Cantral The Entra

A pawn for his plans.

I run across the lake with sliding steps towards Ramet. She's stood by a tree, leaning against it, breathing deeply. Her helmet is missing, her suit is dented and broken. Dark blue bruises and dried blood adorn her swollen face. But she's alive. I want to run into her, I want to fall into the snow laughing but I don't. I can't.

I can't because her body reeks of pain and injury, because mine does too. But there's another reason, Haroc's dead now. Did she mean what she said? Was our hate for Haroc what kept us together? Who are we now without Haroc, without the Empire?

"Cantral," Ramet gasps as she clutches her side, "where is... Haroc?"

I place Ramet's arm over my shoulders and we walk towards the ship. "He's dead."

"Good," she whispers, "I'll be more... excited when... I'm healed."

We near the ship and Zafira stands in the doorway before disappearing inside to allow us entry.

"I opened the incubation unit for you," Zafira says, as she hops back and forth on her feet.

Ramet steps into the unit and the door slides closed. Through the glass front I watch as wires sneak from concealed outlets. They puncture the veins in her wrists, and one snakes into the hole at the base of her skull, it connects to her brain. She's unconscious now, no longer in pain.

A flash comes from within the unit, a full body scan and I read through the information that populates the screen. I tap the touchscreen, the button that reads, heal fully. A small sinister choice. I used to ask Haroc why it was an option, surely everyone would want to be healed completely. Haroc would simply laugh, he told me that one day I would understand. And now, I do.

"I need to find Fendan," I say to Zafira as I exit the ship, "you should say here."

Zafira jogs after me. "You're in pain too, you should go in an incubation unit."

"Fendan needs it more than me."

We leave the ice and step once more into the forest. Memories flash, years' old, of healing Fendan from Haroc's rage, but this will be the last time. Zafira takes my hand and I realise I'm trembling all over. Cold, pain and fear. What state will Fendan be in? How bad will he look?

I continue to follow my previous tracks through the snow. A slow and steady walk. My body won't allow more. Pain expands with every step, an all-over ache. The chill in the air makes me want to keel over, to lie down in the snow and go to sleep one last time.

Zafira squeezes my hand. "You never give up, Cantral, you're strong."

"Yeah," I whisper, "I don't give up."

I stop and stare ahead at the mound of black metal and blue flesh. The snow around Fendan is coloured blue, the colour of the evening sky, the colour of Fendan's blood.

Bile rises in my throat as I near Fendan. Haroc knew what he was doing, he knew how to make people suffer, how to keep them alive. I heard horror stories about the lowest level of Prime and until now, I never quite believed them. Entra aren't supposed to partake in torture. It goes against the Theory of Energy. It goes against everything Haroc preached, but he could find a way to justify anything.

Zafira releases my hand and I squat in the snow beside Fendan. His eyes are open, glazed, and he stares up to the canopy. I slide my hands beneath him and lift him from the ground. My strength falters, my arms shake, my legs wobble. I should have healed myself first.

"You can do it," Zafira stares up at me with wide yellow eyes, "I know you can."

"I can," I say with a sudden belief and my stride becomes more confident.