Bontu was unable to pull himself from the floor. “A hand, if you would, please.”
Jenny took his hand for a pull. “Crap! That stuff is already hardening!”
Mace reached in. With a heave, the twenty-five kilogram Mawga diplomat was free. Large chunks of earth and spider resin hung from his arms and legs.
Gravul said, “Over here. We have found Mr. Dixon.”
The Human captive was encased in a hardened shell of resin. Only a shoulder was visible.
Chapter 22
*
Mace brought his sword down against the resin on Dixon’s leg, and a small piece chipped off. “We gotta clean him up if we wanna get out of here.”
Jenny turned to Bontu. “Hold out your arm.”
Bontu complied. A swift swing of her blade saw a large chunk fly to the ground.
Mace said, “Gravul, over here. Get to work on chipping away. I’ll cover the entries… wait… this is a dead end. If we want out we have to go up.”
Several minutes passed before Bontu was free of the resin. He and Jenny joined Gravul at the task of freeing Andrew Dixon. Two of the spider creatures ventured into the only tunnel leading into the room. Mace saw to it they were no longer a threat.
Jenny chipped away at Dixon’s helmet. A large piece of resin popped off, uncovering his faceshield.
Jenny grinned. “I got a live one! Looks like they got into his comm gear, but he still has suit power.”
Mace nodded as he kept a watchful eye on the tunnel. “Get him free. Our time here is limited.”
Andrew Dixon could soon move his arms.
Mace said, “Crap, I got lots of movement at the other end of this tunnel! Jenny, get over here!”
Jenny slung her plasma rifle around front. “Shh. Quiet.”
Bontu and Gravul stopped their chipping efforts. Scratching and grinding noises could be heard through the back wall.
Jenny shook her head. “They’re coming through.”
Mace took a deep breath. “The end of that passage is filling up.”
Mace fired off several plasma rounds. Three of the small black creatures exploded, the others scattered.
Bontu said, “One leg left to free.”
Jenny tossed down her sword. “Dixon, drag your ass over against that wall and keep working. Bontu, get with Mace, stop anything coming down that tunnel. Gravul, over here with me. The moment we see them breaking through that wall, cut loose.”
Gravul Formas nodded.
Mace said, “Bontu and I are going up to that next level. If we let them slick up that passage we’ll never get up there.”
Andrew Dixon stood. His faceshield flipped open. “Finally! What a nightmare!”
He stepped over to Jenny, turning his back. “I have my plasma rifle if you can get it unglued from my back.”
Jenny looked. “Bring me the sword.”
As Andrew reached over and picked up the sword, the wall in front of them began to crumble. “Here they come!”
Gravul and Jenny opened up. At the same moment the full scale assault from the passage began.
Mace yelled, “Make it count, people!”
Black masses splattered as the plasma charges expanded inside them. The passage above soon ran black with blood and guts as three to four spiders at a time ruptured and drenched the passage walls, pushing forward in a relentless torrent. More poured into the room as the hole in the wall was widened. The beasts exploded in a seemingly endless parade. The slaughter continued for ten minutes before the remaining spiders turned and retreated.
Jenny let out a breath. “That was insane! Counter says four hundred sixty-five!”
Mace looked up the passageway. “We can’t go up.”
Jenny stepped over. “Yep. No way we could climb through that cesspool.”
Mace dialed up the level on his rifle. Three well placed rounds collapsed the passage.
Jenny made a noise like she was about to argue, and then stopped herself. “That’ll work.”
Mace gestured toward the hole the spiders had created. “We go through there.”
Andrew turned his back. “I can help if someone can free my rifle.”
Bontu said, “Mr. Hardy, you lead. Gravul and I will work on his rifle.”
Mace nodded. “I like that plan.”
The group traversed the dug-out wall into an adjacent room. Two spiders were splattered before they could vacate. Again, the room had a single passage leading up.
“I got activity up there. Follow close behind. If we don’t take that level we’re as a good as stuck here.”
Jenny grabbed Mace by the arm. “Might want to swap out that cell. You’re flashing.”
Mace pulled the power-cell, slapping in the spare. “Oh great. This one’s only at 40 percent.”
Bontu said, “That is standard for a replacement that has not recently been charged.”
Mace said, “And why didn’t you mention this earlier while we were talking about it?”
Bontu shrugged. “I assumed since you brought a spare you were fully prepared.”
Jenny swapped her power-cell. “Mine’s the same. I show 40 percent.”
Bontu said, “If you remove the cell and hold it against the other, the dominant cell will draw the remaining power from the depleted one.”
Mace followed Bontu’s suggestion. “Great. Looks like 42 percent is it for me. How much you got?”
Bontu replied, “I show 38 percent. Mr. Formas has 45 percent.”
Jenny combined cells. “I have 51 percent.”
“OK. Here’s what we do—we’re fighting our way up now. Let Jenny and me do the dishing out. When either of us reaches 15 percent we’ll swap out with one of you. In the meantime, you two keep working on freeing Mr. Dixon’s rifle.”
Bontu nodded. “It will be our pleasure.”
Mace chuckled. “Sometimes you are just too polite for your own good.”
“I’ll take polite every time,” said Jenny.
Mace drew a deep breath. “Follow me up.”
The Army Ranger, with a running start, rammed his way up the passage and into the next room. Half a dozen spiders were waiting. Mace hit the first three as Jenny popped the next two. The final beast was caught while trying to flee, bursting like an overfilled water-balloon.
Including the tunnel they had come up through, the room contained three passages. The other two led downward.
“Which one?” asked Jenny.
Mace scowled. “We go left.”
The team of five raced down the left passageway, this time angling for another tunnel to the right. The next room they encountered again had two exits that angled downward.
Mace said, “I get the feeling we’re going the wrong way.”
At the bottom of the next passage, several spiders were blasted as they kept on the run. A tunnel to the right was selected. After a hard left turn, the tunnel came to an end.
Mace growled, “Go back. Dixon? How’s it coming with that rifle?”
Bontu replied, “We have the stock partially uncovered. The work is difficult while we are constantly moving.”
Mace replied, “When we get back into this room we’ll take a break to see if you can free it. We need that weapon online.”
As Mace stepped around the others, the far end of the passage began to fill with spiders. “Jenny, keep close. I get the feeling this may be the worst we’ve seen.”
Once the passage into the room was completely blocked, the spider-like creatures began to rush forward. Mace and Jenny fired off plasma rounds continuously. The half meter wide torsos exploded, sending shell bits and legs hurtling into the tunnel walls, ceiling and floor. Five minutes into the effort, the blood and fluid from the plasma-round victims reached Mace’s and Jenny’s boots as the tube full of attackers continued to push forward.
Eight meters away became seven, then six. At five meters, debris from the exploding creatures was painting the defenders.
Mace edged back. “Move back around
that corner! We need space!”
Seconds later, they were forced to retreat. The end of the tunnel was now at their backs, with another five meters of gap remaining. After another seven minutes of relentless onslaught, Mace bumped into Andrew Dixon. “I need space!”
Andrew replied, “We’ve got none to give, Mr. Hardy.”
Jenny said, “How’s the charge on your weapon?”
Mace replied, “I’m down to 8 percent.”
Jenny shook her head. “I’m at twelve. I’m swapping with Bontu. Then I’ll swap with you.”
Mace continued to fire. “Better make it quick. I’m at seven.”
The exchange was made. Bontu Montak quickly attached the depleted rifle to his strap and slung it behind him as he worked to chip away at Andrew Dixon’s resin-covered assault rifle. A second rifle exchange was made between Gravul and Jenny. The spiders continued in a relentless assault.
The black blood and gut were soon ankle deep, splatter from exploding spiders covering the lower halves of Mace and Jenny. After ten minutes straight of killing alien creatures and the chip-chip short swings of Mawga swords working frantically to free a much-needed weapon, Mace glanced down at his rifle.
“I’m at 16 percent.”
“Fourteen for me,” said Jenny.
Spider gore was halfway up their calves. The 16 percent charge on Mace’s rifle was soon at twelve, then eight, then four. At 2 percent another exchange was made.
Mace said, “Tell me you’re making progress on that rifle!”
Bontu said, “The stock is completely uncovered. However, we are having difficulty with the barrel.”
Jenny swapped rifles with Gravul. “Can you get to the power cell?”
Bontu replied, “One moment.”
Several seconds of plasma rounds exploding covered what seemed like a long pause. “I’ll need a few minutes.”
Jenny scowled, “You probably have half that. Make it happen, Mr. Montak!”
At 1 percent charge left, Mace drew his sword. “This is gonna get nasty.”
Jenny popped another two spiders. “I’m at 3 percent. Couple more minutes of this and I’ll be dry.”
Mace’s rifle stopped firing. “Crap. I’m out.”
A hasty exchange was made for the remaining 2 percent in the rifle Gravul held. Jenny’s final exchange came with no more than a dozen rounds. The spider assault grew ever closer.
Bontu yelled out. “I have it!”
He held up the power cell. An attack toward Mace saw him thrust his sword forward into a creature. As he pulled back, his elbow jarred Bontu, causing the now loose power-cell to fall into the deepening black muck around their feet. Bontu scrambled to recover their best hope.
Jenny dropped her empty rifle, pulling her sword and thrusting it forward. “Hack off their eye stalks!”
Gravul felt about in the black ooze, recovering the lost power-cell. With a slap, it was in a rifle, and the weapon powered on. Gravul squeezed up between the two fighting Humans. A continuous stream of plasma rounds had the nearest beasts burst, splattering their blood and guts on Mace and Jenny.
Mace grabbed the weapon, firing off rounds as he took an aggressive step forward. The final push lasted another three minutes before the spiders in front of them turned and skittered out of passageway. Left behind was a pile of shell parts, fluids, guts and legs that stood over half a meter deep.
Mace glanced back at Bontu and Gravel. The black ooze was halfway up their torsos.
“Let’s get out of this hole.”
Several minutes were needed to push through the aftermath back out into the room beyond. The floor of the room ran several inches deep with the black blood coming from the passageway.
Mace gestured toward an exit. “We push on through there.”
As they moved down a tunnel toward another junction, rumbles could be felt reverberating through the mound.
“You think that’s Jasper?” asked Jenny.
Mace replied, “Has to be.”
The junction point split into two passages, both again leading down.
Mace sighed. “We go right.”
The short traverse placed the team of five in another broad room. Two dozen spiders were huddled in a far corner. Blasts from Mace’s plasma rifle sent them leaping in every direction. The others advanced with swords. After the short battle, attention was turned to the corner. Another resin covered cocoon, much like what Andrew Dixon had been freed from, sat on the floor. Only this one was a fair bit larger.
Jenny took a deep breath. “Gotta be Johnny.”
Mace nodded. “Let’s get him out of there.”
Four of them began chipping away at the resin sarcophagus as Mace covered the entryway. Several minutes passed before the outer portion of a gloved hand was uncovered.
Intricate work by Bontu freed an individual finger. It moved. The chipping continued as several spiders could be seen jetting across the junction they had come through moments before.
Mace said, “We’re getting activity!”
The rumbles of battles elsewhere in the mound reached them. A full hand was freed, followed by a leg and then Johnny’s faceshield. Johnny motioned with his eyes to flip the shield open.
Seconds later, he growled, “Get me out of this!”
Jenny smiled. “You’ll have to be patient. This takes time.”
Johnny motioned with his eyes toward his right hand, which was cemented to his chest. “I still have my pistol. Chip it out so I can at least defend myself.”
Efforts were turned to chipping at Johnny’s chest.
Mace repeated, “I’m seeing more bugs out there.”
Jenny asked, “What’s your power-cell say?”
Mace scowled. “I got 44 percent. Not enough to defend against a wave like that last one.”
Jenny shook her head as she chipped away at Johnny’s pistol. “Eleven hundred fifty-three.”
“What about it?”
Jenny replied, “That’s the count from their last assault. All told we’re at about forty-two hundred.”
Bontu cringed. “All that effort and less than 5 percent of the known population of this mound?”
Mace glanced back. “This power-cell will probably only last for four or five hundred. Free up Johnny’s pistol and we might just have a chance against one more assault.”
“We need at least ten minutes.”
Mace looked back up the passageway. “We’ll be lucky if we get five.”
The team worked at a feverish pace. First the handle, and then the tip of the barrel were uncovered.
Mace squatted at the base of the tunnel. “They’re forming up.”
Jenny said, “Send them a message. Anything that will delay an assault. We need more time.”
Mace fired several rounds up through the passageway. Spiders exploded as they began to stack atop one another.
Mace took a deep breath as he flipped his faceshield down. “It’s starting.”
Johnny glanced up at Jenny. “If it’s not too much to ask, you think you could close me up? I’d rather not have them put that resin directly on my face.”
Andrew Dixon reached up, flipping it down. “I have to agree with him on that. Being immobilized was bad enough.”
The next wave began. Mace fired relentlessly as the others chipped away at Johnny’s pistol. Black ooze began to run down the tunnel as the beasts exploded one after another. The top of the tunnel refilled as quickly as the spider-like creatures could be blasted away. For ten minutes Mace squeezed the trigger on his plasma rifle. For ten minutes the threat was held at ten meter’s distance.
Mace yelled back. “Tell me we’re close!”
“It’s not coming free,” replied Jenny. “The resin has the whole thing encased. No pockets of air even. What percentage you at?”
Mace glanced down. “Eighteen. You’ve got five minutes—six tops.”
“Buy us every second you can.”
Two minutes passed before Mace yelled, “They�
�re pushing! And I’m at 11 percent!”
The thunder pistol was freed from Johnny’s chest, but the resin still encased the trigger.
Mace said, “I need help!”
Jenny and Andrew moved to either side of the passage. Swords pierced spiders as they made it to the entrance. A boot and a hard pull recovered the sword for the next thrust.
Mace yelled, “Four percent!”
Bontu was panting. “Almost there!”
Another minute passed and the spider creatures continued to fill the passageway. Guts, blood, ooze and legs were piling up at the bottom.
Mace yelled, “One percent!”
Jenny stuck her sword in a spider just before a hard pull on her arm sent her flying backwards. Andrew was pushed to the side as Mace moved to the front of the passage. Two plasma rounds into the sides of the tunnel, followed by another two to the ceiling, saw the center of the passage collapse. A final spider skittered into the room and Jenny Taub rammed her sword through its torso.
Mace fell back onto his elbows in exhaustion.
Bontu stood. “The weapon is free!”
Chapter 23
*
The others turned their efforts toward freeing Johnny. Mace took the pistol, testing it on a low setting on a far wall. It was functional. Every now and then, rumbling could be heard from elsewhere in the mound.
Jenny flipped the faceshield up on Johnny’s helmet.
“Thank you. Not sure what happened to my comm, but it hasn’t worked since they first jumped me.”
Bontu said, “The comm unit has an external switch on your chest that allows for turning it on and off for maintenance. The switch is covered, but they managed to defeat the cover. Mr. Dixon had the same issue.”
Mace stood over the still immobile Johnny. “Wasn’t sure we’d find you.”
Johnny glanced to either side of the room. “Where are we exactly?”
Jenny grinned. “About a half kilometer underground in a giant spider mound.”
HADRON Resurgent Page 21
