Chapter 18 #2
He turned and smashed a fist into the face of a Tulashi guard who had come rushing at Taron’s back.
He swung a blade similar in size to the one he’d brought to the planet with him, and held a blaster in his off-hand.
Impressive, considering Amelia couldn’t so much as hold a pen steady in her left hand.
A large group of several dozen armed raiders joined him in the corridor.
Amelia sucked in a breath and tensed up.
There were many species of aliens, from barely a foot tall, to hulking beings over ten feet.
They were all warriors. One of them spoke in a guttural voice, and Taron answered in that language they all spoke.
He cupped her face in his hands. His voice gentled, and he spoke to her softly. She wished she could understand him, but she got the general idea. He was trying to put her at ease and to ask her to trust him. When he stepped back and held out a hand, she pursed her lips.
It would have been easy enough for him to take the money and leave, but he’d come through for her and Kimberly.
She had to make a choice, and this one wasn’t hard.
Following her instincts, she nodded and took his hand.
She gave it a hard squeeze. Next time they were rescuing someone, he damn well better let her in on the whole plan.
He tugged her down one corridor with Kimberly close behind.
The raiders he arrived with closed around them, just as a fresh wave of Tulashi guards flooded the corridors.
From the corners and passageways, residents from the Freezone, and even a few rogue Tulashi, pointed which way to go, to deal with the fewest guards.
Taron immediately struck down the few they encountered.
He looked larger and more muscular than Amelia remembered him being.
The huge hand she held was growing uncomfortably hot.
She was afraid to pull free in case they became separated and lost, especially since Kimberly held her other hand in a death grip.
Amelia was beginning to worry he’d taken some steroid drug to look and act this way.
Before long, the clean, white halls changed to dingy gray, and the air grew stagnant.
The lights dimmed, and she knew they were back in the Freezone.
Taron didn’t stop. He brought them to the rented hangars where they’d landed.
Instead of a little fighter, a larger transport ship sat there.
Gray and boxy, ships like this were more like what she was used to seeing at the choosing ceremony.
The little gray alien who they’d rented the spot from stood there.
Taron said something to the small being, who then nodded and hurried away.
Taron released her hand abruptly, as if he were the one burning.
He put the English chip in his head and shook it, as if trying to make it work faster.
“Amelia,” he said after a pause. “I am so sorry.” His brow furrowed.
He deliberately stepped away from her and held out his hands when she moved closer to him.
“No, stay away. I—I am going through something. I don’t know how to explain. ”
Kimberly grabbed her arm and spoke close to Amelia’s ear. “Look at his eyes. He’s changing to his primal form,” she said. “We learned about this in orientation. Virilians…well, you’ll see.”
“What is hap—?” Amelia began, but before she could get the words out, Taron doubled over on a groan.
He shuddered and his entire body seemed to ripple.
His T-shirt, which was now a dingy gray, and had been with him through this whole awful ordeal, smoked.
Small, round holes appeared all over it with blackened edges.
She watched in horror as the holes widened until the shirt fell to the floor in a pile of ash.
The smell of burned cotton hit her nostrils.
When he straightened up, a pair of long, curved, flaming horns arched from his head.
His eyes, which had been tinged red, now blazed like flickering flames, and his skin bulged with thick, red veins.
“I only have a short time.” His voice was lower, menacing. “My chip will fail soon. You must go. The transport is automated to return you and Kimberly to Earth.”
“Not without you.” Amelia wasn’t sure what was happening to him, but she couldn’t leave him like this.
“I can’t,” he said. “I’ll incinerate the ship.”
Amelia bit back a sob as Kimberly tugged her toward the transport. “I think he’s right. I can hear…”
Footsteps pounded toward them. The sight of dozens of Tulashi pouring into the hangar startled her into movement.
“Go,” Taron roared, squaring himself toward the incoming rush of enemies. “And remember—” the rest of what he said turned garbled, ending in an unfamiliar language as his English chip failed, burning up like his shirt.
The little gray alien appeared at her side, grabbing her arm and pulling her and Kimberly toward the transport.
The being was surprisingly strong. It shooed them up the ramp as blaster fire began, then scurried off.
A last glance out there was all she got of Taron.
He strode toward the Tulashi, using his fists to break their line.
His huge, red-veined body didn’t seem to suffer from the blaster shots.
More raiders were rushing up, joining him in the fight. She bit her lip so hard it hurt.
Amelia’s heart thumped heavily with the dread of knowing that she didn’t know how to operate this vessel.
Maybe it could take them back to Earth, but not without the simple tasks of turning it on and getting it out of the hangar.
She sat in the operator’s chair and stared at the console.
The central screen was wide and curved around the seat like a sleek half-moon.
The only thing on it was a green square. Okay, maybe it wasn’t so complicated.
Kimberly looked over her shoulder. “At least he made it simple,” she said.
Amelia touched the screen, and the transport came alive. The ramp slid up and seamlessly closed. The lights inside dimmed and the small craft lifted off the ground. She could hear the sounds of blasters and screams through the metal walls of the transport. What was happening to Taron?
She wished she could see him one last time, but the only view was straight out the front, which looked toward space, not the commotion behind them.
Taron had changed, but he was still him.
The transport smoothly entered the air lock, then departed the hangar.
A blaster shot hit the rear somewhere, causing a red warning light to blink on, but the ship apparently had some self-repair capabilities because there was a humming vibration for a few minutes, then the light went off.
Nothing else to do, Amelia went out into the main cabin, where comfortable seating and a food dispenser made it feel like she was staying in a fine hotel.
After all she’d been through in the past week, for it to end like this…
It made her head spin. She dropped her face in her hands. “God, I hope he’s okay.”
“He’s in primal form, so he’s probably fine. They’re nearly invincible in that form.” Kimberly dropped into the seat next to her. “He saved us.”
Amelia looked up. “He did. He really did. I just wish…”
Kimberly leaned over and put an arm around her. “I hear you. I never even got to meet my Virilian. I was hoping, well, it doesn’t matter. I’m sure he is happy with whoever they sent as my backup.”
Amelia tipped her head over and rested it against Kimberly’s. He’s right, Amelia thought, looking down at their long, mingling dark blonde hair. We have pretty much the same hair color.
“What do you say,” said Kimberly, “when we get home and cleaned up, we go out to a nice dinner and polish off a bottle of fancy wine? We so deserve it.”
Amelia smiled. “You’re on.”