by Paul Ormond
“You hear me, Ramon?” Artim said through the device.
“I hear you. What’s going on?”
“We’ve spotted the visitors. They will be in range soon. It’s time for you to make your exit.”
“On it. Is there anything we can do to help you?”
“You just get this stuff out of here safely.”
“What will happen to you?”
“Don’t worry about me. Just get out of here while you’ve got the chance.”
“All right. We’re going. I hope we meet again soon.”
“I’m sure we’ll be seeing each other sooner than you think. Good luck and have faith.”
“We will. Thanks for everything.”
“It is not necessary. Everything I do. I do for the Cell. Go and don’t look back.”
“You heard the man,” Ramon said. “It’s time to go. Four trucks, one each.”
“We’re just gonna leave all these people here?” Christine asked as she looked at the workers retreating away from the vehicles.
“It seems like they’ve got their orders,” Ramon said. “I don’t speak Russian, so I’m not sure if I would be much help.”
“Got a point,” Christine said before she turned toward the trucks. “We know what we need to do. Remember, your device powers the vehicle. You’re in charge, not the other way around. We’ve had enough practice, and we’re not going to do anything crazy. We’ll just stick to the plan and follow the route. Let the cloak do its job.”
“What happens if we run into trouble?” XiaoFan asked.
“Then we’ll have to make a run for it. But the cloaks should give us enough cover to not attract any attention,” Christine said.
“I’ll be the first out. We know the route, but let’s keep a decent space between us. Two-second rule, Sanchez,” Ramon said as he strode toward the cab of the truck directly in front of him.
“It's not my fault you don’t know how to corner,” Sanchez said before he turned to the left.
“Just be careful,” Ramon said, opening the door on the truck and climbing inside.
After settling into his seat, he looked to his right and spotted XiaoFan shutting the door of the truck next to him.
“Everything is going to be all right, XiaoFan,” He said through the intercom in his helmet.
“Don’t kid yourself. Everything is very far from ok,” XiaoFan said while she dropped into her seat. “But we’re locked into this, and I fully intend to see it through to the end. There is no way I am going to jail over this.”
“No one is going to jail,” Ramon said, activating his device.
“Don’t get swept away by your emotions, XiaoFan,” Christine said after starting her vehicle. “That type of thinking will only lead to self-fulfilling prophecies of failure.”
“You should listen to Christine,” Sanchez said while a green glow swept over his vehicle. “She knows all kinds of things about brains. She helped me overcome my inadequacy issues.”
“We all know about your issues,” Ramon said, checking the dials on his control panel.
“Don’t listen to him, Sanchez,” Christine said. “You’ve made great progress. Just focus on keeping your thoughts from distracting you.”
“Ha, what thoughts,” Ramon said, buckling himself in.
“I am open to helping you deal with the trauma you have suffered whenever you feel like opening up about it, Ramon,” Christine said.
“But you better be careful if he spills his guts to you, Christine,” Sanchez said, lighting a cigarette. “There’s a lot to spill over there.”
“I thought I told you no smoking,” Ramon said.
“Sorry, boss. It’s a force of habit,” Sanchez said before he put out the cigarette.
“Ramon, have you left the facility?” Artim said over the radio.
“We’re heading out now,” Ramon said.
“We’re about to engage these visitors. Do not stop until unless I tell you to,” Artim said. “The map is visible on your display. The route is not overly treacherous, but there are a few spots that might make your stomach roll. Try not to activate your abilities unless it is absolutely necessary.”
“Got it. We’re on the move,” Ramon said. “Let us know when it’s done.”
“I’ll do what I can, but you never know with these types of things,” Artim said. “Tell XiaoFan, when this is all over, we have a plan to reunite her with her father.”
“I’ll let her know,” Ramon said before he put his truck into gear. “I’m going first. Christine next, then XiaoFan. Sanchez, you take up the rear.”
“I think it should be you in the rear. You’re the one with the wide load sign on your ass,” Sanchez said.
“That’s not helping, Sanchez,” Christine said, following after Ramon.
“Yeah, I forgot. As you can see I’ve got a lot of bad habits,” Sanchez said while he watched Christine’s vehicle disappear into the tunnel.
“All that matters is you are trying,” Christine said.
“That’s enough of the new age crap,” Ramon said. “We can talk about our feelings when this is all over. XiaoFan, are you in the tunnel?”
“I’m moving out,” XiaoFan said, gripping the wheel of the massive truck.
“Remember everybody, just take it easy and relax,” Ramon said. “When we hit the road, let’s drive like we’re supposed to be here.”
“But I thought we were going cloaked?” Sanchez said.
“Not until we know it’s absolutely necessary. We do not want to waste any resources when nobody can see us anyway,” Ramon said. “Nobody activates anything until I say so.”
“Got it, boss,” Sanchez said.
“I see daylight up ahead,” Ramon said. “Let’s keep the chatter down. Only essential communication from now on out.”
“You’re the one that’s doing all the talking,” Sanchez said. “Shouldn’t we be telling you to shut up?”
“Just be quiet, ok,” Ramon said. “I’ve cleared the cave and I’m on the road. Sanchez, let me know when you’re out.”
“I hear you,” Sanchez said. “I can see daylight, so it shouldn’t be much further.”
“I’m out but I don’t see anyone,” XiaoFan said.
“What do you mean you don’t see anyone?” Ramon said. “We’re all right here.”
“I’m not sure what happened,” XiaoFan said before her signal turned to static.
“You’re breaking up,” Ramon shouted, but XiaoFan didn’t respond.
“Can you see what happened to her, Sanchez? She must’ve gone off the road.”
“I just cleared the tunnel, but I don’t see anything,” Sanchez said.
“I see her on the feed,” Christine said. “It looks like she went down into the waste dump.”
“I see her too,” Ramon said. “We’ll have to come around and pick her up. I’m not sure what’s gone wrong with her radio. Wait a minute. There’s someone standing in the middle of the road.”
“Out here?” Christine asked. “Just get him out of the way.”
“It’s Artim,” Ramon said.
“Yes, it is me,” Artim said over the radio. “You can get out of the truck now. It’s over.”
Coming to a stop, Ramon hopped down from the truck and half jogged toward Artim as Christine and Sanchez opened their doors and dropped down onto the muddy road overhanging a treacherous drop to the tailing ponds several hundred feet below.
“What’s over? Was there a battle? Who were those guys?” Ramon said, nearing Artim.
“The battle is over for you,” Artim said while Christine and Sanchez came to Ramon’s side.
“Please forgive me. I didn’t have much of a choice. It’s all apart of the deal I cut.”
“What deal did you cut?” Ramon asked.
“I’m sure you’ll learn all about it soon enough,” Artim said before several shadows passed over head.
“Place your hands over your head,” a man’s voice said while a dozen figures dropp
ed into position behind Artim. “You are all under arrest in violation of the United Nations InReal Terrorism Act and for the production of banned inReal weapons.”
“You sold us out,” Ramon shouted at Artim while the men closed in.
“Everything I told you about my past was true, I just failed to mention how I got caught and the price I’ve had to pay since then,” Artim said.
“That’s enough of the small chat,” the masked soldier said before he passed by Artim. “Keep your hands up and don’t try anything.”
“Don’t move another muscle,” Christine said after she opened her palm to reveal a small device. “This little gadget is rigged to all four trucks. If I drop it, they all explode. The blast site will spread for miles. None of us will live to tell the tale.”
“And just what do you plan on doing?” the soldier said. “We’ve got the whole place surrounded and you’re all on satellite. Nobody needs to die.”
“I want to understand what’s going on here,” Christine said, looking at Artim.
“It’s not so simple, but I think you are owed a bit of an explanation,” Artim said while he gestured toward the men with the guns. “Everything about the Cell, it’s all true. Even the story about XiaoFan’s father. But I told you O’Dell got greedy, and the success went to his head. It was MindHIve that caught him. They picked me up before the operation and forced me to flip. It was either work with them or die in prison. They’ve kept me working ever since.”
“So this whole thing was a setup,” Ramon said.
“In not so many words,” Artim said. “Your ideas were brilliant. I am impressed with the scale, but when you gave me the details I had no choice but to hand it over.”
“I’ll take it from here,” the man next to Artim said, removing his mask. “My name is Lieutenant Colonel Barshall, United States Marine Corps. And you have been caught up in a sting we called operation Siberian Spice. You willfully extracted rare earth materials from the Sovereign nation of China, illegally crossed a border into Russia to create weapons that are banned around the world. The device this woman holds in her hand is nothing more than a remote control for a CD player and all of you are coming with us.”
As the Colonel Barshall pushed forward, a blast of light tore in from the left, cutting into the squadron of soldiers. Diving away from the onslaught, Ramon rose to his feet and saw the incapacitated forms of the soldiers laid out across the ground. Artim had managed to survive the attack, and he crawled across the muddy road toward the bank in a feeble attempt to escape.
Before he reached the dirt slope, another blast of light struck him in the back and Ramon whirled around to see XiaoFan uncloak her transport hovering in the air over a rock slope.
“I told you I didn’t trust him,” XiaoFan said, leaning out of the window. “Get the trucks. It’s time to get out of here. Ramon, have you still got that device you used earlier. We need to make a diversion while we run in the opposite direction. I’ve got a feeling more of these guys will be showing up pretty quick.”
“I’ve still got it,” Ramon said while he ran back to his truck.
“Everybody get airborne,” XiaoFan said, elevating her vehicle. “I think it’s time to light that place up, Ramon.”
“I think you’re right,” Ramon said as he activated his truck.
A ripple of energy flowed over the vehicle and it levitated off of the ground.
“Get clear and cloak yourselves. I’m gonna crank this thing up,” Ramon said before he turned the vehicle in the air to face the cave entrance and locked the instrument onto his arm.
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
FOLLOWING AFTER TAEJUN, Mitch kept his head low to avoid the beams cutting through the top of the ventilation shaft. The tube was not quite tall enough to stand, forcing Mitch to hunch over as he crept forward.
“Are you checking out my ass back there, Mitch?” Kate whispered from further up the shaft.
“Yeah, it’s just a wonderful view,” Mitch said after he ducked another beam.
“It looks like there is some kind of light up ahead,” TaeJun whispered. “I’m gonna crawl further up the shaft and take a look.”
“You can crawl up my shaft anytime,” Kate whispered.
“That might’ve sounded better in your head,” Mitch said while TaeJun slunk forward.
“What would you know, Mitch Mythic?” Kate said. “I bet you still haven’t even kissed your girlfriend yet.”
“I don’t know why you are so obsessed with everything I do,” Mitch said.
“Because you are the Most Dangerous Man in the Multi-verse and she is the Goddess incarnate. Who couldn’t resist any gossip about such a hot couple?” Kate said.
“I cannot believe I’ve put up with you for this long,” Mitch said.
“It’s because you can’t live without me. You also need me to keep you alive.”
“I need you to keep me alive? Isn’t it the other way around?”
“Keep your voice down, Mitch,” Kate said, turning toward TaeJun. “What did you find, Sweetcheeks?”
“There’s a grate big enough for us to pass through, but I can’t make out what’s on the other side. It looks like some kind of factory. Lot’s of pipes and equipment,” TaeJun said.
“Did you see any surveillance cameras, or anything like that?” Gaelin asked.
“I couldn’t see anything, but you’d think they’d have something in place,” TaeJun said.
“The AI probably doesn’t need cameras,” Kate said. “It probably just senses movement and unleashes a horde of killer robots.”
“This isn’t a movie, Kate,” Mitch said.
“Are you sure about that?” Kate said before she fixed her eyes on Mitch. “Everything else I predicted would happen came true, so I don’t see why you are doubting me now. That lady, Varalis, already said there were sentinels, and that sounds like killer robots to me.”
“You’ve got a point there,” Mitch said. “Let’s be on the lookout for killer robots. Do you think you can cut through that vent with your tube, TaeJun?”
“I could try, but I think mine is almost out,” TaeJun said.
“Take mine,” Gaelin said, reaching into his pack. “I’ll leave the torch work to you. It seems like you’ve got it figured out.”
“He knows how to handle hot stuff,” Kate said. “Like my smokin’ bod.”
“No idea how to respond to that,” Mitch said.
“It’s best if you just ignore her,” TaeJun said.
“Is that your strategy to shut me up?” Kate asked. “I thought you were just a strong silent type.”
“I am now officially adopting the ‘ignore Kate’ strategy,” Mitch said.
“This is just typical. Once again the men get to make up the rules,” Kate said. “As soon as a woman comes along and challenges you, you decide it’s best just to ignore her.”
“Don’t try turn this into some kind of sexist debate,” Mitch whispered as TaeJun crept toward the grate. “We’re in the middle of a hostile power plant or whatever it is, and you can’t stop making butt comments.”
“I’m cutting this open,” TaeJun said. “Let’s assume that anything and everything we do from now on could be detected.”
“Fine, but this whole ‘ignore Kate’ thing isn’t funny,” Kate said, folding her arms.
Not responding, Mitch covered his eyes as TaeJun cut into the grate.
“What the hell is going on with that phone of yours, Gaelin?” Kate asked while TaeJun worked on the grate. “Are you texting with Ramon?”
“It’s still happening. As crazy as it sounds, I just got a new message from him,” Gaelin said. “He’s asking me if we’re still alive. They are taking things to stage two back home.”
“How is any of this even possible?” Mitch asked. “It could be the Masters messing with you. Whenever I come across something too good to be true, I start to get worried.”
“I hear that,” Gaelin said. “But he’s already cleared all the security checks.
The Cell is pretty thorough when it comes to those things. And if someone is impersonating Ramon, they are doing a pretty good job.”
“What is stage two then?” Mitch asked.
“It’s something we’ve been working on for a while. As strange as it seems, it’s all connected to what we’re doing here,” Gaelin said, glancing at TaeJun.
“Just be careful,” Mitch said. “We’ve all been suckered by our enemies a few times now. This wormhole stuff is treacherous business.”
“I’m just keeping him close,” Gaelin said. “If this goes south, I can always ditch it, but Gerald is right, this is the only contact we’ve had with home. We’d better not blow it.”
“I get that, but I guess I’m not so into trusting anything these days,” Mitch said.
“All done,” TaeJun said as he pulled the grate away from the wall and an orange light poured into the tunnel.
“Me first,” Mitch whispered before he shuffled toward the opening. “I’ve got the heavy weapon, and we don’t know what’s waiting for us on the other side.”
“Crawl over and I’ll hand you your staff when you get through,” TaeJun whispered, backing away from the opening.
Handing TaeJun his spear, Mitch popped his head through the hole and spotted several large pipes directly in front of the opening. He scanned in both directions, but didn’t spot any danger, so he pushed his torso through the hole and snaked to the ground.
“So far so good,” Mitch whispered before he reached into the hole and took his spear from TaeJun. “You might as well come on out. We’re clear as far as I can tell.”
TaeJun’s head popped through the opening and Mitch helped him through. Kate came next, but she refused to be helped by her companions. Last through the hole was Gaelin. Dropping his pack to the floor, he rolled out of the hole and landed on his feet.
Faced with a wall of interweaving pipes directly in front of the vent, Mitch looked for a direction to travel as TaeJun returned the vent to its slot. He spotted a narrow passage leading into a darkened gap. Pointing at the opening, Mitch edged forward with his companions close behind.
Released at random intervals from sources beyond view, steam and gas poured over the pipes and the floor, making visibility dim. As Mitch followed the passage, he noticed a light source ahead. Strong rays of orange light cut through the gaps in the pipes, and he had to squint several times as the beams caught him in the eye.