by Mark Harritt
Jhani giggled. An eye roll showed what Mara’a thought of Om Varee’s theatrics. It was obvious that she thought Om Varee was being an ass, “Okay, smart guy, how are you going to get past your own security?”
Om Varee raised his fist with one index finger extended, “Sometimes, what you perceive as reality, is in fact, an illusion.” He motioned at the gate, “The absolute security of this gate, for instance.”
He stood up and backed away from the gate, motioning for Jhani to step back as well. Om Varee marched over to the right side of the gate and started touching the wall, looking for something. His nimble fingers flew across the stone until he found what he was looking for. A quick twist, and the false stone face opened. Inside there was a single hole for a key. Om Varee pulled a key on a chain from his pocket, inserted it into the hole, and then turned it.
A sudden grinding could be heard as the entire gate started sliding into the wall. Quickly, he pulled the key out and replaced the stone on the wall. If you didn’t know it was there, you would never know that there was a key hole behind it.
The banded gate continued to slide to the side as Om Varee motioned for his two wives to enter the tower. Once again, Jhani giggled as Mara’a shook her head. Om Varee slapped Mara’a lightly on the butt as she walked past, and got a little wiggle in return. He knew she wasn’t upset. She just liked to be a little contrary at times.
“Okay, we’re back in enemy territory. We need to keep the conversation down, please,” Om Varee told Mara’a and Jhani. Mara’a shot Om Varee a dirty look, but kept quiet. They walked until they came to a fork and Om Varee pointed toward the right-hand tunnel. They were headed back into the belly of the beast. Since the Dostori Rev still hunted them, Om Varee knew that they’d run into her patrols this close to the central shaft. Dostori Rev was self-centered and arrogant, but Om Varee knew that she was in no way stupid. Min would be a problem when they got closer to the central shaft, but these smaller tunnels weren’t big enough for Min to crawl through. Because of that, there would be others tasked to ensure that intruders didn’t compromise her security.
They walked through the fetid, dank tunnels. Vermin of different sizes and shapes scurried out of their path as they made their way further into the Dostori Rev’s realm. Some of them were big enough to give Om Varee second thoughts. He knew that in a fire fight, those larger scavengers wouldn’t hesitate to take advantage of the situation. That could be dangerous no matter who won the fight. Fresh corpses would bring danger to the victors as well as the losers.
They continued moving through the ill lit tunnels until Jhani gave them the signal to hold in place.
“What do you see?” Om Varee whispered into his mike.
“Patrol at the intersection ahead,” Jhani answered.
“Are they moving through?” He asked.
“Negative, standing in place.”
“How many?”
“Three that I can see,” Jhani told him.
“Can you take them?”
“Of course, I can. They haven’t even noticed me. They’re too busy playing grab ass, not paying attention.”
That pretty much summed up the Turinzoni. He couldn’t see the patrol, but he doubted it was another race. The Sh’raithe were still on the other continent, trying to figure out where the ghost soldiers had disappeared to, and how their leaders had been so easily killed.
The patrol’s position put a new light on things. They could slip by the patrols if the patrols kept moving. If they stayed at key intersections, though, they’d have to kill them. He could give them time, but more time meant they might be discovered. He weighed the options, and then gave the order, “Okay, take them.”
Three silenced shots sounded as quickly as one, two, three, the quiet phhht of the shots not carrying further than the distance from Om Varee to Jhani.
“Three down,” Jhani reported.
“Any more movement ahead?”
“Negative,” She replied.
“Okay, move out. We need to make haste since we’ve killed three,” Om Varee told them.
“We?” Jhani asked.
Om Varee sighed and then replied, “since you killed three. Now, let’s get moving.”
They walked past the three corpses, and Jhani put another bullet into each head as insurance. Om Varee had been correct. It was the Turinzoni. That made him feel a little better. He and his wives might live another day.
They had to kill two more patrols before they got close to the central shaft of the tower. The tunnels started getting larger as they approached the open area. Om Varee was concerned that Min might be somewhere close. Jhani stopped them before they arrived at the central shaft. She motioned for Om Varee and Mara’a to hold in position so that she could look before they made their move across the shaft. Om Varee pointed at his chest, and then motioned that he should move forward to check it out. Jhani replied with an obscene gesture. Mara’a tapped him on the shoulder and shook her head. Om Varee didn’t like it, but he abided by their wishes. He knew that Jhani was much better at sneaking around than he, but he hated having her out there risking her life. He motioned for her to move forward.
Jhani turned and started toward the shaft. Mara’a covered the direction that they came from, and he covered the direction they were traveling toward. Time seemed to stretch out, moving slowly as he worried about Jhani. He was just about to step forward to see what had happened to her when she came back. She moved closer to him to give a situation report, “We have a problem.”
“What kind of problem is that?” he asked.
“Min is sitting in the middle of the main shaft.”
Om Varee frowned, “Why is he sitting in the middle of the shaft?”
“He’s feeding on corpses.”
“Corpses?”
“Yeah, corpses. Lots of them,” she replied.
“Contai corpses?” he asked.
“No, these were dressed.”
“Did he see you?”
Jhani shook her head, “No, he didn’t see me, but I think he knows I’m here. He was sniffing the air before I came back to you. He looked toward the tunnel we’re in.”
“Did you see anybody in the cages?”
“No, but it was hard to see. The light isn’t good.”
Om Varee didn’t like it, but he had no other choice, “Well, we have to move past him. If we must kill him, aim for the eyes. That thick skull of his can take a lot of damage. Shooting him anywhere else won’t do enough damage to kill him quickly enough, not with these rifles. Hopefully, with that much food out there for him, he’ll be content and let us pass.”
“You did say that he knows you, right?” Mara’a asked nervously.
Om Varee nodded, “I’ve always brought livestock and water down to him. I’ve tried to cultivate a relationship in case we had to escape through this route.
“Probably a good idea,” Mara’a mused.
“I hope so,” Om Varee replied. He turned to Jhani, “When you get to the central shaft, look up at the crosswalk and make sure there’s no one there. Make way to the tunnel that’s directly under the door to the lab. That’s where we’re going to find the lower entrance.” He motioned for her to move forward.
They moved slower, and quieter. There was nothing they could do about Min. It was the others that worried Om Varee. With Min, they had a fifty-fifty shot that he would leave them alone. If not, they would deal with him, and hopefully survive. With the others, their chances dropped considerable. Once the Turinzoni found out that three of their patrols in the tunnels were dead, they’d swarm this area looking for the killers. Om Varee and his wives could kill a lot of soldiers, but the Turinzoni had numbers on their side.
Jhani stopped at the entrance to the central shaft. She looked around, her eyes following the muzzle of her weapon. Finally, she motioned all clear. Om Varee moved to her, and then stepped around her.
“What are you doing?” she hissed into her microphone.
Om Varee ignored her, and ste
pped into the central shaft. Min was there, his scabrous bulk intimidating in both size and foulness. The great monster had a corpse in one hand, chewing its head off, the bone of the skull crunching as Min chewed with enormous molars. It was hard for Om Varee to even imagine that Min was at one time one of the richest, most powerful Contai on this planet before the Dostori Rev’s genengineers got a hold of him. Now, he was a sordid shadow, a cautionary tale for people who might cross the Dostori Rev, a monster of whom tales were told to keep children quiet.
Om Varee walked with his rifle at low ready. Min tracked Om Varee’s progress with his eyes, sniffing the air to identify the intruders in his lair. Om Varee watched with his peripheral vision, not wanting Min to think that he was challenging him. Over his mike, Om Varee said three words, “Follow, stay close.”
Jhani moved forward with Mara’a. Om Varee was walking slowly around the wall of the shaft, so it was easy for them to catch up and stay close. Min chewed noisily on the remains of the corpse. He bit into the shoulder of the dead man, ripping cloth and flesh, breaking bone. They had no problems until they’d traversed a third of the way. Then they heard a low, deep growl emanating from the beast. Min kept eating, but the monster tracked them with his eyes as they moved.
“Be ready for it. It’s big, but it’s speed is deceptive because of its size. It’s incredibly fast. Remember to aim for the eyes,” Om Varee cautioned the two women.
They kept skirting the wall. Min hadn’t moved from his position in the middle of the central shaft surrounded by corpses. They still heard the low growling, though. Om Varee moved as fast as he thought he could, but he was afraid that he’d invoke a predatory strike if he moved too fast.
“Damned if you do, damned if you don’t,” Om Varee thought. The only thing he could do was keep moving. Soon enough, they were two-thirds of the way around the wall. They’d passed several tunnels, but the tunnels weren’t good for a retreat, large enough that Min could easily follow.
Min stared hard at them now, trying to make up his mind what to do. The corpse was halfway gone, Min snacking on the softer flesh of the lower torso. Om Varee was so close to the tunnel that led to the lower laboratory. Sweat broke out on his face as he watched the tunnel get closer and closer. As they got closer to their exit, Min grew more agitated. Min’s growling was louder, and he was rocking back and forth as he watched them.
Om Varee stepped past the opening, motioning for Jhani and Mara’a to move into the small tunnel. As they disappeared into the tunnel, Min jumped up, roaring, and ran at them. Om Varee turned and ran as fast as he could, screaming, “Run!” Behind him he heard the bellowing of the monster as it thrust its arm into the tunnel, trying to grab Om Varee before he could get away. Om Varee could swear that he felt the wind from the monster’s hand as he ran.
They didn’t stop running until they were at the end of the tunnel.
“Oh Gods, I think I pee’d my pants,” Mara’a sobbed.
Om Varee leaned against the wall, hands on his knees, “I’d rather face an army than that big son of a bitch.”
Jhani was trembling, “I’ve never been so scared in my life. Those little pig eyes followed us all the way around the shaft.”
Om Varee nodded, amazed that Jhani admitted that she was scared. Nothing scared her. You could drop her naked into a battalion of Cree automatons, and she’d come out with a smile, every damn robot destroyed.
Now that they were past Min, they had another problem. The tunnel ended with a locked door.
“Now what?” Mara’a asked.
Matki studied the door for a moment, then he shrugged, “Anybody bring their lock picks?”
Mara’a did a little head wag, motioning toward her body armor, “Grenades, explosives, big ass blade, check. Lock picks, no.”
Om Varee looked at the door, “Alright, get ready.”
He leaned forward and knocked on the door. Mara’a stared, astounded, “Really?”
Om Varee shrugged, “Its either this or a big chunk of explosives that brings everybody running.” He knocked again, louder. There was still no answer, so he knocked again, banging on the door. It opened.
Om Varee wasn’t sure who was surprised more, him or the two Turinzoni that answered the door.
“What the . . .” were the last words the one who opened the door ever said. Jhani shot him twice between the eyes. The other one tried to turn and run back up the metal stairs. He took two steps before Mara’a and Jhani shot him several times in the back. Jhani squeezed by Om Varee and shot them both in the head. She aimed her rifle up the stairs and checked if anybody else was on them. Once she was satisfied there was no one else, she waved for Om Varee and Mara’a to move forward. They moved in, and Jhani turned to Om Varee, “Where to first?”
“All the way up. We need to secure the doors. If anybody else shows up, dust them,” he told her.
They proceeded up the stairs with caution. They stepped onto the first landing without anyone showing up to interfere. This was the level of the lower laboratory, where the genengineering techs did most of the work, cutting up their specimens and conducting experiments. Jhani moved onto the next set of stairs, and past the second landing that led to Sebius’ private laboratory. The next landing was problematic. The door there led into the offices of Sebius and his techs. There was also the stairwell on the other side that led to the long hallway where the security office and break room were.
Om Varee was distracted from his thoughts about the security on this level by Jhani, who pointed down at the landing. Someone had made a perfunctory attempt to clean up, but Om Varee could still see the blood stains. He motioned for Jhani to continue up the stairs. They followed the blood stains to the next landing. This was the landing that led to the staff’s rooms. The blood trail ended at the door. Om Varee was curious. Something had happened recently. Still, that would have to wait until they secured the upper door.
They moved past the landing they were on, and up to the door that led out of the laboratory and into the tower. Once there, Jhani and Mara’a pulled security while Om Varee dealt with the door. The first thing he did was put a wedge at the bottom of the door so that he wouldn’t be surprised like the dead guards downstairs. Then he pulled out a block of what seemed to be explosives. That wasn’t the case, though. He pushed the plastic putty into the thin opening between door and the door frame, both made of metal. Then he pulled out a small spray bottle which held a catalyst. He sprayed the catalyst onto the plastic putty, and watched it change into a solid epoxy that welded the door to the frame. He did the same thing on the other side where the hinges were. Now, the door frame would have to be removed completely to get into the laboratory.
He motioned for them to move back down the steps. They stopped at the next floor, the level where the rooms were, and Om Varee placed more of the epoxy in the door frame. As much as he wanted to, he didn’t have time to satisfy his curiosity. Once he was satisfied it couldn’t be opened, they moved down to the next floor. They couldn’t do the same on this floor. The prisoners were kept in cages in the central shaft, and he needed them.
He opened the door quickly so that Jhani could take care of any threat on the other side. There wasn’t anybody there, though. It looked like an abattoir. Now Om Varee understood where all the corpses piled up outside had come from. Someone had done a lot of killing.
“Who could have done all this?” Mara’a asked.
Grimly, Om Varee replied, “The prisoners.”
“How did they get out of their cages?”
“I guess we’ll find out,” Om Varee motioned for Jhani to continue toward the cages. As they walked, one tech stepped out of his office, noticed them, and gasped. He never had a chance to do anything else. Jhani shot him in the face, and then shot him again as she walked around him.
They moved to the front of the office where the stairwell leading to security was. There weren’t any hostiles, so they climbed the stairs. Once again, Om Varee opened the door so that Jhani could engage an
y hostiles on the other side. There weren’t any, at least not immediately. They moved forward to the office and break room. Jhani went into the office, and Om Varee went into the break room while Mara’a focused on the door facing out into the central shaft.
Om Varee found one of the security guards, who, hearing footsteps, mistook Om Varee for one of his own men, “Did you find out why Min is bellowing out there?” The guard turned, dropped his food, and fumbled for his gun as Om Varee shot him twice in the chest, and then walked over to shoot him once in the head. As the body relaxed into death, Om Varee heard Mara’a take several shots. He turned back to the hallway, and walked out to find a dead guard half in and half out of the door that led to the central shaft.
Mara’a leaped forward to grab him and pull him into the hallway. Once he was out of the way, she looked out at the cages, “There aren’t any prisoners in the cages, Varee.”
Om Varee cursed, “I hope they haven’t been killed yet. I need answers.”
Mara’a looked at him, “What do you want to do?”
He motioned for her to come back in, “Cover me, I want to check the cages.”
Mara’a shook her head, “I told you, there isn’t anyone in the cages. You aren’t going out there. It’s too exposed. If someone comes out of the other door, they’ll cut you to ribbons before you can get back to us.”
Om Varee wavered, so he settled for a compromise, “Okay, let me look out to see.”
The eye roll was back, “Okay, fine, whatever, go ahead.” She stepped out of his way. He looked down the pathway, but Mara’a was right, there wasn’t anybody out there. “Hey!” he yelled. He looked for anyone moving, but he didn’t see anything. He stepped back and grabbed the guard’s corpse and pulled it further back from the door. He walked over to the door, shut it, and applied the epoxy. Nothing was getting through that door unless they used explosives. He turned his attention back to the hallway, “Now, let’s check out the lower laboratories and see what’s down there.”
They turned and proceeded back in the direction they came from. Travel was a little bit easier since they didn’t have to worry as much. All the entrances had been blocked, and the living quarters had been blocked. Hopefully, if they encountered anybody, it would only be techs, and not more security. They went back to the offices, and started looking around. Om Varee’s goal here was to grab all the data the techs had acquired.