13. Tyrxie
Chapter 13
Tyrxie
Clear
H yanxa rocks back and forth, her body taught, preparing for her crazy sprint through the laser matrices. Worry for her safety compels me to speak. “You don’t have to do this, Hyanxa,” I plead, shaking my head in disbelief.
Hyanxa tuts, “We both know I do. Now shut up. I need to concentrate,” she reprimands before turning to Felixus, who’s frowning. “Which room has the control center?”
“The first on the left,” Felixus mutters, unable to meet her stern, determined gaze.
“Right... I got this.” Hyanxa takes a deep breath, while my heart pounds in my chest just watching her, wondering how she’s not shaking. “I go on the next one. Be ready, Job.” She leans forward, poised, her eyes fixated down the ominous silent corridor, calculating her every move.
“Throw!” she commands.
Job tosses a bolt, and instantly, the laser grid flares to life, beams disintegrating the small object in a flurry of light. In the same heartbeat, Hyanxa sprints forward with an almost unbelievable speed, her movements fluid and precise.
As the bolt is destroyed, Hyanxa snaps flush to the wall, spreading her arms wide, freezing in place, even muting her breathing. My pulse races and I struggle to watch, knowing she’s only a quarter of the way down the lethal corridor. Any misstep, any unnecessary mistake spells death.
“Throw!” she shouts again, and another bolt flies down the corridor, triggering the lasers. She ducks and rolls, narrowly avoiding the deadly beams. When the bolt is snuffed out, Hyanxa balances on her hands and the tip of her toes, prone to the ground.
My heart pounds as I watch her, every muscle in my body tense. Hyanxa continues this dangerous dance, shouting commands, and dodging the lasers with incredible agility. With each bolt thrown, she gains precious time for her next move.
Finally, after what feels like an eternity, Hyanxa reaches the end of the corridor, breathless but unscathed. She turns back to us, a triumphant smile lighting up her face as she loosens her long red hair, letting it cascade past her shoulders.
We all cheer, a heady mixture of relieved laughter and awe for Hyanxa’s stunning bravery and skill. She laughs before darting to the control center room. “Good work, Job,” I congratulate the Glaseroid who’s returning his assortment of objects into his pockets with shaking hands.
“I merely throw away precious materials. Yes?” Job replies, causing me to frown, once again wondering if he’s ever happy.
My eyes scan the room, hoping to glean any indication that Hyanxa has disabled the laser grid, but I find nothing. “All clear!” Hyanxa calls out after a moment.
Quad steps forward, but Felixus stops him with a hand. “Better to be sure, lad,” he intones as he tosses a small object down the corridor. We all watch with bated breath as the item hurtles through the air unmolested, emitting a beautiful clang as it bounces unharmed along the ground.
Like blissful music to my ears!
Elated, we all hurry down the corridor to join Hyanxa. Entering the room, I’m struck by the sheer number of large computers aligning the walls. They reach floor to ceiling, white and blinking with multi-colored lights, emitting a collective whirling buzz. Hyanxa scratches her head with a grimace, standing over the red-colored holographic console in the center.
“That was incredible,” I tell Hyanxa, my voice filled with genuine awe.
She shrugs, a modest grin on her face. “Easy, just like the old days.” Hyanxa’s attention soon shifts back to the console, her smile turning to a grimace. “Except in the old days, computers voiding worked!” She slaps the terminal in frustration.
“Don’t bloody break it!” Felixus interjects, rushing over to shove Hyanxa out of the way with surprising force. “I spent months getting this set up, networking each terminal in this whole fortress together. Cost a clean fortune, just to have some blockhead hit my beautiful lady,” he laments, darting his hands over the console.
Sounds like he’s spent too much time alone with it.
“Oh, stop, you’re making me jealous,” Hyanxa retorts, her tone dripping with sarcasm as she rubs her arm.
Felixus scoffs, his hands continuing to fly over the controls with impressive speed. “Good, we haven’t been discovered yet, but it won’t be long until someone finds the mess we’ve left at the last checkpoint.” His gaze shifts between me and Hyanxa. “I could seal the outer doors. It might tip them off sooner, but will be another barrier for them to force open.”
“Seal them,” I say without hesitation. “It’ll buy us more time, and it might look like system failure, rather than two naked guards jammed into a container and a melted door.”
Felixus chuckles, his hands working quickly. “Done.” The crimson holographic morphs, showing a massive layout of the entire palace. “I’ve just shut down all the other security systems and doors.”
My eyes dart over the glowing map, barely hearing Felixus, only wanting to know the location of the cells. “Where are the bastards keeping him?” I ask, unable to hide my desperation. I reach out through our bond, feeling my stomach churn with frantic worry, knowing he’s in such pain, weak and fading fast. “Somewhere below.” I point downward and to the left.
“Yeah,” Felixus confirms, exchanging a look with Hyanxa, who only shrugs. “How’d you know?” he asks incredulously.
“Blockheaded Klendathian superstition,” I reply absently, looking for the location of the stairs as Felixus scoffs.
“Hmm, ventilation control nearby. Could deploy flesh-eater virus? No?” Mod chimes in, stroking the area below his mouth.
“Voidsons!” Felixus recoils as if struck. “We’re trying to rescue Xandor. Not exterminate all life!” He rounds on Mod, disdain etched on his face. “And that reminds me. Set your weapons to non-lethal. I don’t want this turning into a bloodbath if it can be helped. These are my people, after all.”
Hyanxa sighs, but I lead the way, flicking the switch on my laser rifle. I’m not keen to kill potential friends of Felixus , but whoever’s been tormenting my Xandor—they will suffer. My hands curl into fists, shaking of their own accord.
“Use nerve agent instead. Produces unconsciousness; aftereffect perhaps mild headache? No?” Mod persists, his antennae fluttering.
“No!” I snap back. “It might hurt, Xandor.” Mod’s antennae droop as he lets out a sigh.
“What’s that room, Tiniest?” Quad booms nearby, stiffening my spine. “Room with fist, means bashing?” He glares at Felixus, open-mouthed.
Felixus squints at the red projection. “Kind of. It’s the armory not far from the stairwell,” he answers, wincing as if he regrets the words.
“Bashing!” Quad declares, smashing his meaty fists together, causing Felixus to flinch backwards. “We grab red tech, we bash many tiny’s.” He looks at Felixus with a bowed head. “No offense.”
“What’s a sprinkle more offense upon the megaton of others!” Felixus declares, rubbing his thick brows. “I said I didn’t want this turning into a bloodbath.”
More tech could only help us, especially if things go sideways.
“We can set the weapons to stun, right?” I inquire, looking to Felixus, who nods with affirmation. “And I promise we’ll return everything once we’re done here,” I declare, side-eyeing Mod, who’s in the process of hiding his laser pistol in his long coat, prompting him to stop with a shrug.
“Fine,” Felixus grumbles, folding his arms.
“Come on, we’ve wasted enough time,” I urge, turning to exit the room.
“Wait. One more thing,” Felixus declares, his hands darting over the console. “There! I’ve faked an incoming Scythian attack near the Imperial palace. Some defenses will be sent packing, only to wait on their arse.” He lets out a short laugh.
“Great job.” I smile at Felixus, my voice filled with honest gratitude. Excitement surges within me. On the verge of finding my love, this desperate mission is going better than I dared hope. “I’ll go first,” I declare, exiting the central control room.
Casting nervous glances down either end of the corridor, I’m relieved it’s clear. With my rifle snug to my shoulder, I take careful steps, inching down the passage, my senses sharp to the faintest noise, the briefest flicker.
I won’t mess up, not when I’m so close.
Hyanxa follows close behind, stalking with grace—the others not so much. I’ve worked with quieter hyperdrive engines! But I forge ahead, ignoring the other rooms, knowing the location of the stairwell lies at the end of the corridor.
The dull sound of distant voices prompts me to halt with a raised hand. Peering down my rifle sight, heart pounding, I see two purple-clad Nebian guards conversing. I signal to the others, then glide into a prone position, silent as the void. Hyanxa joins me, mirroring my actions.
Through the scope, I see them clearly under the bright blue lights from the ceiling. The Nebians share a laugh, gesturing back and forth. They have no right to smile, not while Xander suffers under their watch. With practiced precision, I align my reticule to the left guard’s forehead, taking a deep breath and holding it, my fingers caressing the trigger, smooth as polished arcweave.
“Fire!” I roar,
Crimson bursts forth, bathing the blue-lit, white-walled corridor in red. My laser blast strikes home, never in doubt. But to my stunned surprise, a red shimmer pulses around my target. “Voiding laser shields!” I yell, noticing the guards turning in shock, reaching to level their own rifles.
I waste no time unleashing a flurry of precision strikes. Time appears to slow as each laser streak, hit’s the guard’s chest, yet his shield continues to absorb the damage. The Nebian’s gun, aimed in my direction, forces me to suppress a flinch, knowing each microsecond is crucial.
Just fall, just fall, just fall.
I plead silently, pelting his stubborn laser shield with more accurate shots. Then, in answer to my frantic prayers, the red shimmering shield blinks out of existence. My next burst of accurate shots strikes his chest, folding him over in an instant. But before I can savor my fleeting victory, red blasts sear the ground beside me, the sparks stinging my hand.
I wince, and gasp in shock, seeing Hyanxa’s target now prone, returning fire. My heart pounds in my chest, knowing we’re defenseless against her attacks. Hyanxa’s shots aren’t as accurate as mine, veering off in various directions, close but not close enough. Distance shooting isn’t her specialty—but it is mine.
My shots ripple the female guard’s shield, hoping to jar her aim and prevent her from killing us. Despite my blasts, her retaliations come thick and fast, scorching the surrounding walls, growing dangerously closer with each attempt.
Hyanxa yells in pain, clutching her wrist and dropping her rifle. My heart sinks, but I dare not stop. I blast flurries of crimson beams, each warping and undulating the target’s shield. I gasp as one of her reprisals singes my hair, the frightening scorching heat too close to my ear. But with clenched teeth I remain steady, not giving an inch, not a nanometer, not until one of us falls.
Then, as I expect her next burst to find its mark, my blasts finally penetrate her laser shields, striking her head. She turns limp in an instant and I suck in gulping breaths, each lungful a taste of victory for the air I was holding back to steady my aim. “You okay Hyanxa?” I ask between breaths.
Hyanxa rises, clutching her wrist. “The bitch caught me good,” she winces. I turn round, looking for the others who, to my chagrin, have all retreated down the hall.
“All clear!” I shout, reaching down to help Hyanxa up. I grimace at the sight of blood running down her arm. “Can you still fight?” I ask, cutting a stripe of cloth from my shirt.
“I can still use this.” Hyanxa smiles, patting her ballistic machine pistol. The others catch up, their eyes darting between Hyanxa’s injury and the two fallen guards. “Mod, you got any of that sweet, sweet healing ointment?” she asks.
Mod retrieves one of his jars—the black oily one that I’ve become far too familiar with recently. “Perhaps I charge next time. Ingredients expensive. No?” He comments, handing the jar over.
“You’re getting paid plenty,” I remind him, watching Hyanxa dowse her wound and the strip of cloth in generous amounts of the black oily substance before wrapping her arm.
“Here, take this,” Hyanxa offers her fallen laser rifle to Quad, who only turns it over with increasing disdain.
“You take.” Quad shoves the gun towards Felixus, his lips curled in disgust, like Xandors face when he eats Nutripaste.
“Let’s get Xandor and get the void out of here,” I declare, guiding us down the corridor. The air is tense, every step echoing in the silence. Each room passed with bated breath. My grip tightens on my rifle, my mind racing with thoughts of Xandor.
“Oh!” Hyanxa shudders, throwing her head back. “Hmm, I love when the liquid hits just right,” she moans, breaking the silence. As we pass the two fallen guards, I scrutinize them, turning them over with my foot. But they’re frozen in place, stiff as arcweave with glassy eyes.
I check my gun, ensuring it’s on stun mod, frowning. “They aren’t dead, are they?” I ask, seeing no holes punched through them.
Felixus leans down, inspecting the two, scrunching his face. “Oh no. But they’ll be out for a few hours yet.” His words bring the smallest hint of relief, my anger for Xandors suffering still simmering. Hyanxa holsters her gun, snatching up a laser pistol from the guards, using her good hand.
As I motion to continue, a sudden movement catches my attention, hitching my breath. A door to my right slides open. I raise my rifle, but Quad’s bulk blocks my view.
“Who... who are—” a male voice begins, his high pitch a clear indication of his shock and terror.
“Hello!” Quad booms, before clapping his four hands together. The sound of a body hitting the ground follows, like a sack of trade goods.
My eyes dart around, awaiting more enemies but seeing none. As Quad steps aside, a pleased smile etched upon his deep-set features, he reveals the collapsed form of a Nebian wearing a long translucent polymer coat. “Voidsons!” Felixus exclaims, moving to inspect the fallen Nebian. “I’ve done work with this scientist before,” he adds, shaking his head.
“Now he can take the rest of the day off,” I jest, eager to get a move on, knowing the armory lies next door. “Quad, take these three and bundle them into this room,” I gesture to the collapsed Nebians, worry gnawing at me that we’ll be discovered soon.
“Okay!” Quad yells, yanking the load-snoring scientist in one arm like he’s carrying a toy. He moves to grab the others, whistling absently. I head towards the next room, standing aside the door, taking a deep breath. Hyanxa joins the other side. Giving a silent nod, I flash a hand in front, the door sliding open in response.
No voices, no sound—the way is clear.