Timeless (The Cartographer Book 3) (8 page)

“And what
are
you trying to accomplish?” Kedge sneered.

Braxii's smirk bloomed into a toothy smile. “All we want is a utopian society, of course.” His smile faded and he looked off screen. Someone was talking to him, but I couldn't make out the words. He nodded his acknowledgement and returned his attention to the screen. “We are in the process of securing your ship so I would suggest that you agree to our offer.”

“What offer would that be?” I asked through clenched teeth. The thought of Lianne being left back at the terminal with only a skeleton crew left a sour taste in my mouth.

“Join us,” he replied simply. “No further harm will come to you or your allies. Calypso personally assured me that, if you surrender peacefully, you will be reinstated within the Consortium with all prior ranks and privileges.”

“What about those of us who held no rank or privileges?” Kedge snorted.

Braxii paused for several seconds before replying. “I suppose that is something which still remains to be discussed.” The screen went dark.

“Wait a minute—” I protested.

Sounds of a violent struggle erupted from the top level of the bus. Two loud bangs, followed by several muffled thuds could be heard before silence descended over us. Mazu shot out of his chair like his legs were on fire. He hurried to the bottom of the staircase and looked up.

“What's going on up there?” he shouted.

Footsteps shuffled along the floor upstairs. Slowly, they made their way to the staircase. Concerned, Mazu slowly backed away from them.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

It was the sound of something metallic scraping against the iron stairs. At first, all I could see was a pair of scuffed work boots descending down the stairs. Eventually a man wearing faded denim pants appeared, taking one step at a time in a slow, methodical manner. The tapping sound I heard actually came from the blade he was carrying. He held it hilt first and was rapping the edge of the blade against each stair as he descended. The mirror like finish of the blade was marred with the scarlet stains of blood. Small puddles collected on each stair each time the blade hit the stair. Mazu retreated so quickly he tripped over one of the bars, sending glasses crashing to the floor.

The man descended the last stair and stood perfectly still, surveying the scene before him. A hat was pulled down low, covering half of his face and enshrouding his features in shadow. With the exception of the hat and sword, he looked like a farmer. With faded denim overalls and work boots, he could have been someone who just stepped from the fields.

“W-w-who are you and where are the guards?” Mazu stuttered.

The stranger lifted the hat and stared at us through darkened eyes. He looked like a smaller version of Jori with thick eyebrows that looked as if two caterpillars were using his forehead as a parking lot.

“Oh them?” He looked at the ceiling with a shrug. “They are…
indisposed
.” His eyes fell upon us and he looked at our restraints with a hint of contempt. “So the rumors are true. The Insurgents were stupid enough to come here, seeking help.”

“You're a rebel!” Mazu spat with contempt. “You are one of those godless heathens who would rather destroy our peaceful society instead of being a part of it. If I was armed appropriately I would skewer you where you stand!”

“Actually, his name is Yori,” a voice from the front of the bus said. We turned to see Jori's huge frame blocking the doorway to the cabin. “He is my brother.”

Mazu looked at him in stunned silence. When I looked over at Kedge and Vigil, I noticed they had a similar look. Mazu studied Jori as if to measure his intentions. Kedge's expression changed to a murderous rage. He stared daggers at Mazu and I thought for a second that, if he could break from his bonds, I was sure he would strangle him with his bare hands. Jori turned slowly with hate-filled eyes toward Mazu.

“Your
Order
murders nonbelievers by the truck loads all in the name of a false god,” Jori spat the word.

“False
GOD
?” Mazu roared. “Brasus damn your mouth for just uttering such blasphemy. I would murder millions more if it meant our survival.”

Yori stepped closer to Mazu and rested the sword on his shoulder. “I bet you would,” he growled.

Jori stepped between them. “Relax Yori. Don't you realize how valuable a member of the Ministry is as a hostage?”

Mazu's mouth formed a shocked
O
. “You wouldn't dare!”

“Hey listen, I hate to interrupt your little courting session,” Kedge sneered, “but could one of you do us a favor and release us?”

Jori's mouth curled into a smile. “I suppose so,” he replied. “You three aren't worth much to the Order.”

“Gee, thanks,” I muttered.

Jori stepped to the front of the bus. After pushing a few buttons, our restraints retracted into the seats. Jori filled the doorway with his frame and looked down at us. “Just because you have been released doesn't really mean you are free.”

“What?” I asked suspiciously. My hand fell to the handle of my pistol.

Yori saw the gesture and removed the sword from his shoulder. “There is no need for that,” he stated. “What Jori means is your ship has been confiscated. Your crew is probably on the way to the incarceration center as we speak. You have no means of escape.”

I turned to Vigil. “We can't leave them behind.”

Vigil rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “I agree, but it will be an uphill battle trying to free them with just the three of us.” He turned to Jori. “Is there a way to get us back to the train so we might return to the terminal?”

Jori shook his head somberly. “I'm sure with the confiscation of your ship, the Order has locked down the transit system.”

“Guards will be crawling over the terminal, like flies over a fresh turd,” Yori chimed in.

I curled my lip in revulsion at the thought. “What are our options?” I asked.

Yori and Jori looked at each other as they considered the question. “The only way to the terminal where your ship is located is by train,” Yori replied grimly.

Jori stepped forward. “There is a road.”

Yori looked at him through eyes as wide as dinner plates. “Surely, you can't be serious?”

I dropped a hand on Jori's arm. “Please,” I begged. “Tell us.”

“The road runs between the Badlands and the farming regions,” he explained. “It connects the Emerald Quarry district to the intake terminal.”

“Badlands?” Kedge sounded suspicious.

“You are fools to think you will survive that route,” Mazu sneered. He fixed Jori with a hard look. “Most of that route is well patrolled by our soldiers. The parts that aren't…well, you know what lurks beyond the wall.”

Kedge placed his hand firmly on Mazu's shoulder and fixed him with a hateful look. “You were about to sell us to that scumbag Calypso. Give me a good reason why I shouldn't drill a peephole into your skull.”

Yori's sword fell gently on Kedge's shoulder. “Calm yourself. This is our prisoner and he will be dealt with accordingly.”

Kedge narrowed his eyes and tightened his grip. After several tense seconds, he backed off. “I hope you string him up by his balls,” he barked.

“What is he talking about?” I stepped around Kedge and looked at Jori. “What's 'lurking' beyond the wall?”

Yori lifted Mazu up and shoved him hard into the couch. He retrieved a plastic loop from his pocket and proceeded to bind Mazu's hands behind his back. “We call them The Forsaken.” When he finished, he looked down at Mazu and curled his lip in disdain. “The Order calls them The Damned. That's what they like to do whenever someone doesn't agree to their religious nonsense. 'Believe in the sun god or you are going to be purged by fire' they shout as loud as they can.”

“That's because it's true,” Mazu replied with a scowl.

Yori waved his hand dismissively. “Whatever. Anyway, long ago an asteroid crashed in the Badlands region, scorching the earth and killing off most of the population in the district. The survivors endured years of radiation poisoning and went mad. Meanwhile, the Order decided that, instead of helping the people, they'd simply make the walls separating the districts bigger.”

“We couldn't help them,” Mazu explained. “They were judged. It was no coincidence the asteroid hit their district. They were disobedient scoundrels, not much better than you.” Mazu fixed Yori with a hard stare. “You will get yours as well.”

Yori rubbed his hand through his hair with a weary expression before slamming the hilt of his sword into Mazu's face. A stream of blood exploded from his nose. Since his hands were tied, he could do nothing, but cry out in pain and bleed on himself.

“That's enough Yori,” Jori admonished before turning to us. “Unfortunately, the road past the Badlands will be the only viable route to your ship at this point.”

Yori headed upstairs briefly before returning with two rifles. “The guards upstairs will no longer need these weapons,” he uttered with a smile. He handed one rifle to Kedge before handing me the second. “I would offer this to your friend instead, but I have a feeling he won't need it.” He glanced at the silver bracelet attached to Vigil's forearm.

“Don't worry, I'll try not to shoot myself in the face or anything,” I replied sarcastically as I hoisted the rifle over my shoulder.

Vigil turned and his eyes flashed as they reflected the interior lights of the bus. He crouched over the prone form of Mazu and locked eyes with him. When he shrunk away from his gaze, I thought I saw a hint of fear pass through his eyes. After several tense moments had passed, Vigil reached over and snapped the chain from his neck. The silver medallion was forged with the same symbol the guards wore across their chests—a cross with a sunburst. Vigil stared at it for a long time before tossing it aside. He stood up and turned to us.

“Let's do this,” he muttered.

Escape

The trip had been relatively uneventful until we reached the first guard junction. According to Yori, the intersection served as a routing point for trade between the districts. He advised us that this would be the first obstacle we would face, so we hid toward the back of the bus while Jori maintained a façade of normalcy. Fortunately for us, the windows were heavily tinted, which meant the guards wouldn't see us unless they had a reason to board. When we stopped, Mazu struggled and made so much racket that Kedge had to sit on him to get him to stop.

“If you keep squirming like that, I am going to beat you unconscious,” Kedge whispered.

Despite his menacing tone, I noticed his hand underneath his jacket rubbing his chest and I was reminded of his mortality. When he revealed his affliction, he never said how long he had left to live.

I could overhear Jori talking with the guard, but I couldn't make out what was said between them. The other guard circled the bus with a long metal rod. He brushed the rod periodically against the vehicle before returning it to a rack set against the guard station.

“What's he doing?” I whispered to Yori.

“Scanning for radioactive devices,” he replied. “It's more of a response to The Forsaken than rebel activity. There had been rumors of suicidal inhabitants of the Badlands attacking other districts and blowing up the guard outposts.”

“Jesus,” I muttered.
Just like terrorists.
It wasn't comforting to know alien planets had similar issues as Earth. It was actually quite frightening.
Is this all anyone had to look forward to in life? Was this our reward for simply being born?

The bus jumped forward and I was jarred from my thoughts. I looked out the window to see the guards waving us past. A burst of air exploded from my lungs which caught me off guard because I didn't even realize I held my breath. “Thank God,” I breathed.

Kedge stepped off of Mazu and watched as the guard station faded in the distance. He winced and rubbed his chest, but stopped when he saw me watching him.

“Don't be thanking anyone just yet,” Yori said. “Jori bought us a temporary reprieve that is all. When this bus does not arrive at the Temple as scheduled, Braxii will surely alert the outposts.”

“Which means we will need to drop you off sooner than expected,” Jori growled from the driver seat. “We have our own schedule we need to stick to.”

“Don't worry, we won't leave you in the middle of the Badlands or anything,” Yori assured us. “If we make good time, we can at least get you past it and into the farmlands.”

“From there it will be a hike by foot, but it will be safe,” Jori added.

“Thank you,” Vigil replied. “It is all we can ask at this point.”

For the next fifteen minutes, we travelled past open plains with rolling hills off in the distance. It reminded me of highway travel between Albuquerque and Santa Fe. The drive brought back nostalgia, despite the fact I was stranded a bajillion miles from home, which was nothing more than a rotting rock now.

The last sign of life before entering the Badlands was a beaten down, shell of a convenience store with bars in the windows and a burnt out neon sign that should have read “GRADYS,” if the G, R, and S had not burned out. Through the window, I could see a few people milling about, grabbing items from the shelves and chatting with each other. Outside was an oblong object that I assumed was a fuel pump of some sort. A large bird sat on top and I thought it was a part of the fixture until it flapped its wings—all three of them—and soared into the sky.