by Dean M. Cole
Something moved by a large dump truck that sat next to one of the hangars. “I see it.”
“What is it, Command-Oh?”
“Hang on, Teddy.”
She raised the binoculars and used them to pull the truck close. The movement resolved.
Her blood ran cold. “It’s a Neck.”
“What’s it doing?” asked Monique.
“Just walking right now. Wait … It’s waving its arms.”
Nervous murmurings came from behind her. “Has the bloody thing seen us?”
Angela shook her head. “No, Bingham. It’s waving at something behind one of the hangars.”
The engine noise they’d been hearing roared, and the warbling, metallic squeaking sound she’d heard earlier sprang back to life.
The Neck started walking backward, waving on the unseen progenitor of the noise as it did. A moment later, a large vehicle rolled out from behind the hangar. It had tracks like a bulldozer, but its body was making a slow rotation to the right as a long, articulated arm reached out from its center.
“What’s making that sound?” Vaughn said beside her.
Still staring through her binoculars, Angela shook her head. “Not sure. Looks like some piece of construction equipment. There’s another Neck inside, driving the thing.”
“Let me see.”
Angela stared at it a moment longer and then relinquished her position.
Peering over the pipes with his own set of binoculars, Vaughn studied the distant scene. “It’s a trackhoe.”
Angela tilted her head. “What’s a trackhoe?”
Vaughn pointed through the opening. “That.”
“Thanks, smartass. What’s it do?”
“It’s a hydraulic excavator. Usually, it digs trenches.”
A loud, renting noise careened over the parapet wall.
Vaughn shook his head. “But they’re using this one to scrap hangars.”
Pushing Vaughn aside Angela peered through the opening. Through her binoculars, she saw dust rise from the corner of the building as the trackhoe took another large bite out of it. Looking like the leg of a person lying on their back, the machine’s long arm bent like a knee and drew back, pulling the giant, sharp-toothed scoop at its end toward itself and dragging a chunk of the building with it. The metal squealed its protest as it tore away from the structure.
Light flashed from within the wounded building. Then Angela saw additional movement. Adjusting a knob on her binoculars, she zoomed in and spotted another robot through the new gap. A blue-white jet of light streamed from a tool held in front of the thing, and sparks began to spray out from the point where it burned into a metal beam.
“I see a scavenger bot. Looks like it’s using a cutting torch.”
The trackhoe turned and dropped the metal into the back of the dump truck. A loud crash rang out, and the vehicle bounced under the weight of the deposited material.
Angela shifted her gaze back to the Neck. The robot was filthy, its white carapace covered in soot. A shiver ran through her as she watched the thing effortlessly pick up a large I-beam and toss it into the truck. The vehicle rocked again as the heavy girder slammed against the inner side of its bed. “Geez!”
“What is it?” Rourke asked.
Angela shook her head. “Nothing.”
The Neck waved the excavator on. Again, she was struck by how human its movements appeared. Stick a hard hat and a day-glow vest on the thing, and she could have easily mistaken it for a human construction worker—as long as she ignored the two extra arms and backward-bending knees.
Several new noises rang out.
She lowered her binos and craned her neck. Looking left and right through the opening, Angela saw the same scene repeated around several of the adjacent buildings. “Shit!” She shook her head. “There’s more of them. This end of the airfield is teeming with the bastards.”
Angela turned from the opening. Moving clear, she sat on the roof. The rest of the group members passed around her binoculars and took turns looking through the opening. Various curse words issued from them as they saw the events on the airfield.
Rourke looked at Vaughn. “How do we get past them?”
“Well, my precious little snowflake, I don’t think you’re going to like the answer.”
The young doctor’s face fell. “Ah, crap … More walking?”
“More walking.”
Chapter 22
Looking left, Vaughn once again whispered a silent thankyou for the density of the tree line. In spite of their lack of foliage, the deciduous trees and shrubbery that lined that side of the road were sufficiently dense to obscure the team from the city center and any robots that might be looking their way.
Rachel maintained her point position stalwartly, her head pivoting left and right as she covered their advance.
They had been walking down this long country road for quite a while now. He looked at his watch. It felt as if they’d been going for days. However, only eight hours had passed since they’d left Mont Salève.
The sun had reached its zenith before the advancing storm had finally covered it. Now it was well past noon. The weather system had swept a couple of thin squall lines across Geneva’s skeletal remains, but the brief rain showers and short spats of high-intensity winds hadn’t been enough to hinder their advance. The rain had barely dampened their clothing. However, the main body of the storm now looked ready to attack in full force.
Tumultuous clouds of septic yellows and putrid greens filled half the sky. Periodic bolts of lightning striated the pall, their thunderous cracks shaking the ground beneath his feet.
The team would have to take cover if they didn’t reach their destination soon, although Vaughn had no idea where they would find it. It had been more than a mile since he’d seen a structure.
He swayed as another blast of wind shoved him aside.
The branches of the trees along the road rattled against one another like the sticks of a drum corps staffed by an army of meth-crazed chihuahuas.
Looking past Rachel, Vaughn glimpsed something gray ahead, on the left side of the road.
He looked at Angela and pointed. “Do you see that? Is it CMS?”
She narrowed her eyes. “Where?”
Seeing that she was looking in the wrong area, Vaughn shifted his gesture. “Over there, just past where the tree line ends.”
A wan smile blossomed on her face. “Oh, thank you! Yes, yes, that’s it.” She blew a strand of hair out of her eyes and looked at her boots. “Good thing, too. I don’t think my feet could’ve taken another minute of this.”
Vaughn placed a hand on her shoulder. “Hang on just a bit longer.”
The facility ahead looked untouched. It appeared that neither the Necks nor their bots had even approached this side of the valley, and Vaughn hadn’t seen so much as a scavenger bot in over an hour. Their remote location coupled with the clatter coming from the trees would mask a freight train’s passage, so he raised his voice and addressed the entire group. “Almost there, folks.”
Shouts of joy rose above the din.
“About bloody time,” Bingham grumbled.
Teddy pumped a fist in the air. “Cowabunga, dude!”
“Thank God,” Monique said with a sigh. “My feet are killing me.”
Angela nodded. “Mine, too.”
On the back right corner of the loose formation, Bill Peterson had started to limp again. He looked up with a relieved smile and said, “Not a moment too soon. My knee is starting to talk to me.”
Rourke looked back at the major and gave him a thumbs-up.
Vaughn was proud of the young man. If they survived all this, he might even have to reconsider his opinion of Millennials. Not that he’d stop ribbing Rourke anytime soon.
He smiled at the thought. His mind began to clear, and his energy level started to rise as the prospect of their long forced-march’s impending end pumped adrenaline into him.
He also felt hope inching
its way into his soul.
It might all be over soon.
Apparently, Rachel was feeling the same things. At the front of the formation, she broke into a slow jog. One by one, the remaining members of the group exchanged smiles and also began to double-time.
A few moments later, they reached the end of the tree line. The open farmland beyond it afforded Vaughn an unobstructed view of the city.
In spite of the brief showers, wind-whipped dust still hazed the atmosphere.
Diagonal lines dashed the horizon as reborn fires spewed tilted columns of black smoke into the sky.
Staring at the far end of the farm field, Vaughn saw a listing, wedge-shaped, tan plume rising from the dusty plain. As he looked at its source, he blinked and then waved frantically. “Oh shit! Get down!”
He dove for a nearby trench. Landing hard in the still dry drainage easement, he turned back and continued to wave them off the street. “Take cover, now!”
Breathing heavily, they piled into the ditch around Vaughn.
“Were those …?” Bill Peterson paused for a breath as he massaged a knee. “Were those dozers?”
Vaughn looked at Angela and nodded. “Big ones. We’ve seen them before. They were preparing the ground ahead of the city builders. They’re automated. I don’t think there’s anyone onboard, but that doesn’t mean they can’t see us.”
Mark looked around and then pointed toward the CMS facility. “Let’s follow the ditch. It’ll get us close to the building. Then we can work our way in from there.”
They all exchanged nods and then began to shuffle in the indicated direction.
A moment later they reached the end of the ditch and then low-crawled the last few feet to the facility’s entrance.
Looking over his shoulder, Vaughn saw no indication that they had been seen. However, he took little comfort in the notion. The Necks and their machines of destruction may very well be coming for them at this moment. He knew this might not be random at all.
The thought sent his gaze skyward. He saw no Taters heading their way. Not yet, anyway.
Looking at his team, he said, “Stay low, but keep an eye out for flying potatoes.”
Angela had already been casting a wary eye toward the tumultuous clouds. Now he saw the others looking up as well.
A high-pitched, oscillating squeak broke through the howling winds.
Several members of the task force flinched. Rachel rolled onto her back and aimed her rifle into the sky.
Vaughn shook his head. “That’s not a Tater. It’s the dozers getting closer.” Jabbing a finger toward the building, he urged them forward. “All the more reason to keep moving, folks!”
Low-crawling at the front of the group, Mark finally reached the door a moment later. The entrance was hidden from the field by the building’s corner, so when Rachel crawled up next to Mark, the two of them scrambled to their feet.
After a quick scan of the sky, Rachel motioned for Mark to try the door as she raised her rifle to cover him.
Mark slowly pried the door open an inch. When no alarm sounded, he pushed through it and peered inside. Leaning back out, he gave the all-clear signal.
Vaughn checked that BOb was still covering their rear flank and then waved for the rest of the group to enter.
Slithering like a line of caffeine-fueled lizards, he and the rest of the team members scrambled the last few feet to the stoop and then, rising to their feet, filed into the building’s dark interior.
The coming storm had muted the day’s light, giving the entrance foyer a haunted feeling. Vaughn felt a chill run down his spine as he looked into the dark corners of the shadowed building. He listened intently, trying to determine if they were alone in the facility. However, the metallic cacophony of the rapidly approaching heavy construction vehicles thwarted his efforts.
He turned and looked through a south-facing window just as the first of the dozers rolled into view. “Shit. They’re coming fast. We don’t have long.”
Plastic clicks issued from behind him. Vaughn turned and saw Angela tapping the keys of a nearby computer terminal. She looked up at him and shook her head. “There’s no power here. It’s dead.”
Pressing his lips into a thin line, Vaughn nodded. He ran over to a nearby elevator, and, against all hope, pressed the down button.
It stayed as dark as the rest of the building.
Of course. Why would anything ever be that simple?
Turning, he scanned the shadowed interior of the facilities entrance lobby. “Anyone see a stairwell?”
Several heads shook. No one had seen one yet.
“Spread out. Try to find a way down.”
Angela held up a hand. “Wait!” She pointed toward a glass door at the back of the room. “There’s a main hallway through there. The stairwell that leads to CMS is along it. I just don’t remember which side it’s on.”
Vaughn nodded. “Perfect. Team One, take the left side. Team Two will take the right.”
Rachel looked at him. “Maybe we should fall back.” She pointed north through the wall of the facility. “We can regroup and try to find a new way to come at this.”
Vaughn shook his head. “No good. There’s too much open country around here. We’ll be exposed. If they don’t know about us yet, they will if we bust out of here. Our best option for both survival and success lies two hundred feet beneath us.”
Twisting her face, Rachel glanced outside and growled in frustration. “This fucking sucks. I hate being backed into a corner.”
Vaughn eyed the onrushing machines. “I’m more than happy to hand you the reins, Major Lee, but whatever we’re going to do, it needs to be right fucking now!”
Also looking outside, Rachel shook her head. “No. No, you’re right.” She turned toward the glass doors. “Team One, with me!”
Vaughn waved to his group. “You heard the Major. Let’s go!”
Everyone broke for the entry foyer’s rear exit. Ahead, Team One passed through the double doors and soon disappeared into the gloom.
Reaching the same doors, Vaughn and his team passed into the corridor. Even in the dim lighting, he could see that it was wide and quite long. “Wonderful!” He pointed into the darkness. “Bill and Teddy, you take the far end of the hallway. Check all the doors on the right side, starting at the halfway point. Angela and I will check the ones on this end.”
The men nodded and headed off to start their search.
Looking at Angela, Vaughn gestured down the corridor. “Start there!”
She ran toward the indicated door and shouted over her shoulder. “I’m on it!”
The sounds of opening doors and curse words echoed down the length of the passageway.
Vaughn ran down his side of it, throwing open door after door. All the while, the din of the coming mechanical horde grew louder. “Shit, shit, shit! Not finding anything here. Anyone else having any luck?”
“Nothing on our side,” Rachel shouted.
“Bingo! Found it.”
Vaughn tilted his head. “Was that you, Bill? Where are you?”
“Yeah! Far right side.”
Vaughn hurried toward the man’s voice. Coming in from his left and right, shadows and rapid-fire echoing footfalls converged on the same point.
The major manifested from the gloom ahead, holding open a door.
Peering through, Vaughn saw the top treads of a set of stairs. They descended into unlit depths.
He glanced back toward the entrance foyer.
From the sound of it, the bulldozers were showing no sign of slowing.
Turning back to the opening, Vaughn pointed through the door. “Everyone down the stairs.”
Rachel held out a hand. “Hold up. We don’t know it’s clear down there!”
Vaughn hitched a thumb toward the coming tracked vehicles. “We do know that it’s not going to be safe up here much longer. Even if they don’t know we’re here, what do you think they’re coming to do? Think about it. What happened to
all of the other CERN facilities we saw from the mountain?”
Rourke looked at him with widening eyes. “They got flattened.” He glanced toward the doors and then back at Vaughn. “But what if they’ve already seen us?”
Vaughn frowned and then gestured at their surroundings. “Then up here is the last place we want to be. Comprende?”
The young doctor cast another nervous glance down the hall and then nodded.
“You’re right,” Rachel said. She moved to stand at the top of the stairs and waved urgently for them to follow. “Go down. I’ll cover your six.”
Shaking his head, Vaughn pointed down the steps. “No, Major Lee. I need you to take point. BOb and I will bring up the rear.”
Rachel blinked. She looked ready to argue further, but then she nodded curtly. The major cast a final glance toward the corridor’s far end and then disappeared down the stairs.
Vaughn gestured after her and looked at the others. “Go! Go! Go! Don’t bother with the goggles. Use your flashlights, but wait until you’re down a couple of flights.”
Monique went next, followed closely by Bill and Teddy. Mark gave him a nod and then followed behind them.
When Bingham descended into the shaft, Vaughn turned to Angela and gave her a meaningful look. “Do you think there’ll be power down there?”
She dipped her head. “Yeah, I think the Necks have to keep the collider running to keep the wormhole open.” After casting a nervous glance in the direction of the approaching machines, she looked back at him. “If I’m right, there should be electricity along the entire ring.”
“Then we’ll just have to hope you’re right.”
Turning toward the foyer, he cupped hands around his mouth. “BOb! Get down here.”
He turned back to her and pointed down the stairs. “Go, already. I’ll be right behind you.”
Angela raised herself onto her toes and kissed him. She looked into his eyes and hoisted an eyebrow. “You better be, Captain.” Then she turned and disappeared down the stairs.
As he watched her go, Vaughn grinned in spite of the dire situation.
