Tech Planet (Project NightStorm Book 2) Page 5

  "How is it hovering in place?" Arri asked watching the blue glowing ball float several feet above their heads.

  "Well the box says, motion-powered chemical hover light lasts up to eight hours," March said, straining her eyes as she read a small crumpled box.

  "It's not very bright," Galdan said.

  "Give it time your eyes will adjust," Arri said, "Echo have you been in here before?"

  "Of course, wouldn't be much of a guide if I hadn't. It's a simple layout, this long tunnel slopes downwards towards the stash chamber. At the back of the chamber are tunnels that cut into the planet, not been in any of those recently."

  "Spiders webs, those must be some pretty big spiders," Arri said as his eyes adjusted to the dim light of the orb.

  "They weren't here the last time," Echo said, pacing from one end of the orbs light to the other, hands fidgeting with the weapon buckled at her waist.

  "Not a fan?" Galdan asked.

  "I have a phobia, ever since I can remember, all spiders are evil and must die or be stepped on, I even shot one once," Echo replied.

  They all heard it, a deep growl coming from the depths of the darkness ahead, Echo stopped dead in her tracks. Arri took hold of the grip of his gun which was lodged in his belt behind his back. Galdan didn't seem too concerned although he was equipped in full combat armour. March took a step back into a fighting stance.

  "Its at times like this I wish I had my rifle, now that came with a bright flashlight," Arri said.

  "Not to forget it had advanced targeting linked to the overlay and packed one hell of a punch," March said.

  Arri stopped to study the floor, around the entrance there had been scuff marks, traces of rubber from boots much like the ones he was wearing. There were also scratches as if metal had hit metal, he had a feeling he should know what had caused them, but the thought just eluded him.

  "We need to head towards the growls coming from the darkness if we are going to find out what happened to your friend. And there might just be some very large spiders to shoot," Arri said.

  "Sounds like fun," March said, giving Arri a sly look.

  Arri drew his gun pointing the barrel out into the darkness, finger by the trigger ready to squeeze.

  It started off as a small dot but grew as they advanced, an eerie red circle, a fixed point in the black. Their footfalls bounced around the tunnel structure reverberating off the sides. The growl grew ever louder, the noise setting them all on edge. Their eyes had adjusted to the glow of the orb which gave them vision of about twenty feet in all directions.

  "Can you smell that?" Galdan asked, "something has gone bad."

  "Like eggs that have gone off," Arri said, "its getting stronger," he coughed, "can anyone make out what's behind that red light?" A new sound reached his ears, the distinctive tap, tap of water striking metal.

  "Stay back let me investigate, I've got the armour," Galdan said.

  "Fine with me," Arri said, "don't go out of the light, I really don't want to have to search for you. Splitting up never goes well in these situations."

  "Have you been watching my horror films?" March asked.

  "Maybe."

  Galdan moved forward carefully, his deep eyes scanning the darkness through the partially working visor of his armoured helmet. He didn't hear the scraping of metal on metal increase in frequency, the thickness of his protection dampened out the sound. He didn't see the creature crunch up large fangs exposed.

  Galdan took the impact to his midsection, fur and metal struck at him. The growling filled his ears but he didn't falter or take a step backward. He brought his right hand down in a blocking movement catching the attacker across the back of the neck, it fell off him landed on all fours and bunched up its muscles again ready to jump.

  "Stay back, I've got this demon," Galdan yelled.

  Arri reached behind his back pulling the gun from its resting place, taking the grip in one hand the other placed underneath for support. He looked over the barrel down the sights trying to line up with his target.

  March put her hand back signaling for Echo to take cover, she pulled one of her two guns free and pointed in the direction of Galdan, the attacker was obscured by his armour.

  Galdan turned to face his attacker, the dim light outlining its large dog like form, he could make out a snout and fangs, two front paws with long claws. He waited, an idea forming in his mind, he would need to get the timing completely right. The creature pounced.

  Galdan pulled his arm back and unleashed a mighty strike aimed at the monster's head, the incoming force of the leap combined with his hit, shattered several of the fangs causing the assailant to crumple to the floor. The deep growling came to a stop.

  "I think its dead," Galdan said, kicking at it with his boot, it didn't move. He squatted down turning the creatures head over in his hands.

  "What is it?" March asked.

  "Some sort of dog, but its got cyborg parts. One of the weirdest things I've seen." He dropped the creature. "Can someone shoot it just to make sure."

  Arri did the honour, his gunshot rang out around the tunnel, the creature didn't move.

  Galdan took a few more steps before coming to a complete halt. His suit hit something in the middle of the tunnel resulting in a loud clang.

  "Oh, there is a large tube that's suspended in the air, it's right in the middle of this tunnel," Galdan said.

  March moved closer to Galdan, as she advanced the pale light of the orb traveled with her. The tube stretched at least ten feet into the air and sported a closed door at the end, Galdan had walked into.

  "Wonder what that's for?" Arri asked, the excitement of the encounter fading from his system.

  "Well, umm its a transport device for rapidly moving items from the base to the door," Echo said her voice quiet.

  "Sorry?" March said, straining to hear.

  "When the scavengers of this place find stuff they put it into the tube and its shot along the tunnel to the door. There it's loaded usually in a large truck transport and taken back to town."

  "Oh it's a transport tube, makes sense now. How much technology did they find here?" March asked, for a moment she had forgotten the danger.

  "They still are, once this site is depleted the town will move on, the tube will be dismantled," Echo said, her voice hushed, arms folded across her chest while she stroked a strand of her hair.

  Arri noted the conversation of March and Echo, storing away the knowledge learned just incase it became useful later. "Can you see anything down there, any readings from your armour?"

  "I might have given you the wrong impression," Galdan said, he spoke with the same hushed tone as Echo. "It's not fully functioning at the moment. I do have access to some features but my overlay isn't working."

  "Good to know, can you make out what that red light is?"

  "Not from here, I will need to get closer," Galdan said.

  The tube in the centre of the tunnel appeared to float in the middle of the air, but this was only an illusion, a limitation of the light. Arri hugged the side of the tube as he followed a few paces behind Galdan. The tube was supported every fifty yards by large pillars, looking up Arri noticed a recognisable logo belonging to the DaiQuickan corporation, it had made many breakthroughs in consumer technology in recent years.

  In fact he owned one of their wonder kitchens. His mind drifted back to his apartment with it's open plan kitchen lounge, stairs leading up to the bedroom. All styled with a modern minimalist feel. He only got to spend his annual holiday there but he had made it feel like a home.

  "Its humanoid," Galdan said, pulling Arri back from his daydream, "it's not moving just stood there, red eye gleaming like a demon."

  "The red light is an eye?" March asked, as Echo ducked behind her making herself small in the process.

  "I'm going to get a bit closer."

  Slowly out of the darkness the shape of a Nivgarian emerged, part biological, part machine. It was motionless the only hint of life its red
eye. Several long cables were connected to its cybernetic side, showing it had once been physically wired up to something.

  Arri dropped his head to his chest as memories of Marcus flooded his mind, his shoulder started to ache. In one hand he still held the gun he had drawn earlier, he had, however, let its muzzle point towards the floor.

  "Let me check its vitals," Arri said, mind reaching out unthinkingly for the overlay, it wasn't there like a hole in his head. His mind bounced around for a few thoughts trying a different way to summon the interface. Then he remembered the technology damping nature of this old tech planet.

  Humans had a pulse that could be detected if alive by placing two fingers on their necks and applying a little pressure. Arri did the same to red eye.

  "I can't find a pulse, come to think of it I am not entirely sure where to look, anyone know their physiology?"

  "The doctor would know, stupid backward planet, seriously its like being in the dark ages," March said.

  Echo peaked out from behind her body, "Communication to the station requires an entangled connection, where the atoms are connected by spooky action."

  "We don't quite have that yet, it's in the budget for next year but its seriously expensive," Arri said.

  The flesh on the neck felt cold to touch and a little slimy. He pulled his fingers away rubbing the tips with his thumb. Only reflexes borne of hundreds of hours of combat training saved his life. A slight movement in the air, a scaping of metal, the change in light as the red-eye moved, all hints to his subconscious that something was about to happen.

  He fell more than dodged back, narrowly avoiding the metal arm that went for his neck. The long cable attached to the arm whipped out entangling in his jacket, jerking his arm upwards and causing him to lose grip on his gun. Taking on a part cyborg hand to hand without his armour was going to be a challenge.

  Arri tried to break free, twisted first to the left then back to the right, dodging at the same time any strike the zombie-like creature threw at him. March had circled to one side, she had her machine pistol pointed directly at its head. Galdan hadn't reacted yet, he was still a rookie when it came to combat.

  "Sir we are here to help," Arri said swaying out of the way of a clumsily thrown fist.

  "Its like when you fought Marcus," March said.

  "Don't suppose you have another EMP?"

  "Sorry I didn't think it would work."

  Arri stepped into the Nivgarian throwing his elbow with all his force, he caught him under the chin snapping the head backward with a loud crack. Small sparks of bright white energy raced up and over the face as both parties dropped to the ground.

  "Help me hold him still, I need to check his eyes," Arri said.

  Both March and Galdan grabbed a limb making sure the unmoving alien stayed motionless. Arri pulled back his eyelid and looked deeply into the eye looking for any traces of life.

  Arri felt the tunnel forming in his mind but there was no rush of transference, there was no mind to lock on to, this creature was dead and had been for a long time.

  "He's dead," Arri said untangling his Jacket from the cable. He looked around for his gun, in the pale light he could just make out the outline. He adjusted his clothing, cracked his neck from side to side and then retrieved the lost weapon.

  "Look at his body, there are large chunks missing," March said. She stepped back looking deep into the darkness scanning for any signs of another red eye.

  Galdan drew a long curved dagger from his armour, in the dim light it seemed to have been part of the plating before he pulled it away. He placed the tip on the surface of the red eye and pushed with all his might downwards. Slowly the dagger penetrated breaking components as it passed until the red light went out.

  "He won't get up to follow us now," Galdan said.

  The gentle slope of the tunnel became more pronounced as they advanced along its path. Every step, every breath, every word they spoke reverberated off the walls.

  Arri focused all his attention on his surroundings, blocking out the thin figure of Galdan, the agile forms of March and Echo. A bad feeling had been building in the pit of his stomach ever since the encounter with the zombie. Since the loss of the overlay, he found dealing with the silence difficult, his mind was too calm, to quiet. Somewhere from the depths of his subconscious, a song started to play, a dance beat with lyrics he couldn't quite make out, the volume low and level.

  Arri had almost transferred all of his weight to his front foot, mid-stride he felt the floor wobble. The solid looking panel started to move. At the last second, he pushed off causing the collapse to happen fast, plunging a large section of the floor where his foot had been into darkness.

  "Everybody freeze," Arri yelled, looking down into the space the floor had just occupied.

  "What's wrong," March asked still as a statue.

  "The floor where I just stepped gave way, not sure how deep it is."

  "Here throw this down the gap," March tossed Arri a thin long stick.

  "Good thinking bringing those," Arri cracked the tube in half causing the chemicals to mix and a bright green light to burst forth. He held the light over the top of the hole, it cast shadows over ten feet down but he couldn't see the bottom. He let go of the light, it fell, illuminating a sphere as it passed. The light slowly faded away consumed by the darkness.

  "We need to be really careful, the light never touched the floor."

  "So now might not be the best time to tell you, but there are two more red eye lights coming this way," Galdan said.

  Arri tested each step as he moved back to the transport tube, he took cover next to March and echo, ducking behind the support structure. The song started to get louder in his mind, the lyrics starting to become clearer.

  Galdan hadn't moved since Arri had yelled out, the floor in front of him had given way as had the panel to his left side. He could almost see a pattern to the holes.

  The two Nivgarians that burst out of the darkness were much more controlled than the first. One flew at Galdan a flurry of limbs hitting out from all directions. The second sprinted past him heading straight for them crouching behind the support.

  Arri took aim, switched off the safety and squeezed the trigger. He felt the recoil of the gun as the bullet cut through the air with a sonic crack. It whizzed past the sprinting creature striking the side of the tunnel some distance down.

  His wrist muscle took the kick and he easily forced the gun back into position, he let out his breath and aimed again. This time the shot bounced harmlessly off the armoured chest plate, leaving a dent and ripping the paintwork.

  "Third time lucky," he mumbled. He pulled the trigger again this time hitting the soft fleshy side, impacting across the side of the neck. Dark liquid squirted out, the pale light not providing its colour. The part zombie alien slowed but unlike a living Nivgarian he didn't reach up and grab at the wound. Arri shot three more times in rapid succession. Two more caught the target, with the final shot dropping it lifeless to the floor.

  Galdan blocked everything sent his way, he used the creature's momentum against it. Sweeping one of its legs he twisted it around his body and into the hole.

  "Everyone OK?" Arri asked.

  "My guns didn't fire," March said, "I guess too much technology or maybe something else is wrong with them."

  Arri handed his gun over to her, before reaching into his bag and withdrawing three spare magazines and a box. He pulled the second gun from the box, pulling back the top of the gun he chambered a round.

  "Look after those bullets I don't have many spares."

  "Thank you, there's something about this place, it makes my skin crawl," March said gently massaging her forearm.

  They continued on in single file, Arri now at the head of the party. He tested each panel applying only a little of his weight to make sure it didn't drop away. After every step, he looked up waiting for the gleam of red eyes. The incline of the tunnel had been getting steeper, it was now no longer a gentle slope
.

  "Could a person travel in that tube?" Arri wondered more to himself than anybody else.

  "In theory yes, they have small tube pods that act as rapid transports, used one myself a time or two," Echo said, "but that's usually when there is a full crew of people working this place."

  Arri nodded his thanks as three more red dots appeared as pinpricks of light in the darkness ahead.

  Arri flowed from one stance to another always moving, shooting high when his hand reached its peak and low when he dipped down. It took him under a minute to empty all the bullets from his gun, twenty-one in total, of which only seven had made an impact on the enemy. These drones were almost at full Nivgarian speed, there was no jerkiness to there motion just fluid combat machines. There fighting style reminding Arri of all the hours spent sparring with Marcus and a little of the final confrontation between them.

  Galdan was holding on to the edge of a hole for dear life, at the start of the battle he had taken one misstep, only managing to stop himself falling to certain death at the last moment. His battle armoured fingers had dug deeply into the ledge he had caught on his drop.

  Echo was slowly making her way over to help Galdan, she had been at the back of the party but with both Arri and March fully engaged in the fight it fell to her to help the armoured man out. She didn't really know much about him as he chose to spend a lot of his time looking off to the distance, or polishing the outside of his armour.

  March joined Arri in combat, complimenting his fighting style, first swaying past and shooting at his misses, then bouncing off his back to unleash a powerful punch. There was an ebb and flow to this fight it felt almost like a dance.

  Arri dropped the first of the three with the final bullet loaded in his gun, it struck the fleshy part in the middle of the chest. The body toppled forward and he only just managed to divert his movement in time.

  March shot three times at the red-eye, shattering it with the last shot causing the creature's limbs to lock up and it to tumble backward.

  Echo had grabbed Galdan by the arms and was attempting to pull him out the hole. She didn't have the strength needed to lift him and his armour but adding her strength to Galdan's allowed him to release one hand and pull himself up.