Mistrunner - Chapter 47 - The Dead Zone (Patreon)

The ruins of a dead civilization haunt me. So many things that we used to take for granted have faded into memory. Even more have been forgotten entirely. Just like billions of people who were unprepared for a world in transition.

Jeremiah Braddock III

Trekking through the Dead Zone was a novel experience. It wasn’t unpleasant, just strange. However, it only took a few hundred yards for me to understand why so few people passed into the territory.

I sank back into the underbrush as I stared at an enormous turkey. I’d never actually seen one of them in person, but I’d seen videos of the birds. And instead of the twenty-pound creature the name usually referred to, this one was at least ten times that size, with wickedly curved talons and a beak that was currently ripping through the flesh of some other, unidentifiable carcass.

I sat back on my heels as I watched the monstrous bird tear into its meal, remaining as silent and unobtrusive as I could. It wasn’t easy; the turkey wasn’t that far away, and I suspected that it could cover the ground between us with some alacrity. Fortunately, I had plenty of experience sitting still, so I maintained my silence and stillness until it’d had its fill. Once it did, it moved away with its high steps and bobbing head. Still, I remained motionless for quite some time, not wanting to draw its attention. Eventually, though, I climbed to my feet and set off to the northwest, which was where I hoped to find the Rift.

As I walked, I encountered more of the mutated wildlife, but each time, I managed to avoid clashing with them. However, each meeting further reaffirmed that the Dead Zone was an incredibly dangerous place. Not only were the animals bigger and far more deadly, but even the plants had gotten in on the action, albeit far more subtly. For instance, late in the day, I realized that I’d been stumbling in circles for hours under the influence of some sort of narcotic spores. Once I knew what was going on, I was able to counteract it with a med-hypo, but it was a harsh reminder of just how bad things could go. If I’d run into a deadly predator during that episode, I would have probably died. More, I suspected that, without the increased effectiveness of medication that came with my Triageability, the med-hypo wouldn’t have been nearly as effective.

Resolving to be ever vigilant, I continued on my way.

My next potentially deadly encounter occurred on my second day in the Dead Zone. I’d camped out in a surprisingly sturdy, old cabin, so I was well-rested. Thankfully, I saw the snake a split second before it struck, and I was able to twist out of the way. But that didn’t save me from the thing’s second head. Or the third. By the fourth, I was scrambling away as fast as I could.

Frantically, I summoned my medical kit from my Arsenal Implant and retrieved a generic anti-venom. In seconds, I’d jabbed the hypo into my thigh and depressed the pneumatic plunger. It unloaded with a hiss, and just in time, too. I was already feeling the effects of the venom burning through my veins. With the anti-venom combatting it, it slowed to a stop and started to retreat.

That’s when I took a moment to look at my adversary.

With four heads stemming from a serpentine body as big around as my thigh, the snake had mottled green and brown scales. Each of its heads were poised and ready for a strike, and I heard a subdued rattle coming from its rear.

Without further hesitation, I summoned my nano-sword – mostly because my firearms would be far too loud and might attract the wrong sorts of attention. Adopting a stance I’d learned from Simon, I held the sword in front of me, the blade perpendicular to the ground. So, when the snake next struck, it only took a flick of my wrist to subtly knock it aside. My goal wasn’t to block, but rather to redirect.

It worked, and by the time the next head came at me, I was ready. And the next after that. Once they’d cycled through once again, I went on the offensive, slicing into the thing’s thick neck and using Eviscerate. The blade cut deep, only stopping when I heard the metallic ting of my sword colliding with its steel spine.

I wasn’t going to let that dissuade me, though. And over the next few minutes, I fell into a rhythm of parry and counterattack that eventually left the mutated snake in tatters. The extra bleeding that came with Eviscerate proved effective as the creature’s movements grew ever more sluggish. Eventually, after repeated strikes, I severed one of the heads. After that, the fight resolved itself pretty quickly, though I did take a couple more bites for my trouble. Once it was finished, I treated myself with more anti-venom, used a med-hypo, then resumed my trek through the woods.

Over the next couple of days, I fought and killed a host of different animals. Some were little different, at least in terms of form, if not size, from what I’d learned about in school, but others were so mutated that I had trouble even identifying them, aside from a basic classification. Still, my training served me well, and with each passing hour, my edge was further sharpened by the life and death struggles of traversing the Dead Zone.

On the third day, I reached my destination.

I knelt at the tree line studying the vast meadow before me. It was mostly clear, but with curious flat-topped mounds scattered throughout the area. I had no idea what they were there for; nor did they really hold my attention. Not with the obvious settlement nestled on the opposite side of the clearing.

Walls that looked to have been made of metal and plastic jutted from the ground, reached a height of thirty feet, with towers doubling that. Glyphs that I interpreted as some sort of alien glyphs decorated the walls, but what really drew my attention were the robots manning the towers.

They were mostly humanoid, as far as I could tell, though they were equipped with two extra arms. And they carried weapons that didn’t look so different from my Kicker. I couldn’t help but wonder if they were as proficient as I was. Or, given that they were alien robots, perhaps even more so. That notion sent a shiver of fear up my spine.

After a few more minutes, I got my first glimpse of the aliens who had built the fort. And I was a little disappointed when, from a distance, it looked little different from a human. Two arms. Two legs. An otherwise normal body. However, its skin was bright red, its hair was a vivid blue, and it had pointed ears.

It was standing on one of the towers next to a robot, its eyes searching the surrounding area. Its eyes swept over me, but because I was using my various skills and abilities to remain hidden, its search proved fruitless. However, I couldn’t help but hold my breath until I was sure that it hadn’t seen me.

Like that, hours passed as I observed the area. It took a while, but I eventually realized that the security was quite lax. Aside from the robots, which posed an unknown threat, there was never more than one alien in the towers. It made sense, I supposed. The robots, along with the walls, would likely be more than a match for the animals in the area.  And it wasn’t as if there were any people about.

Other than the ones in the fort, at least.

I didn’t see much of them, but the few glimpses I got were enough to set my blood to boiling. They were almost entirely naked, save for loincloths, but from what I could see, they seemed perfectly happy, with smiles etched upon their faces. But there was something wrong. Something I couldn’t quite put my finger on.

It was just one more issue, though. First, I needed to figure out a way to deal with the robots. Then, the aliens. And finally, the people inside. After that, I would be free to confront the Rift and whatever mysteries it held. My uncle hadn’t been very forthcoming about it, which he had acknowledged, only saying that every Rift was different. If I was to delve them, I would need to get used to adjusting according to whatever I found inside.

After a few more hours, I retreated a couple of miles away to make my camp. The aliens seemed content to remain huddled up in the fort, so I didn’t think I had anything to fear from them finding me. Still, I found a decent campsite which was concealed in the ruins of an old house.

As I went about the routine of eating, cleaning up as best I could, and attending to my other needs, I gave my problems some thought. For the robots, I had what I thought was a pretty decent plan. If it worked, I could get in and out without having to wake the entire forest up with a gunfight. If it didn’t, though…well, going loud was always an option.

For the aliens, I could only hope that they weren’t more perceptive than human beings. If they weren’t, I could deal with them. If not, I always had my guns. I didn’t want to get into a firefight, but sometimes, there wasn’t any other way. Or at least that was what Jeremiah always said. And in this instance, it made perfect sense.

As for the people, I expected that once I dealt with the other issues, the humans would take care of themselves. I even envisioned a situation where I led them all back to Mobile, where they could find fulfilling lives. I would be hailed as a hero.

First, though, I needed to spend quite a bit more time on reconnaissance. My experiences with my previous training missions had taught me that there was no such thing as too much information. So, I went to sleep, knowing full well that I had a long few days of observation ahead of me.

And for the next four days, that’s precisely what I did. I watched. I learned. And, thankfully, no real issues cropped up. The robots seemed incapable of perceiving me at a distance, and the aliens were largely disinterested. So, on the fifth night after I’d found the fort, I found myself slinking across the clearing on a mission to infiltrate the settlement.

I kept low to the ground, the high grass providing enough concealment that I felt certain that I wouldn’t be seen. Not with Camouflage masking my passage. Slowly, I approached the wall, moving only a few feet every minute. If I moved too quickly, I felt certain that the robots would detect me, regardless of my skills. Thankfully, I had been well trained, and my patience proved up to the task. So, by midnight, I was pressed against the wall and looking up at one of the towers.

It was a simple thing, just a few legs, a ladder, and a covered platform, upon which was a single robot. From my reconnaissance, I knew that the aliens wouldn’t send anyone out to check on things for at least another hour. I had plenty of time to enact my plan. So long as it worked, at least. I was still uncertain of whether or not it would.

I focused on the nearest robot and activated Misthack. Immediately, a message flashed across my screen:

Initiate Misthack? [Yes] or [No]

I quickly selected the first option, and, thankfully, found only trivial defenses. With practiced efficiency, I tore through the puzzles and equations until I completely overwhelmed the F-Grade Mistwall. I didn’t take any time to wonder why an alien civilization advanced enough to send its people to a new world would be so poorly defended. Instead, I pushed to the next prompt:

Misthack Successful. Options:

· Reboot System

· Overcharge

· Breach

The first option would give me a brief window in which I could climb the tower and physically subdue the robot. Perhaps I could have even use Mistwalkon it, which would give me a few more choices. The second option, which was intended to disable cybernetics via a pulse of destructive Mist, was even more attractive, especially if I wanted to permanently disable the sentry. But I chose the third, mostly because I’d spent my nights developing a very special Ghost for just this situation.

Breach Successful. Upload Ghost? [Yes] or [No]

· Options:

o Sleep Mode

o Red Herring

o Buzz

I had spent a good portion of my free time over the past year building and discarding various Ghosts, so I had plenty of others in my arsenal. Most were half-finished, barely effective, or unsuited to the task at hand, though. Still, I had what I needed, and I selected the very first option available to me. And as soon as I did, the robot powered down.

I couldn’t help but grin. The beauty of the Sleep Mode Ghost was that it would remain in effect until someone either rebooted the robot’s system or did damage to it. Otherwise, it would remain stationary and as unresponsive as a paperweight. Pity, then, that it was only usable on machines. Perhaps one day I would write a similar Ghost that could be used on biological entities. That would certainly make my life a lot easier. Or at least less violent.

Once I saw that my strategy for the first problem was viable, I quickly made my way around the perimeter of the fort, disabling the robots along the way. Each instance went a little more quickly until, by the last one, I could upload my Ghost in a matter of seconds. It was all too easy.

Of course, the moment that thought went through my head, I started looking for something to go wrong. I wasn’t necessarily superstitious, but you can only tempt fate so much before she starts to push back. Fortunately, I wasn’t immediately beset by enemies, which allowed me to move on to the next step: dealing with the aliens.

Unlike the robots, I knew this part was going to be bloody. So, after scaling the wall and dropping down on the other side, I darted into the deepest shadow I could find. It was just in time, too, because a red-hued alien soon made an appearance, turning a corner and crossing paths with the exact spot I’d just vacated.

Summoning my dagger, I waited until he passed me by before I crept up behind him. With practiced precision, I reached up, grabbed his blue hair, and swept by dagger across his throat. For good measure, I followed that up by plunging it into the base of his skull. He never got the opportunity to react, much less scream for help. Apparently, aliens were just as mortal as humans, and with the same vulnerable spots.

I dragged the deceptively heavy body into one of the shadows, then knelt down to inspect it. The alien was, indeed, very similar to a human, right down to the frozen expression of surprise on his face. And I was sure he was male, too. I checked. Call it morbid curiosity, but how often was I going to get the chance to take a peek at an alien’s junk? Either way, aside from his strangely-colored skin and blue hair, he didn’t seem any different than a thousand other people I’d seen in my life.

Oh, and he had pointed ears, which was strange enough, but not unheard of in places like Nova City, where people subjected themselves to all sorts of weird, cosmetic surgeries. I searched him, but I didn’t find anything worthwhile. Not even any cybernetics, which I found somewhat odd.

Once I was finished, I tried to hide the body as well as I could, dragging it even deeper into the shadows, before I took stock of the situation. Because of the relatively flat land, I’d been incapable of getting a good read on the fort’s layout, but now that I was inside, I saw that it was a pretty bare bones operation. There were only five windowless buildings, each made of the same metal-plastic hybrid as the walls, and looking entirely pre-fabricated, which they doubtless were.

I squatted next to one of the walls, thinking about my next move. Without being able to see into the buildings, I had no easy means of discerning what awaited me inside. More, with only one door, I had very little chance of stealth. So, I could either go in, guns blazing, or I could just wait outside, picking them off as they exited, one by one.

Logic dictated that the latter was far and away the safest option. So, remembering the mistakes of my previous missions, I decided to remain on the smart path. Without giving it much more thought, I scaled the wall and leapt atop one of the buildings, where I settled down to wait. When I did, I got my first peek at the Rift, and I have to say that it was an impressive sight.

My first impression was that it looked like a formless, blue prism, held in place by four mechanical arms. Those, according to Jeremiah’s descriptions, were the stabilizers. Without them, the rift itself would have been completely impassible. But with them? It was a doorway into a self-contained world. I had no idea what lay on the other side, but I watched as, periodically, one of the human captives, mostly naked and looking like they didn’t have a care in the world, entered or exited the prism. The ones coming from the Rift carried boxes which presumably contained Rift Shards.

A few minutes passed as I studied the people I had been sent to rescue. One and all, they wore broad smiles on their faces. It didn’t matter that many of them sported what looked like painful wounds. Nor did their obvious exhaustion seem to affect them. They grinned through it all, and I suspected that if I looked closer, I would see the glassy eyes so common amongst addicts.

An hour after I killed that first alien, another one emerged from one of the buildings. She moved with purpose as she made her way toward the one of the towers, so she never saw me as I dropped down on her from the building’s roof and buried my dagger in the top of her skull. After I inspected her – finding nothing – her corpse joined the other in the deep shadows between the building and the wall.

Like that, I proceeded to whittle them down throughout the night until, at last, they seemed to have caught on. I had already killed seven of them, which had obviously alerted the others enough that they sent four out to check on their comrades. This was a job for the sword.

As I had before, I killed the first by dropping down on top of him, severing his spine at the base of his skull along the way. Ripping my nano-sword out of his neck, I swept it around in a wide arc, gutting the second alien. The third had his face split in two by a vicious upward swing that took him first in the jaw.

I turned on the fourth, and she scrambled away from me, clear terror in her eyes. She muttered something unintelligible, but I neither understood nor cared about what she had to say. She turned to run, but her attributes were barely better than those of an unawakened human’s. So, it was child’s play to cut her down. In the space of a few seconds, I had killed four aliens.

It was not the battle I had expected.

Either way, all efforts at stealth were probably ruined, so I didn’t waste anymore time before stowing my blade and retrieving my Kicker from my Arsenal Implant. Then, I marched toward the door to the building from whence the aliens had come, and when the door slid open, I was unsurprised to see that it was empty.

I went inside, looking for a terminal, and after only a little searching through the various rooms – which looked little different from what I would expect from a human – I found one. Everything about the fort was wrong. I needed information. And the fastest way to obtain that would be the terminal. For most people, that would present a problem, given that almost all terminals had plenty of security. However, for me, it was little more than a speed bump.

I unraveled the cord concealed in my wrist, plugged it into the terminal, and using Mistwalk, quickly gained access. Once I had bypassed the terminal’s security, I set about learning as much as I could. And with each file I searched, I grew more aghast at what I found.