Apocalypse: Survivor-in-Law

Zero Inventory (Free Chapter)

"Malcolm, you need to drop the tow cable and run."

Kira sent the desperate plea across the crackling analog radio frequency while the frost thickened across the control monitors of the dead Leviathan. Her breath formed a dense white fog in the freezing cabin as she listened to the rhythmic boots of the Military tunnel rats echoing down the subterranean ramp.

Malcolm stood paralyzed in the pitch black void. He released his grip on the rusted steel wire and let the heavy fusion engine rest against the concrete incline. The freezing air bit into the thin fabric of his undersuit and stung the open wounds on his bare hands.

"Running generates friction and friction generates a heat signature," Malcolm whispered back.

‘My heart is beating too loud’, he analyzed the frantic thudding in his chest. ‘If I elevate my pulse the ambient heat will bloom across their optic lenses and paint a target on my back.’

"They are wearing advanced infrared goggles," Kira warned him. She curled her knees to her chest to preserve her failing body heat. "They do not need ambient light to see you. You are a glowing red beacon standing in a freezing corridor."

"How many sets of footsteps do you hear?" Malcolm asked. He forced his breathing into a shallow controlled rhythm to minimize the condensation escaping his lips.

"Five distinct tread patterns," Kira calculated the incoming threat. "They move with a synchronized tactical spread. That indicates an elite hunter killer squad."

Malcolm listened to the faint mechanical whine of their equipment. He could hear the soft clatter of polymer rifle stocks rubbing against tactical vests. The assassins did not speak to one another because they relied on silent hand signals and supreme confidence.

"They carry suppressed kinetic rifles," Malcolm deduced from the specific clatter of the magazines. "They intend to secure the perimeter without drawing the attention of any remaining biological anomalies."

"You do not possess the Ironcrest Exoskeleton," Kira reminded him. The panic in her voice broke through her rigid military discipline. "You do not have a thermal broadsword or a ballistic vest. You are standing in the dark wearing a sweat soaked undersuit."

"I am aware of my current situation," Malcolm replied scarstically

"Then you know this is an execution," Kira said. Tears swelled in her eyes and froze against her pale cheeks. "They will put a bullet through your skull before you even hear the gunshot. Hide in the shadows."

"Shadows do not conceal body heat," Malcolm countered the flawed logic. "If I remain stationary near the fusion core they will locate the prize and secure the objective."

"Forget the objective," Kira begged. The raw emotion in her plea surprised them both. "I do not care about the engine anymore. I just need you to survive this encounter."

"If I abandon the core the Leviathan remains a dead shell," Malcolm reasoned with her over the static. "If the vehicle remains dead you will freeze to death in that chair within three hours."

"I would rather freeze in this chair than listen to you die over an open radio feed," Kira shouted back.

The volume of her voice echoed slightly through the earpiece. Malcolm winced and adjusted the analog receiver. He recognized the profound depth of her terror. She spent her entire life following orders from tyrants who viewed her as expendable meat. Now she was trapped in a dying machine and she was using her last breath to try and save his life.

"The federal remnant trained those men to clear subterranean transit hubs," Kira explained her fear. "They are tunnel rats. They specialize in fighting in confined dark spaces. You are trying to beat them at their own game."

"They rely on technology to navigate the abyss," Malcolm stated. He pressed his back against the freezing concrete wall to gauge the acoustic properties of the shaft. "They trust their optical lenses to reveal the truth."

"Their lenses will show them a wounded unarmed civilian," Kira argued. "Please Malcolm. Find a maintenance closet. Crawl under a debris pile. Do whatever it takes to stay alive."

"I cannot hide Kira," Malcolm said gently. "If I hide they will secure the generator. General Varga will win."

"Let him win," Kira sobbed. "We can find another way to fight him. We can survive the winter on foot. We can walk out of this city and leave the war behind."

"We do not run from tyrants anymore," Malcolm declared. His voice turned hard and cold. "We break their tools."

Malcolm mapped the layout of the subterranean facility in his mind. He remembered the structural blueprints he studied before initiating the descent. The spiraling ramp contained a network of auxiliary climate control ducts designed to vent exhaust from the lower levels.

"I am leaving the engine," Malcolm informed his navigator.

He stepped away from the colossal metal cylinder. He placed his bloody hands against the rough masonry of the tunnel wall and moved blindly through the dark. He dragged his bare feet across the icy concrete to muffle his footsteps.

"Where are you going?," Kira asked. She gripped the radio receiver with numb white fingers.

"I am altering the parameters of the engagement," Malcolm said.

He dragged his fingers along the stone until he found the rusted iron grating of a large ventilation shaft. The metal cover was bolted to the wall three feet above the floor.

"The assassins are fifty yards away," Kira warned. The sound of their combat boots echoed loudly over the open communications link. "They are sweeping the upper curve of the ramp. I hear them chambering their weapons."

Malcolm gripped the edge of the iron grate. He ignored the blinding agony in his fractured ribs and pulled with all his remaining physical strength. The rusted bolts groaned and snapped under the sheer kinetic force.

The heavy metal cover tore free and clattered loudly against the concrete floor.

The deafening noise echoed up the spiraling ramp like a dropped anvil.

The synchronized footsteps above him stopped instantly. The federal tunnel rats froze in place and pivoted their thermal optics toward the source of the acoustic disturbance.

"You just gave away your exact position," Kira gasped. Her heart hammered against her ribs. "They are going to swarm you."

"I am counting on their aggression," Malcolm replied.

‘They are predators,’ he analyzed their behavioral doctrine. ‘Predators chase the bleeding prey. They will follow the heat signature before they investigate the dead metal sitting on the floor.’

Malcolm pulled himself up into the dark opening of the ventilation shaft. The interior was cramped and lined with jagged sheet metal. The stale air smelled of ancient dust and deep decay.

He shifted his weight onto his hands and knees. The sharp edges of the tin tore into his thin undersuit and sliced his skin but he did not slow his pace. He navigated the pitch black ductwork purely by touch.

"Do not speak over the radio until the skirmish is resolved," Malcolm instructed his scout.

"Malcolm, wait," Kira pleaded. "Tell me you have a plan."

"Maintain your position," Malcolm said.

He reached up and severed the radio connection to prevent any stray static from betraying his location within the metal maze. The analog earpiece went dead.

Kira sat alone in the freezing command center. The silence rushing back into her ears felt heavier than the blizzard raging outside the viewport. She hugged her knees and buried her face in the thermal cloak. She realized she finally found someone worth fighting for and she just sent him to his death.

Down in the subterranean darkness Malcolm crawled deeper into the rusted ductwork. He left the priceless fusion core sitting unguarded in the center of the dark ramp.

He heard the soft precise footsteps of the Military assassins entering the corridor directly below his position. They moved past the abandoned generator without a second glance. The federal soldiers fixed their weapons on the open vent cover and prepared to breach the crawlspace.

Malcolm deliberately lured the five elite killers away from the prize. He invited them to hunt him through the claustrophobic labyrinth of the dead city. He lacked armor and he lacked weapons but he understood the raw physics of the dark bett

er than the men who relied on batteries to see.

Dear Readers, I'm sorry for not updating for so long. I have been busy with life issues. However, as I am free now, I will start mass updating(over 5 chapters) per day. 

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