Free Justice by S.J. Bryant Page A

didn’t
have time to react or change course and fell straight into the
waiting jug. She landed in a cold liquid pooled in the base of the
bowl, sending a splash up the sides of the plant. The lid
immediately shut down, plunging her into gloomy darkness. Before
she could get her bearings the lid snapped open again and Jack’s
body plummeted down.
    Nova dove to
the side of their new prison, narrowly avoiding being crushed under
Jack’s body. His landing sent a wave of liquid flying through the
air. It drenched Nova’s helmet and left droplets running down in
front of her eyes.
    “ Cal, are you getting this?” she asked.
    “ Yes.” His voice sounded unsure.
    “ What the hell is it?” she asked.
    “ According to the Cloud it’s a plant know as Orange Monster .”
    “ Original,” said Nova as she struggled to her feet. The liquid
at her waist sloshed from side to side as the plant scurried
forward.
    “ It’s only been sighted once before, and only on Drigoon, by
the early maintenance crews.”
    “ So there’s no information on how to get out?” Nova
said.
    “ I’m afraid not,” Cal replied. “Although you may want to know
that your suits are registering damage.”
    “ What?” Nova said, looking down at her suit. Flakes of white
plastic rose out of the pool and floated on the surface. Her heart
raced and her eyebrows shot up to her hairline.
    “ I would guess that you are currently submerged in corrosive
digestive juices,” Cal said.
    “ It’s digesting us?”
    “ What?” echoed Jack.
    His large,
helmeted head looked down at his own suit. He bounced from foot to
foot as if trying to keep himself out of the pool.
    “ It looks that way. If I were you, I’d find a way to get out
of there as quick as you can,” said Cal.
    “ Oh, really?” Nova asked, sarcastic.
    She turned
away from the sight of her disintegrating suit. If she took too
long, it would be pieces of her flesh floating to the surface
rather than pieces of plastic. If that wasn’t motivation to work
fast, she didn’t know what was. She thrust her dagger into the
orange side of their prison. The flesh was waxy and tough, like the
vines, only worse.
    “ Start cutting!” she yelled at Jack.
    He stepped
over the deeper, centre region of the plant until he stood at her
side and slammed his knife into the plant. The layer of waxy
covering was so tough that both Nova and Jack had to put their
shoulders and backs into every slice they made.
    Nova’s knife
kept sliding away from the waxy surface. She slipped and nearly
stabbed Jack in the throat. That was something she’d never be
allowed to live down.
    “ Something is burning my leg,” Jack said. His voice quiet
voice trembled.
    “ It’s okay. Don’t think about it, just keep cutting,” Nova
said. She didn’t want to admit that her legs were burning as
well.
    The suits
weren’t made to withstand corrosive plant juice. How long could
they really last?
    “ Screw this,” she said, whipping her gun out of its
holster.
    She shouldered
Jack out of the way, squeezed her eyes shut, and turned away as she
pulled the trigger. A flash of heat and light lit up the plant,
followed by a wet crunch.
    She turned
back to find a small, smoking hole carved through the orange
flesh.
    Her legs felt
as though fire licked at her from below, especially her knees.
White flakes covered most of the surface of the pool.
    Jack rushed
for the small hole, pounding it with his knife and grunting heavily
as he scrambled to break through.
    “ Nova, I don’t mean to alarm you, but the readings suggest
less than ten per cent integrity left in your suit,” said Cal, his
voice strained.
    “ If there’s a break in the lower half, will we still be able
to breathe?” Nova asked.
    “ What good is that if your legs drop off?” Cal said,
hysteric.
    “ Just answer the question. Will we still be able to
breathe?”
    “ The helmet can be sealed off from the rest of the suit and
the recycler is inside your helmet. Your