The Cursed Sun

I took the lead in climbing the ladder. As we clambered down, a great shout could be heard from outside. The shout soon became a wail of panic. From the sound, I surmised that the gate had been broken, allowing the Mutan host inside. This thought only made me move faster than before since it would only take a few minutes for the enemy to brush aside the remaining Mujadeen soldiers. After that, their attention would be turned to the silo, meaning we would be trapped inside. The light coming from above became less with each step further down into the gloom. The missile was now nearly touching our backs; a metallic obelisk of the past that was minutely vibrating with some unknown power. I wished I had the time to investigate this object at my leisure, but events were moving too quickly.

  It was a relief when I finally touched bottom. As I waited for Suvan, I looked at the opening above. The pale light of the blue sky was only a distant disk above us. Down here, all I could smell was dust, but the dim surroundings looked to be free of decay. I really wondered if this relic could really be operational. Surely such a complicated piece of machinery could not last all these years without some kind of critical piece malfunctioning. But what did I know of such technology?

  When Suvan had joined me on the silo floor, we began searching the walls for some way out of this pit. In the darkness, the collection of machinery and piping attached to the walls made this difficult. I was about to give up hope when a row of red lights that ringed the base of the floor lit up. Somewhere beyond the walls, a high-pitched bell started to ring. The glow of this new unexpected light was enough for Suvan to locate a small closed hatch. With a twist of a lever, I had it open. Inside there was a bright, unnatural light. Without a hint of caution, Suvan immediately crawled through.

  Before I went, I glanced one more time to the sky above. With little surprise, I saw the face of Tahn and several Mutans looking down at me. In another moment I slipped through the opening, hoping we would find some way to escape this trap alive.

  I found myself on my knees in a well-lit hallway. About to stand, my motion was cut-off by the unexpected words of Rasid.

  “Well, if it isn’t my old friend, Mikel.” He was standing with Suvan, his arm around her neck and his pistol pointed at her head. “Though you may think otherwise, I’m glad to see that you are still alive. But down here, who knows how much longer that will be. But I will allow you to stand now.”

  I do so, staring at him with hatred. I also saw that Suvan’s eyes were wide with fear, her lips slightly parted as if she was about to speak. I said impatiently, “The Mutans are close behind. It won’t take long for them to figure out how to get in here.”

  Rasid laughed. “By that time, my friend, it will be too late for them to stop me. Now move it!” He pushed Suvan roughly forward, and I made the pretense of meekly following her. There was nothing to gain but my own death if I rushed him or even went for my own pistol hidden under my shirt. Rasid followed us, his gun trained on my back. We went down the hallway, the white tiled floor thick with dust that had been recently trampled by many boots. At the end of this passage was another metal door which Rasid motioned for Suvan to open. Once she had, he waved his gun at us, motioning us to go through.

  Suvan went first, and I followed her in. The sight that greeted me inside was beyond anything that I had ever seen before. Around a low and long desk sat three men in plastic chairs. One of them was Hussen, who only stopped his work to give me a malicious grin. Their concentration was on the lit panels in front of them. It was a unfathomable mess of words, symbols and chaotic movement that I could make little sense of. The rest of the room was painted in a flat gray except for the far wall which was dominated by a larger lit panel that showed a map with symbols on it.

  When Rasid saw my confusion, he said, “That’s something called a display. Or so I have been told. The computer, or electronic machine, is used for targeting the missile. I’ve been told it’s quite accurate, but with the power of this particular missile, it doesn’t have to be a direct hit.”

  Suvan’s fear gave away to curiosity. “But the electricity,” she asked, “where does it come from?”

  Rasid replied, “I’ve been told that there’s a small power plant buried underneath us. The technicians told me there is enough energy there to run this place for another hundred years. Simply amazing, isn’t it? The Ancients were truly masters of their craft. It’s too bad they never got a chance to see this particular missile used. I’m sure they would have been pleased to see it still work after all these years.”

  I replied suspiciously, “You said something about targeting.”

  His dark eyes shined with excitement. “Very astute of you, Mikel. I always thought you were too smart for the likes of Ewark. You see I was given an order from the Warlord himself to finally put an end to the Rebels. Thanks to you and Hussen, I’ve tracked down their location. The power of their Council is that of a mayfly – completely ineffectual. But still, they continue to defy the Warlord and his glorious power. That is reason enough for what I am about to do. With the use of this ancient weapon, I will finally put the matter to rest. I’m going to destroy them with just the push of a button.”

  I looked at Rasid like he was a madman. And perhaps he was. “But what of the Mutans? They are surely more of a threat than the Rebels. Look at what they just did to Ewark, destroying your army in the process.”

  With his free hand, he gave me a dismissive wave. “Ewark doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things. Once the Rebels are killed off, the Mutans will be easy enough to destroy. The Warlord and his army will see to that.”

  “You’re a fool!” I shouted. “There are thousands of Mutans in the city. I’ve seen what they can do, just as you did when they beat you in battle. They will overrun and destroy every last city until there is nothing left of humanity.”

  Rasid just stared blankly at me, ignoring my pleas.

  Hussen then stood up from the desk. He turned and bowed to the sub-Vizier. He said, “Everything is ready, master.”

  “Are you sure this will work?” Rasid asked.

  “As we were told by the technicians, the instructions were quite clear, sir. The coordinates have been entered, and it only takes your word to fire the missile. The proper codes have been entered and the fire button is ready for you to push.”

  “Never mind me. Just fire it now,” Rasid said with a voice that was as cold as ice.

  “As you command,” Hussen answered.

  While they were talking, I had slipped the gun out of my from under my shirt. Since Rasid was busy addressing the man, he did not see the movement until it was too late. I stretched out my arm and fired the gun, striking Rasid point-blank in the chest. His eyes went wide with shock as the blood began seeping from the wound. The hand that held the gun went slack, and he slid to the floor, his eyelids fluttering. He let out a single groan before he was silent and still.

  Suvan merely stared at me, perhaps forgetting that I still carried a pistol.

  Hussen looked at me wide-eyed, his expression one of dismay.

  I said angrily, "I want you to get out of here. Take the other two and just leave!"

  “But the Mutans! We’re trapped down here,” he pleaded.

  “Then I guess you’ll have to take that chance- just like we will when we have to leave.”

  "Very well," he gulped. With the wave of my pistol, the other two men left the desk and they quickly exited together through the door.

  “Take Rasid’s gun,” I ordered Suvan.

  She quickly complied, pulling the pistol from his clasp. She looked at with interest and then smiled. "You are a murderous brute when you want to be. But why did you let Hussen go?"

  “What choice did I have? We have to disarm that weapon before someone else figures out how to use it. I would rather have Hussen out of here instead of him taking a chance and firing the missile. Anyway, I need to save my bullets for the Mutans when we try to make our escape.”


  “We can destroy the computer,” Suvan suggested.

  “Good, let's get started.”

  Before we had a chance, there was a sudden scream. I ducked my head out the door and saw Hussen come running back in our direction. He was being chased by a pack of Mutans. The two other men had been too slow and were already lying on the floor, dead. They were covered with blood. Hussen was quickly cut down by a few slashes of the blade. Behind the foul creatures stood Tahn. I shut the door, wishing I could lock it.

  “What is it?” Suvan whispered, looking up from the screens in front of her.

  “It's Tahn. He's here.”

  “What are we going to do?”

  I felt the heft of my pistol in my hand. “Chances are we're going to die.”

  She reached over and grabbed my hand. “Then let's die together.”

  I took a step towards her and kissed her on the mouth. The overhead light suddenly went out, only to be replaced by a flashing red strobe. I turned and saw Rasid hunkered over the desk with his hands over the control panels. He turned, gave me one last leer, and then slumped to the ground.

  Running over, I grabbed the front of his tunic and began to shake him. “What did you do? What did you do?” I shouted. But it was too late for answers since Rasid was finally dead.

  The ground beneath my feet began to tremble. The red light above began to swirl at a faster rate, and the ringing bell started to ring louder than before. Meanwhile, Suvan rushed over to the desk and began to randomly push buttons. It was only a moment when the door burst open. The Mutans rushed into the room, their swords held high in the air.

  Chapter 33