Skye, Bryn, Dorian, and Myka were once again forced out of the back of their cells and found themselves suddenly dropped into a narrow, metallic corridor. The walls were slick and gleaming, illuminated by pulsing, fluorescent lights that cast an eerie glow over everything. The air was thick with the acrid scent of ozone and the thrumming of hidden machinery.
As they looked around, they weren't alone. There were hundreds of onlookers watching them through monitor screens that lined the walls of the corridor. They peered at them with fascination and concern, their faces distorted by the flickering light of the screens.
The boy they'd met earlier was standing a few feet ahead of them.
"Say hello to the Hessians," the boy said, picking up a stone and throwing it hard against one of the monitors, but it didn't even scratch the screen.
"They must really hate you. Normally they like to train and educate their new sacrifices for at least a few months before executing them. Giving them as much information as they have on the Razermak to create the best possible outcome. Not that it really makes a difference in the end," The boy looked at them with pity.
"There's got to be a way out," Dorian was searching for a hidden passage of sorts, a switch, anything. But their backs were against the wall. Literally. There was no retreat, only forward. The corridor extended far into the darkness ahead of them.
"Trust me. There isn't. Might as well embrace our destiny," the boy said in a strange fashion like he was trying to make a joke. Skye had noticed that even with everything going on. The boy seemed relaxed. At ease.
"Such a serious group. Let's lighten the mood, seeing as I've taught you everything, you can call me Professor Zavia," that was the boy's name. Zavia.
"Aren't you a little young to be a professor?" Bryn asked, this caused Zavia to smile greatly.
"There we go! And I don't think so. It's perfectly normal where I'm from. The first twenty years of our lives are spent training our bodies and minds for combat and learning basic principles. The next twenty years are spent on strategy. Then we get a five-year hiatus to study whatever we want. I was just beginning mine when I got caught up in all of this." Zavia said.
"You're. Wait that would mean. How old are you?" Skye asked, but before he could answer, the pulsing lights started to intensify.
"The pulsing light attracts the Razermak. They'll be coming any minute now," he continued. He flipped into a handstand, twisting and contorting his body — he was warming up.
"Any words of wisdom oh great professor?" Dorian asked.
"Hmm. We will most certainly die. Usually, they like to send squads down here of no less than twelve. But rest assured. The Razermak are simple beasts. Our deaths will be quick. They have no use or even understanding of the concept of cruelty." Zavia performed another one of his strange hand movements, turning it over back and forth quickly.
"Where I'm from, this means, fight as if the gods are by your side. So. Let's give them a good show shall we?" Zavia turned back, facing the darkness of the corridor.
Then, from the black, crept the Razermak. A six-foot-tall creature with obsidian black skin and iridescent scales. It has a broad head with a spear-like snout and fiery red eyes. Its limbs were muscular and tipped with sharp claws.
"Wait, didn't you say that it was only after Stellizite?" Skye asked, and then as if upon cue a small crate was lowered behind them. It contained Stellizite — the otherworldly metal with a gleaming surface and subtle energy that defied explanation. It is said to come from the stars themselves. When heated, Stellizite becomes incredibly malleable, allowing it to be forged into intricate shapes and designs with ease. Its surface was covered in tiny crystalline structures that shimmer and refract light in a mesmerizing display.
The beast roared, as spit dangled from its powerful jaws.
"Been waiting for this all day," Zavia said, there was a touch of wickedness in his gaze. Skye had assumed he was a caring and thoughtful person. After all, he'd provided more information to them than anyone else.
He was trying to help them, wasn't he? Zavia was a prisoner just like them. Unjustly captured. Forced to fight these unholy beasts all for the benefit of The Hessians.
The Razermak lunged at Zavia, but he moved too swiftly, Skye had never seen such speed.
Then in blinding fury, Zavia leaped over the creature and cut off its head in a single blow.
Someone how his arm had hardened and sharpened to the point it could cut through steel.
Skye looked closer. He was.
Smiling.
His arm was coated in blood, but only for a second, as the blood started to absorb into his skin.
"You did it…" Myka said quietly.
Zavia cocked his head off to the side as if he was somehow noticing them for the first time. His eyes had become a solid color of dark green.
He approached carefully. Calculating.
"What's this guy doing?" Bryn asked.
"I got this," Dorian stepped forward, summoning his wind slashes. But they bounced off Zavia like it was nothing.
Before he could get any closer, two more appeared, charging in. One bit down on Zavia's shoulder, but he brushed it off, grabbing the beast by the neck, flipping it onto its back, and driving his fist through its chest.
Once again the blood seemed to pool and absorb into his body. The second beast slashed its claws against his back, barely leaving a mark.
The man was practically indestructible. All Skye could see was a small drop of blood. Like he had suffered no more than a paper cut.
He leaped at the second beast, but another two shot out from the dark, knocking him onto his back.
Zavia was quick to recover, but there were already three more upon him. More and more of the beasts were pouring out of the corridor, overwhelming him.
Skye felt the ground shake violently as all the monitors and lights shut off. Unable to see a thing, all that was left was the horrific sounds of the beasts and Zavia battling it out to the death.
There was a flicker of light from a sparking power cord, a figure moved in the background.
It was Zavia— and he was headed right toward them.
"Did you kill them all?" Myka said, surprised.
But there was little humanity left in him. His face was twisted and dark, those same expressionless eyes were now locked onto Myka. Like a wolf hunting a rabbit Zavia licked his lips.
Instinctively Bryn and Dorian stepped in front of her.
Two Razermaks leaped out from the corridor, digging their claws into Zavia's shoulder and dragging him back into the corridor.
There was nothing but the sound of the beast's screeches and roars. Until everything began to shake and the entire ceiling was ripped off.
A man dropped down wearing a suit that was made of lightweight, metallic material. It was form-fitting and sleek, hugging his muscular frame like a second skin.
The suit had a futuristic look, with smooth curves and sharp angles that seemed to flow seamlessly together. The suit had a series of built-in sensors that allowed the man to see and hear things he wouldn't otherwise be able to. A small display screen was located inside the helmet, providing him with an augmented reality view of his surroundings.
It contained hydraulic systems that augmented the man's movements, making him more powerful and precise in combat along with an array of weapons. Including guns and blades that were mounted on various parts of the armor.
None of them could react in time as small nanobots released from the suit crawled up their bodies and injected them in the necks with a sedative. They quickly lost consciousness. Skye could feel his body being lifted up by some sort of steel cable. Up and out of the corridor.
The last thing he saw was Zavia's face. The face of a man whose blood lust was unquenchable.
A small ship soared through the air until docking inside its stronghold. The base was nestled within the rocky crags of a nearby mountain range, expertly camouflaged to blend in with its surroundings. The entrance was almost invisible, hidden behind a series of high-tech holographic screens that projected a perfect illusion of the rock face.
Once inside, the base was a marvel of engineering. The walls were made of a sleek, metallic material that shimmered in the low light. The floors were soft and cushioned, providing a comfortable surface for the feet.
Skye, Dorian, Bryn, and Myka found themselves securely restrained to chairs with IVs dripping from their arms. They were located in the main command center. It was at the heart of the base, a spacious room filled with computer terminals, holographic projectors, and a massive screen that displayed a 3D map of the entire planet of Gehanna. There were six distinct markers on the map.
They slowly awoke one by one, unable to move. The man in the futuristic suit was hard at work. Calculating some sort of formula on a transparent plexiglass board beside the map.
"Let us. Go…" Bryn said lazily, still sluggish and slow to get her bearings.
"My head hurts…" Myka said.
"Ah. That stuff has quite the kick. Hold on," the man said, injecting another liquid into their IVs, the moment it hit they immediately felt focused and awake.
"Alright, alright. Let's focus, don't have a ton of time. First question. Do you know Reikner?" the man said to all of them. As Skye's vision focused he noticed that he was still wearing his suit.
"Hey, pay attention," he snapped his fingers. "Reikner? Is he still alive?"
"Why do you want to know," Dorian was the first to answer, trying his best to wriggle free of the restraints.
"Hard to get intel on The Structure. Actually damn near impossible. Plus trying to infiltrate that place is basically a suicide mission. So if I couldn't fight my way in. I had to drive some of you out," the man was surprisingly upbeat.
"Drive some of us out?" Bryn asked.
"Yeah…" his tone changed quickly, to one of remorse. "I er. Saw what happened, outside the walls. Those Teranians are ruthless. Good thing there's not much of them left anymore. Course there's always the possibility whoever fills their place will be much, much worse."
"You were the one who sent those monsters?" Dorian struggled harder.
"I wouldn't say I sent them. Per se. Maybe guided them? Pointed them in the direction? I needed some of you isolated. Sorry I wasn't able to get to you before they locked you in the Hessian's corridor, that's my bad. Toyatsu was meant to stall you, but she often does as she pleases."
"What do you want from us?" Skye asked.
"From you? Not much. Just some information. Like what would be the most efficient way to get to Reikner?" The man asked once again.
None of them responded.
The man sighed heavily.
"Entry thirty-one dot six dot eight. The plan is going accordingly. As it should. Took me damn long enough to get here. Current recruits are not cooperating. Not surprisingly, may need to use advanced interrogation techniques," the man said as he slowly took off his helmet.
The man was in his late forties. His hair was severely thinning from sun damage and his forehead was marked with scars from third-degree burns, and his left eye was opaque and completely useless.
"Alright. Let's try this again. Reikner? Any information. Only one of you needs to talk." he was becoming less patient.
"Are you going to hurt us?" Myka said innocently. This caused Dorian to thrash around even more in his seat, frustrated by his inability to protect her once again.
Until the man pressed a button on his suit, a small nanobot crept up along Dorian's shoulder and injected a sedative into his neck, he was knocked unconscious once again.
"That all depends. You give me some information and no. I won't hurt you."
"And if we don't?" Bryn said stubbornly.
"Between you and me. I haven't thought that far ahead yet. Might drop you back with the Hessians. I could leave you with the Glatzayas. But I'm not a monster."
"From where we're sitting that's exactly what you are. You killed our friends. Our comrades." Byrn said.
The man laughed hysterically. "Oh my. That is rich. Especially coming from you."
"We haven't done anything wrong," Skye said. The man started to laugh but then quickly changed his tune when he saw how serious Skye was.
"I mean. Maybe not you four, specifically. I'll admit. But…" he trailed off. "Your people shall never be forgiven. Surely you must know that."
"All I know is we're currently being held hostage by a psychopath," Bryn ripped at her restraints until a nanobot injected her as well. Bryn's body slumped back into the chair. The man slowly approached Skye.
"What exactly do they teach you in the Structure?" the man was curious, but Skye just looked away.
"I thought you would all be much, much stronger. Legendary warriors and all. Disappointing for you, but makes my life much, much easier." he gave them the thumbs up.
Skye couldn't help but get the feeling the man was tittering on madness.
"I can help you," Myka said, looking at his scars.
"I know you can! So help me by giving me access to Reikner," he replied.
His focus was entirely on Myka now. Giving Skye the opportunity to look around. Nothing seemed of much interest until he saw an old and tattered suit, there was a patch on it and a name tag.
"Jaylon…" Skye said quietly to himself. This got his attention.
The man looked over, realizing he got the name from the suit. He picked it up with nostalgia. "I haven't heard that said in a long time…" "I was a different man back then." Jaylon put down the suit, uncomfortable with what had just transpired. "I really didn't want you to know my name. Makes the whole torturing thing much more difficult…"
"Please. We're not working with The Structure. It's clear they've been lying to us from the beginning." Skye said desperately.
"Great! Then tell me what I need to know and we can all be on our way," Jaylon said.
"All of us. Are just looking for a better life. We don't want to spend our lives buried deep underground." Skye was trying to appeal to his emotions.
"What's your brilliance?" Jaylon asked point blank.
How did he know so much about them? More than they knew about themselves.
"I don't have one," Skye said.
"A Duud! All the way out here. You are not going to last. That is for sure. Yikes. I'd be doing you a favor by killing you. Save you a lot of pain and suffering… Hmm how about you darlin'?"
Myka wriggled a few of her fingers free, clearly trying to touch him.
"Oh, how exciting. It's like roulette. Will you burn me to ashes? Freeze my skin? Maybe some sort of venomous poison will race through my bloodstream."
Jaylon hesitated, before typing a few commands into his wristband.
"Nanobots, on standby, wait for a command, full medical service," he spoke to his wristband.
Skye was shocked, Jaylon couldn't resist his curiosity, the man was truly a nut.
He got closer, and she rested two fingers on his forearm. The scars on his forehead started to recede, and the vision in his eye returned.
Skye waited for a reaction. Maybe this good deed would motivate him to let them go. Jaylon looked in the mirror, running his fingers over his now-healed face.
And he showed. Apathy. A true lack of emotion.
"It's a neat trick, I'll give you that. But I still haven't gotten my answer. Looks like I'm going to have to convince you another way." Jaylon pressed two more buttons as the nanobots climbed onto Skye and Myka, injecting them both in the neck.
"I'm sorry for what's about to happen. I truly am. You seem like normal kids. Even if you are the spawn of the devil. But I can't stay here any longer. And Reikner is the only one who can free me," Jaylon said to them before the powerful sedative kicked in.