For a brief moment nobody moved.
Water sprinklers activated and sprayed down from the ceiling. It sparked the tableau to life and Matos shot the man to Avery’s right. Kaya lurched forward, swinging his fists in huge arcs before him. Twisting away like a bull fighter, Matos kicked him in the back, sending Kaya falling over debris and into the smoke.
Two soldiers raced into the room and tripped on the fallen doors. Ringo crawled onto his knees and threw a shard of glass at Matos. He instinctively raised an arm and ducked. The soldiers rushed him. Matos ducked the first blow, but was barreled into by the second. Through blurry eyes she watched the three men grapple.
The larger soldiers arm snaked around Matos’ neck, lifting him from his feet. Matos fired his pistol down towards legs behind him. The man fell backwards, screaming with blood covered pants and holding up his arms. Matos spun and fired twice at second soldier. He put a round into Ringo’s head as he tried to rise from the floor.
Matos glanced at Avery and gave a brief nod.
Before she could shout a warning, Kaya knocked the pistol from his grip, sending the weapon spinning across the floor. He advanced on Matos throwing punches and kicks, forcing him back towards her. Avery struggled against her bonds, trying to reach out an arm.
Matos dived to the side of Kaya, rolled on the floor and came up in a fluid motion holding a shard of glass. Kaya jerked backwards but Matos stabbed the glass into his neck.
“This time you won’t be breathing when I finish with you,” Cain hissed.
He let Kaya fall and turned to face Cain. She balled her meaty fists and gave him a savage grin as she stalked forward. They moved in a semi circle facing each other, Cain hunched forward and Matos in a back weighted fighting stance.
Cain threw out her left jab but Matos recognised the feint and moved out of distance from a right cross. She threw the same combination and Matos pivoted around her right arm. He punched twice at Cain’s exposed rib cage then kicked hard at her knee cap. She sagged forward with a scream, collapsing on her injured leg. Matos followed her trajectory and delivered a roundhouse kick to the side of her head. She made a mewing noise then slumped unconscious on the floor.
Avery glanced quickly around the lab, blinking to clear her eyes. The room was unrecognizable. Muddy grey water, blood and debris sloshed around bodies on the floor.
“Time to leave,” Matos said.
He released the leg and arm restraints and Avery slid off the chair. She stood and stretched, flexing her muscles.
Matos was already through the smoke filled door opening. Avery glanced at Cain then followed him out into the corridor. Red lights flashed on the ceiling in time with a high pitched fire alarm. She gasped in the smoke filled corridor and covered her mouth. Bodies pushed past her, running for the stairs.
“Stay cool,” Matos said, pressing a backpack into her arms.
They walked at a quick pace along the corridor to the staircase. Avery kept her head down as she mingled among the scientists. They filtered through the staircase door opening and up the first flight.
“Proceed to level one,” Avery shouted,
There was a commotion above them on the stairs as a squad of soldiers ran down in full combat gear. They pushed the scientists back against the walls. Hitting and swearing at those remaining in their path.
Avery hugged the wall as they thundered past her down the stairs. Matos stood next to her, facing the wall but looking at her from the corner of his eye. “If we move fast enough they won’t know what’s going on until we’re out.”
More soldiers ran up the stairs around them. They were heading for their emergency evacuation positions on level one. She filtered into their ranks and jogged up the stairs past level two until they arrived at level one. At the access door she made a show of directing them inside.
Matos squeezed past her and climbed towards the blast door. She risked a glance in his direction to see him operate the biometric scanner lock. The large door began to open and she glanced anxiously back at the trooping soldiers. They were still filing into level one without fear or curiosity.
Once they were all through, she raced up to the blast door. It was beginning to close, its bulky steel moving back towards her. She dived though the narrow opening and pulled her legs through. There were footsteps on the steel staircase below. She turned to see a squad racing up the stairs towards them.
The mechanically operated door was closing too slowly. She pushed futilely on the steel plate as the first soldier reached the door. Matos waited by the opening, pulling out his pistol and shooting. Return fire pinged into their corridor for a split second before the blast door closed.
Avery ran for the control panel to find a way of stopping it from reopening. Matos tried to pull her away but she shrugged him off.
“It’s disabled,” he said, yanking harder on her arm.
They ran for the next door and moved through after repeating the closing sequence. Matos ran ahead to the main exit, while Avery watched the corridor disappear. There was no pursuit on the other side. However he did it, Matos had bought them some time. With Cain and Kaya down, only Daniels could take command and send out drones or tear them to pieces with cannon fire.
Matos didn’t hesitate in spinning the wheel to open the final door. With the operation engaged, they both pushed hard against it. The door swung wildly open and cold air blew across her face and body. The air tasted cool but crisp with a scent of pine trees.
“What if there’s too much radiation?” Avery asked.
“There won’t be any radiation.”
It was so dark she couldn’t see anything outside the bunker. Holding hands, they edged into the darkness. Avery began to see vague silhouettes in the distance, accompanied by disconcerting almost forgotten sounds. The cracking, scraping and rustling music of nature.
Vegetation brushed against her legs, leaving her tracksuit pants soaked. The ground underfoot hardened and she kicked at the earth to reveal a solid base. With night vision improving she risked a glance back towards the quiet bunker entrance.
Matos didn’t break stride at the road, turning left and increasing speed. Grass dragged at her legs and her trainers sunk in the soft muddy ground. A tree slapped at her face as she pushed through, then another. There was a darker shadow ahead and ducked to force her way between two trees. She checked her run, dodged, jumped and squeezed between obstacles until they broke onto open ground.
Matos was sprinting ahead, arms pumping and focused on the ground. Avery matched his pace, feeling her muscles waken up and start to burn.
She sensed the presence of a lake, before Matos slowed to a jog. They trotted towards a bank and looked down. Dark water stretched away in the distance, lit by a sliver of moonlight.
“There,” he said, pointing towards a spillway.
They edged onto a narrow dam then Matos stopped. Without another word, he hopped over the side. Sliding down the ramp, arms and legs stretched out for resistance until he was swallowed by darkness.
Avery couldn’t see the bottom. She grimaced and climbed over the side, her legs instantly slipping from beneath her. She threw out her arms to slow the fall, head bouncing against the concrete and air whooshing through her hair. She braced for impact, but Matos slowed her descent. Her feet hit the ground and gravity levered her forward to sprawl on the concrete base.
Matos ran haphazardly around the area searching for something. “There,” he said, pointing at a shadow.
He hauled open a hatch and dropped out of sight. Avery rubbed her head with raw hands, grimacing at dark opening. She rolled onto her feet and edged closer to the hole.
“Down here,” Matos whispered.
She squeezed into the opening, finding a cold wet ladder leading down. Matos stood on the concrete floor waiting. He raced up the ladder once she was down and pulled it back into position with a thunk.
They were suddenly in darkness. The sound of Matos climbing down the ladder echoed in the chamber. Avery glanc
ed around trying to get her bearings. A torch beam cut through the air next to her. Her eyes adjusted and she could make out the dimensions of a concrete rectangular box. The walls and floor were green with damp and it smelt like a public toilet.
“How did you know this was here?” she asked
“Always pays to have a back-up plan.”
Avery nodded but thought of a hundred other back up plans that wouldn’t involve being locked in tomb.
Matos began emptying his small backpack onto the floor between them. He gestured for her to do the same. She slipped out of the shoulder straps and dumped it on the ground. Fishing inside, her hand closed around a torch. With light to work, she began emptying the backpack.
There was a space blanket, paracord, knife, four bars of chocolate, four ration pouches, purifying tablets and two water bottles. A small foil wrapped bundle of bread and cheese, a pistol and two magazines.
For a short period of survival in an emergency, it was a good haul. But Avery knew they would need much more. More than they could ever find, even if they weren’t chased by soldiers, drones or Wraiths. She gave a short barked laugh at their supplies then turned to kick at the ground.
“Do you know who Eximus are?” she asked, whirling on Matos.
“We’re all Eximus.”
She wanted to fly at him, smash his head onto the concrete. Pull the answers to her questions from him by force. But she was tiring. Events of the last few hours took their toll from her body. Once the drama was over, there was always a price for the adrenaline.
She crouched then sat on the floor with a splat. “Are we safe here?”
“If we’re tracked, it will be for a nano signature or thermal image. They can’t penetrate solid rock.”
“Then what?”
“Have a refuge hidden near Rochester. Two room bunker with supplies.”
Avery threw up her hands and kicked the ground. “That’s a hundred miles away.”
“One hundred and forty five.”
“How can we get that far with Bloodhound drones and god knows what else tracking us?”
Matos frowned. “Do you have a better plan?”
Chapter 20
“We need to get back to surface now,” Sarin said.
Logan sat in his meeting room staring at Sarin. Heather, Jarod, Fox and Ortiz also gazed wearily at Sarin. He was like a broken record. Even after the success of the party, he wouldn’t let it go.
“We’ve eaten our apples to the core down here.” He added.
“We’ve suffered too much to blow it all by going back up too early,” Logan replied, in a monotone. “If Caspar’s predictions are right we need to wait another six months at least.”
“We can go up in suits and test the air.”
Jarod sighed loudly. “Do we have to go through this every time we meet?”
“There’s nothing to be gained by rushing. It’ll unsettle the community,” Heather said.
“Ortiz, what about you?” Sarin asked.
Ortiz glanced at Logan. “We’re ready, but I’ve studied this type of event. The threat level could be high and we have no intelligence. It would be foolish to break cover without a strategic plan.”
“Only he saw the mushroom cloud,” Sarin said, gesturing at Logan. “He could have been mistaken.”
“I wasn’t.”
“We only have your word on that,” Sarin replied.
Logan gave him a cross between a smile and a grimace. I’ll give him my boot on that.
He ignored Sarin and addressed Ortiz. “Continue military training for everyone. We prepare for a first investigation outside in two months.”
“But-”
“Let it go Rich,” Fox said, cutting him off. “There’s no rush.”
Fox moved the conversation onto food rationing, mealtimes and kitchen shifts. The meeting broke up and Logan was left alone. He waited five minutes then pulled on the Ghost cloak and wandered out into the mine.
He strode away from the miner’s encampment, towards the pull of the open manmade voids, shorn through the insulating rock. His pitifully thin torch beam holding back the darkness around him. Its light rested for a moment on a familiar sculpture, carved well before they had arrived. It was the image of a crouched body holding up the rock above.
“Keep it up,” Logan said, patting the sculpture’s shoulders.
There wasn’t long to go. In a few months they would start to return to the surface. Find out what had happened, and return to some form of normality. At least we’ll always have the mine. A haven no matter what happens.
He rose and began walking back to his cabin. Pulling up and stopping at a gentle hissing sound. Deep in the mine there was something. He strained to listen but in these windy passages it could be anything, even his own sounds circulating back to him.
Jarod was knocking on the door to his cabin. He banged on the door again then peered into the side window. Discarding the cloak, Logan jogged over before Jarod could turn towards him.
“What is it?”
“The generator was sabotaged by Sarin.”
Logan turned without a word and marched towards the hospital.
“He didn’t know what he was doing. It’s been repaired,” Jarod shouted.
Logan threw off Jarod’s hand when it reached for his shoulder. He continued marching down the tunnel, fist clenching and breathing deeply.
The hospital was surrounded by Ortiz’s men and a crowd was forming around their perimeter. The whole group stood back as Logan appeared in the tunnel.
“He’s locked himself in there,” Ortiz said.
Logan tried the handle and pushed. “Break it down.”
Two soldiers stepped forward with pick axes and smashed open the hospital door. They ran inside with weapons raised. “Secure.”
Logan followed Ortiz into the entrance. Sarin was held by the two soldiers, his face indignant.
“Why?” Logan asked.
“I know your secret but the rest of us are dying down here,” Sarin replied.
“Take him away,” Logan said.
“You blame me for Cate. It was your fault we didn’t get enough power.” Sarin said.
Logan curled his fist into a ball. “Don’t say her name.”
“It’s the truth,” Sarin shouted. He lunged for Logan and they both fell through the open door.
Logan took the fall and kicked up with his legs, sending Sarin cart wheeling over his head.
“Stay back,” he shouted to the soldiers.
Sarin was on his feet now and they ran towards each other swinging fists.
“Stop,” A woman screamed.
Sally Sarin rushed towards them pulling along her children in each hand. “Can’t you two behave?”
“Sally, stay there,” Sarin said.
He walked towards her and Logan could see anguish written all over her face. Sally shook her head then slapped Sarin in the face. She turned to Logan and glared. “You two, sort this out.”
She spun round and led the children back down the tunnel.
They were now surrounded by a crowd of people who seemed entertained by the spectacle. Some hiding muffled laughter behind their hands.
“I only ever tried to be the voice of reason,” Sarin shouted.
Jarod held Logan’s shoulder and brushed dust from his back. Logan gazed around at Sarin and Ortiz, the soldiers and growing crowd of people. “I need a walk.”
He left them all outside the hospital, staring at his back. Desperate for the embracing gloom of the mine, he headed away from their settlement. Stumbling on the uneven floor and hoping to be swallowed by the darkness.
The rock wall stung his fingers as they brushed against it. A physical pain he welcomed to distract his mind from thoughts of Sarin. As the tunnel angled upwards, the soft sandy floor gave way to solid rock.
He began to shout random words but the pitch seemed wrong. The mine snuffed out the sound but it echoed close to a wall. The floor leveled out and he could sense energy ah
ead. The heart of the mine was waiting for him, to answer questions of the universe. He started to run towards rhythmic sounds in the distance.
Staggering forward and blind to any obstacle he suddenly fell forward and landed in water. The cold shock cleared his confused mind and he surged up to his feet, spitting and shaking. Fumbling in his pocket, he pulled out a torch and flicked on the beam. In front of him, the tunnel sloped downwards and water flowed gently backwards and forwards.
Chapter 21
Avery’s thick dry tongue rubbed the roof of her mouth. It generated a small amount of spittle causing her to gag, as it hit the back of her parched throat. She stirred and shivered in the darkness, wriggling her toes in wet trainers and rubbing at sporadic itches and stings. Anything could be crawling on her in here.
It reminded her of the test. Find the light. Back when she was part of something. Part of a team working towards a better future.
She knew it for a lie. She’d been a tool and was no more a part of something than a turkey at thanksgiving. There was nothing for her now, other than a life on the run. Hiding, scavenging for food and water and living in caves or slums. She had turned against the army. Her breath quickened and heart began beating faster. If she could turn back the clock, reject the bunker offer and take her chances with her unit.
Sweet dreams alone in darkness.
Matos cleared his throat and his boot scraped against the concrete floor. Torch light illuminated a section of the chamber.
“Morning,” he said.
Avery ignored him, turning away from the light and closing her eyes in the hope of a few more blessed moments before she was forced to deal with reality.
“You awake?”
She rose to a sitting position. “Yeah, I’m awake.”
The torch light wobbled as he approached her. “Here,” he said, handing her a water bottle.
Cold sweet liquid gushed into her mouth and sloshed for a moment before being swallowed. She turned the bottle upside down, to lick out the remaining moisture. After the last drop hit her dry tongue, she tossed it away.
Eximus Page 20
