by Mark Walden
‘Where on earth is everyone going?’ Anne asked, staring up at the helicopter and the departing Mothership. ‘Where are the others?’
‘Jack and Jay are out on patrol,’ Liz replied. ‘I have no idea where Sam and Rachel are.’
‘Oh God,’ Nat said quietly, ‘they went to the Mothership with Stirling and that guy Mason.’
‘You know that bad feeling of yours?’ Will said to Adam, looking apprehensive. ‘I’m starting to think it might just have been spot on.’
‘Come on,’ Nat snapped, running towards the armoury.
The others followed, jogging across the compound towards the heavy steel doors. Suddenly the Grendel that patrolled the compound blocked their path and roared. They froze as the giant creature gave another bellow and strode across the compound towards them, its long blade-tipped tail whipping from side to side as it flexed its knife-like claws. Its eyes glowed an unfamiliar shade of bright blue.
‘RUN!’ Anne screamed. Shaken from their terrified daze, they turned and sprinted away from the charging creature. Nat’s first instinct was to run towards the nearest available building, but she knew that the flimsy prefabricated walls would provide little protection. She looked to her left and felt a sudden moment of hope as she spotted the looming shadow of the weird twisted building that housed the inactive Voidborn drilling platform.
‘The Voidborn construct!’ Nat yelled. They sprinted towards the darkened structure, looking for an opening that would lead them deeper inside, somewhere beyond the reach of the Grendel. The main entrance was sealed shut and without the Servant it would be impossible to open. Their only hope was the fact that the Voidborn had not had time to complete the building.
‘Up there!’ Anne yelled, pointing at a narrow gap in one of the incomplete walls. The four of them scrambled up the sloping matt-black slabs of the construct’s surface, their boots fighting for purchase. Nat was the first to reach the opening, pulling herself up and over the edge with a grunt, Liz right behind her. She spun round and looked back down the wall just in time to see the Grendel reach the bottom, only a dozen metres below Adam. The massive creature slammed its claws into the blackened surface, slowly dragging itself upwards, making up for its lack of agility with sheer brute strength.
‘Adam, move!’ Nat yelled when she saw the creature reach up towards him, missing his feet by just a metre or two. Anne and Will hauled themselves over the edge of the opening as Adam scrambled up the last few metres. He pulled himself over the edge and glanced back down at the Grendel, which was still making relentless, crunching progress up the wall.
‘Go!’ Adam yelled. ‘Get further inside! It’s right beh—’
The tip of the Grendel’s tail speared into Adam’s back and emerged from his chest, glistening with blood. Adam made a single startled gurgling sound, his eyes wide with shock, and then the Grendel’s tail flicked backwards, tossing his body away through the air like a rag doll, disappearing into the darkness.
‘ADAM!’ Nat screamed. She took a step forward to go after him, despite every rational instinct telling her there was nothing she could do. He was gone. A moment later one of the Grendel’s massive claws slammed down on the edge of the opening in a cloud of black dust. Nat staggered back towards the others who were pressed against the firmly sealed door at the far end of the narrow corridor.
There was nowhere to run.
The Grendel could not fit into the narrow gap, its outstretched claws snapping closed a few metres short of the group of panting, terrified children. It slammed into the structure, clawing at its outer surface, but the Voidborn materials were too strong. It could not batter its way in after them. A hideous black tentacle came squirming out of an opening in its wrist and slid blindly across the floor towards them. They all retreated as far back into the opening as they could, their backs pressing against the door. They watched in horror as it slid closer and closer, its sharpened tip weaving through the air just a metre from their terrified faces.
Suddenly the tentacle froze and then withdrew, and they heard the Grendel stomp away across the compound. In the distance, Nat could hear the unmistakeable sound of a helicopter, getting louder all the time.
The Chinook raced low over the rooftops of London, heading for the resistance compound.
‘We can’t stay on the ground for long,’ Shaw said, sitting at the controls, ‘if we’re going to have any chance of catching that thing.’
Ahead of them the Mothership was now climbing away from central London.
‘We need to check the others are OK,’ Jay said. ‘The compound was filled with Mason’s men.’
‘If that’s still the case, landing may not be the best idea,’ Shaw said, glancing at Jay.
‘I know,’ Jay said, feeling suddenly apprehensive about what they might find. ‘Let’s just go take a quick look-see.’
He headed back into the passenger command, where Mag was sitting on one of the long benches that ran along the bulkheads.
‘Just wanted to say thanks,’ Jay said.
‘For what?’ Mag asked.
‘For stopping those things from getting loose in London,’ Jay said.
‘Your friend over there did as much as me,’ Mag said, glancing over at Jack, who was standing by the open hatch at the rear, watching the streets racing past beneath them. ‘Wasn’t like I had much choice. I just happened to be there when the Vore were released.’
‘Maybe, but Sam told me what you did in Edinburgh,’ Jay said. ‘I know someone with guts when I see them.’
‘Thanks,’ Mag said with a crooked smile. ‘Though you might have actually got to see those guts first hand if you hadn’t shown up when you did.’
‘Nice mental image,’ Jay said, shaking his head slightly, ‘thanks for that.’
‘We’re coming up on St James’s Park,’ Shaw shouted from the cockpit. ‘I’m taking us down.’
The helicopter dropped towards the abandoned compound. There was no trace of the other helicopter or the troops who’d arrived on it or, more worryingly, any of their friends. They were a few metres from the ground when Shaw saw something move out of the corner of his eye and instinctively yanked at the controls as the massive claw of the Grendel slashed towards the cockpit. The helicopter tipped backwards, its rotors fighting to keep it airborne as it retreated from the hulking monster. Jack lost his footing, feeling a moment of near weightlessness before tumbling backwards out of the open hatch. He hit the ground hard, feeling something snap in his shoulder as it bore the brunt of the impact. The Chinook passed by over his head as he pushed himself up on to his knees, hissing in pain at the waves of agony radiating from his shoulder. The Grendel turned back towards Jack as he scrambled awkwardly to his feet. The massive sniper rifle that had been slung over his shoulder lay between him and the advancing Grendel. At the speed at which the creature was approaching, it might as well have been on the moon.
‘Hey!’ Nat yelled from behind the Grendel as Will, Liz and Anne hurled the stones they were carrying at the creature. The Grendel hesitated for a moment and turned towards the other four children with a malevolent hiss.
On board the Chinook, Jay and Mag hung on for dear life as Shaw slowly brought the helicopter back under control. They scrambled to their feet as the deck beneath them steadied, and Jay ran for the heavy machine gun that was mounted to the deck, pointing out of the rear hatch.
‘Turn back,’ Jay yelled at Shaw as he swung the long barrel of the massive gun as far round as he could. ‘I need a clear shot.’
Shaw yanked at the controls, trying to give Jay an angle on the monstrous creature in the compound below. The Grendel swung into Jay’s field of view and he squeezed the trigger on the machine gun, the roaring noise of its fire deafening in the confined space. The massive forty-cal bullets chewed up the ground around the Grendel’s feet and Jay adjusted his aim before firing again. The Grendel raised its clawed fist to protect its face as the bullets blew chunks out of its armoured hide, sending thick gouts of black blood
spraying through the air. With its other hand, the Grendel scooped up a massive fistful of dirt and rocks, flinging it at the helicopter and forcing Jay to take cover as the improvised projectiles exploded against the Chinook’s rear hatch.
Back on the ground Jack ran to his fallen rifle. He grabbed it with his good hand and sprinted over to where the others were standing, taking up position behind Will and resting the long barrel of the massive sniper rifle on his friend’s shoulder. The Grendel turned back towards them and began to advance with a roar.
‘Don’t move,’ Jack said, his left arm dangling uselessly as he pressed his eye to the high-powered optical scope mounted on top of the rifle.
‘If you say so,’ Will said, swallowing nervously as the Grendel stomped towards them. Jack took a deep breath and squeezed the trigger. The first shot went high, carving a furrow into the creature’s armoured forehead and it increased its pace, now just twenty metres away from them, its blade-tipped tail rising into the air ready to strike.
‘Jaaaaack,’ Will said nervously.
The rifle fired a second time, nearly deafening him. The bullet hit the Grendel in the eye and the back of the monstrous creature’s head exploded. Sheer momentum kept it moving for a single pace and then its legs gave way and it slammed into the ground with an earth-shaking thud.
‘Bull’s eye,’ Jack said under his breath with a relieved sigh.
On board the helicopter Jay had just managed to get back on the machine gun when he saw the Grendel fall. He watched as Jack let the rifle slide off Will’s shoulder and drop to the ground, his hand going to his wounded shoulder. Jack looked up at Jay and pointed to the Mothership, shouting at him to get going. Jay knew they didn’t have time to land and collect the others now – they had to get to the Mothership while they still could.
‘Get us out of here,’ Jay yelled, hanging on to the gun, and a moment later, its turbines roaring, the helicopter lifted into the sky, heading for the Mothership.
‘It’s going to be tight,’ Shaw yelled from the cockpit as the helicopter raced towards the Mothership.
‘You think we’re going to be able to find somewhere to land?’ Jay asked, studying the huge black towers that covered the upper surface of the giant vessel.
‘I hope so,’ Shaw said, glancing down at the dials in front of him, ‘because I don’t think we’ve got enough fuel to land anywhere else.’
‘I’m starting to wish I’d stayed in Scotland,’ Mag said, peering apprehensively over Jay’s shoulder as they crossed the outer limits of the Mothership’s superstructure.
‘Looks like we’ve got company,’ Shaw said as a Voidborn drop-ship shot up from beneath the helicopter.
Jay felt his stomach lurch as the Chinook plunged towards the dark canyons separating the towers.
‘Get on the rear gun,’ Shaw said. ‘Try to buy us some time while I find us somewhere to land.’
Jay jogged down the passenger compartment, grabbing one of the rifles from the weapons rack mounted on the wall and handing it to Mag.
‘You know how to use one of these?’ Jay asked.
‘I know which end the bullets come out of, but that’s about it,’ Mag said, taking the heavy weapon and eyeing it warily.
‘That’s a good start,’ Jay said with a crooked smile. ‘Safety’s off, point it at what you want to hit and then pull the trigger. Pull it hard into your shoulder – it’ll kick like a mule.’
Mag nodded. Jay grabbed the handles at the rear of the heavy machine gun and swung it back and forth, looking for a target. A sizzling bolt of energy hit the corner of the loading ramp a few metres away, leaving tattered, molten metal glowing orange in the gloom. Seconds later the drop-ship appeared behind them. Jay squeezed the trigger and the machine gun roared, a stream of tracer fire arcing across the space between the two aircraft. It just missed the drop-ship. Jay adjusted his aim and fired again, the heavy rounds now striking home and blowing glowing shards off the crystalline skin of the alien ship.
The Chinook banked hard and Jay struggled to stay upright as Mag hung on for dear life to the webbing that lined the compartment. The drop-ship fired a fraction of a second too late, the crackling burst of energy going a few metres wide of its frantically weaving target. Jay fired again as the helicopter levelled out. His shots struck home, leaving more glowing scars in the surface of the drop-ship, but they didn’t slow its pursuit. The drop-ship fired and this time its aim was true, hitting the cowling just below the helicopter’s rear rotor. Inside the Chinook there was a massive bang and then the passenger compartment filled with thick, black, acrid smoke as warning sirens began to wail in the cockpit.
‘We’re losing power,’ Shaw yelled from the cockpit. ‘Strap yourselves in – we’re going in hard!’
Jay and Mag strapped themselves in as the whole cabin lurched. In the cockpit Shaw wrestled hopelessly with the controls, trying to bleed off speed as the mortally wounded aircraft dropped towards the Mothership. He fought to keep them level as the altimeter bottomed out and the Chinook’s landing gear slammed into the hull of the Mothership, collapsing under the weight of the impact. The massive machine tipped over, sending the shattering blades of its rotors spinning away through the air. The fuselage ground to a screeching halt, coming to rest against the side of one of the massive black towers with a crunch. Shaw released the straps of his harness and fell out with a thud. He crawled into the smoke-filled passenger compartment and found Mag helping Jay out of his harness, hanging from the wall that had just become the ceiling. The release catch finally unstuck and Mag caught Jay as he dropped out of the restraints, helping him on to his feet.
‘We need to get out of here,’ Shaw said as Jay grabbed a rifle from the weapon rack. The compartment smelt of aviation fuel and even though they’d been running on fumes on their approach to the Mothership there was still a risk that the wrecked machine could go up in flames at any moment.
‘Here,’ Jay said, offering another gun to Shaw, ‘take this.’
‘No,’ Shaw said, shaking his head. ‘I’m no soldier.’
‘Neither was I until the Voidborn arrived,’ Jay said, forcing the weapon into Shaw’s hands. ‘Just take it. We have no idea what’s waiting for us out there.’
Shaw frowned and slung the weapon over his shoulder.
‘Let’s go,’ Mag said, peering out of the hatch at the end of the wrecked compartment. ‘Looks clear.’
They crept out of the wreckage just as the drop-ship reappeared, racing towards them.
‘Get away from the helicopter,’ Shaw yelled, all three of them breaking into a sprint as the ship bore down. It fired twice, the bolts of energy triggering a final explosion that knocked them off their feet. They lay still for a moment as it shot past overhead before hurrying over to the edge of a tear in the Mothership’s outer skin. The long, ragged gap was filled with twisted machinery that almost seemed to be alive as the microscopic nanites that made up the entire vessel began to automatically repair the damage, new conduits weaving through the superstructure like the nervous system of some massive creature.
‘There,’ Mag said, pointing to the dark mouth of a tunnel leading further into the gloom.
‘We have no idea what’s down there,’ Jay said looking into the black hole apprehensively as they walked closer.
‘Don’t think we’ve got much of a choice,’ Mag said, the sound of the drop-ship growing louder.
‘Here goes nothing,’ Jay said, slinging his rifle across his back and slowly lowering himself into the hole, feeling for hand and footholds in the gently sloping tunnel. Mag followed him down. Even her enhanced senses could make out nothing in the darkness, just a faint odour of ozone floating in the air. Shaw ducked inside just as the drop-ship floated past overhead, more slowly this time, beams of light playing over the tangled smouldering wreckage of the Chinook.
After a couple of minutes Jay switched on the torch attached to his combat harness, lighting up the tunnel leading off into the darkness ahead. They continued a
long it for fifteen minutes until a glimmer of blue lit the way ahead. Jay turned off his torch, creeping slowly forward with his weapon raised. As he rounded the bend, he found himself looking down into a cavernous room filled from the floor to the ceiling with columns of Voidborn Hunters, the silvery Drones suspended in shafts of bright blue light. The part of Jay that had spent so long fighting them while trying to survive on the occupied streets of London couldn’t help but feel a twinge of nervousness at seeing so many of them in one place.
‘They look dormant,’ Shaw said as he came up alongside Jay and Mag.
‘Given the reception we just got from that drop-ship, I think that’s probably a very good thing,’ Jay said. ‘We have to assume we’ve lost control of the Mothership.’
‘What I’d like to know is how you managed to take control of it in the first place,’ Shaw said, staring up at the thousands of Hunters that surrounded them.
‘Well, maybe if we can get our people out of here you’ll be able to ask them for yourself,’ Jay said. ‘Until then you’re still in the “don’t really know, don’t really trust” category.’
‘I can understand why you feel that way,’ Shaw said, ‘but we’re going to have to work together if we’re going to stop Mason.’
‘What’s he going to do?’ Mag asked.
‘We isolated the location of the primary transmission node for the Voidborn control network,’ Shaw said. ‘I think he’s planning to use this Mothership to destroy it.’
‘And leave all the Sleepers brain dead in the process,’ Jay said, thinking of the Sleepers who’d been severed from the Voidborn control signal in London with such disastrous consequences.
‘Indeed,’ Shaw said. ‘He has to be stopped.’
‘Why would he do that?’ Mag said, shaking her head.
‘He lost everything to the Voidborn,’ Shaw replied. ‘I thought I’d seen the limits of how far he was prepared to go, but now . . .’
‘Yeah, releasing the Vore in London,’ Jay said as they walked between the glowing columns of floating Hunters. ‘What on earth was he thinking?’