The Kursas

by George Willson

  “It can’t,” Halera said. “It can bring you back from a lot, but you have to have some kind of life in you. This one isn’t coming back.” She turned to Perry, a new wildness behind her eyes. “And you’d best listen to me. I know you’re not from around here, and I don’t know what you’ve seen or experienced, but know this. I will have no sympathy killing as many of these monsters as I can. They attacked my planet and my people and for the crimes they, and I mean all of them, have committed, I will not shed one tear for any of them. And if you stand in my way, I will not hesitate to remove you from it.”

  Perry was speechless. This woman who has seemed so helpless before was now in a place of power, and she possessed a confidence he never would have seen coming. The way was clear for them to progress, but now this device was a weapon in the hands of someone who placed no value on any of the lives who might stand before them. He understood that they may have to resort to extreme measures to escape, and there was no doubt that these Kursas would do the same to them. And yet, Perry had learned that this should not be the first option but the last. She could have used the device to trap the Kursas rather than kill him.

  She called them monsters, but now he feared the monster she might become.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Retinda had given Wilster medical supplies to bind his hand and stop the bleeding as well as medicine for the pain. They only spent a few moments on this, however, as they heard sound from the Kursas in Wilster’s home above them.

  “How long do you think we have?” Blake asked.

  “Not long,” Wilster said.

  “Well, it’s best if we get going then,” Darvin insisted.

  Wilster led them down the open hallway which curved around to the point that it was clear that they were not only walking in a circle but descending as well.

  “So, if you’ll forgive me asking,” Blake said, “but is this sort of underground bunker normal around here?”

  “No, it isn’t,” Retinda said. “We’ll be very interested to know how he came about owning such a thing when this is through.”

  “Oh, I don’t mind telling you,” Wilster said. “Nothing illegal about it. You recall the Torgan War some seventy or so years ago?”

  “Obviously not personally,” Retinda said, “but I’ve heard of it, of course.”

  “Then you know that our country had built several underground bunkers to prepare for the event of a global catastrophe,” Wilster said.

  “That’s what lead us to build most new homes underground,” Darvin commented.

  “This neighborhood is obviously newer than that war,” Wilster continued, “but what most people don’t know is that the community was built on the site of one of those old bunkers. We’re in it now.”

  “I was gathering as much,” Blake said.

  “But this one was special,” Wilster said. “This one was built by the Grishna Science Laboratories. Remember them?”

  “Not much,” Retinda said. “The history books mentioned them in passing as a major contributor to the Torgan War efforts, but little else.”

  “As I recall, they were considered to be the monsters of the war,” Darvin said. “Grishna Scientists were tried for years by war panels for illegal experimentation on both domestic and foreign peoples. They gave us a lot of positive technologies, but it was discovered the price paid for those advancements were unconscionable.”

  “Correct,” Wilster said like a teacher, “Tests not only on the physical limitations of individuals but also on the mental limitations. Their tests were required reading for anyone delving into psychology because while they were immoral, they gathered some valuable data about what one can really overcome if given sufficient motivation.”

  “Are you saying you’ve dropped Michelle into one of these testing areas?” Blake asked.

  “That’s why she’s in danger,” Darvin said.

  “One of the reasons that Grishna was in such hot water once their methods were discovered was because the motivation for overcoming the trials in this facility was that failing to do so would result in the death of the participant,” Wilster said.

  “So, if this is a testing facility,” Blake said, “That would mean that there should be some kind of side access to wherever she is to allow those giving the test to observe.”

  “There is,” Wilster said.

  “And how often have you dropped unwitting people into these tests?” Retinda asked.

  “This is the first one,” Wilster said. “I promise. I was exaggerating before to scare you, but not only did I not design the place, I’ve never used it on anyone. I’ve gone down here lots of times to see if it all works, but I’ve never gone through them, and I’ve never watched anyone do it either. I did set it up as a sort of trap up there in case I had unwanted visitors, but today was the first time I ever used it.”

  “Lucky us,” Blake said flatly.

  “It may well be lucky for you,” Wilster said. “It is entirely possible that some of the testing apparatuses are broken after so many years of disuse.”

  “That’s not likely,” Retinda said. “Much of the Grishna developed technology was famous for its durability, and its tendency to remain undeterred by years of disuse. People have died exploring their abandoned facilities. As long as one doesn’t outright abuse it, it could last forever.”

  “Meaning that your friend could be dead already,” Darvin said.

  “Well, it’s worth noting that the tests were made to be solved and overcome,” Wilster encouraged.

  “Sure, if you know that’s what you’re getting into,” Blake said. “But she was dropped down there without any warning or foreknowledge of her situation. Hopefully, she picked up on that.”

  * * * * * * *

  Michelle had picked up on that. As she passed out of the big ballroom into the next chamber, she understood the stakes were high for her with each step. Fortunately, the next room showed its age more than the previous ones.

  The area was made almost entirely out of what appeared to be bluish green bathroom tiles from floor to ceiling with a single narrow path between two long areas of dirt stretching from the center path to the walls almost the entire forty foot length of the room. These areas were covered with dead plants which Michelle guessed had probably made up the difficult portion of this room at some point.

  She did not entirely trust how safe the room appeared, so she stayed in the center of the path without touching any of the decaying plants that flanked her. While part of her wondered what this room might have done at one point, she was equally thankful she did not have to deal with it.

  She reached the end of the room without incident, and the door opened as if she had completed the room legitimately. She stepped into the next chamber, and the door closed behind her.

  This room looked like some kind of resting space as it was relatively small with what appeared to be something like a chaise lounge in it to allow one to sit or recline after that past few rooms. Michelle wondered if this was the end of the line or if it was merely a brief repose before carrying onward. Without an exit, she decided to sit and wait until something forced her to go onward.

  * * * * * * *

  “So how long do we have to go until we reach the end of this hallway?” Darvin asked.

  “Back in its day, there would have been a transport riding these rails to the end here,” Wilster pointed out. “But I don’t think it’s much further.”

  “I don’t suppose the hallway has any defenses,” Blake asked.

  “Not that I know of,” Wilster said. “This was little more than a research station, so there isn’t even a missile silo. All of its funding was spent on the testing areas.”

  Ahead of them, a red, windowless door emerged from around the curve. Above the door, a single yellow light illuminated the number 27 while a sign to one side contained the redundant warning, “Authorized personnel only.”

  “I would pull the keys out of my right pocket, but since you injured my right hand,” Wilster
said holding his hand up to Darvin, “I’m going to need a little help.”

  “You can’t just reach in with your left hand?” Darvin asked.

  “It’s awkward,” Wilster said.

  “But less awkward than having me reach into your pocket,” Darvin said.

  “You were the one to shoot off his finger,” Blake said.

  “I could just cut your pocket off too,” Darvin threatened.

  “Just take the keys from his pocket,” Retinda sighed.

  Darvin gave her an angry look and then looked back to the smug, old face of Wilster. He muttered something unintelligible before reaching roughly into Wilster’s pocket, yanking out the keys and forcing them into Wilster’s left hand.

  “Thank you,” Wilster said.

  “Just open the door,” Darvin said, but then they all heard the sound of footfalls in the hallway behind them approaching fast.

  “Perhaps better sooner than later,” Blake said.

  Wilster used the key to open the door, and all of them rushed inside. Wilster closed the door behind them and then turned on a monitor next to the door to view outside the door. The hallway remained momentarily empty as Blake looked around the room behind the door.

  It was a simple room barely large enough to hold ten people with three doors on each of its other three sides. It appeared to be designed like an airlock to isolate the various areas of the underground facility from each other. Blake could imagine why they would need such a precaution based on Wilster’s description of the place.

  “Here they come,” Wilster said as a large number of Kursas rounded the corner and stopped at the door.

  “That door did not appear to be very formidable,” Blake noted. Wilster shrugged and flipped a switch. A solid panel slid down over the door to further secure it, and Blake was not the only one to see the problem here.

  “That will make our own leaving complicated, will it not?” Retinda asked.

  “There are other exits, of course,” Wilster said. “They weren’t used as much as the main one for security and quarantine purposes, but I’ve been through this entire base over the years I’ve owned it. I’ll get us out.”

  “Michelle,” Blake requested.

  “She’s this way,” Wilster said, pointing to the left door.

  “And the device you stole?” Darvin asked.

  “Straight ahead,” Wilster said, pointing to the door directly across from the entrance.

  “If we went on without you, would we be able to find it?” Retinda asked.

  “Find it, yes,” Wilster nodded. “Access it, no.”

  “Then tell us how to access it,” Darvin insisted.

  “It’s a puzzle,” Wilster said. “Much like the ones his friend, Michelle, is dealing with. To explain it would take too much time. Better to deal with this in sequence.”

  “Can we get back to it without coming through here?” Blake asked.

  “Of course,” Wilster said. “Again, a bit underused for the quarantine purposes, but every part of this base can access the other. Only during times of quarantine were the sections blocked.”

  “Then let’s go,” Blake said.

  Wilster lead them through the door on the left, fully closing and locking it behind them. He then accessed a keyboard built into the wall next to the door and typed for a moment. A loud sliding noise similar to the one they had heard when the outer door was blocked sounded. Wilster turned to them.

  “That secures the other three doors,” Wilster explained. “They won’t know which way we went, and it’ll be problematic for them to follow us.”

  Wilster lead them through a maze of hallways past offices, other administrative looking areas, and large glass-walled galleries that held empty hospital style beds. They reached a door with a keyboard beside it, and Wilster entered a password.

  “So the people who sold this place,” Darvin said. “They give you the passwords and everything?”

  “They did,” Wilster confirmed. “They actually had a former worker from here give me a walkthrough and everything to explain how it worked. I got a good deal on the property considering how big it is. Then I kept it an absolute secret while they built the entire neighborhood on top of it.”

  “That’s actually quite disturbing,” Retinda noted. “Something we may have to address once all this is over. I wonder how many other military facilities from the war are hiding under neighborhoods.”

  “Quite a few,” Wilster said. “They removed all the files from this place, of course, but I had compiled a list of places before I bought this one. I know where most of the ex-military facilities are.”

  He opened the door, and they all filed into a long hallway that ran perpendicular to the one they had just left. Ahead of them was a room with a large screen on the wall and a row of terminals. They entered the room, and Wilster sat down at one of the terminals.

  He powered on the screen and flipped through a variety of locations before them. He stopped on the small anteroom where Michelle sat patiently.

  “Congratulations to her,” Wilster said. “She’s alive and in waiting area one. We should be able to just walk down there and get her out.”

  “Should?” Blake asked.

  “Like I said,” Wilster warned, “I’ve never actually used these rooms, and while I’ve seen them all from the outside, I don’t know how they all work. I’m hoping that since she is in that room, she can just walk out once we open the door for her. We’ll need to go down there and check.”

  Wilster lead them out of the computer room and down the hall to the right. It seemed like they had walked for quite some distance before they entered a control room considerably smaller than the one they had just left. It had a pair of monitors on the wall and a couple of terminals for access. A door in the room was labeled “Waiting Area One.” Next to it was a flashing red light and the message, “Ready for next.”

  Along the floor leading from the hall to that door was a set of rails, and across from the entrance to that room, the wall appeared to be paneled in such a way that it might just separate and meet up with this waiting area door like a moveable cell or airlock-style passage.

  “Ready for next what?” Darvin asked.

  “Area, I imagine,” Wilster said. “Since it hasn’t forced her out, they probably had to manually open the next room after compiling the results from the previous ones.”

  “Well, open the door then,” Blake said.

  Wilster walked to the flashing light and pressed the button next to it. The door opened but only to reveal a small antechamber. On the far side of the chamber was another flashing red light.

  “I’ll say I don’t like this at all,” Blake said.

  “Nor do I,” Wilster confirmed.

  “We open the door from this side, but based on the rails on the floor, I’ll bet their next subject was to open the next door themselves,” Blake said. “Seems odd for a waiting area, don’t you think?”

  “We will keep the door open,” Wilster said. “I wouldn’t worry about it.”

  “You want me to go in there?” Blake asked.

  “I should stay out here to control it in case something does go wrong,” Wilster assured him.

  “Says the man who doesn’t know how it works,” Darvin said.

  “My concern exactly,” Blake said.

  “Look, she is only going to trust you anyway,” Wilster said. “You’re the best one to go in there after her.”

  “Rock and a hard place,” Blake muttered and walked into the waiting area’s antechamber. He glanced back to the group waiting and then to the flashing red light’s button. He took a deep breath and pressed it.

  As he predicted, the door behind it slid shut as the interior door opened, and Michelle stood and looked at him. She ran to him and threw her arms around his neck.

  “I’m so glad to see you,” she gushed.

  “Don’t be so glad yet,” Blake said. “I just got shut in here with you.” He smiled at her. “It’s good to see you too, th
ough.”

  “Not to worry,” Wilster’s voice rang out over a speaker in the room. “I think I’ve got it.”

  The door to the next testing room open and an alarm sounded. Little by little, the floor panels in the room visibly sparked starting at the far end where Michelle had entered and moved towards them at a rate of a panel every five seconds.

  “Wilster, do something,” Blake yelled. “Wilster!”

  The sparking panels forced them to walk through the door to the next chamber, and the door closed behind them. The room illuminated before them to show a walkway extending around the central part of the room which was a sunken floor containing a large number of unlit panels. The sides of the sunken area had rails on which would appear to ride an axle which held several round saw blades.

  “This doesn’t look good,” Blake commented, “but why did it wait till there were two of us? They could have forced you out of that room at any time. What were the tests like before that waiting area?”

  Michelle explained the nature of the previous rooms including the one that was non-functional. Blake nodded.

  “Blake?” Wilster’s voice rang out in the room.

  “What are you doing out there, Wilster?” Blake yelled.

  “Isn’t he the one that dropped me down here?” Michelle asked.

  “Yes, but now we have those Kursas chasing us, and he seemed willing to help,” Blake said. “Well, after Darvin blew up one of his fingers.”

  “He did what?”

  “I have to apologize,” Wilster continued, “but you’re stuck in this section until the next waiting area. The testing areas have a host of security overrides on them to prevent staff tampering, and there is no panic or escape switch that I can find. I’ll keep looking, but you may do just as well to work the rooms.”