Chapter 101 Darkness Falls
The climb back to the surface was a journey through a tomb.
The elevators were dead. We had to take the emergency maintenance stairs—a spiral of rusted steel that wound up through forty levels of sub-basement darkness.
My leg muscles experienced intense pain with each movement. My bandaged arm pulsed pain with my heartbeat. The physical agony I felt could not compare to the overwhelming burden which silence brought upon me.
The Terrarium, which normally operated as a city because of its reactor and turbine sounds, remained completely silent. We could only hear the sound of our boots hitting the metal grate and Vane's uneven breathing behind me.
Vane repeated his confession for the tenth time when he said "I killed it." "I killed the city."
I paused to help him up from the ground when I said "You saved it." He looked like a ghost in the beam of Ryker’s flashlight. His mechanical eye appeared dark and lifeless because it lacked a grid connection for synchronization. The city would have vanished completely if that portal had opened.
Vane expressed his bitterness when he said "Tell that to the people on life support." Vane expressed his bitterness when he said "Tell that to the people trapped in the turbo-lifts."
Ryker gave his command to "Move" from his position at the front. His voice delivered a forceful command which showed no sign of exhaustion. "We must control our area because guilt is not something we can afford." We had to establish control over our surroundings.
We continued to ascend higher.
When we entered the main lobby of the Spire through the door, our actions from earlier became fully apparent to us.
The space was completely dark.
The large glass atrium, which usually filled with natural daylight or artificial light, existed as a dark cavern. The sun had set three hours before. The emergency floodlights which operated on their backup batteries had begun to dim into a fading amber glow.
The area did not maintain complete silence.
I could hear the city making loud noises through the glass doors.
The city did not emit one single scream. It emitted an overwhelming sound which matched the panic of millions who were entering complete darkness. I heard the sound of glass breaking. The wail of sirens that were quickly dying out as their batteries failed. The shouts of confusion turned into panic by transforming into shouts.
"Jaxon!" Ryker shouted into the dark space.
Commander Jaxon appeared from the security area which bordered the security desk. He held a chemical flare in one hand and a pistol in the other. He looked terrified.
Jaxon ran toward us when he said "Sir! Jaxon ran toward us. "The entire grid has been destroyed. Everything is gone. Communication systems have failed. The defense turrets are offline. The perimeter shield dropped two minutes ago.
Ryker required an update about the current population situation.
Jaxon reported to the commander "Panic has gripped the area." "Total panic. The people believe that the Rot has won. Sector 4 has begun to experience looting because of it. The Human Unions are blaming the New Citizens for the blackout. The Wolves are becoming increasingly restive. The city has become terrifying because there are no streetlights.
I walked to the glass doors and looked outside.
The Terrarium had transformed into an unrecognizable state. The city now stood free of its prior streetlights and window illumination. The only illumination source in the area existed because of uncontrolled fires which had emerged from street areas where hover-cars crashed and riots broke out.
Another source of illumination existed.
The plants.
Ivy's garden, which covered the entire area with its gigantic vines that hung from skyscrapers and its moss which covered the streets, emitted light. The light took the form of a soft blue which glowed through bioluminescence. The light had insufficient intensity to illuminate the entire city yet it created an ethereal underwater atmosphere.
Jaxon said "We are blind." "And without the shield grid... the walls are just concrete. Anything can climb over them.
Ryker responded, "Then we open our eyes.
He moved toward the middle of the lobby space and then proceeded to put away his sword in its protective casing.
"Vane," Ryker said. "Can you get the PA system working? Just the speakers on the Spire?
Vane indicated his No response to Ryker while he pointed at his dead eye. "No power boss. The amplifiers require power to function. At this moment I serve no purpose beyond being a luxurious paperweight.
Ryker decided on the old procedure "When we implement the standard operating procedure which our organization has used in the past.
I asked her, "Which previous method are you referring to?"
Ryker shifted his focus toward Baron who positioned himself at the entryway while observing the turmoil outside through his watchful human presence.
"Baron," Ryker commanded. "Howl."
Baron displayed a grin which made his teeth appear dangerous under the light of the flare.
"With pleasure," he said.
Baron shifted his body through a transition that involved violent transformation which caused his bones to break and his body to grow fur. A second later, the massive grey Alpha wolf stood in the lobby.
He raised his head toward the sky and issued a roar which caused the glass to vibrate.
AWOOOOOOOOOO.
The sound transformed into a command which called people to him.
The city streets darkened as people heard the distant summons from him.
Howls echoed from the rooftops and alleys and shadows as different groups began to join in. The Black-Tooth Clan. The Grey Knights who had shifted. The sound moved through the city faster than any radio transmission could reach.
"Jaxon," Ryker ordered. "Get every flare, every torch, every chemical stick we have in the armory. Distribute them to the Wolf Packs. The Wolves function as streetlights. They patrol the sectors. The Wolves will act as streetlights because they will patrol their districts. The Wolves will stop any illegal activity they observe. The Wolves will stop any illegal activity they observe and they will alert others when they detect Rot.
"Yes sir," Jaxon replied before he holstered his gun. He appeared relieved to receive his first mission.
Ryker turned to Vane, the cyborg. "I want you to lead a group of engineers to seal the steam tunnel entrances. You should take team members to develop the blast doors for their lower level security system. You should have the team manually close to all blast doors entrance points. You should take the team to shut all doors except underground access points.
Vane confirmed his role by stating that he would complete his assignment using the acetylene cutting tools.
Ryker looked at me before he said, "I need to see your powers.
"I understand," I responded. "You need a lighthouse.
The people fear darkness because they see it as dangerous. The people need something to anchor their gaze.
The Beacon
I ascended the stairway to reach the Spire roof which represented the cityscape's highest elevation point.
The wind brought cold temperatures to this place which caused my hair to whip into my face. The city below displayed a dark mass which contained fire and bioluminescent areas.
I sensed growing fear from the streets which produced a chilling mist that filled the atmosphere.
I told myself, "No pressure exists in this situation. You must illuminate the sky.
My hands reached to my chest area where I placed them above the Origin Stone.
The Origin Stone began to throb because it sensed dark energy. The Origin Stone desired to be taken from captivity.
I expressed the desire to shine through my whisper.
Through my body, I sent magic power upward into the air.
I released energy which created a pure white light sphere above the Spire. The small sphere of light began to expand by producing a continuous ball of growing light. The object expanded without limit until it reached 10 feet wide and 20 feet wide and finally 50 feet wide.
The object stayed in the atmosphere like a second moon.
The light spread across the entire city area in a gentle manner that produced no brightness. The gentle light which shone with a pearl-white hue created shadows that reached long distances while it illuminated the roadways.
The loud screams below me stopped completely.
People directed their gazes upward. The audience witnessed the light which shone above them. The Spire maintained its presence as a standing structure during the day. The Queen remained awake.
I sustained the light in position while enduring intense pressure which made me feel like my body was breaking apart. The weight produced a draining effect on me but I had to maintain control of it.
Ryker walked out to the rooftop area and joined me as we both watched the city from that position.
"People see it," Ryker spoke in a quiet voice. "Look.
The street activities experienced a transformation because the people paused their frenzied running. People began to gather in the plazas, which were lit by the white light of the moon. The Wolf Packs moved through the area to control the situation without attacking. They used their presence to timely manage the crowd.
"The night belongs to us," I said, "but I must stop this energy blast which is currently draining my strength. I need to recharge. My battery will run out soon.
"The sun will rise at dawn because you need to hold your position until that time, "Ryker said. "After daylight returns, we will begin our search.
He moved to the edge of the roof to observe the perimeter wall.
The shield grid had disappeared, leaving behind a concrete barrier that stretched 300 feet.
"Ryker," I called to him after I saw his attention shift toward the horizon. "What is that?
The Deadlands lay north of the agricultural sector which I pointed to.
Beyond my artificial moon's light range, something hidden in darkness moved.
The landscape appeared as an endless stream of black water which moved forward across the open fields. The object which looked like water actually comprised solid material. The object presented a surface which contained millions of moving shapes that spread out in synchronized patterns.
"The Hive," Ryker whispered.
He raised his binoculars to view the area.
"They aren't hiding anymore," he said. "The portal failed, so they are doing it the hard way. They are marching."
"How many?" I asked.
"Enough to bury us," Ryker lowered the binoculars. His face was grim.
He tapped his comms, which were working on short-range frequency.
"Jaxon. Baron. Get to the North Wall. Man the physical turrets. Load the heavy ordnance."
"Sir?" Jaxon’s voice crackled. "What’s incoming?"
Ryker looked at the black tide rolling toward our defenseless city.
"Everything," Ryker said.
The North Wall
An hour later, we stood on the ramparts of the North Wall.
The wind carried a smell that made my stomach turn—the smell of wet earth and ancient rot.
Ryker stood on a crate, addressing the soldiers. They were a motley crew—Grey Knights in unpowered armor, Wolves in human form holding spears and axes, and Human Union workers holding Molotov cocktails.
There were no energy shields. No laser grids. Just men and women standing on a wall in the dark.
"Listen to me!" Ryker shouted. His voice carried without a microphone.
"The enemy out there doesn't care about your politics!" Ryker roared. "It doesn't care if you are Human or Wolf! It doesn't care if you are rich or poor! It wants to turn you into meat! It wants to hollow you out and wear your skin!"
He drew his Star-Metal sword. The blade caught the light of my beacon, gleaming silver.
"Tonight, we are not the Iron Sovereignty!" Ryker shouted. "We are not the Wolf Empire! We are the wall! And nothing—nothing—gets past us!"
The soldiers cheered. It wasn't a happy cheer. It was a primal, desperate roar of defiance.
Then, the first wave hit.
It started with a sound like rain. Tap-tap-tap.
Then we saw them.
Spiders. Billions of them. The black, bone-spiders from the tunnels. They swarmed up the concrete wall like a rising flood.
"Open fire!" Jaxon screamed.
The wall lit up with muzzle flashes. Bullets tore into the swarm, shattering the bone creatures. Molotov cocktails rained down, creating waterfalls of fire that illuminated the horror below.
But for every spider they killed, ten more crawled over the burning bodies of their kin.
"They're climbing the piles!" Vane shouted from his position on the gun turret. He was cranking the manual handles, firing heavy caliber rounds into the mass.
"Elara!" Ryker grabbed my shoulder. "Push them off!"
"I can't!" I yelled, sweat pouring down my face. "If I drop the beacon, the city goes dark! If the city goes dark, the panic kills us faster than the spiders!"
"Hold the light!" Ryker ordered. "We will hold the wall!"
He leaped onto the parapet.
A massive spider, the size of a car, crested the wall. It lunged at a young soldier.
Ryker intercepted it. He swung his sword, cleaving the creature in two. Black ichor sprayed him, but he didn't stop. He kicked the carcass off the wall and turned to the next one.
"For the Terrarium!" Ryker roared.
"For the King!" the soldiers screamed back.
They fought. They fought with bullets, with fire, with swords, and with teeth.
But the black tide kept rising.
And in the distance, behind the swarm of spiders, something massive blocked out the stars.
A silhouette. Towering. Humanoid. But made of writhing black veins.
The Queen had sent her champion.