2084 - Chapter 5, The Killing Fields
August 4th 2008 06:19
They walked.
Markus and Katyia strolled along the tunnels companionably. There was not much light, and the constant sounds of dripping made match with the soft padding of their feet. The smoke had made Kat bold, and she walked nearer to Markus than the Regime deemed proper.
"So if these tunnels are used by the Raptors, and they used to be for plumbing, where does our water come from now?"
"Its a new system - far as we can figure. It moves through the buildings and it all comes through the assesment centre. She's putting something in your water"
"Like what?" Kat was astounded.
"We arent sure. We've been trying to get a sample. Sianna and Seven are on it now"
"Sianna....And Seven?"
"Sianna's the big Boss - Alpha Raptor. And Seven is from Sidnee's laboratory."
Kat had no speech. She looked at Markus with wide green eyes.
"Too much to tell. I say we get you out of here first, then I'll explain what I can, ok?"
Kat nodded. Shock piling on shock was taking its toll. Markus stopped and shone a small torch upwards, and returned the torch to his pocket. He began to climb up some wire rungs and after a moments hesitation, Kat followed. She knew she couldnt go back now.
Daylight lanced into her eyes as the cover was removed. Markus motioned her to be silent. "I have to check out what the cycle is" he whispered. She remained silent. She had no idea what he was talking about. He looked around briefly, then jumped out, turning around to offer her a hand. As he pulled her out he pushed the disc back in - to her wonder it was smoothly grassed and left no sign of its existance once properly fitted. They began to walk quickly - Kat tried to take in the scene.
They were walking along a grassy lane in between to rows of high vegetation - perhaps corn or oat or both. The sun was bright, as the RRF was thin - she could tell by the colour and the way the sky looked so blue. She'd only ever seen milky white above her head. In the vegetation, there were birds and rabbitts and masses of small animals, all feeding voraciously.
"We have to hurry" Markus whispered. "The shock will go off soon. Its almost full"
"What?" Kat asked, not understanding.
"The animals creep in" He began to jog, "When there are too many, a shock travels from the RRF and fries anything living. Ive seen good men and women cut down seconds from home. Mostly, the animals all die. There is food outside the RRF but animals will be animals - sooner or later the lure of all this food brings them in again"
Jogging was hard - harder than it had been underground for some reason. "Sidnee kills them?" Katyia found it hard to believe.
"Indiscriminately. Anything thats on the fields dies during the shock. Your food shortages are caused by these animals." Markus began to run. He had the nagging feeling he was forgetting something.
Unable to get her head around it - and having serious trouble drawing breath - Kat focused on running.
The air began to hum. There seemed to be a vibration around them, palpable against the skin. The birds began to schreech, flying towards the border, and the little animals too, began to run.
"Its the Shock!" Markus screamed, "Its coming!" and broke into a bolt. Katyia felt her throat lock up and her muscles seize and she fell, calling "Markus!" just before her face hit the dirt. Markus turned and saw her convulsing on the ground, froth about her lips.
"Oh No!" he screamed.
***************************** ***************************** ***************************** *************************
Sianna connected to Seven. They were miles apart, yet their minds linked so surely it was as if they sat face to face. In their minds, their hands linked. Softly, their lips moved, as they spoke in unison.
"Now"
***************************** ***************************** ***************************** *************************
Markus tried to pick Kat up, tears of desperation squeezng from his eyes. He knew, it was futile. How could he have forgotten? Even if he managed to get her out from under the RRF she would still die. She was impossible to lift - her body had gone hard and stiff under the convulsions. The humming in the air became impossible to stand, the thrumming of electricity made all the hairs on his body stand on end. In his sweat and tears, he tasted death. Even if he ran now, he wouldnt make it out, the shock would cut him down mid run. He threw his arms around Kat.
The reason the Raptors had not saved anyone in the last few years was because Sidnee had implanted them somehow - a genome or isoltope they had yet to isolate. It actually connected them to the RRF on a cellular level. If the RRF was agitated - as it was now, in preparation for a shock wave - it disrupted their bodies physically. He had seen people expire just after coming out of the RRF and breathing real oxygen. Even in the early days, they had coughed horribly and taken months to recover as they learned to eat and exercise, but it seemed her genetic experiments had gone far beyond that now.
He looked into Kats face, her shut eyes and masklike skin. He had only wanted to save her. Now he couldnt save himself. The thrumming drowned out the world. There was a white flash.
***************************** ***************************** ***************************** *************************
A burst of psychic energy leaped out from Seven and Sianna, stationed at opposite ends of the city. Sidnee was in the Auditorium, speaking at the time.
Sianna had figured out how to tap into the RRF. With the help of the genetically enhanced Seven, they were able to tap into it and shut down Sidnee's systems, down to the last. Sidnee's clean energy was run through crystals - white quartz - and Sianna tapped into their vibrations directly and shut them down. Lights and power went down from one end of the city to the other. Even the RRF flickered, but Sianna knew that wouldnt come down, not yet. Still, even far underground, she could see through the eyes of those above ground - she saw the city plunged into darkness in the late afternoon dusk, saw the RRF flicker like a tv with bad reception. Exhausted, unable to move a muscle in her sweating, shaking frame, Sianna laughed.
***************************** ***************************** ***************************** *************************
In his arms, Kat stopped convulsing. The RRF flickered like it was going to disappear. The thrumming vanished - the trickles of electricity dissipated.
"Markus" Whispered Kat.
"No Time!" He roared. He got his arms around her, pulled her up, and with an arm around her waist he got her moving, running towards freedom.
What had happened he had no clue - there had been talk about an attack on the power grid, but he'd had to leave for his own mission before it was finalized. He bolted out from under the RRF and into the comfort of the jungle. He watched Kat for a few minutes - She seemed to be breathing normally.
Markus and Katyia strolled along the tunnels companionably. There was not much light, and the constant sounds of dripping made match with the soft padding of their feet. The smoke had made Kat bold, and she walked nearer to Markus than the Regime deemed proper.
"So if these tunnels are used by the Raptors, and they used to be for plumbing, where does our water come from now?"
"Its a new system - far as we can figure. It moves through the buildings and it all comes through the assesment centre. She's putting something in your water"
"Like what?" Kat was astounded.
"We arent sure. We've been trying to get a sample. Sianna and Seven are on it now"
"Sianna....And Seven?"
"Sianna's the big Boss - Alpha Raptor. And Seven is from Sidnee's laboratory."
Kat had no speech. She looked at Markus with wide green eyes.
"Too much to tell. I say we get you out of here first, then I'll explain what I can, ok?"
Kat nodded. Shock piling on shock was taking its toll. Markus stopped and shone a small torch upwards, and returned the torch to his pocket. He began to climb up some wire rungs and after a moments hesitation, Kat followed. She knew she couldnt go back now.
Daylight lanced into her eyes as the cover was removed. Markus motioned her to be silent. "I have to check out what the cycle is" he whispered. She remained silent. She had no idea what he was talking about. He looked around briefly, then jumped out, turning around to offer her a hand. As he pulled her out he pushed the disc back in - to her wonder it was smoothly grassed and left no sign of its existance once properly fitted. They began to walk quickly - Kat tried to take in the scene.
They were walking along a grassy lane in between to rows of high vegetation - perhaps corn or oat or both. The sun was bright, as the RRF was thin - she could tell by the colour and the way the sky looked so blue. She'd only ever seen milky white above her head. In the vegetation, there were birds and rabbitts and masses of small animals, all feeding voraciously.
"We have to hurry" Markus whispered. "The shock will go off soon. Its almost full"
"What?" Kat asked, not understanding.
"The animals creep in" He began to jog, "When there are too many, a shock travels from the RRF and fries anything living. Ive seen good men and women cut down seconds from home. Mostly, the animals all die. There is food outside the RRF but animals will be animals - sooner or later the lure of all this food brings them in again"
Jogging was hard - harder than it had been underground for some reason. "Sidnee kills them?" Katyia found it hard to believe.
"Indiscriminately. Anything thats on the fields dies during the shock. Your food shortages are caused by these animals." Markus began to run. He had the nagging feeling he was forgetting something.
Unable to get her head around it - and having serious trouble drawing breath - Kat focused on running.
The air began to hum. There seemed to be a vibration around them, palpable against the skin. The birds began to schreech, flying towards the border, and the little animals too, began to run.
"Its the Shock!" Markus screamed, "Its coming!" and broke into a bolt. Katyia felt her throat lock up and her muscles seize and she fell, calling "Markus!" just before her face hit the dirt. Markus turned and saw her convulsing on the ground, froth about her lips.
"Oh No!" he screamed.
***************************** ***************************** ***************************** *************************
Sianna connected to Seven. They were miles apart, yet their minds linked so surely it was as if they sat face to face. In their minds, their hands linked. Softly, their lips moved, as they spoke in unison.
"Now"
***************************** ***************************** ***************************** *************************
Markus tried to pick Kat up, tears of desperation squeezng from his eyes. He knew, it was futile. How could he have forgotten? Even if he managed to get her out from under the RRF she would still die. She was impossible to lift - her body had gone hard and stiff under the convulsions. The humming in the air became impossible to stand, the thrumming of electricity made all the hairs on his body stand on end. In his sweat and tears, he tasted death. Even if he ran now, he wouldnt make it out, the shock would cut him down mid run. He threw his arms around Kat.
The reason the Raptors had not saved anyone in the last few years was because Sidnee had implanted them somehow - a genome or isoltope they had yet to isolate. It actually connected them to the RRF on a cellular level. If the RRF was agitated - as it was now, in preparation for a shock wave - it disrupted their bodies physically. He had seen people expire just after coming out of the RRF and breathing real oxygen. Even in the early days, they had coughed horribly and taken months to recover as they learned to eat and exercise, but it seemed her genetic experiments had gone far beyond that now.
He looked into Kats face, her shut eyes and masklike skin. He had only wanted to save her. Now he couldnt save himself. The thrumming drowned out the world. There was a white flash.
***************************** ***************************** ***************************** *************************
A burst of psychic energy leaped out from Seven and Sianna, stationed at opposite ends of the city. Sidnee was in the Auditorium, speaking at the time.
Sianna had figured out how to tap into the RRF. With the help of the genetically enhanced Seven, they were able to tap into it and shut down Sidnee's systems, down to the last. Sidnee's clean energy was run through crystals - white quartz - and Sianna tapped into their vibrations directly and shut them down. Lights and power went down from one end of the city to the other. Even the RRF flickered, but Sianna knew that wouldnt come down, not yet. Still, even far underground, she could see through the eyes of those above ground - she saw the city plunged into darkness in the late afternoon dusk, saw the RRF flicker like a tv with bad reception. Exhausted, unable to move a muscle in her sweating, shaking frame, Sianna laughed.
***************************** ***************************** ***************************** *************************
In his arms, Kat stopped convulsing. The RRF flickered like it was going to disappear. The thrumming vanished - the trickles of electricity dissipated.
"Markus" Whispered Kat.
"No Time!" He roared. He got his arms around her, pulled her up, and with an arm around her waist he got her moving, running towards freedom.
What had happened he had no clue - there had been talk about an attack on the power grid, but he'd had to leave for his own mission before it was finalized. He bolted out from under the RRF and into the comfort of the jungle. He watched Kat for a few minutes - She seemed to be breathing normally.
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Comment by tlcorbin
Comment by Kleonaptra
Kalikapsychosis
I hate hardbacks - they dont travel.
Have you read the rest? I havnt got around to linking them yet but the search engine should help you out until then.