Bandits (20 page)

Burst of steam in the cavern shot up with extreme power. The ground started to shudder and crack. They attempted to hold their balance, and Daniel fought to stand. The pakeet rose higher and higher into the air, and changed from the cool colors it had once displayed. It turned a deep orange, yellow, and orange again. Rotating, it continued to spin and shoot fire upward. Its colors turned darker, as if Haden’s anger and hate was transferred to it. A burst of light that looked like blue waves of fire hit the top of the cave. The dark rock appeared to be eaten away by an invisible force. Waves of blue light d
e
voured the ceiling and droppings of dust fell like rain around them.

“Hell! It’s been activated. It will destroy the planet!” H
a
den struggled to stand.

“Go!” Gabe threw a knife at Haden, who moved quickly away while trying to stand. Haden grunted in anger when the knife missed his heart to sink into the side of his stomach.

Daniel grabbed Nickel and Jade by the hand and started to run to the sinkhole his father mentioned in his journal. The steam in the sinkhole instantly depleted.

“Jump!” Daniel exclaimed.

He leaped with Jade and Nickel into the sinkhole. Hol
d
ing his breath, he prayed the steam wouldn’t kick on before they landed. Burning alive was not the way he wanted their lives to end. He heard others in pursuit. Not many he hoped. He said a silent prayer that Faulk and Gabe were close behind. With a
thump
, and slip, Jade fell on top of him. Nickel landed on his bent leg.

“Ugh! Hurry! Get up,” Daniel said. He pushed them off of him. Pain pierced his leg where Nickel landed. He grunted and ran in the direction of his father’s ship. Footsteps pounded behind him and he prayed it was his cousin and Gabe.

“Hey, which way?” Faulk called out.

Daniel smiled, proud his cousin showed the family trait of grit. “Where’s Gabe?”

“Right behind me…, but so are some of the guards,” Faulk said and quickly caught up.

Daniel heard gunfire and fast feet running behind him. Gabe caught up to them, but turned to return fire at one of the pursuing guards.

“Where’d you get the gun?” Faulk asked.

“The bastard I killed before I threw my knife at Haden. Wanted to shoot him in head, but I wanted to live more. Fi
g
ured I could lose the knife, and pick up another gun.” Gabe ran with Daniel. Periodically, he’d whip his arm out to shoot down a pursuer.

Daniel’s arms pumped. Nickel started to drag behind as he tried to keep up with Daniel’s pace. Daniel let out a growl and lifted Nickel over his shoulder. He ran through the dark unde
r
ground tunnel.

“Up there! I think it’s ahead!” Daniel yelled.

Gabe slowed. “You go, and I’ll hold them off. Then hide. We gotta stop that thing from eating the planet.”

Daniel slowed down. Nickel dropped to the ground and went to Jade. “Hell no! You come with us.” He whistled the tune his father used to start his ships, and the craft lit up
.
Its sleek, silver outer shell came alive instantly. It rose slightly, as if waiting for them. Large, silver, and lit with sleek triangular windows.

“Trust me. Take care of my sister.” Gabe ran toward their attackers.

“Gabe!” Jade called out and hesitated to run after him.

Daniel pushed her forward, and she fought against him as tears started to fall from her eyes. He pushed her harder. Nickel pulled at her, and she relented and then ran after Nickel.

“No!” Daniel ran after Gabe.

Faulk jumped in his path and pulled him back. “Come on. He said to trust him. Don’t risk everyone’s lives. We have to go.
NOW
!”  He pushed Daniel with force continuously in the dire
c
tion of the ship.

“Damn!” Daniel conceded to Faulk’s demands.

His father’s mistake could risk the lives of everyone on the planet. He couldn’t let that happen, the only family he’d ever known had been on Merwin. It was his home, including everyone and thing in it. He picked up speed and followed the others to the ship
.

Nickel whistled, and the hatch door opened. The ship hovered slightly awaiting their entrance. Jade ran in after him, and Daniel followed. Daniel didn’t bother to look around. He quickly went to the command center that controlled the ship. Faulk rushed inside and pushed the button that closed the door
.

Daniel knew the makeup of almost all of his father’s ships, which were most often specially made. Although he’d never told them about this ship in particular, Daniel knew this vessel was a masterpiece different than the others. The ship was made out of rare exotic materials that Daniel had only read about in tales passed on through the centuries. Tales from the Zukar scrolls that told of exquisite treasures of which no Zukar had been able to attain.

Sukatin metals were used to build the ship, the strongest metal known in the galaxies. It had a distinct characteristic of running serpentine lines of power that moved throughout the metal, giving it the appearance that it lived. It had the power to shape and twist of its own will at times, as though it determined its own shape. A rare treasure in itself, it was extremely hard to find. Daniel frowned as he wondered over how a metal that was consider too unstable for ships was firmly rooted within the craft his father owned.

Taking the controls, he keyed in the position of the planet in which his father indicated was the source of the pakeet. He’d never heard of the planet before, nor the location for that ma
t
ter. He didn’t have time to think on it further. Memory did flash a warning from father’s journal. He recalled it clearly.

Don’t travel to Purgas unless the pakeet is activated. Don’t r
e
turn to Merwin without the power to defuse it, if you do then you will die with Merwin.

As the ship rose, the rock ceiling of the cave opened slightly as if the ship’s movement activated a hidden mech
a
nism when launching. Daniel didn’t wait for the ceiling to open completely. Rushing, he powered up and flew upward and out of the hidden cave. The pointed front of the ship sliced through the rock while the ceiling slowly opened. Debris from the impact hit the back of the vessel. The ship forced its way up and out of the cave. He knew the strength and suppleness of the Sukatin would allow it to sustain all extremes of damage.

He felt Faulk’s presence behind him. Faulk touched his shoulder and said, “I can take it from here.”

“No, I’d better finish this,” Daniel replied. Seeing the blue skies ahead of them, Daniel pushed the final button that would put them in hyper-speed and shoot them into space. They sat down, and held onto their seats tightly as they cleared the atmo
s
phere and the dark starlit path of outer space opened up in front of them.

“Give me a chance to do what I’ve been trained to do. You need to trust me cuz. I got this. Let me help you,” Faulk said firmly.

Daniel grinned and conceded. He stood and lifted his hands off the control panel.

Faulk’s swollen eyes twinkled. “Thanks.”  His face turned stoic. “I want you to know something. I don’t want to condemn you or what you are. I want to be somebody you know has your back. No doubts. I want to be your cousin
and
your friend. Thanks for giving me a chance to prove that. I never had a brother, but I got a cousin that’s a hell of a lot more exciting than any of my friends at school, right?” Faulk said with a laugh.

Daniel considered Faulk’s words and knew without a doubt that he could be trusted. Although he and Gabe were extremely close, he recognized a kinship with Faulk immed
i
ately. It was something that took a long time to build with Gabe, and he couldn’t deny the difference.

“I got your back, too, cuz. Thanks for sticking around.” Daniel slapped Faulk on the back.

“I got this. Go make sure my future girlfriend is okay. I wanted to kill those bastards when the
y
hit her.” Faulk hit the wheel in anger and winced in pain from his swollen knuckles.

“I wanted to also. I hope Gabe kills Haden, that snake that killed my dad. Just my luck – the bastard probably still lives,” Daniel added. Recognizing the twinge of jealousy at Faulk’s title for Jade, he gritted his teeth.

Daniel left Faulk to seek out Jade and Nickel. He took a moment and looked around his father’s ship.
Humph, he spared no expense. This ship is
unusual
. When did you commi
s
sion this to be built, Dad? 
Slowly looking around he saw the walls of rich gold, copper, and nekinian, a reddish metal that changed colors depen
d
ing on how you looked at it.

The ship was large with an upper and lower level. He remembered Jade and Nickel had gone to the upper level. Nickel had appeared to relax and digressed to the goofball kid he was before now that they were safe. Funny, considering his bruises and cuts, but Daniel recalled that part of their Zukar training emph
a
sized on pain management from as early as he could remember. Mind over matter, but he never figured for Nickel it would be put to the test so soon.

Growing up in a world of thieves made kids like Nickel into survivors. Tough and resourceful, something he was beginning to think his father regretted. He heard Nickel laug
h
ing, and he ran toward the stairs. Daniel couldn’t blame Nickel for being a bit relieved, because even though they had a difficult journey ahead of them, they had a moment to rest. Daniel expelled a deep breath.

He took the stairs two at a time to the upper level, and smiled even though his body hurt like hell. Needing to talk to Jade didn’t stop him from wanting to seek out a bed. Get some rest - anything to prepare him for the journey ahead of them. He had a sinking feeling that he was in for something worst than he could’ve ever imagined. Any world or being that would create something so destructive couldn’t be friendly.

He figured sleeping in a revitalizing chamber would be best. It would use the time they slept to repair their bodies. As tricked out as this ship was, he knew that his father would’ve put one in it. The chambers were expensive to put in ships, and couldn’t be added later. Daniel hadn’t been on any ship that had one before. His father’s other ship didn’t have one. Yet, looking around this ship, Daniel knew it would.

He walked down the hallway, his footsteps soundless on the carpets. Part of him wanted to kick off his shoes and lie down where he walked. Exhaustion hit him like a brick, and he knew the others felt the same. He pondered on Faulk and how he must be suffering from the onslaught of it all. Daniel smiled to himself. He realized his cousin was a quick study and had more determination than he’d given him credit for in the begi
n
ning.

Listening softly, he heard singing. Faint and subtle, the pe
r
son sung quietly. It was an old Earth song, a lullaby that his mom sang to them as babies. His heart sunk, regrets filled his chest, and his eyes started to water.

He stopped, leaned against the wall and squatted. His fist hit the wall.
Why me? Why? Why us?  No parents, on the run…, and for what?  Why, why, why did I ever have to have him for a father? 
A tear ran from his eye. He stood and talked himself out of his grief.

Daniel swiped a hand down his face, straightened his aching shoulder, and walked toward where he heard Jade’s voice. He rested quietly on the doorframe. Jade sang beautifully, and he was shocked that he’d never heard her sing before. At least not around him, he wondered why. Her dark mass of curls rolled down her back. Tears fell from her eyes as she tucked back her wayward curls behind her ears. His heart broke loo
k
ing at her and at that moment – he knew without a doubt he was in
love
with her. He swallowed. Nickel lay sleeping on the bed, and her singing turned to sobs.

He moved off the doorframe and went to sit beside her while she cried. Jade turned to him, and he pulled her into his embrace as her sobs grew. Shakily, her hands moved up and around his neck. He smoothed down her hair, the way he used to when she would get hurt when she was little. Even then, she chose to seek him out when she cried. He figured because she didn’t want her brother’s to tease her like they often did when she showed weakness.

“It’s okay. I got you. We did it. You did it. You were strong, strong Jade. It’s alright now. C’mon,” he said. He didn’t expect her to answer. She never did when she cried, as if she was too emba
r
rassed to give in completely to her tears.

“I...I’m sorry Daniel,” she sniffed into his shoulder.

“You did nothing wrong, Jade. Shh. You helped me. I needed your help and you helped me,” Daniel replied. He stood slightly and lifted her into his arms.

Her sobs subsided to whimpers. He felt hot tears caused by her pain run down his neck. He adjusted her in his arms, and she curled up tightly against him. Jade had rarely been driven to tears. Daniel knew she had held back so much during their capture, and his heart ached at the thought. He pushed those thoughts aside and focused on getting Jade to the rejuvenating chambers.