2041 Sanctuary (Let There Be Light) (19 page)

Another terrifying screech echoed down to them, louder than before.

‘Go!’ Sarah said, and she followed Jason and Trish as they ran before her, the Centipede speeding along at her side.

A T-junction appeared.

Trish hesitated. ‘Which way?!’

Jason dragged her left.

The noise came again, sounding even closer.

They picked up the pace, running full pelt down tunnel after cave after tunnel. Entrances flashed past. The Centipede careered into a stalagmite, demolishing it. Sarah slowed to regain control, and glanced back to see nothing pursued them – if there ever had been. Trish and Jason cut down another fork in the passage and disappeared round a bend.

‘Guys, slow down!’ Sarah rushed to catch up.

Flying round a corner, she nearly knocked them from a ledge as she skidded the Centipede to a sideways stop at their feet.

Jason moved aside and pointed. ‘End of the line.’

Sarah saw a black expanse before them, her visor showing it as a canvas of grey. She peered over the edge and then looked back with anxious eyes.

Trish, one step ahead, aimed the rangefinder at the ground below. ‘Half a kilometre.’

Sarah looked at them. ‘We’re running blind; we have no idea where we’re going. The further we go, the more likely we’ll never find our way back.’

Another bloodcurdling shriek sent them scurrying. With abseil and Centipede anchors deployed in a flash, they dropped from the ledge. Sarah, more experienced, sped downwards, almost in freefall. Looking down, her visor relayed the distance to the ground enabling her to slow for a cushioned landing. Switching focus to the Centipede, she was joined soon after by Jason and then Trish.

‘What the—’ Jason looked up in fear.

Sarah followed his gaze. Above a shimmering light had appeared, fluctuating on the ledge before blinking out.

‘What is it?’ Trish sounded terrified.

‘It’s that damn light,’ he said. ‘I told you!’

Sarah faced them. ‘Whatever it is, its chasing us, let’s move!’

Not needing to be told twice they set off again at a maintained run. Angling left, they passed beneath an Anakim gateway and out onto a massive stairway which led to a central road hundreds of feet across that cut straight as a die for as far as the visor could see. Not stopping, they pounded down the stairs with the Centipede’s wheels bobbling down beside them ten to the dozen, the sound of its rubber tyres reverberating like tiny drums. In full flight, they each kept glancing behind to see if the mysterious light followed, but as time passed and the frightening phenomenon failed to materialise, complacency and exhaustion crept in and they slowed to a jog and then a walk. Sarah remembered her visor’s mirror function and switched it on, the tiny camera concealed at the helmet’s rear saving them from a crick in the neck.

Ahead of them, the mighty thoroughfare they now traversed sparkled like jewels in the night, the expanse lit with a steady glow of bioluminescence that twinkled like millions of tiny stars. Either side towers reached up into the subterranean sky, interspersed with monumental statues in varying states of decay.

Moving ever forward, they tried to put distance between themselves and the thing they’d encountered – Jason’s dreaded light – and they soon found themselves passing through the glowing fields they’d seen from afar. Crushed underfoot, the tiny plants released tiny spores that hung in the air around them. The smell reminded Sarah of crushed willow blossom in the autumn fall.

Movement in her visor’s mirror caught her eye. She spun round. Back at the top of the steps a light hovered, shimmering blue-green like a swarm of fireflies in the night. Trish and Jason backed away as the light flickered and vanished, before it reappeared, travelling at speed down the stairs, heading straight towards them.

Trish screamed and ran, with Sarah and Jason hot on her heels.

Already tired, they soon slowed again, Trish being the first to fall behind. Sarah ran back to drag her friend onwards and Jason returned to help.

Half a mile away and closing fast, the light bore down on them.

Trish stumbled on, before stopping again, gasping. ‘It’s no good, I can’t run anymore.’

Sarah had an idea. Bringing the Centipede back, she unclipped two large containers and heaved them to the ground. ‘Get on!’

Trish stared at her.

‘Hurry!’

Trish hopped onto the Centipede’s back and Sarah whacked it back into gear. The machine shot forward with Trish clinging to it while Sarah and Jason ran alongside.

Trish looked back. ‘It’s gaining!’

Sarah increased the Centipede’s speed and her own, while Jason laboured on.

Sarah pointed to the Centipede. ‘Get on!’

He shook his head. ‘What about you?!’

‘I’m fine, get on!’

An ear shattering noise like dying thunder propelled Jason into action.

He jumped on board. ‘Fucking hell, Sarah, it’s almost on us!’

Sarah looked in her visor mirror to see the light looming large.

Swerving right, she reached for the water canister’s retainers. Jason saw what she was doing and leaned back to help. One clamp popped up and then the other. They hit a bump and the Centipede left the ground, throwing the black container into the air. The machine landed back down and Sarah jumped.

Held on by Jason’s outstretched hand, she turned to see the canister explode in a shower of water as the light tore through it. Sarah stared at the shimmering form as it leapt towards her; death descended and she slammed her hand down. A red button depressed and fire shot from the Centipede’s exhaust. Its auxiliary engine ignited in a flash and a roar and the light landed on empty ground.

The speedometer on Sarah’s helmet shot up to fifty, and then sixty miles an hour. The Centipede flew across the landscape, its wheels juddering over the terrain and jarring its passengers to pieces while the power bar on its console shrank as it thrust them onwards. Behind, the light increased its speed to match their own and Sarah’s eyes widened in horror before it dropped back. And then, moments later, she saw it stop and its light blink out.

Knowing they were far from safe, they carried on, the Centipede transporting them through the grand thoroughfare of Sanctuary Proper and leaving a trail of glowing pollen drifting in their wake. Further back, the thing that pursued them lurked, its presence revealed, but its unfathomable desires unsated. It seemed Jason had been right, they weren’t alone after all.

Chapter Twenty

The Centipede’s auxiliary fuel supply petered out and the engine roar dropped to a whimper. The electric powertrain kicked back in and Sarah slowed their travel in order to preserve the diminished battery life. After a while they got off to walk, each lost in their own thoughts after fleeing the mysterious light that had pursued them.

Trish was the first to break the silence. ‘How far have we come?’

Sarah consulted her visor. ‘Nearly ten miles.’

‘This must be some type of main highway.’ Jason looked around at the vast, sunken avenue that had been carved out between the ancient Anakim buildings, shrouded in gloom on either side. ‘We’re lucky; if that thing had cornered us in the caves we’d be dead.’

Trish looked scared. ‘You really think it would’ve killed us?’

‘I don’t think it was chasing us for a kiss.’

Trish glared at him. ‘It could have just been trying to scare us off. Perhaps we wandered into its territory or something.’

‘Whatever –
it
– is,’ Jason said. ‘What do you think, Saz? Any ideas?’

Sarah pondered the question.
What could it be?
There were a myriad of answers, but none seemed particularly plausible. Although considering what they’d just witnessed and where they were, Sanctuary itself, then perhaps anything was possible.

When Sarah failed to respond, Trish spoke up. ‘Perhaps it’s some creature that the Anakim found when they built this place.’

Jason shook his head. ‘Unlikely. I’ve heard of creatures in the deep ocean being able to biofluoresce, but nothing on land; at least, nothing that size.’

‘We didn’t actually
see
anything, though, did we?’

‘Your point being?’

‘What if it was an illusion, created by the Anakim to frighten away unwanted visitors?’

‘Illusions don’t obliterate water canisters,’ Sarah said. ‘Whatever it is, it’s after us. We escaped it once, we got lucky. If it comes again—’

‘We’re screwed,’ Jason said, taking his cue to glance behind, as they each did in fearful regularity.

Trish then asked the question they’d all been avoiding. ‘How are we going to get to the temple now? If we can’t go back because of that thing, and we don’t know where we are, we’re already screwed, or am I missing something?’

Jason grimaced, his expression downcast.

‘I’ll think of something,’ Sarah said.
I have to
, she thought,
otherwise we’re as good as dead
. She looked at her two friends, who searched her face for reassurance, making her feel even more wretched than she already did.
Why had they put such faith in my plan?
Because I deliver
, she told herself.
Because I make things happen. I will get us out of this mess. I’ve done it before. I’ll do it again
. The strength of her own internal voice shored up her flagging resolve and sent her mind into overdrive to seek a solution to their plight.

If the only way to get to the surface was by using an Anakim transportation device, then they’d either need to find one somewhere else or find the temple. They were the only choices, save that or somehow get back to the USSB, where, despite the lifelong incarceration they’d be subjected to, at least they’d still be alive. She swirled around the options in her mind, savouring the pros and cons of each one like a fine wine.

Thinking about it in detail, there was no real finesse to the choices at all. Finding another transportation device, while feasible, was akin to chucking a dart into a dartboard with your eyes closed and hoping you’d hit the bullseye. Returning to the USSB meant returning to the route on the Deep Reach map, which meant locating the waypoint beacons they’d need to get to the temple. Therefore, by simple deduction, that option automatically rendered itself secondary to actually finding the temple itself. That meant only one thing – they’d have to go back, which also meant dealing with the light. But how do you overcome something that you know nothing about? That was the question. If they knew what its motivations were, or even had some basic knowledge on its behaviour, then it’d be a start. The only thing they knew about it was that it didn’t like their company and would chase them down whenever it sensed their presence. At least that seemed the most likely assumption.

A spark of an idea grew in her mind. A dangerous idea, but then what other choice was there?
None
. She’d think on it further, refine it, and then put it to the vote. Although regardless of their decision, it was the only way, like it or not this is what had to happen if they were to ever see the surface again, if they were to stay alive longer than a few days. The time had come to make a stand and roll the dice. She just prayed they were loaded in their favour.

Chapter Twenty One

USSB Sanctuary

‘Where is he?’

The soldier gestured with the tip of his rifle. ‘Through there.’

Malcolm Joiner stalked across the metal floor, his footfalls echoing in the confined quarters of the army barracks. He opened a door and stepped through.

Agent Myers and ten other U.S. GMRC intelligence agents turned as he entered. At the far side of the room a number of Special Forces Subterranean Detachment commandos stood in relaxed disinterest, rifles in hand.

‘Let’s get it over with, then,’ Joiner said.

Myers gave his men some last words before moving to Joiner’s side. ‘Sir, are you sure you’re comfortable with this? I can’t guarantee your safety. If I had more time—’

Joiner gave him a withering look. ‘I arranged this; you don’t think I know the risks? Besides,’ – he waved a hand at all the armed men on show – ‘we have our finest at our disposal.’

‘It only takes a second.’

‘If I didn’t take risks I wouldn’t be where I am today.’

‘I still don’t like it.’

Joiner’s jaw tightened. ‘Noted.’

Myers nodded. He’d voiced his concerns and his director knew the stakes; what more could he do? He waved at two of his men, who in response disappeared into a hallway, followed by six SFSD ‘Terra Force’ commandos.

Seconds passed before a host of shouting echoed back through to Joiner.

Myers glanced in his direction, a look of concern on his face. ‘It’s not too late for a more secure environment. We could postpone until—’

Joiner shook his head. ‘I haven’t got time for secure. It needs to be now.’

Myers sighed and waved two more agents forward. They ran in to assist their colleagues.

More shouting followed before a gunshot startled everyone, the thunderous noise setting ears to ringing.

Myers swore. He raised his arm and wagged a finger at the remaining commandos. Their leader acknowledged the gesture and moved his men through into the hall. More commotion ensued before a cluster of men emerged, struggling against a writhing shape in their midst.

A fearsome bellow and a guttural growl made Joiner take a backward step.

The group approached and he held his ground as around them the remaining intelligence agents aimed their guns, ready to shoot and subdue if required.

A marine staggered back with blood gushing from his nose.

‘For fuck’s sake.’ Myers snatched a rifle from a nearby agent, reversed it and waded into the melee. With a swift jab, followed by another, the commotion ceased and the men stood back in a circle to gaze at the source of the disturbance.

Joiner pushed his way forward. He looked down and turned to Myers. ‘What is that?
That
is not what I asked for.’

‘It’s what you wanted.’

‘No, it is not. I wanted motivation. I wanted determination. I wanted results. This … this
thing
, is not fit for purpose.’