William
Will cried until he felt Alyn shake him on the shoulder. “Will, we have to go,” he said with a concerned look. “We got to go now.”
“No,” Will said numbly.
He didn’t feel anything before he was on his feet, and Alyn’s hand around his neck. “Listin boy!” he hollered, and raised his hand.
Will finally heard the sounds of gunfire, but it wasn’t in the distance, it was close. It was inside.
“I don’t care,” Will said softly, before turning his head to Alyn.
He felt Alyn’s hand tighten around his throat. “If we die,” he said and turned Will back to look at his family. “Who avenges this? Who bring them justice? Who remembers them?”
Will closed his eyes, and felt Alyn let go of his neck. He opened them and looked at Alyn, tears in his own eyes. He was tired, he just wanted it to end.
“When we’re safe, We’ll find out who was behind this. When we find them, we will make them pay,” Alyn told him, and put his hand on his shoulder. “I promise.”
Will looked to Alyn and nodded. “I’ll kill them myself,” he said as echoes of shots rang through the room.
The device on Alyn’s wrist light up as a hologram formed. “I can’t hold them much longer. I’m on the last Bot here,” came the device.
Will didn’t have time to ask questions before Alyn moved.
Alyn rushed to the open security door they had entered, and then brought his fist down on the control panel. In a moment the door slide shut, and other layers closed tight, and locked together.
“Come on,” Alyn said turning, and then rushing pass him, grabbing his shoulder on the way.
They ventured further through the building, which had given way to a large room. It reminded him of his father’s study. He often said it was the throne room of last stands.
Alyn reached the back of the room, where so bookcases rested against the wall. Between the two rested the craved bust of a bearded figure, it’s pale eyes looking forward.
Alyn stepped to the stone bust. “Alyn,” he said to the bust. Will couldn’t see what he was doing, but saw the eyes on the bust glow and change colours as it beams came out and scanned Alyn from head to toe.
The bust completed it’s scan, and in an instant the glow and any sign of it was gone. The unmoving face of the old man looking at Alyn. The bust seemed to share all his pain and sadness with his unflinching expression.
Slowly, a bookcase swung away from them revealing a staircase which went down. Alyn didn’t say anything before he entered the hidden doorway.
Will was stunned. He didn’t know about this, nor where it went. It didn’t go far Will discovered as he followed Alyn. It was only a few steps before they walked down a narrow hallway to a door, which Alyn quickly opened.
Will could tell at once that they were at the end of the path. As they entered through the door, Will knew they had entered a shuttle. He had been in his share of them on the few off world trips he had been on with his father.
Alyn closed the door behind them. He moved pass him to the front. At the front Alyn raised the arm with the device. It covered his arm from wrist to elbow. Wrapped the whole outside, and looked over an inch think. A small screen rested on the forearm near where the holo can been projected.
“That’s a Wraith, isn’t it?” Will asked as the device shot a small arm out that inserted into a wall jack.
“Yes,” was all Alyn said as the arm retracted. The shuttle came to life as lights came on. He moved back to pass Will to the back of the Craft where he opened a locker, and pulled out a small kit, before returning to Will.
“Here,” Alyn said to him, handing him the small kit. Will took it, and looked at it, and noticed the first aid symbol on it, realizing it was a medical pack.
Alyn pulled the trench coat off him before tearing the bloody shirt from his body. He pinched around the wound, which made Will call out in pain. He opened up the kit in his hands, as Alyn pulled a clear green tube out, full of green liquid.
He pulled the cap off before looking at Will. “This is going to hurt like a bitch,” He told him. “But it was help with the healing.” At that Alyn tipped the tube on the wound in his shoulder, and Will cried out in pain.
“Arrg,” he yelled as he trashed about, the hot liquid spilling all over the front of his body.
“One more,” Alyn said before doing the same on his back where the round from the railgun had passed through him.
He was breathing heavy, but trying to control it as Alyn pulled out more from the box. Two small devices were used to go over each wound, and then activated to meld to the body and stop the blood, and treat with small doses of nanites.
“Take the pills,” Alyn told him when he finished. “Use the wipes to clean yourself.”
Will looked to the back of the craft, where the lockers sat. He looked back to Alyn who had already moved to the front.
“Echo how is it?” Alyn called out.
“It’s in good shape,” the holo figure called out, this time dancing on a small upright project at the from of the shuttle.
Will had never seen a self aware A.I. before. He was enthralled as the blue form shifted and formed a small person.
“Elwin, where are you,” Alyn asked, as Will swallowed the pills from the kit.
“I’m not going to make it brother,” a voice cracked through the comms of the shuttle. Gunfire loud. The holo projection crackling as though playing audio waves.
“Where are you,” Alyn said stopping. “I’ll get to you.”
“Negative brother,” The voice came through again. “They got me surrounded. No way in, no way out.”
“30, 40 hostiles inside,” the A.I. chimed in.
“Fuck, give me a second,” Alyn said, no longer moving.
“No time,” Elwin said. “You got the boy to the shuttle?”
“Yes,” Alyn whispered as Will watched him helplessly.
“Then what are you still doing on world? You heard the orders,” Elwin came out, the roar of fighting closer. “Good bye brother,” he said, the comm’s cutting off and going quiet.
“Damnit,” Alyn yelled and threw his fist into the hard metal of the shuttle. He was still for a moment, but finally moved to the front and took one of the seats.
Will followed him and sat in the free one next to him. He was lost, tired, and exhausted. He dodn’t know what to say, what could help? What could help him?
“Buckle in,” Alyn said as he buckled himself in.
Outside the front of the shuttle Will watched large doors open in front, and quickly did himself into seat. As the door opened, water filled the void and began filling where the shuttle sat. Will watched as the waters rushed over the shuttled, until the waters rose above the viewport, and began to settle.
“Launch,” Alyn said, and the shuttle surged forward.
The shuttle traveled down a long tube upwards, increasing speed. The tube quickly disappeared, and before Will realized they were in the lake, the shuttle was already breaking the waves in the night sky, and traveling towards the stars.
Will looked down on at one of the screens which displayed their location in space, along with objects and others ships. The screen was littered with dots, displaying ships around orbit of Karthmere. The orbital port which surrounded the tiny world was surrounded with small vessels.
“Where do we go?” Will asked
Alyn’s hands flicked over his console, and the screen flickered and changed to show Bane Starport on the edge of the system. The floating fortress which handled most the trade in the system.
“Highlord Sommer and Systemlord Karth have been trying to restore order since the attacks started.” Alyn told him. “The system lord along with the Highlord were on the edges of the system at the time of attacks with your father’s fleet.”
Will had known them both. His father had hosted them many times at lakehall.
Alyn stood. “The orbital station was under rebel control,” Alyn said leaving the front for the back. “We reach Bane, and book passage out of the system. The shuttle can’t make it’s own jumps.”
Will unbuckled himself and followed Alyn down to the back where the small standing lockers stood. He opened one, and Alyn turned to him. “Change into this,” he said, before to open a second locker.
Will walked up to the locker and looked inside the open locker. Inside hung fresh clothes, down to underwear and socks. Will reached the top and pulled out a large pistol from a holster.
“Everything,” Alyn said, undressing his own blood soaked clothes and gear.
Will pulled his clothes off, winching as he did, and pulled on the fresh gear. He strapped the holster to his leg where the old soldiers had once sat. The hand gun was heavier and larger then the one he had used during their escape, and clearly of better quality.
Vest pulled on a small vest that covered his mid section, before grabbing a large overcoat which covered him from almost head to toe.
“Commlink from Bane,” the A.I. called out from another nearby projection.
“Open it,: Alyn said and moved pass Will back to the front.
Will hurried and followed as a voice cracked over the speaker. “Unidentified craft, please respond, and head of transmitted flight path.”
Will took his seat once again as Alyn responded. “Control, We are heading for Bane, seeking shelter from the bloodshed on Karthmere.”
“You and everyone else,” the voice replied. “Follow flight path and we will get you docked as soon as possible. All access ports are currently full.”
“Understood,” Alyn saud, and then hit the console. “Fuck,” he said under his breath.
“What?” Will asked.
“Nothing,” Alyn told him, and then leaned back in his chair. “Get some rest. This could take hours.”
Will watched him close his eyes, but couldn’t leave it at that. “Why don’t we tell them who we are?”
Alyn didn’t open his eyes, barely moved. “We don’t know who is behind this. For now it seems like the Systemlord and Highlord Sommers had nothing to do with it, but they had alot to gain. We can’t trust anyone. Get some rest, you need it.”
Will couldn’t argue with that. He let out a sigh, but he couldn’t sleep. What Alyn said, made it harder. How could any lord be behind such a thing.
His mind drifted, and his face twisted back and forth as images of his friends and family popped in his head.
