Chapter 45
It was still dark when Colt woke up the next morning to the sound of hushed voices.
He cracked open an eyelid and saw Oz snoring while a red lizard with a bright blue underbelly crawled over his friend’s hand, up his arm, and then up the wall and out the window. Danielle was curled up beneath a thin blanket next to the remnants of the fire, and Rhane was on the other side of the room kneeling next to Pierce.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” Pierce was saying as he sat with his back against the wall.
“It’s better that you stay here and—”
“Why are you in such a rush to get rid of me?”
Rhane shook his head. “Then at least drink this,” he said, handing Pierce a mug with steam coming off it.
Pierce brought it to his nose and sniffed. “What is it?”
“Our version of an energy drink,” Rhane said.
“No thanks.” Pierce set the mug to the side and tried to stand, but he collapsed back to the floor, his face contorted.
“That one is going to get us all killed,” Rhane said as he walked over to where Colt lay. “His ankle is broken and he still has a fever.”
“I’ll talk to him,” Colt said. The first vestiges of sunlight shone through the window, and as Colt stood he could just make out Dresh in the distance. Countless buildings created an uneven landscape, and smokestacks belched endless plumes that rose to join vast clouds the color of steel wool.
They ate a quick breakfast as they listened to Rhane’s plan. Pierce relented and drank Rhane’s concoction, and within minutes he was strong enough to pack his gear and head downstairs with the others.
“You’re sure that you’re okay?” Colt said.
“Never felt better,” Pierce replied as he shouldered an assault rifle, but Colt could tell by the weakness in his voice, not to mention his chalky complexion, that he was lying.
Rhane drove Pierce in the Walker while Colt, Danielle, and Oz followed on armored ultralights. Though it was early, the temperature was already sweltering. The aviator goggles that Colt wore kept steaming over, and he had to stop more than once to clean them off.
The Twilek were already out, plucking insects from their fur and feeding on bright red fruit with green flesh. The juice ran down their lips and onto their coats, but they didn’t seem to mind. A flock of Ryax took to the sky as the vehicles rushed past their nesting area, and Colt thought he caught a glimpse of a Riek before it disappeared into the shadows.
They parked half a click outside Dresh in the middle of a swamp teeming with wildlife. Rhane led them the rest of the way by foot, fighting through the thick vegetation and steamy air. Half an hour later they had reached the outskirts of Dresh, but they stopped when Rhane raised his hand.
“What’s wrong?” Colt asked, his voice barely a whisper.
Rhane nodded toward the distance. “Soldiers from the Dagon Alliance,” he said. “You can tell by their markings. See those squid-looking things on their arms?”
“We’re going to take them out, right?” Oz said, sliding the strap of his assault rifle off his shoulder so he could hold it at the ready.
“No,” Rhane said. “We can’t afford the distraction.”
“I can hit a fly on top of a soda can from a hundred yards away,” Oz said.
“It has nothing to do with your marksmanship,” Rhane said. “We don’t want to lose track of our primary mission, and we definitely don’t want them sounding the alarm and alerting their friends. Besides, I can guarantee you that there are hovercraft scanning the jungle, not to mention the Trackers that our scouts spotted earlier this morning.”
Oz shouldered his assault rifle with obvious reluctance, eyeing the soldiers of the Dagon Alliance until there was too much vegetation and too many shadows between them.
Soon they stepped foot on the first crumbling street of Dresh. All around them flowering vines choked the dilapidated buildings. A lizard the length of a broomstick jumped from its perch with arms and legs spread, relying on parachute-like membranes that attached from its front to back ankles as it glided from building to building.
“Where is everybody?” Danielle asked as they walked down an empty street.
“Most citizens have fled to the jungle,” Rhane said. “Those who remain stay locked inside their homes, fearful to come out and face the wrath of Koenig’s Defense Corps.”
No sooner had the words left Rhane’s lips than Colt spotted two figures at the other end of the street, heading toward them. One was a Thule in its native reptilian form with a red armband; the other looked human and was dressed in a crisp gray military uniform.
“This way,” Rhane said as he ducked down an alley.
They heard the sound of marching feet, and soon hundreds of soldiers marched past, many carrying red banners with the symbol of the Defense Corps. Colt also noticed flags from the Dagon Alliance and the Vril, but there were no signs of the Black Sun Militia or the Soldiers of the Grail among the troops.
Just then Colt spotted movement in a window high overhead. Then he saw a spark, as if someone had lit a candle. The flame burned hotter and then arced out the window.
“Molotov cocktails!” Oz shouted as glass shattered on the pavement below. Fire erupted, and more bottles followed at once. The soldiers scattered. Some started shooting up at the windows while others took cover.
Two hovercraft lowered from the sky and opened fire at the empty windows. Cement and glass exploded. One of the hovercraft unleashed a series of sidewinder missiles that blasted a hole in the wall. A soldier fell, arms flailing and legs kicking. He changed from human to Thule in midair, but when he struck the ground he stopped moving.
“That’s our cue,” Rhane said, slipping out of their hiding spot and taking off down the street at a sprint.
Colt looked back at Pierce. “Can you keep up?”
“I’ll be fine,” Pierce said.
As Colt ran down the street, away from the fray, he caught sight of three animals that looked like a cross between a hyena and a wild pig, all feasting on some kind of roadkill.
“What are those things?” he asked as he ran alongside Rhane.
“Blurg,” Rhane said.
The animals snorted and gulped, nipping at one another as they fought for scraps of food. Colt watched as one tore a hunk of flesh away and swallowed it whole, scales and all. His stomach churned and he tried to look away, but he couldn’t.
Distracted, Colt didn’t see the broken glass on the sidewalk. The sounds of shards crunching under his boots echoed across the too-empty street, and the animals turned to stare at him. Their long snouts were stained with blood, and their lips were curled back to reveal wicked teeth.
“Nice and easy,” Rhane said. “All they want to know is that we aren’t interested in their kill.”
“Trust me, we’re not.”
“Over there.” Rhane was crouched behind what looked like a trash bin. “See that barge?” He pointed down the street to a rusted boat scarred by scratches and dents. “That’s the canal that will take us to the reactor station.”
There was a sound like a turbine engine, and Colt looked up between the buildings to see one of Koenig’s hovercraft approaching.
“This way!” Rhane pulled him into what looked like an old butcher shop, and the other three members of Phantom Squad followed. Colt stood next to the front window and watched as the hovercraft descended until it was only ten feet off the ground. The roar of the turbines shook the walls as garbage spun through the air like it was caught in a tornado.
“Do you think they saw us?” Danielle asked.
“If they did, they’d be shooting,” Rhane said.
Colt could feel his heart beating in his throat as he waited for the hovercraft to fly away. It seemed like hours even though it had only been a few minutes, but it finally left them alone.
“Let’s go,” Rhane said. “If they have search teams out, that means they think we’re close. Everybody keep your eyes open.”
Like Venice, Dresh was known for its intricate system of canals, but instead of gondolas there were rusted-out barges. The water was reddish-orange, and a disgusting froth clung to the surface along the cement walls that lined the canal.
“Not exactly the crystal blue waters of the Caribbean, is it?” Rhane said. Suddenly his face started to contort, and there was a sound like bone cracking. His skin bubbled and his muscles flexed, and a moment later he was standing there in his native Thule form.
At nearly eight feet tall, he looked a bit like a bearded dragon. He had massive shoulders and a powerful tail, and his body was covered in scales the color of honey. He had a short snout, and his back was lined with row after row of spikes. There were even clusters of spiny scales covering his throat.
Pierce took a step back, his index finger wrapped around the trigger of his assault rifle as he pointed the barrel at Rhane.
“If you think I’m ugly, wait until you run into Koenig,” Rhane said as he wrapped his long toes around the edge of the canal. Nails like talons sank into the crumbling cement as he flexed them, his eyes now locked on the murky water.
“Is that sewage?” Danielle asked.
“Better you don’t know,” Rhane said, his tone flat.
“It doesn’t matter, because it’s our only way inside,” Colt said as he removed his pack and took out his breathing apparatus.
“Just mind the Gorem and you’ll be fine,” Rhane said.
“Nobody said anything about Gorem,” Oz said.
A chill ran down Colt’s spine as he thought back to the enormous sea monster that had attacked Oz and him in the waterways beneath Trident Biotech. It had looked like a cross between an eel and an alligator, but it had three sets of arms and each one ended in a clawed hand.
“Are there really Gorem in there?” he asked.
It looked like Rhane smiled, though it was hard to tell with his reptilian face. “I guess we’ll find out soon enough.”