Survivor by Saffron Bryant Page B

was.
    She'd always been fascinated by ancient
civilisations. The thought that somehow ancient Earth languages had
reached this tiny, far-away planet sent her imagination
soaring.
    They were so far away from Old-Earth, both
in time and distance. It seemed impossible that any travel could
have happened so long ago. But it was equally impossible to think
that the same languages evolved independently. Her mind also turned
with the why of it all; why was there no life recorded on this
planet when there obviously had been.
    "You are great. You are powerful. You should
fear you," she whispered more of the text. "What? That doesn't make
sense."
    She frowned and re-read the writing. That's
what it said. 'You should fear you.' She stared at the writing.
What was that supposed to mean?
    "Cal run some variance analysis on this bit
of text," she said. "It doesn't add up."
    "Confirmed," Cal said.
    A few seconds later, Cal's voice returned to
her head. "Variance analysis reveals only one possible solution
based on syntax and word order."
    "Well, what is it?" she said.
    "We."
    "What?"
    "The translation patch has mistakenly
translated 'We' to 'You'," Cal repeated.
    Nova said the passage again with the new
translation. "We are great. We are powerful. You should fear
us."
    "Cal, update my chip," she said. The words
rearranged themselves in front of her. There was something about
the passage that she wasn't seeing. What did the translation error
mean? Her memory ran over the words she'd seen so far.
    The blood drained from Nova's face.
    Open and we will have the power to control
the universe.
    It was the text above the entrance, the
words that Codon was so excited about. She knew exactly what it
meant. It changed everything.

 
     
     
     
     
     
    CHAPTER SEVEN
     
     
    She turned on her heel and sprinted from the sound of
digging. Her feet slapped against the sandy floor, carrying her
through tunnels and darkly lit passages. Her mind raced with what
she'd seen, only barely aware of her direction, her
movement.
    She ran straight past the tunnel with the
two unconscious fugitives. She barely acknowledged them. She was
gone. Onwards and upwards. Her heart beat erratically in her chest;
not from exertion, but from fear. Adrenalin pumped through her
veins, making her muscles move faster.
    Her legs sprung forward. It wasn't long
before she passed workers making their ponderous trips into the
tunnel. They watched her with their mouths wide open as she barged
past and continued up the corridor.
    She breathed hard, her lungs refusing to
hold the air she needed. Painful gasps filled her chest, but it was
never enough. Heat broke out on her forehead and sweat dripped down
in icy trickles. There was a sinking feeling in her stomach. It
clenched tightly along with her shoulders and neck.
    She couldn't get the ancient words out of
her head. How could the confederacy be so stupid? Didn't they
realise what they were about to unleash?
    She made it out of the tunnels and into the
night air. She was hit with a blast of cool wind, but it wasn't
enough to calm her nerves. She burst past a collection of workers
and continued to run. She brushed past the trees and bushes of the
oasis and exploded into the open desert scattered with Confederacy
ships.
    Shouts erupted around her as she sprinted
out of the trees but she paid them no attention. She had to do
something. There was only one thing she could do; get to Codon.
    She pushed on, running from the trees and
past the smaller ships. Confederacy soldiers closed in on her. They
were right on her heels, calling for her to stop. She strained her
ears to hear them. So far they hadn't pulled a gun. Good; she'd
keep running.
    It was hard to sprint through the soft sand
of the desert. Her feet kept sinking. Each step she had to pull
them free to push forward for the next step. The grit and grime of
the desert flicked up into her eyes and nose. The calm serenity
which she'd found so relaxing earlier had become the