05 | trial by fire
As the ship spiraled downward, down, down, down, Seonid gripped the armrests tightly, trying to stay in her seat. Tessa was everywhere, pressing buttons, slamming hatches. Sirens blared, and warning lights everywhere were flashing as Tessa desperately tried to keep the ship steady.
“Shit,” Tessa swore, eyes wide. That in itself was unexpected; Tessa never cursed. “Seatbelt, your seatbelt, Seonid!”
My whaa…Oh. Seonid hastily buckled the device before the floor of the shuttle creaked and tilted, sliding Tessa away from her line of vision. There was a flash of bright light, a thud, and then Seonid remembered no more.
–
“Sit up.” A hand was shaking her, over and over.
“Mmm…” Seonid rolled over, groaning. Her whole body felt like it was on fire, and she just wanted to sleep. “Leave me alone-ugh…”
With a vicious yank, Tessa pulled her up. Seonid yelped as her head struck metal. She opened her eyes, sunlight blinding her as she tried to get her bearings. They were on the roof of a flat, concrete building, the wreckage of their ship strewn across it. A vast, metallic city stretched out below them. “Where are we?”
“Earth. New Rastabaria.” Tessa’s mouth was a tight line, her face smeared with ash and grease, her voice tense. “Come on, we have to go.”
“Earth? But I don’t know anyone here!” Seonid exclaimed.
“There’s a Centauriian embassy downtown, by the Federated Union’s Congress building. You can go there, get help, and…em, tell them what happened.”
She means, how I allowed the galaxy to get taken over by idiots. “Right,” Seonid said gloomily, staggering to her feet. “In that case, we’d best get going. Do you know the way?”
Tessa’s arm steadied her. “Of course. I was born here.”
••
Tessa’s mind raced as they moved through the streets, the adrenaline that the capital of the Federation often inspired coursing through her veins. But for her it was different. As they moved through the streets, the old instincts started to kick in. Duck under awnings, watch for cameras. Even a stray cell phone is dangerous. Hood up, eyes down, but hand on your weapon. Glance behind you ever so often to make sure you’re not being followed. If you are being followed, go into a store, but don’t buy anything. Pay for everything in cash, and make sure you get exact change back. Behind her, Seonid huffed and puffed, but Tessa’s breakneck speed got them to a cheap motel that smelled vaguely of sour milk and cigarettes. This time, she let Seonid take the lead, watching as the duchess did what she did best-talk. Before long, she and the woman behind the check-in desk were chatting like old friends, and a swipe of Seonid’s debit card bought them a room.
As soon as they entered, Seonid declared she was going to take a bath in the terrible shower, then disappeared into the bathroom, leaving Tessa to ponder the implications of what had just happened. The duchess was taking it remarkably well, though Tessa couldn’t help but think that this was a facade to prevent her concern. She is still a child in many ways.
There was a knock at the door. She tensed, called out nervously, “Who is it?”
“Room service.” growled a deep voice.
Room service? We didn’t order any.
She kept quiet, and then, with a crash, the door fell down as a giant of a man rammed into it. He was bulky, immense, dressed in black leather, with olive skin and a shaved head. “Where is the Duchess Seonid?”
Tessa responded with a swift kick to the face, but the man was faster. He grabbed her foot and flung her onto the floor, winding her. Hearing the crash, Seonid came rushing out half dressed, and the assassin lunged for her. Tessa shot upwards, using her entire weight to wrap her legs around his waist and her arms around his head. He sputtered, choking, but then he reached up with his black-gloved hands and wrapped one around her throat. Slowly, inexplicably, she felt her throat bubble and burn, as if fire was on his hands. Acid. With the last vestiges of her strength she kicked him in the stomach and he winced, releasing her. She rolled, grabbed her knife and ran at him.
He was strong, but she was fast and half mad with adrenaline, so frenzied in her furious stabbing she barely could feel his hands groping for her as his blood-slick body slumped to the ground. Gradually, she became aware of someone saying, “Tessa, Tessa…” but the voice faded until she was furiously shaken by a pale-faced Seonid.
“What..?” She was about to say something, but then they saw a line of black cars emblazoned with the Centauriian sun pull up to the motel. She let Seonid pull her to her feet and lead her to the men outside.
What did I just do?