by Keri Arthur
There were no signs of guards in this area, no perimeter alarm, and absolutely nothing to indicate any sort of secondary protection had been installed in the immediate area.
“Maybe the evil trio thought the vampires were enough,” Jonas said. He shifted the position of Penny’s body and then added, in a voice that was bleak, “And maybe the trap still awaits ahead. Shall we move on?”
I nodded and cautiously led the way through the UV towers and into the nearest canyon walkway. The boxes on either side were braced by metal and wire, which was undoubtedly necessary given the vibrations were strong enough that the various stacks would probably have collapsed into the walkway without it.
The canyon soon gave away to another open area. This one contained various bits of machinery, big and small, as well as a long series of interconnected buildings. The tunnel opening Bear had mentioned was to the left, and not only was it massive, but looked to be man-made rather than natural.
Cat, where are the sleepers?
End building to your right, she replied. They show no signs of waking.
Anyone else about?
No.
Bear?
There’s movement in the tunnel, but it’s not coming this way, he replied. And there’s no scanners or anything in place around the entrance.
“If those four people can sleep through gunfire and all the racket that’s coming from the tunnel, then they surely won’t be woken by any noise we make.” I glanced at Jonas. “But I still think it’s rather strange that there doesn’t appear to be any form of security other than the vampires.”
“It might just be a case of not needing anything else.” His gaze was on the tunnel and he didn’t look happy. “Fairhaven is the furthest away of Central’s old satellite cities, and the only one that has no human occupation near it.”
“There’s not exactly an abundance of people hanging about Carleen, and surely it would be an easier point from which to launch an attack.”
“Yes, but discovery is also more likely given its proximity to Central. And now that there are human habitats near both Greenfields and Indara—thanks to the farmland reclamation projects happening there—they’re also risky places to build a military force. Especially a vampire one.” His gaze came to mine. “I think we need to investigate what’s happening in there, though I rather suspect what we’re going to find is tunneling.”
Penny’s warning—that vampires would soon be in Central—echoed ominously through my brain. “Why would they even consider tunneling as an option if Fairhaven is so far away from Central? That makes no sense.”
“Neither does the desire to hand our world over to the wraiths and vampires, but that’s nevertheless what they’re attempting.” He walked across to a short stack of boxes, carefully placed Penny’s body on top, and then rotated his shoulders. Just for an instant, I saw the glimmer of tears, but they didn’t fall. He might be grieving for his niece, but he wasn’t about to give in to emotion. Not yet. Not until he had the time to do so properly. “I think it’s a matter of them covering all bases.”
“Yes, but even if they succeed in tunneling right underneath Central without anyone noticing—and seriously, with the vibrations the machinery causes, how likely is that?—it still won’t help them.” I waved a hand at the lights hanging high above us. “There’re still the UVs, and surely not even Dream, no matter who she’s impersonating, could—”
I broke off as he held up a hand and then touched his earpiece. “What’s up, Maz?”
I couldn’t hear the conversation, so obviously my ear-mic was running on a different frequency. But his expression told me what I needed to know—his people were under attack.
“Okay,” he said eventually. “Set up a ring of UVs outside the main entrance to keep them in, and then retreat to the transports. We’ll find another way out of this place and then contact you for retrieval.”
“They all okay?” I said when he’d finished.
He nodded. “The vamps took out two of the UV lights they were installing and hit them pretty hard, but they’ve only suffered a few minor casualties. The same can’t be said of the vamps.”
Good. The fewer vampires we had to contend with if we were forced back into those damn tunnels, the better. “What makes you think there’s a second exit out of this place?”
“Because if the noise and vibrations are coming from a tunnel borer, then there have to be some means of dealing with the waste—and there’s nothing to indicate it’s being redistributed through this cavern.” He picked up Penny again, and again I saw that brief silver sheen. “Let’s go.”
“Wouldn’t it be better if I use my seeker skills on the sleepers and get some layout information first?”
He hesitated. “Aside from the fact there’s no guarantee your skills will get that information, I suspect it would be better not to linger here any longer than necessary. Dream would have been informed of the attack by now, and reinforcements are undoubtedly on the way.”
“And the sleepers? Shouldn’t we do something about them?”
“I think it’s better we uncover just how far the tunnel has gotten. If they wake, we’ll deal with them.”
“Cat can cover our retreat, then.”
He nodded and moved forward. Cat whisked around me briefly before moving to a rearguard position. The closer we got to the tunnel’s entrance the bigger it appeared, until it all but consumed the gaze. The air washing past us was not only heavy with heat, dust, and moisture, but also machinery fumes. But there was no underlying hint of vampire and that, at least, was good news.
We kept close to the tunnel’s left edge as we moved deeper inside. Two strings of lights ran down either side, and the curved walls were smooth and black. Despite the growing intensity of the vibrations running through the earth, no dust rained down on us. Unlike the walls in the other tunnels, these ones seemed immune to movement.
The shadows got thicker the deeper we moved into the tunnel. The string lights were little more than a guide and didn’t really lift the deeper darkness of this place. But the dust and moisture content steadily increased, until every breath was filled with wet grit. We’d choke on the damn stuff if we didn’t do something about it soon.
“Jonas, wait.”
I swung off my backpack and then stripped off my shirt. The lightweight material had been designed to wick water away from the skin no matter what the conditions, and while the outside was wet with sweat, the inner layer—the one close to my body—was not. I cut two thick strips out of the shirt, tied one around my mouth and nose, and then did the same to Jonas.
“Good idea,” he said, “although I’m not entirely sure having your scent so constantly in my nostrils is the right move right now.”
I smiled. “Better my scent than the vampires’.”
“A truth I will never deny.”
We continued, but the tunnel showed no signs of revealing its secrets and I had no idea how much time was passing. I had to hope it wasn’t the hours it seemed, because I really did have to get back to Central and Charles.
The noise of the borer gradually grew in intensity, but there was little evidence of the waste that should have been present. The huge tunnel began to gently curve around and, up ahead, light glowed. Figures and machines moved within that lit area
Jonas slowed but didn’t stop. “Bear, can you go see what’s going on up there?”
He immediately raced off and, a few seconds later, said, There are trucks and a conveyor belt. They are autonomous, but there are four men who appear to be supervising.
Can you follow the conveyor and see where it leads? I asked, and then glanced at Jonas. “I wonder when the shift changeover is?”
The question was barely out of my mouth when Cat said, A truck is moving toward you.
Are the four men who were sleeping inside it?
She paused, and then said, Yes.
How far away is it?
Only a few minutes.
I pulled off my pack and g
ave it to Jonas. “I’ll go deal with the truck.”
“Be careful.”
“Careful is second nature for someone like me.”
My tone was dry, but his responding smile held more concern than amusement. I shifted to particle form and swept back up the tunnel, keeping high to avoid getting caught in the lights of the approaching vehicle.
It was an old-school troop carrier—the type with an enclosed metal cabin but a simple canvas covering over the rear cargo area. I swept over the top of it and then dropped down. There were three men inside.
Cat, can you keep an eye on the driver? If he suspects anything or tries to contact the people ahead, knock him out.
Inside and waiting, she said, rather enthusiastically.
Which made me suspect that even if the driver didn’t react, Cat would still deal with him. I swept under the canvas and hovered above the three men. Two were sitting on the right bench and one on the left. All three were armed. I flexed particle fingers, trying to ease tension but not really succeeding. Then I reclaimed flesh form and dropped into the middle of the three, punching one in the face with all the force I could muster then sweeping around with a booted foot at the second. Even as he fell sideways with a grunt of pain, the third man reacted. He was fast—but not quite fast enough. I shot him in the head just as his gun cleared its holster.
The truck slewed to the right, throwing me sideways onto the man I’d knocked down but not out. He wrapped an arm around my neck, his grip viselike, and slipped something cold and hard into my side with the other. Knife, some part of my brain said, even as pain surged and the heat of blood began to soak my undershirt. I twisted my arm around and fired the gun. His grip immediately went slack, and I pushed away from him, pressing one hand against my side as I swung around and fired several more shots. Then I repeated the process with the man whose face I’d smashed. He might have been unconscious but I was in no mood for mercy.
The truck straightened abruptly. I’m now in control, Cat said.
And the driver?
Fell out.
Amusement ran through me. Are you okay steering for a couple of seconds while I take care of him?
Of course.
It was indignantly said and my amusement grew. I shifted back to particle form and raced back up the tunnel. The driver was groggily attempting to get back to his feet. I reformed the hand holding the gun and shot him. There was no silencer on the gun, but even in the vast space of this tunnel, the gunshot made little impact against the greater noise coming from the borer up ahead.
I went back to the truck and, once I’d reclaimed flesh, took over from Cat. The bleeding from the knife wound had slowed but not entirely stopped. Thankfully, the truck had been set to semiauto, so I really had to do nothing more strenuous than steer.
The vehicle headlights soon picked out Jonas standing close to the guide lights. I slowed to a crawl but didn’t stop. While the noise of the tunnel borer might have covered the gunshots, we were now within sight of the area ahead, and there might just be someone there alert enough to become suspicious. The very last thing we needed was another alarm being raised—although in truth, it didn’t really matter anymore. Dream would presumably have tried to contact Penny or have checked in with her vampires by now, and would surely be aware that we’d reached the safety of UV-protected tunnel. The trap we both still feared might not be waiting here, but rather on the surface the minute we appeared.
Jonas is onboard, Cat said. As I allowed the truck to gain speed again, she added, He said to slow again just before you’re about to go into the cavern so he can jump out, and then increase speed. He’ll take out the four men in the cavern while their attention is on you.
Can you ask him why he’s communicating through you rather than directly with me?
She paused. He said he keeps forgetting he can do that.
And, he added directly, when I do, it’s often to find you in pain and bleeding—like now.
I’m fine—
Tell that to someone who doesn’t know better, he bit back. Slow down now.
I returned my attention to where we were going and saw that we’d almost reached the cavern. I braked gently, gave Jonas time to clamber out, and then hit the accelerator and drove into the open area. One thing was immediately clear—this was no storage area but rather a full-blown work site. There was a constant stream of trucks moving in and out of the tunnel directly ahead, all of them obviously automated given none were equipped with cabins. The conveyer belt was on the right side of the cavern, and was a massive metal thing that was at least four meters wide and had to be responsible for at least some of the vibrations we were feeling. The belt disappeared up into the mountain and ran at a high enough speed that much of the debris bounced around wildly—only the sloping sides of the supports kept much of it on the belt. Beyond the conveyor were a series of buildings that I presumed were shelters for the men and the monitoring equipment.
To the right of the other tunnel entrance was a row of what looked like drill bits for the borer and, given the sheer size and weight of the things, they obviously didn’t bring them here through the vampire tunnels. And that meant there had to be another entrance.
The truck’s appearance didn’t immediately gain the attention of the four people standing in the various areas of the cavern, but when I kept on going, that quickly changed. I directed the truck toward the next tunnel, and then switched it over to full auto and doubled its speed. The truck gathered momentum as it rolled on, neatly avoiding the various loaders as it moved into the tunnel’s mouth. I slid the driver window down and, when the shadows had closed in enough that I was able to take particle form, swept out of the cabin and back into the rear of the vehicle. I shifted shape again, picked up Penny’s body, and then reclaimed the shadows.
Carrying another person in particle form was never an easy thing to do, even when at full strength, and pain instantly began to throb through me. I ignored it and raced back up the tunnel as fast as I dared, but I’d barely reached the bright cavern when my strength gave out. I twisted around as I fell, not wanting to use Penny as a buffer between the ground and me even though she was dead, and hit hard. For several seconds I could barely breathe, and there were a multitude of stars dancing in front of my eyes.
Feet appeared in my line of vision. I somehow found the strength to roll away from Penny and grab my gun, but thankfully, it was Jonas rather than one of the guards.
“Seriously,” he said. “Could you not simply have stopped the truck to retrieve Penny? It would have been a whole lot easier.”
“Easy isn’t something I apparently do.” I pushed upright. “Besides, I’m hoping the truck will gather enough speed to incapacitate the borer if it happens to hit it.”
He swung his pack around, dug out a medical kit, and then offered me a spray-on sealer. “That knife wound has opened up.”
I tugged up my blood-soaked undershirt, sprayed the stuff on, and then tossed the empty can away. The sealer stung like blazes but that was better than losing any more blood. My head was spinning enough as it was.
I finally reached the top of the conveyor, Bear said. It leads outside.
If it had taken him all this time to hit the end of it, then we were far deeper underground than I’d initially presumed. Does it dump its cargo in the forest or within the city?
Neither, though I can see the wall’s remnants in the distance. It appears to be an abandoned, open pit mine.
Any guards or security evident? Jonas asked.
No, but there are automatic trucks distributing the soil waste. Bear paused. There’s dust rising in the distance—I think vehicles are approaching.
“What’s the bet that’s Dream’s people?” Jonas walked over to Penny and picked her up. “We’d better get out of here, and fast.”
“The only way to do that is to ride the conveyor,” I said, “and that could get dangerous given the amount of rock and soil that’ll be following us up. It’ll crush us at the other end if
we don’t move out of its way fast enough.”
“Yes, but we’ve no other choice.”
That was true. I followed him across the room. The conveyor soared above the two of us, rattling and shaking as it transported the continuing dumps of rubble upward into darkness. There wasn’t even the faintest glimmer of sunlight visible—the quarry and freedom were still a very long way away. I swept my gaze around the nearby buildings and constructs, and spotted a walkway that arched over the entire width of the belt. “That’s probably our best jumping-on point.”
Jonas nodded and led the way across. We climbed the three-story staircase then stepped out onto the platform. There were no railings to hold on to, and the whole thing swayed rather alarmingly. I stopped in the middle and looked down. The belt raced past, its speed scary. If either of us survived this, it was going to be a miracle.
“I have no intention of dying on this thing,” Jonas said. “And every intention of making it to Central, not only to give Penny a decent burial, but to stop the bitch responsible for all this.”
I had the very same intention, but that didn’t make the thought of jumping off this platform onto that conveyor any less daunting. I swallowed heavily and glanced at the pairs of trucks delivering the waste in almost rhythmic sequence. After a moment, I realized there was a couple of seconds break between each load as the pairs maneuvered in and out of position—and that brief moment gave us an empty belt to jump onto.
“On my mark,” I said, watching the trucks and the conveyer belt through narrowed eyes. “Go—”
We jumped as one. I hit the belt upright and in the middle of two rubble loads but both the incline and the speed of the thing had me stumbling backward. I crashed into the pile of rock and dirt and then threw myself forward to avoid several bouncing rocks. One hit my calf hard enough to bruise, but the other missed. I’d barely pushed up onto my hands and knees when a wave of pain hit me.
It wasn’t mine. It was Jonas’s.
I quickly swung around. He was lying on the other side of the belt, face ashen and teeth gritted as he tried to realign a leg that was twisted up behind him. Even in the growing darkness I could see the gleam of bone. I swore and scrambled over to him, dodging the rocks and dirt that were bouncing back from the pile of rubble in front of us.