Lost Heritage (Exodus Ark Book 3)

by J. N. Chaney

  “I was captured outside gathering supplies,” he continued. “It was quite inconvenient as I was on the cusp of verifying my latest discovery.”

  He paused as we came to a fork in the passageway, deliberated for a few seconds, then indicated we should go right. There was the subtlest change in the gravitational forces that suggested we were descending.

  “Well, what did you discover?” Moore prompted.

  Havu blinked, as if he’d forgotten the story he’d been telling. “The Mind Thieves’ influence is losing its effectiveness,” he said seriously. “I believe it is why they only plan to come once more to collect those that are sleeping.”

  When no one commented on this revelation, he looked back at the group again. I did too, and found them stunned into silence.

  “What are you talking about?” demanded Riva.

  “My theory is that our species is naturally evolving to become immune. Given the lower population and ineffectiveness of their virus, I don’t think it’s worth the trouble for them to continue harvesting.”

  “That’s why I was able to fight back,” Andro reasoned. “And why they increased the dose, along with administering it multiple times.”

  “That is a possibility,” Havu agreed. “As you noticed, there are not many guards in the mountain. Many are stationed at outposts, and it is their job to prevent incursions by the local tribes. When you attacked using the two tunnels at the same time as the main gate, it took a toll. The only way for Makin to replenish his defenses is to awaken those in the stasis pods.”

  “Which he can’t do without pissing off his bosses,” I concluded.

  “Exactly. I have access to all of the information on Makin’s network but couldn’t perform any actions except what I was told without drawing attention. I have spent the last month pretending to be Turned. Not sure I could have managed it if not for the distraction your people caused by showing up in the System.”

  I had to figure he was right on that count. A foreign ship—a foreign colony ship at that—showing up without warning was enough to take anyone by surprise. If the same thing happened back on Earth, except with the First being the arrivals, no doubt everyone there would be scrambling to make their next moves.

  “Great. So what you’re saying is that Makin has almost no defenses left? Like Tara said, last time we were here there were more than enough to keep us on the run.”

  “They were quite formidable, once. However, the recent skirmishes have seen a considerable decline. I estimate that all told, Makin has fewer than one hundred combat capable individuals at his disposal. Perhaps two hundred if the workers are included, though they cannot be depended on to fight.”

  I mulled that over and came to the conclusion that the mountain hold was all but ours. It weighed on me that if done right, the group with me at present would destroy Makin’s power from the inside. That wouldn’t work though. I still needed information and to make contact with those outside. Too many things could go wrong if I went on a rogue mission now.

  When we came to another break, Havu pointed straight down a long corridor that curved off out of sight. “That way leads down to the lab. I expect there will be resistance since they know you came from that tunnel system.”

  “What about that way?” Moore pointed to the left, the only other option.

  “It leads to chambers. There are ways out, but it will take longer. The route goes deeper into the mountain and will require more knowledge than I have. It’s a possible route with less opportunity to be discovered, but getting lost can be just as lethal.”

  I looked to Riva. “I vote to go the way we came.”

  “Yes. I don’t want to be in here longer than necessary.”

  We advanced with caution, but it was impossible to stay quiet with this many of us. Andro still needed a little assistance, and the sound of our steps bounced off the walls with all the subtlety of a gunshot.

  I took point, along with Nami. Riva and Mirtos kept Andro slightly in front of them and stayed tight on his heels with Tara and Moore bringing up the rear. It was as good as we were going to get.

  Around the bend we found another door, which Nami had open in a few seconds. Together, we held our weapons at the ready and stood off to the side with the others for a few moments in case Turned guards waited on the other side.

  Some of my companions would have called it good luck. I knew better than that. The only luck one had came from their ability to prepare for all the possibilities. It was perhaps advantageous that the number of Makin’s people had dwindled. That didn’t mean I was going to treat this differently from any other op.

  The smooth walls gave way to natural rock, and the floor beneath our feet narrowed until we were forced into a single file line. Twenty meters later, the rock wall to our right became nothing but a simple empty void, and I saw that our path had become a ledge.

  To make things more treacherous, the ample lighting we’d been enjoying gave way to a few spare blinking lanterns. The blue glow from our weapons helped some, but not much.

  Tara made a sound from the back of the group that gave me pause. “What is it?”

  “Not a superfan of heights. At least not in the dark. Any idea what’s down there?”

  Havu’s answer was not reassuring. “Death. No one uses this path, which is why I came this way.”

  “I guess they’ve never heard of OSHA,” Moore grumbled.

  “Stay alert,” I suggested. “If you’re careful, there should be no reason to worry.”

  Moore muttered something under his breath that sounded like “would it kill them to install a handrail?”

  I ignored him to focus on the path ahead. This wasn’t how we’d come, but so long as it led to a way out, I wasn’t about to complain. “Quiet, Moore. Keep moving.”

  “You got it. I’m just saying—”

  He didn’t get the chance to explain what he was just saying because a blue light whipped by us in a blur. Moore let out a strange gurgling sound, and I swung back in time to see him looking at his own chest before toppling over the side of the ledge.

  “They know we’re here!” Havu exclaimed. “Run! There is an elevator at the end of the path.”

  The single file line prevented me from doing anything to provide cover. Which didn’t matter anyway, since I didn’t have my rifle. Our group was completely open to whoever had fired on us unless we hauled ass. I broke into a run, but that was perilous at best.

  Loose rocks and silt made the ground slippery. I didn’t slow down though because more shots were fired at us. The sound of rock cracking followed by the spray of small fragments flying off and hitting me came next. That was good because it meant that somewhere in the darkness were obstacles between us and the shooters.

  The positive realization didn’t last long when someone cried out behind me. I turned back to see the others had fallen behind. Andro had held up the show, and Nami must have slowed her pace to stay with the group. Havu was midway between us and held his arms in front of his face to protect it.

  At that moment, Andro was hanging off the side of the ledge with Nami and Riva working to get him back up. The blue ammunition struck the wall close enough for him to cry out in pain when rock shrapnel hit him.

  I scanned the darkness for the first time, trying to make out anything I could. Somewhere off in the distance there was a little light because I could see where the stalagmites and stalactites blocked it out.

  “Dammit,” I said under my breath. Without some kind of ranged weapon, the enemy was too far to do anything about.

  With a final tug, the two Volcuri managed to pull Andro up without being struck dead, and then we were off again. The ledge curved left, and I was forced to slow down around a tight corner. One section of the ledge thinned enough that my own foot slipped and I had to grab the wall for support.

  “Watch out,” I called over my shoulder.

  When the way finally widened again, I spotted the dim glow of multiple lanterns ahead. Havu saw it too and
almost ran into me when he sped up.

  “Sorry! The elevator is just ahead! We’re almost there.”

  The attackers must have known what we were doing because the shooting ceased. Another scan across the chasm showed me nothing but emptiness. I focused on the elevator and sprinted the last few meters to it.

  Up close, the thick metal cage gave some protection on the chance they did start shooting again and provided a wide enough space to stand that we all fit. However, the car wasn’t inside. As the group caught up, Nami immediately went to the panel when Havu indicated he didn’t have a way to call the car up.

  “Wait,” I told her, then looked at Havu. “What’s at the bottom?”

  “The shaft leads to the large cavern, and from there the other tunnels,” he informed us.

  “They’re going to be waiting for us,” I concluded. “Is there another way down?”

  His feathers wiggled a little as he thought about it. “No, not unless we try going down the side. The ledge continues that way and starts to go down, but it is treacherous.”

  Tara groaned. “Why do I think you’re going to have us go that way, Chief?”

  “Because I am. Treacherous doesn’t equal dead. We’ve already lost one person. I’m aiming not to lose any more. Secure your weapons. We’re going down.”

  Once everyone was as situated as they could be, I moved off the relative safety of the platform and continued down the ledge. There wasn’t any helpful strip lighting, so we would have to do most of it by feel.

  I unhooked my weapon and held the light down as far as I could. The angle was steep but passable. If any of us lost our footing it wouldn’t feel good to take the ride down, but I figured it was something we could at least survive.

  I swung my leg over and began to descend. Then I froze at the unmistakable sound of the elevator moving up the shaft.

  “We’ve got company,” Tara called out.

  Andro, who’d been set to follow me down with Riva, turned to his sister. “We’ll never make it in time. Someone has to stay behind and hold them off.”

  Riva nodded. “I’ll do it. You go with the others.”

  “No.” He shook his head firmly and drew himself up. “We both know the chances of me making the descent are slim. I can do this. Don’t worry, sister, they won’t take me again.”

  “I won’t allow it!” Riva snapped out. “It’s my duty—”

  “It’s your duty to live!” Andro’s strangled shout stopped Riva mid sentence. “Don’t you see? There isn’t time to argue. If you go, there’s a chance you’ll make it out and rally our people.”

  “You can’t expect me to leave you alone again, brother.”

  The anguish in Riva’s voice made me want to turn away, but instead I prepared to grab her myself when Mirtos stepped forward.

  “He won’t be alone, Riva. I would consider it an honor to stay with him and provide you the chance to return with an army.” He paused to glance at Andro, and the two exchanged nods. “I will make sure we aren’t taken. No matter what it takes. You have my word.”

  Mirtos pounded his chest once with a fist and went into a bow.

  “He’s right,” I told her. “You know he is. Time’s running out. If we don’t leave now, then we might as well all stay behind.”

  In the end it was Nami who tipped her into making the right choice. She leaned in close to whisper in her leader’s ear, but I could make out the words. “Two for many. There are others depending on the information we now have.”

  Riva’s shoulders straightened at the words. “Yes. You are right. We will go. Mirtos… thank you. Both of your actions will be long remembered.”

  She gave her brother a tight hug, then spun around and went to the ledge. Her jerky motions gave the impression that there was a war happening inside, like her body didn’t want to follow the orders she was giving it. Before climbing down, the rebel leader looked back for the last time. “You honor our family. Fight well.”

  Then she was gone.

  I urged Havu to go next, then Tara, but she refused. “I’m with you, all the way.”

  Rather than go back and forth about it, I sent Nami. She had already said her goodbyes to the others and disappeared over the side without waiting.

  “Now you’re going, and that’s an order,” I said to Tara. “I’m right behind you.”

  She did as I said, leaving just me, Mirtos, and Andro.

  “Good luck,” I told them.

  Andro drew himself up, no doubt gathering the last of his strength in preparation for their last stand. “Please, take care of my sister, warrior.”

  I nodded, then went over the side as the elevator entered the cage with a metallic grinding. On the way down, all I could think was that this kind of sacrifice meant something. Black Shield operatives would put themselves in the line of fire if ordered to, but not to save the life of a fellow soldier.

  When the sounds of fighting wafted down to me, I kept my eyes on the edge until I couldn’t see it anymore, even with my enhanced sight.

  18

  We made it to the bottom of the incline in one piece and without anyone following us. None of us were under any illusion that Andro and Mirtos had survived, and the best we could hope for was that the pursuers believed we had fallen to our deaths during our run on the ledge.

  There was no longer a path to follow, but we had the blue glow from the Volcuri weapons and that offered enough to help us find our way. Of course, now that we were off the beaten path, Havu was more or less useless. He knew that the cavern system eventually met up with the supply chamber we’d seen before, but not when or where.

  I led the way with Riva this time. Nami and Tara covered the rear, keeping an eye out just in case evidence of our escape route was eventually discovered. Havu took up the middle spot alone since we were down to five people.

  The passage we ended up in wasn’t much bigger than the tunnel we’d used to enter the mountain, but I could tell no one had made it. It had been made naturally when the planet’s shifting tectonic plates created the mountain. If it had been explored, no one had bothered to make it functional.

  Still, the collective glow in the relatively small space served more than well enough. It went on for what I estimated to be around thirty meters, then emptied into a small natural chamber. Our illuminated weapons reflected off the shimmering surface of an underground pool, making light dance off the ceiling.

  We paused, unsure what to do since there wasn’t an obvious exit.

  “Should we turn around?” asked Tara. Her voice echoed slightly in the small space, and she lowered it to a whisper. “Is it safe to go in the water?”

  Havu answered after a few beats. “The cave system has not been fully explored in some time. I don’t know if this is a good idea.”

  “Hold on a second,” I instructed. “Before we write the place off, let’s make sure.”

  For once, I wished I had Dr. St. John with us. The man always had some kind of gear or gadget that would help in situations like this. Though I would never say it to his face, I was more apt to let him over pack in the future.

  I looked at the weapon in my hand, then back at the water. Riva saw me and nodded. “That is a good idea, Chief Kent. I will investigate if the rest of you will wait here.”

  Nami started to protest, but Riva silenced her with a look. “There shouldn’t be a problem with the water. Volcuri are good swimmers, and this won’t take long.”

  She didn’t wait for an answer and waded into the pool. The farther she went, the more we could see. Then she went under, and the light sank down as she dove.

  When it faded from view, Nami’s feathers began to twitch in agitation. “She should not have gone so far,” the Volcuri warrior murmured.

  The silence hung thick in the air as we waited. Two minutes passed, then three. On the fourth, I grew concerned that something was wrong. Usually, this was when I would have ordered the team to turn around and try a different route, but that wouldn’t be practical
.

  No doubt Nami would want to stay, and it was probable that Havu would follow her lead. While Tara and I might find our way out, it wasn’t the time to split our forces.

  And she’s your friend, said a little voice in my head.

  Black Shield agents didn’t have friends, I reminded myself. We did, however, have honor. Andro had just sacrificed himself for all of us and asked that I take care of his sister. Committed, I began to walk into the water.

  “Wait, Kent,” said Tara. “You don’t know what she found. Going after her is an unnecessary risk.”

  “You’re my second in command, so take charge of my duties if I don’t make it back,” I replied.

  She started toward me, expression angry, when Nami let out a low cry. Our attention went to the pool where a blue light was growing brighter as it rose to the surface. The dark shadow looked more or less like Riva, but I moved into a fighting stance just in case.

  Riva’s head broke the surface a few seconds later, and she came out of the water dripping. It didn’t seem to bother her, but the soaked Volcuri gave her head and feathers a good shake before speaking.

  “There is an underwater passage. Long, but it eventually comes out near an exit. The lights are still on in there. This is the way.”

  Tara gave the water a skeptical look. “How long is long?”

  “Do not worry, Tara. I did not exaggerate when I said the Volcuri are skilled in the water. Nami and I will take you with us. There is a break in the middle with an air pocket. We will stop there for you.”

  “What about the Chief?” Tara motioned at me.

  “I’ll be fine. I can hold my breath long enough, and I’m a strong swimmer. If Riva says this is a way out, we’re going to take it.”

  There was no more discussion on the matter. Riva and Nami hooked arms around Tara, and the three descended together. Their tails pumped hard, carrying the trio away in a flash. Havu followed, holding his weapon for a light. I stowed mine safely on my back so that my hands were free and waded in.

  The water smelled crisp and untouched. No doubt had been for an untold amount of time. Down here there was hardly any current to contend with either, making the swim simple.