Grimshaw obeyed reluctantly, and the archagents relaxed somewhat. Another robed figure emerged from the shadows, shielding his eyes with scaly hands. “What’s happening, Straiya?”
“Didn’t I tell you to wait inside?”
“I will not take commands from a Shanti,” Minister Farmorai spat.
“Had you listened to me in the first place, Drallig and his thugs wouldn’t have caught us off guard.”
“That doesn’t matter—”
“That’s enough!” Grimshaw cut in, barely containing his anger. He marched up to the Rivarian and loomed over him, the reptilian-like politician cowering under his shadow. “I’ve had it up to here with you Ministers and your childish bickering. We have an army bearing down on us, and still you bitch and moan.” He shot Straiya an accusing glare. “Is there no end to your foolishness? Where is Minister Foster?” Grimshaw shoved past Minister Farmorai and entered the shelter, his visor adjusting to the low light. The stench forced him to increase his air filters.
Foster lay huddled on his side in one corner and a SenSec officer lay splayed out in another. A quick scan showed that Foster was alive, but his life-signs were weak. The officer, however, had been dead for a while.
“When the first shell struck, shrapnel got Foster in the side,” Straiya said, stopping by Grimshaw. “I closed the wound and stemmed the worst of the bleeding, but he needs a medic right away. There’s only so much I can do with a basic medkit.”
“And the officer?”
“He was already there when Drallig forced us inside,” Straiya said. “We think the archagent killed him before or during the ceremony. Poor guy probably got in their way.”
Grimshaw was surprised to hear a hint of remorse in Straiya’s voice.
“We can work out what exactly happened later, but for now, we need to focus on getting out of here.” Grimshaw looked at the fluttering shield nervously. “Is there anyone else we should know about? What about the chairman?”
“The chairman was killed when they attacked,” Straiya pointed to the far end of the stage. “The rigging collapsed, burying him and several others.”
Grimshaw looked in the direction. There was no time to search for survivors. “Is it safe to move Foster?”
“Moving him won’t be ideal, but something tells me we don’t have much of a choice.” Her tail whipped back and forth anxiously.
He nodded. “Either we leave here now, or Chimera take us. That isn’t a choice.”
“We can’t leave the shield’s protection!” Minister Farmorai hissed behind him.
Grimshaw spun on his heel, grinding his teeth. “We leave immediately. I have no qualms about leaving you behind if that’s what you’d prefer.”
Another shell exploded nearby, and Grimshaw thought the timing couldn’t have been any better.
“The shield has fallen!” Malek called, still behind cover.
“Malek and I will lead the way, and the Tower Guard officer will bring up the rear,” Grimshaw said. “The Ministers will stay in the middle. Jameson, Rox, you should be able to keep Foster steady between you. Keep your blasters handy for backup.”
“Careful with his wounds,” Straiya added.
The archagents nodded in agreement and moved to the corner where Foster lay.
They wore more advanced TEK’s than the Tower Guard and having them focused on shooting would have been useful, but only the Tower Guard knew the way, and Grimshaw still didn’t trust the SIA agents, so he was happy to keep them busy.
“Rox, we met one of your colleagues at the stage front, a Yalore,” Grimshaw said. “Do you think he was in on it with Drallig?”
Rox shook his head, taking care not to upset Foster too much. “Vadnare and I go way back. I doubt he has anything to do with Chimera.”
“Good. We could use his help.” Grimshaw turned to the opening. “Malek! Fetch Vadnare and Faye!”
“Yes, sir!” the Tower Guard officer shouted back.
“We can’t just waltz out there with all that fighting,” Farmorai objected, unable to stop his voice from quivering.
“One might suspect you’re also working for Chimera,” Straiya said.
Minister Farmorai’s eyes widened. “How dare you!”
“We’re executing Protocol Nine and taking Straiya and Foster to the safe-room,” Grimshaw stressed. “Like I said, you’re welcome to stay. If you decide to tag along, keep up, or I’ll shoot you myself.”
Straiya raised an eyebrow as if to tell Grimshaw he’d gone too far, but he had no patience left for games. The games were over and the fight for survival had begun…and fighting to survive was one of the few things he knew well.
The Rivarian Minister’s jaw hung ajar.
“Let’s go,” Grimshaw said, walking to the edge of the stage, not giving the Rivarian time to respond. The others followed and Farmorai made a show about hesitantly joining the group.
Straiya lifted the robes around her legs and produced a blaster. Grimshaw eyed her with a questioning look.
“What?” she said with mock innocence. “Just because I’m a politician doesn’t mean I don’t know how to protect myself. I’m a Shanti, remember?”
Grimshaw couldn’t argue with that. All Shanti were trained as warriors at a young age. “Rox, what was the status of the SIA before you got locked away?”
The Rivarian snorted. “Everything was a mess. Most of my men were called east to deal with the attackers. We had a runner carry messages, but we lost contact with him too.”
Malek returned with Faye and Vadnare trailing behind him.
Grimshaw gave Faye a curious look. She wore an entirely new outfit consisting of a baggy top, loose pants, and heavy boots. She wore a holster on her hip and held a blaster in one hand like someone who knew how to use one.
Much more suitable.
“Decided I may as well go the whole hog,” she said to Grimshaw defensively.
On noticing the Ministers, Faye turned in their direction and gave them a slight bow.
Straiya returned a nod of recognition.
“We’ve got fifteen minutes head start, tops,” the Yalore SIA agent said urgently.
“Vadnare, we’re heading to Sentinel Tower,” Grimshaw said. “It’s the only safe place for the Ministers. Malek and I will take point. He knows a way past the Chimera forces, but we might still encounter resistance. We could use another set of eyes on our backs.”
“You’re the boss, boss,” the Yalore SIA agent said, shuffling up next to him to the younger Tower Guard officer at the rear.
“Straiya, we’ll need you to keep an eye on the Ministers. Their safety is priority. Stay close. Malek, lead the way.”
Everyone took their positions, and Malek led the group down a mound of rubble at the back of the stage. They hurried over a section of open ground. To Grimshaw’s relief and surprise, the enemy hadn’t noticed them. Then again, the Chimera soldiers only had a narrow view between the stage and the square wall. The smoke likely helped.
They reached the Izmark building and used a row of sculptures for cover, everyone remaining alert. Even Minister Farmorai kept quiet.
Grimshaw briefly broke away from the others as Malek worked on opening a service door designed to look like part of the building’s exterior. He approached the corner and popped his head out for a quick look at the situation outside Sentinel Tower.
The smoke was too thick to make out details, but from what he could tell, Chimera had dug themselves in before the Tower’s entrance. Pops rang out across the wide-open courtyard as they exchanged fire with Tower security. Chimera had likely attempted to take the Tower to prevent the Ministers from finding shelter there. Grimshaw was glad that Malek had shown up. They never would have made it to the Tower without an alternative route.
A gust suddenly whipped up the smoke, obscuring Grimshaw’s view. He retreated back to the semi-concealed doorway where Malek finished opening the secondary lock. The door crunched as it slid aside.
“This is the secon
d time this door’s been used in decades,” Malek said, waving everybody inside. “It leads to a network of tunnels that connects the buildings. Very few know about it, and even fewer know their way around down there.”
Malek kept an eye on the entrance as Grimshaw directed the archagents carrying Minister Foster down the steep steps. Straiya followed closely, still holding her blaster. Faye was next in line and gave the open door one last look. The young Tower Guard officer nodded to Malek as he passed. Grimshaw started descending the steps.
He turned back to Malek. “It’s a good thing we’ve got someone to guide us. I’d hate to get lost down here.”
Malek nodded. “We’ve got another five seconds before the door automatically closes.”
A shot rang out from the mists behind. Malek stumbled and fell beyond the doorway as the door slowly slid back into place.
Grimshaw ran up the steps, taking two at a time. Malek lay on his back, the inside of his helmet painted a dark black.
The Tower Guard and Vadnare came up behind Grimshaw, firing blindly into the mist.
I’ve got just enough time to get Malek’s SIG. Maybe he had a map.
He reached through the narrowing doorway, plasma tearing up the ground and walls around him as the enemy bore down on them. A shot smashed into his head, and something tugged at him from behind, pulling him inside the tunnel
“No!” he screamed. It was too late. The last sliver of light vanished as the door crunched shut, enveloping them in darkness.
Dull thuds repeatedly knocked against the tunnel entrance at the top of the steps, the door so thick the sounds were barely audible. Grimshaw cast his SIG’s light about the area. The bottom of the steps ended in a small, vaulted room that intersected with five tunnels. Malek hadn’t been joking when he described it as a maze. The air was cool and stale, and despite the distant thuds, the chamber felt eerily still.
The SIA agents, the Ministers, and Faye looked to Grimshaw for direction, and he looked to the last remaining Tower Guard officer.
Again, the Shanti kid was no more than a teenager, which Grimshaw had to keep reminding himself was normal, given the race’s warrior-like culture. The kid’s head hung low, his expression distant and dark.
Grimshaw rested his hand on the guard’s golden shoulder pad. “Are you okay kid?”
“Malek was my uncle. I can’t believe he…” The Shanti’s words trailed off, the thudding above growing a little louder.
Grimshaw tried not to look too surprised. Interspecies relationships were not unheard of but were certainly rare in the Overways, especially among individuals in positions of authority and those holding office.
“We don’t have time for this.” Minister Farmorai hissed.
Grimshaw shot him a look that said he best remain quiet, and the Rivarian cowered in the shadows, half-hiding behind Minister Straiya who was seeing to Foster. Rox and Jameson had lowered him to the ground as gently as they could, and they rested on the bottom steps.
“Foster’s fever is worsening,” Straiya announced. “If he doesn’t get medical attention soon, he won’t make it.”
Grimshaw nodded and turned back to the Shanti guard. “I didn’t get your name before, kid.”
“Manx,” he muttered.
“Okay, Manx. We’re clearly stuck in a bit of a situation here. Can you remember the route you and your uncle took through these catacombs?”
Manx finally looked up at him, his face filled with uncertainty. “I…think so.”
“Oh, great,” Farmorai moaned. “We’re going to die down here. May as well have let Chimera finish us off. At least it would have been quick.”
It took everything Grimshaw had not to break the Minister’s jaw. Even that probably wouldn’t shut him up.
“I know the way,” Manx said, looking at Farmorai with defiance. “But we need to tread quietly so as not to disturb the pedidon.”
“The what?” Farmorai said, almost shrieking.
“It’s a beast…a monster that feeds on knolra and other creatures in the tunnels.” Manx explained. “It eats people too.”
“Pah, stories mothers tell to scare their children,” the Rivarian said haughtily.
“I thought so too, but when we came through earlier…” Manx looked into the darkness. “I swear I heard noises…and whispers. My uncle told me that the stories were real, that these tunnels run deeper into the Sentinel’s superstructure than anyone knows. That ancient creatures live down here. Uncle Malek is…was convinced that monsters live even this close to the surface.”
“Better to err on the side of caution,” Grimshaw said, addressing everyone present.
“The pedidon is attracted to noise, but afraid of light. This way.” He walked to the middle tunnel’s entrance and turned back to address them. “Like I said, my uncle and I travelled the tunnels as quietly as possible.”
“You heard him,” Grimshaw said. “Let’s get moving before Chimera break that door down.”
Grimshaw beckoned the others to follow and signaled for Vadnare to bring up the rear. The Rivarian SIA agent nodded and fell several paces behind. Grimshaw stayed close to Manx, eager to guard the only person who knew the way out of the tunnels.
As they progressed, Grimshaw was amazed by how vast and disorderly the catacombs were. Most junctions looked identical, but the tunnels curved wildly, bending like coiled snakes and taking sudden right angle turns. He was surprised that Manx remembered the route back and half-wondered whether the Shanti wasn’t leading them on a wild goose chase after the shock of losing his uncle. The young guard did lead them down several passages that resulted in dead-ends, but he backtracked and picked up the trail again with renewed confidence. Grimshaw wished he felt half as certain as the Shanti looked.
All the while, Minister Farmorai swore under his breath, but Grimshaw was happy about the quiet, for the most part. Manx took his time at each junction to make sure he selected the correct tunnel entrance. Grimshaw was aware that Foster needed urgent medical attention, but he didn’t want to push the boy to move faster and risk getting them all lost or trapped.
They arrived at another junction with five possible tunnels, and Manx took longer than usual to decide which one to travel.
“I knew it,” Farmorai cried. “We’re lost, aren’t we?”
“Hush!” Manx urged, looking over his shoulder. “Listen.”
Shanti hearing was the most acute among the galactic races. Grimshaw increased his TEK’s audio levels and strained his ear, but other than faint dripping coming from the fourth or fifth tunnel, he couldn’t hear a thing. He was about to ask Manx what was wrong when a blood-curdling screech issued from the tunnel on the far left. The hairs on Grimshaw’s neck stood on end, and he aimed his rifle down the tunnel, its light swallowed by the seemingly-perpetual blackness.
Manx pointed into the dark tunnel from which the cry issues. “That’s the way we need to go. We need to keep as quiet as possible.” He walked into the passage before Grimshaw could get his attention.
They followed, walking as quietly as possible, every sound—no matter how slight—amplified greatly by the tunnel walls. They eventually reached the next junction without incident.
“Manx turned to them. “We’re almost there.”
A screech, much louder than the first, tore down tunnel five in front of them.
Vadnare checked the tunnel, shining his rifle’s light down the tube. He turned to Grimshaw and shrugged.
Something pale snapped out of the shadows and clutched Vadnare’s leg. The Yalore screamed and aimed his rifle at the spiny appendage as it wound around his calf, crushing his armor. He pulled the trigger. Another horrifying screech echoed into the chamber as the white tentacle disappeared along with the end of Vadnare’s foot. The Yalore looked at it in shock for a second.
He stumbled forward and Grimshaw reached out to support him. The shadows behind the agent boiled like water and half a dozen bony tendrils lashed out, lassoing the Yalore’s neck and waist. Grimshaw
held onto the agent’s hand and pulled with every ounce of strength he could muster. Rox joined them and pulled at the Yalore’s uninjured foot. The swirling tentacles started to drag all three of them into the tunnel’s opening.
Straiya appeared at Grimshaw’s side and opened fire on the tendrils. The creature cried out, but doubled down instead of retreating, several more tentacles lashing out and latching onto the SIA agent.
“Don’t let it take me!” he screamed. “Don’t let me go!”
Grimshaw tried to hold on, but Vadnare slipped from his fingers and vanished in an instant. His screams rang through the vault, gradually fading into nothing.
“There’s nothing we can do for him,” Straiya said, her hand on Grimshaw’s shoulder.
Rox and Jameson had left Foster resting against the far wall. Minister Farmorai stood by the human Minister, his shoulders quivering. Whatever the beast was, Grimshaw half-wished it had taken the useless Rivarian instead.
Manx pointed back and forth at the tunnels, unsure of which one to take.
Another roar thundered through tunnel five.
“Manx, it’s coming back,” Grimshaw shouted.
“Quick, this way,” the Shanti said, running into tunnel four.
Grimshaw ran after him and looked over his shoulder to find Straiya and Farmorai on his heels. Rox and Jameson kept up despite being weighed down by Foster. Faye brought up the rear.
They reached the next junction chamber and Manx ran down the second tunnel without stopping.
I hope Manx knows where he’s going, or we’ll be that thing’s next meal.
Grimshaw looked over his shoulder to see that Farmorai had fallen behind and was struggling to keep step with Faye. Grimshaw thought he saw something moving in the shadows behind the Rivarian Minister but wasn’t sure if his mind was playing tricks on him.
Grimshaw entered the next chamber to find that Manx had disappeared. He came to a sudden halt. “Manx!” he called. “Where’d you go?”
The Galactic Sentinel: Ultimate Edition: 4 Books with 2000+ Pages of Highly Entertaining Sci-Fi Space Adventure Page 52
