They had made it perhaps two hundred yards into the corridor, having hidden at least three dozen times, before footsteps ahead cause them to duck into an alcove once more. Ahead around a corner, steam issued from somewhere within the walls, causing a fog to blanket everything as moisture dripped from steel walls making the floor slick. Hiding in a darkened space, they watched as more than forty humanoid aliens rounded the corner, appearing out of the fog, to walk right past them without a sideward glance. Sam thought it peculiar at first, until she noted something out of the ordinary as she followed the aliens’ retreat down the corridor they had just come through. Strapped around each of the aliens’ throats was some sort of steel collar with blinking lights that appeared to continue down their spine for some distance. Each of them wore the device, and each of them walked in unison as if controlled by an outside entity.
“Did you see that?” Sam whispered.
“The collars?” Jack asked.
“Yeah, I think they are all being controlled,” Sam exclaimed.
“Like mind control?” Will asked.
“I guess so,” Sam admitted.
If she was right, then it explained a lot. Super technologically advanced aliens wouldn’t do manual labor themselves. Instead, they would create slaves of the races they conquered, and force them to do the work for them. It made sense, she supposed. Even so, she didn’t like it. But, it also meant that they might be able to use this knowledge to their advantage. If all the aliens they had seen thus far were slaves, perhaps they could free them somehow and work together to destroy what Tammy had referred to as the City of Angels.
* * * * *
Will barely hesitated for a second. Looking down the corridor first one way than the other, he spied the aliens as they passed, and making up his mind, he stood suddenly and darted away from his siblings. Retracing the path they had just taken, Will raced down the hallway, growing dangerously close to the aliens who had just passed them. Uncertain if his ability could overcome the control the aliens were under, Will cupped his hands to his mouth and shouted at the aliens’ backs.
“Hey you, stop right there!“ Will shouted.
Much to his surprise, or not, all the aliens stopped dead in their tracks. Grinning victoriously, Will vaguely noted the pounding footsteps of his friends and siblings behind him. Without any real plan, he simply stood staring at the aliens’ backs, waiting to see what they would do next. Then, just as Sam and Jack reached him, he had an idea.
“All of you take off your collars,” Will ordered.
Watching as the aliens complied, and their orders were carried out, each of the alien creatures blinked their eyes, looking around to one another as if confused. Within seconds everything went from calm to pandemonium. Stomping upon their discarded collars, the alien men and women began to turn angered glares upon Will and his companions. Some of them began to step forward, baring their teeth, making fists. Will knew he had to act.
Clenching his hands into fists, Will looked to all the aliens before him. It angered him, knowing that he had just freed them from slavery but was about to make them slaves of his own in a way. Even though he wished them to be free, the only way he could make them understand what he intended was to give them orders. Taking a deep breath, he glared at those before him, determined to set things right.
“Go outside the door. Remove the collars from all the rest of the slaves. Run away or help us destroy the city.”
For a moment, perhaps only a breath, the aliens stared at him as if confused once more. Just when he thought his power had failed him, Will watched as the first of the aliens began to turn back towards the exit. After a brief second, more and more aliens began to turn as if finally understanding his words. Mere moments more came and went, and the last of the aliens turned to depart. He had used his power, but realization shone in some of their eyes. Though they knew not his words, they understood well his intentions. Now, as the aliens fled, they moved with purpose. They wanted revenge. Will hoped secretly that they would get it.
Turning to his siblings who stood open-mouthed behind him, Will smiled up at his older brother.
“What? I thought we could use some help,” Will said with a shrug.
“I’m not arguing, but a heads up would be nice next time,” Jack admitted.
With nothing more to be said, Will and Jack simply smiled at each other as they both turned to head back into the fog further down the corridor. Everything was going perfectly. All they had to do now was find the actual invaders and defeat them. If it was as easy as freeing the enslaved aliens, Will doubted they would have much trouble. Picking up his pace to keep up with his siblings, Will held his shoulders high, assured that victory would be theirs just as the first screeches of a siren echoed down the halls as lights began flashing red and orange from the floors, walls, and ceiling. Will’s heart leapt up into his throat. Ahead of them a grinding screeching sound was emitted as a large steel door began to lower from the ceiling, sealing off the corridor. Filled with panic, Will and his companions spun to watch the same happening behind them.
Down the giant doors came. Only moments remained, and Will looked to his older brother for a decision. If they ran now they only had two choices. One, go back the way they came and exit the building. Or two, run ahead in hope that beyond the closing door ahead there would be no further barriers. Either way they were trapped, either outside the building or within it.
After just a fraction of a second it seemed both his older brother and sister had made up their minds. Jack bent low, sprinting ahead as fast as his legs would carry him, as Sam vanished from sight. Ahead Sam reappeared, waving them forward. Will complied without a thought. Like his brother ahead of him, and Tammy beside him, he pumped his short legs furiously as the door ahead lowered ever nearer to the ground. They weren’t going to make it.
* * * * *
A knot formed in Tammy’s stomach as they raced ahead into the unknown. Already they had passed the furthest point they had made it thus far into the City of Angels. Ahead, as the giant steel door slowly screeched downward, fog gushed out from beneath it in thick plumes. Sam stood within the fog, a panicked look on her face, as the door closed down above her. Already, it was only a foot above her head, and with each second it dropped. Tammy couldn’t help but feel they had made the wrong choice.
Ahead, the distance between her and Jack increased as Will began to fall behind. She knew that above all else they needed to stay together. There was nothing she could do but keep running and hope they all made it. Apparently, Jack had different plans. Reaching his hands out before him, Tammy watched as his spine seem to go rigid as he ran. Ahead, the massive steel door screeched in protest as it appeared to slow significantly in its descent. Already, Sam had been forced to take a step back behind the door and it was becoming too low for her to stand in comfortably. She was ducking. Time was running out.
Even when Tammy realized that there was no hope of making it in time, it became evident quickly that Jack had not yet given up. As his shoulders appeared to relax, ahead the door again began to fall faster, but not before Tammy felt herself yanked off the ground and flung carelessly forward as if she were a ragdoll. Hurled end over end, Tammy hit the steel floor hard and rolled in a tangle of limbs beneath it and into the chamber beyond where Sam reached down to help her up. No sooner was she on her feet than Will came through in a crumpled ball as well, followed by mere inches by Jack himself. Sliding on his back, as the toes of his sneakers rubbed at the lip of the door above him, Jack came to a screeching halt before barreling them all over. They had made it, but just barely so. They were together. There was still hope.
As she clambered to her feet, Tammy’s hope was immediately crushed. All about her, the fog flashed red and orange as the deafening siren broke the silence again and again. Though this section of the corridor was dimmer than the previous one, ahead she could already see where another door had dropped to seal them in. From here she could see no exit. There were no doors that remaine
d open, no chambers, and there appeared to be no adjoining passageways either. They were trapped. All hope fled from her like water from an overturned bucket. They had lost before the fight had even begun. Like the aliens that Will had just freed, they were now captives. Even so, Tammy knew that they couldn’t give up. She couldn’t give up. There had to be a way. It was her job to guide them, and she couldn’t fail. Everything depended on them succeeding.
Letting go of the defeat that she’d felt just a moment before, Tammy stood on her toes as high she could, trying with all her might to peer through the dense fog that was waist-deep and wafted higher in tendrils and plumes. As in the previous section of corridor, strips of lights illuminated the floor that was now blanketed with fog, making it glow eerily and appear that much more dense. Between the blinding flashes of red and orange light in the piercing screams of the siren Tammy concentrated her focus, looking for alternatives to the doorways that were obviously sealed.
Striding away from her companions, she walked the length of this section of corridor. Scanning every inch of every wall, her search was fruitless. There was nothing, no escape. Throwing her head back to scream in defeat, she peered up to the ceiling nearly twenty feet above. There, like everywhere else, the ceiling was a puzzle of scrap metals that had been pieced together to form one continuous structure. At regular intervals, flashing lights blinded her as she traced the ceiling from one end to the other. If it had not been for the strobing lights reflecting off the fog and then back to the ceiling once more, Tammy would have never noticed the grate almost directly above her.
Nearly shouting in triumph, she jumped giddily up and down on her toes, pointing towards that which looked like an air vent above her. Though it was easily twenty feet out of reach, Tammy knew that Jack could get them to it. Turning her attention from the grate to her companion, she saw the grin on his face that cemented her belief. There was no need to discuss it and, as if he were a fictional superhero, Jack lifted off the floor, soaring straight up towards the ceiling to grasp the grate above.
Chapter Three
Focusing to remain aloft, Jack reached out to grasp the edge of the metal grate above him. It appeared industrial with a square frame and interwoven wire mesh, but obviously wasn’t intended for the purpose it was being used for here. Grasping the edge of its metal frame, he lowered his body, hovering telekinetically, and yanked hard. Though the metal frame flexed, it didn’t budge, snapping back to its original shape as soon as he relented. Again Jack yanked upon the metal and again he was met by defeat. It was complicated, trying to levitate and gain leverage upon the steel. It would be easier if he could brace himself against something. Looking about, it became apparent that even if he turned upside down to use the ceiling as the floor, he wouldn’t have the advantage he needed.
“It’s no use. I can’t get it open,” Jack shouted over the screeching siren.
“If Fairy Pickle were here he could do it,” Will shouted in reply. “He’s heavy enough to pull it down.”
Jack shook his head. His brother’s suggestion was useless. Fairy Pickle wasn’t here, but then it struck him. Heavy. All he needed was more weight. Grinning down at the defeated faces of his companions below, he watched as their expressions changed as he lifted them each up and off of the floor. Ahead of them, somewhere, he could hear a growing rhythmic pounding that sounded all too like metal-clad boots marching upon a steel surface. He couldn’t help but feel time was running out.
Concentrating now on keeping all four of them aloft, Jack wiped the sweat from his forehead and turned his attention back to the grate just above them.
“Each of us have to grab a side. Then I’ll simply let us fall and hopefully our weight will tear it free. Then I’ll catch us and lift us up the duct.”
It was a simple plan, and in under a second each of them was grasping an edge of the vent’s steel frame with the tips of their fingers, pulling themselves up with their arms. With their faces only inches from one another, he couldn’t help but note that Tammy’s breath was sweet, like that of an infant. It was an odd realization, but one he would have to further pursue later. Jack released his control and let them fall.
As expected, Jack watched as he and his companions fell a few inches before they caught their own weight upon the grate with grunts and groans of exertion. Just as he had hoped, the grate gave way, but only one side. Swinging down, Tammy now clung to the lower end of the vent as she collided with Jack across from her before letting go and beginning to fall. Both Will and Sam slid towards the lower edge, each of them hanging on a precarious angle, but for now they clung for dear life. Focusing, Jack reached out with his telekinetic power, wrapping it about Tammy gently before hefting her weight upwards, saving her from a fall that would have at least injured her. Lowering her the final inches, he was forced to shift focus again as Sam’s grip finally gave way. Watching as Samantha fell, her arms flailing, Jack couldn’t help but wince as she struck Will’s leg, knocking him free as well. Both of their grasps having failed, they tumbled down as invisible power slowed and finally ceased their falls. Jack could feel it wearing upon him. It tired him, just as if he were doing the task physically. Quickly he lowered his siblings to the floor and, slowing his own fall, he dropped down as well, landing between them with a soft thud. In the near distance, his thud was echoed by the ever nearing thrumming of metal on metal.
“Everyone okay?” Jack asked over the siren.
Watching the replied nods, he looked up to where they would exit the chamber. It was a small passage. One Will could fit in easily, and likely one the girls could maneuver within as well, but Jack doubted it would be the same for himself. Just looking at the ventilation duct beyond the grate, he doubted seriously that he would be able to manage movement once within its confines, let alone the fact that it appeared to go straight up. Once inside, they would have to climb. Fearing that their time was running out, Jack knew they needed a plan.
“We need to get moving,” Jack began.
“Then lift us up there,” Will replied.
“No. I think Sam should go first. She can teleport up ahead of us and find us a route further into this place. Will, you’ll go next. If you keep your back against one side of the ducting, you should be able to climb up with your hands and feet like you’re walking on all fours. Then Tammy will follow you. I’ll take the rear on this one. If anyone falls, we’re all gonna fall and if you are all behind me I won’t be able to see you to stop you.”
“Sounds good, Jack,” Sam shouted. “I’ll go take a look.”
Without waiting for so much as a nod, Sam vanished. Looking up, Jack watched as she reappeared just inside the duct before she began plummeting down towards them once again with a scream. Again she vanished and another scream echoed out of the duct above, though this time it was shorter. A second later a third scream came quieter than the last. Jack could only imagine opening your eyes to find yourself falling over and over again, but there wasn’t any help for Sam now. She was brave, and would find them a way through the ducts.
Turning his gaze to Will who still stared at the open ducting above him, Jack hefted him up and into the opening above, and watched as he braced his back just as he had been instructed and began to climb. Watching until Will was lost from sight, Jack next lifted Tammy and likewise deposited her into the ducting above. For a moment he had forgotten about the rhythmic thrumming of steel on steel that had been growing louder and louder, but suddenly his attention grew alert once more. The thrumming had stopped.
Giving Tammy one last push, he watched her scamper up into the steel confines above before turning his gaze down the corridor. There ahead of him, the great steel door that sealed them in began to rise, revealing what appeared to be exactly what he had imagined through the fog. Looking back at him were dozens of pairs of what could only be steel boots. As the door rose, more and more of the steel-clad newcomers were exposed, but Jack wasn’t about to wait around long enough to greet them. Tearing his attention away from the d
oor, he looked up and lifted off the ground.
Rising into the ductwork, it was just as he expected. With his hands ahead of him, the duct was barely wide enough to permit his shoulders. He wouldn’t be able to climb now that he was inside. Instead, he would be forced to use his power, and use it he did. Though the duct was all darkness and shadow, he could make out the wriggling form of Tammy above him and took a second to admire her retreat before berating himself for it. There were much more important things to think about now than girls. He needed to stay focused.
* * * * *
Swallowing once again the bile that arose in her throat, Sam looked upwards towards where she could see light, and focused her senses. The wrenching sensation of falling vanished, only to return an instant later, and opening her eyes she glimpsed the light as she fell past it. She focused and closed her eyes again. The light whooshed past once more, but this time she could see that it was another vent, into another portion of the alien city. Gritting her teeth, she closed her eyes. Swallowing hard, she banished the falling sensation once more and blinked to a position above the vent. Reappearing, she pushed her hands and feet out as she began to fall once more, bracing her back against the opposite wall of the steel ducting.
With her rubber-soled boots screeching against the metal beneath her, she slowed to a stop and carefully lowered herself to the vent to have a better look. Peering out between the slats of the vent, she could see little of what lay beyond. Like below, the floor had strips of lights as did the walls, though here there was no thick, steam-like fog. Something in the air smelled foul, once again making bile rise in her throat, but Sam knew she had to be tough. There was no telling what they might find in this place. For all she knew, the invaders didn’t just enslave races of humanoids, perhaps they herded them, butchered them, and ate them as well. Maybe that was the smell that threatened to make her vomit upon those climbing below her.
Children of the After: The Complete Series Page 38