“Those attribute increases come in real handy, don’t they?” Martin smiled and set down the crate he was carrying. “I didn’t realize leveling up could make us this powerful. So now what?”
Nori shrugged. “We make some noise.”
She bent and started pounding the roof of the van.
“Are you crazy?” one of the men on the ground yelled in outrage. “You'll draw in the Warped.”
Martin rolled his eyes at him. “That’s sort of the point, Mage.”
“I see one!” a woman exclaimed, pointing a shaking finger at a faraway boulder. A cat-sized creature that was a mass of flesh and jagged metal appeared behind it. Noticing the tasty human morsels it stopped and hissed. Two eye stalks popped up from the mass of metal and glared at them.
Warped, level 2
“Damn, you’re ugly,” Martin said and aimed the Disruptor.
A blue ray shot out and hit the creature dead center. It screeched once then fell as a jumbled heap of cooked flesh and molten metal.
“Dug, why don’t you do the honors?” Martin said, gesturing at the corpse with his gun.
The blond man blanched but braced himself. He approached the corpse and gingerly touched it with the tip of his boot. A soft glow streamed out of the Warped and into him.
The rest of the crowd watched Dug as he stood motionless for a whole minute. Then he shook himself and went back to the group.
“Nice one, Dug,” Martin said. “Here, catch.” He took out one of the silvery Zappers and threw it at the man.
“I’m a level one Technician,” he said apologetically. “Not exactly the sort of thing that’s good at shooting a weapon.”
“Doesn't matter,” Nori said. “You’re level one now, which means you can use it. Just point and shoot. Here comes another one.”
One of the tentacled dog-Warped approached them next.
Warped, level 4
“Come on, Dug, you can do it,” Martin said calmly, his own weapon trained on the monster. “Take your shot.”
Dug held up his Zapper and fired. The gun spat out a short green bolt of energy. It hit the ground a meter away from the monster.
“That’s alright, try again,” Martin said, never breaking eye contact with the monster.
Dug’s hand shook as he fired again and missed. Two more shots hit the ground, but the third one caught the Warped on its flank, leaving behind a scorched patch of flesh. The monster roared and charged. Nori raised her arm; a dart formed on her mounted launcher and shot forward. It hit the Warped and collapsed its lungs into a smoking cavity.
Martin patted her shoulder and looked down at the flustered Technician. “Not bad, Dug. We’ll work on your aim. Catty, you’re up next.”
One of the women, a double-barrel shotgun strapped to her back, approached the dead creature. After the light show had ended, the woman returned with a smug smile. “Sharpshooter, level three.”
“Excellent,” Martin said, throwing her a Zapper.
They waited almost half an hour before a third Warped came to investigate the noise. This time, it was a level two creature. Martin let Catty shoot at it and she fired several times. Each shot hit the monster at a sensitive point until the fourth one finally brought it down.
“Good job,” Martin said approvingly. “Juarez, you’re up.”
A small Latino man approached the slain monster and absorbed its tech, becoming a level one Machinator and duly receiving his own Zapper.
They stood there for hours, luring in the Warped and killing them one after the other. The strongest were two level four monsters, but Martin effortlessly killed them with his superior weapon.
Nori noticed that the shelter’s leader seemed to know which of his men were ‘combat material’, as everyone he called to claim a higher level Warped received a combat-related Path. The others who held more artisan-typed Paths were all level one. It might not have been the most efficient method. Martin already knew it was possible to share Tec with everyone in the party, but he was intentionally segregating his people, letting them claim a separate kill.
Nori approved. Martin was a competent leader and knew exactly what he was doing, investing more in those who could fight. After all, at this stage, brawn was more important than brain. Once survival became less of a pressing concern, they could put their sights on rebuilding their society.
It took them longer to attract the Warped than she’d expected. Normally, the monsters were everywhere. Nevertheless, it was a much more cheerful and confident party of people that returned to the shelter three hours later. Three more guards received combat-related Paths, and Mage, true to his name, received a somewhat ostentatious sounding Path called: Infernalist.
“Good job, everyone,” Nori said, nodding at the people as she saw them through the heavy gate.
“You’re not coming in?” Dug frowned as he looked at the sky. “It’s going to be dark soon.”
Nori shook her head. “Got things to take care of. Now that you guys can take care of yourself, there are other shelters that need my help.”
“What you did for us it’s …” Martin shook his head. “It’s unbelievable. You gave us hope.” He remained standing next to her as the last of his men passed through, and he lowered his voice. “But those Zappers won’t hold us for long. They were like mosquito bites to the larger Warped, and they’ll probably run out of juice in a week.”
The woman nodded. “I know. This is just a temporary measure, something to help get you started. Now that a bunch of your people have leveled … you need to find a way to leverage that. Maybe some of the new Paths can be used to strengthen your defenses. Mine let me fly alien ships, who knows, maybe one of your guys can build futuristic turrets?”
Martin chuckled. “That would be a welcome addition. We might, as you say, make it on our own, but we might not. I’d sleep much better knowing you had our backs.”
“My friends and I are working on a plan to help more survivors. If we succeed, it might be enough to help safeguard every shelter in the country. But we’ll need your help with that.”
“Anything I can do, just say it.”
“I need some water … and the piTec your men took off the Warped bodies.”
Martin frowned. “The piTec? Why?”
Nori hesitated. “I … I’d rather not say right now. It might cause problems if it becomes common knowledge. But trust me, it’s important.”
Martin nodded. “I trust you. I wouldn’t be alive without you.” He took out a handful of the teardrop-shaped objects and handed them to her.
“Thanks.”
Nori concentrated, feeling the piTec shifting on her open hand. The nine pebbles wobbled like drops of water and merged into a single solid tear.
piTec: 2700
Martin’s jaw dropped.
Nori winked at him. “Just a taste of what it can do.”
Martin shook his head in disbelief. He sighed and pointed at a stack of jerry cans. “These are filled with clean water, take as much as you’d like.”
“Thanks.” Nori bent down, and effortlessly lifted two of the twenty-kilo tanks. “I’ll see you later.”
The shelter’s heavy metal gate banged closed behind the Navigator as she carried her cargo back to the shuttle.
***
Lana frowned as she continued studying the asymmetrical geometric shape hologram. “That doesn’t make any sense!” She stomped her foot on the floor.
Nathan looked up from whatever he was doing with the ship’s controls.
“Oh, sorry, Nathan, I didn’t mean to startle you, it’s just that this so-called ‘Null Tunnel’ method of achieving faster-than-light speed makes no sense.” Her voice became frustrated. “It’s not a wormhole or space folding. So how else is it possible to cross any distance while standing in place?
The young man simply shrugged at her.
A beeping dot appeared on the giant wall monitor, and the young woman’s fingers ran over the light console, zooming in on it. “It’s the shut
tle. Nori’s coming back!”
A moment later the entire freighter shuddered as the shuttle docked. Lana stifled a yawn and stretched. She beckoned Nathan, and the two walked over to the living quarters to greet Nori.
The Navigator emerged from the shuttle bay, carrying two large water containers. Her eyes darted around, taking in her surroundings, then she offered the two students a faint smile. “Hey, guys, was everything alright while I was gone?”
“Yep.” Lana stifled another yawn. “No new Warped appeared. I learned how to access the ship’s external cameras so I could keep an eye out for them, and I’ve been going over the data Alzigo gave us. Bulco got back a while ago and has been locked up in the engine room ever since. Is that water? I’m kinda thirsty. Isn't it weird there’s no kitchen on this ship?”
Nori blinked at the suddenly chatty woman. “Ah, yeah, I brought some water like you asked. Even got a few energy bars in case anyone got the munchies.”
“Sorry if I’m blabbering.” This time, Lana couldn’t hide her yawn. “I tend to do that when I’m tired. I’ve been standing in front of the monitors for hours. What kind of twisted alien forgets to add basic comforts like chairs? I’d even settle for a bar stool at this point.”
Nori smiled at the red-eyed woman. “We should all get some sleep, it’s been a long day. I just want to grab a quick word with Bulco first, and--”
“I’m right here,” the large man said in his thick voice, stepping into the quarters. “Felt the shuttle touch-down. How did it go?”
“Not bad. Gave the remaining Zappers to the Old Stadium and helped them level up a bunch of their guards. They’re in good hands. Martin knows what he’s doing. They should be able to hold out on their own for a while longer.”
Bulco nodded. “Good. That leaves the Grand Mall and Lou’s Yard for us to check out. We should go to them first thing tomorrow—if another level six Warped shows up, they’ll be defenseless.”
“Does that mean you got the new cartridge design to work?”
His shoulders slumped slightly. “Not yet. But I’ve been making progress. I’m going to work on it through the night and make a bunch of prototypes. We could test them while we scout out the other two shelters. What’s the status with the shuttle’s cells?”
Nori grimaced. “Sixty-four percent. Flying it inside the atmosphere drains them more quickly, it seems.”
“If we’re out of other options, we can drain the ship and recharge them using the emergency power. Alright, I’m going back to work.”
Lana furrowed her brow. “You’ll be alright staying up all night?”
Bulco chuckled. “I’m not a kid anymore, kid. My growth won’t suffer if I miss a night’s sleep. See you all in the morning.”
The three remaining companions looked at each other with weary eyes. They spread out, each claiming a bunk.
“Hey, it’s pretty comfortable,” Lana said. “They don’t know chairs, but at least these aliens know how to build a proper bed.”
Nathan smiled and his eyes started closing almost as soon as he lay on his own bunk.
“I’m going to sleep so well tonight,” Lana continued. “I mean, OK, yeah, it’s an alien bed, in an alien ship, but we know for a fact the Warped can’t get in, so it’s safe. Oh, hey, Nori, I forgot to tell you, I went over the data Alzigo gave us, you wouldn’t believe the weird aliens that exist out there. There are little green men, space vampires, and even--”
“Lana,” Nori’s voice cut her off. “Good night.”
“Right, sorry.” Lana yawned loudly. “Good night.”
***
Nathan’s sleep was haunted, as always.
He looked on, impotent to help, as again and again men and women were torn apart by the vicious monsters. He felt their helplessness. The horror in their eyes stalked him.
As he watched the Warped exterminate humanity, some small part of him reached out to them. To the monsters. He could feel them moving, hear the voice that drove them as they answered their basic calling. A calling he felt as well.
Something inside him screamed at him to surrender, to allow a force greater than his own to take control. To take his fear and pain away.
But Nathan resisted.
He would not become a monster.
He would not surrender to the Tec.
9 - Diamond
“Morning, sleepy heads!”
Nori jumped up from her bed, her right arm pointing forward with a dart ready to launch from her bracer.
“Woah, easy there!” Bulco raised both hands and took a step back.
“Oh, it’s you.” Nori rubbed her eyes with one hand, the other one still pointing at the large Engineer.
“What’s going on?” Lana sat up in her bed and rubbed her own eyes.
Nathan rose and yawned silently. He could barely remember his dream, but what he did remember left him feeling uneasy. He looked up curiously at the two standing people.
Nori suddenly realized she was still aiming at the large man and lowered her arm. The dart reabsorbed into her bracer. “Sorry, about that.”
“Na, my bad. Shoulda known better than to poke a sleeping puma.” He grinned, showing his large white teeth. “Anyway, I thought you’d be interested in something.” He proudly held up what looked like a standard cartridge with a blue light at the tip of the bullet.
“Ooo, let me see,” Lana said and took the offered round.
.22 Cal Tec-Infused cartridge [prerequisite met: level 0]
Nori walked over and inspected the item. “Good job, Bulco, but do you think it’ll be enough to take down the higher level Warped?”
He grinned at her. “Those cartridges would match a wide variety of assault rifles. With enough of them, shot on a semi-automatic spread, they should do a lot of damage. And if that won’t work, then this one will.” He took out a much larger cartridge from his pocket and handed it to her.
.50 Cal Tec-Infused Warped Buster [prerequisite met: level 4]
“Warped Buster?” She frowned.
Bulco chuckled. “Yeah, since I invented it, I get to pick a name for it. I only made six for my revolver and about a hundred of the twenty-twos. Should be enough to test them out. I had to melt down a bunch of the ship’s broken components to make them. For some reason, using Earth’s metal didn’t work. But it was all worth it in the end. I even ended up with a bonus - my Path’s score increased by one.”
Lana’s eyes widened. “We can increase our Path scores by ourselves?”
Bulco shrugged. “Looks like it. Anyway, I’ve prepared three semi-automatic rifles with a full magazine each and put them on the shuttle already. We’re ready to head out as soon as you kids finish up your morning cereal.”
“We’re not kids!” Lana pouted. Her stomach suddenly growled, attracting everyone’s attention. She blushed. “What? It’s been a full day since I’ve eaten anything and that was only a small bowl of … ahem …” her blush deepened as she finished, “cereal.”
Bulco laughed openly, then he pointed at a few boxes in the corner. “I brought some rations from my base. Should last us for several weeks. Even if we can go on days now without eating, doesn’t mean we should. Eat up; it’s going to be a long day.”
Nori opened a case and took out a pack of jerky. She took one for herself and passed the rest to Nathan. The young man smiled gratefully at her and started chewing happily. Lana took the pack from him and stared at it gloomily.
“What’s wrong?” Nori looked at her as she chewed.
“Oh, err … it’s nothing,” Lana said and reluctantly started eating a piece of jerky. Her eyes looked longingly at the next item in the open case. It was a box of Cheerios.
Bulco’s eyes followed hers, and he laughed even louder than before.
“I’m not much into beef jerky, alright?” Lana said defensively.
Bulco wiped his eyes and, still grinning, held his hand out to Nori. “By the way, I brought those with me. Five thousand piTec—that’s everything me and my crew have c
ollected so far.”
After they finished eating, they took turns sipping from the large water container and then washed their faces. “We should look for some utensils while we’re out there,” Bulco grunted. “It’s going to be cumbersome doing that every time we want to take a drink.”
“What do we do about ... err …“ Lana blushed. “... utilities.”
Nori looked away thoughtfully. “I didn’t see anything resembling a bathroom in here.”
Bulco frowned. “Don’t tell me aliens don’t shit.”
“Well, we didn’t find any food or a kitchen, so they might not need to … err …” Lana coughed and looked a little embarrassed.
“Could be,” the large man grumbled. “Your files didn’t say anything about that?’
“No,” Lana said. “It’s just an abbreviated summary, really.”
“Alright then. I need to take a leak before we go,” Bulco said. “I’m going outside. Anyone else wanna come along?”
Nathan got up wordlessly and followed the Engineer. Lana and Nori exchanged looks then followed as well.
As they passed through the bridge, Lana hurriedly keyed one of the consoles and the monitors changed to show the ship’s surroundings. “Sensors aren’t picking up any nearby lifeforms, so it should be safe to go out for a few minutes.”
The four passed through the empty cargo hold and stepped outside. The two men moved behind a burned car and looked away politely as the women squatted behind a second one.
Lana felt exposed. Her heart beat rapidly as she imagined being jumped, but Nori was calm and composed as she did her business. She was like a rock, strong and unyielding. Lana felt safer when she was nearby.
The four re-entered the ship, and Bulco holstered his revolver. He shrugged at Nathan’s questioning look. “If it was a horror movie that would have been the moment a Warped would have jumped us. Thought it better to be safe than sorry.”
“Good thinking.” Lana smiled at him. “That would have been a really awkward moment to be attacked.”
Earth Force (Relict Legacy Book 1) Page 12
