Legacy of the Centaur (RFVIII), Chapter 14
Spoiler alert: This is the work-in-progress of the 8th book in the Reckless Faith series. You may read the prologue here: https://devonai.wordpress.com/2023/10/31/reckless-faith-viii-prologue/
“Let me handle this.”
Evangeline put her PDA in her pocket, and held her AK-74 out toward Ray, who happened to be the closest person to her. After a moment of hesitation, he accepted it, and quickly but carefully put it on the deck. Eva drew her bokken, gave it a flourish to test its balance, and took a step forward.
“All this firepower, and you want to fight them hand-to-hand?” asked John.
“You’ve seen what these Sortarii artifacts are capable of,” she replied. “Fuyue fried our enemies like a fusion reactor just by believing he could. I wish you could feel the confidence that I do, flowing through my veins.”
“We’ll let you go,” began Richter, “but first, you should let us soften them up a bit.”
“By all means.”
Richter readied the grenade launcher attached to his carbine. Upon seeing this, John and Ray retrieved the M67s they were carrying, and got on either side of the doorway.
“You initiate, I’ll follow up.”
John and Ray pulled both safety pins, and chucked the grenades into the corridor. At the count of two, Richter fired his M320. He, and everyone within the line of sight of the door, ducked to the side. A trio of teeth-rattling explosions rocked the level. Waiting only a second, Eva proceeded into the hallway. From both of the old cyclotron rooms, four figures emerged, moving through the dust cloud kicked up by the grenades. They looked exactly like the last ones she had faced, and clutched 18-inch stilettos, the blades glinting despite the dim light.
The black-clad Kau’Rii strode forward fearlessly, their faces twisted into a disturbing combination of hate and pleasure. Despite this, Eva felt even more confident than when she fought the thugs who tried to mug her in New Solace. She held her bokken with both hands and assumed a fighting stance.
Two bullets whistled past Eva’s head, followed a split-second later by the cracks of rifle shots. One of the felines was hit in the face, and the contents of its skull were splattered across the wall. The remaining three rushed forward. Two approached her from either side, while the third attempted to get behind her. She dodged left, coming within inches of the third one, and swung her weapon diagonally up and to the right. The Kau’Rii attempted to parry, but her weapon smashed through his defense and struck him under the chin. He was lifted off his feet and pushed back to the far wall.
The second man tried for a straight stab to her chest, while the first circled around to her right. She avoided the attack, and countered with a swing toward his abdomen, which connected. He doubled over in agony as every bone in his pelvis shattered. The first man ended up on her right flank, and grabbed her shoulder. Just as he was about to sink his stiletto deep into her back, a round of buckshot struck him in his elbow, shredding it. Eva spun around, stepped back, and thrust her bokken at his chest. Her weapon briefly glowed blue, and the Kau’Rii’s heart and lungs exploded out of his back, accompanied by large fragments of his spine.
Eva stepped off the line of fire from the control room, and scanned for additional threats. There was no one left to challenge her. The man with the broken pelvis tried to roll over onto his back, and succeeded, at least as far as the upper half of his body. He grinned, and pulled a small device from a pocket. Before she or any of her friends could do anything, a quick series of explosions shook the corridor, and a blast of superheated air and debris shot out of the doors to one of the cyclotron rooms. Eva was standing directly in front of one of them, and caught the full force of the eruption. She squeezed her eyes shut and ducked, though it was far too late to make a difference.
When she opened her eyes, she saw Richter standing above her. Rising to her feet, she was mildly surprised to find that she was uninjured.
“You okay?” asked Richter.
“I think so. My bokken must have protected me.”
“I’d say so. The overpressure of that blast blew out the observation windows to the particle collider and knocked half of us over.”
“What happened?”
“The Tenchiik must have rigged up the old explosives on the cyclotrons, or added to them. My guess is that they were hoping to collapse the whole level. Fortunately for us, this place is holding up well.”
“Is Scrivener okay?”
“No worse than before. We’ll have Sakura check him for a TBI, in addition to all his other injuries.”
As the dust settled, Eva could see several of her team advancing down the corridor, clearing every corner. There was no doubt as to the state of the four Tenchiik that had confronted them; it was clear no mortal being could have survived that much damage. John picked up one of the stilettos.
“This is the first time we’ve ever recovered one of these so-called vibro-blades,” he said. “Perhaps it will give us a clue as to the origin of these people.”
“I think our time would be better spent trying to replicate one of these Sortarii weapons,” said Eva.
“Assuming anyone other than the Kira’To’s darlings can use them,” said Christie. “Ari and I have devoted an inordinate amount of time trying to figure it out, as if we didn’t have enough to do.”
“Today’s performance should revitalize that effort. But I appreciate that matters pertaining to our ships take precedence.”
John said, “I don’t think we’re going to get anywhere with them without Fuyue’s help. We’re still waiting for a response from the Antares, if I didn’t mention it before.”
“You did,” said Ray. “He refused to help us before, in favor of trying to recruit Eva, Miriam, or Reveki. I don’t think he’ll ever help us unless one of those three agree to become his acolyte, or whatever.”
Richter approached them. “Both cyclotron rooms are clear. Of course, the one on the left is a fresh mess, but there’s nowhere for anything larger than a rat to hide.”
“Then it seems we have a choice to make,” said John. “Proceed to Sub-Level 5 and look for Kheiron, evacuate ourselves and Scrivener to the Faith, or split up and do both.”
Malthus piped up from the entrance to the control room. “If Adeler goes with me, I’ll go below.”
Eva flipped her bokken around in her hand. “Oh, you liked that, huh?”
“Geez Louise, get over yourself,” muttered Richter.
“Normally I’d choose the safest path…” began John.
“That’s not even remotely fuckin’ true.”
John was flustered. “Well, you know, I mean usually. Don’t I? Anyway, if Adeler and Malthus are cool with it, I’d say we get one or two more volunteers and let them go. That leaves nine or ten to get Scrivener and his guys to the ship.”
“I’ll go,” said Christie.
“If you’re going, I’m going too,” said Ray.
John nodded. “That’s fine. Chason?”
“I don’t want to,” he replied. “But I owe Malthus. I’ll ask you for more weapons and a set of armor, if you can spare it.”
“We have both, thanks to Eva and Richter’s catatonic androids.”
Malthus rolled his eyes. “You don’t owe me shit. All I ever wanted was for you to get out of here. This is your chance; you should take it.”
“You both need to gear up,” began John. “You have until that’s done to decide where you’re going. The rest of us are going to prepare for evac.”
Without any further prompting, everyone headed back to the collider control room. Eva and Richter assisted Malthus and Chason with stripping the somnolent androids of their armor, and fitting it to the prisoners. A thought that had been poking at her subconscious came to her, and while tightening the straps on the rig of Kevlar fabric and ceramic plates around Chason’s torso, she spoke.
“You and Malthus have told us about stories of prisoners who have escaped into this facility over the years. Yet, the most we’ve found so far is evidence of one person who made an attempt to survive down here. I’m curious to know how reliable the information you’ve gathered is.”
Chason rolled his shoulders to check the snugness of his new set of armor. “It’s all just rumors. It’s not exactly quality intel we’ve had to work with. But, stories of such escapes are rampant among the population. That is to say, the former population. Malthus can confirm it.”
“Actually,” began Malthus, “the first I ever heard of it was a few weeks ago when you brought it up. I assumed you had been talking to other inmates; after all, you’ve been here longer than me.”
“What? That can’t be right.”
Malthus tapped his forehead. “Eidetic memory, remember? You told me that it was in a letter from your sister that it was mentioned; earlier than that, it wasn’t spoken of. After that, both of us talked to other inmates, and heard stories about it.”
John overheard this, and approached them. “Is it possible that you, Chason, sowed the seeds of the rumor in the first place?”
Chason shrugged. “I don’t know. Malthus would know more than me.”
“I’m telling you,” replied Malthus, “Your letter from Wega that you shared with me was the first time I heard of it. It was only when you gave me that map you found that I took any of it seriously.”
Eva said, “How much do we really know about Wega Talyn?”
“Only what the crew of the Fox has told us,” said John. “Chason, what was your sister into, last you knew?”
“That’s an awfully broad question,” Chason said, frowning. “She’s tried her hand at lots of business ventures over the years. She’s been most successful as a futures trader, at least according to her.”
“Do we know where she was based out of?” asked Ray.
John said, “Again, that’s a question for the crew of the Fox. All I know is that Wega contacted them via standard SRC channels. So she could be anywhere within the developed galaxy. Chason, what do you know?”
“Last I heard she was based out of the South Gate, also known as Alpha Lupi, not far from here.”
“That’s close enough for any planet in the Lupus constellation to have regular contact with Alnair,” said Christie.
Chason crossed his arms. “I don’t like what you’re implying.”
“What are you all talking about?” asked Richter. “I’m totally lost here.”
“That Wega knew more about Alnair and Inferno than she was letting on,” said John. “But now is not the time to start throwing out wild accusations. Until we can talk to Captain Kitsune, it’s all just speculation.”
Mike said, “Considering all that we’ve seen so far, a far-reaching conspiracy to conceal Inferno’s true purpose isn’t so implausible.”
“You’re not helping, Major. Come on, everybody, if we lose cohesion now, none of us are going to survive this.”
Chason seemed to be at the verge of crying. “Fuck. All right then, if it helps, I’ll go below with Malthus and his team.”
“His team, huh?” muttered Ray.
“You know what I meant.”
“Every moment that we hesitate is one moment closer to death for Scrivener,” said Mike.
John nodded. “You’re right. Everybody lock and load. We’re moving out.”
__________
It didn’t take much exploration of Sub-Level Five for Ray and his team to encounter something interesting. No sooner had they exited the stairwell did they emerge onto a railed platform, which overlooked an expansive and dizzying open area. Sprawling out before them, they found a cavern, the space extending about seven hundred meters ahead, and going down at least a thousand meters below. Anything beyond that was blanketed in fog. In the center were seven vertical columns, each approximately 25 meters in diameter. Immediately obvious along the length of the cavern, and on each floor as far as they could see, were both fixed lights and softly glowing sources slowly moving about. Momentarily stunned at the sight, Malthus, who was not wearing a helmet, was the first to speak.
“I smell food cooking,” he said. “It also smells wet in here.”
Christie peered at her PDA. “I’m reading dozens of life signs within range of the scanner. It’s also much warmer in here than in previous levels; twenty-two Celsius. The only energy signatures are coming from those columns in the middle.”
Malthus said, “This area is marked on the map as ‘cooling towers’.”
The team investigated further. A rickety bridge, made of heavy rope and planks, ran from one side of the platform to a ledge on the cavern wall. Chason found a control panel with dials and levers, and summarized the markings for the others.
“These controls are meant to regulate the water level in the cavern,” he said.
Ray pointed at the nearest column. “If you look closely, you’ll see a dark, blotchy line running across that column at just below the level of this platform. My guess is that was where the water level was kept while this facility was still in operation.”
Chason gestured at the panel. “There’s a dial here, and if I’m reading it right, it indicates that the water level is currently at ten percent of the maximum.”
“It would take billions of liters to fill this space,” said Malthus. “There must be a fresh water supply quite close to here.”
“It seems obvious that these columns were used as heat exchangers for whatever machinery they were using.”
“It’s a good thing we didn’t try to start anything up,” said Christie.
“Anything else you can tell us about those life signs?” Ray asked her.
“Indeterminate. I don’t suppose anybody brought a pair of binoculars?”
“Not me, sorry.”
“You don’t have a zoom function on your visors?” asked Malthus.
“Yes, but it’s only up to three-x. I can’t see anything useful beyond that, even with IR illumination. Since I don’t think we can cross that bridge without making a big old racket, I say we make ourselves known. If we’re attacked, this will be our last chance to get out of here in a hurry.”
Christie nodded. “It’s the only prudence choice.”
“Alright. Just be ready to exfil any second.”
Ray retrieved a small flashlight from his gear, but before he could activate it, Chason noticed something.
“Hey, some of those greenish lights are moving toward the bridge.”
“It would appear that a welcome party is heading this way,” said Christie. “Let’s try not to look too threatening.”
As they watched, the soft lights seemed to move up the side of the cavern, and soon a group of about a dozen gathered on the top level. It wasn’t until the first humanoid figures arrived at the far end of the rope bridge that the team was able to make them out individually. At first glance, they resembled Alnairians, but were much paler in complexion and none of them had any hair. Their clothing appeared to be little more than one-piece robes. The figure at the front of the group motioned for their guests to cross the bridge.
At that distance, Ray only had to raise his voice slightly for it to carry. “We mean you no harm.”
Again, the figure simply gestured at them. Eva shrugged, and removed her helmet. Before anyone could object, she stepped onto the first plank, testing it. Satisfied, she slowly made her way across the bridge, trying not to look down.
“It seems sturdy enough,” she said.
“Just the same, let’s go one at a time.”
Over the next few minutes, the other four allies made their way across. They found themselves among the humanoids, who still hadn’t said a word to them. Other than a few rough-made satchels and the disposable chemlights they were carrying, they had nothing on them, though any one of them could have had a small weapon concealed beneath their clothes. Their faces were expressionless, but calm. In the group, there were seven men and five women.
“Hi,” began Ray. “I’m Ray, this is Evangeline, Christie, Malthus, and Chason. We’re looking for a friend of ours, he goes by the name of Kheiron. He wouldn’t happen to be a friend of yours too, would he?”
The man who had beckoned them before cocked his head toward a small path along the cavern wall, and began walking. Five of his people followed him, with the other six waiting behind the team.
“Are you going to take us to him?” asked Eva.
There was no reply. Resigned, she and her friends followed. The way ahead was narrow, and with no railings, making for a harrowing path, but the strange group seemed completely unbothered by the inherent danger. As they proceeded, they began to pass by grottos carved into the sandstone walls. Glancing into the openings revealed larger areas beyond, and in a few cases, beds and rudimentary furniture. About halfway down, they arrived at a rope ladder, which their hosts used to climb down to the next level.
Everyone continued in this manner until they had descended five more levels, at last arriving at a larger room. This chamber contained several tables, benches, electric lanterns, and dozens of boxes and crates stacked against either side. Markings on the containers made it clear that they had come from the prison at some point, and included shelf-stable rations, blankets, and other sundries. The far end of the room had been set up as either a shrine or an altar, with a mural painted on the wall in muted colors. The painting depicted a verdant landscape, as well as figures that resembled the people that were leading the team. Seated in a chair that had been constructed from old crates was a Kira’To.
“Well, shit,” began Malthus, “I never thought I’d see you again.”
With that, Malthus keeled over. Ray caught him and guided him to the stone floor.
“I sense that he’s fine,” said Eva. “He and Kheiron are just having a chat.”
Continue reading: https://devonai.wordpress.com/2024/02/29/the-wolf-and-the-centaur-rf-viii-chapter-15/
