by Brian Fisher
Chapter 30
Kamira ran until her chest hurt and her lungs burned. Her dark tresses and robes flew behind her as she ran past people that were screaming for help or mercy. Her heart ached to stop and help, even though she knew that she couldn't.
Central Hall loomed in front of her like a monolith amid the destruction. The giant building swayed like a man that had too much to drink. Plasma ripped through the air all around, and exploded like a fountain of fire against an invisible wall that surrounded Central Hall. As she neared the forcefield, Kamira picked her way through the debris from a Ta'Reeth lander that lay scattered and burning in the once beautiful city center.
A single, dour looking Olcai stood, watching the carnage from behind the forcefield. Its once immaculate uniform was now in tatters. Kamira approached the invisible barrier, stopping just short of touching it.
"Commander Nor, it is good to see you alive. Where is your friend, Commander Mir?" Commissioner Valche forced the words to come out.
"T'Sula's dead." Kamira fought to keep back the tears as anger and deep sadness crept into her voice.
"That is most unfortunate. She was the one that was better equipped to deal with this situation." Valche sighed. "Although I fear that we all will join her soon."
"You're optimistic." Kamira scowled. The forcefield shuddered from the impact from a series of plasma cannons that were close enough to singe Kamira’s hair. "Valche, I think that there may be a bomb near the core of the planet."
"You are perceptive Commander. Our sensors found it just before the invasion began. It is located near the core, at our most sacred site." Valche smiled a sad smile. "We are all going to die. It is inevitable."
"Valche, shut up." Kamira snarled. "I may be able to help. I just need to find the bomb."
"Go to the planets core. Once you are there, you will know where to look." Valche shrugged helplessly.
"How do I get there?" Kamira started to get angry. "How do I get to the core?"
"Go down. Go to the lowest level of the city. At the lowest point you will find a door. The passage beyond will take you to the core." Valche fixed its gaze on Kamira. "The core is sacred to us. Please protect it." Valche then turned and walked away.
"Valche, how do I get there?" she yelled after the Commissioner. "How do I get to the lower levels?" Kamira tried in vain to get the Commissioner's attention, and then finally gave up.
"This is madness." she muttered to herself as she turned back to the chaos and ran toward it.
Time passed quickly as she ran. Dodging falling bodies as she went, Kamira forced herself into the heart of the chaos. Lumbering Ta'Reeth soldiers crushed and killed anything in their path. Men and women of all races pleaded for mercy and died.
Still Kamira ran. She ran until there was no place left to run, no place to go but down. The giant crevasse loomed in front of her, not a meter from her feet. Quietly she cursed the fact that she was still wearing a long, flowing robe instead of something more practical, like T’Sula’s ever present jumpsuits.
Kamira looked down into the depths of Olcai as the street began to crumble under her feet. She took a deep breath, and then started her descent into the darkness. Decent handholds and footholds were rare, forcing her to grip jagged metal and cables with her bare hands. The metal from ripped walls and broken superstructure tore at Kamira as she climbed. Her robe, stained and tattered, clung to her sweaty body like a second skin. Cuts and bruises on her hands and feet made climbing much more difficult as she resolutely pressed on, forcing herself deeper into the dark abyss.
The darkness grew closer and heavier as Kamira descended into the crevasse. A few sparks of light, nothing more than a live wire sparking against a ground, gave limited details of her surroundings, and Kamira was thankful to be spared the gruesome images being burned into her memory. Touch and sound quickly became the predominant senses that she relied on, as the smell of burnt metals overpowered the odors of mildew and decay.
Kamira heard the faint sound of something hard clicking against a solid metal surface as she finally reached the bottom of the crevasse. As the noise grew louder, Kamira cautiously listened, straining to find where the noise was coming from. After a handful of minutes, she found a door hanging ajar in a broken frame. She opened it and quickly stepped through.
Kamira took a deep, unsteady breath, eager to be rid of the unnerving clicking, and turned around. She stopped short as her forehead brushed against the nose of a gigantic cat.
"Well, well, what do we have here?" Kamira could not see the man that spoke because of the gleaming fangs just inches from her eyes.
