The Cyber Age

Chapter 4: The First Attempt (Part 1)

Tristan was entirely lost with Braden's thought process. "Braden!" Tristan screamed. Braden was utterly panicking. He started firing, rapidly, and successfully, but unaware. Tristan panicked; he figured kill or be killed also. He stood up, aimed, and shot five of them.

Kendall decided to join the party. She bolted up, and started firing. She got a few, also. She was never the best marksmen, though. Once the natives noticed them in the bushes, though, they had started to attack. It was mid-battle when Braden got hit in the leg with a dart.

Kendall then went into a frenzy, shooting and killing five a second, not even noticing Braden going unconscious. Braden fell to the ground, hitting his head on the dirt. Everything was fuzzy and muffled. He didn't hear Tristan and Kendall firing like crazy; they must have gotten them all.

Hopefully. Braden's vision was going. His breaths were labored, and he felt his heart beat slowing. He could make out Tristan, leaning down to pick up Braden. Kendall had taken Brent from Tristan, since he was the lighter of the two of them. Tristan picked up Braden, carrying him over to the tractor beam. Kendall caught up with Tristan, and they proceeded into the beam, and on to the ship.

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Hours later, Braden woke up with a bandage on his calf, were he was hit with a dart. He felt cold. Really cold. Braden began to wonder where he was. He looked around. He couldn't see anything; it was pitch black. He waved his arms all around him, making sure that if he stood up, he would bang his head on the ceiling.

Braden's arms waved through the air freely, not hitting anything. Braden stood up, followed by his loud, pained groan. His calf hurt extremely bad as he stood up, like trying to stretch a muscle after having a shot, except ten times worse. "Whew. You're awake. I was beginning to think you died." Said someone in the dark, responding to his groan. It sounded like Brent to Braden.

"Brent, is that you?" Said Braden. "Yeah, it's me." Said Brent, as he turned on a lamp-like structure not too far from Braden, revealing a small, stone room. It was small, but not too small. The ceiling was about eight feet high, average ceiling height, and it curved in a bit of a circular dome, resulting in a room that seemed like a dungeon.

Braden was against one wall, and Brent was parallel to him. Brent had a big bandage due to his dart wound as well, except it was on his shoulder. Braden assumed Tristan and Kendall had found medical supplies, other than just bandages. Otherwise, he and Brent could have very well died.

That dart venom was like a fire in Braden's veins, flowing through his body, burning every second. Then it hit him. Tristan and Kendall weren't even here. "Where are Kendall and Tristan?" Said Braden, as he leaned against the wall, propping up his leg.

"They went to scout around. They want to get an idea of the ship, and maybe find the lever." Said Brent. Braden barely had it in him to stand up, but he gave it all he could. As he grunted in his efforts, Brent rushed over to stop him.

"You must not be thinking straight. You had lethal venom injected into your calf, and Tristan had to suck it out so you would survive. That happened about three hours ago, and now you want to walk. Sit down." Said Brent. Braden looked him in the eyes. "No." He replied.

Brent sighed, and reluctantly went to sit back down. "How's your mental state? Have the mental effects left you?" Said Braden. Brent struggled to find a straight answer. "It's. . . better. Just better. You should be fine, though. They helped me first, but only because I had that venom in me longer. Naturally, I was in worse condition. I forgot, what was your last name?" Said Brent.