by Andrew Gates
Ikharus and Ukhrani took off right behind her. Ikharus tried as best he could to match her speed without thrusters. It was difficult, but with Jakhu handling most of the forward combat, Ikharus had a bit less to worry about. He was just glad that he did not have to carry Soh Saratti over his shoulder as he ran like Ukhrani did or share the burden of carrying Prekhon like Evirak or Kozakh.
But despite not being at the front of the line, that did not stop the ruors from attacking Ikharus too. They bit at him, swatted at him, jumped at him, like he was any other prey. Ikharus batted each one away with his scepter as he ran forward, sometimes missing them, sometimes knocking them down or injuring them. Regardless of whether he hit them or not, he kept running.
He hopped over a few fallen ruors and even landed on another on his way back down, cutting into its shoulder with his pointed feet. He nearly tripped, but regained his footing and pressed onward, staring at the doorway on the other end of the massive room. To his dismay, it looked hardly any closer than when they had started running.
“Keep moving!” Jakhu shouted as she snapped the neck of a ruor and tossed its lifeless corpse back into the crowd. “Go! Go!”
Ikharus could hear the footsteps of Evirak and Kozakh at his back, though he dared not turn and face them. He knew, like him, that they were pressing on as quickly as they could.
Kreed Scion passed by the first two cages now. The crowd of monsters grew thicker. Before he knew it, Ikharus could hardly make out his teammates anymore. Jakhu had faded into the crowd, lost among the sea of ruors.
But Ikharus knew the way. Move to the door, he told himself. Move to the door.
A ruor suddenly bit into his neck. Its grip was sharp like a vice. Ikharus shouted and dropped down to the floor. My neck. How did it get to my neck? I did not even see it coming! The weary Ikharus swung his scepter out, clearing the area around him as he slowly stumbled back to his feet and continued forward.
Another ruor bit him again, this time on his arm. Ikharus shouted again and dropped his scepter, not even stopping to pick it up. He had to keep moving. He could not stop.
Blood dripped down onto his chest. His vision began to spin. His heart pounded. I must be losing blood fast, he worried. He swatted more ruors away as he continued along, though it was harder to tell where he was going. Am I still going in the proper direction?
Ikharus passed by another cage. He could not tell if this was one he had already passed earlier or if it was a different one. He could not make sense of anything. Which way am I going again?
Another bite. This one to his front left knee. Ikharus fell to the ground, unable to ignore the stabbing pain. Ruors climbed on top of him, covering him one by one like nymphs wrestling in the yard. There were too many of them. They were too heavy. Without a power suit, he could not stand even if he tried with all his might.
More bites, more slashes, this time from seemingly all over.
Ikharus tried to steady his vision, tried to find the right way. That’s when he saw it. The door was there, straight ahead. He was so close.
So close.
Suddenly a great weight was lifted as five or six ruors, previously on top of him, went flying through the room. A claw passed over his crowned head. Ikharus looked up, realizing that this was Jakhu. She had come just in time.
“Kal Jakhu!” he said. He lifted his damaged arm and she accepted his claw, helping to pull him back up.
“Come, Kho Ikharus, fall back in line! We are nearly there!”
“Yes, Squad Leader,” he replied as he limped forward with all his might, ignoring every instinct that told him to stop and succumb to the stabbing pain racing throughout his body.
The door grew closer now. He was nearly there.
Evirak and Kozakh pushed their way forward ahead of the rest of Scion, holding Prekhon out before them. The prisoner could not stop shouting in fear. A look of pure terror shone across his face all the while. When they finally reached the door, Evirak and Kozakh manipulated the wrist of Prekhon’s frozen suit and held it against the panel. Seconds later, the door began to open.
“It worked!” Evirak shouted.
“Quick! Move on through! Go! Go!” Jakhu continued.
Ikharus limped through as best he could, knocking a couple more ruors down to the floor before finally passing through the doorway and into the outside world. Dawn decorated the horizon now as a faint orange sunrise shown in the faraway distance.
Ukhrani, still holding Saratti, and Jakhu were last to exit. As soon as they were out, Jakhu turned to the exterior door controls and tapped a button on the panel. The door slid back down, taking three ruor limbs with it.
As soon as the door closed shut, Scion dropped to the ground, exhausted. Even Ikharus allowed himself to fall to the soft grass. Jakhu was the only one to remain standing.
“Kal Ezenkharam, this is Kal Jakhu, requesting a pickup. I repeat, requesting pickup on our location. We have wounded, severely wounded. We need a pickup, now!”
Ikharus felt dizzy. The world seemed to spin. He let his helmet fall from his head and pressed his face against the ground. He could not move another muscle. His eyelids were heavy. He allowed his eyes to close.
It had been far too long since Ikharus had slept. But in that moment, sleep found him and took its hold. Before he knew it, Ikharus’s mind was somewhere else.
Finally, the longest day of his life was over.
Chapter Fifteen
Adaptation
Mr. Greyson Georgopolis
The scent of damp cement and mantis odor permeated throughout the room, reminding Grey that he was not in Country Roads anymore. The man opened his eyes, yawned and stretched as he sat up.
Grey wiped his eyelids and stared at the blank wall before him as he sat still on the massive square block the mantises had provided him as a bed. Even in the dim lighting, the entire room was so shiny, so clean. He could not recall the last time he had seen something that was not covered in dirt and grime. In an odd way, the cleanliness felt somehow wrong.
Grey instinctively smiled as he reflected on his good night of sleep. The so-called “bed” was firmer than any bed he was used to back in the station and cold without any blankets, but he had no problem falling asleep anyway. He had not realized how comforting it was to sleep without the constant fear of zombie attacks in the middle of the night. Despite the cold, solid surface, Grey could not remember the last time he had slept so well.
Selena began to stir now. She was still on the bed, or block, lying behind him, along with Kaitlyn and Misha. Though the mantises had been kind enough to offer them each their own block to sleep on, they decided they would rather spend the night together as a family.
It was easier that way.
Grey slowly stood up and wiped some crust from his eyes, making sure not to wake the rest of his family. He stretched his arms again and let out another quiet yawn.
It had been a long time since he had woken up without the sight of sunlight. The sensation was a bit disorienting. He had no idea what time it was, and even then, it did not even matter. He could have slept for five hours or fifteen and it would not have made a difference. They were safe here, wherever they were, and they had nowhere else to be.
Grey’s stomach rumbled. He pressed on his chest through the white robes the mantises had given him after the procedure. I wonder when we’ll get fed, he thought. He had not eaten much beyond a few nuts on the flight over and that was hours ago.
He walked past the other beds the mantises had provided and entered the next room, a place the mantises called the relief room, which was just a fancy way of saying a bathroom. The door was already opened and the overhead light activated automatically as he entered. Grey took a moment to adjust to the brighter light in this room and tapped an icon on the wall, prompting the door to close. It shut quickly. Grey was still not used to the way the doors slid vertically instead of horizontally here.
Everything in the bathroom was sized for the mantises. In other words
, things were huge. Grey could hardly even see the mirror as it hung above the strange sideways water blaster the mantises used like sinks.
Grey opened his white robes and climbed on top of the tall black cube positioned in the center of the room. There was a vertical hole in the middle of it, opening to a chute that led straight down. Grey had no idea how far the chute went, but he did his best not to fall into the massive hole as he crouched above it, which must have been nearly 50 centimeters across. He took his time. When he was finally done, he stood up from the hole and climbed down from the cube, then pressed a button on the side of the device which triggered a vacuum to suck the waste down.
The first few times he had used this device, Grey had to make extra sure he had done everything correctly. The mantis toilets were similar enough to ones he had used in the station, but there were also enough differences to make him second guess the entire process.
Using these enormous toilets had been especially hard for the girls, who were so small they could have easily fallen into the hole. Grey and Selena had to hold the girls while they went and would continue to do it that way until they were finally comfortable enough going on their own.
After rinsing off his hands in what Grey was still calling the “sideways water blaster”, he took a deep breath and closed his robes again. His stomach rumbled once more. He would do anything for a probar right now.
Grey opened the vertical door and stepped back into the bedroom, just as a knocking sound echoed from the door to the hall. Hoping the noise would not wake his family, Grey quickly rushed over to the door as it opened all on its own.
The man suddenly paused in place, surprised to see the door opening at all. Once the door was fully raised, Grey saw a mantis standing on the other side. It nodded to Grey and took a step inside the room.
“Ssh,” Grey said, raising both hands. “They are asleep.”
The mantis turned to face the others, still on the block.
“I see this,” the mantis replied, quietly. It motioned to the hall with its head. Grey caught on and followed it outside into the hall.
“What is it?” Grey asked as the door to their quarters closed behind them.
The hall was wide by Grey’s standards, though it must have been rather narrow for the mantises. It was relatively empty right now. There was not another mantis in sight. Grey wondered if this was normal, or if this was just a quiet time of day.
“Are you the one called Kho Greyson?” the mantis asked, ignoring Grey’s question.
“I am.”
“Greetings, Kho Greyson. I am Kho Avan. I have been charged with the task of ensuring that you are well cared for while you reside here in our stay.”
“Oh, yes, thank you,” Grey replied, relieved that this was all the meeting was about. “We are fine. My family and I are doing well.” It felt strange to talk to this creature. He was still getting used to the translator chip in his head.
“I am glad to hear such news. I heard stirring coming from your room as I passed by. I wondered if you had awakened.”
“Yeah, I woke up, but the others are still asleep, as you saw.”
“Have the beds proven sufficient?”
“Yes, well, we only used one. We didn’t need the others, but thanks for giving them to us. The bed is working out great.”
“I was not aware that you would only be needing one bed. If that is the case, we can relocate you to a smaller room. Is it typical for your species to sleep together in groups?”
“Not usually, no. But we are in a new place with a bunch of… well, creatures… and it was just easier on the kids if we all slept together. This is a lot for them to take in.”
“Do you mean to say that nymphs of your race do not know how to sleep by themselves when other species are around?”
“No, that’s not it. Never mind. Look, thank you for what you provided. It’s excellent. It’s more than we’ve had in months, actually.”
“I am glad to hear it.”
“How long was I asleep anyway?”
“You were last sent off to these quarters 12 hours ago.”
Damn. 12 hours. The thought made Grey instinctively rub his eyes again.
“Where are the others?” he asked.
“The others? The other evolved-ones, you mean?”
“Yes, the other humans.”
“Humans. I am still getting accustomed to this word. Forgive me for using the old term,” Kho Avan replied. “Your fellow humans are in other rooms not far from here. If I recall, their names are Kho Daniel, Kho Jallah, Kal Margery and Kal Ofela, correct?”
“You are close. Ophelia is the last name.”
“Kal Ophelia. Yes, now I remember. Thank you,” Avan said.
“Where are they specifically? And are they awake yet?”
“The females have been provided with this room here,” Avan replied, motioning to a door a few meters down the hall. “The males have been provided with this room here,” he continued, motioning to the room directly across from them. “They have all awoken already, save for the one called Kho Jallah. Those conscious have already convened at the feasting hall.”
“The feasting hall?” Grey replied. He felt his stomach rumble again. “I like the sound of that. Where can I find the feasting hall?”
“I can have someone show you the way, if you are ready, but know that I cannot allow you to travel through the undercity unaccompanied.”
“Why is that?”
“Security purposes. There have been… troubles. In this dire hour, we cannot take any risks.”
Security. Sanja mentioned something about an attack. Grey wondered what could have been going on outside the walls of the undercity. There was definitely something wrong, but he did not know what.
“Allow me some time to check in with my family, then I will take you up on your offer. Do I just come back out if I need you?”
“No, Kho Greyson. Your door only opens from the outside, so only I can grant you access to this hall. Fortunately, I have access to all the sensors in your room. If you wish for me to come back, simply knock on the door and I will be there, though it may take some time for me to get there, depending on my whereabouts.”
“I understand,” Grey replied. “Thank you.”
“You are welcome, Kho Greyson.”
The mantis calmly bowed, then placed his wrist against a sensor by the door, prompting it to open again. Grey stepped inside and let the door close behind him.
Now back in his quarters, Misha and Kaitlyn suddenly stirred. They moaned and jostled across the block they had been using as a bed. Misha was first to open her eyes. As soon as her gaze met Grey, she sat up. Kaitlyn did the same seconds later.
A look of confusion covered both of their weary faces for a moment as they studied the room, then quickly remembered where they were.
“Daddy,” Misha said, hopping off the block and practically stumbling over to her father.
“Ssh,” Grey replied, leaning down to meet her. “Your mom is still sleeping.”
Kaitlyn jumped down from the block too and approached Grey. She stopped by Misha’s side. The two girls looked up at him with worried expressions. In a matter of seconds, their tiredness had already faded away.
“Are we still in the mantis city?” Kaitlyn asked in a focused tone. If Grey had not known any better, it sounded as if she had been awake for hours.
“We are, yes,” Grey confirmed, trying to keep his tone calm. He stood back up again.
As soon as he extended his legs, Misha clung tightly to her father’s left knee.
“Daddy, I don’t want to be in the mantis city. I want to go home,” she said, breathing out heavily.
“Me too,” added Kaitlyn.
Grey held onto his girls and stared down at them. Although they had already had this conversation before, he knew it was still going to be hard to talk about.
“What’s this about going home? Look, calm down, girls. You two haven’t even been awake for a minute yet. You wer
e sleeping just fine a few seconds ago and now you want to leave?”
“I don’t like it here,” Misha replied.
“Me neither,” added Kaitlyn. “It’s where the mantises live.”
“How do you know the mantises are here?” Grey asked.
“I can smell them. They smell funny,” Kaitlyn responded.
“Yeah!” said Misha.
Selena began to stir now. Clearly all the commotion was a bit too loud for her.
“Listen, girls. You just woke up. Take some time. Calm down. Let’s get some food in you. Then we can talk, okay?” Grey said, still trying to keep his voice down.
“No, I don’t want to eat!” Kaitlyn protested.
The noise was so much now that Selena slowly sat up. She wiped her eyes and took in her surroundings.
“Grey?” Selena asked in a weary tone. “What’s going on?”
“Good morning. I was just talking to the girls,” he replied.
Kaitlyn spun around to face her mom and said, “Mom, why are we still in the mantis city?”
Grey sighed, still keeping eye contact with his wife.
“The girls are having trouble adjusting,” he explained.
Kaitlyn spun back around again.
“I don’t want to adjust!” she said, slapping her hands against her sides.
Grey nodded his head again and crouched back down to her level. He stared her in the eyes, then looked into Misha’s.
“Look, girls, I know this is a big adjustment. I know we didn’t have time to prepare for this. I understand that. I’m sorry that you are worried and scared. I am worried too, but as much as I would like to change things, there is nothing we can do about where we are. I wish we could have done this a better way, but things didn’t work out like that. It’s sudden, I know, but we are here now. We have to accept that.”
“How?” Misha asked.
“Well, you’ll get used to it. We just need to get you back into your familiar routines. You remember routines, right? Like back in the station. You will be able to set up your part of your room. We will have mealtimes, bedtimes and play times. We will meet with Dan and the others. It will be just like the old times. After a few days, it will feel like normal.”