Empyrean Iris Story Collection Vol. 3

Barely Alive

Five tracking beacons lit up their displays, and with a wave of his hand, the first marine ordered the others into an open zig zag pattern with him on point and the light machine gun out to one side halfway between front and back.

The Mercenary's shuttle was no more than a few hundred yards away, and they hurried across the open clearing with quick but cautious steps stacking up on either side of the closed shuttle door.

Admiral Vir turned his back on the shuttle, leveling the light machine gun with both hands, sweeping from one side to the other as his mechanical green eye locked in with the sights on his weapon.

Ramirez fell in on one side of the door, while Maverick took the other side. One of their larger marines stood in front of Ramirez, who reached out and patted the big man on the back, giving him the go ahead to open the door.

Light broke through the clouds from above and rolled across the lush, green landscape before vanishing as the clouds closed up again.

There was no sound.

Not but the distant wine of the circling shuttle engine.

The big marine inched forward and knocked his fist hard into the door, "UNSC, is anyone in there!"

His voice echoed hollowly against the metal shell of the shuttle, bouncing off and into the fog around them. The Admiral shivered as he sensed a ripple of noise dissipate out into the mist. His heart throbbed uneasily, and he felt the distinct, and oddly specific, sense of being a fly caught in the web of a spider, his every movement a vibration sending signals up the web and towards the sleeping arachnid.

There was no answer from inside the shuttle, and the marine quickly applied the overload charge that would give him outside control of the shuttle door.

It didn't take long, and with a sharp beep, the door hissed open.

The marine quickly swung it open as Ramirez and Maverick swung around on their heels, lighting up the interior with the cutting light of their flashlights. The interior of the shuttle was oddly dark, light spilling inwards illuminating the swirling pattern of lazy dust motes disturbed by the sudden outside current of air. They spun around in tight winding spirals as the marines stepped through the door, their boots clanking on the metallic shuttle floor.

Ramirez swung his weapon to the right, and Maverick swung her weapon to the left, with all the quickness their training had forced into them.

"Clear!"

"I have a body."

The words were spoken simultaneously, and Ramirez turned sharply on the spot sweeping the beam of his flashlight around in a tight arc so that both of their lights now illuminated the slumped form of a tall, six-armed body.

The Drev lay against the far wall of the shuttle, slumped where she had fallen: her chin resting against her chest, her arms hanging out to either side of her. The light of their flashlights glittered off her yellow carapace, strangely dull and lifeless in the sharp cutting light of their flashlights.

Maverick stepped closer, her boot landing between the splayed legs of the Drev, leaning in to examine the body. Ramirez held back, covering her from behind as his stomach churned. He had often experienced nervousness when on a mission, but the brick that settled in his chest was made of heated led and seemed intent on burning its way down to his feet where it would remain.

Maverick gingerly tilted the Drev's head to the side, fingers pressing into the soft flesh of her neck, just under her jaw.

Ramirez shifted uncomfortably.