by Robert Lyons
“Focol … you need to be careless about most things.”
Focol flexed his back, muscles straining as he tried to tear the door out of the frame it was locked into.
“…If you can do that, you’ll be on your way to becoming a golden-eyed Haarä.” Lume grinned.
3.
Safely inside of the second room that served for the gathering of information from Chroma, John leaned against the wall that separated the humans from the Chroma and Bifol. “That should’ve taken care of those harpooning bastards!” John sighed mildly, elated that the experimental explosive was more than effective.
Locking themselves into an Intel-Gathering Room gave the team two tactical advantages.
First, these types of rooms had the highest security measures in the entire facility besides the main entrance. Second, the room beyond the one they were currently in was where the actual Intel was extracted from the captured Chroma. That room was equipped with a complex climate control system, which meant that there were ventilation systems. It was the start of a roundabout journey to daylight.
“Okay, we move into the next room and use the climate control ducts to get to Level Three. Once we get to Level Three, we make our way safely to the surface. From there, we call to the chopper to pick us up. The medical officer will be secured and Jim will drop the Heavy Ordnance. We’re gonna finish this fight.”
The Heavy Ordnance was not a specific weapon. Rather, it was a broad term for the weapons that were used to combat elevated threats. The use of the Heavy Ordnance was limited, due to the danger that the weapons posed to the user and friendlies in the surrounding area. In addition, the power cells that activated the weapons were sparse.
“Zoe, get the door,” John spoke, picking up his SCAR-FN from where it hung from the sling.
“Yes, sir.” Zoe nodded.
“Steeljaws, take six,” John told his subordinate as he walked over to the door Zoe was standing by, allowing her captain to take the lead.
“Captain, I’m not—!”
“Gunnar. We don’t have time. Play the role like I taught you. What happened back there was terrible, but shit happens. Don’t let the failures of the past screw up the future. Doubt in the unit will kill us all.”
“Yes, sir!” Steeljaws answered, falling in line toward the back.
John nodded, then turned to look at Zoe.
“On my mark, you will press the button labeled, ‘SC-01.’”
Zoe placed her finger on the button that she described to Sandy.
On Zoe’s cue, the medical officer pressed the same button on the console that was on the opposite side of the room. The door leading to the interrogation room hissed as the seal disengaged and the gears rolled inside of the frame. After the mechanical lock disengaged, the door swung slowly out into the pitch-black room.
Steeljaws coughed as the filters in his faceplate struggled to keep out the gut-wrenching smell. He could only wonder how the medical officer was able to handle the stench, since she didn’t have the equipment the rest of the team had. No surprise, Sandy was barely holding it together.
“Plow through it,” John took the lead.
Just as his boot crossed over the threshold, something leapt down from the top of the door at an alarming speed. Without hesitation, John raised his SCAR and fired the shotgun under-attachment, releasing buckshot through the body’s core. Blood and gore exploded into the darkness of the room beyond.
John gritted his teeth, ejecting the shell out of the mini shotgun. “I’ve never seen this level of fucked from the Chroma before!”
“No!” Sandy cupped her hands over her mouth in horror. “Domingo!”
“For fuck’s sake!” Zoe growled as she extracted a large knife from under her chest plate and walked up to the mutilated corpse that was hung from a rope attached to the top of the doorframe. The simple trap was somehow setup so that when someone passed through the door, the dead body would swing down. This was not a trap meant to inflict damage. This was meant to send a message.
“What are you doing?” Sandy asked as her voice strained.
“Clearing the path!” Zoe narrowed her eyes. “Since you are too chicken shit to adapt!”
Just as Zoe was reaching up to cut the rope, the medical officer stood her ground.
“Hey! Are you just going let him drop?”
“What does it look like I’m doing?!” Zoe turned, glaring at the medical officer.
“Don’t you have an ounce of respect for the dead—?” Sandy couldn’t finish her sentence fast enough.
Zoe turned her whole body around and grabbed Sandy by her uniform collar, slamming her against a nearby wall. Sandy’s short blonde hair was ruffled from the impact. The Hellcat was staring down at the medical officer; there was about six inches difference of height between the two.
Steeljaws’ body moved in Zoe’s direction. The sight of someone holding Sandy down enraged him. It didn’t matter if that someone was Zoe Arsenault herself, Steeljaws decided this was going too far.
John blocked Steeljaws’ path before he could intercept.
“Let Zoe settle this,” John cautioned in a low voice. “Sandy has to pull her own weight at some point.”
The medical officer’s inability to adapt was becoming an unnecessary burden for the team. The time used to set her straight had the potential to save time for the remainder of their getaway. That was John’s silent hope.
“From what I can tell, you haven’t been in a lot of shitty situations before.”
“I have not—I’m a medic.”
“Yes, you’re a medical officer, but that doesn’t mean that you’re allowed to be any less than what we are. I’ve seen many rookies handling situations the way you do. There are two ends for people like you,” Zoe said without waiting for a reply. “Overcome your fears and live or stay a little shit and die. No, wait—I take it back—there’s a third end that you can take.”
Zoe suddenly pushed the knife up to Sandy’s soft throat. The medical officer began to squirm as she squeezed her eyes shut.
“Zoe! What are you doing?!” Steeljaws shouted.
“Trygstad, stand down! That’s an order!” John thundered.
“Yes, sir,” Steeljaws muttered with restraint, his body rigid.
“The Third Road is an opportunity to have your life ritually ended. You won’t have to deal with the hardship, the pain, or the Chroma. I can end it for you—this instant.” Zoe narrowed her forest-green eyes.
The medical officer breathed though her nose. She tried to keep her trachea still to avoid the razor-sharp knife from cutting her. She opened her eyes, the fear from before no longer in them.
“The Third Road is a way out when there is no way to save our own. It’s not a good feeling knowing that you’re about to die because a Chroma did you in—so we take care of it. This is the one-time opportunity I’m going to offer you. After this, I will never offer you the Third Road again, no matter the situation you might wind up in.” Zoe leaned in, merely inches away from Sandy’s face.
“I don’t deserve that, Zoe.” The medical officer’s voice was low, but determined. “Not when these men and women died such horrific deaths for my sake.” Sandy put her arms against Zoe’s chest plate and, using the wall behind her as leverage, she was able to shove Zoe back about two feet away from her.
Zoe didn’t rush back to pin her prey. She stayed back, studying the young woman with newfound curiosity.
“Smokey and Roadblock came here willing to give their lives up to complete the mission. I won’t spit on their graves by dragging my feet. If it’s not readily available, then I’ll find the strength to keep going.”
Sandy walked past Zoe and promptly strode up to Simmons’ corpse. She knelt down, ripping off his nametag and stuffing it into her pocket. She also removed his weapons belt and, after a small girth adjustment, fitted it around her own waist. Taking out the H&K USP model pistol and checking to see if it was loaded, Sandy engaged the safety and faced the rest of th
e team. “I can’t do nowhere near what you all can do, but I’ll help as much as I can!”
A small smile made its way on Zoe’s face. She didn’t have to worry about concealing her amusement thanks to the helmet that shielded her entire head. Steeljaws stood still, absolutely awe-struck.
“See that, Gunnar? If you would’ve just let me get a little personal in the very beginning, we would’ve had another killing machine from the start,” Zoe called over her shoulder.
Steeljaws rolled his eyes, slightly vexed with Zoe’s gloating.
Zoe turned from Sandy and walked toward Domingo’s dead body.
“Gunnar, get your ass over here and give me a hand!”
Steeljaws nodded, slinging the UMP-45 over his shoulder so that the weapon rested next to his back. Hoisting his arms under Domingo’s armpits, Steeljaws held up the corpse while Zoe cut the rope. Steeljaws carefully carried the corpse out of the way, gently setting the remains down on the floor.
The medical officer whispered something as she reached down and removed Domingo’s nametag and jammed it in her pocket next to Simmons’ tag. Sandy suddenly seemed very determined that those nametags leave the premises in one piece.
The next room’s single green light located on the far wall was broken. Even with the generator providing power to the security room’s lights, the interrogation room beyond was still blanketed in absolute darkness. The team entered, flashlights fixed to the ends of their weapons. However, even with the flashlights on, there was nothing to see. A foreign, black, sticky substance clung to almost every square inch of concrete surface, absorbing virtually all light.
“What the hell is this?” Steeljaws’ words escaped him as he swung his gun around, scanning the area.
“This is not their blood. The color is the same, but the consistency is way different,” Zoe commented, her HUD showing no signs of life remaining in the room other than the team around her.
I’m turning this hole into a gravesite, John thought, his eyes harboring the scorching fire of justice. This place will become a memorial for all of those who have lost their lives here. I’m going to personally see to it that this pit is filled up to the brim!
Countless families were robbed of their loved ones. All of this destruction and grief amounted to achieve what goal? What information was worth extracting at the cost of this many lives? Jones vowed that the Ninth Force captain and those of the captain’s choosing would be briefed into the mission program the moment the data drive was recovered, but not a word until that prerequisite was fulfilled.
There’s probably no survivors left, Commander Jones’ voice echoed in John’s head from the briefing. John turned to look at the medical officer for a moment. Typical Jones. Mission first, people second.
“H-Help … me,” a rasping voice was coming from the far left corner of the room. The team took a step back, straining to peer into the dark muck. Someone was there. The frighteningly scrawny body was so thoroughly enveloped in the sludge, it was almost impossible to distinguish it from the surrounding darkness.
“Open fire?” Steeljaws’ finger lightly rested on the trigger. Zoe pointed the Kriss Vektor at what seemed to be a humanoid that was sealed to the ground.
“Hold your fire!” John shouted. “Keep your lights on that point!” The captain took a step toward the shape that was sealed under the goo. The voice was familiar, no matter how weak or distorted it may have been. The captain had his suspicions, but he had to find out the truth.
“Bodt? Bodt—is that you?” John uttered with realization.
4.
The captain quickly closed the distance, sliding down to his knees on the other side of the shape. That was when he was able to see the face of his childhood friend, wholly engulfed by the sludge, except for his face.
“J-John…?” The outer edge of Bodt’s face was fusing with the rest of the dark goo that vacuum sealed him to the floor.
“Shut up, Bodt! Save your strength!” John urged. “I’m getting you out of this!”
“You can’t, John…” Bodt exhaled. “It’s a-already taken my legs … my arms … everything.”
“W-What?” John’s face contorted with disbelief.
“Whatever this is, John … it’s a-alive. I can f-feel it eating away at me.” Bodt let out a wet cough, vomiting some of black goo out. “I don’t have long, so listen up. I don’t know all the details … but a red eye was captured. It was f-found near a village … somewhere in Russia. Everyone there was dead.”
An entire village?! The mental image of a town filled with dead bodies, similar to that of the hallways outside of the room, flooded into John’s mind.
“What we thought was a red eye … turned out to be a gold. It could camouflage … as a red. Looks like they can do that.”
A sharp pain shot through John at the mention of “golden eye.”
“John … we’ve severely … underestimated the enemy.” Bodt coughed up more black sludge. His pain-filled wheezing was agonizing to listen to. “Get out of here, John … I’m leaving the Chroma in your hands.”
John’s eyes began to burn, but he quickly concealed the feeling that threatened to slow him down. Instead, he focused on the building anger to keep himself moving forward.
“After all the shit we’ve been through, and this is how you’re gonna go out?” John shook his head in disbelief.
“Well … don’t leave me like this. Do me a courtesy, would ya?” Somehow, Bodt found the strength to squeeze out one last, weak laugh. “…The Third Road, John. It would be an honor if you were the one … sending me down the path.”
Zoe and Steeljaws both stiffened as they stood outside of the doorframe. Their faces were tight, knowing what was coming next. Sandy, standing behind the two warriors, looked away with a disturbed look in her eyes.
There was a sad smile on the captain’s face. He knew this demand was coming, but there was no way he could leave Bodt in this condition. The captain was going to respect his loyal comrade’s request. John slowly shouldered his rifle, pointing the barrel directly at Bodt’s forehead.
“Do you still remember the words, John?”
“Unfortunately, they always seem to be fresh in the mind…”
Broken the body, the fighting spirit carries on.
Your time served has ended, now find rest.
The journey has reach its end, but not
By the hand of your enemies. This road,
This path you’ve chosen, ends not with
Disgrace, but with honor. Pass on, you’ve
Fought the good fight. We will shoulder the
Burden from now on. Yield to the Third Road.
A single gunshot rang out in the small space, the trapped echo reverberating for several seconds. John took a couple of deep breaths, clenching his teeth. The pain threatened to crush what was left in his chest. He had never lost so many friends in such a short span of time.
The rest of the group entered with caution, studying the environment around them. Although Bodt had mentioned that the black goop covering every square inch of the floor, walls, and ceiling was alive, it seemed unresponsive to the human intruders.
“I’m sorry, John.” Steeljaws walked up to the captain with Sandy in tow, while the Zoe walked the outer perimeter of the room to be certain their surroundings were clear of any other threat. “You did the right thing. Bodt was in so much pain.”
At first, the captain didn’t respond. He stared at the now-lifeless, shriveled body of what used to be his friend. “I know that. I could hear it in his voice. You have to be in a pretty shitty spot to crave death the way he did.”
John paused again, his eyes widening with realization.
“Wait … Bodt was tasked to extract information from that red-eyed Chroma.”
Which means! John slowly turned around.
Just a couple feet away from the captain, Zoe was frozen in her tracks. Her flashlight was pointed at another body that was sealed under the goo “creature.”
&nbs
p; She lifted her faceplate with a trembling hand. The fear she harbored for her husband since he left for his unannounced assignment was threatening to paralyze her. Zoe scrambled desperately over to the other figure.
John closed his eyes. Fuck. So this was his assignment?
Standing with knees slightly bent and facing toward each other, Zoe’s hands began to shake as tears rolled down her face. The blood draining from her face, her skin turned white as snow. The soul bound to her was torn out of her body. The warrior’s pupils shrank as she softly began muttering to herself.
There was only one man in the world whose death could render Zoe into such a state of absolute ruin.
“Who was that?” the medical officer asked softly.
“Holt … Drew Holt. The man who stole Zoe’s heart,” Steeljaws spoke softly.
Zoe Arsenault’s racing mind implanted a warm memory in response to the emotional trauma. It was all she could do to avoid a complete meltdown.
The birds outside were singing softly as the rays of light of the early-morning sun were cast across her legs and side, warming up her naked body that was decorated with many scars. The badges of honor that she’d earned reminded her of the battles she had faced and won. As a reward for overcoming her enemies, she was able to experience this moment.
Wrapping his arms around her bare waist and snuggling up against her navel was Drew Holt. She peered through her disheveled black hair that drooped over her face, watching his massive back slowly rise and fall. He was still fast asleep. Since it was their honeymoon, Captain Kubovics made arrangements so that their jobs of destroying the Chroma would be covered for a short period of time while they enjoyed the consummation of their marriage.
Her eyes veered away from her husband, looking up at the object that wasn’t there the night before. It was a clear vase, filled with the most beautiful bouquet of Amaryllis flowers she had ever seen. The vibrant red petals were almost too overwhelming to behold.
“Beautiful,” the word slipped from Zoe’s mouth without her permission.
“Just like you,” Drew said without any indication of waking up.
Zoe looked down to see the face of the man she loved more than the world was now staring back up at her.
