by J. N. Chaney
“No need to be nervous, Lucia. This is just a simple interview.” He looked pointedly at my hands.
I’d been unconsciously twisting them, so I forced them to be still and nodded. “I’m ready, Prime Lambert.”
“Very good. We will begin, then. How do you feel about completing tasks beneath that of the Director?”
My brow wrinkled in confusion at the question. “I don’t know that any work in the facility is beneath anyone.”
Lambert smiled and I realized that must have been the answer he wanted. “That seems to be in line with reports. I’m told you frequently help others with a variety of tasks and have a generally friendly attitude. That’s a good quality in a leader, don’t you think?”
I nodded. “Yes, I do. A leader should be willing to do what they ask of anyone else.”
“Does that include following orders?”
He slid the question in so smoothly I almost spoke without considering meaning behind it.
“I try my best,” I said carefully, “though at times have made the mistake of not using my better judgment.”
“Such as the other night? When you and the other prospus entered the caves?”
“Yes,” I agreed. “Like that.”
“The archive records showed that you recently accessed footage of the early Boneclaw experiments. Tell me, why was that?”
His question took me by surprise, and I had to work to remain at ease. Did he know about my misgivings?
“The Boneclaws that attacked during my last hunt exhibited unusual behavior,” I said, deciding to go with a half-truth. “I wanted to make sure that I understood their behavior so as to be a better hunter.”
Prime Lambert regarded me for a moment but seemed to accept the answer.
“Janus and Apprentice Braid speak highly of you. A number of others have come forward to express similar sentiments. Only a small number of complaints, though I can’t share specifics.”
“It’s not always possible to make everyone happy,” I admitted. I wanted to know who had complained, but he obviously wasn’t going to give that up.
“That’s true. Well, that’s all for this portion, Ms. Visaro.” Lambert stood and picked up his datapad. “I wish you luck on the rest of your tests.”
“Thank you, Prime Lambert.” I completed the interview with a small ceremonial bow and exited the room.
My weapon was under scrutiny from the Engineering Prime Elias Doyle. It was only part of the assessment, though. If they didn’t work, a prospus wouldn’t be able to enter the caves. It passed muster, but I hadn’t expected any problems. All of my trials had been successful since I’d gotten past the coding hurdle.
Now all that remained was to retrieve our fusion cores. They would be the ultimate test of our bravery, tracking skills, and teamwork. Once we found them, they would be brought back to the Primes and inserted into our weapons to complete the ceremony.
Then the Primes would choose the next Director.
“You have each been given coordinates. These are not the exact locations of the cores, but a general location. Once inside that radius, you will need to use the skills you’ve acquired to locate them. In light of recent events”—my father cast a meaningful look at us— “you’ll go in groups of three instead of pairs.”
He stood flanked by the Primes, along with Alma and another senior hunter, at the main cave entrance. As was customary, none of our parents were there to see us off. As the Director, my father was the exception to that rule. They had wished us luck at the start of the day and would be there for the final ceremony, but for now, we were on our own.
Alma stepped forward. “Prospus Nagata, Visaro, and Riddell. You’re with me.”
“You have three hours. Good luck, Prospus.” With a final grand sweep of his arm, we were motioned forward. Though my father couldn’t say anything, pride shone on his face when we walked by.
Then we were through the door and in the dank darkness of the cave.
7
“Remember, I’m here for evaluation and emergencies. You can’t ask me for help,” said Alma. “Treat me like I’m not here.”
Taking her words to heart, I pulled out my datapad and turned to Karin and Mark without responding. It was reminiscent of our situation only a week ago, but the circumstances were much different this time. Even though our last excursion had nearly ended in disaster, the stakes seemed higher now.
“There’s wolf activity here and here.” I pointed to the markers lit in blue. “One is inside the radius. I say we go around and enter from the north. That way, we don’t run into them unless we have to.”
I was careful to sound confident without taking charge. We needed to work as team, but at the same time, we each needed to prove our ability to lead.
“It’s a smart idea,” agreed Karin. “Mark?”
“Yes, that should work,” he said, then tightened his grip on the weapon in his hands. “We’ll have the rifles if we run into any of them, but I’d rather not.”
I knew the other prospus was incredibly smart and had been chosen for a reason, but sometimes I wondered if he would be a good leader. The guy seemed scared of almost everything. Then again, he’d come through the caves alone and brought back help. We almost certainly would have been killed otherwise.
“Okay, ready when you are,” I said.
The other two nodded and we started walking, Alma following a short distance behind. The older woman moved quietly, and it was easy to pretend she wasn’t there.
We wound through the labyrinth of destroyed and abandoned rooms, pausing only to check our location. Evidence of our ancestors was everywhere, most of it trash. Our people had picked through most of the items long ago and now scavenging teams poked through unexplored areas in search of anything usable.
It was easy to discern areas that hadn’t been searched. If they had, the teams cleaned up as they went, creating neat little piles and paths through the rubble.
Our little trio stopped in a large chamber that forked off into two separate paths. One led to Facility 1 and the other looped back around and eventually led to Facility 3.
The devastation seemed to be concentrated here. The archives showed that the facility’s security team attempted to detain the escaped Boneclaws here, but what followed had been destruction on a critical level.
Parts of the wall were still pocked and scarred with black from what must have been a terrifying battle. Twisted pieces of metal had been pushed and piled along the walls in heaps, along with the charred remains of unrecognizable debris.
A loud thump sounded from somewhere deep in the cave system, although it was impossible to know where.
We all froze, straining our ears, but it didn’t happen again.
Mark swallowed audibly from my right. “Wh-what was that?”
“Something far away,” Karin reassured him.
“Let’s keep moving,” I said. “It’s already been forty-five minutes and we haven’t even started looking. Besides, I don’t want to stick around and find out if whatever that was is headed our way. If we go through there, it should take us to a corridor that will run into the radius of the cores.” I pointed to the path that went left.
“Sounds good to me,” Mark whispered, as though someone were listening in.
I started to move but stopped when Karin didn’t. “Karin, everything okay?”
She nodded but stopped halfway and shook her head. “I… I don’t know if I want go through with this.”
My mouth dropped open and I stared at my friend in disbelief. “What are you talking about?”
“Look, I never wanted to be a prospus, okay? Someone nominated me and I couldn’t back out. But after last week, I just know this isn’t for me.”
“Okay,” I said, trying to think fast. “Okay. You don’t have to be leader, but we need you to come with us.”
“Why? You’re all but guaranteed to be the next Director. Mark is absurdly smart. You don’t need me.”
Another thump re
verberated through the large space and Karin jumped.
“That’s why. If you stay here, we’ll be worrying about you and that will make us vulnerable. Besides, remember what you said? Safety in numbers.” I placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and met her eyes. “I need you.”
She held my gaze for a moment, then nodded. “Alright. I’m with you.”
We entered Facility 1 to find more of the same damage and disarray. I kept an eye on Karin, but she seemed to be holding it together after my little pep talk. Mark looked nervous as usual but seemed determined to see the last test out and stayed quiet.
As soon as the datapad indicated we were in the radius of the fusion cores, we started working our way through the empty rooms and labs.
“If we keep going like this, we’re going to run out of time,” Mark said, annoyed. “There has to be a better way.”
“I’m all ears,” I said, equally frustrated.
We’d been at it for some time but had barely covered a quarter of the possible locations.
He groaned and slapped a hand to his forehead. “I’m so stupid! The fusion cores emit radiation. We should be able to detect it.”
Mark pulled out his datapad and began working it furiously, his fingers flying over the screen as he typed. We let him work in silence until he smiled and held it up triumphantly.
“Got it. Each of the facilities is tied into Janus’ main network. I was able to access a few working scanners and narrow down the location.”
“Lead the way,” I said in relief.
The discovery seemed to have bolstered his confidence and Mark strode away without any of his usual hesitation. Karin, too, had lost most of the trepidation that had been dogging her and I felt a surge of hope. We might just make it after all.
Mark led us through a series of passages, some empty and clean and others in various stages of disrepair, until we came to what looked like a mess hall.
“Through there,” said Mark, gesturing at a door at the other end after consulting his pad.
“You guys ready?” I asked.
After they acknowledged that they were, we crossed the room together. The door wasn’t coded shut so it slid open noiselessly as we approached. I went through first, letting the other two file in behind me.
What I saw stopped me in my tracks and had me backpedaling as fast as my feet would carry me.
“Hey!” said Mark when he ran into me.
I whipped around and pressed a finger to my lips, cutting him off. He must have seen the look on my face because he turned and waved off Karin, who hadn’t quite made it into the room.
Once we were outside again, Karin looked at me quizzically. “What was that all about?”
“Wolves,” gulped Mark, speaking for me. “Three of them. I saw when Lucia turned around.”
“There shouldn’t be any wolves,” said Alma from my side. I had actually forgotten about her and almost jumped at her sudden appearance.
“I thought you weren’t here,” I said with a slight smirk.
“Don’t play games with me, girl.” Her tone didn’t quite bite, but it had a serious ring that told me something wasn’t right.
“They aren’t part of the test?” I asked, sobering.
“No,” she replied, looking worried.
“I’m pretty sure all three are asleep,” offered Mark. “It looked like the fusion core container was against the far wall.”
“That’s where we put it. How the hell did those vermin get in there? The doors shouldn’t have opened for them. They don’t have the markings.”
I knew the answer but hesitated to say. I didn’t want to risk Alma ending the test and sending us back. But if I didn’t, and something bad happened, it would be my fault.
“There’s an opening in the far-left wall,” I supplied.
Alma looked at me sharply. “A hole?”
I nodded reluctantly. “Yes. Like the one in Quadrant D.”
“You lot stay here. I’m going to try and make contact with the compound.”
“Sorry,” whispered Karin when Alma had moved out of earshot. “They’re probably going to make us go back. I know how bad you want to finish.”
“We’re so close too,” I said, unable to hide my disappointment.
“Do you really think there are Boneclaws here?” asked Mark.
“No. The wolves wouldn’t be there if a Boneclaw was close by,” I answered with a shake of my head.
Alma came back a few seconds later looking grim. She didn’t appear to be happy with whatever she learned.
“The Primes want you to go ahead with the test,” she announced.
“I thought comms were down this far out?” said Mark.
The older woman just gave him a withering look. “It’s the Selection, boy. You think we wouldn’t have taken steps to maintain communication? Six of our best and brightest are out here.”
“Oh, of course,” Mark replied.
“You each have weapons,” she said, regarding us. “And I’m to go in with you.”
It was irritating to hear that the Primes thought we needed help. “But we can handle—”
“That’s non-negotiable, Prospus Visaro.” Alma fixed me with a stare that brooked no argument.
“Alright,” I said reluctantly. “I don’t think we woke them. At least not that I could tell. Mark, can the sensors pick them up?”
He pulled out his pad and started working it again. “No, sorry,” he said after a few seconds.
“What’s the plan?” asked Karin. “Just go in shooting or are we going to try and get the cores without waking them up?”
“Not sure that last part is possible,” muttered Mark.
I agreed with him on that point. “I’ve got an idea,” I declared. “Two of us should attack while one grabs the cores. Then when the cores are out, we can back out and shut the door. Can you program it to shut from the pad?”
The last question was directed at Mark and he grinned. “Yeah, that’s easy.” The prospus tapped on his pad then gave me a nod. “Done. It’ll open and close on command now.”
“Okay, then. I guess the only question is who wants to attack with me and who wants to grab the cores.”
“Mark should grab the cores so he can deal with the door,” said Karin. “I’ll attack with you.”
“Sounds good. Let’s get it done, the clock’s still ticking,” I said, pulling my rifle from my back and going to the entrance. “Open it.”
The door slid smoothly open, revealing the interior of the room. A few machines still connected to power blinked weakly and our lights cast a glow over the sleeping animals.
Just as we’d been taught, I fanned left and Karin went right to approach from the sides, then we opened fire. The room erupted into chaos. The wolves awoke and immediately hopped up into hunched, aggressive stances. Our initial volley of fire seemed to do little to slow them. They screamed, high-pitched and painfully loud, before attacking in return.
One came at me, mouth open and tongue dripping venom. I continued to fire, but it was on me in an instant. Its mouth closed down on my arm and I felt something give way. Unable to stop a scream from the pain, I felt panic in the moment. Helplessness. Then I remembered my father, my mother, why I was here, and what I was going to do for the colony in the future. Just as quickly as it had flared, my fear was replaced with clarity and intent.
I brought my gun hand up, pressed the weapon to the side of the wolf’s head, and fired. I felt the pressure against my arm of the bullet’s path through the wolf’s head, then relief as its jaw went slack. I rolled with the body as it fell to the ground and pried the dead animal’s teeth free from my arm.
I rose to my feet, my arm burning like fire, and saw that the fighting wasn’t even close to done. Across the room, Karin was cornered in a struggle with her own wolf. Alma had stepped into the fray, taking on the last animal, which was substantially larger than the other two. Likely an Alpha.
I’d seen Alma participate in hunts and train
prospus and hunters, but I’d never seen her like this. Her glaive was alight with blue, same as the markings on her skin. She bared her teeth at the Alpha and let out a battle cry that seemed to give it pause, then she attacked in a blur of movement.
Mark had the box and was moving for the door. He paused when he saw me and flicked a glance at my injured arm.
“Go!” I yelled, sprinting for Karin.
Her gun lay just out of her reach and she was fending off the wolf with a broken pipe. Her hair had slipped out of its bindings and fell into her eyes.
“Get out of here!” She swung the pipe in an arcing motion, and it whistled through the air, cracking across the wolf’s snout. It whimpered in pain, but the blow didn’t seem to do much and the wolf recovered almost immediately. It bared its fangs and growled.
Finally in position for a clear shot, I raised the gun, aimed, and fired. The first shot tagged the animal in the shoulder, drawing its attention to me. I kicked Karin’s gun back to her and squeezed the trigger again. The rifle clicked. I was empty.
The wolf tensed and readied to jump me, venomous tongue lolling from its mouth. Suddenly, a blast sounded, and the wolf’s face split open. It slumped to the ground with an audible thud.
Karin stood behind it, arm raised and gun in hand, a ferocious look on her face. She fired three more shots into the back of the downed animal’s head.
I turned to check on Mark and Alma to find him gone and her still embroiled in combat, grinning of all things. A smear of blood crossed one cheek and she circled the wolf, glaive steady in both hands.
My left arm was pretty much useless, so I fumbled to release the spent magazine and put a fresh one in. Karin was at my side now and we moved in to help our trainer, only to be waved back.
“Stay back!” she commanded. “This one’s mine.”
The wolf surged forward, low and fast. It was going for her legs, like it would with any other prey, but Alma pivoted and kicked her foot high behind her. The wolf slipped beneath her and snapped at empty space. In the same graceful movement, Alma brought her glaive down into the beast’s side. Her blade slipped into the flesh of its middle shoulder and found purchase in the socket. The wolf howled in shock and agony as she placed a foot on its back and twisted the glaive.