The rax out of darkness, p.12
The Rax, Out of Darkness, page 12
“See there, I told you. My grandfather built these things to last. They have an ultra-efficient power coil. They’ll go for…”
“This is fascinating and all, but we’re in a hurry,” Tael said. “Just put the disk in so we can see what’s on it and get out of here.”
Beckett’s eyes fell to the holodisk in Tael’s outstretched hand. “Right, sorry.”
He slid the disc into the access port, and Tael glanced at the door. When he turned back around, Beckett and Molli stared into the air with expressions of childlike wonder.
“What’s wrong? What is it?” Tael’s harsh whisper drew Molli’s attention, but Beckett continued to stare, peering up at nothing.
“It’s a map.” Molli pointed above the reader, and her eyes flicked back to empty air.
“What map?” Tael squinted but saw nothing but empty space.
Beckett furrowed his brow in confusion, then his eyes fell to the echo locator on his chest. “You can’t see it.” His grin of understanding made Tael want to scream with frustration.
“See what?” Tael growled, trying to keep his cool.
“It’s a hologram,” Molli said. “Your echo locator can’t see it because there’s nothing for it to bounce off of.”
“Great! ElRi gave me a map I can’t see.” Tael’s frustration showed through in his words. “Well, what does it show?”
Molli and Beckett looked back toward the empty air and tilted their heads in odd synchrony.
“You got me,” Beckett said. “Looks like a valley, but there’s not much else to go on. A couple of old riverbeds enter from the north. They join into one just before they reach a rock spire in the middle. There’s some kind of marker on the east side, but that’s about it.” Beckett pointed up as if Tael could see what he was talking about. “There are no other markers or labels. Not even a GPS coordinate. It could be just about anywhere.”
Molli threw her hands into the air. “Now what? How this is supposed to help? Even if something’s there, we still can’t find it.”
Tael balled a fist, ready to pound the table, but stopped in mid-swing as he heard a noise from the mine shaft.
“Turn that thing off,” he said in a frantic whisper. He ducked low and made his way back to the door. “Someone’s coming.”
Beckett punched a button on top of the display. The quiet fan didn’t stop running, so Beckett punched the button again and again, hitting it with a stream of rapid-fire clicks.
“It won’t turn off,” Beckett looked at Tael with wide, panicked eyes.
Molli shoved Tael to the side and hit the button herself a few times before looking around the room like a cornered animal. Her eyes fell on a thick piece of fabric lying on the floor. She grabbed it and flung the dark material over the top of the reader.
The room looked no different to Tael, but the Molli and Beckett’s posture ramped down from sheer panic, to a more reasonable level of unadulterated fear. Footsteps approached closer. The intruders were coming fast.
Tael glanced around the room and hefted a jagged chunk of rock into his hand. He saw Beckett reaching for a makeshift weapon of his own. Tael craned his arm back, ready to strike.
A heavy hand hit the door and pushed it wide. Tael threw the rock with everything he had, estimating the height of a Raxion’s head. The stone sailed through the air ... and missed. It cracked against the far wall and thudded to the floor on the other side of the shaft.
“Watch it!” Quince hissed. He ducked, but it would have been too late to avoid the hefty projectile. Fortunately, Tael had aimed high. More than two feet above Quince’s head.
“What’s wrong with you?” Quince shoved Tael hard enough to make his stagger. “You could have killed me.”
“Whoa.” Beckett put down the heavy steel rod he’d grabbed for defense. “You shouldn’t sneak up on us like that. I almost had a heart attack.” He clutched at his chest and walked over to where Molli had doused the reader’s light.
Molli ignored Beckett’s theatrics and stepped around him. “What are you doing back here? We were supposed to meet outside.”
“Change of plans.” Katrina glanced back the way they came. “We have to go now. Genius here caused a cave-in by the entrance. It didn’t block everything, but it buried the guard. I’m pretty sure he’s dead.”
“You killed the guard?” Molli’s eyes went wide. “You weren’t supposed to kill him, just distract him. In and out, that was it. They weren’t even supposed to know we were even here.”
“It was an accident,” Katrina said then tilted her head toward Quince. “The big oaf shook one of the girders loose. It didn’t do much at first, but I guess it was enough to weaken the whole structure. When the Rax guard came strolling through, it all let go. If we’re lucky, the other guards will think it was just a happy mistake.
Tael grabbed Katrina’s arm. “Wait, what do you mean the other guards?”
“I don’t know where they came from, they just showed up. They went to work on the damage, but I have a feeling it won’t be long before they head this way. When they find their dead buddy, they’ll beat feet to get down here.”
Tael stepped past a still furious Quince and jerked the cover off of the reader. “Get the disk. We’ll have to figure this out later.”
As soon as Tael pulled the fabric away, he saw Quince and Katrina look into the air with the same amazed expressions the others had shown.
Beckett reached for the reader, but Katrina grabbed his arm.
“I know where that is.” A strange sadness overtook her features. “I lived there, when I was little. We camped at the base of that spire. The Rax found it and wiped us out. Almost no one survived.”
Silence washed over the room as everyone stared at the hologram.
“Can you find it again?” Tael’s voice seemed to shake everyone out of their trance.
“What?” Katrina asked, her eyes blinking back down to him.
“I said can you find it again? Can you get us there without a map?”
Katrina nodded. “I think so. Why?”
“Later. Beckett, get the disk. The rest of you wait here. I’ll be right back.”
Tael didn’t wait for an answer. With a few quick steps, he was out the door, making his way up the tunnel. He sprinted through the darkened cavern, seeing every groove and stone in the ghostly blue light of his imager. He wound through the mine, careful to mask his breathing and soften the sound of his footsteps. The corner leading to the exit appeared. As he rounded it, Tael saw Raxion guards moving through the gloom more than fifty yards away. They hadn’t spotted him yet, but they would reach his position in less than a minute. They were already past the junction Tael had hoped he and the others could hide in. There was no other way out. They were trapped.
Chapter Twenty
Tael ran to the room where the others waited. He waved his arms like a madman as soon as they came into view. When he had their attention, he pressed a finger to his lips, demanding silence. “The exit’s blocked,” he whispered padding to a halt. “The guards are right behind me. We have to go.”
“Go where?” Katrina asked. “That’s the only way out.”
“There’s always another way out,” Tael said. “I surveyed this mine. There’s an exit deeper in. It was condemned, but I think it’s our only chance.”
“Condemned?” Molli tried to put on a reassuring smile, but her eyes were wide and hesitant. “Is it useable? How long has it been since you’ve been in here?”
“I don’t know, quite a while.” Tael looked over at Beckett. “Did you get the reader shut off?”
“It wouldn’t shut off, but we covered it up. I’ve got the disk in my pocket.”
Tael ushered everyone out of the room and pulled the door shut, careful not to let it slam. “Let’s hope they don’t take the time to inspect it. As long as they think no one’s been here, they won’t have a reason to look too close.”
Tael pointed deeper into the mine and gave Beckett a little shove. He and Molli took the hint and started moving, but Quince just narrowed his eyes.
“You better be right about this.”
“Well, I would sure hate it if anything came between us.” Tael thought he saw Quince start to smile before he took off in a jog to get in front of the others.
The abandoned sections of the mine were in poor repair. Signs of cave-ins were everywhere, and several of the support structures had rusted through, hanging from the ceiling like jagged teeth in a gaping black maw.
With Tael in the lead, the group squeezed around barriers and crawled through almost impassible openings. Some parts of the mine still glowed in the dim yellow light of the Raxions’ self-sustaining lamps, but the light grew dimmer and more scarce the further they went. They had to slow to a snail’s pace in some sections, forming their makeshift human train so Tael could lead them through the ghostly blue landscape only he could see.
They were tired, covered in dirt, and growing impatient, but within fifteen minutes Tael had located the second exit as promised. As they entered the mouth of a huge cavern, Beckett announced that he saw sunlight peeking through a wall on the far side. The comment drew sighs of relief from the rest of the party.
“Guess we’re in for a swim,” Beckett said, as he looked out over a dark black cistern.
Tael crouched down at the edge and pulled up a handful of the cool liquid to wash his face.
“The Rax started mining here at first,” he said, “but they hit a spring, and it flooded the mine faster than they could pump it out. Eventually, they converted it into a water source. After that, they just used the back door, the way we came in.” Tael pointed off to the left where huge pipes jutted out of the water and through the cavern wall. “Most of the Raxions’ water comes from this spring. It turned out to be huge.”
“Fascinating.” Katrina rolled her eyes and looked toward the exit. “If the documentary is over, do you think we could get out of here?”
Tael turned and swept his arms toward the exit. “Ladies first.”
Katrina gave him a little sneer before wading into the cistern. When the water reached her knees, Katrina dove in and headed for the exit on the far side of the pool.
Beckett and Molli followed suit, struggling with an unpracticed stroke, but all three managed a labored progress toward the other side.
“Let’s go,” Tael smiled at Quince, but his big companion did not follow.
Tael turned back and saw real fear in Quince’s eyes. He tried to hide it, but Tael could see that Quince was terrified.
“Go on. I’ll catch up.” He started to turn away, but Tael caught him by the shirt.
“What’s wrong?”
“I can’t go in there.” Quince stared over Tael’s head at the dark waters.
“Calm down. It’s no big deal. I’m a strong swimmer. The Rax made me learn so I could get through areas like this. I can pull you across if you need help.”
Anger flooded into Quince’s eyes, and he shoved Tael away. “No!”
Quince turned to go back the way they’d come.
Tael followed, unwilling to let him go. “There’s no other way. The Rax don’t believe in emergency exits. When a shaft caves in, they just rope it off and move on. They don’t care about the miners trapped inside. This is our only way out.”
Quince kept walking.
Tael didn’t know what to do. He couldn’t just leave Quince here. The Rax would find him and put his mind under the influence of The Fear or worse. Tael stopped long enough to turn back toward the water and look for the others. He saw a small, wavering form wading out of the pool on the other side of the cistern. Molli. Tael waved his arms to get her attention, but a crash echoing through the cave behind him made him duck instead.
Quince was going to get them all caught. Tael spun, furious at his selfishness. He took several steps in Quince’s direction before he realized Quince wasn’t moving. He just stood there, staring into the dark opening that led back to the mine.
A shiver ran down Tael’s spine. Quince hadn’t made the noise. Something else had.
The Raxion guards must have discovered the reader in the vault and tracked them here.
Tael grabbed Quince’s arm and started hauling him toward the water. There was no more time for understanding. They had to go now or be caught.
Quince stumbled a few steps and then stopped, shaking his head in silent, horrified protest. In that moment, Quince looked very different. His hard, merciless exterior had cracked open to reveal a scared little boy, full of terror and broken innocence.
“Look at me, Quince,” Tael whispered.
Quince did not look away from the water, so Tael grabbed him by the hair and jerked his face down toward his own.
“I said look at me.” His harsh whisper broke through, and Quince shifted his gaze to Tael.
“You have to trust me. You have my word. I will die before I let you drown. I can pull you across that water. All you have to do is relax and come along for the ride.”
Tael led Quince toward the edge of the cistern. The others would be watching them by now. Probably wondering what was going on. Tael couldn’t afford to turn and signal them.
“We have to get out of here,” Tael whispered. “The Rax are right behind us. I’m not going to leave you here.”
Three more steps and Quince set a foot in the water. His body tensed. Tael thought the panic might win. If Quince chose to fight, Tael didn’t stand a chance.
“Trust me,” Tael reassured him. Inch by inch, Tael drew his companion into the pool. When the water was waist deep, Tael let go of Quince’s shirt and guided his shoulders around until he faced the other direction.
The gesture seemed to wake Quince up. He shook his head and looked back over his shoulder at Tael, eyes wide.
“If we drown, I’ll kill you.”
Tael smiled. “You’ll be fine. I promise. Just turn around and lean back. I’ll do the rest.”
Quince did as he was told, though Tael felt the larger boy’s body tense as he sank into the water.
Tael wrapped an arm around Quince’s chest and shoved off, supporting Quince’s bulk. “Relax. The more you struggle, the harder this is. If you have to do something, kick your legs out behind you. We could use the extra push.”
Tael felt Quince grab onto his arm and make a noticeable effort to relax his body. They lurched in the water a bit as Quince started kicking, and together they paddled into the darkness toward the spot where Molli and the others waited.
Chapter Twenty-One
Soil showered Salric’s head as he entered the Sand Creek Mine. He still remembered the steel girders that shored the walls and ceilings, but time had eroded even them away. They looked worn, showing jagged rot everywhere they’d rusted through.
“General Salric.” Lask emerged from a side tunnel, dodging other Raxions rushing to do one job or another. He held a fist to his chest in salute. “I apologize for dragging you down here, but I thought you might want to see this.”
“Your message mentioned a cave in. Has the vault been compromised?”
Lask hesitated. “The vault was not damaged, but it is why I wanted you to come down. Perhaps we should start in here.” Lask swept his arm toward the tunnel he’d emerged from.
Salric followed his lead and walked into the narrow passage. It was dark, dusty, and unkempt. The ragged walls looked as if they might crumble under the lightest touch. They rounded a bend and Salric saw the strewn rubble from the cave-in. Piles of rock and twisted steel blocked the opening. Several workers toiled to dig through the mass illuminated only by the glow beam implants under their eyes. Salric squinted through the poor light and saw what they were working to uncover. A Raxion hand and part of a foot protruded from the surface.
Salric glanced away as soon as he realized what he was looking at. He didn’t want to give Commander Magrieot any more to spy on than he had to.
“Who was it?” Salric asked, staring at a blank spot on the rock wall.
“A vault guard. The cave-in occurred early in the morning. He was the only one in the area. A transport had taken the others away for shift assignment changes.”
Salric turned to make his way out. “I still don’t understand what this has to do with me. It is unfortunate any time we lose one of our own, but it is hardly a matter that requires my attention. I have more important issues to attend to.”
Salric gave Lask a hard look, then started walking.
“Yes, sir,” Lask said, “but there is more.”
Salric stopped and turned back to look at him again. “More?”
Lask paused, then walked toward Salric with a lazy stride. “I believe someone may have gotten into the vault itself.”
Frustrated, Salric stepped in close to Lask. “What do you mean someone got into the vault? Is something missing?”
“No.” Lask shook his head. “Nothing like that. We were planning a transfer to the new site, so most of the contraband had been moved or destroyed.
“So, what makes you think someone got in?” Salric felt anger and impatience growing inside him.
“When I went in to check the vault, the holodisk reader had been activated. Someone covered it with a tarp, probably to mask the light when they couldn’t get the disk reader to turn off.”
Salric turned and started walking again. This time Lask followed close by.
“You believe rebels orchestrated a cave-in, killed a Raxion guard, and circumvented our security codes just to use a holodisk reader?” Salric shook his head. “I don’t often doubt your instincts, but your theory is ridiculous. Even if a human managed to cause the collapse, there is no way he could have gotten into the vault. The security algorithms on the penetrators are impossible to crack.”
“We thought the same thing,” Lask answered. “But the rebels managed to crack that code and do a fair amount of damage.”
Salric let out an impatient sigh. “Reprogramming a mining penetrator is quite different from bypassing a security vault. Why are you wasting my time with this?”
