The corridors filled with bursts of light as the group of men stalking their way down the hall began firing in the direction of the screaming. Nel who was sitting off to John’s right started cussing up a storm as she shook her head violently, rubbed her eyes with one hand, and started shooting her gun with the other.

In the flashes John could see there were three men firing indiscriminately at everything and anything. Following Nel’s lead he aimed his gun safely past her and started firing on them while they were exposed.

Under a barrage of bullets the three men fell to the ground and grew still with a series of moans and screams. When the last body stopped twitching Nel called out.

“All clear!”

Dimitri responded back and Marcus called out as well. Nel’s headset turned back on and she looked at John.

“For a second there I thought you were going to shoot me in the back of the head.”

John frowned.

“I was careful to aim around you when I started firing.”

“I meant before when it was dark, you suddenly pointed the back of your gun at my head. When I moved out of the way I realized you couldn’t see.”

“You could?”

She tapped her head.

“Another of the perks with the neural chip, my contact lenses have basic night vision.”

“Everybody form up.”

Nel walked into the corridor and John shook his head before following her. In the corridor was the rest of the team, along with the young woman Sasha. Cybil was holding some kind of device to various spots on her body.

“What the hell happened,” growled Barney, “one of the bastards nearly took my head off.”

“My bad,” grumbled Sasha as she massaged her temples, “I woke up in that bag and kind of panicked.”

“About gave me a heart attack,” murmured Cybil as she stashed the small device she was holding.

“I’d feel better with a new pair of pants,” responded Dimitri in a way that sounded like he was only half joking.

“Yeah me too,” said John pointedly, drawing a smile from Dimitri.

Sasha stopped massaging her head and looked up at John.

“Who’s this?”

“Tag along,” said Barney, “we figure we could use him as a meat shield or emergency rations.”

“This is John,” said Marcus trying to glare at Barney while hiding a smile, “he was able to stall the Dog-Spider that swallowed you until we could put it down.”

Sasha shuddered suddenly and shook her head slowly.

“Ugh, don’t remind me about that.”

She looked back up at John.

“So are you a native of Roger’s Field?”

“He’s actually from Earth.”

She perked up a little and glanced him over.

“Why is he here?”

“Good question,” said Barney looking over at Marcus.

“We’ll explain on the way, for now we need to get off this planet.”

Barney stepped towards the three dead men and quickly looked them over.

“It’s hard to say, but their gear looks a lot like that psychopath we questioned earlier.”

John felt the term ‘questioned’ was a very loose description of what he did to the man.

“Let’s leave the area before any of those things crawl out of them.”

Barney backed away quickly aiming his rifle at the bodies.

“You think there are more?”

“It’s a solid tactic,” murmured Marcus, “booby trap the soldiers so their deaths cause even more chaos.”

“So why not just teleport the bodies like you did with the other guy,” asked John.

“Our devices won’t work in here,” explained Nel, “we need to be about half a mile outside of the Center.”

“So, let’s get moving people.”

Barney and Dimtri quickly moved back to the corpses and looted them of some supplies, their weapons and ammo mostly. Dimitri handed one of them to Sasha who glanced it over.

“Looks like a Kalishnikov, but if someone a hundred years from now invented it.”

“You want that or the standard issue,” he asked tapping his own rifle.

“No this should be fun,” she said smiling.

John tilted his head at the interaction, between the accents and the familiarity he realized they were more than comrades in arms, but he had a feeling they weren’t a romantic item either. Before he could dwell on it further Dimitri and Barney were moving away from the bodies and the team was rapidly making its way down the corridor.

“Barney scout ahead. Dimitri watch our six.”

The two men quickly moved into position and John noted that Cybil and Nel were kept in the center of the line. Sasha hung back with Dimtri and Marcus stayed in front with Barney. Feeling out of place John decided to follow Nel and Cyibl in the middle. He was grateful to have a gun but wished he could have the extra rifle slung over Barney’s shoulder. Thought he didn’t expect to receive it if he asked.

“Bodies are moving,” Dimitri suddenly called out.

John glanced back and was horrified to see the three men lying on the ground were starting to wriggle around like worms on the hot sidewalk.

“Ok, everyone double time we’ll lose them in the corridors.”

The entire team started jogging and John hurried to keep up. As they rounded a few turns he heard a series of loud cracks echo through the corridors behind them. It was the same sound the other soldier had made when the thing split his head open.

“Dimitri drop a mine.”

John’s eyes went wide as he turned back to see Dimitri peel something off of his chest rig and drop it on the ground. It was the size of a hockey puck and it clamped down to the ground like it was drawn in by a magnet. As soon as it clicked to the ground a series of blue lights flashed before it went dark, practically invisible against the smooth floor.

They rounded a few more corners when John felt the air in the room shift suddenly before an explosion rocked the area behind them. It was immediately followed by a series of guttural shrieks that sent chills up John’s spine.

“How many do you have left,” called Marcus.

“Seven.”

“Drop them at your discretion. Sasha how are you holding up?”

“Hell of a headache, but nothing I can’t manage.”

“Ok, when we hit the lobby I want you to probe for hostiles, Dimitri will carry you. Barney I want you to watch our six and I’ll take point. Nel can you give us coordinates for a jump into Darkshield?”

“A blind one, I have no idea where it’ll go.”

Marcus was silent for a moment as he processed this.

“Get it keyed up and send it to everyone. Separate the jump coordinates into two points for Alpha and Beta squads but keep them relatively close together.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to do the cluster?”

“I’m worried if we’re too spread out we risk someone jumping somewhere they shouldn’t go. Keep it to two points close together.”

“Got it.”

They continued running through the corridors and at any minute John expected soldiers from the Order to ambush them or some monstrosity to come flying out of a side passage. The shrieks and grunts behind them was most pressing as he imagined three of those eerie black creatures chasing them.

Dimitri dropped a mine against the wall as they made a turn and it clicked into place on the side of the passage. John wondered why he didn’t just drop it on the floor, but assumed it was probably for some tactical reason.

Several seconds later there was a loud explosion and more shrieking telling him Dimitri knew what he was doing. What was unsettling was that it didn’t take as long for this explosion to happen as it did the previous one, suggesting the things chasing them were getting closer.

They entered into the ‘lobby’ that lead to a large open archway outside and several paths branching off into the depths of the Center. Sasha quickly pulled off her bag, pulled a drone out, and set it on the ground. Tapping the watch on her wrist the thing quickly spooled up and floated out of the room as she stared off into space.

Dimitri scooped her and the backpack up into his arms and the team waited as the drone flew out. A few seconds passed and another eerily close explosion occurred before Sasha started speaking in a distracted tone.

“Two snipers on the left building, sixth and ninth floors. Four soldiers waiting in the lobby. There’s a vehicle in a parking garage a mile or two to the south and-.”

She suddenly flinched and shook her head. Dimitri immediately put her on the ground.

“They shot the drone. They’re stationed to guard the Center so I don’t think they knew we were here, but that drone certainly tipped them off.”

“Where do we go?”

“Hug the pillars and head north. Then we peel off onto that street with the fountain.”

Another explosion rocked the corridors, it was the last one Dimitri had planted before they entered the lobby.

“Ok everyone, let’s move and keep to the pillars.”

Everyone quickly exited the building and hugged the wall behind the pillars. John’s heart hammered in his chest as he waited for one of the snipers to notice them and start taking potshots. As the seconds passed his relief that they hadn’t been shot grew as quickly as his paranoia that the bullets were soon coming.

He imitated the others as they traveled in quick bursts between the pillars hesitating only a split second before proceeding to the next one. John found himself becoming winded and a genuine fear that he’d be left behind started to fill him.

They looped around the Center for what seemed like a mile before a loud shriek erupted from behind them towards the entrance. John looked back to see three small black figures emerge into the street ringing the Center, mere shadows in the lightning.

A few seconds later and a hail of gunfire lit them up. The creature’s disintegrated into pieces and the street was chewed to shrapnel as bullets riddled the area. It was hard to tell at this distance, but John thought he could see the creatures still moving around on the ground as bullets shredded their bodies.

“Wait for them to reform and then we’ll move.”

The gunfire paused and John watched in terrified fascination as the three black figures slowly started to get to their feet, shrieking and hissing. They bolted in the direction the gunfire came and John turned to see the rest of the team similarly making a run for a street with a fountain in the median.

As he started to run an entirely new set of sounds filled the night. It was a high pitched whine, like someone was using a gigantic buzz saw. Looking over his shoulder he saw several yellow rays emit from a tall tower and into the black figures running across the street.

This time when the figures fell, they didn’t get back up.

Turning back to the team he was shocked to see they had gained several yards on him and were quickly approaching the fountain. John forced himself to run faster, even as his body protested vehemently.

Before he could reach the rest of the group they were already peeling off to the side of the road. Growling under his breath John angled to follow and saw they were heading towards a set of stairs leading into the ground.

He was halfway across the street when there was a growl of machinery to the south. Looking over he saw something small and white streaking down the road towards him at an alarming speed.

“John move your ass!”

John’s lungs were practically screaming as he pushed himself even harder to reach the team. Marcus and Barney were on their knees and starting firing their rifles. John could almost feel the bullets whizzing past his body as they fired around him.

The hair on his arms suddenly stood on end and a bright beam of yellow flashed past him and hit the ground. He could feel the heat coming off the ray of light and the asphalt where it struck was melted.

That near miss gave him the last burst of speed he needed to clear the remaining distance and leap past Marcus and Barney down the stairs. It was a miracle he didn’t turn his ankle or lose his footing as he stumbled down the steps and into an underground corridor.

Marcus and Barney were soon barreling past him and Marcus hollered at Dimitri standing nearby with his gun raised.

“Close off the tunnel!”

Shouldering his rifle he removed two more of the mines and flung them at the sides of the tunnel near the bottom of the stairs. He turned around, grabbed John by the arm and all but lifted him off the ground and carried him as he ran.

The growl of the hoverbike or whatever the hell it was reached the stairs and John heard booted footsteps clambering down the sidewalk. He had a brief glimpse over his shoulder of a soldier raising his rifle before the mines on the wall turned blue and exploded.

The force of the blast knocked the wind out of his lungs and launched him forward onto his face. The last thing he saw was the floor rushing up to greet him before his vision went dark.

 

#

 

John laid on a lounge chair by the pool as he watched Salem swim. It was early in the morning and the other guests of the bed and breakfast hadn’t come out yet. That left he and Salem to enjoy the sunrise together with a warm pool.

Salem stopped midstroke and came over to the side of the pool pulling her hair back and breathing heavily. Catching his eye she smiled and laid her chin on the warm tile by his feet.

“Are you getting in at all?”

“You know me, I like to watch you swim.”

“Yeah I bet you do,” she said with a wink, “still you should hop in so I have a chance to watch you.”

“Ok.”

Before she could register what was going on John leapt off the chair and jumped into the water behind her. Coming up to the surface he heard her sputtering and laughing as she recovered from the wake of his splash.

“I’m going to get you for that.”

Laughing John scrambled to get away from her, knowing he wouldn’t get very far as she was a superior swimmer. They both laughed as he darted to the other side of the pool.

 

#

 

John opened his eyes to find himself looking up into the face of Cybil. A look of relief washed over her as she looked up at someone by his feet.

“He’s coming around.”

Looking down at him she smiled softly and her eyes studiously scanned his.

“How are you feeling John?”

“I’m fine,” John said as he attempted to sit up.

“Whoa easy, you had a nasty fall there.”

“Really I feel fine.”

Sitting up he found Dimitri standing nearby watching him, Sasha was at his side with a frown on her face.

“Tell me again why he doesn’t have a shirt? And what’s with his pants?”

“I told you,” Dimitri said gruffly, “those are Nel’s pants.”

“Are they a thing?”

“No.”

John ran a hand through his hair and looked around. His nose itched so he went to scratch it only to have Cybil grab his hand.

“You smashed it pretty good, you might want to be gentle with it for a while until the healing gel repairs it.”

“How long was I out?”

“A few seconds is all. The rest of the team went ahead to scout out the exit. The jump devices won’t work in this tunnel.”

She hesitated and a sort of pained look came across her face.

“I’d really rather not rush you, but as far as I can tell you don’t have a concussion and we really need to evacuate while we still can. Do you think you can keep going?”

“Help me up.”

She placed a hand on his back and he winced at how cold her hands were. Coming to his feet he felt a little woozy but didn’t mention it in case they decided to leave him behind.

“I’m good.”

“Ok, I want you to stay with me and let me know if you feel strange at all.”

“Sounds good.”

Sasha made a tittering sound that took John a second to realize was laughter.

“He’s like a field mouse in a lion’s den pretending to be brave.”

John frowned at her.

“At least this mouse didn’t get eaten.”

He could see her visibly bristling and a small smile came across Dimitri’s face.

“I told you sestra, the Watchdog has some bite.”

John wondered if sestra was a nickname or a title of some kind. But he was more amused by the slight blush on Sasha’s face as she stormed away. Seeing the rifle strapped to her back he wondered if getting in that jab against her was the right call.

Dimitri caught John’s eye and smiled again.

“If you want her to be nice let her beat you in arm wrestling, if you want her to respect you beat her at arm wrestling.”

He sized John up.

‘’Though I recommend you avoid arm wrestling until you’ve lifted some weights first. You lose too soon and you’ll receive neither from her.”

Without waiting for John to respond he turned and jogged after Sasha. John looked around to find himself alone with Cybil who was watching him patiently.

“You wouldn’t happen to have-.”

She held out the pistol Nel had loaned him.

“Can you jog?”

“Are you asking before or after I passed out?”

She smiled as he took the weapon.

“Try to keep up.”

Watching her jog away he sighed and fell into step behind her. The room was part of a curving tunnel that seemed to wind its way to the left and he fought to keep her in sight.

 

#

 

After a few more twists and turns they caught up to the rest of the team who were in a heated conversation. John quickly understood they were debating which of the four branching tunnels they should follow.

“Our main priority is to reach the surface so we can teleport out of here. I advocate we pick the straightforward tunnel,” Nel argued.

“Negative,” said Barney shaking his head, “that’ll be what the Order expects, we should take the tunnel heading further North.”

“But that loops back towards the Center. We’d have to resurface and then high tail it on the road to get enough distance to jump out. That increases our exposure.”

“Better than being ambushed.”

As John and Cybil jogged towards them they turned to study them.

“Weakling didn’t die huh,” said Barney with a look of disappointment, “shame, I was hoping to give his pants to a girl I know.”

John couldn’t think up a good enough retort and the jogging had left him winded enough he wouldn’t have been able to deliver it anyway. Instead he opted to ignore him.

“Dimitri what do you think,” asked Marcus, ignoring the comment as well.

“I think we can expect ambush with any tunnel. With those bikes and enough people they could have each one covered and ready for us.”

Everyone chewed on that for a moment and Marcus nodded.

“I agree, so I say we take Nel’s exit.”

“Really?”

Marcus caught Barney’s eye.

“If there is an ambush that exit will allow us to teleport out the soonest. Any other choice and we’d be too far away from a jump spot.”

Barney didn’t seem happy with the answer, but he nodded nonetheless.

“Then I vote we send John out first to make sure it’s safe.”

John rolled his eyes and was glad he caught his breath.

“Anything to make the princess feel safer I guess.”

This comment stung and Barney’s familiar smirk didn’t make an appearance this time. The other members of the team suddenly found their shoes or the walls more interesting. Even Marcus was making an effort to keep his face neutral as he studied the faded tunnel maps on the wall.

“I think a quick egress is in order. We’ll charge out of the tunnel, drop the portals and everyone jumps as quickly as they can.”

“Sounds risky.”

“Anything else and we risk tipping them off. Even a quick probe would alert them we’re coming out and they’d have a chance to respond. This way we might buy enough time to jump out before they know what’s going on.”

John didn’t like the sound of that plan at all and looking at everyone’s faces, including Marcus’s told him no one else did. But he couldn’t come up with any alternative that sounded better.

“Let’s move.”

The team started moving down the central tunnel and John was irritated how they never seemed to tire. He wondered if that was another perk of the neural chip or if he severely underestimated how good of shape he was in.

Deciding it was probably a combination of both he settled into a pace to match them and for the first time since escaping found himself wishing he was back in the Shelf. At least there he never got tired.

It didn’t take long for them to reach the stairs leading out and the team stopped a few yards short. John could sense the anxiety in the air as they all double checked their weapons and gear.

“I’ll cover point, Barney I want you on our nine, Sasha at three, and Dimitri on our six. Nel and Cybil are in charge of getting the portals up and ready to go. I want Squad Alpha to take Cybil’s portal and Squad Beta to go in Nel’s.”

He paused looking over at John. Some quick calculation ran through his mind and John would have given anything to know exactly which pros and cons he just breezed through in making his decision.

“John will go with Squad Beta and he goes in last.”

John nodded to show Marcus he understood, but he didn’t like the dark look on the man’s face as if he was questioning his decision.

“Stay quiet until just before the entrance then move quickly. If anyone goes down I want you to leave them behind is that understood?”

Everyone nodded and John questioned if they were really going to follow through on that. It was hard to tell with this group, sometimes they acted very military, yet at the same time he’d never once heard any titles or sirs thrown around. It was like they were mercenaries with an honor code.

But when things started hitting the fan he wondered how honorable they would be.

“Ok, let’s move.”

The group quickly approached the stairs and John did his best to follow quietly without getting too far behind. On the stairs he watched with bated breath as Marcus suddenly sprinted forward followed quickly by the others.

He, Sasha, and Barney surfaced at the same time and immediately had their guns up and firing. Dimitri was close on their heels and firing at something above John. Emerging along with Cybil and Nel he emerged in a crouch into a warzone.

Looking around he saw several soldiers on the ground and others scrambling for cover. It seemed Marcus’s tactic worked and the element of surprise had bought them a few seconds. But once the soldiers of the Order were behind cover John knew the return fire would be coming.

He carefully fired a few shots of his own to keep some of their heads down and buy them more time. He heard the familiar sounds of the devices spitting out portals and Nel cried out.

“Door’s open!”

Chancing a glance back he saw the team making their way one by one to two portals embedded in the ground. Soon it was down to Marcus, Dimitri, and himself. Marcus was preparing to jump into his portal when he caught a round to the shoulder and he fell.

Dimitri cried out when he saw him fall, but his head was just passing through the portal leaving him unable to do anything.

“Get your ass in there John,” Marcus shouted through gritted teeth.

John took only a split second to decide. He rushed over and quickly shoved him towards the portal. He saw the look of surprise on Marcus’s face as he tumbled shoulder then head into the portal before his whole body fell in.

Bullets zinged the ground around John as he scrambled to the other portal. It dawned on him that he could have followed Marcus through, but that realization came as he was closer to the other portal so he ignored it.

He felt something hard push him in the back, spinning him around as he jumped towards the portal. He fell awkwardly backside first into the opening before his head cleared the side and he tumbled backwards into it. He was in freefall for a second before he crashed into the ground with a thud that knocked the wind out of his lungs.

“That was graceful,” murmured Sasha, “it’s almost as if-.”

The words died on her lips as John sat up. Immediately there were hands on his body pushing him to the ground on his face.

“Whoa what are you-.”

“John you’ve been hit,” came Nel’s startled reply.

“I have,” he asked as they kept him pinned down.

“Ok,” said Nel distractedly, “It looks like it didn’t go deep, I think Cybil can get it out.”

“Problem,” murmured Sasha from a distance.

“What is it?”

“I can’t find her.”

“What do you mean you can’-.”

As Nel’s voice trailed off John forced his body up enough that he could turn his head in Sasha’s direction. Almost immediately he realized what the problem was.

The team should have been transported just a few yards away, but a few feet away was a large concrete wall.

 

Author’s Note:

I hope you’re enjoying Darkshield: John’s Arc 2. A new chapter comes out free every week and next week’s chapter will be available on November 23, 2020.

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