Justice (9 page)

“
Nova!” Jack cried, his voice strained.

She looked up
to see him swinging back and forth, trying to reach his attacker
with his small knife.

Nova ran to
the base of the vine where it touched the ground and led off into
the trees. She went to work with her dagger, sawing away at the
tree-flesh. Just as before, white sap appeared in the wound and
dripped over the sides. The liquid smoked before it hit the ground
hissing, and burnt the dead leaves. She was doubly glad she hadn’t
touched it.

She was
halfway through the vine when Jack cried out a warning. She turned
with her knife in hand but was too slow. From three different
directions new vines shot out. They appeared from the surrounding
trees and whipped through the air.

Nova’s stomach
clenched as she cut one with her knife, but it left only a tiny
graze. She fumbled for her gun but the bulky suit made her slow.
The three vines wrapped themselves around different areas of her
body, constraining every inch of her. It yanked her up, level with
Jack.

“
Good try,” Jack said, voice wavering.

“
I really don’t think now is a good time to be kidding
around,” said Nova through gritted teeth.

“
It could be worse,” said Jack. “At least you still have your
knife.”

As soon as
Jack finished his sentence, it got worse. The forest erupted with
rustling leaves and creaking branches. The origin of the vines
revealed itself to be a large motile plant.

It stepped out
of the jungle beneath Nova and Jack and was terrifying to behold.
Multiple vines snaked out from its body like a flurry of tentacles,
some of them holding Jack and Nova aloft. The body of the plant was
dominated by a bright orange jug-like structure. It was like a
large cup lumbering out of the trees. The orange portion was taller
than Nova and at least four times as wide.

Motion sensors
in the form of tiny hairs ran across the whole creature and it
moved on millions of tiny sticks that waved back and forth, almost
rowing the creature across the ground.

“
Look at that thing!” said Jack.

“
Shh,” said Nova.

“
I’m pretty sure it already knows we’re here!”

Nova frowned,
but said nothing more. She struggled against the vines pinning her
arms to her sides, to no avail. Her knife floundered in her
restrained hand, useless. She imagined unclipping her helmet to
bite into the vine, but had a feeling that would result in a very
painful death.

“
What if—”

The vines
around her body loosened and let go. She hurtled through the air
towards the bright orange lid. She readied her dagger and her legs,
prepared to roll and attack as soon as she landed. However, as she
got closer, the top lifted to reveal a gaping hole.

She didn’t
have time to react or change course and fell straight into the
waiting jug. She landed in a cold liquid pooled in the base of the
bowl, sending a splash up the sides of the plant. The lid
immediately shut down, plunging her into gloomy darkness. Before
she could get her bearings the lid snapped open again and Jack’s
body plummeted down.

Nova dove to
the side of their new prison, narrowly avoiding being crushed under
Jack’s body. His landing sent a wave of liquid flying through the
air. It drenched Nova’s helmet and left droplets running down in
front of her eyes.

“
Cal, are you getting this?” she asked.

“
Yes.” His voice sounded unsure.

“
What the hell is it?” she asked.

“
According to the Cloud it’s a plant know as
Orange Monster
.”

“
Original,” said Nova as she struggled to her feet. The liquid
at her waist sloshed from side to side as the plant scurried
forward.

“
It’s only been sighted once before, and only on Drigoon, by
the early maintenance crews.”

“
So there’s no information on how to get out?” Nova
said.

“
I’m afraid not,” Cal replied. “Although you may want to know
that your suits are registering damage.”

“
What?” Nova said, looking down at her suit. Flakes of white
plastic rose out of the pool and floated on the surface. Her heart
raced and her eyebrows shot up to her hairline.

“
I would guess that you are currently submerged in corrosive
digestive juices,” Cal said.

“
It’s digesting us?”

“
What?” echoed Jack.

His large,
helmeted head looked down at his own suit. He bounced from foot to
foot as if trying to keep himself out of the pool.

“
It looks that way. If I were you, I’d find a way to get out
of there as quick as you can,” said Cal.

“
Oh, really?” Nova asked, sarcastic.

She turned
away from the sight of her disintegrating suit. If she took too
long, it would be pieces of her flesh floating to the surface
rather than pieces of plastic. If that wasn’t motivation to work
fast, she didn’t know what was. She thrust her dagger into the
orange side of their prison. The flesh was waxy and tough, like the
vines, only worse.

“
Start cutting!” she yelled at Jack.

He stepped
over the deeper, centre region of the plant until he stood at her
side and slammed his knife into the plant. The layer of waxy
covering was so tough that both Nova and Jack had to put their
shoulders and backs into every slice they made.

Nova’s knife
kept sliding away from the waxy surface. She slipped and nearly
stabbed Jack in the throat. That was something she’d never be
allowed to live down.

“
Something is burning my leg,” Jack said. His voice quiet
voice trembled.

“
It’s okay. Don’t think about it, just keep cutting,” Nova
said. She didn’t want to admit that her legs were burning as
well.

The suits
weren’t made to withstand corrosive plant juice. How long could
they really last?

“
Screw this,” she said, whipping her gun out of its
holster.

She shouldered
Jack out of the way, squeezed her eyes shut, and turned away as she
pulled the trigger. A flash of heat and light lit up the plant,
followed by a wet crunch.

She turned
back to find a small, smoking hole carved through the orange
flesh.

Her legs felt
as though fire licked at her from below, especially her knees.
White flakes covered most of the surface of the pool.

Jack rushed
for the small hole, pounding it with his knife and grunting heavily
as he scrambled to break through.

“
Nova, I don’t mean to alarm you, but the readings suggest
less than ten per cent integrity left in your suit,” said Cal, his
voice strained.

“
If there’s a break in the lower half, will we still be able
to breathe?” Nova asked.

“
What good is that if your legs drop off?” Cal said,
hysteric.

“
Just answer the question. Will we still be able to
breathe?”

“
The helmet can be sealed off from the rest of the suit and
the recycler is inside your helmet. Your air supply is safe so yes,
theoretically you would still be able to breathe. But
Nova—”

“
Thank you, Cal.”

“
Nova, you won’t be able to walk!” Cal said before Nova cut
the intercom. The last thing she needed was distractions. They
would still be able to breathe. That was all she needed to
know.

The hole in
the side of the plant had grown to the size of her arm. She plunged
her clenched fist through, tearing the gap wider. Her arm protruded
out the other side and waved in the air. She managed to thrust all
the way to her shoulder, creating a sizable hole.

The plant
stopped moving. Through the hole Nova could see vines waving back
and forth through the air. The lid on top of the plant remained
closed.

“
Rip it,” Nova said.

She grabbed
one side of the hole with both hands and pulled. The flesh clung to
itself and she had to strain with all her might to create a tear,
but once it started it was much easier. Jack grabbed hold of the
other side and together they pulled the orange flesh apart. The
small hole grew until it was below the level of the pool.

The corrosive
liquid poured out of the gaping hole, exposing more of Nova’s suit
to the air. She frowned at the paper thin layer that was left of
the suit but didn’t dare comment.

“
Nova, it frickin’ burns!” Jack howled, bending over
double.

She looked at
him, but couldn’t see his expression through the helmet. Without
hesitating, she grabbed hold of his shoulder and pushed him towards
the light. He stumbled in the liquid and flew head first through
the opening. His pumping arms and legs sent acid flying through the
air.

The pool
drained to the level of Nova’s knees, but it was still too much.
Her legs burned like she was covered in hot coals. Without checking
to see if he was okay, she pushed after Jack, tears stinging her
eyes.

She forced her
way out from between the orange flaps, stumbling as her legs came
free of the sticky pool. Her helmet smacked onto the ground and her
face collided with the glass. Stars flashed in her vision as her
head exploded with pain. She winced and pushed herself up.

Jack lay a few
metres away, but he wasn’t moving. They lay in a shallow puddle
which had collected around the base of the plant, acid still
burning through their suits.

The plant sat
still; even the tentacle vines had stopped waving, and lay around
them like dead snakes.

Nova ran over
to Jack and hooked her elbows under his shoulders. She stepped
backwards, dragging his body away from the puddle. He didn’t
struggle against her; didn’t make a single sound. She pulled him
well away from the orange plant and looked around. There was
nothing except leaves.

“
Cal, we need to get this stuff off,” she said.

“
Arial surveys reveal no water sources near your location,”
Cal replied.

“
Are any of these plants safe?” Nova asked.

“
The ones with big heart-shaped leaves are safe, but be
careful of the red leaves, they’re deadly. The plants with the
really big leaves are also safe.”

“
Okay.”

She rushed
towards the nearest plant with heart shaped leaves. She tugged one
free, careful to avoid the red leaves, and furiously wiped the acid
off of her suit. Where the material was worn too thin it tore under
the pressure, leaving her skin exposed.

A single drop
of acid fell from the torn edge of her suit and onto her shin. She
wailed in agony. The tiny drip sizzled as it hit her and a black
ring of burnt flesh formed. She rubbed at the drop with the leaf
but it was too late. Pain pulsed through her leg, up her back and
into her head before shooting down to her other leg.

“
Cal, is it poisonous?” she said through clenched
teeth.

“
Not with that amount, but you’ll have a scar.”

She clenched
her eyes shut. Tears of pain dropped out and traced down her
cheeks. She took a deep breath and forced her eyes open. They fell
onto Jack’s body. She had to get to him, had to get the acid off or
it would eat through his suit too.

She pulled
more leaves and limped over to her friend, her burnt leg ready to
collapse. The pain was so great she considered cutting the limb off
to save herself from the agony.

Jack didn’t
move.

She knelt by
his side and wiped his suit with the leaves. It came away in shreds
with her lightest touch, peeling like the paint on an old boat. As
she moved down from his helmet her stomach clenched. He’d said it
was burning, and how right he had been. The legs of his suit hung
in tattered threads, revealing blistered skin, leaking fluids.
Pustules the size of marbles threatened to explode and in the worst
areas, pieces of flesh dangled from deep, putrid, holes.

“
Shit, shit, shit,” Nova swore.

Her mind raced
as she tried to come up with a way to save Jack. She scrambled in a
circle, searching for some kind of a miracle plant, but the forest
pressed in on her, uncaring. She had a bandage in her bag but that
wasn’t going to be much good. What Jack really needed was a skin
graft and some antibiotics.

Nova scanned
the trees. The plant had carried them away from the trail; she
couldn’t be sure how far. Now she had the choice of either carrying
Jack back to the complex or going on to look for the President and
asking someone else to risk their life in order to save Jack. It
wasn’t a choice really. She couldn’t leave him at the mercy of the
jungle.

“
Cal, have you got a lock on our location?”

“
Confirmed.”

“
I’m coming back with Jack. I’ll need you to guide me back to
the trail.”

“
Confirmed.”

“
How’s Jack’s oxygen supply?”

“
The helmet has sealed off from the rest of the suit. His air
supply is unaffected.”

Nova nodded,
at least that was one less thing for her to worry about.

The orange
monstrosity that had attacked them lay motionless. It leaned to one
side, its leaves drooping. The rest of the forest remained as dark
and unrelenting as ever. Branches and leaves created walls on every
side and roots made the ground treacherous.

She pushed
herself to her feet and pushed into a nearby thicket. She grabbed
hold of a massive leaf which was as wide as she was tall, holding
on with both hands, she pulled as hard as she could.