by Isaac Hooke
Rade aimed his targeting reticle between the mandibles of the attacker and fired a shot squarely into the esophagus. The gatorbeetle collapsed.
When everyone reached the false wall, Rade ordered: “Retreat! Go go go!”
twelve
Rade and the others fled into the hidden passageway. The headlamps of the team members were still active, illuminating the tunnel. It was spacious enough for the gatorbeetles to pursue in single file, assuming the aliens ignored the hormonal signals at the entrance and followed them inside anyway.
Halfway through, Tahoe, on drag, reported: “The aliens have reached the hidden entrance. They’re coming inside.”
“Lui, detonate the charges,” Rade sent.
The passageway shook as the explosives activated. A moment later a cloud of dust swept past, momentarily blotting out the view. The shockwave nearly threw Rade off his feet.
“That’s stopped them,” Tahoe said as the dust settled.
“Let’s go!” Rade said.
He glanced at his overhead map. Lui was on point, and mapping out a path that led away from the throne room into uncharted territory to the west.
“I found the exit,” Lui said a moment later. “It’s covered in another illusory wall, though the illusion isn’t visible from this side.”
“How does it look out there, past it?” Rade asked.
Lui started to peer around the edge.
“Wait,” Rade said. “Headlamp off. LIDAR only. Everyone, do the same. Let’s not risk any light leakage into the corridor beyond.”
Headlamps went out across the team, bathing the team in darkness. Rade switched to his LIDAR, and was still able to see past the illusory wall from the current angle.
Lui gazed out, his head likely emerging from the fake wall on the other side. “The passage is empty, for the moment.”
Rade glanced at the map. When Lui had sent LIDAR beams into the tunnel beyond, a passage running from north to south had appeared perpendicular to their current route on the HUD.
“Though the map isn’t completely filled out here,” Rade said. “It looks like the southern route eventually joins up with the cavern in front of the queen chamber. From there, we can follow the map to reach the surface.”
“Do you really want to attempt that now?” Tahoe said. “When every warrior in the nest is headed there?”
“No,” Rade replied. “We’re going to need to find a place to hide, I think, and wait out the storm until the nest calms down. Because right now, like Tahoe said, this place is like a disturbed anthill.”
“Why not wait it out here?” Fret said.
“I’m reading the same pheromones around the edges of this opening as the one we blocked off behind us,” Lui said. “If that chemical really acts as a deterrent, in theory we just might be able to hide here.”
“I’m not sure that’s true anymore,” Rade said. “They followed us past the other chemical deterrent back there, after all. And by now the aliens have probably communicated to each other that we escaped through a chemically blocked area. It will become an attractant, not a deterrent. They’ll be purposely entering them going forward, most likely. At least when they find them. Unless... do you think you can erase that chemical scent from the edges?”
“Maybe...” Lui said, leaning forward to examine the border of the opening.
“Got some baby wipes in my utility belt,” Bender said, coming forward.
“Why the hell are you carrying baby wipes?” Lui said.
“I always carry baby wipes,” Bender said. He set down the jumpsuit containing Harlequin and retrieved a couple of wipes from a box at his utility belt. “You can’t trust the auto cleanse mechanism of your rifle. If it fails, shit, after all the dust in the air back there, your scope would get real gummed up, as well as the range finder, and maybe even the focusing lens.”
“The laser focusing lens is recessed too far back in the muzzle to be affected,” Fret said.
“Yeah well, I got baby wipes.” Bender handed them to Lui. “I’m prepared for anything. And they’re unscented, by the way. So these bugs won’t detect it.”
“Their chemical sensing systems are likely ten times more powerful than our own olfactory nerves,” Lui said. “So whether or not these wipes are truly ‘unscented’ remains to be seen. Let me run a quick scan.” He paused. “Hmm, I got no chemicals emitted. This might actually work. What do you think, boss? Should I try?”
“Do it,” Rade said.
Lui accepted the wipes and started rubbing the moist material along the edge where the illusory wall met the cave. “It’s working. I’m going to need a few more, though.”
He used up nearly all of Bender’s wipes to clean the border.
As he was applying the finishing touches, Lui inhaled loudly and ducked back inside. “Got incoming.”
A moment later at least twenty gatorbeetles hurried by. Rade saw their three-dimensional shapes appear on the LIDAR band beyond the illusory wall. The soft ringing of the bells they wore told Rade they were members of the warrior caste.
Don’t find the hidden passage, he thought as the aliens passed. Don’t find the passage. He continued to repeat the phrase in his head, mantra like.
And then the gatorbeetles were gone.
“Like I said, the whole nest is heading toward the queen chamber,” Tahoe said over the comm.
“One of them is coming back,” Lui announced urgently.
“We might have to take it out and drag it inside,” Rade said. “Be ready.”
The three-dimensional wireframe representing the gatorbeetle appeared past the opening. It was moving its antennae about, running them along the walls. It paused beside the illusory wall, and turned to face it. Those antennae reached inside, searching further.
“Kill it,” Rade said.
Rifles opened up across the squad, directed toward the esophagus between those mandibles, and the gatorbeetle collapsed, tumbling inside the hidden passageway. Blood spurted from its esophagus and into the hidden passage.
“Quickly, drag it inside before too much of its blood spills into the tunnel,” Rade said.
The squad members surrounded the creature and hauled it completely through the illusory wall and into the passageway. They deposited it about thirty meters inside, with the hope its death scent wouldn’t reach the outer passageway for a few hours.
Everyone helped clean up the blood near the opening, mostly by reusing the towelettes Lui used to erase the chemical from the entrance.
When that was done, the team assumed a defensive position twenty meters inside the passage; Rade ordered TJ and Lui to keep the first watch on the outer tunnel beyond the illusory wall.
“You know, at some point they’re going to send scouts to search for the terminating end of that tunnel,” Lui said. “If they haven’t already. It’s only a matter of time until they discover this passage. Especially if they have any sort of blueprint they can compare the location of the passage with.”
“That’s a good point,” Tahoe said.
“TJ and Lui,” Rade said. “If the two of you spot any more scouts feeling out the walls during your watch, wake up the rest of us. We’ll kill them like we did this bug, and drag them inside.”
“I still think there have to be other exits to the nest,” Manic said. “We don’t have to go back the way we came. We can find another way out.”
“Do you really want to risk that?” Rade said. “And remember, every surface hole we saw out there was plugged. And the HS3s detected no other guards standing anywhere else outside the hillock.”
“All right, but consider something,” Manic said. “The exits I’m talking about don’t necessarily have to be on the hillock.”
“What are you saying?” Tahoe asked.
“Some of these tunnels might extend out onto the plains,” Manic said.
Rade contemplated the implications and found himself worrying about the Hoplites.
Well, the war machines can certainly fend for them
selves.
He dismissed his fears and told Manic: “While there might actually be such surface tunnels, we have no way to find them. Once we leave our hiding place, we’ll only have a very short span to reach the surface. We won’t have time to explore random caves and hope one of them leads us under the plains to another exit. No, Manic, for us the only way back is the route we have already mapped out.”
“I just wish we had our HS3s to scout ahead,” TJ said.
“You and me both,” Rade said.
Shaw sat beside Rade, and she reached out then to grip his glove in hers. He glanced at her, but his LIDAR didn’t reveal any of her features beyond the faceplate. He assumed she was afraid.
“We’ll get through this,” he sent her on a private line.
Shaw squeezed his glove tighter. “Hard to believe the things we’ll do to save the galaxy.”
“I’m sorry for bringing you here,” Rade said.
She extricated herself from his grasp. She seemed insulted. “What the hell are you talking about? I asked for this. There’s nowhere else I’d rather be than at your side.”
Rade nodded. “And if we had a kid waiting for us back on the ship? Would you be so eager to come then?”
Shaw paused. “That’s not fair.”
“What?”
“You’re trying to use this as an excuse for why we can’t have a kid,” Shaw said.
“No, I didn’t say that,” Rade insisted.
“But you implied it.” She crossed the arms of her jumpsuit. “If we had a kid waiting for us on the ship, I’d miss her terribly, but it wouldn’t change anything. I know the AIs would take care of her until we got back.”
“You’re assuming the kid would be a her,” Rade said.
“Well of course it will be,” Shaw said. Though he couldn’t see her face, he could tell she was grinning from her tone.
Rade glanced at the LIDAR representation of the tunnel around them, at his men guarding the entrance, and the dead alien several meters behind them.
“Here we are,” Rade said. “At the center of an alien nest, and we’re arguing about what the sex of our future child is going to be. When we haven’t even conceived him or her yet.”
“How do you know?” Shaw said.
Rade shot her a look, wishing he could see her expression behind the faceplate.
“Just kidding,” Shaw replied. “I’m not pregnant.”
“That’s a relief.”
“Why?” Shaw said.
“Do we have to talk about this now? I think, Shaw, it’s time to take a nap.”
“That’s right, sleep your way through all of our relationship problems,” Shaw said.
“I wasn’t aware we had problems...” Rade said.
“Ha!” Shaw turned away. “G’night.”
Rade assumed she was done, but then she said, without turning back toward him: “I want to believe we’re securing the galaxy for a reason. Catching these Phants and throwing them into stars for something other than sport.”
“We are,” Rade said. “We already saved a colony of two million people from a bioweapon.”
“Yes, except that was a false alarm,” Shaw said. “The Phant wasn’t quite ready to deploy his bioweapon.”
“But he would have been eventually,” Rade said. “If we hadn’t intervened.”
“True enough,” Shaw replied. “Okay but listen. We saved two million people. That’s great. And that’s certainly a lot of other people’s children. But I want to make the galaxy a safer place for our own.”
Rade sighed. “Like I said, now isn’t the time for this discussion. First thing when we get back to the Argonaut, we can talk.”
“Fine,” Shaw said. “I’ll hold you to that.”
“Now go to sleep,” Rade said. “You’re going to need your energy in the hours to come.”
He heard a slurping sound from the private comm. “Sure, just as soon as I finish taking a sip of my meal replacement.”
That was a good idea. Rade took a couple of sips himself from the straw inside his helmet. The oddly textured substance tasted like a mixture of frozen spaghetti and moldy meat sauce. He nearly gagged.
Rade switched to the main comm. “TJ, Lui, continue watching the entrance. Unit A, keep an eye on the collapse behind us, in case our friends from the queen room succeed in digging their way through. Meanwhile, the rest of you rack out.”
Rade closed his eyes. In moments, he was asleep.
He dreamed he was inside a locked chest at the base of a bunk, surrounded by large beetles trying to break inside.
thirteen
Rade awakened with a start. He glanced in both directions, but the tunnel seemed unchanged since he had fallen asleep: on the LIDAR band, the forms of his comrades slept around him; Unit A lingered near the collapse, which still sealed the way back; TJ and Lui remained on watch near the illusory exit.
Rade checked the time. An hour and a half had passed.
“Lui, sitrep,” Rade said.
“It’s quiet out there,” Lui replied. “I haven’t seen any gatorbeetles in about half an hour, when a good dozen of them hurried past in the direction of the queen chamber. And no scouts have come this way feeling up the walls yet.”
“Unit A?” Rade said.
“The collapse behind us remains untouched,” the robot replied. “Though I am detecting subtle vibrations that tell me the aliens are indeed digging out the passage. Those vibrations are growing in intensity with each passing moment.”
“All right, let’s get ready to go,” Rade said. “Wake up Argonauts.”
The team members stretched beside him
“What was that I heard about Lui feeling up TJ?” Bender quipped.
“I said no aliens came this way feeling up the walls,” Lui told him.
“Oh,” Bender said. It sounded like he was holding back a laugh. “Poor choice of words, on your part. Conjure up all these nasty images, you know.”
“Only for you, Bender,” Manic said.
“Guys,” TJ said. “Lui spoke too soon. We have a scout after all. Look.”
An antennae had appeared past the illusory wall. It appeared to be searching the edges along the opening. The feeler touched the empty space, poking into the tunnel beyond.
It had definitely discovered their hiding place.
“Looks like we stayed past checkout time,” Rade said. “Argonauts, prepare to fire.”
He aimed at the three-dimensional image presented by the LIDAR, and centered his crosshairs between the mandibles that appeared a moment later.
“Fire,” Rade commanded.
The gatorbeetle slumped.
A loud chittering came from outside.
“Sounds like he had company!” Lui said. He and TJ peered past the entrance.
Rade switched to Lui’s point of view and saw a gatorbeetle fleeing southward in the tunnel beyond. Lui aimed at the center of its abdomen and fired repeatedly, as did TJ. The gatorbeetle squealed, but kept running.
Rade reached the entrance, scanned the opposite passageway for any further aliens—there were none. He launched himself past TJ and Lui and into the tunnel beyond to get a better shot.
He opened fire.
Bender joined in, as did Tahoe. Together, between the five of them, they inflicted enough damage to cause the gatorbeetle to finally collapse.
Bender dashed forward and used his jetpack to thrust over the body. The alien head lifted weakly as he approached, and when Bender landed he pulled out his blaster and shoved it between the mandibles, squeezing the trigger. The gatorbeetle slumped for the last time.
“Was that really necessary?” Shaw said. “It was down.”
“Hell ya it was necessary,” Bender said. “Bug would have kept squealing like a bitch otherwise, acting like a beacon for its friends.”
“Sounded like it was moaning softly to me,” Shaw said.
“Same difference,” Bender replied.
“Let’s go, Argonauts,” Rade said. “We flee
, now. Lui, lead the way. Surus, you might as well grab the second emitter on the way out.”
The squad hurried down the tunnel two abreast. Lui and Tahoe led the way, followed by Manic and TJ, then Shaw and Rade. The others kept up just behind, with Bender and Fret on drag. Bender had gone back to retrieve Harlequin, whom he carried over one shoulder.
The tunnel branched off occasionally, but the team stuck to the main route.
“Why aren’t they attacking?” Fret said. “At least a few of them should have heard that squealing...”
“Whatever the case,” Bender said. “I’m ready for them when they come.”
Lui raised a fist, calling a halt. “Do you hear that?”
Rade listened. “It’s sounds like chittering.”
“Yes,” Lui said. “A whole lot of it. And it’s coming from up ahead.”
In the distance past Lui, Rade saw light coming from what could only be the wide cavern located in front of the queen chamber, which had glow lamps placed between every corridor there.
“Proceed,” Rade said.
Lui led the squad forward and slowed near the edge; the team members approached in single file, staying close to the tunnel wall. The chittering had grown in intensity; the sound levels were similar to a crowded restaurant.
Lui halted entirely. “It’s teeming with warrior gatorbeetles in there.”
“Are they racing to attack us?” Fret said.
“No,” Lui replied. “Most of them are gathered in front of the queen chamber, chittering away. The boulder is completely gone—rolled inside I guess. There’s a guard posted beside every passageway leading into the cavern, including this one.”
Rade glanced at his overhead map. Red dots had appeared precisely in the locations described by Lui.
“Well, we know why none of them responded to the squealing,” Manic said. “They’re making too much damn noise of their own.”
“Can we frag ‘em?” Bender asked excitedly.
On his HUD, Rade highlighted the tunnel on the far side of the cavern that eventually led to the surface, as per the overhead map.
“Lui, Tahoe, Manic, TJ,” Rade said. “Toss some frags inside. Aim for the majority of the gatorbeetles crowded in front of the queen chamber. Then step back from the opening, because I plan to lay a frag at the feet of the guard directly outside. When that goes off, the four of you toss smoke grenades inside and make for the far entrance. The rest of us will follow, firing at will. I’ve marked off the target tunnel on your overhead maps. Lui, when you reach the entrance to the target, I want you to jet to the top and place charges; your intent is to collapse the tunnel behind us after we’re through.”