Chapter Twenty-Six

 

The living construct went straight for his sister. She was trapped in the corner, frozen without a way to escape. Choo-Choo reacted instinctively, shoulder-charging the golem to knock it from its murderous path. The impact stopped him in his tracks. It was like he'd run directly into a mountain.

He looked up in time to see a metal fist coming for his head and rolled behind the silvery body, finding his feet in time to see the golem reorient itself on him.

"Emilio, run!"

The golem moved faster than he expected, but it was no match for his topaz speed. It put a fist deep into the wall, sending shards of stone in every direction. Choo-Choo tried to yank it off its feet by grabbing it behind the knee and leveraging it over, but the construct was too heavy and strong.

The room was small, no more than twenty by twenty, making escape impossible while his sister was stuck in the corner. Choo-Choo bounced off the walls, using them to change directions rapidly.

"We have to get back to the others," said Vasilisa.

"Then they'll know we're not who we are," he said as he ducked beneath a head-hunting punch.

When the golem tried to pivot in a puddle of water, the metal boot slipped slightly, giving Choo-Choo an idea.

"We need more water in the room," he told his sister as he evaded the golem.

He didn’t get to see if she'd understood him as he was too busy trying not to get his head caved in, but then he heard rocks being smashed. Vasilisa had climbed into the crack and was kicking the fragile edges, clearing more space for the water to spill onto the floor.

"Not enough, we need more," he said, trying to keep himself behind the golem. The construct kept turning each direction, but was unable to spin fast enough.

Vasilisa was deep into the hole, so he couldn't see what she was doing but he could hear her smashing rocks together. After what felt like a long time, a gush of water spilled into the room, covering the floor.

"Ha! It's working," he said, right before he slipped, tumbling to the waterlogged floor. He managed to get back to his feet in time for the golem to clutch his arm. The construct grabbed him by the shirt and threw him into the wall next to the crack. The impact broke loose more of the structure. Choo-Choo managed to regain his feet, but the golem cut off his escape routes. He climbed into the hole, hoping the rushing water and debris would keep the massive construct from reaching him inside.

"What are you doing?" exclaimed Vasilisa, soaking wet with water spraying in her face. She had a rock in her good hand.

The golem reached the gap and shoved its hand into the hole. Choo-Choo kicked it away, but knew that strategy wouldn't last long.

"Climb!"

Vasilisa pulled herself higher into the space. It appeared a large pipe ran past the room and sometime in the past had been damaged, which was where the leak had originated. His sister had opened it up some but the gap was only a few hands wide.

Choo-Choo kicked out hard then leapt up, pulling himself against the top of the space. The golem couldn't fit, so it smashed its fists against the wall, opening the hole wider. Bracing his body against the rock, Choo-Choo kicked out against the pipe. In four hard blows, he managed to smash the outer portion of the pipe. The flow of cold water became a flood for a few seconds until it settled to an equilibrium.

"Climb in."

"Climb in?" she responded.

"Got a better idea? This thing is going to break through the wall in about a minute and I'd rather not be here."

His sister, looking like a drowned rat, muttered curses as she pulled herself through the hole, climbing into the pipe which sprayed water in his face. Choo-Choo followed her after smashing the gap wider when his shoulders wouldn't fit. He pulled himself inside right before the golem broke through the wall and started attacking the pipe.

"Climb!" he told his sister, but she was already ahead of him. The pipe went up at a forty-five-degree angle. Moving up required pushing both hands on either side and avoiding the flow of chilly water that covered the bottom few inches. Vasilisa climbed with surprising speed despite the stump.

When the golem's attacks grew muted, Vasilisa paused above him. He'd lost his headlamp in the fight, but his sister's rotated back and forth. They were soaked and shivering from the cold water.

"I want out of this pipe," she said between breaths.

"We have to go up. It'll keep us warm."

"What was that thing?" she asked.

He frowned. "You saw it the same as I did. Some sort of maetrie guardian."

"I liked it better when Razor was our enemy. Whatever this crap is, it's bigger than our little rebellion."

Choo-Choo didn't have an answer. His sister started working her way up the pipe, so he followed. Every time she got her knees in the flow, it sprayed water in his face. After a fifteen-minute climb, the pipe evened out. They no longer had to climb but it was harder to stay out of the cold water.

"I can't feel my hand," she said.

Choo-Choo's lower lip was quivering. He could barely muster speech.

"Mine are numb too."

"We have to get out of the pipe soon, or we're not getting out at all."

Choo-Choo banged on the curved wall. The material provided a dull echo.

"I think we're still in the ground. If this water is coming from the lake near the well, then it'll have to cross the huge opening eventually. Keep climbing."

"What if it goes around the gap, staying in the earth?"

"Just climb," he said, not wanting to consider what she'd said.

Every ten feet, he stopped to hammer his fist against the wall. His hands were so numb it felt like hitting it with someone else's limb. Then after a painfully long time, he struck the pipe to hear a higher pitched ring. Choo-Choo placed his back against the curved wall and started kicking, unconcerned about who or what might hear. If they didn't get out soon, they'd never get out. If it hadn't already, hypothermia would set in. Choo-Choo kicked with both legs like a pair of pistons. He gave it everything he could until the first crack formed then he kept hammering that location. When a small piece broke away, he stuck his eye to the hole, hoping that they weren't over a deep drop. The bluish illumination he'd seen during the long elevator ride down made distances hard to distinguish, but he didn't see any artificial lights, so he kept kicking.

His foot burst through the side, sending a large chunk of the pipe to smash on the rocks about fifteen feet below. The pipe was crossing a gap and returning to the earth. If he'd waited another five feet, he'd have missed the opportunity to escape.

"It's a drop. I'll lower you down."

Using the straps of her backpack, Choo-Choo let his sister drop to the slope. He followed her out, the freezing water cascading over his body, until he landed hard, nearly tumbling over a secondary cliff. Vasilisa grabbed his arm, steadying him.

They stood on a ledge overlooking the eastern part of the deep canyon. Reflected artificial lights shone in the distance, marking the location of the elevator and winding ramp. Still shivering from the water, they rubbed their arms and stomped their feet to get the blood flow back into their limbs. Vasilisa sat on the edge, found a couple of food bars in their backpacks, and handed one over. He joined her, relishing the warmth of the Undercity air.

"How are we getting out?" she asked after finishing her food bar. "The elevator is guarded and the ramp is fully lit."

"Let's worry about it after we rest some. My legs and arms are tight from the cold water."

He knocked the crumbs off his lap and set his pack on the rocks. The sharp stone made it uncomfortable, but he managed to fall asleep for a short time. He woke to find Vasilisa sitting against the wall.

"Okay?"

"Warm. It's enough for now, but I want out of here."

"Let's get down then."

The cliff was the first obstacle. It was about thirty feet down. Vasilisa wasn't comfortable climbing with only one hand, so they spent the next hour tearing apart their backpacks, making an improvised rope. It wouldn't get her all the way down, but close enough to drop safely. He held a knot he'd made at the end while she shimmied to the bottom, then he followed by climbing down the rock face.

The way after was a mix of scree slopes and rocky traverses. They managed to make it to the canyon floor, which based on the lights, he assumed was on the same level as the work camp. Most of the guards were right inside the wall, which made observing from a distance easier.

"Ideas?" he asked.

"What about those carts?"

His sister pointed to the vehicles that carried material to the top of the Dark Depths by the ramp.

"Won't that be obvious?"

"If we act like we know what we're doing, maybe they'll assume we're a set of workers. There's no reason they should think we escaped, and I doubt they went and checked, given the murderous golem. It seemed like they were working in a different area than we went."

Choo-Choo hated the idea, but it was the only plausible one that might work.

"Go now, or wait?" he asked.

"The ramp looks empty."

Using the piles of rock that littered the empty space, they moved up to the cluster of powered carts for transporting materials. It took a few minutes to figure out how to start one. He was unused to the pull-cord, but managed to get the motor running after a good yank. With the engine rumbling, he was certain they were going to get caught. They followed the cart into the open space. The beginning of the ramp was a hundred meters from the camp, too close as far as he was concerned. The whole way across he kept expecting to be challenged. One guard waved to them, so he waved back.

The cart engine increased in tenor as they climbed. Vasilisa guided it from the back using the handheld remote. It was painfully slow. Choo-Choo wanted to leave it behind and run up the ramp as fast as possible.

Reaching the top took an hour. It came out in an area filled with debris and other carts. They turned off the engine and after confirming no one was nearby, headed into a tunnel leading away. Back in the part of the Undercity he knew well, he had his sister turn off her headlamp. After their eyes adjusted, he led her through the connecting passages, using his amber to keep watch.

A half hour later, he entered a familiar looking cavern, and after tracing back and forth, found the escape hatch for the Razor tunnels. He opened it using the stainless steel wheel and had Vasilisa climb down first.

"Are these the Razor tunnels?"

"Yep."

"How'd you know it was here?" she asked, switching on her headlamp.

"We used it a few months ago when we tried to find Elani. It hasn't been used, so we're okay," he said.

"Hasn't been used? Why are there tire tracks then?"

He saw what she was pointing to with her headlamp. It appeared they were using the hewn tunnels now, which made their passage perilous as there was nowhere to hide if one of the carts came through.

"I'd rather chance it here than try to move through the caverns. Too many patrols these days." He unsuccessfully tried to identify how recently the tire tracks had been made. "Let's keep a good pace."

Choo-Choo took the lead, jogging at a rate his sister could keep up. She wasn't used to running, so she tired easily, especially after a long climb out of the Dark Depths. He willingly passed two exits wanting to get closer to the Terreno before they surfaced, but at the third, he felt they'd pushed their luck too long. He climbed up first, checking their surroundings before letting her come up into a space lightly illuminated by fungi. They made it through two caverns, before he heard voices ahead. Choo-Choo had his sister stay back while he crept into listening range.

"Are you sure it's this way? We've been through three caves and I haven't found the damn entrance."

"It's the one with the ghost-eyes. The wheel's in a cubby in back. What's the big hurry anyway?"

"Something about needing more manpower at the dig site. They had a breakthrough. Something about an old construct that went wild and smashed through the wards."

"Wild."

"Prefer if we didn't have to go. Was hoping to catch the next round. After that grand melee, anything could happen."

Mention of a breakthrough due to the golem had Choo-Choo wanting to hear more, but he had to move Vasilisa before the other group stumbled on them. He made her hurry and they crossed to the other side of the cavern before the large group of men and women detoured through the spot they'd just left.

The next few hours he kept them from the random patrols that grew more frequent as they neared the Terreno. When they stumbled upon the passage that went between the Terreno and Big Dave's Town, he had them wait off the trail until a new group was being led through and then joined the back of them. There was a chance they could be identified returning to the Terreno, but he decided it was worth the risk as it was unlikely the same guards would be at the entrance gate. When they reached it, they were quickly ushered into the noisy, crowded space, and went straight for their hotel, collapsing on their beds the moment they were inside.