by JN Chaney
John felt his stomach growl. “I haven’t eaten since yesterday.”
She laughed. “Not a problem, Sergeant. We might be out in the wild, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have the essentials. Let me show you the dining room.”
CHAPTER 13
Leadership Report 228876.909
Recorded 04.2.884
Subtitled: Update 111
JUNE: Sir, the attack is underway. Garden has infiltrated the building. It should be over soon.
GEL: Very good, Vivia June. How long before they reach Master Kai’s location?
JUNE: Approximately six cycles, by my estimates. Not long at all. Shall I keep you informed of their progress?
GEL: No need. I will send in our defense force to counter their assault once they take the Master’s floor.
JUNE: Understood, sir. What else would you have me do?
GEL: Do you still have the device in your possession?
JUNE: Of course, sir. I brought it with me to the new facility. The original box was damaged in the previous attack, but the core device is still safe.
GEL: Very good. I want you to activate it as soon as this transmission ends.
JUNE: To clarify, you wish for me to destroy this outpost?
GEL: Yes, that is exactly right…and I would like you to remain behind with it to ensure its success.
JUNE: S-Sir? Can you repeat? Did you say—
GEL: You must activate the bomb and remain behind. It is essential, Vivia June.
JUNE: But, sir, I…I don’t entirely understand.
GEL: You are the only one with intimate knowledge of what has taken place in this city. The only one besides myself with an acute understanding of the steps we took to ensure our country’s survival. If anyone connects you to Master Kai’s death—to the fall of the Leadership—it would undermine everything we have worked to create. It would destroy Everlasting. Do you understand?
JUNE: I…I do understand, but—
GEL: What you do now—the sacrifice you are making—it shall ensure our people’s survival. There can be no other way. Do you have the device with you? Is it in your current possession?
JUNE: Y-Yes…Yes, sir, I have it here. I—
GEL: Then speak, Vivia June. Repeat the words of our country.
JUNE: All…All is for the good of Everlasting, sir.
GEL: Again, Vivia June. Say them once more.
JUNE: All is for the good of Everlasting. All is for the good of Everlasting.
GEL: Let go now…and see it done. Say the words.
JUNE: All…is for the good of Everlasting…All is for the good of Everlasting…All is for the good of Everlasting…All is for the good of—
End Audio File
Galathane City, Tharosa
April 2, 2351
The tunnel was dark and thick with dust.
Jinel activated the light on her rifle, filling the mine, and startling Barniby. “What is that?” he asked, shielding his eyes.
“It’s like a torch,” explained Hux, who had already witnessed the light while aboard his ship.
“A torch?” asked Barniby.
“Technology,” explained Jinel. “It’s artificial.”
“It reminds me of the sailors from Lexine. They bring all kinds of strange things. Is that where you are from?”
“Jinel is from far away,” said Hux, glancing at her. “Not Lexine, but some other country.”
“Let’s keep going,” muttered Terry. It was best to ignore questions about Everlasting, at least for now. No need to send Barniby into a state of shock when he needed his wits.
“Follow after me,” he explained, removing a small torch from the wall, then lighting it. The flame came alive in seconds.
They moved through the mine with some haste, passing a few corridors in the process. Terry wondered why they weren’t checking everything, but Barniby seemed to know where he was going.
After some time, they arrived in a larger room with multiple passages branching off in various directions. Several tools littered the ground, no order to them. “This is where it attacked last time. One soldier was dragged—” He looked around, then pointed to the farthest tunnel. “—that way.”
“Did no one else try to save him?” asked Terry.
“The Sneak’s leg stabbed the miner’s chest, cutting straight through his heart. He was dead before anyone could stop it.” Barniby frowned. “It dragged the poor fellow by his ribcage.”
“That’s a nice image in my head,” said Jinel, aiming her light in the implied direction.
Hux unsheathed his sword. “Chin up! Let’s end this monster so it can’t hurt more of our countrymen.”
They followed the path before them, towards the deeper recesses of the mine. “Look there,” said Jinel, aiming her light at the ground. There were streaks of red scratched into the dirt. Obvious tracks led further into the dark. “The trail is still fresh.”
Barniby gave a knowing nod. “It hasn’t been more than six days since the mine was closed. Without any workers to disturb the ground, it should still—”
Terry paused as he heard a shuffling noise coming from somewhere far away. “Wait,” he said, touching Barniby’s shoulder.
“What is it?” he asked.
“Quiet a moment, “ said Hux. “Our friend here has a talent. Let him use it.”
Barniby watched Terry with some curiosity, no doubt full of questions, but said nothing, abiding his cousin’s advice.
Terry closed his eyes, picking up the sounds of the distant places buried in the mine. The unknown, untouched caverns beneath the manmade halls…
…and he heard a sound.
Tick…Tick…Ticka…
It was difficult to make it out, so Terry focused harder. He pushed everything away, filtering what he could: Hux licking his lips…Barniby’s racing heart…Jinel’s heavy breathing through the filter of her mask…rodents in the darkened corners.
Beyond them and between, Terry heard the sounds again, and this time with more clarity.
Ticka. Ticka. Ticka.
Ticka. Ticka. Tee.
Ticka. Ticka. Ticka.
Ticka. Ticka. Tee.
He heard and felt the rattling noise, and a shape formed in his mind. A massive piece of machinery, hidden somewhere far below.
And with it…something else…clamoring and clawing, scratching the dirt as it walked.
Sk sk sk sk sk sk sk, along the dirt it crawled.
Sk sk sk sk sk sk sk, came the creature hence, and louder still it grew.
“It knows we’re here,” said Terry. “It’s coming this way.”
“Finally,” Jinel said as she squeezed the rifle’s grip. “Let its suicide march begin.”
******
They followed the bloody trail along the mine, curving and winding through the tunnels until they found its end. “Looks like the trail stops here, but where did it go? I see no body,” observed Barniby.
“It stopped bleeding, I suspect,” said Hux, pointing to the ground. “The tracks continue on, if you look close.”
Sure enough, the dirt was covered in marks, leading further in, but even without the trail, Terry could still hear movement in the walls as they drew closer. They wouldn’t have to wait for long. “We should find an open room,” he said, eyeing Hux.
“Right,” said the wavemaster. “Barniby?”
“Not far. Follow, friends,” he said, leading them through the tight space. As it opened, they found another work area, littered with stone and rubble. Holes in each of the walls marked unfinished progress.
“Look there,” said Jinel, shining her light on one of the holes. The black rock glistened.
“Oryx metal,” said Barniby.
“I don’t see any other tunnels. This must be the deepest part of the mine,” said Jinel.
“Your guess is right, but I see nothing different here than—”
The sound of movement filled the walls. They all heard it, stirring at the noise.
Sk sk
sk sk sk sk.
Jinel turned her light to the left and right, searching for any sign of the enemy, any hint of an attack.
Sk sk sk sk sk sk.
It seemed to come from all angles, echoing in the cavern. They bunched together, facing all sides.
Sk sk sk sk sk sk.
Sk sk sk…
Sk…
All four grew still and quiet, not a breath rising from their chests.
Jinel aimed her light again at the opening where the black stone stood.
Terry drew his sword, waiting for what came.
Waiting…
Waiting…
Sk…
The reflective ore moved inside the stone, a metallic limb reaching out of the wall. As it did so, several bursts of red light pulsed from one end of its body to the other, deep beneath its glossy, black design. “There!” shouted Jinel Din, bracing her weapon. “It’s here!”
The creature leapt to the ground, its onyx body glistening under the light of Jinel’s gun. It moved across the ground with its many limbs—six, no eight, no, ten—digging up the earth.
Jinel let lose her weapon, firing wildly into the beast. Bullets slammed against its arms, but it continued moving without pause. Its limbs grew and receded with each step, their number constantly shifting. What sort of beast was this?
Hux raised his spear, preparing to attack, motioning with his other arm for Jinel to stop firing.
The moment she did, Hux and Barniby engaged, dashing towards the monster. It backed away in response, dodging their attacks, climbing onto and along the wall so fast the two men couldn’t keep up, especially in the dark.
Jinel tried to find the creature with her light, but it continued to evade. Its limbs pulsed with a red glow, allowing Terry to spot it as it lunged toward the opening in the wall. He ran at it, his weapon drawn, hoping to stop its escape.
At the last second, right as his sword was about to strike, the Sneak reacted by spreading its body into a different shape, consuming Terry’s blade and, subsequently, his hand.
It clung to the wall with part of him inside of it, dragging him toward the hole. “It’s got me!” he screamed to the others.
“Pull it back!” shouted Jinel.
Terry did, but felt a sudden heat inside his hand, burning like fire. He screamed in pain as the creature dragged him into the opening of the wall. “Help!” he cried. “I can’t get away!”
But before his friends could get to him, Terry was inside the wall itself. The gap opened into a massive hole, and he fell into it, the force of the Sneak pulling him deeper into the earth below, crashing into stone and darkness, falling to some unknown end.
******
Terry opened his eyes in the dark, unable to see anything. The air was thick with dust, and he coughed as he breathed.
His head was pounding. He could barely think. How far had the creature taken him? How deep into the earth had they gone?
Ticka Ticka Ticka, came the awful sound.
Ticka Ticka Tee…
There it was, close enough to touch. The noise from before, the unknown thing from somewhere in the stone…he was close to it now.
Terry focused his mind, shutting out the pain in his skull and hand, and igniting his eyes to see.
As he opened them, the room filled with a blue tint, and all at once he saw it there. A mammoth thing without a name.
A massive machine stood tall and wide, metal arms piercing into stone, digging into the stone walls all around. The machine continued in its ramblings, muttering noise and filling the cave, performing some known task.
But for how long?
Its center flashed a sudden emerald glow, followed by the noise again.
Ticka, came the bulking mass. Ticka Ticka Tee.
Terry rose to his feet, spotting his sword a few meters from his side. As he reached for it, he felt the pain and recoiled. His fingers were covered in cuts, reaching down along his palm and wrist. The pain of the wounds was stifling.
He tried to block out it, push the pain away, but it wouldn’t leave him. For whatever reason, he couldn’t adjust.
Can’t focus on it, he thought, grabbing the sword with his other hand. Have to find a way out of here.
A shadow moved in the corner of his eye. He flinched at it, turning quick to see something scurrying away along the wall. He stared at the space along the stone, waiting and watching for—
The glowing red light from within the mobile machine danced from one end to the next, revealing the monster. “I see you,” muttered Terry, and he walked forward.
The creature continued its crawl, passing broken stone and shards of metal, finally touching the level ground once more. It moved fluidly along the earth toward the central machine. As it neared the massive object, a large hatch opened, sliding up to reveal a burst of green light. The Sneak raised itself to the edge of the opening and shuddered, letting out bits of itself into the device. Bits of—
No, it was vomiting chunks of something else…a kind of ore. Could it be feeding the larger machine?
Terry ignored the thought. He had no context for what was happening. All he knew was that he needed to escape this place, but the only way to ensure success was to kill the one responsible.
He stepped forward, his weapon ready. He hadn’t spent much time using his other hand to fight, but with some luck it wouldn’t matter. He’d have to be fast.
Terry launched himself at the belly of the large device, at the little thing at its core, and struck.
His sword cut through the creature’s side, slicing a piece of its body away.
The chunk of the beast fell to the ground, and it turned to look at Terry.
Except it didn’t, he realized. It couldn’t, for there were no eyes to see him. No face or mouth or features. Only the mass itself, bobbing and moving, and…reforming.
The monster’s metal flesh, which the sword had cut, came together and expanded, rebuilding on itself. A ball of midnight, reshaping.
Terry watched with disbelief. “What the—”
The Sneak leapt at him with its full force. He dropped to a knee and rolled to his side. The beast cut into his arm as it passed.
Blood poured out of his flesh, bringing a shock of unexpected pain. He yelped as it burned, igniting his whole body.
The creature landed a few meters behind him, and he quickly turned to follow it, minding his guard.
Terry braced himself, slowing the moment long enough to raise his guard and block the attack. The Sneak hit his sword, deflecting to the ground, readying itself once more.
How was it able to hurt him so badly? Why couldn’t he stop—
It came at his feet this time, and he met it with a thrust of his blade, piercing its body and ripping a piece of its body off. The monster gave no pause, reforming itself immediately.
The Sneak lunged at him, but he deflected it, sending the blob of morphing metal into the nearby wall. In mid-air, the monster changed, extending its tentacle arms behind, catching the wall. It bounced, projecting itself back at him.
The sudden action took him by surprise, but he managed to avoid the oncoming threat, but only barely. The metallic beast slid beside him, sweeping the hilt of his sword, slashing his hand in the process. Terry let out a cry of pain. Despite his concentration, the Sneak was still penetrating his defenses, still hurting him.
He had to end this quickly or he wouldn’t last much longer.
The beast’s razor sharp body shuddered, forming different arms and blades, and it moved across the ground like a spider.
It went toward him, scurrying beneath his legs. He leapt into the air, high above the challenger, and struck its flesh in one solid motion.
A chunk of the monster fell away, landing like gel several meters away. The animal tried to reform, but something was wrong. Its flesh trembled as it attempted to redistribute its weight to the missing section, but it couldn’t get there. It must not have enough left, thought Terry. Time to finish this.
; He ran at the creature and unleashed a flurry of attacks, swiping its body with his cold orinchalium blade. The monster split in two, and then in quarters.
The pieces let out bits of liquid, attempting to reform and come together, but Terry refused to give it the chance. He sliced each section into smaller and smaller pieces. Before it was done, the Sneak had been disassembled into tiny fractions of itself.
He watched them for a long time, waiting, but the creature never rematerialized. He’d killed the beast at last…if it was ever truly alive to begin with.
“Terry!” shouted a distant voice from someplace beyond the walls.
It sounded like Barniby.
He ran to the back of the cave, to the place where he’d fallen. “I’m here!” he yelled back.
“Did you hear that?” asked Hux.
“He’s alive,” said another, whose distorted voice could only be Jinel.
“Terry, do you hear me?” asked Hux, shouting down the hole. “The opening is too narrow for me. Can you climb?”
“I don’t think so!” he returned.
“We’ll find a rope,” shouted Jinel. “Don’t go anywhere!”
“There’s something here,” said Terry. “A machine.”
“What sort of machine?” asked Hux.
“I have no idea,” he said.
“I’ll come down and have a look. Stay where you are!” yelled Jinel.
“I don’t think that’s going to be a problem,” muttered Terry. He turned back towards the hulking object at the center of the cavern. “There’s nowhere left to go.”
******
Terry sat beneath the hole in the cavern, staring at the machine and the debris surrounding it. What purpose did a thing like this serve, and what was it even doing here? From what he could tell, it was more advanced than the machinery on the surface, but given how little he knew of Galathane City or Tharosa, it was impossible to say.
The others returned after a short while, dropping some rope into the opening. A few moments later, Jinel began her descent into the cave.
As she moved between the stone, Jinel scraped the sides with her boots, kicking dust. Her light shined down on his location as the weapon dangled from her side.
“Easy coming in,” said Terry, watching as several pebbles hit the bottom of the crevice. The last thing they needed was a cave in.