Swarm

by Devon C Ford

  “This is all very nice, but we’re still a long way from home,” Hendricks said gruffly as he began walking toward the door.

  One by one, all of us followed. Harrison and Tori couldn’t have seen anything like this before, not even in their wildest dreams could they have imagined such luxury existed when every day, and not far away from where we were, they and every generation before them had struggled for survival. They gaped opened-mouthed, looking around in wonder.

  Two sets of doors later we entered the storage area. It was more utilitarian with the standard steel walls of the rest of the complex, but it was vast. By my reckoning, as the lights flickered on and lit the entire place, it was about the size of two football fields. Racks and racks of high shelving, similar to one of those distribution centers that littered the country, were filled with pallets and boxes of supplies.

  Walking through the aisles following Weatherby I looked at the pallets and crates that reached to the high ceiling. Some were marked with their contents; some were sealed and gave no clue as to what they contained.

  “Annie, you got a manifest of what’s here?” I asked out of curiosity.

  “Yes, David. I have a compete manifest including individual item locations on my files now. Are you looking for anything specific?”

  “Don’t worry about it, I was just curious,” I replied, not sure why I asked apart from wanting to fill the silence.

  Entering an area clear of racking at the end of the aisles, I could see a double-banked line of familiar-looking cryopods against the far wall. Approaching the nearest one I looked through the glass panel on the lid and recoiled in disgust. It was clearly one that had failed, as its occupant stared back at me through empty eye sockets, crusted dried remnants of skin and wisps of hair covering its skull. The mask had slipped from its face and a bare, lipless mouth grimaced evilly at me. How long it had laid there, slowly drying out in the sealed pod was anyone’s guess. The pod next to it still had lights flashing on it and after a cautious first glance I could see that the occupant looked as all the other living people I’d seen through the windows of their pods; peacefully asleep.

  We’d spread out when emerging from the aisle, each drawn to individual pods. Looking up I could see either a reaction of disgust like mine had been or a smile as they looked upon one of the survivors.

  Harrison looked at Hendricks after he and Tori had wandered down the line of pods.

  “Is this how you were? They look as if they are just asleep,” he asked Hendricks.

  I could see Amir looking annoyed that the question hadn’t been directed to him.

  Amir called across, answering for Hendricks who had just started to open his mouth. “Yes, it’s called cryostasis. My scientists developed the technology over many years, first using animals as subjects, gradually extending the periods of suspended bioanimation until we were confident that they could withstand a prolonged period. Then we began the human testing phase…”

  Hendricks spoke over him as he saw the bewildered look on Harrison’s face—Amir’s explanation was far beyond his comprehension. “Yes,” he said simply. “This is how we spent our long sleep, much the same way as your ancestors did before they emerged from The Source.”

  Weatherby, wanting to resume control of his interrupted discourse on how clever he was, interrupted before Harrison could ask anything else. “I’ll begin the process to bring them out of cryostasis.”

  “I don’t think we should do that yet,” Hendricks said sharply. “We all know how we felt when we woke up. Our priority is to get out of here and not nursemaid a large group of new people, who I imagine will need an extended period of adjustment before they will be of any use to our situation.”

  “I agree,” Annie interjected, confirming Hendricks’ summary. “We do not have the medical skill to care for any that may, as has happened previously, not emerge from stasis in optimum condition.” Weatherby nodded in agreement, a slight sulky look briefly crossing his face, as yet again, his orders were countermanded.

  Still looking at Amir and noting his expression, Hendricks offered an olive branch. “Can you show us the way out?”

  Recovering, he smiled his best corporate smile and responded, “Of course, it’s over there.” Pointing at a door embedded in the wall by the cryopods, he added, “Annie, can you open the inner door to access the alternate tunnel?”

  “Opening now,” came the answer through our earpieces, and a door in the far wall clicked and opened automatically. Its unoiled hinges screeched in protest; the environment behind the doors was probably not as controlled as that in the facility. The fact that anything still worked after close to a thousand years still baked my brain.

  Hendricks took the lead as we gathered by the opening. I looked through but couldn’t see a damn thing in the pitch black beyond.

  “Annie, are there lights in the tunnel?” I asked.

  “Yes. I am sorry, but they appear to be inoperative. I’ve tried rerouting power from other sources, but the circuit is still showing a fault.”

  “Sod it,” Hendricks said as he flicked on the tactical light attached to his rifle, “there’s no other way out of here not involving a fight so…Flashlights on, people. Geiger and I will take point. Jones, Harrison and Tori, watch our backs.” He waited for them to nod in agreement and for the rest of us to turn on our own flashlights before turning and with Geiger close behind him, his weapon held ready, entered the tunnel.

  Following as close as I could to Geiger’s back, the beam from my own rifle-mounted light bounced around as I tried to hold my weapon steady at the same time as looking at where I was placing my feet. The rough walls of the tunnel were carved from the living rock, and the floor, although flat, wasn’t exactly smooth and was littered with the rocks that had fallen from the ceiling or walls. It smelt musty and damp which, with my limited knowledge of geology from high school, told me water was getting in somehow.

  Weatherby stumbled behind me and caught his weapon on the wall causing an echo that reverberated all around us. “Steady as we go,” Hendricks whispered through our earpieces. “The tunnel doesn’t look too stable so keep the noise down. Weatherby, how long is this thing?”

  “About half a mile I think, from memory,” he replied

  Annie’s hushed voice confirmed. “The tunnel is six hundred and twenty-eight meters long; you have covered two hundred and seventy meters so far. If you maintain your current pace, you will reach the outer door in six minutes twenty-five seconds.”

  We continued onwards in hushed, careful silence until after what seemed like an eternity and far longer than Annie had suggested, Geiger stopped abruptly. I bumped into his back. Leaning around him to look ahead I could see a steel door with a large wheel, like what you saw on doors on ships and submarines in movies.

  “You will have to open it manually. The power supply to the door has also failed,” Annie warned.

  Hendricks let his weapon drop on its sling and lifted both hands to the wheel. I could see him straining as he tried to move it but it refused to cooperate. Geiger, without being asked, also stepped forwards and Hendricks moved over slightly to allow both of them room.

  The big man grunted with effort as he also tried to move the wheel. For long seconds nothing happened, and fear began to creep through my body; we were trapped deep underground with no way out apart from fighting through hundreds of Tanaka’s men in a maze of underground corridors in the dark. There was no way I could’ve been the only one thinking the same, because a collective outpouring of held breath sounded when the wheel shifted slightly and, with a squeal of protest, began to spin faster.

  When the wheel could spin no more, both men began pulling at the door and inch by agonizingly slow inch, using every ounce of their combined strength, it opened wide enough for us to squeeze through. Standing silently, we allowed them both to regain their breath for a few minutes until Hendricks raised his weapon and, with a nod to Geiger, cautiously stepped through the narrow gap.

  One b
y one we entered the dark cave beyond, our flashlights adding to the illumination as we looked around. As I squeezed through the gap, I noticed the outer side of the door was covered in rock which matched the walls around it. It was what Weatherby must have meant when he claimed that no one would find it unless they knew it was there. When the door was closed it would blend into the cave walls and become invisible from everything but the closest scrutiny. Harrison was the last through. As soon as he waved his own flashlight around the cave his warning hiss made us all freeze.

  “I know where we are,” he said, his voice for the first time showing real fear as he spoke in barely a whisper.

  He shone his torch ahead lighting up a large bowl-like depression in the soft earth. Looking at it I could see it was full of white, picked clean bones of unidentifiable animals.

  “It’s the Dragon’s nest. Where they raise their young. Nobody comes anywhere near here as to do so is certain death. They attack anyone or anything that approaches.”

  I slowly, and with my hands now shaking uncontrollably, raised my rifle, casting a beam of light across the high walls of the cave. Multiple eyes reflected back from recesses in the walls. A growl sounded which was copied and multiplied by a multitude of others.

  It was unmistakable in its intent; it was a warning.

  The noise grew as more growls and now low, deep rumbling hisses ominously sounded, echoing around the cave magnifying the effect.

  Harrison raised his voice as large, dark shadows could be seen in our darting beams descending the walls, filling the cave floor ahead of us. From these dark shadows I could make out shapes of large, powerful-looking bodies writhing close to the ground with long, thick tails and long crocodile-shaped mouths breaking away from the protection of darkness and entering the light cast from our flashlights.

  “Back to the tunnel. Now!” Harrison yelled.

  I didn’t need to be told twice. I turned and ran. Weatherby darted into the tunnel behind me and we shared a look of utter terror as the first gunshots echoed around the cave.

  Hendricks heard both Harrison and Tori unsheathing their weapons as he fired at the closest Dragon that was darting toward them. Its short but thickly muscled legs were a blur as it propelled itself toward him at high speed. The shots found its head which burst apart to spray gore over the ones that followed it. Its tail whipped frantically and knocked others over as it died, skidding across the loose dirt floor of the cave as sheer momentum carried it forwards. Jones, standing by his side, fired, emptying his weapon in seconds as he switched his gun to auto and aimed at the approaching beasts.

  “Harrison, get on the door,” Hendricks shouted as he changed magazines quickly. For each one he killed, at least three more closed in from other directions, causing him to shift aim, his finger sending bullets in every direction. Geiger’s hand grabbed the back of his vest as he was inserting another magazine into his weapon, pulling him backwards.

  “Grenade!” was all I heard as with a rough pull, Geiger yanked Hendricks through the narrow gap of the doorway. The concussive boom and blast of the grenade exploding would have knocked him off his feet if Geiger still didn’t have a hold of his vest. Dust and bits of debris shot through the doorway, obscuring whatever vision they had. Hendricks, choking on the dust, saw through the swirling fog the shapes of Harrison and Tori pushing at the door. It was closing slowly as the rusty hinges again protested against a thousand years of inactivity.

  A deep rumbling sounded in the tunnel behind us, but we couldn’t worry about it now as the only thing we needed to do was close the door, like right now.

  Hendricks hurled himself desperately at the door adding his weight to the two already pushing it. Geiger kept firing blindly through the gap and Jones knelt next to him with his own weapon held ready to back him up if need be as there wasn’t enough space for both of them to fire.

  Through the ringing in my ears the growling and keening of the Dragons still sounded loud as they crowded toward the doorway. Higher pitched screams cut the air marking a successful kill. The leathery head of a Dragon thrust through the gap, its snapping jaws searching for a target. Instinctively kicking his feet at the teeth a few inches from his leg, Hendricks pulled his pistol from his vest and aimed at it. Chunks erupted from its mouth and head as bullets found their mark but still it kept writhing and snapping, pushing itself onwards, its growling changing to screeches of pain as the bullets struck home.

  I stood in horror, blinking dust from my eyes as I watched the scene of terror through the thick clouds of dust that now rolled down the tunnel following the deep rumbling we’d all heard and felt. Hendricks was screaming, yelling in incoherent rage and effort as he pushed at the door and fired his gun onehanded at the terrifying sight of the hideous creature’s snapping head.

  Dazed and deafened by the gunfire I saw his gun stop firing as the slide locked back. Geiger was too preoccupied firing through the door to notice as the Dragon continued pushing its way through the gap, its jaws snapping, trying to reach one of us. Jones was trying to get an angle to shoot but was blocked by Geiger. Without thinking I pulled my own pistol from its holster and ran forwards, every fiber of my body wanted to run away to the perceived safety of the dark tunnel, but I forced those fears away as I knew my friends were in trouble and no one else could help them.

  Geiger stood firing round after round through the gap, oblivious to everything else apart from the need to stop any more of them getting in. Gouts of blood poured from the ruined head and tooth-filled mouth of the one blocking the doorway. Hendricks yelled in pain as it raked his leg with its teeth, tearing his pants with one swipe and ripping a series of deep gashes into his calf muscle.

  Pushing against Hendricks, I lay down flat as the only way to get an angle on the thing and began pulling the trigger. The beast reared as my bullets hit, raising itself in the air as if to pounce. I kept firing as Geiger, now aware of the threat as it filled his vision, changed his aim and fired at its exposed belly. Jones now had a clear shot too and he opened up. The force of our combined fire threw it backwards and it toppled from view emitting an ear-splitting screech. The doorway was now, for the moment, clear. Adding my weight to the door I pushed against it with both hands, one still holding my smoking pistol. The relief I felt when the door gave one final squeal and clunked shut was enough to make me weep and I slumped backwards as Harrison and Hendricks turned the wheel to lock it.

  Chapter 19

  Dig for Victory

  The silence that descended was only broken by the gasping breaths and hacking coughs caused by the dust-filled air.

  No one spoke as we privately relived the terror of the last few minutes. Our coughs subsided as the dust slowly began to settle. Pulling my canteen from my belt I swilled and spat out a mouthful of dusty spit before pouring water over my face to clear the grit from my eyes. Others were doing the same, none quite trusting themselves to speak yet in fear of the effort bringing on another bout of coughing.

  “Annie?” I eventually called, the effort making me cough again.

  “Yes, David. I am glad you are all okay. I have now learnt another emotion: that of helplessness. It’s what I experienced as I monitored the audio feed and the images through your communication and recording devices. I knew I could not offer any direct assistance and was reduced to a mere observer of your desperate struggle. I am monitoring all your vital signs; can I recommend a period of rest before you continue?”

  Hendricks laughed in response as he limped over to the wall to lean against it and take the weight off his injured leg. “Thanks mother, your concern is touching.”

  “Mister Hendricks,” Annie asked formally, a hint of real concern in her voice, “are you injured? Your temperature and heartbeat are raised more than I would anticipate, even taking into account your recent physical exertions.”

  He looked at his ripped pants and the blood dripping from the deep gashes in his leg. The blood had soaked his socks and was dripping down his boots.

 
; He paused and began smiling. “It’s nothing, Annie, I got snagged by one of the Dragons is all. ’Tis but a scratch.” He looked to see if anyone got the joke and continued. “A flesh wound, I’ve had worse.”

  He shrugged as no one even smirked. “Heathens, the lot of you. Do you know I’ve waited my whole career to be able to say that and not one of you appreciates my humor?” He put some weight on his leg and winced, staggering slightly, betraying the pain he was in.

  “Jimmy. You are not the Black Knight…”

  Hendricks barked a laugh. “Thank you, Annie, at least you get me.”

  “I am not sure if you are aware but Komodo dragons have a venomous bite,” Annie continued sternly. “Even if these Dragons don’t, they are carnivorous and so their bites will be at the very least laden with bacteria which, if not cleaned and treated immediately, could cause you serious harm or even death if the wound gets infected. Now please stop screwing around and can someone treat your injury.”

  “Before you get sep-sis,” Harrison added with sarcasm which was minimized by his stumbling over the unfamiliar word.

  Hendricks looked at his wound, silenced instantly by the thought of being poisoned. Geiger turned quickly and knelt by his leg without saying a word, reaching into a pouch for another aid pack. “Can I have some light please?” he asked.

  I pointed my rifle to his leg, remembering to remove my finger from the trigger and watched as Geiger ripped his pants open to reveal the extent of the lacerations. He used water from his canteen and a mediwipe to clean the injuries and then liberally applying some antiseptic cream from a tube to all the ragged wounds in his leg before tightly binding a bandage around it.

  When he had finished Hendricks tested putting some weight on it, nodding his thanks at Geiger, then shone his light back down the tunnel in the direction of the bunker. “I think we better investigate what the noise and dust was about. I’m a bit worried the noise we made caused a cave in.” He made no mention of anyone’s use of explosives, not that I thought Geiger would ever regret it.