The Shadow Order - Books 1 - 8 + 120 Seconds (The complete series): A Space Opera

by Michael Robertson

  The place had been silent before, yet it seemed even quieter now, almost as if it held its breath. Seb’s throat dried and his heart raced. It felt like something could spring them at any point. Instead of breaking the silence, he spoke to SA. Is it me, or is something amiss here?

  Yep. I’ve got a bad feeling about this. And it’s more than what I should feel because of the situation.

  You think there’s any other way to do this?

  The pause lasted for a few seconds before SA simply said, No.

  The first to walk beneath the shutter, Sparks entered the space where the metal locusts had come from and waved her torch around. Seb stepped in after her, the tunnel much tighter than the foyer had been. A corridor, it stood about two metres high and the same wide.

  As much as Seb’s instincts told him to stop, he followed Sparks, and the group delved deeper into the tunnel. Sparks’ torch had little impact against the pressing darkness. It felt like the void closed in on them. But the walls and ceiling remained about the same distance away. It had to be his mind playing tricks on him.

  Whatever feelings Seb had, they needed to keep going so they could find out about the parasite. They needed to know the truth. Besides, if he had to have anyone with him to go on this mission, it would be the team he had around him at that moment. They’d cope with whatever they needed to. He had to trust that.

  It took for them to get close to a right-angle bend before Seb even saw it. Sparks’ torchlight sank into the black wall in front of them and she slowed down to allow him to catch up with her.

  Together, Seb and Sparks rounded the next bend to see the end of the long corridor. About fifty metres away sat a square of light the same size as the tunnel they were in.

  Seb took the lead and picked up the pace. The smell of smoke cleared as they got closer to the light. There must have been ventilation somewhere.

  When Seb got to about ten metres from the tunnel’s exit, he jumped to hear a loud boom from behind them. He spun around to see the others frozen to the spot. “What was that?” His voice echoed in the tunnel.

  No one answered. Instead, Bruke shoved through from the back and sprinted towards the light at the end. The coward had well and truly returned. Not a bad choice, but he could have told the others to come with him. Seb chased after him and the others ran behind.

  Then Seb saw it. The light at the end of the corridor shrank as what looked like a door closed down from the ceiling, threatening to pin them in. It hit him at that moment, so he shouted at Bruke’s back. “The sound, do you think it was the shutter at the other end?”

  “Yes,” Bruke gasped, dipping his head with the effort of his sprint as he closed down on the shutting door.

  By the time Bruke reached the door, it had closed halfway, leaving a gap of about a metre to get through. Plenty of space for him, which must have been his intention. But then he stopped, turned his back so he faced his onrushing friends, and hooked his hands out behind him, catching the door’s steady but unrelenting downwards momentum. He managed to slow it down.

  Seb caught up with him, breathing hard from the sprint. “What are you doing?”

  A strained face from the effort, Bruke spoke to Seb through clenched teeth. “Just go through.”

  “What about you?”

  Bruke shouted at Seb. “Go!”

  So he did. Once Seb had climbed through to the other side, he helped first Sparks, then SA, join him.

  Even though Bruke slowed it down, the door was still closing, and Reyes hadn’t appeared yet.

  The slap of the ex-marine’s footsteps drew close. A few seconds later, she slid beneath the door.

  Seb jumped out of her way and then called through, “Come on, Bruke. It’s your turn now.”

  “Come back for me when you can.”

  “What?”

  Bruke’s hands then disappeared and the door slammed against the floor as if it was spring loaded. The loud crack snapped out through the new room they’d entered and Seb felt the vibration of it through the soles of his feet.

  Seb banged against the rock-solid door. It would take more than that to get it open. A deep breath, he slowed his world down, but he couldn’t see a weak spot. Then he searched for a control panel. “Sparks, can you see a way to get this open again?”

  Silence.

  “Sparks?” This time Seb turned to her.

  She looked pale as she stared at him and shook her head. “The panel must be on the other side. There’s nothing we can do for him at the moment.”

  Silence engulfed the group.

  Chapter 50

  The room beyond the corridor they’d just left Bruke in had similar dimensions to the foyer. Seb spun on the spot to take in the large space. Unlike the foyer, shelves and ledges were attached to the walls at various heights. They seemed to move up in a spiral, getting progressively higher as they wound around the room. They were all empty. The space must have had some use previously. Maybe a training area for some of the farm’s more acrobatic projects.

  Still in slow motion, Seb looked at the door that separated Bruke from the rest of them. He sighed before pulling his world back to a normal speed. “The only way we can help Bruke now is to get to the heart of this place, find the information we’ve come for, and find whoever’s locked him in. If I have to put a hole in their head to get them to release him, then so be it.”

  “Good idea,” Reyes said, “but how do we get to the heart of this place?”

  A good question. Although Seb had looked at the layout of the room, he hadn’t yet seen an exit. “I’m not sure.”

  An expectant Reyes looked at Seb as if he could give her more of an answer. Both SA and Sparks looked around the room.

  Before Seb could say anything else, the sound of rushing water called through the space. Cold dread fell through him as if the water had already soaked him. It came in so quickly, it covered the floor in seconds. His heart quickened as he looked for the source of the noise. Four shelves—about five metres wide each—were attached to the wall on the opposite side of the room. Unlike most of the other shelves, they all sat at the same height, about one metre from the ground. The water ran over them and fell down in sheets as wide as they were. His boots were already soaked.

  Fear sent Seb’s world back into slow motion. For what good it would do. He ran across the room, water kicking up at his feet. When he got to the shelves, he saw the inch-high slits running just above them. They were the entire width of each platform. They belched the cold rush out into the room.

  Seb jumped up onto one of the watery shelves and planted his feet so the hard flow didn’t pull them away from beneath him. Sparks shouted at him, “What are you doing?”

  “Getting to higher ground, now hurry up and come with me.”

  The other three ran over to Seb, SA getting to him first.

  By the time Sparks had made it across, the water had reached her waist. Reyes ploughed through the flood behind them. She used her hands to cut a path, sending the water splashing away from her.

  After she’d helped the other two up, SA climbed onto the ledge.

  Now the others had joined him, Seb led the way, the water threatening to clear his feet out with every step. Although he’d already sussed it, he pointed at the shelves running around the room and explained it to the others. “They get progressively higher. I can’t swim because of my metal hands, so I’m going to need to make my way up them to get away from the flood. You can follow me if you want to.”

  The water had already risen to the ledges they were on. Seb jumped to the next shelf and the others followed. All of them crossed the gap with ease.

  What do we do when we get to the top? SA asked.

  We’ll deal with that when we get there. The shelves must be arranged in this way for some reason. I’m hoping there’s an exit up there. After that, he ran along the next ledge and jumped the gap.

  The next three shelves didn’t raise them much higher, but the gaps between them were small, so Seb kept
up his pace, jogged along them, and jumped from one to the next, conscious of his damp boots in case he slipped.

  By the time they’d made their way back to the wall with the door leading to Bruke in it, the gaps between the shelves had stretched a little wider. Seb’s next jump looked like the widest of the lot. It didn’t pose much of a challenge for him, but Sparks, and possibly Reyes, would struggle. Can you throw Sparks across?

  At first, SA simply stared at Seb as if trying to ascertain his seriousness. When she saw he meant it, she nodded. Why don’t we let them swim?

  We can get up there quicker than the water’s rising. That extra time at the top might help.

  Okay. She’ll probably try to electrocute me though.

  Don’t worry. Just launch her before she has the time to think about it.

  As the first after Seb to the gap, SA stood on the edge, waiting for Sparks to catch up with her. She then grabbed her and launched her across.

  Thankfully Seb saw it in slow motion, because the flailing mess of limbs and bitterness would have been hard to catch at a normal speed.

  Once Seb set Sparks down, she glared at him, so he patted her on the head and took off again.

  Four shelves later, they were close to the top. Although what to do now they were there?

  As the other three caught up to him, Seb fought for breath and looked down at the three-quarter-filled room. He still couldn’t see any clues as to how to get out of there. Whatever they tried now, they’d have to try it without him. The exit had to be beneath the water level. “I’d hoped I’d see a way out from up here,” he said as the other three stared at him.

  SA looked around as if searching too. Sparks looked straight at him, ready to tell him exactly what she thought of him, clearly still bitter from being tossed.

  But then Reyes said, “Look.”

  When Seb looked but didn’t reply, Reyes removed her blaster and shot the vent she’d pointed at. The metal grate covering it bent and fell, landing in between them on the shelf with a loud crash. “What do you see now?”

  “A hole,” Seb said. “And it’s still a good few metres away.”

  “Oh no,” Sparks said, staring back at Reyes. “You’re not throwing me up there.”

  “But you’re the smallest and the lightest. If we can get anyone up there, it’s you. Besides, you have the skills to shut this place down. You can hack into anything.”

  The compliment clearly stroked Sparks’ ego, because she straightened her back a little and conceded Reyes’ point with a nod.

  When Seb looked down at the water, he saw just a few metres separated the rising level and them. “We don’t have much time, Sparks.”

  After goat stamping against the ledge they stood on, Sparks spat her words out, “Just get on with it, then. You’d best not miss.”

  Even now, SA’s eyes held a calm bioluminescence. She never seemed agitated. You ready for this? Seb asked her.

  She nodded.

  Seb and SA took one of Sparks’ feet each, the small Thrystian shaking and wobbling, balancing by pushing down on the tops of their heads.

  When she steadied herself, Seb said, “Ready, Sparks?”

  “No.”

  “Good. One. Two …” On three Seb and SA launched Sparks the three metres she needed to travel. Again, slow motion helped him witness it, but it also painfully dragged it out for Seb. They’d have to catch her again if she missed.

  Like when SA had thrown her across the gap, Sparks became a mess of flailing limbs, and for a second she looked like she wouldn’t catch the ledge. But then, at the last moment, she reached up both of her hands and clamped on.

  For a brief spell, she simply hung there as if collecting her thoughts. She then turned to look down at the others, half smiling. “Wish me luck.”

  Seb clenched his fist and banged it against his chest twice. SA pressed her hands together as if praying. Reyes called out, “Good luck.”

  A moment’s pause, Sparks then vanished into the ventilation system.

  “What do we do now?” Reyes said.

  The water had risen. A shake ran through Seb to look at it. So clear he could see all the way to the bottom. All the way to where he’d fall if their situation didn’t change very soon. Then he saw movement in the water. A door opened where they couldn’t find one before. “What the …?”

  Both Reyes and SA peered down too.

  Reyes gasped. “Are those …”

  “Sharks?” Seb said.

  “Yeah.”

  At least four metres long each, Seb let his breath out in a long sigh as he stared down at them. “They look like it. And they’re the biggest damn sharks I’ve ever seen.”

  Chapter 51

  Five sharks appeared. Something so large shouldn’t exist. To look at their all too familiar silhouettes gliding along with the laziest flicks of their tails turned Seb’s blood cold. Such power. Such dominance. So comfortable in an environment where he was now so weak. On top of that, the water continued to rise.

  As if mocking Seb’s situation, the sharks cast shadows even larger than themselves on the floor, the bright lighting working against him yet again. “I suppose if you’re into creating genetic mutations for weapons,” he said, “a shark but bigger makes sense.”

  “What are we going to do?” Reyes said, keeping her eyes on the beasts below.

  Only about one metre left before the platform they stood on became completely submerged, Seb shook his head. “We have to do something before we lose what little advantage we have. As soon as we’re in the water with those things, we’re screwed.”

  One of the beasts had vanished from Seb’s sight. “Where is it?” he said, more to himself than the others. When he peered over the ledge, he damn near lost control of his bowels to see it rushing up at him. It moved as if it had rocket propulsion.

  Just before the creature leapt from the water, Seb’s world slowed down. It showed him the white scars that tore jagged lines across its snout. It showed him its black stare.

  When it broke through the surface, Seb’s attention went straight to its wide mouth. Two rows of vicious teeth ran its large circumference. The thing looked like it could swallow him whole.

  Seb froze, but before the creature took him, the glint of something flew from his right side and went straight into the beast’s eye. The shark snapped its mouth shut and arched its back. If it could scream, it looked like it would have at that moment.

  Seb ducked as the beast flew over him and crashed into the ceiling above. The deep and moist crunch sounded like it snapped its snout on impact.

  The shark slammed back down on the shelf. It thrashed around, but Seb managed to get close to it. One of SA’s knives protruded from its left eye. He punched the creature on its weakened nose. One, two, three hard punches and he turned it off, the beast falling limp from where he’d beaten it unconscious.

  Reyes jumped out of the way as Seb rolled the thing into the water and watched it sink like a rock. Panting from the effort, he looked at SA and nodded. Thank you. Then to her and Reyes, he said, “Four more to go.”

  We need to use one of us as bait. When they jump out of the water, I can throw another knife at it.

  A deep breath, Seb’s mind worked double time to try to find a better plan. The water continued to rise. They’d be in it with the sharks if they didn’t do something. When he said, “Good idea,” Reyes frowned at him.

  “Sorry,” Seb said. “I had half of that conversation in my head. One of us needs to stand in front of the sharks so they jump. SA can throw a knife at them, and I can punch them out. If you stand back—” Seb moved to the edge of the platform, shoving Reyes back towards the wall “—I’ll do it.”

  But Reyes grabbed his arm and tugged on it, taking his place on the lip of the shelf and staring down into the water. Just to watch her precarious position sent a flip through Seb’s stomach.

  The next beast exploded towards them. It came from a different angle, which made it easier to see. It dragged
a rush of water with it. This time, SA threw two knives at it. It snapped around in reaction to the pain before it clattered into the wall behind them and fell against the shelf like the other one had.

  Seb rushed forward and threw a flurry of blows against its thick nose. Each strike felt like hitting a wet punching bag and he quickly put the creature out.

  Before Seb could push the one he’d killed from the ledge, the next one burst from the water. The same happened: Reyes ducked, SA threw two knives at it, and Seb punched it unconscious again.

  In anticipation of yet another one coming out, Seb shoved the two limp ones back into the water as quickly as he could. Were it not for their wet, slightly slimy bodies, he wouldn’t have stood a chance of moving them. They weighed more than he’d be able to shift unaided.

  To watch them sink with the other one gave Seb the briefest moment of relief before he heard another noise that made his stomach sink.

  A cracking sound like thick ice giving way beneath his feet. A glance at where the shelf met the wall, Seb watched a black crack race along it. “Shit! This shelf won’t hold for much longer.”

  The penultimate shark then burst from the water. A greater threat at that moment than the failing ledge. This time, SA got three knives in it. It landed on the shelf, in clear agony from its wounds.

  SA shot it before Seb could get to it. Seb then shoved it into the water, which had now risen to within just centimetres of the ledge.

  Just as Seb turned to inspect the crack again, SA’s voice rang through his mind. Reyes, she called, and he reacted by shoving her away from him.

  The final shark hit the wall, teeth first, exactly where she’d been. The impact seemed to shake the entire building.

  SA hadn’t thrown a knife at it yet. The beast twisted and snapped to get at Seb.

  When she caught up, SA threw several knives at it. They stuck into the shark’s back, distracting it for a second. Enough time for Seb to get on top of it and punch it out. He tipped it back into the water with the other four.