Justice

CHAPTER ONE

A nearby explosion rocked the ground, sending a wave of hot air searing between the broken buildings. Smoke curled up from burnt out vehicles, while falling bricks and the sound of gunfire filled the air. Another barrage of shots sounded, followed by an anguished scream.

Nova ran as fast as she could towards a section of the fallen tower. Broken pieces of civilisation surrounded her but she paid them no attention. To either side she could hear the shouts and running footsteps of her fellow Hunters. Her gaze remained focused on her target.

She came level with the hunk of broken concrete and dived behind its meagre cover. Enemy fire chipped pieces of rock off the top, raining it down onto her shoulders. The rough dirt was filled with sharp pieces of glass and rock that dug into her hands and left bleeding cuts. Other bounty hunters knelt in the dirt at her side.

What the hell is that thing? a young man with black hair yelled over the din.

Nova sat panting as she checked her gun and examined the cut on her palm. Blood dribbled down, making her hand slippery. Her breathing came fast and hard; she sounded like a bellows from the Resources District. Her chest ached with the pain of her mad dash for survival. It had all happened so quickly; she’d barely had time to think. Her heart beat out an irregular pattern, thrumming under her ribs like a tribal drum.

The sounds of gunshots drew closer. An explosion to their right erupted in a column of flame and debris. Pieces of broken buildings shot up into the air and came crashing down, shaking the ground like small earthquakes and sending out smaller showers of dirt. The percussion of the explosion washed over her ears and left them ringing.

She ducked her head under her arms while the chunks of building fell. She took a deep breath and shot to her feet, eyeing the enemy. A second later she knelt back behind the wall.

The massive creature looked human although it towered at least twice the height of any man she had ever seen. The man-creature wore heavy armour that repelled any kind of bullet fired at it and reflected the small fires burning across the broken city-scape. Dark clouds swirling overhead were mirrored in the metal shoulders and the sound of its footsteps echoed, making the ground shudder.

The thing had deadly accuracy. The large gun at its side fried anyone unlucky enough to be caught in the blast. Blue bolts of energy streamed through the air, shattering walls, windows, and bodies with equal ferocity. The air sizzled with the power of the shots as static electricity built up across the planet’s surface.

Nova tried to run through options but her head pounded with the sound of battle. Sweat dripped into her eyes and the cut in her hand ached. Her lungs wheezed for air as she recovered from her mad sprint. The worst thing was the screams. They echoed all around her, pained and anguished. She tried not to think about them too much; terrified that she would recognise one of them.

It was supposed to be a simple reconnaissance mission; Aart was sure the Confederacy had a base of operations running from the planet. Too bad for Nova and the Hunters, he’d been right. Nova winced as the events of the last hour replayed in her mind.

They’d landed without a problem, twelve trusted Hunters, and advanced on the city. Smoke swirled up from broken buildings and charred bodies littered the road.

What the hell? Gus said, alarmed.

They’ve already made their move, Aart whispered.

Deeper in the city they found a Confederacy cruiser; a burning hole cut through the central panels sending black smoke into the air. A trail of damage spread out from the vehicle into the rest of the city. Confederacy soldiers in charred uniforms lay alongside dead citizens.

Someone got here before us, said Orion.

I don’t think so, said Nova. Look at the way the damage comes out of the cruiser and just keeps going. The Confederacy idiots brought it with them. Whatever it is.

But where is everyone? said Orion.

Nova bit her lip. I think they’re either dead or hiding. This place looks like a ghost planet.

The Hunters stood in silence, surveying the damage. Nova’s hands twitched on her gun, ready in case the enemy leaped from cover. In the quiet a new noise came drifting on the air. It sounded like construction equipment, working at full throttle.

This way! Nova called, dashing towards the noise.

Looking back, they should have left the planet right then, but at the time she needed to know what had happened. She needed to find out what the Confederacy were up to, so that she’d be ready. She had no way to know what they’d discover.

Crap, said Orion.

Nova’s mouth dropped. In the centre of the city an armoured giant wreaked havoc on the surrounding buildings. Its arms swung and took out a skyscraper, sending the top half of the building toppling to the ground in a spray of concrete.

The Confederacy is building super-soldiers, Nova whispered.

We’ve got to take it out, said Aart, stepping out of cover.

Aart, no! Nova said, snatching the back of his shirt and yanking him back. We have no idea what it’s capable of. Look at what it’s already done. We leave, and observe from off-planet.

No way, Aart said, shrugging away Nova’s hand. This is the Confederacy’s latest weapon. We’ve got to take it out while we still have a chance.

He dashed off before Nova could grab hold of him, running at the creature. He took cover behind a crashed ship further up the street and aimed his gun at the giant. He fired once, hitting the soldier in the centre of its chest.

The soldier barely stumbled. It whipped around to face Aart and lifted a gun the size of a cannon.

Nova’s heart leaped into her throat. Without thinking, she sprinted forward, collecting Aart in her arms, and threw them both to the side of the road.

The searing blast of heat ripped past them, turning the crashed ship into a smoking pile of ash and singeing the back of Nova’s legs. She scrambled to her feet and tossed Aart back towards the rest of the Hunters.

Run! she screamed.

I don’t think that’s an option anymore, he said, his eyes glued to the creature.

Nova spun around. The super-soldier bore down on them like a four-tonne transporter, its feet crashing into the ground and leaving craters.

From there it had been a mad dash for survival. Three Hunters died in the first few minutes, while the rest scrambled to stay ahead of the super-soldier.

Nova clenched her injured hand and shook her head to get rid of the memories. If they were going to make it the rest of the way to their ships, she had to focus.

Aart! Go round to the left. Jones, you go right. I’ll take centre. Aim for its head. That seems to be the only place that god-damned armour doesn’t cover. Nova gripped her gun tight and clenched her jaw as she shouted commands.

She brushed sweat from her forehead and licked the sheen from her top lip. She turned her head to each side to check the others were ready.

Fire! she yelled.

The men to either side of her stood and fired, screaming in unison. The heat of battle overcame Nova and her voice joined theirs. Her shoulders vibrated with the power of her gun. It kicked back into her arms but she stood firm.

The three pronged attack slowed the approaching soldier for a few moments; enough time for the three bounty hunters to take aim. They fired and Nova’s heart fluttered as she watched their bullets fly at the creature’s head. She allowed herself to cheer as she watched the bolts slam into its face and begin to burn.

Aart and Jones cried with victory and raised their guns into the air. The large creature stopped in its tracks, the massive footsteps falling quiet for the moment. A burning hole covered half of its face, smoke streaming from the charred flesh. But the creature didn’t collapse.

Nova watched with horrified fascination as the torn muscle began to re-knit itself over the gaping wound. The layers came together and wound around each other, knotting and reattaching. The muscle layers repaired themselves, followed by the skin. The charred ruins transformed themselves into a whole and undamaged face.

The skin, which had been almost completely burnt away spread out from the uninjured areas. The layers reached across the reformed muscle and closed the gaping wound. The creature reached a hand up and tentatively touched the fresh skin. Finding the wound healed, the beast turned to stare at Nova.

Nova backpedalled away from the impossible being. Her head moved from side to side as her mind tried to deny what her eyes had seen. On either side of her, Aart and Jones were similarly falling back, mouths hanging open. Gaping confusion was the only thing they could manage in the face of such impossibility.

A small voice in Nova’s head screamed at her to run, but for now it was overpowered by shock, bolting her feet to the dirt.

Run! the voice told her.

"Run!" the voice was more insistent as the monster raised its gun level with Nova.

RUN!

It wasn’t until a blue bolt careened through the air that Nova’s legs finally began to work. She pushed herself to the side and narrowly missed the oncoming fire. She leaped to her feet and sprinted through the fiery ruins.

Get out of here! she bellowed at the other Hunters. In her mind she reached out for Cal. Cal! Get ready to go, we’re in trouble.

Confirmed, Cal said.

Nova’s feet pounded on the ground. The only thought in her head was to get back to the ships. They’d gone too far in search of the Confederacy soldiers. Now her life depended on getting back to Crusader.

She could still hear Aart and Jones on either side of her, and more Hunters sprinted in front of her. A small part of her was relieved that they’d at least made it this far. The relief was quickly replaced by the sound of the pursuing footsteps beating into her consciousness. The buildings on either side shuddered with the force of the steps. Nova’s neck tingled as she imagined the creature levelling its gun at the back of her head.

Down, Nova! Gus’s voice bellowed from somewhere to Nova’s left.

She dived for the ground, her elbows scraping the pavement and leaving behind tatters of skin. Stinging pain shot up her arms as she tucked her head down, her forehead pressing against the rough dirt.

A blast of energy careened over her head. The heat rolled over her in a wave that burned her exposed flesh. The air became so hot that it stung to breathe, leaving her lungs scorched and a deep ache in her chest. Sharp tears came to her eyes as she coughed and spluttered, pushing herself back to her feet.

She hobbled forward, glancing back in time to see Gus firing at the super-soldier, drawing its focus. She turned back to her arms, they glowed red as if she’d been sunbaking for days. The skin pulled tight, as if it had shrunk in the last few seconds and each movement made it stretch, sending new shots of pain through her.

She gasped, but kept moving. The fear gave her a new burst of speed and she powered on past broken ruins and smoking rubble. The ancient city hadn’t been much when they’d got here; now there was nothing left. The historical structures were either burning or crumbled and there wasn’t any sign left of the incredible artistry which had gone into the civilisation. Which only left the question, what was the Confederacy doing on a planet like this?

In the distance, highlighted by a number of fires, was Crusader. The simple ship looked as if it almost belonged here amongst the rubble, but Nova had never been happier to see the beat-up craft. The dents, scrapes, and missing paint made her heart rise. She had a chance. She could make it.

In a group around Crusader were the other ships. A part of Nova knew that some of them would never leave the planet; she had seen her companion Hunters fall to the creature’s bullets. But for now she pushed the thoughts from her mind. For now all that mattered was getting to Crusader.

At first the ship was over one hundred metres away, an impossible distance to cover with the creature hot on her heels. Her breath burned in her lungs as her feet pounded on, wheeling in a frenzied sprint. She looked up again and the ship was fifty metres, ten metres, one metre… and then Nova was falling through Crusader’s sliding door. She hit the metal floor hard, choking on the smoke that had filled her over-worked lungs. Behind her, Crusader’s door slid closed and the noise of battle outside quietened somewhat.

Provide cover fire! she yelled through her coughs.

Crusader’s engines sprung to life beneath her prone body, sending the ship into the air. The caustic smoke and heat had burned away the lining of her throat and lungs and they seared with agony. She wheezed in a desperate attempt for more air as she coughed and spluttered.

She used the wall to drag her scorched body off the floor, before stumbling to the command pod. Just as she was about to turn the final corner, a buzzing sound caught her attention. She managed to step to one side just before the orb-like robot careened through the air she had vacated. The robot stopped and whirled around until it hovered level with Nova’s face.

Systems indicate urgent medical attention is required. Please prepare for scanning, the Class 4 Labourbot said in a mechanical voice.

I’m fine Cal, Nova said, waving her hand at him. It was the wrong gesture, in a single second Cal had grabbed hold of Nova’s wrist with a thin pincer and his single lens-like eye gazed intently at the cut. The robot’s inner workings could