Ouroboros 4: End (4 page)

Cadet Nida Harper

She had never been inside a Coalition brig before.

It was strangely pleasant. The décor was simple. She had a sturdy bed attached to the wall, and the lighting was a pleasant orange yellow.

Though she was technically alone, there was a guard stationed just outside her cell. She could see his head peer through the crackling force field of her door every other minute.

They thought she was going to explode or something. That or turn blue and take over the ship.

Though Commander Harrington had wanted to remove the 'suspicious device' from her left wrist, as he'd put it, Carson had managed to convince the man to leave it on.

And she was more than thankful of that fact.

She was still dog-tired.

After they'd arrived on the Orion, she’d been taken straight to the brig. Well, after a team of scientists and doctors had outfitted it with medical scanners.

She was too much of a 'risk' to be taken to the med bay, apparently, so they'd decided to move all of their equipment to the brig.

It wasn't in her room though—it was in the room next door. Nobody wanted to run the risk of her trashing anything in a swirling vortex of death.

She could still hear the equipment. A persistent low buzzing noise travelled through the wall right behind her. If she pressed her ear up to it, she swore she could feel heat too.

There was nothing to say; there was no one to talk to. But there was a lot to think about.

Too much.

At first she was filled with a detached sense of curiosity at her novel surroundings. It was kind of neat to be in the brig. Or at least to her completely tired mind it was.

At any moment she expected Carson to come striding in, ready to set her free. Because he would be trying with every breath to explain what had happened to them, right?

He'd be convincing the captain of this ship that she wasn't a risk.

. . . .

What if it didn't work? What if Carson couldn't convince anyone she wasn't a threat? What if they wouldn't believe his story?

As her nerves built, she sat forward, rested her elbows on her knees, and closed her eyes firmly.

She had to get out of here.

She had to make the Coalition understand the risk it now faced.

No matter what it took, she was prepared to do anything.

As soon as she entertained that thought, her mood soured.

She rested back suddenly, her head banging lightly on the wall behind her.

She didn’t open her eyes. She kept them firmly closed as she considered one point: the entity had been prepared to do whatever it took to fix its mistake.

Was she any different?

. . . .

Yes, she was. She wasn't trying to kill people; she was trying to save them. Just because she was ready to break a few rules to get the Coalition to understand the threat they’d soon face, didn’t mean she was on the same level as the entity. It had condemned whole races in its endless effort to wipe away its sins.

She would know when to stop.

. . . .

She couldn't stop thinking though.

As soon as she concluded that, her mind returned to another point.

The entity's power.

She blinked one eye open to flex her left hand. She saw the fingers spread wide and then snap in again.

It felt like hers; it was hers.

But she could still sense the power and potential of the entity within. It was like she could sense a massive wall of water held at bay by a single door. If she opened that door, she could let it spill out and cover whatever she pleased.

Every time she accessed the power, it became easier to do so.

But it also felt . . . wrong.

She was taking something that wasn't hers. And even though she was in a life or death struggle with the entity, she couldn't wipe that fact from her mind.

She was using it. She was taking its power because it was easy.

. . . No, she corrected herself, not because it was easy—because she had to. She had to save every last person she could.

As she struggled with those hefty moral thoughts, she thought of Carson. She understood, without a doubt, that if he knew what she was thinking, he would tell her to stop. He’d reaffirm she was doing the right thing.

Yet knowing he would support her couldn't make her stop.

It wouldn't be that easy to wipe away this dilemma.

Again she blinked one eye open to survey her left hand.

Her current train of thought soon led to another: could she really live with the entity for the rest of her life? Could she really endure this struggle forever?

Her current plan was to keep it away from Vex so it could never interfere with another iteration of that cursed planet's timeline again.

But would that mean she would keep it inside her until the day she died? And what would happen then? Would it jump to another host?

Or could she find some way to contain it, or, in fact, kill it?

. . . Could she kill it?

It had done a lot to her, and god knows it’d killed millions upon millions of souls, if not more, in its reign of terror. But could she actually end its life? Murder had to be a last resort, never a matter of convenience.

Realizing she wouldn't be able to think through any of this and actually come up with a satisfying answer, she soon sighed and flopped a hand over her eyes.

She would have to wait.

Though time was running out, she would still have to wait.

. . . .

Carson Blake

He'd done it. Christ it had taken some convincing, but finally the Captain had agreed to release her. It’d taken Carson offering up his own command as collateral to convince Captain Ragini Singh to give Nida a chance.

And he knew enough about Captain Singh to know she would take Carson up on his offer; if Nida turned out to be a threat—if she trashed half the ship—then Carson would be kicked right out of the Academy.

He didn't care.

He would offer up his life in a heartbeat, so his command was an easy sacrifice to offer instead.

As he walked through the corridors towards the brig, he couldn't control his pace. He wanted to sprint. He wanted to put his armor on and move as fast as modern technology would allow.

He didn't run though. He just walked really, really fast.

When he reached the brig, he faced off against Commander Harrington again.

The guy stared across at Carson with only barely contained contempt.

'You got your way then,' the Commander noted as he nodded to one of his deputies. 'Open up the cell. But be on guard. Any suspicious activity at all, and we stun her.'

Carson wanted to say something, but knew he couldn't let himself. The only words that came to mind were all the kinds you never shared with a superior.

Instead he curled one hand into a fist and locked his jaw.

And he waited.

To see her.

They'd hardly been separated for five hours, yet it felt like an eternity. They had been together for almost every step of this journey, and he couldn't afford to leave her side until it was finally over.

As one of Harrington's deputies opened her cell door, he noted as another cautiously turned off the massive force fields flickering in place just behind it.

He'd seen fields like that. But never in a standard brig scenario.

She bolted upright. He watched her sit and swivel her head until she faced him.

Her eyes were wide as they fixed on him.

He wanted to jump right through the force field and embrace her.

He needed to feel her close by, until there was no space between them at all. Only then would he be able to confirm she was fine.

It would be kind of inappropriate though. So instead he simply flexed his hand and tightened it into a fist, repeating the move as sweat collected between his fingers.

She had a conflicted expression as she stared between him and Harrington. He could see the fear flickering within her eyes, yet the smile creeping across her lips as she glanced his way.

He wanted more than anything to tell her everything was fine, and she’d be safe now.

He couldn’t.

He had no idea what would happen next.

Admitting that sent a shot of nerves slicing down his back, chilling every muscle as it went.

Carson twitched, and sucked in a sharp breath. Then he finally ignored decorum and reached a hand out to her. He watched her cheeks tighten, her brow crumpling with concern. ‘Am I really free to go?’ she asked in a small, tight voice.

Harrington let out a sharp, punch of a breath. ‘You are not free to go. Whatever he’s said to the Captain,’ Harrington nodded Carson’s way, ‘know this: I’m watching you. If you try to do anything to this ship or crew, I will stop you.’

There was so much vehemence behind Harrington’s words, it was a surprise they didn’t send Nida cowering backwards.

Instead she simply stood her ground and stared at him. Though her expression flickered with deep concern, she pressed her lips together, took a breath, then shook her head. ‘I’m not here to hurt anyone. We’re here to help you,’ she said directly.

A few weeks ago, she would have cringed at a superior's reprimand, let alone outright threat. Now, though she was clearly affected, she still pressed on.

Carson kept reminding himself how much she’d changed, but it really was amazing to see how far she’d come.

Cadet Nida Harper was no longer the worst recruit in 1000 years—she was rapidly becoming one of the bravest people he knew.

He couldn’t help but smile. Which was crazy considering Harrington had just threatened to shoot her.

She reacted to his smile though. Nida’s cheeks warmed, and the fear that had played through her eyes dimmed.

. . . .

It was crazy he could have that kind of effect on her. Then again, she was having just the same effect on him. Her presence, her smile, her words—they all gave Carson a kind of strength he’d never really experienced before.

Sure, in the past he’d known how to push himself. As head of the Force, endurance and stamina were integral. But now, this, the way she made him feel, it gave him a kind of energy he couldn’t begin to describe. He felt like he could take on the entire damn Coalition if he had to.

And heck, if Harrington’s reaction was anything to go by, maybe he’d have to.

Nida tore her gaze off him and carefully pushed her hand over her modified implant.

Harrington watched her every move, the concentration pressing across his brow like wind rippling a lake. Though she didn’t suddenly leap forward and trash the entire brig, Harrington did not let up. His hand hovered next to his gun, and the look in his eye told Carson he would shoot her if he had to.

On some level, Carson could understand that. If he took an enormous step back from this situation, he could appreciate Harrington was simply following procedure.

Procedure be damned.

Carson deliberately fixed Harrington with a warning look. ‘The Captain wants to see us in the discussion room,’ he inclined his head towards Nida, but didn’t turn to face her. He kept staring at Harrington, instead.

Without words, Carson was trying to convey to Harrington that if he tried anything, Carson would step in.

Maybe Nida could sense how tense the situation had become, because she offered a light and terribly awkward laugh. One that easily reminded him of the old Nida. The bumbling, klutz of a cadet he’d met all those months ago now.

This, however, was not the old Nida.

She took a step towards Harrington, and immediately the wary brute of a man snapped his gaze over to her.

Rather than double back in fear, she dipped her head low, as if she was trying to look up into his eyes.

She paused.

‘I’m not your enemy,’ she broke her silence, her voice low and full of import, ‘I’ve got no problem with you doing your job, though. If you want to shadow me with that gun, go ahead. If you want to post a security team in every room I visit, do it. But I must pass on this warning: the entire Coalition could be at stake. We need to prepare for an immanent attack. Now, are you going to let me take my message to the Captain, or are you going to get in my way? History will remember your actions, Harrington. So pick wisely.’

That was not how you addressed a superior. Not if you wanted to stay in the Academy.

Harrington bristled. ‘Cadet—’

‘You’ve made it clear I’m no longer a member of the Coalition, or at least not one worthy of protection. So don't try to railroad me with the chain of command. Either stop me from going to see the Captain, or don’t.’

The hair along the back of Carson’s arms and neck stood on end.

Damn.

So much for not being the worst recruit in 1000 years anymore, Nida could have passed for a seasoned admiral now.

Harrington’s brow stiffened, the bridge of his nose crinkling as one lip hooked up over his teeth. He was either getting ready to shoot or shout at her.

He did neither. Instead, with a quick look at the other guard, he motioned to the door. ‘You try anything . . .’ he trailed off as he fixed Nida with a warning look.

‘Trust me, the only thing I’m trying to do, is stop my mistake, I mean the entity’s mistake,’ Nida whirled on her foot and headed for the door.

Carson stiffened.

He’d heard what she’d said, that little vocal stumble: my mistake.

The words sent a torrent of nerves through his back and gut.

The entity wasn’t taking control again, right? Her implant wouldn’t suddenly malfunction and send every object and person in this room spiraling towards her, right?

He couldn’t take another one of those attacks. Nor could he stomach the prospect the entity was still affecting her, despite her modified implant.

It strengthened his resolve to get this all over with and get her the help she needed.

Though they hadn’t yet had a chance to plan what they’d do once the threat of the Vex attack passed, he now realized how important it was to deal with the entity.

He didn’t care how long it took or how many resources it would consume, he’d find some way to pull that entity from her. To get rid of it once and for all, returning Nida to normal.

He didn’t breathe a word of this; even though the entity was ostensibly under control, he knew the price of threatening it. Clasping a hand to his neck, he remembered what it felt like to be pinned against the ceiling, waiting for death.

As Nida walked ahead, he watched her shoulders round. She’d shown some surprising bravery in the brig, but it was starting to fade. He watched her shoot him a nervous glance over her shoulder.

She’d know this was just the first hurdle. Getting to see Captain Singh would be the beginning.

Convincing the Coalition the Vex were about to completely destroy them . . . heck, it felt like an impossible task.

Hopefully Nida’s modified implant and her newfound control over the entity would help.

If they didn’t, he had no idea what he’d do. He could still remember the destruction he’d seen in the future, of course he remembered it. It felt as though it was carved into his bones. When he closed his eyes, images of Remus 12 choked with Coalition ships assailed him. That eerie graveyard of broken vessels in space, bodies floating silently between the wreckage . . . It made him shiver even now.

Those chilling scenes clung to him like hooks sunk into his flesh. They pushed him forward and made him promise that no matter what it took, he would prevent that future.

Even if the Coalition didn’t believe him, he’d find a way.

His resolve now strengthened, it wasn’t long until they reached the discussion room. To get to it, they walked through the bridge.

If Nida had looked mildly uncomfortable walking through the corridors, it was clear she was mortified now. Her shoulders were rounded practically to the point of touching, and her cheeks were so pale and slack, they looked like wet sheets hung over bone.

Everyone stared at her. The stares were not kind.

Even the most seasoned officers on the bridge considered her with the wariest of gazes.

They were all looking at Nida like they might look at a Barbarian attack vessel.

She didn’t deserve it.

If these fools knew even a part of what she’d done to save the Coalition, they’d be cheering.

He locked his jaw hard, took several quick steps forward, and walked protectively by her side.

She looked up at him, pressed her lips against her teeth, and shot him a careful smile.

He had to fight the instinct to lean down, pluck up her hand, and hold it tightly.

Soon enough, they reached the short gun-metal grey ramp that led down to the discussion room. Seconds later, the doors opened and closed behind them.

He wanted to say the worst of it was over.

It wasn’t.

Time to face the cavalry.