by Eyal Kless
Galinak was the first of the crew to come back. He took one look at Vincha, then at me, and whistled in appreciation. “You got out of a double rattlesnake choke.”
“A single.” Vincha rattled her cuffed hand, “That’s why he’s still standing, you fool.”
“You never cease to amaze me, Twinkle Eyes.” Galinak looked around as the others scurried back after him. “The outpost is secure. Seems like whoever was there left in a hurry.”
I immediately thought of my LoreMaster. Was this his doing? What would be the price of his deceit . . . ? Or was it just good luck, for once?
Galinak actually released Vincha and walked her off to answer nature’s call. When she passed me she slowed her step. “You’d better hope and pray that Nakamura was just a crazy Troll,” she whispered, “because the very last thing he told me, before I ran, was that everyone who I bring back with me to the City within the Mountain will die.”
65
The mountain outpost was deserted, but there was evidence that people had recently lived there. We found dried meat hanging in the supply room, and I was happy to chew real food for a change despite the fact that eating while on nourishment pills could cause stomach cramps. We posted guards and huddled underground. It was a small place but easily defensible, and there was even a designated area to park the Dusters.
In this safe haven, Vincha’s condition deteriorated. Her headaches were strong, but she continued to refuse to take Skint. I took my turn guarding the outpost, but when I came back she was unconscious and her fever was high.
“It’s her plugs,” River said. “Rejection fever.”
“Shove this up her nostrils.” Jakov threw the bag of Skint at River.
River caught the bag, “She’ll be cross-wired when she wakes up.”
“She can kiss my metal ass,” Jakov said.
It took some time to prepare the Skint, and River used a medic kit to inject it straight into Vincha’s vein. The effect was dramatic. Her fever broke and she lapsed into a deep sleep.
I slept very little that night. Come morning, I caught Jakov peering over the map.
“I notice you don’t have a Puzzler with you,” I said softly, so no one else would hear us. His artificial eye looked at me long before he turned his face in my direction.
“Puzzlers are hard to come by these days,” he said.
“But not impossible, and you seem to be a man who covers all his bases.”
This time he looked at me differently. “The old bookworm told me that you’re more than what you seem.”
“Funny, he told me the same about you.”
He nodded. “I have enough firepower to punch through the Valley. And we are bringing the CommWoman, so no use in putting all my eggs in one basket. If it all goes to rust, I might bring my Puzzler back and try a different way in.”
“Is it really just about the coin?” I said, hoping the change of topic would catch him off guard, but Jakov just shook his head.
“Save it, Twinkle Eyes, my reasons are my own. Now get some rest—we’re not going to stay here much longer.”
He wasn’t lying. Shortly after our little chat we moved out, making our way down to the Valley via a dangerous, winding road. Vincha was conscious. I thought she looked less pale, but she didn’t respond to any of my questions about her well-being. After a while I gave up.
The way to the Valley caused my stomach to turn, but my first glimpse of the place made my heart miss a beat. Hearing stories about the place was one thing; actually seeing it brought up a mixture of awe and dread in me. Even with the sandstorm covering a large part of the Valley I could see how big it was. The City of Towers’s height and architecture was imposing, but this was just vast. How many had lived and died here? I could not even begin to guess the number.
Using my sight, I caught a glimpse of the Northern Long Tube track far to the west and followed it with my eyes, seeing it disappear into a yellow haze. What an amazing place the Valley must have been. Now it was a wasteland with nothing growing out of the powdery sand, a place young, enthusiastic Trolls were sent to die. What terrible weapon had wiped out this awesome culture? I shivered, not from the cold this time. The Catastrophe must have been what some old religious scriptures had warned about.
Jakov wisely decided to stay on higher ground for the night rather than risk driving through a Lizard-infested area in the dark. We posted double guards for each shift, but I’m pretty sure no one slept that night, except Galinak, of course. The rest of us were pensive and quiet, and it was so rusting cold that I even contemplated hugging my escort. Instead, I used my sight to look down into the Valley. The moon was up, and more than once I thought I saw movement. Whether it was my imagination or not, the sight sent shivers down my spine. Sunrise was a relief.
We reached the Valley midmorning, and the change in the weather was dramatic. I felt hot and dry, as if moisture was being sucked out of me. Everyone had to cover their eyes and faces, and we drove the Dusters in sort of a loose row, so as to avoid the clouds of dust coming out from under the wheels of the Duster in front.
The plan was simple: to outrun or shoot anything we saw. Everyone had their weapons poised and ready; even I had a rifle in my hands. There were six of us in each Duster, including the driver and gunner.
Jakov’s Duster took point, with Bayne taking the gunner position. River was in the second Duster together with more of Jakov’s mercenaries. Galinak took the gunner position on the third Duster, where I sat next to the driver. Vincha, still bound and weaponless, huddled at the back.
“Lizards,” someone suddenly shouted over the Comm, “to our right.”
I turned my head and saw a group of them coming out behind one of the buildings. My estimate was around two dozen Lizards, walking on their back legs. They turned their heads towards us. I had heard the descriptions of them countless times; as I read the Salvo-novels and listened to veterans tell their combat stories, I often imagined what it would be like to face these creatures. But I cannot describe the terror I felt when I realised they had spotted us.
The first thought that flashed through my mind was how human they actually looked. The Lizards’ skin was not as green as I’d imagined it to be, more of a brownish hue. Their upper bodies, although incredibly muscular, resembled that of a powerful human male. Even their snouts did not distort their faces enough to make them truly reptilian. As soon as the Lizards spotted us, they dropped on all fours and gave chase, their powerful limbs propelling them forward, thankfully slower than our Dusters but faster than any human could ever run. Even more terrifying, four Lizards split from the main group of chasers and tried to cut us off, showing cunning, perhaps even intelligence. I was shaking all over, and despite the fact that I was secured in my seat, I found myself holding on to the upper rail for dear life.
The Lizards who tried to cut us off came close enough for the gunner on Jakov’s Duster to open fire. The bodies of two of the closest Lizards were ripped to shreds in a cloud of green and red. The rest of the crew wisely saved their ammunition and power clips. I was so scared, I didn’t even think about using my rifle.
We eventually outran them, but from then on, we encountered Lizards everywhere, and it soon became one constant battle. With myself as an exception, and perhaps River as well, the crew was made up of battle-hardened Trolls whose hands were, thankfully, steadier than mine. As we drove through the Valley, we killed hundreds of Lizards, yet hundreds, perhaps thousands of these creatures still chased after us.
Although the Lizards tried to dodge direct fire, they seemed to be too vicious to be bothered with the notion of personal safety. They would charge straight at the Dusters, and we ran over several dozens of them at a time on a regular basis.
Around noon our luck ran out. As we drove through a pack of Lizards, the driver of the last Duster lost control. The vehicle spun several times before going through the wall of a high building. The Lizards immediately converged on the accident, climbing into the hole the Duster had
created. The wounded crew opened fire, but they were getting quickly overwhelmed. Jakov surprised me with an order to turn back and rescue the crew even as we heard their dying screams over the Comm. As we drove in, shooting in all directions, I was making a quick mental head count, unabashedly relieved that the people I knew and cared about were not inside the building. The Trolls in Jakov’s and Galinak’s Dusters kept killing and drawing Lizards away from the building while River’s Duster crew mounted a heroic rescue. Yet by the time they got to the crew inside there was only one survivor, Brook, who suffered two broken legs and lost consciousness as soon as we pulled him into our Duster. We salvaged what we could and drove away. I saw River puke and was thankful I did not get to see what was left of the fallen crew.
There was no time to dwell on things, though, because soon we were attacked again. This time I even got to use my rifle, not that I was hitting anything. Changing clips, I turned my head and saw that a Lizard had managed to cling to the back of the Duster. Galinak was too busy shooting out the rail gun to the other side to notice the danger. As I watched, the Lizard’s second claw gripped the back of the Duster. Without thinking, I released myself from my seat and manoeuvered quickly to the back of the Duster, jumping over Vincha, brushing against Galinak’s leg, and stepping over Brook.
I reached the end of the Duster as the Lizard pulled itself up. Our eyes met just as it half-raised itself into the Duster and the world seemed to pause for a heartbeat as we gazed at each other. If there was any shred of humanity in this creature, I did not see it in its eyes. It bared its teeth and surged forward and I pulled the trigger. It was a point-blank head shot, a hard shot to miss, and it blew the Lizard away from the Duster, where it was further shredded to pieces by Galinak’s gun. I sat down heavily, vowing then and there that if I ever got out of this mess, I would train my best to become an expert marksman.
We kept moving and killing for what seemed to be an eternity. At some point I heard Vincha shouting something, but there was no time to listen to her. I assumed she was asking for a weapon, but like the rest of the crew I had other things to worry about. She went quiet after a while, so I concentrated on trying not to accidently shoot the crew. I almost jumped out of the Duster when I suddenly heard her voice inside my head.
Turn east, damn you, turn east, he’s speaking to me. Rafik says turn east.
She was hunched over in her seat, showing efforts of intense concentration. I saw Jakov turn his head toward her from the leading Duster. Our eyes met and I nodded, just as Vincha’s voice exploded into our minds again.
Rust, turn now and head straight a mile, if we continue this way we are going to hit thousands of them.
This time everyone seemed to have heard her. Considering that Vincha’s gear had been diluted from its broadcasting and offensive capabilities, the effort it took her to accomplish this must have been huge.
I saw Jakov signal his driver. The convoy made a sharp turn east and the road climbed up until we found ourselves driving the biggest road bridge I have ever seen. It was timeworn and had large holes in several places but was still standing strong. Once we were over the high bridge, Vincha reached out again, asking for us to stop, and Jakov complied. The Dusters drove near a hole and we all looked down. There were thousands of Lizards below us, in an area full of high buildings. If we had attempted to drive through them it would have been certain death.
I was surprised when Jakov jumped from his Duster and ran to ours.
“Rafik contacted you?” The flesh part of his face was sweating profusely, whether from the heat or excitement I could not tell.
Vincha nodded and closed her eyes. “He gave me a new set of coordinates, I must not forget . . .” With her eyes half closed, she began reciting the numbers repeatedly.
“I guess you won’t be going anywhere.” Jakov removed Vincha’s cuffs. I looked at the CommWoman as she meekly followed Jakov to his Duster. As soon as they reached the Duster she slumped in her seat, exhausted.
We encountered no more Lizards the rest of the way.
Our new destination was a cluster of crumbling one- and two-story buildings at the edge of Tarakan Valley. The sun was setting, and after a day of riding and fighting I desperately wanted to reach a safe haven. We moved the Dusters into defensive positions and changed their power tubes, just to be on the safe side.
Jakov turned to Vincha. “Anything?”
She leaned on the Duster, shaking her head slowly. “I think the broadcasting may have burnt the wires in my hardware,” she said. “Been getting nothing but static since.” She hesitated. “Although I feel like something, or someone, is trying to reach me, but there is a blanket over my head.”
“Fine, we’ll search here, but if we don’t find anything in the next hour we’ll head off to the original coordinates. I don’t want to travel in the dark.” Jakov gave orders and several groups began scouting the area.
Galinak, Vincha, and I stayed near the Duster, and Brook lay unconscious under the gunner’s seat.
I leaned casually next to her, making sure I was out of arm’s reach. She was massaging her temples and didn’t bother to open her eyes. “What do you want, Twinkle Eyes? Speak softly—my head is being drilled open from the inside.”
I lowered my voice. “Was it really him?”
Even shaking her head was an effort which made Vincha grimace. “Rust. Can’t explain it. It wasn’t that he spoke to me in words. The knowledge somehow filled my mind. That’s the only way I can describe it.”
“How did you know it was Rafik, then?”
“It’s the only thing I’m sure about.” Her eyes were red rimmed when she opened them and looked at me. “I know it can’t be true. I heard Rafik’s screams. He died. No one screams like that and lives, and if he did survive somehow, he’d be a grown man by now, with a man’s voice. So this must be some kind of a trap, eh, Twinkle Eyes?”
I shrugged. “Maybe.”
“So why are we still here, then? The Valley is filled with rusting Lizards.” Vincha pointed her thumb at the Duster she was leaning on. “Let’s get the fuck away from here.”
“What if it’s true? What if Rafik is alive?”
Vincha looked at me, exasperated. “You think we are going to solve the mysteries of the world? Or that this is the dawn of a new era? Let me assure you that even if this is not just a stupid way to get us killed, it’ll be just a new chapter of an old story. Look at this, look at us.” She gestured in an arc with her hands. “We’re like fleas fighting over the blood on the carcass of a dead dog. What’s the point? The Tarkanians destroyed everything and everybody, and yet all we want to do is wear their artifacts and try to be just like them? What’s the rusting point?”
She paused. “Yeah, I feel bad about the boy. He was a nice kid, but he was just one miserable boy with very rusty luck. Well, get in line. If I had the chance, right now, I’d run away from here and the City of Towers and the rest of you freaks and never come back. There must be a corner of land somewhere where I can live in peace. Better than getting killed running after dreams and fairy tales.”
Just as Vincha finished her sentence, River said over the Comm, “We found something over here.” Vincha rolled her eyes, but I could sense even she appreciated the irony of the situation.
River came out from one of the buildings, declaring he had found stairs leading to a cellar, where he found a secret door leading into an underground tunnel.
Bukra’s balls. I felt a surge of energy rush through my body. Could it be?
The crew returned to the Dusters, and this was when we discovered that Brook had silently died. We gave him a quick Salvationist burial, which meant we stripped him of all his valuables, weapons, and clothes, and burned his body to ash with several long power-ray shots.
In the meantime River took stock. After a day in the Valley, we’d lost six Trolls and one Duster, replaced the power tubes in the other three, and were down to sixty-five percent of our ammunition. There were sixteen of us still stan
ding.
We took out the power tubes from the Dusters and covered the machine guns with canvas to protect them from the sand. Then we went to the building River indicated and proceeded down the stairwell to a room that was too small for all of us to be comfortable standing next to each other. The secret door opened into a tunnel. Jakov sent one of his men as a scout, and we all waited.
He came back a little later to report that he’d found a small, puzzle-locked door.
So, it’s true. My heart skipped a beat. By the look on his half face, I was sure Jakov was thinking the same thing.
The underground tunnel was completely dark but wide enough for Galinak and myself to walk shoulder to shoulder. At several points it had partly collapsed, and we had to crawl under or climb over earth, bent metal, and concrete. It was hard for me to use my enhanced vision, since the rest of the crew were using light beams, so I walked among the dancing shadows, trying to banish the premonition that we were all heading into a tomb, but the oppressed feeling grew with each step I took.
The underground room was not bigger than the one we’d left and the door was indeed small, just barely wide enough for one Troll to fit. Like all Tarakan steel, it was in perfect condition, untouched by time and undamaged by exposure to the elements. The puzzle lock and its three gaping holes were chest level in height.
“What now?” someone muttered.
“We have explosives,” Jakov suggested.
River shook his head. “You’ll collapse this place for sure.”
He checked the door for gaps, hoping to slide a lever and force the door, but the door fitted perfectly.
“Vincha? Anything?” Jakov asked.
“Nothing,” she responded.
Jakov swore. “Try and reach out for him.”
“Doesn’t work like that, remember? You took away my broadcasting ability, and whatever I managed to do before, I assure you I can’t do again.”