Beneath Unknown Skies

 

"How did they find us?"

"They tracked us,"  gritted Hillier. 

People were scrambling. Joon getting some very unpleasant looks. Daphne got up swearing. 

"They will have trouble getting at us," Valerus alone seemed calm. "The mutants are a nice screen, and we're pretty deep."

"I don't know," said Joon. "Those gunships..."

"Well, gunships are fine on the surface, but when they send troops here man to man that's different." 

Hillier nodded, remembering their ordeal. 

"And we won't make it easy for them. Someone certainly likes you," he said, touching Joon's shoulder. 

"I killed him," Hillier looked at Joon plaintively. 

"How do we get this tracker out?" 

Trish came over. "This is going to hurt." She put a tablet near his head, typed in commands. There was a humming noise and a sharp pain in the side of his head. She gingerly pulled a tiny device from Joon's ear. Then she threw it in the fire. 

"Nice," Hillier said. 

"I have to get back," Joon said. "All this running... am I going to be all over 25th century post apocalyptic Earth or am I going home? Maia."

"It's not that easy," said Daphne. "You've become a player in something bigger than you."

"I know," he said. "Thanks Joon for bringing me here," he said quieter. 

"Going back would be the last thing they'd expect," mused Valerus. 

"But then?" asked Trish. "Without me there we don't even have good intel on what's happening."

"Well, let's get secure and we can worry about that later." They could hear explosions overhead. 

*******

The sun was hot as waves rolled in. Maia sat on the beach, her feet in sand, as Howie keened and floated about. He seemed to like it here. She could hear some kids playing down the way, sails on the horizon. She was on Poseidon, about as far from Farpoint station as you could get. It had been a tough call. Go to Joon, or come here. A different Joon had given her that option. 

In the end she had decided to come here. Alt Joon's words- that she'd be arrested if she followed Joon- rang true. She wouldn't endanger him. And Hillier was with him. 

Hillier. 

She had hated that woman. But she also knew that if shit hit the fan, there wasn't anyone she'd probably rather have with him than Hillier. 

Joon and Hillier. 

He'd find them. Her and Howie.