by Barry Solway
It wasn’t long before they came to a circular clearing the size of a football field. Mounds covered in grass and underbrush scattered around the clearing. Mel wondered why the trees hadn’t grown there, and guessed it had been designed that way at some point in the distant past. It was also a great place for an ambush.
“Hold up,” Evan called out. “Bodysuit and Thing 4 are going to have an advantage if they climb. Even Soryda and Wicked are small enough they can probably get pretty high.”
“We have Simon,” Mel said.
“Yeah, but he’s a horrible shot. Sorry, Simon, but it’s true and you know it,” Evan replied. Simon shrugged and nodded his head. “And I don’t know how high Jon can get.”
“It doesn’t matter right now,” Mel asked. “We can’t climb a tree and cross the clearing anyway. Can we go around it?”
“The path goes through the clearing, but there’s no reason we can’t take to the woods,” Evan said.
“Let’s do it. I’m tired of standing here,” Jon said.
“Wait!” Mel hissed, crouching down and pulling out a pistol. A small figure stood a dozen yards to their left. It appeared to be a Chota, but even from this distance, Mel could tell he was old. The figure wore a dark cloak with a hood, like some miniature wizard, but even through the covering, Mel could see that he had multiple cybernetic parts.
“Who the hell is that? It’s not Bodysuit,” Jon said.
“It could be a scavenger. Or a squatter,” Evan said. “They try to stay hidden, so Anna didn’t think we would have much of a problem with that here.”
“This is my city,” the figure yelled out. “You shouldn’t be here!”
“Definitely a squatter,” Beats said. “Must be nice to have a whole city to yourself.”
“Get out! Get out! Leave now, or I will unleash an unholy horde upon you—” He cut off as Jon fired a shot into the tree next to him.
“Jon!” Mel yelled.
“What? The dude’s crazy. We don’t have time for a sermon. If he gets in the way, he’s going to get himself hurt.”
The Chota stumbled backwards at the shot, even though it had hit a tree ten feet away. He scrambled back to his feet, clumsily untangling himself from his cloak, hissing through clenched teeth the way the Chota did when they were angry.
“You defile my great city! I will cleanse your filth from my domain. My domain!” he screamed. Jon raised his rifle again, and the man quickly grabbed the hem of his robe and ran into the woods.
“That dude is seriously mentally ill,” Jon said.
“He’s probably harmless, but it gives us one more thing to keep an eye out for,” Mel said. “Let’s keep going.”
The team made their way left, off the old road and directly into the woods. Sporadic chirps made Mel glance up from time to time. It seemed like shadows were jumping around high above them, but she couldn’t tell if it was a trick of the light, or if there were small animals up there. Anna hadn’t indicated any particularly dangerous native species, unlike their last mission on Nipun. Mel wasn’t sure she believed it.
“Everyone keep an eye out overhead,” she finally said. “I can’t tell if it’s the light or what, but I keep thinking that I’m seeing things up there.”
“It’s hard to see in the shadows,” Beats grumbled. “I don’t like this place.”
“Yeah, it is creepy, isn’t it?” Evan said. “The way the trees are merged with mechanical parts. Like the whole forest is a cyborg or something.” Mel realized he was whispering.
“Keep going,” she urged.
They circled the clearing without incident and picked up a road on the other side. They were now at the edge of the blue zone, and the other team could be anywhere. The area they had to search was small, possibly only a quarter of a mile square. But given the nature of the forest and the possibility of ambush, it would take a while to search it all.
They debated splitting up into teams, but decided to stay together for this mission. From their training, they adopted a rhythm where Jon and Evan set up cover while Gem scouted briefly ahead, before calling the others forward when she was sure it was safe. They sent Simon up into the trees to keep an eye out for snipers or the goal from above. Mel realized that Beats was at a bigger disadvantage here than she had expected. Not only was he bright white in all the murkiness, but his size made him hard to hide.
The ambush happened thirty minutes into their search. Gem walked twenty yards ahead and scanned the path for signs of the other team when shots rang out from two different directions, both from the treetops above. Gem threw an arm over her face, scuttling behind a tree.
“Did you see where that came from?” Mel asked Evan. Jon was behind another tree on the other side of the path. Beats crouched behind a tree farther back.
“No, they’re too high—” Evan cut off as a shot rang out behind them, and Beats growled in surprise and fury.
“Behind us!” Beats yelled, diving to the other side of the tree he was supposedly hiding behind. More shots rang out from the original two locations, then another from behind Mel and Evan. One hit the tree a foot above her head and sent bark and splinters flying into her and Evan.
“Get in the tree!” Mel yelled. The trees were at least six feet across, and some more than twelve. It was like hiding behind narrow buildings. But almost all of the trees had openings at the ground level. There were no doors, but the edges of the openings were encased in intricately detailed metal. Some of it was rusted and dulled from time, but it was in surprisingly good shape considering the city had been abandoned for hundreds of years. Mel crawled around the tree and ducked into the doorway.
Evan was right behind her, and she activated the communication in her translator to talk to Jon. Jon, can you get over here?
Maybe. I haven’t taken fire yet. I’m trying to figure out where the sniper behind us is.
Have you seen Simon? Mel worried, because the Chaturee had taken to the trees for the purpose of spotting snipers. The fact that one had gotten behind them already wasn’t a good sign.
No, Jon said tersely.
A moment later, Beats joined them. The room they were in had a six-foot-tall ceiling. While it would feel like a vaulted ceiling to the three-foot-high Chota, Evan’s head brushed against it and Beats had to stay on hands and knees. In the back of the room, Mel noticed a sliding metal door. She pointed, and Evan walked over to check it out.
“Jon’s trying to figure out where the sniper is, but we’re screwed if we stay on the ground,” she said.
“It’s an elevator,” Evan said. He pressed several buttons on the wall.
“Really? Probably doesn't work, though,” Mel said. “There’s no power.”
With a grinding sound, the doors to the elevator slid open.
Chapter 28
“What the hell?” Evan said, stepping away from the elevator. It was a small box, about four feet tall and wide. A feeble light flickered from the ceiling.
“I’m not getting in that,” Mel said. She turned back as she heard more fire from outside. Beats crouched by the entrance, trying to look out without exposing his head. “Dammit, things are getting out of control.”
Jon, what’s going on?
I’m pinned down. I don’t think they have a bead on me. No idea where Simon is. Super-alien-woman is running around the forest screaming like a crazy person.
Screaming about what? Mel asked.
No frickin’ idea. She’s yelling at people to come down and battle her with honor, or some similar crap. They keep shooting her, which suits me fine.
Can you get her to come to you and help you get over to us? We’re at the tree right across from you on the road.
I know where you are. Hold tight, I’ll see if I can get her attention.
Mel turned back to Evan. “What do you think? Should we use the elevator?”
“I wonder if the squatters have managed to restore power to parts of the city. I’m not sure I’d trust a two-hundred-year-old elevator to wo
rk. Anyway, only one of us can fit in at a time. Except maybe Simon. Wish I knew where he was. I’m worried about him.”
“If he’s smart, which he is, he found a small hole in a tree somewhere to hide in. Just like us,” Mel said.
“I would have settled for a less small hole,” Beats grumbled.
“You’ll love the elevator, then,” Mel said.
Beats looked at her with a wrinkled brow, then shook his head with a rumbling laugh. “Glad you can keep your sense of humor. If things get really bad, perhaps I can cram my head into it. If I can’t see the bad guys, they can’t see me, right?”
A commotion outside the doorway drew her attention. She pulled her pistols and crouched down, but a second later Jon and Gem pushed their way in. With both Gem and Beats in the small space, it was almost impossible to move around.
“Okay, now we’re all trapped here,” Jon said. “Tell me someone has a plan?”
Mel pointed to the elevator. “Want to go for a ride?”
“Seriously? Is that for pets or something?”
“It’s quite roomy for a Chota,” Gem said, grinning slightly. “Unfortunately, I don’t think I’ll be able to join you.”
“You probably wouldn’t want to be in the treetops anyway,” Evan said. “I doubt the roads up there would support your weight.”
“But you think they’ll support mine?” Jon asked in disbelief.
“We need to get someone up to the top level, or we’re stuck here,” Mel said. “You’re the best sniper we have, and you’re not that big. Maybe two Chotas, right? Just be careful, and you’ll be fine.”
Jon didn’t budge. “I’m claustrophobic.”
“Look, if you aren’t going to go, then give me your rifle and I will,” Mel said.
Jon looked away for a second, then walked to the elevator. “I’ll go. This thing is probably going to get stuck or fall to the ground and kill me. How does it even have power, anyway?”
“No idea. That was a bit surprising to us, too,” Evan said. “Keep an eye out for Simon, will you?”
“I’m not searching for lost pets,” Jon said. “Put up a poster or something.”
“He’s not a pet,” Evan snapped. “He’s a scientist and he’s my friend.”
Jon looked Evan in the eye. “Not a very smart scientist if he’s joined the gauntlets, is he?”
Evan took a step toward Jon. “He’s just not a coward like you.”
Jon’s face grew beet red, and he snarled. Mel jumped between the two boys before Jon did anything stupid. “Enough! Jon, we’re wasting time. Remember, Simon’s part of our team. Just like Evan, me, and you. If you see him, just tell him where we are.”
Jon turned swiftly and crawled into the elevator, sitting down so that his head didn’t hit the ceiling. He looked at a control panel in the elevator and hit one of the buttons. As the doors closed he looked at Evan with a mocking expression. “If he’s dead, I’ll bring him back. Maybe you can make a hat out of him.”
The doors clicked shut as Evan threw a fist forward, slamming into the metal door with a bang. “Asshole!”
“Let it go. What’s our next step?” Mel said.
“We must be close to the goal,” Beats said.
Mel nodded. “That makes sense. Otherwise, why would the other team be here? But we aren’t going to find it by staying inside. They have three snipers, right? Two to the left of the door and one to the right. Can we duck from tree to tree?”
Mel, Jon called. The snipers are gone. I almost tagged Kapha, but he just got away. They’re heading left, toward a huge building with trees growing out of it. The Tarzan shopping-mall-looking thing.
Got it, Mel replied.
“Jon just called. We’re clear, but they’re heading to the large tree structure, about two hundred yards to the left,” Mel said, pointing it out on her map. We can do it in three hops, if Gem provides cover.”
“Let’s go. That building’s huge but the other team has a head start,” Evan said. “Tell Jon to cover us. I would, but I really don’t want to talk to him right now.”
***
Mel, Evan, Gem, and Beats crouched behind the low wall separating the outer gallery from the huge open area in the center. The building was the size of a huge mall, with trees growing throughout the structure. An enormous tree sprouted in the center, at least fifteen feet across and towering past the top of the ceiling. Mel could see branches spreading out high above. She didn’t know if the rest of the structure had been for shopping, business, or homes, but this part felt like an ornate temple.
She held her pistols, and Evan double-checked his rifle. The goal was just ahead. They had stumbled upon it, just in time to stop the other team coming from the opposite direction. Both teams had spent several minutes feeling each other out, the empty section of the temple spread out in front of them. She could see part of Ashumat’s bulk hiding behind a pillar on the other side. Soryda and Wicked were a level up on a balcony that looked over the main temple area. They still didn’t know where Bodysuit and Thing 4 were. Kapha had been with Ashumat just a bit ago, but he must have repositioned.
“We’re trapped,” Mel said. “It’s a stalemate. And the goal is right there.”
“I can get it,” Gem said.
“We can cover you, but it’s crowded in here,” Evan said. “The hallways and ceilings are too short, plus all the statues. Trying to get a line of fire is tough.”
“We need to create some movement or we’ll be here all day,” Mel whispered. “When Gem goes, Soryda and Wicked will target her. Evan, stay here and give Gem cover. I’ll go up a level and see if I can flank them. Beats, you provide backup for Gem. If she gets close to the goal, Ashumat may try to stop her hand-to-hand. Give me a count of thirty, then go.”
Mel swiveled back to a stairway they had passed earlier. Gripping her pistols tightly, she made her way up. The steps felt like they were made for small children and she had to crawl to keep her head below the low walls.
On the second floor, she paused. A balcony overlooked the main temple area, and it was open to the ceiling, dozens of feet above them. Smaller trees formed columns that supported each level, but the branches didn’t start until higher up. She crawled to the low wall of the balcony, scanning left and right to make sure that Soryda and Wicked weren’t on this side. As she stuck her head up over the wall, a shot rang out and a round grazed her left ear. She yelped and ducked back down. One of them was just across from her.
Mel glanced at her watch. Five seconds to go. Once Gem got into the open, the others would start firing. She imagined Ashumat would come out and physically stop Gem if the snipers couldn’t. That would be Mel’s chance.
A second later, she heard a yell from Gem, and the Akshay bounded into the main temple, heading straight for the goal. Ashumat turned from behind his tree cover and converged on her, wielding a giant ax. He wore a shiny black breastplate, similar to the armor Harkin had worn, and a helmet of the same material, the front visor down. If the quality of armor was the same as Harkin’s, then he could withstand a few shots, even from the rifles.
Shots rang out in the small space, deafening Mel. She looked down through a decorative hole in the wall and saw Gem take a hit, but it didn’t faze her. Another shot rang off of Ashumat’s armor. A moment later, two more bounced off Gem.
Mel bided her time. She wanted to make sure she had a clean shot. Looking through the holes, she could see a rifle pointed through one of the holes across the temple clearing. Either Soryda or Wicked was there, lying prone on the floor and shooting through the wall. Knowing she wouldn’t be able to aim well through the holes with her pistols, she prepared to stand.
She launched herself up, firing three quick shots before immediately diving back down. She squeezed her body into a safe space against the wall, where there were no holes. Two shots ricocheted off the wall and she knew she had missed.
Risking a glance through the holes, she could see Ashumat and Gem battling in the courtyard. Ashumat must hav
e some money to be able to afford that kind of armor. Even with the ax, he wasn’t able to do much damage to Gem, but he was stronger than her and used his size and power to push her around. Gem danced around him, moving her hands in large circular movements to ward him off. Mel almost laughed; it looked like Gem was doing some kind of kung-fu thing that Mel had seen old people doing in the park.
As Ashumat swung his ax and rushed her, Gem spun sideways and did something between a push and throw, sending him crashing into a pillar. Ashumat bellowed, jumping back to his feet as a bullet slammed into his helmet, sending a spiderweb of cracks through one side.
Kapha ran into the center with his rifle, keeping Gem between him and Evan, and fired at Gem at point blank range. Her head snapped forward and she fell to her knees, but slowly stood a moment later, turning to face him. As she swept in to attack Kapha, Ashumat tackled her from behind. They went to the ground in a scramble. Mel imagined this was what it might look like if a small elephant and a very large gorilla got into a wrestling match.
As the melee continued, Wicked jumped the railing on the other side of the second floor and landed below, drawing her two short swords. Mel stood to fire down on Wicked, but saw Soryda out of the corner of her eye. It was a trap. They had expected Mel to target Wicked, and Soryda was waiting for it. Mel barely ducked in time.
Kapha sidestepped the fight between Gem and Ashumat, and instead circled toward the goal with Wicked. Watching them through the slats, Mel fired two shots to slow them down, but quickly ducked.
Evan, Wicked, and Kapha are going for the goal. Can you stop them?
I don’t have a shot from this angle. Beats and I will take care of it.
I’ve got Soryda, Mel said. She didn’t know how she was going to get the alien woman, though. Soryda had a better position and a better weapon for this kind of battle. It would take Mel minutes to run around the entire second floor balcony and get to the other side.
A moment later, the choice was out of her hands when she heard a slight scraping behind her. Turning, she barely ducked sideways in time to avoid the thrust of a rapier-like weapon. It was Bodysuit, the Chota on the other team. She had a pistol at her side, but for some reason was using the sword instead. She pulled the blade back rapidly and swung forward again. The Chota was fast, and so small it was hard to follow her movements. Mel rolled sideways and fired blindly with one of her pistols. Pulling the trigger again, the weapon clicked but nothing happened.
