by S. S. Segran
“And to you.” Ajajdif put his mug down. “I have an assignment you might be interested in. I just got off a call with the head office and I told them about the trespassers. They said that it doesn’t matter what we do with them, just that news of this operation cannot get out.”
Hajjar’s lips slowly spread into a humorless smile. “They really don’t care?”
“No. And they don’t wish to know, either.” Ajajdif saw the hulk’s eyes already glazing over as he contemplated how to get rid of the intruders. “Just bear in mind that we do not want to leave any trace.”
Hajjar sneered. This, he could do. He thought for a moment, and then a quiet growl rippled in his throat. “The Marauders are hungry.”
* * *
Hajjar left Ajajdif’s office and jogged to the security post near the tunnel. He found one of the guards who was off shift with his ear buds plugged in and nodding his head to an unheard beat. “Dave!” he boomed. The guard flailed, nearly dropping his mp3 player. He saw Hajjar and quickly snapped to attention as he removed his ear buds and put his device aside.
Hajjar grabbed a paper cup and went to fill it from the water dispenser. “I need you to help the guard there move the intruders to the cave where we found them. I want them secured there properly.”
“They don’t like us getting near them, sir, and they put up a good fight. We can’t move them while they’re conscious. Do we have permission to sedate them?”
“Yes.”
The guard quickly collected a syringe and vials of tranquilizer from a cupboard. As he grabbed his gun, he shot an inquiring look at Hajjar. “What are you planning to do with the intruders?”
“That’s none of your business. Just move them to the cave and leave them there. I’ll take care of them later.”
The guard walked out of the post and into the tunnel, turned right toward the holding cell and knocked on the door. The guard currently assigned to watch the four intruders opened it and the two exchanged rapid words.
“Dave, I hate going down that tunnel,” the other guard complained. “Can’t you find someone else to do this?”
“Hajjar told me to take the guy who’s on shift. That’s you.”
“Haven’t you heard the talk? That tunnel could come down any time.”
“Well, yeah, but this is what we get paid to do. Let’s just hurry and get this done.”
They approached the first of the bound intruders but the man squirmed, not allowing them to slip the needle into his arm. Frustrated, one of the guards slapped him across the cheek, leaving a bright red mark. “We’re not in the mood for games! Dave, hold him still.”
They finally managed to inject the sedative and repeated the tactic with the other trespassers, all three of whom put up a struggle, then waited for the drug to take effect. One of the intruders had already started to nod off.
“So did you hear what Ajajdif told the miners to do?” the guard on shift asked.
“No. What?”
“They’re using the leaching chemicals in the tunnel instead of just in the vats.”
“And I should care because . . .?”
“You do know what that stuff is made of, right?”
“Uh, no.”
“It’s a cyanide blend, you moron! It’s a dangerous poison and it’s soaking into the earth—if it gets into the groundwater it could affect every living organism that comes in contact with it!”
“Man, you tree-huggers are all alike. Nothing but alarmists.”
Caught up in their exchange, the guards didn’t notice a pair of eyes glaring at them. The intruder who was listening in stayed conscious for only a moment or two longer before the drugs kicked in and he passed out.
Once the trespassers were all unconscious, the guards removed their bindings and dragged their limp forms to the cable conveyor that ran down to the cave where they’d been captured. As they threw the bodies in a heap into the first ore bucket, the guard on shift asked, “Why did they even dig this tunnel in the first place?”
“From what I hear, it was initially an exploratory shaft but there was hardly any mineral here, so they abandoned it and drilled that other tunnel. I guess they left this one to be used as an escape route for emergencies or something.” The first guard turned on the winch and watched the bucket with the intruders disappear through the underpass. “Come on. Let’s tie them up and get out of there. Hajjar will deal with them.”
They stepped into the second ore bucket and followed the first one down into the dark tunnel.
40
Rikèq inched back to consciousness slowly, trying to clear the cobwebs from his mind. He strained to look around but couldn’t distinguish anything past his blurred vision. Resting his head back, he closed his eyes and took a couple of breaths.
It was a while before the grogginess abated, leaving him with a dull pain in his lower back that grew increasingly bothersome. He eased his eyes open and took a proper look around, puzzled to see that he was back in the cave where the foreign men had found and subdued the villagers. Why did they bring me back? he wondered. Through the mouth of the cave, the last bit of sunlight retreated as the end of the day drew near.
His throat suddenly tightened when everything that had happened rushed back. He struggled to rise from his seated position but couldn’t beat the metal chain wrapped around his chest, pressing him back against an iron post. The post was connected to other ones by a rusty cable overhead, on which hung large metal buckets. The line of pillars retreated into the distance until they were hidden by a bend in the tunnel.
Rikèq tried to move his hands but found them tied behind him. So this is the culprit for my back pain. But for it to ache so much . . . How long have I been out?
A moan sounded frighteningly close, making him jump. He twisted his head and saw a familiar form bound to another face of the four-sided post. “Breyas!” he rasped. “Breyas, thank goodness. I thought you had been—Breyas?”
The other man lifted his head, squinting. “Who is speaking?” he garbled.
“Rikèq.”
“Who?”
“A friend.”
As Breyas regained his senses, Rikèq craned his head to the other side and found Aydar likewise pinned to the third face of the pillar; he was beginning to come around as well. Rikèq figured that Keno was on the fourth side of the pillar, behind him. He called out his companions’ names over and over to shake them from their stupor.
Finally Breyas responded, his speech less slurred. “I loathe it when those men pollute our bodies with their poison.” He rattled the chain that bound all four villagers against the post. “Oh, for pity’s sake . . .”
“Hold on.” Breyas sounded tentatively victorious. “My legs are not bound!”
“Mine, neither,” Rikèq said. “But so what? The chain is wrapped multiple times around us. We will not be able to wriggle free.”
“Breyas, Rikèq? Is that you?”
“Aydar!” the two men exclaimed. “Yes, it is us!”
“Is this the cave where we were captured?”
“The very same.” Rikèq tried to see around the post but couldn’t. “Is Keno awake yet?”
“I am,” the last member of the group wheezed. “Are we alone?”
“It seems so. How is everyone?”
“Just give us a few more minutes and we should be fine,” Aydar said. The men rested quietly for a while, willing their bodies back to a higher level of energy.
“Alright,” Rikèq said a few minutes later. “We need to get out of here. I think these people have planned something and I want no part in it.”
“We need to get out of these chains first, you know,” Breyas grunted.
“I am aware. Keno?”
“Yes?”
“I may have an idea. I will start to tug the chain my way, and when I rest, you must tug it your way. It will be painful, but unless someone else has a better idea . . .”
The others offered no other solution. Rikèq muttered, “Here we go,” t
hen strained forward against the shackles. He could hear violent curses as Keno was forced back against the post, the chain digging deep into his chest and arms. Rikèq continued to pull until Keno gasped, “I cannot breathe!”
“I apologize for that, my friend.” Rikèq leaned back. “But there is no other way.”
Keno took a few gulps of air and tried to focus on anything but the pain. The others waited patiently. Without warning, Rikèq was forced back against the post. He wheezed as the metal chain ground into him; it felt as though his ribs were about to break. He held on for half a minute, eyes stinging with restrained tears, before he yelped, “Enough!”
Keno rested back against his side of the post. “Is everything alright?”
“Y-yes.” Rikèq caught his breath. “My turn.”
They alternated back and forth until the agony in their arms and chest was unbearable. As they stopped to regain their strength, Breyas wriggled against the shackles. “It is loosening!” he said. “I can almost push myself up.”
Hope sparked energy into the group and Rikèq tugged against the chain once more, wrenching until the veins in his neck bulged. Keno bit the inside of his lip, tasting blood, and used that to focus his thoughts.
Something creaked loudly overhead. Rikèq tilted his head as far back as he could. The post, stretching from the ground to the roof of the tunnel where log beams had been installed for support, shook whenever the chain was tugged. Rikèq balked. “Keno,” he said, dropping his voice to a lower register, “the next time you tug, be prepared to force yourself up and quickly get out of the way.”
“Why?”
“The post might come loose and fall on you if you are tugging. It is already starting to—”
A deep growl echoed from up the tunnel like an approaching earthquake. It sounded like no animal Rikèq had ever heard before.
“What was that?” Aydar whispered. “A wolf?”
“Wolf? I thought it was a bear.” Breyas thrashed against the shackles. “Whatever it is, it does not sound like something I want near me.”
The growl came again. At the bend in the tunnel, cast against the cave wall, they saw an enormous human shadow accompanied by outlines of what seemed to be massive wolves with long snouts and cropped tails.
“Pull, Keno!” Aydar bellowed.
Rikèq winced as he was again slammed against the post. When he felt the post begin to tilt in Keno’s direction, he shouted, “That’s enough!”
Keno stopped as some small rocks fell from the roof of the cave. Rikèq glanced up, sweat dripping off his lashes, then looked at the shadows drawing closer. We need to get out of here.
Using the post as support, he squirmed upward. “Hah!” Wiggling his feet out of the shackles, he found himself on unsteady legs. He struggled to release his hands from behind his back but couldn’t get them free.
Guttural barks reverberated off the walls. Rikèq looked up and his throat went dry. Three ghastly beasts, dark eyes gleaming yellow, sprinted toward them, jaws snapping.
“Move!” Rikèq yelled. Aydar and Breyas had already managed to free themselves and the three started off at a shaky lope.
“Wait!” Breyas cried. “Keno!”
Rikèq and Aydar stumbled to a halt and spun around. Keno was still struggling out of the shackles. The creatures closed the gap until only thirty feet remained between them and the trapped villager. The beast leading the attack surged forward with a burst of speed. Keno wriggled frantically, not realizing the post was tipping further every time he moved.
Rikèq, Breyas and Aydar watched in horror as the column tipped too far over. A large log beam fell, along with part of the tunnel’s roof, and crushed the leading beast as it made a wild lunge at Keno. The cable attached to the post snapped and other pillars along the tunnel began to sway and topple.
Keno had at last managed to free himself from the chain and turned to run, but it was too late. The post he’d been tied to came crashing down onto him. He howled and tried to crawl away but was quickly buried under an avalanche of falling rocks.
Rikèq screamed. “No!”
It took a few moments for the debris to settle and the dust to clear. Rikèq staggered to the wreckage with Breyas and Aydar. They desperately pushed the rubble away with their feet, cursing their bound hands. The collapse had created a crude barrier that protected them from the beasts.
“Keno!” Breyas kicked at the debris wildly. “Keno!”
“Wait, I hear something,” Aydar murmured. The group stilled as they perked their ears. Pebbles tumbled, click-clacking to the ground. On light feet, the men moved closer.
The rubble beside Rikèq collapsed forward and the enormous head of one of the beasts broke through. It gnashed its teeth, exposing three-inch fangs in a manic grin. It unleashed a bone-rattling roar and drove itself out of the rocks, followed immediately by another fiend. The men cried out and tore away from the beasts at a stumbling run.
“Get out of the cave!” Rikèq shouted.
Aydar looked back at the creatures. The two animals were fast approaching—only a scant dozen yards separated them—and the gap closed further with the beasts’ every bound.
The men raced toward the cave entrance, still fifty paces away. Aydar turned for another quick glimpse of the beasts. The realization that they would not make it dawned on him and he slowed to a stop.
The other two whirled around and yelled at him to keep running. It was then that Rikèq saw a solemn, gritty expression on the other man’s face. “Aydar . . .?”
Aydar looked at them with glazed eyes. In an impassive voice, he said, “Tell my nephew I love him.” Then he turned to confront the oncoming beasts.
There was a dismayed roar from Breyas. “What are you doing?”
As the animals drew closer to Aydar, he yelled to his friends, “Run!”
A scream was torn from his throat as one of the beasts clamped onto his leg and pulled him down. The sound turned into a gurgle as the second creature leapt and dug its jaws around Aydar’s neck.
Rikèq felt ice spread from his core, rooting him in place as he witnessed the slaughter. Breyas shoved him with his shoulder. Grief stitched Rikèq’s throat shut and, with silent tears, both men turned and ran. They rallied all their balance to keep upright with their hands tied, and when they reached the opening of the cave, they came to a grinding halt. Staring down, their eyes beheld a steep incline that fell away from the opening. The base of the mountain lay too far below them to see in the darkness, with large trees in the way. They faltered, eyes drilling into one another for some kind of direction.
Hearing a vicious snarl as one of the beasts that had attacked Aydar hurtled toward them, they threw themselves out of the cave without further thought, tumbling down the side of the mountain.
Hajjar was directing the Marauders with the controller in his hands. He climbed over the rubble under which an intruder and one of the Marauders lay crushed. One of the animal’s large paws, with its claws unsheathed, protruded from the debris. Hajjar cringed, knowing he’d have to inform Ajajdif about the loss.
He followed the sound of frenzied feeding and found a hybrid mangling one of the intruders. He looked past them just in time to see the last two intruders launching themselves out of the cave. The second of the two surviving Marauders gave chase but Hajjar used the controller to command the hybrid to return to him. If he lost another animal, Ajajdif would have his head on a stick. It was easier to say that the intruders had all been killed.
The Marauder came to a reluctant stop as the nano-transducers triggered an impulse in its brain. It gazed down at the tumbling men, whining and kneading the ground with its claws, then stalked back toward Hajjar. The ex-mercenary bent down to pat its head but the hybrid snapped its jaws at him. He quickly pulled his hand back. Scowling at the animal, he pressed the remote again, sending a painful pulse up its nervous system. The Marauder howled and rolled onto its back in submission. The hulk of a man smiled, relishing the sense of control he possesse
d over such a powerful creature.
He assessed the mess around the cave and an explosion of expletives spewed from his mouth. He had no interest in playing the role of cleanup crew and decided he would arm-twist the mining engineer to send some of his workers in. Settling down on one of the fallen rocks, he lit up a cigarette, and, taking a drag, watched the Marauders finish removing any evidence of the trespassers.
41
It was late afternoon, and no one noticed a crouched figure in the trees as it moved around the training ground, spying on the Elders and the friends as they trained.
Hutar observed the happenings below him resentfully. He had been somewhat curious about the five’s progress and wanted to see for himself how far they’d come in their training. What he witnessed both dumbfounded him and made his blood boil. In less than two weeks, the strangers had already advanced to the intermediate stage.
The friends were getting ever more resilient and independent, but what upset him the most was how quickly they grasped the concepts of their individual abilities. Jag was stronger and more agile, and even Tayoka’s distracting actions did not divert his concentration. Tegan was now attempting to link minds with small creatures and her obvious eagerness for it accelerated her process. Mariah was capable of moving the smallest of objects. She still had ways to go but it dismayed Hutar to know that she could very well soon be a proficient telekinetic. Aari, enthusiastic about light manipulation, was accelerating in his learning process just like Tegan.
Hutar watched Mariah now as she worked. Every time he heard Saiyu praise her pupil on her progress, all he saw was red. Every once in a while his eyes went to Akol and he gripped his branch, white-hot enmity spreading through him like fire. This was the nuisance that had thwarted his near-perfect plan with the diseased wolves. His nails dug into the bark as he relived that moment. He had been there, concealed high up on the rock wall, watching the friends fend for themselves. He’d almost tasted victory when they’d given up upon the arrival of the second wolf pack.