Lazarus Rising

1.36 The Battle for New Europa V

They raced up spiral staircase to greet Moah. Cheyenne wanted to hug him such was her relief at seeing a familiar face. For an instant he held out his hands. Embarrassed she shied away from his touch. For a second he looked at his fingers and gave her a nervy smile. They both knew why. "It's good to see you Moah, really it is." Cheyenne said reassuringly. Moah dropped his arms. "I know. I don't need to touch you to know that. Come, I'll take you to him."

He led them silently through the main building, up past shattered windows and rooms littered with plaster bought down by the impact of artillery on the thick masonry walls outside. Lit by thin slips of light from cracks in the brickwork they worked their way up the iron staircase, through the shattered anteroom and swung open the heavy wooden door the lead into Hayden's quarters.

For a second Cheyenne stopped, covered her ears to block out the rasping sound of gunfire and blinked in the desperate scene.

By each window stood a two or three Metro Men exchanging rapid shots with Urbaine's troops in the square down below. The ceiling had partially collapsed, water from a broken pipe gurgled into the floor. In the middle of the room, broken in two like a giant emu's egg lay the vase that housed Hayden's Popper collection. On the wide pool of water that occupied most of the room, thousands of capsules floated, like a myriad of tiny brightly coloured racing yachts. A few frightened Lylac's sat against the rear wall as far away from the windows as they could possibly get.

Oblivious to the shouting and smoke coming from a small fire burning uncontrollably at the end of the room was Hayden's, enveloped in a golden aura that blazed as intensely as the corona of the winter's sun. He sat perfectly upright, hands placed on his knees, on the sofa which had been dragged from the center of the room to the shelter of the far wall. At his feet, her body pushed as close to his as she could possible get, sat a terrified Rous, her glittering dress split across the shoulder, her hair matted with dust. At Cheyenne's entrance, Hayden's aura visibly pulsed. Unseeing he looked up. Despite his blindness he knew she'd arrived.

"Cheyenne!" Rovin's spidery face thrust into hers. She stepped back, momentarily caught unawares. She'd assumed Rovin lay dead in the slabship by the lake. Around him, waving and snapping, his ivy creepers spun in wild agitation. "Talk to Haydens. Tell him we must leave. We cannot hold HIM back. He's outside leading the assault. That madman will kill us all just to get Haydens!"

"Urbaine?"

"Yes, Urbaine!" Rovin's eyes flashed angrily at her seeming stupidity. The vines swirled ever faster.

Ventner appeared at her side and gently waved Rovin away with an, I'll deal with this look. His usual impeccable appearance had deserted him, he'd lost his expensively tailored jacket, his shirt was torn at the cuffs, a large blood stain marked his shirt collar. His face, strung with worry lines looked ten years older than she remembered. "Cheyenne speak to him. He is refusing to leave. Persuade him of the foolishness of our position. Persuade him to come with us to somewhere safer before Urbaine gets here. I am fearful of what he will do to him." Despite the calmness of his voice she could detect a shake in the undertones. He was as afraid of the rest of them. "Come. Come and talk to him. He has been waiting for you. We did not think you were on Earth. We are all relieved to see you." Ventner gave her an uneasy look.

Haydens looked more exhausted than she remembered if that was possible. His face had taken on the pallor of candle wax and his shoulders were visibly shaking. But, without doubt his aura had strengthened. Seeing him was like looking at a man encapsulated in a fiery beacon, lit from within by an unearthly light that blazed with such an intensity that it smarted the eyes.

"Cheyenne, welcome back. I was sure you would return in time." Haydens didn't even move his head in acknowledgment of her presence. Rous looked hard at Cheyenne to catch her attention and mouthed silently, "We must go. Tell him."