Deep down, she knew she would never forgive herself. Keira let out a resigned breath as she turned to look back on the two marines. They were right. There was no going back.
Coming from the direction of the stairs, Chris emerged from the smoke and jogged up to them. He glanced into the control room, then focused his attention on the three of them.
“MK cleared the way to the stairs. There’s a chance a few militia that we don’t know about are still on this level.”
“If they’re smart, they’ll hide until we’re gone,” Wash said, “especially after what we just did to them.”
“We can only hope,” Chris said. “Keep your eyes open as we move. Watch the doors.” Chris looked over at Wash. “Are you good? Are you up for this?”
Recalling that he had been wounded, Keira turned to him, feeling sudden concern. With the smoke in the corridor, the bodies scattered about, she had not noticed. His armor was pitted, scored, and on the left side thoroughly blackened, as if it had been scorched. There was no outward sign of injury or damage beyond that.
“Yeah,” Wash said. “I was hit in the thigh.” He tapped his upper left leg. There was no sign of a hole. “Some shrapnel penetrated the armor, is all.”
Keira’s concern shifted to alarm. She moved over to him. “Are you bleeding? Is it bad?”
“Thanks for asking.” Wash flashed her an easy grin. His face through the mask was covered in perspiration. Was it from the pain or heat? “My armor comes with a basic first aid unit. It bandaged the wound and administered pain meds. I can hardly feel it.”
Keira did not like the answer. Wash was the type to minimize problems and the worries of others. He always put a positive spin on things.
“I wish the med-suites were working, Gunny,” Vex said, then turned to Wash.
“You need an AI for that,” Wash said. “I’ll be fine. Trust me.”
“Trust you?” Vex scoffed. “Mister Macho? Or should I say Mister Machismo. Uh huh. All I’ve gotta say is, you better not die on me.”
Keira read the concern in the marine’s tone. She had never heard of med-suite and was about to ask, when Wash replied.
“I’m not gonna die,” Wash said. “Face it, you’re stuck with me, woman. We were meant for one another.”
“When we first met, I couldn’t stand you,” Vex said. There was a slight catch in her throat.
“I know,” Wash said. “I sort of grow on people.”
“Like an unwanted fungus.” Chris chuckled, then grew serious. “When we get back to the Beast, we’ll deal with your injury. Vex, you’re on point. Wash, bring up the rear. If your wound gets worse, or you begin having difficulty, tell me straightaway. I don’t want a repeat of what happened on New Paris.”
“I’ll sound off if it becomes a problem, Gunny,” Wash said with a firm nod.
Chris scowled slightly. He did not appear wholly convinced.
“Keira, you’re right behind me,” Chris continued. “Any questions?”
There were none.
Sucking in a deep breath, Keira chambered a round in her rifle. Its click was solid, reassuring. She glanced back toward the control room and thought of Lee. Her hands holding the rifle were no longer shaking. In fact, she was surprised to find they were quite steady. There was suddenly no nervousness, trepidation, or anxiety. Instead, a dull sensation had settled into her soul. She felt almost empty on the inside—a hollowed-out shell of a person.
The dull feeling abruptly gave way to anger and hate for the people who had killed Lee, done this to her, to all of them. Keira slipped the weapon’s safety off and placed her finger near the trigger in the ready position. She wanted to hurt them, as they had hurt her.
“Vex, move out,” Chris ordered.
Rifle to her shoulder and crouching slightly, Vex crept down the corridor. She looked to Keira like a predator on the hunt. There was a practiced grace about her movement that deeply impressed Keira. After a few steps, Vex was nearly swallowed up by the smoke.
Weapon held at the ready too, Chris started off next. Keira followed a few steps behind. A glance told her Wash was trailing. They advanced slowly, cautiously down the corridor.
After a dozen steps, Keira realized the marines in their powered armor hardly made a sound. They were almost impossibly quiet. Keira’s own boots were louder. Their armor was incredibly heavy too. Normally, she could hear their clunking steps, but now, they were nearly silent. Their armor had also changed color, becoming a dark gray, a camouflage pattern that shifted slightly with the smoke.
How was that possible?
The farther they went from the control room, the easier it became to see. They passed several more bodies. One had been sliced neatly in two at the waist. Both ends of the dead soldier, a woman, had been cauterized. It was yet another sickening sight. Had that been MK’s light lance? Had the mech, her former babysitter, done that? Who made a war mech a babysitter? She had so many questions.
They moved through an area that had been blackened by some sort of a large blast. There was a hole in the floor, at least a half meter around, and black smoke was pouring out from it and into the corridor. The walls to either side of the hole had been warped too, as if they had given a little from the force of the explosion.
Stepping carefully around the hole, Keira saw the dull glow of fire below. A wave of heat blasted upward. She could feel the abrupt change in temperature even inside her suit. It beeped warning alarms at her again. Was the entire level below them burning? Would it spread? How much time did they have before the floor in the corridor collapsed too? Then they were past the hole and the beeping alarms ceased as the temperature dropped.
When they came to their first doorway, Vex stopped and held up a hand. Chris moved up behind her and crouched down against the wall. Keira followed his move, and behind her, Wash did the same, though he had turned slightly and was aiming his rifle back behind them. His armor did not seem to move with its normal grace.
How badly was it damaged?
Vex glanced into the room without exposing herself. Keira saw the backside of her helmet move as Vex scanned the right side that was visible. Then, she poked her head rapidly around the open doorway, glancing into and scanning the left side of the room. It was a quick and rapid movement. A heartbeat later, the marine darted across to the other side of the door and repeated the process.
“Clear,” Vex said and turned to face back down the corridor in the direction they were traveling. She waited a moment, then began moving again. Chris passed the open doorway, and as he did, he swung his rifle, pointing it into the room, scanning as he moved. Once on the other side, he motioned for Keira to follow.
Keira mimicked his move. She well recalled the drill he had taught her of moving by a room you did not have the time to properly clear. Instead, you were simply looking for obvious targets or evidence that someone was lying in wait. The idea was to expose yourself as briefly as possible while eyeballing everything.
The room, she discovered, was much like the control room they had just left. It too was full of smoke. Keira was able to make out the distinct shapes of racks of equipment, but not much more than that. She did, however, see the deep orange glow of fire toward the back right side. Heat blasted forth from the room like a furnace. It almost instantly set off the alarms in her suit again. As she passed to the other side of the door, Keira decided it was very unlikely anyone was hiding inside.
They moved past three more open doorways, repeating the process. Then, almost abruptly, they were at the stairs. MK was waiting for them. Several bodies lay before the entrance to the landing of the stairwell. Though it was still smoke-filled, Keira was able to see much better.
They stopped just before the entrance to the stairwell, with Vex still in the lead. The mech was carrying a militia rifle in one hand. In the other, a gravity blade had extended from just over the light lance. The weapon was longer than Keira’s dagger and could easily be called a sword in its own right. The blade was bloodied and hummed
with active power.
As if he had waded in it, the mech was fairly covered in blood and gore. A body lay between his feet. The head had been severed. Anger and satisfaction flooded her heart in competing waves. And yet, still, she felt a stir of the horror at the death surrounding them.
The mech’s gaze was fixed upon her. MK appeared to be studying her, analyzing. Could he interpret human emotions? Did he know what she was feeling? Could he tell she approved of him killing the enemy?
MK shifted his gaze away and looked down toward the headless body. Without any warning, the mech kicked the head toward the stairs. The head bounced sickly against the far wall, left a bloody mark, and then disappeared down the stairwell. It could be heard bouncing from step to step. The sound echoed off the walls of the stairwell.
Keira gave an involuntary shiver.
“I am sorry you had to see that, Keira.” MK’s head twitched slightly. Again, he was talking to her like she was a child. “The nasty thing is gone. Please pretend you did not see it.”
Keira looked over at Vex in question. Sure, the head was gone, but the headless body remained in plain sight. So too were the other bodies.
“What’s wrong with him?” Keira asked.
“He’s …” Vex considered MK, who was looking back at her, clearly curious as to what she would say. The mech even tilted his head slightly to the side, as if in anticipation of an answer. Again, there was a slight twitch. “He’s not your typical construct. Let’s just say he’s a little eccentric and leave it at that.”
“Eccentric.” MK drew the word out. “Unconventional, unusual … hmmm … I have always liked that word. Yes, I am eccentric. Thank you for the compliment, Vex.”
“You forgot, odd, peculiar, and weird,” Wash said.
“And a regular pain in the ass too,” Chris growled, “with no common sense.”
“That was quite ungenerous of you,” MK said, sounding hurt. “I thought we were friends, Gunny.”
“We are,” Chris said. “And friends occasionally speak truth, you bucket of bolts. Kicking that head was a stupid thing to do.”
“But I did not want Keira to see it.” The mech’s head gave a slight twitch. “She shouldn’t have to see such ugliness.”
“She already saw it,” Chris said. “And coming down the corridor, she saw worse.”
“Oh,” MK said, as if that thought had not occurred to him. “I am sorry, Keira. Do you want me to clean up the mess?”
“No, she doesn’t want you to clean up the mess. We don’t have time for that.” Chris moved past Vex and glanced into the stairwell. “Now give me a report.”
“I have terminated twelve hostiles. Most of the rest have retreated down the stairs. I have deployed a stealth probe to follow them. In doing so, I have discovered an ambush has been set two levels down. Three of the hostiles have heavy weapons capable of seriously damaging me and penetrating your armor. One of the heavy weapons is of particular concern and listed as a threat-level gamma device.”
“Gamma? Really?” Chris asked curiously. “What do they have?”
“A plasma lance.”
Chris blew out an unhappy breath.
“That figures,” Vex said in disgust, “doesn’t it? I mean, why not? Why wouldn’t the local militia have one of the deadliest weapons ever made?”
“It’s just one more obstacle to overcome,” Chris said. “We’ve faced worse and come out on top.”
“Obstacle or not, Gunny, I’m not too keen on facing a lancer,” Vex replied, “especially in the confines of a stairwell.”
“Then I would recommend finding an alternative route,” MK said, in a helpful tone, “one with less risk.”
“I wonder how they got it?” Wash asked. “I mean those things weren’t easy to come by before the Fall.”
“Does it matter?” Chris asked. “They have it. End of story.”
“I guess,” Wash said.
Chris moved forward into the stairwell and disappeared. He was back several heartbeats later.
“How many are down there?” Chris asked. “How many in the ambush?”
“I have identified twenty-four hostiles,” MK said.
“Not good odds,” Vex said, “that’s for sure.”
“What’s a plasma lance?” Keira asked.
“Something you never want to face.” Chris gave another heavy breath, sounding frustrated.
“It’s a monster of a weapon,” Wash said, “but cool too. Think of it kinda like a maser but powered by a plasma-generated chemical reaction. When initiated and properly discharged, it can cut through just about anything … well, anything at short range … say four meters for a period of five to ten seconds. Then it needs at least five minutes to recharge and rearm.”
“It’s cool as long as you’re not on the receiving end,” Vex said. “The lance takes away any possible source of cover.” She rapped the wall for effect. “It will slice right through this stuff, like it was butter. Either we kill the lancer right off or we run the risk of being hurt. It is that simple.”
“You said properly discharged.” Keira looked at Wash. “What happens when they don’t do it properly?”
“There is a big boom,” MK said. “It is quite spectacular and usually catastrophic to the crew operating the weapon and everyone else in the immediate vicinity. As a result of the containment breach and subsequent detonation of the weapon, they will not have the opportunity to fully appreciate the impressive display of pyrotechnics they have initiated. I find the thought of that quite distressing.”
Chris shot MK an unhappy look.
“They’re tricky weapons, and tend to be unstable,” Wash added. “It’s one of the reasons why the Corps does not employ them. I once saw a lance malfunction. As MK just said, the resulting blast was impressive.”
“Like the blast that hit the control room?” Keira asked.
“Now that,” Chris said, “makes a lot of sense. They must have had a second lance and tried to cut their way into the shaft.”
“Instead,” Vex said, “they blew themselves up and nearly took us with them. I hate amateurs. I really do.”
“Speaking of explosions, I have some C-75,” Wash said. There was an eager note in his voice. “We can find a good spot, one where there’s no fire beneath us, blow a hole in the floor, and drop down to the next level … rinse and repeat.”
“Bypass the ambush?” Chris asked. “I guess it’s better than facing a plasma lance, even if we do let you play with explosives again.”
“Hey,” Wash said, “that’s not fair.”
Vex moved over and glanced up into the stairwell. She looked back at the mech. “MK, did you deploy drones up the stairs? Is there anyone up there?”
“I deployed a complete sensor package,” the mech replied. “I have probed four levels up and have been able to determine no appreciable threats in the stairwell. However, it is important to note, several militia fled in that direction. They are armed with basic rifles and grenades. I have since lost track of them.” The mech’s head twitched slightly. “I do not believe they wish to continue to fight us, especially after what happened to their compatriots.”
“You think?” Vex asked.
“I just told you what I believe,” MK said. The head twitched again. “Why would you ask me that?”
“You still don’t get sarcasm, do you?” Vex asked the mech.
“He’s never fully understood sarcasm,” Chris said.
“With my decreased processing power,” MK said, “I find the concept of sarcasm most difficult to detect.”
“We could always go up,” Keira suggested. She had not really been listening to the back-and-forth banter but had been thinking about the problem of evading the ambush.
They looked at her curiously, including MK.
“We want to go down,” Chris said. “Up brings us nearer to the habitable levels.”
“There’s a revolution going on up there,” Vex said. “Anyone we encounter could and likely will prove ho
stile.”
“The tower’s huge,” Keira pointed out. “This can’t be the only stairwell that leads down, right? We go up a level or two, find another way down, and move past the ambush.” She looked at Chris. “Didn’t you get the building schematics from Pikreet?”
“You know, I think she’s onto something,” Vex said. “We’re still in the uninhabitable zone. That surely extends several levels above us.” She jerked a thumb at Wash. “It’s better than letting him play with explosives again. And we know what happened last time we allowed that, don’t we?”
“Seriously? Anytime there’s a chance for us to make good use of my skills, you say no or come up with an excuse not to let me do it.” Wash sounded genuinely disappointed, hurt even. He pointed an accusatory finger at Vex. “And you’re doing it again.”
“There’s a reason for that,” Chris said. “Or did you forget?”
“I like Keira’s idea better,” Vex added, then turned to Wash. “Besides, it’s been years since you blew something up. You’re rusty.”
“Rusty? Really? Explosives are my specialty, remember? Demolitions expert. It’s like riding a bike. You never forget.”
“Uh huh,” Chris said, sounding far from convinced. “I think we’ve been through enough explosions for today.” His gaze went distant. “Give me a minute. I’ve pulled up the schematics on the tower. I’ll see if I can find us an alternate route.”
Keira lowered her weapon slightly. She wanted to rub the back of her neck, but couldn’t with the gumby suit on. Instead, she settled for rolling her neck. Her ears were still ringing painfully, and her body ached something fierce from the blast back in the control room. The back of her head hurt too. She had clearly banged it good.
When she looked up, she found MK staring at her again. Despite the blood and gore, some of which was still dripping from the mech, she took a step nearer to the killing machine. MK’s single baleful eye-light seemed piercing, as if the machine could read her soul.
“You’re an AI,” Keira said as a sense of wonder gripped her, forcing away the sadness, anger, and loss. She had dreamed of this day coming but had not expected it to arrive as the nightmare it was. Still, she felt an intense curiosity steal over her.
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