They waited while the conversation dragged on. More and more monkeys appeared in the branches on both sides of the trail. Braden and Micah stood back to back, ready to fire. Pik faced toward the trees, stoic, like a statue, with Aadi hovering behind him. On the other side, Bounder counted the heads, lining up his shots where he could get more than one monkey at a time.
“We can go now,” Bronwyn finally said, waving to the monkey, who waved back as he headed for the trees. With a couple screeches from their leader, the monkeys melted into the jungle and disappeared.
“What was that all about?” Micah asked, taking the teenager’s hand as they started walking down the trail. The other companions followed. Bounder had hoped there’d be a fight. He didn’t care much for the monkeys, either.
“They are here because the Professor created them to stand watch, make sure that no one traveled this path without the Professor. Once I explained that you were the President and in charge of the Professor and the entirety of the island, they agreed to let us pass.”
“Thank you, Bronwyn. Why did it take so long to explain that?” Braden asked.
“They didn’t understand what a president was or how much of the world is out there. I tried to explain it, but there’s a lot.” Bronwyn smiled at her own joke. Micah stroked the girl’s long hair. She was a gift to them all. As Braden had told her long ago, they could always use more allies.
When the trail left the jungle and turned toward the hillside, Braden and Micah got their first glimpse of the entrance. It was as large as Zeeka had tried to describe. The gate across its front was impressive.
They walked to it as a group, the misfit mob following closely and watching everything the humans were doing. Braden was unnerved by the mob, but Bronwyn would have been angry if he said anything. He wondered how Micah felt.
‘Same as you,’ Micah replied. Why did he bother thinking to himself? He expected he should just say everything he thought out loud and be done with it.
“I understand why you are afraid of them. After the Professor drugged you and the Prince, he made my friends carry you to his lab. You probably remember that and it makes you angry. They won’t do anything like that to you again,” Bronwyn told him, still holding Micah’s hand.
When they reached the gate, the hand-pad to the side told them it was locked using Old Tech. Micah had activated the other door, so she tried. The panel flashed green and the lock released. The gates swung inward. “Why do you think those doors are working for you?” Braden asked.
“Maybe it knows that I’m the President? Or maybe it’s just because I’m a human, through and through.” Micah shrugged.
Braden looked back at the companions, then asked Bronwyn to tell the mob to stay outside and guard the tunnel entrance for their inevitable return. He walked through without further delay. Skirill flew past and downward. Braden’s first instinct was to stop him, but they wanted to know what was ahead.
Skirill shared what he saw as he flew slowly down the tunnel. Zyena and Zeeka flew in before Brandt filled the entrance. The others took the hint and squeezed in front of the King of the Aurochs. Pik pulled Aadi behind him. Bounder passed them, to be closer to the action. Bronwyn walked behind Braden and Micah.
They were bunched up. Braden liked them to be more spread out, but they were in a tunnel. Even spread out, there was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. The ‘cats crouched on the King’s head, barely fitting, but none of them wanted to walk when they could ride and have a great view of the minions beneath them.
Skirill flew ahead, showing a winding passage. It turned to the right and continued for a couple hundred paces, then turned back to the left, then right, then left. Braden asked Skirill to wait for them as they continued downward. Zyena and Zeeka joined Skirill and waited at the corner, five switchbacks down, watching the way ahead. The ancients’ panels lined the roof of the tunnel, providing plenty of light.
Micah checked in with Holly and after three turns, he was pleased that he was still able to see them. Micah looked at the tunnel, getting close to the walls so Holly could see what she saw. He suspected that the tunnel had been carved using tools that were common to the ancients. He had no other information for her, but she kept her window open to track their connectivity as they descended.
When they were one turn away from the Hawkoids, the three took wing and continued slowly downward, zigzagging to keep their speed under control. Five more turns and they stopped. Water started to drip from the roof and the walls of the tunnel. The floor was arced, high in the middle and low against the walls, where a gutter allowed the water to run downhill.
They followed the five switchback routine four more times before there were no more turns. The tunnel leveled out and continued straight ahead, ending at a gate, the size and style mirroring the one in the side of the hill on the island. Micah’s hand opened the gate. Braden stopped the Hawkoids from flying ahead. The humans carried the large birds so they could turn them loose the heartbeat they knew it was safe.
Holly was still with them, which was a great relief to Micah. She didn’t know what to expect, but Holly would help them deal with the Old Tech side of it. Since the gates were locked, maybe it was as simple as finding Caleb and any others, then walking back to the surface. If someone managed to get through the gate and up the tunnel, where would they go? It was an island and everyone living there reported to the Professor. There was no escape.
The tunnel curved upward toward a wide opening where they could see a sparkling, dark blue sky.
A New Enemy
They stopped at the tunnel entrance and looked, amazed at the sight. They were in the middle of a large park, well-groomed with a road that led away from the tunnel. In the other direction, there were walkways with benches and trees.
And people.
Braden didn’t see any Bots, so they asked the Hawkoids to give them a better view of the city. Skirill, Zyena, and Zeeka flew in three different directions, flying close to the dome itself as they looked down at a modern city, unlike anything currently on Vii. It looked like pictures that Holly had shown Braden of Sanctuary before the war.
The dome above was mostly clear, with beams at regular intervals, wide at the base and soaring to a point above where they converged at the peak, the dome’s top. Outside, they saw schools of fish, the sun’s light sparkling through waves that were not that far above. Holly had believed the undersea facility was at the bottom of the ocean and although that was true, it wasn’t very deep below the surface.
Inside, there even seemed to be a monorail people-mover of sorts. A sleek looking train, filled with people going somewhere. Braden and Micah walked toward a couple sitting on a bench. They didn’t look alarmed at the Wolfoid or the Lizard Man, but their eyes widened when Brandt emerged from the tunnel and into the well-lit area.
“Excuse me,” Braden said with a smile. “Would you happen to know Caleb, a big fisherman, a little bit older?” He looked at Micah. It never hurt to get right to the point.
“I’m sorry, I’m afraid we don’t know a Caleb,” the young woman answered, before looking away and humming to herself.
“How many people are here?” Braden followed his first question, thinking he already knew what she was going to say.
“I don’t know that!” she exclaimed before excusing herself. The man with her bowed slightly as he took her hand and they strolled away.
“If everyone here came from White Beach, how come no one we see looks like they came from there? Those people were fisherman, kind of angry too, when we attempted to save them from coming to this paradise.” Braden wasn’t trying to be sarcastic, but it sounded that way. The residents had been actively hostile when Braden and Micah couldn’t feed them.
Braden didn’t know what to do besides spread out and ask everyone they met if they knew Caleb. “How long has it been since Caleb was taken? A moon, two moons?”
Micah settled it by asking Holly. It had been twenty seven days, less than one moon, or one month as
Holly told them, as he continued working to get them to use the ancients’ standard time system.
“So we ask who the new people are, someone who’s been here less than a moon,” Braden suggested. Micah didn’t have anything better, but she didn’t want to split up. So they walked as a group, the oddest group to ever walk the streets of Atlantis.
A siren began to wail. They knew the sound because it had played at New Sanctuary once when a Cygnus VI survivor started a fire in their room. The siren continued to wail, loud, soft, loud again.
The people all stopped what they were doing and immediately headed toward the nearest doorway. Braden and Micah took the cue and ran for cover. Brandt tried to look inconspicuous as he was nearly as large as the building they ran toward.
‘Brandt, the tunnel for you. It’s the only place you can hide,’ Braden told the King over the mindlink. The Aurochs immediately turned and tore into the turf as he raced for the tunnel entrance.
Braden and his companions jogged toward a building with windows facing the street. Two people had already hurried inside. Braden caught the door before it closed, holding it for Micah, then Bronwyn, Pik and Aadi, the ‘cats, and finally Bounder, who had been covering them as they entered. Braden followed them in, closing the door gently behind himself.
“What’s that all about?” Micah asked one of the locals.
“It’s the standard call. It means there will be a security sweep. How do you not know this? It is the first thing we learn.”
Braden wanted to follow up, but watching out the window, he saw a Security Bot appear between two buildings. It hovered down the street, passing the windows where Braden watched in shock. He looked at the companions. Then to Micah. The field generator was still in the corridor outside the Professor’s laboratory.
“A field generator would come in handy, right about now,” Braden said out loud. He leaned sideways to see where the Bot had gone, but it was no longer in sight. He could see the park and that gave him hope that the Security Bot wouldn’t check the tunnel.
“How many of those things are down here?” Braden asked. The young man shrugged.
‘We need to go back and get the field generator,’ Micah said in her thought voice.
‘I think you’re right,’ Braden replied as two Security Bots converged on the tunnel entrance. ‘Don’t fight them, Brandt!’ Braden ‘yelled’ over the mindlink as he helplessly watched the King of the Aurochs emerge from the tunnel, head bowed. One of the Bots lashed out with a tentacle and Brandt screamed in pain, raising his head to bugle his anguish. The second Bot used its tentacle to shock Brandt from the other side. The King turned and charged the Bot, catching it by surprise. Caught on the ends of his horns, the Security Bot was crushed against a wall.
“No security field around them?” Braden said aloud. The first Bot hovered behind the Aurochs and shocked him until he went down. Two Maintenance Bots arrived and strapped Old Tech devices onto him, two on each leg, one on each horn, and with a long strap, they wrapped one around his neck. When the Bots moved away from the Aurochs, the King started to lift into the air, flopped upside down, his head hung oddly as the devices didn’t balance correctly. Another Security Bot joined the other, remaining behind while the first slowly moved away, pulling the hovering Aurochs.
‘Skirill! Keep an eye out for where they take Brandt. Don’t be seen. Any of you!’ Braden told the Hawkoids.
The Maintenance Bots recovered the pieces from the shattered Security Bot and departed. The third Security Bot took a position in front of the tunnel.
‘Holly, it appears that we have a problem,’ Micah said through her implant.
The Security Bot at the tunnel entrance flashed a laser beam at the window. It drew a line through the window and into the room.
“Shut it down! Shut the link down!” Braden yelled as he ducked, even though the beam had already touched him. Micah closed the link while Holly was mid-sentence. She shut it completely off.
The Security Bot danced his laser beam into other buildings nearby, then shut it down.
“Great,” Braden said in dismay. Their escape route was blocked, and they couldn’t use Holly to help them fight an Old Tech enemy. “What is this building? Is there a back way out of here?” He grabbed the young man roughly, shaking him to get an answer. Passive, cowed, the young man hung limp in Braden’s arms. He let go and the man fell to the floor. The young man got back to his feet and dusted himself off.
‘G?’ Braden asked.
‘They are like children, doing only as they are instructed to do. They have no real memories. You won’t learn anything from them,’ the ‘cat said dismissively. Bronwyn stepped in, and Braden nodded to her.
“I’m Bronwyn. What’s your name?” she asked innocently in a little girl’s voice.
“I’m Fifty-Seven Delta,” the young man replied. Bronwyn never judged anyone else, she accepted who and what they were without question.
“I am very pleased to meet you. We are new here and hope you can help us find our way. There is a great fisherman named Caleb, and he would be one of your newest arrivals.” Bronwyn smiled and waited patiently for the man to answer.
He pointed to the window instead of speaking.
“I don’t understand what that means. Do we need to go outside?” Bronwyn asked, confused.
“Yes, where they took the big creature. All the newcomers go there,” he replied tentatively.
“Thank you, you’re very kind,” Bronwyn gushed. “How long have you been here?”
“Always,” the man answered. Bronwyn looked at G-War. The ‘cat shook his head.
“Thank you, again. We’ll be on our way now. Please enjoy the rest of the daylight!” Bronwyn waved Braden aside so they could leave. The sirens had stopped wailing while they’d been inside, and the people were returning to the streets.
Once alone, Micah toured the rest of the building. It looked like a small shop, but without any merchandise to sell or trade. Furniture was sparse. The good news was that there was a back door. She opened it and saw another road just like the one out front. Micah looked for any Bots and not seeing them, she waved the others to her.
“It took Brandt that way, toward the center of the dome, and that’s where I want to go,” Micah said. The Hawkoids confirmed the location. They were perched at various high points around the city as they assumed their roles as the eyes and ears of the companions.
Braden stopped the companions from rushing outside. “I’ve been thinking,” he started. Micah rolled her finger at him, wanting him to hurry. “The Professor, the misfit mob, the Security Bot at the laboratory. What did the Professor say? Something about using us to build creatures that he could control?” Braden hesitated and took a deep breath.
“They could have easily killed Brandt. Those were Security Bots! I think the Professor’s standing orders were to capture all of us, so they could do as he was going to do with Fea, cut into us and take out whatever it was he thought he could use,” Braden stated, talking slowly as he tried to wrap his mind around the situation.
“We got that, so what’s your point?” Micah asked impatiently.
“Since the Professor isn’t around anymore, they’ll probably just keep Brandt and any others who the Professor was going to experiment on in some sort of holding area, a cell or pen, in Brandt’s case. We didn’t check the other cells where I was held, did we?”
Micah closed her eyes and shook her head. Her father could have been mere steps away and she might have missed him.
“I think we can use our blasters and staffs on the Security Bots. They weren’t shimmering so I think they didn’t have their defensive shields active. We can work with that. It doesn’t mean they can’t turn them on, but it means that we might get the first shot. Here’s what I’m thinking–we can’t bunch up, stay spread out as much as possible. If anything happens, we scatter, come back here individually. Nobody fires on a Security Bot unless we can all shoot together.” Everyone nodded. “Let’s go find Brand
t and Caleb.”
Then Micah stopped them. “Who is Gloria?” she asked. “I’d forgotten that until this very heartbeat. You don’t think, do you?”
“I’d forgotten that, too. The Professor said Security Bots and Gloria. He’s got an AI,” Braden exclaimed, realizing the important point that he’d missed. “We need Holly now more than ever.”
They couldn’t stay hidden and rescue their people, so they decided to deal with Gloria if she appeared in some way. Micah went out first, moving to the far side of the street. They spread out, far and wide. Pik and Aadi, Bounder, the ‘cats, Bronwyn, and finally Braden. He had no trepidation at keeping Bronwyn away from the others. She was the one who would attract the least attention. Any one of the companions trying to protect her would draw more attention. She was better alone and probably had the highest chance to get out unscathed.
Braden tried to look everywhere at once. Left, right, up, down, not even sure what he was looking for. Bots? Sensors of the type that Holly used? Ancients?
Skirill watched the Security Bot take Brandt in through a big gate, like the type they saw leading into the warehouse in Cameron. It was next to a large, windowless building. Zyena was on the other side and shared that all the roads in Atlantis ended at the central building, or looking at it a different way, all roads radiated outward from that building. On her side, she saw windows and doors and what looked like normal humans entering and exiting.
Although having listened to the encounter between Braden and the natives after Brandt’s capture, she wasn’t sure how she should define normal.
Zeeka hunched low over the top of a building that overlooked the park located close to one side of the dome. She watched the tunnel and the surrounding area to give the companions a view of their escape route, if they had to leave in a hurry. The tunnel remained blocked by the Security Bot. Zeeka hadn’t seen Braden and Micah in action, so she could only guess at how they would deal with it. Zeeka’s parents had the utmost confidence in the humans, and she trusted her parents, so she would support Braden and the companions to the best of her ability. She settled in for what could be a very long wait.
Free Trader Box Set - Books 4-6: Battle for the Amazon, Free the North!, Free Trader on the High Seas Page 60
