The Exodus Towers: The Dire Earth Cycle: Two

by Jason M. Hough

  Inside the enclosed bays were nine motor homes. Skyler expected a service garage, but once inside he realized they were in a showroom. These were the high-end models, and other than a coat of dust, they were immaculate. He laughed aloud, and Ana brightened.

  It took some time to find the nearest building with power, and even longer to cobble together a cable long enough to reach the garage. By nightfall they started charging the first of the RVs: a sleek, silver box of a vehicle, fifteen meters long and opulent inside. Kitchen, bathroom. A goddamn shower, Skyler thought. No, nine goddamn showers.

  The next morning they each drove one of the vehicles back to Camp Exodus. The smiles Skyler saw as they caravanned into camp were enough to make him forget about the task still to be performed in the rainforest. For a time, at least.

  By the end of that day, all nine of the recreational vehicles were safely in camp, their water tanks filled and ultracaps charged. Before midnight, every colonist had taken a hot shower, and moods were decidedly improved.

  Skyler had no doubt that arguments would ensue over who would live in the vehicles. He’d take no part in that. If the colonists were good at one thing, it was debating the optimal use of communal resources.

  A full week passed before the topic of the Builder ship finally came up. Skyler was in front of his tent, strapping on his gear for the day, when Karl approached.

  “I think it’s time we finished our talk,” the man said, his meaning plain. “Tania does, too.”

  Skyler looked him up and down. His bruises had faded. A few scabs remained. “Finally,” Skyler replied. He grabbed a few more items from his tent: pocket utility knife, a watch with a built-in compass, and two pairs of compact binoculars. All went into pockets on his vest or pants, except one of the binoculars, which he handed to Karl. “Let’s go talk to Tania.”

  The man nodded and led the way.

  Tania leaned against the wall of the steel room, next to the tourist map of Belém. She had her head down against her chest, her arms folded across her stomach, and one leg tucked up behind her.

  For a second Skyler thought she slept there, on her feet, but when the door closed behind Karl, Tania said. “They’re here, Zane.”

  Skyler looked to the sat-comm unit on the table. On the screen were the faces of Zane and Tim, and Skyler felt as if he’d not seen them in months. It had been weeks, in truth. Both the older man and the younger looked tired.

  “Good morning, gentlemen,” Zane said. “Tania has filled us in.”

  Tim leaned in toward the camera. “Thanks for the supply delivery, by the way. It’ll buy a bit of time, at least.”

  “More will be on the way soon,” Tania said. She hadn’t budged from her place against the wall, and hadn’t looked up at Skyler, either.

  Christ, I should have kept my damned mouth shut. Skyler had an urge to cross the room and take her hands in his, tell her not to blame herself. But deep down he wasn’t sure he’d mean it. What good was a lie to comfort a liar?

  With the thought came a deep and twisted stab of guilt, as if he’d wronged her instead of the other way around.

  “Tania says you found something in the rainforest?” Zane prompted.

  “I did,” Skyler replied, grateful for the shift in focus. He crossed to the map, aware of Tania as she moved a few steps away, presumably to give him space. At least, the others would think that. “Here,” he said, drawing a circle on the laminated chart with a dry-erase pen. “If I had to guess, I’d say it’s one of the pieces Tania saw approaching with the shell ship above us.”

  “There were five, right?” Tim asked.

  “Five that I could see,” Tania said.

  Skyler tapped the circle he’d drawn. “It carved a long, shallow tunnel when it landed, and sits half-submerged at the far end. There were, well, a number of subhumans surrounding the area. Humming some kind of chant.”

  “Singing,” Karl muttered. “A chorus.”

  “Half-submerged?” Tania asked. Her gaze fell on the map now, her sulking mood forgotten with the news of a discovery. “So you entered the tunnel?”

  Skyler nodded. “What I saw in there has given me nightmares since,” he told them all. The silence that followed was absolute. “The side of the vehicle has a hole in it, or some kind of door. Point being, it’s open. The whole place is shrouded in some kind of haze, but I managed to get close enough to see inside.”

  “What was in there?” Karl asked, his voice a gruff whisper.

  “A subhuman. Kneeling in front of some kind of … altar, I guess. Hexagonal in shape, and lit from within in red.”

  “Red?” Tim asked. “The tower groups that left last night were lit as well, we’re told. Was the color the same?”

  “The same as one group,” Skyler said. “Each group had a different coloration, but the red group went to this place, from what we can see.”

  “Four groups,” Tania said, almost to herself. “I saw five ships, but only four groups of towers departed. Maybe they’re not connected?”

  “Or maybe one ship didn’t make it to the surface,” Tim said, his excitement palpable.

  Zane put a hand on the youngster’s shoulder to quiet him. “What do you mean, the subhuman was kneeling?”

  “On its knees,” Skyler answered. He held up a hand before anyone balked at his sarcasm. “On its knees, with its hands outstretched. Grasping that hexagon thing with both hands.”

  “Weird,” Karl said.

  “There’s more. The subhuman was being coated with some kind of …” He inwardly recalled the scene, as he searched for the right words. “Some kind of armor, or second skin. I can’t explain. All I can tell you is, the subhuman was already half-covered when I found it, and when it turned to me …” He shivered.

  Tania asked the question. “What did you see?”

  Skyler looked at each of them in turn. “That red laser light, coming from within. Where eyes should have been.” Even describing it made him shudder. The creature had only looked at him, and yet it filled him with more dread than any subhuman encounter he’d had before.

  “Do you think it was—”

  Skyler held up a hand. “I’m not going to speculate; it’d be a waste of our time. My advice? We go out there, in force, and make a judgment based on what we find. Maybe get those towers back so the camp can keep progressing.”

  No one spoke.

  “It’s been almost a week since I saw the damn thing,” Skyler added. “The only rampant speculation I’ll make is that there may be more of them, these transformed subs, and now aura towers have moved into the area as well. What that means is anyone’s guess. My gut tells me the longer we wait the harder it will be to do anything about it.”

  “No,” Tim said. “Not necessarily. If we wait a month maybe the towers will run out of power, or these beings will die off, or leave. There’s no way you can know—”

  “Right,” Skyler said. “That’s the reaction I expected. Let me know when you’ve all finished debating.” He turned for the door.

  “Wait,” Tania said.

  When he stopped, she moved to the map and studied the spot he’d marked, as if it allowed her to see the place. “Skyler’s right. Karl, open the gun locker, and put out a call for volunteers. As many as want to go and that we have environment suits for. We’ll bring one tower. I don’t want to risk more than that.”

  Karl’s eyes darted between her, Skyler, and the screen. “You sure?”

  Tania nodded once, her mouth a hard, thin line. Skyler guessed she was anything but close to sure, but he wasn’t going to argue. He couldn’t help but wonder, though, if her unilateral action was really a peace offering to him. Either way, it signaled a change in her, a flash of decisive leadership, and he’d take it.

  “Okay then,” Karl said.

  Elias approached Skyler as he cleaned his sidearm. Skyler greeted the man with a friendly wave, and in answer the immune only managed a slight smile.

  “You’re leaving, aren’t you?” Skyler a
sked, setting the weapon aside.

  “It’s that obvious?”

  The man offered his left hand to shake, the right being in a spray-on cast, and Skyler clasped it. “Thanks for your help,” he said. “I’m sorry about Davi and Wilson.”

  Elias kicked the dirt around his feet. “You rescued us; it’s you who deserves thanks.” He spoke so softly Skyler had to lean in to hear the words. “All this fighting, it’s not in me.…”

  “I understand,” Skyler said. He gripped the man’s shoulder. “Where will you go?”

  Elias ran a hand across his scalp, smoothing strands of hair across the bald space. “Home,” he replied. “It may seem stupid, but I wish to bury my family, to live somewhere I had happy memories.”

  “Not stupid,” Skyler said. “I wish you well. You’re welcome back here any time.”

  He lingered. “I wondered if I might take one of Gabriel’s trucks. It’s a long way.”

  Skyler winced, internally. Only four of the vehicles remained in functional shape. And though the colony now had nine motor homes, and an entire city to pick through for more, Gabriel’s leftovers were armored, fast, and known to be reliable.

  Elias sensed the hesitation. “A motorcycle would be better on these roads, but beggars can’t be choosers.”

  At that Skyler grinned. “Actually, a bike I can help you with. Fully charged, even.” Skyler provided him with a description of where he’d left it.

  The quiet man thanked him again and wandered off. Skyler finished strapping on his gear and walked across camp toward the tower yard.

  He took a route that brought him near the black vehicles Gabriel’s people had left behind. Without a word, the other immunes fell in with him, as if they had some silent agreement. Ana, Vanessa, and Pablo were all decked out in scavenged combat gear, and Skyler couldn’t help but feel a rush of pride.

  Not a word passed between them. Skyler walked on, with the three immunes on either side of him. Everyone they passed stopped their work to wave, or simply stare. We must look like quite the badasses, Skyler thought. He fought to keep a smile off his lips. People had died here, less than a week ago. Many of the colonists had lost friends, or even loved ones. And then there was Ana.…

  She walked in lockstep with Skyler, at his right. Her face and posture exuded grim determination, as if the prospect of more combat could keep her brother’s death from her mind. Maybe it could. Skyler feared the loss might only continue to increase her reckless behavior. For the immediate future, he thought the best place for her was right next to him.

  Twenty people had gathered by the tower yard, looking every bit the ragtag posse they were. About half of them wore environment suits, but Tania he saw had opted for plain clothes. It surprised him that she’d eschew the extra protection of the suit, and he wondered if it was just a show of solidarity for the rest of those going without. More surprising was the handgun she wore in a shoulder holster. He resisted the urge to ask her where she’d gotten it, or when she’d learned to fire it.

  The mood of the crowd changed, flickers of hope or concern, perhaps both, as he strode up with his three armed-and-outfitted immune friends in tow.

  A large water pail sat in the dirt near the group. Skyler flipped it over with one foot, then stood on top of it.

  “You’ve all heard by now, I’m sure,” he said. “We’ve seen scant few subhumans since arriving, and now we may know why. I found something in the forest, past the reservoir. A crashed Builder ship, we think. And it seems to have drawn the creatures to it. It’s tempting to just let them be, but with a good portion of our missing towers now there, we need to go find out what we’re dealing with. If possible, we’ll bring those towers back.”

  Grim faces stared at him. Grim, tired, and yet amazingly determined.

  “The camp’s success depends on it,” Tania added.

  Skyler went on. “Form two groups. Those with suits in one, the rest with the tower. These people with me are immunes, former captives of Gabriel. Some of you may have met them over the last few days. They’ll be with me, scouting ahead, roving between groups as needed.”

  Some in the group offered waves and nods to the newcomers.

  “Bring a little food, but don’t go overboard. We’ll have to come back by evening since the suits are air-limited.”

  He gave them all a long, deliberate look. “Remember, subhumans or not, the rainforest has plenty of dangers. Snakes, jaguars, and so on. Keep alert, and keep quiet when possible. We’ll leave in five minutes.”

  A few of the volunteers darted off toward their tents, presumably to fetch more supplies. The rest shuffled into two groups, one designating members to handle the movement of the aura tower.

  Exactly five minutes later, Skyler turned and began their march. The rest of Camp Exodus came out to watch, forming lines along either side of their path. Some offered words of encouragement, but most were silent. They simply stared, their expressions a blend of gravity and hope.

  Belém, Brazil

  7.MAY.2283

  AT THE EDGE of the unnatural cloud, Vanessa nudged Skyler and pointed off to their right.

  Half-obscured by the dense haze, amid a ghostly forest canopy, an aura tower loomed. He saw the traces of red light first, washing across the grooves on its surface as if a flame burned within the huge black object.

  The tower had come to rest right at the point where the cloud became unnaturally thick.

  Skyler called a halt.

  He glanced left, but if another of the red towers sat in that direction, he could not see it through the haze or the dense forest.

  By now the strange droning hum of subhumans had become a constant background noise. The creatures, however, remained obscured within the mist. Skyler reminded himself that most of the members of their party had never seen one of the creatures up close, much less fought one. The visibility within the cloud would only make things worse.

  He called the leaders of the two ad hoc “squads” into a tight circle, urging the rest of the colonists to spread out a bit and stay alert. Tania joined, too, as did Ana.

  Skyler leaned and spoke in a hushed voice. “If everyone goes in, and we’re attacked, we’ll end up shooting each other as much as the subs. Worse, people will lose their sense of direction.”

  Everyone nodded.

  “I think,” he went on, “we should form a wedge here. We immunes will go in and try to draw them back out. No one shoots until we’re behind the line. Understood?”

  “What do we do with our tower?” one of the group leaders asked.

  Skyler peered over their heads and did a quick survey of the ground around them. The wayward red-lit towers had carved a path through the rainforest, uprooting small rubber trees and monstrous kapoks alike. Some were just scattered splinters now, as if exploded from within. At least our path home is obvious to everyone. But as the towers neared the crashed ship they’d spread out and formed what appeared to be a circle around it, leaving patches of thick forest between their divergent paths.

  He pointed where two large trees stood to either side of the forged path the group now stood on. Both trees were tucked within the embrace of strangler figs and together looked like two pillars guarding the entrance to the area. “Keep the tower between those trees,” he said. That would put it sixty meters or so away, he guessed, leaving plenty of room for the colonists to work within the aura it provided, without having the tower too close to the action. The last thing he wanted was to spark another defensive system, as the poorly aimed rocket had done the previous night. “Those not in environment suits will form a second firing line between here and there, in case the rest of us need to retreat. If we’re overwhelmed, anyone who can should rally at the tower.”

  That last brought a pang of fear to the face of the suited squad leader, an expression the man quickly tried to hide. The other seemed content with the plan. For Tania’s part she still wore a mask of determination and cold confidence, a face she’d maintained throughout the entire marc
h. If Skyler hadn’t seen how she handled herself in Hawaii, he might have questioned her comfort level. Once again he eyed the gun strapped under her arm. This time he arched an eyebrow at her. She simply returned the expression, questioning the fact that he would question her.

  He let it go. “Have your people fan out, take what cover they can, and when everyone’s in position we will go in.”

  Both squad leaders nodded. Tania did as well.

  “Right, then,” Skyler said. “Ana, Vanessa, Pablo … with me.”

  A breeze picked up and stirred the silent army of trees around them into a swishing morass. The haze that blanketed the crash site shifted with the change in wind, pushed into the colonists’ positions. With a wave from Skyler, the two groups moved back a few more meters and hunkered down again.

  Skyler crept ahead into the cloud and crouched, gripping his gun lightly with both hands. Ana fell in beside him without a word, and a few meters to his right, Vanessa and Pablo paired up as well.

  In no time the thick haze enveloped them. A glance back provided no evidence at all that the colonists waited just ten meters away. Soon Vanessa and Pablo became ghostly shapes at his right, and Skyler made a point to move closer lest they get separated.

  At the point where the humming sound only came from the left and right, rather than ahead, Skyler called a halt with a subtle tick-tick sound. He pulled Ana gently by the sleeve until they were next to the other pair, and whispered to all of them.

  “They’re on either side of us now. I suggest we halt here, and go that way.” He motioned in a line perpendicular to the direction they’d been going. “First sub we run into, we put it down and then retreat back to the others, and see how many follow.”

  Pablo’s brow furrowed. “Suppose we find none, or go a long way. Everything looks the same in here.”

  “If we keep the compass needle—”

  A low, guttural sound killed the words in his mouth. It came from his left, behind Ana.

  The girl reacted with incredible speed. She whipped around and brought her rifle up in one motion, a split second before a bony, filthy subhuman emerged from the swirling mist. It dove toward Ana, outstretched hands so dirty that for one terrible heartbeat Skyler thought they were coated in that black armor.