‘Then we shall power forward together. Focus on those we need to protect.’ Aadi kept his eyes on the landing in front of them where Braden, Micah, Bounder, and Strider stood ready with Betafor and Andy.
Betafor looked to Braden, who nodded back. The Android opened the door. The lights inside were off and the darkness impenetrable for those first crucial moments.
With the sound of air rushing by, something flew out the door and hit Betafor in the chest, throwing him back. He skimmed past Strider, hit the rail, and went over before anyone could move to grab him. The Android didn’t make a sound as he plunged four hundred meters to the deck below.
Bounder was the first to react by sending a lightning bolt through the doorway. He held the lever on his spear for multiple heartbeats. Strider started to fire as soon as Bounder stopped.
Braden stepped back and fired his blaster into the opening. Micah didn’t have a clean shot. She vibrated with anticipation waiting for her turn.
“Cease fire,” Braden shouted. He signaled to Micah to follow him. Strider’s lightning crackled through the doorway then stopped. Braden jumped into the gap and dove to the deck, rolling to the side and coming up to one knee, ready to fire.
Micah mirrored his movement, ending up on the other side of the corridor.
A shadow detached itself from the other shadows. Braden fired at it. Micah fired at a different target. Bounder and Strider came through the doorway and started to fire over Braden and Micah’s heads.
“Cease fire!” Braden tried to listen but the sound of the lightning spears so close to his head kept him from hearing the subtle sounds of furtive movement.
When the dust and smoke cleared, the corridor remained dark, impenetrable. A barricade had been set up a short way down the corridor. Braden motioned to Micah. He fired a couple short bursts with his blaster and Micah scampered forward until she was behind cover.
She reached up and fired haphazardly over the top of the barrier. Braden threw himself down the corridor, landing heavily on the deck. He grunted before pushing himself into a crouch.
The air cleared once again and from the darkness, a dozen Android lasers lanced toward them. Bounder and Strider were peppered with beams. They dropped and crawled out the doorway.
Braden reached over the barricade, pulling the trigger and washing the corridor with the blaster’s flame.
‘We’re okay,’ Bounder said, pain in his thought voice.
Andy stepped inside and the door closed, cutting off Braden and Micah from the others. The corridor plunged into darkness.
“Andy, turn on the lights, please,” Braden said as calmly as he could manage. Braden heard a voice inside his head. He ducked. Andy’s laser cut a line across the side of his head. Braden unleashed the fury of his blaster at point-blank range. The smoking hulk of what used to be Andy toppled slowly against the wall, then fell to the deck.
“Good effort, human, but you must know that you can’t defeat us. We are everywhere,” a voice said from the darkness beyond the barricade.
“Nah,” Braden replied. “You’re only in here. Once we scrub this deck clean of you and your type, then you won’t be anywhere. You’ll be erased from history.”
Micah pointed to her eyes and shook her head. She couldn’t see the enemy. Braden was happy that the ‘cats hadn’t made it in before Andy was turned.
He couldn’t see his armor to know how many times he’d been hit in the brief times he’d been exposed to Android lasers.
“I think you have it backwards. It is humanity that will be erased from history.”
“I really hate Androids. Smug. Scumbags. You don’t sound like the typical machine. I guess that you’re the smart one. And you can reprogram the Androids that get close to you. But we aren’t them, and you don’t know how to deal with us. Maybe you should study us, but it’ll be too bad that you never get a chance.”
Braden reached over the barricade and fired. A cold hand reached from the other side and grabbed his wrist. Micah bounced to her feet and fired a narrow beam into the mechanical arm. She jumped forward and fired again, then dropped to the deck as Android lasers sliced the air where her head had just been.
Braden pulled his freed hand back to their side of the barricade. ‘Kind of in a tough spot here,’ he said over the mindlink. ‘Can you guys out there hear us?’
‘It’s hard not to,’ G-War replied. ‘The Androids out here are trying to force the door open.’
‘Don’t let them come in, no matter what. This Android can override Holly’s programming in an instant. We need hand grenades. We used them last time we were here. Why didn’t we bring them this time?’
‘There aren’t any hand grenades,’ G-War replied. Jocelyn swiped her bracelet across the pad.
The door slid open. Android lasers danced across the opening.
Braden and Micah fired over the barricade. They could see Androids hiding behind barricades as far as the eye could see. Braden dialed a narrow beam and braced his blaster. Micah washed the corridor with fire. Braden picked his targets and fired. One after another, the Androids stopped shooting.
Bounder appeared next to Braden, putting his spear on the barrier and firing a long stream of lightning down the corridor. The less stout obstructions liquefied and exploded, sending shrapnel farther into the enemy.
Strider joined her mate. A furry orange head appeared between Bounder and Braden. G-War stood on his back legs and stretched to see over the barrier.
“See anything, G, like how many of them are down there?”
‘There are a number of open doorways. I see five Androids, but suspect there are more.’
Braden popped up to take a look. “Cease fire,” he said softly. The Wolfoids complied. Braden vaulted over the barricade, bouncing off Aadi and dropping to the floor on the other side, where a one-armed Android grabbed for his blaster.
Jocelyn filled Braden’s spot on the open-door side of the barrier.
Micah followed Braden over. When she hit the other side, she jammed the barrel of her blaster against the Android’s head and touched the trigger. The struggle ended as quickly as it had started. Braden rolled to the side and assumed a firing position. The light coming from behind them was finally starting to help.
As targets highlighted themselves by moving into the open, Braden and Micah both fired. One by one, they went down. Aadi floated overhead, ready to act.
“Get down!” Braden yelled. G-War flashed past, hugging the wall as he ran ahead.
Braden scurried after him, watching over the barrel of his blaster as he moved. Micah ran to the next blockage.
The Wolfoids and Jocelyn bounded over the barricade in time to see Braden and Micah jockey around the defensive cover that the Androids had installed.
‘Keep going!’ Bounder encouraged. With his lightning spear held tightly, he ran after the others.
Pik Ha’ar shuffled to the barricade and slowly climbed over. Fea and Treetis jumped to the top, looked at him for a moment, then continued ahead. Skirill and Zyena watched from the railing on the catwalk. With the barricades, the corridor was far too narrow for them to fly down.
‘Keep your heads down,’ Skirill whispered over the mindlink, feeling more helpless than ever.
Run!
Braden fired left and right. Micah covered him firing right and left. The Androids fell before they could shoot back. G-War led the way into the darkness.
“Holly! Get the lights on,” Braden yelled.
Jocelyn heard his call. She crouched and accessed her neural implant, quickly bringing it up and contacting the AI. ‘We need the lights on in this corridor.’
‘Keep that door open and I’ll be able to bounce a signal through the Androids at the entrance,’ Holly started to explain. The governor didn’t know what he was talking about. She minimized the window and raised her blaster.
“Wait up, G! Where are you going?” Braden ran faster, eyes darting almost maniacally as he raced past both open and closed doors. Micah took
more care in her approach and fell behind. Fea and Treetis stayed close to her.
The Wolfoids moved from cover to cover, ready to fire, but with the humans and ‘cats in front of them, they were limited in what they could do. Pik caught up with Jocelyn and pushed her aside, standing in front of her with Aadi not far away.
“I need to go,” she told him.
‘You need to stay down,’ Pik replied. ‘This is not your fight. There are no targets for you.’
Pik blocked her, using his body to stay between her and any potential enemies while the others continued down the corridor.
“Why?” the governor asked.
‘Because I have no children, and you have to raise yours alone.’
Jocelyn wasn’t sure what to say. She wasn’t aware of what he knew about her. She was instantly ashamed. She hadn’t taken the time to find out anything about the Lizard Man.
Bounder fired through an open door, Lightning outlined the doorway in radiant reds and purples. He released the lever and moved to the next room. The door was closed and his band wouldn’t open it. Micah was getting farther away, and Braden was nowhere to be seen.
He growled and moved on, uncomfortable with leaving an unchecked room behind them. ‘Aadi, watch the closed doors. If they start to open, yell and get down,’ Bounder said.
‘I will watch them as if my life depends on it,’ Aadi answered darkly.
***
The sounds of the others behind him faded to near silence. Debris continued to fill the corridor, but it wasn’t arranged this far back. There were no Android bodies or scorch marks from fire. Braden carried blasters in both hands. G-War stood before a double-wide hatch, staring at the door. His hackles were up and his tail twitched.
‘What’s in there?’ Braden asked as he stepped soundlessly from clear spot to clear spot.
‘Something terrible,’ was all G would say.
Braden looked for Micah but couldn’t see her. ‘No time like the present,’ Braden said and waved his bracelet at the door. It slid open to reveal a medical bay beyond. Lights came on as Braden jumped through the door and dove to the side. G-War ran straight in, focusing on the clear tanks of liquid.
Braden searched with his eyes but saw no movement behind the tanks. G-War stood with his front paws on clear material. The liquid bubbled beyond. Braden stood, keeping his blasters out and looking into each nook and cranny as he moved.
“Clear,” he called in case Micah was close enough to hear. He holstered one blaster, but kept the other one out. He put his face against the tank and looked in. “What is that, G?”
‘A Hillcat.’
Braden shot upright. The blaster dangled from his fingers as the blood drained from his face and from his very soul. “Evil exists in this world of ours, G. What do we do?”
‘We wait for them to mature, then we welcome them to our pounce.’
“Did they get a sample from you the last time we were here?” Braden wondered aloud. “Because the ‘cats were engineered on Vii as a counter to the Bat-Ravens and their inability to clear out the rats.”
‘Are you sure it was me?’ G-War asked. ‘Neeson underwent a medical procedure up here that fixed him.’
“That wasn’t far from here.” Braden accessed his neural implant. ‘Holly, can you hear me?’
‘Yes, Master Braden,’ Holly replied.
‘The Androids are growing Hillcats.’
‘The Androids should not have had access to Hillcat DNA,’ Holly answered. ‘They must have gotten it from Neeson.’
‘You assured me that they would be safe,’ Braden retorted.
‘I was clearly mistaken. This infestation has created a blind spot for me. I can’t analyze what I cannot see. These Androids are under the control of an Artificial Intelligence. I can feel it.’
‘What can we do about it? This is creeping me out like the ancient Lizard Men, and what they were doing.’
‘You must find the AI that is controlling them and destroy it.’
‘I think it is one of them,’ Braden replied. He pulled his second blaster and headed for the corridor. When he turned, an array of Android lasers lashed throughout the corridor. He heard someone yell to get down, but the thought voices were muddled as the others raised the alarm as one.
Braden started to run. He found Micah huddled behind a blockage. When she saw him, she started to rise, her war face taking over. A group of Androids were running for the open door.
“Close the hatch!” Braden yelled.
Aadi delivered a thunderclap into the first Android. It exploded, sending pieces of metal and synthetic flesh splattering across the corridor. Pik lunged forward, driving his trident into the mid-section of the second mechanical creature. The Android ripped the trident from Pik’s hands and slugged the Lizard Man in the head on the way past.
The third Android tried to grab Aadi, who was swimming furiously to get out of the way, but he was too slow.
Jocelyn jumped onto the Android’s arm and pried its fingers from Aadi’s leg. She kicked herself and the Tortoid free. The Android ran for the door, blocking it with his body as the others accelerated through the opening and launched themselves over the railing.
Startled Hawkoids soared free and spiraled downward, watching the Androids fall. The mechanical creations spun to land flat on their backs.
***
Braden ducked as he passed open doorways. Micah was behind him and the Wolfoids were behind her. They stopped when they reached Pik. Braden bent down, but he wasn’t looking at the Lizard Man. He looked at the open door.
The Androids had escaped.
‘We see them,’ Skirill said. ‘They landed in the garden and are running toward the ramp.’
“Holly shut down access to the ramp. Shut it down now!”
‘They have entered the door and gone inside. We can no longer see them,’ Skirill reported.
“They escaped, Holly,” Braden said.
“They are able to override my commands, Master Braden. I am sorry. I cannot track them either as they jam the signals wherever they go,” Holly replied.
“Then track those blind spots. That’s as good as watching them, isn’t it?”
“I will remain vigilant for that which I cannot see.”
“Where nothing is something, Holly. We’ll hunt them down, and we’ll be better about it next time.” Braden examined the knot on Pik’s head. The Lizard Man was unconscious, but alive.
“How is everyone?” Braden asked, looking at the scrapes on Jocelyn’s face and arms.
Aadi swam close. ‘Jocelyn saved me,’ he said matter-of-factly.
“Thank you,” Braden said as he waved at her to grab Pik’s other arm. Together they stood him up.
The Wolfoids’ armor was crisscrossed with laser burns. Some of the beams had seared their flesh. Micah carried the same burns across her armor and had the same marks on her arms. They’d been in the middle of the conflagration that the Androids had used to divert attention from their escape.
Braden’s lip curled. It had worked and now the chase was on.
“I have regained control of this section, Master Braden.”
“Then bring the elevator to us. We have some Androids to run down.” Braden pushed Pik toward Jocelyn. “Hey you, Android. Go with her and protect them with your life. They are going back to the matter transfer chamber.”
“I will not!” Jocelyn declared. “I’ll watch him, but I’m not going back until you do.”
Braden’s mouth worked but no words came out. Micah raised an eyebrow at him, waiting patiently while he tried to extricate himself. Jocelyn stared him down, using her best governor’s look.
“Fine,” he conceded. “There’s something you all need to see. Skirill and Zyena, can you join us please?”
Before Braden finished, the Hawkoids landed on the railing. He went to the catwalk, studiously avoided looking down, and hoisted both Hawkoids onto his shoulders. He headed down the corridor, carefully climbing over the first barricade
to avoid dropping the birds. The others fell in behind him.
“Where are the ‘cats?’ Jocelyn asked. Micah pointed forward with a tip of her chin. The group walked without talking. When they reached the medical laboratory, Braden raised his hand to stop them.
“Brace yourselves. What you see won’t be as alarming as the implications. The renegade Androids were growing Hillcats. I realized they have my DNA, too, and Pik’s. What else are we going to find?”
Braden stepped aside and let the others in. They wandered around the room, examining each of the tanks.
“They all look like Hillcats to me,” Micah proclaimed.
“Holly, can you see this? How long until the Hillcats are ready to come out of the tanks?”
“Within a day. The cloning process does not take long, and this operation looks mature.”
“Could you please stay here and wait for the Hillcats to come out of the tank? They will need to find a friendly face to wake up to. If they are programmed for violence, then kill them.”
‘I will talk with them first,’ Treetis stated.
‘And I will hunt down the monsters who did this.’
“I think this is how all genetically engineered creatures started their existence, but these are Androids who want us dead. There’s no way they had the best of intentions. This is a ploy to get inside, to infiltrate us, and then tear us apart. They want the Age of Androids to signal the end of the Age of Humanity.”
The others looked at Braden. “Then what are we doing here when we need to be out there, stopping them?” Micah said, pointing to the door.
“Holly, tell us where they are.” Braden led the way to the elevator. Pik, Jocelyn, and Treetis remained behind. The doors opened and the nine squeezed in, completely filling the available space.
“Going up, Master President,” Holly said. “They are on Oceanus, the salt-water level. You can access it from this end.”
“And then what? They don’t need to breathe, so they’re underwater, aren’t they?” Braden asked.
“Yes, Master Braden.”
When the elevator stopped and the door opened, the group fell into the corridor.
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