Tears of Glass (The Jana Darren Saga Book 1) (10 page)

“Of course I can,” she insisted adamantly. Jana stumbled and nearly fell. Aeronth’s reactions were fast, though, and he caught her around the shoulders.

“Yeah,
sure.”
He lifted her off her feet, cradling her in his arms like a little rag doll. “I’ve got you. It’s okay.”

“How are they going to get to us?”

“They don’t need to land. They can send down the lift.” The lift was a small, elevator looking thing that worked independently of the ship. The ship dropped a small magnetic pad to the ground and sent down the container. Once the person was inside, the ship could remote control the pad and with little thrusters they could be brought back onto the ship. It was good for supply runs for small ships, or transferring passengers from a transport without having to dock the entire ship.

Aeronth began quickly navigating through the jungle, careful not to jostle her around too much. Jana’s brain was completely scrambled; all she could manage was inane babble. Aeronth attempted to quiet her, speaking softly to the deranged girl.

“Come on, don’t give up on me now.”

“Aeronth?”

“Yeah?”

Jana whimpered. “Am I going to die?” It was getting colder, but Aeronth’s body felt like a warm blanket. His scent comforted her.

“You’d better not.”

“Did you mean it?”

“Mean what?”

“What you said about leaving together.”

“We’ll talk about that later.”

“Okay...” she trailed, whimpering in the dark. “I don’t want to die.”

“No one wants to die.”

“Why don’t you like me?” she pouted.

“I don’t like anyone.”

“You should like me. I’m r-really nice,” she said.

“Do you like me?” he asked in return.

Jana simply shook her head and clamped her mouth shut. “No,” she said, “I’m not telling you anything.” She sighed then, leaning her head into his chest. It was getting hard to focus her eyes again. Her whole left hand was purple and swollen, the fingers mangled. It was getting dark again, which made the going twice as difficult and half as quick. Aeronth stumbled on an odd root, or a rock imbedded in the ground. Still, he carried Jana as if she were the most delicate thing in the world. There was a good chance he’d taken a good look around and realized that on this planet, she probably was.

She didn’t know when she fell asleep, but when Jana woke a while later, a pained cry emanated from her cotton-dry throat. Aeronth gave her a few sips of water. She coughed, shivering. He put a hand to her forehead and withdrew it almost immediately. Aeronth looked around like he didn’t know where to go.

“Aeronth?”

“What is it?”

“I’m sorry,” Jana sniffled miserably, holding back a wave of tears.

He looked so sad. “For what?”

“I lost your knife.” She fell back asleep before he could respond.

After she woke up again, for reasons unknown even to her, she spoke not a word and stirred not a centimeter, preferring to drink in the moments she had with him. Every once in a while, Aeronth would start talking to himself.

“Where the hell am I?” he grit his teeth in frustration. “This is so goddamn stupid. Where the hell are
they?
” His voice echoed through the forest. In the distance, a light flashed. Aeronth cradled Jana’s head and quickly dropped down into a kneeling position. He set her on the ground against a fallen log. She opened her eyes as he pressed a finger to her mouth, motioning to be quiet. He pulled out his gun.

“Stay here. Keep quiet, and don’t move,” he ordered in a whisper.

Before she could say anything, he had stalked off into the darkness.

Five minutes passed without sound, but to Jana it felt like an eternity. A branch snapped. Paralyzed with fear, she froze. Aeronth had taken her gun earlier, and she was defenseless.

"Jana!"

She had been holding her breath without realizing it. Releasing it slowly, Jana looked at Gordon, Lexi, and David. Aeronth came from behind them.

"You guys scared the hell out of me," she reprimanded.

"Are you kidding me?! We’ve been out here looking for you all day!" Lexi cried.

"Shut it Lexi!" said Gordon as he reached down and felt Jana’s forehead. "Not again," he groaned.

"Luckily, we got the ship on the radio. They’re picking us up at daybreak."

"Where?"

David held the locator. "Where ever we are. They picked up the signal. I told them about your situation."

"How long until dawn?" asked Gordon.

Jana was shaking violently, bile rising in her throat as she rolled to her side and vomited on the ground next to her. She spat, feeling like she was going to be sick again. Blinded by a flashlight, she winced at the sudden, bright light.

"Oh my god, is that—?" Jana wiped her mouth and looked. Thick red blood glistened in the sickly white light.

"Let’s just hope they get here on time."

They found a clearing. Lexi, bless her, had thought to bring the rudimentary camping gear from their original camp after the wreck. They had a few blankets and sleeping bags, a few collapsible bowls and cups, and some utensils. Nothing fancy, but it would work for one night. Jana was reluctant to allow them to make a fire for fear of being spotted by the soldiers from the compound again, but they were miles away from there. They were almost certainly hunting for them, but without knowing which direction Aeronth took her, it could take them quite a while. The jungle was too dense for vehicles, and they’d encountered no makeshift roads through it. Aerial searches would be futile, too, with the canopy. Any pursuit would have to be on foot, and that took time and resources.

“We’re prepared this time. They won’t be sneaking up on anyone,” Lexi insisted. David had a bulky field tablet out, encased in the same black steel they used for Mech frames. They used Lexi’s weapons case as a table, the tablet on it like a beacon. When he first turned it on, the scanner went crazy and beeped so frantically that it screeched. David mashed a few buttons on the touch screen and turned it off for a moment, fiddling with the settings.

“Sorry! Sorry. I wasn’t thinking. I’m going to switch the settings. These things weren’t designed to be used in places with abundant life forms. The scans are mostly for derelict ships to find survivors, so the parameters have to be heavily modified.” He stuck his tongue out the side of his mouth while he worked. After a minute or two, he was satisfied. “There.” He initiated the scan again, and the rest of the team braced themselves for the shrieking. The sensor was calm. It beeped softly every few seconds, constantly scanning the surrounding area. They had a fifty meter buffer zone in every direction. Jana was satisfied, and allowed Lexi to start a small fire.

“So,” Lexi sighed after a while, watching Gordon carefully pull a clear, thin glove over Jana’s hand while Jana looked away, not wanting to look at the sickening sight of her hand. “What the fuck happened?” Their medic took a small syringe out of his kit. There was a blue gel inside, that he slowly pushing into the lining of the glove. It filled, reacted with the thin layer of material inside, and expanded like a balloon. She’d never had need for a field cast before.
You’ve never been in the field before.

“Leave that for a few minutes until it hardens. Keep it elevated.” He put the supplies away and shot her with another dose of the medicine he’d concocted earlier. “I don’t know how long this is going to be effective for. Tell me if there are any changes.” Aeronth sat next to her, but kept a bit of distance between them. Even with the fever and pain, each time she caught his gaze, she was embarrassed.
I kissed him. What the hell was I even thinking?
She didn’t know where to begin explaining what happened.

“After you left, we were ambushed. It was my fault. I should have been more careful, more observant.” Aeronth’s hands were balled into fists on his knees.
He blames himself for this.
“I don’t know what happened before they pulled me into the room, but we were tied up and they tried to get information out of her. He hurt her pretty bad. Jana managed to get free when the guy turned around, and we escaped.” He left out the part about the roulette, and the pool, and the crates.
Why didn’t he tell them?
Why is he hiding all this from them?

Aeronth reached over and took Jana’s good hand in his. She was as confused by it as the rest of the team, who were absolutely bewildered. His touch wasn’t tender or affectionate, and she got the feeling it was more of a sign to her that she should just go along with what he said.
Whatever. But if he doesn’t think he owes me an explanation, he has another thing coming.
She sat in silent defiance but kept her mouth shut. David and Gordon shrugged it off, but Lexi was horrible at feigning disinterest and looked suspicious of them.

"It’s too bad you guys couldn’t get a good look at the place, what they were doing there?

That’s just really...bizarre.”

"They had to have found him there by now. Matthews was gone for a while, they’re definitely looking for us by now," Aeronth replied.

David held up a hand. "How do you know his name?"

"I think that was his name,” Aeronth shrugged. “We overheard some chatter about how late someone named Matthews was. Made it seem like he was pretty important." He released her hand and stretched wide.

Gordon took Jana’s temperature again. "She’s still getting worse. I’ve never seen anything like it. This poison is so complex…"

"She’s not a goddamn science experiment, Gordon," snapped Lexi. "Sorry," she grumbled when he saw the abashed look on the medic’s face.

The others asked endless questions of her, but she followed Aeronth’s lead and left out details of the things he omitted from his story. He didn’t leave her side the whole time, which made Jana furious.
Does he think I need babysitting? I’m not an idiot.

“I have to pee.” Jana said loudly, and used Aeronth’s shoulder to steady herself when she stood. Really she just wanted a few minutes to herself away from him. She took one of the small blankets with her, wrapped around her shoulders. It smelled musty but it was better than nothing. She glanced back and saw Aeronth shift in his seat. “You going to follow me to the bathroom, too?” Jana snapped. He stopped moving and everyone was looking at her in confusion.

“Someone needs to go with you. You’re sick, and you can’t just go wandering off.” Aeronth grumbled.

“I’ll go with her,” Lexi offered, eyes shifting between Jana and Aeronth. She stood and stretched. “I need to take a walk, anyway.”

Jana stomped off towards the tree line with Lexi scurrying towards her retreating back. It was difficult to hold onto the blanket with only one useful hand; the other made her feel like a cartoon character, but at least it didn’t hurt anymore.

“Jana, wait.” Lexi breathed. She stopped in her tracks, but couldn’t muster the composure to face her team member. The tall, slender woman caught up to Jana and put a hand on her shoulder.

“Don’t
touch
me. I don’t want to be touched. I don’t want to be poked and prodded at anymore. I want to be left alone.”

“What is going on with you?”

“I was abducted,” she spit, “and tortured. And...” she shook her head. “I killed someone, and everyone is just...sort of fine with that.”

Lexi planted herself in Jana’s way and stuck her face centimeters away. “You listen to ME.” Her face was hard, twisted in anger. “You went through something. It sucks. It
happened
. But we’re your friends, you can’t go through this alone. We’re here. Talk to us. Pushing people away is the best way to ruin yourself. Accept help, that’s what we’re here for.” She reached out a hand and Jana recoiled. Lexi ignored it and wrapped her arms around Jana’s shoulders, pulling her in gently. “It’s going to be okay.”

As promised, the small group heard the whirring of an engine near an hour after dawn the next morning. Jana’s health had deteriorated rapidly during the last few hours. As such, no one had gotten much sleep at all and everyone was happy to hear the approaching ship, other than Jana herself. After continuing to vomit blood, her temperature dropped again, and she slipped into a near coma they’d been unable to wake her from.

The flight back was long. There was no doctor on board, but there was a med deck. Gordon had much better supplies here. They laid Jana atop the examination table and made sure there was always someone with her. Aeronth looked in on her only once, staying less than five minutes before retreating from the room. In all of the confusion, no one had reported in to the station.

The docking was much smoother than the landing they had endured. As soon as they docked securely, David and Gordon stepped aside as a SCORPION team took Jana, moving her onto a stretcher and hurrying off the ship. One of the team grabbed Gordon by the arm and they followed suit, discussing her condition in hushed tones.

It wasn’t until days later that they were allowed near Jana. The doctors placed Jana in a stark white room, brilliantly lit and devoid of any color. Clear tubes ran from the backs of her hands and oxygen flowed through the tube to her nostrils. A softly beeping monitor at the side of the bed kept in time with Jana’s beating heart. Over the last few days, she’d been given medicine intravenously that sped the recovery process and helped her bones knit together much faster.

“Five minutes,” the doctor warned as he turned to leave. As they approached her bed, Jana opened her eyes and looked at them.

“Hey, cutie,” Lexi smiled timidly. Jana returned it weakly.

“How are you feeling?”

“Great.”

“Ha. That much be all of the painkillers they’ve given you.”

“Probably,” she replied. “How long have I been in here?”

“Four days,” said Gordon. “These guys refused to make a report until they saw you and made sure you were okay.”

“Where’s Aeronth?”

Lexi shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“No one’s seen him since we landed,” added David.

“When can I get out of here?”

“Soon. They’re waiting to see if you’re responding to the treatment. I should warn you, Vacero is coming to talk to you after we leave. He’s in the hallway right now. You’re lucky we got back when we did. You were within an inch of your life.”

“Hmm...felt more to me like 3/8.” Jana managed a weak smile, and caught the worried glances of her team.
It’s like they think I’m going to drop dead any second. I don’t even want to know how terrible I must look right now.
“Hey! Quit it. I’m fine.”

“Time’s up.” The doctor called out from the other side of the clear glass wall.

“Alright, we’ll see you later. Feel better.”

“Bye guys,” Jana said.
Where is Aeronth? Why hasn’t he come to see me?
She argued internally, trying to convince herself that she was being irrational. Did I over exaggerate what happened between us? Maybe he really doesn’t care. You were falling apart and he said and did what he needed to in order to get out of there alive.

“Lieutenant?” Jana hadn’t heard Vacero enter the room.

“Hello, sir.”

“You and I need to talk.”

“Is there something wrong, sir?”

“I want to thank you for bringing that case back to us. That is a huge factor that will help us mount a much-needed offensive.”

“Against who, sir?”

Vacero ignored the question. “On the other hand, you crashed a highly valuable ship on a planet that no one is to have contact with. We are now facing an inquiry with the Government.”

“But I thought—“

“What happened on E-1?”

Jana took a moment to gather her thoughts before launching into her retelling of the events that occurred during their mission. When she had finished, Vacero sat unnaturally still. “Not only,” he began angrily, “have you left behind evidence of our presence, you have alerted our enemy that we are onto them. The advantage we gained by the contents of that case is lost. But I suppose the responsibility lies with me for appointing a child to your position.”

Jana was left speechless, mouth gaping. Vacero stood and hurried out of the room. She was lying in a hospital bed after risking her life, and all he could do was insult her. Tears welled up in her eyes, hard as she tried to suppress them.
What a dick.

“Jana?” She wiped her eyes hurriedly and sniffled, turning her head away quickly to hide the evidence of her weakness. “Are you crying?” Aeronth asked. Stubbornly, she shook her head. “Are you okay? Did Vacero say something to you?” She sat tight lipped, avoiding eye contact. Part of it was out of shame for being caught crying like a child,
just like Vacero sees you,
and partly because she was hurt by Aeronth for not coming to see her while she was on the brink of death.

In a fury, Aeronth spun on his heel and punched the control panel on the wall to open the door, then stormed out. A few moments later, two uniformed security guards ran past her room.

Hours later, Gordon revisited and delivered shocking news.

“He
punched
him?!”

“Right in the jaw,” Gordon nodded. “Broke his nose, too. Took three guards to get him off.”

“What the hell was he thinking? He’ll be court marshaled and tossed in prison.” Jana shook her head, trying to wrap her mind around the news.

“Not so fast,” he said, unhooking her from the tubes and monitors.

“Am I done recharging now?” Jana joked. “And what do you mean?”

“Stress of the mission caused a temporary breakdown.”

“You’re not serious.”

Gordon leveled his eyes at her. “It held up. Did you really think I wouldn’t back him up for doing what the rest of us could only dream of? As soon as the doctor told me what Vacero said to you, even I wanted to sock that guy.” He waved to the doctor sitting in the observation room in the center of the medical hub.

Each hub was round, with a central observation room and eight patient care rooms fanning out like wedges from it. The inner walls were clear for obvious reasons. The walls between adjacent rooms were white and opaque, and the outer wall to the main hallway was clear glass, but could be tinted for privacy with the push of a button. Jana felt like she was in a fishbowl.

“Either way,” Gordon continued, “I’ve got great news for you. Due to our friend’s little altercation, the whole team gets a few days off-base for mental health. So as soon as you’re cleared, we’re off. I get to visit my family,” he beamed.
Forced leave?
Normally it would have been great, but the closest station was the one she’d rather sit in her little fishbowl than have to visit.

“Can’t I just get out of here now?” Jana groaned while Gordon finished unhooking her from all of the machines.

“If you feel at all unwell, let me know. You need to stay here for a little longer, until I get the okay from your attending physician. I’ll be back later to check on you.”