by C A Ardron
‘The map says the water gets deeper further down,’ Hawk noted. ‘Guess the sooner we're under, the better. Wouldn't want any Sarpiens to catch onto our surprise.’
‘Not likely,’ Falcon told him. ‘If the Predgarian that Lion spoke to on the phone is correct, then the tunnels are on lock-down. There won't be any above ground.’
‘What does lock-down mean?’ Tiger asked.
Falcon turned her head so that Tiger, sat behind her, could hear her better. ‘An order for a lock-down can only be given by a Sarpien general. All Sarpiens must stay in the tunnels and all the entrances are sealed. It usually only happens when they're expecting an attack.’
Dove looked grim. ‘Then we'll have quite the job getting in.’
Falcon gave a short laugh. ‘I wouldn't worry about that. When Jackal realises the Pharollin are attacking, he'll have no choice but to unseal the entrances so he can send his warriors out to intercept them.’
As she had spoken, Lion and Hawk had piloted the diver up the river and now they were submerging the vehicle completely.
‘About the Elite,’ Lion said. ‘You're already aware of Mantis, of course. Do you remember the others from Lister Road?’
Falcon frowned as she thought back. ‘I remember the silver Avian, there was a giant of a man too.’
Lion nodded. ‘The big one was Grey Rhinoceros. I don't think there's ever been a man born as tall or as muscular as him.’
‘There's speculation he might not be of Courinese origin,’ Wolf put in. ‘There's something odd about him.’
‘Perhaps,’ Lion agreed. ‘I've never seen him without armour though.’
‘I have,’ Dove told them. ‘This morning, in fact. He really is huge, but there was nothing in his voice or face that implied he might be from off-world.’
Tiger shifted in her seat. ‘What's he look like?’
‘Like a southerner,’ Dove supplied. ‘With very thin, brown hair, almost bald. He still has his size even without a medallion. He wouldn't be hard to recognise on the street.’
‘Good to know,’ Lion said. ‘Some warrior's height and muscle matter change when in armour.’
Falcon decided to move on. ‘Who was the Avian?’
‘Silver Harrier,’ Hawk bit the name off.
‘You mentioned him earlier. He's caused you some trouble, I take it?’
‘Yes and no,’ Lion answered, watching the muddy sides of the river banks carefully. ‘He's not long arrived in Steiron. There's no proof, but we've assumed he's Elite.’
Falcon nodded her agreement. ‘Silvers are always Elite. I can't say I've heard of him though. Any others?’
Wolf snorted. ‘Just one. I'm pretty sure you will of heard of him.’
‘Oh?’
‘The Bronze Cobra.’
Falcon stared out the cockpit blankly at this news, her thoughts distant.
‘You know him,’ Dove guessed.
‘What? No. No, I've never met him, he's just got a hefty reputation, that's all.’
Falcon was aware of Lion speaking but it didn't register. Her head was swimming. Jackal, Mantis and Cobra? Was Trine preparing for the war? The Sarpiens had been laying low for over eight hundred years, was that about to change? To have three such experienced, blood-thirsty Sarpiens all working for the same sclithe was worrying. Falcon was jolted back to reality when Dove gently touched her arm.
‘Falcon? Are you all right?’
‘Yeah. I was...’
‘Miles away?’ Tiger suggested.
‘Huh. Yeah, I guess.’
‘What can you tell us about Cobra?’ Lion asked.
The way he said it made Falcon think it wasn't the first time he'd asked her that question. She tried to ease her stiff muscles and regain her calm. ‘Depends. How much do you know?’
‘We know he's old. We think at least a hundred,’ Wolf told her, ‘and very strong in the Power.’
‘Obviously a capable fighter as well if he's a bronze,’ Lion added.
Falcon smiled, quite amused. ‘Not bad, but you left a couple of things out.’
Lion half-turned to glance back at her. ‘Like what?’
‘Well, Cobra is most famous for serving the last female purple sclithe, Gallilsko. She was killed by the Dakkonin about ninety years ago. So unless Cobra became a Sarpien when he was ten, he's a bit older than a hundred.’
Tiger laughed softly at Falcon's wry humour. ‘So how old is he?’
‘I've got no idea,’ Falcon admitted. ‘But he's old enough to have gained certain qualifications.’
‘Meaning?’ Leopard asked. Her voice had that ever-present ominous growl.
‘He's a coercion expert.’ Falcon hated using the word, it only reminded her of the past. ‘I'm not sure if you know so I'll tell you, only specific Sarpiens are allowed in the coercion chamber with their victims. Only Sarpiens properly trained can do it.’
This time it was Hawk who looked back at her. ‘The Sarpiens have training courses for torture?’
The underwater river they had been travelling down opened out into a large body of water.
‘This lake must be where the underwater entrance is,’ Lion guessed. ‘All we have to do now is find it.’
‘Make sure you stay near the edge,’ Wolf rumbled, sounding strained.
Hawk laughed. ‘Not afraid of a bit of water, are you, Wolf?’
Wolf was staring intently out of the cockpit window a few feet in front of him but offered no reply.
Lion checked the file on the helm. ‘The map says it's near the eastern edge.’
‘I didn't know there were any lakes in Steiron,’ Leopard muttered.
Dove turned to smile at her. ‘Speed can be deceptive under water. We're actually outside Steiron. This is Lake Majesty.’
‘Like I said,’ Wolf grunted. ‘Stay at the lake edge.’
‘Why?’ Hawk asked.
‘We'll be fine, Wolf,’ Lion assured him. ‘Sorry, Falcon, please continue.’
‘Well, to answer Hawk's question,’ she said, keeping an eye on the open water herself. She knew Wolf's fears were not unfounded. ‘Yes, they do. Let's say the Sarpiens go to the trouble of taking a Dakkonin alive. You think they're going to hand him over to some new, short-tempered Sarpien that's accidentally going to kill him five minutes in?’
Lion muttered something unsavoury about Sarpiens.
‘More importantly,’ Falcon continued. ‘Bronze Cobra is a magician, and he's had over a hundred years to hone his art.’
Dove let out a long breath. ‘Then I hope we don't encounter him.’
‘With the Pharollin distracting them, we shouldn't see any of the Elite,’ Lion told her. ‘They'll be too busy to be wandering around the tunnels.’
Wolf made a sudden, strangled sound.
Falcon turned to him sharply. ‘What did you see? We may not have any time.’
‘I-I'm not sure. It was only for a second and-’
‘Whoa!’ Hawk instinctively pulled his controls left.
Falcon had already unbelted herself by the time everyone was making their various exclamations of alarm. She glanced once more at those awful, glassy teeth, each one three metres long and razor sharp.
‘Tiger, with me. The diver lasers are in two small pods at the back.’
Tiger blinked at her. ‘Right,’ she got a hold of herself, unbuckling her seatbelt.
‘Try to aim as best you can,’ Lion told them. He sounded calm, offering no comment on Falcon's decision. ‘Hawk and I will try to outmanoeuvre this thing.’
Falcon hoped Tiger could fire these cannons. As she sat down at the controls her fingers ran over the buttons. They were labelled in the ancient, circular script of the Delphi. A language she couldn't read or speak.
‘I don't recognise this system,’ Tiger objected from a few feet away in the other weapons pod.
Falcon didn't have time for a discussion. ‘Guess.’
The scanners at least were the normal affair. She clicked it on and a screen next to it lit
up as well, giving Falcon a close up view of the thing trying to make them its lunch.
It was a fish as far as she could tell, with a massive, slimy head almost as large as the diver itself.
She had no idea if the diver was equipped with torpedoes, charged harpoons or some other manner of weapon, but she targeted the silver monstrosity and fired anyway.
Tiger had loosed her cannon at almost the same time and two torpedoes launched themselves through the water.
‘Hawk,’ Lion said, his voice uncannily serene. ‘This might be a good time to leave. Let's find that tunnel.’
Hawk nodded and obeyed just in time. The torpedoes crashed into the creature and exploded. The diver momentarily spun out of control, the water surging around them.
Falcon caught the pod doorway just in time to stop herself falling onto the aisle floor. Tiger was not so lucky and sprawled out ungracefully.
Falcon checked the scanner, but the fish had fled, or been blasted to pieces. Either way it was gone. She waited for Tiger to pick herself up and then went back to her seat, her body starting that tired ache again now that the adrenaline was leaving her system.
She glanced at Lion's back as she belted herself back in. She had to admit she was impressed. Despite his youth, Lion was a steady captain. He didn't have the ultra-fine reaction time she'd come to expect from being around Sarpiens, but he had great potential. She should try her best not to get him killed.
Lion and Hawk drove downwards, everything darkening as they penetrated the mucky layer which preceded the lake bottom.
Hawk turned on the overlay scanner, studying it intently.
‘What was that thing?’ Leopard asked.
‘It had a split tail,’ Dove commented. ‘It was probably a twin-jawtooth.’
Wolf shuddered.
‘What's a jawtooth doing in the lake?’ Tiger demanded.
'They sometimes make their way up river from the ocean before they're fully grown,' Dove told her.
Falcon nodded. ‘Then they get trapped and start depopulating the lake.’
‘There,’ Hawk said. ‘I've found it.’
Lion leaned over to look and nodded his agreement. ‘Let's go, then.’
They ventured even closer to the bottom, skimmed the murky depths and were then plunged into pitch blackness.
Lion switched on the deep water lights and they saw for the first time the circular tunnel which had obviously been made by a sclithe.
‘That was some good shooting,’ he praised as they sped down it. ‘Your quick thinking may have saved us, Falcon.’
Falcon smiled. ‘Not a problem. Feel free to return the favour when we get into the tunnels.’
***
Blue Phoenix veered left, above the buildings of West Sector, his wings dripping blue fire. He raised his hands as the three Sarpiens pursuing him drew closer. He unleashed two orbs of azure energy, searing two of his targets and flew into the third, his armoured fist firmly connecting with the Sarpien's face.
He took a moment to look around him as the three Sarpiens dropped away. Harpy Eagle was a little below him. The heavy Avian smashed into a Sarpien using the Avian Lunge. He Air-Spun and then Talon-slashed another Sarpien in the wing before immediately veering to the right. He flapped his wings hard, propelling himself towards another group of enemies.
Blue saw more Sarpiens flying up to meet them and flew to intercept. He hoped the Predgarians completed their mission quickly, because there seemed to be no end to the Sarpien ranks attacking them.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
As Lion and Hawk carefully manoeuvred the diver through the shimmering barrier, Lion winced, hearing the vehicle screech in protest. It vibrated in a horrible way as it scraped across the rocky floor on the other side.
Lion was trying to keep a calm demeanour, though he didn't feel it himself. He knew a unit's focus and determination could rely heavily on how well their captain dealt with the situation.
He hoped by keeping at least a semblance of confidence, it would rub off on the others. Falcon seemed to be doing a better job of that than him, he thought, casting her a wry glance.
He'd be keeping a close watch on her. Her actions during the incident with the fish had opened his eyes somewhat. Now given the chance to see first-hand what she was like in the field, Lion found she was not left wanting.
Her peremptory order to Tiger had been full of confidence, delivered in a tone which expected obedience. It had been a voice Lion thought he himself would have responded to in the event of an emergency.
In that one instant, Lion had become certain Falcon was a leader of warriors, but what leader? She'd admitted to being Elite, but they didn't command armies.
‘I think we're far enough now,’ Hawk informed him, cutting across Lion's thoughts.
‘You think?’ Leopard shot back, ‘or you know? You get this wrong and we're going to get very wet.’
Lion checked the scanners. ‘Hawk's right. The door's past the shield line.’
He paused, thinking about the best way to proceed.
‘We all know the plan,’ he said as he unbuckled himself from his sturdy chair. ‘It's time to split up. Hawk and Wolf, you need to get the diver to the escape point.’
The two men nodded seriously.
‘Falcon and Leopard will come with me.’
‘What about me?’ Tiger objected.
‘We'll be noticeable if we're too big a group,’ Lion told her. ‘Falcon needs to come and Leopard can stealth. You and Dove stay here.‘ He sighed when he saw her sulky frown. ‘Don't get grumpy, Tiger. We're not here to fight if we can help it.’
‘Be careful, Lion,’ Dove pleaded. ‘This is very dangerous.’
He nodded and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. ‘Don't worry, I'm not going to take any chances.’ He looked over at Hawk.
The Avian nodded and rapped the button for the ramp. Lion could hear the rumble of the door as it slid open and the extra vibration of the ramp extending. There was a metallic clunk as it hit the floor.
‘Well, it didn't flood,’ Leopard conceded, showing rare humour as she left her seat.
Lion understood her doubts. Even having seen the evidence on the screen, he hadn't been able to stop his paranoia about the craft being far enough through the portal. There was an awful lot of water behind them.
He led the way out of the diver and squinted in the glow of the watery portal, looking at the round chamber he found himself. There were two corridors leading out of the circular room. He noticed one was well-lit and maintained, while the other was in disrepair and there was a vile stench wafting from it.
‘Well, I guess it's obvious which way we should be going,’ he commented. He watched the diver ramp as it started to rise once more.
‘Maybe, but maybe not,’ Falcon disagreed, also watching. The diver grated its way backwards and into the watery tunnel.
Leopard looked at her sharply, but didn't speak. Falcon either didn't notice or had chosen to ignore the Feline woman. The serious Avian studied the wide tunnel, placing one hand next to a small electrical light set into the smooth wall. They ran down the corridor on either side, making it look more a part of a medallion Order passageway rather than part of the Sarpien tunnels.
‘The tunnels are rarely so tidy or well-kept,’ Falcon turned back to face them. ‘I think this place leads to their hangar.’
‘Hangar?’ Lion asked in surprise. He hadn't thought the Sarpiens would have such places.
Falcon nodded. ‘It's where they keep whatever Order issue vehicles they've managed to get hold of. Hoppers, divers, bikes, who knows what else.’
‘So this should lead into where they're keeping Jay?’ Lion pressed, not wanting to get side-tracked.
‘Yes, but it'll be busy, especially with the Pharollin attack above us.’
‘We don't have much choice,’ Leopard snapped.
She seemed angry, more than usual. Lion thought it must be because she had to work in close proximity to Falcon, at least h
e hoped that's all it was.
Falcon smiled thinly and Lion saw Leopard clench one fist, obviously trying to contain herself. This might not end well.
‘Well, there is one other option,’ Falcon disagreed.
‘Please tell me that's a joke,’ Lion said when he saw her look pointedly at the narrow sewer.
‘I wish it was, but that sewer will most likely come out in several different parts of the tunnels. It will get us fairly far in without being seen.’
Lion sighed through his heavy helm. ‘All right, lead the way.’
Falcon nodded and started towards the sewer entrance. Leopard filed in close behind her, and Lion brought up the rear.
Falcon stopped when she reached the narrow entrance, studying a small control panel near the gap in the wall.
‘What's that?’ Lion asked.
‘It's the controls for the barrier shield.’
‘What barrier shield?’ Leopard asked with a puzzled frown.
‘Exactly,’ Falcon replied, glancing at her for the first time. She turned and nodded at the portal. ‘This is one of Trine's escape routes, why wasn't the shield up? All that portal is keeping out right now is the water, no life forms are supposed to be able to pass.’
‘You might have mentioned that before we tried to enter, Falcon,’ Lion told her, angry that she'd kept that from them.
Falcon shook her head. ‘The diver senses would've alerted you if the barrier had been working, that's why I didn't say anything.’
Lion mulled that over, realising she was right, but still, she could have said something!
Falcon turned back to the sewer. ‘We're short on time, we'd better go. Let's be careful. I've still got the feeling something's not right about this. There's no reason why that shield should be down, just like there was no reason for Jackal to put his tunnels on lock-down.’
‘What do you think could be behind it?’ Leopard asked, surprising Lion.
He would've thought she'd cut off her own arm before asking Falcon for information.
‘I'm not sure,’ Falcon admitted, her tone not exactly friendly, but neutral at least. ‘I can't think of anything plausible. Just be on guard, I'm expecting at least one surprise tonight.’