by Martin Durst
‘We’re going to a cave about twenty minutes from here,’ Matheus said. ‘Try to step where I do.’
Without another word he started to move. Stone motioned for Tr’al to follow. He’d take the rear.
It was just light enough from the scattered beams of moonlight to see. Matheus moved silently, but slowly allowing them to keep up. Stone was amazed as to how quietly Matheus was moving. Even stepping in the same spots that he did, Tr’al and he both sounded like crashing elephants in the dark. They must not have been as loud as he thought since Matheus never said a word. He just kept leaping from logs to rocks to protruding tree roots effortlessly. He finally stopped and waited for them to catch up. As they stopped beside him, Tr’al instantly recognized where they were.
‘This is where I fell,’ Tr’al said.
They all looked at the massive valley from the cliff face they now stood on. It was beginning to get light and the dark thick tree canopy was just visible below them. The waterfall was audible in the pre-dawn darkness.
‘How close are we to that waterfall?’ Stone asked.
‘It’s at least three days march across this valley to the other side,’ Matheus replied. ‘We have to cross it. To walk around it would take over week; and I don’t think you want to take that much time.’
‘As a matter-of-fact, I don’t.’
‘From there we catch the river at the base of the waterfall. Right now we need to rest for a few hours.’ Matheus gestured with a nod to the left. ‘Over there is a footpath that leads down this cliff face. It’s wide enough to the cave to be safe. –And it’s wide enough for all three of us to rest comfortably. C’mon.’
They made their way down the path carefully. As he promised, the path was wide enough to walk safely; even in the pre-dawn light. The cave entrance was narrow and well hidden, but once inside, it spread open allowing plenty of room. The ceiling was low, but not so low to prevent them from standing.
‘Wait a second,’ Matheus said rummaging through his pack. He pulled a flashlight out and flicked it on. Their shadows stretched awkwardly across the ceiling down to the floor as he stood behind them.
‘Ok. Follow me,’ he said stepping past them. ‘Around this bend is another larger opening. We’ll rest there.’
A few minutes later, they stood in a larger cavern that was filled with magnificent calcium formations. –Some stretching hundreds of feet in the air and disappearing into the darkness.
‘This is absolutely amazing,’ Tr’al said breathlessly. –Her voice echoing through the darkness. ‘I’ve never seen anything like it!’
‘This cave is only known to my people,’ Matheus said reverently. ‘It is a great honor for you to be here. Few outsiders have ever seen it. We protect it from would-be adventure seekers.’ Matheus turned his light on the cavern wall. ‘Here are the drawings of my forefathers.’
Stone walked closer to see the paintings. ‘This is amazing. Has anyone tried to document or interpret them?’
‘Some in the Village have suggested that they be studied by a University, but the Elders forbid it. I have to say I agree. Once they are discovered, the government will claim jurisdiction. We will not be able to stop people from coming. Treasure plunderers will destroy the caves once word gets out.’
They all admired the paintings for a moment longer before moving.
‘Over here is where we can rest.’ Matheus pointed the flashlight to the ground. They were no more than twenty feet from a shallow pool that was surrounded by dry soft sand.
‘We all have a blanket,’ Matheus said reaching into his pack. ‘I’m afraid it’s all I could fit in the packs. I’ll build a small fire to keep us warm. The cave can get cool.’
They settled into their individual spots as Matheus sparked a flame. He leaned into it blowing it to life. After a few moments, flames eagerly licked the small pieces of tender he’d packed with him. The smoke rose steadily upward without collecting and causing them to choke. Matheus saw Stone looking and nodded in reassurance. ‘The cave vents far above us. We don’t need to worry about it being seen. It dissipates long before it reaches the surface.’
‘I’ll take first watch,’ Stone said. ‘I’ll wake you in two hours, Matheus. –Then you, Tr’al.’
They nodded in agreement then wrapped in their blankets. Within a few moments they slept leaving Stone to his thoughts.
A drip somewhere in the cave echoed repeatedly. The sound was rhythmic. So much so that he had to get up to keep from dozing. He walked back towards the entrance of the cave taking the flashlight from his pack. He hesitated momentarily to make sure the fire was still going. The blaze burned steadily so he continued on. He wasn’t worried about getting lost. There were no turns or additional tunnels from where they were.
He stopped just outside the cave entrance. The air was thick with humidity, but felt cool. The jungle sounds permeated everything. Even a mild breeze offered some relief to his fatigue. He couldn’t help be concerned about the Hiver’s. He hated not being able to fight. Here he was an Earth Fleet officer hiding in a cave while hundreds of his fellow soldiers fought for their very lives. He looked to the horizon hoping for a glimpse of the battle. But from here it wasn’t visible.
He gathered firewood from around the cave entrance. Plenty of deadwood was available. He thought of Shi’la and hoped that she was alright. If their assailants were angry enough, they may take it out on her. He immediately felt regret for arguing with her. Admittedly, he had feeling for her. He silently laughed at the idea. Who would have imagined he’d ever think that six months ago?
Piling the wood inside the cave, he found a comfortable rock to lean on. It was hidden within the entrance, but still close enough that he could hear. It was going to be a long two hours, but tomorrow was going to be even longer. He had to get in touch with HQ; and if he had to walk for three days to do it, so be it.
He tried to get comfortable and not think about Shi’la. Right, he thought. I’ll have better luck trying to order a pizza.
Shi’la was lonely and surprised to admit that she missed Michael. They’d taken him to the Settlement days ago. She silently prayed to the God’s for Tr’al.
She followed a routine to fill her time. Work at the lab, sleep, work some more. The guards never left her alone for a moment. She thought of attempting to escape, but they were both twice her size and probably able to overpower her easily. She sighed in resignation and turned back to her work.
The blood samples from the specimen were the key to developing the bioweapon. Hiver DNA was remarkably resilient and its mutation rate was able to overcome a host within hours. So to create an effective weapon, the virus would have to have the ability to destroy all the genetic variations. The research could take years, but that was an answer Brianna didn’t want.
Shi’la switched off the microscope and rubbed her eyes. –Another failure. To the layman, creating a virus sounded easy. In reality, splicing gene segments together and injecting them into a Hiver host cell was strenuous work. To make matters worse, she didn’t have all the expertise needed for what she was attempting. But with the help of the other scientists, may be their luck would improve.
She surveyed the accumulated mess around her. All the lab equipment she could ever want was right here. In another setting, it would be a dream lab. Much of it was quite sophisticated. –Even more than the equipment she used aboard her ship. Other equipment confused her, and had taken far too long to figure out how to use. But some things were universal in science. Human petri dishes worked exactly the same as Shu’kan petri dishes. Piles of discarded scratch notes littered the counter-tops and the occasional meal plate poked through here and there.
A centrifuge was the centerpiece of the table she was working at. The recent samples spun rhythmically as she waited for the cycle to complete. If these were like the last batch, then it was back to square one.
One of the guards approached looking agitated. ‘You need to come with me. Someone wants to talk to you.’
‘Hello, Shi’la. My name is Fisher. Do you know who I am?’
‘Yes, I know who you are,’ she said looking up at the sound of a voice. ‘You’re my kidnapper.’
She heard a soft chuckle. The voice was coming from a round auditory device above her.
‘I’ve been observing your work. It looks somewhat promising. Miss Brianna has the impression that you are having difficulty. But she has no formal training in the sciences. I, on the other hand, am quite familiar with the scientific process.’
Shi’la rose from here seat and approached the mirror. The guard moved toward her so she stopped a few feet in front of it. He allowed her stand. ‘Who are you? Is Fisher your real name? Why won’t you show yourself?’ She stood waiting for an answer. He finally spoke.
‘The person I am and my interests are of no concern to you.’
She could hear the controlled anger in his voice.
‘What I require from you I will get. But I am a reasonable man. I’ve tried to supply you with an adequate environment to work in, but I realize you will require … more.’
She stood motionless not wanting to give any indication of the glimmer of hope that she felt.
‘I’ve decided to move you to another lab for trials. You’ll have a team of researchers that will assist you. Isn’t that exciting?’
She wasn’t sure if he was being patronizing or sincere. Either way, she was still being held against her will.
‘And where is this lab I’ll be working in?’ she probed.
‘Ah, well, that’s not important. It’s a temporary reassignment anyway. What is important is I’ve been able to … convince certain people in your specialty to assist. In fact, they have already copied much of your research. We will provide more of the specimens so that you can begin test trials.’
Shi’la was tired of the games. She wanted answers. ‘What’d you do with my sister, you pile of Sh’tok dung! If you were by yourself I’d give you a lesson in respect! Tell me!’
His laughter grew louder. She was fighting hard to control her anger. The guard pointed his heat rifle at her and smiled. –Almost begging her to move.
‘You are not in control here, Shu’kan! This is our world! And though our self-proclaimed leaders believe they are in charge, they will bend to my will soon enough!’
She’d had enough. Spinning and lunging before the guard could react, she grabbed the chair and swung it at the mirror. It broke apart without leaving a single mark on its thick reflective surface. Before she could move, a blinding pain exploded on the side of her head. She crumpled to the floor as the guard stood over her. She fought hard to keep from blacking out.
‘Try that again, witch, and I’ll do more than hit you!’
‘Stand down, guard,’ Fisher cackled through the speaker. ‘I’m sure our guest gets the point.’
Shi’la struggled to sit up. Her head was splitting at the temple, but she didn’t regret showing defiance.
‘You’ll be leaving within the hour,’ Fisher continued. ‘Get cleaned up and pack something warm. You’re going to Colorado. I guess you’ve earned the right to know that.’
She could hear him laughing as she was escorted back to her lab. If she ever got her hands on him, he’d regret it.
‘What do you mean she’s moving? Have you any idea what I went through get her here in the first place. –Not to mention all the additional lab equipment!’
‘It is necessary to meet our goal,’ Brianna replied. She was speaking to Admiral McConnel via Chip-to-Chip communiqué. To an outsider, he looked as if he was talking to himself.
‘In case you hadn’t noticed, there is a battle above us that requires my attention! I don’t have time to play your little logistical game!’ he raged. ‘Now get the hell off this channel! –How you got on it to begin with, I don’t know!’
‘Try to remain calm, Admiral.’ Brianna replied evenly. ‘Assuming we survive this onslaught, we’ll still need the option of the bioweapon. In fact, would we even be concerned if Earth had taken the time to develop it before?’
He struggled to calm himself. She was right. If earth survived, the Hive would surely come again. The bioweapon would be needed. ‘Fine,’ he replied. ‘What do you need? –Make it quick.’
‘We need credentials for transport. –There are some specific equipment needs that we want to take with us from the facility, and we can’t move it without drawing attention to ourselves. This is where you come in.’
‘Alright. Send me your data. I’ll have you in the system by the end of the day. Clearance will be granted for the equipment to be moved. Just try not to make a scene getting it there!’
He cut the communication and rubbed his eyes wearily. He had soldiers dying and still the paperwork persisted.
He chipped his adjutant while he poured another cup of coffee.
‘Yes, sir?’
‘Get me a situational report. I want to know whether or not to bother coming to work tomorrow.’
‘Yes, sir. –Right away.’
Before he sat down, he was receiving battlefield data via his chip. He sat at his desk and transferred the stream to his comm screen. Nine hours till the surface-to-atmosphere cannons were within range. The ground report didn’t look good. –Didn’t look good at all. The harvester ship was now over Sydney but Captain Torkildson’s Wing was still six minutes away.
Brigadier General David Christensen was used to making quick decisions. He stood at the ruins of the ancient Amphitheater that was destroyed from the last Great War. Doom was bearing down on them, and he had another decision to make.
‘No,’ he said turning to his aid de camp. ‘We will not evacuate the Australian President and his family. We cannot spare the manpower or the equipment. He’ll have to rely on his personal security.’
He chewed his cigar thoughtfully looking at the red glow in the sky. The Hiver ships were coming in hot. Friction from the atmosphere was creating a maelstrom of fire.
He turned and walked back into the ruins. Walking down several flights of stairs into an underground antechamber, he entered his Tactical Operations Command. He purposefully chose these ruins for his TOC because of the stone’s protection. From here he could direct his Battalions with minimal interruption. Across one entire wall his aides had mounted a large tactical display of the entire city. Each of his four Battalions was assigned a battle space to defend. Three of them boasted Companies of Anti-aircraft Batteries, Artillery, and Assault Pods. The last Battalion had six Companies’ of Infantry. Every Soldier was equipped with the new nano-carbon fiber armor designed after the first attack. Hopefully, it would provide added protection against the Hiver’s razor sharp mandibles.
He studied the display while lock-synching his chip to its tactical network. He confirmed communication with his Battalion Commanders then switched to a surface view. Black clouds and fire now filled the entire view screen. As he watched, the massive clouds began disseminating as the Hiver ships slowed their descent. Finally, shapes began to emerge.
He switched his view to the aerial drones he’d deployed over the city. A great shadow covered half the city from the massive hull of the Harvester. Flanked on either side were thirteen more ships. –Each about a quarter size of the Harvester. Steam rose in thin wisps as the cool atmosphere struggled to balance the temperature of the hulls.
“Stand by!’ he said. ‘Let’s conserve our munitions. –Wait for them to make their move!’
As they all watched, dozens of bright slits showed hangar doors opening. Then, with quick precision, thousands of Hiver drop ships began to emerge.
‘I want all Batteries to fire now! Aim for the open hangars! –Fire!’
General Christensen chewed his c
igar and watched a hailstorm of fire and flak slam into the ships. The bombardment cut the cloud of drop ships in half as thousands of explosions filled their air. Moments later parts and wreckage began to perforate the city. Hundreds of spectators –giddy with the prospect of action –ran for their lives as the reality of death swept upon them.
General Christensen calmly examined his tactical display. He barked orders to his Commanders as he observed several dozen drop ships land despite the heavy barrage. ‘Keep that flak coming!’ he ordered. ‘We cripple that Harvester those drop ships will have nowhere to return! –All Batteries focus on that ship!’
He switched to his drones. The escort ships were taking flank positions around the city. He realized immediately what they were attempting. ‘All Batteries move and shift! I say again, Move and shift!’
He watched as his fire positions began to move their Negrav platforms. Three moved too late as four Hiver attack ships targeted them and opened fire. They exploded as their weapon systems disintegrated. From the air he could see the Hiver’s begin to collect victims and his Assault Pods moved to engage. There was going to be collateral damage, but now wasn’t the time to worry about it. Hundreds of his soldiers were starting to scatter throughout the city as his Commanders took charge of their men. Their chips blinked a light blue overlay on his tactical display showing their lock-synch status. They worked in teams attacking the drop ships. Some were fighting one on one with Hiver’s. The new armor seemed to work well protecting their appendages, but he could see the Hivers adapting by going for the neck. Dozens of decapitated soldiers littered the streets.
The mortar charges were working. Hiver biomass was splattered everywhere. ‘All Commanders focus on surgical mortar strikes! Use the drones’ lock-synch systems to triangulate your targets! Move all Battery Platforms every five minutes to minimize their profiles!’