Kristi Helvig - Burn Out

“Do you know how to fly this bird?” I asked Markus.

Markus looked sheepish. “Yeah, I’m the copilot.”

“So let’s fly it then.”

Britta shrieked and pointed out the window. “They’re coming back.”

Kale and James each carried a box of Dad’s guns. It made me glad I left the heaviest ones for them so it would slow them down. The sight of James caused a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach.

“Run!” yelled Markus, and we raced full speed toward the cockpit.

We reached the front of the ship faster than I thought possible given my ribs. Britta and I strapped ourselves in, while Markus jumped into the pilot’s chair and flipped several buttons. The engine roared to life. Britta’s fingers were white from gripping the arm of her seat. At least I wasn’t the only terrified person in the room.

Markus flicked on his com device. “Might as well let them give me an earful.”

An idea formed in my head. “Okay, but don’t tell them you overheard their plan.”

A second later, Kale’s voice boomed through his com system. “What the hell? I didn’t give orders to start her up. Report, soldier.”

Markus gave me a questioning look but I shook my head. He pulled back on the throttle and the ship lifted and turned. James and Kale had dropped the guns and ran directly toward us. Kale lifted his own weapon and aimed at the ship—his ship. A leaden weight sank in my stomach. I hadn’t planned on the fact that he’d be willing to try and take down his own ship.

“Oh, God. He’s gonna shoot us down!” Britta screamed and covered her eyes with her hands.

James reached over and put his hand on top of Kale’s gun, pushing it down toward the ground. Some exchange took place and then it was James’ voice I heard through Markus’ com. “Tora, what are you doing?”

The deep scratchiness of his voice got to me, even through the com device.

“Keep going,” I told Markus. “And toss me your com device.”

We had to be almost out of firing range. If James had really wanted me dead, why did he stop Kale from shooting us? Unless what he wanted in one piece wasn’t me, but the ship and my guns.

Once I had the com device in my hand, I wanted to rage at him for betraying my trust and tell him where he could put those guns, but I also knew what he must be thinking. That I’d left them to die down there. Now he’d know how I felt. But a part of me wondered if maybe Kale was the one James was deceiving. I refused to believe that the time in the weapons room and my room had all been an act. Or maybe I was just refusing to believe what a bad judge of character I really was. I fiddled with the device.

“Tora?”

“I’m here. Give me a sec.” I clicked off the device.

“Hey, Tora?” Markus asked.

Irritated, I looked up. “What?”

“Are we out for a joyride or are we actually going somewhere? Like Caelia. Just wondering if I’m supposed to be headed in a specific direction is all.”

I shook my head. “Not Caelia. Sector Two.”

Shock crossed Britta’s face. “But there’s nothing there. It’s a giant dust bowl, just like here. Come on, I want off this burnin’ planet.”

“Yeah,” Markus agreed. “What’s up?”

“There’s a survivor there. I promised I’d help him if I could. So we’re helping.”

Markus nodded. “Another survivor? Cool.” He entered coordinates and flicked a switch, which must have set some type of autopilot, because he stretched his arms above his head. “So, to Sector Two. In and out, and on to Caelia, right?”

I frowned. That plan made the most sense, but leaving James and Kale meant they’d die for sure. It made me no better than them, not that I wanted to be the one dying either. If there was even a chance James was playing Kale, could I live with the fact that I’d killed them? At least by rescuing Alec, I’d have someone to back me up if we did go back and I was wrong about James.

“Right. Maybe. Well, n-no. We might go back for them.” I pressed the button on the com device. “You still there?”

The pause felt like an eternity. “Yeah, I’m still here.” His voice sent tingles along my spine. How could I spin this so Kale wouldn’t suspect that I’d caught wind of his plan to kill me, yet still make our sudden exit believable? Maybe I’d give the truth a shot.

“There’s another survivor. In Sector Two. I knew Kale wouldn’t agree to save him, that he’d think one life wasn’t worth deviating from the plan. I think one life is worth something.”

Nothing but silence from the other end. My heart pounded. “Anyway, we’re going to get him. It’ll only take a few hours and we’ll be back for you. Then we’ll ship out.”

Several choice curse words erupted through the line. Kale was not a happy camper. He must have grabbed the com system from James. “You’ve got buckets to learn about being a soldier, soldier. You better have your asses back here by sixteen hundred hours. Meet us at the Consulate ship.”

Oh, that’s right—the “no enemy survivors” thing.

“We’ll be there.” I clicked off and took in a huge breath. I had no idea what I’d do when we got there, but hopefully, I’d figure something out. At least it sounded like Kale bought my story. My insubordination would be attributed to being a bleeding heart rather than running from him.

I tossed the device back to Markus. “You must both think I’m crazy, huh?”

Markus chuckled. “Being crazy is how you’ve survived this long on your own. I get us rescuing the survivor, but not sure I get the going back part. You understand they were planning to kill you, right? I don’t trust Kale as far as I can throw him.”

Britta studied me closely, not saying anything.

I sighed. “Go on, Britta. Just say what you’re thinking. At least I know you won’t sugarcoat it.”

She chewed her nail. “Look, I’m already on Kale’s shit list and he’ll probably blame this on me too. Markus is right that I don’t think we can trust Kale anymore. But the James thing …”

“What?”

Britta spit off part of her nail. “It’s just that, for whatever reason, I think he likes you … or liked you anyway. Just something he said while you were out of the room in the bunker. That I should lay off you … that you could be trusted.”

My heart raced. “You waited to tell me this until now?”

She shrugged. “Does it matter? He still told Kale he’d kill you. You know the score as well as I do. It’s kill or be killed. That’s why we’re both survivors.”

Kill or be killed . It was sad that entire human existence had been reduced to such a bleak motto. But it was true.

“But what if James didn’t mean it and was just playing along?” I heard the desperation in my voice.

“Maybe,” Britta agreed, “but are you gonna risk being blasted into bits just to find that out?”

She had a point.

Britta’s face changed. She looked lost in thought. After a minute, her eyes refocused on me. “You’re not the only one that’s been burned by someone you trusted. It sucks, but you know, what doesn’t kill you …”

“Makes you one tough-ass bitch,” Markus finished. He blew Britta a kiss. “I’ll take care of you, baby. I promise I won’t take my eyes off you.”

Britta tossed her hair over her shoulder. “And what if I want more than your eyes on me?”

Ewwww.

Markus smirked. “It’s on autopilot and we’ve got a little time to kill.” He sauntered over to Britta and laced his fingers through hers. “Come with me, beautiful.”

I gawked at them. “What? You can’t leave me up here by myself. What if something goes wrong?”

He laughed and pulled Britta through the doorway. “Get some rest. You look exhausted. If any alarms go off, you know where to find me.”