Red's Tales: The Relic PT5-5

 The final chapter! A race against time to recover the artifact from Kaitlin's clutches while Amanda does weird things.

Red had a clear view of the winding passages of Carson’s Spiral. It was a rare clear night as the stars shone overhead with a twisting ribbon of light; the fabled Caligula borealis. On the horizon, the familiar storm clouds brewed with their telltale flashes of lightning. Red scanned the passage with her scope, searching for some sign of the bandits.

Then she saw something. Tiny yellow dots of light, like embers from a fire, danced above one of the passages. Red recognized the lights as the phosphorescent spores that would get stirred up in the air on occasion. This sign had to mark Kaitlin’s progress.

Red pulled her lips back in a toothy grin and murmured, “Got you.”

She took a moment to look at the scene around her. The stars, borealis, distant lightning, and the tiny pricks of light from the spores was breathtaking, but Red had a job to do. Commiting the passages to memory, Red plotted an interception route. Then she made her way down towards the whine of the skimmer.

 ****

Back at the hospital the standoff began to heat up. Amanda opened the door of the lab and stepped through. Holding a vial of her concoction in her hand, she looked like she was about to hurl it across the hall like a grenade.

The assembled crowd backed away at the perceived threat. Hoskins had his sonic gun pointed at her.

“Don’t shoot! If she drops that there’s no telling what might happen. There might be an airborne virus in that mess for all we know,” the doctor warned.

Amanda moved down the hall in graceful determination and the group moved back. Everyone was too worried to make a move to capture her. If even the slightest movement bumped her, the vial could break.

The girl stopped right outside a patient’s room. It was the same one she’d visited earlier with the hereditary disease. She quickly entered with her vial as Hoskins and one of the doctors followed her in.

The doctor gasped in horror when he saw what she was about to do. Amanda had the vial poised over the bag of the patient's I.V. and with a tilt of her wrist she poured the contents into the bag. Hoskins fired.

The soundwave hit Amanda and forced her to her knees in pain. She was then swarmed by nurses and orderlies while the rest of the staff went to the patient.

“Get it out! Get it out,” the doctor shouted.

The staff rushed to comply but the contents had already seeped into the patient's veins. The rest hauled Amanda away after dosing her with a sedative.

“What did she do to him,” Hoskins asked.

The doctor shook his head, “I don’t know.”

 ****

The whole route was mapped out in Red’s head and, if her observations were correct, she’d found a way to intercept the bandits. She relayed her plan to the rest of the posse and they happily agreed to her plan as they set out at a brisk pace.

They made it past a few turns in the winding passages when they drew to a stop. Red raised her rifle as she spotted a figure. Then just as quickly, lowered her weapon when she recognized Rusqa.

Patches recognized her instantly too, “Rusqa!”

“Daddy,” Rusqa called back. Running to the group, she embraced her father.    

“How did you escape,” Parsons asked.

“They got distracted, I used my claws to cut through my bonds, and slipped away. They’ve still got Ortagh though.”

“We better hurry! We need to intercept them. If they get to their destination, they won’t have need of Ortagh any longer,” Red cautioned.

“What about Rusqa,” Patches asked.

“Stay here. We’ll get you when things are finished,” Parsons advised.

“No,” Rusqa protested. “I can fight and you need all the help you can get!”

Patches flicked his tail, “She does know how to shoot.”

Parsons scowled and handed off one of his twin pistols, “Fine, but stay back and only shoot if necessary.”

Meanwhile, Sable had armed herself with the blaster rifle from the trunk in addition to her sidearm.

Red took a breath, “Let’s go then.” 

 ****

  The halftrack rumbled down the narrow rock passageway. Kaitlin didn’t like the area. Her years of banditry told her this was a great place to stage an ambush. Because of her paranoia, she had most her crew in front of the halftrack. She trusted someone on foot would see something and be able to respond faster than people in a vehicle.

Hameir stayed in the back and kept an eye on Ortagh. They were so close to their destination now. Kaitlin didn’t want anything else going wrong and that’s exactly what happened.

A small cylinder landed amongst the bandits ahead of the vehicle. There were screams to get down when the stun grenade went off. A bright flash and loud noise left most of the gang disoriented. Hameir turned to get a look at what happened, when he fell with a hole through his torso courtesy of Red.

From his hiding spot, Sheriff Parsons sprinted for the back of the vehicle, pistol in hand, and vaulted over the back.

“I’m getting you out of here professor,” he said.

Turning his blaster down to a low setting, he used it to burn through the Hejel’s bonds.

“Look out,” Ortagh shouted.

A bandit, who’d been riding safely behind the tinted glass of the cab, made his appearance. With a growl, he leapt into the bed and knocked the Sheriff’s gun aside and pulled his own free. Parsons lashed out with his stun baton and caught the bandit in the leg. The bandit wailed in pain and went to the floor as the electric jolt coursed through him.

The sheriff retrieved his pistol and reset the setting to something more lethal. He and Ortagh leapt from the back of the halftrack.

As they ran, Parsons traded shots with a still disoriented bandit who couldn’t aim straight. Cole shoved past the other bandit to give chase. Parsons was halfway to the pile of stones when Sable’s head became visible.

“Get down,” she ordered.

Parsons and Ortagh hit the ground as the deputy fired her rifle and hit Cole square in the chest. Now the whole gang and vehicle were under fire from every direction. Parsons, now behind cover, was firing on them with Sable. Patches and Red fired from their spots above the passageway. Rusqa participated even though her shots were all blind fire and only served to keep heads down.

“No! No! No,” Kaitlin raged as she gunned the vehicle’s throttle. “Scatter! You know where to meet!”

Shots impacted the vehicle as her gang scattered. Some stayed abreast of it in the hope of gaining cover. One managed to climb into the cab with Kaitlin. A second went down with a shot to the leg.

 The vehicle left the battlefield behind. Red watched it go and stowed her rifle where she could find it again. She ran and flung herself down atop the cab of the vehicle and landed with a thud. Momentarily disorienting the Daedalian, she bared her teeth against the pain.

The second bandit stuck his head out to see what the thud was. Instantly Red’s clawed hand grabbed his shoulder and she hoisted him out of the vehicle. He gave off a startled scream and then he was gone into the dust.

Red swung herself feet first into the cabin as her booted foot hit Kaitlin and sent her careening into the side of the door. Red went for the controls, but she found that the petite woman was tougher than she looked. Kaitlin pulled her pistol free and was starting to aim it at her.

Instantly, Red grabbed her wrist and slammed it down on the dashboard. The gun went off, causing a bolt to fry the control console of the vehicle. The smell of burned circuitry and melted plastic filled the cabin with a puff of smoke.

Red slammed the wrist down repeatedly until Kaitlin dropped the gun on the floorboards. Kaitlin struck out with her fist and hit Red right in her large sensitive ear.

Red howled in pain and moved back. Smirking, Kaitlin pulled a knife free and went to impale Red through the chest. Red recovered in time to deflect the knife arm down. Then she followed up by a blow of her free hand to Kaitlin’s throat.

The bandit gagged and Red took advantage of her. Grabbing the bandit’s body, she used her strength to slam her into the side of the door. Kaitlin hit with enough force to break the window.

Kaitlin moaned in pain, and caught something in her peripheral. Her eyes widened as she opened the door handle and spilled out of the cabin. Red turned to see what had scared her, her ears went up in surprise, and her muzzle parted a bit as her eyes widened. The center of the spire loomed ahead with a deep pit in the planet.

Quickly Red hit the brakes. The halftrack slowed its wheels and the treads locked up, but the vehicle was on a downward slope and had a lot of momentum built up. The halftrack stopped and teetered on the edge of the pit. Red flung herself out just as the halftrack toppled over down into the pit taking the artifact with it.

“NOOOO!” Red yelled in despair.

The only chance they had to save Amanda was hurtling down into a pit. In frustration her fur bristled as she repeatedly pounded her fist into the ground.

Red caught sight of a figure staggering away and disappearing around a bend. It wasn’t worth her trying to pursue. She trudged back to where the ambush had been. The fight was over, the gang was scattered, dead, or wounded. All eyes were on Red.

“We failed,” She muttered. “I’m sorry I let all of you down.”

“The artifact,” Ortagh asked.

“At the bottom of the pit,” Red said glumly.

She felt the weight of her failure on her shoulders. The thunder rumbled overhead as the storms returned.

 ****

Kaitlin had met up with Marissa and three other surviving members of her gang. The rest were unaccounted for and were possibly lost in the twists of Carson’s Spiral. They were not far from where they’d been told to deliver the artifact. Kaitlin didn’t want to go there empty handed, but it was the only rendezvous point she could think of.

Cautiously they made their way into an open area, the size of a stadium. Three fighter bombers lay nestled in the area. They’d been spotted by the white Patheurian, the human with the prosthetic, and Zaerdra the Daedalian with the love of jewelry.

“Well, come closer,” Zaerdra called.

Meekly the five bandits drew closer. Zaerdra swiveled an ear back.

“I can tell you’ve come empty handed. Where’s the artifact?”

Kaitlin gulped, “At the bottom of the spiral’s center.”

Zaerdra shook her head, “So you failed.”

Kaitlin’s gang all brought their weapons to bear. They weren’t going to pay the price for failure.

Zaerdra laughed as a turret on one of the ships aimed for the group. They were outgunned again and this time facing a light artillery piece.

“Put the guns down. I’m not going to kill you. It would be a waste of ammunition as you are all worthless.” 

That seemed worse than being killed to Kaitlin.

“It wasn’t our fault! It was that red furred Daedalian!”

Zaerdra tilted her head to the side and then chuckled, “A red furred Daedalian? Ha! Liar! Do you even know what’s significant about a red furred Daedalain? No, of course you don’t! I’m done wasting time with you.”

With that the pirates climbed aboard their ships and lifted off. Leaving the bewildered and stranded bandit gang behind.

Kaitlin made a rude gesture at the departing ships, “Thrache! Let’s go. We might be knocked around but we’re not done for yet.”

Once in space Hix spoke to Zaerdra, “Think we’ll be in trouble?”

Zaerdra shuddered at the thought of their captain angry, “It’ll be worse if we try and avoid coming back. Besides it’s those locals fault, not ours.”

The last part had been said more for her reassurance than anybody else’s. She shuddered at the thought of what was coming her way.

  ****

Red and the others trudged back to town in silences with glum expressions. While they were away, there’d been a development at the hospital. Out of a sense of responsibility, they felt compelled to investigate.

When they arrived there was already commotion with the third floor. Parsons and Sable were being briefed by Hoskins on what had happened and Morrison’s condition.

“It’s not possible. Just not possible. Never seen anything like it,” a doctor was muttering.

Patches flattened his ears and spoke to him, “What are you muttering about?”

The doctor gestured at a man leaving his room, “That man had a hereditary disease, was on death’s door, and had his affairs set. Now look at him. He’s cured from a disease that no amount of modern medicine has yet to cure. It’s all that girl’s doing.”

“Amanda,” Red asked.

The doctor nodded, looked up, and gasped. The rest turned to see what had shocked him. Amanda stood in the hall.

“She’s supposed to be restrained, sedated, and watched,” the doctor exclaimed.

In addition to being free and awake the girl was also fully dressed.

“I can’t be imprisoned by any means you possess here,” she stated flatly. She looked at the man who had been disease stricken. “I see he has recovered.”

“Amanda,” Rusqa called as she approached her friend. Her tail flicked slightly back and forth unsure of the situation.

Amanda looked at her and smiled sadly, “Hello Rusqa. I’m sorry I’m not the girl you knew anymore. I’ve had to change.”

“What do you mean? What happened to you,” Rusqa asked.

“All of us would like to know that,” Red put in.

Amanda frowned, “The device I came in contact with was like a storage bank. It held the entire collective knowledge of an ancient civilization that is now long gone. So much information taken into this fragile human brain at once was overwhelming. For the longest time I didn’t even know who or what I was. I was not sure what my purpose was. Everything blended together and seemed to swirl around me. But now I know.”

Ortagh was looking fascinated. “What civilization? You must share this knowledge!”

“I will, but not now. Now I know I’m needed elsewhere. This galaxy is too full of suffering for me to not use this new found knowledge. Destruction and misery are everywhere.”

She was no doubt referring to the war with the Sh’ra empire.

“I must go. It’s regrettable you couldn’t save the device, but it served its purpose. Now I must bid all of you farewell.”

Rusqa stepped forward. “Wait! Amanda please! I’m still confused.”

“I’m sorry Rusqa. This is where we part ways.”

With that Amanda faded away as if she were a hologram.

“What the…,” Parsons murmured.

“Where did she go,” the doctor asked.

“Wherever she wants to. Whatever she encountered is far beyond any of us. Maybe more than any other being in the galaxy,” Red said.

Red shuddered. She’d met with the heads of planets and industry. She’d flown through the depths of space and stared down a sandlamprey. Now, for the first time in a long while, after catching a glimpse of the truly unknowable she felt... insignificant.

  ****

 A week had passed since Amanda had willed herself away. Red was in Patches’ shop to check on her buggy. The Patheurian was just putting the final touches on when she walked in.

“Almost done,” Patches called.

Red nodded and noticed Rusqa sitting to the side.

“How are you holding up Rusqa,” she asked.

The Patheurian regarded her. Her tail twitched only slightly.

“My best friend is gone. Not like to another town or something, but gone to who knows where. I can’t even say she’s dead because she’s not. That makes it worse.”

Red nodded, “I understand.”

Patches was speaking then, “We tried our best. If we’d gotten that artifact sooner, maybe, just maybe, we could have saved Amanda.”

Red parted her ears, “I don’t know. She seemed so embracing of her new found knowledge and power.”

Rusqa growled, “Maybe if I’d touched the thing our roles would have been reversed.”

Patches pointed a wrench at his daughter, “Don’t you talk that way!”

“He’s right,” Red said. “We all need to stop punishing ourselves. We were dealing with forces beyond our control or comprehension. Amanda is lost to us, but perhaps she’ll find her place and use her newfound abilities for the good of us all.”

The three fell into silent contemplation. There was a thunderclap from above. Red moved to Rusqa and squeezed her shoulder.

“I know it’s hard losing a friend, but your loyalty to her and bravery under fire was truly admirable. You have nothing to be ashamed of.”

Rusqa inclined her head, “Thanks Red.”

Link to original: Red's Tales: The Relic Part 5 of 5 by MercenaryBlade on DeviantArt