Alutia Rising, Anniversary Edition (Alutia Rising Series, Book 1) (51 page)

“Trent, Trent!” Sasha whispered impatiently,
pointing to a deep shadow near the base of the pod, where a moment
later, the two Schnac'lasis crept into view, hastily removing the
cryo-containment tubes. Trent took aim at one of the unsuspecting
Schnac'lasis.

“Take the one on the left,” he whispered.
Sasha nodded, raising her trembling laser arc beside his.

He flew back as a laser bolt scorched through
the air less than a meter before him, catching the tip of his laser
arc, which vanished in a cloud of sparks.

“Stop!” Sasha screamed, while Trent was still
in a daze. “There are Schnac'lasis here! At the pod! You have to
kill them!” Sasha implored.

Without waiting for a response, knowing it
unlikely they would believe her anyways, he began sliding across
the uneven cave floor, dragging Sasha along with him, towards a
deep crevice he'd noticed in the outcropping they'd just passed,
ignoring the laser bolts that continued to sizzle just
overhead.

“Surrender and you will not be harmed!” the
demand echoed throughout the cavern.

“Why will you not listen!” Sasha shouted in
desperation.

“In...go,” he pushed Sasha into the crevice
first, then climbed in behind, placing himself between her and the
rest of the cave...
I will protect her.

“Trent?” Sasha questioned, her apprehension
evident now that she had regained her composure.

“Stay down,” he instructed, ignoring the
concerned glare he received, “and I love you,” he stated honestly,
sliding the laser arc free from her grasp before she could react,
and leaning out in search of target. He dove back when laser bolts
stuck the edge of the crevice.

“How can they see me in this light?” he
mumbled to himself.

“Combat PDU's dark setting,” Sasha whispered
into his ear, “these are real guards, Trent...probably from Sir
Simwa's personal escort,” Trent muffled a curse, trying to slow his
breathing as he thought desperately about how they could
survive.

An orange cloud exploded throughout the
entire cavern as alarms blared. He caught a glimpse of the pod
splitting open, so he pushed Sasha deeper into the crevice.

“I love you,” he whispered with a glance
before wedging himself into its entrance, trying to completely
block his love, his life, from the inevitable.

“Trent, no, please!” Sasha desperate pleas
sounded distant as the orange cloud rolled over him, and his mind
began fading into oblivion.

He crumbled to the floor. The sight of the
grotesquely mutated human flashing before his eyes, its image
burned into his mind, along with the knowledge that he had
failed...he had failed to save his love...he had failed to save
Sasha.

Pain...

Intolerable pain, coursed over every
millimeter of her flesh, like millions of needles were piercing her
skin simultaneously. She tried to fight, keep from falling
unconscious, but it was just too strong; the pain, overwhelming,
her resistance, fleeting.

“Sasha,” a soothing light flashed within her
mind, whispering her name with Trent’s voice, “it’s ok, Sasha, I
will stop the pain, just trust in me, Sasha,” the voice sang. She
reached desperately for light, for Trent, for his soothing embrace,
knowing it to be salvation.

Burning...

Her entire body felt as if magma coursed
within, her very heart a volcano. She wanted to scream, but the
sensation left her stiff, unable to move. Her body was melting, her
flesh erupting in flame...
I’m dying,
she cried. Suddenly, it
began to ease, the magma turning to lava, flowing free of her
flesh, absorbing the pain and cooling the raging volcano in its
wake, while also removing all her senses.

“Grand Duchess Sasha Alutia, the TSB Earth
Base self-destruct sequence has been activated. It would be wise to
access an escape shuttle with all due haste,” an unemotional voice
tingled in her ears, but she knew not what it meant, her mind
muddled, like she'd just awoken from a decade long sleep.

Her senses began to return. A warm lump grew
beneath her, forcing her up gently, then down, then up again, told
her she could feel. The sound of splashing water as droplets fell
rhythmically into a nearby pool, told her she could hear. Shadowy
shapes, hued red, began clearing within the total darkness, telling
her she could see. While a putrid aroma, mixed with a familiar,
calming fragrance from that which lay beneath her, told her she
could smell.

The burning sensation returned, worse than
before. She screeched in pain, pulling herself into a ball, shaking
uncontrollably as the magma filled her veins once more, assaulting
her very soul. Then, like before, it left her. But this time, it
cleared her mind.

“Trent,” she woke in daze, scanning her
surroundings in confusion, “where am I...” she started to question,
but her memory returned. She still lay in the deep crevice within
the containment cavern, though closer to its entrance then she
recalled previous the pain.

“Oh no,” she gasped, the sight of the hatched
HDP pod beyond the crevices narrow face, causing her skin to
freeze. Thankfully, the HDP infected human had vanished...
it
must have escaped or been captured by the Schnac'lasis
, she
thought...either way, she was glad it was gone.

She turned to Trent, who laid beside her,
gasping for air. He grunted, face contorting in total agony while
flushing a deathly scarlet. A flood of sweat poured off his skin,
soaking through his jumpsuit to pool on the rock below. Terra, who
had been hiding deep between her bosoms, emerged to hope down to
Trent, purring his concern as his tiny hands caressed Trent’s
trembling cheek, while Sasha began gently caressing the other.

“Vin, is he going to be alright?” her voice
cracked, either from fear of the answer, or the pain and burning of
moments before.

“The anti-mutagen protocol of the Eye of the
Emperor is able to destroy the HDP spores before they cause
irreparable harm,” Vin responded. Sasha felt her heart steady, and
the worse of her concern wash away. Tenderly, she continued
caressing Trent's grimacing cheek.

“Vin, why isn't it working?” she asked after
a few minutes, her voice having regained its composure, but now
fully showing her concern.

“Sir Trent attempted to shield Grand Duchess
Sasha Alutia from the cloud of HDP spores released when the HDP pod
hatched. Theoretically, this could have led to a higher infection
level, requiring the anti-mutagen protocol to activate multiple
times to fully destroy said spores,” Sasha could only nod, trusting
the Program spoke the truth. Trent began to spasm, and it took all
Sasha’s strength to hold him steady. Then, like the pain had never
existed, his expression calmed, breathing steadied, and skin began
to clear.

His eyes shot opened, darting in every
direction like a wild beast, trying to rise to his feet, desperate
to flee. Sasha held him down with her body.

“Trent, it's alright,” she soothed, “were
fine,” she forced his eyes to focus on her. Recognition struck and
he calmed, running his trembling fingers over her cheeks, nose, and
lips as if he wasn’t certain she was real.

“Oh, Trent,” she leaned in, kissing his lips,
cheek, and forehead in turn, letting fresh tears fall like rain
upon his skin, “I...I did not think you would awaken again,” she
told, unable to hide her sorrow. His eyes shot up, hugging her
stiffly.

“I'm alright, Sasha. I...I won't leave
you...ever,” he declared, voice cracking unnaturally.

“Please be advised,” Vin interrupted, it’s
words echoing throughout the entire cavern, “the TSB Earth Base
self-destruct sequence has been initiated,” Trent stormed to his
feet, pulling Sasha up alongside. She slid an arm around his waist
when he began to falter.

“Vin, what's going on?” Trent wheezed, his
question difficult to understand.

“Level One Quarantine agent has escaped the
research complex into TSB Earth Base. Containment attempts have
failed, evacuation order received from TSB primary Program. All
non-contaminated personnel are to evacuate immediately,”

“We’re in trouble,” Sasha looked to Trent,
who, ignoring the obvious pain, started shuffling free of the
crevice, Sasha matching his every step.

As they moved across the cavern, and Trent
become heavier and heavier, she glimpsed the far side of the
cavern. On the ground near the hatched HDP pod, lay twelve bodies,
a green slime bubbling from their skin; the remnants of Sir Simwa's
men. Her stomach screamed, all blood draining to her feet as she
desperately turned her gaze away.
That could have been them
,
the horrid thought vanished when Trent collapsed at her side, only
10 meters from the narrow tunnel she hoped lead to the research
bay, and waiting transport tube.

“Are you all right?” Sasha kneeled at his
side, securing her arm further around his waist while wiping the
sweat free of his eyes.

“Doesn't matter I...I need to get you...you
out of here...” he stuttered between labored breaths.
Of course
it mattered!
She wanted to scream, refusing to even consider
losing him so soon after finding him.
But now isn't the time to
argue,
she knew. So instead, she hardened her resolve, dragging
Trent to his feet and into the dark tunnel.

After only a few steps she bumped into a
smooth wall. She ran her fingers over its dark surface, while
trying to keep Trent, who had become a deadweight, from falling to
the floor.

“Vin, is this a door?” she asked
hopefully.

“Yes, Grand Duchess Sasha Alutia,” Vin
responded, but the door didn’t open.

“Then open it, now!” she cried, incredulous
that she even had to ask. After a few seconds, the door slid open,
revealing their salvation; an individual transport tube. Sasha
didn't think, forcibly pushing Trent, back first, into the tube
transport that appeared within, then squeezed in with him. Terra
squealed from her bosom, it being compressed in the narrow tube
transport, forcing him free to climb upon her shoulder, squeaking
and squawking his complaints into her ear. But she ignored him,
concentrating all her thoughts on Trent, whose breathing had become
even shallower and his face having turned ashen. She pushed her
cheek against his, finding him deathly cold.

“Vin,” she grunted, barely able to keep her
growing panic in check, “get us to an escape shuttle, now!” The
tube door slide shut and they shot off. She tried to shift her arms
around him, but was unsuccessful...there being absolutely no free
space in the tube for her to move.

“Vin, what's wrong with Trent? Why isn't he
getting better?” she asked frantically.

“Eye of the Emperor reports that anti-mutagen
protocol was effective in neutralizing foreign contaminant, but
unforeseen side effects of treatment has severely damaged Sir
Trent’s internal organs. Recommend emergency tubing, but emergency
nanite and calming agent, with full medical workup should be
sufficient treatment to stabilize. Life currently not in imminent
danger, but may be if recommended treatment is not followed,” she
sighed, relieved at the knowledge Trent's life was not in imminent
danger. But she knew that could change at any moment. She needed to
get him to a medical bay...and fast.

“Vin, how much longer until the base
self-destructs?” she asked, hopeful they could stop in medical
before fleeing to the shuttles.

“Fifteen-minutes,” Sasha froze.

“How long?” she asked again, trembling.

“Fourteen minutes, 47 seconds,” her heart
dropped to the floor. There was no way they would have time to seek
a medical bay, she'd be surprised if they could even reach a
shuttle in time with Trent in his current state.

“Vin, why were there Schnac'lasis in the
lab?” she spoke the question absently, having begun to succumb to
resignation, fully realizing it would be impossible to make it
across the hanger bay, reach an escape shuttle, and perform an
unpowered launch in 15 minutes. But, she thought to herself,
at
least I found love...real love...before I died
. She rubbed her
cheek on Trent's, still cool and clammy, trying to transfer the
warmth that grew at the thought.

“Information incomplete; the ASU species
Schnac'lasis access to research lab 23 should not have been
possible. A detailed analysis of logged and unlogged incursions on
Earth return only four unresolved possibilities, the most recent
being 135 years ago. Current theory in process states that ASU
scout ship crashed on Earth and contained ASU Schnac'lasis who had
broken through the Wall. In an attempt to escape local authorities,
they fled into an underground cave network, finding access to the
research complex by chance. After the lab was accessed and the ASU
Schnac'lasis understood what was contained within the lab, they
moved to release the creature, along with collect samples, in the
hopes of returning them to ASU command. This is only a theory and
may be modified or restricted as further analysis is completed.”
The idea that the ASU crashed on Earth, then stumbled into the
underground research complex, was beyond ridiculous. But Sasha
wasn't about to question one of the Program’s theories...no matter
how improbable.

The minutes slowly ticked by and Sasha found
tears forming in the corners of her eyes. Moments before, she'd
accepted the fact they would die. But now, now it suddenly scared
her, for the same reason she had accepted the fate. She'd found
love. What she at one time knew would never come again, and that
love was about to be forcefully torn away from her.
Why did this
have to happen? What had she done to deserve this?
The thoughts
vanished as Trent started gasping for air. She'd been unconsciously
pushing closer to him, she realized, and he was too weak to push
back, causing his breathing to become ever shorter. She quickly
recoiled.