Chapter 3

       Chapter 3

            “Alright ladies, the trick to climbing with a hunter, while they’re still climbing as well, is to let them take most of your weight.”  Jess explained.  “You won’t be able to match their speed once they get going, not even close, so don’t try.  Their job is to get the sniper into position and then start the evac.  Let them do their job.  Use the handholds to pull yourself close to the wall and take a little of your weight, but don’t try to use your legs.  If you do, you’re likely to accidentally push off from the wall and rip you both down.  Once you reach your vantage, give a warning and unhook yourself.  After that it’s just you and the ferals.”

            The solidiers picked it up quickly.  They learned from each other’s mistakes and after the first few attempts they improved rapidly.  So did the hunters in their wall maneuvering.  They would be a dangerous force on the walls very soon.  No one managed to rescue every evacuee, but they were coming close by the end of the exercise.

Kai didn’t seem to have his mind on training though.  She caught him staring blankly at the wall twice and he let mistakes pass without comment.  Several times Jess found herself coaching the hunter pups instead of him.  She knew enough to help them at this stage, but they were going to need Kai soon.  Once they were done, he was going to tell her what was on his mind or she’d take him out back and shoot him.

He called the hunters over once they finished the last run and she joined them so he couldn’t slip away before she could corner him.

“You may now be expected to go on extended missions, up to a week sometimes,” he was saying.  “Therefore, you will have to deal with wearing those suits for long periods of time.  Every hunter suffers from claustrophobia, it comes with the territory, but if you loose control on a mission and rip your helmet off, every feral within a mile will smell you.”

“You might as well ring the dinner bell while you’re at it,” Jess piped up.  Kai glanced at her as though surprised she was there.  Had she actually snuck up on him?  He really was distracted.

“Exactly.  You could cause an incursion like the one that claimed that squad today.  So, for this whole week you are required to wear that suit 24/7.”  They stiffened, several opening their mouths to argue, but Kai silenced them with a cold look.  There was the Master Alpha Hunter she knew and feared: able to silence others with a look…like medusa.  “You will have half an hour to shower and use the head each day when you may remove the whole suit, and ten minutes to eat at mess during each meal when you may remove the helmet.  Your bio-scanner will alert us instantly if you exceed those times or remove the suit at any other moment.  If you do, you fail.  There will be no second chances in this.  This will likely be your toughest test, psychologically.  Dismissed”

Kai turned to her, looking expectant.  “What’s going on?”

“That’s what I want to know.  You totally missed half the mistakes I caught the hunters making, which means there were twice as many I couldn’t spot.  Spill it.”

“It’s…noth…”  He saw the look on her face and apparently reconsidered his response. “The footage bothered me and then the colonel started acting all strange, saying he wanted to see me when we finished with the recruits.  Its just nerves, that’s all.”

She gave him a beady look.  “OK, but if it’s going to affect your performance I need to know, so come find me afterward.”

He nodded and turned to leave, only to find Specialist Atkins waiting by the stairs.  He saluted as they approached.  “Command Sergeant Taylor, Master Alpha Hunter Kai.”

“What is it Specialist?  The Master Alpha Hunter is busy.”  Jess said

“Wait, a specialist?”  Kai glanced at her, surprised.

“Don’t ask me how he got them to let him join, but he’ll be handy to have around if he’s tough enough.”

“Oh, I’m tough enough, sir, ma’am.  That’s why I stopped you, actually.  My specialization I mean, not my toughness.  I think I know a way to improve the new climbing formation.”

“Unless being a laser engineer includes sniper training, I don’t see how it could help.”  Jess folded her arms as she regarded the specialist.

“No, Ma’am, but I thought of a device I could modify that might help.  It’s a sort of portable defense turret designed as an automated sentry for squads sent on overnight missions.  The turrets get their targets by establishing remote connections to our enviro-suits and…Well I carry it like a backpack, and it could be modified to fire from there on anything not wearing a suit that moves behind me.”

“Wouldn’t it be heavy, soldier?”  Kai asked.

“That’s why I work out so much, sir.  I’d rather deal with extra weight than need a device and not have it,” he replied.

“I think I see where you’re going with this.  If the sniper carried it, all the ferals would be behind him while the hunter was getting him into position,” Jess said, nodding.

“Exactly.  And I could program it so that it could be switched to sentry mode with the push of a button.”

“Then the sniper could set it down and activate it without needing special training.  It fires way faster than the soldiers and can mow down dozens of ferals in seconds,” Kai muttered, catching on.  He looked to Jess questioningly.  ‘It’s your call.  He’s your recruit,’ the look said.

“How soon can it be ready Specialist?”

“I could modify an existing turret in an hour or two.  It’s just a matter of programming.”

“Do it,” she said.

“Make it quick, Specialist, Colonel said he would send a rescue team soon.  If they haven’t left already, they can field test it for you.  If it works, this could save many lives.”  Kai said.

Atkins saluted, hand to forehead, and Jess said, “Dismissed.”

“I need to get to the colonel now.  He’s waiting.”  Kai Saluted, fist to chest and bowed, before leaving.

*****

I knew it was bad as soon as I got back to the colonels office.  Prime Hunter James, my father, was there.  Worse, so was Tamera, my little sister.  She was only fourteen, so she had two more years before it was time for her to come topside.  There was only one reason they would bring her here now.

“So, it was him after all.”  It felt like my knees were going to give out so I leaned on Colonel Anderson’s desk for support.  It was like I had gone suddenly deaf.  Father was speaking, but I couldn’t hear anything.  Both my hearing and balance were gone.  I was trapped and I couldn’t breathe.  I was suddenly keenly aware of the tons of earth and metal all around me; I was nearly fifty feet under ground and I could feel it.  I needed to be outside but the thought of putting the helmet on made my stomach heave.

I would not break down.  Not in front of Father.  Not in front of the Colonel.  Especially, not in front of my sister.  For Tammy, I wouldn’t.  Someone took my shoulders and pushed me into a chair.

He shook me gently.  “Take deep breathes, son.  You’re hyperventilating.”

It was the Colonel.  Father’s face was blank, but Tammy looked on the verge of tears.  I closed my eyes and took deep steadying breaths.  With my eyes closed, I could almost convince myself I was in the greenhouse on the top floor of the old Northwest Corner Building.  It had been gutted, like all the buildings, and turned into a garden where food-crops could be grown.  It was one of the few places I could go to feel the dirt under my feet, the warmth of the sun, and the smell of the natural world without fear of drawing ferals.  After several minutes I managed to get my breathing under control and opened my eyes.

“Sorry sir.  I’m OK now.

“It’s alright son.  Frankly, you held on remarkably long if you already suspected.  How did you know?”

“The footage, sir.  The sergeant called his name just before it switched to his perspective.  It was garbled, and the ferals were loud in the background, but I caught it.”

“I told you he would figure it out if you showed him the video,” Father said.

I rounded on him.  “How long have you known?  Why didn’t you tell us sooner?”

“Because I knew you would react like this and you needed to deal with the situation first, Hunter.”  Father’s voice was strained.  His son was dead and all he felt was irritation that his other children were hurting.

Colonel Anderson cleared his throat.  “Carter recorded a message for you.  I’ll leave you alone to watch it.”

He turned the monitor around again.  The video was paused exactly where it had been when I left earlier.  He pushed play and stepped out into the hall, closing the door softly behind him.

Carter looked around quickly, and seeing no more climbers on the wall he worked his way to the roof and the soldiers hiding there.  When he reached the roof, the soldiers spotted the bite and trained their rifles on him as one.

“It’s OK guys.  I don’t feel the effects yet.  Since the suit is breached, they can smell me so I’ll get out of here before they find you.  Just…”  He paused, gritting his teeth as he applied pressure to the wound.  “Just let me say goodbye to my family.”

He reached up and removed his helmet.  “There’s not much point in me wearing this anymore.”  He held it out in front, pointing the camera at his face.  He had the same blond hair and green eyes as Tammy and me.  He was much bulkier than either father or I—the things he could do when he Pushed his strength were nothing short of phenomenal—but it also limited his speed.  His eyes, usually a deep clear emerald, were already starting to take on an amber hue as the venom spread.  He didn’t have long.  He smiled his sad smile and opened his mouth.

“Hi Father.  Sorry, it looks like I won’t be coming home right away after all.  Don’t worry, I won’t make these guys put me down.  Since I have to go anyway, I figure I’ll take as many of those things with me as I can.”  My breath caught.  He had just escaped and now he planned on going back, doing as much damage as he could before they brought him down?  He never did lack for courage.  “I Know I was never as good as Kai, but I tried.  I tried.  I hope I made you proud.”  I glanced at Father.  His jaw was tight, but his eyes were steady.  He gave the barest hint, the whisper of a grudging nod.

“Well, I’m proud of you little bro,” I whispered.

“Kai, thanks for everything you taught me.  I know I was a…difficult student.  You were great.  Figure out what to do about these things for me.  They’ve learned a new trick.”

“Don’t worry Carter, I got it covered.  Next time they try that, they’re in for a surprise.”   I looked at Father, daring him to comment on my answering a video.  “No one else will have to go through what you guys did.”

“Take care of Tammy.  You’re her only big bro now.  She’s gonna need you.”  Tammy drew her knees up into her chair and hugged her legs, choking back tears.

“Sis, listen to Kai.  I know you think I was a real badass, but I got nothin’ on him and if you take him seriously, he’ll make you into one too.  Heck, you always could Push so much better than me.  You’ll be passing me up in no time.  Maybe someday you’ll even be able to take Kai down a notch or two.”

Tammy sniffled and then laughed.  “Maybe?  Count on it big brother.  I know how much it would mean to you.”  I looked at her and she gave me a watery smile out of the corner of her eye without turning away from the monitor.

“Well guys, I think it’s time.  Wish me luck.”

He set his helmet down, propping it so the feral hoard below was visible.  It seemed to go on forever.  His leg appeared at the edge of the picture and a second later he was plummeting toward the wolves below.  The image zoomed in, keeping him in the center of the screen.  He landed on one of the beast’s shoulders and used his hunter’s claws to simultaneously tear out its throat and snap its neck.  The creature collapse and Carter tumbled to the ground amid the ferals.  He reappeared a second later, sending one of the brutes flying with a crushing back fist to the side of its head.

The scene held a sort of dread fascination.  I’ve read that people used to stare at accidents on the road as they passed, unable to tear their eyes away.  We don’t have that sort of thing anymore.  For us, it’s the aftermath of an attack.  Ferals and enviro-suits sprawled out on the pavement while the containment teams prepare the bodies.  You just can’t help staring as you pass.

This was like that only worse.  The one we couldn’t drag our eyes from was the brother we would never see again.  We feared that final moment even though we knew it was inevitable.

“Tammy, you don’t want to see this.”  I reached for her arm, trying to give us both an excuse to look away.

“Don’t!”  She jerked her hand way, folding her arms.

I stood, moved to her side and sat on the arm of her chair.  Gently, I took her hand, pulling her folded arms apart and hooked it into my own.  I entwined my fingers with hers and squeezed softly.  She squeezed back, but her eyes never left the screen.  I took a deep breath and focused on the images once more.

He fought on, frenziedly, for quite some time, but the camera suddenly zoomed out to reveal a second mass of ferals plowing into their kin.  The battle instantly devolved as ferals began mauling each other.

“A second incursion?”  I asked, stunned.  Two incursion groups would usually link up and become one massive pack, but on rare occasion they turned on each other instead.  This sort of action had a tendency to attract ferals from miles around and if those joined one side or the other, the resultant pack could reach into the thousands or even tens of thousands.  Some of the worst incursions to attack the University had been the result of frenzies like this. 

Carter fought on, disappearing from time to time as one of the ferals managed to pull him down momentarily.  Tammy began crying silently every time he disappeared only to calm a little when he reappeared.  Eventually, a pouncer tackled him and he vanished again into the mass of werewolves.  He never reappeared.  With each moment that he didn’t resurface Tammy’s cries became stronger until, as hope finally went, she broke down entirely.  Several minutes later I realized tears were trickling down my own cheeks and wiped them away.