by Nathan Lunn
12
Thoughts and prayers from all corners of the WestMeri State have been rolling in this evening, as it has been revealed that publically beloved figure, Isaiah Croft, heir to the Croft Family fortune, has collapsed inside the Gallant club, during one of his lavish bi-weekly parties. The Family has not released any pertinent details as of yet, or even a statement for that matter, choosing to stay out of the public eye whilst they remain in the comfort of their own privacy. Speculations are flying all over The Commlink on public sites and forums, as multiple other frequenters of his Gallant parties are taken in for MediCare treatment from all over the nation. CADuceus machines are still running programs to determine the cause, but the situation is only getting more dire for those that collapsed – with increasingly fatal symptoms progressing at an unnatural rate. Having been taken instead to the Crofts’ own private hospice, the eventual fate of Isaiah Croft remains unknown.
Part 2
13
“Our weapons supplier is a large-time arms dealer out under the Sea of Japan – we’re headed to meet him at Fugurah Station now,” Douglass shouted to the group, raising his voice over the relentless drone of the twin engines on either side of their multi-purpose vehicle. Though the interior of the glass capsule was sealed (to prevent any air or water from coming in), the engine power that was required for both airborne and submersive movement was immense, and there was no noise dampening effect placed upon the windows. “I’ve been many times before, but I need to make the rules clear for all of you. This is a dangerous zone. You all know about the various underwater colonies and what goes on there.” They all nodded, each acutely aware of what went on at the underwater colonies. Situated across various oceans of the world, were immense, out-of-reach military installations – nicknamed by the WestMeri Government as Underwater Colonies, in order to provide the outward appearance of normal accommodation. In truth, they were far from normal, having a reputation as some of the worst places to live and train, with squalid conditions and even more squalid acting generals, who sat in their watchtowers barking down angry orders to the depressed and forcibly-enlisted recruits below them. “Wei is an inside man here, but he knows I’m on the way so we just need to make it past the security detail. He’s relaxed a few of the guards at the various stops, and as long as we can make it straight to him and then back out again without being noticed by too many high-ranking officials, we will have been successful. Still, let me do most of the talking.” They all nodded once more, strapping their seatbelts in as the onboard computer notified that they were about to break through into the Sea of Japan. Up until now, they had been flying through each of the continents, passing at great speeds over the tops of the Mid- and EastMeri states, before breaking into the area owned by the Neo-European Union and then dropping down as they drifted through the abandoned Asiatic landmass – all accomplished without any border controls or stopping. Defences were weakened due to the war, depending on the routes you decided to take, and Douglass had set up the multi-purpose vehicle to run the safest and quickest route for them to get through. At the one point where their vehicle was called for an inspection and security check (in the airspace over England), the car hadn’t even managed to descend before Douglass was using his commlink to rectify the decision – with a little tap to his temple, a bribe was sent, and the car passed through without an issue. The trip through the air meant that the vehicle was in flight mode, giving the crew ample space to walk about their own cabin. Mostly, they kept to themselves: Julie still avoiding Kye, Douglass tapping away at his display, and Eddie and Danny playing cards on their own displays in the corner. As soon as they passed over the borderline and into the Asiatic Landmass, however, they were pulled from their own distractions to the edges of the car. Looking out of the window in awe, they took in the image before them. Douglass spoke in a hushed tone, unnecessarily so, as they all already knew what he told them.
“There you have it. The outcome of the last Continental War.”
Around a kilometre below the vehicle, there lay a shattered and torn landscape. The glassy and scorched mud rolled in sharp mountains and plunging craters, deep blacks, browns and greys, but never any green. Ever-burning fires were dotted around the craters, bright and hot, sending great grey plumes of smoke up into the air. At the epicentre of each crater there was a liquified spot of molten mud and rock, an intense white heat that hurt when you looked at it. Each area where foliage had previously stood was now barren, a thicket of fragile thin skeletons floating and cracking apart in the wind. A blustery, boiling wind, bringing with it dark and condensed storm clouds – crackling with bright blue and purple lightning; minute orange embers that would cling to any surface they touched, before proceeding to melt into them; dust particles so large, and debris so heavy that they inflicted pain as they passed through you; a smog so thick you couldn't move your hand through it. As they sped past, glimpses were caught of dilapidated skyrises, crushed and abandoned bus stops, rusted monorail frames, drooping low over the fissured freeways, populated with splintered corpses of hovercars, long crashed to the floor and left behind. Whole cities lay strewn across the hellish uneven landscape, levelled and deserted, tokens of past lives littering the streets along with the corpses of tens of thousands.
“This is where you want to be buried?” Kye asked, looking at Danny with confusion. Danny nodded, pointing out a small settlement on the ground.
“Hell yeah,” he spoke. “Probably a ton of zombies in that town there, just waiting for me to join.” Shaking his head, Kye ignored Danny and turned back to his side of the vehicle. The car began to drop. Ahead of them lay the Sea of Japan – which bled into the Pacific Ocean through the submerged remains of what was once Hokkaido. Passing out of the landmass, Douglass started to speak again.
“It’s about to be a sharp drop. Computer readout says we couldn’t go below 60 kilometres for fear of nuclear leaching – we’re out of that area now. This vehicle isn’t built for the pressures of the heat, just the pressures of the ocean. With that in mind, you may want to attach a seatbelt, or grab a loop as we start to go down. It’s usually a bumpy ride.” He was proved correct instantly, as the vehicle jolted, sending the occupants running to a seat for safety. The cabin began to morph as they dropped near to the water, hovering just above in wait, with the twin engines rotating around, and a thin metal covering running over the lower portions of the glass dome. As engines fired with a final boom, the vehicle dropped below the water, slamming everyone into the walls. It idly sunk for a short while, until the conversion was complete, with fins dropping out of the sides of the doors. A burst of bubbles flew out of the back, and the car shunted forward into the gloomy depths. Two small robotic arms clipped two headlights to the front of the car, and they flashed on, lighting their view for only a moment – dark blue and green filled their vision, unfathomable depth in all directions with no discernible landmarks – before Douglass tapped his temple and the lights shut off. Kye queried him immediately.
“Don’t we need those to see?”
Douglass shook his head, replying as the car dipped, shoals of silver and gold fish slipping by, “We can’t risk being noticed. The computer’s navigations should get us through just fine. If not, Julie can take over for us.” Julie nodded tightly, and the crew settled in for the next leg of the journey, a slower one in comparison, and certainly less scenic.
By the time an hour had passed, a lot of them were restless and bored, finally deciding to strike up conversations with each other that petered out into various debates and arguments – they had all finally perked up from their subdued moods.
“No, no. Shatterpoint is a terrible ammo type to use in combat, I’m telling you!” Danny yelled at the others, slapping his hand on the table three times to reiterate his point. “Look, it explodes on impact, right? So what if you miss? That’s like three different shots of ammo you’ve wasted!”
Julie rolled her eyes, picking up her handgun from its holster, and aiming it right at Dan
ny. Smoothly, she spoke, “I just don’t miss, Danny.” The crew laughed, even getting a weak chuckle from Douglass at the head of the vehicle. Danny soured, as Eddie chimed in with his preference.
“Sluggers. Can’t go wrong with a slugger shot. Close enough and it’s pretty much explosive.” He made a gun with his finger, pointing it directly back at Julie and mimed a shot toward her chest. “Boom.”
Kye looked around from his display, deciding to put an end to the conversation.
“NanoShots is surely the best option, right?”
Eddie was quick to reply, shutting his argument down with one of his own.
“You aren’t doing any of the work by that point though? Just hire a hit droid to do it for you, if you can’t be bothered. I prefer a more…” He paused for a moment. “Precise bullet,” he finished, rolling his knuckles across his knee.
Kye snorted, retorting himself, “Precise? You practically are a hit droid – the way you mechanically take out the targets, it’s kind of embarrassing. Loosen up a bit, man!” He shoved into Eddie’s arm with a resounding thud, as Eddie remained staunchly still. “See what I mean? How are you gonna aim like that? Must be a twin thing.” He smirked over at Julie, noticing quickly that she had turned around to the window and ignored him, apparently more enraptured by the ocean than his jokes. Irritably, he pursued her attention, persisting, “Really?” His attitude changed when he saw that she was tensing, already bouncing on the balls of her feet. Douglass sat up, pulling his glasses out of his pocket and putting them on. Kye, now looking past Julie, noticed what she was staring at. “Fuck,” he groaned.
Sliding between the intertwined shades of the teal and turquoise of the ocean was a stark white creature. Headed directly towards them, at great speeds, the immense animal was growing as it came closer – first the size of a small hovercar, then that of an intercity monorail carriage, before it finally passed over the top of the submersible, equal in magnitude and area to the workshop where they all met up in. Darkness fell through the cabin as it moved over the window, shaking the crew out of their seats and sparking them into action. Douglass was quick to strap himself into his chair.
“What the fuck is that thing!” Kye broadcasted to no-one in particular, echoing around the room as everyone remained shell-shocked into silence. Whipping their heads around, they tracked the giant as it flew past, losing sight as it was swallowed by the dark waters. In the wake of the creature’s disappearance, the ocean folded in on itself, creating a strong current that pulled the submersible into a tailspin, tossing it off its line and sending the engines whirring as they rotated against the unwilling pushing. An incessant low tone came from the console, as the onboard navigation attempted to course correct. “Leave it,” Douglass spoke, straining against his straps and struggling not to slip out of his seat. The rest of the crew lifted themselves off the ground. As Douglass found his footing, he tapped his temple and the low tone stopped with the vehicle.
“Seriously, what the hell was that?” Kye repeated, anxious for an answer to his question.
Julie spoke, as Douglass waved her towards the front of the vehicle to take over driving. “I didn’t get a proper look. Some sort of fish?”
Danny exploded, unable to stop the incredulity in his voice. “A fish? That wasn’t a fucking fish, that was a mammoth. Some kind of whale thing!”
Julie slotted into her seat, as a steering wheel and gearstick dropped from the ceiling and into position. Attaching herself to the vehicle through her commlink and disconnecting Douglass, she reignited the engine and set the submersible back towards direction of the Station. Flipping the pad to her left, a vicinity sensor powered on, accurately displaying the area around the vehicle in rows of light green circles. The occupants watched as slowly, a large green dot arrived from the lower right of the display. Silently, the machine began to warn her of impending proximity based upon the object’s current path.
Julie spoke. “Doesn’t matter what it is right now. We need to get out of here, and we need to do it fast. Strap in.”
Everyone but Kye strapped into their seats, as he moved towards the rear of the ship, yelling back as he did so, “I’m gonna try and see if I can get a visual, okay?”
Julie whipped her head around, yelling for him to stop, right at the moment the creature reached the submersible again. It chose to pass by once more, below this time, but not before it gave the vehicle a prod with its nose from underneath. The slight power it exerted moved the vehicle back off its course, throwing the submersible around once more as it moved off. Kye dropped to the floor, landing hard on his real arm. Cursing, he waited for the shaking to stop, before snapping to attention at the sound of Julie’s voice.
“I said: Strap-the-fuck-in!”
He nodded, nursing his arm as he clipped the loops around his body. The others shared quick looks of discontent, as Julie once again brought the vehicle around to face their line of travel. She looked at Douglass. “I’m gonna have to put the lights on a moment. That okay?”
Wheezing, he nodded at her, adding before she turned, “Make sure... you don’t keep them on as we approach. How far out are we?”
She checked the console (ignoring the large green circle to the top of the vicinity sensor), and read the distance to arrival out loud: “80 kilometres.” A switch to her left was flicked, and the watery depths in front of the car were illuminated. “Holy shit.” They all leaned forward in their seats.
The bright twin spotlights clearly illuminated the creature, giving them their first proper view since it had begun to terrorise them. The light wasn’t wide enough to fully cover the entirety of the animal’s body, but it provided good detail to the areas it hit. A smooth pattern of interlocking scales covered its whole body, as white as uninked printer paper, uninterrupted save for the long and thin, equally white fins that ran down its back and sides. Each fin rose and fell in a repeating pattern, ending their crests with a honed ridge adorned by a small dark brown horn; they ran down the length of its slim, snake-like body, culminating together at the end of a thick tail in one large bone – pointed ombre splashed with dimples of swampy green. Similarly coloured horns protruded in multitudes from its head, creating a dangerous fan that surrounded its scalp like a crown of bone. Six small thin arms protruded from the higher end of the body, each bent and pronged like perverted metal hooks – three fingers scratched aimlessly at the water from the end of each arm. The head, not dissimilar to that of a lizard, was a bright shade of white, mixed with hints of contrasting green, deeper into the folds of the skin. Two black eyes, as reflective as mirrors, were set far into its face, shining the pinpricks of the headlamps back at the submersible. When it snarled, its maw was revealed, showing repeating sets of yellow teeth, stained thick with layers of blood, and studding a fleshy malachite-coloured mouth.
“What is it doing?” Kye projected his question once more to the crew, who remained as shocked as he was. The creature was thrashing about in the water, twisting and curving in some sort of sick and pained dance. “Julie, turn off the audio-dampening field for a moment, would you?” She obliged, tapping her temple. Instantly, a terrible wailing began to reverberate through the vehicle, shaking the displays off their desks and shattering them on the floor. It seemed to pulsate through the metal cover, through the window and was able to dig its way relentlessly into the crew's ears. Everybody clapped their hands to their heads, screaming at Julie to turn it back off, as she joined suit. Moving her finger down to her temple, she tapped again and the noise shut off. Brushing it off, she proclaimed, “It’s in pain!”
Douglass chimed in, “She’s in pain, actually. That’s one of the Leviathans.”
Kye interrupted. “Leviathan?”
They watched on at the creature’s persistent movements, as Douglass continued.
“That’s right. Another sad remnant born of the last Continental War. One of four of its kind, I believe, dotted around the Pacfic Ocean – experimental run-off from the sloppy bio-engineers at Brand Fu
tura during one of their last ditch efforts to win on the naval side. They’re abandoned now, I surmise this one is probably hungry, snatching around the areas for any morsel of food.”
“And that’s why it’s in pain, then?” Julie asked, keeping the vehicle firmly in place – the creature continuing to wriggle.
“More likely, it’s the lights. Notice its eyes? Almost entirely pupils, leaving it near to no room for reduced light intake. An adaptation to produce the effect of night-vision, no doubt. Used to our advantage here, however, maybe we can keep the lights trained on him long enough to slip away.”
Julie, keen to test his theory, switched the audio back on, and the lights off. The wail, which had started off so loud, died down, as the Leviathan floated there, regaining its sense; Julie kept her eyes trained on the vicinity sensor, waiting for movement. As soon as the green shifted, she flicked the lights back on, and the audio off, momentarily concussing the occupants of the submersible, and stopping the Leviathan in its tracks. They all flinched, as the light revealed just how close the creature actually was. Its frenzied flailing was near enough to lightly shake the vehicle.
“Well, that confirms it. We clearly can’t shut them off and get away quick enough though,” Julie said, hitting the side of her head whilst tilting it.
“She’s right,” Kye confirmed. “That thing’s gonna be on us the next time the lights go out.”
Danny pitched in. “It wasn’t actually attacking us before though. Just seemed to be inquisitive? It’s not like they eat glass and metal either. We should just turn the lights out and slip away.”