“Honestly, I don’t know. There are several reasons they could have followed him, but can we risk staying here? What if they have a way to scan beneath the surface? It’ll only be a matter of time before they find us.”
“I see the logic in it.”
Jared’s brain whirred with options, every one of them worse than the one before. Finally, he settled on the best scenario he could think of, but it required Scarlet’s brothers to be able to fly.
“If Malsour can break through the ceiling swiftly, then you can fly out and take out the one or two drop ships flying around the area. Then, you can head south. Go straight south for at least a hundred miles, stopping for nothing. I’ll take everyone else and we’ll continue walking the tunnels below.”
“No.”
Scarlet’s tone left no room for argument.
“Care to elaborate?”
“We should not split up. You do not know what lurks further down, or if you will find a way back to the surface. No, I cannot agree to that.”
“Then what do you suggest?”
“We take out the drop ships as you suggested, but we use these cavern and tunnels as shelter.”
“What’s keeping them from bombing us out?”
“We are nimbler in the air than the drop ships. The moment we hear one coming, we take to the skies and bring it down.”
“That’s not really giving me the warm fuzzies. You’re just going to hope they don’t bring an armada, or the city itself, here to take us out? If we stay here and keep destroying the drop ships, then the city will probably move again.”
“They cannot have an endless supply of ships. If they did, why did they move an entire city into the area?”
“The city might have its own weapons systems. Maybe it doesn’t even need the ships to take us out?”
Scarlet conceded the point but stood by her decision to take out the drop ships as they came.
“I don’t like it, Scarlet. Not even a little. One shot from one of those phase cannons tore right through Ballog. If a dozen of them came at us at once, it could be the end of you.”
“Again, I do not believe they have so many to waste.”
“What if—” Jared paused as an idea formed in his mind. “What if we captured two of them and then used them to escape?”
“Remember the override on that last one?”
Jared growled in frustration. “I forgot. If only we’d had more time and Pete could’ve studied the pieces we confiscated.”
“Also, do not forget the self-destruct tactic the cities used on that military complex. It stands to reason they have something similar in these ships.”
“Okay, so capturing a ship is out until we know more about them. Splitting up is out. I don’t like us waiting for them to send more ships and taking them out as they come. So, where does that leave us?”
“We could backtrack up the tunnel and take a different branch. We can make sure Attis does not give away our position again. There is a risk with any option, but at least with backtracking, we stand a chance of evading them with no confrontation.”
“Then that’s what we’ll do. We’re not ready to take on a city in a direct head-to-head battle. Besides, until Ballog recovers enough to fly, it’s too risky for you to attempt to fly out of here. If we got into a protracted battle, we’d need everyone at the top of their game.”
“Fair point. We will head back. As we did before, my brothers and I will lead the way, clear the tunnel, and choose another at random. Ballog will remain behind to guide you.”
“When you get to the intersection, do you want to send someone back up toward our home and make sure we aren’t going to get unexpected company?”
“I will send someone to scope it out. We will also explore the other three tunnels before choosing the best route.”
“Good idea. Let’s head back down and let everyone know.”
After Jared told everyone the plan, there was a collective groan as everyone realized they’d have another day or two of marching back toward the city and certain danger. They understood it was the only viable option after Jared shared his and Scarlet’s thoughts. Several suggested fighting was a better alternative, but Jared quickly dashed those voices by reminding them of Ballog. To Jared’s surprise, he was the only one who thought splitting up was an option.
He’d thought it was something to consider, but everyone unanimously agreed with Scarlet that they should remain together, even if that meant heading back toward possible danger.
“All right, it’s settled then. We still have half a day remaining so we might as well get a move on.”
Another round of groans and dissenting voices made him reconsider.
“I know you’re all tired, but the longer we delay, the more likely it is our enemies will find us. They may already have a ground force in the tunnels headed our way.”
Vanessa laid a hand on his shoulder and whispered in his ear. “Just give them a few hours to rest. We can walk through the night if needed. It’s not like there’s a difference between day and night down here, anyway.”
She made a solid point, and Jared conceded.
“We’ll rest for three hours and then we move.”
Jared took his own advice and sat down to rest. He couldn’t sleep knowing there were ships overhead and there could be people walking down the tunnels toward them, but he’d use the time to meditate and recover some energy.
The moment he sat down, Scarlet suggested she and her brothers should move out.
“Please be careful, Scarlet. As much as I hate to say this, it’s probably a good idea if you take point. If you run into any ground troops from the city, you’re best suited to handle the phase rounds. I fear they’d burn right through everyone else’s skin and scales.”
“I planned to do just that. We can move fast enough that the robots or city dwellers would not get many rounds off before we were upon them.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure. You didn’t have to fight that guy during the last battle. He moved with freakish speed and accuracy. If all of them are capable of such a feat, then it would terrify me to run across a group. The robots we can handle as they aren’t nearly as fast even if they are deadly accurate.”
“We will be careful, I promise.”
“I’ll see you soon.”
One after the other, the dragons disappeared back the way they’d come, their thundering footfalls quickly receding into the distance. Jared’s heart fluttered in his chest. He hated Scarlet being in danger, especially when there was nothing he could do to help.
Lost in thought, he hadn’t seen Vanessa approach until she sat beside him, leaning into him and putting her head on his shoulder. Her presence helped to quell his fear for Scarlet, but it did nothing to stop the drumming of his heart. In fact, it did just the opposite. Jared didn’t like feeling excited with Vanessa at his side while Scarlet ran headlong into danger, but he could do nothing to alter his emotions.
They didn’t speak, nor did they need to. Vanessa could tell something bothered him, and she provided physical support. Meanwhile, Jared worked through his conflicting emotions. This unexpected invasion caused him so much anxiety and set back his plans. They had half a dozen people and dragons that wanted to bond, but they’d not had a moment’s respite to get it done. For a minute, he thought about getting it done now, but it was too unpredictable, and he didn’t know how long the bond would take. They couldn’t risk a dozen people and dragons being incapacitated with enemies hot on their heels.
They needed to wait until they got to a safe place. Safe wasn’t the best way to describe it. It was more like a less perilous place. The world was a dangerous place no matter where they went. If it wasn’t the twisted creatures that lurked around every corner, it was mercenary bands that decided they’d steal whatever someone else had, or it was the cities being the cruel overlords the
y were.
Though months had passed since their encounter with the Daggers, Jared still felt the sting of the encounter. He’d wanted—no, craved—human interaction so much he’d overlooked the possibility they could be bad. His upbringing hadn’t prepared him for the real nature of the world.
His mood turned black as he thought of the atrocities and experiences he’d been through. Expelling the negative emotions with a breath, Jared centered himself and meditated. All the recent thoughts and experiences he pushed back into the recesses of his mind and shut the door. Slowly, his mind cleared as he stood in the middle of what he labeled the byway of his mind. A few random jumbles of thought floated by, but with a quick mental shove, they disappeared until his mind was empty. No thoughts, no emotions, only quiet tranquility.
Jared sat like that for the rest of the three hours he’d allotted. The moment those three hours expired, he jolted his mind back into action and nudged Vanessa, who’d fallen asleep on his shoulder.
Jared announced it was time for everyone to get moving. No one complained or made a sound. Everyone knew the risks, and they’d resigned themselves to the fact it would take a while to get to a safe place.
Like a silent procession, they filed out of the room where Kitty took point without instructions. Once again, they set off back the way they’d come, hoping to find an escape from the clutches of the city.
The way back proved boring and laborious. Though no one spoke out loud, Jared caught snippets of telepathy periodically. The longer they walked, the more concerned he grew. There were a number of people questioning his and Scarlet’s choices. A few even had thoughts of whether Vanessa was best suited to lead them with her obvious attachment to him.
Jared didn’t understand their thought process. Everyone knew it was the most viable option, and they didn’t have to like it, but to question Vanessa after all they’d been through troubled him.
“Vanessa, don’t speak out loud, but there’s something we need to discuss.”
She grabbed his hand and smiled over at him. “What is it?”
“I’ve been listening to people’s thoughts, and I don’t like what I’m hearing. Some are questioning your ability to lead. They think you’re just going along with everything I say because of our relationship.”
“How can they think that after everything we…” Her thoughts ended abruptly. Though she tried to keep her face impassive, Jared saw a slight crease at the corner of her eyes.
“It could be George’s influence still. I can partly understand. If it weren’t for me and Scarlet, the city wouldn’t be forcing us on this journey.”
“Jared, don’t.” She squeezed his hand. “You can’t think like that. If it weren’t for the both of you, none of us would be here. It might just be nerves and lack of sleep.”
“Maybe, but I wanted to let you know in case you need to spend some time reassuring them. We can’t have another situation like George. We won’t have another issue like him.” Jared’s voice took on a menacing undertone, making it clear what he’d do to anyone who tried betraying them like George.
“I’ll handle it.” She squeezed his hand once more and dropped back to speak with her people.
Jared had thought he’d been accepted as part of the group, but if they so easily dismissed him, maybe he was mistaken. No matter. He’d sworn to protect them no matter what, and he’d keep that promise.
The trip back took a solid portion of the day before they reached the collapsed tunnel. There was now a smooth hole bored through into the antechamber. Motioning for everyone to wait, Jared walked into the cavern to scope out the area. He found identical holes bored through the other passages, and Ballog guarding the tunnel home. All around the ground, parts of robots and sensor pieces lay scattered about.
“Ballog, what happened here?”
“We found a contingent of metal men, and Scarlet destroyed them. They shot her a few times, but they did not penetrate her scales.”
Jared breathed out in relief. He’d hoped there wouldn’t be any enemies, but at least it was just the robots and not another human.
“It was over in an instant. You cannot see it now, but many of the machines melted immediately when they came to investigate the fire burning through the rubble. The timing worked out nearly perfectly, and she caught a group in her flame blast.”
“Thank you. This might actually work to our advantage. I wanted to get the parts we stashed away for Pete and Kirgor, but now we can just collect some of these.”
Jared walked back to the tunnel and beckoned everyone forward. Then, he scavenged parts until he had a complete robot. It didn’t matter which limbs belonged to which robot as there were all identical. At least, he hoped that were the case.
“Pete. Look what I’ve got for you!”
The man had barely restrained glee in his eyes as he looked at the destroyed robot.
“C-c-can we keep it?”
Jared furrowed his brow. “That depends. Can you ensure the city can’t track it?”
“I don’t know.”
Jared reasoned through the scenario. If they had no power, then maybe the cities couldn’t track them. They were also far underground. However, they’d already had one instance of the cities locating them because of an innocent mistake. If they somehow had a reserve power cell, or a device powered independently, they couldn’t risk bringing it along.
“Is there anything you can do to make sure there’s no signal coming from it?”
“I can t-try.”
“Good, you’ve got an hour and then we keep moving, with or without the robot.” Jared turned to the rest of those gathered around him. “Everyone hear that? We’ve got one hour to rest and then we keep moving. Ballog, if you see or hear anything coming from the tunnel please let us know. Elle, Carla, please keep using your abilities to watch for any danger.”
There were no objections, so Jared went around picking up the rest of the robot parts and put them into a pile. If Pete disabled any trackers or determined they had none, then they’d bring the rest of the parts with them.
Maybe they wouldn’t need to infiltrate the city on their own after all. They could commandeer a ship using an imposter robot and then have it pilot them up to the city. They wouldn’t even need to figure out how to disable anything on the ship that way. The only thing Jared wasn’t certain of was if all of the robots had the ability to fly the ships and knew how to approach the city.
Jared’s mind fractured into dozens of threads at all the ways they could use the robot if Pete succeeded. For a moment Jared thought carrying all the parts might slow them down too much, but then realized Ballog could easily carry everything if they fashioned a sling for him.
With that in mind, Jared took out his only two shirts and tied off the sleeves. He asked around until he had half a dozen shirts no one expected to get back. He used three more to create impromptu bags, then tore the rest into strands which he used to make slings. Testing their strength, he confirmed they’d hold against the weight of the robot. It was crude, but it’d have to do for now. In hindsight, he should’ve waited until Pete gave him the all clear before tearing up so many clothes.
He shrugged and sat next to the pile of parts. He watched Pete work on the robot, poking and prodding in its brain. The thing’s faceplate had come off mere moments after Pete had set his bag down and extracted a few tools. Leave it to the technical genius to bring his bag of tools as essential instead of clothes or other personal needs.
Pete ended up not needing the entire hour and proudly proclaimed that the bodies were safe for transport.
“There’s no electricity c-coming off any part of the brain. All the extremities are simple p-pistons and gears. Wires run through the hollow portions of their arms and legs to attach to the gears that move their extremities. Aside from those wires, there is n-nothing in them. The chest c-cavity has a variety of different c
-components, some of which I’m still trying to figure out, b-but none of the wires I tested leading from it to the b-brain had any voltage output.”
“Is it possible there’s something hidden in a place you cannot get to?”
“Maybe, b-but it’s hard to say. If there was, it’s so small I doubt it would p-penetrate through this rock.” Pete pointed to the surrounding cavern.
“All right, I’ve heard enough. Let’s get these parts stuffed into the slings I made. Ballog, are you okay caring these? I can put them around the spikes on your back if so.”
“I will carry them.”
“Thanks!”
In no time at all, they’d stuffed the parts into the shirts and Jared clambered onto Ballog’s back to loop them around the spikes. He wasn’t sure how long it would last, but it if it got them to their destination that was all he cared about.
“Kitty and Elle, please walk near Ballog and make sure none of this stuff falls out. I don’t want to leave a trail. I’ll take point again. I know everyone’s tired, but please try to push yourself. If you can’t go any farther, let me know and we’ll take a quick break.”
The next few hours proved torturous for some. More complaints accompanied them down the tunnel, but the entire time Vanessa moved among the group chatting with everyone and doing her best to improve morale. Surprisingly he heard none of the doubt from just a few hours earlier. Vanessa really knew her people and probably knew who the culprits were. Maybe she’d spoken to them already and reassured them.
This new tunnel proved no different from the one they’d traversed yesterday. Thankfully, no one in their group was claustrophobic, and they were all accustomed to dark places. If anyone had a right to feel confined it was Jared, but he’d never been one to get scared from enclosed spaces.
Before he’d bonded with Scarlet and gained all his abilities, he’d nearly lost his nerve descending into the New York City subway, but it wasn’t fear of enclosed spaces. It was the unknown and potential for predators. He’d only had his unenhanced self, mediocre night vision, and his father’s Colt. Now, he could see as if it were day, had two massively powerful phase pistols, a phase rifle on his back, and a dragon at the rear of their group. In addition to all the enhancements he also had increased defenses in the form of skin hardening Natural Armor. If he couldn’t feel somewhat safe given the circumstances, then he never would.
Radioactive Revolution: A Dystopian, Post-Apocalyptic Adventure Page 24