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The call to their grandfather was fruitless, and Sadie's room was empty with signs of a brief struggle. Callen swallowed hard. "Ania...I don't know what to do..."
"Grandpa will need info...your computer's in your room."
With his heart pounding, they ran to his room. Quickly he synced his goggles to his laptop and gazed out the window. Painted in the alien greens of night vision, he saw the six creatures moving like a well-trained military squad.
Ania looked outside. "They're there, coming out of the garden. They got Tende and Sadie..." She sounded worried. "How did we not run into them in the hall?"
"They were using the secret passages..." Callen whispered. "They had to be...now what are they?" Since his laptop was wirelessly connected to Mavis, he started a scan. Information about height, weight, body temperature and other information began popping up on the screen.
According to Mavis’s preliminary analysis, the creatures weren’t changelings and they weren’t goblins. Although, they did share a common ancestors with the two of them. Whatever was outside was something that wasn’t in the knight's registry. However, the words homunculus did pop up among Mavis’s related topics. However, the file was restricted.
Callen zoomed in on the creature with the computers seemingly growing from his body. The keyboards, touch-screens, and small monitors were seamlessly part of his flesh and bone. He carried a group of drones that were charging on a strange backpack contraption. On his belt hung a collection of parts that instantly reminded Callen of the bugs that Felix had shown him. Callen wondered if he could hack the drones and use them to rescue his friends.
With a smirk, he glanced at Ania as he unfolded his laptop. “I got an idea…here goes nothing…” Using Mavis as support, he began his hack. The code on his laptop scrolled as he pinged the creatures IP address and began stripping his defenses.
“Callen…I’ve got a bad…” Ania started to say.
Callen cut her off with a curse. “This guy’s too fast…his mind must be wired…” He cursed again. “He found us…”
Instantly, the computer creature turned back towards the rectory. The leader barked a command and three of the soldiers ran back towards the rectory. The computer creature followed a feminine creature in a cloak and a male with a large robotic arm into the compound. They didn't bother going for the hatch. They went straight for the front door.
"They're coming for us..." Ania's voice shook. “What are we gonna do?”
He cursed when they heard a noise on the stairs. The signs of a counter-hack appeared on Callen’s screen. “They’ll be here before I can do anything.” He disconnected his computer from the network and shoved it back in his bag. He put the bag on.
The physical threat had to take priority, but they had nothing. The creatures would be there in seconds. In a desperate attempt to find something to defend them with, he glanced around the room. He saw his multi-tool sitting on his desk. It wasn’t a weapon per-say, but at least it was something. He grabbed it as the door creaked and backed up behind his dresser.
"Hide," Ania whispered, and moved to hide behind under Callen's bed, but the door opened. She wasn't quick enough. The sound of a pneumatic gun firing several darts cut the silence in the room. The first dart hit Ania in the back, the second hit bed, the third hit the window and the last hit under the desk.
Callen covered his mouth, as Ania's body slumped to the ground. His heart pounded and he pressed his back tighter against the wall.
The disproportionately large robotic hand bashed the rest of the broken door out of the way. The cybernetic creature scanned the room. The creature knelt next to Ania. It sniffed her and barked something into the hall. Another voice answered. With his large arm, the creature in the room scooped up Ania and handed her over to one of the creatures in the doorway.
A feminine voice grumbled something Callen couldn't understand. Carefully, Callen peaked around the edge of the dresser. The large armed soldier handed Ania’s body to the cloaked female creature that was armed with a bow. She effortlessly took Ania over her shoulder and she disappeared down the hall. There were a few more verbal exchanges between the creatures and the computer creature motioned for the creature with a large robotic arm to continue searching the room.
Callen backed against the wall and he hoped for an opportunity. He tried to figure out something he could do, but if the creature looked the wrong way he was in trouble. Holding his breath, he waited and the big armed creature checked under the bed first. It hadn’t seen him. He only had a second at most before it turned around. If he was going to do something, he had to do it now, and since he was going to die soon anyway, he had nothing to loose.
Using what he knew best, he focused on the creature's cybernetic parts for any flaws. At the base of the creature’s skull, a bundle of wires protruded from it’s spinal column and connected to the large arm. He flipped open his multi-tool's wire cutters. With his heart in his throat, he clipped the wires.
The bundle of wires sparked. The creature's smaller hand dropped the gun and reached for the back of his skull as the large arm fell limp. The creature screamed and black ooze erupted from some tubing that was bundled among the wires. It staggered and swung wildly while he turned to face Callen.
Ducking the uncontrolled metal arm, Callen scrambled for the gun. The creature was startled from both the attack and the dresser he knocked over. It turned to look at Callen as he fired twice from crouched position. The first shot clanked against the wall while the second stuck into the creature's neck. It started to yell something, but its voice slurred and the creature collapsed.
The creature with the computer arm ran into the dorm room. The creature's metal foot clanked on the floor as he entered, chipping the stone floor. His gaze locked on his fallen companion and it twisted its head towards Callen with a primal sneer. He bared his metal fangs and drew a knife. He lunged at Callen with the knife.
Callen raised the dart gun, but after two pneumatic hisses, he realized that the gun was empty. As the creature's knife strike came in, somehow Callen managed to evade it. Dropping the gun, he moved towards his desk. The creature attacked again. A lucky step prevented the knife from piercing Callen, but the knife went through his shirt pinning him to the desk. The creature let go of the knife and grabbed Callen.
As they wrestled, Callen jabbed the point of the wire cutters as hard as he could into the creature’s flesh leg. He opened and twisted the wire cutters tearing a larger wound. Releasing the knife, the creature grimaced in pain and smashed Callen across the face with his forearm.
Callen was dazed and the creature used that to tighten his hold. He raised his fist to smash him again, but Callen managed to jam his thumb into the wound on the creature's leg. He flexed his thumb and pulled at the flesh, muscle, and veins. As the creature screamed and loosened his grip, Callen planted the tip of the wire cutter in the creature's eye and he pried it open. Another roar was followed promptly by a firm kick to the creature's soft stomach that sent it sprawling to the floor.
Callen was breathing hard and he could feel his muscles begin screaming from exhaustion. However, at that moment he felt powerful, like his mother when she battled those demons in his bedroom in Boston. He ignored the pain and grabbed the lamp from his desk.
As the creature pulled himself backward with one arm holding its stomach and another holding his bloody face. He raised the lamp, but the creature darted forward under the focus point of Callen's attack. The lamp shattered on the creature’s metal backpack. The movement turned into a solid uppercut that connected with Callen’s face.
Callen fell onto his bed and his vision blurred. As he oriented himself, his cross fell out from his shirt. The creature looked towards the knife, but his eyes went wide when he saw the cross. The creature jumped on him and tore the cross from his neck.
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sp; The motion gave Callen just enough time to grab the knife from the desk. He connected with a wild strike. The knife dug deep into the creature’s face. With his feet, Callen launched the creature off of him. He landed near the door.
Callen stood up and tightened his grip the knife. He won and the creature was his. “Where did you take them?” Callen yelled and grabbed the creature’s shirt. He held the knife to his throat.
The creature growled, and it ripped a pair of cables from his arms. Using them as a make-shift stun gun, he jammed them into Callen’s sides. Callen felt an electrical current surge through his body. The shock wasn’t much, but it did force Callen to release the creature and stagger backward. Defeated and with an opportunity for escape, the creature ran through the door with blood oozing from its variety of wounds.
Callen shook of the effects of the shock. He picked up his multi-tool from the floor and rushed after the creature. He tried to hold the knife like his mother did. The adrenaline pumping through his system clogged any more rational thoughts from entering his brain. He didn’t even think to call for help.
Callen followed him down the stairs to the rectory's basement and into the network of hidden crawlspaces. After several twists and turns, Callen caught up with him at the old sewer shaft. It grabbed a rope that hung down the shaft.
Callen tightened his fist around the knife and rushed towards the creature. He hesitated when he noticed his father's cross in the creature's hand. However, it was only brief. He tackled the creature.
The creature grabbed Callen’s arm to block the strike with the knife. He dropped the cross when he tried to unsuccessfully disarm Callen. The creature's grasp was weak and Callen easily shook him free. The creature fell backward near the hole. As it stood, the creature looked at the cross that lay at Callen’s feet.
Callen didn’t delay, he sprang up with another knife strike. In the creatures attempt to evade, he stumbled backward down the hole.
Callen grinned and glanced down the sewer shaft. He saw the creature had managed to grab the rope. With a curse, Callen picked up the cross and stuffed it into his pocket. He grabbed the rope. He knew his inexperience climbing was going to cause him to loose the creature, but he went anyway. He had to at least find where they were going. Below, the creature reached the bottom and limped deeper underground.
When Callen reached the bottom, the creature was gone. He cursed and felt the putrid underground air sting his lungs. The smell made his stomach churn and he prayed he wouldn't get sick. Through his goggles, he looked for a trail. He saw the creature’s blood smears. According to the goggles, the blood was still warm.
Switching to inferred, he trailed him through a mix of tunnels. Some were dug of just earth while others bored through and incorporated long forgotten architecture. After a while, he emerged in an abandoned subway station. He followed the blood for a few more paces and halted when he saw the creature resting next to an abandoned train car. He ducked behind some rubble and watched for just a second to decide what to do.
Before he could come up with a plan, the rest of the creatures appear from another tunnel. They still had his sister, friends, and stolen equipment. One of the creatures then bandaged up the wounded computer creature and all of the creatures tied cloth over their mouths and noses before they headed deeper underground.
Callen took note, and debated going back to find help, but he knew there wasn't anyone around. His friends and sister only had him. He had to at least find out where they were going before heading back. "Here it goes...time to see what you're made of." He stuck just far enough away to make sure that they wouldn't see him following them. As he crept after them, a part of him hoped for an opportunity to rescue them. They didn’t give up on him when they stole the information from Bethany about his father’s lab and he couldn’t abandon them.
The tunnels were damp and the air was heavy. The strange combination of rock and crushed remains of old human buildings was coated with thick iridescent mushrooms and layers of filth.
In the thick air, he began to smell burnt plastics, smoke, and sewage. As he came to another bend, he could see lights reflecting on the moisture stained stone. Carefully, he looked around the corner. The cavern before him was massive, and there were many tunnels leading in other directions. However, the size of what had been dug out here was not what caught his attention. He placed his hand on the wall for stability as his jaw dropped open.
Through the plumes of smoke and among the stalagmites, a village born from industrial scrap dominated the cavern. Stretching out around it, was a hastily assembled refugee camp that was clogged with imps. From the inner edge of the chaotic assortment of tents, a rusted wall stood strong protecting a maze of smoke filled alleys and buildings. Faint electrical lights flickered in some of the dwellings, and grew more common closer to two massive buildings that stood dominant.
The kidnappers move past some light fortifications among the dirty mess of disorganized tents. Even with the fire and jury-rigged lighting, the paths among the tents were dark. Gnarled organic faces of an innumerable amount of cybernetic imps glared at the kidnappers as they passed. Most were armed, dressed in strange religious garb or both. In the chaos of the outer tent town, Callen soon lost the kidnapper's trail, but he guessed they were going to the main gate. It loomed just beyond the mess of tents. Above the fortified gate, hung a glowing sign that read: Gearshire.
Beyond the walls, he could make out two important looking buildings that rose above the maze of smaller dwellings. The closest one looked like a church steeple and the second one was a palace, carved into the stone cavern that loomed over everything in Gearshire. Everything was heavily fortified and armed creatures were everywhere.
All hope of any sort of a successful rescue vanished. He had no choice but to return to the surface. He cursed himself for making the irrational decision of running after them. However, he at least he could bring his grandfather here. He would have to shake Felix awake and get him to contact his Grandpa. He just hoped it wouldn't take too long. Before he started moving, he pulled out his computer. Hopefully, he could send a message to speed things up. After a few quick computer strokes, he began his scan for a network. He prayed he wasn't too deep.
He saw something move out of the corner of his eye and felt something hard smash into his back. He fell hard, onto his computer. He looked up after seeing his computer blink off, to find himself staring down the barrel of a gun. There was a total of six of them. He cursed, now no one knew where he was. He should have woken up someone...anyone. He was on his own, and these guns were not loaded with darts.