Beyond (20 page)

“Okay.” Zak broke into her thoughts. “It won’t be long now. I can see the Horus.”

Aimee poked her head out to scan the windows on her right. There it was. She had not seen the Horus when they took off. It was magnificent. All the movies about outer space…they came nowhere close to depicting this epic structure.

Last year she had taken the Summer Science and Engineering program, a four-week class for select high school students across the country. If they had witnessed the construction she was looking at, the curriculum would change for years to come.

A single pipe-like structure represented the core. This foundation was literally miles long and perhaps a mile or two wide. Size was difficult to gauge in space, but there was no denying the magnitude of the Horus. From that cylindrical foundation, hundreds of little cities protruded, hooked to that pipe with squat,
illuminated
legs. As they grew closer, she recognized the scores of lateral transports dissecting the surface—a melee of flashing lights. The ship looked jewel-encrusted, shimmering with a million diamonds, each diamond representing a tiny window lit up from inside. Small crafts hovered around the satellite cities, bobbing like boats tethered in the water. One of the satellite cities she could identify. The arced roof was made of glass and the interior was too dark for her to see, but she knew it was the atrium. My God, it was huge.

“Alright, it’s time,” Zak warned. “You better close your seat now.”

“But I won’t hear you then,” she hesitated. “I won’t be able to see anything. That will just make me panic more.”

“You’ll panic, but at least it gives you a better chance to live.”

Aimee’s palms were damp as she gripped the seat cushion beneath her.

“What about you? Does your seat close around you? You’re in the front.” Her voice hitched. “You’re going to get the brunt of it.”

He didn’t answer.

“Zak?”

She listened and could hear him talking in low, earnest tones to someone on the ship. They now flew parallel to the Horus. Despite the fact that the ship was so extended, they were eating up real estate at a fast pace.

“Whatever happens, Aimee,” Zak was talking to her and she had the sense that he had concluded his communication with the Horus…that it was just them now. “If there was such a thing as a co-warrior—” she could hear a slight grin in his voice, “—you wouldn’t be a bad one to have.”

“Wouldn’t be a
bad
one? I think I was damn good. I saved your butt, dammit. I single-handedly tackled three giant jungle men—well, the snake or vine tackled them, but still—”

She realized she was rambling. She could see a gaping hole in the side of the Horus and knew it had to be the landing bay. It looked like a mouth, and it wasn’t smiling.

“Aimee—”

There was regret in Zak’s weighty pause, but he had no time to complete the thought.

“Now.
Hit the button
now
!”

Aimee slammed her hand down on the red square. The shell began to close and in that dwindling gap she glimpsed a rush of light. Then there was nothing. She was trapped inside a black tomb.

This cocoon had to be the closest thing to Hell that she could imagine. It severed all noise—all light—all contact with the outside world. In here the only
sound was that of her ragged breath. There was no warning of impact, although she knew from Zak’s last words that it was imminent. She splayed her hands on the inside of the shell to gauge the size of the chamber. It was very tight with little room for her to bounce around if they hit anything. She guessed that was the idea, but eggshells were made to be broken, and slamming into a 100-story skyscraper at the speed of light would likely do the deed.

“Zak?” she shouted.

If he answered, she couldn’t hear it. The silence, the unknown, it began to eat at her. Her palms slammed on the inner shell, seeking the release mechanism. She had to get out. She had to—

Aimee’s forehead cracked into the rigid panel. Her body hefted into the air and hugged the top of the casing and then crashed down hard against the bottom. She cried out in pain as her shoulder slammed into her seat. There was little room to be jostled, but she felt scrambled inside this egg shell. In one final lurch, the force of acceleration splayed her forward so that she hugged the shell like a frog on a screen door. It felt as if her insides were being ripped out through a hole in her back.

She screamed. And she kept screaming until suddenly everything fell still. That stillness only pacified her for a second and her screaming resumed.

The egg shell cracked open and Zak was there. His arms were around her. His lips were on her forehead, and then his mouth was against her ear, as he whispered, “You’re okay, Aimee. We did it. We did it.”

We did it.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and collapsed into him as the emotion came crashing down on her. Tears welled up in a tsunami of trauma and relief, her body racking with uncontrollable sobs.

“
It’s
okay, Aimee. You’re safe.” He continued to assure even as she was aware of voices rushing towards them.

Zak’s hand soothed down her back.
Her head was tucked so tight into the crook of his neck that she could feel his pulse. She could feel the vibration of his voice as he whispered again, “you’re safe.” He drew her tighter into his arms. “You did great.”

Aimee clung to him until she was conscious of a throng of people congregated around them. She lifted her head and the first thing she saw were those golden eyes. The second thing she saw was the rugged grin on his lips. Her tears began to dry and her mouth curled up into a smile.

“That wasn’t so bad,” she murmured.

“Zak! Zak!” Men climbed through the debris.

Aimee caught her first glimpse of the wreckage around her and her smile faded.
“Oh my God.”

The long nose of the
terra angel
had been severed and lay immersed in a glutinous substance. That same creamy liquid now seeped into the cockpit which was still intact. Strewn around the deck were fragments of the ship, some afloat in the viscous liquid.

“Wh-what happened?”

Zak jumped down from the cockpit and turned to reach for her. She relied on his hold because she was still shaky. As her feet hit the deck, she lifted one boot, noticing the glue sticking to it.

“
Ginka
.
It is a substance used for improvised landings. It acts as a net and also douses any potential flames.”

"It's pretty much disgusting." Aimee hefted her other boot, using Zak's shoulders for balance. She was reluctant to let go of him.

"This stuff stopped us from crashing?" she asked, incredulous.

"I wouldn't say that it
stopped
us, but it decelerated us some. I tried to get the ship under control at the end. It fought me, but that combined with the
ginka
blanket..."

"We're alive," Aimee filled in with a smile.

Zak smiled back and finally dropped his hands from her waist. His eyes remained locked with hers despite the activity springing up around them. Aimee didn't want to look away. Not even for a second.

"Step away from them!" A voice boomed.

An arc of silver-suited men had circled them in celebration, but it now parted as Salvan marched brusquely into their core. Zak's hand wrapped around the small of Aimee’s back and he moved in closer, positioning himself as a shield.

"What do you want, Salvan?" Zak's voice threatened. "You don't belong on the deck."

Salvan halted a few feet away and tossed his disheveled hair back into place.

“I do now.” He patted his chest.

Salvan’s glance dropped and his lips narrowed as he noted the connection of Zak’s hand.

“You should have stayed away, Zak,” Salvan chastised. “You should have stayed on that planet. Maybe you could have saved your girlfriend.” He spat the last word.

Zak’s touch fell off her back, but only so he could crowd Salvan, glaring down at him.

“You better start making some sense because my patience is at its limit. In case you haven’t noticed, we’ve been through quite a bit of trauma, and Aimee’s been wounded. I need to get her to the Bio Ward.”

Salvan tipped his head back and met Zak’s stare before slicing his pale gaze in Aimee’s direction. He sneered as he spoke. “Oh, she’s going to the Bio Ward alright. You both are.”

Aimee jumped when she felt hands clamp onto her arms, like shackles.

“Zak!”

She was hauled away from him and saw that he too had been seized.

“Talk fast, Salvan,” Zak’s eyes turned dangerous, his biceps swollen with resistance. “What’s going on here?”

“It’s for your own good.” Salvan smiled. It was a soulless gesture. He crossed his arms and his eyes dipped in disdain down Zak’s suit. “While you were gone, the disease struck. The epidemic is astounding. We have practically filled the Jay-nine. At this point we’re just waiting for those people to die so that we can move the newly afflicted in.”

Aimee shuddered.

“You didn’t by any chance bring back a cure on your—
quest
.” Salvan uttered the last word with contempt.

Aimee could see that Zak was stunned. She caught the tell-tale dart of his eyes across the suits of the men around them.

Salvan read into that glance. “They have not contracted it yet. That’s why I brought them. But at the pace this epidemic is advancing, it’s just a matter of time.” He paused, and Aimee wondered if she detected sincerity in his words, or—enthusiasm. “There is no vaccine. There is no method to protect them—or you. Everyone simply waits their turn to die. But I need to get you to the Bio Ward now for testing. We need to confirm your status. I am trying to calculate a formula for the rate of advance.”

Salvan pursed his lips and added, “Vodu has asked that you take over. He—”

“No!” Zak jerked against the restraint on his arms. “Tell me Vodu is okay.”

“His suit revealed the first signs. He’s in the Jay-nine now.”

To Aimee, this was the first indication that Salvan possessed emotions. He seemed concerned for Vodu’s well-being. Or perhaps it was just that he didn’t like the idea of Zak being in control.

“Come on.” Salvan waved his fingers and Aimee felt the hands at her sides urge her forward.

Frantic, she sought Zak’s gaze, and though his was grave, his nod of reassurance boosted her feet into motion.

***

The journey to the Bio Ward was a silent one. No one spoke. No one looked at each other. Aimee tried over and over to draw Zak's attention, but he was tense and deep in thought, no doubt fearing the fate of the Horus’ leader, a surrogate father or grandfather.

Aimee's eyes bounced about. She could not make out the graphics on the walls so clearly with her own thoughts in a state of turmoil. Had she survived the battle with the green giants, and a near death experience with that crash landing only to succumb to a foreign disease? Was she going to die on a table in a strange space vessel so very far from home?

It couldn’t be helped—her fatalistic glimpse at the suits of oncoming traffic. She searched these strangers for traces of red at their midsections.

The door to the Bio Ward slid open. When last she was here, only a handful of beds were occupied by a few rugged warriors. Now it looked like a homeless shelter, and there were plenty of red abdomens to be found.

Maybe it was heartless, but she had to voice her concerns. "If we're healthy, doesn't it jeopardize us to be near them?"

She wasn't sure who she directed her question to. No one was looking at her. But Salvan responded. "It's too late. If it were just one or two cases, there is a chance to keep those people locked away, but we don't know what triggered the disease in such a violent manner. Every satellite of the Horus has been impacted. Everyone has been touched. There is nowhere to go to be safe. It is as devastating an impact as the original destruction of Anthum."

He stopped and scowled at her.

"And I can't help wondering what triggered this outbreak. For all the time that has passed since the Horus departed Anthum, the instances of disease have not been epic. They were contained. Why this sudden change? What is different?" He stared hard at Aimee and she felt the air grow cold. "And the only answer I can come up with—" Salvan continued in an icy voice, "—is you."

"What?" Aimee jerked her arm free from the man clutching it. "But you tested me."

"Your genetic makeup is different. How accurate can my test be?"

Oh my God.
If she had truly brought this destruction on...

"You brought her on this ship, Salvan. So if that were the case, which I doubt
it
is," Zak stepped forward. "This would be
your
doing. Your greed has proved the demise of these people."

Salvan leered at him.
"Speaking of genetically deviant beings."

Zak stared him down and Aimee could see a muscle pump in the warrior’s jaw. His hand clenched into a fist, but Raja stepped up and interrupted. Aimee caught the revealing dip of Raja’s glance to her abdomen. Aimee looked down as well to confirm that it was still silver.