Ah, but this perception in itself was an instrument of the trap. The fallacy of mental strength and personal responsibility. To succumb was no more a sign of weakness than when an unrelenting cancer finally overpowered a body. Especially since this allegedly strong brain was one of the many organs working against her. Doctors had tried to drill that point into her head, while others wished to literally drill into her head. In a world where few uncured or unmanaged afflictions remained, a medical field wherein DNA transplants had long since taken the fun out of the profession, Minnie had been a captivating specimen for otherwise thumb-twiddling researchers desperate for a problem to solve.
“What if we make her all new thyroid, pituitary, and adrenal glands? Hell, throw in kidneys, thymus, pineal, and pancreas while we’re at it. Or maybe we should fill her brain with bots, rewire the offending synapses, neurons, and axons.” Her father wouldn’t have any of it. Once Minnie’s shrink had honed in on the right meds, Dad yanked her out of every study. He wouldn’t risk detriment to her brain—identified before birth as an extremely rare H-class, hypothesized to be the type possessed by all of history’s famed polymaths.
“If the world ever collapses to a point where people can’t get meds,” he’d told her with a pinch of her chin, “we’ve probably got bigger worries than your attacks.”
Bigger worries indeed.
Hovering at 30m, with doubly tall ridges on either flank, the echoes of a thousand raving Hynka bounced to and fro with surreal stereo effects. It sounded as though they’d grown wings: two nightmarish swarms closing in.
Minnie grasped a handhold over her head and pulled herself up. Still dizzy, fingers and toes prickly, butt numb, headache from hell sinking its dagger fingers through her skull. Nausea—instantaneous—plopped down into her stomach like she’d swallowed a 10-kilo bucket of rocks and vomit.
“Well, that was nice,” she said. “You still there?”
No responses from imaginary friends.
She took in her surroundings, didn’t remember entering this wide canyon. Below the skimmers, what looked to be the entire local Hynka population had ripped apart the jungle floor, creating a wide clearing. In the middle of the horde she spotted a semi-pyramid of struggling beasts, like ants, or the universe’s most terrifying cheerleading team. They’d reached four standing bodies high but couldn’t seem to pull off a fifth. It’d take quite a bit of practice before they hit the eight or nine required to reach her, but she applauded their effort as the skimmers once more accelerated through the canyon. Glancing back to be sure they were still dedicated to their pursuit, Minnie could see she’d triggered a new bloodbath. They had a serious problem with frustration.
Once the killing had stopped and feeding begun, Minnie switched on an emergency alert to recapture their attention.
Wow, Minnie mused, I could do this for another few hours and thin the population down to one.
At 30K from the village, Minnie waited for the tiring stragglers to catch up. Knowing these guys could run faster than a thoroughbred—up to 80 km/h across flat, unobstructed ground—she’d brought them far enough to give her ten minutes to fly back, and at least ten more to fetch Ish’s fone. She may have even exhausted them so much that they’d be gone for hours. That didn’t mean the village would be empty. She fully expected to run into some wily stay-behinds. If they were anywhere near that shrine, though, they’d find a couple multirounds in their chests. Minnie didn’t have time for a stealthier approach.
Ten minutes later, she flew in low with high-sensitivity thermag activated on her fone. She counted roughly thirty Hynka still wandering the village, but most were spread out well beyond the bone shrine. They wouldn’t see or hear her.
On Ish’s side of the rock, three Hynka had indeed lingered. On the ground, two could be seen restoring the vandalized bone shrine. The third lounged on its side up at the rock wall’s third tier. Its position was disturbingly human, one arm bent up, and cheek resting on hand—like a child lying on a carpeted floor watching a show or reading a book. This one was the first to spot her.
Minnie quickly programmed a final approach and landing, gripped her MW, and verified it was set to lethal. The skimmer took over and Minnie set sights on her first target, the larger of the two Hynka at the shrine. Descending and curving in, she aimed at a shoulder until the chest came into view. A bark from the lounger, two bwops from her MW, a stunned, faltering Hynka scratching at its new holes. 6m from the ground, spinning right, barrel pointed at the second target, Minnie hesitated a beat. The skimmers touched down. In the corner of her eye she could see the dark shape of her first victim collapse. The one now standing before her held out its big hands, as if to block the next shot, or to say “Don’t shoot!” But she sensed the third, up on the ledge to her right, on the move.
Bwop-bwop!
The second cried out, began spluttering deducible words. Minnie spun toward the rock face. The last had stood and turned its back and now climbed toward the fourth tier as it called out.
“Ahsa-craht-ye! Ahsa-craht-ye!”
Minnie twirled for a full scan. If this guy was calling for help, there wasn’t anyone close enough to hear. It made it to the fourth tier and reached up to the hanging body, two thick fingers wrapping all the way around Ish’s bundled legs. Minnie watched, unsure how to proceed, as the Hynka yanked at Ish’s body, warping the circle into a stretched oval until one of the ties snapped free. A sudden gag seized in Minnie’s throat. Ish was like fresh bread dough, her bound limbs and torso bending and squishing in impossible, appalling ways, head bobbing as if mounted on a flimsy spring.
Steeling her mind and body, Minnie trained her MW on the center of the Hynka’s back. Another yank and jerk. Minnie was afraid that Ish’s legs would give before the bundled cables. A loud snap from over the top of the rock. A thick branch shot out, cable streaming behind it, and both flew all the way down to the edge of the bone shrine, a few meters from Minnie’s feet.
What was this Hynka’s goal? Was it trying to take the sacred Ish away so Minnie couldn’t have her?
With the breaking of the third cable, Minnie’s question was answered. The Hynka turned around with Ish dangling from two hands.
It extended its arms out. “Ahsa-craht-ye. Craht-ye-ngoh.”
Minnie took a few steps backward and gestured to the ground before her. “Okay, sure… send her on down, buddy.”
But instead of gently handing her off to gravity, the Hynka folded Ish into a single shaft, raised her over its head with both arms, and hurled her downward with all its might. Minnie dove to the side. The body careened off the formerly organized bones and clipped one of her boots. Minnie landed ungracefully in a medley of Hynka parts, flipping herself right over to monitor the sneaky bastard, and watched as it jumped from the fourth level down to the second. It squatted for a flying leap at Minnie, and, stunned again by such speed and dexterity from the hulking creatures, she impulsively shut her eyes and popped off a flurry of shots. 10? 15? She had no idea—still expected a crushing impact, claws and teeth, and the unremitting grip of a two-fingered demolition machine.
Bones rattled. Gurgling coughs. Minnie opened her eyes to see the Hynka much farther than she’d expected. It lay to her left, flat on its chest with a leg kicking out behind it, shunting away the bones forming the shrine’s outer circle. It hadn’t leapt toward her, but to the path that led away from the shrine. Ish had been a last-ditch distraction before a planned flee attempt. It had expected Minnie to kill it even after she got Ish. A revealing outlook. It meant there wasn’t any negotiating with Hynka.