Ouroboros 2: Before (17 page)

Carson didn't like the smile, but at least the words fit.

With that, he took a stiff breath, but did not let himself relax.

Instead, he told his on-board computer to continually scan the environment to alert him to the first sign of threat.

If Carson had to punch through this room and all the resistance, he was going to do it.

Remus 12 was rapidly teaching him he didn't have the time or opportunity to think through his decisions.

He just had to act.

‘
We need to find out everything this government knows about the touched,’ he said, unsure whether his question would pique everyone's curiosity, but suddenly not caring.

He couldn't wear kid gloves anymore—it was time to be direct.

Varo looked confused. ‘What?’

‘
We are looking for . . . certain information on the Goddess. We have reason to believe this government possesses it,’ Carson said diplomatically, choosing his words carefully.

‘
What do you seek?’ Cara asked directly.

‘
Information,’ Carson managed.

‘
Ha, he will not trust us, so why should we trust him?’ Varo laughed.

‘
Be silent,’ Cara snapped. ‘Tell me,’ she turned her attention back to Carson, ‘what it is you seek.’

‘
All information on the Goddess,’ Carson replied simply. ‘Where is it kept in this city?’

Though Cara looked momentarily confused, she soon shook her head. ‘All information pertaining to the Goddess and her effects is kept in the Central Security Facility. The Government know the importance of this data, and are sure never to let it fall into the public's hands. If there was general knowledge of it . . . there would be rebellion.’

Carson nodded.

What he really wanted to do was ask what she meant.

Rebellion?

Why?

In a moment of surging frustration, he realized how truly little he knew.

He was totally and completely in the dark.

Everything he had learnt about the entity, he had learnt from the entity itself. Everything else was just guesswork.

Still, at least he now had a plan.

‘
The Central Security Facility,’ he repeated. ‘Where is it?’

Silence met his question.

‘
It is the most heavily secured building in the city,’ Cara said quietly, answering a question he had not asked.

‘
I need to find out as much as I can,’ Carson countered. ‘Tell me where it is; I will do the rest.’

In fact, they didn't even need to tell him; as he spoke, he directed his armor to connect to his scanner, and together scan the airwaves for any mention of this building. Soon enough a blueprint of the city was displayed over the inside of this visor, and the building's location flashed in a red halo.

‘
It would be suicide,’ Cara noted simply.

‘
I have to try,’ Carson noted in the same quiet voice.

‘
I will not sacrifice my men for you,’ Varo warned.

‘
I'm not asking you to,’ Carson snapped. ‘I’ll go alone.’

‘
I will accompany you,’ Cara offered.

‘
I told him, I will not sacrifice any of my men to such a foolish mission,’ Varo growled.

‘
I am not a man,’ Cara said simply. Then she faced Carson and nodded once.

He was suddenly struck by how suitable she would be for the Academy. If only she'd been born in the right time and right place, the woman before him could have climbed the ranks and become the best admiral the United Galactic Coalition had ever seen. As it was, she appeared relegated to skulking around in muck-covered tunnels whilst dealing with arrogant fools like Varo.

It was a criminal waste of talent.

It was also a distraction.

Despite how much he could use someone like Cara on his team, he couldn't take her.

It had already been too much of a risk to rely on the resistance.

If it had been up to him, he would never have come here.

He was only having this conversation to appease the entity.

But now he had the name of the facility holding the information they sought, hopefully the entity would let him go about this mission how he thought best.

It was a futile hope.

‘
I’ll go alone,’ Carson repeated firmly.

Before anyone else could react, Nida walked up and placed one of her soft and gentle hands on his arm. Weighing down against his armor, she leant in and told him, ‘we need their help.’

Once again he realized it wasn't her speaking.

. . . .

Again the entity was telling him what to do. And again it went against his better judgment.

Nonetheless, he nodded his head.

Varo watched Nida with interest, but did not say anything. Instead, he simply stood there and let his darting gaze draw all over her.

Carson had to fight the urge not to growl at the man.

‘
The touched has spoken,’ Cara nodded low. ‘I will help you. And if Varo is too cowardly to send help, I will find others. However, once again, I plead with you to understand how dangerous this mission will be. The Central Security Facility is the most secure building in the city. It is surrounded by trenches, fences, guards, and turrets. To go inside you must be known and you must have identity passes. Trust me, it will be all but impossible to attack.’

‘
I trust you,’ Carson said, appalled that his voice became a little high.

There was something truly distracting about Cara. It wasn't just her strength or the way she could look at you as if you were the last thing in creation. It was the strength that underscored everything she did.

Once again Carson was struck by the thought that, in a different time and place, he would have loved the chance to get to know her.

Instead, he now nodded. ‘We'll find a way,’ he said cryptically.

‘
She is right; you cannot assault the building head on,’ Varo warned.

‘
We'll find a way,’ Carson repeated simply.

He left it at that.

Because he had to be careful how much information he shared. He'd already told Varo and the resistance too much about his plans—even if the stuff about the Goddess’ armor was just made up.

He had to say as little as he could.

Especially around that Varo character.

There was something truly unsettling about him.

‘
We will need weapons,’ Cara suddenly announced. ‘We will also need time to plan.’

Varo sneered. ‘The resistance must be careful,’ he shook his head, his disdain for Carson obvious in every movement and every word, ‘if our weapons and people are found after this ineffective mission, they will be tracked back to us. Cara, think about what you are doing.’

‘
I am helping the Goddess,’ she intoned darkly. ‘I would warn you to think about what you are doing also, but it is clear you are incapable of doing so. You think only about what is best for you.’

Varo simply smiled. ‘And the resistance,’ he added after a long pause.

This caused Cara to whirl on her foot. She faced Carson and she nodded low. ‘You have my pledge of assistance. I will do all I can to help you and the touched.’

‘
Great,’ Carson managed.

. . . .

Really, great? That had been his response? This woman thought she was risking her life in a suicidal mission for him, and he thought that was great?

Before he could chide himself too harshly, Cara began bickering again with Varo.

Soon enough Harya led both him and Nida towards the far side of the room.

Not soon after that, Cara joined them again.

With startling and alluring efficiency, she hashed out a plan with Carson.

For the first time since he'd arrived in the past, he felt as though he was doing something worthwhile.

He felt as though he was getting somewhere.

He wasn't. But he couldn’t appreciate that yet.

Cadet Nida Harper

She was silent.

She'd been silent since the event in the tunnels.

She felt . . . odd.

Really strange in fact.

The energy in her was distracting. It kept stealing away her thoughts.

Though she tried to concentrate, she couldn't.

She simply felt heavy and tired.

Carson and Cara had been hashing out a plan of attack for the Central Security Facility for the past hour, leaving Nida to simply sit in a corner staring at her feet.

Though Nida knew she could stand, walk over there, and try to help, she also knew she would be of little actual assistance.

Not in her current frame of mind.

Occasionally she would pull back the top of her glove and peek at her skin underneath.

The entity . . . she could still feel it.

It was weak though.

And yet, somehow, paradoxically, its effects on her felt stronger than ever.

This palpable sense of confusion haunted her every movement and thought.

Feeling exactly like she wanted to curl up in her own bed with a bowl of steaming hot pasta heaped with cheese, she sighed softly.

She was stuck in the past.

What was worse, she didn't seem capable of doing anything to help her cause.

Though she was arguably the worst recruit in 1000 years, she’d never felt as weak as this before.

She just couldn't move, couldn't speak, couldn't fight.

She felt spineless and pathetic.

If it weren't for Carson's diligent protection of her, she would have been mincemeat long ago.

‘
Get over it,’ she whispered softly. But those few words were insufficient to pick up her mood, nor could they cut through the fog engulfing her mind.

Pressing at her forehead with the back of her hand, she noticed how dirty her hair was.

She was still covered in the foul-smelling ooze that had caked the bottom of that tunnel.

It was disgusting . . . yet she almost didn't care. She just didn't have the brainpower to bother being put off by anything.

She sighed again, drawing her arms up and locking them around herself as she leaned against the wall to her side.

Everything in this room was rusted. Great layers of red dredge covered the walls and floor, and metal flaked off the strange machines and pipes that littered the ground.

She half wondered what all of this stuff did, yet once again the thought simply drifted away as she tried to follow it through.

It was almost as if someone or something didn't want her thinking too hard.

. . . .

Which was a seriously paranoid thought, and no doubt a further symptom of her growing, powerful fatigue.

Sighing again, she looked up to see Carson beaming at Cara.

His eyes sparkled.

Cara, for her part, looked like she didn't want to hit him—which was a new expression for her.

Nida frowned.

The two of them had their heads locked together as they considered their plan, and every now and then their even tones were punctuated with laughter, usually Carson's.

. . . .

He liked her.

You didn't need to be a genius to note that.

It was as obvious as his big, violet, sparkling eyes.

She was exactly his type. Strong willed and capable, she was Nida's perfect opposite, especially now.

Reflecting once more that she had never felt so weak before, Nida closed her eyes.

Before she could drift off, she heard Carson and Cara walk away. Blinking one eye open, she watched Cara lead Carson over to a table further into the room where an enormous paper blueprint was stretched over the wood.

Despite herself, Nida frowned.

She didn't know why.

. . . . 

Okay, that was a lie.

She knew exactly why.

She was jealous. Which was really stupid considering she didn't even like Carson.

With that sleepy thought occupying her mind, she closed her eyes again.

Sleep took her instantly.

In fact, it came with such speed you couldn't reasonably call it sleep.

It was more of a vision.

She was standing back on the surface of Remus 12.

Again she stared at the destruction around her.

The dust.

The chaos.

Then, once more, she stared at the stars just as they began falling from the sky.

One thing was different this time though. The blue energy no longer jumped and danced over her palm.

In fact, as she looked down at her body, she realized it wasn't there at all.

For her body was stone.

Cold and unyielding, cracked and broken.

Stone.

No bone, no blood, no flesh.

Just rock, hard and old.

The energy—the entity—had bled from her and now sunk into the dust by her feet.

It danced and jumped and surged.

It plunged deep into the surface of the planet, racing down, down, down.

. . . .

With a snap, Nida woke.

She did not wake because the vision had ended—rather she looked up to see someone shaking her shoulder.

For just a moment she thought it was Carson come to check on her.

Then she blinked back the sleep and realized it was Varo.

He stood there, one hand rested on her shoulder, a strange smile playing across his lips.

‘
You were having a nightmare,’ he said simply.

Whenever he spoke to Carson, Varo always had a cruel edge to his voice. Right now it was gone though, and his thick accent lilted with something that almost sounded like compassion.

‘
What?’

‘
You were having a nightmare,’ Varo repeated.

He finally let his hand drop, and he took a step from her.

She closed her eyes, tried to regain her concentration, then forced them open again. ‘I . . . .’

‘
You are alright,’ he assured her.

Blinking again, she now realized Carson hadn't returned, and she twisted her head sharply. He was still on the other side of the room looking over the blueprint with Cara.

He clearly hadn't noticed that Nida had been dreaming, just as he hadn't noticed Varo was now by her side.

No. Carson seemed far too distracted by Cara's company.

Nida turned to face Varo.

He smiled.

Again it did not have the hard edge she expected to see—it looked apologetic and kind at the same time. ‘You do not have to fear me,’ he said perceptively. ‘I won't hurt you,’ he added in a quiet voice.

She nodded.

Then she shook her head. ‘I should go to see Carson,’ she said. Immediately she stiffened as she realized she'd used his real name.

Varo looked confused, but then hid the emotion with another smile. ‘What were you dreaming of?’ he asked directly.

‘
What?’ she stuttered, thrown by his sudden question.

‘
Touched, it would be my honor to transcribe your dream. Please, tell me what vision the Goddess sent you.’

He looked genuine. From his words to his expression, it didn't appear as if Varo was playing.

. . . .

‘
Vision?’ she repeated warily.

She knew she should stop speaking to him; she just didn't have the brainpower to navigate a conversation right now, especially with a man like Varo. She'd already accidentally used Carson's real name. What else could she reveal, given time and enough confusion?

‘
I will admit, you are the first touched I have met, but I know of the legends. I know of the importance of your visions. I know how they will shape our history. So please, you can trust me with your message. Tell me what you saw.’

Nida shook her head. ‘I . . . can't,’ she realized.

‘
I apologize for my actions before; I must do all I can to protect this resistance. Your friend's plan is suicidal. I can't risk my people. He should also know that he cannot risk you. A touched is the most valuable gift a generation can be given,’ Varo began, his face no longer showing any hint of arrogance. In fact, he looked like a changed man.

Nida stared up at him and wondered how someone could change so quickly.

‘
You are more valuable than any ideology,’ Varo continued, ‘you should not be sacrificed
—’
he began.

‘
Step away from her,’ someone warned him. And that someone was Carson.

He came marching up, a truly dark look in his eye.

Varo's expression instantly soured.

‘
Are you alright?’ Carson nodded at her, his gaze searching hers as he did.

She hooked her hair behind her ears and nodded.

Though briefly she considered shaking her head.

She wanted to believe she was fine, but maybe she wasn't.

Maybe the entity was corrupting, she realized with a shiver.

That could account for her confusion and for the vision.

She shuddered again, suddenly feeling cold right down to her bones.

So cold, in fact, it was as if her body had been replaced by stone.

That image brought up her vision again, and she remembered staring down at her body wrought from rock.

It had been horrifying. She'd been unable to move as the stars had fallen from the sky, as the entity had sunk deep into the earth.

. . . .

‘
What did you do to her?’ Carson snapped as he pushed past Varo.

Carson stared at Nida with pale cheeks, his gaze searching as he clearly checked her over for injury.

‘
I'm fine,’ she noted quietly.

It was a lie though; she wasn't okay.

She was deeply and thoroughly confused.

She didn't know what Varo wanted, but she couldn't deny how much his behavior had changed around her.

 
. . . .

The vision.

She bit her lip, her teeth sinking hard into it and sending a sharp ache into her jaw.

She used that pain to anchor her attention.

Varo seemed more than keen to learn of what she'd seen; he'd also suggested that other 'touched' also had visions.

She was suddenly struck by how little she really knew about this situation. From the entity, to the resistance, to the people around her.

‘
Just get away from her,’ Carson snapped, taking up guard right in front of Nida.

Though she was thankful for his assistance, she still tried to peer past him.

She made eye contact with Varo. Whilst he shot Carson a deadly glare, whenever he turned that same look on Nida, it softened immeasurably.

‘
I don't know who you are or where you've come from, but don't talk to me like that,’ Varo warned Carson. ‘And don't think you can take risks for the rest of us. Just because the Goddess has charged you with protecting this touched, doesn't mean you can put the rest of us at risk.’

‘
I'm not going to risk anyone but myself,’ Carson's tone was menacing, each word snapped and cracking like a whip.

‘
Then leave Cara here,’ Varo jumped on the opportunity. He also nodded down at Nida. ‘And I trust you are not stupid enough to take her along.’

‘
She's coming with me,’ Carson said. As he spoke, he drew himself up to his full height. He still wore his armor, though his helmet wasn't on his head.

He was a very imposing figure, or at least he should have been. Yet Varo did not seem to be put off.

Instead, the man simply shook his head. ‘Don't be an idiot. And don't risk what you don't have to. You're more than welcome to go on this fool mission, but if you take a touched with you, the government will find out. And when the Governor hears there is one in his city . . . he will raze it to the ground to get to her. You get that, right? You get how serious this is?’

No. Carson probably didn't. But he didn't let that stop him. He still stared down at Varo with as much concentrated anger as the lieutenant could muster. ‘She is coming with me,’ he said simply.

Nida very much felt like she no longer had a voice of her own.

She just sat there behind Carson, letting him do all the talking and arguing while she stared on meekly.

She wanted to say something, she wanted to come to her own defense, yet she just couldn't push past the confusion long enough to try.

‘
Carson,’ she whispered, realizing she had to tell him what was happening to her.