Blood Red

by Andrew C Broderick

  “Not the best way to treat a traveling stranger.” Makram spoke to the figure behind the robes, who held the blade point to his throat. If Cherish was right, he would recognize the pass sign.

  “I’ve always helped the traveling stranger.” The figure responded, and removed his hood. It was Hojae. “Apologies, Makram. You startled me. Besides, you weren’t supposed to be here until tomorrow.” Hojae set the blade down.

  Makram let out a sigh of relief. “Change of plans. We almost took a hit from some kind of guided missile on the way down to the surface. Hubard thinks they knew we were coming. He landed us close by. We’re going into the monastery today.”

  “Expect some trouble. The festival ended two days ago, and the monks locked up the monastery for the rest of the year.”

  Makram chuckled dryly. “I didn’t plan to walk right in. You might as well stay here and wait for the signal to leave. I’ll give you the orbital lift location in case we can’t make it back. If I’m trapped inside there, Hubard will know to get in touch with you. He, Rix, and Irane are staying with the lift just in case the local troops find it. For all I know, we’ve been led into a trap, so be careful. I’ll contact you myself if we have any trouble on the inside.”

  “That won’t be a problem. If I don’t hear anything from you tomorrow, I’ll try to contact Hubard.”

  Makram nodded thoughtfully. “Give us twenty-four hours. Hubard won’t try to contact anyone until then, in case the Yasta monitor the transmissions. I have a feeling the Yasta can get whatever they want on this world.” He left without a formal goodbye, should someone be watching from the trees. Makram wasn’t quite sure how the locals acknowledged each other, so no formalities took place. He rejoined the others.

  “Well?” Cierra glanced past him to the campsite.

  “It’s Hojae.” Makram rubbed his neck where the Josti’s blade and grazed his skin. “Almost cut me open before he knew who I was. He’ll stay here until we leave the monastery.”

  Two hours later, the team watched the lone sentry outside the monastery pace back and forth in front of a gate. It was a Yasta novice, judging by the plain color of his robes. He looked bored. Nothing was going on at the moment, and his attention span was scattered at best. Even the beggars were gone from the outside the walls.

  Cherish narrowed her keen eyes. “From the way the ground is trampled around the entrance, I’d say they had a lot of visitors here recently. I see the remains of cooking fires, too.”

  The young novice stopped his routine and turned to the gate behind him. He seemed to be listening to something, or someone, behind the iron grating. He walked up to it. Between the gaps in the bars, they could see that the sentry was in a deep conversation with a Brother Yasta monk on the other side. He seemed to be excited over whatever it was they were talking about together. Theo turned to Cherish for an explanation, but before he could say anything, the sentry unlocked the gate and went inside. He was very careful to lock it behind him.

  “Okay, this may be the only chance we have. I’m going in with Cierra. Theo, you’ll follow next with Cherish.” Makram unzipped the pack he’d carried over the Yasta robes.

  Once Makram and Cierra had their backpacks on the ground, they each produced a roll of synthetic rope. The ropes slipped into the ends of grappling hooks. Satisfied, both checked the other’s gear. They stood up, ready to go.

  Makram nodded to her, and turned his attention back to the other two. “We’ve each been equipped with a laser, sword, and sonic gun. Everybody, check your weapons.” Theo pulled his cloak back and looked at his. The laser and sonic gun were charged. Both were in their respective holsters. The sword was tied down in its scabbard. The others nodded in silence to Makram. “Good. Count to thirty after we go over the wall. If you don’t have a problem, follow us. We’ll give you two minutes on the other side, and then we go after the objective on our own.”

  Theo watched as Makram and Cierra emerged from the forest. They flattened themselves on the side of the wall. No security cameras hung on the battlements, and there were no visible sentries up there, either.

  The walls were ancient, made of gray stone, and twenty feet high. Makram swung his grappling hook in a circle, until he’d built up enough momentum with it. In one quick motion, the hook flew over the side of the wall, and stuck fast. He paused long enough to test it, and then began his quick climb upwards. His Yasta robes fluttered in the light breeze. Once he was on top, Makram pulled the rest of the rope up with him. Theo watched as he glanced around to make sure no one else was up there. It appeared to be vacant. Makram signaled to Cierra to follow him.

  Cierra duplicated Makram’s grappling hook swing. She was up the side of the wall in seconds. She quickly reeled up her grappling hook, and looked down at Theo and Cherish. She gave a quick nod, and disappeared over the other side.

  “What did they do with the rope?” Theo whispered to Cherish, who’d remained silent through the entire operation.

  Cherish shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know. Guess they hid it somewhere in case it’s needed again. There’s supposed to be a ladder up to the ramparts on the inside of the monastery. Come on; stuff your pack under these bushes. It’s our turn to go. Make sure you take a big swig out of that water bottle before you hook it on your webbing.” She walked out into the clear space between the monastery and the forest.

  Theo stuffed his backpack with the others, and then made certain his water bottle was hooked onto the harness under his robes. There was, however, one thing he needed to ask Cherish before they went over the wall. “How are we supposed to get up there? I wasn’t issued any climbing rope for this mission.”

  “Come over here.” Cherish motioned to him. She was three feet from the wall.

  Theo walked over to her, one eye scanning the battlements of the wall in front of him. There still wasn’t any sign of the monks. “I’m not as good at scaling as the rest of you, either.”

  “You sure all your gear is secured?” she asked him.

  “I’ve checked it twice.” Theo nodded. He still wasn’t sure how he was supposed to get up the wall.

  “Alright, then.” In one swift motion, the cyborg stepped over to Theo, and picked him up in her arms. Cherish didn’t seem to have the least bit of trouble doing so.

  “Woah! Hey! What the heck’s going on?” Theo struggled a bit in her grasp. Being cradled like a small child was slightly emasculating.

  “Hang on tight.”

  Before Theo could ask what she meant, Cherish squatted down and leapt into the air. Theo felt the wind rush past him, and then temporary weightlessness as they were propelled over the high wall, into the space above it. He clamped his mouth shut, and tried not to look down. Theo saw the ground rush up to them from the other side, and nearly fainted. He assumed they’d splatter on impact. Instead, Cherish’s augmented legs took the almost silent impact

  Safe on the ground, he turned to look at Cherish. She blinked her eyes and sat him down gingerly. “Are you alright?”

  He kept his mouth shut until his stomach settled. “I’m fine. Although, I almost shit my pants when we landed. I didn’t know you could do that.”

  “There’s a lot you don’t know about me.” Cherish winked at him playfully. “Maybe if you live long enough, you’ll learn more.”

  “Impressive.” Makram patted Cherish on the shoulder.

  “How’d you get down from the wall?” Theo looked from Makram to Cierra, trying to find an answer.

  “Access ladder.” Makram jerked his head towards the wall. “Just like the design Hubard showed us. We have to move again, I don’t expect we’ll be alone for much longer. We don’t have a large window of opportunity here.”

  “Still that data sphere?” Theo kept glancing around the interior of the compound. The group followed Makram down a dark stairway underground. “I only ask in case the objective changed.”

  “Yes. We’re still after the sphere,” Makram confirmed. His boots stomped on the stone stairwell. “Ch
erish, how does the layout compare to the one you downloaded from Hubard?”

  “So far, it’s the same. It could change on the next level. I don’t think all these monasteries are built the same way.”

  The underground level had the smell of musty, dirty leaves. Whatever the Yasta used it for, it was obvious it wasn’t kept dehumidified. Theo wrinkled his nose. “What was that festival about, anyway?”

  Cierra slowly picked her way down the stairs by the faint bio-lights in the wall sconces. “I’m not sure, honestly. The Yasta have a weird origin story. The festival has something to do with their main god giving them the Book of the Law, or something like that. It’s one of the few times every year the monastery is open to the public. The local people believe a pilgrimage to this place can bring you good fortune for the rest of the year. I only read a little bit about it before we left.”

  The group stopped when Makram held up one hand. “Quiet. There’s something up ahead. I don’t like the way any of this feels.” He turned and spotted an alcove to one side. “This way.”

  Makram pulled everyone with him into the small niche. They waited for a few minutes, until he was certain there was no one headed down the corridor. Makram stuck his head out and glanced down the hall. He had a quick look, and then ducked back into the niche. The group shifted uneasily. Theo tried not to press against either of the women, but in such a tight place, it was hard to stay out of everyone’s personal space.

  Makram whispered to them, as quietly as he could. “There’s a guard at the end of the hall. I can’t tell what he’s up to out there, but it seems he’s guarding the entrance to the room we need to get inside. It’s about fifty feet ahead of us. Does that come up on the diagram you downloaded, Cherish?”

  She closed her eyes for a few seconds and concentrated. “That would be it. Unless this place diverges from the diagram once we get there…”

  Cierra let out a frustrated huff. “It also means they Yasta are waiting for us. With everything else going on, I don’t think we can overlook that possibility.”

  “Except the unguarded walls.” Theo pointed out.

  Makram shook his head. “Best way to lure us inside is to make it look like no one is watching. I still don’t like this whole scenario. We could be inside a trap.”

  “We could try and hit him with a sonic gun. Would take him out for the time being.” Cierra patted the gun in her holster.

  Makram quickly shut her idea down. “Those guns aren’t effective here, unless you have a clean shot. This monk is off to one side. The sonics might be absorbed on the walls.”

  “Can I try something?” Cherish offered, boldly.

  “What did you have in mind?” Makram raised an eyebrow curiously.

  “Oh, just watch.” Cherish pulled the hood up over her face. “I look pretty monastic this way.” Before Makram could say another word, she was outside the alcove and down the corridor. Cherish’s voice echoed down the hall. “Hey, brother! We have a big problem upstairs!”

  “What?” The guard looked around confusedly. She’d woken him up from his on-duty nap.

  “Couple of pilgrims are outside the main gate. They’re threatening to duel over a woman. The Abbot wants you out there. Your turn to put a stop to these knuckleheads from the backwoods.” Her voice was distinctly more masculine. If Theo hadn’t known any better, he would have sworn she was a man.

  “I’ll handle it. Who’s going to watch the door when I leave?” The guard sounded excited to be able to move around for a bit.

  “That’s what I’m here for.”

  “Ha! Good luck.” The scorn for his job was evident. The sentry swore under his breath, turned, and walked down the corridor that ran to the left of him.

  Cherish waited until he was out of earshot before she turned back to the others in the alcove. “I took care of it. He won’t be back for another ten minutes.”

  They filed back out, and headed toward the door. Makram stopped before they reached it. He looked down both directions of the corridor that ran perpendicular to the one they’d used to get there. Satisfied that no one was ready to charge down the passageway at them, he tried the door handle in front of him. It was unlocked, and opened on the first try. They were looking at a winding staircase that dropped away, underground.

  “Is this what we were supposed to find?” His voice was hushed.

  She closed her eyes again, and then opened them. She sounded worried. “No, this doesn’t match the diagram that Hubard gave me at all. I have no idea what’s down there.”

  “I don’t like this. Maybe we should abandon the mission and return. If our map was compromised, we could all be wiped out.” Cierra ran her fingers along the holster holding her impact gun.

  Makram rubbed his temples, deciding what to do. “Give me a second. Cherish, you have an internal communicator? I hate to risk detection, but we’re in a bad spot. Can you reach Hubard back at the orbital lift?”

  “Let me try.” Once again, Cherish closed her eyes and attempted to concentrate. This time she was silent for a good minute. The others kept watch on the corridors. She opened her eyes defeatedly. “No. I can’t get him on the communicator. The signal is…too weak. Something is blocking it from this level. It’s not being actively jammed, far as I can tell, but…”

  Makram opened the door again and looked down the stairwell. “The light’s terrible down there. It’ll be hard to see anything, but I’m going to risk it. We’ve come too far to pull out. Cherish? Your night vision. How is it?”

  “Excellent, as ever. I can adjust it if the light is any worse down there.”

  “That’s good to know, in case we need you down there. Stay up here and watch the door, like you told that monk you would. If he comes back, find another reason to send him away. Give us ten minutes down there. If we don’t come back, get the hell back to the lift.” Makram opened the door, and stepped inside.

  “Wait, ‘if’? Are you sure you don’t want me to come with you?” Cherish moved to a position by the door.

  “No.” Makram was resolute. “I may change my mind if it’s too dark down there to see, but stay put for the time being.”

  “Okay…” Cherish sounded disappointed, but she did as she was told.

  Makram turned to look at Theo and Cierra. “Alright, let’s move. Maybe the diagram is wrong about this stairwell, but right about what’s at the bottom of it.”

  Theo was the last of the three through the door. He closed it softly behind him. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the darkness. It was a deep stairwell, and Theo lost count of the steps after he reached fifty. They traveled slowly with Makram in the lead. The light was faint, but it held up all the way down to the bottom, thankfully.

  “Can you reach Cherish if we have to?” Cierra anxiously whispered to Makram as they continued downwards.

  “I’ll try later. I don’t plan on being down here long. Holy Batumah, I wish I’d asked Hubard if there was any possibility that diagram might be wrong. He seemed to think it was accurate. He’s not usually mistaken about these things.” Makram shook his head. So far, his first mission as commander was not going so well. The stairs ended at a door in the bottom of the stairwell. Makram tried the knob and found it, once again, unlocked. He went through first, with care. The others followed.

  Cierra was becoming increasingly nervous. “I don’t like this.”

  “Wait a minute.” Makram paused few seconds before he said. “I looked at that diagram before we left. This was supposed to be on the other side of the door at the top. Maybe the only thing Hubard didn’t get was the stairwell. Give me a second to let Cherish know we’re going to move forward.” He pulled out a short-range radio and held it to his ear.

  “Anything?” Cherish hissed at him.

  Makram shook his head in frustration. “No signal from it, either. I can’t figure out what’s messed with our comms.”

  Theo speculated possible causes. “Relissarium shielding? Maybe the Yasta are running tests on it. Didn�
��t Hubard say it has huge energy absorption properties?”

  Cierra bit her bottom lip. “I don’t think so. Other than the samples someone discovered on Relisse last year, I don’t think anyone has more than the slabs we managed to get back from Garth.”

  “I think this is the door we want.” Makram turned the handle on the door and it opened. He was almost positive that they were back on the right track.

  Behind the door was a huge room. The only problem was a lack of light. Makram walked inside and pointed up the ceiling. It slopped down to the floor, so that the far end was only seven feet tall. At that end were a few small ventilation slits in the ceiling. Other than that, it was hard to make out anything of note in the darkness.

  “Going to be hard to find anything inside this place. I hate to do this, but I have to see if it resembles the storage chamber on the diagram.” He took out a light, and shone it around. There wasn’t a lot to see. “Everybody inside. Theo, close the door behind you. Cierra, are those old terminals on the right? I need to find one with a ruby red trim on the top.” They all moved to the light that Makram shone in front of him.

  Cierra produced her own light, and aimed it where he had indicated. “I think so. That’s what they look like to me.” She examined the terminals. They were about four feet in height, tall enough for the average person to use, but not so big they would be hard to move. Suddenly, her eyes landed on one with a deep, red trim. “Makram, I think this is it. What do you need it for?”

  “I don’t need it. I need what’s inside it. Can you get that lower panel off it? According to the council, the data sphere we need is inside.”

  Makram and Theo waited, as Cierra worked to remove the panel. She cursed several times. She’d brought a few tools along in a belt pouch, but they weren’t quite up to the task. Theo borrowed Makram’s light. He aimed it at the panel, so that Cierra could see better. Makram checked his chronometer several times. No one wanted to leave this close to the objective, but they may have to.

  After some grumbling, and a few colorful curses, Cierra pulled the panel free. She laid it with ease on the ground and looked inside. Cierra picked up her light from the floor and shone it in the direction of the small compartment. Her smile soon faded.