Chapter 24
Chapter twenty-four
With only one eye working, Iax watched the tether cabin disappear into the clouds as he lay on the hard, frozen earth. And with it, something in his chest fractured, a physical hurt worse than the ones on the outside of his body.
Hot emotions spread through him in contrast, and a burning need climbed his throat.
Sawyer Knox had taken Wynn against her will.
She had not wanted to go with him, but he took her anyway.
Sitting in the entrance to the tether port, she had been listless, harmed.
Then Knox had stunned her with his weapon before leaving.
The heat inside Iax grew. He did not know the name of this emotion, but it flamed through him, aiding in the healing process. It fueled his determination, his extremities twitching.
A dim consciousness pulled at his own. Iax could not turn his head, but knew it was an animal, its life force leaking from its body. The other had retreated, though Iax did not know where.
And the tether vehicle continued its path upward, Knox stealing Wynn away from her home. From him.
That hot emotion took hold of his throat and squeezed.
He searched deep inside himself, as deep as the analysis had searched Wynn’s blood.
There was so much there working, healing at the cellular level, but there was also so much damage.
He had not yet fully healed when Knox attacked a second time. Now, his body paid the price.
Each layer of repaired tissue stung more than the last. The radiation thrumming through his body and the snow settling on his exposed skin did not help. Beneath it all, that burning need grew brighter, demanding he heal faster.
Seconds ticked by, then extended into minutes. Progress allowed him to first move a finger, then a hand, then an arm.
At last he could shift his weight, brace his elbow against the icy ground and lean upward.
A groan ripped from between his lips as his newly reconstructed muscles shifted and strained.
He curved forward, sitting up fully. A large hole gaped across his chest, exposing skin, muscle, and bone.
He watched as his essence repaired the damage one cell at a time.
Iax braced a hand against the ground and pushed himself up to his knees. The blast had burned away most of his clothing. What remained stuck to his skin. Another moan rippled through him as he balanced one foot beneath him, then the other.
Snow swirled around him in a gust. Determining he would stay upright, he stared toward where the animal lay dying. Its consciousness trickled out of him, his thoughts focused on where the other of its kind had gone. Iax turned his head, seeing the heat signature disappear in the snow.
Their existence… there was something happening on Earth that The Four would want to learn. The animals’ thoughts were disjointed and unclear, but the beasts wanted him to find something on this world, an important place.
Before he reached the animal, a final shudder convulsed through its body. The animal’s consciousness faded to nothing, leaving Iax alone in this world.
A hollow pain formed in his chest, different from the injury Knox had given him. The sensation pulled at Iax in places he had not known existed until he met Wynn. He tore his gaze away from the corpse to stare at the tether reaching toward space, obscured by clouds and blowing snow.
What connection did these animals have to her? Why had they been so intent on her outpost?
Determined to find out the truth, he turned his attention to the ship Knox had left behind.
Iax took a step, then another, displacing snow.
Ice crunched beneath his boots. He stumbled, barely catching himself before he fell, then pushed forward, keeping the sleek ship within his focus.
It bobbed and tilted on the horizon with each stride.
Snow pelted against his face, abusing his healing skin.
His last few strides stumbled, and he lurched, his body slamming into the side of the ship. Fresh pain exploded through his chest and head. He waited until the stars cleared from his vision, then pressed his hand against the access panel.
It did not open.
Keeping his hand flat against the surface, Iax closed his eyes, and allowed a portion of his essence to infuse the ship’s molecular structure.
He passed the outer layer of protection and breached the inner workings of the control panel inside.
It released with a hiss, then slid sideways to reveal a dry interior.
Iax leaned heavily against the exterior of the ship to guide himself inside. The door sealed behind him. Protected from the elements and radiation, his body experienced immediate relief, the continued healing of his cells accelerating.
He stumbled past a bench to the front of the ship and slapped both hands against the main terminal.
What essence he could spare surged inside, investigating, reporting, fixing.
The one blast he had delivered earlier had damaged more than he would have liked, but he had not wanted Knox to take Wynn off world.
Concentrating, he sent his essence to fix the damage, then turned his attention to the rear of the ship. Beyond a small kitchen space equipped with a dispensary, a door sealed off the back section. He advanced toward it with a steadier gait. It slid open on his approach.
A wide bed fitted with black sheeting took up the central section.
One more door was behind that, then wall compartments encircled the room.
Iax stopped in front of the first section and touched the panel.
The door slid open to reveal hanging garments in different shades.
He stepped to the next one and opened it.
This one had more of the same, but with different designs.
Iax tilted his head, recognizing some uniforms from his preparations before traveling to this planet.
The next section held flight-suits similar to the one the man had worn, and other suits in the same style as Wynn’s outerwear. Iax now understood the benefit of wearing such a suit in this climate.
He left everything as he had found it and touched the control for the slender door at the rear of the room. It slid open, revealing a washroom and toilet, similar to the ones in Wynn’s home.
An emotion surged through his chest, one he could not name, but hazed his vision with red.
Knox had destroyed her home, everything she cared about, and the things that had brought her joy.
She had felt so fondly and strongly about her place of work, and it had connected her to her deceased colleague as well.
Knox had leveled it like it meant nothing.
A new need rose in Iax, the urge to end Knox’s existence because of what he had done, but repairing the ship would take time.
Iax clenched his fists and stepped inside the small space, allowing the red clouding his vision to ebb into determination.
He stripped. The washroom housed decontamination buffers and would cleanse him of radiation and other contaminants.
Once finished, he stepped out of the small room and paused in front of the compartment filled with protection suits.
He grabbed a black one identical to what Knox had worn.
He slid it up the newly healed skin of his legs and chest, then over his shoulders.
By the time he secured the flight-suit at his throat, and engaged the helmet, his body was almost fully healed.
He finished by securing new boots to his feet, the size slightly snug.
Exiting the sleeping quarters, he strode toward the front of the ship and pressed his hands against the main terminal.
He infused more of his essence into the ship to help with repairs.
The cruiser was not space-worthy yet. It would not be a good idea to attempt leaving the atmosphere, only to implode before reaching the cold of space.
The urgency within him grew. He needed to get to Wynn.
Iax settled in the pilot’s seat and initiated flight controls.
The ship might not be space-worthy, but it could fly.
The engine activated, and the ship hovered a moment later.
He adjusted his eyes and found a fading heat trail for the last animal, the imprints of its paws quickly disappearing in the cold.
Snow assaulted the outside of the ship, obscuring the viewer’s readout. Most of the terrain was flat, but a visual scan revealed a mountain range in the distance.
He kept the ship low to the ground, avoiding the worst of the wind. Kilometers sped by, then the trail stopped abruptly at a rock face, almost as though it went inside.
Iax circled once to make sure the heat signature did not resume at an alternate location, then lowered the ship near where the trail ended. He powered down the engine, but left a portion of his essence to continue repairs.
With the touch of a button, he engaged the flight-suit’s helmet, then stood to access the door. As soon as it opened, wind and snow knocked against him. He pushed against it to jump onto the frozen soil, then sealed the door with a thought.
He walked toward where the animal’s heat signature abruptly ended. Confusion set in until Iax refocused his eyes, probing deeper. A void existed beneath him, the construction long and deep. It looked to have been there for some time.
Shifting his weight, he crouched, took off a glove, and placed his bare hand against the ice and snow.
Essence exited through his fingertips to infuse the ground.
It surged downward, searching for weaknesses in the design or technology he could exploit.
He found it amongst wires and metal, traveled even farther into the construction, and accessed a terminal running on emergency power.
The ground shifted, then a dull bang resounded, vibrating against his boots. The circular platform beneath him lowered into the structure. Donning his glove, he stood and surveyed this new world through the cylindrical tube surrounding him.