09.21.3456
08:46
Sprocket Sector
The rumble of twin combusti-drive engines permeated the deck. It was everywhere, vibrating the walls, the benches, and the floor. It was something felt, rather than heard, and Renzlowe felt it deep in his chest. Glancing back and forth quickly, he eyed the rest of the gnomes crammed into the troop transport trolley; the rest of his new squad.
To the left, a gnome was scribbling incessantly into a small book, pausing only briefly to turn to a new page. Next to him, another G.I. was methodically checking and rechecking her clip-count, loading the bullets into place and locking the clips to her belt. Beside her, another gnome sat, helmet in his hands, shaking like a loose piston. Renzlowe turned to stare ahead. Another gnome sat before him, cleaning a small vibro-knife. Abruptly, he raised his gaze from the knife, his eyes locking with Renzlowe's. The sound of another gnome clearing his voice and beginning to speak broke the connection.
"You should have already read the briefs, so I'm going to skip the formalities."
It was Captain Torvolt.
"Here's what we know: the power station in this sector powered down suddenly about two days ago. That power station feeds energy to several of our vitally important assets. They're running on backup power for now, but that won't hold out forever. Civilian forces were sent in to get the station up and running once again. They never reported back."
The shaking gnome gulped audibly. Captain Torvolt continued anyway, "We've been provided with schematics of the power station and the tools needed to start it up once again. We get in, we turn on the lights, we get out. Any resistance should be met with lethal force. Do you understand?"
"Sir, yes sir!" Renzlowe chorused with the rest of the squad.
The roar of engines once again became the only sound within the car. Moments passed. The quivering gnome uncertainly raised a hand. The Captain turned and nodded, "This isn't a classroom, Shakes, what do you want?"
Shakes nodded and wetted his lips, "Erm, sir, what… I mean, do we know what happened to the, uh, civilians?"
"If Intel knows anything, they didn't tell us," Captain replied.
"Which means they were probably killed horribly."
Renzlowe looked over at the heavyset gnome who had spoken up.
Captain Torvolt glared at the gnome as well, "Did I ask for your opinion, Lug?"
Lug grunted, "No, sir."
Torvolt nodded, "Then don't provide it."
Silence fell once more as the car sped towards its destination.
09.21.3456
09.07
Tru-Volt Power Station
The rumbling of engines gradually began to fade. Renzlowe could feel the car grinding to a halt, inertia pressing against him like a weight. Captain Torvolt stood, donning his helm, "Move fast. If we have to split up, stay in groups of three. And if we have to shoot, try not to shoot the equipment. This place has to turn on when we press the button."
The squad stood, donning body armor, loading in fresh clips, checking station maps. Renzlowe found himself next to the gnome who had been checking her clips, and the gnome who he'd locked eyes with. Renzlowe cleared his throat, "'Ey. Cap'n said we should stick in groups of three. You guys up for it?"
The other gnome tossed her head, flipping her ebony braid over her shoulder, "Sure. I'm Tinni, and this is Maurice."
Maurice nodded, "It was nice knowing you."
Tinni shook her head, "Cheery guy, isn't he?"
Before Renzlowe could answer, the door of the transport car clanged open, revealing the pitch black city beyond. In one motion, the squad surged forward, heading toward the power station gates. Swift footfalls and light breathing were the only sounds to be heard as the troops raced forward in the darkness. The squad reached the gates in seconds, the chain link fence rattling as G.I.'s braced themselves against it, weapons ready.
Captain Torvolt raised a hand, "Night-Sight on."
Electronic whining briefly filled the air as a dozen night-vision visors flipped down and on. Renzlowe's world shifted from a pitch-dark cave to an eerie reflection of Gnomeregon, illuminated in shades of green. Looking to his left, he saw the Captain hold his hand aloft for a brief second before dropping it. Lug and another gnome immediately kicked open the gates. A rusty screech filled the air as the gates swung open and the squad rushed through.
Sprinting toward the main compound, Renzlowe scanned the surroundings. No movement, no strange noises. The squad covered the distance in seconds, forming up around the main entrance. The door hung ajar, squeaking silently as a light breeze pushed it back and forth. Renzlowe heard his heart pounding in his ears. It was silent. Too damn silent. With a wave of his hand, the Captain motioned the squad into the power station.
Moving at a brisk run, the troops raced down the entry hall. Renzlowe looked down, noticing several colored lines on the floor. From what he remembered of the schematics, the lines led to different important areas of the station. Apparently Captain remembered too, as he pointed to an orange line, and then veered around a corner to follow it. Renzlowe and the rest of the squad followed, footsteps echoing down the bare halls. They followed the line left, then right, then left again, zigzagging through a labyrinth of corridors and service hallways.
Without warning, the Captain ground to a halt in front of a reinforced steel door. Pointing to the door, he made a fist. Two gnomes ran up from the back of the formation and began attaching seaforium to the door. With a satisfied nod, the two stepped back several paces; the rest of the squad ducking against the wall.
"Fire in the hole."
With a small bang, the door blew open. Almost immediately, the troops burst into the room, weapons raised and ready. Renzlowe's eyes darted to and fro, but there was nothing in the room but a large switchboard. Slightly disappointed, he darted to a tactical position and aimed his weapon at the door like the rest of the squad. Two gnomes darted beside the door and took up sentry positions.
While the troops secured the room, the Captain strode toward the switchboard, shouldering his rifle, "This is the main grid power up system," he said in low tones, "We turn this on and the main generators will start accumulating charge."
Eyeing the grid, he opened a large panel and began flipping several small switches. Small lights flashed on and off across the display. Renzlowe listened intently for any suspicious noises. All he heard was the sound of buttons, switches, and hushed breathing. After a few moments of work, the Captain stepped back briefly to inspect the grid. Nodding to himself, he grasped a large lever and forced it downward with a grunt. The switchboard began to emit an electric hum.
"That did it," Captain said, "The main generators are ge-"
At that moment, Renzlowe's night-sight display gave out. The green world around him distorted and fizzed, then blinked off into utter darkness. Judging by the muffled cursing around him, everyone else's night-sight had glitched as well.
Captain's voice pierced through the confusion, "Backup lights on."
Renzlowe reached to his rifle and flipped on the auxiliary light. A pale, luminous beam flashed out of the end of his gun, bathing a small circle of light onto the floor. Reaching up, he flicked on the small light attached to his helmet as well. Quickly, other beams of light flared up across the room and began swinging back and forth; the rest of the squad switching to backup light.
"Nobody say a word," Captain grunted, "Odds are the startup procedure creates electromagnetic waves. Big ones. That's probably what crashed night-sight. We'll make do without it."
Someone grumbled. Renzlowe swung his head to the source, illuminating Lug, who gave him a dirty look. Averting his gaze, Renzlowe looked to the door once more, ensuring it was secure. Nodding to himself when he saw there was no threat; he began to look away, only to do a double-take, the icy talons of shock briefly closing around his chest. The two sentries were gone.
"Sir! The two sentries posted at the door are gone!"
Dozens of lights immediately swiveled to focus on the empty doorway.
"All units hold," the Captain barked, striding forward. Raising his weapon, he signaled for three troops to form up on him. Pausing at the door, the G.I.'s cocked their weapons. Without warning, the four dashed into the hall, weapons raised. No shots were fired. Lowering his gun, the Captain cursed vehemently. The rest of the squad stepped out into the hall. The corridor was empty in the direction they had come. Renzlowe looked in the other direction, his headlamp illuminating a fraction of the inky black hall. Others turned as well, lighting more of the hall. One shaking beam paused on a small puddle of blood. More lights immediately focused on the area, revealing two streaks of blood leading down the hall. The streaks ended at a ventilation shaft with a torn open grate. Nobody spoke.
"Like I said, groups of three." Captain muttered, before jogging back down the hall.
The squad followed in silence.
Renzlowe gripped his rifle tightly, his breathing tense, focusing his targeting light on any darkened corner, any open door. From what he remembered of the schematics, after the main warm-up sequence was started, they had to disable the safeties: the safeties which were located on the other side of the power station.
The troops rounded a corner and quickly came to a halt. The hallway dead-ended. Several elevator doors surrounded them. Captain nodded, "Our objective is two floors down and another thousand feet west. Backup power should give us enough juice to run these elevators. They're too small for a whole squad. I want two groups, one left, and one right."
Renzlowe followed Maurice and Tinni into the left elevator, crowding in with Captain Torvolt and several other G.I.'s. As the doors began to close, he gazed across the hall at the opposite group, recognizing Lug among them. Before the doors slid shut, Lug shifted his gaze and met Renzlowe's eyes. He scowled. Then the doors closed, and with a slight jerk, the elevator began to descend. Almost as soon as the elevator began to move, soft music began to play in the car. Someone chuckled, high and nervous. Several moments passed. Gradually, the elevator shuddered to a stop. Rifles clicked and body armor rustled as the G.I.'s raised their weapons to face the unopened door. Renzlowe eased his finger onto the trigger. Captain Torvolt moved to push the open door button, its small click clearly audible over the tense breathing of the troops. The doors slid open.
A snarling trogg burst from the darkness beyond into the pale headlamp lights, its mouth open impossibly wide in a deafening bellow. Instantly, gunfire filled the elevator, bullets shredding into the roaring beast. Dozens more troggs leapt from the darkness toward the elevator, snarling and howling. Renzlowe fired instinctively, the rifle rattling in his arms as ammunition raced through the length of the barrel, across the elevator, and deep into the bodies of the twisted creatures. As the last of the troggs toppled to the floor, littered with bullet holes, the firing stopped.
The Captain raised a hand and the squad dashed out of the elevator, rifles raised, headlamps panning the hall, searching for movement. No more troggs appeared. Renzlowe allowed himself a breath of relief before looking across the hall to the other elevator door. It was still shut. Renzlowe's breath of relief died in his chest. Captain Torvolt was already stepping towards the elevator, motioning for the rest of the troops to fall in around him. The G.I.'s raised their weapon once more, pointing them at the still-closed elevator door. Captain Torvolt held up a finger, then pointed at the elevator buttons. Tinni ran forward, ducking against the wall next to the closed door. Torvolt nodded. Tinni pressed a button: the doors slid open.
Blood began to pour from the door almost immediately. Inside the elevator lay several dead or dying troggs, or parts of troggs. A rifle lay abandoned on the floor, still clutched by an arm that no longer had an owner. Bloodstains covered the walls. The maintenance shaft on the ceiling hung open. Renzlowe stared at the carnage. Captain Torvolt was already moving, "Our objective is due west. Move fast." The squad lowered their weapons, racing down the hallway. Renzlowe followed.
Footsteps clanked against the pressed steel floor of the corridor as the G.I.'s sprinted towards the security room. Lights focused on every door, every ventilation shaft, and every corner before shifting to the next darkened spot. Ahead in the distance, a door marked, "Security" was dimly illuminated. Renzlowe doubled his speed. Captain Torvolt drew his vibro-sword, "Don't shoot!" He yelled as they rushed closer, "The equipment has to stay intact!" The rest of the troops drew their vibro-swords as well, the blades' high-pitched whine mixing with their pounding footsteps. Without breaking stride, Torvolt kicked down the door and rushed into the room, the squad at his heels.
Troggs whirled to face them, lunging immediately, hands reaching to grab and crush. The G.I.'s met them head on, stabbing and slashing. Renzlowe ducked under a leaping trogg, thrusting up his blade to impale the beast as it passed overhead. Staggering to his feet, he was grabbed around the wrists by another trogg. The creature roared in his face, mouth open obscenely wide, and spittle flying. Gathering his feet under him, Renzlowe kicked the trogg hard in the gut, but the monster barely flinched. Renzlowe's vision exploded in stars and dots as the creature smashed its rock-hard forehead into his. Blearily he looked up as the trogg threw back its head, unhinging its jaw in anticipation of the meal to come.
That meal never came. The blade of a vibro-sword burst through the trogg's chest, spraying a mist of blood across Renzlowe's face. As the blade withdrew, the creature howled in agony and collapsed to the floor, revealing Tinni standing behind it, blade drawn. Renzlowe blinked slowly. Tinni gave a short nod, and then whirled around, hamstringing another trogg before leaping on top of the fallen creature and stabbing it through the throat. Renzlowe gave his head a quick shake to clear it before returning to the fray.
As the last of the troggs fell to the ground, Captain Torvolt immediately moved to the security display. Without pausing, the squad once again took up tactical positions throughout the room. Renzlowe sheathed his vibro-sword and unshouldered his rifle, taking up sentry position by the door. Two other gnomes followed him. The sound of buttons pressing and keys turning drifted from behind him, but Renzlowe kept his lights and gaze riveted on the hall and his finger tight against the trigger. The noises behind him paused, and he heard the sound of two gnomes moving. Three keys were turned simultaneously.
The Captain's voice rang out, "Alright, securities are off."
Renzlowe kept his eyes on the hallway, a bead of sweat slowly making its way from his temple to his cheek. Behind him, he could hear the rest of the troops begin to move towards the door. He allowed himself to relax a fraction. Suddenly, a bloodcurdling scream filled the room. Jumping back from the doorway, Renzlowe jerked around, training his light on the source. A gnome was halfway dragged into a floor ventilation shaft, his eyes wide with terror. As he slipped further into the shaft, he let loose another piercing scream. With a shock, Renzlowe realized it was Shakes.
Immediately, G.I.'s lunged for his outstretched hands, grabbing tightly. Renzlowe dug in his feet, holding fast to Shakes' left hand, tugging against the troggs in the vents with all his might. Arms wrapped around his waist, helping him pull. "Heave!" Captain Torvolt shouted over Shakes' own screams of terror. As Renzlowe pulled, the screams of terror abruptly shifted pitch, from screams of fear, to screams of pain. Shakes rattled back and forth, eyes wrenched shut, howls of agony bursting from his mouth, "Help me! Please! It hurts! Help me!" Renzlowe pulled as hard as he could, doubling his efforts, digging in his feet. Shakes' screams rose in pitch, getting higher and sharper, more and more desperate. Without warning, the pulling stopped.
The troops fell over backwards, yanking Shakes out of the ventilation shaft. Gasping in relief, Renzlowe looked down at the smaller gnome. His relief quickly vanished. Shakes lay on the ground, his screams fading into low moans. Where his legs and hips had once been, there was now only a tangle of entrails and gushing blood. The troops stared as what was left of Shakes whimpered, his final breaths trailing off into a gurgle.
After an eternity of silence, Captain Torvolt spoke up, "Main control station next. And for Light's sake, watch the damn vents."
Tearing his eyes off of what was left of Shakes; Renzlowe followed the rest of the squad out of the security room. Before rounding a corner in the hall, he spared a glance backwards into the room. Shakes' body was gone.
The squad raced down the halls once more. Renzlowe looked down to the floor and spotted a gold line. Gold line. That led to the main control panel. Following the gold line, the squad sprinted through the corridors. Renzlowe's breath came fast and sharp, adrenaline pumping through his system. His ears strained, listening for sounds above the clatter of armored footsteps. His eyes darted, searching for any movement in the flickering play of lights across the walls. His hand tensed against the rifle.
The troops reached the end of the hall, an elevator before them. There was a pause.
"No elevators." Captain Torvolt grunted. Turning to his side, he motioned towards another door, this one marked, Stairs. Raising his gun, the Captain approached the door. Troops formed up behind him, weapons raised. He nodded to Renzlowe. Wordlessly, Renzlowe held his rifle at the ready and moved in front of the door. The sound of rifles being cocked and aimed drifted from behind him. Allowing himself one deep breath, he kicked the door open then dropped to a knee, ready to fire. Nothing happened.
Slowly, Renzlowe lifted himself off his knee, "All clear, sir."
Looking back at the squad, Renzlowe saw the Captain nodding and stepping forward. Tinni and Maurice stood to the side, weapons lowered slightly. There was a flash of movement back down the hallway. Turning swiftly, Renzlowe trained his headlamp back down the hall. The beam of light panned back and forth, revealing a loping horde of troggs racing towards the squad of G.I.'s. When the light hit them, the troggs roared, bounding faster and faster.
"Behind us!" Renzlowe screamed.
"Up the stairs! Move! Move! Move!" Captain roared over the bellowed of the approaching troggs.
The troops burst into the stairwell, racing up the steps as fast as they could. Backing up swiftly, Renzlowe laid a spray of gunfire across the hallway before slamming the stair door shut and following the squad up the stairs. Seconds later, the door was forced open, the howls of troggs echoing throughout the stairwell.
"The room is four floors up! Go go go!" The Captain screamed over the roaring troggs.
Renzlowe sprinted up the flights of steps, taking them three at a time. He passed another gnome, breathing heavily. Casting a glance over his shoulder, he saw the same gnome being dragged backwards down the stairs, screaming loudly. He turned back to look ahead, the scream cut short behind him by a loud snap.
The Captain screamed again over the din, "At the next floor, everyone stop and shoot! Tinkerers, set up explosives on the steps! That's an order!"
In a flash, the G.I.'s cleared the flight of stairs. In one fluid motion, Renzlowe whirled around, took a knee, brought up his rifle, aimed, and fired a round into the screeching mouth of the trogg directly behind him. Beside him, other G.I.'s followed suit, sending a wave of suppressing fire into the pursuing troggs. The first line of beasts contorted in agony, riddled with bullet holes. They collapsed backwards, sending the troggs behind them tumbling down the steps or over the edge. Behind the line of G.I.'s, tinkerers slapped plastic explosives to the stairway supports, arming them quickly. Looking to Captain Torvolt, they nodded quickly.
"Ceasefire! Up the steps! Move it!" Captain screamed.
As quickly as the squad had begun to fire, they stopped, turning again to sprint up the steps. The troggs gave chase, bounding over the bodies of their fallen brethren. Renzlowe counted the seconds. Five seconds passed. An explosion ripped through the stairwell, sending pieces of trogg flying through the air. The stairs shrieked and groaned as their supports were torn out from under them. Troggs tumbled off the shuddering and jerking stairs, shrieking into the darkness. The stairs shuddered again, knocking a few G.I.'s to their backs. Renzlowe whirled around, headlamp shifting across the frightened faces of his comrades before they rolled away and disappeared over the edge. One gnome skidded to a stop right at the edge, holding on for dear life. She looked up, her face illuminated by the glare of his light. It was Tinni.
Renzlowe managed two steps toward her before the stairs heaved once again. She blinked slowly, her hands suddenly without purchase. As if she suddenly realized the situation she was in, she screamed. Her scream vanished with her, fading as she faded, down into the darkness. A hand grabbed Renzlowe by the shoulder and jerked him back up the steps, away from the edge. Reluctantly, he turned away, sprinting up the stairs once more.
In moments, the squad reached the top floor, bursting through the door without the slightest pause. Renzlowe raised his gun, lights illuminating patches of the new hallway as a G.I. slammed the door behind him. A narrow corridor led straight to a room labeled, Main Control. Immediately, the troops charged forward, racing heedlessly towards the door. Shouldering his weapon, Renzlowe drew his vibro-sword and flicked it on. Others had already done so, and the rising whine of the vibrating blades quickly rose out of earshot.
The squad crossed the corridor like lightning, smashing against the control room door. Behind them, the door to the stairs rattled violently, the shrieks and howls of troggs echoing through the steel. Swords at the ready, the troops slammed open the door, rushing into the control room. No troggs leaped out to ambush them. Without a second's pause, the Captain slammed the door shut and raced to the control panel. Pulling out a small booklet, he trained his light on its pages while fiddling with the dials and levers.
"Brace the door!" He shouted over his shoulder.
Renzlowe and Maurice rushed to do so, another gnome throwing his weight against the door as well. Renzlowe's heart skipped a beat when he realized they were the only ones left. Immediately following his realization, the door buckled. Roars and screeches pierced the air. Renzlowe strained against the door with all his might, digging his feet into the floor. Inches from his head, a twisted hand burst through the wood, clawing the air. With a yell, Renzlowe stabbed his vibro-sword through the opening. A loud squeal filled the air, the hand writhing in agony before withdrawing.
Behind him, Renzlowe heard the Captain shout, "That's it! Power's on!" No sooner had the words left his mouth, than the room was flooded with light. Renzlowe blinked against the brightness, taking stock of his surroundings. The main control panel was located on a raised platform inside of a massive room. In the middle of the room stood a gigantic Tesla coil, wires branching out from its surface. Surrounding the Tesla coil were dozens of troggs.
As the door buckled and heaved behind him, Renzlowe looked around desperately. Troggs behind them. Troggs below them. There was no way out. Renzlowe's gaze focused on the Tesla coil. There was one way out.
"Captain!" He yelled over the banging door, "You have to overload the generator! The excess power will kill the troggs below! We can jump down and make a break for the service vehicle garage!"
Captain Torvolt's eyes widened a fraction as he contemplated the plan. Finally, he nodded and turned to the control panel. Flipping open a closed circuit, he twisted a knob one hundred and eighty degrees. Almost immediately, the Tesla coil began humming loudly, its surface glowing an electric blue. Showers of sparks flew from the machine, causing the troggs to scatter like roaches. A bolt of excess power split the air with a loud crack, incinerating a group of troggs, leaving their twisted and charred remains in a heap on the floor.
"It's working!" Maurice shouted over the pounding door and humming generator.
More loud cracks filled the air as bolts of electric power decimated the troggs below. However, as more and more troggs died below, the troggs behind the door forced it further and further open. "We can't hold the door much longer, Captain!" Renzlowe screamed as more hands punched their way through the shuddering door.
"You don't need to! Over the edge, all of you!" Captain Torvolt yelled, twisting the knob back to its original position. In a flash, the four gnomes were at the edge of the platform. Quickly latching their ziplines to the rail, they leapt out into space, the doors behind them bursting open as troggs spilled out onto the control platform. Renzlowe righted himself in midair, descending as fast as the zipline control would allow, bracing for impact with the ground.
The gnomes landed hard on the corrugated steel floor, the Tesla coil still humming dangerously. As they stood up, another bolt of power erupted from the coil, vaporizing a trogg that stood just feet away.
"To the service garage! Move it!" Captain screamed, pointing at the large door directly across the room.
The gnomes sprinted across the generator floor, ignoring the troggs, ignoring the generator, ignoring everything but the door in front of them. Renzlowe could feel hum of the generator vibrating through his body. He could hear the blood rushing in his ears, the pounding of his feet against the ground, the sound of his heavy breathing. Ahead of him, the Captain ran forward, just feet from the door.
A loud crack sounded through the air. The world exploded in brilliant white light. Renzlowe blinked his eyes against the raw electrical energy. The bolt of power arced out of the coil, lancing directly into Captain Torvolt. For the briefest instant, he seemed to glow bright as the electricity consuming him. Then the instant passed, and Captain Torvolt literally exploded in a cloud of vapor, a few charred bones falling to the floor. Too late to stop, Renzlowe charged through the red-tinged mist, sprinting mindlessly for the door.
The gnomes smashed into the door, battering it down without breaking stride, bursting into the service garage.
"That one!" Maurice cried out, pointing as a utility vehicle, "Get in and let's get the fuck out of here!"
The gnomes leapt into the large utility truck, Renzlowe and Maurice in back as the other gnome gunned the engine. The truck rumbled forward, slowly at first, gradually picking up speed. Behind them, troggs exploded out of the generator room door, howling and bounding after the fleeing vehicle.
"Faster! Get this hunk of scrap going!" Renzlowe screamed at the other gnome, who hunched his shoulder and floored it.
The truck roared, speeding across the garage. Looking ahead, Renzlowe saw the still-closed garage door quickly filling his field of vision. "Hang on!" the driver shouted, still picking up speed. The truck raced forward, heading directly for the door. Renzlowe grabbed onto the seat and shut his eyes. A deafening slam filled the cabin of the truck, and Renzlowe was jerked roughly out of his seat, slamming against the seat in front of him.
Slowly and painfully, he hauled himself back into his seat, looking over at Maurice who was doing much the same. Glancing behind him, he saw the power station fading into the distance, lights still on and shining brightly. Letting out several shaky breaths, Renzlowe collapsed in his seat. The gnome ahead stared grimly at the road, driving them back towards the drop off zone. To his left, Maurice sat silently, breathing deeply.
Eventually, Maurice's breaths turned into sobs. Renzlowe looked over as the gnome's shoulders shook, his face buried in his hands. Whimpers found their way from between his fingers, "Tinni… why Tinni…" He trailed off, choking and gasping. Renzlowe tried to raise a hand, to comfort him, to say something, anything. Blinking, he realized he couldn't. The will to move, to talk, to do anything had abandoned him. He sat numbly in the seat, staring ahead. Dimly, he heard something rattle below him. He looked down. The rattling was coming from his rifle; the hand he was holding it with was shaking. He dropped the rifle. His hand continued to shake. As the utility truck roared off into the distance, the rumbling of engines filled the cab. It was the kind of rumble felt, not heard, and Renzlowe felt it deep within his chest.
-End.