Subterranean (15 page)

She supposed what bothered her most was that Tural might hurt Flynn in order to exact revenge on her. After all, Tural still suspected him of some sort of malicious behavior, and he was no doubt furious from the injury she gave him earlier, which meant there was a lot of anger that could easily be misplaced. She just wanted to run out there and find Flynn right now, to embrace him and never have him leave her sight again. Surely then they could figure out what to do from there, as long as they were together.

But Radovan did not abide by her wishes, instead he repeatedly denied her the chance to leave the dreadfully boring research facility and look for her love. He probably meant well, since it wasn’t safe out there and she was just one woman against an entire civilization of people loyal to Tural, but she didn’t care; if something happened to Flynn and she could’ve been there to help, she wouldn’t be able to live with herself.

She couldn’t stand the thought of him in trouble; it was one thing when he was on the surface, but now he might be in the city, minutes away. She had to try to get to him. With a furtive glance left and right, she went to remove the barricade blocking her path, trying futilely to lift the heavy table propped up against the double sliding doors. In the midst of her struggling, she suddenly heard a disturbed voice from within Radovan’s office.

Lisa snapped her head in the direction of the voice, and then ran inside the office where Radovan had his face inches away from the computer screen. “What?” She asked, wondering why he was so distraught.

“Look,” he pointed to a block of text on the monitor, “there is an entry here comparing the DNA samples of Subterraneans to Ravagers.”

“So?” She shrugged, the fact seeming irrelevant.

“So?!” He leveled a finger at the block of text, reiterating its importance. “Do you not see the results?!”

She scanned the information for something she could understand, eventually gasping when her eyes met the words that made her tremble inside. “They’re a match?”

“Precisely! The Subterraneans and the Ravagers originated and evolved on the same planet!” He scrolled down some more. “And there is even a historical account of how the Ravagers left! Because the Subterraneans gave them the means to travel into space!” He jumped up to his feet. “It all makes sense now! Everything! No wonder Tural was keeping me away from this! Keeping
everyone
away from this!” He continued his rant in an excited furor. “If the Subterraneans knew that they were responsible for or even related to the Ravagers, there would be considerable unrest!”

“So, you’re related to the Ravagers?” She reached for her missing pendant on her chest.
I wonder what Flynn will say…

“I do not know; I must run some more tests to be absolutely certain this information is accurate.” He looked at her with intense eyes. “Do not tell Flynn of this until I verify the information.”

Lisa instinctively had a fire to rebel him, but caught herself, realizing his request was pointless. “It’s not like I’m going anywhere…” She walked out of the office and sat back down on the chair in the main atrium of the research facility.

She
wasn’t
going anywhere, unless she could find another way out of the lab…

False Accusations

“You!” Flynn walked into Tural’s chambers with Rolan and Vale, a finger already pointed at him in anger. “Do you believe me to be a fool?!”

“What are you talking about?” Flynn stood confused, staring at Tural’s left eye, which was covered with some sort of medical gauze like an eye patch.

“I have you,” he growled, “but where is your human friend?!”

“Lisa? What do you mean?” Flynn stood bewildered. “She’s in the hospital, isn’t she?”

“Do not feign ignorance with me, human. First you violate the privacy of my city, and then the sanctity of my chambers!” He slammed a fist down onto the desk. “Give me the data you stole or I will be forced to take it from you!”

“Data? Wha-“, Flynn turned to Rolan and Vale. “What the hell is he talking about?!”

“I do not know, Flynn.” Rolan said calmly. “Although it appears he is angry.”

“Obviously!” Flynn shouted, feeling the weight of unfair blame settling upon him.

“Tural, what is it you speak of?” Vale inquired of him in a placid tone. “Flynn has been with us on the surface the entire time.”

“Lies!” The Subterranean leader brought another fist down, amplifying the boom of his declaration. “His wretched companion wounded me!” He aimed a finger at his covered left eye. “The solovanek nearly killed me with her disgusting saliva!”

“Whoa, Tural,” Flynn held his hands up sympathetically, “I don’t know what happened, but I’m sure we could just sit down and—“

“Silence!” Tural cast a demanding glance at him. “Arrest him!” He called for the two guards outside his chambers, and in seconds they entered with weapons drawn, barrels trained on Flynn. “Take him to the old prison!”

“Tural, wait,” Vale pleaded with him, “should we not be certain of something like this before we take such drastic action?”

“Do not question me, or you will join him!” He motioned a clenched hand at the two guards. “Escort the human to his cell at once!”

“Wait a minute!” The shock painted in Flynn’s eyes gave life to his utter disbelief. “Where’s Lisa?!” He flung his eyes around the room. “Rolan?! Vale?!” He tried desperately to fight off the tight hold of the guards pulling him away, kicking and shouting in defiance. In passing, his eyes fixed to Vale. “I thought I could trust you, Vale! Don’t let them do this! They’re making a mistake! Vale?!” She stood in silence and watched as Flynn struggled to break free. “I risked my life for you! For your people! Vale?! …VALE?!”

His screams slowly died down as he was beaten into submission and dragged out of the room, where he lost consciousness just after he caught the brilliant glimmer of the city lights twinkling in the corner of his eye.

Chapter 14

Imprisoned

The cell Flynn was thrown into looked like it hadn’t been used in years; the prison was a decrepit and dusty old place that was located in one of the lower reaches of the city where scarcely any light ever graced the sallow walls. He awoke to the faint shimmering of a red energy field sealing him inside a small cell of about sixteen feet in area. The wall of light was transparent enough to see outside, where two guards stood watch on a raised control platform across from him.

He tried bashing his way through the field, but was shocked with a sizable jolt of electricity on contact. Screaming at the guards did no good, for they simply ignored him while they fiddled with the computers in boredom. He was trapped, stuck inside a room with the familiar face of loneliness, once again crushing his spirit underneath its forceful thumb.

He was completely flabbergasted as to what had just happened; he knew Tural referred to his trespassing in the hidden hangar, but what was this about data from his chambers? And Lisa? What had happened? Lisa would never do any of the things Tural claimed, so the mystery deepened further. More so, where was Lisa? Tural alleged she wasn’t in the hospital room, so where else could she be? He thought of her with great concern, wishing only to find and reunite with her so he could fulfill his promise, and then take the situation with the Subterraneans from there… together.

He stared broodingly at the crimson energy field, reaching into his pocket to grab Lisa’s necklace. When he realized his pockets were empty, he panicked.
Oh, no, oh, no, where is it?!
Suddenly, a terrible feeling rushed over him.
They must’ve taken it…
Already it felt like a piece of him was missing, possibly to be gone forever, and he could already feel the insolence with which the Subterraneans were treating his sacred artifact.

“Damn it!” He hammered a fist against the energy field and an unbridled bolt of electricity surged through his tensing body. “Ah!” The shock pushed him away and onto the floor, where he slowly collected himself. Climbing to his feet, he saw a figure standing beyond the translucent red wall.

“Human.” The unmistakable voice said, laced with resentment.

“Tural!” He clenched his jaws in rising anger. “Get me out of here!”

“Human, I really wish you would not be so impudent.” He withdrew an object from his pocket. “The person who wore this might get hurt...” He dangled Lisa’s necklace in front of him with a menacing expression on his face.

“Give me that!” Flynn rushed to tackle him, but halted before the electrical barrier, baring his teeth in anger. “Where is Lisa?!”

“I was about to ask you the same thing.” He swung the necklace around on his finger and rubbed his chin with his other hand. “She, too, is guilty of your crimes, and since you seem so eager to be with her, I assumed you would be more forthcoming with her location.”

Flynn paused in thought; if Tural didn’t know where she was, then she was safe for now. That knowledge alone gave him mild comfort, at least, enough to think more rationally and address the other issue at hand. “Hmm,” Flynn hummed mockingly, “did you check the hospital room?”

“Enough of this!” He snarled. “Tell me where she is!”

“Maybe you could try opening your eyes and looking for her yourself.” Flynn pointed a finger at his right eye. “That is to say, your
eye
!”

Tural looked as though he were about to explode in anger, the intensity building in his face until he turned away, rubbing his chin in thought. “It appears I am not going to learn of her whereabouts from you.” He started to walk away. “At least not yet.”

Flynn sat down and crossed his legs. “So, what are you going to do about the Ravagers on the surface? I hear they almost destroyed you last time… I’m pretty sure they won’t hesitate this time around, now that you have nothing to offer them.”

Tural stopped in his tracks, giving a brief moment of silence before turning around to face him. “I see you looked through the data after all… No matter. We have a plan to deal with the Ravagers,” his expression hardened, “though I regret it had to come this far.” He looked up to the ceiling and nodded in approval. “We have concealed ourselves well over the years, avoiding annihilation thanks to careful precaution and an ancient protocol put into place by Lunnak himself. For centuries our people have not only survived, but prospered under my care.

“Our fragile civilization is kept in check by a natural layer of our planet’s crust, hiding us from any external threats by disrupting scanners, and our constant progression of science allows us to get the most out of life. We live underground by choice, and we are happy; everything we have ever needed is in these caves.” He stopped his pacing and turned to Flynn. “It was perfect… until you endangered it. That is correct, human, you singlehandedly put an entire civilization at risk with your blatant disregard for our customs and rules. For your sake, I hope the Ravagers lose interest in us again, as they have in the past.”

“Lose interest?” He crossed his arms. “You’re just going to hide?”

“I have prepared cave-ins at strategic locations, evacuated non-essential areas of the city and reinforced important ones. I have also called to arms the militia, which I assure you will not be needed.”

“You can’t seriously think that’s going to work?” He scoffed. “You need to fight back, or else they’ll finish what they started.”

“If we fight back, they
will
finish what they started. Observe your planet, human. Your species attempted to fight back, and look at what they now face: total annihilation, as we once did when we attempted to fight back so many years ago.”

“The Ravagers don’t seem the type to give up because a few rocks are in the way.” He recalled the substantial resistance Earth put up against the Ravagers, all to no avail. “If you don’t do something about them, they’re going to kill all of you.” He stopped and looked around the cell he was in. “I can help you.”

“Ha! How naïve do you believe me to be?” He bellowed out a laugh. “All you are interested in is saving your own planet and its people. If I release you, you will try to steal one of our ships and fly away back to your world, leaving us to die.” He sneered. “You have done enough.”

“You’re wrong.” Flynn said confidently. “I’ve made the mistake of leaving friends to die once. I will not do it again.” He put a hand on the wall and brought his face right to the barrier. “I have another chance to save the people I care about and to fight the evil that destroys my planet. I’m going to do it, first here, and then on Earth, whether you will help me or not.”

Tural paused, his expression unchanged. “If only that were true.” He slid the necklace back into his pocket as he neared the exit, saying one more thing over his shoulder before he left. “You had your chance to help my people… instead you brought ruin upon them.”

The sound of footsteps faded, and the old prison was once again home to a lonely trapped soul sitting helplessly in the dark… Or, so he thought.

Flynn could barely hear it, but there were muffled rumblings coming from above, like explosions. The rumbles shook the infrastructure of the cave walls and ceilings, rattling loose handfuls of dirt and rock all over the ground and onto his head. The rumbles were sporadic, originating from all over and with varying intensities, but the effects were pretty consistent.

The reverberations of the subsequent booms sent shockwaves throughout the city, grinding major support plates together and throwing Flynn off balance. The planet groaned as something blasted its way through the bowels of its underside, and it was certain that every Subterranean in the city knew as well as Flynn what it was:

The Ravagers had arrived.

Fire in the Lab

Lisa searched the entire place from top to bottom and front to back. There was only one other exit besides the front door and it required an access code to open.

She stood at the barricade of tables and equipment blocking the front entrance, trying to figure out how she could move it all out of the way and get outside. She picked up a tool that resembled a wrench and hefted it in the air a few times, satisfied by the considerable weight of the object. Jamming it into a wedged corner between the table and the wall, she leveraged the tool with a grunt, pushing hard to pry a piece of the barricade free.

Although she was trying to be quiet, she figured her struggling would’ve been heard by Radovan nonetheless. Still, she hadn’t seen him for a while now; he was locked up inside his office with an occasional slam against a desk startling her as she paced the halls looking for an exit. After several attempts, she stepped back to examine her progress; she’d barely budged it a few inches.

How did he lift that so easily?

She took a deep breath and stabbed the wrench back in place, though the loud metal clang against the wall masked another sound, one she listened for intently with an ear leveled at the sliding glass doors.
What is that?
She asked herself, a deep rumbling from above mystifying her. Periodically, dirt and rocks fell from the cave ceiling with each boom, and she felt the ground beneath her shake where she stood.

That doesn’t sound good.

With a spying eye, she leaned in through the small spaces of the barricade and looked outside, where she saw empty streets and flickering lights.
What’s happening out there?
An answer in the form of an explosive energy bolt struck the door, inches from her face, and released a spray of sparks on her clothes. She screamed and swatted them away like crawling bugs, retreating to the door of Radovan’s office.

“Radovan! Let me in!” She banged on his door fervently. “They’re trying to kill us!” Her pleas fell on deaf ears, as not a sound came from within. “Radovan?! Help me! Open the door! Please!”

“Silence!” A commanding voice echoed through the lab, its source originating outside. “Surrender now or we will use deadly force!”

She saw through the gaping hole in the entrance that a small group of Subterranean soldiers stood outside with their weapons drawn, surrounding a turret and the one who was calling out to her. “Radovan?!” She slapped on the door a few times in quick succession. “Let me in!”

“I will only give you one more warning: exit the building and surrender now!”

She scanned the room frantically, wondering how to get out of the predicament. Why wasn’t Radovan answering the door? Was this a setup to get her arrested? She kicked the door in frustration at the thought, but the unsettling rumbling from above refocused her; it sounded like bombs were going off on the surface.
What do I do, what do I do?
She stood against the door, her whole body shaking in fear with each passing second knowing that, at any moment, the soldiers could blast through the barricade.

“Your final warning has passed! Stand back or be destroyed!” Seconds after the order, the sound of a large weapon gaining strength pierced Lisa’s ears and she huddled up with her hands over her eyes in fearful expectation of the giant explosion that would tear through the entrance, giving the soldiers a free path to find her, seize her, and drag her off to some horrible place.

But it never came.

Midway through, the charging weapon was cut off with a dying hum. “Silence!” The soldier in charge demanded from the group. “Be ready, they are here.” She thought he uttered, but it was difficult to tell with how quiet he spoke.

The group was posed in anticipation for some sort of danger, a danger that Lisa couldn’t see. Watching them through the gaps in her fingers, she suddenly noticed the rumbling from above had ceased, and was replaced by the distant screams of people in the city. Then, zipping through the silence was an energy bolt that struck the lead soldier perfectly in the chest, knocking him down with a splatter of green blood across the ground.

Instantly, the other soldiers began shouting and firing their weapons wildly at the unknown assailant, but they had no success. One-by-one, they were struck down from the precise plasmatic bolts coming from all directions. When they had all fallen, the air went silent, shaken only slightly by the faint screams still present in the distance.

“Radovan?” Lisa had her side pressed against the door. “Are you still in there? There’s something out here. It killed the guards.” Her whispers were filled with fear, and the lull that followed them was deafening. “Radovan?”
Damn it!
She needed to get inside that office, or else she might suffer the same fate as those guards.