Author's Note: Yowzers, going back to school really cuts into my writing time! Alas, here it is in all its unedited glory... just like the previous 20 chapters! As always, thanks for reading. If you have a moment, I always appreciate reviews. It's kind of like getting a letter in the mail when you're a little kid, only it's not so fake on here. :)

Chapter 21

The cavern was not as full of people as it had been. Four groups of five remained – twenty refugees looking to escape a fate prescribed to them by the new law of the world, the machine empire. They had broken off into their respective groups, the strong conspiring with the weaker ones as to what responsibilities each would assume once they were on their way to the next station in the network. Chief Bofor had assigned them according to ability, so that the stronger ones could help the weaker as they traversed the terrain outside the mountain. They carried nothing with them except small children. All valuables had been confiscated when the refugees were initially taken into custody. All of that property had been thoroughly searched for intelligence and any useful information that would reveal more of the rebel architecture.

It was not that Jennifer had been there to witness all that happening. She knew it was standard procedure, the evidence of which sat on the floor of the cave. They had nothing, every possession they had ever had except clothing stripped of their ownership. They looked as tired as she felt, weary of the stress and pressure of their intention to escape. In a way, she was in the same circumstance as they, although she doubted any of the refugees would admit her to their circle. They saw her brown shirt and its insignia that told them she was from Lord Dread's empire, in his service and that of the machines. She could see the loathing, the hate in their eyes for her. While she had not done anything to them, they saw her as a cog in the proverbial machine that had put them in their predicament. They had no use for all the lessons she had memorized or her reasoning why machines were perfect. They lived in the moment, caring only that what they had known was gone. They gave no thought to the future except for the part that pertained to their existence.

As she stepped around their small clusters, she saw Overunit Balash look up from where he huddled with the rest. He stared at her as she passed by, just like the others, but with completely different intentions. No one knew he was an infiltrator and so much more dangerous that a lowly cadet sent to spy on a woman who was already wise to the scheme. Balash was their death sentence, mingling with them like a poison that would bring them their demise before they even knew it was happening if he had a chance to complete his mission.

Her eyes locked to the overunit's as she walked by him. The skin on the calf of her leg tingled as she half-expected him to reach out and grab hold of her. He didn't, though, allowing her to pass without incident. Jennifer turned her head when she was far enough away to avoid any brand of suspicion that she knew him. She felt his gaze on her, pursuing her until she rounded a corner and was out of his sight. Her heart pounded, thumping heavily in her chest and pulsing painfully into sides of her neck.

Jennifer stopped and leaned against the cave wall, closing her eyes, trying to control her breathing that was heavy and stressed. It felt like she could not get enough air into her lungs to satisfy her anxiety. It took everything she had to bring it under control, but not before she felt a tingling in her face that said she had hyperventilated in her paranoia. The clarity of her fear was so distinct in the moment when she realized what had literally scared her – she was already guilty. Overunit Balash had lumped her in with the refugees. Everything she had feared to that point was fast becoming a reality. He would tell Lord Dread that she had betrayed the empire and the machines. She had failed in her mission and had actually helped the enemy succeed in ferrying illegals out of a secure facility. Everything she had ever hoped to be was going to be dashed away, and she would end up lost in the depths of a penal facility, subject to the same punishments as the rebels she had so long trained to fight. It was all coming to a fast end, just as fast as her heart was beating and her breathing was churning. Her ears were awash in a noise that was like an ocean wave, building in a furious whooshing sound that jogged merrily along with the rest of her autonomic responses until all of the chaos congealed into a massive assault on her body.

The warm hand on her arm almost sent her over the edge. She jumped and let out a stifled yelp, opening her eyes to see who was trying to take custody of her, prepared to do whatever it took to escape.

Chief Bofor stood there, looking down at her, actually concerned. "You okay, kid?" he said, his voice the most kind she had heard it since coming to Alaceda.

If she had any bravado left, Jennifer had no idea where it was hiding. She looked up at him, seeing him in a different light. There was something about him to be admired. He did not show fear. He rebeled against it as a rule, a quality she wished she knew how to do so well. He was a protector, someone who would fight for what he believed was right and not worry what others thought.

The pulse in her neck raged even more, spreading down between her shoulder blades where the cold of the cavern wall seemed to arrest it.

"It's the cave," she lied quickly, hoping it was enough to ward an interrogation. "I guess I just haven't gotten used to being inside a mountain after all this time."

"Really?" he said, not buying her explanation. "I ask because you look like someone just scared the hell out of you, and it wasn't me… for once."

"Why would you even care if I was afraid of something?" she snapped. "I'd think you'd rather enjoy it."

He shrugged and breathed deeply, letting it out slowly in contemplation. "You're probably right, but you don't have a clue why I don't like you. You just think I'm mean to you because it's fun. While that's somewhat true, my reasons for not liking you are a lot bigger than you can comprehend, Cadet."

Jennifer leaned her head against the cold stone of the cave, tired of the verbal battles with the chief. She felt it through to her bones, the weariness infiltrating every joint in her body, it seemed. "Nothing I say will be correct or what you want to hear, so why try to answer?"

"Weak," he said, chastising her argument. He snorted with contempt. "You can't even stand up for yourself."

"I'm a little outnumbered," she countered. "If I remember correctly, you had a blaster to my head a few hours ago. Your reasons for not liking me seem trivial after all that, whatever they are."

Chief Bofor crossed his arms, rolling back on his heels, thinking. He looked down at her, studying her. "I would have done it, you know," he said. His demeanor changed, as though he was talking to her as an equal. "I would have done it and wouldn't have lost a minute of sleep over it."

"I'm touched," she groused.

"I would have done it," he said in a corrective tone, "because it would have meant protecting innocent people."

She closed her eyes, so tired.

"Twelve years ago," he said sharply, bringing her attention full again, "I would have done it for fun." He leaned in close to her. "I would have done it because you're weak and have no place in the empire or Lord Dread's service."

Now he had her undivided attention and ire. He had struck a nerve so acute in her that she stood straight and came eye to eye to him. How dare he insult her loyalty!

"I've done everything Lord Dread has ever wished. I'm a loyal soldier," she said hotly.

"You're nothing more than a confused teenager who has one hell of a lot of doubts. That's why Tobias hasn't given up on you. She thinks there's this little shred of hope," he said, displaying a pinch with his index finger and thumb, "that you're going to wake up and see the truth, that there's a chance she's going to be able to save you."

"I didn't ask to be saved!" she retorted. "I had a clear mission when I came here."

"Which you've failed miserably to complete," Chief Bofor answered sharply. "You've had a dozen opportunities to bring this place to its knees, but you didn't. You have got to start asking yourself why," he said emphatically.

"So I can be like you - always on the run, always under suspicion?"

His features softened, and the corners of his mouth turned upward slightly. "So you can be free," he said, as if it was the most perfect answer in the world. "That's something you can't even comprehend. I know because I was just like you once, believe it or not."

Jennifer saw the same old line coming her way and had no way of avoiding it. She stood tall, undaunted. "Let me guess – Doctor Tobias showed you the way?"

"No," he said gently, "I'd already found the truth by the time I got here. She just helped me to do something about it."

"She helped you to join the rebels," Jennifer summarized, with no attempt to keep the tone of the remark in check.

"She helped to silence the screams," the chief said, his face becoming very serious and sincere.

Jennifer stood there, at a loss to his meaning. He saw she did not understand.

"I was a trooper before the mechs took over. We were in charge of rounding up anyone who opposed Taggart in any way. We threw them in concentration camps that make this cave look like a palace. At night," he said, almost in a whisper as his eyes strayed in reverie, "all you heard were the screams of people in pain. Some were being tortured for information. Others were wounded in battle."

He focused on her again. "One night, it hit me. I realized those were people, human beings, just like I was. After that, it started to eat at me. I barely slept because all I could hear was the screaming in my head. I'd wake up in a cold sweat hearing sounds from people who weren't even alive anymore."

He pushed his hands into his pockets and looked down at his boots. "So, for me, there are only two options – you're either for the freedom of people, or," and he looked up at her, "you're with the machines. And that is why I could have pulled the trigger, Cadet. Some day, I hope you understand that."

"And what if I don't?" Jennifer asked, testing the limits of his patience.

"Then," he said, "Doctor Tobias will at least be able to say that she tried. Sometimes, that's as good as it gets in this world."

The thought of Overunit Balash crept into the fore of her mind. There was a part of her that wanted to tell Chief Bofor about the infiltration, but he had been right that she had failed in her mission. It was possible she could still salvage part of it, but at what cost? Either way, she would choose the demise of someone; for there was no doubt in her mind that Chief Bofor would dispatch an overunit without hesitation, and Balash would do the same to Bofor given the chance.

"I'm supposed to go see Ian," she told him plainly, her anger in check again.

"You best make it quick," he advised, granting her a release from the confrontation. "His group is leaving in a few minutes, and we have to keep a tight schedule."

She nodded and moved away from the cave, stepping around him toward the supply area.

"Jennifer," he called out to her, using her name for the first time, ever.

She turned to look at him.

"Don't get to the point where you hear the screams. That's not something you want in your head for the rest of your life. Trust me on that."

He was being sincere with her. She could see it on his face and in his eyes that the warning was genuine, although there was little she could do with it. It was possible she would never know fully what he meant anyway. Jennifer just nodded an acknowledgement and turned to where Ian was waiting down the corridor.

She found Ian hunkered over a small crate on the floor, packing technical supplies into it. He was methodically placing each instrument into the case so that it maximized the available room. He turned each one, deciding which angle would fit most efficiently into the small space. He looked up at her for a moment and smiled.

"B-bet you're glad to s-see me g-go," he said, finishing with a small laugh.

Jennifer's shoulders rose slightly and dropped. She was not really sure how she felt about Ian leaving. Neutral was the word that came to mind.

He rose and neared her. He looked down at her, his blonde hair glowing in the soft cavern lights. He looked at her for a long moment, about a second short of being an uncomfortable amount of time. "D-don't give up," he said.

"On what?" she asked quietly.

"Whatever it is y-you believe."

Ian did not qualify what he meant. It was left purely up to Jennifer's interpretation. He turned from her and bent over to pick up the equipment case.

"Need any help?" she asked, trying to be civil.

He shook his head no and resumed packing the supplies.

"So, that's it?" she asked. "You're just going to leave because she told you?"

"N-no," he said, "I'm l-leaving b-because people need help."

Ian put the last component into the case and snapped the lid closed. He set it next to a backpack containing more supplies. He closed the pack and paused, as he sometimes did when trying to form words in his head.

"Come with me," he said finally, not missing a syllable in his offer. His blue eyes were sharp and determined. He meant what he said. He wanted her to go on the run with him, to change sides and join the rebel cause.

"No," she said, although she tried to be as gentle about it as she could. "Ian, I know how strongly you believe in what you're doing, but it's not who I am. Please try to understand that."

Ian was about to argue when she heard footsteps behind her. Chief Bofor approached and nodded to him.

"You ready?" Bofor asked, hitching up the belt that held the holstered blaster.

Ian nodded. He looked at Jennifer. "W-walk w-with me, then?"

Jennifer glanced at Chief Bofor, unsure what she was allowed to do.

Bofor was nonplussed at her concern. "Why not? I think we've established what will happen if you try anything stupid," he said, tapping the butt of the blaster.

She could not help but smile at the irony of his answer. "More times than I care to count."

"The group is ready," Bofor informed them. "We better get a move on before we lose that radio network."

Ian picked up the backpack and slipped his arms into the straps, hiking it upward on his shoulders and cinching up the slack until it was snug. Bofor attached the equipment box to the top of the pack, just behind Ian's head.

They entered the rally area, where a group of five refugees, mostly elderly or infirm, waited nervously for their turn to escape the mountain. Mason and Dixon, Tobias' personal mechanical pets, stood ready to move. Jennifer took a nervous inventory of the group, not seeing Overunit Balash among them. She felt a strange relief that he had not been selected to the next group out of the mountain. She was not sure she could have continued the charade that she did not know who he was or what he was there to do.

Jennifer looked for Tobias, but she was not in view at all. It was like she completely cut ties with Ian and the refugees. It was an efficient move, Jennifer thought, as there was no sense in prolonging any difficulty there might have been separating Ian from her control. The doctor had given an order, and it was meant to be followed without any hesitation. Orders were not to be questioned, and Tobias had definitely issued one for Ian to leave with the next group. She saw him glance furtively to where she might have been standing to wish him one more farewell, but only cold stone greeted his eyes. She saw a flash of disappointment on the young man's face, but it vanished as quickly as it had disappeared.

Bofor started the group moving through the tunnel. It was wider than the one they had used leaving the lab area. There was room enough for people to walk three abreast, which was a little more comfortable and not so suffocating. There was hardly a word among them as the chief led the group with a lone torch that bounced light off the red and slate colored rock. The sound of shuffling feet on dirt was chaotic and individual, not orderly like soldiers marched. Every person seemed to walk at a different pace, according to their abilities, fraught with age and injury. Jennifer found herself keeping step Mason and Dixon out of habit. Eventually, the shallow whispers died off until only the footsteps remained.

Offshoot tunnels occasionally intersected with the main tunnel, although it was not clear where they led, if they went anywhere at all. There were no lights down their ways, just inky black that seemed like oblivion. She could only imagine the network Tobias had created in the caverns to facilitate her rebel operations.

Sometimes there were large boulders that sat along the walkway at odd intervals and with no rhyme or reason why they would not have been moved when the tunnel was created, unless...

Jennifer punished herself mentally as she realized the purpose of the boulders was to provide a point of cover in an otherwise barren passageway. They served as fire positions, she realized, as she began to note their consistent distance from one another – every thirty strides. The boulders were large enough for at least two people to hide behind and use for cover. It was no doubt Chief Bofor's work, Jennifer thought. Tobias was smart, but she was not combat-oriented like Bofor.

"You like our little set up?" Bofor asked, as though he had been reading her mind.

"Very well-planned," she said, though it was not really meant to be a compliment.

Bofor was not fazed. "You know you almost had it all figured out, right?" he asked.

She knew almost instantly what he was referring to, as it all started to fall into place. "This is how you smuggle refugees out of the labs," she stated.

"Yep," he said with pride. "Doctor Tobias's idea. She bags 'em and tags 'em like their dead garbage. Down the chute they go to the reclamation center. Then, Mason and Dixon take them to the exit to hopefully live out long lives. Pretty damned ingenious if you ask me."

"Clever," Jennifer mustered, though she had to admit the system was almost perfect. Unless someone made it a mission to closely examine the refuse data, it would all remain unnoticed.

"I think so, too," Bofor said with pride.

They fell silent again, which seemed quite timely in Jennifer's opinion. She had no desire to listen to the chief boast about the accomplishments of the rebel network. She was content to continue on to wherever she was being forced to go, during which time she managed to clear her mind of the millions of thoughts swirling in it. She concentrated on keeping step with the mechs and the consistency it brought. They walked for almost twenty minutes at a slow but steady pace before the chief held up his hand and turned to the group to halt their progress.

"Okay," he said in a hushed tone, "everyone hold up here."

He turned and removed anonymous rock inserts from the wall that would have been hidden to the unknowing eye. He, on the other hand, seemed to know their exact location without error. He dropped the rock coverings to his left. One port hid a control panel much like the one in Alaceda. The other revealed a curved hand hold. Bofor activated the security system. Several heavy locks disengaged with the sound of metal on metal sliding home. He planted his foot on the cave wall again and grabbed the hand hold, pulling with a heavy grunt. The doorway opened, revealing a decent sized cave area that formed another large tunnel. Daylight shone in the distance, the exit to freedom.

Bofor motioned to Mason and Dixon. They stepped through the doorway and scanned the area for any signs of predators. Dixon gave the all-clear to Bofor and took a guarding stance on either side of the doorway.

"Okay, let's go. That's the way out," he told them. "Once you get up there," he said, pointing to the mouth of the cave, "you'll meet up with your guide. Do exactly what he tells you, and you'll all be okay. Any questions?"

The chief waited, giving ample opportunity for anyone to raise a query. Nobody spoke. So, he began ushering them carefully through the doorway, making sure each one crossed the threshold without tripping, until only Ian remained.

Bofor looked at him in the glow of the torch. "Watch out for those patrols, you hear me? Get that radio fixed. I'll make sure the doc gets out safe and sound."

The chief held out his hand. Ian eagerly shook it firmly.

"Take care of yourself, boy," Bofor said. There was an unexpected fondness in the chief's tone.

"Th-thanks for everything, Chief," Ian said. "I l-learned a l-lot from you."

The chief gave a crooked smile, embarrassed to receive a compliment. "Get going, now. Like the doc said, don't you come back here. No matter what happens, you keep moving."

"Y-yes, sir."

Ian looked at Jennifer one more time. She thought he might ask her to come with him one last time, but he seemed to accept the fact that she would not. While the passageway meant freedom, it could also look like she had abandoned her mission and had not completed the task given her by Lord Dread. She thought maybe he understood that, how important her job was.

"Bye," he said simply, almost in a whisper.

He turned and crossed the doorway, walking briskly to the head of the group to lead it to the cave exit. His silhouette bobbed from side to side, accented at odd angles by his backpack and the equipment box on top that squared his head. Chief Bofor watched with diligence until he saw the guide waiting at the other end step into view. One by one, the group continued on, disappearing down an incline on their way to the next safe house. She could see both Ian and the guide help each refugee step down out of view until only Ian was left. Though she was sure he could not see into the darkness of the cave, she saw him raise his hand in a final farewell. Jennifer saw the chief raise his hand in return. Then his fist curled up, and he lowered his arm. When Ian vanished down the slope, the chief called for Mason and Dixon to fall back into the corridor.

It took less time to close the door and put back into place the rocks that secreted the panel and handle. Mason and Dixon stood there, dispassionate as they should have been, waiting for their orders from Chief Bofor.

"All right, you two," he grumbled to them, "let's head back."

Their return progress was considerably faster without the refugees. Bofor walked at a decent clip. He called a halt to the march when they reached the first offshoot tunnel.

"Mason, Dixon," he called, "sweep the tunnels. We'll meet you at the first rendezvous."

The mechs obediently turned into a tunnel to the right, the way lit by the red glow of their chest plates. She saw them split off in the darkness, where there was presumably a Y intersection beyond the reach of her sight in the darkness.

Bofor tapped Jennifer on the shoulder with the back of his hand. "Let's go, kid."

She did as she was told, walking along with the chief, keeping in step with him.

"I can't figure you out," he said, finally. "I thought you'd use Ian to get the hell out of here."

"You wouldn't have approved," she answered. "Perhaps you would have made the point with a blaster for real this time."

"Approved? No," Bofor said. "I was told to let you make your own decision when we got there, though. Seems to me like you have unfinished business."

"You know I do," Jennifer said, irritated.

"But is it a job you can really finish?" the chief pressed. "No matter how you walk away from this, there'll be questions you can't answer, at least not to that moron's satisfaction," he said, referring to Lord Dread.

She clasped her hands behind her back as she walked. "If I walk away now, I won't be able to answer any questions at all."

Something moved ahead of them, dashing across the tunnel in the distant reach of the torch light. They both saw it. Bofor raised an arm horizontally in front of her to stop her forward progress. He drew his blaster and brought the torch up with it, shining it ahead of the weapon like a pointer.

"We have company," Bofor said quietly. He motioned with his head for her to follow him in deliberate steps as they moved toward the area where the figure had disappeared behind one of the strategically placed boulders meant to help repel an invading force.

They closed in on the boulder, because it was the only place available. There were no side tunnels in which to escape, and a retreat would have been in full view. Bofor kept the blaster trained toward the large rock as he neared it, stopping a few feet from the outer edge. Jennifer stayed a step behind him. If she could not take a proactive stance, she would at least be able to react effectively no matter what happened, she calculated.

"Come on out of there," Bofor said in a loud, clear voice. He kept the light and the blaster trained on the edge of the boulder. "I said come on out," he repeated, a bit more agitated.

A shaking, dirty hand rose into view in surrender from behind the boulder.

"Hey," Bofor said, more friendly, seeing it was a refugee. He stepped to within a foot of the boulder holstered his weapon. He held out his hand to help the intruder stand. "Sorry. Not your turn yet, buddy."

Then, a cloaked head – Overunit Balash's head - appeared. Before Jennifer could utter a sound of warning, Balash took hold of the chief's hand. She saw the flash of a blade in the wavering light of the torch as Balash's other hand rose up, planting the blade deep into Chief Bofor's abdomen. Balash stood fully and withdrew the blade, plunging it deep for a second wound.

Bofor dropped the torch, bent over in shock at the assault. The light rolled on the ground, throwing wild shadows on the cave walls. She saw the shapes struggle as Chief Bofor grappled with Balash. She heard the whine of the blaster power up and was momentarily blinded by the flash of a discharge. Balash cried out in anguish as the two men continued to brawl.

They both tumbled to the floor. Bofor fell on top of Balash. The chief gave another tormented bark as Balash's knife pushed deeper into the wound, perforating the chief's back.

Overunit Balash scrambled from under the weight of the chief and scampered away from the altercation. Bofor, still in control of the blaster, rolled and fired again, hitting the overunit in the back of the right thigh. Balash kept his balance and hobbled down the hall at the best speed he could manage until he vanished into the blackness of the tunnel.

Bofor's arm landed heavily on the dirt floor of the tunnel, all his energy sapped from the struggle. Jennifer saw the red blood on his coveralls, emerging quickly across his torso as his free hand went to the hilt of the knife that was still lodged in his body. She stood there, frozen in shock at the speed of the assault and how quickly blows had been exchanged. The chief was breathing hard, beating down vocalization of his pain.

Jennifer approached him carefully, looking over her shoulder and listening for Balash's return. She knew the overunit would keep going, heading toward the direction of the mountain's secret exit. All he had to do was get near it to get be able to get a good signal out to the forces lying in wait outside the mountain. They just needed to know the most efficient way to get inside, and then they would have the rebels trapped, including Doctor Tobias.

Cold sweat beaded on the chief's forehead. She knelt down and picked up the light so that she could see the damage more clearly. The moment she did, she wished she had not. Balash had struck with deadly precision. From the amount of blood pooling around Chief Bofor, the knife had no doubt hit an artery. Bofor blinked rapidly and began trying to dislodge the knife. Jennifer instinctively stopped him, prying his fingers off the hilt.

"Don't. It'll only make it worse," she said, her training mercifully kicking in and distracting her from the shock of the entire incident.

The chief stifled another bellow as a wave of pain attacked his nerves. The bleeding was getting worse, weeping out in a steady flow that collected in dark puddles in the dirt. Jennifer unbuttoned and removed her shirt, twirling it to make a tube of cloth. She wrapped it around the knife to stabilize it and provide pressure on the wound. The cold air of the cave rained down on her bare shoulders, her thin tank top not enough to stave off the natural chill of the earth. She railed against it and the stress she felt. They needed help, but the only real help was in the main cavern hundreds of feet away from them. Furthermore, she had no way of getting Chief Bofor there.

"I'm going for help," she told him decisively.

She began to rise, but he grabbed her arm.

"No," he said through gritted teeth.

"I can't carry you," she answered desperately. She looked him in the eyes. "I'll bring help, I promise!" she exclaimed, and she really meant it.

He managed to pat her hand that held the bandage in place, as if he understood her dilemma. "Got… a better way," he said, breathing shallow and hard. He reached into the left breast pocket of his coveralls and pulled out a control pad. "Mason… Dixon… get over here… on the double."

Bofor seemed to lose all strength to hold the controller. He dropped it on his chest and cradled it. His breathing began to come in large gulps. The tendons in his neck stood out as his jaw clamped down against the pain.

Jennifer applied steady pressure to the makeshift bandage and listened for the sound of Mason and Dixon's approach over the rough breathing of the chief, breathing that was becoming shallower by the minute. He was trembling, in shock and losing a dangerous amount of blood. Each minute that passed brought him one step closer to his end.

"Chief?" she said, calling out his name, but there was no reply. He was slipping fast.

After what seemed an eon, she heard the staccato unison steps of Mason and Dixon jogging double time as ordered down the corridor. She picked up the light and shone it down the tunnel until she saw them, their red chest plates ablaze. They came to a stop where Jennifer sat hunched over Chief Bofor. One of them looked down to assess the situation and awaited orders from the chief. He, however, was almost completely unconscious. His eyes fluttered, trying to awaken, but his body refused to comply. They stood there, their mission complete while their master lay dying on the ground.

"Get him to Doctor Tobias!" Jennifer said, her frustration finally bursting.

They hesitated, and she knew why. Their algorithms were deciding if her orders were to be followed. It did not matter how Tobias had reprogrammed them or what modifications had been done to their logic. Their processing remained the same. The only question was how their workflow would respond to her command, if she had any validity at all to them.

Just the few seconds it took for one of them to decide seemed interminable, but the one closest to Chief Bofor knelt down and lifted the man in its arms with ease, standing as though the chief weighed nothing. The second mech took possession of Jennifer's upper arm, its cold fingers clamping around her bicep with force. She knew in that instant she was a prisoner until the mech was commanded otherwise. Jennifer lost control of the flashlight as the mech launched her into an upright position. The torch clattered on the cave floor and rolled away from them.

The first mech began moving down the corridor, back toward the cavern. Its steps picked up in speed. The second mech followed in the same, manner, forcing Jennifer to keep pace. The light faded behind them as they moved further away from it. Then they were plunged into complete darkness in a race against time and against the Dread forces that she knew would soon be finding their way into the mountain.