***
The helicopter swung out and forward, its searchlight fixed on a spot several yards ahead of Dawn. It dipped down almost on a level with Dawn.
Dawn lay motionless with her head and right shoulder hanging over the edge. She slowly dragged herself back onto the ledge, scrambled back to the cliff face, and pulled herself to her feet.
She carefully removed the fluorescent jacket, and bundled it tight as she edged forward towards the focus of the search beam. The air pressure increased with every step and blew her harder against the cliff face until she was forced to stop. She pushed the jacket between her legs and clung on desperately, her back pressed hard against the wall.
She knew the helicopter would have to rise above the cliff before its Marine detachment could make a rope descent down to the ledge.
When it did, she was ready.
She stepped forward swiftly and threw the fluorescent jacket high into the search beam. The jacket billowed and swirled downwards and out. When the beam followed it, Dawn darted into a tunnel entrance.
She crashed into the far wall and stumbled sideways through puddles. She had no time to stop and rub her grazed forehead or bruised shoulder. Her extraordinary eyesight quickly acclimatized to the blackness. She reached for the crystal on the chain round her neck and held it up in front of her. It emitted a faint, turquoise glow.
The searchlight illuminated the ledge outside again and quickly lit up the tunnel entrance. Dawn swiftly stepped deeper into the tunnel. She stumbled into the dark as the searchlight faded behind her with every step. She continued to tap her right hand along the wall until she reached a fork.
She held the crystal out in front of her and waved it between the two tunnels. “Empress Aletheia,” she chanted, “guide me with sureness and swiftness of foot to that which I seek.” Its luminance increased to the left so she headed in that direction, guided by the faint glow of the crystal and a chill breeze in her face. She skipped briskly over the puddles and confidently ignored the two bats that zipped past at head height.
Ahead of her was a pale light. Behind her she heard the echo of heavy boots. Dawn darted towards the light. She stumbled several times and bounced from wall to wall. She fell forward, stumbled, and burst into a large cave on all fours.
In front of her, a small tracked recon droid trundled round in a circle below a small shaft in the roof. It stopped and turned slowly, awkwardly, towards Dawn. Its lights, and, Dawn deduced, cameras, swung round. Dawn crawled along the wet ground, and slid into a shallow pool of water for cover. She gasped at the cold shock, and shivered as the lights swept above her.
She scrambled out to the back of the lights’ arc and saw ahead, in their faint outer radius, what their full glare would reveal to the vehicle’s operator next. She sprang to her feet and darted behind the droid. Any moment now, it would discover what she had come here to find. But, how to stop it?
The droid lurched forward. Its right front wheel fell into a crevice. The lights and cameras swung down for the operator to view the problem. Dawn smiled and looked ahead to a ledge where an alien lay huddled, visibly frightened. The alien turned to her and Dawn felt a sudden intense stabbing pain. She looked compassionately at the creature and focused on its head and communicated telepathically. //I can feel your pain. You are so badly hur,.//
The droid’s other three wheels spun furiously. It rocked back and forward, dipped down then burst free. Dawn leapt away as it shot backwards towards her. The droid skidded on the treacherous floor and crashed into a boulder.
Dawn picked up three small rocks and threw the first one into a pool well away from the alien. The robot’s lights swung in the direction of the splash. Dawn threw the second against the roof. Several stalactites crashed to the ground and into the pool. The droid trundled slowly towards the activity and Dawn spotted her opportunity.
She rushed forward and grabbed the bottom edge of the chassis. She lifted the droid sideways, and it rolled over into a large pool. Its wheels spun uselessly. The lights fizzled and sparked several times before the electronics died.
Dawn dashed to the creature, and shuddered at the sight of its right leg twisted to the side, with a fragment of bone piercing the skin. The creature’s left hand clutched its broken right arm to its side as it looked up pitifully. Dawn sat down on the left and gently embraced it. The creature’s mental projection of its terrible pain stunned her. Dawn responded //They’ve captured your co-pilot and I’m afraid they’re not going to treat him well. I won’t let anybody hurt you I promise.//
She pulled the creature closer, wrapped her left arm around its head cradled the back of its skull in her hand. Dawn shook her head and cut the mental connection between the pair of them. She tried desperately to think of her mother ascending to the throne. But, the happy thoughts would not come. Only images of pain and death assailed her mind.
She kissed the creature’s forehead, and choked back tears. “I won’t let them harm you.” She tightened her grip on its skull then twisted sharply. Crack! Dawn burst into tears as the creature’s lifeless body slumped into her lap.
She sobbed and held it tightly, totally oblivious to the four Marines who burst into the cave. A hand pulled at her arm. “Ma’am? We need you to let go of the creature.”
“She’s dead,” Dawn sobbed. “She’s dead.” She felt a terrible nausea well up in her stomach.
One Marine gently prized her arms open and said, “you’re safe with us ma’am.”
The sergeant tugged the creature away from her. Dawn gagged, and raised her hand to her mouth. The Marine pulled her to her feet. Then she threw up all over him.
The Marine recoiled in horror as the wall of vomit covered him from his face to his boots, much to the amusement of the others. One called out, “Gibson, you always had that effect on women.” The other Marines laughed mercilessly at Gibson’s distress.
Dawn slumped next to the creature on the rock and sobbed, “I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” She wiped the vomit from her mouth and bent down to rinse her face and hands.
The sergeant reached down to the corpse and said, “Let’s get this piece of dung out of here.”
Before he could touch the creature, Dawn leapt up and grabbed his throat. “Leave her alone!” she whispered menacingly then pushed him backwards. “Nobody touches her.” The sergeant fixed Dawn with a look of disgust as he wiped his neck. “What? You’re gonna take on all of us?”
“Leave her alone,” Dawn threatened.
The sergeant stepped forward. “So you’re the bird that put DeLaney on his ass, are you?”
“That’s enough,” yelled Langan from the cave entrance.
The Marines turned to face him.
Dawn scooped water from a puddle, her eyes fixed on the sergeant. Langan and his driver strode towards the group as Dawn washed her face. Dawn sat huddled over the creature. All eyes turned to her.
Langan looked across sympathetically at Dawn then said, calmly “It’s alright, sergeant. We’ll handle it from here.”
Chapter Five
The Call