Forgotten Past: Chapter Twenty Nine-Another Life
“Sir?”
Jake lifted his head from the cup of his hands and looked up at the
officer that had been standing before him a few moments earlier.
“Yes?” he asked, his voice carefully neutral.
“Sir,” the man began, a relieved look flashing across his features, “the
tech crew can’t get the core to work. They say all the circuits are fried.
We’re sitting ducks, Lieutenant.”
Jake sighed wearily and stood to his feet. The command deck was
completely black except for the red glow of the emergency lights. They
ran on fuel, not the electric core that the rest of the ship ran on. He
wondered why no one had thought to put a back up engine system on
the same sort of fuel and shook his head at the stupidity of Company
engineers.
“Okay,” he said, turning to look at the crew still present on deck. “We
need to organize a defensive attack. If Xander has us disabled she’s
most definitely going to try and board us. If that happens our chances
of living through this will be somewhere in the vicinity of zero. Do you
all understand?”
The men nodded at him and one another, making agreeing noises. They
turned to him for orders and Jake felt the usual calm come over him.
He was back in charge.
“All right, then. You three,” he started, pointing at the three men at the
end of the line, “go to the armory and collect all the weapons you can
carry. Grab anyone along the way down to help you out.” The men
stood and Jake felt frustration run through him. “NOW!”
The three younger men jumped and ran for the lift outside the
command deck doors.
“The rest of you,” Jake continued, “round up anyone straying. When
Xander boards make sure she doesn’t get killed. The Company wants
her alive for whatever reason.”
“How will we recognize her, sir?” one man asked.
“She’ll be the one with the most dead people around her feet. Now go!”
~~~
“You’ve got your orders,” Carolyn reminded her crew. They were ten
seconds from docking and Carolyn wanted to be sure everyone knew
what they were there for.
“Right. Everyone can go but the captain,” Tor confirmed and Carolyn
nodded her approval.
She knew her crew always listened to her, but she always checked to
make sure everyone knew what was happening before a boarding.
Especially when boarding with a live crew on board.
There was a faint hissing noise as the arm locked with the outer door of
the battle cruiser and Winter walked down the arm to the door. She
punched in the code on the door and it swung inward to reveal the
outer door of the cruiser. She inserted the key pad card and punched in
the sequence that would open the door from the outside.
A loud hiss ensued as the pressure was released and then Winter pulled
down the ramp.
The cruiser’s interior was dark and empty, save for the faint blinking of
red emergency lights. Winter entered the ship, followed by Moe, then
Jack.
Carolyn directed the rest of the crew to enter, catching Tor’s arm
before he went to follow Sleke inside. “Keep an eye on her, Tor.”
He nodded. “I’ll take care your sis, Creed. But I don’t think she’ll
need
protecting.”
“More than that,” Carolyn corrected, “I want to know how she handles
herself. Mutation can do strange things to a persons mind. I want a full
report when we get back to The Charmer.”
Tor nodded. “You got it, cap’n.”
Carolyn smiled. “I know I can count on you, Tor. Now go.”
Tor nodded again and ducked through the arm. Riddick and Carolyn
followed the rest of the crew in and everyone immediately dispersed,
their orders clear. Jack went with Moe and Winter and that gave
Carolyn a measure of peace as her and Riddick headed left for the
cargo bay.
Footsteps suddenly echoed off the steel walls and Carolyn drew the long
blade strapped to her boot. It was approximately eight inches long and
made of pure aluthium alloy. Sharp and deadly, just like the claws she
extended on her left hand. It was about time they were put to use as
something other than an eating utensil.
Carolyn’s keen hearing picked up the slight slide of cloth on steel as
Riddick pulled out a shiv that was roughly six inches long at the blade
with a short handle. He held it like it was an extension of his arm.
Returning her attention to the matter at hand, Carolyn listened closely
to the approaching party. She could make about approximately six
different sets of footsteps. That was good. She could take out that many
easily with Riddick by her side. Two or three alone.
The two of them pressed their backs against the wall and launched
themselves out the minute the footsteps rounded the corner.
Carolyn’s blade connected solidly with the stomach of one man, sliding
from right to left, and she caught his stunned expression a fraction of a
second before he crumpled to the floor, dead.
Using her momentum to carry her in a full circle she continued forward
and lifted her blade high, felt it slide easily into the throat of her next
victim.
She heard the man behind her a second to late and felt a blade cut into
her. She let out a low growl as the knife cut into her wing, narrowly
missing her back. Before she had a second to think the man’s under jaw
was impaled on the claws of her left hand. He spurted blood from his
lips onto her wrist and more blood ran down her hand from where it
rested under his jaw. He grasped frantically at her arm with his hands
as she held him there.
Carolyn felt her blood rushing through her veins and an inhuman
strength flooded her limbs as she raised her arm towards the ceiling,
lifting the man’s feet from the floor until the toes of his boots just
grazed the ground beneath him.
A hand rested on her shoulder and she jerked, coming to herself as
Riddick leaned over her shoulder.
“Carolyn,” he whispered in her ear and Carolyn retracted the claws,
pulling her arm away and the man fell, sputtering slightly. She watched
as a shudder wracked his dying frame and Riddick bent low and pulled
his shiv across the man’s throat, ending his suffering.
“Merciful,” she whispered absently and Riddick lifted his eyes to hers.
There was a lost expression on her face as she examined the bloody
claws of her left hand.
She pulled a cloth from her pocket and wiped the still warm blood from
her hand before returning it to its hiding place.
Shouts were starting to echo along the hall and Carolyn glanced
indifferently at the other three bodies laying on the floor, throats slit.
Her wing ached and she wondered how long the cut was as Riddick
grasped her arm and began dragging her down the hallway towards the
shouts.
They ducked into a door as three men raced by and then Riddick pulled
her through the door and continued to the cargo bay.
Their find was uneventful as they examined the crates. Supplies was the
only thing on this ship. Ammo, food, water and assorted other
provisions.
A voice called out behind them and Carolyn leapt up on the crate
before her. Riddick jumped up beside her and together they launched
themselves at the four men in uniform staring at them, revolvers drawn.
Gun shot echoed off the walls and Carolyn fell hard, taking a bullet to
the shoulder. It burned, but she’d been shot before and she rolled away
behind a crate, hearing the sound of someone coughing up blood.
When she stood and dove out at the man moving in behind Riddick she
saw him standing over two of the other men, both dead, and the other
holding his stomach, something wet and pink showing between his
fingers.
Carolyn guessed them to be the mans insides before slitting the throat
of the fourth man from behind. He dropped to the floor without a noise
and Riddick and Carolyn raced from the cargo hold, racing to the head
to find the captain of the ship.
They passed the bodies of the six men they’d killed earlier without
pause. When they rounded a corner in the corridor they ran into Tor
and Sleke. Sleke was licking a cut on her forearm much like the way a
cat would lick its wounds and Tor was standing guard near a corner.
“Around the corner,” he mouthed, jerking a thumb in that direction.
Carolyn could feel her blood leaking out and looked at the steady blue
stream flowing from the bullet wound. She felt her head spin slightly
and wavered on her feet, grasping the wall to steady herself.
Riddick grimaced and grabbed the hem of his shirt. He used his blade
to rip a piece off and tied it tight around Carolyn’s bullet wound.
Carolyn bit her lip to keep from crying out as Riddick tightened the
strip of black cloth and pulled a revolver from her holster. When
Riddick was done, she cocked the revolver and gave Tor the go ahead.
Together, the four of them launched themselves around the corner,
guns blazing.
When they were done, ten crewmen were laying dead on the floor and
they heard more guns shots echoing somewhere else inside the ship.
Carolyn turned to her sister. “You okay?” she questioned.
Sleke nodded. “I’m fine. You?”
Carolyn shrugged. “I’m still breathing... And walking,” she noted
absently, checking the ammo in her revolver then drawing the second.
Riddick checked his own guns and Tor gestured for Sleke to do the
same.
“Everyone good?” Tor questioned, glancing around the corner.
Another gun shot rang out and Jack came sliding around the corner,
breathing hard.
“Carolyn,” she grunted and dropped to her knees. “Carolyn,” she
choked out again.
Carolyn dove to Jack’s side and noted that Jack had her right hand
cupped over her side and blood was oozing slowly between her fingers.
“Jack,” Carolyn cried pulling away the girl’s hand. A bullet wound lay
beneath. “Jack, what happened?”
“They were ready for us,” Jack groaned and Carolyn pressed Jack’s
hand against her wound.
“Sleke, go down that corridor and find the bodies. There’s six. Bring
me a jacket or something. Hurry!”
Sleke took off down the corridor and Carolyn prodded Jack to
continue.
“Where’s Moe and Winter?” Carolyn questioned.
“They’re okay. With the rest of the team. They sent me to find you, but
there were two guys down there,” she gestured with a jerk of her head
down the way she’d come. “Shot me,” she continued. “Oh, God, it
hurts.”
Riddick motioned to Tor. “Let’s find the others.”
Tor glanced at Carolyn. “Creed?”
“Go,” Carolyn commanded, waving the two men away.
Riddick hesitated for a moment but thought better of staying when Tor
took off down the corridor. Another volley of gun shots rang
throughout the ship and Riddick sped faster, Tor in the lead.
Sleke came around the corner holding a bloody jacket and Carolyn
used her shorter blade to cut the jacket into long strips. She bandaged
Jack’s side by wrapping the strips around her middle.
“I don’t think it hit anything,” Jack mumbled slowly. Her face was
white and her eyes were slightly glazed.
“Can you walk?” Jack didn’t answer for a moment then nodded slowly.
“Yeah. Yeah, I can walk. Let’s go help.” She stood up shakily and went
to walk down where Tor and Riddick had gone and stumbled weakly.
“You’ve lost to much blood. You’re going back to the ship. Now.” Jack
opened her mouth to protest but Carolyn cut her short. “You’re a part
of my crew, you take my orders. One question though, did you get
them?”
Jack gave her a puzzled look and leaned heavily on Carolyn’s good
shoulder. “Who?”
“The guys that shot you.”
Jack smiled slightly. “Of course, Carolyn.”
“Good.” Carolyn smiled slightly then turned to Sleke. “Sleke, get her
back to the transport and then get back down this way as fast as you
can. Got me?”
Sleke nodded and reached for Jack. Jack leaned against her and Sleke
wrapped her tail around the girl’s waist and slid her arm under the
Jack’s shoulders. “Let’s go,” she growled and half carried half dragged
Jack back towards the Charmer of Eden.
Carolyn grabbed the rest of the strips she’d cut from the jacket and
stuffed them in a cargo pocket of her pants. She felt weak from the
blood loss but shook it off. She pulled her goggles down around her
neck and took off down the hallway.
There was a loud scream and Carolyn ran as fast as she could. She
came to a halt as she saw the rest of her crew held up at a bend in the
corridor. Riddick, Tor, Moe and Winter were there and three of her
guys were laying on the floor, nursing wounds that didn’t look to
serious.
Carolyn grabbed the attention of three of the other guys. “You three,
take these guys back to the transport. Come back as soon as you can.”
The three guys nodded and grabbed the three other wounded and left,
slowly but surely, down the corridor back towards the ship.
“We have to go up two levels,” Carolyn muttered to Tor. He nodded his
agreement.
“The lift is at the end of this corridor. There’s ten guys down there,” he
told her.
“Ten?” Carolyn forced herself to think. She looked up and saw a hatch
in the ceiling. “If I’m right,” she commented, “that hatch will lead up
to
the next floor. There’s a couple hatches like that on The Charmer. If we
can get behind those guys down there, we can get to the lift and go up to
the command deck.”
Tor nodded. “Sounds good,” he muttered, firing a few shots around the
corner. There was a loud cry and an answer of bullets.
“How many dead?” Carolyn demanded of Moe.
Moe fired a number of shots around the corner and turned to her,
dropping the clip out of his revolver and reloading. “We counted about
twenty-six between the three of us,” he answered, meaning him, Winter
and Jack.
“Okay, Riddick and I got ten, plus another ten with Sleke and Tor.
Except for the guys down that way this deck is clean. Jack got two
coming to meet us. They must’a been holed up in one of these rooms,”
Carolyn told him.
“Sleke and I got ten upstairs,” Tor commented.
“That must be the living quarters ‘cause that’s where we got those
twenty-six,” Moe added. “It seemed clear after that. I think they’re all
holed up on the command deck or there abouts.”
“Good. Riddick, you come with me. The rest of you keep their attention
while me and Riddick take this hatch to the next floor. We’ll come
down behind them on the lift. How’s your ammo?”
“Good,” one of the other guys answered.
“I’ll check the rooms along the corridor,” Tor said and began opening
doors at Carolyn’s nod.
“We’ll see you in a minute,” Carolyn commented and then let Riddick
boost her up to the hatch. Her head spun dizzily and she shook it before
pushing on the hatch. It swung open easily and she climbed through.
Riddick jumped up and grabbed the opening with his hands then swung
himself up easily.
Carolyn kept her wings wrapped around her shoulders and they drug
on the floor behind her as she crawled through the duct, looking for the
next hatch.
She came to a hatch a few feet later and pushed it open, peaking
through tentatively. When she saw a foot by her face she ducked back
down, but hearing nothing, she looked again.
The foot belonged to someone less fortunate than herself, who was lying
dead with four other companions on the floor. Carolyn pushed the
hatch open completely and climbed through, Riddick directly behind
her.
They ran down the corridor, checking rooms as they went, but
apparently the deck was empty and they reached the lift without
trouble.
Carolyn called the lift up and stepped on with Riddick. They took it
down and found themselves directly behind the men who’d been
shooting at them before.
Three were dead, but the other seven were firing away.
Riddick shot three while Carolyn pumped shot gun shells into the rest
of them.
“It’s clear!” she called down the hallway and Moe and Winter stepped
into view. Sleke was with them.
“Where’s Tor?” she called down as they headed towards them.
“He went to check rooms. Go help him out. The rest of us will take care
of the command deck.”
Sleke nodded and turned to race down the hall after Tor.
“Let’s go,” Winter said and they all stepped onto the lift.
Carolyn punched in the command deck code and the lift raised up to
the third floor.
The command deck doors stood just before the lift and Carolyn nodded
soundlessly to everyone and they rushed the door. There weren’t nearly
as many people inside as Carolyn had expected and she wondered how
so ill prepared a ship could have been sent into battle.
Those thoughts were squashed when she found herself shooting for her
life. A bullet whizzed by her ear and she yelped, returning fire.
“Watch for the captain!” she cried.
There were only fifteen people on the command deck except for the
captain.
Winter cried out as a bullet thudded into her stomach, coming from the
captain.
Carolyn snarled and blew the man’s shoulder out, careful not to kill
him.
Moe rushed to Winter’s side and dragged her behind a control console
before shooting another man in the head.
There was sudden quiet and Carolyn glanced down at herself numbly.
She’d been shot again, in the thigh, but she couldn’t really feel it and
wondering mutely if that was a bad thing.
Riddick was on a knee, his hand pressed to a wound that had barely
missed his heart.
“Moe,” Carolyn croaked and the man looked up at her from Winter.
“You okay?” she gasped, keeping her eyes on the captain who was
slumped in his chair, grasping the bullet wound in his shoulder.
“Yeah, Creed. I’m fine. I don’t know about Winter though.” The
woman was breathing hard, eyes clenched tight against the pain and
teeth gritted.
“Get her out of here,” Carolyn commanded and Moe pulled the woman
into his arms and left the command deck, heading for the lift.
Carolyn turned to Riddick and he nodded. Her other two guys were all
right and she ordered them back to the ship. “Find Tor and Sleke. Tell
them to get back to the ship.” The men nodded and headed after Moe
and Winter.
Carolyn walked up to the captain and felt a rush of recognition surge
through her. “Jake Nolan,” she murmured.
The man was breathing hard and Carolyn wondered if she’d hit him
somewhere vital when she noticed another gun shot wound to his side.
It was bleeding profusely and Carolyn shook her head.
“I said not to kill him,” she mumbled to herself before speaking to Jake.
She was feeling ready to collapse and stumbled slightly as she
approached him. Her leg and shoulder ached and the tear in her wing
was throbbing painfully. “How many in your crew?” she demanded
and fell to one knee, grimacing painfully.
Riddick was at her side in a moment, pulling her to her feet. She leaned
on him gratefully then repeated the question. “How many in your
crew?”
“Eighty-” Jake began, taking in a deep gulp of breath. This wasn’t the
Carolyn he remembered. She’d killed those men, and wings... his
thought trailed off when he felt a blade press to his throat. His eyes
locked with a gaze covered by black welding goggles. The man facing
him looked capable of things worse than murder. “Eighty-five,” he
finally choked out. “Counting me.”
Carolyn did some quick math then nodded. “They’re all dead then,” she
told him without remorse. “All your men are dead, Nolan. And now,
you’re coming with me.”
“Carolyn,” he began, but the woman before him wasn’t the Carolyn he
remembered he told himself again when she turned black eyes on his
gray ones.
“Creed,” she snarled and forced him to his feet.
Moe came back up the lift at that moment and took Jake under the arm,
helping him to the lift.
When they got back on the ship Riddick got behind the controls and sat
Carolyn in the co-pilot’s chair. She went without complaint and let her
eyes drift shut as the approached The Charmer.
Carolyn’s eyes fluttered open and she realized she’d fallen asleep.
Passed out, she corrected herself when she saw all the blood she was
leaking. Riddick was standing over her, his face drawn into worried
lines and he lifted her against his chest without saying a word.
Carolyn tried to open her mouth to protest but all that came out was a
guttural moan. “Jack,” she finally whispered.
“Med. deck,” Riddick grunted and Carolyn nodded. He’d tell her if
Jack was dead.
“Wi-”
“Alive. Med. deck,” he interrupted her.
They were on the lift next time her eyes opened and then she was laying
on a medical table, a needle being inserted into her arm.
When Carolyn finally woke up the lights in the room were out. She
blinked a few times and sat up. She was wearing nothing but a tank top
and panties.
Her arm and thigh were wrapped in white bandages and she spread her
wings slowly, checking the tear. Neat stitches pulled the two torn edges
together and she flapped them a few times experimentally.
The door suddenly opened and Craig Starr stepped in. He tossed her a
pair of dark shades and she snatched them out of the air and pulled
them on before he could turn on the lights.
“Lights on,” he commanded and the brights shot on.
Carolyn hissed slightly at the light but her eyes adjusted quickly and
she turned to face Craig. “What’s the verdict, Doc,” she tried to say
sarcastically, but it came out a dry croak.
Craig smirked and handed her a glass of water, which she gulped down
greedily.
“How do you feel?” he asked, sitting on the edge of the bed.
Carolyn shrugged her good shoulder and held out her empty glass,
silently asking for more water. Craig obliged and she gulped down the
rest of the water.
“Slow down. You’ve been out for a while. You lost a lot of blood.”
“How long?” she managed, finding her voice finally.
“Two standard days,” he answered and Carolyn felt a jolt hit her
system.
“Two days?” she cried incredulously.
Craig nodded. “Lucky to be alive. The hit to the thigh struck an
artery.”
“The others?” Carolyn demanded. Two days gave the wounded plenty
of time to die.
“Jack’s alive and relatively well. Austin, Rick and Tom are fine. Their
wounds were minor.” Austin, Rick and Tom were the three Carolyn
had ordered helped back to the Charmer of Eden before heading up
through the hatch. “Riddick is fine. His was a flesh wound and he
refused anesthetic of any kind for the pain. Odd fella.”
“Tor and Moe?”
“Miraculously, they weren’t injured. But, Creed, I’ve got some bad
news.”
“Yes?” she questioned. What could be worse than almost getting dead,
and more than half her entrance team being shot up?
“Winter’s dead. She didn’t make it through the surgery. Maybe if we’d
had some mend chambers she woulda-”
“Dead?” Carolyn interrupted. “Winter’s dead? Oh, god. Moe...” she
trailed off. Winter and Moe were practically married. She’d have to go
see him. Funeral...
Craig stayed silent, knowing how important Winter was to Carolyn.
How important all of Carolyn’s crew was to her.
“The hostage made it, though,” he finally said when Carolyn motioned
him to continue.
“So, we meet again,” she murmured, nodding.
“Again?” he questioned.
Carolyn nodded. “Another life, Craig. Another life.”
***