Nav Station Algos- Floors 1-4

by J P Carver

“Uh-huh. I’ll be back, Cotora, so don’t worry so much,” he said and left the room. He thought he heard her say something, but it was lost in the whisper of the door closing.

  They followed Audra to another room that had a massive stone door set into a green wallpapered wall with intricate wood panels below the chair rail. The stone door had a rune carved into it, six crude lines in the shape of a what Geo thought of as a three fingered hand holding a circle object. In the middle of the rune was a hole that Audra inserted the key into.

  She turned it and the entire room seemed to shake as some large mechanism started to run. Two low thumps followed a few seconds after and the stone door popped open to reveal a red brick stairwell. A pungent smell of mold and rot flowed out from it.

  Audra put the key away and then went to a bookshelf where she picked up a lantern and lit it. “They are all level 5 or 6 for the first three levels. Don’t go any farther than that unless you want to end up back here with no experience. There aren’t any safe room down there.”

  Peyton took the lantern. “We’ll be as quick as we can, but… do you have a spear I can borrow?”

  “What happened to your old one?” Audra asked, confused.

  “Well, my original one is now in storage as I am far from being able to use it and the one I was using was borrowed by one of your hunters to kill a drieger.”

  “Dammit. I guess I can get one from one of the hunters. You should be able to find a good drop down there, so return it when you’re done,” Audra said and left the room at a quick jog.

  “You couldn’t have told me before how long I’ve been doing this?” Geo said once Audra’s footsteps faded away.

  Peyton turned and cocked her head. “Does it really matter?”

  “I’d say so, I’m wasting away my life doing this stupid thing.”

  “That’s cute, because you were doing so much with it before we arrived.”

  Geo sneered. “It doesn’t matter what I was doing. It was my life to do as I wanted.”

  Peyton shook her head. “That’s just it, it’s not your life. You aren’t some speck of dust floating in the vastness of space. You’re a node in a network, Geo. What you do affects any person that has connected to you.”

  “Don’t preach to me, you hear me? I don’t need your bullshit. You’ve stolen three weeks from me and a lot more before we’re done, I’m sure. No one gave a shit about what I did before you showed up.”

  Peyton didn’t even flinch at the outburst. She just stared at him calmly. “Were you happy?”

  “What?”

  “Were you happy being alone here for so long? It didn’t seem like it.”

  Geo tried to say something, but the words caught in his throat. He finally relaxed and his shoulders dropped. “No, but it was still my choice.”

  “Just because it’s a choice doesn’t make it the right one. We often choose the safe and familiar when there are better options out there. You were stuck here, Geo, merging with this station.”

  “You don’t know me.”

  She nodded. “You’re right, I don’t, but I’d like to,” she said and gave him a sad smile. “If you’ll let me.”

  Geo sighed, but didn’t get a chance to answer as Audra returned with a metal spear and another package. She held them out to Peyton. “You two need to work on your volume. Could hear your bitching down the hall.”

  “You were eavesdropping, so don’t pretend,” Peyton said and took the spear. She looked questioningly at the package.

  “It’s supplies and camping gear. I’m giving it to you because I don’t think you’ll actually die down there,” Audra said and then looked pointedly at Geo. “Don’t prove me wrong.”

  “We’ll do our best,” Peyton said as she put the package into her inventory. She then held up the lantern and started toward the stairs. “We’ll be back in two days and then we can make some kind of plan to hopefully solve both of our problems.”

  “Sure, if you don’t kill each other. My money is on you winning every fight, Peyton.”

  “Ha-ha,” Geo said as he followed after Peyton.

  Hunger Among The Dead

  The fire crackled on the stone, its bright flames painting the brick walls with the wavering shadows of Geo and Peyton. They were sitting with their hands toward the heat of the fire as cold flooded the halls beneath the church and soaked into their bones. Geo shivered a bit more than Peyton as she was using her tail to warm her legs and he stared at it with a jealousy he hadn’t felt in a long time.

  Peyton take notice. “What’s with the look? I offered to cuddle up and share my warmth. You said no.”

  “I know what I said.” He shifted closer to the fire. His back was freezing, and he wished there had been a blanket among the items in the package.

  “Mm-hm,” Peyton said as she blew into her hands and rubbed them together. “We’re doing well, enough experience for three levels so far and still have all of tomorrow to farm. I still need to find a better spear, though, and you could use new armor.”

  He didn’t answer, but he had to agree. The creatures were nightmarish, zombies of men and women that lumbered toward them until they removed the head. Spiders that were bigger than the ones in the sewers. He really hated spiders, he thought as he rubbed at his shoulder.

  A leg had caught him and the razor like hairs on it tore through his armor and skin. The elixirs had healed the damage, but the pain still lingered. He grunted as he came upon the scar and a shock of pain wound through his nerves as another thought reached him.

  Over two weeks. It took over two weeks to get through level one of this hell game. How much time occurred when he moved floors? They could steal time from him when ever they wanted.

  He shifted his attention toward Peyton as she moved to her knees to reach toward the fire. She picked up one of the two skewers that were over the flames and tore a piece of meat from it. He watched her chew thoughtfully, her tail swaying just a little.

  “Almost done, a minute more I think,” she said and looked to him for some kind of acknowledgment. He didn’t give it and she pouted. “You’re colder than this place.” She sat back on her haunches with a frown and put the skewer back to the fire. “You’re still upset.”

  “Am I?”

  “Don’t play with me. What are you upset about? The time jump?” she asked and licked and sucked grease from her fingers. He forced himself to look away as he knew she was toying with him. “Or just frustrated in general?”

  He reached toward the fire and removed his own skewer. He blew on it and then took a bite. She’d been right, it needed another minute, but eating meant he had an excuse not to talk to her. He chewed slowly as the meat was tough and had a gamey taste that he wasn’t a fan of. When he took another bite, Peyton reached for her own skewer. He was glad she took the hint.

  She finished first, her sharp fangs having no issue with the toughness. She cleaned her fingers again and tossed the skewer to sizzle in the fire. Sitting crossed legged, she watched Geo as if she was waiting for something. She didn’t have the patience though.

  “I should look at that cut on your shoulder,” she said.

  “It’s fine.”

  “I don’t think it is. Razor hairs sometimes have poison in them. You keep messing with it so it’s obviously bothering you. Just let me—”

  He tossed his own skewer into the fire then fell over onto his side. He glared at her and then closed his eyes. “I’m taking a nap.”

  “Running away again?”

  “Sure thing, you know about that as well as I do.”

  He heard her move and opened an eye. She crawled to him and he felt her arm at his back as she laid over him. Her breath was hot against his cold cheek when she spoke. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  He closed his eyes again. “You ran from Amber,” he said and felt more than heard her breathing catch. “Never heard of an AI switching personalities unless they had to. Amber is a sub-AI. You had full control of her and all the others. For some re
ason, you let her take control from you.”

  He heard her lay down in front of him and he couldn’t resist. He opened his eyes to find hers dancing over him, her bottom lip caught by her upper teeth. “Why do you think that?”

  He shrugged and went to roll over, but she stopped him with a hand. “It’s the only thing that makes sense. I don’t know why you’d do it though.”

  Her eyes dropped some and he heard her sniff as if she was trying not to cry. “You wouldn’t understand.”

  “You’re right. I probably wouldn’t,” he said, forcing coldness in his voice. As he watched, he wanted to hold her, but feared doing so. He wouldn’t make him self vulnerable again, especially not an AI that lied to him. Still, it was painful to watch her shoulders shake as she cried silently. He cursed and reached out to touch her arm. “Hey…”

  She moved suddenly, a hand on his neck and then her other on his side as she rolled him onto his back. She straddled him and her hands moved to his chest, pinning him down. He could throw her off, but the warm tears that splashed against his neck stopped him. She really was upset.

  “Just… don’t move, okay?” she asked as she laid down against him, her ears going flat on her head so her head fit neatly under his chin. “Just, let me be here for a bit. I know you hate it—”

  His arms went around her before he realized what he was doing. “I don’t hate it, it just scares me.”

  She nodded. “It scares everyone after being hurt.”

  “I guess so. I’m sorry for… being blunt. It’s none of my business.”

  “Maybe, but it’s only fair after all the poking I’ve been doing. You’re right, by the way. I did run away from Amber… from everything.”

  “Why?” he asked as she shifted some, like she was trying to get closer.

  “Because it was easier than fighting for something I had lost most of my love for.”

  “Reason enough, I guess,” he said, staring at the ceiling. He knew all too well the desire to just give up and walk away.

  She picked her head up and looked down at him, her eyes clear and the tears were drying on her cheeks. “Why did you run?”

  He felt his stomach sink. “Was the crying fake?”

  “No, but I can only do it for a bit, even when I feel like it. Emotions for AI are regulated, mine less so than others so I can relate better with humans.”

  He gave a mirthless laugh. “Guess it’s my own fault thinking that you were being honest with me.”

  “I was being honest, Geo. It’s not my fault—”

  He shoved her back and slipped out from underneath her. He stood and walked a few feet from the fire. “Just stay over there, okay? No more of this bullshit. I’ve had enough.”

  “Geo,” she called, the worry in her voice made him turn to see her standing with her spear in hand. He looked at it and then at her.

  “What the hell is with that?” he asked as he held up his hands. “You aren’t seriously going to—?”

  She darted toward him and the look in her eyes caused him to turn with his shield up. He saw worry there, not hatred or anger.

  A zombie’s face smashed into his shield as it tried to bite Geo. The next moment Peyton’s spear drove though its head and it went limp. She put her foot on the head and removed her spear with a spray of blood.

  “Bastards can’t even give us a few minutes break,” she said and looked to him. “Did you really think I was about to attack you?”

  “I don’t know what goes on in that crazy fake brain of yours,” he said while wiping the blood from his shield. “Besides, you could have just warned me.”

  “I did.”

  “Yeah, calling my name and holding your spear at me—great warning.”

  “There wasn’t tim—”

  “You just wanted to be dramatic, don’t lie. You wanted to say you saved me so I would stop being mad at you.”

  “I did save you,” she said as the bottom of her spear hit the stone with a sharp crack. “But I didn’t do it for praise or something stupid like that.”

  “All right, I’ll believe you for now.” It still annoyed him, so he reached out his hand toward her head. She looked at it and then at him, brows and lips down.

  “Don’t you—”

  “Good girl,” he said and patted her head. Her face turned scarlet and he withdrew his hand quickly as she snapped at him.

  “Now I’m really gonna run you through!”

  “Why? You liked it so much that you’re blushing,” he said, laughing the first real laugh he could ever remember having on the station. He dropped back to the wall and clutched his stomach, unable to stop the laughter. He saw her lower her spear, a confused look on her face that slowly turned into a satisfied smile.

  Lust For Life

  “On your left! No, damn it, your other left,” Peyton called as she worked her spear out of the guts of a zombie. They had moved down another floor and were about halfway through.

  “I only have one freaking left,” Geo shouted back, but still blocked the swiping attack. He pivoted and brought his sword around to behead the zombie he had been fending off. He turned to face the new one and made short work of it. Golden orbs from both kills split and went between him and Peyton.

  “Woo, that was rough. They’re packing together more often now. On the bright side, that’s another level once we get back to the safe room,” Peyton said as she kicked over a zombie and then opened her inventory. “Holding up all right there?”

  Geo rolled his shoulder, the pain was getting worse, but he wasn’t going to tell her that. “I’m good. They drop anything of use?”

  “No—ooo, is it? Yes! It’s better than my current spear. Man, that took way too long to replace.” She switched out her spear, the new one was made of a thick wooden pole with leather straps and a long, slightly curved blade on the end. She gave the air a few jabs and spins before she seemed satisfied with the upgrade.

  “Glad you got it,” he said and opened up the stats for it. “If we could just find some new armor, we’d be good.”

  Disquiet Spear (Green)

  Attack: 190

  To keep things at arms length is safety in distance, but it invites another attacker, one that is sneaky and more deadly. To be alone and unable to connect is to be buried before death.

  A spear with a silver tip, does 5% more damage to creatures of the night.

  Peyton puffed out her cheek and nodded. “At least we haven’t died yet, so we got that going for us.”

  Geo gave a low groan as he sheathed his sword. “You had to say it.”

  “Say what? What’s wrong?”

  “What’s wrong is that you jinxed us.”

  Peyton looked at him like he was talking nonsense. “You don’t actually believe that’s a thing, do you?”

  “Yeah, same with karma. Guess I better make sure I die outside of mob spawns.”

  Peyton rolled her eyes. “Come off it, we’re kicking ass here. These things are trash but give great experience. What’s there to complain about?”

  “Karma,” Geo said flatly and picked up the lantern that had been knocked over in the fight. He lit it again with a left over match and held it up. “Should we head back? We’re probably halfway through the second day by now.”

  “I’m keeping track, we got time. I say we go down another floor.”

  “But Audra—”

  “I know, but I want to poke around and see what’s down there. If it’s more zombies, they won’t be worth the time to come back down for—”

  “But if they’re higher level, we could try to convince her to let us farm a bit more.”

  “Bingo,” Peyton said and started off.

  A few minutes later they found the staircase to the next floor. It was made of the same brick as the walls and it created a strange optical illusion that Geo had to blink from his eyes. They headed down and found more trash mobs, mostly zombies and skeletons. They killed the two groups they ran into when Geo called a halt.

  “No
use going farther. As it is we’re probably gonna be a bit late getting back.”

  Peyton nodded. “Sucks though, was hoping for some better exper—” she broke off as a sound echoed through the hall they were in. The sound sent a tingle down Geo’s spin.

  “Was that...?” he started to ask Peyton. She turned to show a tinge of red to her face. “I’m hearing things again, right?”

  “N… no, don’t think so. That was a moan,” she turned back to the darkness with her ears perked up. “And lots of heavy breathing.”

  “If it’s a bunch of zombies having sex I’m done here,” Geo said as he drew his sword.

  “Better be careful, might unlock another fetish.” Peyton gave him a devious look. “I doubt it’s zombies though. No blood pumping means no swelling of fun bits which also means no real sexy-times. But something is having a good time. You want to go see what?”

  “No, especially now that you mentioned it’s not zombies.”

  “Ah, so the idea did unlock a new fetish.”

  “That’s—no! Are you insane?” Geo asked as Peyton just laughed with her back to him. “Let’s leave them to their—whatever. It’s none of our business.”

  “Okay, but see, we got a problem,” Peyton said and faced him again with a cold expression.

  “When don’t we when you’re around?”

  “Smart-ass. The source of the sound is heading right toward us. So, we’re gonna see whether or not we want to.”

  “Voting not,” Geo said. “We can just make a run for it, right?”

  “Sadly… no,” she said and dashed back to stand beside him.

  From the darkness it came, rumbling along like a freight train, the moaning echoing off the brick walls. It tore itself from the shadows, tendrils of black releasing from its form. It filled the entire width of the hallway, long limbs dragging it along toward them.

  It looked like there were two giant people fused together by black and red tar. The head on top was covered in the same black as what fused them together and it danced around like hair. The head on the bottom was a black blob. The creature moaned again, but this time it sounded almost like a cry of pain and anger.