by Drew Cordell
I suddenly found my appetite was gone, and I pushed my plate away, taking my mug of coffee and walking out of the room to get some air.
“Everyone is going in armed. That’s the deal,” the Builder said, walking over to a console in the expansive armory and typing on the old keyboard.
Large weapon shelves raised from the floor, climbing to the height of the ceiling. There were rifles and sidearms, submachine guns and heavy weapons. There was armor too, surprisingly thin, but it looked protective enough. Grez was not happy with the arrangement, but apparently wanted the ODIN II enough that it justified the risks of bringing us in with him. I still had a feeling of dread about the whole situation, unable to shake the feeling that this was our last chance to secure the equipment we needed to launch one last assault on the Omniscience Engine before it was too late. That, or try to bring everyone else back here despite the fact that there was no longer a city overhead to call our new home.
I started with the armor, searching through the sets to find one that would match my height. Grez and the rest of the Harvesters had opted to use their own armor, but did opt to switch out their weapons so they would have more ammo.
I selected a suit of the plastic-like armor. It was black with carbon fiber textured plates adorning the heavy mesh underneath. The helmet reminded me of a lighter version of the EPX armor the Champions used. It was bulky and had a polymer face visor which was probably rated to stop a direct headshot, at least when it was manufactured. The armor plates were glossy to the point where it had a wet look about it. Weighing in at a little over ten pounds, it was effectively a third of the weight of the Harvester armor we had come here with. Even if this new stuff wasn’t as protective, I would appreciate the extra speed if we needed to get out quick.
“How old is this stuff?” I asked the Builder, helping Mary into her armor and beginning the process of putting mine on. The mesh squeezed, but it wasn’t uncomfortable or hot. The material was surprisingly cool and breathable given the density.
The Builder walked over to me. “This stuff has probably been here since this all started in my 2039. It is older than me, but it is all well maintained. It is just armor, but it will do the job and I have some of my own tech to give you. We will be in constant communication while you clear the lower levels through comms, and I will be able to see everything you’re doing through my Spinners that accompany you and the cameras I will have you mount to your helmets.”
“I’m not wearing a helmet,” Violet declared. The Builder apparently saw no need to refute this.
After we were all geared in our armor, we selected our weapons. The Builder pointed to the weapon racks. “Everything on your left is pure kinetic. The heavier weapons will pierce armor better, but the kick will be substantial. The weapons in the middle use hybrid rounds,” he said, grabbing a box of the ammo to show us.
He passed the ammo around. It looked like a conventional bullet, but the tip of the round was flat and cylindrical instead of rounded or pointed. A translucent blue sphere was nestled in the center, shining under the bright lights overhead.
“It acts like a normal bullet but will ignite the liquid gas in round upon impact. I believe these rounds were the predecessor to modern energy weapons. If at any point you feel there is too much danger, I want you to get out and I will cover your escape with my Spinners.”
“And what about our deal if that happens?” Grez asked, pulling a huge light machine gun from the wall and testing its weight.
The Builder considered this. “We will have to renegotiate, but it is not my intent to have you leave here empty handed. I believe I have been quite candid about what my desires are.”
The Builder gave us space so we could take weapons and modifications to a personal workbench which and customize our kits.
“So everything here predates modern energy weapons?” Violet asked, inspecting the weapon racks.
“Yes, which means you’ll probably want a gun. Your Nanoedges won’t draw bullets like they will burning plasma,” the Builder said, looking at her sheathed knives.
Violet nodded, but pulled a small SMG from the wall, adjusting the collapsible shoulder stock before taking it to her workbench and outfitting the weapon with a green laser, a red dot sight, extended magazines of the hybrid ammunition, a three-point sling, and a bulky suppressor which nearly doubled the length of the weapon. Her Nexweave belt shifted to create loops which held additional magazines for her new weapon securely, and she set about loading them at her table.
I selected a mid-weight assault rifle, a high-capacity sidearm, and a big semi-automatic shotgun. My aim wasn’t as refined as Mary’s or Marwin’s, and I knew I would do better at range if I could minimize some of my weapon’s recoil. I selected a holographic sight, flashlight, suppressor, and a foregrip for my assault rifle.
My shotgun had two vertically stacked barrels and a toggle on the side which would allow me to switch between the two or fire both at the same time. Unlike most shotguns I had used in my life, this one was magazine fed instead of using an integrated magazine tube and loading flap. The special drum magazines for the weapon stored 30 shells each. I loaded each drum with heavy slugs, knowing they would do a lot of damage at the ranges I was likely to engage enemies. I secured a green laser sight and flashlight to the rails on the sides of the gun, then added a small holosight to the top so I would have an easier time tracking targets at range.
Satisfied with my weapons and loading up every available slot in my armor and belt with magazines for my rifle and shotgun, I joined Mary at her workbench to see what she was working on.
“This is good stuff. Really good stuff.”
She was tinkering with her rifle, evaluating her attachment choices carefully. I wasn’t surprised to see she had taken the rifle apart, adjusting the internal mechanics to her preferences.
“That uses the 7.62 rounds?” I asked, picking up one of the magazines she had already filled and inspecting it.
“Yeah, more stopping power and I’m not worried about controlling the recoil, even without power armor,” she responded, tightening the latches on her weapon sight with a small hex wrench.
“You look excited,” I commented.
“Yeah,” she admitted, smiling. “I forgot how much fun it is to work on weapons. You know I’m a gun nerd.”
“I know. But you’re a beautiful nerd at that.”
“Good one, Jake,” Marwin said, walking up to join us once he had finished gearing up.
Since energy weapons were out of the question, suppressors seemed to be the way to go if there were sentries ready to protect their ancient tomb. We would start with suppressed weapons only and move onto the bigger stuff if things got dicey. Once everyone had finished with their weapons, Jennifer helped distribute additional medical supplies to everyone so we’d have something to work with if she couldn’t get to us.
The Builder gave each of us a wrist link which would hook up to his own AI system and map out the space we covered in the lower levels of the lab while also giving us the option to manually control his Spinner robots. The interface was surprisingly intuitive even though it didn’t have a mental link. He gave us all earpieces and microphones and attached video cameras and powerful diode flashlights to our helmets, double-checking the batteries and running final checks on all our gear.
Violet approached us while Grez spoke with the rest of his people.
“Hey, what did Grez want to talk about after breakfast?” Mary asked as she joined us.
Violet’s face hardened, and she adjusted the submachine gun slung over her back. “He told me once this is over I don’t have a place with the Harvesters. He’s exiling me.” Her voice was surprisingly monotone, but her eyes betrayed the pain she was trying to hide from us.
“We can work something out if he is serious,” I said. “I’m sure the Champions can find a place for you. I’ll try talking with him for you if you want, though.”
“I’m not sure either of those things would go well,
” she said. “And after the history between our factions, I don’t think the rest of your group would be so inviting.”
“Hey, if Jake is vouching for you, then you have my recommendation as well,” Marwin supplied, giving a friendly smile. “If the Champions will let a former Inquisitor of Olympus into their ranks, I don’t think admitting an ex-Harvester is out of the question.”
“Thanks for standing up for me earlier too, Jake.” Tears were pooling in Violet’s eyes now.
“Anytime,” I said. “We’ll figure this out.”
The Builder led us to the target range adjacent to the armory, allowing us to put our weapons to the test. As expected, my rifle performed well for me. Mary, as always, outclassed my shooting by a wide margin and was satisfied with both her rifle and the sidearm she had chosen. I switched over to my shotgun, loading an ammo drum and looking at the back of the weapon that faced me. It had one of those old OLED counters that displayed the drum’s ammo count.
As I started shooting, I alternated between barrels and even tried firing both at the same time. The recoil from the massive shells was unbelievable, but the results more than made up for it. The slugs did an insane amount of damage, ripping through the rubber practice targets I was shooting at and leaving behind craters bigger than my fist as the slug carried on and damaged the back wall. This was my kind of gun.
Even with Mary’s heavier ammunition and what I considered to be excessive customization of her rifle, my gear was much heavier than hers in the end. My final kit, though heavier than what I was used to, would give me tons of power without sacrificing a lot of speed if we ran into trouble.
After everyone was satisfied with their weapons, we returned to the armory to resupply the ammo we had just used.
“We’re ready to go,” Grez said.
“Great. I’ll get situated in my control center, and my robots will lead you to the vault door. Remember, I will be guiding you the whole time and will try to access any infrastructure within the lower levels as soon as you are inside. If it is the same as everything else here, then my network should be able to take over and we will know very quickly if there is any danger. I have programmed my Spinners to protect you at any cost, and with any luck, there will not be any danger at all.”
Grez nodded. “Let’s do this.”
17 VAULT
∆∆∆
“Jake, go for it,” The Builder said through his comm network. “We will see if my findings are valid.”
I twisted off my helmet, setting it on the ground while the others waited with their weapons raised. Five of the Builder’s Spinners had taken up the front line, positioning themselves directly in front of the massive vault door to protect us from danger right from the start, assuming the door opened at all. These ones were much smaller than the massive robots that had been working in the pit of this version of River’s Port. They were about half the size, but still occupied a lot of space with their tight formation and disproportionately long limbs.
The hallway we were in had been expanded manually with no attempt at maintaining the sterile aesthetics of the rest of the facility. Crumpled concrete and twisted metal lay in dense piles where the Builder had made room for whatever he had used to attempt to get through the vault door. He had even tried going through the walls themselves, but the interior was lined with the same gleaming metal as the vault door. I approached the console next to the door and pressed the button, surprised to see the Artemis logo materialize in front of me. The tech was surprisingly old, but like everything else here, seemed to function perfectly.
Welcome. Please place your hand on the scanner.
I pulled off my armored glove, then placed my hand on the screen within the boundaries of the scan zone. There was a hushed silence behind me as everyone waited in anticipation.
Analyzing, the console reported as I retracted my hand.
Name: Jacob Ashton. Please complete secondary bio-authentication.
“The retina scanner,” the Builder said through the network.
I looked up to the scanner, positioning my face in front of it and waiting.
The console below me blinked again.
Identity confirmed. Welcome to the Haven. Please stand by while the Haven pressurizes with atmosphere.
The sphere of the vault in the center twisted, extending outward and opening. It hissed as air from the hallway rushed toward the expanding opening in a violent rush.
“It seems to have worked. The interior must have been sealed in vacuum. Remarkable,” the Builder said, his voice barely audible over the air rushing into the darkness of the chamber.
“Are we in danger?” I asked the Builder.
“No, it is filling from all around the compound. I’m going to pull some more air from River’s Port just to be safe, though. That vault door is built in a way that keeps it from filling too quickly and pulling you into the vacuum. It is very safe to assume you are not going to find anyone living in this so-called Haven now, however.”
I replaced my helmet, making the sensation of air rushing over my body a lot more comfortable as the chamber finished its pressurization process over the next few minutes. The vault door slid open, revealing a massive open space covered in white tile.
“Getting anything?” Grez asked as the Spinners rolled through, high-powered flashlight beams passing over the white floor of the chamber and scanning the distance.
“The first of the mapping data is coming through. The first room is big. Really big,” the Builder said.
“You first,” Grez grumbled, motioning Marwin, Mary, and me forward as his group remained behind us. It was no secret he wasn’t happy we had real weapons for this job.
I shrugged and walked forward, toggling the flashlight on my helmet and rifle and stepping into the cavernous room. The layout appeared identical to the rest of the facility—covered in sterile white tiles to the point of being featureless. There were crates in the distance, at least a quarter mile away, but other than that there was a profound hollowed emptiness to the room. With the distance, it was hard to tell the exact size of the crates or their density. I passed my flashlights over the ceiling at least 50 feet above us, searching for cameras or anything else sticking out against the flat plane of white. There was nothing.
“Suppressed weapons only,” Grez called out from behind us, letting his monstrous gun swing from its sling and drawing his suppressed hand cannon of a revolver. Judging by the weight and the sheer size of the thing, I doubted the suppressor would do much good at dampening the thunderous booms it produced.
“I am going to deploy my scouts,” the Builder called. “Continue forward at a slow pace. I am not reading any networks or wireless signals in this room.”
Two small Spinners zoomed past, accelerating to astonishing speed and swerving through the massive space in near silence. Map data trickled into our wrist links and reported there was no danger so far.
“Are you scanning all frequencies for hidden networks?” Christopher asked the Builder.
“Yes, there is nothing yet. I am magnifying the crates in the distance, but I have no idea what those could contain. There were no containers like them in the main facility when I arrived. Sending over that image for you now.”
I checked the screen on my wrist, looking at the enhanced image of the crates in the distance and trying to look for marks. They were glossy black and free from any markings or seams that I could see, even as the picture improved in quality. In less than a minute, the small Spinner robots reached the crates, circling and scanning them. Other than a small latch on the back, they were featureless.
“Looks like some kind of fluid stored in a container. One in each crate, not sure what it is exactly though. Move up,” the Builder called through comms.
We moved through the facility, our footsteps echoing in the pool of empty space. It felt like we were walking through an ancient undisturbed tomb. If the Builder was telling the truth, it would have been undisturbed for hundreds of years.
&n
bsp; I remained focused as we walked, but found myself thinking about why my father had sent me here and if he had intended for me to have the ODIN II or whatever ancient treasure waited for me in this vault. This was the end-state for the Champions of Liberty, and I had the feeling we were the first Champions to ever enter one of these Havens.
After a few minutes we reached the crates, inspecting them as the Builder’s Spinners continued filling in through the vault door behind us in the distance, moving along the walls and apparently looking for hidden doors or things of interest. A gnawing fear chewed at my gut, that this was all some sort of elaborate setup, a fear that the vault door would suddenly close behind us, sealing us in for good. I thought about the mirrored world and how the things we had experienced had happened before. What if this had too? What if we walked into skeletons in the tomb that were dressed in the same armor as us? I gritted my teeth, pushing the thought out of my mind, reminding myself that we still had a chance to win this—I needed to be strong now.
There was another vault door behind the crates, and I spotted another console next to the door which would give us access.
“Leave them for now. I’ll have my Spinners get to work on opening those up,” the Builder said. We moved to the next vault door, the flashlights illuminating my surroundings.
Welcome to the Haven. I’m sure you have questions. The console displayed to me. Grez was hovering over me this time, apparently growing uneasy with the situation and the increasing number of Spinners in the facility with us.
“Yes, I have questions,” I said, looking for a way to progress further and failing to find any buttons or prompts on the screen.
Ask and I will try to answer.
“You can hear me?” I asked, staring at the console. Grez nudged his way closer now.
Yes.
