7. Varkul
Varkul
The human research facility is an insult to the land. A gleaming metal structure perched atop a hill, gleaming in the hot sun.
Well-fortified, I’ll admit.
Armed guards patrol the perimeter with military precision. Watchtowers dot the landscape, their gun barrels tracking every movement. The fence surrounding this land is thick and razor-edged.
The humans are afraid of something.
Or perhaps of everything .
“This looks like a fortress,” Garomshir murmurs, his voice low. “Are you sure this is the right place?”
“This is where the human told me to meet him.”
I scan the facility, committing every detail to memory.
“Now you know where it is. I will enter alone. If I do not return by the next full moons, you will know they are holding me against my will.”
Garomshir bares his sharp teeth in a grin. “Then I will burn this place to the ground.”
“If they send a message and it does not contain the words red dawn, you will know it did not come from me.”
He nods. “Understood.”
I clasp his forearm, feeling the strength of my brother-in-arms one last time. “Do not rest until you’ve reached the safety of our lands. Now go.”
Garomshir squeezes my arm before releasing me. “Stay alive, Varkul. I will see you soon.”
I wait in the underbrush, muscles coiled, watching until my brother vanishes into the thick jungle. Only when I am certain he is gone do I rise and step into the open.
The response is immediate.
A dozen human guards swarm my position, weapons raised, their voices sharp and filled with panic.
Their words are garbled nonsense to my ears, but their meaning is clear. Halt. Submit .
I raise my hands. “Kelly,” I growl. “Kel-Ly. Take me to him.”
One of the guards touches a device at his ear. The others hold their ground, gripping their ugly weapons with nervous hands. Their eyes dart between each other, their heartbeats hammering, the stench of their sweat thick in the hot air.
They stink of fear.
They should fear me.
I tower over these weaklings. If I wanted to, I could crush the windpipe of the man closest to me, rip his feeble spine from his fragile body, and use it to bludgeon the rest into oblivion.
Humans are small, weak, brittle-boned beings… but their weapons are dangerous.
Humans fight without honor. They do not meet their enemies in battle, eye-to-eye, blade-to-blade.
They hide. They spit tiny shards of metal from a distance. Bullets , they call them.
At first, we orcs laughed at their pathetic attempts to wound us. Their small-caliber rounds were like the bites of gnats. Annoying, but harmless.
But humans are cunning little creatures. They adept. They learn .
They changed their weapons. Changed their bullets. And now, those bullets pierce even the thickest orc flesh. They wound. They kill .
In order to survive, we orcs will need to be like the humans. We must adapt.
The stand-off continues for a few tense minutes, the air filled with the threat of violence.
And then the outer door of the facility hisses open. A thin man steps out, dressed in white, his slicked-back hair gleaming in the sun. He spreads his arms in an exaggerated gesture of welcome, his teeth flashing in a too-wide grin as he speaks to me in the orc tongue.
“Varkul! You made it! So good to see you!”
He turns to his men, speaking in his quick tongue. The guards hesitate, then lower their weapons. Reluctantly. Their fingers still hover near their triggers.
“Apologies for this welcome party,” Dr. Kelly says, adjusting his thick-rimmed glasses. “Everyone’s a bit… on edge. Had a little incident the other day. Pack of velociraptors tore through camp. Made off with one of the privates. Radcliffe? No. Rawlson. Ah, doesn’t matter. You’re here now! Welcome!”
I narrow my eyes. “You sound surprised. Did you not expect me to come?”
“Not at all!” He waves a hand dismissively. “I know how important offspring is to your people. And who can resist the potential for a good mating , hmm? Now please, follow me!”
I step forward, following him inside. The soldiers trail behind me, their weapons lowered but their bodies tense.
The moment I cross the threshold into the facility the door slams shut behind me. Another set of metal door seals the way ahead.
“What’s the meaning of this?” I growl.
Kelly’s voice drifts in through a hidden speaker, muffled by the thick iron doors. “Oh, just a simple precaution, nothing to worry about. This is called an airlock. We use it to purify the air, keep any nasty jungle diseases from getting into our lab. I’m sure you understand!”
A sharp hiss fills the chamber.
The air shifts. Thickens.
Poison .
I hold my breath, but it’s already too late. My limbs grow heavy, my thoughts sluggish. The edges of my vision blur.
Damn them. I expected treachery — but so soon?
I slam my fist into the metal door. The entire chamber trembles. A deep dent blooms where my knuckles connected. Satisfying… but not enough.
Darkness swallows me.
As I slip into the void,I see the vague outline of a door opening. A thin man steps inside.
“Well, that worked like a charm.”
A chuckle.
“Put him in cell 6-A. God, look at the size of him. What a beast. What a specimen !”
The voice lowers.
“I can’t wait to see the new girl’s face when she lays eyes on him. She’s arriving today, isn’t she?” A pause. “Ah, I’ve got a good feeling about her!”
Then…
Nothing .