tent, and someone else was carried in on a stretcher.
Isaac’s father entered the tent and walked over. “We found him. Agent Franklin is alive.”
Isaac’s eyes widened and he turned toward where the medics had carried Franklin.
His father sat down and rubbed his forehead. “He’s going to need surgery, but he should be fine.”
“How did he survive? The ryklars…”
“He managed to wedge himself between some boulders, and the ryklars couldn’t finish him off,” his father said.
Isaac nodded. “He’s a good guy.”
“Damn right he is. He looked after you,” his father said and smiled a little. He stood up and pulled the curtain around them so they’d have some privacy. “There’s some things I want to say.”
“Dad, I’m sorry. For everything.”
Tears welled up in his father’s eyes. “Damn it. Here I am trying to apologize to you,” he said and looked away for a few moments, wiping his eyes. “What you’ve done here, son, is nothing short of a miracle. I couldn’t be prouder of you than I am right now. You saved their lives. Had you not disabled the suppressors, we wouldn’t have found you in time.”
Isaac shook his head. “He killed Julian and a soldier named Reznick. And a Mekaal named Cohsora, not to mention the people who died in the attack. But Julian… He shot him right in front of me, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. I couldn’t stop it.”
His father leaned forward. “You couldn’t have done anything, and that’s nothing to be ashamed of, son.”
“I just feel like I should’ve done more, but I couldn’t. It wasn’t until we were about to be killed that I…”
“It’s gonna take time. It’s gonna take a lot of time to get this straight in your head, but you’re gonna be fine. Look at me. Listen to me. You’re going to be fine.”
Isaac’s vision blurred through his tears, but he nodded and let out a shaky breath.
“You’ve been through the shit—something few people ever have to go through. And even fewer people live to walk away. You just need to give yourself some time to heal.”
Isaac looked at his father. There was a bedrock of strength in his eyes, but also, there was knowledge. He’d seen things, too. Horrible things.
“Just try to get some sleep. I’ll be right here.”
Moments before, he hadn’t felt tired at all, but speaking with his father seemed to drain his energy. He lay back and closed his eyes.
Connor entered the medical tent and found Diaz snoozing on a chair next to Isaac. His lips lifted a little. Father and son were reunited.
Diaz stirred and looked up. Seeing Connor, he stood and they walked a short distance from Isaac.
“How’s he doing?” Connor asked.
“You know some of those things we go through that we hope our kids never have to know? It’s like that. It was bad, Connor. This Koukax was a real piece of shit. Isaac killed him,” Diaz said and shook his head. “He killed him with a knife. He’s going to need a lot of time to sort this out. They all will.”
Connor inhaled deeply and sighed. There was nothing he could really say. All he could do was help his friend pick up the pieces and make sure Isaac had the help he needed.
Lenora walked over to him. She looked at Isaac and then hugged Diaz.
“I spoke to Victoria, but she wants to hear from you.”
Diaz nodded. “I’ll contact her,” he said and walked away from them.
Lenora went over to the cot where Isaac slept and pulled the blanket up to cover his chest. He had cuts and bruises on his face and arms, and the knuckles of his hands were reddish-purple. Connor knew the telltale signs of a fight. The healing packs would work quickly, but there would still be a toll. They could heal the body, but the mind would take the most time to heal. On the other hand, Isaac was young and resilient. He’d find a way to move on from this.
Lenora sat down in the chair next to Isaac, and Connor pulled up a chair and sat next to her, reaching out to hold her hand. She squeezed his in response. He’d known Isaac since he was born. He’d seen men wounded before and it was never easy, but seeing family hurt was worse. He sank into the chair, letting it support his entire weight.
