by Ronan Frost
Another clang echoed as locking gear extended, first dropping into place from their flush berths and then massive hydraulics working, pushing the claw-like projections forward. Heavy thumps echoed through the superstructure as claws engaged with the Urisa's docks.
Ashian heard the noise and felt the series of jolts through his feet, almost toppling when the cargo ship abruptly jerked to a full halt. He stood stunned for a minute. Could it be they had reached their destination so soon?
Panic rose in his stomach - he had forgotten how quickly the Sunlord's travelled; they must be in the stars already!
That would explain why his limbs had very quickly become leaden and heavy - the gravity aboard the Urisa was set to that of the Sunlord's homeworld, and he was now experiencing the greater pull of simulated gravity. Fortunately the difference was bearable and he could still move without excessive awkwardness, although it felt like heavy chains had been draped about his shoulders.
The lights overhead increased in intensity, filling the previously gloomy hold with white light. Within minutes unloading would begin.
Ashian's efforts to find his friends became frantic. He searched many crates, and was becoming desperate when his fingers, just about to move onto the next crate, brushed a small sliver of steel. His heart beat harder as his full attention focused on the crate. Fortunately it was the first in the stack so opening it would not be difficult.
He knelt down upon one knee and tapped three times against the steel crate, softly as not to alert any Sunlord guards.
Nothing happened, so he repeated the procedure.
This time his efforts were rewarded with a quick succession of taps issuing from inside.
This must be the crate. He was about to unlatch the catches when the massive door behind him grated as it slid along dirty rails, yellow light pouring in with sounds of life and movement. It was Ashian's split second reactions that saved them all from detection as the robotic fork lifts and exoskeleton loaders drove in. Ducking low Ashian watched the machines as they approached, gazing upon the three metre high walking robot with dread; its arms moved in an awkward parody of humanoid motion and its legs pushed forward with the strength of a thousand men.
Ashian realised that since his friends' crate had been last to be loaded it would be one of the first to be unloaded. His suspicions were confirmed as the loader droid's arms slid forward and engaged with the crate he had left not a moment before.
Whatever he did, he mustn't let that crate out of his sight!
He paused for a second, passing a grease covered hand across his painted face, allowing himself a brief respite to plan. Already the robot had lifted the craft into the air, and had turned upon its heel and was striding towards the open door.
Ashian moved around the back of the crates, keeping in the shadows as he circled around in an attempt to cut off the robot. He moved as quickly as stealth allowed, breaking into a sprint whenever the way seemed clear. As he ran he kept looking up over the stacks, watching the robot head for the wide door.
And then it was gone.
Ashian cursed silently as the crate disappeared from sight around the corner of the unloading tube leading to the storage bays. His adrenalin strengthened limbs worked beyond exhaustion to keep him moving towards the door despite the bile taste of defeat in the pit of his belly.
Abruptly running out of cover Ashian dropped to his knees, the open expanse of grey metal flooring before him flooded in light and activity. There was no way he could get around and past those robots.
As his pulse slowed he felt his muscles stiffen with inactivity, knowing if he stopped they would cramp and he would have to rest. With a great heave of effort Ashian levered himself to his feet, his eyes wandering along the wall above his head.
His gaze caught on the circular tubelike opening just a metre higher than his head. It looked as if a plate had fallen away and teeth like projections around the edge of the hole had hooked onto some sort of plastic material that came through from the other side.
Ashian saw it immediately as some sort of breather pipe that linked the docking bay and the cargo ship. Looking further, he noticed several more similar such holes spaced at regular intervals further along the wall. Sure enough, there seemed to be a faint breeze flowing from the hole, confirming his theory that they were air ducts.
If he could climb through it he may be able to free his friends before they were stacked in some deep storage bay and buried alive. He was about to reach up and grasp the lip of the duct when alarm bells rung in his mind. Surely Avatar would take more care in protecting her craft from infiltration, and if Shaun was correct, the computer would sure to be watching.
He pulled his arm back into his chest as if it had been scolded, crouching lower in the shadows. His eyes worked until his vision clouded with strain, but still he could not disconcertion any sort of searchlight or security beams.
His quick, agile currach mind worked on the problem. A moment later a thought struck. He unslung the small leather pack that hung from one shoulder and rooted about for a second before extracting the makeshift telescope given to him by Shaun. It could see what he could not, reasoned Ashian, and thus it may see Avatar's eyes where he did not.
He brought the narrow instrument up to his eye, squinting through the small aperture that glowed faintly in the shadows. Again he was amazed at the powerful tool as even the darkest of corners were shown as clear as day. He saw his previous shelter, which he had previously thought to be in deep cover, now seemed out in the open. A chill stole over his heart as he thought that if Avatar had such vision it would be an easy matter to capture him - he must have escaped detection so far by pure luck. He made a mental note in the back of his head that next time he would have to check more thoroughly before settling in to rest.
Knowing he had precious little time the currach swept his gaze around the cargo hold and was stunned to learn that the entire door was crisscrossed by what seemed like thin beams of light. When he took the telescope away, they were invisible, but now he saw any movement through them would cause detection.
He breathed deeply, realising that he had been holding his breath in shock. He had come so very close to stumbling into them!
He shook his head to clear it then turned his attention to the air chute above his head. After considerable examination he was at last satisfied he could slip through the metre wide diameter hole without tripping any alarms.
Tucking the telescope back into his pouch he jumped up to grasp the lip of the hole in the wall. He pulled himself up with trembling effort, teeth gritted in determination to keep moving.
* * *
Capac breathed a heavy sigh of relief as a crack of light shone down upon his face and blessedly fresh air flowed into the stuffy interior of the crate. Mere words could not describe the jubilation he felt to see Ashian's small comical face appear at the lip, peering in with concerned intensity.
Capac stood, grimacing as the thick oil pulled viscously at his limbs.
"About time," he grumbled.
Ashian crouched low, his eyes moving constantly.
"It's not safe here," he whispered harshly. He swallowed, mouth parched dry. "Quickly, follow me."
They wasted little time in leaping from the crate. Capac reached into the interior and scooped out a generous handful of grease before closing the lid once again.
"You'll need some more of this," the warrior muttered as he slapped the fresh grease to Ashian's side. "Most of your old stuff has come off - you must have been busy."
Ashian noted with mild surprise that most of his chest and back gleamed bare flesh, undoubtably lost whilst crawling on his belly through the stacks of crates. He applied the camouflage quickly and with little wasted movements as he informed his companions what had happened. "They'll be back soon. Follow me, and keep low."
Capac was surprised at the command in Ashian's voice, the self-assurance seeming out of character. But he willingly followed Ashian's led for it seemed the currach kn
ew what he was doing, whilst Capac was but a newcomer to the scene.
They were angled though a maze of towering metal boxes until they found themselves crouching behind a large tube running vertically from floor to ceiling, Ashian pausing to spy through his telescope. The metal at their backs vibrated slightly, making enough noise to cloak their voices.
"Someone close?" whispered Capac, sensing Ashian's uncertainty.
Ashian nodded and replied in a voice so low it was a bare murmur. "We have to get past that droid if we are to get into the tunnels I came from."
"Droid? Where?"
Ashian wordlessly passed him the telescope and instructed him where to look. Capac gasped as he saw a twelve foot high security robot constructed of a framework of metal bars filled only partly by driving motors, leaving the man-shaped machine looking somewhat like a stripped back dragster. Atop its shoulders its head was an unblemished dome of black glass. What staggered Capac was the fact that the robot had been concealed in the shadows, and without the telescope would have been practically invisible. Capac examined the telescope's seemingly magical properties and handed it back to Ashian impressed with the currach's resourcefulness.
"And the tube?" whispered Capac.
Ashian gestured with a motion. "The droid has moved in front of it."
Myshia had taken the telescope and studied the scene. "Do you think its onto us? Standing in front of the grill like that may mean its suspicious."
Ashian saw the wisdom in her words. Even though the robot was stationary and looked lifeless it had probably spotted some evidence of Ashian's passing.
"Maybe it's just curious," returned Ashian. "Hopefully it hasn't alerted more guards...it may think its nothing out of the ordinary, but worth keeping an eye on."
"Either way, we've got a problem." Capac was silent from a minute. "We need to distract its attention."
"How?"
Capac shook his head. "I'm thinking... Myshia, have you still got those three flares Shaun made? We could plant one in a crate and set it off."
"That's great," countered Ashian in a critical whisper. "But then we'll have all the guards alerted. We might as well leap up and slap them around."
"No, if we set it up so it looks like something in the crate exploded, it may buy us the time we need. While their trying to figure out what went off, we'll be long gone."
Ashian thought for a moment. It seemed appropriate they he make the decision for he had brought them thus far. "Okay then - it's the only thing I can think of. Who will plant the flare?"
"I'll go," put in Capac abruptly. "I've needed a chance to stretch my legs ever since I got out of that cursed box."
Ashian looked dubious for a moment, then finally agreed. He passed over the telescope.
"Take this, it will be useful. Remember that what seems like dark to your eyes may be wide open to Avatar's sight."
Capac listened briefly as Ashian told of his experience with the security beams and how to avoid them. He took one of the small cylindrical homemade flares from Myshia and slunk off behind them.
Ashian sank back against the large vertical pipe that still hummed with activity and allowed his muscles to relax marginally. "I'm not cut out for this."
Myshia did not return the grim smile Ashian offered. Instead she seemed detached, her gaze focused on the air before her. She suddenly turned to him, her eyes ablaze.
"We must aid him," she said, a waver of concern behind the firm tone. "He's hurt. Bad."
Ashian looked around, startled. "Who? What are you talking about Myshia?"
Myshia shook her head. Her voice conveyed power and presence, her shoulders braced squarely and her head tilted with assertiveness.
"It's Shaun," she said severely, as if Ashian should have known. "He's been captured."
"Captured? Myshia, how, where?"
"I feel it...like a ripple through my brain. Water - going under..."
As quickly as it had come, the presence in her tone vanished, leaving her eyes blank for a minute. Ashian shook her by the shoulders gently, calling her name, casting sidelong glances at the shadows where the droid stood. He looked around for Capac, but he had long since disappeared into the shadows. It seemed Myshia was sick - maybe something in the stale sticky tasting Sunlord air that they breathed had upset her.
Whatever it was, she was now baggage. She seemed withdrawn into herself, yet at the same time retaining a little of that powerful confidence that had shown itself a moment before.
Ashian was no medicine man. It could be anything that had made Myshia delirious.
(Doubt lay in the back of his mind for her words did not suggest irrationality; rather they rang of command. They sounded like the words of a seer.)
Ashian suddenly felt afraid to touch her, holding back his hands as if contact would cause a spark. Forcing rationality Ashian cast aside this impulse and reached around her back, aiding her. It seemed to be that touch that brought her back down like earthing a charged sphere. She was now once again a mortal living on the mortal plane.
"I felt something," she murmured, her face flushed. She pulled herself together with Ashian's comforting words.
"We have to move away from here."
Myshia immediately was afraid. Wild thoughts ran through her mind, reflected in the quick movements of her eyes. She had tried to suppress the feeling, but the vision had just come despite the barriers she had erected, and this time it had taken a hold of her soul like a rag doll.
"Don't say anything to the village," she heard herself say. "Tell only the Elder...he knows what to do."
They had no room for further comment. The air ripped suddenly, erupted with a hissing crackle of explosives, a bright flash and a thick cloud of smoke filling the entire room.
Startled beyond words and acting only by instinct Ashian leapt to his feet with Myshia quickly following his lead. A screech met their ears as smoke alarms erupted. They ran with wide loping steps, leaping over pipes, machinery and manholes flashing past under their feet. Ashian saw out of the corner of his eye the lumbering contraption of steel move, a deadly array of weaponry armed and at the ready.
"Wait for Capac!" Myshia screamed. The hole Ashian had aimed for was ahead, somewhere, he knew, hidden by the thick foul black smoke.
Panting, retching, Myshia hauled onto Ashian's hand until he stopped.
Ashian pulled against her. "No time!"
Myshia shook her head. "The robot's found Capac. I know it."
Ashian was about to retort, but the command in his voice stopped him. The alarm siren and chaos around him rang the very thoughts from his head.
"He'll meet us in the duct," urged Ashian.
But Myshia had already withdrawn her bow and notched an arrow into it. In seconds she disappeared into the smoke.
"But how will you know..." Ashian's words were lost on thin air. "...where to find him." He knew blundering through the dense smoke would be fruitless - they would end up bumping into a guard quicker than they would find Capac.
The plan had been for Capac to meet them in the pipe, not to rescue him. He should have gotten clear before the flare triggered. Knowing the sickening fear that something had gone terribly wrong Ashian bolted into a run after Myshia's shadowy back, just managing to keep her silhouette in view. He found his hand straying unconsciously to his belt as he ran, tracing the curves of the pistol at his side. He pulled his hand away with a realising jerk - he would not kill.
Myshia had led them straight to the cybernetic guard. Through the slowly dissipating smoke it was a giant towering like a tree over their heads. With a start Ashian realised the small shadow it had pinned in the corner was Capac.
Myshia's bow pulled taut, and she let the arrow fly. The clothyard shaft whizzed through the air and smacked into the guard's head.
The robot wobbled slightly as if its neck was on springy suspension. The arrow glanced away and the droid turned to raised its tree trunk like arm. Embedded about the perimeter was an array of automatic machine
guns.
Capac saw the opening. Crouching in the corner he moved swiftly to whip his rifle to the fore. A quick motion of the hands and a solid blast shook the guard, pushing it backwards as if a great hand had pushed it in the chest. The second flare was in Capac's hands. He twisted the top and flung it.
The flare arced like a comet, spewing more smoke and blinding light. Like a hare caught between headlights the droid's eyes followed the flare's path. The flare rolled behind a crate, disappearing from view. The robot pivoted back to face Capac, only to take another blow in the back of the head from another of Myshia's arrow.
Ashian saw his companion's ruse, and without even thinking had his pistol in his hand. He was firing wildly up into the roof and screaming like an idiot. Shouting obscenities that made no sense. Anything to get the robot's attention away long enough from Capac for his to escape.
It had worked. Capac was free of his trap, and bolted through the robot's blind spot as it turned to face the peculiar native screaming at it.
Capac angled in and dove, dragging Ashian from his feet as the air was blasted with rifle fire.
"Let's get the scroch out of here!"
Myshia tailed them, one final arrow finding its mark in the robot's visiport before disappearing after her allies.
Going from memory Ashian was able to find the duct, amazed that throughout the confusion he had maintained his sense of direction. Obviously hurt, Capac stumbled through first and it took but a moment for his companions to join him.
"Move left," Ashian spoke through the darkness. They followed the Currach's orders. The duct was as black as night - a darkness so absolute not even a hand raised before the eyes could be seen, the only sensation was a cool wind pushing in their faces as the air duct pumped air to other parts of the ship.
The metal was cool under Capac's knees and hands as he led the way through the darkness. They travelled until the sound of alarms had diminished to a ringing in their heads.