The Key

by Brian Fisher

  Chapter 7

  Smoke choked the air like an ominous cloud, obscuring the Wraith's view of the beautiful chaos below. He clung effortlessly to the side of the burning building, high above the courtyard and invisible to the naked eye. No one knew that he was there, watching the wonderful, beautiful destruction, the parade of death that it had given to the undeserving cretins below. It made no noise as it moved slowly down the wall to the courtyard. A Caldonian male almost bumped into him as he neared the ground, but his reflexes were a gift to which he had grown accustomed.

  The scent of charred flesh permeated the air. The Wraith reveled in the majesty of the destruction. There was power in the taking of lives, but not enough to sate a growing appetite. Wounded vermin lay strewn across the ground with others wasting their time and energy in futile attempts at salvation. Perfect chaos displayed its glorious majesty amid the throng of putrid infidels.

  The Wraith quietly slipped through the mass of denizens, and into the protection of the shadows. With the attention of the police fixed on the bombing, he was free to further his own agenda.

  Walking quickly toward the ocean he smiled to himself. He may have lost the item, but vengeance had a sweet flavor. These creatures, these unworthy Olcai would pay most dearly for his humiliation, stealing away the treasure that he had secured for his masters. As dearly as Olcai would pay, it was nothing compared to what he was going to do to her.

  She had discovered his plans for his salvation. His efforts had been in vain. She had found him and fought him, then left him to die. Little did she know that vengeance was his. His masters, the Ta'Reeth, had found him and given him new life, a new purpose. Service to them was salvation, and he served well.

  The gentle ocean breeze let the Wraith know that he was not far from the edge of the city. He kept to the shadows, staying out of the path of people rushing to the city center. They were presumably intent on assisting the worthless souls at the courtyard. A complete waste of time.

  Buildings grew shorter as he approached the ocean. The great blue expanse covered the entire planet, except for the six cities. The Olcai had placed each city on each side of an invisible box, then filled it with water and formed it into a sphere.

  Standing on the precipice of the city, the ocean spread out in front of him. A thousand meters straight down from where he stood, the water churned against the ancient wall of the city.

  The Wraith quietly lowered himself over the side and began to climb down the wall. Years of exposure to the sea air had pitted and colored the wall a mottled brown. He climbed until he reached an open hanger near the lapping waves.

  The hanger was old and large enough to comfortably hold a medium sized freighter. Inside the hanger was empty except for a few crates of various sizes, shapes and colors that lined the walls. At the far end of the hanger was a door.

  His suit performed well, clinging to the outer wall, and then to the hanger ceiling before he dropped gracefully to the floor. Most of the light in the hanger came from outside. A few lights flickered here and there, but mostly the hanger had to be used for storage.

  A slight swagger entered his step as he walked to the door. His confidence ran high after the bombing. He had successfully planted the bomb and no one had seen him. The infidel thief was dead and he had taken its life. Unfortunately, he had not been able to retrieve what had been stolen, but that problem would be remedied soon enough.

  He reached the door and pressed the pressure plate. The door silently swung open, revealing a long, deserted hallway. A few doors lined the hall. The rooms behind them were filled with boxes and crates and little more. The hall stretched into the distance until he could not see the end.

  The Wraith traveled in silence and unseen well beyond sight of the door. He would enjoy watching the Olcai suffer. It was their destiny to suffer. They had built this monstrosity, this mechanical planet. The masters had told him this.

  Two silhouettes began to take shape in the distance. First they developed legs, then arms, and finally each formed a head. They were rather short, suggesting that the forms belonged to a pair of Olcai standing guard.

  The Wraith slowed almost to a stop, studying the silhouettes. Each form possessed a weapon. From the distance they looked to be carrying an archaic projectile weapon. The weapons consisted of a metal barrel and a composite stock that would fit neatly into the pocket of the shoulder.

  He crept to the left wall, since the right held a door, and climbed up to the ceiling. Only a sight shimmer of darkness showed his passing as he crawled past the guards, and dropped silently to floor behind them. He then reached out and placed a hand on the chin of each guard, and violently pulled his hands back. An audible crack resounded through the otherwise silent corridor. The guards’ bodies faced forward with their lifeless eyes looking straight at the Wraith before he released them and watched them crumple to the floor.

  Death was an experience not to be wasted. He savored the thrill of extinguishing life, it filled his empty soul. He did not fear death. His masters had taught him that death was but another chance to serve them, whether in dying or in taking a life that was not his. No remorse or feeling, save for the joy of service to the Ta'Reeth entered him anymore. They had seen to that, as well as to other things.

  He breathed deeply then turned to the door. It opened easily with the use of the pressure plate imbedded in the wall to the right. A simple, round room lay beyond. Tools hung on hooks lining the wall, at a height low enough for an Olcai to easily reach. In the center of the otherwise open floor was a mechanical lift that stood nearly as tall as he did. The old, iron sides of the lift were pitted and rusted with age.

  The Wraith stepped into the open lift. Solid walls with snaking slots cut in them matched the floor and ceiling. Black fabric straps snaked through the floor and walls to wrap around him and fasten him in place. Once he was secure, the lift slowly dropped, clanking and screeching through the floor. It clanked downward until it was clear of the floor, and then shook to a stop. A heavy metal door slid into position and sealed the hole left in the floor by the lift.

  A powerful blast of air, one that would have torn the Wraith free of the lift had he not been strapped in place, rocketed the lift toward the center of Olcai. It gained velocity at an astounding rate. Air ripped past the projectile, threatening to tear free anything that it touched. Moments stretched into eternity as the lift sped downward. No light reflected off the solitary lift, none could enter the enclosed maintenance shaft.

  The lift began to slow as it approached the core. Air cushioned the descent before the lift clanked to a jarring stop. A large door slid away and the lift moved again. The lift dropped a few meters, and then settled to the floor. After it stopped moving, the straps released the Wraith and disappeared into the slots in the walls, ceiling, and floor.

  When the lift doors opened, the Wraith stepped out of the confining space, and into a room filled with computers and workstations. It only took a moment for him to cross the room and access one of the computers. The computers were simple, nearly archaic. He worked quickly, separating the security protocols from the rest of the systems. Once he had the security system separated, he set the diagnostic program to run. He hoped that would take over an hour to run.

  The Wraith stepped away from the computer and headed for a door located on the far wall. He pressed the pressure plate and quickly stepped through the open door. On the other side of the door another lift stood waiting. This lift had no walls, only a railing that stood waist high, and wrapped all the way around. Two gray composite rails, one on either side of the lift, descended to the giant sphere a thousand meters below.

  It was simple enough to climb over the side if the lift. The climb to the sphere was easy and passed quickly. He reached the sphere and smiled to himself. Retribution would be swift for the Olcai, and he was more than happy to provide it.

  There was barely space to maneuver across the surface of the sphere which was covered in a series of tubing, dials, ca
bles, and valves. Each set of tubes and cables connected to the next, creating a circuit that encompassed the entire sphere. The Wraith dug into a pocket and removed a clear, membranous sack filled with a gelatinous substance.

  He placed the sack on a valve, and then broke it open. The gel oozed down the valve until it touched the threads of the pipe. It paused, and then squeezed onto the threads, and into the valve. He smiled and moved to another valve and repeated what he had just done. After finishing with the second valve, the Wraith returned to the rails and began his ascent to the surface.