Escape (A Game of War Part Five)

By Michael Cairns

It turns out Stem wasn’t paranoid...

Ally is trapped and Stem is lost, floating in space and low on air. The evil controller of Station Nephal has Ally caught in her collection with no way out. But the people she meets there might just be enough to help her escape. Or maybe they’ll just make the time pass more quickly until she dies. Stem is fighting not only for his life, but the life of the woman he loves. The trouble is, he’s no longer sure that she loves him...

Part five of A Game of War sees Ally and Stem divided and desperate, fighting not just their enemy, but also themselves.

‘Superb characters and fantastic action in a wonderfully original setting.’ - Amazon.co.uk reader

‘Concept and the characters are great. Well written and nicely paced.’ - Barnes and Noble reader

• Language: English
• Publisher: Michael Cairns
• Release date: Apr 14, 2014
• ISBN: 9781909699106

Michael Cairns

Michael Cairns was born at a young age and could write even before he could play the drums, but that was long ago, in the glory days - when he actually had hair. He loves chocolate, pineapple, playing gigs and outwitting his young daughter (the scores are about level but she's getting smarter every day). Michael is currently working hard on writing, getting enough sleep and keeping his hair. The first is going well, the other two...not so much. His current novels include: > Young adult, science fiction adventure series, 'A Game of War' 1. Childhood dreams 2. The end of innocence 3. Playing God 4. Breathing in space 5. Escape 6. Gateway to earth > Urban fantasy super-hero series, 'The Planets' 1. The spirit room 2. The story of Erie 3. The long way home >Paranormal horror post apocalyptic zombie series, 'Thirteen Roses' 1. Before (Books 2-6 due for release in spring)

Book preview

Title Page

Escape

A Game of War

Part Five

By

Michael Cairns

Publishing

Published by Cairns Publishing at Smashwords

Copyright 2014 Michael Cairns

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher.

1st Edition

Find out about future releases by Michael Cairns at http://cairnswrites.com

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

Thank you for downloading this ebook. This book remains the copyrighted property of the author, and may not be reproduced, copied and distributed for commercial or non-commercial purposes. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to download their own copy at Smashwords.com, where they can also discover other works by this author. Thank you for your support.

Intro

It was as though the last week had never happened. His eyes were dry and every breath he took left him gasping.

It was cold, deathly cold, and his mind wandered, drifting back over the months that had brought him here. How far they'd come. So much had changed, but it meant nothing now. He'd die leaving her angry and hating him and there was nothing he could do to change it. If he could just speak to her, just for a moment, and tell her how stupid he'd been, and how afraid.

His fists were clenched, barely hard enough for his fingers to come together. The screen showed only stars. Without power, all he could do was lie here - the cold of the steel floor burning through his clothes - and shiver and wait for the end.

A thought, unbidden and unwelcome, crawled up and made itself known. He shoved it down, but it returned, louder and insistent. Fear was the only thing keeping him here. If he just left his body behind, he could search. He didn't have long, but there was a chance, however slim.

He thought of his parents, of what he'd sworn years ago, and closed his eyes. He began to shake, first his hands, then the rest of him, a shivering that became uncontrollable, his entire body convulsing. Sweat poured down his forehead, pooling in the small of his back, prickling along his arms.

He was going to die, why was it so difficult? The steel beneath became the giving hardness of the arena floor, and he could feel again the claws, digging into him, tearing him free. He whimpered, his teeth chewing at his lower lip. A tear, hot, ran down the side of his face, mixing with the sweat at his hairline.

He was going to die. He squeezed his eyes closed, and focused.

Ally 1

Ally was remarkably calm about what lay before her. No, not calm, just resigned.

She heard the clang of boots on the metal floor behind her. The bodyguard from the antechamber stepped calmly into the room, one hand on his waist. She sighed, and turned to face Nephal, who smiled at her, wide and not entirely without humour.

It must gall you to discover that everything you thought true was a lie.

Ally returned the smile, then shook her head. She refused to give this woman the satisfaction, and asked a question of her own.

Are you human?

The smile slipped, only slightly, then she nodded, slowly.

I was. Now, I am more than human, much more than my pathetic beginnings suggest.

Pathetic beginnings?

Nephal's smile became one of sympathy.

Oh, Ally, have you not yet realised? They are called border races for a reason. You know the term, yes? Humans belong in this universe about as much as the dogs they keep for pets. They have no use, they bring no richness, no value or wisdom. They are a blot on the landscape.

We.

Nephal raised an eyebrow and cocked her head forward.

I'm sorry?

You said they. You should be saying we. You're still human, however much you try and pretend you aren't. It makes me wonder if that's why you hide in here, so you can pretend you're somebody different, somebody who 'adds value'.

She sneered as she said the last two words, her fists clenched, her face heating up. How could she have trusted this woman? Nephal responded with the calm equanimity of someone content in her lies, in her self-deception.

I have value, just as you do. Only, your value is to me. Now...

Her tone changed, becoming brisk and business-like. She stepped out of her chair, and toward Ally.

There is a container here awaiting your presence. It would please me if you got into it yourself, nice and politely, but I fear you may require some assistance.

She was rubbing her hands together as she spoke, and Ally nearly punched her. Instead, she sat down, and drifted free of her body. The first thing she noticed were the spirits of the figures trapped around the room. They were pressed against the fronts of their tanks, staring at her. There was all manner of creatures, some humanoid, others with more arms, legs, eyes, or simply weight than any human she'd ever seen. They were rapt, gripped by the events unfolding in the core, and she wondered again how long they had been there.

She looked at the empty tank and shivered. It was a little bigger than a coffin, maybe three feet deep and five wide, and bare of ornamentation. Hoses hung above it, waiting to fill it with the strange, viscous-looking liquid that kept the others alive. She looked back at Nephal, who had her hands on her hips and was staring at Ally's body that had toppled gently over and lay peacefully on one side. A moment later, the woman's spirit rose free and spun to face her.

"Your gift is a wonder to me. That one so