The Exodus Towers (74 page)

Authors: Jason M. Hough

Tags: #Action & Adventure, #Fiction, #Hard Science Fiction, #Science Fiction

Some small corner of Skyler’s mind kicked in during the split second it took for the creature to close the distance. He thumbed his weapon’s clip selector, switching to explosive-tipped rounds.

He fired.

The bullet hit the creature square in the chest at the same instant its outstretched fingertips brushed Skyler’s shield. A deafening crack, a blinding flash of light. Pressure on Skyler’s
own chest as the blast pushed the two of them apart. He fell backward into the water, had a strange awareness of cold seeping around his combat armor and into his clothing. His ears rang, yet he still heard the subhuman splash back into the pool and writhe there, thrashing in the water like an irritated alligator. Skyler sat up. He raised his gun from the water and aimed toward the splashing chaos a few meters away.

This time he held the trigger down.

A rapid series of small explosions lit the cave, as if someone had thrown a string of lit fireworks into the pool. Some of his rounds hit the back wall; others exploded on impact with the water around the creature, filling the room with a violent spray. Still more found their target, racking the augmented being with brilliant flashes of light, pushing it back.

The subhuman somehow found its footing, tried to dodge first left, then right. Skyler gave it no relief; he kept firing even as he came to his feet. He swept the barrel of the gun in sync with the creature’s movements, and sensed the desperation there. It was hard to tell for sure, but Skyler thought he saw one of the creature’s arms had been severed just below the elbow.

With a click the magazine of explosive rounds ran dry. The weapon automatically reverted to the main clip, and after only a split second the bark of gunfire filled the space again. Skyler had his legs under himself now, and despite the added weight of water that soaked his clothing, he found himself energized by the sight of a severed arm bobbing in the choppy water nearby. The creature could be hurt.

He focused his armor-piercing rounds on the subhuman’s glowing red face, those strange traces of laser light that vaguely marked where its eyes used to be. The creature had backed up all the way to the far wall now and had nowhere else to go. The aggression seemed to drain out of it, and Skyler almost relented when the being took on a sudden, pathetic slouch against the rock and mud, accepting its fate.

Skyler kept firing until the creature slumped and slid down the wall into the water, disappearing below the surface. He fired into the water then, another burst just for good measure.

Then, silence.

Smoke wafted off the barrel of the gun. The water around him sloshed against his legs briefly before settling into an inappropriate serenity.

Skyler waited, breathing the gunpowder-scented air in voracious gulps. He focused on the space where the creature had been, and realized he could just see the top of its head above the water. The black armor had cracked like an eggshell, revealing matted, bloody hair beneath. Jagged bits of the exotic material floated nearby. The sight gave him enough confidence to yank the empty clip of explosive rounds out of his weapon, toss it aside, and slap in his only spare. He flipped the selector back to the more powerful ammunition and willed himself to be calm.

Ten seconds passed. Twenty. Another deep buzz from Pablo’s Gatling reminded him of the urgency of their plan.

Emboldened, Skyler waded to the Builder ship. The surface of the hull seemed to drink in the light from his helmet and gun. Geometric grooves along the surface crawled almost imperceptibly as light and shadow played around them. Skyler stepped carefully, unable to see his feet or the tortured lumpy cavern floor below the pool’s surface. He moved to the opening on the side of the vessel, gun raised and ready.

Nothing within. No subhumans, at least. Just the pedestal he’d seen before, and on top of it, the object.

Circular, with a single small half-circle notch along the edge. Red light rippled along the straight-edged grooves on its surface. It seemed to brighten as he came closer.

Skyler took one glance around the room, saw nothing moving, and set his rifle on the edge of the opening in the crashed ship. He placed his hands on both sides and hauled his waterlogged and armored self into the cramped space, groaning with the effort. Memories of what had happened in Ireland bloomed to mind, and he wondered for the hundredth time what would happen when he lifted this “key” from its resting place. He’d imagined all sorts of scenarios, the worst being a simple cave-in. Being buried alive was pretty fucking low on his list of preferred ways to die. Standing inside the ship might give him some protection if the cave’s roof fell in, and
at Ana’s insistence he’d packed two days of food and water in his already overloaded kit. “I’ll dig you out if I have to, no matter how many of those things try to stop me,” she’d said.

The memory of her words urged him into action. Skyler gripped the alien object with both hands, his teeth clenched as he imagined himself being covered with that same black coating the object provided to the subhumans. Nothing happened, though. Perhaps it was his gloves, or his lack of SUBS infection. Either way, the object did not seem to have a taste for him.

He lifted it and braced himself for the worst. An earthquake, a shower of rock … anything. Again, nothing happened.

The alien object mercifully weighed less than the one they’d taken from Ireland. He found he could hold it with one arm, like clutching a sleeping child to his side. Skyler left his gun where he’d dropped it and hopped down from the ship.

He was halfway down the tunnel, grinning despite himself, when the rumbling started.