"Unpredictability is a good thing in warfare." Annara wrenched the helmet off and shook her head clear. "These suits are good for scouting in, but they're way too confining."
"They are confining, and I say this as a person who has lived in caves for a good part of my life." Caveman removed his lid and began to maneuver out of his suit as well.
"Wait!" Olivia cried. "I need one of you in a suit to take this old one back upstairs to its display rack." The three looked at her oddly. "It needs re-charging, and we're assuming that's where its power outlet is located."
Annara picked up the suit in her gloved hands and tossed it over her shoulder like it weighed little more than a balloon. "I will put it away, but I don't see why we should bother. This suit has been damaged. We don't know how to repair it. Why does it need more power?"
Pablo stepped forward and cleared his throat. "Because it's not entirely damaged. Olivia has found a way to control the suit without being inside of it. We can walk it into the tunnels and detonate a bomb inside of it to rid ourselves of the Overseers and Pure Bloods lurking there."
Hernando smiled at her. "Unpredictable. I like it."
"Unpredictability is also why our people on the train have not reached the city's center yet." Annara winked. "Our leaders are adapting to the situation."
"Is everyone all right?" Olivia asked. "Did you speak to them?"
Caveman chuckled. "They're doing so well at whatever it is they're doing that we didn't want to slow them down with conversation."
"What are they doing?" Olivia frowned. "Are they recruiting the human and Quadsang servants to our side?"
Hernando nodded. "They are, and they've discovered an inventive way of keeping their ex-masters in check."
Annara headed up the turret staircase with the damaged suit. Olivia turned to follow her. "Sounds good, but tell me later. I've got to recharge Pinocchio for his big mission. You guys can start creating the fireworks."
After several minutes of fumbling with what appeared to be a cable that slotted into an outlet located in the back of the suit of armor, Olivia felt satisfied that it was recharging.
"Thank you again for bringing this huge machine up those stairs," Olivia thanked Annara. "It almost killed me and Pablo when we dragged it just a few feet across the floor." She sighed and re-checked the connection of the suit on the rack. "Strange, but when you're operating it, you feel lighter than air."
"You do. It's almost addictive—like you never want to be powerless ever again." Annara turned her hands in the gloves upwards and stared at them. "You feel like a vengeful god with lightning at your fingertips."
"Same here." Olivia sighed. "Did you encounter any Pure Bloods? Did you shoot any?"
Annara shook her head. "No. We saw none. It was disappointing."
"You did see our friends from the train, right?" Olivia noticed her friend bite her lip in hesitation. What are the three of them hiding?
"From a distance we saw them," Annara admitted. "We really should get going. They may arrive in the Portal Square before we have this walking bomb ready."
Olivia had to sprint to keep up with Annara’s strides in the suit of armor. In the grand hall they found the others sorting through the various chemicals and items they thought would make a good explosive and discussing their options.
"I don't know about it walking about with steam pouring out of its ears," Hernando said as Olivia approached the group. "We don't want them to know it's a bomb until it's right on top of them. The steam might give things away."
"Besides, I have to keep the helmet with me—it's how you operate the suit remotely." Olivia pouted. "Oh, dear. Our android bomb will be headless, and that might attract attention. Do we have anything resembling a pumpkin by chance?"
"A pumpkin? You mean a big orange gourd?" The others stared at Pablo for possessing such arcane knowledge. "My grandparents used to grow them before we were sent to the city," he explained.
Olivia smiled. He's not all brawn without brains. "That's it. A beach ball might do in a pinch, but I don't see anything sphere-shaped in this pile.” She dove into the mess and began sifting through personal effects. Suddenly she spotted the reddish round object. "Ah-ha!" She lifted the object high for everyone to see. Their eyes widened in anticipation. "A globe."
"The world of BloodDark resting on top of an armored suit rigged to take out its original inhabitants." Caveman stroked his chin. "Why not? It seems appropriate. Let's get to work."
*****
After much hit-and-miss experimentation, their gift to the Pure Bloods and Overseers was complete. Caveman and a couple of their fellow fighters had a good rudimentary knowledge of chemistry, and with a few minor mishaps they found a container that wouldn't shake the contents too much while it was fitted inside the suit. The detonator was the tricky part. They'd found a consignment of safety matches, and Caveman figured the crushed match heads would act like gunpowder. The trouble was they couldn't be sparked until the very last second. Olivia curled up in a corner of the hall and mentally rehearsed the sequence of steps needed to detonate the bomb over and over again as Hernando and the others constructed Molotov cocktails to add to the bloodsuckers' confusion.
"To think, we're using up some of their best vintages!" Hernando laughed, hefting a bottle of spirits. "Fortunately for us the Pure Bloods need such a high potency to feel drunk. These things are really going to burn."
Olivia cringed. She had little love for her kidnappers and captors, but she didn't like the idea of any living thing roasting alive. Still, she couldn't deny that war was war, and she suspected the vampires weren't without fire suppression equipment. All the Resistance fighters needed was the short period of chaos caused by the smoke and fire to get to and take possession of the Portal. Once it was in Resistance's hands the Pure Bloods would be forced to surrender.
"What if they don't care if we blow it up?" Olivia hadn't realized she had blurted the question out loud until Hernando turned around and stared at her.
"Excuse me?"
She scanned the faces of her comrades in arms. "I just had a terrible thought. What if we threaten to destroy the Portal in order to force the Pure Bloods' surrender and discover they couldn't care less about it? Maybe they have more than enough human blood already on BloodDark? I mean, they've kidnapped sufficient numbers of slaves over the centuries. If the Portal isn't necessary for their survival anymore, then it's not going to work as a threat."
Hernando knelt beside her. "They need it for more than just kidnapping people from Earth, if that's what you mean. They enjoy the thrill of the hunt. It's what they think of us as—their prey. Controlling the Portal usage is also important for the clan who gains command of it. They'll kill each other for the honor."
Olivia rolled her eyes. "They'd go that far? All for a fox hunt of sorts? It doesn't make sense. It must have more meaning for them than merely an entertainment device." She knew she was missing something, but what was it?
"I'd fight to keep it if it meant being able to see you again on Earth." He squeezed her hand. Olivia felt her face warm.
Earth, home, Mom and Dad, and Hernando. She had to keep focused. "Are you sure it's their only way to get back to their original home? They don't have any other means of getting off this world, do they?" she asked.
Hernando furrowed his brow. "No, I don't believe they do. They're stuck here—with the occasional trip through the Portal to Earth in order to hunt for fresh blood. They have nowhere else to go, or so legend says. They've kept a low profile all these centuries, so their real enemies can't find them and destroy them."
That's it. She squeezed his hand in return. "Who are their real enemies? Do they have a name?"
"Caveman might know. Let me ask."
Olivia giggled. Hernando forcing his way into a heated discussion between Caveman and the other bomb makers made for a comical scene. The boy knew how to get what he needed without taking too much lip from the leprechaun. Hernando's triumphant smile said it all as he returne
d to her side.
"Their hated enemies are called the Kloog. It's said the word itself can drive them into a state of panic. They used to torture and kill anyone who even uttered the name in jest according to Caveman."
"The Kloog. Right." Olivia picked up the suit helmet and began checking its systems. "They'll make sure they have an escape route off the planet if I can convince them our walking bomb will make them vulnerable to their dreaded foe. I've had my share of nightmares since I've landed here—I owe them one!"
Chapter Fourteen
"Everyone ready? All right, let's go!"
Hernando led the Resistance fighters out of the clan house with a shout. Pablo had donned Hernando's suit of armor, as Hernando complained it wasn't easy to lead others who stood below his line of vision. Annara and Caveman wore the other suits. A lightweight headphone-microphone device Olivia had found near the suit rack enabled Hernando to communicate easily with individual suit wearers. Annara and Caveman took up rear positions while the others sheltered Olivia, wearing the helmet and guiding the walking bomb from the middle of the pack.
"There's no hurry." Hernando's voice sounded calm to Olivia through her helmet speaker, almost as if he was enjoying himself. "We just need to get our new friend to the nearest access hatch into the tunnels and let it do its thing."
I hadn't thought of going down a ladder. Will the drone explode prematurely if it misses a rung and plummets to the bottom? Olivia bit her lip. Now wasn't the time to mention it—everyone had more than enough on their minds. Better to keep concentrating on moving the drone's legs in rhythm with her own steps. Left, right, left, right...
Up ahead, slightly past the outer perimeter of the Portal Square, Olivia caught a glimpse of color and movement. She had a funny feeling that a parade had just passed by. "Are those our people?"
Hernando turned and flashed a toothy grin. "Focus on walking our friend. We'll see more of them later."
"Okay, if you say so."
Olivia tried not to pout, but she felt left out the loop. Why was Hernando acting secretive? Did he think she might reveal sensitive plans once the drone entered the tunnels? Or did he believe the drone itself could be monitored from a distance, that it could be used as a spying device? If true, then the Pure Bloods could have been listening in on their conversations via the armored suits all along. She gulped. The pressure to perform her part well increased with every step. Left, right, left, right...
They stopped at their destination. Hernando motioned for everyone to remain silent and nodded toward Caveman. With one great stride he approached the tunnel access and pulled the metal hatch aside as if it were made of paper.
"Be sure to send my greetings to the bloodsuckers." Caveman stepped aside. The others parted and allowed Olivia to walk the drone to the hole and squat to take the first rung on the ladder.
"Surround Olivia so she can do her job uninterrupted," Hernando commanded. The fighters took up positions in a circle, scanning the horizon.
Concentrate on climbing down the ladder—not walking!
Olivia almost tripped on the cobblestones of the square as she monitored the drone's progress through the fish-eye lens camera located at chest level. All she could see was a steel metal frame in its gloves against a black stone wall. Why didn't the Pure Bloods install a safety light? Perhaps they weren't bothered by climbing ladders in the dark? She activated two small lights mounted on the shoulders of the suit to give her some idea of the surroundings, hoping it wouldn't give the drone away.
Finally the drone's foot touched bottom. She turned it around slowly and attempted to make out the line of the tunnel. To her surprise it seemed to end abruptly in a large, high- ceilinged chamber only a few yards ahead.
"Wow. I didn't expect to find this."
Hernando rushed to her side. "What do you see?"
Olivia felt her throat constrict. How many Pure Bloods are down there?
"Another crypt of sorts. Not a bunker full of ammo or a nasty Overseer soldier anywhere in sight. Nobody home."
He motioned for the others to surround her. "Let's walk her over to the portico. We can shelter her better there."
They progressed toward the portico as Olivia willed her drone to walk toward the open chamber. She accepted a seat on a stone bench under the overhang and concentrated on the visuals the drone relayed. The small searchlights on the armor suit pierced the darkness and revealed row upon row of rectangular stone containers with not a speck of dust to be seen. These weren't ancient resting spots. They had been opened recently. She frowned.
Hernando sat down beside her. "Anything moving?"
"No. They must all be asleep, but then who shot at me? Overseers?"
"Probably. They'll be nearby, but not necessarily headquartered in the sleeping chambers. To do the most damage, you'll have to go further in and possibly downwards."
Olivia sighed. "Why don't we detonate the bomb here and kill them during their sleep period?"
"Because this is only a handful of Pure Bloods," he said with a sigh. "There are dozens of other chambers—at least one for every great house and some for the lesser clans, too. We need to destroy their ability to wage war against us by exploding their munitions. To kill one clan house of BloodDark is tempting, but the others would only take it as an insult and avenge their fellow Pure Bloods' deaths. There's no need for senseless killing if we can all come to a peaceable agreement once we're in charge of the Portal."
"True. You do think like a general, Hernando." She smiled and reached out to squeeze his hand. "Maybe even like a diplomat—an ambassador to Earth maybe?"
He grinned. "I'd like that. BloodDark will need representation there. Who better than a true son of this world?"
"That's the spirit. Now, let me concentrate. I have to figure out which direction to take at the end of the chamber. There are two doors ahead, and neither of them is marked, of course."
Olivia walked the drone to the doors and scanned them carefully for recent signs of usage. The door on the right looked like it hadn't been opened for centuries. Ancient cobwebs hung from the lintel and decorated the doorknob. The door on the left boasted a shiny doorknob and no dust collection on the stone floor in front of the jamb. It must have been used recently and frequently to display such a clear pathway, but something warned her not to open it.
"I'm going through the door that appears to have been unopened for some time. I've got a feeling it's the more important of the two. Okay?"
"Whatever makes sense to you." He squeezed her hand. "Good luck."
Olivia commanded the drone to grasp the handle. The door opened stiffly with a loud protestation of creaking. "Sh! Darn thing is going to wake the occupants of this crypt and the ones next door."
"What do you see?" Hernando asked. "Any signs of the Overseers?"
"A staircase heading downward and no, there's nobody in sight." An indicator flashed on the visor screen. She found a cascade menu and interpreted that icon to mean the air pressure around the suit had risen. It was receiving oxygen from an outside source. "Funny, but I think there's a breeze coming from below. It could lead to another passageway or tunnel or back up to the surface."
"Go ahead and see if it isn't where our attackers have been hiding."
"Roger that." Right, left, right, left. This staircase goes on forever. What could be down here? It feels like no one has visited this place for an eternity.
After what Olivia estimated to be at least ten floors below ground level the staircase ended. The suit lights barely made a dint in the darkness. She edged the drone away from the walls.
All alone in the dark with vampires resting nearby—a good recipe for a horror movie. What will try and grab me next?
"See anything?" Hernando's questioning brought her back to reality. "Our people are starting to congregate closer to the Portal. If we're going to detonate our mechanical friend it should be soon."
"Understood, but there's nothing to see except pitch blackness. I get a sense that this is a huge
cavern of sorts that spans the entire city. The ultimate bomb shelter for the Pure Bloods perhaps?"
"I think you've found the first place of refuge—that's what the legends call it. It's a sacred place where the Pure Bloods supposedly first lived when they came to BloodDark. They didn't come out of the cave for years in fear of their enemies."
"I see why they enjoy darkness so much now. No one can see you, and you can't see them." A glint of something metal caught her attention on the visor screen. "Wait a moment. I see something shiny ahead. Going to investigate."
"Be careful, but hurry. It's a little too quiet topside for my tastes. We may have walked straight into a trap."
And so has our drone? Olivia held her breath as she walked it closer to the metallic object ahead. Whatever it was, it was huge. The small camera could barely make out landing struts and the plate bolts on the belly of a vessel. This wasn't a cavern as much as it was an immense spaceship hangar.
The vessel's height soared high above the drone's globe head, but it wasn't that the darkness that obscured the camera's field of vision as much as the sheer size of the spacecraft. Olivia couldn't make out the exact length of it, but it must have carried a sizable population on board when it landed on BloodDark. She guided the drone to scan the ship's lower areas.
"I think I've found what they've been trying to hide from the Kloog all these centuries—their ultimate way off the planet if they can get it up and running. The ship looks damaged and scorched in places, but it's basically intact."
"Their star-flying machine?" Hernando sounded incredulous. "It was destroyed when they landed according to the stories I've heard."
Olivia had the drone use its echolocation devices to scan the cavern for other access points but found none. "Perhaps not all the houses even know this spaceship still exists. I seem to have stumbled upon the only entrance."
"Maybe the others don't know about it. You accessed it from the Alphan Clan's territory. They have always been the most secretive. They're also proud sponsors of many scientists and inventors."
Olivia's Escape Page 15