The Children of The Resistance (The Mir Chronicles Book 2) Read online

  The General nodded and continued, “We need to leave the planet without being seen. But, as you can decipher,” she gestured to the images throughout her ship, “the Priestess has increased her patrol. If we lower the cloaking device that shields our camp, we’ll be spotted immediately.” Lena examined the screens that spread throughout the room. Several of them bleeped with images of Defense ships, and a large circle marked the Cimmerian location. If the equipment was accurate, the Defenses were a few hours from the Cimmerian camp.

  “I’m not helping you,” Lena said.

  “Agent Vernalis warned me you might say that,” General Carina stated. “But he says he can persuade you.” The General gave a curt nod to Jonah who then raised his arm to guards on the other side of the room. A side door slid open, and Gideon was ushered into the room surrounded by several guards. Lena gasped as she looked at him. He walked along the wall’s edge. His arms were cuffed behind him and his face covered in blood. Lena looked to Jonah who crossed his arms and gave her a hard stare. Gideon looked at Lena. His eyes moved across her face and seemed to relax when he saw her unharmed.

  Jonah stepped towards her causing her to cringe. Leaning in, he whispered, “How devoted are you to your friends? To Gideon? To Thora?”

  Lena turned back to Jonah. “Are you implying you’ll hurt Gideon if I don’t help you?” Lena asked. She couldn’t believe this was the same Jonah she’d been friends with only a day ago. He looked different to her now, ugly and uncaring.

  Jonah responded with the raise of his eyebrows. Lena wasn’t sure what it meant, but the look in his eye wasn’t a caring look.

  Lena’s throat constricted. “You are awful.” Cimmerian guards stood around the edges of the room, their feet shoulder width apart, their hands tense around their rifles. They kept their faces pointed straight ahead, but their eyes kept jerking to the computer screen that flashed the location of Defense patrols. The Cimmerians that sat at the computers all watched her with a look of anticipation. She figured it was because she was their only way off the planet. No wonder they were acting so anxious. There were less than fifty Cimmerians in the room with her. These were probably their most devoted. Lena really didn’t know. And why didn’t they have a tech guy?

  “You will help us,” Jonah said.

  Lena looked to Gideon. The veins in his arms pulsed as if waiting for a fight. Rubbing her neck, she looked around the room. The guards and soldiers looked at her with anticipation. Some sat at the edge of their seats. General Carina stood tapping her fingers glaring at her uncaring glare. She looked back to Gideon who still looked as angry as she felt. Still, the way he looked at her made her thoughts clearer.

  If they were going to her for help, she was the only one capable of accomplishing what they asked out of everyone on this ship. This meant no one would know if she was cloaking the ship correctly. Gideon had gone through a lot to keep her out of the hands of the Priestess. She would do the same to get him away from the Cimmerians.

  “I’ll get us out of here,” she said not taking her eyes off Gideon. “Show me where the ships cloaking controls are.”

  Chapter Five

  Lena ran her finger across the computer controls. The General stepped up behind her as Lena wiped sweat from her brow. She looked at the time then at the blinking dots that monitored the Defenses’ location. She’d only been working for a few hours but she was tired, and the Defenses were getting close.

  “Are we ready?” General Carina asked unable to keep the anxiety out of her voice. She put her hands on the desk Lena worked on. Leaning forward, she read over the numbers Lena had written across the screen.

  Lena cleared her throat and sat up taller in her chair. “Almost, General. The Defenses are patrolling heavily. We need to wait till their distance is optimal for our escape.”

  “I don’t need to tell you to hurry,” General Carina said.

  “No, ma’am. You’ll know when it’s time for you to leave. The camp has been cleared, and your pilots are ready?” Lena asked.

  “Yes. You gave us insufficient time to load all our equipment. But we are ready to depart on your command,” the General said.

  Lena nodded and opened the screen of her insignia. The General eyed her suspiciously. “I’m linking my insignia to the computers,” Lena said. “I’ll be able to monitor the Defenses as I reprogram the cloaking device. She flicked her eyes to Gideon then back to her screen. Hitting a button on the computer’s controls she stood up and wiped her sweaty hands on her pants. I do need to know how you’re leaving Mir, though,” Lena said, trying to remain as calm as possible.

  “I’ve acquired a device that will get us through the atmosphere without alerting the Defenses or the Port authorities,” General Carina said. Lena nodded, acting like she was listening, but her anxiety kept her from really focusing on anything specific that the General told her.

  “I need to reconfigure the camp’s cloaking device in person.”

  The General whistled for Jonah who sat hunched in a chair next to Gideon. “Take her where she needs to go, make sure she hurries,” the General said.

  Jonah stood, in three strides he was next to Lena. Lena eyed the electric rod in the holster at his side. “I need to see the cloaking device,” she said looking past him at Gideon. With his arm still cuffed behind his back, Gideon rolled his shoulders and stretched his neck from side to side. Stopping, he looked directly into her eyes. Once again something about the way Gideon looked at her cleared Lena’s mind. He trusted her. “I’m going to need to reprogram the cloaking device to cover the ship while it flies,” Lena said.

  Jonah looked annoyed. “I need guards to accompany me to the roof,” he called across the room. Immediately three guards surrounded her; one in front, two in back. They led her only steps beyond where Gideon sat and opened a closet that revealed a ladder. The closet barely held a soldier at a time. Three guards went up before Lena. Grabbing onto the ladder’s first rung, she turned looked at the General. “Be ready. We don’t have much time.” As she turned back towards the ladder, she stopped at Gideon. His muscles tensed and he planted his feet on the floor. He nodded his head to Lena. Her adrenaline rose. Gideon somehow knew she was planning an escape and he was ready. she started climbing with Jonah close behind her. She scrambled on top of the ship. The guards who went ahead stood holding their guns to their chest. Standing on the arched roof, she turned. She could see the whole camp. Walking to the edge of the ship’s roof, she started walking its perimeter. Its large black surface radiated the warmth of the planet's sun. Its cupped wings met with the top of the ship and slid to the ground below. Lena adjusted her gaze to their surroundings.

  The ship sat nestled in the trees. Its roof was even with the trees surrounding them. Lena could see that the mountain took a steep decline not far from where the ship sat.

  “What are you doing?” Jonah demanded. His eyes were narrow as he followed Lena across the airship.

  “I have to see what we’re going to be cloaking,” Lena replied. Still walking the ships perimeter, she wiped her hands on her pants and looked at the numbers projected from her insignia. She didn’t have long.

  Jonah crossed his hands and stood in front of her. “I know you. You and Gideon are up to something,” Jonah said his face set in a deep frown. “I saw the way he was looking at you.”

  “You don’t know me,” Lena snapped. “You were using me. There’s a difference.” She couldn’t believe the anger that surged through her words. She looked at the numbers on her insignia again and forced herself to push thoughts of Jonah aside.

  Jonah studied her for a second more before Lena began moving towards the tower holding the cloaking device. She started typing on her insignia screen.

  “What are you doing?” Jonah asked.

  “I have to unlock and then sync a part of your security system with the cloaking device for us to get away.”

  “I don’t like it.” Jonah reached for his com device. He looked at Lena and turned away from her
, whispering furiously into the device. Though Lena couldn’t hear the words, Jonah’s shoulders were tense, and he swung his hands as he talked.

  He stepped even closer to her. She looked at the cloaking device then at her insignia screen. Pressing a button on her insignia, she hit the control she hoped would unlock Gideon’s cuffs. She strained her hearing waiting for the sign that it worked. She heard nothing.

  Jonah yanked her arm. “I’m warning you, Lena. I will tell what I know about Thora.”

  “Not if you never get the chance.” Lena moved before thinking. Yanking her arm from Jonah’s grip she spun into a kick that sent the cloaking device flying off the ship’s roof. Alarms began to blare at the same moment she pulled the electric rod from Jonah’s holster. She pressed it into his side sending the current through his body. He fell to the ship’s roof convulsing with the pulse of electricity. Gunfire sounded around her. The guards ran towards Lena at the same time Gideon pulled himself through the hatch. Gideon was upon the guards in seconds, knocking them unconscious and throwing them into the hatch he’d just climbed out of.

  Jonah moaned from his spot on the roof. “Let’s get out of here,” Gideon yelled over the roaring of the engines.

  Lena and Gideon ran towards the wing of the ship. Gideon grabbed Lena’s hand. The vessel was now lifting from the ground. Gideon pulled her towards the sloping wing at the same time she felt Jonah’s arms grab at her waist pulling her back. As Jonah pulled, her hand slipped from Gideon’s. Gideon spun and propelled himself into Jonah’s side causing Jonah to loose his hold and knock Lena over. Lena started sliding down the ship’s wing. She pushed her feet against the metal, trying to stop her decent. Both Jonah and Gideon plowed into her from behind. The three of them slid down the ship’s wings, free falling the last fifteen feet. They rolled as they hit the ground. Gideon released Jonah as the plane lifted above them. Gideon rolled, grabbed the gun from Lena, and pressed it into Jonah’s side.

  “Don’t move,” Gideon commanded.

  Chapter Six

  Jonah lay on the ground. Gideon had already grabbed the cuffs hanging from Jonah’s belt. Kicking Jonah with his foot, Gideon used his boot to roll Jonah onto his stomach. Gideon grabbed his hands and twisted them behind his back, locking the cuffs in place.

  Jonah took a breath as if to say something.

  “Don’t talk,” Gideon and Lena yelled at the same time. Lena clenched her fist and examined the sky looking for Defense Ships.

  “We need to leave now,” Gideon said.

  “Let’s go,” Lena said.

  “You can’t leave me here in the open,” Jonah pushed himself from his stomach to his knees.

  Gideon raised his weapon and pointed it at Jonah. Jonah’s eyes widened in alarm as he stared at the gun’s barrel. He turned to Lena as Gideon released the gun’s safety. The thought of Gideon killing Jonah made her stomach churn. Lena took hold of Gideon’s arm.

  “Let’s go, Gideon. Jonah can fend for himself,” Lena said. Lena looked at her insignia. The dots signifying the Defenses had increased in speed and direction. They were moving directly towards the Cimmerian ship. Gideon pushed Lena ahead of him and started running. They only got a few steps before they heard Jonah again.

  “The Defenses will catch me,” Jonah yelled in a panicked voice. “You can’t let them catch me.” Lena slowed, but Gideon kept pushing her. He was leading her into denser tree cover. Lena stumbled against him. “I know where Thora is,” Jonah yelled. “If they capture me, you can be sure I’ll tell them where she is.” Gideon stopped. Without a word he pushed Lena into a thick copse of brush, and turned back to Jonah.

  Lena hadn’t realized that Jonah was following them. With his hands cuffed, he moved with an uncoordinated gate but was still just behind them. Gideon ran to Jonah and grabbed the collar of his shirt. Dragging him into the brush he pressed a gun into the side of his head. “You threatened Lena. You threatened Thora. I promise you will never threaten anyone ever again.” Gideon loaded the gun. Jonah struggled against Gideon’s grip.

  “I won’t tell,” he cried.

  “You just said you would,” Gideon said, pressing the gun closer to Jonah’s head.

  “I won’t,” he cried. “I swear, let me go. I won’t tell anyone.” The three of them froze as the roaring of a Defense ship passed overhead. Lena held her breath waiting for the signal that the Defenses had found them. Gideon tightened his grip on Jonah, they both stayed silent. The ship passed without stopping.

  “I don’t trust you,” Gideon said after the ship passed. “Lena, look away,” he said. Lena straightened her posture. The brush scraped against her cheeks. Her legs were shaking. She looked between Gideon and Jonah. Jonah’s face was pale. His eyes were wide and sweat trickled into them. Gideon’s jaw muscles flexed in anger, there was no light behind his eyes, only a determined darkness. Lena had never seen him look like this. She raised her hand and grabbed the barrel of the gun.

  “No,” Lena said, “Gideon, don’t. This is something you can never come back from.” Gideon didn’t lower the gun. “You’re better than this,” she said. “We’ll figure something else out.” Gideon’s arm muscles bulged. “Please, don’t do this, Gideon.”

  “I’m not risking you or Thora’s life for his,” Gideon said motioning towards Jonah.

  “The enemy is coming our way. We’ve got to hide better than this,” Lena said. Lena kept ahold of the gun barrel and moved so she faced Gideon directly. “We’ll take him with us to The Port. Make sure he doesn’t tell anyone,” Lena said.

  “What will keep him from telling someone once we’ve left him?” Gideon said.

  Lena looked to Jonah who had turned even whiter than she thought possible. “We don’t know what he’ll do, Gideon. We can’t control him. We can only choose what we’ll do, and I’m not going to kill him. Once we’re at The Port, we’ll find a way to warn Thora. She can find another place to hide. Then we can let him go, and nobody gets hurt.”

  Lena looked at the insignia. The dots were nearly overhead. “Gideon, come on. We have more important things to do right now.” Gideon relaxed. Nodding his head, he lowered his gun.

  Jonah sighed audibly.

  “Let’s make one thing clear,” Lena said turning to Jonah. “You do anything else to compromise us, I won’t stop Gideon again.”

  Jonah nodded his head.

  “Let’s get out of here,” Gideon said.

  “There are air bikes in the trees over there,” he said while motioning with his head. The color was returning to his face. “Wow, that landing hurt,” Jonah shook his head as if to clear it. He raised his blue eyes to Lena's. She looked away.

  Gideon grabbed the neck of Jonah’s shirt pulling him to his feet. “Show us,” Gideon said.

  “They’re hidden in those bushes,” Jonah said, pointing to a tangle of dry trees. “You have my word.”

  Gideon grabbed Jonah’s arm and they ran towards the abandoned air bikes. Jonah’s legs kept collapsing under him as Gideon pulled him into the trees. Lena saw the bikes first, two of them. Gideon let go of Jonah’s arm and climbed on one while Lena took the other. Jonah started to climb behind Lena. Lena turned towards him, clenched her jaw and glared. Jonah shrugged his shoulders and redirected his movement to the back of Gideon’s air bike.

  Gideon went first with Jonah clinging to the back of the bike with his cuffed hands. Looking to the insignia and then the sky, Lena calculated they had enough time to ride a little way before hiding.

  After only a few minute’s ride Gideon slowed and stopped. “Let’s get rid of the bikes,” he said jumping off the machine. “If they figure out the Cimmerians left us, and the Defenses decide to track us, we can use the bikes to lead them away from our real trail.”

  Lena jumped off her machine. Lifting the seat, she looked in the small storage compartment for anything that would be useful. A rope and an emergency bag were stuffed inside the space. Gideon’s bike only had a rope.

  He wrapped the rope around hi
s bike’s controls and sent it flying into the canyon below. Lena grabbed the emergency pack out of her bike then tied her rope around her bike the same as Gideon. Jonah watched without talking.

  “How are we on time?” Gideon said.

  Lena studied the images projected as her bike careened into the canyon below. The dots had increased in number since she’d last looked. “The quicker we hide, the better,” she said. “The first ship went after the Cimmerians. If they do decide to search the area, it’ll be one of the next ships.”

  Gideon led the way into another canyon. The terrain dropped steep and fast and Lena lost her footing. Sliding down the steep mountainside, Lena grabbed at the sharp dried shrubs growing out of the soil. Dirt filled her shoes as she pushed against the ground trying to stop herself. When she finally halted, she looked back to see that Jonah and Gideon were only a few steps behind her, still on their feet. Lena pushed out a frustrated breath and stood.

  Gideon stepped in front of her and stopped. He looked up at the sky. Lena looked too. All she could see were flat gray clouds with drops of blue peeking through. She thought she heard the roar of engines in the distance. All three of them were panting. Gideon scanned the steep terrain. He stopped and squinted his eyes. “Cave. There,” Gideon gasped pointing diagonally up the mountain before taking off at a run. Lena and Jonah followed, grunting as their feet navigated the terrain.

  The ship’s engines were loud now. Lena still didn’t see them, making her think they were probably cloaked somehow. Gideon stood at the opening of the cave. He pushed Jonah and Lena inside the dark opening, then followed. The opening was barely wider than Gideon’s chest. It sloped downward like a slide. The three of them scooted themselves through the tunnel. It gradually got bigger and darker the further down they went. Lena opened her insignia to use as a light. As soon as they got to the bottom, the hole opened up into a room-sized cavern.