Sightless: The Survivors Series #2 Read online

  “As best we can tell we’ve beaten the Agarthanons here,” Firth said.

  She didn’t need to remind him that based on their theoretical calculations they could be arriving at any time, and when they did, anything in the area was in jeopardy of being wiped out.

  “Let’s not waste any time. Prepare the fleet to land on the surface and transport the survivors from the Silica attack up to the Incubator. I’ll pilot the Hudson.”

  The station swept around the planet, an endless landscape of forests and lakes, until they hovered over the Crossroads. Nervous, Loris tapped his fingernails against the arm of his chair as he waited for news from the scanners.

  “There’s substantial damage,” Firth reported. “And no signs of life.”

  “What? That can’t be,” Loris said, unconsciously rising out of his chair and stalking toward the large monitor displaying an overhead view of the Novan’s settlement. He could see crude wooden structures, plenty of wreckage around strange black streaks on the ground, and the crater where the probe had landed. No movement whatsoever.

  It struck him that the boy had been wrong about the Novans or had lied. Either way, it left him at a loss for what to do next, and it reopened the searing pain of loss that they’d endured after Earth was destroyed.

  “Wait, I’m picking something up,” Firth said. Loris almost snapped his neck looking back at her. “About one hundred kilometers away we’re picking up signals.”

  “How many of them are there?” Loris asked, unable to spit the words out fast enough.

  “Hard to tell. The signals are light.”

  There were a few different possibilities that would obscure results from the scanner, the worst of which was that only a few humans remained.

  “I’m going down to find out what happened and bring anyone alive back,” he said, abruptly storming away from the bridge and toward the lift.

  Within minutes he had his multi-polymer spacesuit on and was sliding into the cockpit of the Hudson, the only ship in the fleet that could carry one hundred passengers. He soon detached from the station and headed for the surface, with the Cortes and the da Gama tagging along. As they flew, a sneaking suspicion came into Loris’s mind that some of the Silica had remained on the planet and that they weren’t going to find any humans at all.

  He lodged that concern in with the rest mashed together in his mind.

  “Panic, can we deploy a sensor along the Agarthanons’ route of approach? No need for them to drop in on us unexpectedly.”

  “Sure thing, Commander.”

  The Hudson breached the atmosphere and zeroed in on the area the scanners had identified. It was heavily forested, forcing Loris to decide between coming down straight on top of trees or trying to find a perch on a sandy beach of a nearby lake. He opted for the jungle landing, and used the bulky Hudson’s rear end to knock over enough trees so that the other ships could land as well.

  The port door opened and Loris stepped out into the humid air. He didn’t have many fond memories of his previous time on Nova, and he wasn’t likely to make any on this visit, either. Lopez and Redhook exited the Cortes and together they surveyed their dense surroundings. Except for a few more shifting and breaking branches from their landing, they couldn’t hear anything.

  “Anybody out there? Hello?” Loris shouted to no response.

  “Taking a peek over that crest might help,” Lopez suggested.

  They trekked through a section of the jungle and climbed a steep but short hill. On the other side they spotted something that could’ve accounted for the weak signal from the scanner, a cave. They exchanged a glance and started toward it. As they approached the opening in the rock face, some movement peeking out from behind an outcropping in the side got their attention.

  “This is Loris of the Magellan. We haven’t forgotten about you,” he said.

  A lone figure stepped out from behind the rock wielding a spear in one hand and a stone blade in the other. As it stepped out of the shadows, Loris realized he recognized her.

  “It’s about time you came back. It’s less than a day until the probe’s date. We figured you and your dad had been blown to smithereens and we were next,” said Kid, who had cut off her dreadlocks and now had short hair. The jewelry she often wore was gone as well. Her uneasy, distrusting ways were unchanged.

  “But you made it through the Silica attack. They bombed you and you moved into these caves,” Loris surmised. “How many of you are left?”

  “What? There’s been no bombing,” she said.

  “The Silica were here, weren’t they? We encountered some on the way. It slowed us down,” Loris said. Kid shook her head.

  “We’ve never seen them around here,” she said, puzzling Loris.

  “Then why are you living in this cave? What happened to the Crossroads? We had a tip that only some of you were alive. Did you lose anyone?” Loris asked.

  Kid crossed her arms. Loris noticed some more movement deeper in the cave.

  “We’ve lost about a dozen over the course of the year. Infections, old age, some stupid accidents, somebody eating something that turned out to be toxic.”

  Loris’s jaw dropped when he realized what that meant.

  “You’re saying there are over ten thousand of you living underground?” he gasped.

  “With all three ships packed to the brim, we’d only get close to two hundred per trip,” Lopez said. “Even going non-stop around the clock, fifty trips in a day is impossible.”

  Kid had been looking over her shoulder and shooing back some curious children.

  “But the reason we’re down here is that right after you left that probe started acting strangely. A couple times a day for a few minutes it would look like it was getting hit by lightning, even when there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. It damaged quite a few huts and houses, but more than that, being around it came with a weird sensation in your head. It’s hard to describe.”

  “Kid, that doesn’t matter now,” he said, cutting her off. “We came here to tell you that the crisis has not been averted. Every single one of you needs to be transported off of the planet, starting this instant. We have a ship that we can place you all aboard.”

  The scowl on Kid’s face turned to an incredulous snarl.

  “But I thought you were leaving to take care of all that. If you’re still alive, you must’ve won, right?”

  Loris hung his head in frustration, ready to snap.

  “The Detonans have been grievously wounded. They’re at a small fraction of their former population and strength, but they’re not the ones who are coming.”

  “But since you’re here, you’ll be able to defend us. Then, when that’s over, you can move on to wherever you want to go. We’ve been living here for years and don’t plan on going anywhere. This is our home. End of story,” she said.

  It took a great deal of willpower for Loris to restrain himself.

  “You don’t understand. There are creatures coming here that are beyond our ability to fight. They will come right down from space and destroy every last living thing on Nova. There is no defense. Within days Nova will look like the moon,” he argued.

  “Oh, come on. That’s ridiculous,” Kid said. “We haven’t done anything to anyone and we’re not a part of…”

  “Shut up!” Redhook shouted, startling her. “This isn’t a debate. Tell your people to get on the ships now or they will die.”

  All three of them turned to stare at Redhook, who could’ve convinced a grizzly bear to hand over her cub with a growl like that.

  “Come with me,” Kid said at last, making Loris glad to see that she wouldn’t continue to argue with them, but taking a trip underground still seemed like an unnecessary waste of time.

  As they trekked further into the cave, young children who may have never even seen a spaceship scampered out of the way. Torches lit the uneven rock flooring that twisted deeper and deeper. All of a sudden it opened up into a huge cavern with countless connecting tunnels lead
ing in every direction. Hundreds of people were inside talking and moving about as if it were a big party.

  “This isn’t even the biggest chamber,” Kid said. “We haven’t fully explored all of the tunnels either. It may take a full day just to round everybody up. But if we need to pack up and leave, I’ll let you tell them.”

  Kid stepped further toward a ledge overlooking the crowd. When Loris followed her and caught sight of a few eyes looking curiously in his direction, he got that same feeling he had after the destruction of Earth. Every single life was immeasurably precious. He had to save them all.

  A shrill whistle from Kid left the air silent. She took a step back, ceding the attention to Loris.

  “Listen to me carefully. The danger foretold by the probe is coming, and this planet will be wiped out very soon. We’re here to get you to safety. We need two hundred and twenty of you lined up outside to board our ships twice an hour. This needs to start happening this instant. A few of you should run and carry the message to others, who can use the time to gather food and supplies. But for you right here, drop whatever you’re doing and come right now.

  “We don’t have time for questions. This is your only chance. It’s going to be uncomfortable and unpleasant. You’ll be packed in shoulder to shoulder for the ride. But at the end of it, with any luck, you’ll be alive. Now let’s go,” Loris said.

  He’d tried not to spur them into a panic, but the outburst of commotion in the cave was nearly deafening. Still, they got up and began moving their feet toward the path leading to the mouth of the cave. As they filed past, Loris noticed something moving in a shallow pool of water carved into the rock like a basin. It was a creature with four legs, a shell, and a head extended above the surface of the water.

  “I found him crawling around the Crossroads and took him in. He’s our guard dog,” Kid said.

  Loris picked up Survivor and held him close even as he squirmed. This turtle was going to make it off of Nova with the first group.

  “Keep things orderly and make sure the right number of people are by the clearing at the right time. They should have as much food and clothing as they can carry,” Loris said, knowing full well that full arms would make the squeeze even tighter.

  He began moving toward the exit with the other pilots and crew members when Lopez caught his attention.

  “Two hundred and twenty-five?”

  Loris sighed.

  “We’re not leaving anyone who makes it up here behind. Pack people toe to toe or on top of each other if you have to. I don’t care if you have to have people sitting on your lap on the way to the Incubator.”

  “I hope I get to pick the person who gets that spot,” Lopez said.

  Soon they were back at the ships, and Loris led the first group onto the Hudson, squeezing them into storage compartments, behind paneling, anywhere he could find space. Even going as fast as they could, it took ten minutes to load and liftoff. Maybe the temperature was just rising due to the huge volume of body heat in and around his immediate area, but Loris realized they were going to have to become more efficient if they were going to make it.

  At least they’d had the foresight to cut more airlocks into the Incubator once they broke out of light speed.

  “Any sign of the Agarthanons?” Loris asked over the com once they passed through the atmosphere.

  “Nothing yet, Commander,” Panic said to his relief.

  “We’re going to need to have the shuttles make trips as well, even if they can only fit five or ten people. Also, once we dock, get the programming team on the Incubator to help clear out some of the containers and supply chests from the ships. That should increase our capacity. After that they’ll need to help get people clear of the docking area so more can arrive.”

  “Oh, that reminds me,” Panic said. “Quade wanted me to point out to you that there’s room on the Magellan in the concourse and in the hallways for at least some of the Novans.”

  Loris grimaced, wondering why Quade couldn’t bring himself to make such a request directly.

  “If I get the chance I’ll remind him that the Magellan is at capacity already and that there’s room on the Incubator for twice as many as we’ll be bringing up,” he said.

  The Hudson flew farther away from the planet, and their silver-white station began to pass on the left as they headed toward the ominous looking dark gray giant.

  “Is that where we’re going?” asked a young girl who’d been crammed into the cockpit with several members of her family. Her voice was trembling.

  “It’s not as bad as it looks.”

  When they reached the Incubator, the unloading process consisted of little more than pushing and shoving to get off of the ship. In the midst of it, Loris happened to catch eyes with Trynton Quade, who appeared to feel more hard off than any of the sudden refugees. If this was how he was during the first trip, Loris wondered what kind of state he’d be in after twenty more.

  Loris handed Survivor to the small girl and asked that she find a way to bring it to a woman named Brina Morse, if she could.

  Within minutes, the fleet had detached from the Incubator and was heading back for the surface. The Cortes and da Gama were able to unload faster and were already on their way. The neat and orderly process Loris had imagined quickly devolved into an all-out sprint.

  Such was the way of it on the ground as well, where thousands had gathered instead of the hundreds at a time Loris had requested. There was yelling and fighting as they struggled to get on board, packing the ship so tight that the ramp couldn’t close. Then, when it did, there were still too many people crowding around the ships to take off without burning dozens of them to a crisp. These delays seemed to eat into the other gains they made in efficiency and capacity.

  On every trip he checked to see if there were signs of the enemy’s arrival.

  “No jellyfish yet,” Panic reported.

  “I don’t think the jellyfish comparison is correct,” Riki Lala’s voice came on unexpectedly. “From everything I gather they really don’t have the oral arms or tentacles commonly associated with jellyfish. They are shaped more like an amoeba.”

  “Duly noted,” Loris said, hoping to quickly move on and keep the chatter to a minimum.

  “Something else I should tell you,” Lala continued. “I was listening in when you made your arrival. The woman you spoke with mentioned strange phenomenon occurring twice a day. I looked into it. The probe we brought from Earth fell into orbit around Nova after we discarded it. The two probes seem to be interacting in some way, but it’s definitely not electrical in nature.”

  “Thank you,” Loris said, wondering if there was something she could be doing that was more productive at this time than a random research.

  Time seemed to crawl and fly at the same time as his growing concerns that they wouldn’t make it competed with all of the things he had to do. It seemed like every force in the galaxy was working against them. The Cortes experienced a technical malfunction that required some time to correct. That put even more pressure on the Hudson to increase its payload.

  Loris had so many people in the cockpit that he could barely see the controls. He hated having to rush, because rushing led to risks and risks led to mistakes. The chances of somebody getting injured during takeoff grew. He closed his eyes and breathed a sigh of relief when he didn’t botch positioning the ship to dock.

  Hours and hours passed, making fatigue a new concern. He’d been doing this for fourteen hours straight and the crowds only recently began to shrink. Nerves and anxiety were no match for feeling bone tired, which left everyone irritable. Elbows and scuffling broke out in the cabin during transit as people vied for room, requiring angry barking to subdue. Loris caught wind of issues on the Incubator as well. Some people were so repulsed by their new accommodations that they thought it better to take their chances on Nova.

  When arguing with them didn’t work, they needed to be restrained from getting back on the ship. Loris could see the pani
c in their eyes taking hold of their mind. The Novans were powerless, confused, and afraid. They loathed technology and were now unused to it after years living with their hands in the jungle. How they dealt with it wasn’t a problem Loris could deal with at the moment.

  It seemed like the night would never end. Then things got worse.

  “Sir, we’ve spotted them,” Panic said when an estimated eight trips remained.

  “No, we need more time,” Loris begged, bleary and feeling like he was starting to crack.

  “I’m sorry.”

  He was lodged in next to a dozen of the Novans, leaving him with no place to hide. It felt like they were there with him even in his mind. It took so much effort not to contort his face in a way that would terrify the others around him. Only the exhaustion managed to drain the emotion from his voice.

  “Are we going to make it?” he asked.

  “The sensor has traveled quite a distance out, but they’re moving fast. It’ll be close. Fortunately, we’ve developed a few tricks that might help. We’ve modified a few ballistic missiles to go off in more of a slow burn that should mimic the signal from a supernova long enough to distract them and draw them off course,” Panic said.

  “Fantastic,” Loris said, forcing a smile for the benefit of the worried faces around him. “Get ’em ready.”

  At the next unloading, he closed the cockpit door shut as soon as the last refugee was on the way to the exit. That allowed him solitude enough to bring up images from the sensor on the monitor. When he switched it on, at first he couldn’t tell what he was seeing, just a slightly peach-colored mass. But as it came closer he managed to make out different shapes and gradations in color separating the various creatures, which floated onward like gooey misshapen balls that appeared to tremble or undulate against the solar wind. There were hundreds of them, each one perhaps slightly larger than a car.

  They came to dominate the viewing area, coming close enough to offer a glimpse of less-transparent clustering organelles or bits of metal that it carried inside. One came directly at the sensor, closed over it, and caused the feed to go dead in an apparent draining of the device’s battery.