The next fell forward, reached in an attempt to maintain balance and grabbed hold of the hunter already on his knees. They both toppled over the side of the wall, fell three meters, and crashed against the dirt in the fighting area. Unity civilians gasped and backed away, forming a semicircle around them. The last of the three hunters dropped like a falling tree, its visor splintering as it slammed against the concrete steps and a hiss of root-filled air escaped from its helmet.
Mike continued to thrust the weapon to his front and sweep the area. On the opposite side of the arena, aliens grabbed for their packs. Some crumpled backward, others collapsed forward and rolled off the side of the wall like the hunters. The croatoan, who led Maria around like a dog, fell at her feet and writhed, lashing out its legs. Maria’s eyes widened and she jumped back as the alien tried to grab her ankle.
This was similar to the experiment Augustus carried out on the injured alien after the evening raid. Mike must have perfected a new weapon on a powerful scale. The grunts and staccato clicks that filled the air stopped. Nearly all the croatoans lay dead. Several twitched but quickly relaxed in death.
Augustus’ eyes darted around the steps and the arena’s fighting area. Ninety-five percent of his army had fallen in a matter of seconds. The gold baton dropped from his hand, clanking against the ground. Maria watched as his trembling hands clenched into fists and his arms locked rigid by his sides.
Maria made eye contact with Mike. He gave her a firm nod and lowered his weapon. Four Unity citizens darted for the dead hunters, grabbed their rifles, and slid their swords out of their thigh scabbards.
Others saw them and followed suit, claiming rifles from the croatoans who had suffocated and fallen.
A couple of hundred former farm workers in Augustus’ army remained standing, spread thinly around the upper section of the steps. A few raised their weapons. Most turned and ran, losing their previous bravery now that the numerical advantage had swung in the opposite direction.
Multiple snaps of croatoan rifle fire split the air. Unity civilians sensed this was their moment and roared. The ones with swords ran from the now unguarded entrance gates.
Maria knew she had to get away and find shelter until the dust settled. She was frightened that the people of Unity would see her as guilty by association to Augustus. Rifle projectiles hissed up from the arena. The remnants of the army were being killed or had already fled.
An injured farm worker fell to the dirt. Civilians clustered around him. A sword in the center of the throng rose and fell. His screams quickly died out.
Augustus ducked and headed for the rear steps in a crouching run.
Maria dropped to one knee and slid a sword out of her dead handler’s suit. She followed Augustus down a set of stone steps to the rear of the structure, but planned to head in the opposite direction as soon as they were clear.
Outside, a few of the army sprinted across the basin, with civilians in hot pursuit. Others ran through the smoke-filled charred remains of the town. If they held themselves together and organized, they probably would’ve still clung on to victory, but they panicked and spread out. Maria doubted they would get far. Unity would hunt them and settle scores.
Augustus turned right and headed for a path that zigzagged up the five steps surrounding the basin. To Maria’s left, armed civilians poured out of the arena’s main gate. She had no choice but to follow Augustus, head for the forest and lose him there.
Root grew around the first two steps. Augustus reached down and ripped a few strands of the crop free. He charged up the incline and disappeared around the side of a small metallic warehouse.
Maria glanced over her shoulder. They weren’t being followed. She decided to hide in one of the houses of the fourth level. As soon as she spotted Mike, he could give her a pass and remove the bindings around her wrists.
Reaching thirty meters in elevation above Unity, Maria paused for breath.
Augustus stepped from behind the building and pulled a dagger from his belt. “I thought it was you who followed me. At least you’ll get what you deserve.”
Maria backed away a couple of steps. “I won’t tell anyone I’ve seen you. Please.”
“You’re pathetic,” Augustus said and straightened his mask with his spare hand. “I hold you responsible for today. You knew about Mike’s weapon and didn’t tell me. I’ll return with an army and slaughter the old man, but I’m not leaving without giving you a proper goodbye.”
He thrust the knife toward Maria’s chest. She stumbled back, lost her balance and tripped.
Augustus’ momentum carried him forward. He growled and raised the dagger above his head.
Maria flipped her sword up vertically.
The sword punctured Augustus’ fatigues and pierced his chest. He gasped, dropping his dagger. It thumped against the dirt next to Maria’s head.
A thin stream of blood dribbled from his mask’s mouth hole and pattered against Maria’s cheek. Augustus wheezed and attempted to grab the blade but slid further down it as his own weight drove it deeper. The tip of the sword appeared out of his back as he slumped to the side.
Scrambling to her feet, Maria wiped the blood off her face with her cuff. Augustus lay on his side, held out an arm and murmured something. She thought about all of the things he’d put her through: her life on the harvester, friends killed, threatened at knifepoint.
Anger and hatred welled up inside her. She never thought much about revenge, assuming it was beyond her capabilities as a lost clone, split between two warring factions.
Augustus went to unstrap his mask with his quivering bloodstained hand. Maria knelt beside him, knowing she would never get a better chance to put the past behind her. She grabbed the rough hilt of the croatoan sword, clenched her teeth and twisted.
Two people shouted at her from below and charged up the steps. Maria glanced over her shoulder and saw two Unity civilians approach. She twisted again. Augustus let out a deep scream. His arm fell by his side, his body shuddered and he let out a final deep breath.
One of the men, a young carpenter from the city, reached her and peered down. “Is that who I think it is?”
Maria nodded, unbuckled his mask, and flipped it to one side, revealing his scarred face and vacant eyes. She spotted a small black prism on a thin gold chain around his neck, grabbed it, and ripped it free.
The prism vibrated in her hand. Maria jumped up and stared at the object in her palm. It appeared to be some kind of alien tech, but none she recognized as a croatoan design. She decided she’d offer it to Mike as a gesture of peace, along with the news that Augustus was finally dead. Both gesture and news would surely bring a smile to his face.
Chapter 31
DENVER WOKE WITH A START, sitting up and trying to remember where he was. The place around him was cold and dark. Beyond the entrance he could see the moving water rippling with blue and red lights—the overhead ships’ engines.
He drew a mouthful of water from his suit’s supply and let the cool liquid ease the dryness from his throat. His head was thumping, presumably through dehydration and exertion, but a sensation started to tingle at the edges of his fingers and toes.
Root.
He remembered then; during the day, they had harvested some root and tredeyan fruit. As he eased the tiredness from his limbs, he started to feel more alert, awake, and thankfully, energetic. The rest had clearly done him good.
“Anyone awake?” he whispered over the comms.
“I am,” Vingo said. “I’ve been keeping watch.”
“You need to lead us to those filter systems or we’re all dead.”