Infinite Horizons

Ren hesitated, throwing a brief glance at Tek. Then she set her jaw and strode across the small room to the front door, throwing it open to the night. A short round man practically threw himself across the threshold, tumbling to the ground as Ren shut the door behind him.

“Kekei?” Ren asked in surprise. The short man rolled himself around until he reached a standing position. His eyes darted around the house, and the sight of Tek made him jump.

“Who’s this?” he said in a squeaky high voice. Ren reached down and grabbed his shoulders.

“Kekei, calm yourself,” she said slowly. “She is a friend. What is the problem?” Kekei sputtered for a moment before words finally came out.

“It’s the Hangar,” he managed. “It’s been compromised.” Kekei sat down at the kitchen table, seemingly on the verge of hysteria. Ren was already in motion, gathering various items from cupboards and drawers around the small living area. She was ready to go in minutes, and Tek could tell this had been practiced. Ren seemed calm as she stood by the door and looked back at Tek and Kekei.

“Ready?” she asked, taking a deep breath. Tek nodded, but Kekei was silently wringing his hands. Interestingly, his temperament was in stark contrast to Ren’s. Tek noted the nervous sweat on his neck, and the man’s eyes darted back and forth. He was on the verge of panic, she realized. Something bad must’ve gone down at the Hangar, whatever that was.

Ren threw open the door and headed out into the night, Tek right behind her and Kekei bringing up the back. Tek quickly lost any sense of direction in the dark as she followed Ren down alleyways and through yards. The other woman was obviously concerned about being tailed, as she often doubled back and seemed to take winding routes. Finally, they reached a large open field with a large building in the distance and protected by a chain link fence. Ren stopped at the fence and turned back to face them. Tek was breathing hard, and Kekei was huffing and puffing, but Ren seemed hardly winded.

“This is an actual hangar?” Tek questioned, realizing that there was an airport runway far off to their right.

“It is,” Ren answered simply. “We have an airport official that is…sympathetic to our group.”

“We shouldn’t be here,” Kekei said worriedly. “I told you this place was compromised!”

“I know you did. But I had to see for myself,” Ren said. She reached down and messed with the fence, then straightened up and lifted a section of fencing up. At her gesture, Tek scrambled through the opening, followed by Kekei and then Ren, who replaced the fencing behind her.

“We should approach carefully,” Ren cautioned. “If the place is actually compromised, there could still be Harvesters here.” The group crept along in the dark until they reached the edge of the hangar. There were lights on inside, though there seemed to be no activity. Ren motioned to Tek to go around the other side, then she crawled away. Kekei stayed put, still trembling, as Tek made her way around the back of the large building until she came to a set of double doors that looked like they were for large equipment. There was no outer handle, so she continued along the metal wall of the building until she reached a small door. Tek tested the handle, and was surprised to find it unlocked. She slowly opened the door a crack and peered in. The inside of the hangar was full of death. Tek could see bodies scattered across the floor, including many with the telltale purple skin of the Raeyen. This was enough. She quickly pulled out her communicator and sent a request for immediate assistance to Jarna. Then, stifling her emotions, she forced herself to enter the hangar. It was a large building, but relatively empty, so she was able to clear the room quickly. Suddenly the door towards the front whipped open. Tek jumped, reaching for her weapon, but it was Ren striding towards her. The woman had worn a frown before, but now she wore a thundercloud of fury. Tek could see her refusal to look at the bodies on the floor, as Ren instead stared straight ahead.

“I killed the sentry,” she said bluntly, her voice devoid of emotion. “They must be planning to come back for the bodies. We need to move.” Tek nodded slowly. There had to be at least eight dead Raeyen sprawled across the hangar floor. The weight of losing something she’d only just found was beginning to grow heavier. She was distracted by Kekei pushing through the door, somehow looking even more shaken than before. He was muttering to himself and shaking his head.

“Tek.” Ren’s voice was startlingly close to her. Tek turned to face the other woman.

“We have to move. The Harvesters must be making a full scale attack. There’s another safe house..” Her voice trailed off as Kekei fell to the floor, blubbering.

“I can’t,” he was mumbling. “They’re all dead, I can’t.”Ren moved towards him, but then made a face at Tek.

“We have to go,” she said, her tone barely indicating sadness. Kekei took a breath, and sat up.

“Don’t go to Kyen,” he said, surprisingly clearly, then fell back on the floor. Ren waited for a moment, but the man seemed to be broken. She threw another look at Tek, then turned and ran out of the hangar. Tek had to sprint to catch her, wondering about Kekei. Something seemed off about him, more than just the mental breakdown. Soon, though, following Ren cut out any other thoughts. Ren led a winding path back to the city, one that was obviously shorter than the first trip because they quickly emerged from an alley onto a city block that was familiar to Tek. Ren’s house was down the street, and it was on fire. Ren screamed, full of anguish. It was as if the fire finally broke through the wall and all of her fury and grief burst out at once. When she finally turned to face Tek, her face was still stormy, but some of the energy had gone out of it. Tek could tell she was exhausted.

“Gotta keep moving,” she said in a low voice, and led Tek back into the twisting, turning alleyways of Lockwood. Again, Tek was just beginning to run out of stamina when Ren slowed her pace. They were on the edges of the city, approaching a small squat building that had no lights on inside. Tek crept silently behind Ren as they approached the building from the back. Ren listened intently at the door, then pushed the doorbell with three short jabs. The moments waiting seemed to drag on, until the door finally opened just a crack. Tek realized she’d been holding her breath. Then the door slammed shut and she let all the air out in surprise. There was the sound of multiple locks being worked, and then the door flew open and a small Raeyen girl came flying out the door and leapt on Ren, who caught her with a grunt.

“Jil, come back in, quickly,” said a tall Raeyen man, appearing in the doorway. He helped wrangle the girl from Ren, then stepped back and ushered them inside. As soon as Tek crossed the threshold, he threw the locks back in place. The interior of the building was extremely dark. The man held up a small light as he led the way, and Tek caught glimpses here and there.

“It’s a church,” she said.

“Yes,” Ren said over her shoulder. Strangely, she had a small smile on her face. “My parents’ church, once.” The man in front stopped, and opened a trapdoor in the floor. Light spilled out as he did, and Jil quickly leapt down, followed by Ren. The man gestured to Tek, and she scrambled down the ladder. The room below was surprisingly large. She guessed that it must be at least the entire size of the building above. It had a concrete floor, but had been filled with beanbags and blankets that gave it more of a homey look. There were at least a dozen people, most of them Raeyen. Jil had joined a couple other children playing in the corner.

“Excuse me,” said a low voice behind her, and Tek jumped. The man who had let them in was standing on the ladder, trying to look down at her over his shoulder. Tek stepped out of his way, and he jumped the remaining distance. He smiled at her and stuck out his hand.

“You must be Detective K’Nani,” he said. “I’m Kyen, Ren’s brother.” Tek shook his hand and smiled back. He was startlingly attractive, though that could just be due to the fact that the only other male Raeyen she’d met had only been eleven years old.

“Do the Harvesters know of this place?” she asked, forcing away annoying images of Grit in her mind. Kyen frowned and shrugged.

“They don’t, as far as we know,” he said. “Then again, we thought they didn’t know about the Hangar either.” As if on cue, there was a loud doorbell sound. The room immediately hushed, and Kyen’s glintscars went a pale lavender. A screen on the opposite wall flickered to life, showing a black and white view from a camera somewhere above the door. A group of men were peering up at it.

“We know you’re in there!” the man in front shouted. “And we know you can hear us!” Tek saw Ren look at Kyen with a question in her eyes, but her brother just shrugged. On the screen, the men split apart to force another to the front, then yanked the man’s head up to face the camera.

“Kekei,” Ren groaned. “He led them here.” Kyen nodded, then leapt into action.

“Battle stations, everyone!” he shouted, as he pulled the trapdoor back down. The rest of the people in the room moved instantly. Tek saw a Raeyen woman gather the children into a small closet she hadn’t noticed in the corner. Others followed Kyen up the ladder, including Ren. Tek hustled up close behind her.

“Ren, I notified the IPF back at the Hangar,” she whispered as she followed the woman through the dark. “They should be here soon, if we can hold out.” Ren didn’t give any indication that she’d heard, and settled into place beneath a large window. Tek crouched down next to her, then risked peeking out the window.

“They’ve got us surrounded,” she whispered to Ren over her shoulder. Bright lights suddenly drifted down out of the darkness, and Tek had to shield her eyes against the glare. Eventually she could make out figures stepping approaching the church from the ship, and she gasped in recognition.

“Ren, it’s Jarna! The IPF -” Tek suddenly stopped talking as Jarna walked up and shook hands with one of the Harvesters. She swore under her breath, and Ren was instantly peeking out the window next to her.

“Of course the IPF is working with them,” she said in a growl. She turned to glare at Tek. “If you’re going to betray us, just do it now and get it over with.” Tek stared at Ren in shock.

“Ren, I’m a Raeyen,” she sputtered. “I’m not going to betray you after I only just found you!” Ren gave her a searching look and finally a short nod. She seemed about to say something when there was a pounding on the door.

“This is the IPF. You have been surrounded. We know you are holding one of our agents. Release her and we can work this out harmlessly.” Tek rolled her eyes. Jarna loved using megaphones. She glanced at Ren, who seemed to consider Jarna’s offer for a moment, before nodding to Tek again.

“Shut it Jarna, you asshat!” Tek called from inside. “I’m not a captive here and you know it. If you think Graves hasn’t heard about this already, you’re an idiot.” There was a pause, and when Jarna spoke again, he sounded irritated.

“So be it,” he said. “And I don’t think you called Graves. You checked in with me and I’ve been monitoring your communicator ever since. Goodbye, Detective.” There was a moment of ominous silence, and then the front door exploded inward. Harvester flunkies stepped forward and tossed oblong shapes into the darkness, and Tek reacted immediately. Tackling Ren to the floor, Tek squeezed her eyes shut and then clamped a hand over Ren’s. There was a blinding flash of light, along with a hazy mist that floated at the top of the room. The mist was giving off a small glow, causing eerie shadows to fill the sanctuary. Tek crouched by Ren.

“The mist will knock you out,” she explained. “So we have to stay low, and we have to move quickly before it starts to fall.”

“It lights the room and works as a weapon,” Ren whispered, looking upwards at the mist in awe. Tek smacked her, and the customary glare returned. Ren gestured to their left.

“Let’s move towards Kyen,” she said. Across the sanctuary gunfire erupted, along with shouts and screams of pain. The two women crawled across the floor, dodging pews, until Tek ran straight into Kyen. He grunted in surprise.

“I’m assuming that’s bad?” he asked Tek, pointing up at the mist that had started to slowly move closer to the floor. She nodded, and he turned to his sister.

“I told the basement to evacuate,” he said. “With the IPF involved, the Harvesters have too much firepower for us to resist. Retreat is the only option.” Ren’s face crumpled in sadness, but she quickly replaced it with hostility. The sound of approaching boots stopped the huddled conversation. All three of them moved at once, Ren slicing low and Tek and Kyen both moving upward. Tek reached the Harvester first with an elbow to the neck. He made a weird gurgle noise as Ren swept his feet out from under him. Kyen was there immediately with a knife to the chest. He stood up halfway, ducking under the mist, and looked up at Tek.

“This is war,” he said with a shrug. More gunfire and shouts came, closer this time.

“This way,” Kyen whispered loudly, and Tek followed him and Ren blindly through the sanctuary, almost smashing into Ren’s back when she stopped suddenly. Kyen had his hands up and was backing away from the exit he’d been leading them towards. In front of him, three Harvesters had weapons trained on the group, with Jarna at the front.

“Ah, K’Nani,” Jarna said when he spotted her. “Couldn’t take my opening earlier, and then didn’t have the good sense to just die in the battle.” He shook his head like a disappointed father. Suddenly Kyen lurched to the left, yanking the gun away from the Harvester and dislocating the man’s shoulder in the process. He raised the gun and fired as he was tackled from behind by the others. The bullet grazed Jarna’s temple, though he only slightly flinched. Tek and Ren had barely had time to think, much less move, and it was too late now. Strong hands grabbed them both from behind as the other Harvesters arrived.

Jarna calmly wiped blood from the wound then stepped over to Kyen and viciously kicked him in the head. Kyen dropped to the floor in a heap, and Ren shouted in fury, struggling against her captors. Jarna smiled.

“Spunky,” he said. “Good for you.” He looked over at the newcomers and one stepped forward.

“We checked the basement, sir,” the man said. “No sign of anyone else, and no sign of an alternate exit.” Jarna’s face twisted in anger.

“Check it again!” he shouted. “The rest of them were in here, we know this. Find it, or I’ll have to, and that will cost you.” The man saluted, then ran off into the darkness. Tek noticed that the mist was slowly falling down to face level, so she hung her head lower.

“There there, K’Nani,” he sneered at her. “If you tell us where your friends went, I’ll let you die quickly.” Tek lifted her head, and then spit at Jarna’s feet. The anger filled his face again, but this time, he said nothing and just nodded to the Harvesters behind her. She felt someone go through her pockets and remove her communicator, then toss it to Jarna who scrolled through it.

“Ah, just as I suspected,” he said with a smile. “You didn’t call Graves after all.” He dropped the communicator on the ground, and destroyed it with a booted stomp.

“Here’s the plan. Those two will be harvested,” he said, gesturing to Ren and Kyen, who was still limp but seemed to be breathing. Jarna then pointed at Tek.

“I’ll take care of this one. We’ll make it look like the IPF was investigating some sort of gang related disturbance that got out of hand.” Another Harvester saluted and led Ren away into the darkness. Others lifted Kyen to a sitting position, and his eyes fluttered open to stare at Tek. Jarna pulled out his gun and leveled it at her face.

“You had a nice run, Detective,” he said. “But it ends here. I won’t lie and say this doesn’t give me great pleasure.” Tek snapped her head back suddenly, connecting with the chin of the Harvester behind her. The man dropped with a grunt, his weight pulling Tek to the ground with him. She heard Jarna’s gun fire above her, and she rolled to her right to kick the man next to her in the side of the knee. There was an audible pop and the man fell to the ground with a scream. Tek scrambled to her feet, careful to stay crouched below the falling mist, and then dove over a pew as Jarna fired again. Landing hard on the floor, she paused a moment to catch her breath, then squirmed under the pew. She wormed her way under the pews in the direction they’d taken Ren. Behind her, she could hear Jarna screaming.

“Get the lights on, and find the goddamn woman!”

Tek stopped at the end of the line of pews. She could see the door she’d entered with Ren, seemingly hours ago. Booted steps caused her to wait, and a couple Harvesters soon walked into view. They were dragging Kyen between them. Tek hesitated for a moment, and then scrambled out from under the pew. She slipped in behind the man on the left, then yanked his belt knife out and stabbed him in the ribs. The man lunged forward with a shout of pain, and Tek leapt over him. The second man reacted well, throwing a punch instead of wasting time bringing his gun up. Tek had to twist around to take the blow on her shoulder, which meant that her throw of the knife went awry. The blade buried itself in the center of the man’s neck, and he fell to the floor with a burble. Kyen was looking at her from the floor, and she shrugged at him.

“Sometimes you get lucky,” she said, then hoisted him by the armpits and dragged him towards the door.

“Tek, I can walk, I think,” he said shakily as she reached the door, so she helped him to his feet. It seemed they’d somehow found a gap in the perimeter and Tek was unwilling to waste any more of it.

“Kyen, we’ve got to move!” she said, and shoved the door open. Tek stepped out into the night with Kyen stumbling out behind her. They were on the opposite side of the church from where Jarna’s ship had landed, which provided shadow cover for them. Blessedly, there were no Harvesters patrolling the exterior.

“What’s that way?” Tek asked, pointing straight out over what looked to be a field. Kyen shook his head.

“There’s a river,” he answered, words somewhat slurred. “Steep drop.” Tek considered for a moment.

“Has anyone ever jumped from here?” she asked. Kyen nodded, then grimaced in pain.

“Yes,” he said. “But not everyone survives.” The door burst open, and Jarna rushed out followed by three more Harvesters.

“Guess we’re going to try it!” Tek exclaimed, breaking into a run and yanking Kyen with her. Jarna fired after her, but the shot missed. Fortunately, he’s always sucked at shooting, she thought. Then they were through the field and racing towards the cliff.

“Tek!” Kyen called in a sort of question and yell combination, but Tek ignored him. Kyen paused at the edge of the cliff, but Tek didn’t break stride. She grabbed his arm as she ran by, and then threw both of them off the edge. Rushing air filled her lungs and ears, but the last thing she saw was Jarna’s stupid face peering over the ledge and then fading as she tumbled downwards.

Tek pulled herself from the water with a gasp and a last burst of desperate energy. Then she reached back and lugged Kyen to the bank as well. Breathing hard, she rolled him over to see if he still had a pulse. Before she could check, the man gagged and coughed, water drooling out of his mouth.

“Tek,” he croaked. “We’re alive.”

“Somehow we are,” she agreed, looking back at the river. The rapids were visible in the distance, and she could almost feel the disorienting chaos she’d felt moments ago.

“What do we do now?” Kyen said, strengthening enough to move to a sitting position. Tek’s lips flattened in a grim line as she looked at the rising suns.

“Now we kill Donald Jarna.”