Planatae

Escape

Lukas came to, his ears filled with the sounds of screaming, his eyes two molten chasms of pain.

It took another moment for him to realize that the shrieks were pouring from his own mouth.

He tried to focus on anything other than the pain, seeking some detail in his vicinity that he could cling to like a lifeline. But his vision was gone, replaced by a hazy, splotchy field of colorful smears.

His only consolation was that the pressure on his body had been alleviated. Without the Purists pinning him down, Lukas had the freedom to curl into a ball and wait for death to take him.

He pulled his limbs around him, rocking slightly, wishing he could step out of his body like an old suit and find a different one; one that wasn't burning him alive, threatening to send him spiraling back into unconsciousness.

He would have stayed there forever if not for the sudden grip of somebody trying to rouse him. He struggled weakly, trying to throw them off.

"Calm down!" It was a woman's voice, ragged and strained. "I'm trying to help you!"

Lukas stilled. It wasn't like he was putting up much of a fight anyway.

"That's my son," came another voice, floating out of the incomprehensible soup his world had become. But he could tell in an instant that it was Erin's voice, low and hard.

Despite his own discomfort, he blanched at the hiss of pain from the mother, the way it sounded as though she were speaking through gritted teeth.. 

"Ma..." his voice sounded feeble, even to himself. "What's happening? Why can't I see?"

"A Factor," she said, "Something unexpected happened. This woman... she blinded all of us."

"You did this?" Lukas didn't bother masking his fury. "Why in the name of Ferrus-"

"She's not a Purist," Erin said, cutting him off, "she's a prisoner, part of a group using our commotion to escape."

"My name is Ricardia," came the other voice, "and I'm sorry - I didn't know what else to do..."

Erin cut her off. "You may have just saved us all, Ricardia. We share the same need to escape - while I have the knowledge to do so, I find myself in need of someone who can follow those directions and guide us while we recover." 

"I can do that," Ricardia answered. "We'll get through this together - it's the least I can do." 

"Good choice," Erin said, simply. "Let's get everyone up."

"That was... incredible." Another voice broke through. Dr. Ito's tone dripped with awe, despite the note of pain in his voice. "Your data suggested this level of power, but it's another thing to witness it..."

If Ricardia knew was he was referring to, she said nothing about it. In the meantime, Lukas was pulled to his feet and then corralled with the others. He could hear the sounds of exertion as Ricardia pushed and prodded around him, trying to get them as huddled together as possible.

As his pain ebbed,  he felt well enough to join the others as they used their voices and sense of touch to group up. Since they were still blinded, forming a single, linked-up unit would make it easier for Ricardia to guide them through the tunnels.

He found himself wedged between Ito and his mother, and Lukas looped his arms around them. His mother felt as unyielding as a rock, but he could feel the doctor shaking slightly.

"The Purists," he managed to ask, "shouldn't they be recovering too?"

"Shot them while they were down," came Ricardia's curt reply. "With the stun level," she added hurriedly. "They'll be unconscious long enough for us to make some distance."