Awakening: The First Tale of the Trine (Trine Series Book 1) (17 page)

Delmont leapt to his feet, tearing at his hospital gown and throwing it to the ground. He stomped around the table clad only in his boxers, roaring “YOUR PA-PAW WAS A GODDAMNED RACIST! STAND UP AND SAY THAT WORD TO MY FACE!”

Tyler cackled, his laugh startling Delmont. “Shit man, kick those drawers off too if you want to wrestle! Give us the full Del-Monty. Let’s see it all!”

Delmont’s chest heaved with his ragged breathing. The laughter echoing through his mind was more pronounced than ever, and seeing this scrawny little bastard sitting there grinning at him had sent him into a murderous rage. He grabbed Tyler’s shoulder, and raised his fist as Orak and Aki looked on impassively. Director Spencer took a step forward, preparing to save the loud-mouthed young man.

“Before you drop the hammer, cock-diesel, tell me about your daughter’s dog,” Tyler said quietly, the grin fading from his face.

“What?” Delmont rasped, the words staggering him back a step. Orak gave a slight nod to Tyler, urging him to continue.

Tyler shook Delmont’s now loose grip free of his gown and said, “Your daughter’s dog, the poodle. Say its name. Say it!” Tyler demanded.

Delmont took another step back. “We call him Salty. How did you know she had a poodle?”

“Now, now, Del-Monty, you big fruity bastard, don’t be coy. What’s the dog’s
full
name,” Tyler teased.

Delmont flushed, and Tyler could feel that it was a mixture of anger and embarrassment. “I named it ‘Saltine the Cracker Hating Dog’…it only barks at white people. Damned dog is racist as hell…” Delmont trailed off, still trembling with anger. “You did that on purpose,” he accused.

“The blue knight here said that love and lust were good, but hate and rage would work too. You’re pretty, cock-diesel, but let’s face it, love and lust just weren’t in our cards.”

Delmont picked up his discarded hospital gown, and then grimaced. “Stop that!” he said sharply.

Aki’s ears perked up. “What’s he doing?” the dog asked curiously.

“He’s…he’s sending me pictures of breasts. In my head, I mean…” Delmont growled.

“If we’re going to share thoughts, you better get used to it, man! It’s gonna be nothing but tits and giggles for us from here on out!” Tyler grinned.

Delmont turned to Orak, and asked flatly, “How do I get him back out of my head?”

“We will work on that next,” Orak said. “Sit back down, and we’ll…” Orak trailed off as a small red light on his bracer started pulsing steadily, and the screen beside it lit up with a string of alien characters. Aki leapt up from the bed, fur bristling and teeth bared.

Everyone stared at Orak curiously for a moment, before Director Spencer spoke. “Is everything all right? What is that, exactly?”

“This is a type of communicator that can pick up and access nearby networks. I set it to alert me when a new network became available. It just picked up a new signal. I’m checking the strength now,” Orak explained calmly.

“How did a new network suddenly become available nearby? Do you mean our IT department activated a modem, or….?” Director Spencer let the question trail off.

“No. I set it to filter out the kind of signals you humans use. I wanted it to alert me if a Bore opened. One just did,” Orak said grimly.

“Can you tell if it’s your people, the Elvahn?” Delmont asked.

“I can tell. It’s not the Elvahn,” Orak said quietly as the screen stopped scrolling, and a bright red symbol flashed in alarm. “Director, you need to order an evacuation of this building…of this city. The signal originates from the Abbadon. The strength of the signal indicates that the Bore is here.”

“Here? Where, exactly?” Director Spencer asked, motioning towards the reflective wall where the observers listened in the next room.

“Here, as in within the building. I’m sorry Delmont, Tyler. We’re going to have to train a different way,” Orak said.

The lights abruptly went out in the room, and in the absolute darkness they could hear the air circulator whining as it slowed, then stopped.

In the silence that followed, Orak said, “Gentlemen, you’re about to get some hands on experience.”

Blinding beams of light cut through the darkness of the cell as the airlock doors were forced open. The pair of soldiers who had been outside burst into the room.

“Director Spencer!” the first one in barked. “We’ve got reports of contact with hostile creatures on multiple floors. Our troops are responding while we attempt to evacuate. We need to get you out of here, now!”

Director Spencer nodded, and turned to the men in the cell. “All of you follow the soldiers. We’ll stay together, and get you somewhere safe.” Ducking into the airlock with the soldier, he disappeared from view.

Aki stepped in front of the airlock entrance as Delmont and Tyler moved forward, and the door abruptly cycled closed. Without the light from the soldier’s flashlights, both men stopped, reaching out blindly for something to hold onto.

“We’re not going with them,” Orak said quietly.

“What?” Delmont barked. “We’re unarmed, we’re not even in clothes! Are we just going to hide in here?”

There was a scream from outside the airlock, and flashes of light from a small crack Aki had left open in the door.

“Contact!” a voice screeched, as gunfire erupted in the hall. Orak grabbed Delmont and Tyler’s arms, pulling them away from the door.

“Listen to me,” Orak hissed. “They can’t protect you. We can. We are not unarmed. There is another person in this facility, another person like you two. We have to rescue them, then we have to get to the lab to recover my weapon. Stay with us, and I promise you will get out of here alive.”

The sound of gunfire in the hall intensified, punctuated by screams and inhuman roars. Orak pushed Delmont and Tyler to the back of the room, then moved to crouch down by Aki. The gunfire abruptly stopped, and as the echoes faded, the only light the two men could see were Orak’s strange blue eyes, as the alien turned back towards them.

“Wait,” Orak whispered to them, placing a hand on both of their arms. “Once they move on, Aki will open the door. The other person we need to collect is nearby. While the Abbadon are sweeping the halls, we will trail them. If we encounter any, Aki will engage them while we move on.”

From the doorway, Aki growled, “We’re clear.”

“Stay here just a moment while we check the hall,” Orak said.

The airlock door slid open silently at Aki’s gaze, and he padded softly into the hall. They could hear him snuffling in the darkness. Orak moved into the hall behind him, and the two men left in the room could hear a rattling sound as Orak came back a moment later. They both jumped as a light flicked on, just under those shining blue eyes.

Orak handed Delmont the rifle the flashlight was attached too. “Keep the light pointed down, and keep your hand on the button. Turn it off on my word.”

“Why does he get the gun?” Tyler whispered.

“Because he knows how to use the damned thing,” Orak growled. “Now listen, the Abbadon wear inertia dispersal units. A gun only works if you’re within the field it generates.”

“How close is that?” Delmont asked.

“Within their reach. The gun is a last resort. If one gets on top of you, shoot it. Otherwise, stay behind us, and
do not panic
. You will get out of here if you listen to us. Let’s go,” Orak ordered.

As Orak led them into the hallway, Delmont paused momentarily, sweeping the ground and walls with the beam from the flashlight. Blood was spattered across the hall, and a thick smear led back towards the stairwell. Their feet slid on bullet casings covering the floor, and he used the light to help them watch their steps.

“All this blood…where are the bodies?” Delmont whispered.

Orak moved up the hallway to an intersection where Aki was waiting. Looking back, Orak said, “The scavengers round up corpses immediately to try to avoid too much leakage. The Abbadon are very efficient.”

“Chalk that up to ‘shit you’re sorry you asked,’” Tyler whispered.

Gunfire could be heard on the floors above them as they cautiously made their way through the medical wing. At another crossing corridor, Orak waved Tyler and Delmont close. “The room we are going to is just up here on the right. Aki says he smells something at the far hall. Kill the light, and hang onto each other.”

Delmont turned off the flashlight and the two men clasped hands. Orak grabbed Tyler’s arm, and they shuffled down the hall silently.

Tyler and Delmont could see nothing, but as they moved down the hall they began to hear a faint pounding, just before a muffled voice yelled “What the hell is going on out there? Someone open the door! Is anyone out there?”

There was a faint click as a door unlocked, and they heard Aki’s muffled, “’Scuse me” just before Orak pulled them into a room, gently closing the door behind them.

“It’s about time,” a woman’s voice said in the darkness. With a noticeable quaver, she asked “What the hell is going on out there, and what is this furry thing…is this a dog?”

“Hold on a moment,” Orak said sternly. The screen on Orak’s armor lit up, and after tapping out some sort of command on the bracer, the entire suit of armor the alien wore began to glow a soft shade of blue. The light from the armor illuminated Tyler and Delmont crouched to the side of the door, while Aki was a few feet further in, having bumped the woman out of the way when he entered. She had a hand on Aki’s ruff, and jumped back from him when his immense form became apparent.

“What the hell?” the woman gasped, stepping back to put the hospital bed between herself and Aki. “Are you some sort of soldier? I’ve never seen a military dog before, is that thing…safe?” she asked Orak.

“I am a soldier, of sorts,” Orak said, just as Aki gave a wheezing laugh and said, “I am certainly
not
safe.”

The woman stared wide-eyed at the two strange figures, as Tyler stood up and advanced into the room. He stared at the young woman clad only in a hospital gown, focusing on the faint stubble only now starting to appear across her scalp.  “Holy shit,” he said. “You didn’t tell us we were coming to save Sinead O’Connor. I get it though, ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ was hot back in the day.”

“I’m not Sinead O’Connor,” the woman snapped. “And if I was, I would compare you to a fucking asshole.”

“That would be a lot fiercer if you said it with an Irish accent,” Tyler grinned.

“Shut up,” Orak demanded, moving forward. “Aki, Delmont, cover the door.” Approaching the woman on the other side of the bed, Orak continued. “Your name is Katie Dufresne, correct?”

“Yes, that’s me. Who…what are you?” she replied, as she got a good look at Orak’s white hair and pointed ears.

“We don’t have time to explain everything. The ‘dog’ and I are aliens, and everything that has happened recently, the reason you are here, is because of an invasion. An invasion that we are right in the middle of in this building. We’ve come to get you out of here while your military is still able to fight, and before the creatures overrunning this place have complete control. Will you come with us willingly?”

“You’re going out there to try and escape? Shouldn’t we wait on the soldiers to…” Katie began, before Orak interrupted.

“No,” Orak snapped. “Your soldiers are outmatched, and retreating even as we speak. While the Abbadon…the aliens, push them out of the building, we can escape. But we have to go
now
!”

A heavy thud on the door made Tyler and Katie cringe against the wall, as Aki and Delmont shuffled back towards them. Orak said, “Delmont, fall back,” pushing past him. “Aki, how many?”

“Just one,” Aki said. “It’s a
morzot
, and a big one at that.”

“Can you handle it?” Orak asked calmly, as the door began to crack open with the tooth rattling
SCREEEE
of tearing metal.

Aki’s ears flickered, either from the noise or from annoyance. “Of course I can. There’s no room in here for blades, so I’ll have to do it the hard way, unfortunately.”

Orak stepped back to Delmont, who was checking the breach on the rifle he had commandeered. “Be ready, just in case,” Orak whispered.

The heavy steel door was bent backwards by something just outside of the light cast by Orak’s armor. Two thin, dark plated legs patted their way slowly around the doorframe of the room, just before a four-fanged head eased into the light. Katie’s breath hitched in her throat, and either Delmont or Tyler’s teeth ground noisily. Aki let out a fierce growl, drawing the attention of the monster.

Spotting Aki, the fanged spider-like head ducked down slightly, then rose up, towering almost all the way to the ten foot ceiling as the creature attempted to scuttle closer. It chittered and hissed at seeing the canine form, and a thick rope of steaming saliva leaked from its maw.

This Abbadon was huge, Delmont saw, easily twice the size of the one he had killed. He raised his rifle instinctively, just as Aki sat back on his haunches and let out an ear-splitting howl. The spider spread its front four legs wide in challenge, while its rear four scratched on the floor, attempting to push its massive abdomen into the room.

The spider’s bulky frame lurched backwards as its front four legs suddenly wrapped around itself, pinned to its torso by the force of Aki’s will. The abdomen slammed into the floor as the four lower legs collapsed inward as well, Aki trembling with effort as he brought all of his power crushing down on the creature. The spider screeched in rage, a scream that rose in pitch as its armored torso and abdomen cracked under the pressure Aki was exerting. The unearthly scream became watery as a gout of fluids bubbled up from the creatures maw, just before it collapsed inwards, its shell cracking and greenish bodily fluids splattering grotesquely across the walls as Aki crushed it to the floor.

Aki staggered sideways and sagged to the floor, panting heavily. “Told you…hard way…” he gasped.

“What the absolute fuck?” Katie whispered in horror. “That’s not a dog…and that was
not
a spider.”

“That was grade-A nightmare fuel, there,” Tyler agreed. “So, you coming with us Mrs. Clean?”

“My name is Katie, you diseased prick,” she snapped back.

“I’m Tyler, nice to meet you” he said pleasantly, patting her on the shoulder. “All right, now we’re five!” he continued, clapping his hands together. “Let’s Voltron the fuck up and get out of here!”

“Aki, are you all right?” Orak said softly, moving to lay a hand on his friend who was trembling on the floor.

Aki thrashed to get his feet back under him, and stood on wobbly legs. “I will be. Orak, I don’t think I can do another one that size. I’m sorry, I…”

“Hush,” Orak said gently. “The lab is just down the hall.” Turning to the others, Orak said “We’re going to get my weapon, and I’m leading us out of here. Katie, do you want to come with us?”

“Of course I do,” she replied. “Whatever it takes, please, if you can help us…”

“Delmont, Tyler, take her hand,” Orak ordered.

“What?” Delmont said. “Her too?”

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea…” Tyler concluded.

“Do you want to get eaten?” Orak replied grimly.

Delmont and Tyler shared a glance, before they both placed their hand on one of Katie’s. “What are you doing?” she asked. “Are you going to lead us out of here on a human chain?”

“Something like that,” Orak replied, stripping off the armored gloves and placing one hand on top of theirs, the other underneath.

“What the hell are you…AH SHIT, IT BURNS!” Katie cried, as Orak exerted his will on the three of them. Delmont and Tyler gritted their teeth, having felt this once before. The sensation passed quickly, and as soon as Orak let go Katie staggered backwards into the bed.

“Oh god,” she groaned “I’m dizzy…what was that? What did you do to me?”

“I gave you a fighting chance,” Orak said. “Can you walk? Delmont, help her move. Tyler, bring up the rear. Let’s go.”

Aki looked to Orak and asked quietly, “What are we going to do about Zion? We’ve got the humans, but…should we just leave him?”

“Zion brought this down on them, and on himself. The Abbadon can take him, for all I care. If they don’t, well…we will deal with that. Your lives are my concern,” Orak told his friend. “Now, lead the way.”

Aki padded gingerly across the carcass of the monstrous spider he had smashed. “It’s clear,” he growled, before darting out into the hall. He
chuffed
noisily as he trotted away, trying to clear his nose of the creature’s stench.

As they moved back into the hall, the lights flickered, then came back on. “They must have gotten all the soldiers out,” Orak said. “They will start a more thorough room by room search now. We need to hurry.”

Jogging down to the end of the corridor, Aki led them into a large windowless room lined with shelves and cabinets. The equipment inside had been ravaged, leaving electronic parts littering the floor. Orak and Aki stood in the doorway looking at two long rows of worktables stretching down the left and right sides of the room. Aki sniffed at the air, lifting his muzzle all around the doorframe.

Delmont helped Katie into the room, picking up an overturned rolling chair for her to sit on. “Thanks,” she said, rubbing at her eyes. “It’s passing now, but I appreciate the hand. That guy…he said your name was Delmont, right?”