Heritage (Under Revision)

Chapter 53: Dante

Here I am. I’m in Pulvan territory. They’re basically a bunch of intergalactic thugs that managed to carve out a piece of territory for themselves way back. While Earth and the Sekrid were engaged in all-out war, and the various worlds rallying behind either side, the Pulvans thought it was high time to claim some ground.

After all was said and done, no one really bothered to look all that hard at them given the fact that they were one of the most inferior species in the galaxy. They were equated to little more than scavengers, scrounging through the wreckages of battles fought by better men. It suited them considering they were essentially giant insects; with their large eyes, hard exoskeletons, and antennae.

That was until they discovered the technology for macro radar. They developed the ability to detect unidentified ships from light years away. Soon enough, everyone was on board to become their ally. The Sekrid were a bit too hardcore for their liking and so, the UEDF won the bid. The Pulvans were too smart to be swindled though and only allowed humanity to have a fraction of their radar technology. It had the same accuracy, but didn’t detect ships from anywhere near as far away. It made it so that the UEDF couldn’t suddenly invade and capture their territories.

In the years that followed, the Pulvans created an unprecedented network of defense, all centered on their macroradar. Instead of a large navy like most of the galaxy’s militaries, the Pulvans opted for massive artillery cannons that cracked the skies of their owned planets. Long black spires with breathing yellow lights jutting out very nearly through the atmosphere.

During this time, humanity brokered a lease with the Pulvans to use certain worlds as black sites for their tests. It was the perfect plan given the fact that the Pulvans wanted nothing to do with politics or anything that came with it outside of their own civilization.

And one of those black sites is why I’m here.

Planet Voresh, a bright blue jewel shining in the blackness; I remember coming here once or twice for some bombing runs before during a few conflicts the Pulvans had with other races. It was unlike anything I had ever seen.

The planet was mostly water with a few small landmasses dotted throughout. No one lived here given the harsh storms and huge tsunamis that could swallow a landmass whole for days at a time before draining back.

With a push of a button my ship slowly thrusts forward towards the surface below. As the ship breaks through the atmosphere and slows down to a cruising speed, I press in a few coordinates and watch the ship level out and make adjustments.

It only takes a few minutes before the ship lands on a waterlogged, algae covered landmass. In front of me, a small, metal compound sleeps. It’s covered in seaweed and partially rusted from years of water crashing against it. I can only assume that the government was ready for the hefty amounts of water to submerge this place, so it must be airtight.

Rain starts to fall as I exit the ship and make my way to the compound. Large, heavy drops of water pound my head and face. I reach the door and kneel down in front of the electronic lock to the right of the door. It’s old and dated. But it’s still incredibly complex. I remove the digital sequencer from my pack and place it on the tumbler of the lock. Without hesitation the machine extends a tube over the tumbler and begins to move smoothly left and right. Before long, the lock clicks and the door slides open with quick, jilted movements.

I turn my flashlight on and enter. There’s a hallway that leads straight down ahead of me. Another hallway cuts across it halfway down creating a cross shape. There are four labs, each separated by the walkways with large observing windows. I notice multiple different types of robotic machinery and lab equipment strewn about. I walk through the halls, shining my flashlight into each of the labs, hoping to find a computer that’s still intact.

I finally spot one and hop through a vacant space where a window had been broken. I quickly traverse the room and press the power button. The screen flashes on. Spider web-like slivers trail over the plasma glass where it had been cracked.

As the desktop loads, I quickly start to sift through the various files within, hoping to find the answers Elena was looking for. I finally come across an oddly named file called ‘Fairy Tale’.

I open it.

Within are a multitude of files ranging from simple text documents to test read out, to video logs. I find that every single file is named and organized meticulously, except one.

It only has the random number assigned to it by the recording program it was made on. I decide to open it. The video opens to a woman, scared out of her mind, blood flowing down the side of her face.

She speaks.

“I don’t know if anyone is going to find this. But the virus got out of our hands. We can’t control it. As soon as we give it any cultivation it multiplies beyond belief. We can’t program it. It’s like it has a mind of its own. If anyone finds this...please...don’t let them use it,”

Sparks fly off lights falling down behind her. I hear an all too familiar sound behind her. Dead screams and ravenous growls of the mutants we faced.

Another voice behind her speaks. “Dr. let’s play a game,” It says.

She turns around “Katie...please...don’t,” Katie’s voice twists into something darker “Let’s have a tea party...you be the appetizer!” Katie leaps on to the doctor and buries sharp teeth into her shoulder as she falls out of view of the camera.

In the background I see creatures running in a horde behind some other doctors, down the hallway to the right of me. I take out a TAPs device and place it on a small pad next to the computer. A pulsing red-light flashes to signify the transfer of data.

While I’m waiting, I decide to explore the hallway I saw the doctors running down. I force the door open to the lab that leads directly down the hallway where I saw them.

I turn left, down retracing the path they took. The dark is even more intense down here, and only my flashlight illuminates the surroundings. As I traverse the hallway I notice that blood becomes more prevalent on the walls. I stop when I feel my foot catch on something.

I trail my eyes down and am taken aback at the sight of a mangled corpse. It’s very nearly a skeleton by this point but I can still see the damage his body took by the large gashes cut into his bones. I kneel down and examine him. Flashes of the past run through my head. Being locked in a timeless space makes the memories stay fresh in my head.

I look back up and point my flashlight down the hall. At the end of it a large, partially rusted door sits sealed shut with another digital lock. I walk closer to it, running my hand along its surface. I feel and see dents all along the door...from the inside.

I place my ear up against the door and hear a sound I never wanted to hear up close again. My eyes grow wide and pull my head off the door, breathing heavily.

There’s a sudden rumbling sound and bright lights shining through the grimy windows. I quickly run back down the hallway, go back through the door to the lab and duck behind the small wall below the windows. I pull out my pistol. It’s an energy-based gun that fires plasma shells as opposed to the hard-projectile type weapons that the UEDF still uses.

Bullets just don’t cut it when it comes to the Pulvan carapace.

I sit there, quiet and sweating. There’s a loud sound of shearing metal as one of the doors are forced open. I hear loud, clacking footsteps.

Pulvans.

My grip tightens on my gun.

The footsteps clack louder.

Until...one stands directly on the other side of the wall; I swallow hard as I try to stifle my heavy breathing. It stops. I see its shadow, moving back and forth, and long black antennae twitching constantly. I look up as a hand clasps the edge of the wall, two dark talons staring at me.

It leans over the wall, and I notice that he’s staring at the computer I was using. The realization hits me.

The data, I forgot about it.

I breathe a quiet sigh at the inevitability of the situation. I raise my pistol up beneath the jaw of the Pulvan scavenger. Before it can react, I pull the trigger, exploding its head into multiple pieces. Its dead body makes an involuntary squealing sound as it falls to the floor.

I hear lots of loud clicking and heavy footfalls as I stand up and hurry to the computer. The data has finished transferring. I grab the TAPs device and jump out of the same hole in the glass that the Pulvan leaned over. To my right I see two others, who have caught sight of me and begin to raise their weapons.

I look left.

The only way to go is the door at the end of the dark hallway. I can’t think, just decide. And I let my body do the moving for me as I run fast down the hallway, yellow energy bolts flying hot passed my face and bouncing off the walls. I manage to see a stack of crates that I didn’t notice before, placed near the door. I swiftly take cover behind them and start to return fire.

It’s futile though. I’m cornered, and it won’t be long before they overwhelm me.

There’s only one thing I can do.

I get up from behind the crates and kick loudly at the old door. I then place my decrypting device on to the lock. It doesn’t take long for the horrors inside stir and start banging on the doors. I listen hard, waiting to hear the sound of the door unlocking through all of the gun fire.

There’s a sudden click.

My heart stops.

And with all of the power I have, I run out from behind the boxes, moving full speed towards the Pulvans. They stand in shock as they see the creatures coming out from the dark. And in what is the biggest mistake when dealing with those mutants, they begin firing on them, standing still.

The bolts fly passed me and I notice that they take out at least a few. But it’s not enough as I rush by them. They stand like statues in a fruitless effort to cull the horde and are all at once engulfed by them. Oil black blood sprays wildly through the air. It’s only a moment as the horde finishes with them and pursues me.

I don’t afford them the opportunity to catch me. I rush out of the door I came through, hurrying to my ship. By this point in time water has risen to a couple feet and I realize it won’t be long before it’s above my head with how severe the storm is.

I decide to enter my ship through the cockpit as opposed to the side door. While climbing the ladder, the creatures crash through the door and bottleneck. I notice a few of them crushed into the door frame as others make it through and run for me.

I try to hurry up the ladder only to slip and bounce my face off the side of the ship as I fall off and hit the water below. I get up into a kneeling position and pull my pistol out.

I notice a few sparks coming from it as I pull the trigger.

“God damn, unreliable tech. Knew I should’ve brought a regular one!” I smack the weapon a few times with the palm of my hand.

They get closer.

The water is the only thing slowing them down at this point. I quickly remove the small panel on the side of the gun and notice that a wire had been knocked loose. I reach my fingers in and reattach it. A jolt of electricity strikes my fingers.

They burn but I have no time to think about the pain.

I close the panel and quickly aim. One of them is right on me. He opens his mouth wide, ready to take his pound of flesh.

I point and fire.

A hole rips in his chest as he falls back five feet.

Before I allow any of the others to reach me, I quickly climb back up the ladder in the ship. I climb in and start the engines, lifting off without waiting. I hover above the compound, watching the creatures attempt to jump on to my ship.

I know I can’t leave this place standing. Not with those freaks around. I look at the Pulvan ship and come up with an idea. Pulvan ship drives are very unstable. This is due to the fact that they applied their weapon technology to their thruster technology. Any kind of puncture in the drive’s housing and the whole ship explodes like a powder keg.

I cycle my ship over to the Pulvan ship. Luckily, I picked the ship that had some light weapons system on it along with the stealth drive.

With a quick press of a few buttons the guns fire and I see a volatile stream of energy shoot out of the ship’s drive core. I turn my ship around accelerate into the atmosphere with quickness. There’s a bright flash of light and a loud explosion.

I know the job has been done.

The hard pounding of rain stops as I exit the planet’s atmosphere. I sigh deeply in relief and take in the silence. I finally assess the damage on my fingers and notice that I have second degree burns on them. I tap a few buttons in to the panel of my ship and I hear a call tone.

“Hello?” A woman’s voice says on the other end.

“Hey girly, I think I got what we’re looking for,”