The Philippine nodded in shock, staring back down at the gaping wound in Debra’s shoulder, her hands grasping her weapon tightly as she gritted her teeth in determination, ‘We will damn well find it…and clear the caves if there is anything in there!’ She spun round, her voice rising, ‘Riaz…with me!
Shino and Riaz approached the passageway at a half crouch, their nerves high at the darkness before them as the pin lights on their helmets flickered on, the Philippine nodding to the reservist soldier stood pensively next to the narrow opening, his assault rifle held to his eye and pointing into the void, ‘Go back and tend to the wounded…we will take it from here…’
The Trevakian pushed back eagerly from the rocks, Riaz glimpsing the etched red star on the reservist’s shoulder armour, the male smiling grimly and lunging back towards the dim light exuding from the opening. As gunfire echoed across the cave opening behind once more, the flashes of muzzle fire lighting up the small interim enclosure, Shino glancing round nervously as she hissed, ‘We may have little time…we are to explore the passageway and find the transporter if it is here…kill anything in there!’
Riaz nodded grimly, explosions behind invoking more gunfire as he spoke nervously, ‘Ok…let’s do this!’ He gripped his rifle tightly, the small pin lights sweeping into the opening as dust drifted down from the rock ceiling, several dried roots and pale green lichen spread across the jagged walls. Tentatively, he rose, moving forward slowly into the passageway, his rifle held at eye height as his helmet turned slightly, ‘Stay behind…but at a distance…just in case there are any traps.’
Riaz moved forward cautiously, his assault rifle aimed into the darkness as the pin lights from his helmet swept across the walls and dust covered rock floor. He winced as scarabs scuttled across his boots, disappearing into cracks in the rock on either side, his stomach twisting in revulsion. Shino crept two metres behind him, her own visor sweeping to a clear view, the sensors attempting to provide as much detail as possible as the lichen and petrified branches and roots surged across the sides of the passageway, the figure in front ducking down as he nervously glanced from side to side warily.
The passageway continued for some time, the gunfire becoming more distant behind as they slowly progressed through the many turns between the winding rock. Shino’s stomach seemed to twist as an eerie silence began to envelope them, the path leading downwards at a slight decline as it twisted and turned. Dust fell from the rocks above, small stones and debris dislodged as the pulse grenades detonated outside, the scarabs and other insects increasing their pace as the sense of danger increased.
The pin lights glowed through the pitch black, reflecting off the falling dust and distorting the visor views as they edged forward, Riaz’s heart pounding as he coughed slightly, his mouth and throat seeming almost painfully dry. Turning another bend, he lowered slowly to one knee, raising one hand from his weapon and indicating for the Philippine behind to stop.
His helmet gradually moved across the small opening ahead, the lights failing to extend to the furthermost walls, his teeth grinding as the visor flickered, the sensors struggling to form a clear picture for him to proceed. Riaz turned his head, a croaky low hiss coming from his dried and dust covered lips, ‘There is a clearing…let’s wait for the sensors to check it…I am not going in blind!’
Shino nodded, then shrugged, grinning in self-awareness, realising he could not see her, a low whisper coming from her lips, ‘I will come next to you, so move over…I will scan the right…you the left. If we keep our helmets stationary, the visors should be able to form some sort of picture…’
Riaz grunted in frustrated agreement, ‘Very well…don’t go any further forward than I am and keep low…’
The Philippine grinned as she shook her head, gingerly stepping forward as he shuffled sideways, ‘It’s not Indiana Jones in here…this is reality!’
The asian officer coughed again, attempting to moisten his mouth as he smiled faintly at his colleague’s observation, ‘Yes this is reality…we die in reality, so keep that little ‘custom-made’ Philippine machine gun raised once you get next to me!’
Shino grimaced in fun, nudging him as she drew level, her helmet scanning to the right side as Riaz stared to the left, both their visors flickering as the electronics attempted to formulate a picture. Dust poured from the rocks above as several distant muffled explosions erupted behind, the two figures stiffening as they wondered if the defences were holding at the cave entrance.
Riaz hissed, his breath now laboured as the visor gradually formed a picture, lines crackling across the image, ‘There is another passageway to the left…it seems to lead downwards quite steeply…’
Shino blinked as the view flickered continuously, then suddenly cleared, her eyes widening as she glimpsed the opening, her voice rising in excitement, ‘There is some sort of room…maybe another route…which one shall we take?’
Riaz turned his head, the view clouding and distorted with static once more, ‘Is it the same level?’
The Philippine strained her eyes, staring at the opening as she considered briefly, ‘I think so…it seems to have a light glowing somewhere…there is something in there!’
The asian officer smiled confidently. ‘The transporter…let’s get to it…stay behind!’ His muscular frame lunged upwards and forward, Shino gasping as he swept before her visor view at a half crouch, his assault rifle sweeping from side to side as her adrenalin surged, admiration reluctantly rising.
Riaz reached the opening, his breath held nervously as his helmet swept from side to side frantically, the pin lights bouncing off the walls as the visor cleared, the cavern seeming full of ammunition boxes and assault rifles, some sacks laying against the rock walls.
Moving forward, Riaz stiffened as the pungent aroma began to fill his nostrils, his stomach turning as he turned his head away in disgust. Pushing forward against his instincts, the extreme smell became stronger, the nausea rising within him as he coughed, pushing the bile back into his stomach as his diaphragm began to seemingly kick inside. His senses began to be overwhelmed by the stench as he approached the next opening, the nervousness rising as his fingers clenched around the assault rifle.
Stopping abruptly at the opening, he drew breath, the overwhelming pungent smell seeming almost intoxicating in its intrigue, but turning his stomach. The pin lights swept across the cavern, Riaz staring wide eyed at the dust covered boxes and sacks lining the walls, the almost overwhelming distinct aroma coming from the cavern beyond, a narrow opening seeming to beckon him forward as a glow from beyond glittered across the resin in the rock.
Riaz stepped carefully across the enclosed space, pushing his boots forward through the dust meticulously before placing his weight on each forward leg. Shino followed behind, her hand held over her mouth as the stench became stronger, her eyes staring through the visor as they approached the next narrow opening.
The asian officer tentatively reached the opening, the stale and rotting aroma turning his stomach as he stepped between the rocks, a gasp coming from his mouth as it opened, the pin lights surging across the walls and then to the ground. The cavern was relatively large, cracked and broken stone lying across the floor seeming to lay in dark pools, his eyes straining to understand the cause of the stench. Shino stepped up behind him, her own lights joining his as the area became brighter, a low groan coming from her throat as she coughed violently, her chest heaving.
As one, they realised the source of the overpowering stench, their coughs becoming more retched as they doubled up, the pin lights shaking across the dirt floor as both vomited, dropping to their knees and gasping for air that was not tainted by the intense smell. As if in disbelief, Riaz swept his lower arm across his chin, wiping the drooling saliva from his mouth and glancing up once more, the lights surging through the cavern.
The pools were a dark crimson, the rocks now forming into shapes they recognised, but from the deepest recesses of their minds, the horror beginning to g
rip their frames and they gasped once more. Shino’s head was shaking as if unable to comprehend the sights, the cave now fully lit as sensors flickered on along the jagged walls.
Scattered across the dust were the remains of numerous bodies, the bone and skulls twisted and seemingly melted into grotesque shapes, but shapes that could not sustain life. The pools of mushed flesh were dormant, the internal organs rotted and having disintegrated over time, Riaz coughing once more and swallowing hard as his stomach twisted painfully.
Staring transfixed, they took in the horror that lay before them, the frames of numerous men and women contorted and twisted from their normal living bodies, the beings having either perished in excruciating pain and agony or having been mercifully shot by terrified witnesses as the torn hulks staggered forward screaming.
Dried blood was splattered across the walls, indicating several of the bloated and horribly disfigured carcasses had simply disintegrated or exploded, the internal gasses and radiation searing and tearing through weakened flesh.
Riaz slowly raised his hand, pointing to a small opening on the other side of the gore strewn ground, a glow emanating from within the next cave, his voice broken in fright and with the stomach acid that irritated his throat, ‘I think it’s the transporter…it must be unstable, these poor beings not able to survive the journey…perhaps it was not fully charged and they rushed things?’ Tears filled his eyes as he considered the immense torture the poor souls must have suffered, Shino opening sobbing next to him, her shoulders shaking uncontrollably.
The asian officer gritted his teeth in defiant hatred, his voice becoming a resolved hiss, ‘That is probably why there are no Morgons here…they sent the Silaks through as they are dispensable…cowardly Bastards!’ His body stiffened as he slowly rose, a hand grasping Shino’s shoulder armour and dragging her upwards, ‘Now we know the pure evil we face…’ He pushed the Philippine gently to one side, ‘You stay here…I am going to check the next room…don’t look back into this one, one view is enough for you!’
Shino was still sobbing, her body sagging against the rock wall as Riaz raised his rifle, stepping reluctantly into the cavern ahead, his eyes darting for side to side across the gore as he swallowed hard, a determination to identify the transporter overcoming any overwhelming reluctance to continue.
Stepping silently across the dried blood and dirt, his breathing became sharp inhales as he attempted to avoid identifying the carnage around. It was impossible, the further he stepped, the more his mind was able to identify individual shapes. The twisted and contorted ribcage, bones melted against one another…the skull completely seared across one side, dried blood and matter sticking to the exterior jagged greying surface. He gasped once more, realising several scarabs were moving between the broken and shattered bone, many carrying pieces of rotting flesh back across the dusty stone floor towards cracks and holes in the rock, his stomach turning painfully once more as he considered the macabre feasts of the vile creatures that would occur in the darkest recesses on either side.
Swallowing hard, he ground his teeth, pushing his feet forward as he neared the glow, considering there may be over thirty bodies in the cavern, the scarabs having devoured victim after victim over time leaving remains only when a fresh corpse was provided.
The pin lights swept across the blood splattered walls once more, his eyes straining as he glanced across the glows from recessed covered bulbs, several seeming to flash with differing colours inside, the different illuminations pulsing and following a set pattern around the central glow to provide light. His mind began to seemingly swim, thoughts becoming confused as he neared the opening ahead, the warm glow filtering across the floor as he stepped forward once more.
Shaking his head in an attempt to clear the mistiness that seemed to cause confusion, he lowered to glance into the room ahead, his eyes widening further as the light seemed to warm his legs and lower body, his mind seeming to distort and become disorientated as his hand reached curiously forward. The lights danced across his visor, the electronics crackling as the view became clouded, the helmet computer eventually blanking out his vision as a precautionary measure.
Riaz blinked, shaking his head once more as his mind gradually cleared, the thoughts becoming transparent and more defined, the almost hypnotic glow ahead now only minimal as the visor reduced visibility almost completely, reading his mental signs and reacting accordingly. Withdrawing his hand in confusion, he ducked to glance into the cave ahead, bright lights dancing across the visors surface as he stared towards the source.
The mechanical structures seemed to fill the room ahead, vertical pylons standing tall around a central bay that housed a dark footplate, static electricity crackling from the sides of the upright tall machine. Numerous power cells lay around the walls, the cylinders and more powerful cubes all linked through couplings, the machine automatically recharging over time after each transmission.
Riaz edged closer, the intense glow seeming to come from above, his eyes opening wider as he realised there were two further footplates, the additional structures incomplete as the pylons sat in darkness. He surmised there were insufficient power cells to charge the additions, but that it would be only a matter of time before more enemy soldiers were transported to their location.
He shuddered as shrill demanding voice came from behind at the previous opening, ‘Come on Riaz…what’s wrong? Let’s go and check the rest of the passageways…I need to get out of this disgusting place!’
He rose upwards slowly and turned his head, ‘On my way…this is the transporter, now I wanna see what else they have hidden in here…there is something strange about these lights…let’s see what is in the other passage.’ Stepping carefully back across the cavern, he averted his eyes from the gory scenes around him, staring straight at the petit figure in the opening ahead.
Reaching the short passageway to the next room, they moved back across the cavern, the pin lights sweeping across the walls and floor before they reached the entrance, Riaz hesitating and stepping back as Shino turned in curiosity, ‘What is it?’
Slowly the asian officer lowered next to one of the crates, his eyes straining as he surveyed the metal canister, ‘This is unlike the others…’ His hand reached out and ran across the surface, sweeping the dust from the top and staring at the unknown lettering as he drew breath, ‘This is Trevakian…I remember seeing a similar one in the back of the halftrack…’ He glanced up, seeing the Philippine looking down at him in stunned silence as he continued, ‘This has been here for some time…where did the Silaks and Morgons get these Trevakian supplies from?’
They moved slowly down the slope, the narrow rock walls restricting sideways movement as the pin lights glowed across the sides. The dark passageway went on for some time, descending gradually before levelling out and progressing for some distance. As they walked cautiously, the sensors on either side flickered into life, the visors now dimming the lights received as they updated across the helmets. Riaz turned after some distance, his voice a low hiss, ‘Don’t stare at the changing sensor lights, they seem distracting…they make you confused.’
Shino nodded solemnly, her body shivering in anticipation and dread, ‘Where do you think this leads?’
Riaz shrugged, the shoulder armour rising in front of her as he glanced to the side, ‘I don’t know, but these side lights are beginning to annoy me…’ He indicated to a small enclave beside him, the enclosure containing worn picks and shovels, ‘They also seem to be digging…my guess, the Silaks are attempting to create a tunnel towards the Morgons near Contax Base…I think this is now heading north east!’ He turned slowly, the lights from Shino’s helmet reflecting off his visor, ‘Where is the power for these side lights and the pulses? I want to destroy that too…or cut them off…there is something very strange about them.’
They continued onwards for some time before becoming more and more nervous, the cautious reconnaissance now having progressed a considerable distance underground. Shi
no’s chest began to fill with dread, her voice low and hushed, ‘Shall we just go back Riaz? We can get Tregan to blow the tunnel…’ Her voice trailed off as the young man in front of her lowered, staring along the passageway, his eyes narrowing as he slipped forward, his waved hand indicating for her to wait behind.
Riaz moved quickly forward, the visor now pitch black as the lights flickered into life on either side, his breath held as he held the assault rifle to his eyes menacingly, his breath held. Having glimpsed a slight pulse ahead in the distant darkness, his boots tightened as the combat suit sensed his adrenalin rising, his feet sliding along the dusted rock floor in anticipation.
Stone scarabs scuttled before him as he pushed them to the sides, the overturned parasitical insects flipping back onto their feet and disappearing rapidly into the cracks and hollows on either side in instinctive fright. The asian officer glanced down, his lips curling in disgust at the insects below as he kicked a couple away in frustration, the nausea rising in his throat as he considered their distasteful habits and unnatural driven hunger.
Pushing further forward, the lights flickering into life on either side, he turned a sharp bend, a gasp coming from his chest as he glimpsed two further bodies ahead, their grey combat uniforms seeming to team with the stone scarabs that feasted on their rotting flesh. The side illuminations were smashed on either side, a darkness illuminated only by his helmet pin lights descending. Dropping to a lower crouch, he felt a twinge in his shoulder, the strain on his thigh muscles as the combat suits anaesthetic capability faltered, his disgust for the parasites rising as he glimpsed the torn and shredded skin, the open eyes of one of the dead soldiers staring upwards, the lights from his helmet no longer sparkling against dull and lifeless retina.
Zaxon B: The Final Struggle (Galaxies Collide Book 4) Page 7