by J. N. Chaney
I did what I could helping Ricky get to the shower, which consisted of offering a hand to steady him. Stacy did most of the supporting.
The showers were in a section of Cerberus I hadn’t seen yet. Stall doors lined up along the backside of a tile floor. Like most of the Remboshi installation, everything was white down to the stone-like floor, walls, and ceilings.
Stacy and I helped Ricky into one of these stalls before shutting the door for him. The stalls themselves were spacious, and as luck would have it, came with a seated area as well as a tube-like contraption that looked like a yard hose more than a showerhead.
“I’ll grab you two some towels and clean clothes,” Stacy said after we closed the door to give Ricky some privacy. “I’ll be back in fifteen.”
As Stacy walked out of the room, I took the shower next to Ricky. Like his, there was a square seated area that was made from the same stone as the floor. A hose came off the wall on the opposite side. A series of four buttons were below the hose, which I couldn’t read.
I took off my clothes and hung them on a hook that came out of the wall next to my seat.
“Any idea on what button to press?” Ricky asked from his stall.
“Nope,” I said.
I heard him curse as a spray of water erupted from his hose.
“The left button’s hot,” Ricky announced. “I think the right one is cold. The further we push the buttons in, the more of that kind we get.”
“Got it,” I said, pressing the hot-water button in two-thirds of the way and the cold-water button in just a third. Warm water came out of the hose. I noticed another hook above the hose, so I placed it there and started to clean up.
I didn’t realize how bad I smelled or how dirty I was until the stone floor was stained with dark brown and black streaks of water.
The center two buttons ended up being soap that was introduced into the water stream. I could have stayed there all day. Heck, I could have stayed there all night too.
There was just something about taking a hot, unrushed shower that rejuvenated my mind and body. All in all, I was feeling pretty good for a guy who went two rounds with robots after being chased through the mist by monsters. After my shower, I opened the door to see two piles of clothes and fresh towels.
I toweled off. Hearing Ricky finishing his own shower, I tossed a towel over the edge of his wall, along with his clothes.
“There you go,” I said. “You good? I mean, I don’t really want to help you get dressed or anything, but if you can’t, I can send Mutt in or something.”
“How thoughtful,” Ricky said snarkily. “I’m good. It just might take me a few minutes.”
“I’ll wait,” I said, putting on my own clothes.
The clothes provided were tight-fitting grey bodysuits, much like the ones Tong wore. They were a bit small, but it worked. I wasn’t going to start a new fashion trend or anything, but clean clothes were clean clothes.
Tong came in with a smile on his face and another tray of food.
“For many a time, I waited and prayed for the Great Dawn to arrive and now here he is standing in front of me and wearing the clothing of my own people,” Tong said. “I have brought food so you can eat while you change.”
I started to dig into the breakfast while Ricky slowly made his way from the stall, his wet hair clinging to his pale face. He looked a lot better but still far from a hundred percent. He leaned against the stall door for support.
“Can a guy get a little help around here?” Ricky asked.
Tong and I both jumped forward to help. I grabbed Ricky around the waist on his left. Tong did the same on his right. We guided him down to a bench like rock that rose from the ground.
“Thanks, that’s better,” Ricky said with a heavy sigh. “The pain in my side is killing me. Is that normal?”
“Does it feel like a horrendous aching coming from within?” Tong asked. “Like the very worst bruise you’ve ever had but only inside your innermost being?”
“Yeah, yeah exactly like that.” Ricky winced.
“Yes, that’s normal.” Tong shrugged, handing Ricky something that looked like a sandwich. “It’ll feel better day over day. For the time, just eat and rest.”
“Eat and rest?” Ricky repeated the words as he accepted the sandwich. “I can do that.”
We sat in mostly silence for the second time as we ate our meal. The eating was a bit more relaxed now since we weren’t starving. I had something that looked like fish but tasted like chicken. There was some other spicy mush that reminded me of eggs.
Jezra walked into the washroom holding a clear square glass plate in front of her. She watched the glass like a monitor.
“We should go now,” Jezra said. “We should get to the Orion right away. I feel as though Legion will make its move soon.”
I looked over at Tong and Ricky for their consensus.
“You think you can travel?” I asked Ricky.
“I’ll find a way,” Ricky assured me, grimacing as he stood up.
“Arun and Stacy have loaded the predators with everything we will need,” Jezra said with an approving nod. “We are ready to depart as soon as we equip you with your enhanced body armor.”
“Enhanced body armor?” I said, looking over at Tong.
Tong beamed with pride. “You didn’t think we would send the Children of the Dawn into a battle without being prepared, did you?”
“Yeah, kinda,” Ricky said, looking down at his skintight clothing. “I thought we were just going to wear our old body armor over these onesies.”
“I was up all night with Jezra preparing your combat armor,” Tong said, clapping his hands with glee. “Come, come. I can’t wait to show you.”
I grabbed one more handful of the chicken stuff and headed out the door with the others. Ricky was putting on his best face, but Tong and I helped him along.
Lucky for us, we didn’t have to go far. Jezra led us to the same room we were in when we first arrived with the crawler. The main cargo room was massive with the impressive vehicles he’d called predators on one side and the crates of gear on the other.
Two things were different from the first time I saw the room. Three of the predators now had flatbed hitches behind them, each one loaded with a series of crates I assumed were weapons and gear. And there were suits of futuristic armor waiting for us on the side of the cargo hold where the crates sat. Stacy and Arun were already busy placing theirs over their legs and torsos.
The armor looked vastly different than our own. It was white with a kind of scaly fabric under the thinner joint portions.
Jezra wasted no time in pointing out how the armor was made.
“The outer shell of the armor is much like your own.” Jezra pointed out the areas over the shoulders, chest, and abdomen. “Where the Remboshi armor differs is the scaled fabric we use underneath. We have created a means of dispersing any impact over a larger distance by something we call liquid armor. It looks like scales, but as you’ll see, it is quite different.”
I left Ricky in Tong’s care as I went over and examined the suit. Jezra was right. The body armor was a bit heavier than our own, but there was no weak point where our joints met, like our shoulders or hips.
The white scales weren’t soft, but they weren’t metal either. They were like super tough rubber that didn’t give.
“They will stop a Rung round,” Tong explained. “A round from one of your own weapons, I cannot be sure of.”
“Fancy, right?” Stacy said, showing me her helmet. It was smaller than our own with two large spaces to look out the eyes. A dark visor gave us protection with no nose opening while two vents near the jawline would allow us to breathe.
“I can get behind this,” I said, looking over to Jezra. “Could have used one of these when I was going through your tribunal test yesterday.”
“Yes, well, today is a new day.” Jezra shrugged off the comment, pointing to the right side of the chest plate. “Do you recognize thi
s?”
“How could I not?” I said. It was the same symbol as on my medallion. The two blades facing away from one another. A single blade in the middle with a circle around it.
“The symbol of the Great Dawn,” Jezra said in a hushed breath of reverence.
“How about weapons?” Ricky asked. He was managing to stand under his own power, but Arun still helped him put on his armor.
I bet he was loving that.
“I thought you’d never ask,” Stacy said, going over to one of the many open crates. “Check this baby out.”
Stacy leaned down to reach inside the green case and came back with what looked like some kind of heavy handgun. The barrel was short, the grip meant to be wielded with one hand. The clip that came down off the weapon looked almost comically long.
“It fires the same steel rounds as the weapon that wounded Ricky,” Tong explained. “It’s a reliable firearm. In your tongue, it would be called a judge.”
“I like the sound of that.” Ricky grinned from where he sat.
“Wait until you see what’s in this box.” Stacy nodded over to another crate by her feet with a wide grin. “Christmas came early.”
26
The way Stacy wiggled her eyebrows, I knew it was great for us and bad news for Legion. I followed her over to the open container and peered inside to see a row of what looked like heavy knife handles with no blades.
The black handles were large enough to be held in either a single or a two-handed grip. Stacy leaned down and picked one up.
“These are special,” Stacy said with a twinkle in her eye. “Stand back.”
I obeyed without question, noticing the almost manic gleam in her eyes.
She held the weapon in her right hand. There were two buttons near her thumb and she pressed one, sending a series of smaller metal pieces out from the handle to form the shape of a long knife.
I closed my mouth so it wouldn’t hit the floor.
“Wait, there’s more,” Stacy said, clearly enjoying my stunned expression. She hit the other button on the blade, and another series of metal pieces unfolded from the handle, making the blade three times as long. Stacy held a sword in her hand now.
“The ray is something we are very proud of,” Tong said with a wide smile. “It was in development for years. Easy to store and handy whether you require a knife or something larger.”
“I’ll take two,” I said, reaching into the container and grabbing a pair. They felt good in my hands. Who was I kidding? They felt great.
I wasn’t traditionally trained with weapons, but any kind of short blade I could use as an extension of my fists worked for me.
The next few minutes were spent putting on our armor, grabbing whatever weapons we wanted, and loading the rest into the predators.
“You know, for an advanced, rather peaceful race, you sure have a lot of aggressive names for your weapons,” I said to Tong as we loaded a green crate of what looked like grenades into the back of one of the predators.
“What do you mean?” Tong asked.
I nodded over to the heavy machine guns mounted on the rear of the predators, the ones peeking over the driver and passenger side seats. “What do you call that bad boy?”
“The Blood Shot 2000,” Tong said, catching my meaning. “Oh, I see your point. I never thought about it like that.”
“Let’s load up,” Arun said, helping Ricky into the passenger seat of one of the predators.
Jezra shuffled into the cargo bay. She wore her own white scaled armor with the same white robe trailing behind her. In her hands, she held the clear glass square. From my vantage point, it looked like she was staring down at a clear piece of glass.
When she came closer, I could see she was looking at an image on her side. It was the same image of the Orion. Legion had surrounded the walls with a number that easily doubled our own.
Legion had been busy picking off the survivors before we could save them.
A variety of animals showed as well in the morning sun. There were the large rhinoceros creatures and a series of the long centipede snake animals I had run across in the jungle before, along with more nightmarish creatures I hadn’t yet seen.
As far as I could tell, Legion still wasn’t making a move, nor was the Orion firing on Legion. If words were being exchanged at all, we weren’t able to hear them. The Remboshi’s low-flying satellite was only able to see images at great distance.
“Where do you think you’re going?” I asked Jezra as she waited by my side.
“I’m traveling with you,” Jezra said, patting my butt like she was my coach in some kind of game. “Come now. We have no time to spare.”
I jolted at the unexpected action.
I traded looks with Stacy, who was busting up with laughter.
“You heard the woman,” Stacy said, jumping into the driver’s side seat of her own predator. “Buckle up, buttercup. It’s going to get bumpy.”
With Arun and Ricky traveling together, Stacy and Tong each drove a separate vehicle. Mutt jumped in the back of mine with Jezra in the passenger side seat.
It felt wrong somehow leaving so much behind. There were still another eight predators lined up against the wall with enough armor and weapons to make at least two more full trips using all of them. Our beat-up crawler that had been through so much with us now sat quiet next to the predators.
In comparison to the shiny new combat vehicles, the crawler looked like an old heavyweight fighter with a gut and past his prime.
Jezra leaned forward in her seat, flipping a few dials and turning buttons on the predator dashboard in front of us. I had no idea what she was doing, and most of me didn’t even want to know.
I busied myself putting on my helmet and adjusting the straps on my seat belt. Unlike the crawler, the predator had an open T-shaped roof. The harness was different as well. A V-shaped strap came over my chest and buckled into another harness near my crotch.
The security feature was snug without being suffocating. The helmet I wore was strangely comfortable with cool air being let in through the two vents near my mouth.
Jezra’s voice filled a comm unit in my helmet a moment later.
“There is no need of helmets now,” Jezra said, speaking into the predator’s dash. “The sawg will not harm us. Also, communication will be available through the predators.”
I looked at the Remboshi beside me. She placed her helmet between her feet and busied herself with the glass screen.
“Dean and I will take the lead,” Jezra continued. “The sawg will not harm you. You will be able to pass unhindered. I’ll also alleviate the mist around us. Stay close and we will be fine.”
“As soon as we get underway, I want to know how you created the mist as well as the sawg,” Arun said via the communication device in the dashboard of her predator.
“I will tell you as soon as we get underway,” Jezra agreed.
Jezra pointed to a button next to a steering wheel that looked like a sideways X.
I pressed the button and felt the engine roar to life. It ran heavy and throaty. I liked it.
“There are depressors on the right side of the steering wheel to go forward and on the left to stop,” Jezra explained. “Press the right one by your fingers gently.”
Ignoring her, I gunned that sucker, sending Jezra and myself both into the back of the seats. Mutt got low really quick. The predators zoomed toward the closed door of the cargo area.
“Wait, wait!” Jezra screamed. “I have to open the cargo bay doors!”
“Well, you better hurry, then!” I said to her. I knew it was kind of a jerk move, but she had just stood by and watched a pair of robots kick the crap out of me. Getting back at her felt good. It was the little things in life.
Jezra managed to compose herself long enough to press a few buttons on her glass pad. The cargo bay door slid up into the roof just in time for us to snake underneath.
“I guess I deserved that,” Jezra said with a slight pout.
“I am sorry. The tribunal had to be done.”
“Meh.” I shrugged. “I’m not exactly going to celebrate being gassed and tested, but I get it. In a weird twisted way, I get it.”
This brought a smile to Jezra’s face.
She looked down at her glass pad one more time to touch a series of buttons.
We exited Cerberus in a long column, four predators outfitted with trailers full of equipment behind us.
We edged toward the mist, crossing the dark rich soil that existed between the pyramid and the fog wall.
“Give me just a moment,” Jezra said. “Mist is dissipating now and the sawg will leave us be.”
“Okay, story time,” Stacy said over the vehicle’s comms. “How do you control the mist and these sawg things?”
“And why did you let the sawg kill survivors when Orion escape crafts landed on Genesis?” Arun added.
We all waited to hear what crazy story Jezra was about to tell us. She didn’t disappoint.
“I awoke from my hyper sleep sixty-eight years ago to a new vision of our future. I knew what I had to do. I needed to prepare the defense of the Cerberus Installation and monitor for your arrival,” Jezra began. “The sawg are large peaceful creatures that survive in the ocean of our planet. I saw them as protectors of our people and of the Cerberus Installation. I began experiments on them, testing and manipulating their DNA until they grew both in size and in their confidence in traveling over land. Traditionally, sawg prefer living in the water, not the marsh land.”
Jezra told her story as the mist in front of us evaporated. It was my first good look at what we were traveling through. Muddy fields continued out in front of me as far as the eye could see. Random green shrubbery bushes and dead trees dotted the landscape, breaking up the monotony of the dark muck and mud.
“I soon learned sawg were no different than many animals,” Jezra explained. “I spent decades training them until they were as docile as Mutt. I fed them like pets and worked out a high-frequency system of commands to call them when I needed them. It helped that the creatures are naturally territorial animals. They protected the area around Cerberus.”
