by William Wood
“We’ll wait for you on the ship,” Wexton said. “Don’t be too long.” Suddenly a dark shadow spread across the ground. Everyone looked up in time to see a large space ship approaching. Several smaller ships shot by with a deafening roar and disappeared.
It was a feeling he knew all too well, and seemed to get worse each time he felt it. Complete horror filled him. They had been discovered! Several small black objects fell from the ship and hit the ground. First came the flash, and then a wave of energy spread out. Calvin instinctively dropped to the ground and covered his head with his arms. As soon as the energy wave hit the others, their cloaks failed and they were totally visible. A brighter flash caught Calvin’s attention; Azure Frost was visible sitting on the landing platform!
Wexton, Dev and Nils scrambled to the nearest foundation and flattened themselves on the ground. Calvin ran back towards the entrance to the lab at full speed. Several explosions shook the ground. The explosions were loud, and very close. The blasts reverberated through his body, causing a wave of nausea with each concussion. Laser fire burned the air, casting the ruins in an eerie light.
Calvin ran for a rock wall and threw himself on the ground behind it. Instinctively he covered his head with his arms as several massive explosions shook the ground and clouds of debris flew over him.
Between blasts, he crept up on his knees and cautiously gazed through a hole. Off in the distance, he saw Dev, Wexton and Nils running across the open ground towards the landing platform. A dozen large Goremog robots were chasing them, laser fire crisscrossed back and forth. Several small ships zoomed overhead, taking pot shots at the three retreating humans. There was so much noise in the air from explosions and laser fire that Calvin barely noticed the screaming that filled his ears. Wexton was issuing commands,
“Now!” Wexton shouted. Suddenly the three stopped, turned and attacked the robots head on. Calvin’s heart beat faster, and he found it hard to breathe. What were they doing? They all opened fire. Two robots took direct hits and exploded. Wexton shot at a third and jumped to the left to avoid fire from the advancing robots. Nils dropped to his knees to avoid fire as well. But Dev charged at the enemy directly, firing as he ran. His shields lit up as he took several direct hits.
In the middle of the mess playing out in front of Calvin, the landing platform began to descend into the ground. Dev took more hits until his shield finally blinked out. One of the laser shots hit him in the leg and another in the chest and he went down. Wexton threw a small object at the robots which exploded with a bright flash, knocking back three of the robots.
“Calvin, what’s going on?” He heard Astra shouting over the comm. “What’s happening up there? Are we under attack?”
Calvin wanted desperately to help the men, but he was afraid to leave Astra. Nils and Wexton grabbed Dev and lifted him to his feet and dragged him back to the landing platform, Dev didn’t look like he was moving his arms or his legs. They got to the stairs and struggled to climb up while supporting Dev. The enemy robots were still advancing on them, firing their lasers. The three men reached the top of the platform, just as the entire structure disappeared under ground and was out of sight. A large metal door slid across the ground and sealed the landing platform, with Azure Frost and everyone else trapped underground.
Calvin couldn’t believe what he was seeing. He turned, and ran back to the stairs, but before he could run down, Astra had reached the top.
“What’s happening?” She asked.
“The Frost is gone,” Calvin said, still in shock. “I just watched the landing platform descend into the ground!”
“What?” If things couldn’t have been worse, their cloaking generators began to flicker, then they went out.
“Calvin, I can see you!” Astra shouted; her eyes wide with terror. Two small fighters turned and pointed themselves directly at Calvin and Astra. The massive ship floating overhead opened fire, but now that it could see them, knew exactly where to shoot. Calvin grabbed Astra by the hand, and they both ran for the shelter of the lab building entrance. Before reaching the building, two additional Goremog ships arrived; blacking out the sky over them. All three began a horrific barrage of laser fire. Calvin and Astra ran down the stairs as fast as they could, taking no care for their safety or worrying about falling down the stairs. The spaceships overhead began blowing everything to pieces. What happened next was pure chaos. The world around them began to explode, the walls, the stairs, everything. Calvin was as certain as he’d ever been that there was no way they were going to survive it. Flashes of light, massive explosions, their bodies were soaked with the sheer power of the blasts. Suddenly the air turned to bright white, so bright he lost all sight; he could see and hear nothing. The white light turned to pitch blackness, and Calvin felt his consciousness slip away. His last thought was, “It’s over. I failed. I’m sorry Astra.”
CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR:
BURIED ALIVE
Calvin stood looking over a sea of glass. The sky was deep blue, and the glass sea reflected the sky so perfectly it took his breath away. He felt an incredible sense of peace wash over him. He didn’t know where he was, but he felt like this was where he belonged. He turned around and saw a city that rose out of the sea. The city was very large, and had tall crystal towers that reached up into the sky and sparkled in the sun. It was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.
“Welcome home, my son,” A deep, gentle voice said. Calvin realized he was not alone. He turned around, and saw a kindly old man walking towards him. He had a silver crown inlaid with whole diamonds on his head and was dressed in a purple robe. He put his hand on Calvin’s shoulder.
“I am very much looking forward to the day you journey to my kingdom, and I can meet you in person. But that time has not yet come. You have too many things to do.”
Calvin tried to speak, but was unable to. The king looked at him with eyes that contained all the wisdom of the universe, and Calvin knew that ultimately, he needed to travel to that kingdom and meet the king. The king smiled, and nodded, then disappeared.
The world reformed around Calvin, and he found himself lying on the ground, immersed in total darkness. It was quiet except for the sound of distant rumblings in the ground. He felt very strange; dizzy and weak. Why was it so dark? His helmet should have compensated and given him clear vision. He waited a second, hoping his eyes would adjust. When they didn’t, he reached out with his hand and felt around. The floor was dirt, and he felt a structure behind him. Was that a wall? No, it was stairs. Then he remembered he and Astra were running down the stairs. There were explosions, and he fell. The next thing he knew he was on his back at the bottom of the stairs. His first thought was, ‘Where was Astra?’
Calvin sat up, and could feel dirt and debris fall off him. After a second, he could tell that his eyes were adjusting to the darkness a little. Instead of sitting in total darkness, he was in a deep gloom. The stairs were in ruins; a pile of shredded metal and concrete directly above them that looked like they could disintegrate and collapse any second. The way to the surface was completely blocked off. He felt around again. He felt vibrations in the ground; some soft and some were more distinct. He knew it could only be one thing; the Goremog were still bombarding the ruins. Did that mean they weren’t sure where he and Astra were?
Where was she? He began to panic. After a brief search he found Astra. She was lying face down three feet away. He felt that familiar pang of horror again. He hurriedly knelt down next to her and gently rolled her over.
“Astra, are you all right, can you hear me?” His voice sounded strange; metallic and confined. He brushed the dirt off of her face shield, and then pulled back the clear protective cover. He held his hand over her nose and mouth to feel for her breath. When he was satisfied that she was breathing, he sat next to her for a minute to recover all his senses. He was relieved beyond words when she opened her eyes.
“Calvin,” she said.
“I’m right here,” Calvin said, reali
zing she was still disoriented. “Wharat sieczet?” She said quietly. Assuming she asked ‘what
happened,’ Calvin answered,
“The Goremog found us. The last thing I saw was the Frost, on
the landing platform, going down underground and sealed by a giant
metal door. Dev, Wexton and Nils were in a firefight with a group of
Goremog robots. Dev took a direct hit.” He let that sink in. “They have
the Frost, our friends and all the pieces of the weapon, but they don’t
have us. We have to find a way out of here.”
He turned and looked at her. She was sitting up and looking at
him with a quizzical look on her face. “I’m sure everything will be all
right. We can use the cloaking generators, sneak in and get the Frost,
then fly away. Easy. Sorry, I know you’re tired of me saying that.” Then the strangest thing happened; Astra began talking, but
Calvin couldn’t understand a word she was saying. When she stopped
talking, she looked at him. He must have had the same strange look on
his face. What did she just say?
“I can’t understand you,” Calvin said.
“Vitaress?” She said. “Vrect si nara?”
“I have no idea what you are saying,” Calvin said, trying to
guess what she was asking. Astra lowered her eyes and took a deep
breath. Then sadly, she said something and pointed to her throat. Calvin
knew exactly what she was trying to say. For some reason, one or both of
their translators had been disabled. They couldn’t understand each other. Astra said something, and then paused. She rested her head on
Calvin’s shoulder. They sat in silence for several minutes. The room was
disturbingly quiet, and the distant rumbles had faded away.
Astra sat up slowly, and said something. She struggled to stand,
so Calvin helped her. She took off her helmet, dropped it on the floor and
rubbed her head, muttering incoherently. Then she took Calvin’s hand
and led him back into the lab. Once inside, she closed the door.
Gratefully, the lab was undamaged. Calvin felt a wave of dizziness
swarm over him. The air felt thin, and he gasped for air inside his helmet.
He didn’t normally feel claustrophobic, but the thought of being trapped
underground with no fresh air made him feel that way, like the millions
of tons of dirt and concrete would come crashing down on them any
second.
The lab was dark, but when they crossed the threshold into the
lab, Calvin observed a dark red glowing light that filled the large room.
At first he thought it was his imagination, and then panicked, thinking he
was about to pass out. Then he saw red lights on the far end of the room;
emergency lights. Calvin took his helmet off and set it down on a desk,
and hurried through the shadows to catch up to Astra. She stood looking
out the windows. It was dark, and hard to see, but when he stared, Calvin
could see dark red emergency lights on the streets of the city below.
They cast haunting reflections on the lake and gave the waterfall an eerie
glow.
OK, now what? Calvin wondered. Before he had a chance to say
it out loud, there was a deafening snap. The whole room jolted violently, nearly knocking Calvin and Astra off their feet. A dust cloud billowed into the air. Calvin wheeled around; just in time to see the mass of debris smash through the balcony and spill down onto the main lab. A large metal beam crashed through the roof and sliced its way through the floor.
Large cracks spread out like a spider web.
Astra grabbed Calvin’s hand and pulled him towards the back
door. They ran down a long, straight staircase, lit only by the waning
glow of emergency lights. After a few seconds, Astra released his hand.
Calvin followed, going way too fast. Twice his feet slipped but he
managed not to fall down. Loud noises continued above them. Rocks, metal, big pieces of shredded magna-crete and debris
were now raining down around them. It was a long way down. It felt like
endless stairs though the dark gloom. Calvin didn’t look back until they
reached a platform near the bottom.
At the same time, Calvin and Astra spun around to see what was
happening up above them.
It was too dark to see exactly, but judging by the sounds, the
world above was caving in on them. It seemed like they were out of the
way of the falling debris, at least for now. It wasn’t as quiet. The sound
of flowing water was louder now. It would have been a peaceful, calming
sound under other circumstances.
There was definitely no going back the way they came in. The
only way forward was a bridge that led over the water and into the city.
Astra sighed, and then coughed.
Calvin pointed towards the city, but didn’t say a word. Astra
nodded and followed him. Calvin pulled one of his pistols out and
gripped it tightly. He wondered if it would fire, or had it been disabled
like everything else after the EMP. He hoped he wouldn’t have to find
out but it felt good holding it, ready just in case.
The sound of rushing water was loud enough to mask their
footfalls across the bridge. The red emergency lights seemed to be
holding their power. That was good, because if they went out, there
would be no possible way for them to find their way out in the dark. On the other side of the bridge they followed a small road. It
reminded him of walking through the abandoned city on Aleria’s Hope.
Much of the architecture was similar. Small, low level buildings lined
both sides of the streets. A glance in the many windows revealed
bedrooms, kitchens and living-rooms.
Astra reached out to Calvin, and he took her hand. They walked
briskly, passing empty dark buildings. Loud noises of all kinds came
from above. The loud booms weren’t too scary for him, but the
crumbling sounds were the worst. He swore he heard the sounds of
concrete being ripped in half. He was sure that the cracks above were
spreading, and the ceiling above was on the verge of caving in on them.
That was the main reason he didn’t want to stop and rest, even though he
was tired. The sooner they got back to the surface the better. At the end of the city, they found an elevator. Not surprising, but
disappointing to Calvin, it had no power. Not far from there they found a
staircase. As they began to climb the stairs, a very loud crash shocked his
heart into overdrive. Calvin instinctively ducked down.
Astra shouted something at him and pulled his hand as she ran
up the stairs, dragging him along. Calvin got his bearings and first
stumbled, then ran after her.
The first five minutes went well, but soon Calvin felt the weight
of every piece of equipment he was wearing. After ten minutes they were
still running up the stairs, but were moving noticeably slower. When they reached another square platform, Astra stopped and
sat down on a stair.
Calvin sat down next to her, they both gasped for air. It felt good
to sit down. He still felt dizzy, and breathing was becoming difficult. His
mind couldn’t fully grasp what was going on, or how they were going to
get out of the mess they were in.
“How did this happen?” Calvin asked aloud, knowing she
couldn’t understand him
. Astra took a scanner out of her pocket. She
pressed the power button, but nothing happened. She checked several
portable devices that were in her pockets; shield generator, cloak
generator; nothing worked. She said something with a hint of sadness. “They must have hit us with an EMP or something,” Calvin said.
“Or our equipment was damaged in the fall. I assume we fell down the
stairs, that’s why my body hurts so much.” Then he looked around.
“However, if we were hit by an EMP, why do the emergency lights work
in here?” As he thought more about it, he followed his thoughts to the
next conclusion. “If the emergency lights work, what else works in here?
Do you think we might find anything useful in the city that might help us? I guess I should have thought of that when we were down there. Oh
well. It would be great if you could understand me.”
Calvin sat back and closed his eyes. The dizziness felt worse
when he did that, but he was just so tired he couldn’t help himself. He let
the drowsiness take him.
Suddenly, a massive blast jolted him awake. The ground shook
violently. Astra shouted something and ran to the edge of the platform.
Calvin wanted to yell at her to stop, stay away from the edge, but a larger
blast rocked the platform and he had to focus his energy on holding onto
a railing and wondering if he should turn and run up the stairs. The Goremog were bombing the city again. The shaking grew
exponentially worse. The sound of rocks falling came from all directions
and the emergency lights went out.
Then one of the most remarkable things happened; sounds of a
great breaking away of a huge object. A rush of wind blew past them,
even though Calvin couldn’t see it he could feel its immense size. That
was followed by a crash and explosion so big he was thrown to the floor.
Astra screamed, the platform shook violently. Calvin held on to the open