A/N: Well, the last leg. On with the show.
***
About half of the lights were dark, but time hadn’t totally destroyed the once-pristine atrium they stepped into. “Hey- bubble-head.” Thae said. “Know any way for us to get around fast? Things are going to get hairy when they start missing Dead and Gone.”
He and Vaals made the strange hacking noise, and Kaan started too- but his vocalization was different from his brothers’, allowing Ryan to recognize what they were doing: laughing. Vaals backhanded Thae. “Dead and Gone- I like it.” He straightened up. “Well, Mnnnnda? You wanted to come.”
“I’m thinking. The Test Track runs along most of the outer surface of the building. We should be able to get into it one level up.”
“Think the Brethren will be using it?” Kaan said.
“I doubt it- the whole system was designed to test for balance, coordination, and cognitive dissonance. It’s not quite the Tower Run, but it can be pretty confusing.” Mnnnnda replied. “Here.”
They followed him into a recess, then up a flight of stairs. Leading them into a hallway, Mnnnnda ran over to a panel. “Hell. These rivets are corroding, they must’ve sealed the track off when- YAH!” He jumped as three of the rivets shattered, sending sparks and flakes of metal flying everywhere. Mnnnnda spun on the three brothers, who had their guns out. “Don’t DO that when I’m standing here!”
“Then get out of the way. Test Track, right?” Vaals said.
“Yep. Where we ran the prototypes through their paces.” Mnnnnda said as he stepped aside. Kaan shot out the last rivet, causing the plate to crash to the floor. “Not so- hell.”
There was an incoherent yell from a few rooms away. Mnnnnda jumped into the recess that the falling plate had exposed and, to Ryan’s amazement, ran up the wall and out of sight. Kaan and Thae followed, with only Vaals hanging back.
“Go.” He jerked his head at the recess while keeping the muzzle of his gun trained down the hallway.
Remembering the core, Ryan grabbed the lintel of the recess and swung his feet forward, desperately hoping he had guessed right. His center of gravity shifted as his lower half fell forward, dropping him into a standing position on the wall- which was now, relatively speaking, the floor.
Ryan began to run, realizing that gravity had shifted at less than ninety degrees; what was a vertical ascent had now become a fairly steep descent, leaving him struggling with the idea that he was ascending by running downhill. There was a thud on the incline behind him, and footsteps rapidly began to catch up. There was another loud clang ahead of him.
“HEY!” A voice he didn’t recognize roared from behind him. Ryan’s heart leaped as he sped up, even as the approaching feet did the same. He staggered out of the end of the passageway into a hexagonal room where Mnnnnda, Thae, and Kaan were standing. Kaan had gun trained on the passageway while Thae blasted riveted panels off the walls. Vaals staggered out behind Ryan, nearly bowling him over.
“They’re right behind us.” He growled. “They weren’t expecting the gravity change, but-”
“I know!” Kaan said. Reaching under his jacket, he produced a metal sphere the size of a tennis ball. “Mnnnnda, which way!”
“If I’m right- uh-”
“Mnnnnda!” Vaals shouted. Ryan could hear footsteps- lots of them- charging down the passageway they had just left.
“Staff quarters! This way!” Mnnnnda shouted, swan diving into one of the darker passages. Kaan hit a button on the sphere and threw it onto the ceiling, where it stuck as Vaals and Ryan jumped after Mnnnnda.
Ryan spun on his lateral axis, body twisting around two hundred and seventy degrees as he landed landed on his feet, then staggered and dropped on his tailbone. Mnnnnda was picking himself up off the floor as Vaals barreled into him. Ryan, meanwhile, was knocked flat as Thae and Kaan smashed into his back.
“Run!” Kaan growled. He and Thae hadn’t lost their footing and ran. Ryan jumped to his feet, grabbing Mnnnnda by the shoulder and helping him up as Vaals sprinted off after his brothers. Ryan and Mnnnnda ran after them, taking their first step an instant before the opening behind them was lit by a dazzling purple flash. Wordless screaming echoed after the five of them as they ran.
Ryan had no idea how long he ran for. Only the occasional light was working, and he could see the three brothers fading away into the the intermittent darkness ahead even as Mnnnnda’s footsteps started to fall slowly behind. Finally, he sprinted through the last pool of light.
The loss of illumination was why he didn’t see the drop-off. Putting his foot down on empty air, he overbalanced, toppled, and twisted, his body converting a gravity-shift-induced fall into a haphazard landing. Wheezing and feeling like his heart was about to explode, he staggered out into another hexagonal room.
“What- was- that?” Ryan gulped, clutching his knees.
“High frequency strobe.” Kaan said. “Stand up straight and put you hands on top of your head, that will keep your lungs open. It’s supposed to cause a burning sensation to discourage people.”
Ryan followed Kaan’s instructions, relief flooding him as the feeling of pressure in his lungs dropped. “Thanks.” He said heavily. “That didn’t sound like ‘discouragement.‘”
“Well, I rebuilt it with an after-market power cell.” Kaan admitted. “Too much energy for the capacitors to handle- instead of a slow, steady stream of ultraviolet energy, it just emits one huge pulse and burns out. Whoever was chasing us . . . has been greatly discouraged.”
There was a thump in the passageway behind them, and Mnnnnda scurried out and stopped dead, making a tinny wheezing noise.
“Which way?” Kaan demanded.
“I’m getting my bearings.” Mnnnnda said as he wheezed. “This place was supposed to be disorienting.”
“Well, congratulations, it works.” Vaals said. “Why are they still powering this mess, anyway?”
“It was never designed to be turned off.” Mnnnnda said as he glanced at the openings around them. “Runs off the same conduits as the lights. When the project ended, they projected that it would be too expensive to break this place down, so they just left it- core, gravity pump, everything.”
“And let our neighborhood grow up around it.” Kaan said. “Nice to see how much you cared.”
“That wasn’t me!” Mnnnnda barked. “Things weren’t supposed to end the way they did- the bigwigs failed to predict how badly the existing military would react to being replaced. Perhaps it’s obvious in retrospect, but that was never my department.” He tapped the floor with one foot. “This way.”
“What?” Thae said.
“Down. We’re near the base of the tower now, right at the staff quarters. If I was running a cult, that’s what I’d be using to house members. All we need to do is break through the floor.” Mnnnnda turned to Kaan. “Did you bring any shaped charges?”
“No. I didn’t think we’d be traveling by demo.” Kaan said, stamping on the floor. “Plate. Thae, could you give me some perforations?”
Thae grunted and dug another pistol out of the small of his back. He tinkered with the settings on it, then pointed it at the floor. The muzzle shone like a star as the smell of burnt metal wafted throughout the room- Ryan couldn’t see a beam, but Thae was systematically burning a circular pattern of pinholes in the floor.
“Won’t this make a racket when it falls?” Ryan said.
“Good point.” Kaan said, digging into his pockets and producing another UV bomb. “I can sterilize the area ahead of us, but-”
“Don’t worry.” Mnnnnda said. “It won’t fall.”
“How is that- oh.” Kaan said. “Right.” He produced his rail pistol as Thae stopped to change out the power cell on his energy weapon. “Almost done?”
“It’s not a cutting tool.” Thae growled. “I hate burning ammo like-”
“Almost done?” Kaan demanded again.
“Yes.” Thae threw the spent power cell aside and drilled the last few holes. “Go for it.”
Kaan twisted a dial on his gun and walked up to the edge of the circle that Thae had cut. “Cover your ears, everyone.” He sighted in on the center of the circle and fired.
There was a deafening thud as the circle bulged inwards and broke loose, but then bounced up again, back into place, like it was floating on something heavier beneath it. Ryan stared- he could see that the section had broken free, but it wasn’t dropping away. Vaals dug a hand under the warped circle of metal and flipped it away.
Mnnnnda lay down on the floor and wormed his way through the hole, followed closely by Thae. As the Hura slid through, Ryan realized why the plate hadn’t fallen: the gravity in the adjacent corridor was equal and opposite to the gravity where they were. The floor on one side was also the floor on the other, but from the opposite direction.
“Wow.” Ryan said as he at once fell and climbed into the hallway. “What was wrong with you guys?”
“It’s supposed to be disorienting.” Mnnnnda protested as Kaan and Vaals pulled themselves up. “Staff quarters down the hall, director’s suite one floor up, then the primary observation labs below us. Kaan?”
“We need better directions.” Kaan said softly as he began working on one of the doors. “Let’s find them.” After a second, the door slid open, revealing a small, reeking room with a Chanthoom passed out on a rotting mattress.
“What is that?” Ryan asked.
“Happiness and feces. Some vomit too.” Vaals muttered as he stepped in. “This one’s doped to the gills- benefits to the congregation, I bet.” He pulled out his gun. “What do you say we scare him a bit?”
“Vaals.” Mnnnnda said. “No need for that. You three, if you could get out of the room? I don’t want him to see you when he wakes up.”
“What if you get in trouble?” Vaals said.
“Use your best judgment. I can get the information, trust me.”
“Listen to him, Vaals.” Kaan said. He withdrew from the room, and his brothers followed. Mnnnnda leaned down and shook the Chanthoom’s skull a little. “Exalted Brother!”
One of the Chanthoom’s eyes flicked open. “You. . . you’re. . . you’re gray.” He made a little chuffing noise.
“Exalted Brother, our new Initiate here seeks your great wisdom and reassurance. I tell him ‘is it not written that the hour of Eternity is close at hand, but only for those who faithfully perform their tasks for the Brethren,’ but he confesses to me that he has misgivings still. I believe him to be pure, and having a mind that does not need to be shocked back into understanding. Lend us your great wisdom for but a moment, that he may be calmed.”
Ryan gaped at Mnnnnda as the Chanthoom’s eye turned to him. “It is written- it is written- ‘the First Researcher sees all, and comprehends all, and merely seeks the means by which to make the world as grand as his mind. When the Time of Eternity comes, those who mouth his support yet secretly doubt will be left to the maw of time.’ What it means is, He’s not gonna help you if you’re gonna try to cheat him in your mind, little pink thing. He knows everything. Listen to your Brother.” The eye fluttered for a moment and closed.
“How did you do that?” Ryan hissed to Mnnnnda.
“Later!” Mnnnnda whispered back. “Shake him up and ask him where to go.”
Heart pounding, Ryan reached over and grabbed the side of the furry head, heart jumping when the eye popped open again. He cleared his throat and began. “Oh. . . um. . . Exalted One, where should I returneth to?”
“Downstairs, with the rest of the Initiates.” The Chanthoom grunted. Ryan stepped back, and after a second, the eye flicked closed.
“What was that?” Ryan whispered.
“Happiness. If you give positive stimulation to someone who’s high on it, they’ll ignore things like the fact that they have no idea who you are. Fascinating drug, really.”
“You know their scripture!”
“Not really.” Mnnnnda hissed back. “I just know the style. Don’t try that on someone not drugged out of their mind.” He turned around and padded out the door.
Ryan followed him, trying to kill his doubts.
“Downstairs.” Mnnnnda said as he and Ryan stepped out of the room. “People higher up than your brother are here.”
“‘Are you sure?‘” Kaan said.
“Defiantly. The Brethren wouldn’t underwrite a mere Initiate getting that high.”
“Not while they can still bleed them dry.” Vaals said. “How do we get downstairs?”
“Main elevator and freight elevator are both very close, but those are probably the main thoroughfare.” Mnnnnda said. “The Track doesn’t go there. We can use. . .” he paused for a minute.
“‘Knows this place like his reflection’ my-” There was a crack as Kaan shut Thae up with a fist to the side of the jaw.
“Can we cut through the floor again?” Kaan asked.
“Not unless you brought some industrial-grade equipment.” Mnnnnda said. “We could do it in the Track because it’s designed for easy emergency access. For the Observation labs- got it! This way.” He scurried off down the hall.
“Where are we going-” Ryan began, but Mnnnnda shushed him.
“Quiet! I’m counting. Eighteen, nineteen- here.” He turned left at a huge pair of metal double-doors and began to work the controls. The brothers glanced around nervously as the doors ground open and Mnnnnda ushered them in.
“So- we’re in the announcer’s booth?” Ryan asked as he glanced around the room. The walls were big transparent plates set at a forty-five degree angle from the floor, allowing for clear viewing of the small, trashed room below.
“Observation booth.” Mnnnnda said as he closed the doors. “That’s one of the quarantine labs down there. All we need to do is punch through to the lab, and we’ll be on the right floor.”
“That’s a lab?” Ryan said.
“Why does this booth need blast doors?” Kaan added.
“Yes, it was a lab, but it got stripped of everything worth taking ages ago.” Mnnnnda said. “And the doors are that thick as soundproofing. The screaming could get pretty loud, sometimes.”
Thae hissed, casuing Ryan to inch away from him as Kaan and Vaals drew their guns.
“Thae- help.” Kaan said as they sighted in on the window. “And control yourself.” Thae growled again and produced his own weapon.
All three brothers fired, putting three sets of spiderwebbing cracks in the center of the window. Kaan stared, surprise written on his face. “Tough stuff.”
“They weren’t taking any chances.” Mnnnnda said. “Maybe you can turn up the repulsion a bit?”
“Already at the limit.” Kaan said. “Let’s try to brute force it.”
It took six salvos before the cracks began to connect. Motioning to his brothers to halt, Vaals picked up a broken chair and heaved it at the window.
It bounced off. “Hell.” Vaals pulled out his pistol again. “Thae, can we get some thermal expansion?”
“Next time, tell me to bring a welding torch.” Thae growled, stowing the rail pistol for the energy weapon. “It’ll save us a fortune on power-”
“How about I tell you right now to shut up and do what I say.” Vaals said. “Actually, I will. ‘Thae, shut up and do what I say.‘”
Thae tinkered with his pistol for a moment, then aimed it at the window.
“What’s this thing made of, Mnnnnda?” Ryan asked.
“Crystallized- hang on.” Mnnnnda said. “Ah. There.”
“What?”
“Don’t you hear it? That squeaking noise?”
Ryan cocked his head. “No.”
There was a loud cracking noise, like a giant ice cube had just been dropped into a vat of boiling water. The cracks in the window blossomed out into a virtual maze. Vaals and Kaan raised their guns and fired.
A second later, the window was raining down in pieces on the room below. Vaals stowed his weapon, grabbed the bottom of the window frame, and swung himself over the edge. Kaan followed right behind him as Ryan stepped up.
