Second Life of Mr. Hunt: Book 3: Failover

by Gerrit Overeem

  “She has holes in the back of her armor. I’m not one to trust a coward,” said Splicer, putting her hands on her hips.

  Ryan leaned back to see multiple blast holes in the back of Saasha’s armor and scarred skin.

  “Far from the truth. I was lending aid to—”

  “To me,” said Gunny. “I took a hit and went down. I looked up to see you working on my wound when a Woland gunship flew over, and you laid over me. Most appreciative for that, ma’am.”

  “Gunny, what the hell is going on? My leg?” said Rainmaker, looking down.

  The sergeant paced a bit, stopped, and held his cigar to his forehead as he pondered. He looked at the floor and then back at everyone.

  “It’s hard for me to believe this crap, but it’s the hand we’ve been dealt. We’ve all been injured bad and put in the damn trauma pods you see around us. Unfortunately, that was many centuries ago. From what I’m told, no one really won. Both our side and the Woland perished. We’re all that remains.”

  “Well, that sucks,” said Splicer. “At least we’re alive. I guess.” Splicer touched the dent on the side of her head where part of her skull was missing.

  “Yeah, about that,” said Gunny. “We were in the damn pods too long. Unless we go back in ‘em, we’ll be dead by mornin’.”

  Everyone jumped as Rainmaker spun and threw a punch at the metal wall, leaving a dent in it, and Ryan could see tears well up in Splicer’s eyes.

  “Who let us out?” yelled Splicer, drawing a blade. “Was it you?” She took a step toward Ryan but stopped when Saasha moved in with her knife drawn.

  “Calm down!” yelled Gunny. “Mr. Hunt here let me out first, and I ordered the brain in the box over in the corner to revive everyone else, but here’s your chance for some revenge. Mr. Hunt, please inform every one of the current situation.”

  Ryan nodded and stepped forward. “I’m truly sorry for pulling you into my mess, but I have no other options. A friend of mine and about half of the town we’re in have been forcefully taken and are being held in the remnants of the Crystal City not far from here. I plan on going to get them but will fail without any assistance.”

  Splicer put her knife away and started laughing. “And I’m supposed to buy your story. How do I know you’re not with them?”

  “He checks out, Splicer,” said Gunny. “He recognized our America Division insignia and could recite the pledge and other things about the homeland on Earth. Also, the brain in the box backs up his story, and we all know the brains don’t lie.”

  “What makes you think we would help you?” asked Rainmaker.

  “I’m not sure you would, but if I had a choice, I would rather my life end on my own terms than to slowly die in a box, never to have said a silent goodbye to anyone.”

  “I will assist you,” said Saasha. “Your eyes don’t lie, and the cause is just.”

  Splicer and Rainmaker stared at the woman.

  “Mr. Hunt left out one important point. The unknown enemy has Woland working for them,” said Gunny, putting the cigar back in his mouth.

  Rainmaker smiled. “The guy should’ve started with that. I’m in.”

  Splicer looked around the room. “My family is long gone by now, and one last chance to get revenge and screw with the Woland…I’m in.”

  “Thank you,” said Ryan. “I’m no soldier and will never understand the connection you have with each other, but it will be an honor to fight alongside you. Now we need a plan to get over there without being seen.”

  Splicer leaned on a trauma pod next to her. “The tunnels. We can use those.”

  Gunny shook his head. “Yeah, that should work. The Woland never found ‘em, and I’m sure they still haven’t.”

  “What tunnels?” asked Ryan.

  “The inhabitants of the city, the shiny people, had underground transportation tunnels they were building out of the same material the city is made of,” said Splicer. “You can’t scan through the stuff. That is why the Woland started mass bombing the city. The shiny people were neutral up until then. We defended them and made a last stand in their city. We used the tunnel to ferry people and supplies. I recall one that goes directly to a ridiculously large receiving bay, or that’s what they called it.”

  “All right, we have a way in. Now we only need some weapons,” said Ryan.

  Rainmaker forced his way past Splicer to a wall behind Ryan. He pulled a plate off the wall and pulled down a lever. The wall popped with a whoosh as the seal was broken. Rainmaker looked back at Gunny, smiled, and grunted as he used both hands to slide the wall open.

  Ryan moved forward to see some pistols hanging on the wall. “You hide weapons in a medical lab?”

  Gunny moved forward and took a weapon off the wall. “You never know when you may have to kill something.”

  “Works for me, but las-pistols probably won’t work due to energy devices being drained. Then again, this area was shielded, so they may work,” said Ryan.

  “Won’t matter,” said Splicer. “These are XP-pistols that fire high-impact explosive rounds. Small, fast, and deadly.”

  “Looks like we only have four,” said Rainmaker.

  “No worries. I have my own,” said Saasha, drawing her ornate XP-pistol.”

  Gunny looked around the room. “Mr. Hunt, you have an army.”

  

  Ryan observed the soldiers as he fiddled with the XP-pistol, which was a little bulkier than the las-pistol he usually carried. Splicer was with her team, drawing a map of the tunnels in the dust on one of the trauma pods while Saasha was in meditation down the hall in the altar room. She was ecstatic when she found an Order of Eir symbol hanging on the wall and took it as a sign from her god.

  “Mr. Hunt, come over here. I want to show you the map in case something happens to me,” said Splicer, waving him over.

  Ryan joined the three soldiers and Lars, who had ditched the legs and now hovered nearby. Lars had been quiet since there was now a chain of command he recognized.

  “OK, I recall the coordinates of the opening from having made a lot of supply runs,” said Splicer. “I’m sure the terrain has changed over the years, so we’ll rely on the brain in the box to—”

  “His name is Lars,” said Ryan.

  All three of the soldiers looked up at Ryan.

  Gunny snickered. “Very well.”

  Splicer looked at the hovering brain. “As I was saying, we will rely on Lars to lead us to the tunnel. Once there, we make a hasty march to the receiving bay and then to the center of the city. Other than that, we will adapt as we go.”

  “You three are the experts, and I trust you. It will—”

  “Ryan, what have you done?”

  Everyone turned to see Syl standing in the doorway.

  Ryan approached her. “Syl, I told you to stay in the meeting hall.”

  “No! You cannot be allowed to interfere in their punishment!”

  Ryan’s face contorted. “Huh?”

  Syl lifted her hand and held out a bunch of small green and red test tubes linked with small hoses.

  All the soldiers jumped back.

  “Those are chemical explosives!” yelled Splicer.

  Ryan put his hands out. “Syl, what are you doing? Let’s just put that dow—”

  “Oh, the wonderful townspeople. They drove out my husband and killed my daughter. They didn’t have crystals. My husband was tired of being stepped on because of it, so he left with the others and took my daughter, and now they are all dead.”

  “I’m sorry for your loss, but you can’t let everyone die…I can’t leave Kat,” said Ryan.

  “Why not? A vassal of a God visited me in the forest after hearing my prayers. All I had to do was make sure everyone continued to drink the holy juice from the fruits the spirit guardians are made from, and the wicked would be pun
ished. They will all pay with their souls, and if Dr. Kat is deemed righteous, then she may survive, but you will not—”

  Syl fell forward, and Ryan reached out and caught the explosive device. Splicer rushed over and yanked on some components to remove the tubular connections to each vile. Ryan looked up to see Saasha standing over the knocked out Syl with her pistol out.

  “I did not see that coming,” said Lars.

  “Neither did I,” said Ryan, who then looked at Saasha. “Thank you.”

  “It is what I do,” said Saasha.

  “Now that we’re all warmed up, we need to get moving,” said Gunny.

  “I agree. Secure her and let’s go,” said Ryan.

  

  Lars pinpointed the location deep in the forest near the outskirts of the farming area. As predicted, the only thing that looked the same to the four newly revived individuals was the outline of the Crystal City in the distance.

  Splicer moved around the area with her foot and started clearing away dirt. About a foot down, she hit a crystal block.

  “Yup, this is it, boys and girls,” said Splicer. “It would appear that time has taken back the entrance.”

  “We don’t have time to excavate the area,” said Ryan.

  “Sir,” said Lars. “Two reinforcements will arrive shortly that can assist.”

  “Who?” said Ryan, but before he could get a response, the sound of engines was heard above.

  Two black circular shapes hovered above the treeline before landing in a clearing behind them. A small dome with a red light appeared on top of each one before eight giant legs sprouted from each side.

  Everyone but Ryan brought their weapons to bear on the spider AIs from the OTKE base.

  “Relax, they’re on our side,” said Ryan.

  “Damn, son, wish we had this tech back in the day,” said Gunny.

  Lars hovered by the spider AIs, and some unknown conversation in a digitized language went back and forth between them. After a few seconds, Lars returned. “I recommend everyone move back near me.”

  Everyone did as asked, and the spider AIs moved forward. A red beam emanated from the dome and disintegrated the ground to leave a crystal square large enough for a hover tank to fit through. The spider AIs pounced on the crystal blocks with their two front legs, and a cracking sound was heard after the third hit. The spider AIs backed up and fired on the crystal block, and it shattered to reveal a ramp going downward.

  Splicer ran down with pistol in hand. “All clear, and the crystal walls are still emanating light.”

  “Let’s move,” said Gunny, leading the way.

  Ryan turned to Lars. “I want to be as stealthy as possible. Tell the spider AIs to head back to the town and guard it. Then follow us down. I want you to map the tunnels if you can. Once we find everyone, we will need your help with the evacuation.”

  “Yes, sir,” Lars said with a salute.

  Ryan nodded and headed down after the team.

  

  The tunnel was large enough to fit two hover tanks side by side with ease, and the pinkish crystal walls produced light from some unknown source. Ryan had expected a musty odor, but there was none, and the crystal floors were not slippery as they appeared to be. He touched a wall and it was cool and smooth as glass.

  They moved deeper into the tunnel, passing some sort of machine flipped on its side and the remnants of military equipment and mummified remains scattered all around.

  Splicer walked over to one of the bodies and bent down to examine it. She pulled up a small piece of crystallized bone with a metal tag attached to it, read the name, and put her head down.

  “What’s wrong?” asked Ryan.

  “We all have internal tags that can be scanned to identify remains. This was Private Lewis. He was a friend of mine,” said Splicer.

  “Good guy,” said Rainmaker.

  “Enough of the sentiments. We’re on borrowed time,” said Gunny.

  Splicer placed the bone down and walked up to Ryan. “Promise me you will come back and bury him properly. I won’t have the chance to.”

  “I promise,” said Ryan.

  Splicer smiled and patted him on the arm before walking away.

  The team moved into a slight jog, which is all Rainmaker could do with his injured leg, and Lars followed a short distance back. The group stopped when they came to where the tunnel split left and right. A pile of equipment storage containers was stacked nearby, along with others thrown to the side and empty.

  “Splicer, which way?” asked Gunny.

  “Right. The left one curves back and takes you further out to the first battlefield in the swampy area.”

  “Sir, I am detecting movement from the left tunnel, and scanning is getting difficult the further we enter,” said Lars.

  “Thanks for the heads-up. Go back to the entrance and wait for us there. When you detect us with the townspeople, come back down and assist,” said Ryan.

  “Very well, sir,” replied Lars, turning and hovering back to the entrance.

  “We should check on the lifeforms down the left tunnel,” said Saasha. “Perhaps they are the people we are looking for.”

  Gunny pointed to the left tunnel. “Rainmaker, scout down the left side. Splicer and Mr. Hunt, check the containers. Me and Saasha will continue forward and make sure the other way is clear. Let’s make this quick, people.”

  Everyone nodded and took off on their assigned tasks.

  Ryan assisted Splicer with opening the containers. They were piled all over the place, and they would not have time to go through them all. The seals on the first two they opened had failed with age and were tossed aside. The third and fourth ones made Splicer smile.

  “Find something?” asked Ryan.

  Splicer pulled out a bag, placed it next to her, and then picked up a few small cylinders. “Three explosives satchels and some hellfire grenades. They’ll melt anything the hellfire gets on.”

  “OK, then. Sounds—”

  “Incoming!” yelled Rainmaker.

  Ryan and Splicer spun, picked up their pistols, and moved toward the left tunnel. They stopped as Rainmaker came limping at them.

  “Mutants of some type. A large crowd of them coming this way. I’ll keep them busy while you two catch up to the others.”

  “We can’t leave you,” said Ryan.

  “With this leg, I won’t keep up. Get moving!”

  Ryan knew there would be no arguing with him and handed Rainmaker his pistol. Splicer saw that same look, placed the hellfire grenades on a container nearby, and hugged Rainmaker.

  “I knew you always had a soft side, Splicer. Now both of you get out of here.”

  Ryan and Splicer gave him a nod and took off running down the other tunnel.

  

  Rainmaker quickly made a makeshift defensive position with the cargo containers.

  The clicking and ruffling sound grew louder as the group of mutant humanoids moved closer. Beads of sweat started forming on Rainmaker’s brow, and the creatures came into view.

  They must have been humanoids at one point but were now hideously disfigured individuals that looked like someone took multiple people and merged or fused them together. Only a few were carrying Woland needle guns, but there were so many it would only be a matter of time until he was swarmed.

  High-velocity needles started hitting and embedding themselves into the defensive position. Rainmaker opened fire on the ones able to carry weapons. The high-velocity explosive rounds jettisoned from the barrel at their targets. Each time one hit, a small explosion blew flesh and bone everywhere. He maintained fire on the ones that were shooting. Once his pistol was empty, he dropped it and fired the one Ryan had given him.

  Not concerned about the death occurring around them, the inhuman creatures kept coming, and the bodies pil
ed up.

  Rainmaker hobbled back from his defenses while continuing to fire, but there were too many of them, and his defensive position was overrun. He moved toward the right tunnel to block the creatures from heading after his teammates. The plan was working until the pistol ran out of ammo.

  Rainmaker tossed the pistol at the swarming group. “Damn!”

  To get a better angle on the attackers, he moved toward the entrance tunnel, pulled out one of the cylinder-shaped hellfire grenades, and tossed it. The grenade ignited with a loud whoosh. The mutant bodies were instantly engulfed in flame as the grenade’s substance stuck to their flesh and ate away everything it flowed over.

  He noticed more of the creatures making a move to the right tunnel where the team had gone. He ran the best he could, and with arms outstretched, he tackled four humanoids and slammed them against a wall. He snapped the neck on one as the others clawed at him. Grabbing another by the head as he went down, he repeatedly rammed its head into the hard ground as the other two ripped at his skin. Others moved in to join the fray and he crawled forward and grabbed a Woland needle rifle.

  Rolling onto his back, he fired the weapon at the creatures getting close to him. Bodies dropped from his relentless assault until the gun ran out of ammo. He used the wall to help himself up, pulled out the remaining hellfire grenades, and tossed them into the group.

  His eyes opened wide when he realized his mistake. He hadn’t looked before throwing. A pile of hellfire grenades spilled out from a crashed opened crate.

  With only one path clear, he hobbled as fast as he could down the tunnel the creatures had come from. The whoosh of flame and blast that followed sent him flying into the darkness as hellfire ate at his heels.

  

  Ryan and Splicer met up with the rest of the team and they all started sprinting down the tunnel. The faint sounds of gun fire and blasts echoed from behind them. Ryan noticed that the damage to the crystal walls increased as they moved deeper into the tunnel, and pieces of crystal were scattered on the floor.

  Gunny raised his fisted hand and the group stopped. They listened for any signs of Rainmaker or the group of creatures, but only the eerie silence hung around them. Gunny and splicer looked at each other, not knowing if the silence was Rainmaker having killed everything or if he was no longer with them. Splicer closed her eyes and took a breath.