“You left them to die!” Krinia said with complete shock.
“You're a coward,” Rok spat between clenched teeth.
“No,” Qirn growled back. “We must complete our mission. We will be at the MotherShip in a few minutes. Then we will destroy the Paum from the inside and the outside.” The Iraxx commander smiled savagely.
“That is not our mission,” Jysar said, rubbing his swollen jaw.
“That's right, we're here to rescue Mother. Nothing else,” Krinia added, bitterness in her voice.
Qirn pointed his blaster at them as he continued to hold fast the control panel, keeping the elevator in Emergency Mode as it gathered more speed.
The Iraxx warrior smiled at them.
“The Paum enslaved our world many years ago. We've been waiting for an opportunity to strike it from both the inside and outside. With the powerful MotherShip attacking from inside, and our fleets assaulting from the outside, we will defeat it at last."
“You knew all along.” Jaric shook his head in shocked disbelief. “You allowed Mother to be lured here. And then set up this rescue, all as part of your pre-arranged attack plan. No wonder we were able to get here so fast, and get inside so easy. You planned it out long ago, just waiting for the right opportunity."
A low, ominous growl rumbled from Rok's chest.
“Yes, you're right.” Qirn's eyes narrowed at them.
At that moment, a distant explosion shook them all. Everyone looked around with puzzlement.
“The attack has begun,” Qirn said.
“He's right,” Jysar said as he glanced at his sensor. “Those explosions emanated from outside the entire complex—against the shield arrays."
“Good.” Qirn smiled widely.
“We have to go back,” Rok said as he took a step closer to Qirn.
Qirn leveled his blaster at Rok's chest.
“Don't come any closer, or I'll fire."
“We came here to rescue Mother, not to aid you in any attack,” Krinia took a step toward the Iraxx.
“Stop!"
The four stared back at Qirn and his weapon raised against them.
Suddenly an explosion erupted that sent all of them tumbling down to the floor with its sheer violence. The turbo-elevator twisted and screamed as its outer shell skidded along the walls of the elevator shaft.
It slowed momentarily, then gained speed as it righted itself.
As the Iraxx fell hard against the floor his blaster tumbled away.
There was a flurry of fists and arms as the others scrambled and fought against Qirn.
It was over as quickly as it began. As they all stood, Inaha held Qirn fast while Rok and Jysar leapt up and began studying the control panel.
“Can you stop it?” Rok asked hurriedly as the Hrono began punching the controls.
“And fast!” Krinia urged. “The Destructors are probably on top of them by now. It may already be too late!"
Jysar studied the small display on the control panel as he punched command after command. He shook his head with a groan. “I can kill the Emergency system, but that may stop us where we are."
“Do it!” Rok shouted.
The Hrono Technologist tapped in the command and the turbo-elevator lurched to a gut-wrenching halt.
As everyone fought to keep their balance, Qirn began to struggle again.
“If he gives you too much trouble, just knock him out,” Rok said to Inaha.
“With pleasure.” Inaha punched the Iraxx hard on his ribs, causing him to cease his struggles. The big alien increased his grip on Qirn's arms as he held him fast. “Now, just give me a reason to whack your thick skull. Go ahead,” Inaha urged with a smile.
Qirn stood very still.
Rok looked back to Jysar. “Can you get it back to Kyle and Elise?"
Jysar shook his head as he studied the information on the tiny display. “I over-rode the Emergency Mode, actually I killed it. We can't bring it online again. I think I can enable this ... it's some sort of a homing mode to send it back to its original position.” The Hrono sighed deeply. “But we won't get it to move again, not with the Paum shutting down its normal operation."
Jysar looked at them with a sober expression.
“We'll all be stuck back there."
“We must finish our...” Qirn began.
With a swift punch, Inaha silenced him.
“Good, I was getting tired of him anyway,” Jaric said with a smile.
“I say we go back,” Rok said as he looked evenly at the others. “We'll find another way to Mother. We have to."
“We have to. After all, Kyle and Elise would come back for us.” Krinia's lip trembled as she finished.
“Let's go get ‘em,” Jaric said, a glint of determination in his eyes.
Typing quickly on the keypad, Jysar enabled homing-mode, and the elevator began moving back to its original position.
“Get your weapons ready, we'll rush through and get Kyle and Elise back in here,” Rok said with a stern tone. He looked over at Jysar. “Keep working it, Jysar. See if there's any way you can get this thing moving again when we get back. Anything, manual or otherwise."
“I will try,” Jysar said in a monotone. The Hrono looked down with a dejected expression.
“Jysar,” Jaric said with feeling. “You're a Senior Technologist of the Hrono, one of the most adept aliens with technology. Surely you can engineer something—I know you can."
Jysar's green scale complexion deepened with pride. The twin rows of upright scales across his head also turned a darker green. The Hrono reached into a pocket on his wide belt and pulled out his trusty Alwerz tool. With expert precision, he quickly took the access panel off and started working with the bared electronics underneath.
“Get ready, we'll be there in less than one minute.” Rok and the others pointed their blasters at the still-closed doors.
Just at that moment, a third powerful explosion caused the lights to dim. Even the turbo-elevator slowed momentarily as the main power grid failed then was restored.
Rok and Jaric exchanged knowing glances.
“Come on, Mother,” Jaric said under his breath. “We need you."
* * * *
ELISE FELL ONTO the floor and immediately rolled upright, her assault blaster pointed toward the position she last saw the Destructor's shadowy form.
But everything was darkness.
She strained her eyes, trying to spot Kyle.
And more important, to see Destructors.
The darkness suddenly seemed alive with movement as she fired a quick burst.
Only an eerie silence answered as the bolts ricocheted harmlessly off the walls.
Her heart began to pound so hard and so loud she knew it must be giving her location away to the metal monsters. She licked her lips, still pointing her weapon, trying to see through the darkness in all directions at once.
And then she heard it.
It was so soft, almost like she imagined it—a soft metallic click mixed with a scraping sound like metal on metal.
A Destructor was nearby.
And it was coming for her.
She couldn't see it.
But she could feel it.
It watched her, studying her—she knew it. Her heart now beat faster than she ever thought it could.
Elise began pushing herself back away, holding her blaster with one hand while she fumbled for the sensor attached to her belt. If she got it out, maybe she could detect the Destructor at close range and then shoot it with her blaster. He hand fumbled around her belt, fingers searching for the familiar shape of her sensor unit.
She heard the frightening noise again, closer this time.
Now she felt its presence more clearly. She felt the evil inside it, as it came for her with one intention—to kill her.
Out of the darkness and tiny twinkling lights, she saw a body with huge, long legs coming out of it from all directions.
Elise fired another burst.
Sp
arks lit up the darkness as the blasts ricocheted off something only a meter away from her.
She hit some part of it. But the Destructor, unlike a living thing, never uttered a sound.
Elise strained to listen and focused her eyes, concentrating fiercely—trying to will her senses to detect the undetectable.
At first, there was dead silence and darkness.
Perhaps she had destroyed it? Or at least disabled it?
Suddenly, the same heart-stopping sound came softly to her hearing—a faint, horrifying click.
And then another.
The clicking-scraping sounds grew faster.
And closer.
Elise kept fumbling for her sensor, until at last she had it. But it slipped out of her grasp, her palms sweaty. She leaned over for it, trying to find it on the floor in the darkness as she halted her huddled retreat.
In that moment it had her.
Elise screamed as she felt the multiple appendages first rip the blaster out of her hand then in a flurry of shadowy motion pin her down on the floor. She struggled against the terrible strength, but to no avail.
The Destructor had her trapped, its metal body right on top of her.
Elise shut her eyes. With her arms and legs pressed hard against the floor so that she couldn't move, she opened them and looked up.
She was shocked to see nothing but the darkness. She had guessed she would finally see the monster now that it was so close. But there was nothing but darkness above her—at least that was all she could see.
But she was wrong.
Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she saw the needle-tipped talon coming for her neck.
Elise screamed.
Suddenly a barrage of blaster bolts lit up the darkness. As she stared upward, still pinned helplessly, she saw the outline of the Destructor as it stared down at her.
The hail of blaster fire increased as the bolts hit true. Large chunks of the Destructor ripped away until it fell in two broken sections.
Elise felt the metal arms pinning her fall away.
She rolled over, all the while blindly reaching for her fallen blaster. Just as she found it, she realized something was right beside her.
She froze.
“Get your weapon,” Kyle whispered so quietly she almost didn't hear his words.
Bringing her blaster up, Kyle's form became visible beside her.
Kyle nodded his head forward, pointing. Elise peered into the darkness in the direction he indicated.
Once again, she felt more than saw it through the pitch darkness. Another Destructor was coming for them.
Kyle held up his right hand, displaying three fingers. He then brought his forefinger up to his lips for silence.
Three Destructors.
Elise's heart thumped like a starship's engine jumping into hyperspace.
Kyle pointed his blaster over to the right wall, about midway up. Then he swung it over to the left wall as Elise watched. She surmised he must mean two Destructors were there, ready to pounce on them.
She nodded.
Kyle's blaster came to life, sending a steady stream of fire at the left wall.
Elise opened up with her weapon at the right wall.
The tunnel lit up like a fireworks spectacular under their twin hail of fire.
But the two Destructors escaped most of it as they leapt away.
When they ceased firing, only a few severed limbs littered the floor near them.
“Not good,” Kyle whispered.
Out of the blackness dozens of clicking noises now became audible.
And the sounds grew closer.
“Get ready,” Kyle whispered as he quickly reloaded his blaster. “They're coming again. And there's more of them."
Elise checked her own blaster—it was half empty.
Kyle looked at her—deep in her eyes.
“You shouldn't have come back for me."
Kyle's words caused her to catch her breath. But she answered without pause. “We don't leave anyone behind—especially family."
He smiled at her.
The clicking noises came closer.
“Don't stop firing, Elise. No matter what, don't stop.” Kyle readied himself.
Elise swallowed hard as she raised her blaster.
In the background, another sound came faintly to their ears—some kind of throbbing sound...
The clicks suddenly increased.
“They're charging!” Kyle shouted at Elise
Kyle fired his blaster non-stop.
Elise saw the darkness alive with movement. She pressed the trigger and held it solid.
They were everywhere—along both walls, even clutching to the ceiling as they crawled toward them.
And they were right on top of them.
Elise screamed as a Destructor fell from the ceiling toward her.
She rolled and fired, sending it into pieces.
Kyle stood and sprayed the tunnel side to side.
In the red light of their tracers the deadly Destructors became visible as they crowded towards them.
Side by side, Kyle and Elise fired volley after volley.
Her gut wrenched in agony as her blaster fired it last shot.
Kyle stepped in front of her and fired another volley.
The darkness returned as his blaster emptied its last charge. Silence drenched them—a deep, black silence.
“I'm scared, Kyle,” Elise whispered.
He stepped back and put his arm around her. They both crouched against the far right wall.
“I am too.” His embrace tightened around her shoulders.
The clicking sounds returned.
“Close your eyes,” Kyle whispered.
“Will that help?” Elise whispered back.
“I sure hope so."
From the middle of the tunnel, a shadowy shape emerged, although the pair kept their eyes tightly closed.
The faint sound of metallic clicks drew closer.
Kyle and Elise knew with the sinking of their hearts that the Destructor came for them.
More clicking sounds became audible as more Destructors approached from out of the darkness. The multitude of ominous sounds heralded the approach of certain and impending death.
Suddenly, the staccato of blaster fire filled their ears.
Kyle and Elise opened their eyes wide.
“Come on!” Krinia cried out as her blaster took out the nearest Destructor.
“Over here!” Jaric added.
He stood outside the opened door of the turbo-elevator, holding an assault blaster in each hand. Jaric stood with his legs apart to steady himself as he pumped two steady streams of blaster fire through the darkness at the Destructors.
Rok pummeled them with his own assault blaster in one hand and a blaster pistol in the other. A Kraaqi war cry echoed off the walls as he raced forward, firing non-stop.
Kyle and Elise jumped up and ran under their covering fire.
Debris from the broken Destructors filled the air.
But more and more took their places as they kept on coming.
Rok stood his ground until his blaster pistol fell silent. The Kraaqi holstered it and grasped his assault blaster with both hands as he continued firing short bursts.
Rok retreated backward with a quickening pace.
A few seconds later, he stood at the turbo-elevator again.
Krinia and Rok stepped inside the opened doors, firing away, while Jaric stood a short distance outside still yelling and firing both his weapons until he emptied both.
With a quick jump, he leapt inside holding both weapons.
Jysar punched the controls and the doors shut.
“Whew!” Jaric gasped. “That was close.” He fell to his knees exhausted.
“It's not over,” Rok said with a serious tone. “If Jysar can't get this turbo-elevator moving, we're going to have to fight our way out."
“You're kidding,” Kyle said in utter disbelief.
Rok shook his
head.
“What kind of rescue is this? We're supposed to be whisked away from mortal danger right about now ... not stay in the middle of it.” Kyle winked at everyone with a smirk.
“Yeah, I wish,” Krinia said.
Suddenly, the thunderous sound of heavy, multiple blows against the turbo-elevator doors pummeled their senses.
Everyone stared as the doors were beaten by innumerable blows from the outside. As they watched, dents and creases appeared from the horrendous blows.
“It won't last long,” Elise said, echoing all of their thoughts.
“Jysar?” Rok looked over at the Hrono.
But Jysar shook his head. “It's not going anywhere. I've tried everything, but the Paum is blocking everything I try."
“Come on, Hrono. Make it work!” Rok urged.
The doors shuddered under a renewed barrage from the metal arms as the Destructors fought to get at them.
“This is it,” Jaric began reloading both his blasters.
The others followed suit.
“When the door goes down, give ‘em everything we've got.” Kyle stood right before the door with his reloaded weapon.
The dents grew deeper with a metallic hammering.
But nobody asked what would happen once they emptied their blasters, because there wouldn't be time to reload.
Elise looked around at her friends trapped with her inside this tiny place—the people she cared most about in all the universe. She realized that the same, grim expression was on everyone's face as they prepared to face this final assault.
She felt a grim determination to face death bravely with her friends around her.
“The three of us will fire until we're empty,” Rok said with a commanding tone, indicating himself, Jaric and Kyle. “Then the other three will take over while we reload—Elise, Krinia and Inaha."
“What about me?” Jysar asked.
“You keep working on getting this thing going again!"
Jysar began working at the control panel again, a new urgency in his efforts.
Rok, Jaric and Kyle readied themselves as the door began to warp and bend under the terrible blows.
“Are you holding that fear in check, Big K?” Jaric whispered with a twinkle in his eye.
“Are you kidding?” Kyle chucked. “Fear is all I've been running on."
“How many can there be left?” Jaric asked. “We've taken out a ton of them."
Borne On Wings of Steel Page 40