The Unexpected Human Problem, page 20
The Florizian before her blinked owlishly. Behind him, others shifted awkwardly, aware of how the air around their boss dipped dangerously. Zav’s delighted smile was short-lived as a colder grin took its place. “You won’t be a broodmare. More like a greenhouse.”
Rayelle rolled her eyes at the wordplay. As if he could turn this into a cutesy exchange when he was about to force the humans into a state of perpetual parental servitude. “My tubes are tied. No babies for me.”
Before she could register the movement, one of Zav’s hands whipped out and grabbed her forcefully by the chin. His fingertips held tight, the throb of bruises already forming. A startled sound choked in her throat as his other arm looped around her back, pulling her closer to him.
“Do you really think we can’t reverse that?” Zav sneered down at her, vines waggling in cruel amusement. A long green tongue flickered out wetting his lips as he stared down at her, his teeth glinting in the brief moment his mouth opened. “Pity about the pheromones though. That was more for your pleasure than anything else, but we’ll make do. Won’t we?”
He squeezed her cheeks, demanding a reaction or answer. A dull throb ached through her jaw as her heart pounded. Rayelle shot him a squinty-eyed, sarcastic smile as her hand moved carefully to her hoodie pocket.
It hadn’t taken a rocket scientist to feel the shift in the resort’s atmosphere over the last two days. Nearly every human noticed it. A few had mentioned the androids acting strange as well. Others had actually seen unfamiliar non-humans loping about. Two humans had gone completely missing and the staff had been unable to account for them, even in their own records.
Suspicious, Rayelle had spoken to others, revealing to them what Tai’dqei had told her about human breedability. As the word spread, more and more humans came to her. Even if the chance was slim, even if they were simply being paranoid, they decided to prepare for the worst.
Anything that could be used as a stabbing or bludgeoning weapon, that wouldn’t immediately be noticed as missing, was gathered. Knives and meat tenderizers from the kitchens. Scissors, knitting needles, and woodcarving implements from the craft areas. The gardens provided the most fearsome would-be weapons with three-pronged cultivators, sharp edged trowels, shears, clippers, and scythes.
As far as anyone could tell, the staff hadn’t noticed at all, which led to the bolder thefts. Shovels and automated knives and saws and anything that could feasibly have a use to protect themselves. Larger items were hidden around the resort, in places they could flee to. Smaller items were kept on their persons. Such as the hand cultivator in Rayelle’s hoodie pocket.
Zav was too intent on snarling into her face to realize her movement. She quickly withdrew the three-pronged weapon from her pocket and swung it up, into the side of the Florizian’s face.
The Florizian let out a shriek of shock and pain as the satisfying squish of metal sunk into his flesh and eye. He shoved her away and Rayelle kept a tight hold on her weapon. It shlucked free of the side of his face and sticky dark green liquid spurted from the injury. An overwhelming scent like cut grass but headier filled Rayelle’s nostrils as she stumbled back.
Taking her lead, the other humans instantly followed suit by bludgeoning and stabbing any alien who had the misfortune of being close enough. Bette, armed with a knife and a metal pan – wherever the hell she managed to conceal that – as a shield, slammed two Florizians away. Mizan, with their taser in one hand and a knife in the other, fell a surprised four-armed alien.
The room erupted into chaos and screams. Rayelle hoped the others could hear back in the assembly hall or that they had already begun their own escape attempts. It hadn’t been a perfect plan. Optimistically, the others figured out what was up and used their stolen goods to start their own escapes.
The stunned guards took a moment to react before rushing toward the sharps and electricity. Green and red blood splattered, though more of the former spilled than the latter. Rayelle spun toward the door, finding Mizan struggling against a Florizian with their knife. Launching herself at the alien, she slammed the cultivator into the back of its head before it even spun to face her.
“Let’s go!” Someone headed for the hall, slamming through the door and into the corridor. High on adrenaline and taking advantage of the shock, all the humans rushed from the room, scattering into the hallway. As Rayelle raced with Bette and Mizan, others in similar states of bruised and bloody disarray met up with them.
She thought to do a headcount, but there was no time. They had to get to the 1950s bomb shelter or to the 2170s radioactivity shelter. There were a number of smaller holdout spaces but most of the supplies like first aid kits, weaponry, and communication tech had been stored in those two places.
The longer Rayelle ran, the more shrieks and screams she heard. Alarms started blaring through the resort, flashing red and angry, as the far-off sounds of booted footfalls and barking orders echoed.
Trash cans and laundry carts and supply stations were overturned to hinder alien pursuers. Anything that couldn’t be nailed down was thrown in the way.
Ungodly howls swelled up behind Rayelle and she couldn’t help but look back. Zav was there.
Or she thought it was Zav. It was hard to tell. He’d grown larger and his tendrils had overtaken his body. He was a writhing mass of teeth and vines, one eye glowing and the other a bloody hole. Judging from the hate-filled glare pinned to her form, it was definitely Zav.
Her legs carried her faster, her heart stuttering as her lungs ached for more breath. The mental map in her head knew she was close to safety. Just one more skidding turn down a hall and...
Others were already in the shelter, waving other runners in and screaming for laggers to hurry up.
Rayelle’s heart twisted. They had all agreed, if necessary, the doors would shut even if some were locked out. There was hope they could flee to a smaller hidey hole or into the vents or even to the outside.
They were banking on the fact their reproductive capabilities were too valuable to destroy. But they all knew it was a gamble.
Rayelle hurtled over the threshold with two others before the door slammed shut. Spinning around as the locks chunked into place, she peered through the porthole – heavy glass that would deflect bullets or maybe even lasers – and the solid door vibrated with impact. Something big and angry and vicious pounded at the door. It shook in its frame, but the metal held firm.
She stood, staring at it as her chest heaved with panting breaths. Her lungs ached and her legs twinged. The place where Zav had gripped her along her jaw throbbed with heat. She was definitely bruised.
But they had done it! At least for the moment, they had managed to rebel and get away from the aliens. These alleged investors of Rerli 3. They were likely also the aliens that had funded so many lives being ripped away from home to begin with. It hadn’t just been Florizians, Rayelle absently realized. There had been other non-humans, ones she didn’t have names for.
Shaking her analytical thoughts away, she turned to the innards of the bunker while ignoring the angry howls on the other side of the door. “Was that everyone?”
“No one was locked out if that’s what you mean,” replied Abe, an older man who Rayelle suspected was from the 1930s from his typical attire and accent. Those particular clothes were ripped and bloody now and his words strained.
Initially, it had been surprising to find people typically incapable of pregnancy at Rerli 3. After some thought, Rayelle guessed there were aliens out there needing sperm just as much as eggs and incubators. Or maybe there were aliens that incubated via any kind of human. Whatever the case, that was a consideration for a time when a threat didn’t loom so close.
She nodded and muttered thanks to Abe before glancing over the assembled people, crammed into the room. Not everyone got away in one piece. Quite a few bloodied people sat on the floor as others tended to their medical needs. Quiet sobbing and whimpering filled the room.
Rayelle tried not to fret or worry about familiar faces she didn’t find among the masses.
Even if everyone couldn’t get to the bunkers, they had mapped out a number of other decent hiding places. She just had to hope everyone had gotten somewhere safe. Even if those other areas weren’t stocked with as much food or intense weaponry, it was better than in the hands of the enemy aliens.
With her heart still pounding, she glanced at her wrist gauntlet. Her fingers shook as she pulled up the communication app, the one she had sent a message through to Tai’dqei earlier.
Had he seen her message?
Had he replied?
Was he coming?
Her stomach sank as a ‘No Satellite Connection’ error flashed on the holo-screen.
Chapter 17
IT WAS ALWAYS EASIER to covertly sneak into a place when chaos consumed it. Everyone else was too focused on solving the more dire problem, they didn’t remain alert to new unseen threats that may creep up. Not that Tai’dqei wasn’t proficient in sneaking. His thermal netting masked his exterior as the ambient temperature while retaining hist heat on the inside. Not to mention the ja-tau cloaking tech he carried. Even the wariest observer would find it hard to pinpoint him.
Luckily, chaotic was how he found Rerli 3 after his long trek from the isolated place where he had landed his cloaked ship. It took no effort to sneak through the doors as random aliens darted in and out. It was easier to hide his footfalls under the shouting as the other aliens sought something. Or someone.
Like a phantom, Tai’dqei scouted out the resort, sidestepping rushing bodies and slinking into opened rooms. It didn’t take him long to find out Rayelle’s worries had been on the mark.
After stumbling into a tech repair bay, he realized the staff mostly consisted of androids. Blank replacement faces and detached limbs lined the shelves as he crept through the bay.
He hadn’t read the pamphlet nor had he done extra research on Rerli 3. Now he could have kicked himself for not being more thorough. Androids were not a foolproof method of security. He was willing to bet their programming had been hacked by the very alien forces filling the rest of the resort. That or the whole resort was a front. A growl threatened to spill from his throat at that thought, but he clamped down on it.
The agitation churning through the resort didn’t feel anticipatory or excited. There was a sharper edge to the air, a sense of fright and chaos, of surprise and rage. Which soothed Tai’dqei’s concerns a little. Even if the resort was a front, their plans had gone awry. He faintly wondered if it was Rayelle’s doing but shoved the thought away as the bay opened up to another corridor.
He’d find out what happened to her. If he didn’t like what he found – or if he failed to find anything at all – then these intruders would have another problem on their hands.
The building rage twanging through his body barely remained contained as he silently trailed another small group of aliens. It would have been so easy to take their distracted little heads off with a swipe of a blade, but he needed to shadow. When he finally did slip into a security office, he got some of the answers he sought.
Various parts of the resort reflected on an array of holo-screens. However, there were two channels enlarged and eagerly being watched by the two Canoid guards seated in front of the console.
“They seriously disconnected it from the systems?” One barked a laugh, apparently having just sat down since the chair creaked beneath his muscular bulk.
“Yeah, apparently there’s a mechanical override mechanism on the door. They can still open and close it themselves, but outsiders can’t do shit.” The other Canoid was smaller and lither, but their muscles flexed as they motioned to a particular video rectangle. They grinned at the screen, showing off sharp teeth in their canine-like maw.
Tai’dqei edged closer, taking care to remain silent. One wrong step and the sensitive hearing of the Canoids may alert them to his presence. He peered at the indicated screen, attempting to spot Rayelle. All he saw were fuzzy images of humanoid figures.
“Stars above, these humans really planned, huh? Thought they were completely clueless.” The first one chuckled, throwing an arm behind their chair as they settled. Their flung arm barely missing striking the invisible mass of Tai’dqei, causing the ja-tau to tense.
The other chortled an uncharacteristically deep laugh for such a small frame. With a clawed finger, they pointed to a smaller screen labeled ‘Exterior 1950s Bunker’ in a lower corner. “Yeah, well, y’see the angry mess of tentacles there?”
Their claw clinked against a splotch on the screen. Ice slid through Tai’dqei’s veins as he recognized the writhing blob. Under the writhing mass of vines and thorns, Zav raged.
The other guard leaned forward, squinting at the poor quality vid. He leaned back after a few seconds and yelped, “Is that bossman?”
“Yeah,” snickered the other, their lips crooked in a smirk. “I heard he went full aggro mode after one of the tits carved his face up with a knife or some shit.”
Tai’dqei’s attention spun toward the gossiping Canoid, his eyes widening. Was that something Rayelle would do? Her immediate response to meeting an intimidating ja-tau was to attack and run. The deduction wouldn’t be too unwarranted.
The two guards laughed together for a moment, still unaware of Tai’dqei’s presence. He was beginning to consider killing the two in order to get further with his own investigation when a disembodied voice crackled from the guards’ own gauntlets. “Hey, you two. You’re needed out by the 1970s kitchen. We think someone’s holed up in the vent there.”
Both Canoids sighed and rose from their chairs, making their way to the door. One of them issued back a reply, “Right, right. Heading there now.”
Just like that, the two left their post. Leaving the security office completely unlocked.
Tai’dqei watched them go, mentally haranguing them for lacking awareness. If they hadn’t been so terrible at their job, he wouldn’t have gotten the answers he needed. Turning back to the security footage, he crept closer to the screens.
He stared at the image of Zav in full offensive mode. Tai’dqei rarely saw a Florizian in full attack mode, but he recognized the spiky vines and massive growth of the body well enough. It appeared Zav was snarling at a door or wall.
Whatever, or whoever, on the other side likely wasn’t opening up any time soon.
Next to the screen displaying Zav, another screen showed a room tightly packed with humans. ‘Interior 1950s Bunker’ flashed in the corner. None of the humans looked toward the camera. Tai’dqei wasn’t even sure they knew a camera was there.
He frantically scanned, seeking Rayelle. In the far edges of the screen, he found other humans leaning over prone companions. Faintly, he wondered if she had been hurt. Was she among those lying recumbent, needing more medical help than what an aid kit could provide? Or worse?
The very idea she was worse off than the injured made his heart give a violent twist. He continued to carefully scan the security footage.
Finally, his eyes found her crouched in the corner of the room nearest the door and he involuntarily gave a relieved chuff. The quality of the vid didn’t allow him to gauge her expression. Her body language, on the other hand, appeared tired and strained. Of course, that was only to be expected if she took part in or even orchestrated this chaos.
His main concern assuaged a fraction, Tai’dqei raised his wrist gauntlet. Despite whatever communication jamming tech the enemy had initiated, he located a satellite signal. It took him longer to ping a comm off his gauntlet on a frequency no one would notice. As soon as his encrypted communique shot into space, calling in reinforcements with an explanation of the circumstances, he turned back to the security console.
A number of options spun about his head, but it didn’t take long to choose one. He needed to ruin the system, make it impossible for the enemy to utilize security capabilities.
Removing a gadget from his belt, Tai’dqei slapped it to the side of the computer. Released from their container, the nanobots ate into the metal of the console and were soon on their way to destroying the system from the inside out. He cast one more look at the screens, dedicating the mental map to memory while locating the power grid and generators.
Once sufficiently prepared, he was going to rain hell on anyone non-human. Then, with the immediate dangers taken care of, he’d find Rayelle. He just had to hope she – and the door – could hold out until then.
Tai’dqei slid from the security office, purpose and plan in place.
A ja-tau’s fury was something to behold. And these fuckers were about to beholden it.
AT FIRST, RAYELLE THOUGHT they were trying to smoke out the AWOL humans. Everyone in the bunker tensed as lights flickered and dimmed. A cacophony of different alarms sounded before draining away, as if their batteries had died over the course of a few minutes. More frantic panic bled into the bunker from the halls. Screams and trotting feet, most of it leading away from their shelter.
Then more shouts as bodies and footfalls rushed the other way, past the door to the bunker. Some of the hollering ended abruptly, but Rayelle couldn’t determine if it was due to voluntary or involuntary means.
Glancing around at the others assembled with her, everyone seemed to wear a similar concerned expression.
Something was wrong.
Well, something else was wrong.
Nervousness skittered across her skin, forcing her to rise from her crouch. Fright jolted through her when the lights fully gave up, plunging everything into darkness. Slow blinking emergency lights, charged by a generator somewhere, illuminated the world. The red hues, fading in and out of the dark, weren’t helping the general anxiety.
“What the fuck is going on?” Abe’s voice warbled between a concerned whisper and a brusque snarl.
“I think something is happening,” she answered, cutting through the hushed theories. At the awkward quiet that hung in the air after her words, she sighed and amended, “Other than our rebellion.”
