by Adair Hart
Jake’s eyes widened. “Umm … not to backtrack here, but … you said wererats?”
“I did,” said Lee. “They’re aggressive … and very protective of their turf. They control almost a third of the underground tunnels.” He smiled. “With that said, this group is formidable. However, I don’t think it will be an issue if we run into any packs roaming around. I’m more concerned about Claw’s crew and … any potential contract killers who might try their luck … and of course, if we meet Bruno and Red Lightning.”
“It sounds like it will not be without its challenges,” said Evaran. He tilted his head. “Once we are through the tunnels and in the subway, will our approach alert anyone?”
Lee shook his head. “It shouldn’t. The wererats won’t bother us once we’re in the subway. Although shifters are generally welcome in Safrica … wererats are not. They have a nonaggression pact in effect to stick to their respective turfs.”
“What’s the difference between a wererat and a rat shifter?” asked Emily.
“They are one and the same,” said Lee. “The were prefix is used informally, whereas the shifter suffix is more formal. However … some shifters preferred to use the were prefix … such as the wererats. It would be an insult to call a wererat a rat shifter … even if it means the same thing.”
“Oh,” said Emily. “All right then. So we go through these tunnels, then a subway, go through Safrica’s back entrance, interrogate this Claw guy, and maybe capture Bruno and Red Lightning? What are we waiting for?”
Lee grinned. “It’s good to see you’re at ease with this. That’s the plan. Their systems are automated, so we’ll need to seal the front doors once Safrica is cleared … although we’ll have to unlock them if we can summon Bruno and Red Lightning there.”
“You sure this Claw guy knows them?” asked Dr. Snowden.
“Claw would be aware of their presence since powerful Wildborn are rare … and generally not allowed in most nonhuman clubs. If anything, he can point us in the right direction. Safrica is … after all … a place where killers meet on neutral ground,” said Lee.
“Ahh, well, we already ran into the Mover,” said Dr. Snowden. “He and Psyotica … didn’t fare too well.”
“You’ve already fought two of them?” asked Lee.
“Yep. I figured Evaran would have told you already.”
“He didn’t … but that’s good to know. At least two are down then.”
Evaran raised a finger. “We did not capture them. We left them at a bar. However, I suspect they are long gone now.”
“Oh,” said Lee. “Well, then hopefully they won’t come with Bruno and Red Lightning.”
Jake scrunched his face. “If we’re gonna possibly fight our way to Safrica, does it really matter if we go in through the back entrance versus the front?”
“Safrica is underground. The building up top is a little hotel and has a … small … army patrolling and guarding it. Lots of weapons. Even as a manager … I have to take a squad to go anywhere near it, like I did on my investigation of the manager that was killed. That also tends to attract human law enforcement. Any hope of getting information would be lost at that point as Claw would have time to … scramble away.”
“Good point. What If Claw is not in Safrica?” asked Jake.
“He will be,” said Lee. “It’s his home.”
Emily dipped her head. “I’m ready to go.”
Dr. Snowden could feel the excitement ooze from Emily. For the last month at the house, he sensed she was raring to fight. It seemed to excite her. Now she would be able to release that energy on some unsuspecting wererats, or club patrons. He smashed his fist into his palm. “Yeah, let’s get them.”
She shook her head.
Dr. Snowden grinned.
Evaran’s eyes skimmed the group. “To the outskirts of Northwest New York City then.”
Jake shut the door on the ship after everyone had disembarked. The trip east was only an hour, but his mind was on the tunnel system they were about to enter. He was confident in Lee’s ability to navigate it, but if things went wrong, there would not be a lot of choices available. A part of him was excited about traveling with Evaran and friends; the other was cautious that he may not live up to the standards of Evaran. Jake would do whatever it took.
He observed Dr. Snowden and Emily raising their faceplates on their helmets. Evaran and Lee had no particular suit on, other than what they normally wore. In contrast, Jake felt his suit was subpar compared to Dr. Snowden’s and Emily’s. Jake put on his helmet. It was the one he had packed when he came to Earth, and what he used when he used to do cargo runs. It was spaceworthy and meant more for outer space than a tunnel, but it would do. He did a final check to make sure his weapon was on his side and that his belt was snug.
Evaran pointed off in the distance. “The tunnel entrance is over there per Lee.” Everyone followed him when he headed off. “This is a communications check. Can everyone hear me?”
Everyone confirmed.
Jake smiled as he recalled the UIC being applied to his helmet. It meant he could now communicate with the others, even with their helmets on. How the UIC could navigate systems that were new to it, and apply a common protocol was a mystery. He caught up to Emily. “You ready for this?”
Emily smiled. “Always.”
“You must do this a lot.”
“Compared to what we fought before, a wererat is … a bit simpler.”
Dr. Snowden snorted. “Don’t get too cocky. There could be hundreds in there.”
“Analysis. Approximately seven thousand five hundred thirty-four per the last Helian census.”
“So what you’re saying is just a few?”
“Acknowledged.”
Jake enjoyed watching the interaction V had with the others. He remembered U4 had a sense of humor and was glad to see V had one too.
They reached a concrete tunnel that sloped into the ground. A set of stairs sat inside, with guardrails and busted signs saying “Keep Out.”
Evaran raised his hand as he scanned the area with his ring. “There are no deceptive devices. We can proceed. V, scout mode.”
“Acknowledged. Scout mode engaged,” said V as he shimmered and flew down the stairs and into the tunnel.
“V’s quite handy,” said Lee. “We have drones … but nothing like V.”
V spoke over the comms. “I am quite special.”
“Yes … you are.”
The group followed Evaran and Lee as they descended the stairs. Evaran tossed out two illumination orbs that floated just above them. Dr. Snowden released one as well above him, while Emily turned on her lights.
Jake shook his head. They were a traveling light factory. All he had were the lights on his helmet and wrist lights for when he worked on ships either in space or in dock. He activated his lights and took one last look at the sun beating down on the field they were leaving. His attention was disturbed by heavy breathing coming over the comms.
The group paused.
Evaran walked over to Dr. Snowden. “Are you okay?”
Dr. Snowden bent over for a moment, then stood back up. “I’m fine.”
Evaran eyed Dr. Snowden. “The tunnel is making you anxious.”
“Maybe a little. I’m … a lot more aware of my surroundings than I used to be.”
“Do not worry. You are in good company, with good illumination. You are skilled in the PSD and have a suit that can withstand damage.”
“I know,” said Dr. Snowden. “I’m good. The nanobots have kicked in. Let’s go.”
Emily laid a hand on Dr. Snowden’s shoulder and squeezed.
Jake wished he had nanobots. To live a long life, be stronger and faster, and other factors were things he wished he could have. Nonetheless, he was just happy to be where he was.
As they progressed through the tunnels, sounds rang out in the distance.
“Analysis. A group is approaching you.”
Evaran extended his hand as a
projection shot up from his ring.
It showed a pack of wererats, four-foot-tall humanoids with sharp claws, mottled fur, and long snouts. A tail dragged behind each one.
Jake studied the projection. “They look different than the pictures I’ve seen.” The shrieking noises made the hairs on the back of his neck rise.
Lee pointed at one of the weapons. “That’s because they’re well-armed. That … is very unusual.”
“They are approaching quickly. Everyone, be ready,” said Evaran. He activated his shield and pulled off his utility handle, which extended into a baton with a glowing white end.
Jake noticed Dr. Snowden and Emily had activated their shields. He wished he had one but figured he would hang behind someone else’s. With a quick motion, he pulled out his Seceltor blaster.
They continued to progress down the tunnel. When the wererats came into view, the lead one opened fire.
Evaran stood in front and blocked the bullets raining down on them.
Dr. Snowden fired a mist beam, while Emily fired a stun beam.
The wererats crumpled as the area of effect stun hit them. One of the unaffected wererats continued firing.
Lee rushed forward, taking several shots to the chest that reflected off his robotic body. When he got to the wererat, he pulled the weapon out of its hands and then backhanded it, causing it to go flying into the wall. Jake hit it with a stun blast.
Evaran looked around. “Well done.” He walked over to the group of felled wererats and scanned them with his ring. “Intriguing. These are high-grade weapons for this period.”
“Definitely Ares’s involvement there,” said Lee. “They may not be his weapons … but he does have the distribution network to get them where they need to be. Arming the wererats is an unusual choice. It’s not like they have a lot of money.”
Dr. Snowden moved his foot around the body of one of the wererats. “Maybe they paid in service.”
Lee nodded. “It could be. Maybe we’ll never know. What we do know … is that they’re packing a punch now. We’ll need to be careful.”
“Agreed,” said Evaran. “Let us go.”
They continued down the tunnel.
Jake exhaled through his nose. He did not realize how tense his muscles were. Being sprayed by bullets was not what he had expected. Last he heard, they still used melee weapons. The reaction by Dr. Snowden and Emily was instant. Jake could tell that they had probably seen their fair share of these scenarios before. He caught up to Dr. Snowden. “You doing okay still?”
“Yeah … just had the jitters was all. Thanks for asking.”
“It’s cool,” said Jake. “These wererats don’t know they have to deal with me down here.”
“They sure don’t,” said Dr. Snowden with a smile.
They paused at a fork in the tunnel.
“Per V, there is a large, open chamber to the right,” said Evaran.
Lee checked a device on his wrist. “V is correct. From there, we make another right, then it’s a straight shot through some more tunnels and chambers. At that point, we should be able to cross into the subway.”
Evaran headed right with the group behind him.
When they got to the open chamber twenty minutes later, they walked to the center of the room and paused.
“Analysis. Multiple packs are converging.”
“How many?” asked Evaran.
“Approximately forty packs, or several hundred individuals,” said V.
Dr. Snowden’s eyes popped open. “What?”
“It appears we have riled them. V, how is the passageway to the right?” asked Evaran.
“There is a small group headed from that direction. Large groups are coming from the other hallways.”
“Move!” said Evaran as he hustled off to the right hallway.
Jake’s heartbeat began to pound. He knew that no one willingly came down to the tunnels unless invited. There were stories of people going missing, but he knew it was probably just them entering the wererat territory.
When they got to the next large chamber after fifteen minutes, they paused at the sight of wererats pouring into the next room ahead of them. They were beginning to enter the hallway they needed to go through.
Jake looked to the left and right and saw that they were coming from those directions as well.
“Analysis. There are more coming from the first chamber,” said V.
“They are surrounding us. To the center. Form a circle,” said Evaran.
They fanned out, with shields drawn and weapons at the ready.
“What do we do?” asked Emily.
“We stand our ground,” said Evaran. He pointed at the tunnels in sequence. “Use your sticky globules on those hallways. When they come in, repulse them, then mist and stun. We can keep them at bay and then push down the north hallway.”
Dr. Snowden and Emily began to shoot globules of a sticky white substance in each of the tunnels.
Jake admired the way Evaran took control. No matter the situation, he was the levelheaded one of the group, and the default leader in every situation Jake had been in with Evaran. Jake could see that Dr. Snowden and Emily, once again, reacted without so much as a moment of hesitation. Jake swallowed hard as the sound of wererat claws scraping the ground approached.
Emily surveyed the situation. They could easily handle one or two packs, but there were more coming, and they were arriving with numbers on their side. If it came to close-quarters combat, she would take a lot down. The problem was there was not much room to maneuver, so even if they could hold their own, they would be swarmed eventually.
The first wave of wererats came from the east hallway, where she and the others had just come from. The wererats got stuck on the globules and hit with Emily’s repulsion beam. Dr. Snowden fired a mist beam, and Emily followed it with a stun beam. The sound of zapping rang out as the wererats fell.
The second wave entered from the west hallway. Lee punched and kicked the ones that made it through the globules while V shot repulsion beams.
Emily was impressed at the raw strength that Lee showed. His punches sent the wererats flying, and the speed at which he kicked was a blur. She could see why the Helians used managers as enforcers.
The third wave came from the south hallway, where they ran headfirst into Evaran and Jake shooting stun and repulsion beams.
When the fourth wave came from the north hallway, the group began to rotate. When one wave was halted, whoever was free hit the north hallway. Despite their best efforts, the outpouring was too much. Wererats were able to climb over ones mired in the sticky globules, and some had entered the room. Once close-quarters combat was engaged, the wererats began to swarm in even faster.
Emily saw Jake get pulled down by two wererats. She jumped forward, and with two upward swings of her PSD baton, she sent them flying.
“Thanks,” said Jake, trembling.
“It’s not over yet,” said Emily, smiling as she kicked away another wererat.
Jake pushed Emily a bit to the side and shot one that was angling to jump on her.
She acknowledged Jake, then rejoined the battle. Although the room was now filled with everyone fighting, she could see the fight in slow motion. She felt like a speedster as she zipped around knocking wererats back. As she passed Dr. Snowden, she noticed him shooting stun beams with his PSD in rapid sequence. Maybe he was experiencing the same effect. She enjoyed the enhanced tactical awareness.
Evaran was a tornado as wererats near him went flying. Lee seemed to always have wererats on him, but they could not affect his robotic body much. V was above, selectively picking out targets and using all his arms to shoot stun beams simultaneously.
Although it seemed like they were winning, more wererats were pouring in, and Emily’s enhanced hearing heard even more coming.
The wererats paused, and some retreated to the edges of the room while others stood just inside the tunnels. A high-pitched snarl rang out, causing the wererats to hunch ov
er more than they already were. The wererats in the north tunnel stood to the side as an older wererat with brown light armor stepped forward. To his sides were large crocodile-like humanoids. The older wererat raised his hand, causing a silence to fall upon the room.
Emily laid a hand on Jake’s wobbly shoulder. She could see he was still trying to come to grips with the fight. They were surrounded, and whoever this older wererat was seemed to command the room. She felt Dr. Snowden lightly squeeze her arm as he stood next to her. She was proud to be where she was, and of both of their performances.
Lee stepped forward toward the old wererat. “Beezlo.”
“Manager Lee,” said Beezlo, grinning and baring his sharp teeth. In a gravelly voice, he said, “What a surprise. Dare I ask … what are you doing in my domain?”
“We just want safe passage to the wall between your domain and the subway,” said Lee.
Beezlo waved a finger in the air. “And you chose to come … through my turf?”
The bodyguards growled while the other wererats emitted shrieking sounds.
Beezlo raised a hand, silencing them. “I know the Helians are foolish, but not that much.”
“We don’t want any trouble.”
“You’re traveling a bit light. I’ll give you some credit … this group can fight. Where are your regular INRA goons?”
From what Emily could recall, the INRA was tasked with capturing nonhumans that violated nonhuman and human law, but that they were also held in check by powerful interests on Earth.
Lee sighed. “This does not involve them. I am traveling with Evaran and friends.”
A wave of shrieks rang out from the assembled wererats as they took a step back.
Beezlo’s eyes widened. “Evaran! He’s a myth.”
Evaran bowed with a left hand across his stomach. “I assure you, I am not.”
“I thought I sensed something … different about you. And your friends too,” said Beezlo, gesturing at Evaran. “Now I’m intrigued. You have my attention. For what reason would the noble Evaran come to our turf?”
“My ship has been taken. We believe that Claw knows some of the people involved. We wish to interrogate him, and maybe those he knows. We want to approach the Safrica club through the back entrance.”