by Adam Matlow
Doc placed a hand on Amara’s shoulder and followed her out. He turned as he reached the doorway. “Stay safe Marcus. You too Vana. You’ve taken me on the ride of my life, but there’s still plenty of life in the old dog yet. I expect you to take me on many more adventures. This is just the start.”
Only Marcus and Vana now remained in the small room, which somehow felt smaller now his friends had left.
“We need to head back to the tower,” said Vana.
“Great, that’s where Davon is. At least, where he was.” Marcus saw Vana’s look of confusion. “When I was connected to the Sentinel I could see everywhere on the station. Davon was moping around the tower with some of his guards. It feels like a trap. Like he knows that's where we need to go, and he’s waiting for us.”
“We’ve beaten him at every turn so far, we just need to beat him one last time and this will be all over.”
“I hope so,” said Marcus. The map of the other Sentinels scattered across the galaxy replayed in his mind. He’d keep that information to himself, at least for now. She had enough to worry about.
“Let’s go,” said Vana taking Marcus by the hand and leading him out of the control room. “We don’t have much time.”
Chapter Twenty-two
It hadn’t taken them long to reach the junction that would lead them across the void to the tower. They had met no resistance along the way. No soldiers or drones. No alarms or locked doors.
It was all too easy.
Marcus was now more convinced than ever they were walking into a trap. Even with the promise of help from Sentinel, there was no way they could have made it here so easily unless they were being led into an ambush.
If Vana shared his concern she didn’t voice it, instead marching steadfastly towards their goal at the centre of the station. As they approached the trams that would take them across the divide Marcus pulled Vana back.
“I don’t like this. It’s too easy.”
“We don’t have a choice,” replied Vana, flicking a lock of black hair from her eyes. “Everything we need is on the other side.”
“Davon’s letting us come to him. He has something planned and whatever it is, I think it’s safe to assume it doesn’t end well for us.”
“All we can do is to play along. Until we know what he’s up to.”
“I have to tell you I’m not a massive fan of this plan,” said Marcus. “It sounds like something I’d come up with. And those plans are the worst. They usually end with people shooting at me. Couldn’t we come up with a plan that’s a bit less… suicidal?”
“By all means,” said Vana. She crossed her arms and stared at him.
Marcus stared blankly back at her.
“Yeah, I got nothing,” he said after a few moments.
Vana turned and headed for the tram and Marcus had to jog to catch her. As they approached the junction the tram doors slid silently open. After checking the carriage was empty they both boarded and soon after were on their way. Marcus drummed his fingers on the wall absentmindedly as they glided silently across open space and towards the docking station on the other side.
A dull grey mass on the far side, surrounding the tower, caught Marcus’s attention.
“What’s that?” he said, pointing towards the mass. As they got closer the mass became more defined until finally, Marcus could make out what he was looking at. Vana gasped and covered her mouth with her hands.
Below the tower and surrounding the entrance way were hundreds of Krall soldiers. Above them, drones hovered menacingly.
“I don’t suppose there’s any way we can turn this thing around is there?” said Marcus. He scanned the interior for anything that looked like a control panel or preferably, a big red button marked ‘stop’ he could press. He held out little hope.
“I’m afraid not,” said Vana. “At least we know why we had such an easy time getting here. Davon must have redeployed all his men to guard the tower. But why?”
“I hope we live long enough to find out,” said Marcus, his voice cracking. The tram started to slow as they approached their destination. He paced around the small compartment, rubbing his hands and taking quick glances at the army before them.
Fighting was not going to be an option. He hoped Davon still wanted Vana alive.
The tram stopped, and the doors opened. Vana and Marcus stood in the doorway and looked at the multitude of soldiers ahead of them. They were at least a hundred meters away and oddly, had not reacted to their presence. They remained still, their weapons held in front of them, but not aimed.
Similarly, the drones remained still, neither advancing nor attacking.
They stepped out and onto the platform. As they did so, the tram doors closed, and the carriage pulled away from the station and back towards where they had come from.
“Great, now we’re trapped here,” huffed Marcus.
Vana gazed at the Krall soldiers lined in rows before them. “I don’t understand,” she said. “Why are they just standing there?”
Marcus swung his rifle from his shoulder and pointed it towards the nearest Krall soldier. Vana quickly pushed the weapon down and stood in front of him, blocking his shot.
“They’re ignoring us for now, but we don’t know how they’ll react if they perceive danger. If they decide to attack us, we won’t stand a chance. Let’s get a little closer and see what they do.”
Marcus looked over his shoulder at the empty station behind. With no way back there was little choice than to push on forward. They moved slowly forward with Vana two steps ahead of Marcus. He let his rifle dangle to one side, but kept one hand firmly on it, ready for action if needed.
When they were within just a few meters of the first Krall they stopped. Still there had been no reaction to them. Marcus waved his hand across the eyes of the soldier, which remained vacant and unblinking.
“What’s wrong with them?” he asked. “They look like they’re in some kind of a trance or something.” He looked down the line where he could see dozens more soldiers in the same state.
Vana studied a group of drones that hovered above them. They appeared just as dormant as the soldiers. They bobbed gently in the air, but only moved to maintain their position, and seemed otherwise inactive.
The path was clear to the tower, and the entrance way that led to the control room. They hurried past the guards to get inside. The pyramid sat in the centre of the room, its shield raised, preventing them from gaining access. The interface chair had been activated and Davon was attached to it, still using his mimic device to appear human. Probably for their benefit, supposed Marcus.
Vana walked to the shield and rested her hands on it to peer inside for a closer look. “It looks like he’s managed to find a way to connect to Sentinel himself.”
“He’s not supposed to be able to do that. The builders of this place went to great lengths to prevent their servants from ever being able to do that.”
“Well, it looks like Davon’s managed to find a way inside someho-”
A projection of Davon appeared in front of Marcus which caused him to jump back in surprise. The projection flickered softly and was slightly translucent at the edges. He smiled in amusement at the look of shock on Marcus’s face. Vana appeared slightly less fazed by his sudden appearance and simply stood, arms folded, waiting to hear what he had to say.
“I suppose I should thank you,” said Davon. “If you hadn’t resisted me I would never have taken the risk to connect myself to the Sentinel.”
Marcus regained some composure and waved his hand through the projection of Davon. It flickered, before stabilising when his hand no longer disrupted the image. “How are you even doing that?” he asked.
“I’ve had a long time to study the systems that make up Sentinel,” replied Davon. Marcus thought he detected a hint of pride in his voice. “It didn’t take us long to realise the Sentinels were not for us, but with a dwindling supply of people who are compatible and the real possibility this place could
fall next... I saw little choice but to try. There wasn’t time to connect one of my prisoners, this place was deteriorating too quickly. And with you interfering and somehow blocking the way to them… well, I was forced to take matters into my own hands.”
“Does this have something to do with all those catatonic soldiers out there?” asked Marcus. He pointed at the closest one, stood by the tunnel that led out and back to the junction.
“Very astute,” replied Davon. At that moment a second holographic figure appeared beside him. “Sentinel, so you are still here,” Growled Davon.
“You’re stretching yourself too far Davon,” said Sentinel. “I can feel your grasp on things slipping. All I have to do is make things a little bit harder for you...”
Davon snarled, his face contorted with visible effort as he struggled to maintain control.
“You’re wrong,” grunted Davon. “With every moment that passes I gain more control over this place. Soon you won’t be able to hide from me any longer.”
“I’ve been here longer than you Davon. I know how this place works. No matter how strong you believe you are, sooner or later you will exceed your limits. You will lose your mind to this place and it will be destroyed, just as certainly as if we had done so ourselves.”
A smile crept across Davon’s face. He closed his eyes and tilted his head to the ceiling.
“I see you…”
Sentinel’s projection flickered, losing all definition and crackling as he fought to maintain his form. “Listen to me, both of you.” His voice was heavily distorted. “The soldiers, the drones; they’re all connected to Davon. He’s using the implants to spread the load. It’s how he’s maintaining control. If you can just--”
“Silence!” boomed Davon and the projection of Sentinel vanished. He laughed deeply. “You can’t hide from me forever,” he shouted into the air. His attention turned to Marcus and Vana. “And you? What should we do with you two.”
Vana for the first time looked genuinely concerned, her eyes darting back and forth between Davon, the soldiers and the drones.
“Davon, you talk too much,” said Marcus as he raised his weapon. “It’s ass-kicking time. So bring it.”
He span around and fired at the closest Krall soldier who crumpled to the ground from the impact of the plasma weapon.
Davon roared in anger and vanished. He continued to fire on the soldiers around him and shouted over to Vana. “If he’s somehow using these guys to maintain control, then taking them out is really going to ruin his day.” Another burst from the weapon sent several more Krall flying. “I’ll keep these guys busy, you do what you need to do here.”
Vana jumped for cover as weapon fire hit the shield next to where she was standing. Several Krall soldiers had awoken and were shooting back. “I can’t do anything from out here,” she shouted. “The control systems are inside there, with him.”
Marcus ducked as a bolt of energy skimmed past his head. Davon’s reinforcements came charging from the tunnel entrance as well as several drones.
“I think we’ve really pissed him off this time. Any idea how we can get inside?”
“The strain on his mind must be immense. Keep doing what you’re doing, and he may lose control. When he does, the shield will drop, and we’ll have access.”
To Marcus’s relief, Davon’s soldiers did not seem to be advancing, instead they were taking defensive positions.
“He doesn’t want to lose any more of his men,” shouted Vana. “He must be close to breaking point.
“Time to push him over the edge then,” Marcus shouted back. He dropped to the floor and into a prone position lining up his shots with the remaining soldiers who were retreating into the tunnel. He fired five more shots in close succession, four of which missed their targets. The final shot caught a soldier as he made for the exit. Steam rose from the barrel of Marcus’s weapon and scalded the skin on his hands. He swore, released the rifle and shook his hands.
The muffled thuds of plasma rounds being fired echoed from the tunnel ahead. Marcus scrabbled for his rifle and prepared to shoot back. The barrel was still hot, but he forced himself to hold onto it. How many shots had he fired now? He couldn’t be sure, and he had no idea how many more he would be able to fire before the weapon was depleted. If it was even possible to deplete it. He’d never seen the Krall carry anything resembling spare ammunition.
Several Krall burst from the tunnel ahead and as they entered the larger chamber they turned and fired back in the direction they came.
Marcus held his fire. “Who the hell are they shooting at?” he said, glancing over at Vana, who was still taking cover behind the leading edge of the shield barrier protecting Davon.
“I don’t kn--”
More Krall appeared from the tunnel and began shooting at their comrades. They charged each other and when they were close enough, ditched their weapons in favour of hand to hand combat. The body count on both sides was rising rapidly.
“Why the hell are they attacking each other?” asked Marcus.
“The implants… the strain of being used by Davon to interface with Sentinel… It must have driven them mad. They probably have no idea who or what is the enemy anymore.”
The hairs on the back of Marcus’s neck stood on end as a faint crackling noise filled the air around him. He turned to see the shield behind him collapse and a blur as Davon himself charged at Marcus, screaming in anger.
Marcus jumped out of the way, and Davon crashed to the ground beside him. Ignoring Marcus, he ran for the exit with surprising speed. Marcus rolled onto his front, brought his weapon to bear on him and without any hesitation fired. He counted six shots, the last one clipping Davon on one side causing him to fall to the ground. He scrambled back up and disappeared into the tunnel.
“Damn it! We need to go after him,” yelled Marcus.
“Forget him,” replied Vana. “Now’s our chance.”
She jogged over to the interface chair previously occupied by Davon and knelt next to it. She pressed her hands against the floor and a panel opened. A few seconds later more control panels and other machines rose from the floor. Vana rushed between them in turn, entering commands on some and swapping parts between others. After a few minutes she stood back.
“That’s it. I think. The blocks preventing Sentinel from taking action should be gone. It’s all up to him now. If he’s still in there. We also have another problem. What I’ve done will only give sentinel a limited window to act. Less than an hour. After that, the system will be locked down again.”
Marcus pointed to the tunnel exit. “Well, what are we waiting for, let’s get the hell out of here and back to the others. I don’t fancy getting stranded here.”
Small pockets of Krall soldiers were still fighting amongst themselves but had moved away from the way out, giving them a clear shot at getting past. They ran for the tunnel and passed through it, quickly reaching the far side. The chaos outside matched what was going on within. Dead soldiers littered the area, whilst others were still fighting themselves or rolling around on the floor in pain, clawing at the scars that hid their implants. Marcus and Vana passed by unnoticed and headed for the junction. When they were barely halfway there, a massive explosion ripped through the conduits running the length of the junction. A bright flash dazzled Marcus for a few seconds before he was hit by a shockwave that sent both him and Vana to the ground as well as knocking the wind from him.
“What the hell was that?” he gasped as he tried to regain his breath.
A small black dot hovered near the twisted remains of the junction, which was now an impassable mess. Marcus shook his head to clear the fog and watched as the dot resolved into the outline of a ship.
“Davon,” said Vana. Her eyes followed the ship as it drifted ever closer. “He’s cut off our way back.”
“Do we have time to use one of the other junctions?” Marcus asked. He already knew the answer. The junctions were kilometres apart from one another. The chance
s of reaching one of them in time were slim.
Vana shook her head. “Even if we did, there’s no guarantee Davon wouldn’t destroy that one as well.”
“So that’s it? We’re stuck here?”
“I don’t see any choice, I--”
Static rippled across Marcus’s skin. Above him, arcs of white-hot energy rippled across the exterior of the tower and coalesced at the top. After a few moments, the built-up energy was released in a tight beam aimed into deep space lasting for several seconds. Bolts of lightning surged from the tower and hit various parts of the platforms below. One charge hit the ship hovering near the ruined junction; passing through it and surging along what was left of the tramway below.
Davon’s ship stuttered and moved erratically as it tried to head back to the safety of the platform below. As it got closer the ship appeared to lose power, and hit the platform hard and skidded to a halt not far away from this sides entrance to the junction.
“Holy crap did you see that?” said Marcus.
“One of those bolts must have damaged his ship. The internal systems were probably overloaded when the energy discharge hit it.”
A glint in the space above him caught Marcus’s attention. As his eyes recovered from the flash, Marcus could make out the faint outline of an asteroid, heading straight towards them.
“What the--?” said Marcus. “Vana, is that what I think it is?”
She stared up at the night sky, then nodded. “This must be how Sentinel is planning to destroy this place. The asteroid heading for your planet, he’s diverted it here instead. He’s solved two problems in one move. Your world is safe from the asteroid. Earth is no longer in its path. We are.”
“Yeah, great plan. Except we’re trapped here. Nice going Sentinel.” He tried to gauge how far away the asteroid was, but it was difficult to judge the sizes of anything when framed against the blackness of space. “How long do you think we have?” he asked.