The Viperob Files

by Alister Hodge

  He had to move while he still had time. Zach spat the taste of vomit from his mouth, cringing as the action drove a new stab of pain through his head. He knew where he had to go—the Maglev Station. If the officers had been asked to attend as backup, maybe they’d found Jaego and his mates. Zach picked a line and forced himself to walk.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Lieutenant Harris walked quickly, boot heels hitting the concrete with a muted tap that echoed along the enclosed walkway. Reinforced iron enclosed the sides and roof, protecting the four-metre-wide road connecting the Maglev station to the Viperob complex. Every ten paces, a small circle of reinforced perspex allowed a porthole glimpse of the external environment during the day. However, with the island cloaked by night, there was nothing to see but muted black.

  Frustrated at the lack of progress, Harris had decided to join the pair of officers he’d sent to the Maglev station. To his right he heard a noise that brought him out of his thoughts. Slowing to a stop, he cocked his head to the side and listened. There it was again—a peculiar chirp, a sound somewhat like a metallic purr penetrated the enclosed walkway despite the iron wall-panels. Harris hastened to the nearest porthole and shined a light out into the night. His breath caught in his throat, excitement as his torch illuminated the back half of a Tri-Claw shell, swirls of red and orange reflecting in the darkness. The long scorpion tail of the beast arced over its back, vibrating slightly as every metallic purr sounded. The noise was particular to this species of trilobite, a type of sonar the creature used while hunting in the dark of night on land, or deep under water. Harris was fascinated by the monsters, feeling an odd kinship with the killers in their single-minded pursuit of quarry that was untainted by emotion. They were the supreme modern apex predator and the only animal to have successfully pushed man out of its territory in a thousand years.

  Harris raised a fist and lightly rapped his knuckles against the wall. The effect on the creature was immediate—the venom-tipped tail sprung taut over its back as it spun to face him, the six jointed legs a blur of motion. Two massive claws lifted in front of the creature, opening and closing slowly as if flexing its knuckles before a fight. The metallic purr sounded again, this time loud enough that the lieutenant could feel it vibrate through his chest. Unable to resist, Harris knocked his fist against the metal wall again.

  The Tri-Claw launched itself, exoskeleton smashing into the metal like a battering ram. Harris took a step back as the whole wall shook under the force of its blows. He moved to the side and looked through the porthole again. The spiked tail reared back, then shot forth like a whip, the venom-tipped point hitting the centre of the perspex window right in front of his face. A fine crack appeared in the porthole, snaking away from the centre toward one side.

  Harris grinned, adrenaline coursing through his body for the first time in months. He stayed put as the spike hammered forward another two times, cracks continuing to spread outwards. The claws of the beast grasped ineffectually against the wall, high squeals emanating as they scraped against the metal.

  Suddenly the assault stopped, returning the hallway to silence aside from the diminishing echoes of the battering. Harris stepped forward again to the porthole. The Tri-Claw had changed position, now facing out into the night and away from the covered walkway as it emitted another metallic purr. The legs of the creature flexed downward, then it launched away into the darkness.

  Harris swore, disappointed the show was over. Straightening his uniform, he started off again. After a few minutes, the corridor opened into the main area of the Maglev station. The eggshell roof arched above the different platforms in porcelain brilliance despite the time of night. As Harris paced forward, a recorded safety message issued over the speaker system, asking passengers to step back from the platform’s edge. He paused and looked toward the far end of the station where the train would enter, however a solid wall still blocked the end of the building, necessary to prevent Tri-Claw entry. A low hum could be heard in the distance, gradually growing louder as the train approached. Suddenly, a square opening slid up to the roof at lightning speed and a split second later, the Maglev punched through the gap. As the last segment of the train passed through, the wall slid down in a blur, sealing the station once more from outside dangers.

  The Maglev hovered thirty centimetres above the single track as it slowed to a stop, then as colour faded from the track, it gently dropped until it made solid contact with the metal. The carriages were sleek in shape, curved at the roof and aerodynamically designed to punch through the air at speeds of up to 500 kilometres per hour. With the train now at a halt on the platform, various doors slid open along its length, disgorging a small number of workers. Harris felt a gentle tap on his right shoulder, and glanced to find his two officers had appeared. Harris returned his attention to the disembarking men and women, searching their faces and demeanour out of habit for any behavioural features of suspicion.

  “Report,” commanded Harris.

  One of his officers stepped closer to his shoulder and spoke quietly so that Harris alone would hear his voice. “No contact so far, but we have their options of approach narrowed down. There’s only one entry to the station possible at this time of night aside from the covered walkway.”

  “And Russo’s on that door, ready to play his part?”

  His officer nodded.

  “Good. Take me to him, I want to ensure he knows just how tight I’m going to hold his leash.”

  Marco sat on a chair in a hallway alcove near the station’s eastern entrance, waiting. Straight as an arrow, the hallway stretched thirty metres from a barred gate on the external wall up to the main platforms. Cobalt-blue glass tiles lined the walls, their rippled surface reflecting back the spaced lights of the ceiling in a non-uniform pattern, making the wall look deceptively like water. The gate at the end of the hall was the only access point for someone coming from outside of corporation grounds. Marco changed position on the chair to ease an ache in his back, wincing as the movement tore a scab from a chest wound where it had stuck to his shirt. A warm trickle ran from the re-opened wound like he was lactating blood, down his abdomen to soak into the material of his waist band.

  The sting from the wound was nothing to the distress of indecision. His gut twisted as his mind flipped through a myriad of options, unable to settle on any course of action. He desperately wanted to see Gwen, to know that she had survived the storm. And yet at the same time, he fervently hoped that she would stay away from the station. If she arrived and was caught, Marco doubted the lieutenant would keep his word to protect her from future charges. He’d rather trust a snake not to strike. No, the more likely event would see the whole lot of them arrested and tried for corporate espionage. Marco shook his head in frustration. Even if Harris did keep his end of the bargain and granted Gwen immunity, would his daughter forgive his role in helping to capture her friends? He doubted it.

  “Russo, get your arse up here, now!”

  Marco started, his heart rate jumping at the unexpected interruption. He flicked his head to the sound, trying to ignore a burning spasm of muscle in his neck. After his beating earlier in the week, even the smallest of movements came with pain. Marco’s eyes narrowed slightly as he saw one of the officers who’d escorted him from the cells at the end of the hall.

  “The Boss wants to speak with you.”

  On cue, Harris appeared at the officer’s side. Uniform crisp and mark free like it had just been ironed, an unblemished appearance that was enough to set Marco’s teeth on edge each time they met.

  Marco eased himself off the chair and walked up the hall, trying to keep his face blank and gait even to hide any sign of the pain that the simple activity caused. He came to a stop, deliberately staying outside arm’s reach. Avoiding eye contact, he picked a point over Harris’s shoulder at which to stare and crossed his hands behind his back.

  “You wanted me?” Marco had meant his voice to be firm but was frustrated to hear it sound thin and
quiet in his own ears.

  “I wanted to remind you exactly what you have on the line tonight, Russo.”

  Marco felt his hands clench unbidden. How could I bloody forget, you bastard. His gaze slid to the lieutenant’s face to find Harris eyeing him with hawk-like intensity. “I’m well aware my daughter’s future is at stake,” Marco answered between gritted teeth.

  “It’s a little more than that, I’m afraid. You’ll be holding her very life in your hands.” Harris stepped closer, driving his face to within inches of Marco’s. “If I think for a second that you’re playing me, Russo, your daughter will be shot on sight as a conspirator.”

  Harris lifted a hand to Marco’s shoulder and tapped the small microphone and speaker set clipped to his shirt. “I’ll hear every word that exits your mouth and be listening for any nuance or hidden meaning.” A sneer lifted one corner of his lips. “I might as well be inside your brain, because I’ll know what you’re planning before you do.”

  Marco dry-swallowed, trying to keep his face blank. It was a struggle. Harris made his skin crawl and fingers itch to grab the man about his throat to start squeezing.

  “I’ll stick to the plan and act my part,” said Marco, staring again over Harris’s shoulder. “I’ll do whatever’s required to bring the kids in and deliver the Claymore boy into your custody. Then my daughter goes free, right?”

  “Yes, Russo.” A mocking half-smile kinked the lieutenant’s mouth. “You do that for me and your girl will go free.”

  Harris turned away, dismissing him to move on to another task. Marco walked slowly back to his seat in the hall alcove, a bitter taste in his mouth from the interaction. As a smuggler, he’d made a career out of reading people, picking up on subtle behavioural details that most missed, and he knew a lie when he heard one. He just hoped that for once he was wrong, otherwise, his gut told him that whatever he did, Harris had no plan to let his daughter go free.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Kane put a hand out to slow the group to a walk. He was breathing hard, face red and sweat pouring from the effort of matching the teenagers’ pace. Ethan acknowledged the gesture and pulled up, his eyes skirting the decrepit buildings lining the street for movement. They’d been exceedingly lucky during the run. The only Tri-Claw they’d seen had been at a distance, and already busy eating something. The group was on track—thirty minutes until the Maglev was due to exit the station. At the end of the street was the covered walkway connecting the station with the Viperob complex, leaving less than half a kilometre to their end destination.

  After resting with hands on knees for a few minutes, Kane’s breathing slowed enough for him to straighten again. “I want us to take this last stretch a little more quietly. If luck’s against us tonight, Spec Ops may already have the station under surveillance…”

  A huge metallic clang cut off Kane’s sentence, like a sledgehammer smashed against steel. Ethan’s head jerked toward the noise, a burst of adrenaline sending his heart racing as he crouched to decrease his profile. The tremendous noise happened again, now a constant barrage.

  Kane tapped Ethan on the shoulder then pointed toward the noise. Leaving Jaego and Gwen behind, the pair edged forward to the street corner. Ethan’s breath caught in his throat as he saw a massive Tri-Claw attacking the protected walkway. Swirls of red and orange curled over its shell-like tendrils of flame, illuminated from a torch beam shined through one of the porthole windows.

  Kane cupped a hand to Ethan’s ear and whispered, “We backtrack a block and come around. Move slowly.”

  Ethan nodded slightly, eyes fixed on the creature. The Tri-Claw paused, rearing up on its back legs to smash forward once more against the metal. Ethan stepped backward, his right foot accidently sending a small piece of rubble skittering along the pavement. Ethan stopped dead, every muscle tense as he waited to see if the monster had noticed. Instead of hitting the iron wall, the Tri-Claw dropped onto its legs and skittered around in a circle, facing toward the pair. Ethan knew they were concealed in shadow and at this distance, probably invisible. The Tri-Claw arced its stinger over its back and emitted a metallic purr that Ethan felt vibrate through his chest.

  “Shit,” muttered Kane, shaking his head. The Tri-Claw took one step forward in their direction. “Get ready to run… Now!”

  Ethan and Kane turned tail and ran. Behind them, they could hear the razor-tipped legs of the Tri-Claw hitting the concrete as it sprinted after them. Within seconds, Gwen and Jaego appeared out of the gloom, faces white and tense.

  “Tri-Claw! GO! GO! GO!” he shouted, waving his arm at them to move as he approached.

  The metallic purr sounded again, causing Ethan’s chest to shudder with the force of the noise. The leg-strikes of the creature were louder; knife tips stabbed against ceramic, gaining on them rapidly. There was no possible way to outrun it. They would have to stand and fight or be cut down from behind one at a time.

  The building on his left was still standing, an open cavity where a wooden door had once resided providing the only way inside.

  “Get in there!” shouted Ethan, pointing with his spear tip. The Tri-Claw was less than a dozen metres behind them as rest of the group followed him through the opening. With his friends inside, Ethan stood back in the doorway, holding the point of his spear outwards at the charging Tri-Claw. At the size and weight of a rhinoceros, Ethan’s legs felt like jelly as it closed. In his peripheral vision, he noted Jaego taking a place beside him, their twin blades all that stood between the Tri-Claw and a swift death.

  The creature hit the doorway at full sprint, ramming with the force of a small truck. Concrete render broke away, showering the ground in fine rubble but the underlying brick structure held. The doorway was too narrow for the creature to pass. It stretched in one pincer at a time, snapping the hubcap-sized claw at the boys who danced and stabbed just out of reach.

  “Aim for the face!” shouted Jaego as he ducked, a claw missing the top of his head by a hair’s breadth.

  Ethan jabbed forward with his spear, but the knife blade just skidded along the protective shell as if it were bulletproof glass. He couldn’t see the face. While the Tri-Claw was standing on all legs, the front lip of its shell protected the eyes and soft face of the creature. If they were to have any chance, they needed it to rise on its back legs and give them an unobstructed target.

  Ethan jumped backward, dodging a strike from the Tri-Claw’s scorpion tail and glanced upward. The roof had fallen in long ago, leaving open air above the ground level.

  “Gwen, we need you to draw its attention from above!”

  Gwen held her spear in a vice-like grip, concern for the boys’ safety overriding her visceral terror of the beast. But as much as she wanted to take her share of the fight, there wasn’t enough room in the narrow gap for her to join in. Hearing Ethan’s request, she nodded without a thought and grabbed Kane to provide a foothold for her by linking his fingers together. With the added height, she was able to launch herself upwards, fingers just reaching the top of the wall. She drew herself over the edge and up onto the top, barely noticing as the rough surface tore runnels of skin from her abdomen. The Tri-Claw charged the wall again, shell striking like a battering ram into the bricks. Gwen let out a sharp yelp as the wall shuddered underneath, almost unseating her. She scrabbled desperately for moment, on the verge of falling into the front yard before she righted herself. Refusing to think how close she’d come, Gwen scooted along the top of the wall until she was directly above the Tri-Claw.

  She grabbed a loose brick and threw it down onto the creature’s back with all her strength. The weight bounced off the hardened shell without making a depression, but it shocked the Tri-Claw into backing out of the doorway for a moment. She needed something bigger. Next to her was a larger segment of bricks and render, a dozen bricks that she might be able to move. Gwen sat on the wall and placed her foot against the section of bricks, then kicked hard.

  A crack widened beneath the slab and it tilted f
orward slightly, but still held.

  “Gwen! Hurry up, we can’t hold off this bastard for much longer!” shouted Jaego below.

  She bit her lip and kicked again with all her strength. The section of brickwork moved, tilted precariously, then finally shifted and fell, slamming into the back of the Tri-Claw. The creature was knocked onto its belly by the force, a crack appearing in the shell from the impact.

  For the first time during the attack, the Tri-Claw emitted a high-pitched scream of mixed rage and pain. It backed away from the doorway, then used its front pair of legs to lift itself upwards on the front wall of the house so it could see what was attacking it from above.

  The force of her kick had unbalanced Gwen, her leg dangling over the front lip of the wall. She yanked it back, narrowly avoiding a closing claw that would have severed her leg at the knee. Both claws now snapped up at her, mere inches away as the creature scrabbled for purchase with its front legs to bring it higher. If the boys didn’t find a home for their blades soon, she was going to be missing a body part.

  Dust billowed off the back of the creature as the masonry crashed onto it. One of the bricks bounced free, catching Jaego a glancing blow on his left shoulder and causing him to drop his spear. The Tri-Claw backed out of the entrance and surged upward at Gwen, exposing its underbody and head to Ethan. Instead of the red and orange swirls that coated the dorsal surface of the creature, the underside was milky white with the texture of leather. A small head was now visible, and four obsidian eyes glittered malevolently above a circular mouth, ringed with serrated daggers for teeth.