Tech Planet (Project NightStorm Book 2) Page 12

  "Whatever did this was big, the wall is caved in for as far as I can see, it's pretty narrow down there."

  "Think you can squeeze through?"

  "You may have to give me a shove," Arri said, he slowly drifted down to the bottom of the dungeon then proceeded to pull himself along using the collapsed side of the passage. At the narrowest point, he had to exhale and turn his head to the side to get through. The passage opened out into the darkness.

  "Made it," Arri said.

  "The first chamber," Books said, "proceed with caution there is usually some sort of trap, monster giant laser beam guarding this area."

  "Laser?"

  "Back on The Cross, there is a library dedicated to the dungeons and the first encounters as busters proceeded through. In five cases the first chamber was guarded by a giant laser system, although those were saved for level one."

  "What about level threes?"

  "Monsters, did you see that?" Books said.

  "See what?" Arri strained his eyes looking into the inky black.

  "There, twelve o'clock movement."

  The tentacle streaked out of the darkness, catching Arri squarely in the chest sending him back into the wall beside the passage. Books shot forward harpoon gun blazing bolt after bolt of high energy into the darkness. Her body disappeared from his view as he struggled to gain his breath, he could still see the flashes of energy bursting in the distance.

  He pressed his hands to his chest rubbing at the impact area, the blow had taken him by surprise but luckily only created minimal bruising.

  "Books?" Arri said, the light show still flaring off in the distance. "dam it." Arri kicked off from the wall speeding forward, twisting his body to avoid the giant tentacles flailing from the darkness.

  The creature emerged from the gloom, one-eyed, a billowing body with long thick tentacles lashing out in all directions. Each tentacle had circular suckers with razor-sharp edges, along the top side a delicate pattern of circles and lines that looked just like the underlay to his armour. They emitted a faint pale blue light. He cast around looking for Books but couldn't see her in the gloom.

  "Just me and you," Arri said, pointing the harpoon gun at the giant eye. He unleashed a series of shots, bolts of bright green death, as he swam towards the monster. They struck true causing the creature to flinch back, drawing all its tentacles in before lashing out in the direction he had shot from.

  Arri dodged inside the limbs, creating an assortment of bubbles that trailed behind him as the suit added to his momentum. He fired one more shot, catching the creature centre mass, it pulled back into the darkness writhing in agony.

  The illuminated helmet of Books appeared out of the darkness she was collapsed face down in a strange position, her harpoon gun was nowhere to be seen. He floated over to her, lifting her from the bottom and swimming her back to the passage entrance, he deposited her just inside.

  "Stay here, you should be safe. I've got to go take care of that thing," Arri said, her eyes were closed and she hadn't moved since he dropped her.

  The chamber was vast, he glided effortlessly across its span looking for the underwater monster. At the start of the hunt he kept close to the floor, noting the scattered containers. It must have taken a lot of effort to carve this place out of the planet's surface. The transport system he had encountered in the first dungeon was missing from this one, which hinted at another way in or more importantly out.

  The water turned jet black like someone had spilt an inkwell. His visibility was reduced to around two feet in every direction. He tensed waiting for the attack. At the last possible moment, he reacted using the harpoon gun to bat away the first strike. The second caught him across the back forcing him down towards the floor of the chamber.

  He rolled on to his back, bringing the harpoon gun up to defend his face and fired two shots out into the darkness. A flurry of bubbles hinted at a direct hit.

  "Where are you," Arri said grimacing from the pain running up and down his spine. He gripped the harpoon with both hands as currents jostled him against the chamber floor. The dark water started to lighten.

  Arri reacted instantly as first he blocked a high attack then a low one but missed the third. The muscular mass wrapped itself around his stomach with a tight grip, the pressure on his chest was so great he had difficulty catching a breath. He jabbed at its surface with the butt end of the harpoon trying to break free. The jolt that followed almost caused him to drop the gun as he was dragged front first at rapid speed through the water.

  Flipping the harpoon gun around so the business end was pointed at the tentacle Arri concentrated, the resistance of the water pushed at his body causing him to strain even to maintain an upright position. He pulled the trigger, the green beam of raw energy shot out of the tip of the gun, slicing through the entwined limb. The creature let him go and he floated gasping for air back towards the bottom.

  Arri's vision darkened and his head pounded, he had been seconds away from passing out. The water had cleared, the dark liquid left on the other side of the chamber. The creature was swinging round readying for another run. Bringing the harpoon gun up once more he fired, three shots flashed out before the device sparked then fizzled, it became incredibly hot to touch. The shots had forced the monster to abort its attack.

  Arri cast the harpoon gun aside its energy used up, the monster drifted along pale blue liquid spilling from its wounds. It occurred to him the harpoon could still be used as a type of spear at least providing some type of weapon if the creature came back, he grabbed it where it had fallen.

  During the encounter several of the containers had been knocked over by the wake of the fight, one had cracked open revealing something that looked surprisingly like a gun, he swam towards it.

  The weapon had a long double thick barrel that attached to a foot long solid block, a trigger and grip system were set underneath at a forty-five-degree angle. He picked it up the weight disguised by the water. He pointed at the limping monster and pulled the trigger not expecting anything to happen.

  Even underwater he heard the hum, the response of the gun was instant, white light shot along the sides of the barrel. The creature exploded in front of him, chunks of cyber circuits and bio-organics were blown in every direction. The shock wave smashed back, sending him flying across the chamber like a surfer on a wave.

  "That was unexpected," Arri said to himself. The gun he was holding in his hands was quiet, just another inanimate object and yet one that was possibly more powerful than any gun he had ever held.

  He kicked his legs and swam toward the direction of the light from Book's neckband, she was right where he had left her, but her eyes were open.

  "How are you?" Arri asked.

  "Feeling a bit sore, just woke up, did you get it?"

  The chamber around them started to shake, from the walls dust and dirt dislodged causing the water to turn cloudy.

  "That monster won't be bothering anyone else ever again," Arri said.

  The shaking became stronger, from the roof of the chamber large objects started to fall through the water. Arri pulled himself inside the passage and looked out waiting for the world to quieten down.

  16

  Ray and March

  Ray walked on to the bridge, one hand covering the damage of the other. He had applied a medical cream to his knuckles. The healing effect was rapid causing the skin to scab over and inflammation to recede.

  The room seemed different, almost every time before Jenkins had been standing in the centre with data screens surrounding him. This time the middle of the room was empty.

  "What happened to Jenkins?" Ray asked.

  "Collapsed and was taken to medical," March replied, "how are you feeling?"

  "Good, I think I am going to take a look around the station, maybe pick up some souvenirs. Almost every place I've been before I've picked up a Nik-Nak. Of course, most of them got spaced when the Orion was destroyed but I can always start again."

  "What I
've seen of the station it's quite a place, want any company?"

  "Umm well not really, just the chance to explore, stretch my legs maybe meet some new people. Get a taste of the local cuisine, test out the local beer," Ray said.

  "OK," March said her attention taken back into the virtual world.

  Ray cracked his neck one hand rubbing at the old wound location on his leg as he stood on the ramp of The Outrider. The air of the Cross station had a chill to it, water streamed from high above soaking everything in site and neon glowed all around in different shades. He pulled the collar of his jacket tight stopping the water from falling in. The sights and sounds blurred all around him as he set one foot in front of the other and headed out in what seemed like a random direction.

  "This place," Ray said his voice low so only he could hear, "so bright, so wet reminds me of a time when I first started with the military. I used to have to walk from the barracks to the training centre it rained all the time. The soldiers tracked a lot of mud onto that walkway. I remember the punishment for infractions was to scrub it with a small brush. Those were the days."

  He stopped a large sign catching his eye, Credits or Bars the currency of the surface world, "Well you know the money will be needed if I am going to take a look around there."

  He pushed open the door and took his place in the queue behind a short stocky formally suited man. The queue seemed to move at a snail's pace he pulled up a game app on his overlay. He had to move cards from one place to another putting them in a certain order, by number by colour. He shuffled a step forward.

  "How many credits would you like to change."

  Ray blinked out of his game, "oh sorry was a world away, one thousand please."

  "Touch here with your thumb and think of the number. That's great thank you." The cashier pulled some small bars from a drawer below his desk and placed them in front of Ray.

  "What's the surface like?" Ray asked.

  "Ah first time, well its a blast honestly, outside the way can be a bit dicey but inside there are some great places to eat and drink. I recommend the Dark grill."

  "Thanks, err how do I get to the planet from here," Ray said.

  "You mean the tether, well out the door turn left, cross over the circle then follow the signs high up can't miss it."

  "Thanks again," Ray said pocketing the small bar currency.

  The rain stopped falling, Ray shook the excess water off his jacket it had pooled in little beads. He knew he was being followed he could feel their presence, hear their footsteps. A small alleyway opened to his side and he stepped quickly into it placing his back against the near sideways.

  Ray waited counting down the seconds, hands resting loosely at his sides. The barrel entered the alley first followed by the man holding the gun. Ray struck out with a punch hitting the grip holding hand forcing the mugger to drop his main weapon. He hit out again striking the mans face with the back of his fist, blood covered his knuckles once more, the assailant let out a yelp of pain.

  Ray grabbed the man by the back of the neck pulling him fully into the alley, he then proceeded to smash the man's head into the opposite wall, time and time again he repeated the action until the body went limp.

  "Maybe think twice about mugging people," Ray said to the guy. "I remember there was this champion martial artist never lost a fight, one day she was going to a friends party, five guys thought they would steal her gift. It ended much how this has ended for you, serious injuries and one hell of a headache tomorrow. The police said it was unfair on the five guys."

  Ray picked up the gun and then searched through the man's pockets. He recovered a small plastic card, several currency bars and a second clip for the gun he had just acquired.

  "I think tomorrow when you look back on this encounter you will realise the error of your ways. Or maybe not." He launched a kick at the man's legs catching the top of the knee, in a sudden moment of rage.

  "You don't need to break him, don't break him," his own voice sounded different. It took a great effort to pull himself back under control.

  Ray stepped out of the alley and took stock of his location, looking up he saw the sign attached to a higher level road, it directed him towards the tether.

  "Hot on the heels of a dangerous encounter our hero makes his way down hazardous streets, searching for answers to the questions only he knows," Ray said chuckling to himself as a random thought stuck in his mind, he really needed a hat.

  March stood in Jenkins old spot, she hadn't called as many screens up around as he would work with but she had a few, each displayed a different function of the ship. She had been trying for the past three minutes to get a connection to The Cross station's mainframe system.

  Apps, contacts, call, the new guy, Johns answered the call his face popping into her mind.

  "I need your help with connecting to the station," March said, well thought at Johns via the overlay app.

  "No problem, but we might want to hold off on that."

  "What's wrong?"

  "There's something strange with the Outriders code, I have been running some scans and one has come back with an anomaly," Johns said.

  "O wait its connecting." The lights of the Outrider surged brightly dazzling those who happened to be looking up at them before fading out. For a second the ship lived in darkness, then the emergency lighting kicked in covering everything in red.

  "Another power failure?" Johns said.

  "Looks to be, any word on Tidal? I've been a little busy with the ship."

  "Last time I checked with the Doc it looked like it was going to be a few days. I'll head to the core and see what I can do about the power situation."

  "OK on my way," March said ending the app to app call.

  App, feeds, new guy. March picked up Johns feed and resized it to a small square pushing the view from his eyes down into the bottom right-hand corner of her vision. She left the bridge striding down the side corridor bypassing the break out room. Taking the steps down to the lower level two at a time, once at the bottom she quickly glanced at Johns feed and got a sight of the engine core.

  "Looks more damaged up close and in person," March said, "I didn't realise these things could crack like that."

  "The universe is full of mysteries," Johns said, "nothing that I can see here that is causing the power failure, in fact, the output from here is normal so something else is blocking further up."

  "Do you hear that?"

  "Sounds like someone is knocking."

  "Maybe Ray trying to get back in, I am going to check the airlock."

  March climbed the steps quickly stumbling only once caused mainly by the red light, she would need to speak to Arri about the colour. The knocking was coming from the outside of the airlock with power down she had to manually open the outside door, spinning the handle time after time.

  "Well that's unexpected," March said staring at the six heavily armed guards standing before her, her face had gone a little red from the strain of opening the lock.

  "Exit the ship, you are under arrest," the first guard said voice enhanced through his helmet speaker.

  March moved one leg back taking up a semi-concealed fighting stance, "what reason?" she asked.

  "Endangering the station."

  She noticed the darkness outside it seemed the power failure wasn't contained to just the Outrider. She stepped out of the airlock, keeping her hands visible to the guard with the gun pointed at her. Her mind quickly set a stream in motion, sending what she saw back to all members of the Outriders crew. If un-viewed the stream would queue and appear as an urgent message next time you connected to the network. She had used this technique before to warn other crew members of impending peril.

  "There are four members of the crew on board, two are injured and require medical attention which our doctor is providing in the medical bay."

  The guard ignored her as four of his men guns raised boarded the Outrider.

  "Do you understand me?" March asked.

/>   "We will not harm your crew, we have been ordered to take you in," the guard said.

  March relaxed she had been about to kill six men and plunge the Outrider into a war with the Cross.

  Johns was brought out first he had a large red mark on the side of his face as if he had been struck by something. Next came the doctor with Tidal and Jenkins floating behind him, a guard helped direct the stretchers. In the distance, multicoloured lights flashed.

  "What happened," March asked looking at the injured Johns.

  "Funny story, turns out I am not good at walking upstairs in red light, just a simple trip and fall. Mike here even helped me up," Johns said.

  "Put these on," the first guard tossed March a pair of antique handcuffs. It took her a few tries to work out how to operate them, she had to snap them one side at a time on to her wrists.

  Two transports arrived, the first a medical type which picked up the doctor, Tidal, Jenkins and two guards. The second picked up March, Johns and another two members of the arrest squad. The final two guards remained behind re-entering the Outrider.

  The large neon sign was partially obscured with dust, the storm approaching from the east was moving rapidly. Ray struggled against the wind, plonking one foot after the other while keeping his head down. He fell through the door as the main wall of the storm hit, the door snapped shut behind him. The room was dark and now even more gloomy, the little light from the window obliterated by the storm.

  The Dark grill was smoky, caused by the pit of fire in the centre of the room, from there tables spiralled out-wards each casting short flickering shadows. Ray rubbed the dust out of his eyes.

  "Take a seat and I'll be right with you," the voice came from out back.

  Ray picked out a table midway from the fire to the door. It was covered by a glass surface and as he sat words blinked into life providing an interactive menu. He turned to the steak section, traditional pepper source served with fries, only three bars.

  "So what can I get you?" the waiter asked, a balding average man dressed in a long flowing robe.