by Ann Bakshis
I let Lehen take lead, so I can think. We’re going to have to find some decent shelter and more food; that’s our number one priority. I can’t take Vladim on my own, at least not his army, so we’ll need to find some allies. But who? Who’s left?
We stop for a break, and while everyone eats, I go through the journal. There aren’t any major settlements close to the entrance. The closest place is the Farm Borough for Acheron, but that’s at least a week away. I doubt our food will hold out that long.
They finish eating, I place the journal back in my pack, and we continue west. As night falls, we stop along the shores of a massive lake. The entrance into Sirain is at the west end. We get up before the sun rises, using the coastline as our guide. After several hours we come across another set of ruins. Massive concrete boulders sit among crushed black stone, crumbling from age. I take out the journal and add the area to the map.
I wonder how many such places like this exist.
In the early evening I notice we’re approaching a large fence, very similar to the one we encountered when we exited Sirain. It goes right up to the shoreline then stops.
“Can we just walk around it?” Caitrin asks, skepticism in her voice.
I doubt it’s that easy.
We stop a few feet from it and look out over the water. A haze covers much of the lake. In the distance a pillar sticks up from the lake floor, and it seems the haze is drifting out from it. I look around the ground and pick up a small rock, then toss it into the water. It dissolves instantly, never touching the liquid. I take out the journal and re-examine the map. The entrance is shown as being over the water. The haze — whatever it consists of — must be a new security feature added after this page was drawn.
“Now what?” Lehen asks.
“It’s going to get dark soon,” Bevan begins. “Why don’t we make camp and figure this out in the morning?”
I agree, so we move a mile south and setup. I’m the only one who can’t sleep, so I take my pack and go back to the lake. There has to be a way to get past the haze, or at least eliminate it. Taking the Levin gun, I remove the safety features, aim, and fire. The lake ignites, flames reaching high into the sky. The haze burns off quickly, but a fresh layer rolls in from the pillar. I place the gun back in the pack after re-enabling the safety devices, and head back to camp.
A large armored vehicle sits idling close to our site. I take the gun out and approach cautiously. Laughter fills the air the closer I get. Lights from the top of the transport shine on the now-awake campers.
“Trea,” a familiar voice calls out.
I run into Braxton’s arms, then draw back with a frown. I’m thrilled to see him, but at the same time angry. Piran and Vier have built a fire, and everyone is currently sitting around it.
“How’d you find us?” Lehen asks.
Vier hands him my tablet. “Ares had scanned the journal into their computers. I downloaded it onto this. Since this is the closest entrance, we figured you came this way.”
“Why?” I ask Braxton. “Why are you risking your life out here?”
“You know why.”
“I wanted you to stay safe in Tartarus. You could get killed being with us.”
“I’m not letting you do this by yourself. You’re stuck with me, so just deal with it.”
I’m too tired to argue the point.
Caitrin and I are given the transport to sleep in while the men stay outside. The ground is soft compared to the benches, so I get very little sleep. In the morning, Braxton is making breakfast. He pilfered supplies before they stole the transport and broke through the electrical barrier surrounding the city. I thought Braxton would be furious with me for having Vier prevent him from leaving when I did, but he understood.
I’m glad he’s here, but I fear for his life now. It’s something I didn’t have to worry about when I knew he was in Tartarus.
“So, how do we get into Sirain?” Lehen asks, shoveling food into his mouth.
“The water is not a viable entrance,” I say.
“We can try and take out a portion of the wall,” Braxton suggests.
“How? And what if there are mortars on the other side?” Bevan asks, placing his empty food tray on the ground.
“There’s a tow cable in the back. We can harness it to a couple of the spikes sticking out of the concrete and use the vehicle to rip it down,” Braxton responds.
“Vier,” I begin, “can you see if there’s anything beyond the fence?”
Vier turns and focuses on the barrier.
“He can see through walls?” Caitrin asks, dubiously.
“Yes. The Quantum Stream allows him to see through obstacles,” I respond.
“It’s all clear,” he says, “but I can’t penetrate the ground.”
Lehen, Braxton, and Vier work on attaching the tow cable to the front of the vehicle while the rest of us clean up. Lehen and I wind the cable through a number of spikes at the top of the wall where it looks weakest. Braxton gets behind the wheel while the rest of us stand aside, away from the area. He guns the vehicle in reverse, and the tires begin to spin. It takes several minutes before the concrete begins to crack, but eventually the wall comes down in one piece. Braxton drags it out of the way.
Braxton doesn’t lower the hatch to allow us in. Instead he drives forward, slowly. I scream at him, even though he can’t hear me. He’s going to get himself killed if there are any mortars. My heart sinks as I watch. Lehen and Vier have to hold me back to prevent me from darting ahead and getting in front of the vehicle. The moments pass in agony. I can’t take it. I free myself just as Braxton clears the opening.
Nothing happens.
He drives a few more feet forward, stops, and opens the hatch. I’m the first inside. I run up to the front and start hitting him in the shoulder, screaming at him for being so careless. He simply hugs me, kisses the top of my head, and sits back down. I take the seat next to him while the others sit in the back.
“Where to, Trea?” Braxton asks, a smile on his face.
“Acheron’s Farm Borough. It’s the nearest outlier,” I growl in answer.
He closes the hatch and we move forward.
It takes us until the next day to get anywhere near the Borough. Braxton knows the way. We travel mainly on Acheron roads. There doesn’t appear to have been any military activity this far east, at least not that we can see. Braxton stops two miles away, so we can create a strategy for getting inside.
“If the Tyrean Army hasn’t been out here, we just have Regulators to worry about. I know the one in charge.”
“What are you suggesting?” I ask Braxton.
“We’ll drive the transport to the gate, I’ll step out, and try to convince them to let us in.”
“And if that doesn’t work?”
“We’ll improvise.”
This is insane, I think to myself. There has to be a better way.
Everyone, except me, is in agreement with the idea. While Lehen is driving the vehicle towards the entrance, I dig in my pack, remove my Levin gun, and disengage the safety features.
“I’m going with you,” I say to Braxton, sitting down on the bench next to him.
“They’ll recognize you. It’s too dangerous.”
“Then let me be close by.”
“Fine, but you need to stay out of sight.”
We come to a stop. Lehen opens the hatch and Braxton exits. I jump out and watch as he makes his way to the large iron gate in front of us. Cameras swivel atop the entrance, honing in on Braxton. He stops next to a keypad, presses a button, and begins to speak.
“Hello, anyone there? We’re in need of assistance.”
The speaker remains silent, but the cameras continue to hold their position. I side step closer to the front of the vehicle, gun raised.
“Anyone there?”
The gate opens slowly. A large man in a Regulator’s uniform steps out, weapon drawn.
“What do you want?” he asks, voice heavy and dark,
just like him.
“We’re in need of some supplies. We got trapped outside of the city when it was taken.”
The man sizes Braxton up and down.
“Where’s your uniform, Captain?”
He’s not buying it.
“It was damaged in my escape from being captured. Please, Neo, can you help?”
“There is no help here.”
Neo steps back inside and the gate closes. Braxton stands there for a few seconds, then goes back to the hatch where I meet him.
“Something’s wrong,” Braxton says, climbing on board.
He instructs Lehen to reverse the transport, but not turn around. The vehicle remains in reverse for several miles, before finally stopping. We gather in the back, each taking a seat on the benches.
“How do you know something’s wrong?” Vier asks.
“His response. In training, we’re told to ask if the person can help, and if you are under duress, the phrase we are to use in response is ‘there is no help here’. It lets your ally know something is wrong without tipping off your opponent.”
“So, what do we do now?”
“We wait until the sun has set. Lehen and Trea will go up to the barrier and try to get inside. Vier, you’ll need to tell them where the enemy is placed.”
“How can I tell them apart from the others?” Vier asks.
“You’ll be wearing night vision goggles. It should assist you in being able to see through the wall. From what Lehen has told me, your vision is good enough that you can ascertain specific details. So, you should be able to tell who is wearing a Regulator uniform and who is wearing an army uniform.”
We spend some time gathering weapons from the racks, locating the goggles for Vier, and ear buds for Lehen and me so we can hear Vier. Piran wants to participate, but I shoot down the idea, as he’s not prepared for such an incursion.
CHAPTER 16
The vehicle is too loud to move closer without being noticed, so Vier, Lehen, and I have to go on foot. Braxton kisses me for luck. We are to signal him if we’re not able to get inside. Once we’ve disembarked, Braxton moves the transport off the road and heads west. Vier won’t be able to see through the gate because of the iron, so we have to locate another vulnerable point of entry. We move to the left when we’re fifty feet from the wall. The Borough is huge, so walking the entire perimeter isn’t viable. After ten minutes we stop. Vier puts the goggles on and tries to look through the wall.
“What do you see?” Lehen asks.
“One patrol close to the entrance, consisting of five Tyrean soldiers.”
“So, they are here. Braxton was right.”
“Can you see anything else?” I ask.
“There isn’t anyone else out. The roads are empty.”
“I wonder how many soldiers there are.”
“Vier, go back towards the entrance and see what you can locate on the right. Lehen and I will continue to walk this way. Let us know what you find.”
Vier leaves. Lehen and I walk for twenty minutes when we come across a set of aqueducts feeding water into the Borough. They’re large, so Lehen and I climb into one and travel with the flow. We go several miles before being stopped by a grate.
“Now what?” Lehen asks, trying to keep his head above the water.
“Do you have anything that will cut the metal?”
“No. We could try shooting it.”
“That’s too dangerous in this small space.”
“I’ve got an idea.”
Lehen has me move behind him. He places his feet against the bars, leverages himself using the walls, and begins to push. His legs glow brighter the harder he pushes. The rods begin to bend, then finally break. We slip through the opening then drop with a splash into a pool. I come to the surface and swim to the side. Lehen helps me out and onto the stone floor. I look around the room, which is covered in pipes syphoning water from the pool skyward. There are stairs by the back wall, so we climb them, cautiously.
We enter a tiered greenhouse. Vegetation hangs at varying heights, in different stages of growth. The pipes from below shoot through the floor, watering the plants.
“Vier, can you hear me?” I whisper.
“Yes. Where are you?”
“In a greenhouse. Where are you?”
“I didn’t see much by the entrance other than the squad. I’m back over by some aqueducts. Is this how you got in?”
“Yes.”
“Then I’m coming to join you.”
Lehen goes back to meet Vier while I stay crouched on the floor by the first entrance I find. I hear a patrol go by, followed by another one ten minutes later. Vier comes up and crouches next to me, dripping wet.
“There’s a courtyard outside. There’s only one patrol and they’ve moved down towards the entrance.”
“What about the Laics? Or Neo?”
“I don’t see any Laics. There’s a four-story building just behind us and to the right. Neo is inside, talking to a man in an army uniform.”
“Let’s go for Neo,” I say.
No one argues.
Vier checks the perimeter one more time before we open the door and hurry out. The only sign of light is coming from a room on the main floor of the building. Vier indicates that’s where Neo is. We slink up to the window, keeping ourselves close to the ground.
“You did very well today, Neo. I’ve already alerted Commander Caderyn about Braxton being here. He should be sending a scouting party to look for him.”
“Why don’t you just destroy us now? That’s why you’re here, isn’t it? To take everything for Vladim?”
“He’s your Premier, Neo, and it would do you good to remember that.”
“He’s no ruler to me. He’s a fascist. A dictator bent on destroying the people of Acheron.”
We hear a loud crack, followed by a moan.
“Where is Neo in relation to the window?” I ask Vier.
He leans back, focuses for a few seconds, and removes the goggles. “To the right. The other soldier is a few meters to the left.
Lehen withdraws his weapon. I stand up, and aim mine at the window. Lehen fires first, shattering the glass. I kill the soldier, then jump into the room to make sure there isn’t anyone else. Lehen and Vier follow. We move away from the window, I grab Neo, and we take him to a room in the back corner as we hear sounds of heavy footsteps coming up the road.
I shove him inside. Lehen locks the door.
“You’re Trea,” Neo stammers. “How did you get here?”
“How many are there?” I ask, ignoring his question.
“Huh?” Neo says, looking around the room.
“Tyrean soldiers, Neo, how many are there?”
“Twenty.”
“Where are your Regulators?”
“Down in the basement in our cells. At least those who haven’t tried to escape or fight back.”
“Braxton,” Vier says into his mic. “We have Neo. The others are being held as prisoners.”
“Ask him where the weapons room is,” Braxton responds in my ear.
“Neo, where’s your weapons locker?”
“One floor up, next to the lift, but you won’t be able to get in it without the code.”
“They’re in the room,” Vier whispers as he looks through the wall. “They’ve noticed the body and broken window.”
“How many are there?” Lehen asks.
“Three, and they’re approaching the door.”
I pull Neo behind me, out of harm’s way. Vier draws his weapon and the three of us stand in a semi-circle in front of the door.
They open fire.
Levin blasts penetrate the room. Lehen and Vier are both hit multiple times, but the energy simply absorbs into my skin. The firing stops after several minutes, and all is quiet. I look over at Vier who is focused on the door. He looks over at Lehen and me, nodding. We return fire. The door is practically disintegrated. Vier whistles for us to stop, meaning the three are dead.
Ne
o stands up, visibly shaken. An alarm sounds as floodlights come on outside.
“They’ve tripped the alarm. Come with me,” Neo says, opening what’s left of the door of his personal quarters.
We follow him through the office and foyer, and up a set of stairs behind the lift to the weapons room. He punches in his code and the gate opens. We step inside and grab as many Levin guns, Dorongans that shoot propellant rounds, and conflagration cannons as possible. We then return to the stairs and head to the basement. The Regulators are all cramped in a cell made to hold only ten people. Lehen blasts the lock and we hand them all weapons. Many are shocked to see us, almost frightened. Once everyone is out, we go back up. Several of the Regulators head off to take care of any soldiers remaining in the building. Neo and Lehen go east towards the livestock corrals and the Laic housing. Vier and I move towards the gate.
We see flashes of conflagration slugs igniting in the distance, followed by flashes of Levin gun fire. Several propellant rounds land near the gate, killing two soldiers. Vier and I shoot while we run at anything in an army uniform. It takes only a matter of minutes to kill all twenty Tyrean soldiers. Regulators are busy collecting the bodies, placing them in the center of the courtyard while I go and meet Braxton at the gate. He drives the transport in, and I close the gate behind him. He opens the hatch, I climb onboard, and we drive to the Regulator housing.
“What happened, Neo?” Braxton asks, swishing a caramel liquid in a tumbler.
We’re all in Neo’s office. Two Regulators are busy repairing the window while the rest of us are sitting on couches, exhausted and thirsty.
“It was right after our communications with Acheron were cut,” Neo begins, taking a swig of his drink. “They had the passcode to open the gate. Don’t know how they obtained it. Had to have been someone working as a High Ruler Guard or a Superior since they’re the only ones with the codes. We didn’t know they’d infiltrated us until it was too late. They killed a handful of my Regulators and a dozen Laics. Once the situation had calmed down, the Laics were ushered back to their homes and only permitted to work if a Tyrean soldier was with them. My Regulators have been locked down in the holding cell ever since then. I was the only one allowed any kind of freedom, although I was confined to my quarters for most of the time.”
