Scientist: An Earth 340K Standalone Novel (Soldier X Book 1)
Page 15
Jingfei’s entirely blackened body held the stiffness of plastiboard. The three legs stretched out and the arms bent and pointed up. The face opened in a stretched scream.
Diaochan reached out a trembling hand over the dead body and the information transfer occurred to confirm what she already knew. The gene-id belonged to Jingfei.
Diaochan’s head pounded and she arched her back, the veins in her neck taut as she screamed at the sky. “Jingfei!”
She didn’t know how long she sat there cradling the dead body. Eventually she heard the footsteps and then she looked up to see their faces. In the dim part of her mind through all the pain, she realized that when one triant died all the others knew.
“She is the first of the eight triants to have died,” said a voice.
Seven triants surrounded her. Diaochan let go of the body as the triants gathered around their dead. These fine specimens that had made to be indestructible.
Wenqi led the way as the securibot stomped over what had been the front door. Inside, the air stank of rot and death. Ash caked every surface, the skeletal frame of the stairs stared back at them, holes rent themselves in the wall. The coppery tang of blood curled like a maggot against Wenqi’s tongue. Lady Lee banged her palms against her head repetitively.
“Nuan?” Wenqi called out.
“Lizhang?” asked Hazou.
“Yok?” said Lady Lee.
Who’s Yok? Wenqi thought. Then he realized Lady Lee never addressed her husband by name before. Until now.
They sought out the kitchen first. Amazingly, the anti-fire mechs had put the fire out so quickly that the actual foundations of the inn and several sections within still looked salvageable.
The two wide steelcrete benches stood opposite one another with only superficial burns across their surface. That’s where they cleaned and cut the vegetables and got them ready for the wok. The floor showed spots of the original green color between large swathes of gray. The fire-foam, originally purple, had turned almost white and began to dry and puff into the air as they trod into the middle of the kitchen. The foam filled the inn with a thick, cloying scent that stuck in the back of their throats.
A recon-drone floated past, weaving and shining its sullen, red light over a huge wok that that lay tumbled over against the wall.
Lady Lee rushed forward and slid to her knees leaving a streak of purple fire-foam in her wake. She reached out so very slowly and turned the corpse to face her.
Old Man Yok’s eyes had been wide, his mouth open. The stink of Sichuan peppers came from his torso and something slimy and green oozed out of the holes across his chest.
Lady Lee reached for his face and there, against the ash, blood, and splayed gray hair, she placed a kiss on her husband’s forehead. Her body wracked with quiet sobs.
Wenqi left Hazou with his arms wrapped about Lady Lee.
The securibots that followed him stood at the entrance of the kitchen. Two followed him and two more remained. He headed up the stairs and they provided light for him to see and helped him move over obstacles. He needed to find Nuan or Lizhang.
But no matter how much he looked, Wenqi couldn’t find them. Every time they shifted debris, he thought he would see their bodies. He stood in level three, the greenhouse, when the scream rent the sky.
Immediately he popped his head out the hole in wall. The People’s Favor lay on the ground cradling something in her arms. Securibots swarmed around her and a nursebot hurried forward. Who was that, he thought? The securibot answered him, “That is Jingfei, one of the eight triants.”
Did Diaochan love the triant? He would’ve cried just as loud if he’d found Nuan’s or Lizhang’s body. He went back into the inn and searched with renewed vigor.
Six hours past, tired, disheveled, and filled with an odd sense of relief—none of the recon-drones spotted any other carcass. He just couldn’t imagine seeing Nuan’s or Lizhang’s corpse buried in that glowing hot debris. He staggered outside.
Hazou sat in the command tent with a blanket wrapped around him. An ambulance-jet hovered gently in the air and a nursebot walked out and handed Hazou a hot steaming bowl of soup. Lady Lee slumped against Hazou, looking unconscious.
“Dang’s got them. And he’ll kill them if we don’t go after him,” said Hazou, looking up as Wenqi headed to him. “I know it.”
Wenqi swallowed. All their dreams squashed in moments. A deep darkness and a sense of futility swam over him once again. He stared at his friend and at the crumpled form of Lady Lee, the air filled with the stench of smoke intermingling with the cloyingly sweet smell of fire-foam.
He sat next to Hazou, slumping forward; he could almost feel his phantom limbs pressing against his head in frustration. An armless man and a blind man; what could they do?
“You know I was actually thinking we were getting our lives back on track,” Wenqi said.
The squelching against the ash made Wenqi look up. The People’s Favor walked to them flanked by seven triants. An air of malevolence and restrained fury pulsed out in waves from Diaochan as she stood there right before them clenching and unclenching her fists. Wenqi never dreamed to see the People’s Favor like this, so openly raw, hurt, and angry.
“The Chrysanthemum Striped Tigers are responsible for this,” she said. “Dang Mao came here and he has Nuan and her daughter. I’m assembling a strike force that will hit Xinjiang village. That’s the HQ for the Chrysanthemum Striped Tigers.” She took a deep breath. “You have served me well, the two of you. I would offer you a boon. Name it.”
“I want to come with you when you attack Xinjiang. Nuan will be there,” said Wenqi.
At the same time, Hazou said, “I want to be there too.”
“As you wish.” She turned and nodded slightly.
A nurse bot with a red-cross on her chassis walked up to the two scientists and held out a hypodermic needle that she inserted in Wenqi before he could even think and then she did the same to Hazou.
The world swam before Wenqi’s eyes and the ground loomed. He tasted fire-foam and found it reminded him of bubbly-gummy. Except it choked him. And then the darkness took him. The People’s Favor has finally got sick of us, was his final thought.
Chapter 24 - Renewal
Triant: “They will be a burden if we take them. Leave them.”
People’s Favor: “They are getting these back not because of Xinjiang, but because they will resume their work for me. Can’t you see? What could they create if I gave them the full run of the Department of Botanical Weapontech? I need to look into the future of the entire China People’s Empire. And these two play a central role in that.”
Triant: “Then let’s leave them and go—now.”
People’s Favor: “Jingfei’s last wish was for them to be present. Apparently, one of them is in love with Nuan. And the other is her brother.”
Triant: “Why do you care?”
People’s Favor:
Triant: “You show her much honor.”
People’s Favor: “I should’ve set her free much sooner.”
Triant: “We are here of our own volition. You set us free at the right moment.”
People’s Favor: “They’re waking up.”
In one tank, there floated a hand the size of a stingraybot; in another a giant foot with claws that glinted against the purple luminescent water, and in another, a creature with multiple limbs. Hazou wondered if he were in one of the labs in the Department of Botanical Weapontech, only this appeared different. It was somewhat darker and felt a lot more secretive. The green holo-displays blinked in the distance. Much closer to him, a cross-section of his entire body appeared in a holo-display. The cold floor kissed the soles of his feet and he almost rolled his ankle over the snaking conduit.
Curiosity fully aroused, he walked past the many floor-to-ceiling cylindrical tanks. The scientist
part of his brain dissecting what occurred here. He looked at the digiprinted light on his forearms: Biosynthetic Lab 8.
He almost tripped over a conduit and fell to his face. His hands suddenly pressed against his eyes. He could see his hands! He ran forward to stare at the holo-display hovering over the foot of the next bed. He told it to change into mirror configuration and as it did so, his eyes widened.
Wenqi lay on that bed. The blanket wrapped around his torso tightly. Muscular glinting arms attached themselves to his shoulders.
Hazou staggered to his friend and his fingers traced the silverite material of his friend’s arm. He’d rarely had the opportunity to work with such rare material. Micro-circuitry, copper in hue, stretched through the arm. A magnificently sculpted piece of work, he thought. Who sculpted it?
“No, leave her alone,” said Wenqi, shaking his head, perspiration dotted his brow. “Leave her!” He shot up from his sleep. His eyes staring about wildly, taking in the floor-to-ceiling cylindrical aquariums with their weird creatures and body parts.
“Wenqi, you’re hurting me,” said Hazou.
Wenqi’s eyes widened as he regarded his friend. “Your eyes... your eyes! You’ve got eyes! They’re octagonal.”
“What?” Hazou said, curious now to stare into the mirror at his own eyes.
“My arms.” Wenqi held out his hands in front of him and flexed his fingers. “My fingers! I’ve got my arms back!” He jumped out of the bed and hugged his friend.
Wenqi grabbed Hazou and they did a jig eventually stopping when they came back to the mirror. Hazou couldn’t believe it. His octagonal eyes were shaped like multiple, ancient hourglasses intersecting one another. He twisted his head sideways to stare at the eyes.
“Who?” They both asked simultaneously.
“Who else?” said Diaochan, the People’s Favor, as she strode into the cavernous underground lab. Seven triants came behind Diaochan and they fanned out.
“We have identified the secret base of the Chrysanthemum Striped Tigers. Dang Mao has captured the Chao-chao plant. I suspect the leaders of the Chrysanthemum Striped Tigers are gathering to make a move against me. We suspect Dang Mao has taken Nuan and Lizhang.” She held up her hand to forestall their questions.
“I will lead half my triants into the heart of the Chrysanthemum Striped Tigers’ base and strike at their core: their leadership. Dang is mine. You can help with Nuan and Lizhang. The other half of my triants will go overland to destroy the enemy’s supply lines. This is war—not something you scientists have ever dealt with—yet I give you the honor of following... because that’s what Jingfei would’ve wanted me to do.”
Hazou swallowed. His sister needed him. He’d spent all his life studying and doing research. Now he had to go and confront the enemy. He willingly risked his new eyes for this endeavor.
“We’ll be glad to serve,” said Wenqi, stepping forward and putting his knee on the ground and bowing.
“Let’s go and get Nuan and little Lizhang,” said Hazou, kneeling forward and bowing. “We are ready People’s Favor.”
Diaochan smiled down at them. “Jingfei said you were both unusual scientists. Maybe Dang underestimated both of you?” She turned and walked away. “Let’s go. There are people to rescue. Traitors to kill. Blood to slake our thirst.”
Wenqi and Hazou glanced at one another. They noticed the amulet around Diaochan’s neck that showed Jingfei’s face. The People’s Favor clutched at it as tears wet her eyes.
Chapter 25 - Hidden City
Xinjiang village sat on a sheltered plateau in Mount Belukha, ten thousand feet high, surrounded by craggy rock. An enviro-net covered the entire east side and disappeared behind Siberian firs that stood hundreds of meters high. The village concealed itself artfully against the human eye.
Inside the village proper, it appeared to adhere to the precepts of ancient Chinese architecture. Beautiful red lanterns strung with bulbs adorned the streets. Merchants walked besides donkeybots that in turn pulled small e-carts along the cobblestone ground. The roofs of the quaint cottages consisted of synth-thatch and lay sleepily over bordered windows that glowed in the night. Inside the families sat together for dinner. Outside, many people walked around, some gossiping, others going to nighttime prayer at the Buddhist Temple that stretched high in the distance with its multi-inclined sweeping roofs.
The village bespoke of peace and prosperity. Most of the citizens who lived on the ground level cities didn't fare too well. Yet here it was, this village of Xinjiang, in the middle of nowhere and yet so prosperous. The air-tinge, sea-tinge, and land-tinge filters must've been operating to their maximum, thought Hazou.
He didn’t have much time to think of much else as he marched into the main square surrounded by triants and soldierbots. Many soldierbots knocked on doors and told the villagers to evacuate. A few protested but when they saw the red and gold yin yang with the jade dragon—the mark of the China People’s Empire—emblazoned on the bots, they stopped arguing. Especially when dragonfly transports hovered overhead and dumped soldierbots that landed on the ground.
A dragonfly transport landed in the middle of the cleared village square. Its huge hind tail slammed into a house. The house crumbled behind it. The dragonfly’s cone-shaped nose swiveled upward and out trundled several huge razor-claw tanks that churned the earth.
“Do you really think the Chrysanthemum Striped Tigers are here?” Hazou asked Wenqi.
Wenqi shrugged his silverite shoulders. He looked good dressed in the garb of a People’s Soldier. His red and yellow armor lay close against his skin. It had been strange to wear armor that they had designed. The formfitting armor protected their entire body from head to toe. Right then they wore their helmets configured so they didn’t wrap over their eyes, but protected their chins and forehead.
Wenqi looked as if he was lost as he swung his neck from side to side. A gun lay holstered against his side and a shield belt wrapped itself against his waist. Hazou had the exact same tools but it looked somehow more real when he saw it on his friend.
What are we doing, Hazou thought, having reservations for the tenth time. We shouldn’t be here, he told himself. This is for soldiers. We’re scientists. But he couldn’t just stay at home and wait—it was just a wreck anyway.
How things changed, he thought. The People’s Favor herself jogged in front of him flanked by seven triants. Her thick, green hair flattened itself into an armor-like shelving that crept over her head. Her face pale. Her eyes narrowed.
“Call the strike,” said Diaochan.
A voice crackled to life in all their voxcoms. “Roger that People’s Favor.”
Hazou almost jumped at how loud the voice spoke into his ear.
The sky screamed with the sound of the four J22 white-serpent space-fighters. Their sleek bodies ejected out hissing T-7M missiles that glistened against the moonlight as they slowed down and then dropped like rocks.
Dozens of dragonfly troop transports burst out of the clouds decelerating immediately from their super speed. Their bellies shuddered open, ejecting drop pods that filled the ground with elite troopers.
Two massive leviathan class space-carriers came in last and their bellies jig-sawed apart like an intricate puzzle, and out dropped mobile infantry barracks. The box-like barracks fell to the ground where, at the last moment, jets arrested their descent and gelfoam squirted from their feet. The barracks doors thudded down forming ramps that spewed forth thousands of soldierbots.
The other leviathan stretched out six impossibly long and strong limbs and lay down razor-claw tanks.
“Remind me not to get into the People’s Favor’s bad books,” Hazou said.
“Ha ha...,” Wenqi responded, as they both squeezed theirs eyes shut reflexively and ducked. In that gap between their eyes closing and opening, the T-7Ms impacted their designated targets.
The first explosion rocked the ground and shook the entire village floor. The remaining villagers screamed and ran in the ensu
ing chaos. To Hazou, it was all too much going from being blind to seeing all this, and he kept opening and squeezing his eyes shut as if suffering from eye spasms.
Diaochan ran with her groups of triants. A thick shield buzzed in the air over her and another over their entire group. They reached the center of the village when the ground heaved and buckled. Hazou stumbled back and fell. A huge tower rose out of the ground right in front of him.
Later, Hazou realized it was one of the many underground defensive turrets that the Chrysanthemum Striped Tigers laid throughout Xinjiang village.
In only a matter of moments, the village turned from a peaceful and idyllic pasture to a full-blown battlefield.
The T-7Ms had torn into the ground and corkscrewed all the way down fifty meters and then exploded upward, causing the roof that shielded the underground city to open up to the world.
The earth quaked and huge swathes of earth shattered, broke, and erupted into the air. The shaking continued for a full five minutes.
“There’s another city under the ground,” shouted Wenqi, pointing.
Once the smoke and dust cleared, it revealed a huge gap in the ground the size of a crater. Only it glowed green and showed level after level of an intricately alive underground city. The city organized itself around a circular well that went deep into the earth. Hazou realized it glowed green because the lights within the city were all green.
“Can you believe this?” Hazou said.
“They’ve been here for a long time,” said Diaochan, the disgust in her voice evident. She kept giving directions into her voxcom.
Just as she spoke, another type of transport, shaped like an underground drill-tank with an ironridge body and diamondium cone, sheered its threads into the ground barely stopping right in front of them. The doors hinged open and a triant shouted at all of them to get in.