The Children of Venus by H.B. Nuttall

Author:H.B. Nuttall [Nuttall, H.B.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: space, Alien, Spaceship, Stars, strong female
Publisher: Cleere House Press LLC
Published: 2022-08-13T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter 17: Found

GOMEZ WAS NOWHERE TO be found.

“Damn, I told her to stay put!” Cocteau kicked the wall next to the lift.

“You left her alone?” Wilson brushed his wet, sweat ridden hair from his forehead. “Of course she wandered off!”

Already worried enough about Gomez, there was no telling what she was capable of alone. He imagined a series of dangers that awaited her, defenseless without her full mind intact and without guidance.

“It’s not like I could take her to get you,” Cocteau said.

“Why not?” Wilson couldn’t believe this was happening. “If you just—ahh!”

As if out of nowhere, Gomez fell against him, panting.

A wave of relief washed over him. “Thank god.”

“I told you to stay put,” Cocteau chastised. “Where did you go?”

“I-I,” Gomez hummed nonsensically.

Wilson knew there was no point in lecturing Gomez. Reasoning while in her mania bore little result.

“It’s okay,” Wilson said, helping her steady herself. As much as he hated being startled, it meant that she was safe, that she was alive. “We’re here now, you’re okay.”

Gomez stopped humming. She looked-up, doe-eyed. “Oh, I found you Dr. Wilson.”

“You sure did,” Cocteau said sardonically.

“We can’t do this without him, you know” Gomez said dreamily, stroking Wilson’s arm. “Or without me.”

Or we could, Cocteau mouthed silently to Wilson.

“That’s enough,” Wilson said gently, pulling her hands off.

Cocteau paced in front of the lift. “Do you think it’s safe to use this thing?”

“I think so,” Wilson said twirling his recognition coin in his fingers.

“Think so?” Cocteau put a hand on her hip. “You were just on it.”

“I know, it’s just—” he trailed off, thinking about the commanding voice he heard, and the visions of mangled Venusians being reassembled.

“What’s wrong with it?”

“Not with the lift,” Wilson said. “It’s with the Venusians. None of them are down here.”

“Are you sure?” Cocteau said. “Because they were eager to snuff us earlier.”

“They withdrew,” Wilson said, his vision at the forefront of his mind. “When you and Gomez left, something happened. I heard one of them speaking. Not a memory, but a voice that was present. They’ve withdrawn from the lower levels. Their current numbers are not what we think; very few are awake.”

“Awake?” Cocteau put her hands on her hips, “I know it’s supposed to be good news, but you look like our death warrant’s already signed.”

“There are more,” Wilson shook his head. “Oh so much more, and they’re awakening them. Reinforcements, more than we can imagine. They saw what I did to the others with the stone, so they retreated to regroups. They’re going to retaliate.”

“Shit,” Cocteau punched the wall. “How do we get this lift thing working? The longer we wait, the harder it’s going to get.”

“I’m not sure,” he said. “I wasn’t myself till you snapped me out of it, and I don’t recall any Venusian guarding or using the lift. I think they’re too distracted awakening the others. I put a dent in their numbers when I—um well—killed them.”

Cocteau squinted at Wilson. “Killed? When did you kill one of those things?”

“When you found us,” Wilson said.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.