by Kyle West
There was no way he would survive. Makara ran up the ramp and into the hold. As soon as the door slid shut, Perseus lifted off and the boarding ramp retracted.
We lifted into the air, all of us sitting on the deck to avoid falling, until we were far out of range of Askala’s swarm.
“He’s gone...” Makara said, obviously shaken by Grudge’s death.
“There was nothing you could have done,” Samuel said.
I hadn’t even noticed that he fell behind. None of us did in our mad dash to escape. All I could feel was shock and disbelief. How would the few Suns who remained take the news, back in Los Angeles?
The angle of the ship soon evened out, and I found myself still lying on the deck.
“Everyone else alright?” Makara asked.
“We lost Bates, too,” one of the Angels said.
I assumed he was the man who panicked and ran.
Makara nodded, and now that the ship had stabilized, everyone began to stand. Makara lifted herself from the deck, brushing off her clothes. It was hard to tell what she was thinking.
“I know it’s not easy, losing people,” Makara said. “Grudge will be missed. Bates, too. But we’ve learned something valuable about the Radaskim today. Something was going on with that lake. I don’t know what it was, but it seems important.”
None of the men said anything. It wasn’t easy to brush aside death like this and focus on the mission. I could tell it wasn’t easy for Makara, either. All of the original gang lords of Las Vegas were dead, and Grudge had been the most helpful one of them all. Without him, we would have never survived the Community in Bunker 84.
Now, we didn’t even have a body to bury.
“What’s the plan now?” Julian asked.
“We’re heading back to base,” Makara said. “We might have to come back here, later, to see what else we can learn.”
“I’m not going down there again,” one of the men said.
“We won’t be able to take more samples that way,” Samuel said.
“You got something?” Makara asked.
Samuel raised a vial of glowing, pink liquid. The men shrunk back at it. I didn’t even notice Samuel taking the sample; I was probably too focused on the crawlers.
“I tried to get some of the ichor that was glowing a little brighter,” Samuel said. “The contaminant introduced by the meteor should be in here.”
“So, what do we do with that stuff?” Julian asked.
“I need to analyze it,” Samuel said. “There were labs and a database of xenoviral strains in Skyhome, but that’s gone, now. The only other place with extensive research laboratories is Bunker One.”
“No,” Makara said. “Absolutely not.”
“I don’t like it either, but we have no other choice,” Samuel said.
“Maybe we do,” Ruth said. “Askal or Quietus might know something about the contaminant. Askal was the one who pointed us here, anyway.”
I had no idea if the Elekai could tell us what this was, but it was better than risking our necks in Bunker One. We barely escaped that place the first time.
“We’re not far from the Xenolith,” Makara said. “It wouldn’t hurt to check.”
“Yeah,” I said. “It’s worth a shot.”
Makara nodded. “Let’s head there, then.”
It was already past midnight. I knew the men would be ready for their bunks back in Los Angeles, especially after a night like this, but we needed to learn what we could. Those meteors falling, and the lake changing color and the crawlers bathing in it...we couldn’t just ignore that.
Anna entered the wardroom from the bridge. “Holding a party without me?”
It took her a second to recognize something was off.
“Grudge is gone,” Makara said.
“What?” she asked.
She looked around the wardroom, as if she were going to find him here. When she didn’t, she looked at Makara.
“He was caught by the crawlers while we were running here,” Makara said. “He didn’t have a chance.”
Anna nodded, her face pale. It wasn’t an easy death, and it was enough to make even Anna queasy.
“We’re heading for the Elekai Xenolith,” Makara said. “We’re hoping the Elekai can help us figure out what was going on at the lake.”
“Right,” she said. “Makes sense. I can have us there in under an hour.”
As Anna returned to the bridge, Makara faced everyone in the wardroom.
“We’ll only need a few people to go in there. The rest of you can get some rest.”
Makara left for the bridge as they talked amongst themselves. I could only think about Grudge and his horrible demise. It seemed almost unreal that it could happen so suddenly, and it was a reminder that everything we did was dangerous.
I could only wonder when the next death would come.
Chapter 2
We landed at the Xenolith thirty minutes later. Anna, Samuel, and I were the only ones going inside.
We left the ship behind and went down the familiar path into the Xenolith. Before long, we stood before the ichorous lake.
“Askal?” I called out.
The surface of the ichor was calm and still. Askal, along with other dragons, was off somewhere else. All the same, I heard Askal’s response resound in my mind.
Elekim. You have returned.
From one of the further caverns, Askal swooped across the lake. His wings outspread, he glided above the surface of the ichor and settled on the shoreline before us.
We went to one of the impact sites, I said. The meteor seemed to change the Radaskim’s ichor. You know what might be going on?
Askal blinked. I have no idea, Elekim. Show me what happened.
At Askal’s request, I transferred my memory of watching the crawlers enter the lake. I felt Askal’s unease heighten at the image.
I don’t know what it is, Askal said at last. It can’t be good.
We brought some of the ichor back. We were hoping you could tell us what was in it.
And you brought this here?
Yes. Is that bad?
There was a long pause, but at last, Askal answered.
No. The ichor will not harm us. It is only...distasteful. He gave a flutter of his wings. These meteorites – did they fall elsewhere, or just in this lake?
I assume they’ve fallen all over the world, or at least in the Great Blight.
Samuel and Anna were both looking at me, wondering what Askal was saying.
Perhaps there is some new power in the lake, Askal said.
What power?
You ask me, Elekim? I know not. But perhaps we can read the contents. He paused. Set it on the ground.
“He wants the sample on the ground,” I said.
Samuel nodded, placing a vial of the glowing ichor at Askal’s feet. As Samuel backed away, Askal extended a long, sharp claw to pull the vial toward him. He lowered his head until his nostrils were right above it. He gave the vial two hard sniffs.
“What’s he doing?” Anna whispered.
I shrugged.
Then, Askal chomped on the vial, cracking the vial and spilling the Radaskim ichor all over the fungus. Some of the ichor was absorbed by the fungus while Askal lapped up the rest with his tongue.
Askal! I said. What are you doing?
The dragon looked at me, his white eyes glowing. With luck, I might discover its contents this way.
You’re risking your life!
Askal stood on his haunches, waiting a moment. All the Radaskim ichor was gone – either absorbed by the fungus below or eaten by Askal. He closed his eyes, as if in meditation.
What are you doing?
Askal didn’t respond. He merely sat there, eyes closed, waiting for...something.
The three of us exchanged confused looks until, a moment later, Askal opened his eyes again.
It’s a new strain, he said. A new sickness.
A new strain? I asked.
Yes, Askal said. There are additional c
odes...instructions. These strains will change the Radaskim as we know them.
Additional codes? I asked. Like what? There’s more than one strain in there?
New evolutions are imminent, Askal said. I...cannot say what they are. But if Askala’s swarm is entering that pool, they are probably doing so all over the Great Blight. When they are exposed to the new ichor, the Radaskim will undergo a transformation.
What kind of transformation?
That’s all I can say, Elekim. The codes are like another language to me, but I can sense that much.
“What’s going on?” Samuel asked.
Samuel and Anna had missed the entire exchange, so I had to bring them up to speed.
“Askal thinks it’s a set of new evolutions,” I said. “The ichor contains new genetic codes to modify the Radaskim.”
“How so?” Anna asked.
“He doesn’t know,” I said. “But something big is coming. We just need to figure out what.”
Samuel and Anna went quiet, thinking. Over time, the virus evolved to become more dynamic, adaptable, and more able to create bigger and deadlier monsters. At first, the xenovirus had only affected microbes, bacteria, and relatively uncomplicated life forms
Just thinking about this progression made me wonder – what could be next? Or were the new strains only going to affect the forms of Radaskim xenolife already present?
I turned back to Askal. Is there anything else we should know?
Askal looked at me. I’ve told you all I can. I will think about this, Elekim, and see if I discover anything more.
I nodded. Thank you, Askal.
Perhaps Quietus may be of more help.
I realized Askal was right. If there was anyone who knew about what the Radaskim might be planning, it was probably her. After all, she had been Radaskim.
“We need to talk to Quietus,” I said. “You have any ichor left, Samuel?”
“Yeah, I managed to collect a few vials before we evacuated.”
“Good. Let’s go find her, then.”
***
We found Quietus in one of the back caverns, sitting alone on an island in the center of a small pool. Two xenotrees with white bark grew from the island, but Quietus towered over both. She had a way of dwarfing everything around her. As we swam into the cavern, her white eyes turned upon us. She unfurled her dark wings, stretching them, before folding them back.
We reached the island and emerged from the ichor. I craned my neck to look at Quietus. Despite her now being Elekai, there was something still a bit chilling about her. Dark. Her white eyes blazed as she glared down at us.
Quietus, we need your help.
Doubtless – otherwise, you would not be here. I feel your trepidation, and do not fault you for it; indeed, it is well-placed. Still, perhaps I may be of use to you. How might I aid you, Elekim?
I tried not to let Quietus’s preamble unnerve me, so I went on with what I was going to say.
The Radaskim have sent meteorites crashing into the Great Blight. One of them crashed into a lake of ichor, which made it change in color. I paused, as Quietus watched with glowing, white eyes. The crawlers swam into the lake, and Askal thinks a new set of evolutions is imminent. What do you think?
Quietus made a strange sound in her throat, almost like a chortle. Anna and Samuel looked at each other.
You deliver the ichor to Askal, who knows nothing, Quietus said. But leave none for the First of the Radaskim? Before I could assist you, I would need a fresh sample.
“She needs some of the ichor,” I said to Samuel.
He reached into his pack, withdrawing a vial of pink, glowing liquid. He walked forward, laying the vial on the fungus in front of Quietus.
Splendid, Quietus said. Let us see what horrors my Mother is brewing.
As Askal had, Quietus broke the vial, letting the pink ichor loose. She lapped most of it up with her tongue, taking care to avoid the shattered glass. The rest was absorbed into the xenofungal bed.
Quietus stretched her neck, closing her eyes in contemplation.
Ah, she said. A fine draft. These are old genes, genes not seen in millions of years. I was young when I first learned of these. They are from the First Reapings, Elekim. Though I am still Elekai, in my soul, some small, dark part of me sings at the ruin these codes confine. Quietus opened her eyes, gazing at me levelly. The Dark Mother fears you, Elekim.
Why does she fear me?
Askala is ruled by fear, Quietus said. After all, she herself rules by it. You forget, Elekim – even Askala is a thrall of a lord more ancient and terrible. But thankfully for you and this world, he is far off yet.
The fact that there was something worse than Askala out there was more than unnerving.
My Mother’s webs are intricate, and the Radaskim have hidden paths that even I, Quietus, know not. I have tasted the ichor, and this I know: the expansion of the Radaskim swarm shall quicken. But do not despair; there is still time to fight, though that time is little. There are three days until the final battle, until this final evolution is complete.
I looked into Quietus’s featureless, white eyes, chilled to the bone. Three days, and we still didn’t know what we’d be up against. More than ever, the fight seemed impossible, and I was tempted to despair.
Quietus’s head lowered, until it was right in front of mine. Each of her eyes was as large as my face, and both of them stared at me now.
Take care, Elekim. And do not lose hope. If you lose hope...then the Dark Mother has already won.
Quietus...thank you.
I looked at her a moment longer before turning to Samuel and Anna.
“Let’s get back to the ship,” I said. “There’s a lot to explain.”
***
Everyone was gathered in the conference hold. Michael, Makara, and Ruth were bleary-eyed at having been woken up. The Raiders slept on in the wardroom.
Michael poured a cup of coffee from a thermos into a ceramic mug. He passed the thermos on to Anna, who poured herself a cup.
I explained everything over the next few minutes, everyone becoming more alert when I talked about how the final evolutions would manifest in three days, which was when the final attack would begin.
Once I was done, Makara was the first to speak.
“Three days doesn’t give us much time. Augustus won’t be too pleased.”
“We really don’t have much choice,” Samuel said. “The facts are the facts, and Augustus will understand that.”
“Did Quietus explain what the final evolutions would be?” Michael asked.
I shook my head. “Not really. The one thing she did say was that the ichor contained old genes she hadn’t seen in over a million years.” I sighed. “That doesn’t really help us, though.”
“Now we really have to go to Bunker One,” Samuel said. “It has tons of xenoviral strains on file, so there might be some matches to the ones in the ichor. Some might even be exactly the same. We could crosscheck the genes, and it could reveal what we might be up against.”
“Do you think Bunker One’s servers are still online?” Makara asked.
Samuel nodded. “They were when we left. If not...we could see if Bunker 84 has similar research, though I doubt it does. The bulk of xenoviral research occurred in Bunker One, as we all know. Ashton uploaded most of that research into Skyhome’s servers, but...”
All I could think was how untimely Ashton’s death had been, and not just him – everyone who had lived in Skyhome.
“Bunker One will be dangerous,” Makara said.
Michael shook his head. “We should think twice before going in there. These things have a way of getting complicated. With a big Bunker like that, it would be easy to get trapped in the lower levels”
“I know,” Makara said, “but do we have a choice? Where else can we find out about these final evolutions? We know that they’re old, but we need specifics.”
“We just have to analyze the ichor, and the system will allow us to see if
any of the strains are recognizable,” Samuel said. “It’s worth a shot. Even if it’s a dead end, we’ll probably come away knowing more than we do now.”
Everyone looked to Makara.
“Alright,” she said. “We’ll get what rest we can. Take everyone back to Los Angeles and brief Augustus on the situation. Then, we’ll come back to Bunker One tomorrow. Or, I guess, today. It’s already 03:00.”
“There’s also the matter of getting the army ready,” Anna said.
“That’s Augustus’s and Carin’s field, along with Char and Marcus,” Makara said. “Nevertheless, our input might be needed.”
We still hadn’t hammered out details for the final battle. The Angels, the Empire, and the Reapers were all working together, which was easier said than done. Even though Carin Black had betrayed Augustus, we still needed his resources and tactical know-how. Even with Augustus keeping him in check, the fact remained that the Reapers had betrayed us once already, and they could easily do so again.
For now, at least, everyone appeared to be on the same page. Without that unity, we were all dead.
“Let’s head back, and get some rest,” Makara said. “I want everyone in the wardroom by 10:00. We’re going to have a busy day.”
Chapter 3
We were on the ground in Los Angeles at 10:00 sharp. I still wanted a few more hours of sleep, but when would I ever not want that? When the world was ending for a second time, sleep inevitably took the back burner.
We headed to the U.S. Bank Tower, where we were to meet up with Augustus and Carin to plan our attack into the Great Blight. On our way there, I took in my surroundings. As I watched the people of Los Angeles filter in and out of the decrepit skyscrapers, I realized that an entire community existed here. The Black Reapers might have controlled the city, but the majority of its citizens were not members of the gang. They merely lived in the gang’s shadow and had to play by its rules. I’d been told, back when I lived in Bunker 108, that Los Angeles had a population of ten thousand.
Surely, after the battle, it was much less now.
There were the citizens and there were the slaves, and it was easy to tell the difference between the two. In front of a soot-stained skyscraper, a heavyset woman thrust a broom at another, thinner woman, whose clothing had rips and tears. The woman took the broom, keeping her eyes to the ground, and began sweeping outside the building’s entrance. After a few sweeps, she paused and looked up, meeting my eyes. I was surprised at how young she was, a mask of dirt darkening her hollow cheeks. But worst of all, a brand had been seared into her forehead: the number 0. Around the brand the skin was reddened and raw.