Scene 19
Gorn's estimate of their travel time to reach Victoria proved quite accurate, and by midday they had rounded the point of Vancouver Island and were drifting slowly into what used to be the city harbor. Well… geographically speaking, it could still be considered a harbor, but the city that defined it as such no longer existed. Victoria, the once-sparkling cultural metropolis where Asia had taken root in western North America, had been so completely decimated during the Seven-Day Siege that nobody had even bothered to rebuild it yet. It didn't make economic sense, with Vancouver booming right next door. Its days as a prime destination for cultural, architectural, and natural scenery had ended forever.
Still, oddly, thought Gorn, the city had managed to find some measure of melancholy beauty in its sad ruin. No longer the stark, smoking wasteland that he had first seen when he moved to Vancouver after the Siege, the visual landscape had softened; changed. The blackened remains of buildings lining the water were now adorned with mosses and lichens, there were grasses and leafy plants clamoring up through the pulverized cement streets and walkways, and he even saw a few cedar saplings clinging to the rotting wood of the docks, nourished slowly by the decomposed remains of their ancestors. Tickled by the sunshine, the ghost of the old city stretched itself, sending a fresh breeze across the bay that carried a faint twittering of birdsong. Despite its eerie emptiness, Gorn found the scene oddly comforting, perhaps because it proved that the destruction wrought on the world by man or the Skaarj could sort itself out, just given a little time alone.
¨Gorn!¨ Anna's impatient voice cut through his reverie. ¨You sure this place wasn't all destroyed? And where are we going to go now that we're here?¨
He allowed silence to reign again for a moment before responding, not taking his eyes off the shore. ¨Warsaw.¨
¨How, for fuck's sake? Do you honestly believe there's a working Terminal here? Or are we going to steal a bigger boat and sail around the horn? Can I be first mate?¨
Gorn heard Ivana snicker. Ignoring the caustic sarcasm, he replied calmly, ¨Like I said, the city's only mostly destroyed. Hunter's suggestion to come here was a good one…. there's a token GDF installation on the outskirts with a translocator portal that can get us back into the land of the living.¨
¨Okay, but why Warsaw?¨
¨In short, because there are people in Warsaw that I know I can trust.¨
¨People from the GDF?¨ she asked warily.
¨Yes, mostly.¨
¨Remind me again who it is that contracts FenTech? For some odd reason I can't remember, but I could swear it was relevant here.¨
This time it was not Gorn, but Hunter that responded. ¨Not all the people in the forces are bad, Anna. It can be dangerous to trust the real higher-ups, I'll give you that, but I've found that a smart and discreet soldier can be one of the best friends to have in hard times.¨
¨I've found,¨ she said bitterly, ¨that smart people inexplicably lose that quality as soldiers, and that none of them are really your friends.¨
Gorn passed on the invitation to argue. Her attitude was somewhat understandable given that she'd been in the Black Ops. In that world of secrecy and political intrigue, you really couldn't be sure who your friends were. ¨Do you trust me, Anna?¨ he asked her.
She looked uncomfortable. ¨Well… yeah. I really do, if you want to know.¨
¨Well, my friends in Warsaw are people like me. If you trust me with anything, trust me to know that they can be trusted. I trust there's no problem with that?¨ He poked her in the ribs playfully.
Anna tried to continue looking pissed off, but it proved impossible and she cracked a stifled grin. ¨Whatever, meathead. Hey, we're going to hit that dock!¨
Hunter sprang back to the tiller and swung them away just in time. ¨Where do you want to pull in?¨ he asked Gorn.
¨See that dock up ahead? It looks pretty solid still… we'll tie off there.¨
They eased the boat in, careful not to scrape the rocky bottom, and attached it to one of the dock's rusted-out metal posts, then they disembarked and navigated the half-rotten planks carefully to reach the shore. The cracked cement grade that dipped down to greet them looked to Gorn like the former private boat launch of some resort or condo complex, now a formless pile of bricks and cement with rebar sticking out at odd angles. He pulled the shock rifle off his pack and addressed the others. ¨I seriously doubt we were followed, but there's no point in being stupid. I would suggest that we advance in Delta formation.¨ He winked at Ivana. ¨Just pretend this is DM-Tempest.¨
¨Wait a minute,¨ intervened Hunter, ¨there is something you need to know. People inhabit this city. I know this because it is my home, too. But the others aren't like me… they're harmless transients; they farm and fish and scrape by, and many are my friends. I would hate to see one get hurt.¨
¨Thanks for the heads up,¨ Ivana said. ¨We'll look for the carbonium armor before shooting. That's an order, by the way,¨ she directed at her squadmates.
Hunter nodded. ¨Good.¨ He offered his hand to Anna. ¨This is where I leave you. You are going to want to head north-east, and I am heading west along the water. Don't worry; I am sure we will meet again.¨
Anna gave him a warm smile. ¨I certainly hope so. You can find me through the Tournament if you need to, and if you ever get tired of living in a pile of rocks, I've got a lonely couch out in Albany.¨
Hunter's crinkled eyes indicated that he might be smiling. ¨Thanks, although my accommodations aren't as bad as you think. Come look for me after you win that Tournament.¨ He waved at Gorn and Ivana. ¨Go well.¨ Then the ghostly grey figure ducked under a fallen beam between two buildings and was gone.
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The trio continued through the twisted rubble in silence awhile after leaving Hunter, with Gorn in the lead and concentrating on route-finding, and Anna helping a limping Ivana through the ruin. The women could not help gazing around with interest. The damage which had been inflicted on the city was so total in some places that it crossed the line from structural to geologic. They skirted gaping craters of cinders and glass, fused from all the materials of the city – rock, soil, brick, and cement – by the extreme heat of the Skaarj energy weapons. They walked alongside chasms in the earth; long cracks running all through the city that appeared to contain only abyssal blackness and no bottom, until they found places where fallen rubble had formed a bridge across.
Throughout it all, more traces of the renewed life that they had spotted from the bay continued to show themselves. Ivana even thought she saw a vegetable garden on the ground floor of a large brick building, glimpsed through a crack in what used to be its walls. But they moved on, and she did not investigate.
Due to the difficulty of the terrain they moved slowly, and several hours had passed by the time they began to get clear of the center of the city and the most highly impacted zone. Gorn moved more quickly and confidently, leading them down one broad road that took them straight away from the urban area, then turning right on a minor street that ran parallel to it. Presently, they sighted their objective up ahead – a small, unremarkable cement structure, barely more than a bunker with windows, that stood out for the simple fact that it was completely undamaged – therefore, new. As they neared it, Gorn suddenly halted and pushed his palm back at the women to indicate that they stop. ¨Something's not right.¨
Ivana took his word without asking for an explanation, and issued some quick orders to her teammates. ¨Okay guys, delta formation – look sharp. Gorn, you've got point.¨
They spread out in a V, creeping along the road, checking all angles of approach, but nothing showed itself. They gained the entryway to the edifice without incident – and that was when Gorn spotted the soldier. He was lying restfully on his side next to the entrance; head reclined on his outstretched arm, for all the world like a drunk passed out peacefully on the street… except for the neat hole through the side of his head, and the pool of blood that surrounded it on the ground. Gorn's gaze caught Ivana's attention, and she followed it to the body. Fuck.
She gave Gorn a significant look and two simple hand signals indicating that they proceed cautiously through the metal door, which was slightly ajar. Anna caught the orders as well and followed, barely pausing when she noticed the corpse.
Inside was a soldier's entryway, a simple room with lots of hooks for equipment and names over each one. With Ivana leading, they proceeded into a short hallway with a closed door on each side; upon inspection these turned out to be a communications room and the translocator station they had been searching for – both deserted. Confronted with another door at the end of the hall, Ivana stopped. She sniffed the air, and gave Anna a questioning look. Chicken, her squadmate mouthed. Before she could give any further orders, Gorn strode forward and kicked the door open with a mighty CLANG, continuing through it without waiting for Anna and Ivana. The only thing for them to do was follow behind him for backup.
The small mess hall that they entered was quiet, though it appeared this was a recent development. A group lunch, most likely excluding only the one unfortunate sentry that they had discovered outside, had been rudely interrupted. Plates of chicken and rice adorned the table, most overturned, never to be consumed by their unfortunate patrons, who were all dead. Here, finally, was real evidence of a struggle – scorch marks and holes in the walls, broken furniture, and a bloody tangle of maybe ten bodies strewn about with marks on them that indicated they had been killed by a shock rifle, pulse rifle, and pistols, or maybe even a minigun. It was clearly a recent event.
¨Silenced sniper for the guard,¨ mumbled Gorn distractedly. ¨Caught 'em all in one spot, unarmed. Probably just coincidence it happened like this. Poor bastards.¨ He looked at Ivana, confusion clouding his voice and features. ¨Why? It makes no sense… it really makes no sense.¨
Ivana agreed, but through her horror she felt, almost like a physical weight on her, the pressing urgency for one of them to take charge of the situation. She thought quickly. ¨Gorn, we can't do anything more here. We need to get to Warsaw, and maybe your friends can help us.¨
Gorn opened his mouth to speak, stopped, and pressed his hand to his temples. After a few seconds, he took a deep breath, and when he raised his eyes and spoke again, he was composed. ¨You're right. We don't know where or how many they are. Let's just hope they didn't touch the translocator.¨
They hurried back through the hallway to the translocation room, and were relieved to see that it appeared undamaged. Only upon closer inspection did Ivana notice the little note left on top of the console. It said, in simple block letters, WE WILL FIND YOU. Before Ivana could stop her, Anna snatched the note and crumpled it up. ¨Mother. Fuckers.¨ Her eyes burned with a fury Ivana had never seen before. ¨So they think they're going to trace our steps with this portal and track down our friends also, do they?¨ She grabbed Gorn's pack and reached into a side compartment, pulling out a standard military thermal grenade. ¨Well, they'd better think again.¨
¨Whoa, Anna,¨ Ivana said, looking over at Gorn for help, and saw with surprise that he had already entered their destination and number of travelers into the console. The air shimmered and the portal nearby opened. Upon seeing this, Anna clicked down the grenade's detonation timer and set it on the console. ¨Last one through is a rotten egg,¨ she said.