"Stop looking at me like that!" she yelled. The Pure Blood's eyes glowed in anger. He licked his thin lips and flashed a sardonic grin. She felt a pressure building inside her skull and found she couldn't move.
A shot hit the creature in the side, but he didn't twitch. His hands reached for her neck. Olivia stared into his pale face, frozen in both body and mind.
"Stab it!" Hernando shouted.
Olivia blinked, remembering the knife in her hand. She shook her head and tore her gaze away. The Pure Blood's mesmerizing effect grew weaker. He grasped her neck with rough hands and leaned closer, mouth gaping wide to display his fangs. Olivia choked on his breath's reek of burnt metal and dying flowers, but she positioned the tip of the wooden blade against his chest and thrust hard.
The blade pierced the creature's clothing and slid into its body with a curiously slick, oily sensation that Olivia knew would haunt her nightmares. The Pure Blood screamed and released his hold. She let go of the knife and stumbled backward.
Staggering, the Pure Blood fumbled with the hilt and tried to pull it free. His eyes bulged and a horrible froth poured from the gaping lips. Hernando stepped between her and their gasping foe and fired point blank into his chest. The blast flung the gaunt vampire backward like a rag doll. He slammed against the nearest sarcophagus with a sound like breaking twigs, then slumped to the floor.
Olivia stared at the broken figure, fingering her neck where his hands had gripped her.
"He—he nearly killed me," she managed to say through her bruised vocal chords.
Hernando hugged her briefly then let go. "We got the bloodsucker, but where's the other Overseer? There were two."
Annara pointed toward the exit. "There she goes!"
Olivia spied the Overseer crawling rapidly for the opposite doors. Caveman fired. The bullet hit the Overseer in the back. With a groan, she collapsed.
Olivia felt ashamed at the overwhelming sense of relief that washed over her. This wasn't a video game. One of her party was dead. Others were hurt. We are shooting to kill. How do soldiers deal with this guilt?
"That's it." Caveman grumbled, as he checked his weapon. "No doubt once these guards are found missing, it'll raise the alarm. Move out, people! If we had little time before, we've got virtually nothing now."
They gathered their things and exited into the passageway beyond. Annara pointed to the right. "There's another stairway in that direction. It should take us up to the storage levels."
"What was the vampire and his goons doing down here anyway?" Olivia demanded as they travelled along the corridor. "I thought you said they were all going to be tucked up nice and snug in their coffins by now."
Caveman groaned. "Patrolling? I'd hoped they'd all be sleeping." He pointed upward. "They like to get below the planet's surface where they can't feel the influence of the approaching star. There must be a Pure Blood shelter nearby. Those three were probably conducting one last inspection before they closed the doors for the duration of the alignment of the two suns."
Olivia was about to open her mouth again when Hernando plucked at her sleeve. "Less talk, more walk."
Something boomed far off, creating a cascade of echoes in the chambers below ground. A horn sounded a plaintive repetitive note like a bull seal honking in fog.
Annara's face turned pale. "That's the signal signifying the Day of the Two Suns has begun."
Olivia could taste the fear in the air. As one, they rushed up the passageway. A stairway rose ahead of them, and they climbed the steps at speed. The broad passageway above featured well-worn stone floors with large random doors scattered on both sides. The air smelled cooler and dryer with a spicy undertone, making Olivia's nose twitch after the prolonged dampness.
She sneezed. "Dusty. Gotta be a storage level."
"There's only one way out of here." Annara pointed ahead. "The ramp is for moving carts full of goods. I believe there's an armory on this level as well."
Caveman scratched his scraggly-bearded chin. "Hmm, very interesting."
Hernando brightened. "We could grab some weapons?"
Caveman nodded. "We'll have to hustle. Olivia's scent will be filling the place by now. If they're awake, it'll lead 'em straight to us like a desert cat in heat attracting toms."
Olivia blushed at the reference, but any embarrassment she felt disappeared as there was no time for it. They had a job to do. They traveled the long corridor toward the ramp and discovered the armory. It had a towering double set of iron doors, their surfaces studded with heavy bolts. How were they going to get through these doors?
"Look at that lock. It's the size of a truck hubcap. This door might as well be a brick wall," Olivia moaned.
"Stand back. I'll blast it." Hernando raised his gun, but Caveman pushed the barrel down.
"Hold it. That won't work. Give me a handful of cartridges. They didn't all get wet in the caves, did they?"
Hernando fished in his ammunition pouch and handed over a bunch of waxed paper cylinders. Caveman took them, ripped open the tops with his teeth and proceeded to pour the contents into the keyhole until black powder began to trickle out. Twisting the paper tubes into a rough string, he stuffed one end in the keyhole then gestured for Annara to hand him her lantern.
He took it and opened the lantern's door to access the wick. "Everyone get back at least fifty paces. Is that clear?"
They obeyed. Olivia counted the steps and at fifty they stopped, turned and huddled, watching as Caveman lit the crude fuse. The paper ignited, spluttered, and burned quickly. Caveman dropped the lantern and dashed toward them. He made it only halfway before the fuse touched the keyhole and a bright yellow-white flash surrounded him like a halo. With a sharp crack, the lock blew apart.
Caveman groaned and spun around, revealing a jagged shard of dark metal in his left thigh. Olivia and Annara raced toward him to take most of his weight as he fell. He gasped, his face blanching in pain. "Of all the luck."
Annara knelt and took Caveman from Olivia's clasp. "I've got this." Anger had replaced her fear. "Go see what Caveman shed blood for us to take!"
Olivia followed Hernando and the others to the remainder of the iron doors, the shattered metal from the wrecked lock strewn about in a fan shape. The lantern Caveman had dropped had a broken pane but still burned. Hernando picked it up and raised it high. "Caveman, it's worth it!" he cried.
The huge chamber beyond held two sets of racks parallel to each other and separated by a wide gap. Olivia saw each rack held all kinds of weapons. The fighters started loading up with swords, maces, guns, and ammunition. Caveman hobbled to the door supported by Annara, his thigh wrapped in a rough bandage. The shard of metal had been removed and blood stained the fabric.
He grimaced as he took his weight on the injured limb. "Grab what we need and go, people!"
Olivia observed oversized sliding warehouse doors at the far end of the large chamber. Each bore a rather sophisticated-looking lock that didn't appear to be mechanical like the one on the armory's doors. Their futuristic styling piqued her interest. "What have they got stored in there?"
Hernando handed her a rifle-like weapon and shrugged. "Whatever it is, we haven't time to find out. It must be something special for the Pure Bloods to keep under lock and key within an already secured area."
Within minutes, everyone had procured a Pure Blood weapon or two, and Caveman called for them to leave. Olivia cast one last glance at the mysterious locks and sliding doors. "I wonder if we'll ever find out."
With Annara and Caveman to guide them, their party made good time through the maze of underground levels to the ground floor. To Olivia's relief the passageways and chambers they passed appeared deserted. She surmised that the Pure Bloods and their Overseers alike had hunkered down elsewhere to wait out the passing of the second sun.
Her legs complained at the exercise, especially when they encountered stairs. It felt like she'd been on her feet for days now. Caveman Charlie limped along with barely a word, but Oli
via knew he had to be in agony. "How much longer?" she asked, hoping he'd tell them it was time to take a break.
"Not long now," Caveman mumbled. "Unless I miss my guess, we're in one of the major clan houses near one of the main gates onto a radial boulevard."
Hernando nodded. "You're right. We're in the main house of the Alphan clan. Do we exit onto the boulevard or go higher to see where we are?"
Caveman stopped and leaned heavily against the wall. His face had turned pale and sweaty, indicating the severity of his wound. Olivia couldn't allow him to go on like this much longer.
"Oh, look what's in here." Olivia pointed to a small side room that resembled a Victorian parlor, complete with fireplace and crystal chandelier. With help from two of their strongest fighters, they maneuvered Caveman into the parlor and eased him down onto a bench-like sofa.
Olivia found a velvet cushion and placed it under his leg for support. "Here you go, Caveman. You should rest a while."
"We haven't time!" he snapped.
"We'll make time. If you push yourself any harder you'll collapse altogether, and then what help will you be?" Olivia softened her tone and smiled at their ailing leader. "Please rest for bit. We'll find our bearings then come back and get you, all right?"
Caveman seemed on the verge of protesting but nodded his agreement. "You're right." He sounded more exhausted than he looked. "I'll rest, but don't take long!"
"We won't." She turned and touched Hernando's arm. "Let's go."
They left Annara and a half dozen of the others to attend to Caveman, then followed the corridor for a few more paces before entering a great octagonal-shaped hall complete with a cupola and dome which soared several stories above their heads. A broad staircase rose around the hall from one side of the octagon. The side directly opposite held an imposing set of doors big enough to drive a semi-truck through.
"What's with it with all the huge doorways around here?" Olivia turned around and took in the artwork. The walls of the grand hall were decorated with hieroglyphic-styled drawings depicting scenes similar to the festival she had almost taken part in before they'd been sent to the farm. Scenes of young men and women being led to the feasting hall and portraits of well-dressed Pure Bloods with their long teeth exposed awaiting their entrance. She felt ill looking at them.
"Ah-ha!" Hernando pointed at the double doors. "The ceremonial entrance. The street to the Portal is that way. The smaller doors on either side lead up to the turrets. We can sight exactly where we're located from a turret."
Olivia's heart sank. "More climbing?"
He flashed a rueful smile. "More climbing."
"Aw, crud."
They chose the nearest door. It led to a spiral staircase which wound with a right-handed twist up through a turret made of red-orange brick. Olivia's leg muscles screamed in protest by the time they reached the top gallery several stories up.
"Whoa, what a view!" The long room possessed a clear vantage point of the Portal from its wide row of windows and proved well worth the climb. She turned and gasped as her gaze focused on what lurked in the dark recesses of the room. "I'm beginning to understand why the doors are all so wide around here now."
Four huge humanoid figures, twice as tall as a man, stood in a row against the end wall of the gallery. Each resembled a massive suit of armor in gray, blue, chrome, and black. They bulged with mechanical muscle. The visors made Olivia shudder. Fashioned into angular faces full of cruel and vicious intent, they reminded her of a suit of samurai armor she'd seen in a museum. She spied something of Murnau and his kin in the features depicted. She shivered again as she recalled the sniffing demon's pointed face.
"Are these things robots?" she asked.
Hernando seemed distracted as the others entered the chamber and took up positions at the windows to scan for Overseer patrols in the streets. "What are robots?"
How could she explain this to him simply? "Machines that move according to a computer program."
Hernando shook his head. "I've no idea what a computer is, but these things were once driven by the Pure Bloods and Overseers in great battles between the clans. They haven't been used in at least a hundred years from what I've heard." He walked past weapon racks to gaze up at the mechanical armor. "They're not pretty, but they are powerful."
Olivia stood beside him and nodded. "You'd think with all this advanced technology the Pure Bloods wouldn't need to capture and enslave humans. They seem to be slipping backwards. They've regressed from being a civilization capable of interstellar space travel and molecular transfer over great distances into some kind of gothic-steampunk nightmare."
"Uh, yeah, right." He considered the behemoths in front of them for a moment and then smiled. "We might be able to use this technology to our own advantage. Here, help me take one of these things apart."
They removed the first suit from the rack and separated it into its components. Olivia was impressed with the simplicity of design hiding the obvious complexity of the circuitry which handled the hydraulics and weaponry. A built-in stilt system gave it its great height and allowed the wearer to operate foot-pedals from the torso section
"It's sort of like a one man tank," she said under her breath. "A one woman tank, I mean."
A loud crash and shouts from below startled her from her reverie.
"We've been discovered!" their look-out on the door announced. "Overseers."
"Take positions, people!" Hernando checked each vantage point for strengths and weaknesses and directed their comrades to aim their weapons accordingly. "Let's see if we can talk them out of trying to charge up this staircase."
Olivia gulped. "We're trapped in this turret. Caveman and the others—"
"Are giving them quite a fight it sounds like," he finished. "I wouldn't give up on them yet." Hernando winked. "They're buying us enough time to—"
"Go on the offensive with this Iron Man get-up!" Olivia chuckled. "We really do think alike."
He smiled. "Yeah, we do."
She began donning the gloves. "Come on! Help me into this crazy thing."
Hernando did as instructed, but Olivia could see in his eyes how much he wanted to try out the Pure Blood armor for himself. She shimmied into the torso section from the top opening and placed her feet on the leg pedals. With the help of Hernando and two others she stood upright. Stretching, she inserted her arms into the sleeves and found her hands clasped by receptacles at the wrists. She flexed her hands experimentally and the suit's gauntlets followed her movement. Satisfied, she bent down to allow Hernando to place the helmet carefully over her head and seal it to the suit's neck opening.
"After I take care of these jokers downstairs you can try on the next suit." She grinned. "Deal?"
"Deal." He gently tapped on the visor as it swung down into place. "Can you see? Can you breathe?"
His voice sounded clear within the helmet. Olivia fought off the momentary confusion as a diverse profusion of lights and colors flashed in front of her eyes as the suit came to life. A rush of air flooded the helmet compartment. Obviously its power supply had been kept charged and ready for just such an emergency.
"Yes, to both." She thought her voice might not carry outside the suit, but some kind of speaker activated and Hernando nodded to show he'd heard. Olivia straightened and observed what appeared to be the various components going through a system's check. "Oh, wow... I have a targeting display and everything. I seem to have an external microphone that's picking up outside sound, and a speaker so you're able to hear me. All I need is a place to plug in my iPod to play some tunes and I'm set. Hand me a rifle."
"You won't need it." He gently tapped on her gloves. "The weaponry is built into the suit itself. Legend says that beams of light streamed from its fingers."
Lasers? Olivia couldn't believe it, but as she glanced down at her hands the visual read-outs indicated that her weapons were charging up. She gulped at the thought of so much power at her fingertips.
"Far out. I wish I had one of
these suits back in fifth grade. I could have taken out that bitchy girl in my gym class who constantly teased me."
"Now is not the time for revenge." Hernando's words and the sounds of weapon's fire brought her back to the moment. "Go help Caveman and the others."
"Right."
Her comrades gave her a wide berth as she swung her legs into her first steps and headed toward the stairs. It took a few paces of getting used to the feel of operating the pedals, but Olivia soon realized the machine had been constructed to make walking and using her arms and hands feel natural. More than that, she felt almost weightless and infinitely strong. Somehow she knew she could jump and land hundreds of yards away, soar and fly high into the stratosphere. The overwhelming sense of power tempted her to forget the task at hand.
Concentrate! Help your friends. No Iron Man stunts.
As she entered the staircase and encountered the first of the Overseer attackers, she bit back a grin. The look of sheer horror on their faces was priceless. They scattered and backed away even before she could lift a hand and fire a warning laser shot at their feet.
"Take that! You're backing the wrong side, guys!" She chased the Overseers back down the corridors, reveling in her speed and strength, and then bolted the door to the cellars behind them. Piling up heavy boxes and furniture pieces in front of the exit, she grinned in triumph. "That should keep you all out of action."
Olivia retraced her steps and found the others from the turret flooding into the octagonal grand entrance hall. Hernando was not among their numbers. She flipped up the visor and scanned the hall again.
"Have anyone seen Hernando?" she called out.
"He's with Caveman." Annara nodded toward the parlor door. "It doesn't look good."
Olivia rushed to the parlor door before realizing her armor was too big to allow her to enter. She stood in the corridor and gazed into the room. Caveman lay prone on the bench, his head cradled in Hernando's lap.
"Is he okay?" she asked, softening her tone. "Did he take another hit?"
Olivia's Escape Page 13