by S. S. Segran
“Not happening,” Tegan hissed so only Aari could hear. She scanned around, then reached out to open the nearest door. Scampering in, the friends found themselves in the conference room they’d passed by earlier. There was no other way out but Aari figured that if they could climb up and fit through the ceiling panels, they might be able to hide. They quickly got onto the table and Aari jumped up, knocking a panel loose and pulling himself up into the opening in the ceiling.
“Not this again!” Tegan moaned.
Aari extended his hands down from the ceiling. “Hurry! The Marauder is gonna pick up our trail!”
Tegan raised her arms above her head and Aari grabbed her hands. As he started pulling her up, she shrieked. “It’s seen me! It’s staring through the window!”
The glass beside the table shattered as the Marauder crashed through it. Without meaning to, Tegan let go of Aari and, in her fright, stumbled backward and fell off the table. The muscular black beast leapt onto the tabletop, taking her place, and stared the girl down. Drool dripped from behind its bared fangs. Its dark yellow eyes burned with malevolence.
Aari felt the framework that supported the ceiling panels begin to warp from his weight. He looked above to find something to grab on to but it was too late. The entire frame started to give. An instant later it came down, bringing Aari with it. Ceiling panels and the not-so-intrepid teen crashed onto the Marauder, momentarily knocking it off balance.
Aari rolled off the table instinctively and got to his feet, pulling Tegan up. They ran out of the room, leaving the stunned beast to recover. They turned down the hallway toward the elevator but when they saw the beefy guard eyeballing them from the other end the corridor, they spun around and darted into a room across from the one they’d been in. It was lit in dim amber light that gave it an ethereal atmosphere. Large glass beakers lined shelves that spanned the walls.
They raced for a door at the other end of the room. Aari turned the knob but the door remained stuck. “It won’t open!” he barked. “It won’t bloody open!”
Tegan jiggled the knob violently but got no better result. They turned back toward the door they’d come through and saw the ghastly shape of the Marauder silhouetted in the doorway. Its ears were erect and the mane-like fur on the back of its neck and shoulders bristled. This thing looks different from the ones on the mountain, Aari thought as he looked around for something to use as a weapon. Why isn’t there anything here?!
The Marauder skulked through the open door a few steps then rocketed toward them, its long legs extending with each stride. In desperation, Aari grabbed a beaker off the shelf beside him. As the Marauder crouched to make its final leap toward the friends, he flung the viscous content onto the floor in front of the creature. The beast’s paws slid out from under it as it lost traction and fell, smashing its jaw to the ground.
Aari and Tegan wasted no time running past the Marauder. As they did, the beast managed to get partial grip with its hind legs and lashed out. The long claws on its forepaws caught Aari, tearing the back of his shirt and leaving two lengthy crimson lacerations on his skin. Aari bellowed as white-hot pain seared up his body. He staggered but Tegan rushed to hold him upright and helped him out into the hallway. They saw the guard still blocking the elevator; he laughed in wicked delight but didn’t make a move.
He’s letting that thing play cat and mouse with us! He’s sick! In spite of the stinging pain, Aari retained the presence of mind to pull Tegan back down the third passageway toward the REAPR Fortifier chamber.
“Why are we coming back here?” Tegan demanded as they ran into the room.
Aari located a large hatch in the spherical structure and tugged at it. “Because I think I have an idea how we can get rid of that monster, but we gotta be quick. Give me a hand!”
Moments later the Marauder prowled into the room with its nose to the ground. It lifted its massive head to the open hatch and caught sight of Aari inside the sphere. Letting out another ear-splitting roar, it prepared to leap at the boy but stopped at the last moment. It turned away from Aari and sniffed the air right in front of it.
Tegan, invisible thanks to Aari, was nauseous with dread and adrenalin. The beast’s nose twitched an inch from her shoulder. She could see each hair on its muzzle, every wrinkle in its protruding brow, and could almost taste the putrid, hot breath. Its lips retracted slightly and its tongue slid snake-like between its fangs.
Aari yelled out to get the Marauder’s attention. The beast purposely ignored him and continued sniffing around. Tegan attempted to stealthily maneuver away from the hellish creature. Beads of sweat ran down her forehead; she tilted her head back to keep them from falling on the Marauder.
The beast growled and finally whipped around to face Aari. He yelped and climbed onto the conveyor belt that ran through the sphere and into the next room. It was a tight fit but he managed to squeeze through just as the Marauder pulled itself into the sphere. When he lost line of sight with Tegan, she became visible again. In a single breath, she activated an explosive cube using the shortest setting available and tossed it in after the Marauder.
The beast couldn’t fit through the smaller opening of the conveyor belt and snapped its head around just as Tegan slammed the hatch shut. The beast battered against the metal door, bellowing. Not wanting to stick around for the fireworks, Tegan left the room only to run into Aari as he exited a smaller passageway between the conference room and the REAPR Fortifier chamber.
“We need to get away from here,” Tegan said, taking him by the arm. “That thing’s gonna—”
The explosion in the metal sphere rocked the entire lab. The friends stumbled and were thrown against the floor. They slowly picked themselves up and tried to shake off the intense ringing in their ears.
“Tegan,” Aari gasped, the cuts in his back making it hard for him to think. “The guard . . . we need to get past him.”
“Yeah,” she said, teeth clenched as she helped him up. “I need you to cover me. Can you do that?”
“I . . . I think so. But I need you to be in my LOS or else he’ll see you.”
“That’s fine. I want you to walk toward him as if you’re surrendering. I’ll be right in front of you.”
“Smart,” he said, grimacing. “Let’s do it.”
It took Aari a few tries before he could bend all the light around Tegan. They rounded the corner toward the guard, who was hurrying down the long hallway with his pistol drawn.
Aari held his arms up. “I’m coming out! Please, just don’t . . . don’t shoot. I’m hurt.”
The guard kept his gun level with Aari’s chest and stopped walking. “Where’s the girl? And what the hell exploded?”
Aari didn’t answer. As soon as Tegan was behind the guard, he dropped the cover. Tegan grabbed a portable fire extinguisher from the wall and raised it high above her head before bringing it down on the man’s dome. The guard turned around woozily to see what had hit him. Tegan swung at him again, catching him on the side of the head. He collapsed, falling over backward.
“You’re a menace, Tegan,” Aari called. “Get that elevator open!”
Tegan picked up the guard by his feet. “As much as I don’t want to say it, we can’t leave this guy down here.”
“Bring him up with us, then.”
“But we can’t leave the other two imbeciles that Marshall took out, either.”
“Argh! Okay, we’ll take them all! Just hurry up—the bombs are gonna go off in a few minutes!” Forcing his pain aside, Aari dragged one of the guards out of the vault where he and Tegan had been held.
Tegan retrieved the last man and lugged him to the elevator. “Wait a sec!”
“What now?”
She cupped one hand over another, leaving some space between them, and closed her eyes. The dragonfly she used for reconnaissance buzzed into the elevator, flew through her hands and landed on her palm. She returned to herself and closed her fingers gently around the little creature. “I don’t want it gett
ing caught in the explosion. Not after all it did for us.”
Aari pressed the up button and they ascended. “We’ll have to help Marshall,” he said. “They better not have hurt him badly. Who knows how many guards are holding him down.”
The doors slid open and they pulled the men out of the elevator, through another pair of metal doors, and out past the open loading door of the small shipping bay. They dropped their human cargo when they beheld the scene laid out in front of them. Six men in uniform lay on the ground. The friends couldn’t tell whether they were dead or alive.
Marshall was several dozen yards away, grappling with a black-garbed man. The Sentry’s back was to the friends, denying them a proper view, but the guard dropped to the ground and remained there. Tegan and Aari could hardly process the astonishing scene; one man victorious against seven armed adversaries.
“Marshall!” Tegan called. She opened her hand and the dragonfly winged away. “It’s done! The place is rigged, but Aari’s hurt!”
The Sentry turned around and located the source of the voice. He started to respond when he froze, eyes wide. “Move!” he shouted. “It’s coming for you!”
The friends, bewildered, turned to see what he was yelling about. A yelp tore from Aari’s throat. Another Marauder was bolting toward them, closing the gap by ten feet with each stride. By the time the message to flee reached their minds, it was too late.
Marshall somersaulted over the friends’ heads and landed in front of them. Striking out with his foot, he caught the Marauder squarely in the muzzle. He pushed Aari and Tegan out of the way and made to kick the beast again but missed. Turning, he ran toward the submersion test pool that lay to the left. The Marauder, enraged, careened after him. The Sentry dove into the pool, disturbing the stillness of the surface. The Marauder splashed in right after him and both man and beast disappeared underwater.
Aari and Tegan ran over and dropped to their knees by the pool, screaming out to the Sentry. “Marshall!”
Their cries were met with dead silence.
68
Jag sprinted along the street away from Kody and Mariah, shooting glances over his shoulder. The nanomite swarm was less than twenty yards behind him; its nightmarish red glow and terrifying bird of prey silhouette made it seem as if he was being chased by a creature straight from the depths of the underworld.
House after house passed by in a blur, all of them devoid of lights. An open plot of land appeared some distance away and he made a break for it. With the speed that he’d built up, he leapt headfirst and flew the remaining distance into the tall, dry grass, sliding into a prone position as he landed. Spitting out bits of soil, he turned to steal a quick look at the nanomites. They spread out into their intimidating sixty-foot span and dove for him as one.
Well that didn’t work, Jag thought, taking off toward an office building across a narrow street to his right. Bright light emanated from behind the structure and music filled his ears as he got nearer. The fair! It’s right behind the building!
He evaluated the two-story office block as he ran, searching for a way up. Agh, there’s no time to climb—I’ll have to jump for it. C’mon, Jag! No hesitation!
The nanomites’ glow reflected in the office windows, appearing as though the swarm was rushing straight toward him. Rejecting the disturbing illusion, he bent his knees and launched off the asphalt, soaring higher than the building. He landed on the flat roof, rolling to break his fall. Shaking slightly from the exertion, he scrambled upright. When he saw the nanomite swarm rising up to meet him, he balked. Crap.
Vaulting over two air conditioning units and an electrical access box, Jag recalled how the Ransom swarm had broken off its pursuit as it approached a streetlight. He hoped that the bright lights from the fair would be a deterrent. He looked over the edge at an empty, fenced parking lot that lay twenty-five feet below him. Past the fence, an unlit street ran between the lot and the fairgrounds. Taking a few steps back, he dashed toward the edge, leaping far enough to clear the fence and landing on the street in a cat-like crouch.
The nanomites plunged after him and just narrowly missed engulfing the teenager as he reeled out of the way. I can’t shake them off, he thought, blood pumping in his ears. Looks like the fair option is out—don’t want to put the townsfolk in harm’s way. Oh, man, what am I gonna do?
He changed course, going left along the street rather than crossing to the fairgrounds. At an intersecting road ahead, a large semi-truck was chugging along with its windows down. Instead of trying to go around, Jag boosted his speed and leapt over the hood of the truck. The driver, shocked by the sudden phantom blur that had sailed by his windshield, hit the horn in confusion but kept moving. Jag swiveled around to check if the nanomites had stopped.
They hadn’t.
Hot in pursuit, the swarm broke formation and swirled past the truck. Some swelled like waves over the vehicle, others rolled under, and still more flew through the open windows. Blinded by the nanomites, the driver screamed and lost control of the truck. The massive vehicle swerved toward a corner of the fairground parking lot where a mobile crane held aloft a dazzling illuminated sign that read “Welcome to the Vernon County Fair!”
Jag gasped as the truck hit the crane full on and was brought to a nasty halt. The billboard on the crane broke loose from its sling and plummeted to the ground, breaking into pieces and sending sparks flying everywhere.
The terrified driver dropped out of the truck and crawled away, still screaming, but didn’t seem badly hurt. Jag’s relief didn’t last long; the nanomites were closing in on him. He leaned forward, preparing to run, but then saw that the crane, recoiling from the impact of the truck, was beginning to swing—over the fence and directly toward the colorful Ferris wheel loaded with people.
The tip of the crane struck the edge of the large wheel. Fairgoers, mostly children, shrieked as the ride started to tilt off its axis.
Jag took off toward the fair, arcing away from the nanomites. “No!” He bounded over the fence and was nothing but a blur as he dashed through the shocked crowd. The wheel leaned in his direction, wobbling precariously toward the ground. He took a few more steps then sprang over the shouting mass of people. As he flew toward the wheel, he saw young, sobbing children on the verge of slipping from their seats as they held onto the safety rails for dear life.
Using his momentum combined with a burst of his activated strength, he forced the wheel back upright. The cries didn’t cease but parents were able to secure their children back into the protection of the cars. He maintained his speed as he tumbled off onto the other side of the wheel, moving too rapidly for the crowd to form a picture of what had just transpired.
As he made a break for the fence, the nanomites—still in their colossal bird of prey formation—intercepted him, cutting off his escape route. He skidded, wheeled around and charged into the heart of the crowded fair. The nanomites swirled through the spokes of the Ferris wheel like translucent red flames, flying right by the faces of the startled fairgoers. The swarm ignored them and remained locked onto Jag. Jag picked up speed, maneuvering through the crowd until he was once more nothing but a blur. The nanomites followed, weaving through the throng of people. The townspeople took notice; confusion turning to panic as fingers pointed at the otherworldly entity streaking through their midst.
Jag, stealing a split second to turn back and check on the swarm, accidentally knocked into a performing unicyclist. The unicyclist yowled as he rolled in reverse and crashed into a clown, who in turn barreled backward into a juggler juggling fire torches; the torches fell to the ground in a cascade of flames and were quickly stomped out by the juggler. Jag continued running but yelled “Sorry!” to the performers, who couldn’t see where the apology had come from.
This place is way too crowded, Jag thought. If I keep up this speed I could end up seriously hurting people.
Halfway across the fairground, he came upon a row of game and food stalls. He bounded up onto the plywood r
oof of the first stall and gap-jumped the rest of them, not once losing his footing even at his speed. The nanomites clung stubbornly to their pursuit but he was able to stay a few yards ahead of them. He reached the last stall and propelled off, landing on a porta-potty by the fence at the other end of the fair. He nearly slid off but swiftly crouched to regain his balance. A woman inside screamed as the moveable toilet rocked back before settling down again. Jag shouted another apology and jumped over the fence and onto the road.
The sixty-foot wide swarm was upon him. He bobbed and weaved but could already feel a few of the nanomites biting the back of his neck. As he slapped them away, a truck roared up the road toward him. The driver’s window was rolled down and a voice yelled at him to get in.
Kody! Jag burst away from the nanomites toward the vehicle, slid over the truck’s hood and landed on the other side. He pulled the door open and jumped in. Kody did a skidding U-turn and raced back down the road.
“You’re crazy, Jag!” Mariah scolded, hugging him from the backseat.
Jag put a hand on one of her arms. “I had to do it! I didn’t want to bring them to you and—”
Kody screamed, cutting him off. “They got in! Some of ’em got in! They’re on me!”
Jag unbuckled Kody’s seatbelt. “Switch!”
“Are you nuts?”
“I think we’ve established that I am! Switch, Kody!”
“Alright—ow! They won’t stop biting! Ow!”
Jag slid a foot over and put it on the accelerator just as Kody moved his leg. He took the steering wheel from his friend and got into the driver’s seat as Kody wriggled into the backseat of the truck, still trying to remove the nanomites.
“That thing’s still coming after us!” Mariah informed them as she attempted to help Kody.
Jag peeled down Main Street through the middle of the town. “Of course they are.”
Kody was smacking away at himself, too busy to even remotely care about the exchange.
