“You hear that?” Adam 359 whispered. “She’s nearby.”
“Then the guards will have no problem dealing with her,” Orlac 552 replied. “Come, let’s take a minute before we continue.”
“No, she’s our only chance of ever getting out of here,” Adam 359 persisted. “She might need some help.”
“And what help would you be?” Orlac 552 pointed out.
Adam 359 ignored him. He’d seen those he worked with get worse every day, as the fumes and conditions took their toll. He wasn’t content to work for a year or two until his body gave out, only to be recycled to grow the next batch of slaves. The Earth was real, he knew it, and it was calling to him. The girl may be his only chance of ever getting out of the mine to find it.
“Better help than none,” Adam 359 said, picking up a sharp metal pick and following the guard along the corridor.
Orlac 552 watched him go, angry and concerned in equal measure. After a moment’s hesitation, he followed Adam 359 in the hope of bringing him back before he got them all killed.
*****
Adam 359 gripped the handle of the pick tightly in his hand as he crept along the corridor towards the lifts. There were no other slaves working nearby, only the distant sounds of pneumatic drills and rock crushers reverberating along the walls.
“Enough,” Orlac 552 hissed from behind him, grabbing Adam 359 tightly by the shoulder. “You’re going to get us all killed if they spot you. We’ve probably already been picked up by the security cameras.”
“I didn’t ask you to come along,” Adam 359 replied angrily. “Go back and cower with the others until the toxic fumes or a bored guard ends you.”
Orlac 552 squeezed tighter. “You’re endangering everyone on this asteroid, not just yourself,” he continued. “You know what will happen if we resist. What gives you the right to risk the lives of everyone?”
Adam 359 didn’t have an answer. He had no right to risk the lives of anyone but himself, and yet by stepping away from his group he was doing just that. But he just couldn’t stand by and do nothing, couldn’t let others be hurt and killed when he could do something to stop it. He’d made that promise to himself, when Eve 717 had died in his arms only days before, and now he was being given a chance to make good on that promise.
The overlords weren’t as superior as his programming insisted, he’d seen one killed by a human girl much smaller than himself. He was going to help her, and if that meant his death, better that than suffering until his body gave out in the mine.
“I’m going,” Adam 359 insisted. “I’m sorry if I’m putting the others at risk, but I have to do something. If no one makes a stand, nothing will ever change. My life has to mean more than a year or two of pain and suffering, only for someone else to take my place. That’s not enough, not for me.
“Go back to the others. If they take me alive, I’ll be sure to tell them you had nothing to do with it.”
Orlac 552 released his grip. What Adam 359 had said had struck a chord deep within him. He’d seen the suffering and the pain of those around him, but his programming insisting it was normal, it was what he was made for. But ever since the first night, he couldn’t stop thinking about the song of Orlac and Ulis. It spoke to him somehow, offered him a different way, a better way.
“Orlac, protect me,” he whispered, the three fingers of his right hand resting over his heart.
*****
The corridor ahead of them opened into a larger cavern. It was brighter than the other area of the mine he had seen, and as Adam 359 peered around the edge of the corridor he was able to make out why.
Four guards were crouched behind cages of rock and ore, two small drones floating above them. The drones were egg-shaped and hovered in place, a bright light shining from each of them towards a pile of rocks on the other side of the room. As Adam 359 looked towards the pile of rocks, he saw as flash of blonde hair.
One of the guards raised his plasma rifle, resting the barrel on the cage. “You’re trapped, slave,” he shouted. “Surrender now and we’ll show you mercy. No one else will die for your crimes.” Orlac 552 made a face which meant I told you so, much to Adam 359’s annoyance.
The girl responded by firing her plasma pistol blindly around the pile of rocks, managing to take out one of the drones in the process. “Come and get me!” she yelled.
Adam 359 gripped the pick in his hand, debating what to do. The girl was trapped, there was nowhere for her to go. The guards were hesitant, but it was only a matter of time before one of them killed her.
“What are you going to do?” Orlac 552 whispered.
“Help?” Adam 359 replied.
The guards moved slowly towards the rock pile, crouched low to the ground, weapons ready. Adam 359 made up his mind and charged at the nearest guard, pick raised above his head. The guard heard him at the last moment, turning his weapon around to fire, but Adam 359 was already too close.
The pick struck the guard on his shoulder but failed to penetrate the hard chitin layer. The guard fell backwards as Adam 359 fell on top of him, trying to raise the pick for a second strike. Adam was no threat to the guard, who knocked the pick from Adam 359’s hand and rolled the slave onto his back. The other guards turned at the sound of commotion, aiming their weapons and trying to get a clear shot, as the guard pinning Adam 359 fought to get his hands around the slave’s throat.
“No! Over here!” Orlac 552 yelled, trying to save his friend. The guards immediately turned their weapons towards him and opened fire, Orlac 552 barely managing to duck back into the safety of the tunnel in time.
The girl behind the rocks used the distraction to her advantage. She stood, plasma pistol held tightly in a two handed grip as she took aim. The first two guards were dead before they realised what had happened, plasma burns to their head and neck as they hit the ground. The third guard tried in vain to turn his rifle towards the girl, but was caught by two plasma blasts before he could fire. The chest-plate absorbed the blast to his chest, but the plasma burnt through his throat and neck, almost decapitating him.
As the third guard hit the ground, the final guard pinning Adam 359 to the ground stood and raised his hands. Adam 359 dragged himself across the dirt, hands held against his throat as he fought for breath.
“I surrender,” the final guard said, dropping to his knees with his hands raised, his plasma rifle out of reach.
The girl stepped out from behind the rocks, pistol raised. “Well done,” she said sarcastically. “Good for you.”
The guard cowered as Orlac 552 moved to Adam 359’s aid. “Can you stand?” Orlac 552 asked. Adam 359 nodded, his throat too painful to allow him to speak.
The girl stopped, lowering her weapon slowly as she continued to look venomously towards the remaining guard. “Understood,” she said, shaking her head slowly.
Adam 359 watched as she tucked the pistol into the back of her grey trousers before removing the communicator from the guard’s chest-plate and smashing it beneath her feet. “You get to live,” she said bitterly, striking him swiftly in the centre of his forehead and knocking him unconscious.
Adam 359 stood, bent over with his hands on his thighs, trying not to vomit as he fought for breath. “You’re welcome,” he said, looking directly at her.
“For what?” she asked as she picked up the guard’s plasma rifle and slung it over her shoulder.
“We saved you back there!” Adam 359 insisted.
“Is that what you think?” the girl remarked. “I had everything under control until you two showed up and ruined my plan.”
“And that plan meant getting surrounded by armed guards who wanted to kill you?” Adam 359 suggested.
The girl ignored him, approaching the tunnel opening before pausing. “Take this,” she said, tossing him the plasma pistol. “You want to live? Come with me.”
*****
The girl seemed to know her way around the various tunnels and corridors of the asteroid, taking turns with confidenc
e, barely breaking her stride. “Wait,” she whispered, pressing Adam 359 back against the tunnel wall. Adam 359 did as he was told, holding his breath as two Mori guards ran past the tunnel mouth in the direction of the unconscious guard.
“We should return to our team,” Orlac 552 said mournfully. “Perhaps they’ll let us live.”
“Good luck with that,” the girl replied. “I’m getting off this rock before they find me.”
“They’ll have seen us on the cameras,” Adam 359 said. “I’m sticking with you. What do we call you.”
“I’m sure you can work it out,” she said, sprinting across an open gangway and ducking behind a grate.
Before Adam 359 could ask her anymore, she was on her feet again, running towards a ladder. She cast a cursory glance below her and began to climb, pausing before pulling herself into an open metal pipe. Once she was happy the coast was clear, she was gone and out of sight without another word.
“Now’s our chance,” Orlac 552 insisted, stopping Adam 359 from climbing the ladder.
“This is our chance,” Adam 359 insisted, beginning to climb.
Adam 359 pulled himself up into the open pipe, offering a hand to Orlac 552 who had followed him against his better judgement. The pipe was wide, allowing them to crawl along it with relative ease,though the surface was covered in some type of thick grease.
“What is this stuff?” Adam 359 asked as they reached another ladder. He wiped his hands on his trousers before grasping the rungs.
Orlac 552 looked at him with surprise. “Can’t you smell it?” he asked. Adam 359 placed his fingers near his nose, giving it a good sniff before shaking his head.
“We’re beneath the Dorgan latrines,” Orlac 552 remarked.
Once he’d finished retching, Adam 359 climbed first. Little light made its way along the pipe, and he found himself ascending into total darkness. The ladder seemed to go on forever, the greasy residue (he refused to think of it as Dorgan excrement) making him double check his grip on the ladder before climbing further. It seemed like an eternity before the faintest hint of illumination appeared above him.
“Nearly there,” Adam 359 said. Orlac 552 said nothing, his nasal slits firmly closed against the overpowering odour.
The metal grate had been pushed aside, making it easier for them to climb out of the pipe and into the latrine. Above them, further pipes and supports ran along the floor of the toilets and showers used by the Dorgan slaves. Adam spied the girl at the far end of the latrine, working on removing the bolts from a metal grill.
“Here, let me help,” Adam 359 offered, slipping his hands through the grating and beginning to pull. Orlac 552 worked on the other side, and eventually they were able to pull it far enough away from the wall to squeeze through.
“221,” the girl said, smiling.
“I’m sorry?” Orlac 552 asked.
“Eve 221,” the girl said. “But my master just calls me 221.”
“Master,” Adam 359 said. “I didn’t think you looked like you worked in the mines.”
“I’m a house slave,” Eve 221 clarified.
“So how did you learn to fight?” Adam 359 asked.
“If we make it out of here alive,” Eve 221 said, “I’ll tell you all about it.”
Eve 221 slid through the gap in the metal grill, followed by Adam 359 and Orlac 552 who found it more difficult due to their bulk. They crept along the darkened pipe, hands sliding along the wall to steady themselves. As they reached the end, Adam 359 almost stumbled as he caught sight of the view below him.
The pipe seemed to open up onto empty space, an infinity of stars below and all around him. A slight shimmer betrayed the position of the energy shield which maintained the atmosphere, but other than that there was only emptiness.
“What are we doing?” Orlac 553 asked, the barest hint of panic creeping into his voice. “She’s trying to kill us!”
“If I’d wanted you dead,” Eve 221 pointed out, “I could have left you for the guards. Just be quiet for a minute, okay?”
Adam 359 and Orlac 552 looked at each other as Eve 221 closed her eyes, nodding as though listening to a voice no one else could hear. “Got it,” she said after a minute.
“Got what?” Adam 359 asked.
“We go up,” Eve 221 replied. “Follow me.”
*****
Adam 359 supported Eve 221’s feet as she pulled herself up and out of the pipe. Adam 359 went next, lying face down on the narrow gantry and offering a hand to pull Orlac 552 up after him.
Once Orlac 552 was on top of the pipe with the others, he was able to make out where he was. The pipe ran parallel to the landing bay, and they were currently on the other side of the security field and only a short distance away from one of the drop ships. Eve 221 got to one knee to get a better view over the low divide.
“You’re sure?” she said.
“Sure of what?” Adam 359 asked.
“Quiet,” she hissed. “No, I’m sorry, not you. If that’s the one, I’ll do as you say. Thank you. Yes. I will.”
“Who is she talking to?” Orlac 552 whispered. Adam 359 shrugged.
“Okay,” Eve 221 said. “We need to go around that drop ship, the vessel we need is on the other side of the landing bay.”
“What’s wrong with that one?” Adam 359 asked.
“It’s not the one we need,” Eve 221 replied cryptically.
Before they could argue further, Eve 221 leapt over the low divide. The cover was sparse, but within seconds she’d made it to the closest drop ship unseen. Adam 359 and Orlac 552 followed suit, keeping low as they sprinted across the metal landing bay and tucked themselves tightly against the side of the drop ship.
The drop ship looked to be made of a similar dark metal to the hive ship. It was long and narrow, with a small cockpit at the front big enough for a single Mori pilot. There were no obvious engines or weapons, and the only way in or out was through the large door at the rear of the craft.
“This way,” Eve 221 whispered, leading them along the edge of the craft and around the cockpit at the front.
As they cleared the obstructing view of the drop ship, they were able to make out the vessel Eve 221 was leading them to. It was very different to the drop, both in size and design. It was still made of a similar black metal, but the cockpit was wider and sleeker, sweeping back to form two large wings. Below each of the wings were plasma weapons, similar to those they were carrying, only much larger. Between the two wings, the rear of the craft had a large large circular cut-out which hummed rhythmically with a pulsating blue energy field.
“That one,” Eve 221 said, pointing to the lowered gangway situated beneath the cockpit.
Eve 221 began to run directly for the gangway, ignoring the sudden sirens which erupted all around them. “Halt, slave!” a voice demanded over the speakers, just as the sentry guns above the security field turned in their direction and opened fire.
Adam 359 ran for all he was worth, Orlac 552 at his side. Eve 221 had managed to reach the gangway without being hit and was already making her way towards the cockpit when the floor at Adam 359’s feet exploded, throwing him into the air. He landed heavily on his right side, and it was only the timely actions of Orlac 552 which saved his life.
Without breaking his stride, Orlac 552 swept Adam 359 up off the ground, pulling him out of the way just as the sentry guns opened fire again, the plasma blasts destroying the spot where he had lay. Orlac 552 pulled him up and onto the gangway and out of sight of the sentry guns just as they began to turn their attention to the ship.
“Hold on tight!” Eve 221 screamed from the cockpit as she ran her hands along the displays and selected various options like a seasoned pro. Orlac 552 felt the ship lurch as it began to rise from the landing bay, the gangway retracting and sealing them in.
The ship shook as the plasma blasts hit, but Eve 221 didn’t seem to notice. She placed her hands on the two navigational controls to either side of the pilot’s chair and deftly swu
ng the ship around, accelerating away from the landing bay and the range of the sentry guns. As the ship struck the energy shield, the shield of the ship merged with that of the asteroid, slipping through without resistance and moving faster and faster towards the emptiness of space.
“Get up here now,” Eve shouted. “We need to jump or the hive ship’s fighters will be on us any second.”
“He’s injured,” Orlac 552 protested, helping Adam 359 to his feet.
“I’ll be fine,” Adam 359 objected, supporting his right arm as he made his way towards the cockpit.
The cockpit of the vessel was overwhelming. There were four seats, the pilot’s seat set forward and the other three seats behind it. Consoles and readouts surrounded them, lining the walls and ceiling as well as surrounding each of the chairs. Neither Adam 359 nor Orlac 552 had any idea what any of them meant, though Eve 221 seemed to have no trouble controlling the ship.
“Get strapped in,” Eve 221 insisted. “I’m spooling up the jump drive.”
“Where are we going?” Adam 359 asked as Orlac 552 helped him into a seat.
“Anywhere but here,” Eve 221 replied. “The hive ship’s already launching fighters.”
Orlac 552 stumbled as Eve 221 made a sharp turn, the artificial gravity reminding him which way was up and which way was down as the ship dodged and swerved as the fighter craft advanced.
“I said strap in,” Eve 221 screamed again as she reached forwards and slid her fingers along a panel to her right.
Orlac 552 felt the rhythmic thrumming of the gravity engine growing faster and faster as he struggled with his harness and secured himself into one of the seats. Adam 359 was already secured as they began to feel their bodies stretching painfully, their bones twisting and their skin pulling.
X-Calibur: The Return Page 5