Ki Book One (18 page)

Whether it would be her last was no longer
up to her.

Like it or not, Jackson was her only
hope.

Chapter
Eleven

He’d tried to rouse her. She would not
wake.

“
Come on, Ki,” he begged one final
time.

She lay there, body limp, head lolled to the
side. She didn’t even stir.

Mouth and throat suddenly dry, he took a
step back, stumbling into the pick by his side. Tripping, he barely
righted himself.

Yanking his gaze off her, he turned to face
the chests by his feet. He virtually fell towards them, grabbing
the pick and using it to pry back the locks. Frantic, he sought
through the contents.

What did he expect to find? Antibiotics?
Pain medication? Even if he did find them, they would no doubt be
out-of-date.

Drugs would not be the solution. They needed
to get out of here.

Stumbling to his feet, a wave of desperation
hit him.

It would likely be too late for her. Even if
he could snap his fingers and get her to a hospital, it would still
be a battle to save her life.

There would be little the doctors could do
for her but fight the infection and hope for the
best....

He grabbed at his pocket, pulling the dead
scanner from his belt where he’d fastened it. Turning it over in
his grip, he jabbed at the buttons.

It did not turn on. At least it gave him an
idea though.

A wild and frantic one.

If Ki had been right and she’d used one of
those scanners to bring him back from the edge of death, then
couldn’t he do the same for her? If he found another one of those
devices, couldn’t he use it to heal her?

She was not at death’s door yet, or at least
he prayed she wasn’t. He likely had a margin of several hours
before her body gave up completely.

That gave him some time.

He could use the shafts, his gun, and the
miner’s map to get back out to the ranges. Then he could head back
to the cabin. It was a long shot, but if no one had come searching
for those soldiers, they would still be there. Hell, as far as
Jackson knew, they may still be trapped in that floating field. As
long as no one had found them – either from the village or from
their own race – Jackson might be able to locate one of their
scanners.

It was a huge risk, but what else could he
do?

Making his decision, he continued to search
through the chests until he found some old cloths and rags.
Propping up her head and covering her arms, he tried to make her as
warm and comfortable as he could. Ripping the map off the wall, he
walked backwards out of the door, turning from her only when he had
to.

Then he ran. He didn’t care his right leg
throbbed with pain. He just ran.

Every time he tripped or slowed down, he
cursed his own fragility. It didn’t make him go any faster, but he
couldn’t help it.

He blamed himself. There was every reason
to. He’d handled this situation beyond badly; he’d acted like an
emotional fool. Whether she was trustworthy or not, he should never
have subjected Ki to such cruelty. If only he’d been smarter and
better prepared, he would have got her shoes, forced her to take
his own, even insisted on carrying her.

He hadn’t done any of those things, now
she’d likely die because of it.

Hating himself, he pushed forward, thankful
the floors of the mineshafts were much flatter than the cave system
below. Periodically he would pause to check his map, even swing his
gun up and check through the sight.

It was when he stopped momentarily to
catch his breath that he swore he heard something. Narrowing his
eyes, he lifted his face, noting with dull panic as tufts of rock
dust drifted down from above.

Toting his gun immediately, he stepped back
as he stared up through the sight.

He tried to make sense of the readings,
tried to figure out if the outlines on the screen meant that
something was moving up there.

More and more dust filtered down from
above.

If the ceiling was about to fall, there was
only one thing he could do. He would have no chance of out-running
the cave in. He would have a chance of out-gunning it though.

Ensuring the gun was set to its maximum
energy setting, he brought it up and pointed it at the jagged
rocks.

Shooting at an unstable rock ceiling was not
usually recommended, but with this gun he could turn the stones and
boulders to dust. Dust would not kill him.

Checking through the scope one last time,
his body took over. Finger twitching over the trigger, he shot the
ceiling.

An impossibly powerful, continuous blast
erupted from the gun, pulsing into the rocks above and all but
melting the stone.

Tracking backwards, Jackson jerked the gun
down, waiting for the worst.

He did not get what he expected.

Instead of a hail of rock slamming into him,
something large and white fell from above. He’d obviously blasted a
hole through the ceiling into another shaft, and whatever had been
up there had just fallen down.

He had less than a second to recognize the
shape.

It was a soldier. One of the scouts that had
been hounding his steps for the past day.

Though the man fell down from a
considerable height, and though the floor had been shot right out
from underneath his feet, he still jumped up, rushing towards
Jackson with break-neck speed.

Jackson didn’t have time to react. The
soldier slammed into him, knocking him hard against the rock wall
of the shaft behind.

Breath punched from his lungs, Jackson
spluttered, trying to clutch at the soldier’s face and push him
back.

The man was stronger. He elbowed Jackson
hard in the middle, then brought his arm up.

As he did, Jackson managed to squeeze his
gun up, angling it between them. It was locked flat against his
chest though, and he didn’t have the room to turn it around to face
the soldier.

Jackson was out of time.

Ready for the inevitable, he stiffened.

The soldier clutched his hand into a fist,
one of those glinting white blades slashing out of his armor. He
stabbed it towards Jackson’s stomach.

All Jackson could do was move the gun
up.

The soldier’s blade slashed right into it.
Not into Jackson’s stomach, but the glowing blue barrel of the
gun.

Surprise rippled through the soldier’s
stance, his shoulder jerking back, the gun stuck against his
blade.

Jackson instinctively dropped to his knees,
rolling to the side, scrabbling forward as fast as he could.

He heard a high-pitched whir from behind
him.

Dashing forward, he jumped behind a boulder,
crumpling his arms over his head.

The gun exploded with an ear-shaking
blast.

Crumpling further, Jackson curled up into a
ball.

The shaft shook, dust hailed down from
above, but that was it.

Peering up, he leaned past the boulder to
see the soldier lying limp on the floor, at least five meters from
where he’d forced Jackson against the wall.

Heart pounding in his ears, it took Jackson
far too long to realize what had just happened.

He’d been handed a miracle.

He moved over to the soldier, poking him
with his foot.

The man did not move.

Snapping down, Jackson grabbed at the
soldier’s wrist, trying to pull the scanner from his armor.

With much effort, he eventually found a
hidden button, and the thing sprung forward. Snatching it up, he
instantly turned it towards the ceiling above. Though these things
had a limited range around all this rock, it still penetrated the
roof above far enough to confirm there was nothing else moving up
there. Obviously this soldier had been scouting out that tunnel on
his own.

Jackson doubted the other soldiers would be
far off though.

Grabbing at the gun that had been knocked
from the soldier’s grip, he secured the strap over his shoulder,
standing up, head swiveling towards the ceiling and back down to
the soldier.

Jackson had to get back to Ki, but he needed
to ensure no one would follow. He had to get this soldier out of
scanning and visual range. If his buddies came along, they would
know something was up if they saw the smashed up gun and the
comatose form of their comrade.

Latching a hand onto the soldier’s arm,
Jackson heaved him back, out of sight of the hole above.

He wasn’t as heavy as he looked. With armor
that thick and sophisticated, Jackson had thought the guy would
weigh a ton.

Clenching his jaw, he dragged the soldier
for several meters until he had to stop for breath. As he did, the
soldier’s head lolled to the side. His neck banged lightly into
Jackson’s boot. There was a sudden hiss, and that faceless helmet
released.

Doubling back, releasing the soldier’s arm
in shock, Jackson quickly leaned down, grabbed the helmet, and
pulled it off.

He was shocked to see a normal man
underneath. Or maybe he wasn’t. He’d had no idea what to
expect.

Probably the same age as Jackson, he was
clean shaven with a dark, short crop of hair.

Marveling at the helmet, Jackson turned it
around and looked inside. There was a sophisticated screen that
showed a perfect view of the tunnel around him with strange
readings and symbols displayed alongside and over the top.

It was incredible.

It was so incredible that he did not notice
the soldier stir by his feet until it was too late. The man snapped
up again, launching himself at Jackson. But his moves were slower
than before.

Jackson dodged to the side, swinging the gun
around and shooting the soldier instantly.

Though a beam lanced out, it was lighter
in color and did not sear the air. It struck the soldier’s chest
and knocked him to his knees, but it did not fell him.

“
It’s not set to kill, idiot,” the soldier
leapt up.

Jackson doubled back, digging his fingers
into the power button Ki had showed him. Instantly the gun whirred
hotter and brighter, its light reaching out far into the shaft
around them.

Staring down the barrel he blasted a shot
just in front of the soldier, eating out a chunk of ground and
making the man trip into it. “It is now,” Jackson shifted back,
bringing the gun down and aiming it at the man’s head.

The soldier did not jump to his feet. He
paused, only his eyes shifting as he stared up at Jackson
warily.

“
Get up,” Jackson kicked at the ground,
sending a cloud of dust towards the soldier.

Turning his head and closing his mouth, the
man didn’t shift his gaze.

“
I said get to your feet,” Jackson shot the
ground again.

Finally the soldier moved. He brought his
hands up, that white armor stark against his now dirty skin.

He immediately glanced at the helmet.

Jackson had dropped it in surprise. Now the
soldier couldn’t keep his eyes off it.

He looked like he was about to make a move
for it.

Jackson got their first, he turned his gun
and shot it.

The thing exploded.

The soldier swore loudly, but withdrew into
silence when Jackson shot near his feet again.

“
I may not understand your technology, but
somehow I feel you need that to stay in contact with the rest of
your team,” Jackson guessed.

His guess was confirmed when the soldier
paled and swallowed stiffly.

“
Move,” Jackson swept the rifle towards his
side.

“
Why? You think you can take me prisoner?”
the soldier had a deep, croaky baritone.

“
No. I think you can help me operate this
scanner though.” Jackson walked over to the scanner and plucked it
up protectively, jamming it into his belt.

“
Our technology is beyond you.” The
soldier’s lips stiffened into a cold smile.

“
I don’t care. Now move.” Jackson indicated
the tunnel with a swipe of his gun.

“
We’ll find her.” The soldier, still with
his hands up, rested them behind his head.

“
Shut up. Just move.”

Standing a full two meters behind the man,
Jackson forced the soldier forward at gunpoint.

His heart beat so fast and hard in his chest
it felt as if he’d shatter his ribs. He held on though, shepherding
the soldier all the way back into the main shaft and towards
Ki.

The soldier didn’t say a word, and
hopefully he wasn’t using some silent form of communication to
radio the rest of his team. It was a gamble taking him back to Ki,
but Jackson had no choice. He had no idea how to make the scanner
heal her, and he doubted he could rouse her long enough to make her
show him.

The soldier would do it. Somehow Jackson
doubted the guy would mind either. Ki was what they were after, so
they weren’t going to let her die.

When they entered the mine hut, his
suspicions were confirmed. The soldier let out a harsh swearword,
his head snapping towards the comatose, still form of Ki. Her legs
were bright red while her exposed arms and face were white.

“
What the hell have you done to her?” the
soldier turned, hands dropping from behind his head, face plastered
with sharp anger.

“
Stay back,” Jackson pointed the gun at the
man’s chest.

“
You have no idea what you’re meddling in,”
the soldier spat louder. “If she dies—”

“
She’s not going to die. You’re going to
save her. She said you can use these scanners to create some kind
of healing field,” Jackson plucked the device from his belt, sure
never to drop his gun.