Asunder Chapter 19

Chapter 4.4 (19)

The Disruptor

The Abyss

“Rebellion - refusal to accept some authority or code or convention.” (1)

1. Advanced English Dictionary

- Present Day -

- The year 2296 -

After sliding down the absurdly long and winding stone shaft into the belly of the facility, Ace landed on a hard floor with a thud. Without proper adjustment of his vision, the room appeared utterly black except for the illuminations of the circuitry within the weapons other soldiers carried. The shaft had made multiple turns upon the descent, forcing sudden and painful shifts in his body position. Though painful, the twists and turns slowed his descent, preventing further damage to his body. The aches and pains induced by the drop caused the sound of grunting and cursing among the other soldiers. Luckily, multiple metal barricades, built by the machines to prevent the facility’s residents from escaping, had been completely melted away by the entry team. This sanding down of sharp metal grates was preplanned as the team wanted to reduce the risk of damaging the Syron hose during its lowering, and at the same time, had the added effect of preventing injury to the soldiers on their descent.

Ace steadied himself, rising to his feet, and stepped gingerly towards the voices. With his eyes still adjusting, he fumbled through the darkness. Though the ground was hard stone, his feet had to sift through a layer of fine dust as he shuffled toward the voices. The room had a sharp, bitter, burnt smell. As he felt the walls, his foot awkwardly kicked something as he moved along. Reaching down, he grabbed the object he had stubbed into. It felt rough and was relatively light, like a hollow tube. As his hands moved along the object's length, the end widened and rounded off. His heart skipped a beat. He dropped the object immediately—the reality of his location sunk in. The place was an incinerator room—a graveyard. He had just been handling a human long bone. He shivered. As he moved ever closer to the voices, anger boiled within him. His resolve became firmer with each step.

These machines would pay.

At this point, the sound of Tuck thudding into the ground behind him echoed through the chamber. The small man grunted, likely feeling the pains induced by the descent. He was soon followed by the largest thud, indicating Alvarez. The larger man’s footing seemed more stable as he landed than the other soldiers.

“Alright, you maggots,” he whispered, approaching the group, “We need to make the rendezvous point by 22:55.”

Ace looked down and checked his timekeeper. It read 22:32. The others in the room started coming into sight as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. They surrounded a metal door that appeared to open only from the outside. A blinding light suddenly flashed as one of the crew members began soldering the iron door where a handle and lock would likely be. Sparks ignited the room, and the groups’ faces illuminated in the darkness. The light from the door cast long shadows backward, revealing black charred stone walls and glimmers of white bones and ash lining the ground.

“How’s it lookin’?” Alvarez grumbled to the Korin as he hauled two long hoses across the ash-coated floor from the shaft, the other end connecting to the Syron tank above ground.

“There was another shaft in here, but it has collapsed. Just recently, it seems. Also, the door has a brand-new lock placed on it. Either the machines knew we were coming, or someone recently tried to escape.” Korin spoke severely.

“Hmmm,” Alvarez grunted, “There’s no way they could’ve known. I’ll bank on the latter option. Any word for the other teams?”

Korin quickly lifted her compad, attempting to scan her surroundings, “The walls are too thick, still no signal. Did you place the relay dispatcher pods throughout the tunnel as you came down? Those little guys are the only way to get our signal to the Syron tanks.”

“Of course I did, and don’t worry about me. I know what I need to do. Tuck, here is my backup in case something happens to me.” He slapped Tuck on the back, nearly throwing the more petite man to the ground.

Turning to the group still cutting at the door, Alvarez took the chance to bark an order, “Hurry up with that!”

“Almost there,” a voice called back.

“Once we’re out of this room, there is a drainage pipe just around the corner. Start filling it up.” Korin kept talking.

“You act like I ain’t the leader of this crew. I know what I have to do.” Alvarez reiterated.

“Oh, you think Tuck here can haul that heavy hose down the hall if something happens to you?” She snidely responded.

Then, realizing she likely hurt Tuck’s manhood by implying he wasn’t strong enough to carry a hose, Ace interrupted. “I’ll help Alvarez.”

They both looked at him—Korin with gratitude and Alvarez with distrust.

“I can do my job. I’m the leader. I call the shots.” Alvarez grumbled.

A cracking sound suddenly interrupted the conversation.

“Got it!” A voice whispered back.

“Finally,” Alvarez grunted. He set the hose down and pushed past Ace.

The other team had made the final blow, and the door cracked open slightly.

“Agro, lead your squad to the left, down corridor 3C, Korin to the right, down 3D. If everything goes as planned, the fire drills should distract the security here.” Alvarez commanded.

The metal door swung open, and light spilled into the room, materializing the entire team into existence. The rebels’ eyes squinted at the sudden rush of light to their retinas. The wailing of a siren echoed in the distance, previously muffled by the sheer thickness of the steel door of the incinerator room.

At least the other team triggered the first set of fire alarms, Ace thought.

A resounding sigh of relief echoed from everyone in the room.

Agro motioned to his team, which included Ace, to follow him. Bringing his rifle to his cheek, Ace aimed it into the hallway and walked steadily behind his squad, avoiding aiming the weapon at the soldier in front of him. Remaining in the back of the line, Ace refocused his eyes back and forth between the team and Alvarez. The giant of a man made his way with the hose toward a series of pipes lining the far side of the hallway.

Alvarez pulled out his soldering device and quickly melted through a side hatch, unfastening the seal of one of the larger pipes. He pulled out a flask from his vest and poured water onto the glowing metal of the hatch to cool it down. Licking his thumb, Alvarez placed it on the metal, determining its temperature. As he could hold his thumb to the pipe without burning it, he quickly transitioned to picking the hose back up and telescoped it into the large pipe. Once satisfied with the positioning, he flipped a switch, which caused the hose to writhe like a squirming worm, indicating the Syron from above began its flow through the hose into the pipe.

Ace looked back at his team, noting Agro had already rounded the corner. Signaling to Agro’s second in command, a short and stout man with deep red hair, Tevo, Ace indicated the pumping had begun. Nodding, Tevo appeared to relay the message around the corner. Ace looked back, watching Alvarez. The man quietly hummed as he let the pipe do its work. Once satisfied, the gruff man shifted his rifle into position and approached behind Ace.

“Told her I knew my job. Now let’s see if she knows hers.” Alvarez scoffed at Korin’s prior comment, which apparently still agitated him.

“Let’s move!” Alvarez whisper-yelled to the front of the line. Upon command, the team began working their way through the corridors. Their stack systematically moved through each hallway, stopping at every turn, each soldier squeezing the shoulder of the one in front of them to ensure they were ready to proceed. At times, Ace could glimpse Korin’s squad down an adjacent hall. They were moving at a nearly synchronous pace with Agro’s squad. The eeriness of the empty hallways with flashing red lights and the growing and fading of the alarm with their movement penetrated his psyche. It all seemed too easy.

Where were the machines?

Where were the evacuees?

After ten minutes of careful tactical maneuvering, they finally heard pattering and clanking moving down an adjacent corridor. Agro suddenly raised his fist, causing the rest of the team to fall into the stack and wait silently. The footsteps lasted for a minute and then faded into the distance. It sounded as though the machines were moving the evacuees to the next sector. The plan was working! He thought. Once they reached the rally point, they would detonate the first round of Syron.

After the sound of footsteps had passed, Agro motioned for their advancement. Tevo stepped forward and moved into the next corridor with Agro covering him. A sudden look of surprise crossed Agro’s face as the third team member rounded the corner. Instead of waiting and covering for the rest of the team, he suddenly charged forward, yelling.

Suddenly, the sound of twisting metal, gunfire, and flames erupted around the corridor. This cacophony of sounds caused the rest of the team to jump and ready their rifles. A sheering red light suddenly tossed back the body of Tevo. His lifeless body hit the wall with a sickening thud. The clanking of metal against metal and the screams of his fellow team members resounded. Three more of his squad rounded the corner to aid their friends but suddenly met the same desteuction.

Gunfire. Clamoring. Crunching. Screams. More gunfire.

Noises of destruction and battle erupted in the distance, echoing through the halls. The machines had ambushed the other team as well—Korin’s team.

Ace looked back and witnessed Tuck shaking convulsively. The muzzle of his gun bounced erratically before him. Leo and Zara, two soldiers whom he had only just met on the thopter, looked at each other and then rounded the corner screaming and shooting. Bullets hit metal, and muffled digital voices rang out. Electronic whirring sounds followed by plasmatic eruptions emerged, and more red lights flashed within the hall. The bodies of Leo and Zara flew backward, slamming into the wall. Ace suddenly felt a large hand grab his shoulder, and a deep voice growled in his ear, “We gotta move outa here. There’s too many.” Alvarez reached over and grabbed Tuck by the collar of his jacket, pulling them both back.

“Follow me,” he grunted as he looked behind them.

As their team’s only surviving members, they all turned and ran, heading back down the corridor they had come from. They quickly wound their way through a few halls before they heard more clanking and gunfire. A series of doors lined the corridor before them. Instead of breaking into one of the doors, Alvarez noticed a ventilation grate on the floor, lining the rightmost wall. Reaching down and pulling up on the grate, he revealed a subfloor. Quickly motioning for Ace and Tuck to jump in, he held the grate open for the two men. Without thinking, Ace slid into the space. The noises of the machines approached rapidly.

The machines are coming, Ace’s mind raced.

Alvarez urged Tuck to enter by waving his hand and mouthing, “Hurry up!”

Shaking, Tuck crouched onto his hands and knees, but the motion of the awkward position caused the butt of his rifle to slam into the ground, sending an echo down the hall. Ace quickly pulled Tuck into the subfloor with him. Tuck held his breath, trying not to whimper. The noises approached quicker, now changing their trajectory. The sound of Tuck’s rifle hitting the ground most likely caught the machines’ attention. With no time to spare, Alvarez closed the grate on the two men. Confused, Ace grabbed the grate, whispering angrily to Alvarez.

“What are you doing? Get down here!”

“Shut yer trap and hide. They're here,” Alvarez whispered back through gritted teeth and quickly stepped away from the grate, hiding against the far wall. Looking at them below, Alvarez raised his finger to his lips, silently shushing them. Ace and Tuck stepped back into the darkness of the subfloor shaft. Ace could barely see Alvarez as he stood in the shadow. The sound of running footsteps entered the hall. They were not the sound of the machines’ heavy footsteps but rather that of boots. A surprised look suddenly brightened Alvarez’s face, and he stepped out of hiding.

“Oh man, you rotten bugger! You scared me, brotha! How’d you get away? I thought you were a goner,” Alvarez chided.

Suddenly, a gunshot rang out, and Alvarez’s face changed to a look of horror.

“What... what are you doing? Why?” Alvarez groaned.

Blood gurgled from Alvarez’s mouth, and he dropped to his knees. A pool of blood formed on his wool shirt from beneath his jacket, directly over his heart. Alvarez grabbed his chest and removed his hand soaked in blood. Without a word, the figure who entered the hall walked calmly over to Alvarez, and through the grate, Ace could see a hand holding a pistol, once more raising the gun and shooting Alvarez for a second time. This time, Alvarez dropped to the ground, his lifeless eyes staring deep into the grate where Ace and Tuck hid, crouching in the darkness.

Suddenly, a chorus of clanking metal entered the hallway. The person who shot Alvarez turned and greeted the machines arriving just behind. Ace could see glimpses of the figure’s body through the grate and the terrible red glow of the machines illuminating the hallway.

“JN912, where are the others?” The digital voices of the machines reverberated.

“There are at least three more,” the familiar voice sank into Ace’s ears—Agro’s voice.

The traitor. It was he who just murdered Alvarez. Ace’s blood boiled. He wanted to jump out of the grate and strangle the man. Agro not only lied to all of them, but he lied to Korin. She was in love with a traitor.

“Two men named Tuck and Ace, as well as a woman, Korin,” Agro spoke coldly.

“Spread out and find them. I will stop further injection of Syron into the waste system. This will be over soon. Hurry.”

He barked orders at the machines, and they listened. Suddenly, the clanking of the machines retreated down the halls. Agro turned around and walked back toward the body. Ace could see him now. The evil man stood over Alvarez’s body, staring at it with a blank and cold disposition. Reaching down, Agro grabbed Alvarez’s pistol and, without a hint of remorse, turned and walked off in the opposite direction.

After the footsteps disappeared down the hall, Ace turned to Tuck.

“We have to get out of here and warn the others. It’s a trap.”

Tuck sat on the ground, curled into a ball, rocking and whimpering. “No, no, they gonna kill us…”

Ace grabbed him by the collar and lifted him to his feet. Staring him in the eyes, he spoke firmly, “We will not die! We will get out of here and warn the others!”

Tuck suddenly snapped out of his trance and shook his head, “Okay, okay.”

Ace looked around, scanning their surroundings. The subfloor extended along the hallways, intermittently interspersed with light entering through grates lining the walls. Maybe they could stay underground, he thought.

Suddenly, a door creaking open above them caught their attention. They both fell stone silent. Looking through the grate, they viewed one of the doors lining the corridor slowly open. From inside came an older man and woman wearing ragged clothes and food-stained aprons. They slowly crept out of the room, looking both ways down the hall.

Ace quickly approached the grate and whispered. “Pssst... pssst... hey down here!”

Startled, the two looked down to the ground. The couple’s eyes crossed over Alvarez’s body, and their faces immediately lost color. Ace pushed on the grate, loosening from its hinge.

“Follow us. There’s a subfloor down here we can hide in and make our way out,” Ace called to the couple reassuringly.

The two eyed each other and quickly ran to the grate and lifted it. The man tenderly hoisted the older woman down, and Ace took the man’s hand, helping him descend into the depths. Once down, Ace quickly replaced the grate and immediately hushed the others as a sudden eruption of nearby gunfire and yells echoed. After what seemed like an eternity, the sounds died down again under the intermittent wail of the siren.

“What is happening here? Who are you guys?” The older man whispered.

“We came to rescue you all and destroy this facility,” Ace responded.

The man and the woman looked at each other. “There is no escaping this place. They knew you were coming. While moving us sectors, I overheard the machines talking, and it sounded like they’d known for days.”

Ace ground his teeth.

That traitorous Agro!

What would compel him to do such a heinous act?

Didn’t he know the machines were just using him?

“Well, we are here now, and at this point, we need to survive and find a way out,” Ace retorted.

Tuck nodded in agreement.

Trying to get his bearings, Ace looked up out of the grate. The sector number painted on the far wall flashed beneath the red lights—E9. Suddenly, the image of his sister came to the forefront of his mind. His sister! That’s right, he was there to save his sister! Miraculously, her dorm was nearby. He could hopefully find her and get her out as well.

Ace turned his attention back to the man and woman, who now whispered, arguing. Ace excitedly interrupted.

“Hey, do either of you know Jane Jenkins?”

They stopped bickering, and both looked at him. Tuck also examined him with a confused expression.

“What?” The man responded.

“Jane Jenkins. Do you know her?”

“How do you know Jane?” The woman interjected.

Ace's heart pounded. They obviously knew her.

“She’s my sister.”

“Yes, I knew her,” the woman replied.

Ace’s heart now switched gears and dropped to his stomach.

“Knew? What do you mean knew? Where is she? What happened to her? The directory said she still lived here!”

Tears filled the woman’s eyes.

“They came for her. They killed everyone on the kitchen staff... but... but... they never found her.” The woman’s voice shook.

“What? What are you talking about? They came for her? Who came for her? Is she okay? Where is she now?” His mind raced.

“We don’t know, but it sounded like she escaped. The machines were agitated and worked up. I’d never seen them so worked up. It was so... human...”

Ace rolled the news over in his mind.

Escaped?

But how?

Where was she now?

Confused, Tuck interrupted, “You knew your sister was here? Is that why you came?” A look of clarity entered his eyes as though all his suspicions were confirmed. “I knew it was too good to be true. You just show up out of nowhere. The commander knew something was not right.” He mumbled to himself.

“Hey! Snap out of it! You’re alive, aren’t you? Was it me that just shot down your friend Alvarez? NO! It was actually a man you trusted!”

Ace couldn’t believe he was wasting time arguing with the same guy who had wetted himself earlier. A look of regret replaced Tuck’s judgment. The smaller man bowed his head in guilt.

“We have to get out of here.” Ace continued.

His sister was no longer there, which meant he had to get out of the facility fast. Agro mentioned Korin was still alive. Ace suddenly felt himself aching for the woman. How would she handle the news of Agro? He hoped she had found a way out.

Tuck, out of context and bereft, suddenly approached the couple and whispered, “Have you ever met an older couple named Nivi and Tulu? Nivi and Tulu Amaruq?”

What was Tuck doing?

How did he know those names?

The man shook his head. “No, sorry, son, that name don’t ring a bell.”

Tuck nodded, sullen by the news, “Thanks, it was worth checking.”

The woman interjected, “Tulu don’t ring a bell, but I knew Nivi,” she poked the man.

“Remember Jane’s mamma, Nivi?”

The man’s eyes lit up with remembrance. “Oh yeah, you’re right.”

Tuck brightened, “You know her? She was here?”

“Yeah, she and Jane came together a few years back.”

“How do you know them, Tuck?” Ace interjected, confused at Tuck’s questioning and knowledge of Nivi. Images of the older woman crossed Ace’s mind.

“My parents, I figure if maybe your sister was here, why not see if my parents were too...” Tuck trailed off.

Ace recognized the same curiosity propelling him to be there, kindling within Tuck. He also recognized the genetic resemblance between Tuck and the older woman who, for many nights, cared for him and his family, and his heart softened toward the man.

“Ace! If we find your sister, we can also find my mother!” Sparks of hope filled his eyes.

Ace reasoned in his mind and finally delivered the news, “Tuck, she’s gone.”

A moment of silence hung in the air.

A more stoic Tuck broke it. “How do you know that?”

“I was there, Tuck. I lived in this facility with your mother for a short time. Nivi didn’t make it.”

Tuck looked at the couple, who nodded at the news of his mother.

Ace stepped forward. “Tuck, we gotta get back to those shafts we came in. That’s our only way out.” He grabbed Tuck by the shoulders, attempting to snap the man back into the moment. Ace had already decided. If his sister had already escaped, and Tuck’s parents were not there, then they both needed to get out of the facility stat.

“We got to get back and tell Commander Sylas what is happening. She is in danger. They all are.”

Tuck’s resolve returned, and he grabbed his rifle and readied it. “You got it, Ace.”

Even now, Ace reeled at Tuck being Nivi’s son. Every moment of his life felt like a series of coincidences. Now, Ace was beginning to think there was more to all of this than mere coincidences.

Tuck suddenly grabbed Ace’s shoulder as he went to turn back to the couple. “Did she... did she ever mention me?” The smaller man asked regretfully.

Ace put his hand on Tuck’s shoulder. “All the time. They were good people, your parents. They looked after my brother and sister and were like parents to my siblings. They were good people, Tuck... just like you.”

Tuck nodded and then raised his rifle. “Let’s get outta here.”

Ace smiled and turned back to the couple, who were now arguing.

“Come on!” Ace whispered to the couple.

They stopped whispering and looked at Ace without moving. “We can’t come. Our daughter is still here, and we have to find her.”

Ace looked back and forth between the two. He could see they had made their final decision. “Are you sure? This may be your only chance to escape.”

The couple nodded in unison, “We’ve lived our whole lives in this facility. We know nothing different. We have to find our daughter.”

Ace understood. He would do the same. “Okay, okay.” He looked up through the opening of the grate. Alvarez’s body lay there, still looking at them.

“Here, take this.” Ace removed the rifle from his shoulder and gave it to the couple. The older man looked startled.

“We can’t!” The woman replied.

“Just in case. You just aim it and pull the trigger to shoot. That’s it.” He pointed to the trigger. The man gripped the rifle and hoisted it up and down, examining its weight. The juxtaposition of the older man and the weapon made Ace smile.

“Good luck.” Ace slapped the older man on the shoulder.

The older woman reached over and kissed Ace’s cheek, “Thank you, son. We hope you find your sister.” With that, the couple quickly hurried off in the opposite direction.

Hoisting himself up through the grate, Ace reached for Alvarez’s rifle and, after shimmying it off the giant man’s dead body, pulled it into their hiding nook. Replacing the grate over them, Ace quickly ratcheted the gun’s bolt.

He looked at Tuck, who was just as ready now. “Let's go.”

§

Ace and Tuck made their way through the corridor subfloors, intermittently stopping when they heard gunfire or metal clanking as the machines passed overhead. They eventually reached the area where they first entered the facility. The piping Alvarez had hacked sat right next to them as it entered the floor from above their heads. Ace could hear the guzzling of the Syron as it drained into the piping system. There was no way they could blow this facility. Too many people were still within. There was no evacuation. No destroying the main supply of the machine’s energy source.

Ace prayed his friend, Diego, was okay. Ace had to warn him of what was going on. His friend was heading into a trap. He thought of his sister, Jane, as well. How had she escaped, and where was she now?

His thoughts were suddenly distracted by the sound of voices overhead. There was no audible digitalization of tones. They were human voices. He looked to Tuck and pressed his finger to his pursed lips to indicate silence. The voices became more audible.

“It’s a trap. We have to shut off the Syron. There is no getting these people out. We have to warn Sylas.”

It was Agro’s voice.

Who was he talking to?

Suddenly, Korin’s voice chimed in.

“What happened? How did they find out we were coming?”

“It was Ace. I knew we couldn’t trust him. I saw him speaking to the machines. He must’ve sold us out.”

Ace looked to Tuck, bewildered by the conversation taking place overhead. Tuck shook his head, anger fuming in his eyes. Good, Ace needed to know the man was capable of anger. Anger would be more helpful than timidity. Suddenly, a rustling resounded above them, and the sound of the Syron falling down the pipe diminished to drops dripping into the expanse of the vertical pipe. Agro had shut the Syron off.

What was he doing?

Why had he not killed Korin?

Was she in on it too? Or was he planning on turning her into a traitor like himself?

Then, the realization of Agro’s plan struck him. The evil traitor would lead the machines back to Sylas and the others. Agro would try to destroy the remainder of the rebels.

Ace quickly looked around. Not far back down the subfloor appeared another opening they could use to get back up to the hallway. He motioned for Tuck to follow him. The two silently moved toward the grate. They had to get up to the hallway in order to even try and escape.

Suddenly, Korin’s voice echoed above Ace and Tuck, “I can’t believe Ace is a traitor. He seemed so sincere. I know he was new and was a Disruptor, but espionage... do you think his buddy Diego was in on it too?”

“Definitely,” Agro responded. “I knew they were trouble from the second they arrived. We need to get back to Sylas and warn her. Let’s hurry. The machines are probably right behind.” Agro continued.

Agro and Korin’s footsteps moved toward the door where they first arrived—the entrance to the incinerator room. Their voices faded as they entered.

Upon reaching the opening in the subfloor, Ace quickly released the grate from the wall mount and hoisted himself up. Once to his feet, he reached down and pulled Tuck up. Ace put his finger to his lips and then motioned for Tuck to keep watch while he assessed the escape route.

While Ace slowly crept toward the room, a surge of cortisol pumped ferociously through his veins. His eyes dilated as he peered into the room. Bringing the rifle’s muzzle to aim, Ace visualized a faint light from the shaft and two bodies moving toward it. Quietly grabbing a flair from his belt, he quickly flicked the top off with his thumb and threw it to the left corner to avoid the Syron hose.

This distraction suddenly caught Korin and Agro by surprise. The couple quickly turned and became illuminated by the glow of the orange flame, which caused their shadows to dance against the wall.

“See, I told you,” Agro grumbled to Korin, who glared at Ace incriminatingly. “He’s here to finish us off.”

Ace fumed at the comment but still kept his voice low so as not to attract the machines who were likely nearby, “Drop the act, Agro! I know what you did. I saw it with my own eyes. I heard you talking to the machines. How could you? You’re the traitor!”

This accusation caused Korin’s expression to change from anger and incrimination to confusion. She looked at Agro.

“I’m the traitor?” Agro’s cold voice echoed through the room. He spoke loud—almost shouting. He was trying to get the attention of the machines nearby. “I saw you kill Alvarez in cold blood.”

The words stung. The bite of the arrogance in Agro’s voice lit a torch within Ace. The memory of Alvarez’s eyes flashed before his mind—the cold, lifeless eyes. Ace glared at Agro, and a hint of the same cold, lifeless eyes flashed back at him.

“Shut your mouth!” Ace whisper-yelled back at him.

“Your games won’t work here…” Agro’s voice was even louder.

Ace immediately interjected.

“I said, shut your mouth. You are trying to attract the machines. If you continue raising your voice, I will kill you right here, right now.”

Korin continued to look bewildered, her arms slightly dropping, her body language apprehensive now. She slowly backed away from Agro.

Tears welled up in Ace’s eyes. A familial reaction passed down to him by his mother. The intense emotions welling up inside him spilled out through his eyes.

“Look, I don’t know your plans, but just let us go, Ace,” Agro responded. “We won’t tell anyone what you did. Just let us go. I don’t know what sick world you live in, but please, don’t bring us into this.”

Agro was obviously trying to engage Ace, hoping he would do something stupid to expose their predicament to the machines. Ace looked to Korin, who stood there confused as ever.

“Korin, look at me. I don’t know what Agro is doing, but he sold us out to the machines. They knew we were coming. Whatever he says is a lie.”

He looked back at Agro and gripped his rifle tighter, insinuating he would shoot unquestionably.

“Stop!” Agro yelled at the top of his lungs.

Immediately, without thought or recourse, Ace fired his rifle square at Agro’s throat. The shot rang out through the room. Half of Agro’s neck exploded, sending sparks sputtering about. Surprisingly, the man barely moved. He still stood exactly where he was, unfazed by the shot. Even more surprising was the lack of blood or exposure of bone and tendons. Instead, half the skin of his face, neck, and shoulder tore back, revealing metal workings beneath. Sparks continued to erupt from the wires dangling from his jaw. The light of the flare reflected off his metal frame from within.

A cyborg?

Agro was a cyborg.

Diego was right.

Ace had only heard rumors of such beings, but never had he dreamed they truly existed. Fear rushed through Ace’s entire being. Korin and Ace stared speechless at the mechanical Agro standing before them. Almost as immediately as they realized the situation, Agro grabbed Korin and pulled her into him, shielding himself with her. He now had his pistol cocked and aimed right at Korin’s temple. Ace could only see Agro’s right unharmed eye through the crack between his weapon and Korin’s neck.

“Ace, Ace, Ace,” Agro growled coldly through a fuzzy mechanical voice. The shot had damaged his voice transducer.

“You think a single shot from a rifle would kill me? You know there is no getting out of this alive. They are coming. Either you let Korin and me make our way out of this shaft, or you all die when the Takers arrive. Your choice.”

Agro steadily paced side to side, making any clear shot nearly impossible.

“What will it be, Ace?” Agro spoke condescendingly.

“Neither,” a familiar voice whispered in his ear. At that exact moment, the muzzle of a rifle slipped over, resting on Ace’s shoulder from behind. This action was followed by a click from the trigger igniting the round from within, and through the silencer, a bullet whizzed through the barrel straight at Agro and Korin. The cyborg immediately collapsed, writhing in mechanical distress and errors—with a hole blown through his head, right where Agro’s eye had peaked through the small space between the gun and Korin’s neck. Korin stood gasping, her eyes shut tight, unmoving.

Ace turned, and little Tuck stood proud. “My father taught me to shoot as well.”

“Holy heavens, did he ever!” Ace grabbed him by the shoulders. They both turned, and Korin remained motionless. Ace ran over to her, attempting to shake her from her stupor. “Are you alright?”

She slowly opened her eyes and relaxed her body, every muscle tense from bracing for a round through her head. She looked at Ace wide-eyed and then down at Agro.

“He… I… we… you…” Korin gasped in between each word. She stumbled, lost in all that took place. Sparks sprayed from Agro’s head as the writhing and twitching slowed.

“He’s a… He’s not human?” Her mind likely raced as she contemplated her relationship with the man—with the cyborg.

“I know this is all very crazy already, but we really need to get out of here. I’m sure Agro wasn’t kidding when he said the machines are heading right this way.”

She nodded, still in shock.

“We got to get back to the thopter and warn the others.” Ace looked at Korin, then down at the communication device hanging from her belt. Quickly grabbing it, he pointed to the numbers displayed across the screen.

“Am I on the right frequency? Can I call, and others will hear it from here?” He whispered calmly.

She nodded.

He pressed the button and spoke, “Mayday, Mayday, this is Ace from Korin’s com. We have been compromised. The machines know our plan. I repeat the mission has been compromised… retreat… Alvarez is dead… no time to explain. Escape at all costs. I repeat, retreat.”

He grabbed Korin. “Let’s go! We gotta climb!”

He looked to Tuck, who nodded and motioned for them to go first.

Ace helped prop Korin into the shaft, then connected her belt to the repeater rope and pulled. Alvarez had made it look so easy. Ace strained as he ratcheted the device to help Korin ascend.

When he finally felt the weight give way, he knew she had reached the top. Feeling a release on his end, indicating she took over the weight transfer regulator on the other end, he quickly strapped his belt into the rope. Suddenly, he felt Tuck’s hand take him by the shoulder. Tuck looked him in the eyes earnestly, “Thank you, Ace, you are a good man. If we don’t make it, know you are a good man.”

Ace smiled awkwardly, “Stop talking like that, and let's get out of here.”

Tuck nodded, and Ace began his ascent. Halfway up the shaft, Ace looked back and saw Tuck’s face lit by the flare. He was glad the Commander forced Tuck to keep an eye on him. The man had been Nivi’s son—someone he trusted. The world always seemed to bring the right people together at the right time, even in dire situations such as this.

Just as the thoughts of gratitude about Tuck flowed through Ace’s mind, a reflection suddenly flashed behind Tuck, and Ace, with horror, yelled out, “Tuck! Behind you!”

As Tuck turned, a mutilated Agro grabbed him by the neck and rammed a metal rod through his abdomen. Tuck screamed in anguish, falling limp to the ground. The Agro cyborg’s half-missing face turned and looked up at Ace. Ace drew his rifle and fired endless rounds down the shaft. Forgetting the syron hose still plunged down through the shaft, one of the bullets ripped through the hose and ignited its end. Flames spewed from the torn hose as it sprayed the cyborg and the lifeless Tuck with liquid fire. The machine screamed. Ace quickened his pace, jumping around the corner and hurrying to the end of the shaft. There was no telling when the entire system would ignite and blow half of the mountain.

He saw Korin’s face at the end of the tunnel, lit by the moonlight. She reached down and grabbed his hands, lifting him out of the shaft. She suddenly saw what he was afraid of. A flame rapidly made its way up the hose toward the Syron tank just feet from them.

“RUN!” She yelled.

They immediately sprinted down the incline as fast as their feet could carry them. Then, with a sudden deep bellowing, the Syron tank ignited, sending a hellfire of liquid flames in all directions, incinerating all within its range—flattening the surrounding trees.

The sheer sonic boom of the explosion had thrown Ace and Korin through the air, tumbling them over the edge of a drop-off as they ran at a full sprint. As they hit the loose rock below, they tumbled down the incline and splashed into a deep stream running through the ravine. Erupting out of the water, they gasped for air. But with this, they suddenly realized the inferno of the explosion barreled toward them, and immediately, they plunged back in to avoid being incinerated with the rest of their surroundings. The ice-cold water penetrated Ace’s clothing, and the chill became unbearable. The tumble down the mountainside caused aches within Ace’s rib cage to compound the burning of his lungs as he held his breath. His head throbbed from the impact.

Remnants of the Syron inferno flew overhead as they waded below the water. Ace’s vision began to blur. Images of an impaled Tuck flashed through his mind—of Alvarez lying lifeless—of his sister shivering in a cold forest alone. Images of Diego…

Diego! He jolted back to consciousness. He had to get a hold of Diego and inform him of the situation. His best friend was flying into a trap. Ace’s lungs began to lose their capacity. His body screamed for oxygen. He opened his eyes and visualized Korin starting to struggle as well. Looking up to the surface, Ace could see the flames dying down. Though the water was ice-cold, as it was likely snowy runoff at nearly freezing temperatures, the surface of the water was made warmer by the inferno above it.

Another thirty seconds of excruciating waiting passed by. And then, without further passing of time, Ace and Korin nearly simultaneously surfaced, gasping for breath. The warmth of the air felt exhilarating. It soothed his lungs at first, but the fumes of the burning Syron quickly replaced the pleasant feeling with a noxious, searing sensation in his lungs. The fumes caused them both to erupt into a coughing fit. The trees all about them sat like charred smoking sticks. Aftershocks rumbled deep within the mountain. It appeared the other Syrons had not ignited within the mountain—thankfully. There were still humans in the facility. The evacuation was a farce. He prayed the Syron in the piping had cleared far before it ignited.

Looking over at Korin’s sopping wet face and matted red hair, he breathed a sigh of relief. She glanced back and nodded. They were alright—they survived. Quickly emerging from the pool, Ace checked them both for any critical wounds. Still silent from the shock of the event, they immediately set out to find the convoy they arrived in.

The cold autumn evening air, combined with his wet clothing and hair, chilled Ace to the bone. The radius of the explosion was frightening. Even with only a small amount remaining in the tank, the Syron had flattened nearly everything within a quarter-mile radius. By the time they reached the convoy, most vehicles blazed with flames, damaged to the extent of being unserviceable. They checked each dilapidated rig but found none in working condition. The blast had fried most of the engines. Circling one of the last rigs, Korin suddenly found a magnograv bike unharmed. During the explosion, the vehicle was parked on the unexposed side of the rig, protecting its circuitry and engine calibrators.

Without compunction, Korin jumped on the front and kicked on the engine. The bike fired up with ease. Korin glanced up, grinning. “It works!” She said with a sense of relief, “Now hop on. The thopters aren’t too far back. They should still be safe from the explosion.”

Unquestionably, Ace hopped on the back of the bike, wrapping his arms around her waist. Throttling the vehicle, Korin revved the magnograv engines. Pulling to her left, she masterfully maneuvered around the graveyard of vehicles and accelerated down the ravine.

The scenery quickly changed from hot, charred rocks to blackened tree trunks, eventually transitioning to skeletons of tree limbs and finally to full pine again. Though it was night, the moon shone bright and revealed the world in shadows and deep hues of purple and blue. The smell of Syron fumes trailed behind them, and vibratory accelerators of the bike hummed beneath them, leaving little evidence of their route taken. In the distance between the tree line, they could see the shadowed outlines of the thopters sitting idle in the clearing. Traversing into a thickened wooded area, the view of the thopters disappeared behind the canopy of pine, enveloping them for the moment.

Suddenly, a thunderous explosion hit their ears, and Korin slowed the speeder. Maneuvering through the closely spaced trees, she suddenly opened their view to the night sky. A plume of smoke appeared, illuminated by the moonlight. Hints of yellow light glittered the underside of the smoke cloud, indicating a fire from below it—the thopters.

From behind the smoke cloud, a view of two glowing red humanoid jets streamed through the sky, trailed by their curdled airstream.

Takers.

The machines had destroyed the thopters. Ace’s heart sank. He could feel Korin’s breathing stop and her shoulders slump. They both sat in the line of the trees, hearts thumping, magnograv speeder idling, and minds racing.

“What do we do now?” he whispered in Korin’s ear. She tensed up, slightly startled by his voice. She clearly forgot he was there.

Shaking her head as though lost in her thoughts, she whispered under her breath, “Agro... how could you? What were you?”

Ace could feel her abdomen begin to heave under the sobs erupting from within her.

“What are we going to do?” She reiterated Ace’s question in her own words, more to herself than to him.

Then, suddenly snapping back into the moment, she grabbed her com unit and yelled, “Mayday, mayday, the thopters have been destroyed.”

Ace nearly fell over.

What was she doing?

They needed to hide, not make themselves known!

She continued, “We are at the top east side of the ridge at point six! If there are survivors, meet us there. We have the last thopter ready. We are leaving in 8 minutes!”

Looking at the numbers on the com unit near her cheek, Ace suddenly realized what she had done. The numbers were off by nine degrees, indicating no human would’ve heard the message. She had given false coordinates for the Takers to intercept. Smart, he thought.

Suddenly, in the sky, the two Takers' trajectory drew in an arc, and their course changed, heading toward the east ridge. Ace smiled. Korin glanced over, grinning as well. At least THEY had heard the message. Korin revved up the engine and sped off into the night, leaving the lone mountain behind them. The cold air rushing through his ears was an orchestra of mastery. They had escaped and now sped over the moonlit valley northward. To warn Commander Sylas.