Counter Action (The Aternien Wars Book 4) by G J Ogden

Author:G J Ogden [Ogden, G J]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Ogden Media Ltd
Published: 2023-09-02T16:00:00+00:00

FIFTEEN

THE DEMON

Carter stepped out of the elevator onto the ground floor of Venture Terminal’s promenade. The promenade spanned six decks in total and extended across the entire central section of the bulb-shaped station. It was the location where most of the terminal’s shops, bars and recreation facilities were located, and it also housed the station’s two sprawling natural habitats. These indoor parklands were a slice of planetary life transported into orbit, with simulated blue skies and sunlight, mixed with organic, living grass and trees. Ordinarily, the Promenade would have been an oasis where the inhabitants of Venture Terminal congregated to get away from the confines of the station. Now, it was a refugee camp, housing the lucky few who had managed to escape the virus on Terra Seven. Though, as Carter scanned the crude tents and cramped, improvised shelters, all policed by armed gangs of criminals, he wondered whether ‘lucky’ was exactly the right word to use.

“There must be thousands of people on this level alone,” Amaya commented. “They should be getting the help and protection of the Union, but instead they’re crammed in here like animals.”

“I wish we could do more to help them, but until we’ve dealt with the Aternien threat, these gangs will have to wait,” Carter said, though it pained him to be so callous.

A feeling that he was being watched suddenly caused a shiver to rush down his spine, and Carter spun around, but saw nothing suspicious that could have triggered his senses. Then he caught movement in his peripheral vision and looked up to see a group of men and women in Union uniforms swinging from the structural beams high above the promenade. Their wrists and ankles had been bound, and they’d been strung up by their necks like common criminals from a less civilized period of the Union’s history. The man in the center of the group, face blue and tongue bulging out of his mouth like a part-deflated balloon, had a sign around his neck. It read, “Union Filth.”

“We need to disguise our uniforms,” Carter grunted, forcing himself to turn away from the swinging bodies, though the image would be forever ingrained in his memory. “If the gangs see us dressed like this, it won’t be long before bullets start to fly.”

Kendra and Amaya had also seen the bodies hanging above them, but like Carter, neither of them had passed comment. Nothing they could say would have helped to make sense of a senseless act, which meant that any comment was simply a waste of breath. Even so, Carter would not forget what he’d seen, nor would he forgive it, but to find Brodie and stay alive, he had to put his feelings of disgust and anger aside.

“There’s a cluster of makeshift market stalls just over there,” Kendra said, nodding toward a set of tables that had been pulled together about fifty meters away. “It looks like they’re handing out water and food, as well as sleeping bags and clothes to anyone who needs them.

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