Chapter 104 The Siege
The heavy steel blast doors of the Spire District had slammed shut three hours ago, but the sound still echoed in my head.
CLANG.
It was the sound of a prison cell locking.
We were safe inside the inner ring—the Spire, the high-end residential blocks, and the central plaza. But outside those walls, the rest of the Terrarium belonged to the Rot. Sector 1, the agricultural fields, the industrial zone—they were all gone. Lost to the darkness.
I occupied a crate in the main lobby of the Spire which had transformed into a triage center. The beautiful marble floor was turned into a stretcher area. The room contained the scents of antiseptic and burnt flesh and fear.
Ryker sat on the edge of a gurney across from me. His skin showed signs of a hydrogen explosion which burned his shirt off him. A medic treated his burns with cooling gel while wrapping his body with new bandages.
Ryker did not move at all. He did not seem to feel anything at all. He looked at the floor with his golden eyes showing no brightness.
The medic spoke to the man with a soft voice. "You need to rest. The burns are extensive."
Ryker grunted that he was okay while he pushed the medic away from him. He stood up while buttoning his fresh shirt that covered his bandages. He showed a brief moment of pain which he concealed with a face of no emotion.
He walked over to me.
He asked me about the status of our situation.
Our report showed that five thousand civilians remained within the perimeter according to Jaxon’s clipboard. The lobby and lower levels contained all the Wolf families Human workers New Citizens who had come to the location to stay.
Ryker asked about food.
I paused before speaking.
I reminded him that we destroyed the agricultural sector. We did the warehouses as part of Sector 1.
Ryker’s facial muscles became tense. "So we have nothing."
Our emergency supplies remain stored in the Spire bunkers according to my report. We can survive for three days with strict rationing. We can reach four days if we push our limits.
Ryker repeated the number four days to the group. He looked out the reinforced glass windows. The city beyond the barricades remained dark except for the distant fires that continued to burn. "Four days before we starve. And that’s assuming the walls hold."
Baron approached us while he growled that the walls would remain intact.
The Wolf Alpha existed in human shape but he appeared to be in poor condition. His arm hung in a sling while his body showed signs of black soot.
Baron explained that his pack was checking the outer boundaries. They have not yet entered through the wall despite the spiders testing the defenses by tapping on the walls. The blast doors stop everything because they contain solid tungsten material.
Vane explained from his position in the room that the enemy required no access through the entrance. He sat on the floor while he worked with a portable radio to discover a clear frequency that would stop the static noise. "The enemy waits because they know we are stuck in this bottle while they control the entry point."
Ryker rubbed his temples.
"We need a plan" Ryker declared. "We must not remain inactive because it will lead to our deaths."
"We fight" Baron declared as he hit a crate with his strong hand. "We open the doors and we charge. We die like warriors."
Ryker fixed him by saying that they would die stupidly. The Titan showed you its power. The swarm showed you its strength. We have ten minutes to survive after opening those doors. We need a weapon. We need something that will kill the Rot while keeping us alive.
The lobby lights stopped working.
The backup generators produced a loud noise while they tried to maintain power. The refugees all gasped in fear while they huddled together. A child began to cry.
Vane observed through his gauge that power had decreased. "We operate on AA batteries because we lack reactor power. The air scrubbers consume all our emergency supplies.
Ryker commanded to shut down all lights as well as elevators and heating systems. "Keep the life support and the defenses running. Everything else goes dark."
I warned that the temperature would drop.
"The dead body needs to be frozen before it becomes cold" Ryker said.
A sharp beep from the console interrupted us.
Kael spoke through the intercom saying "RykerI need you in the Control Room. Now. Don't bring the others. Just you and Elara."
Ryker and I made eye contact because of our belief that Kael would not share secrets unless he faced dangerous situations.
"The Control Room needs my arrival" according to Ryker.
The Control Room functioned as the highest point within the Spire situated directly under my beacon roof. The room had a circular design which contained multiple screens that displayed either static or "NO SIGNAL" warnings.
Kael stood near the environmental station while he showed signs of extreme fear. He brought down his breathing mask when we walked inside the room.
Kael spoke to Ryker through a quiet request to him "Close the door" while he stood near the environmental station.
Ryker shut the door and locked it. Kael asked him about the wall failure.
"The wall is fine" according to Kael. "It’s the air."
He pointed to a monitor displaying the air quality index of the Spire. The numbers showed flashing red lights.
"The Rot consists of two elements" Kael explained while tapping the screen. "We released billions of spores into the atmosphere when we burned the cornfield and when we blew up the Titan. The spores exist inside the smoke.
"Our situation is sealed because we face blast doors which create an airtight seal" I explained to him.
"The doors are" according to Kael. "But the air filtration system needs to draw air from outside the building through upper level vents. The filters capture dust and pollen and radiation particles. But this stuff?
Kael took a petri dish from the control console.
The white air filter inside the device had transformed into a black-stained condition. The black stain began to move. The black stain resembled mold but it had a pulsing motion.
"The substance eats away at the filters" Kael stated in a serious tone about something dangerous. "The material begins to consume the fiber mesh after which the spores enter through the ventilation system.
"Then what happens?" Ryker asked.
"Kael confirmed that the system delivers infected materials straight into the Spire system. People will become infected without requiring any bites. The infection starts with lung infiltration which progresses to bloodstream infection leading to transformation.
My chest muscles began to tighten. I started to breathe shallowly because I became aware of my current breathing pattern.
"How long will it take?" Ryker asked with great urgency.
Kael disclosed that "The primary filters have already lost their operational capacity. "The secondary backups are holding but the acid in the spores is strong. I give it... six hours."
"Six hours" I exclaimed about our food supply. "You said we had days of food.
"We do" according to Kael. "But we need to reach the Void Walkers before we start feeling hungry."
Ryker turned his back and walked toward the window to observe the dark city.
"Ryker said "We must maintain open venting because sealed vents will cause lethal carbon dioxide accumulation which leads to death through asphyxiation.
"Kael stated "We require breathing space yet the outdoor atmosphere contains toxic substances.
Ryker studied his reflection in the window. He appeared exhausted. He resembled a person who had exhausted all his options.
"Is there a way to scrub it?" Ryker asked. "Purify the air before it comes in?
"Kael stated "The filtration system operates in a chemical purge mode which allows All biologics are killed immediately by the system which sprays decontaminating solution through the intake vent system.
"Activate the system" I instructed.
Kael shook his head to refuse while he explained "The tanks are empty. From the terraforming project we spent all chemical reserves to treat the previous smog condition. The tanks are empty.
"Ryker asked "Where can we find additional supplies?
Kael hesitated before displaying a city map that depicted its original layout before The Rot began.
He pointed to a building which stood outside his designated area in Sector 2 within The Industrial Zone.
Kael told them about "The Chemical Processing Plant" which contains massive industrial bleach and ammonia storage tanks. By acquiring these chemicals we can create a basic decontamination mixture which we will use in the scrubbers for pest control.
I examined the map.
Sector 2 existed beyond the wall because it resided deep within hostile territory.
I spoke to him in a hushed voice "We need to return to that area.
"Kael stated "The whole mission presents a death sentence because you will encounter spiders throughout the entire area. The Titan... or what remains of him... patrols the breach area. You will not reach the plant.
Ryker turned back to us.
"Ryker stated that we faced a situation which forced us to take action. "We will die within six hours if we remain here. Our chances of survival increase if we leave because we might face death but we have now entered hostile territory.
He looked at me.
"Ryker ordered Elara to remain at her current location.
"I refused immediately "You should not even attempt that again.
"Ryker told me "Your role requires you to maintain the beacon active state because it sustains our ongoing combat operations. The light extinguishment will cause our troops to lose their fighting capabilities. The illumination creates discomfort for spiders which leads them to maintain distance from the Spire.
"I told him a falsehood about my ability to maintain the beacon on a loop while Kael would use his skills to create a solution for crystal charging.
"Elara I am unable to create a sun" Kael explained. "Ryker is correct. We need the light. The light acts as our only barrier against spider access to the Spire vertical structure.
"I looked at Ryker as he begged me to submit to his request. He needed my protection from danger because he could not hold me safe.
"I will remain here" I said in a frustrated tone. "Who will accompany you? Vane becomes a threat about the Rot while Baron suffers from an injury.
"Ryker stated "I will take a small team to conduct a mission in stealth mode. "Our tactics require running because we need to retrieve the chemicals for our return trip.
"I asked about the industrial tank chemical transportation methods. "They weigh tons.
Ryker employed the map to indicate a specific location.
"Ryker explained that an old subway line operated between the Spire and Industrial Zone named The Tube. "If we can get a train working... we can load the tanks and ride it back.
Kael issued a warning that "The tunnels contain infestation problems. "The roots extend deep into that area.
"The roots extend deep underground" Ryker stated "The subway area should work because it stays beneath ground level.
He checked his sword.
"Ryker decided to proceed without companions because he viewed them as too much noise. "He needed to travel at high speeds.
"Ryker I grabbed his arm because I thought his plan to go alone was highly dangerous.
"Ryker viewed the plan as highly effective. "He proclaimed that the responsibility for city repairs rested on him because he ruined its state.
He kissed me.
"Elara I want you to keep the light illuminated. The light will act as my beacon to guide me back to you.
He turned to the door.
"Kael, unlock the maintenance hatch to the subway. I’m going for a ride."