Hathor Legacy: Outcast (14 page)

18
Arrival

Nadira followed Jason back into the house, her nerve endings on fire. Why coul
dn't Jonathan stop and think for once?  It was a good thing she'd been trained not to use her abilities in anger.  Otherwise, Nadira was sure she would've blasted a hole in the wall.

"Lora!" Jason called. "Have the cycles been charged?"

She heard the sound of metal utensils hitting a hard surface, then silence.  Lora came into the dining area, wiping her hands on her apron.

"No, Jare got backed up on other work and didn't get to it," she replied.

"That may be beneficial," Jason said, turning his attention to Nadira. "If the cycle isn't at full charge, it'll stop before Jonathan gets to the end of the transport road."

"How far is it?"

"It's about 70 kilometers to the end. After that there's just a quarry and a shuttle station."

"Shuttle? Of course!" Ilana was waiting for someone to come in on the shuttle. Nadira had thought she'd meant the shuttle from Nova City, but it had to be this one. "I didn't know there was a shuttle station here."

"It's used mostly by the quarry and the manufacturing plants to transport goods to the company installations."

"Matt's house must be nearby," Nadira observed. Now it made sense for Ilana and Matt to leave the city and come out here.

"Lora, tell Nadira about the house," Jason requested. "It might be the one she's looking for."

"I heard a house near the end of the transport road was sold by Novacorp," Lora said.

"No, that can't be it," Jason said. "You're thinking of the one damaged in the storm."

Lora shoved her hands into the pockets of her apron. "No, you're thinking of the house with the new manager. Remember, I told you I heard about the sale at the com station."

"Ah yes. They brought someone in from the city. What do they know about managing a house?"

"Not that one," Lora countered. "I'm talking about the one down the beach."

"I thought you said the new manager was at the one on the hill."

Nadira sighed. At this rate, they'd be discussing local gossip for the next hour. She was about to interrupt when she heard a low whirring sound coming from ou
tside.

Whirrrrrr

"What is that?" She bolted out the front door, her feet barely touching the front steps as she landed on the sand-covered path. Directly across from her, a long, black aircar was hovering over the information kiosk. Oval-shaped, with a smoke-colored glass top, it resembled an oversized insect.

A breeze off the water whipped her hair against her face. N
adira pulled strands away from her eyes, squinting as she watched the craft's descent. If it was security, she and Jon were in a lot of trouble.

Jason came trudging out after her. "It's too large for a private vehicle," he remarked. "Do you think they're Guardians?"

After it set down, one of the doors lifted up like the wing of a bird. A security officer climbed out first, followed by a woman in a dark brown jacket and pants. Even from this distance, Nadira could tell who it was. Zina strode over to the information kiosk, the officer at her heels. It must've been her energy that had forced its way through Nadira's shields.

"Jason, I've got to catch up with Jonathan. Do you have another cycle?"

He looked at her warily. "Can you manage it?"

"I'll have to. That woman is a Guardian. If she questions you, just be truthful." Nadira darted back inside, grabbed her jacket and ran out the rear door.

Out back, the two remaining cycles were parked next to the transport. With all the shrubbery giving her cover, she should be able to get on the road without being seen.

"Should I tell her anything she asks?" Jason rubbed his hand across his balding head.

"Don't resist. She'll know if you're lying. The more you show your emotions, the easier it'll be for her to read you."

"Yes, I know," Jason said. "I have dealt with Guardians b
efore."

"Thank you for all your help." She climbed into the cycle. The display lit up as the glass coc
kpit top came down and clicked into place.

If Jonathan could drive a cycle without knowing how, she ce
rtainly could.

"Use a light touch on the steerer--and be careful!"

She grabbed the u-shaped steerer, and the cycle lurched forward, accelerating with a press of her fingertips. Moments later she was speeding down the transport road, putting distance between herself and Zina.

*****

Everything flew by in a blur as Jon sped along the transport road. Along the shoulder, all he could see was a ripple of beach grass waving pink, purple and green.

He'd had every intention of walking back to the com station. But the cycle, sitting there with the sunlight glistening off the shiny gold and black exterior, had been too tempting to resist.

Distracted by a large, black aircar whizzing by, he lost control as he rounded a sharp curve. The cycle swerved off the edge of the road. He mowed down a row of grass fronds, as the metal wheels screeched against the sand-covered shoulder.

His heart racing, he yanked the steerer to the left and wrenched the vehicle back onto the paved road.  Shit.  At this speed, he'd get back to the com station in no time. He'd just have to make sure he got there in one piece.

"Charge depleting in 10, 9, 8…" stated a tinny, feminine voice.

It was running down already? He'd only been riding for 15 minutes. Squeezing on the steerer didn't help, and neither did pus
hing any of the control buttons.

With a heavy sigh, Jon steered the vehicle over to the side of the road as it d
ecelerated.

"3…2…1…charge depleted. Please proceed to a charging st
ation within 10 minutes for a warm restart."

Well, back to the original plan. He climbed out and started walking. There was a beach house up ahead. Maybe he could find someone to ask for directions. Picking his way through the grass, he headed down the hill and onto a gravel path.

"Pardon me." A slim man about Jon's age and height, called out from the gardens. "You're with the company, aren't you? Are you lost?"

"My cycle powered down. It's up there." Jon pointed up the hill. "I was on my way to the com station."

The man rushed over, his heavy shoes crunching against the gravel. "My name is, Corin. Would you like to come inside? It's cooler. Or maybe I can get you something to drink?" Rolling down his shirtsleeves, he wiped his hands against his long, blue apron.

"No thanks. Is this your house?"

"No. I'm the gardener." He wiped away sweat with his arm. "You passed the turnoff for the com station. It's about 16 kilometers back."

Damn it. "Do you know Matt Bento? I'm looking for his house.""

"I've never heard of him. Does he live on this end of the beach?" Corin asked, waving away an insect. "Most houses over here are owned by the company."

"He recently bought it from Novacorp. It's a big house ove
rlooking the sea."

"Oh, yes, I heard about a house being sold. He must be very wealthy." Corin remarked. "If it's the one I'm thinking of, it's about a 20-minute walk. Or maybe 30 minutes. Sorry, I don't get down there too often."

"That's not too far. Thanks for your help," Jonathan said. If he was forced to  wander around out here, at least he had something to go on.

"If you like, I could try to contact them and let them know you're coming."

"No, don't bother," Jon replied. "I'd rather it be a surprise."

*****

Back on the road, Jonathan closed the cycle's cockpit. Grey clouds were gathering out over the water, and the wind was picking up.

Just what he needed, to be stuck in the middle of nowhere in a storm. He could always go back and take Corin up on his offer. A cool drink would go down great right now.

No, that would have to wait. There was important business waiting for him to take care of.

A buzzing sound from off in the distance caught his attention. Thunder? No, it didn't sound like it. It was more like a swarm of insects. What the hell?

Shading his eyes, he looked down the road. A cycle came into view, speeding in his direction. Was it going to stop? Jon dashed over onto the sand-covered shoulder, getting out of the way before the cycle whizzed past.

But instead of continuing down the road, it came to an abrupt stop, the metal wheels sending sparks flying.

Who the hell was driving that thing? The idiot could've run him over. He ran over to the vehicle just as the top lifted up and revealed who it was.

Nadira stepped out, brushing herself off as she glared at him.

"Can't you drive?" he demanded, as he slammed the top down. "You could've hit me."

"If you were in the medi-evac, at least I'd know where the hell you were!" She smoothed her hair back.  "Why did you take off like that?"

"You know why!" he roared. "You should've trusted me. I had a right to know what happened to my father."

Damn, she was exasperating. Even now, he was having trouble resisting her. Pings of energy hit him like sparks, firing up his d
esire for her.

"Stop that. You're doing that Guardian thing again." He took a step back, retreating as she moved closer.

"Jon, you kept saying we were connected. Well, now we are. Do you think you can just walk away from that?" Nadira's words tumbled out. "You're right, I didn't trust you. I thought you'd go rushing off and do something stupid."

She had only been trying to shield him. He knew that. But still, he wasn't ready to reconnect with her yet. Not completely.

Yes, she was powerful, but he wasn't going to be overwhelmed by her or anyone else.

"You really think I'd do something stupid?" He ignored her dismissive eye roll.  "Now that you're here, do you have a plan?"

"You took off in a cycle with no idea where you were going, and you want to know if I have a plan?"

She had a point.

"Look, I think I know where Matt's place is. It's about 20 minutes down by the end of the road," Jon said. "Think we could both fit in your cycle?"

"It's just about out of power. We'll have to walk. But we'd be
tter hurry. Zina's here." Nadira closed her jacket and brushed off the sleeves. "Her aircar landed  across from Jason's house."

"Then we'd better get going," he said. "I'll fill you in on the way."

Now that Zina was here, they'd have to hurry. One thing he knew for sure, she wasn't going to stop until she found them.

19
Shelter

"We need to walk down there closer to the beach. The trees will give us cover and it won't be easy to spot us from an aircar," N
adira suggested.

"We'll have to leave the cycles here," Jon said.

They headed down the hill to the sand. Nadira threaded her way through the sea grass shoots, careful not to lose her footing. Jonathan raced down, not stopping until he reached the water's edge where he dodged a wave that splashed up and washed over his boots.

"I thought you didn't like the beach." Nadira joined him, su
ppressing a laugh as he stamped his feet in the wet sand, his pants bottoms sticking to him.

"I don't." Jonathan hunched his shoulders against the breeze that whipped up around them. "It's windy over here."

The clouds were quickly closing in; the bright sunlight giving way to a grayish sky and darkened clouds over the sea.

At least the aircar couldn't take off if a storm was coming. But the real problem was she and Jonathan would be caught out in it.

After about 15 minutes of travelling, Nadira was starting to miss the comforts of living in climate-controlled Nova City. Grey, purple-streaked clouds covered the sky, and a gusting wind pushed her with every step.

Deeply rooted in the sand, the gnarled trees that grew close to the water's edge shuddered in the wind. Their brownish-green bark was riddled with holes, as though they'd been chiseled with a miner's tool.

"The sea is getting rougher." Jon observed, as the foamy water crashed onto the shore, each wave rolling up higher than the last. "We should go back to the road."

"Being out in the open will be worse. We'll need shelter until it passes." At least there were a couple of houses up ahead. Hop
efully the occupants were as friendly as Jason had been.

"Let's keep going a little more," Jon replied. "Matt's has to be close."

By now Jon's shirt was sticking to him, revealing the outline of his muscular chest. Even his curly hair was limp, with wet strands sticking to his forehead.

"Where's your jacket?" she asked, squinting to keep the sand out of her eyes.

"Left it back in the transport."

Her own jacket was damp and barely enough to protect her from the cooling temperatures. And the water kept washing up over her shoes.

The roar of the waves barreling in made it difficult to talk without yelling. Ducking her head to shield her face from the sand, she could barely see where she was walking.

"Jon, the weather's getting worse," Nadira said, raising her voice to be heard above the wind. "We'll have to get indoors until it passes."

"You're right. This is too much," Jon grabbed her arm to steady her. "Let's check this house coming up."

Stooping under a twisted tree limb, Nadira led the way over to a two-level, boxy house. It r
esembled Jason's, only this one didn't look as well kept. The window next to the sand-battered front door had a broken pane, and the stairs creaked as Nadira stepped on them. When she touched the rusted fingerpad, nothing happened. 

"The windows are covered. Maybe it's abandoned," Jon o
ffered. "Come on. We'll check the next one."

At least the next house was only steps away. Jon ran up and touched the fingerpad. The door creaked open. "Hello!" he called out.

She followed him into a large, empty living area that was lit only by the grayish light from outside. The air was stale, and smelled of salt water and something sour.

"It looks empty," Nadira said. In fact, it didn't feel like anyone had been here for a very long time.

There was a table large enough to seat four and an equal number of chairs scattered around. A puddle of water was spreading across the tiled floor, growing with each drip that fell from the ceiling.

"I'll check upstairs," Jonathan said.

Nadira walked through the open doorway that led to the kitchen. It was empty, except for some instant food packs that were on the counter next to the deep, stone sink. 

She examined one of them. Fish soup, not exactly appetizing. It was enough to make her miss Jason's cheerful house. Back in the dining room, she peeled off her damp jacket and draped it over the back of a chair.

Rain pelted the window, leaving streaks across the glass. Zina wouldn't be a threat while this kept up.

A boom of thunder shook the house, echoing through the empty room. "Jon?" she called out. No answer.  "Jonathan!"

Her response was a thud, followed by another one. Nadira rushed up the stairs.  Breathless, she checked the first room. It was empty except for a chair facing the window. Darting to the room across from it, she got there in time to see Jonathan wrapping a blanket around him, his boots on the floor.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Why didn't you answer?" 

"My shirt's wet. Figured this was warmer." He climbed on the bed. "Worried about me?"

"No!" He was the most exasperating man she'd ever met. "You like taking your clothes off, don't you?"

"I thought you liked to see me naked." He chuckled. "But I still have my pants on."

Nadira sat down on the edge of the bed, her back to him. Kicking off her shoes, she drew her legs up and sat cross-legged. Though she could feel a desire to be closer to him, she pushed it away. She was not going to give him the satisfaction.

Outside the wind continued to howl, whistling through cracks in the window.

"So, Zina can track me now?" Jonathan asked.

"Yes," she replied. "If she gets hold of you, she'll take you in and force you to tell her whatever she wants to know. And I'll probably be sitting in a detention cell next to you."

"Then we'll have to find Matt before she finds us."

Was he serious? "You make it sound so easy." Her back was aching. She inched up the bed and leaned against the headboard, leaving room between he
rself and Jonathan.

Clumps of sand hit the windows, as the wind continued to pummel the house. Considering the hole that was already in the roof, she hoped the house was strong enough to withstand the storm.

"Wonder if there's any confirmation yet about…my father." Jonathan stretched out his legs, his bare feet poking out from under the covers.

"Did Chief Mantee say why there was a delay?"

Jon snorted. "She was too busy being pissed at me. Cat saw Ilana's name on the shuttle passenger list."

"Wait." Nadira shifted so she could look at him.  "She said she saw Ilana's name? How could she? Ilana used an alias. Reme
mber?"

Jonathan's mouth gaped as her words registered. "Cat knew that Cintra Ansi was Ilana Travac."

"Only the Guardians knew about the connection, Jon. That information wasn't shared."

"Damn it, I should've known. I should've figured it out the way Cat was ac
ting."  He thumped his fist down on the bed. "That's why she didn't want me to get involved. She was in it with Ilana."

"Jon, don't." She grasped his hand. Through their connection, his energy rushed into her, like water breaking out of a dam. Quickly, she worked to put up her inte
rnal protections.

Her body shuddering as she fought to maintain control. She'd have to learn to manage it or b
efore long she wouldn't be able to separate his emotions from her own.

"What is it?" he asked, cupping her chin in his hand. "What happened?"

"Our connection happened." Nadira sighed.

Jon wrapped his arms around her, his fingers caressing her back. Leaning against him, she felt the vibration of his steady heartbeat.

"Then it's still as strong as it was?" he asked.

"Yes."

As she'd feared, though she'd tried to maintain her personal protections, the connection between them had become permanent.

Jonathan pulled away, and before she realized what he'd done, he was stra
ddling her. Holding her face, he kissed her, easing his tongue into her mouth with one firm stroke. He squeezed her arms, pulling her towards him.

She shivered at his touch. Getting up on her knees, she slid her arms around him, gliding her hands over his bare skin.

"Whatever happens, we'll get through it together," he whispered. "Do you trust me?"

"I should ask you the same thing," she replied, reaching up to brush a lock of hair off his for
ehead.

A smile spread across his face, his grey eyes filled with amusement. "I asked you first."

*****

Running. He was running through the twisting tunnels that led deeper into the mine. And yet his pursuer was still behind him. Jon didn't know where he was going as he dashed through the damp, hollowed out caverns.

Rocks moved beneath his feet. Another step would send him tumbling over the edge of a precipice. Digging his fingers into the openings of the slick, machine-blasted walls, he groped his way back from the edge…

"Jonathan! Wake up, Jon." A soft voice echoed through the darkness. Calling him back.

His eyes snapped open as he gasped for air. "What? Where am I?"

Nadira was kneeling on the bed in front of him, her gold-flecked, brown eyes shimmering. "You were dreaming. The storm's over. We have to go."

He sat up and ran his hand through his hair. "How long was I asleep?" A dream? It felt real, right down to the dust he still tasted in his mouth. But why would he dream about being in the mines?

"Almost an hour. I was talking to you and all I heard was a snore." She eased off the bed.

"I don't snore." Stretching, he joined Nadira at the window.

The sea was back to its regular sapphire blue calm, the waves gently lapping onto the shore. Even the dark clouds were gone, with just a few smudges of red, gold and purple against the hor
izon.

"It's almost sundown. We'd better get going," she said, as she rolled her shir
tsleeves down.

"Too bad I didn't stay awake."  Jon pulled his boots on. "We could've done something else to pass the time."

She narrowed her eyes at him, the hint of a smile on her lips. "We didn't have time for that."

"There's always time for that," he replied, slipping into his shirt. 

"Jonathan, you are just--"

Whirrrrrrr

"Damn it! What's that noise?" From deep inside he felt a vibration scraping his nerve endings. Wincing, he ran to the window.

There was nothing out there but a flock of brown birds gliding across the water. 

"I don't hear anything," Nadira said, as she reached out to him.

Jon rushed out of the room and was halfway down the stairs b
efore he heard Nadira's footsteps behind him. The door swung open and he bolted out onto the sand.

"Jonathan!" Nadira grasping at him, trying to catch hold. "What is it?"

A black aircar was slowly heading in their direction. It was hovering lower to the ground than usual, probably scanning the area as it travelled.

"It's Zina. Hurry, Jon you have to go find Matt's house. It can't be much fu
rther now. I'll get her to stop."

"No," Jonathan said. "We're going together." He wasn't leaving her to face her mentor alone.

"I can delay her. If you stay, she'll take you in. Please go ahead. I'll catch up."

Her tone was insistent, but he wasn't having it. "I'm not going without you."

"Jonathan, don't argue!" Nadira clutched his arm.

"She's tracking me, right? We'll lead her right to Ilana and Matt."

"And what if we can't find the house v  ? she asked.

"Look it's landing." He pointed to the aircar as it descended. "It must be setting down in that open field on the other side of the road."

"If Zina picked up your energy trail, she'll track you to this house," Nadira said.

"Staying on the beach will slow us down." Bits of grass, tree bark and drif
twood were scattered across the beachfront. "The road would be better."

"But we'll be out in the open."

"I know." He sighed. "Okay, we'll stay on the beach for a while. Matt's house has to be close by. It won't be long now."

"All right. Let's go," she said.

Jonathan took her hand and they headed down the beach.

*****

Nadira looked back at the distance they'd covered. It had to be almost two kilometers by now. At least the trees were thicker on this part of the beach, obscuring them from anyone who might be following.

Up ahead, the beach ended at a cluster of jagged rocks that ju
tted out into the sea.

On this part of the shore, the sand was lighter and shimmered in the late day sun. Speckles of light grey mixed with beige and even bits of pink, like someone had taken a basket of crystals and emptied them out along the shore.

"Damn," Jon said, gripping one of the tree limbs, "we can't get through this."