Quantum Predation (Argonauts Book 4)

by Isaac Hooke

“Don’t think they’re that dumb,” Bender said. “More likely it was looking for someone. Or something.”

  “What do you mean, something?” Manic asked.

  “Who normally hides inside a host?” Bender said.

  “What, you’re saying it’s looking for a Phant?” Manic asked.

  “Not a Phant,” Bender said. “But our Phant. Surus.”

  “It’s possible that our enemy has tasked the aliens with finding me,” Surus agreed. “That only means we’ll have to be all the more cautious going forward.”

  “All right, Tahoe, you’ll have to move out of the way,” Rade said. “I want Units A and B to confirm that the floor is clear.”

  Tahoe lowered himself onto the countertop below to allow the designated robots to get down. Once the units were in the kitchen, he clambered back into the crawlspace and replaced the panel, leaving it open a crack for himself.

  Rade switched to Unit A’s point of view as it explored the ruined level. He was reminded of the sights he had seen on the previous floor, what with all the crushed cubicles and office equipment. The Centurions kept their distance from the large gap that had been torn into the blast shield.

  After a few minutes Unit A reported: “It appears the alien has departed.”

  sixteen

  Unit A, approach the breach,” Rade ordered. “I want to see if anything has changed in the city.”

  The designated robot carefully maneuvered closer to the hole in the blast shield, until it had a view outside. The swarm seemed to have dispersed somewhat, as the streets immediately below were less clogged by the aliens. The surrounding buildings had very few creatures clambering over the exterior surfaces.

  “Still fairly nasty out there,” Shaw said.

  “Return to the kitchen,” Rade instructed the robots. “And climb back up to the crawlspace. We’ll stay here until dark.”

  The robots returned to the cramped crawlspace and waited with the rest of the team for the next two hours. It wasn’t all that comfortable, being cooped up in that claustrophobic area, but Rade and the others managed. During the downtime, Rade shared the video he had taken of the alien’s incursion into the kitchen for all the team to see.

  When his alarm went off, Rade ordered the robots down to clear the level once more. After their sweep, Rade had Unit A approach the breach. The glow bars in the geodesic dome had deactivated, casting the city in darkness.

  “Unit A, switch to night vision mode,” Rade sent.

  The robot obeyed, and the scene shifted in hue so that green color tones dominated. The streets had emptied, at least for the most part. The occasional spiders patrolled in pairs. Unit A detected more of the aliens lurking on the tops of some buildings, likely snipers scanning the avenues for any overlooked survivors who might attempt to flee.

  The street lamps provided dim cones of green light. Again, Rade wondered at the strangeness of the city design; why create lamps when the glow bars could have lit the night? But then he remembered all the street lamps had cameras embedded underneath.

  “TJ, if we got close enough to the street lamps, do you think you’d be able to hack into the cameras they contain?” Rade asked.

  “I could hack in from here if we didn’t have that damn jamming to deal with,” TJ said.

  Rade considered for a moment. “I suppose those cameras aren’t all that useful to us at the moment anyway, considering we’re planning on taking the subway system to the transmission tower, and avoiding the streets for the most part.”

  “What if the aliens have decided to use the subway system as their personal dormitory?” Shaw said.

  “I think most of them have probably returned to their ship,” Lui said. “Either that, or they’ve probably deployed special housing outside the domes to accommodate their particular atmospheric requirements. It can’t be comfortable to operate in the void for hours on end. Those aliens we see out there? We’re looking at the second duty shift.”

  “Units A and B, return to the kitchen,” Rade sent. “Everyone else, let’s get down.”

  “Can we just remove the roof panels and leap down directly?” Manic asked.

  “No,” Rade said. “I want this hiding place left intact, in case we need it again.”

  And so the Argonauts began to worm backwards through the crawlspace and lower themselves down to the countertop in turn.

  While they did so, Fret said: “I’m wondering something. You say they’re operating in the void, Lui. You mean with suits, right?”

  “I didn’t see any evidence they were wearing environmental suits of any kind, no,” Lui said.

  “How do you know they don’t have skintight jumpsuits of some kind?” Fret insisted.

  “I suppose it’s possible,” Lui said. “But you watched the video Rade shared, right? And I’m sure you made your own of our earlier encounter. You saw the individual hairs on their legs, right?”

  “A jumpsuit could enclose individual hairs,” Fret said. “There are watertight coatings the military has come up with that you can spray over a porcupine, sheathing the individual quills in a thin polymer. I don’t see why that couldn’t be expanded a few tech levels to create a completely skintight jumpsuit, something flexible these spiders could literally spray over their bodies to protect them from the void. Maybe filled with an insulating layer that would provide the necessary pressure.”

  “Again, I suppose it’s possible,” Lui said. “These are aliens, after all, operating alien technology. But we’ve encountered a few resilient species in the past that were capable of withstanding the void.”

  “Yes, but those were bioengineered,” Fret said. “The Phants notwithstanding, of course.”

  “And who’s to say our current aliens weren’t bioengineered?” Lui said. “For all we know, the Phant we’re tracking created these aliens!”

  “I doubt it,” Tahoe said. “The Phant wouldn’t have had time. That ship you saw in orbit would have taken centuries to build. And the Phants only arrived in our space fifteen years ago.”

  “You win,” Lui said.

  Rade lowered the civilians to the countertop and then followed them down, so that all of the Argonauts were in the kitchen.

  “Kato,” Rade said. “I’ve marked off what looks like the best route through the subway tunnels to our destination. I want you to have a look and tell me if you have any suggestions.”

  Rade transmitted the route to Kato, and the man accepted.

  “Looks fine,” Kato said a moment later. “That route will bring us closest to the transmission tower.”

  “Good,” Rade said. “Centurions, lead the way. Take us to the airlock.”

  The combat robots led the squad to the main entrance, and Rade had TJ unlock and open the inner hatch, which the alien had left untouched. There was still atmosphere beyond the outer hallway, and Rade, remembering the unknown civilian who had died while hiding in the ceiling panels, decided not to compromise that atmosphere by opening both the inner and outer hatches at the same time.

  He sent the Centurions through first to sweep the outer hallway in front of the elevators. When the robots reported it as clear, he had his Argonauts pass through the airlock in groups of four, opening and closing the hatches behind them.

  When everyone was through, the group proceeded into the stairwell and down toward the basement. They were spread out in a long line along the stairs, with the robots in the lead. Rade made a further stop on the fifth floor—which was still pressurized—to pilfer the kitchen. The vending machine there had chicken chips, much to Bender’s delight, and the group ate until sated. They filled their harnesses with all the bags of chicken chips they could 3D-print and continued on their way.

  They reached the second floor entrance and remained in the stairwell while the robots went forward into the walkway that overlooked the concourse. The Centurions fanned out, with two taking the stairs to the first floor, and confirmed that the area was clear.

  Rade and the others emerged and proceeded down to
the concourse. They took up defensive positions at the bank entrance, and Rade once more sent the Centurions forward.

  The robots swept the bank, taking the escalators down to the carpeted basement foyer where the airlock led to the pedway. The group followed.

  Rade halted inside the bank. He stared up at the security cameras.

  “TJ, you said you could hack into the security cameras?” Rade asked.

  “I could,” TJ said. “But I’m not sure what use that would be. These ones belong to the bank. They’re on a private subsystem, not linked to the colony’s.”

  “Ah,” Rade said. “So wait until we find some colony cameras, you’re saying.”

  “Pretty much.”

  At the final airlock, once more Rade ordered the Centurions to enter first.

  The robots did so, emerging into the pedway beyond,

  “Got some cameras here,” Unit A reported. “These might be of interest to you, TJ.”

  “They probably will,” TJ agreed.

  “Secure that intersection,” Rade ordered, gazing at his overhead map.

  The robots approached the T intersection at the far end of the passageway, and carefully pied either side.

  “Clear,” the Centurions said.

  Rade and the others passed through the expansive airlock, and then Rade set TJ to hacking into the camera system.

  “Done,” TJ said several minutes later. “These are definitely city-owned. I’m programming cameras along the route to transmit the locations of any lurking aliens. As long as we’re within fifty meters of a colony camera, we should all receive the latest updates.”

  Fresh red dots appeared on Rade’s overhead map, as shared via TJ’s Implant. Larger blue circles surrounded those dots.

  “The blue circles denote the range limits of the cameras,” TJ said. “You’ll see that there are a lot of spots not covered. Those include cameras that have malfunctioned, probably because the aliens attacked them, and also large swathes in the subway tunnels where there aren’t any cameras.”

  Rade nodded slowly. “This should be good enough.”

  According to the data, there were two aliens standing guard on the main platform of the station stop ahead. And in the actual subway tunnel next to it, another two moved down the route, their red dots freezing in place as they passed out of view of the camera nearby.

  “We’re going to have to take out those two alien guards,” Rade said. “And the other two in the tunnel. According to the map, we should be able to close to within twenty meters of the first two without being spotted, given the angle of the adjoining pedway passage and the current location of the aliens. Bender and Tahoe, I want you on point. You’ll be in charge of taking those two out.”

  Bender flashed Rade the happiest grin in the world.

  The group proceeded into the T intersection and made their way down the concrete passageway on the left toward the arched opening labeled “Zhana Station Stop.”

  Rade signaled the stop, and Tahoe and Bender slowly continued forward. Tahoe went high, Bender low: they pied the arch, slowly moving into the potential line of sight of the aliens, at least according to the positions recorded by the security cameras.

  “Contact,” Tahoe said.

  The two Argonauts fired. Thick beams of blue plasma erupted from their rifles.

  “Aliens down,” Tahoe said. “Moving in to take head shots.”

  Bender and Tahoe vanished from sight.

  Rade heard Bender giggling over the comm. He switched to Bender’s point of view, and saw him firing repeatedly at his current target as he approached. Every shot struck the head region, sending up splatters of yellow blood that boiled away in the vacuum environment.

  “I think that’s good, Bender,” Tahoe said over the comm.

  “Squashing bugs,” Bender sung. “Slicing bugs. Rippin’ little bugsies apart in their underwear...”

  “Bender, it’s down!” Tahoe said. “Bender!”

  Bender finally stopped firing. He turned toward Tahoe. “What, bro? Can’t you let a man have a little relaxation?”

  “Centurions, help them secure the area,” Rade said. “I want those surface escalators covered.”

  The units hurried forward, their footfalls silent in the void. The robots took up defensive positions on the two escalators located on opposite sides of the platform.

  Meanwhile, Bender and Tahoe moved toward the high-grade polycarbonate that composed the platform screen doors. The translucent screen had been shattered in many places, no doubt by the aliens. Rade had played a part in breaking through a platform screen at a different station earlier, when he had fled the governor’s enforcers and Perdix drones; that made him wonder if citizens had made some of the smaller ruptures as they fled the aliens.

  Rade still had Bender’s point of view piped into his vision, and he watched as Bender leaned through a shattered area of the screen and surveyed the tunnel beyond. Rade wasn’t expecting them to find anything, considering that cameras were currently active in the immediate area.

  In a few moments Tahoe reported in: “Area secure.”

  Rade returned to his own viewpoint and glanced at his Argonauts. “Forward.”

  The group moved into the platform area, passing the benches and pillars, and joined Tahoe and Bender beside the shattered screen.

  “Centurions,” Rade sent. “Join us.”

  The robots hurried over.

  “I want you to lead the way toward the target,” Rade instructed the Centurions.

  The robots leaped down past the shattered screen and into the tunnel. They began making their way toward the two frozen red dots that resided on the overhead map. The pair of aliens associated with those dots remained out of range of any cameras, and blocked their path somewhere ahead.

  “What about the bugs?” Bender said.

  “If this tunnel is anything like the last one I was in,” Rade said. “There should be a maintenance passageway between two to five hundred meters ahead. We’ll take cover inside and ambush the bugs.”

  Once more Bender flashed those gold teeth in a wide, pleased smile.

  “Headlamps off,” Rade said. “Switch to infrared.”

  seventeen

  Rade’s vision became green-hued as the infrared channel kicked in.

  The group proceeded into the tunnel, with the robots leading the way. They moved at a trot, their weapons scanning the tunnel walls around them, wary of ambushes. Rade was near the center of the squad, next to the civilians. Tahoe and Fret brought up the rear.

  “I feel so alive,” Bender said. “This is what I was meant to do. Fending off an alien invasion from inside a conquered city, knee-deep in bugs. I hope it never ends.”

  “Sometimes I wonder if Bender has truly lost it,” Fret said. “But then I have to remind myself that none of us really fit the definition of normal.”

  “I think it’s his way of dealing with his fear,” Lui said.

  “I ain’t afraid,” Bender said.

  “No?” Lui said. “Well I am. And if you’re really not, then you should be.”

  “You’re afraid?” Batindo said. His voice sounded a whimper.

  “Err,” Lui said. “Sorry bro.” He switched to the private band. “I shouldn’t have said that over the common band. What do you want me to tell him, boss? That I’m not afraid?”

  “No,” Rade said. “Don’t tell him anything. A healthy dose of fear will do him and the other civilians good. Let them all know you’re afraid. Let them consider the ramifications of that.”

  The squad continued in silence for some time. The lead Centurions, fifty meters ahead, had yet to encounter the maintenance door.

  “Didn’t you say two to five hundred meters?” Shaw asked.

  “That’s what I said,” Rade replied.

  “The map don’t show no maintenance door,” Bender said.

  “It’s there,” Rade insisted. “The other subway tunnel didn’t have the maintenance shaft on the map either.”

  “
Wait, shaft?” Fret said. “This is the first time you’ve called it a maintenance shaft. You’ve called it a door. A passageway. And now a shaft. So which is it?”

  “All three,” Rade said. He had to quash doubts the moment they appeared, lest those doubts overly affect morale. But he was beginning to worry himself.

  “Hey, um, why doesn’t the door show up in the camera feeds either?” Bender said.

  “My guess is it’s in-between the areas those cameras cover,” Rade said.

  “Well that makes no sense,” Bender said. “What’s the point of placing a security camera if it doesn’t provide security? You’d think providing video coverage of a maintenance door would be more important than recording a random tunnel segment.”

  “Remember, some of the cameras are malfunctioning,” Lui said. “Either shot out or mangled by the aliens.”

  “Got an answer for everything, huh foodie goodie?” Bender replied. “Phooey Lui.”

  “Pussywillow,” Lui retorted.

  They rounded a bend that continued quite a ways into the distance. There were no tangos visible on the infrared band.

  “All right,” Rade said. “Slow down. Tahoe, split us into two groups. I want each fire team hugging either wall of the tunnel. Let’s flatten our profiles.”

  Tahoe split the team and the group continued another eight hundred meters forward, coming dangerously close to the red dots that signified the last known position of the alien patrol as recorded by the nearby camera. There were no more cameras providing coverage up ahead.

  “Don’t see no maintenance passage,” Bender complained.

  “Pussywillow,” Lui said.

  “Phooey Lui,” Bender replied.

  Soon the squad had left the certainty of the cameras behind, and they were advancing completely in the blind, at least in terms of the fog of war. They could be walking into a nest of a hundred aliens, as far as any of them knew. Though presumably, their thermal vision would alert them.

  Staying close to either wall, the robots continued advancing ahead of the party.

  Rade had the feed from Unit C piped into the upper right of his vision. The passageway curved slightly, so that visibility was only about three hundred meters. As the Centurion advanced, an object’s heat signature appeared at the three hundred meter range.