The Survivor's Instinct: TimeScape, #5

By Dorothy Lowther

1st Lieutenant Nora Sarem regains consciousness and finds herself alone in a dense forest on a strange and hostile planet. While trying to get back to the Agency, Nora comes across a young boy who's run away from his enslaver. She finds herself caught in the middle of a full scale conflict between the slaves and their owner. Back at the agency, her three colleagues find it a struggle to carry on without her. Will Nora be able to let her fellow team members know her status and location? Will Merissa be able to keep Neval from murdering Lala? Can Orin find the strength to snap out of his depression? Does Kendra have what it takes to keep their team together? Can Nora keep the young boy alive? Will Nora's fellow team members reach her before it's too late? You'll need to read this story to find out.
 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dorothy Lowther
• Release date: Mar 17, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215871966

Dorothy Lowther

Hello. My name is Dorothy Lowther. I'm 46 year old Science fiction writer/ college student. I was born in Tulsa Oklahoma back in 1976. I've been writing science fiction stories eversince I was 13 years old. Happy reading.

Book preview

This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, and places are a product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual places and events or real people living, or dead is coincidental.

Table Of Contents

Chapter–1............... 1

Chapter–2............... 19

Chapter–3............... 39

Chapter–4............... 62

Chapter–5............... 87

Chapter–6............ 122

Chapter–7..............170

Chapter–8..............207

Chapter: One

Cosmic year: 8832’29

1st Lieutenant Nora Sarem rode the waves of deep sleep. This was a rare experience for her. Nora never swam in the ocean of unconsciousness for any extended length of time. She found the unfamiliar experience frightening and exciting at the same time.

Nora fluttered her eyelids open after a moment of struggle. A bright indigo tinted cloudless sky was the first thing the Temporal Security agent saw. She breathed in the moist, fresh air with a smile of gratitude. She was still alive. The revelation surprised the young woman, causing her eyes to flood with tears of joy.

Nora struggled into a sitting position. She took several deep breaths, staving off waves of nausea. The young woman gazed around herself. Nora sat in a large clearing of a thick and expansive alien forest.

The sweet scent of the wildflowers helped to calm her fears and settle her stomach. She ran her fingers through her long chestnut hair, catching sight of the ruined state of her charred Temporal Modulator. Nora brought the destroyed device in for a closer look. The sight of the tattered buttons and switches brought a forlorn sigh out of her.

She stretched out her stiff limbs and struggled to get to her feet. Nora took another look around herself. She cleared her throat and said with a decisive frown, I can’t hang around here for the rest of my life. It’s time to get moving and find help.

Nora dusted off her uniform. The young woman took another look around. She got her bearings and set off in search of civilization.

A fourteen-year-old boy known as Edan Druce paused for breath behind a dense row of bluish-green bushes only three miles away from Nora’s location. He hoped the gang of armed bounty hunters who were on his trail wouldn’t find him.

Edan knew what laid in store for him if he allowed himself to get captured and taken back to his owner. The young boy remembered the brutality of the last beating he endured at his owner’s hands. The memories of that night and the resulting lengthy stay in the hospital still gave him nightmares sometimes.

Edan knew it was important to keep the promise he made at his parent’s shared gravesite. He missed his younger brother Lir. The young man needed to find Lir. They needed to reach the safe custody of the proper authorities inside the capital city. His goal of saving his brother and ensuring their safety was the only thing Edan cared about.

The sound of footfalls approaching his location from the southwest caught the young boy’s full attention. Edan got to his knees and wiped the tears out of his eagle shaped ice-blue eyes. He pulled the grass and leaves out of his messy short brown hair. The young boy got into a crouched position and dusted down his ragged blue tunic. He left the bushes and searched for another hiding place.

Three armed young men heard the rustling of leaves and running footsteps. The group’s leader got his fellow hunter’s attention and signaled for them to move in the sound’s direction.

Edan kept running until he came upon a group of oak trees wide enough to hide behind, diving out of sight. I need to lose these stupid bastards. He said with a frustrated frown, leaning back against the center tree’s smooth trunk and struggling to catch his breath.

Edan peered around the trunk of the left outer tree and cursed under his breath with a frustrated frown. He noticed the three-armed bounty hunters were hot on his trail. The boy took a step forward, breaking a stray tree branch by accident. The ensuing sound echoed around the otherwise silent forest, capturing the combined attention of his three pursuers. He’s behind those trees! Get after him! A bounty hunter said, pointing at Edan’s hiding place. The teenager ran across the uneven forest floor in a blind panic at break-neck speed, with the three bounty hunters gaining on his heels.

Nora strolled through the forest with no clear idea where she was going. She stopped for a few moments, trying to find a clear, well-used trail. It dismayed the temporal security agent to find that the forest stretched on for miles in all directions. The young woman couldn’t keep her eyes from flooding with tears. She missed her colleagues and felt lost and helpless without them.

Nora wasn’t used to the situation she found herself in. The young woman didn’t know if she’d survive this. She imagined what her fellow agents and her employer were going through and cringed. Were they trying to find her? Did they think she was dead? No. she said under her breath with a frown, stomping her foot to the ground. The young woman wouldn’t allow herself to continue to wallow in self-pity and self-doubt.

Nora wiped the tears out of her eyes and took a few deep breaths to calm herself down and organize her thoughts. The sound of a nearby screaming caught Nora’s undivided attention. She ran over to a tree and hid herself. The temporal security agent peered around the tree trunk and saw three adult men chasing a teenage boy with their laser rifles out and at the ready. Nora pulled her own high energy weapon from its holster and took it out of safety, hoping she wasn’t making a colossal mistake.

A few moments of silence went by. The boy came closer and closer to her tree. Nora counted to ten. The moment the teenager ran past her, the young woman jumped out of hiding, took careful aim, and shot off round after round of laser fire towards the armed adults, causing them to scatter in a blind panic. All three bounty hunters hid behind nearby trees for protection.

One of the bounty hunters appeared from behind his chosen tree and fired his laser rifle in Nora’s direction. The young woman dropped to the ground to keep herself from getting hit. She got back to her knees and took careful aim. Another bounty hunter appeared from behind his tree. Nora changed her aim’s direction and fired. The Laser bolt flashed through the air, hitting the bounty hunter in the chest. He fell dead to the ground. The first bounty hunter jumped out of his hiding place. Nora wasted no time firing the laser bolt in the man’s direction, hitting him between the eyes. The man died before he hit the ground.

Nora smiled and took a deep, relaxing breath. The young woman heard footsteps approaching her from behind. She laid her energy weapon on the ground. You killed both of my friends. You’re going to die, bitch! A voice said in a venomous tone. The young woman started raising her hands in surrender when she heard an unexpected grunt and a thud. Nora grabbed her energy weapon and turned around, finding the teenage boy standing there holding a heavy-looking tree branch with a satisfied smile on his face.

Nora smiled back and asked, Will you be all right? Why did those men chase you? The boy threw away the tree branch and said with a weary frown, I’m fine now, thanks to you. Those three men were bounty hunters. My owner hired them to recapture me. The agent studied the boy’s tunic’s ragged appearance and said, putting her high energy weapon back in its holster, You make yourself sound like a slave. Edan nodded and said with a frown, I’ve lived like this for years. I’ve been on the run before. This’s the first time somebody came to my aid. Thank you for helping me, Miss. My name’s Edan Druce.

The agent grinned and said in a friendly tone, You’re welcome, Edan. I’m known as 1st Lieutenant Nora Sarem. I work for the Temporal Security agency. Wow! Are you here on an undercover mission, Lieutenant Sarem? Edan asked with a broad smile of hopeful excitement. Nora shook her head and said, I arrived on this planet because of a device malfunction. I don’t know where here is. What’s this planet’s name? You’re on the surface of the planet known as Ishtar. This planet’s on the Andromeda galaxy’s outer edge. Edan said with a sincere smile and then asked, What’s your aim, Lieutenant Sarem?

Nora sighed and said, I need to contact my colleagues. They’ll come to my rescue. My fellow agents are worried sick about me by now. Edan nodded and said in agreement, They might even think you’re dead, Miss Sarem. The temporal security agent considered Edan’s statement for a few moments and then said with a lively shake of her head, I can’t allow myself to think in those terms. It’s easier for me to believe that my colleagues are doing everything in their power to find me. My fellow agents wouldn’t give up on me like that.

Edan cleared his throat and said with a grin, I hope you’re proven right, Ms. Sarem. If you agree to keep me safe during my journey to this planet’s central government authorities, I’ll help you get back to your agency. What do you say, Ms. Sarem? Do we have a deal?

Nora took Edan’s proposal under careful consideration. This boy could be just playing her for a fool. Then again, the Temporal Security agent didn’t have anybody else to turn to for help. The young woman nodded and said, We have a deal. If you’ll help me, I’ll help you. You can call me Nora.

Edan stretched his stiff limbs and said with a nod, All right, Nora. Thank you for agreeing with this. Nightfall begins in a few hours. This forest is dangerous during that time. Follow me, Nora.

Nora smiled and said, You’re welcome, Edan. Lead the way. The boy nodded with an excited smile and led the Temporal Security agent through the dense alien forest.

Cosmic Year: 9096’67

Captain Orin Garvik and his remaining team members stood inside Merissa’s office in tearful silence. Their employer paced the floor, considering the details of the full report they gave to her. A few long moments went by. Merissa stopped pacing and said, turning to her employees, This news saddens me. I’m sorry for this team’s loss. Your mission’s result disappoints me. She looked at Neval and added, I know that nobody’s perfect. Everyone makes mistakes, Sergeant Kern. Let this be a lesson to you, Neval. It’s far too dangerous to have a romantic relationship during a mission. Such a thing’s against agency policy for a reason. I’m placing you on desk duty until I’m satisfied you’ve regained some perspective. Neval nodded with a tearful frown, lowering his head in shame.

Merissa focused her attention on Orin and Kendra and said, I ground you both from any future missions until Neval’s no longer on desk duty. Orin, I expect you to meet with your agency counselor as soon as possible. I know how you get. Kendra, I want you to get caught up on your paperwork. There’s no need for you to become bored. I’m going to put the agency’s best technicians in charge of finding Nora’s exact location. It’s against agency policy to give up on one of our own. I don’t want any of you three to lose all hope. If there’s a way to get Lieutenant Sarem back, we’ll find it. Have I made myself clear to all of you? Orin and his two fellow agents nodded in silent unison. Merissa smiled and said with an approving nod, You’re now dismissed.

Orin, Kendra, and Neval left Merissa’s office, closing the door behind them. The director sat down in her office chair and slammed her fist on the surface of her desk in frustration. Kendra and her fellow team members stood in the corridor, trying to regain their composure. Neval noticed Orin’s demeanor and asked in concern, Will you be all right, Orin?

Captain Garvik looked at his colleague and said in a sorrowful voice, We’ve had nothing but bad luck ever since that fiasco at Alira Prime. I’m a curse to this team. Neval stared at Orin for a moment in stunned silence. Kendra took a deep breath, unable to believe her ears. Neval shook his head and asked with an astonished frown, How can you entertain such an idea about yourself, Orin? You’re not a curse to our team. We view you as an indispensable asset. It’s not healthy for you to blame yourself for my gross error in judgement. I should know better than to place my personal desires before our mission’s success and our team’s safety.

My bad luck caused you to make that mistake, Neval. If it weren’t for me, you’d have made a better choice. Nora would still be alive. This agency’s better off without me. Kendra stomped her foot and said in an indignant tone, That’s not true, Orin. Neval made his mistake of his own free will. You didn’t force him to make such a choice. We don’t know if Nora’s dead or not. She’s only listed as MIA. Blaming yourself for circumstances you didn’t know about and couldn’t control, doesn’t do us any favors. You need to stop blaming yourself for things you have no personal involvement in.

Orin went speechless for a few moments. He shook his head and broke out into a run down the corridor system, heading to his private quarters in a flood of tears. Neval made to go after him. Kendra grabbed his arm and said, shaking her head, I think we should leave Orin alone for a while. He needs to work through his feelings on his own for now.

Neval sighed and asked with a concerned frown, Are you sure about this, Kendra? What if he hurts himself? The young major took a deep breath and said with an understanding nod, Let’s give him a couple of hours, at least. If he hasn’t snapped out of his mental state in that amount of time, we can tell our concerns to Merissa. We need to give our captain a chance to calm down and work through his feelings.

Neval calmed himself and said with a dismayed frown, You’re right, Kendra. I hope this decision doesn’t come back to bite us on our collective asses. Kendra nodded and said in agreement, I hope so, too. Come on, Neval. We need to catch up on our paperwork. Neval nodded with an uneasy frown and followed his colleague back to the main foyer.

Orin entered his private quarters with the door sliding closed behind him. The Temporal Security agent sat down on the edge of his bed and covered his face with his hands. He considered