Kennedy squinted at thepatch of sky which Kay was still focused on and then back atNaiche. “Yeah, me neither.”
They spent a restlessnight, Con getting little sleep, Naiche none, as they watched thesky for any signs of peerazu – all the while feeling the groundshake every couple of hours. At daybreak, Decker had theLovelace crew up andreadying for the trek back to the Aurora.
The Aurora scouting party, as nervousabout the sling-bridge as Croker had been, made such painfully slowprogress that their crossing was interrupted by another quake. Theyoungest member of the group, a girl named Moira Finnegan, hadtaken a few steps onto the bridge when the tremor hit. Sheimmediately started screaming in alarm. Quan, who was right behindher, advised the frightened girl to drop down onto the floor of thebridge until the motion passed. But Moira was near hysteria andsimply clung to the netting, wailing, and screeching so loudly thatthe sound echoed up and down the canyon.
As soon as the tremorended, Betang hurried over and attempted to calm the panic-strickengirl. She ended up practically dragging Moira across. Suddenly, Kayscented the air and started growling nonstop. Con and Naicheswiftly checked their hand scanners for any sign of approachingdanger. The news was not good.
“Everybody off thebridge,” Kennedy ordered. “Get to this side. Now!”
From the reaction of theirCOs, Kapoor and Quan didn’t need to ask what threat was on the way– they immediately got to work clearing the remaining three peopleoff the bridge.
“What? What is it?” Crokeryelled.
There was no time to answerand by the time the four Tactical personnel had readied theirparticle rifles, the peerazu was in sight.
The animal headed right forthe largest group of humans, diving towards them, murderous intentplain in its yellow eyes. Moira started screaming again and wasjoined at a slightly lower volume by several other members of herteam.
The Lovelace crew formed a small knot infront of and away from the others. When the mammoth creature waswithin thirty-feet, Kennedy gave the signal and all four particlerifles blasted away, aiming directly at its head. As was theirgoal, this drew the peerazu’s full attention onto them. Theyadeptly split into two factions so one group could keep firing,while the other was dodging the deadly fluid the peerazuperiodically spewed at them. After ten minutes of pitched battle,Decker made a direct hit on one monstrous eye; the peerazu shriekedout an ear-splitting scream of pain and soared upward but continuedto circle them malevolently. Breathing heavily, all four kept theirrifles trained on the creature and, after a few minutes’ impasse,it finally flew away.
It took about ten minutesuntil the Aurora crew were all calm enough to continue on their way. Crokercaught up with Decker and Kennedy to explain that he had been usinghis own weapon to guard the others or would have joined them inbattle.
While Deck was choking downher instinctive response that guarding and shaking with fear wereapparently indistinguishable with him, Betang said, “I thank youfor your brave defense of us all, but I must know – what if thecreature returns while we’re crossing the next chasm? It’s muchwider and we may not be able to get off of the bridge intime.”
Con responded, “In thatunlikely event, everyone should drop down immediately.” Moreloudly, he announced, “If it looks like you can’t get off thebridge in time, stay low and we’ll fight if off again.”
When they broke for lunch,Deck quietly asked Con, “So what happens if we’ve got people on thebridge at the next canyon and that thing comes back, spewing acidat them? Even if it misses, that stuff will eat right into thebridge.”
“Well, in that case,”Kennedy said, “we’re fucked.”
Though Decker thought she’dspotted the peerazu high in the sky several times, they made it tothe next crevasse without further incident. Quan and Kapoor quicklydeployed the bridge, anxious to get this last crossing over with.The group’s progress was interrupted by a quake and the four peopleon the bridge at the time had no choice but to hang on and ride itout. Deck and Kay were waiting with the last few people, as she wasintending to cross last, when Naiche noticed Moira kept hangingback, insisting everyone else go before her.
Firmly, but not unkindly,Decker advised, “You’re gonna have to cross sooner or later – mightas well just get it over with."
“I will! Don’t rush me,”Finnegan wailed. When her turn came, she made several false startsbefore falling to the ground crying, “I can’t, I can’t do it. Isimply can’t!”
Decker urged her to get upand onto the bridge but when Moira weepily refused, she decided itwas time to take the expedient measure of picking the recalcitrantgirl up and carrying her across. This plan was interrupted when Kaystarted growling as furiously as before; Deck immediately commedKennedy with the report that the same trouble was likely headedtheir way. Moira’s cries swelled to shrieks upon overhearing thatnews. Decker grabbed her by the waist and pulled her over to astone outcropping. She left her huddled there with Kay and went tosee if she could assist the others in fighting off thepeerazu.
By that time, the creaturewas dive-bombing the group on the other side of the chasm – therewas little Decker could do but watch. She was weighing the optionof risking a run across the bridge to join the fight when Kapoorblasted the animal in the wing tip, drawing blood. The peerazuretreated to the upper atmosphere, seeming ready to concededefeat.
Abruptly the creaturecircled back and flew straight at Decker. She instantly calculatedthere being exactly one chance of surviving the imminent attack –and that was to hit the peerazu in the identical spot where Kapoorhad drawn blood. Everything else retreated from her notice asNaiche inhaled deeply, concentrating intently on her target. Herentire body vibrated with the strain of waiting until the animalwas close enough for a sure shot but still too far away to gushacid at her. To maintain her calm focus, Deck whispered to herselfthe continuous chant, “Wait for it, wait for it….” Finally, shefully exhaled, held her breath – and pulled the trigger. For oneheart-stopping moment the peerazu maintained its deadly trajectory,signaling to Decker that she had missed the mark.
The
