On a Rogue Planet (23 page)

His eyes flickered. “And now we’re closer to the center.” He flicked a finger at her nose. “Well done.”

Mal craned her neck, studying the roof far above. “It irks me to think of Forge up there watching us, laughing at us.”

“That, I can do something about.” Xander looked up as well, neon flaring to life in his eyes.

After about a minute, his eyes returned to normal.

“What did you do?”

“I isolated the camera frequencies and jammed the feed.”

“Really?” Mal imagined Forge staring at static-filled screens and smiled. “Nice job. Now what?”

“Now we keep moving.”

***

They moved deeper into the maze.

Xander didn’t think Malin had noticed the rip in her dress. It had left a rather intriguing split on one side that showed tantalizing glimpses of slim thigh.

He shook his head. If his team saw him now, on the run for his life, trying to find the Antikythera and fantasizing about the woman beside him, they’d think the universe had imploded.

They reached the end of another path and came out on a platform. Below, a giant sea of junk and scrap spread out before them, blocking their way. In a few places, piles rose up like mountains or islands.

“Well, I guess we have to cross it,” she said.

Xander didn’t like it. His scans couldn’t detect a bottom. Something was skewing his readings. There could be anything under the sea of junk.

He looked all around and above. To their left he spotted something.

“Malin.”

She followed his gaze. A zip line was tied from their platform, stringing out across the junk to the other side.

Xander moved to it, studying the sturdy metal cable. He gripped the handles hanging down from the zip line, testing their strength. They were in good condition. “I’ll go first.”

“Wait.” She grabbed his hand, frowning as she stared intently at the line. On the other side stood another platform like the one they were standing on. There was also a ladder leading up to the platform from the junk below. “What’s the easiest path across this?”

“The zip line,” he answered automatically. Then he cursed mentally. “Don’t take the easiest path. It’s a trap.”

“I’m guessing yes.”

“So, we go down and walk across the junk.” That wasn’t his first choice, but his gut told him it was the only way.

They both stared again at that the sea of scrap. In the distance, one part of it vibrated.

“What the hell?” Malin leaned out, frowning.

The vibration rippled through the junk for several meters before it disappeared.

Malin’s purple gaze swung back to him. “There’s something down there.”

Xander knelt and grabbed a large twisted lump of metal by his foot. Standing, he tested its weight. Not too heavy but heavy enough. He strode to the zip line, tied it on, and then gave a huge push.

The metal whizzed out along the cable.

As it reached the halfway point, the metal sea began vibrating again.

Suddenly, a giant mass broke out of the scrap. Xander blinked.
What the hell?

It was an enormous metal…creature. A snake or monster or something.

It had armor plating all over its long, sinuous body. The plates fitted together like scales. Its giant head was triangular in shape with a wide mouth filled with jagged metal teeth and two neon-red glowing eyes.

“Oh. My. Stars.” Malin pressed a hand to her mouth. Together they watched the metal monster clamp onto the zip line. It gave a giant shake of its huge head before plunging back into the scrap below.

Xander analyzed the situation, creating and discarding numerous plans to get across. Nothing eliminated the need to enter the beast’s domain.

“What do you think attracts it?” Malin asked. “Noise? Movement? Vibration?”

“Possibly all of that.” Xander curled a hand into a fist. “Probably it has built-in sensors. It’ll detect anything unusual in a set radius.”

Her shoulders slumped. “So how do we cross without becoming monster bait?”

He wanted to tell her to stay here. But he knew the labyrinth could throw up something else equally as dangerous and he’d be too far away to help her.

“We cross it as fast as we can. Ready?”

“No.” She closed her eyes for a second. “Damn, I wish I had my boots and coveralls.”

“You look pretty cute in bare feet and that ripped dress.”

Her eyes popped open. “You did not just say that!”

He kissed her and she kissed him back. There was a lick of desperation, of fear, but there was also the need that was all Malin.

He set her back. “Okay, let’s go.”

Xander went first down the ladder. Malin followed and once he set foot on top of the scrap, he reached up, nabbed her around the waist and lifted her down.

He sensed her racing heartbeat, the light sheen of perspiration on her skin. But her face was set with a quiet determination that made him want to smile.

They set off.

Xander moved quickly but as silently as possible. Malin followed a little behind. He was worried about her bare feet and when she gasped, he glanced down.

She waved him on. “Don’t worry about it, tough guy. You can’t carry me, the ground’s too unstable.”

She was right. But when she cried out again, he thought he might try carrying her.

She was cradling one bleeding foot. When he started back toward her, she held up a hand. “The quicker we get across, the quicker we can deal with this.”

Jaw tight, Xander kept moving. Every muscle in his body was strained, his attention tuned for any movement beneath them.

As they neared the halfway point, Xander was tempted to relax a fraction. There had been no sign of the monster.

Malin stepped up closer to him and overbalanced. He grabbed her arm before she tumbled, but a clump of metal was knocked loose. It rolled down the hill of junk, clunking and clattering as it went.

She stood there, frozen, eyes wide.

Xander held his breath.

Nothing happened.

He breathed out. “Come on.” He took another step.

Something moved ahead of them. That eerie vibration. The scrap undulated in a circle around them.

The creature was circling them.

“Malin. Run!”

She ran ahead and Xander followed closely behind. They moved as fast as they could, not caring now how much noise they made. But it was hard, the uneven surface making them slip, fall and sink into the junk up to their knees.

Suddenly a hump of the monster rose up beside Malin, knocking her over. She let out a small cry, tumbling down onto her side.

Xander changed course and headed for her.

She clambered to her feet, panicked. The vibration came again from somewhere in front of her.

Xander leaped forward, landing in front of her.

Just as the giant mouth of the metal monster breached the surface right in front of them.

Without thinking, Xander grabbed its huge jaws, holding them open.

“Xander!”

The monster bellowed a metallic-sounding roar that echoed around them. It fought to close its jaws but Xander held tight, straining against the massive force.

With his mechanical elbow, he thrust inside. Something knocked loose. Maybe one of the jagged metal teeth.

The monster roared again and in a violent move, sank back into the scrap.

Xander let go just in time to avoid being sucked under. He fell forward onto his hands and knees, lungs burning.

“Malin. Go. Fast as you can. I’ll be right behind you.”

With a nod, she took off running.

Xander pushed up and followed. His shoulders were screaming from the strain but nothing was damaged. And Malin was fine. He had to focus on getting her out of here.

Then something clamped onto his right leg, pain seared through him and he fell to his knees.

Damn it!
He studied the trap. A giant claw, like a bear trap, was attached to his calf. Blood flowed freely. He blocked the pain and worked on prizing the trap apart.

“Xander.”

He looked up. Malin had stopped and turned back toward him.

“Keep going,” he yelled.

She hesitated.

The vibration came again.

Heading in Malin’s direction.

“Malin!” he yelled.

She ran, but the monster was faster. It had almost reached her.

Xander’s breath caught in his lungs. He fought the trap, putting all his force into it, struggling like a wild man.

The metal monster shot up from beneath Malin and swallowed her whole.

It leaped into the air and its massive jaws snapped closed. Then it plummeted back into the scrap pile and disappeared.

Xander’s brain just stopped. “No!” he roared.

He didn’t remember scrambling over to where he’d last seen Malin. He was just there, clawing at the junk, ripping it up and throwing it aside. But no matter how much steel he moved, more fell into the hole he’d created.

He kept going. Until the skin on his hands ripped and blood ran down his elbows.

There was no sound, no movement, no Malin.

She was gone.

He waited for the monster to reappear. Time ticked by and he sat there, poised, ready.

“Come on!” he yelled.

It never came back.

Desolation tore through Xander. It was a painful, empty feeling that tore at his insides. Left him bleeding and raw like his hands.

He dropped to his knees, and let out a cry that echoed out across the maze.

Gone.
She was gone.

He wouldn’t get the chance to tell her of the bright, confusing feelings he had inside for her. He wouldn’t ever get to say that he was a CenSec who’d fallen in love.

Xander dropped his head in his hands, his body shaking with the force of his sobs.

He thought of the Antikythera but realized it just didn’t matter to him right now.

Nothing did.

Xander knew he’d been sitting on the exact spot where Malin had been taken for a long time.

The wounds on his hands had almost healed although his skin was still stained with blood. He knew he had to go soon, but he couldn’t make himself leave.

He stared at the blood drying on his skin. Malin was dead. Sweet, tough Malin. In his heart, he knew he’d never be the same. He was hollow inside and nothing would ever fill the gaping, raw wound.

The only thing that might come close was his new mission. Killing Forge. Horribly and painfully. And for the first time in his life, Xander was going to enjoy killing.

A subtle vibration shook the scrap beneath him.

He tensed. Maybe he would get the chance to destroy the monster who’d taken her first.

The vibrations increased. Xander slowly got to his feet. He watched. Waited. Ready.

About ten meters ahead of him, the metal monster shot up, high into the air.

It was shaking, rattling, nothing like its smooth powerful moves earlier. He ran toward it, his sensors scanning for any weak points.

It reached the pinnacle of its jump. But instead of diving back into the junk, it started falling sideways, like a whale breeching.

Toward him.

Xander dived and rolled. Something sharp tore into his shoulder. The monster slammed down on top of the junk, missing him by about a meter.

It was convulsing and making a strange clicking sound that set his nerves on edge.

Xander rose and strode over to it. About a third of the way down the creature’s metal body, he saw the side of it turn a molten orange in a circular line.

A circle of metal plate fell out with a clang.

And Malin stepped out.

Xander’s chest tightened to the point of pain. He stared dumbly.

She looked terrible. Her hair was mussed, her face stained with something black, her dress was almost completely in shreds now, and blood coated her left arm. In one hand she gripped a bunch of torn wiring, in the other, she clutched her multi-tool with the laser cutter on the end.

Xander had never seen anything so beautiful in his life.

He wasn’t aware of running.

A weary smile filled her face. “Xander, I—”

He snatched her up and slammed his mouth down on hers. She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him back, trying to crawl up his body.

He yanked her up into his arms and headed for the platform. He was shaking and he couldn’t form any words.

She was alive. She was safe.

“Xander—”

He shook his head and pulled her closer.

She leaned into him, her face pressed against his neck. “It’s okay. I’m okay.”

He reached the ladder, but couldn’t let her go. Instead, he bent his legs and jumped. He cleared the ledge and landed on the platform.

He was no longer thinking rationally. He needed to make sure she was okay.

For those terrifying minutes below, she’d been lost. Gone from his life. With her still in his arms, he sank to the ground. He swiveled her to straddle his hips and held her as tight as he could.

***

He was shaking.

Mal held onto Xander as the tremors wracked his big body. She smoothed her hands over his back.

“I’m here, tough guy,” she whispered.

She’d been frightened as hell when that damned monster had swallowed her. She scored her arm on one of its sharp teeth but managed to slip straight through its mouth and avoid any worse injury. She’d tumbled down inside its long body and amongst the wires, gears and grease, she’d found the heart of its engine.

It had been so intriguing, but at the time, all she’d cared about was getting out and back to Xander.

He was still shaking, but he lay her down on her back. Then his hands were all over her. Smoothing her hair back, shaping her skull, running over her shoulders. He gently probed the ragged cut on her arm. It looked bad but she knew it wasn’t deep.

His hands skimmed down her sides. Then he checked each leg, brushing gently over her bruised, cut feet.

“Nothing a medscope won’t sort out.” She was entranced by the intent look on his face.

His hands came back up her legs, skimming over her thighs and under the shredded remains of her once-beautiful dress.

When his hands shoved her dress up around her waist, she realized his intent. The burning intensity in his eyes wasn’t just about checking her for injuries. He needed proof she was alive.