Eradication: A Space Opera: Book Four of The Shadow Order Page 3

  “There haven’t been any reports of any humans getting ill,” Moses added.

  “Did you see that footage?!” Seb said while pointing at the black screen. “Are you trying to tell me that wasn’t ill? I mean, correct me if I’m wrong, but I’d class turning into a zombie as ill. I dunno about you.”

  “They’re not zombies,” Moses said. “They’ve been taken over by parasites.” After a pause, he added, “Besides, zombies? You’re not in a video game.”

  “You’re right.” After Seb released a long sigh, he added, “If we were, we’d have more than one life to take down there with us. There ain’t no extra credits where we’re going.”

  A few seconds passed where Moses breathed through his nose. A snort rode his heavy breaths as he clearly became more agitated. “What I mean is the lead lining will keep you safe from radiation like it has kept the humans down there safe.”

  The glass case with the grub thing sat on the floor. Seb looked at it as he said, “It won’t keep us safe from those creatures though, will it? Now I’ve seen what they can do, I think I’d rather take my chances with a thousand tumours out in the desert, thanks.” Although he watched Moses, he caught Bruke nodding in his peripheral vision.

  Moses looked up at the styrofoam ceiling tiles and drew another deep breath before he returned his focus to Seb. “The fact that only humans have ever worked there means you’ll know your opponent. Sure, they’re infected and seem dangerous, but they’re only humans.”

  “You think our opponents are the humans down there?” Seb stood up and Moses tensed, his thick shoulders lifting as if readying himself for a fight.

  The attention of the room on him, Seb walked over to the glass box with the grub in it. He tapped the case and the grub exploded to life again. It collided with the inside of its clear prison and the entire container shifted about half a metre forward from the impact. “I’m not sure I agree with you about who our enemy is.”

  As Seb watched the creature in the box losing the plot, repeatedly crashing into the glass case to get at him, he thought of the red-eyed girl. A look first at Moses and then the others, his teammates all staring at the fitting grub in the box, and Seb returned to his seat.

  The cold air conditioning wound through Seb again, and the seat felt more uncomfortable than ever. When he finally looked back at Moses, he found himself in the spotlight of the creature’s angry glare. Nothing unusual there. “Are there any survivors?” he said.

  A few seconds later, Moses spoke with a slight resignation in his deep voice. “Not that we know of.”

  Bruke let out one of his anxious whines and snapped tense in his seat.

  A look at his scaled friend and Seb saw him sit pole straight. Sparks wrung her hands, and even SA frowned. When he returned his attention to Moses, he shook his head. “I’m not doing it.”

  Moses leaned forward, his scowl as fierce as ever, his voice so deep it seemed to shake the flimsy walls of the briefing room. “I’m sorry?”

  “Don’t be sorry.”

  “Stop being smart.”

  Seb pointed at the floor. “Smart is staying here and not going anywhere near that bloody planet. Smart is recognising ruthane is never as important as my life, especially as we’re only going so the Camorons can make more money. Send George again, he seems perfectly capable.”

  Moses opened and closed his large fists, his jaw widening and then easing off as he clenched it. “You know I’m not offering you a choice, right?”

  “There’s always a choice, Jaws.”

  Bruke flinched next to Seb.

  Moses bared his teeth and rushed forward. “Not when you belong to me there ain’t.”

  The smell of fish forced Seb to turn his face to the side. After a few seconds, he pinched his nose against the reek. “Can you step back a pace, big man?”

  To Seb’s surprise, Moses did as he asked.

  “Thank you. It’s still no though. I’ll say it again; have you seen the footage you’ve just shown us?”

  “Of course.”

  “Well, it shouldn’t be a surprise to you as to why I won’t go, then.”

  “You want to go back to a prison cell?”

  The little girl with the red eyes flashed through Seb’s mind again. “A prison cell seems like a better place to be than that damn mining community. So, yeah, why not? Lock me up. I’d rather be in a cell than in that place. Especially as the only reason we’re going there is because someone’s paying us.”

  “That’s the only reason to do anything,” Moses said.

  “For you maybe. I ain’t risking my life for a few credits. There’s nothing there to rescue other than gas. Ruthane ain’t that important to me.”

  CHAPTER 5

  “You sure you want this?” Moses said as they stood outside the prison cell. The large steel door in front of them might have worn its rust like psoriasis, but it still stood strong enough to only be opened when the guards wanted it opened. If Seb stepped inside, someone else would decide when he came out again.

  After a pause, Seb shook his head. “Of course I don’t, but if it’s a choice between a prison cell with three square meals a day, or the carcinogenic Carstic full of zombies, I’ll take the prison cell, thanks.”

  The now familiar low growl—so deep Seb felt it in his chest and it blurred his vision—and Moses turned away from him. Six guards had led Seb to the cell, three of them with long cattle prods. They raised them in Seb’s direction again to show him they weren’t afraid to use them. In fact, if the wicked glints in their eyes were any indication of how they felt, they’d relish the opportunity.

  One of the guards opened the door and the others waved the blue ends of their prods at him. Seb raised his hands in defence. “I know it must make you feel powerful to wave them at me, but don’t kid yourselves, I’m choosing to walk into this cell. It has nothing to do with your threats. If I wanted to, I’d drop every one of you and walk away. Know that I’m the one making the decisions here, not you.”

  Three dark scowls responded to Seb, so he walked into the cell backwards to keep an eye on them. They looked like the kind to prod him in the kidneys if he left an opening.

  The second Seb crossed the cell’s threshold, he baulked at the smell of sweat and shit. Although he felt the tight press of bodies around him—and was tempted to look at them—he kept his attention on the guards with the prods.

  When they closed the door and the lock clicked shut, Seb finally turned around to face the other prisoners.

  There were about twenty-five beings in total in the small room. All of them were scarred, dirty, and angry. Each of them stared at Seb like he’d been the one to land them there.

  Even amongst the press of bodies, Seb saw the mandulu in the corner. Just one bed in the room, he sat on it like the king of the dump.

  The cell looked to be about the same size as the one on the Black Hole. A couple of metres wide and maybe three metres long, it had dirty white walls where at least half of the paint had peeled off them. The cell Seb had shared on the Black Hole had been with just one mandulu. Even then it had seemed crowded. Other than the bed and metal toilet, the room had no other features.

  The tension surrounding Seb made it hard to believe it wouldn’t kick off at some point. He inhaled the shitty air and looked at each prisoner in turn, his heart rate slightly elevated in anticipation of the fight. He didn’t want to fall out with them, but he wouldn’t be pushed around. If the glares on their faces were anything to go by, they looked like they wanted to push him.

  In a space in the middle of the room, Seb found himself surrounded on all sides. A look around the small cell showed him he had nowhere else to go. As if operating on a hive mind, the creatures stepped closer to him, cutting off what little personal space he had. Halitosis added to the reek of sweat and shit, the hot breath of several of the creatures pushing against him, turning his skin clammy.

  The press of bodies consisted of creatures from all over the galaxy. Seb did his best to
ignore them and focused on one corner in the room. If he made his way over to there, he could put his back against the wall and only have to fight what came at him from the front.

  However, when Seb stepped towards one of the corners, a large beast blocked his way. A wall of a creature, it had a broad chest, brown, leathery skin, and looked down at him, its hands on its hips.

  The beast had bright yellow eyes. They looked feline as it glared confrontation at Seb. A simple shake of its head told Seb his plan wouldn’t pan out. It remained rooted to the spot.

  When Seb looked for somewhere else to move to, the creatures around him closed in another step. He had nowhere to go. The edges of his world blurred as everything shifted into slow motion. If he needed to fight, he would.

  Seb returned his attention to the brown, leathery creature. As the largest thing in the room, it made sense to focus on it. Dominate the strongest of the pack and the others would often yield. He pushed a strong hand against its upper right arm and shoved it to one side. He stared into its cat eyes the entire time, which seemed to catch the brute off guard. It raised its top lip in a snarl, but it went with his encouragement and moved out of his way. The look of shock on its brutish face suggested it surprised even itself.

  Seeing several creatures behind it, Seb shoved them all aside as he moved over to one of the corners, turned around so he faced outwards, and pressed his back against the wall.

  Every being in the cell continued to watch him, including the mandulu on the bed.

  “This is going to get old very quickly,” Seb said to the room.

  Many of the creatures bristled at him addressing them.

  “What is it that’s upset you all?” He smiled. “It’s got to be that I’m so much prettier than you lot, right?”

  A look over the stinking crowd and Seb laughed. “Although, I’m probably prettier than you lot simply because I’ve washed today. I suppose it’s a low bar.”

  “It’s because you’re human!”

  When the crowd parted, Seb stared at the mandulu in the corner on the bed. “Ah, so you’re the leader of this band of degenerates, eh? You’ve got your throne, I see.” A look over the rusty bed frame and soiled mattress and he raised his eyebrows. “Very nice; you must be proud.”

  Deep scars covered the mandulu’s fat face. It scowled, pushing its broken horns up over its top lip. Two angry red tracks ran where its horns had cut into its thick skin again and again. He obviously frowned a lot.

  After he’d laughed at the creature’s show of aggression, Seb said, “Okay, let me humour your sour mood a little, then, yeah?”

  The mandulu didn’t reply, its frown deepening.

  “I’m human. So, what, that makes me responsible for all the actions of my species? I belong to a greedy, paranoid, self-destructive, warmongering race, so I must be greedy, paranoid, self-destructive, and warmongering myself, right?”

  Again, the mandulu said nothing.

  “I’ve met some pretty vile mandulus in my time. Actually, all of them have been horrible.” To think of Gurt made Seb smile. If the brute could hear him now. “Even the ones I liked were nasty. So does that mean I should judge you because of my experience?”

  Before the mandulu could respond, Seb said, “Actually, don’t answer that. I suppose it does and I suppose I already have.”

  The mandulu getting to his feet stirred up the creatures in the cell. He stepped forward a pace, as did all the others.

  Seb took in the crowd again. Some of them, like the brown, leathery beast, stood much taller than he did. Some were only half his height or less. All of them had the scars and bruises to show they’d probably earned their spot in that cell. Not that he had that much faith in the justice system on Aloo. One thing seemed certain; they all looked like they’d fight if they needed to.

  Despite his cocksure approach, sweat lifted beneath Seb’s collar and his throat dried. He’d take on any one of the creatures on their own … but all of them at the same time … Little point in thinking about it. He could hardly back down now.

  Although none of the creatures moved any closer than their first step, their reluctance appeared to have little to do with fear. They seemed to be waiting for the nod from the mandulu.

  “What’s the key to your happiness?” Seb said to the large broken-horned beast. When he didn’t respond, he added, “I can see the joy you’re clearly living with and I’d like some for myself. Come on, big man, don’t hold out on me.”

  The mandulu frowned harder still, almost hiding his features in a mass of wrinkles. Seb looked at some of the other creatures in the space—the one with the cat eyes, another three mandulus, a creature that looked like Bruke but hairy—and he saw they all leaned towards him. They all wore the same furious scowl, and they all looked like they were desperate to take a swing at him. They just needed the word from their leader.

  “You need to learn when to shut up,” the mandulu finally said.

  A frantic nod and Seb laughed. “You’ve got me. That’s exactly what I need to learn to do. I’m a nightmare. I’ve been like it since childhood. Whenever I get backed into a corner, I start mouthing off.” His own pulse ran so hard through him it damn near deafened him, but he kept going. “But you know what? I always win, so it’s hard to learn the lessons. I’ll tell you what”—he stepped towards the beast with his arms wide—“how about we hug it out? Bygones and all that.”

  All the beings in the cell snapped into defensive stances. Seb’s movement must have startled them. It wound the atmosphere so tight he could almost feel the air crackle. It could go one of two ways. Maybe he could front it out. Maybe they’d beat him to death. Still, it had to be better than getting infected with one of those damn parasites.

  The edges of Seb’s world blurred, his gift threatening to take him over. He drew deep breaths to ride it out for as long as possible. Regardless of what his dad had said, sometimes you had to fight. When you had just one path in front of you, you had to take it.

  Two clenched fists, the cold spread of the steel running through the backs of his hands, and Seb snapped his head from side to side to loosen his neck up. He’d fight them and they needed to see that.

  Although Seb stared at the mandulu on the other side of the cell, he’d have to get through the others first.

  A tight jaw and Seb looked at the large brute with the cat eyes. Its chin stood out to him, daring him to punch it. One whack and it would go down. One whack would probably knock it clean off its face.

  The snap of the lock on the cell door startled Seb. He spun around with his fists raised, expecting to see an attack from one of the other prisoners. When he saw the others look the same way, he lowered his guard before the door opened.

  Although most of the inmates looked at the cell door, Seb saw the beast with the cat eyes and the mandulu in the corner hadn’t. They both continued to glare straight at him.

  The creatures close to the door backed away as three guards entered. Different than the ones who’d led Seb over there, yet they all held electric prods.

  One of the prisoners looked to be carrying a leg injury. It shuffled to get out of the way, but it moved much slower than the others. One of the guards helped its retreat by prodding it. A loud crackle and the beast got flung into the wall in front of it. It spasmed as it lay on the ground, and all the other beings moved away from the guards quicker than before.

  Once they’d cleared a space, their electric poles facing outwards at the prisoners, a fourth guard came in. He walked into the area they’d cleared and placed a bucket of swill on the floor in the middle of the room. He then pulled a stack of plates from a pouch in his dirty apron and placed them down next to it.

  No more than seven plates, Seb looked at the creatures gathered there. Something would have to give when they tried to eat. Another glance at the mandulu in the corner and Seb saw the beast continued to stare at him. Something would have to give.

  CHAPTER 6

  The first one to approach the food left b
y the guards, Seb felt the stares from every being in the cell. The only sounds were his footsteps as he walked towards it. He didn’t look at the others; he chose to focus on the slop in the pot instead. He picked up one of the limited plates available and moved towards the bucket of swill. Somewhere halfway between brown and green, the liquid looked like sick. But he had to eat first. An alpha display, it would keep the other prisoners off his back.

  The room seemed to collectively hold its breath as Seb leaned down to spoon the swill onto his plate. Before he could grab the utensil, the mandulu broke the near silence.

  “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

  Seb took his time, milking the attention as he stood up and stared at the creature on the bed. He finally said, “If you were me, you wouldn’t be bothering me at all. You’d realise the grave mistake you were about to make and you’d keep your fat mouth shut.”

  Instead of replying, the mandulu got to his feet and Seb’s world slipped into slow motion. It had to happen sooner or later. Better to initiate it than get sucker-punched when he lowered his guard.

  The mandulu’s actions sparked the large creature with the yellow cat eyes. It rushed at Seb first, coming at him in his left periphery.

  Before it could get close, Seb threw his newly acquired plate at the beast. It spun through the air, and because he watched it in slow motion, he saw the brute’s nose sink from where the rotating projectile impacted it. Not a definitive blow by any stretch, but it did enough to stun the creature, who blinked several times and shook its head.

  The creature wiped its face and checked for blood. Seb took his opportunity and backed into the corner of the room again, leaning against the walls so they could only come at him from the front.

  The cat-eyed creature rushed forward for a second time, the hard cell floor vibrating with its heavy steps. It had both of its large fists clenched.

  A bone china chin, Seb lunged forward to meet it. He threw a cross with his metal right fist and caught it square on its weak spot.