The staircase seemed to spiral down indefinitely. They walked for what for what felt like hours, but it was truly only the space of one hour. The depressive heat and the darkness lay upon Gabriel's shoulder like a cloak, setting his already tense nerves on fire. His entire body felt itchy and achy, and he was fighting a rising tide of vertigo.
He looked over at Aydra, and she seemed as she always did: beautiful and calm. "Are you okay Aydra?"
She nodded mutely and he clasped her hand tighter. He could feel her fear clawing up his arms and into his spine and he began to rub her fingers reassuringly as they reached the landing.
They stood inside a complex of glass enclosed cells. Computer terminals encircled one wall, and when Gabriel held the flame aloft he noticed a generator feed along the wall. Curious, he stalked over and pulled a series of levers. Light flooded the area and the hum of machines began to envelope the space. Gabriel extinguished the flames and looked around them.
A holographic image of a nicely dressed brunette suddenly appeared before them. Her cheery smile was oddly out of place with the dank and deserted surroundings.
"I am Fiona. Short for Fully Integrated Operational and Navigational Access. You have reached area #343. Test subjects A1341 through A1505. I am the alpha program for this sector."
Gabriel stepped forward and walked around the program, her eyes tracked his movements and she turned to face him.
"Do you have questions?"
"Yes," Gabriel answered, "What happened here."
"I do not follow," the holograph answered.
"What was the date of your last activation Fiona?"
"Terran Date: January 25, 2005."
"What occurred on that date Fiona?"
"All systems failed, emergency procedures were initiated. I was shut down for one hour. I came back online at 0100 hours. I was not advised. I shut down to conserve energy."
"You shut down?"
"Yes, I was not advised."
She continued smiling as if it was the most natural thing in the world for a person to have a conversation with a holographic image.
Gabriel gasped as the full intent of her words became clear. She was not advised. Meaning: everyone had either been killed or left.
"Fiona, where are the test subjects? Do you know if they were removed?"
"I do not follow."
"Where are the test subjects, where did they go?"
The hologram blinked, and then smiled serenely, "They were never removed. They are here within the facility." A shiver of apprehension slithered over Gabriel and he fought not to shudder.
"Fiona," Gabriel asked, "You mentioned a Terran date. Why?"
"That is the authorized coding system for all standardized dates. The borderlands are not in alignment with our indices."
"We have to find the mistress Gabriel," Aydra reminded him.
"I doubt she'll be able to help us unless we have a name."
Aydra looked lost in thought for a moment then replied, "It is obscured in legend, but it is said that she born beneath the name of—of—Melissa Adams." Aydra's eyes widened, "It was considered blasphemy to speak her true name."
Gabriel smirked. "Well, I've always been one to buck dogma. Sister Mary Helen always said I'd grow up into a heathen. I guess she was right."
"Fiona," he called out, "Search your databases for a Melissa Adams."
"Accessing," the hologram replied with closed eyes.
A moment later Fiona's eyes popped open and she smiled brightly.
"Test subject A2303 is in our database"
"How do we access test subject A2303, Fiona?"
"Take the elevators to tenth floor B. I can accompany you."
A moment later, Aydra and Gabriel found themselves riding the lift down with Fiona, who cheerfully hummed along with the boring elevator music that was piping in. Gabriel rolled his eyes and made a new hit list with Fiona's name atop it. He didn't know if perky holographic programs could die, but if she didn't stop whistling to an old jazz rendition of Britney Spears' Toxic, he would find a way to do it.
The doors suddenly opened and Fiona pointed. "This way please."
They traipsed down rows of plexi-cells and before they could round the corner, a huge spider-like creature about the size of a cow screamed at them in anger. "Fiona!" Gabriel cried, "Do something."
He turned and saw that Fiona had gone back into the elevator, her cheery smile a pleasant fuck-you as she punched in a floor number "I'm sorry, but I am not the alpha for this sector." Bitch, Gabriel thought as he watched the elevator doors close.
The spider's antennae twitched in the air and it screamed once more. Snapping larvae whipped out of the spiders' mouth each time it screamed and acid dripped from the spider's thorax, and burned into the flooring below it.
Okay, Gabriel thought, I'll distract it and keep it away from Aydra. But then another Spider jumped from behind one of the plexi-cells. Oh fuck, Gabriel thought, his mind unable to process any slightly more sophisticated epithets.
Aydra tried to blast them with white fire, but it seemed to have no effect, save to make them even angrier.
"Hey, you, over here!" Gabriel screamed. He pushed Aydra behind him. "Remember when I said run and don't ask questions?"
"Yes," she replied,
"Well, RUN!!!"
"No! I will not leave you!"
"Gee, honey, that's nice and all, but I'd really rather you get the hell out of here."
She refused to budge. Gabriel rolled his eyes. "Please Aydra. I'll be right behind you, I promise."
She turned reluctantly and began to sprint down the hall, periodically looking back at him.
"Go! Aydra go!"
Yet a third spider came from its hiding place and Gabriel watched in horror and it jumped over Aydra, its mouth inches from devouring her.
"NO!!!," he screamed.
Lightning danced across his finger tips and then across his entire body. Before he could think about it, he blasted the spider over Aydra with an intense wall of electricity. He quickly turned and did the same to the other two behind him. Slimy goo and steamy entrails lined the walls, floor and some of the cells.
Gabriel ran over to Aydra and helped her up, all the while checking for injuries, blubbering senselessly and alternately hugging and kissing her.
"You have great magicks, Gabriel. Thank you."
"Are you all right?," Gabriel inquired, his breath catching in his throat.
"Yes, I am well," she replied, "Shall we continue?"
Gabriel kissed her lips, not at all bothered by the goo that clung to her hair and face.
"Let's get out of here."
"We have to find her, Gabriel," she told him.
"No, you almost—almost--," he said, his voice breaking.
"Please Gabriel. For my brother."
Gabriel sighed and nodded. "Okay. Come on." He eased her up and they continued walking past the dead spiders and made a right. Gabriel was hoping he was going in the right direction. He was relieved that at least he had static ability.
They continued past rows of cells, some of them occupied by creatures and species unlike any that Gabriel had ever seen. Gabriel tried not to worry about the cells that lay empty. He breathed a sigh of relief each time they rounded a corner and there was nothing evil and salivating ready to pop out and say 'hi.'
Without Fiona to guide them, Gabriel had to deduce the position of Melissa's cell. Many of the cages were unmarked, but some were, and seemed to indicate a quadrant or a corner of the sector.
He noticed the marked ones and the layout became crystal clear. They were heading in the right direction. He and Aydra cautiously edged around a corner and swept down another spiraling staircase. The drone of machinery was loud and incessant, and the lights flickered on and off, and in the area there was general decay and disaster.
Before them lay a huge cell surrounded by water. The cell was like a giant island in the center of the level.
"What now?" Gabriel wondered aloud.
Aydra began to strip. "We swim across."
"Aydra, I don't know if you've noticed the creepy monsters or anything. You know, the creatures that seem to want to eat us? But I don't think you should go into that water. There's no telling what's in there. I'll go. You stay here."
"Gabriel, I am not a child. I am fully capable of taking of myself."
"I don't doubt your ability to protect yourself Aydra. I just don't trust whatever's in that water."
But before he could stop her, she had already slipped her dagger between her teeth and dived into the water, her tail manifesting itself in a sparkling array of silvery scales and delicate fins.
Gabriel sighed and dived in as well, trying to match Aydra's powerful strokes. Women, Gabriel thought as he watched her proud head bobbing in the water.
"We're nearly there, keep going," Gabriel intoned. They both reached the island and were preparing to climb up when he felt something latch onto his leg.
"Aydra, go, get out of the water!"
She scrambled up and then tried in vain to pull him up. But it was no use, he was stuck.
"Go, Go, Go, leave me Aydra!"
And then they saw what had latched onto his leg. Oh, great, Gabriel thought, it's another little beastie. Big surprise there.
It was the ugliest S.O.B. that Gabriel had ever laid his eyes on. It looked almost human, but its oversized cranium and exposed organs said otherwise. It had black eyes, and dual lids, sunken cheeks and horns growing from its forehead. It got up close to Gabriel and growled, then hissed. Its tongue was barbed and boasted spikes.
Gabriel tried to summon his electricity, but it sputtered and died. "Oh, come on," he moaned. So he did only what he could do in the situation. He punched it hard in the face.
"Run, Aydra, run!" he cried, before the thing grabbed him and took him under. He could hear Aydra's screams as he tried desperately to get away from the creature. But it was like a constrictor. Its body had looped itself around Gabriel's rib cage and was exerting a tremendous amount of force.
Panic was flooding his system and the adrenaline boost gave him the strength to reach into the thing's cavity and pull hard. Gabriel felt a satisfying crunch, and the creature loosened his hold. Gabriel struggled to the surface. Too late he noticed a flash of silver in the water.
Noooo, he thought.
Aydra and the creature were wrestling. Her powerful tail was wrapped around its neck and she was trying desperately to squeeze the life from it. The creatures struggles were dying down and it was working it seemed, that was, until it bit into her tail.
Her mouth opened in shock and rage and she let go. Her body was unmoving and she floated to the surface.
Gabriel screamed with anger, rage and sorrow. The creature turned its sights back onto Gabriel but before he could comprehend what was happening, a blast of red light came out of his hands and the monster began to liquefy.
Its face melted and the water began to turn red from its blood. It thrashed and moaned. Gabriel swam quickly to Aydra and pulled her from the water.
The water bubbled and gushed, tentacles came from beneath and splashed down, leaving bloodied water filled with guts, organs and other matter upon the surface.
Gabriel held Aydra in his arms. She wasn't breathing. He tried mouth to mouth resuscitation but to no avail. After a few minutes she still didn't stir. Gabriel felt hot tears run down his face and onto hers.
He delicately touched her tail and then lowered his head and did something he had not done since he was a child: he cried.