Chapter 99 The Guardian
The tunnel shook as the Guardian took another step.
The complete construction showed an overwhelming combination of engineering and biological contamination. The enormous yellow loader, which used to transport uranium fuel rods, now reached a height of twelve feet while its body was protected by a heavy black resin chitin-like covering. The hydraulic drills on its arms produced a high-pitched noise which echoed through the tunnel while the sound waves made our teeth vibrate.
The frightening element stemmed from the pilot who controlled the machine. The cockpit glass was shattered, and the interior was filled with a pulsating, translucent sac of black fluid. His head was suspended in the center by wires which penetrated his temples and throat. His eyes were black voids while his mouth remained open in a perpetual silent scream.
The Foreman’s voice gurgled through the mech’s external speakers with distorted sound because of the static interference.
Ryker shouted "Break!" at the top of his lungs.
We scattered at the exact moment when the Guardian made its attacking move.
The hydraulic drill struck the area where we had been standing only one second before. The drill shredded through the concrete floor with its teeth, producing sparks which illuminated the entire space. The blast created a shockwave that traveled through my boots, which almost made me lose my balance.
Ryker shouted "Elara! Distraction!" while he slid beneath a group of pipes.
I used my teeth to bite down hard while I held onto the heavy iron mace. I was not a soldier because I was not a tank. I was a Queen who carried a club.
I shouted "Hey!" while I swung the mace at a nearby hollow steam pipe.
CLANG. CLANG. CLANG.
The sound emerged from the tunnel like a dinner bell ringing in a small dining space.
The Guardian’s torso swiveled with a groan of stressed metal. The Foreman established eye contact with me through his black eyes.
The mech announced "TARGET ACQUIRED: VESSEL" in its powerful voice.
The charging began.
The large object moved fast down the tunnel toward me while it produced a thundering sound. The drill arm raised, spinning up to a blur.
I refused to move until the last moment. The machine generated an unbearable heat that combined hot hydraulic fluid with the poisonous smell of the Void.
I did not try to block the drill when it came down. I threw myself to the left, rolling across the metal grate floor.
SCREEEE.
The drill touched the wall and cut a high-pressure steam line. A powerful jet of burning white steam shot into the tunnel and hit the mech directly in its face.
The Guardian staggered back after its sensors lost all visual input. The creature swung its arms around while it smashed into the walls, which caused pieces of concrete to fall down.
Ryker ordered "Now! Baron!" at the top of his lungs.
Baron did not require any additional instructions. He produced a loud roar that matched the volume of the machine’s engine.
Baron ordered his crew "Take the legs!" at the top of his lungs.
The man advanced from the shadows while his elite wolves moved alongside him. The animals were a fast-moving mass of fur and teeth. The attackers bypassed the armored chassis to attack its joints.
A massive grey wolf clamped its jaws onto the hydraulic line of the mech’s left leg. The wolf yanked back, using its strength to tilt its head.
SNAP.
The black fluid sprayed out of the container, which contained oil mixed with Void sludge. The leg collapsed under pressure.
The wolf was standing directly behind Baron. He used both of his hands to swing the axe. The blade cut deep into the knee joint and destroyed the internal cables and pistons.
The Guardian produced a roar which combined mechanical siren sounds with human wailing. The creature attempted to kick Baron away, but its leg remained stuck to the ground.
Ryker shouted "Vane! The door! Go!" Vane!
Vane was pressed against the far wall, shivering in his silver EMP mesh. He observed the chaos, which included steam and blood and spinning drills. His expression showed complete fear.
Vane shouted "I can't! The static is too loud! If I jack in, it’ll fry me!"Vane shouted "I can't! The static is too loud!
Ryker yelled "Do it, Vane!" while he blocked a strike from the mech’s other arm using his Star-Metal sword. "Or we all die right here!
Vane stared at the blast door, which had melted down while he stood beside the manual override panel, which emitted a red light that blinked urgently.
He let out a scream of frustration and ran.
He reached the panel. He ripped the cover off with his mechanical hand. The plastic concealed ports which enabled direct access to the reactor control system.
Vane disconnected a cable from his wrist. He failed to access the port because his hands trembled excessively.
"Come on, come on," he muttered.
The cable connection failed when he attempted to jam the connection.
Vane started to scream after he bent his body backward.
“AAAAHHHH!”
He fell to his knees, but he didn't disconnect. His human eye rolled back in his head. His mechanical eye spun wildly through its color cycle of red and black.
I yelled out for Vane while I walked toward him.
Ryker ordered me to stay back as he told me to protect him from all incoming threats.
I returned my attention to the battle. The Guardian had finished recovering from its steam attack. The wolves were being ignored by the creature. The creature had identified the actual dangerous entity.
Vane became the target of its gaze.
The mech gurgled out the words "SYSTEM BREACH DETECTED" followed by "PURGING INTRUDER."
The machine raised its drill arm while it pointed its drill arm at Vane’s vulnerable back position.
I ran toward him while I shouted "No, you don't!"
The drill would not stop because I could not move its position. The drill needed to be redirected because that was my only option.
I hit the hydraulic piston of the arm with the mace. I channeled my entire strength into the move by using my hips.
CRACK.
The iron mace made a dent in the piston which caused it to bend inward. The drill arm jerked to the right, missing Vane by inches and burying itself in the control panel housing. Sparks showered Vane’s head, but he didn't move. He was involved in a mental conflict.
Inside the Network
(Vane’s Perspective)
The area did not contain darkness because it contained noise.
The moment I jacked in, the world disappeared. I was suspended in a realm which consisted of white static. The white static emitted an urgent sound. The white static sounded like countless radios which transmitted signals from nonexistent channels.
“Join us.”
“We are efficient.”
“The signal exists without any pain or fear to hinder it.”
The maintenance crew ghosts have appeared to me. The names of Miller and Sanchez. The data stream contained their bodies as ghosts who had transformed into code. The black sludge assembled memory fragments to create code structures of their past existence.
“Vane,” Miller’s voice whispered, sounding like grinding gears. “It’s nice here. Quiet. You don't have to be broken anymore. You don't have to be half a man.”
My avatar became the target of black vines which wrapped around me. The black vines emitted a soothing warmth which made me feel comforted. The black vines forced me to descend into the data stream.
I yelled "Get off me!" although I lacked the ability to produce any sound.
The voices in the room whispered that “Ryker thinks you’re a variable.” The voices believed that “We think you’re perfect. You are already part machine. You were made for the Rot. Let us in.”
The infection attempted to pass through the bridge while I felt its presence. The infection moved along the cable which connected to my wrist. The liquid had a cold and oily texture. The liquid tasted like battery acid.
The fight became difficult to continue because I wanted to release my grasp. The cyborg existence had become exhausting for me. The experience of living as a cyborg had become too painful for me to endure.
A sound reached my ears from outside the network.
“Vane, you are not a variable who belongs to me. You are my brother.”
Ryker.
He had hugged me. He had apologized.
I gritted my teeth while I said “I’m not a variable” and “I’m not a battery.”
I activated my firewall. I forced my protection measures to start operating.
I used a mental scream to command "DELETE."
I detonated the system with raw voltage which I sent through the power line. A suicide spike. I transferred all the energy from my battery directly to the panel.
The Real World
I screamed "Vane!"
Sparks erupted from Vane’s mechanical shoulder. Smoke poured from his ears.
The control panel light turned green.
The inner blast doors began to grind open.
The Guardian let out an angry roar while it released its drill from the wall to attack me. I was too close. I couldn't dodge.
Ryker yelled at the people present to "Get down."
Ryker was in the air.
He climbed the pipes on the wall during our time spent distracting it. He leaped from the steam vent to fly over the mech’s head.
He held his Star-Metal sword with both hands while he pointed the sword blade toward the ground.
He aimed to hit the sac instead of targeting the armor.
Ryker landed on the mech’s shoulders. He drove the sword straight down into the cockpit.
The blade created a sickening sound as it entered the body. The blade went through the Foreman’s chest.
The machine became motionless.
The Foreman’s head made a sound which resembled biological agony while it passed through electronic distortion.
The voice said "OFFLINE" in a whisper.
Ryker extracted the sword from his body. Black ichor sprayed like a geyser.
The Guardian swayed. Its eyes flickered red before they became dark.
Ryker leaped off and landed in a crouched position next to me.
The massive machine toppled forward. The machine crashed onto the ground which caused the tunnel to shake and break the pipes underneath.
A complete silence descended upon the area.
The only sound in the space came from steam hissing while Vane made his labored breaths.
Vane slumped against the wall, pulling the cable from his wrist. He ripped the EMP mesh off his face, gasping for air. His nose was bleeding. His mechanical eye was dark, rebooting.
Vane wheezed the question "Did... did I do it?"
Ryker approached the situation while he extended his hand.
Ryker said "You opened the door" while he explained that "you didn't turn."
Vane took his hand. He examined his metal arm. The metal was hot and smoking, yet it maintained a non-black appearance.
The creature attempted to remove me from its position according to Vane. The creature told me that it belonged with him.
The creature told me that I should stay with it according to Vane.
I told him that "The creature told you to stay with it because it belonged to us."
Baron gathered his wolves. The wolves survived but they were injured and had injuries.
Baron growled at his companions to continue their path because all obstacles had been removed.
The air beyond the doors produced a dual sound. The sound produced a deep vibratory base which transmitted through my feet.
We walked through.
We entered the Reactor Chamber.
We encountered the source of the infection.
The area contained more than a root.
A massive beating heart made of black veins extended from the core to wrap around the blue fusion core.
A woman was waiting for us in front of the location which contained the heart.
The woman wore a lab coat which had been torn into pieces while her coat had been stained black. She faced away from us while she operated the main console with her fingers typing at an extraordinary rate of speed.
Kael’s voice whispered that "We're too late" in my ear.
The woman completed her typing work before turning around to face the room.
Half her face was human. The other half was a skull of black crystal.
"Mother is sleeping," the woman said, her voice a chorus of a thousand screams. "But she is dreaming of you, Ryker."