by Scott Baron
“Glad to hear that,” Vince said. “Unfortunately, it looks like the debris is still there.”
“Yes, it is. And so, divine will requires we must go around it. Be very careful upon the surface, the invaders still frequent this area sometimes. It is a dangerous place. Do not wander.”
“After you, then,” Vince replied.
Silently, Arthur’s team filed up the darkened staircase toward the surface. The door was closed, but the lock mechanism was long dead, its power never restored.
“Follow us, and stay low,” Arthur said. “We need to pass this area unnoticed if we are able. The accessway to the undamaged tunnels is fairly close. From there we can continue safely underground.”
Daisy mentally ran through the route to Vincent’s ship and compared it with the one they were taking via the tube and tunnel system.
“Arthur, I know you are comfortable using the tunnels and the tubes that are not pressurized, but this path is taking us a pretty long distance out of the way in the process. I was thinking, maybe if we traversed the surface in a more direct line, we could get there before dark,” she said.
“No. The tunnels are safer. We do not stay on the surface. Ever. The tunnels will take us to where Vincent says his craft landed.”
“But I’ve seen his ship when I landed here, and I can already tell you that the underground access points in that whole area looked pretty bombed to shit.”
“She’s right,” Vince agreed. “I noticed that when I first set out to scout the area. Eventually we’re going to have no choice but to travel up top. Maybe if we split up into smaller teams? Four groups would be much less likely to draw attention than one big one.”
Arthur did not seem pleased with the news, nor with the suggestion.
“We will deal with that problem when we reach it. For now, we cross the danger zone and get to the nearest access point.” He pushed the door open and scanned the empty streets.
No sign of Chithiid.
“We go. Now!”
Quickly and quietly, the small group rushed from the protection of the stairwell. The young guard taking up the rear made sure to carefully shut the door behind them, then hurried to catch up to the others. The area was silent, with not a trace of activity anywhere to be seen.
Daisy noted the destroyed building Arthur had mentioned, its hulk lying toppled across the roadway. Whatever they had done to the Chithiid ship, it had also done quite a number on the structure, which tumbled into its footprint before tipping over, blasting debris all around it from the impact.
That sight rapidly faded behind them as they sped along the empty sidewalks, ducking for cover when possible, but mostly just running for the next accessway.
“I tell ya, Daze, they’re sloppy but pretty fast. A little bit of tactical training and these guys might even stand a chance.”
Agreed, but for now, I’ll just be glad to get to the ship and back to their camp in one piece. Training can wait for another day.
“Obviously,” Sarah said. “Hey, check it out. Nine o’clock.”
Daisy glanced to her left. A small patch of dirt had been overrun by bright green growth. Nature, it seemed, found a way.
I see. Those look like carrots tucked in there, Daisy silently replied, veering from the group and sliding her pack from her shoulders.
Quickly, she dug them from the soil, using one of her ceramic blades to loosen their grip on the earth.
“What are you doing?” Arthur hissed as he rushed to her side. “This is no time to dig for flowers. We must go!”
“They aren’t flowers, they’re carrots,” she said, shoving them into her bag as he pulled her back to the main group.
“I don’t care what you call them, we need to get underground. The entrance is close, now. Keep up!”
“Daisy, did he call them flowers?”
Yep.
“I don’t think they know what a carrot is.”
Nope. Judging by the food we had last night, that doesn’t surprise me.
The revelation sat oddly in Daisy’s stomach. Of course they didn’t know how to garden. They’d been raised by a transit AI, and one who likely had no experience whatsoever in the ways of botany and horticulture. Once it became cut off from the rest of the network, it lacked even the most basic resources to acquire new knowledge.
The vast web of information formerly at everyone’s fingertips was as much a blessing as it was a curse. It could tell you all you ever needed to know in an instant, but relying on it could leave you in the dark if it suddenly went away. And that was exactly what had happened.
“They don’t know what carrots are, Vince,” she said as they crossed an empty intersection, weaving between the abandoned vehicles.
“I saw. Once we get back, we might actually be able to do something about the malnutrition, Daisy. Something that won’t even take months or years. A few weeks and we could have them cooking like Finn.”
“But keeping all of their fingers attached, right?”
“Yeah, good point. Maybe not exactly like Finn,” he chuckled.
Arthur crossed an uncomfortably open space to a nearby building, then pulled a piece of metal aside, revealing an intact doorway hidden in the battered courtyard.
“This way. We have kept this access secret from all but a select few. You must never speak of it,” he said, opening it and stepping inside.
“You can count on us,” Vince agreed. “Mum’s the word.”
The group was motivated to get back underground, and with an impressive bit of hustle, all were safely behind the door and heading downward in less than thirty seconds.
The collective shoulders of the fighters visibly relaxed once they were safely in the tunnels again, but Daisy was already missing the warm kiss of the afternoon sun. Real sunlight on her skin, not full-spectrum lighting elements in a sterile base far above Earth’s surface.
The next several hours were spent mostly in silence, the group walking for what seemed like forever, until they finally arrived at a large arrival hub. From this point, the pressurized tube system used to launch transit pods at supersonic velocities across the nation, the vacuum-sealed loop providing almost zero resistance to the speeding passenger pods.
Every few hundred miles, a burst of electromagnetic charge would help keep the vehicle moving at a constant speed. When it was fully functional, one could travel from coast to coast in a little under two hours.
“With the accessways closest to Vincent’s ship blocked, I am afraid that from here on out, we must cross the city above ground. It will be at least several miles,” Arthur said grimly.
His team of burly guards blanched at the news. Sturdy muscles and big guns aside, they clearly did not want to go up there if they could at all avoid it. Daisy and Vince shared a knowing glance and a little smile. It seemed they were going to have to take charge, but in a way that didn’t make Arthur seem weak to his team.
“You’re right,” Vince said. “It’s going to be a long walk. I think your idea about fanning out and sticking to the perimeter in four smaller groups like we talked about earlier was a good plan. How do you want us to divide the team?”
Arthur, if he realized the idea was not his own, did not let on. Quickly, he split the men and women into four squads of four. Vincent and Daisy would each go with a different team, to keep them from both risking injury should one group be attacked. The others divided themselves according to personal preference.
They really need a lesson in leadership, Daisy mused.
“You could do it, Daze.”
Maybe, but let’s see if he understands the first rule of leadership. All it takes are those two simple words.
“Which ones are those?” Sarah asked.
‘Follow me.’ Daisy replied, then adjusted the pack on her shoulders and moved to the exit in front of them.
“Okay, Arthur, ready when you are,” she said
The reluctant leader took the hint and cautiously eased the door open.
“Let�
��s go. Everyone stay within fifty meters, and keep to whatever cover you can find.” He took the first step, leading his teams out into the open.
Not a bad start, so far, Daisy noted approvingly as her group followed, darting to the opposite side of the street.
Her team consisted of two older men, Richard and Ezekiel, each bearing scars of an undoubtedly tough life, and a young woman roughly Daisy’s age, who was designated the team leader. Diana was her name, and the more they quietly chatted as they walked, the more Daisy found herself liking her. The can-do attitude and willingness to deal with the situation, despite being uneasy about it, gave her a quick bit of respect for the young woman.
Richard and Ezekiel split the team, one man taking point, the other taking the rear, while Daisy and Diana walked between them.
“So, the resistance has been having skirmishes with the Chithiid for over one hundred years?” Daisy said.
“Yes, that sounds approximately accurate,” Diana quietly replied. “Though we are few, and they are many, so they mostly ignore us unless we are blessed with the opportunity to reduce their number. Topside has been relatively quiet for many years now, though with yesterday’s incident, there are likely more of the invaders in the area now.”
“I get it,” Daisy said. “They don’t hunt you, exactly, but they don’t leave you alone either. You’re just not their priority. I guess it makes sense, especially since they seem far more interested in targeting non-organic lifeforms.”
“Yes, the mechanicals. They are a scourge as bad as the invaders. Both need to be destroyed and purged from our world.”
“From what I hear, their AI virus fried most of their brains. Looks like the networked communications system was corrupted somehow, though that should have been impossible from the outside. In any case, so far as I can tell, it wiped out nearly all of the lesser AIs in the city.”
“AI? What is an AI?”
“Artificial Intelligence. Like Alma.”
“Alma is not a mechanical. Alma is our protector.”
“Yeah, right. Well, let’s just say the AIs in the city got sick, and when they did, the mechanicals got sick too.”
The two walked quietly for a bit.
Gotta be careful what I say about Alma, apparently. They treat her almost like their mother.
“Or their deity,” Sarah added.
The man in front of them slowed his pace and raised his weapon as they passed another doorway. Clear of danger, he lowered the barrel and continued forward.
“Hey,” Daisy quietly said, “I’ve been meaning to ask. What’s that thing Richard’s carrying on his back?”
“That? It is a portable alien transport disabler.”
Daisy looked more closely at the wires protruding from the device. “It’s a bomb?”
“Alien transport disabler.”
“So yeah, a bomb.” She shook her head in disbelief. “And he just carries it around without any protective housing?”
“What for? If the opportunity arises to deprive the invaders of one of their vessels, we must be ready to strike!”
“But that doesn’t mean you need to forego basic safety—Oh, never mind. We’ll discuss making some tactical adjustments with Alma when we––”
Four massive Chithiid rounded the corner, walking at a fast clip, nearly bumping into Richard as they did.
Both aliens and humans were taken by surprise, and both reacted quickly. Diana’s team ducked into the adjacent office building’s cavernous lobby as they opened fire on their alien pursuers. The Chithiid blasted the walls around them as they ran into the building after them, chunks of concrete and granite flying from the massive columns supporting a decorative cupola high above.
Out in the street, weapons fire could be heard as the other teams likewise came under attack.
“Diana, on your six!” Daisy shouted to the girl.
Confused, Diana turned to look at her.
“She doesn’t understand,” Sarah said, just as the realization hit Daisy as well.
Diana managed to raise her weapon as the Chithiid behind her lashed out with the beam whip from its wrist gauntlet. The crackling energy band wrapped around her arm and wrenched the weapon free.
“Daisy!” she cried out in panic.
“Hold on, Diana! I’m coming!” Daisy vaulted the nearby counter, Richard turning and firing at the four-armed creature as she ran to help. Three bolts hit it in the torso, but it was already too late. She saw Diana’s body fly across the room and crumble into the stone wall, thrown effortlessly by the creature’s whip beam before it succumbed to its injuries.
Richard turned back to the other threats. He and Ezekiel were engaged in a pitched fight with two of the remaining three aliens, exchanging pulse fire from their cover behind the stone columns. The third alien, a particularly nasty-looking one with a large crescent scar on its shoulder from some earlier battle, was using the pulse rifle exchange as a distraction, attempting to flank the two men.
“Richard! On your right! The big one’s flanking you!” Daisy shouted. Unlike Diana, who had the drive, but not the experience, Richard reacted immediately, turning and firing at the sneak-attacking alien.
Yes! That’s the way! Daisy silently urged him on as he pinned down the flanking creature.
“Keep him there! I’ll circle around––”
Richard then did something incredibly foolish. Flush with excitement, he let out a whooping battle cry and rushed from cover, charging the disadvantaged alien. Unfortunately, this not only left his body vulnerable to pulse fire, but also the explosive device still strapped to his back.
Oh, shi—
A massive explosion rocked the building as a direct pulse hit detonated the bomb, taking Richard and several columns out in the process.
Daisy should have been killed. Only the sheer, blind luck of being shielded by an ugly and oddly out-of-place sculpture saved her from the flying metal and stone. Even so, she was blown clean off her feet and thrown across the lobby.
Ezekiel and the two attacking Chithiid were not so lucky as the blast sent shrapnel and debris flying into their bodies. The human died instantly. The Chithiid took a bit longer.
About five seconds longer, to be exact, as that was the amount of time it took for the cupola above them to come crashing down around them, sealing Daisy off from the street, while crushing the two aliens with falling debris. She was alive, but she was trapped.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Daisy struggled to get to her feet. She was uninjured—the large, ugly sculpture had absorbed the force of the blast—but still had trouble rising.
“What the hell?” she said, finding herself stuck to the marble floor.
She looked over her shoulder. A piece of stone, and metal rebar had pinned her backpack to the ground, but somehow left her unscathed.
“Holy shit, that was close.”
Across the sealed-off chamber, debris shifted and fell as the large, scarred Chithiid threw chunks of stone as it pulled itself free from the tumbled column. By a fluke, the stone had fallen in a manner that had formed an air space, which miraculously prevented it from being crushed. The scar on its shoulder, she noted, was a different color than the rest of its body. A deep blue that contrasted with its dark gray skin.
The alien noticed the movement from across the destroyed lobby, all four of its eyes locking on Daisy’s immobilized form. It bellowed with rage, flinging debris as it lunged to its feet, running straight for her.
Shit! Daisy frantically yanked on the straps around her shoulders as the alien charged her. Come on, you bastards, let go!
A massive, boot-clad foot smashed into the stone where she had been just moments before as Daisy executed a sloppy but effective diving roll to the side, smoothly recovering and landing on her feet.
The alien turned, but rather than blindly charging, it studied her movements. Daisy adjusted her stance, readying herself for the multi-limbed opponent.
Oh, a seasoned fighter, I see. I’m
going to need your eyes, Sarah, she told the ghost in her head.
“I’m on it. Looks like its lower left arm might have taken a hit in the explosion. That’ll be the weak side.”
If these things really have a weak side.
The Chithiid watched her silently talking to herself a moment longer, then made its move.
Martial arts executed skillfully by any human can be an impressive sight. Watching a four-armed beast of a creature move gracefully into a multi-pronged attack was something that Daisy found herself appreciatively in awe of, even as she desperately flew into motion, defending herself from the whirling attack.
The creature landed a glancing blow to Daisy’s shoulder, but rather than go hard and fight the impact, Daisy went soft and flowed with it, using the momentum imparted to push her effortlessly into an enhanced-power spinning kick, following it up with a brutal hook punch.
Soft is strong, she mused. Thanks, Fatima.
Her boot connected with the alien’s leg, dropping it slightly lower. It wasn’t quite what she had hoped for, but it was nevertheless low enough to allow her punch to land square on its jaw.
The impact stunned them both—the alien from its rattled head, and Daisy from her aching knuckles.
“Sonofabitch!” she growled, shaking off the pain.
“Good thing those gloves have impact padding built in, or you’d have broken something, for sure.”
Wary of its surprisingly tricky opponent, the Chithiid shifted tactics, launching a series of acrobatic spinning kicks. Daisy parried the first several easily, but then the alien shifted its center.
“Go left!” Sarah yelled in her head, saving Daisy from a nasty kick that very well might have ended the fight there and then.
The alien didn’t stop its attack, though. It opted instead to continue spinning, dropping into what Daisy could only liken to some sort of Capoeira from Hell. With four arms to pivot on instead of just two, her alien assailant became a whirling dervish of fists and feet.
“Shit, it’s so fast! Go right! I mean left!”
A kick landed, sending Daisy flying across the room. Her ribs, accustomed to Tamara’s frequent punishment, withstood the blow, not even cracking after all the long months of constant abuse and healing.
