The Badlands: Kinship

“Did you guys hear that too?” I ask.

“I think so.” Mia says, raising her gun.

“How many?” Timerus asks.

“I couldn’t tell.” I say.

“Was that human?” Mia asks.

Within the first few seconds we are all over the place. We just want to understand. We have to ignore the voices regardless. We will fight when we have to.

We each reluctantly make progress along the river’s edge. I notice Timerus looking to the water as often as he is looking ahead. We as a group are fairly close together.

“Should we wait for the next squad to catch up?” Mia ask.

“Not a bad idea, but this is what we’ve been waiting ages to finally get here. I don’t want to be sitting down every so often.” He says with tension in his voice, his arms flail at the end of his sentence.

“Fair enough. However, we should worry about safety.” I can’t help but mention.

We are deep under the surface’s level. We are hearing things. I personally would welcome some extra guns.

POP!

I look to the others and we turn to face behind us, where the sound came from. I shudder. What was that?

“It’s over there!” A voice breaks the silence.

POP! POP!

Two more shots go off. Before I can speak Mia is already running towards them. Timerus is looking at me when I glance over. Shit. The only thing to do is follow her into the scene.

“We’re right here!” Mia calls out, waving her light around as she tries to find the squad behind us.

I run up beside her. I even follow her light pattern so we can try to find them faster. I can hear Timerus trying to catch up.

“Oh no...” I hear the voice say.

“What happened?” Mia says as she crouches next to an armoured mercenary.

The soldier is distraught. As I approach, I recognize the lower half of a body. Mia stands up. This reveals the horror of what the poor man just had gone through.

“The thing glows and it just...” He chokes on his tears.

“So it wasn’t a person.” Mia sighs.

“That means Ark Tech was up to something else around here.” Timerus says.

“Are you all thats left of your squad?” I ask.

“Yes sir.” He replies.

“We need to wait for everyone to get down here then.” I say to Timerus.

“Agreed. Let’s get back to the wires.”

“Alright.” Mia sighs. “You think you can manage that?” She asks the new guy.

“It’s Moore.” He says. “I’m Private Moore.”

“Right, let’s get going then.” She says. “I never bothered with the ranks around here kid.” She adds.

We all rush our way back to the squad at the wires. The total of us being eight. I am just thankful to be alive.

A whispering hiss echoes from around us. I place my back to the wall. We each stand near each of the ropes. One on each side.

It feels like hours before the next group hits the ground. They take their time getting off of the wires. They look shocked to see all of us still at the ropes. Four unaccounted people.

We catch them up, explaining the silent deaths of some, along with how Moore came to be discovered over half of a body. It takes a few minutes. Then they announce they have news.

“So what’s the word?” Timerus asks.

“They want to send down some heavier equipment before they send more men.” A woman says wearing blue painted armour.

“This may be for the best, actually.” Mia says.

“I agree.” I lean back, wavering my light.

I don’t know whats killing the soldiers, but there's something definitely down here with us. We wait while the girl with the blue armor lets up a balloon that beeps every two minutes. I suppose that was the agreed signal back on the surface.

“How many of the crew is still up there? We had twelve land, four dead.” Timerus asks away, no thought in trying to dance around the topic.

“We should have another forty on the surface, sir.” She replies.

“Name?” He asks.

“Sarah Jenkins, sir.” She answers quickly.

“I’d like to know the other three in your squad.” I say. “I am Etha, from Basha.” I introduce myself to her.

“Rosa Lanks, Sir.” One female speaks from the just-landed squad.

“Timothy Williams, Sir.” The man of their group says, sounding as though he is just fresh with being in the badlands on his own.

“I am Terra, I don’t have a last name.” The tan woman speaks.

With this world, it is hard to trust anything that you aren’t used to. Even with that being said, we only can do so much as we do need each other to survive. It’s no time to ask questions about who is capable. It’s too late for that assumption.

“Amelia Henson” The last of the group introduces herself.

With everyone now introduced, we stand watching the shadows. Glowing vines can be made out in the distance. The bright teal of the glow breaking through the darkness. We all raise our lights to wave over the teal glow, for only normal green climbing vines to be seen.

“Those were not there when we left...” Mia says as she presses her back against the cliff wall.

A sharp whirring breaks the silence of our waiting. The balloon must have passed the surface. A loud slam echoes throughout the canyon. Everyone jumps as a reaction to the sudden noise.

“Lets get this off the line.” Timerus says as he goes to one side to remove the clips holding the crate to the lines.

“Right.” Mia says and a few others go around the crate to help Timerus.

As they finish taking the clips off, we drag the crate along the cliffside and make it safe for others to drop down here. Sarah, the blue armoured girl sends up another balloon that beeps every two minutes. Once Sarah sends up the balloon we all gather around the crate.

Timerus goes along the edge of the crate and releases the lids clasps. The front wall of the crate drops open as we all take a step back. The crate holds pairs of boots, it seems. That and dozens of nuclear cores. Nuclear cores powered many thing in the old world, including cars.

Everyone takes their turn grabbing two cores each and a pair of the boots. I have no idea why these boots are so important. It’s when I think about it, Sarah and Timerus both put their boots on and slide in a nuclear core into each boot. I watch, puzzled.

From the boots, plates begin popping out of slots that open as the plates raise. Armor forms around them just over the clothing they wear. A helmet folds from within the collar, covering their heads before it sucks tight to their bodies. I cant believe what I am seeing, its like magic.

I sigh deeply. I step into the boots. I take a core putting them into the sides like the others. Before I know it, the plates start wrapping over me. I watch as they open more and slide the plates of armor over my body. The collar heats up for a moment before the helmet comes out and warps over my head, then locking in around my body.

Hissing sounds echo from the path we await to move forward in. I look around while the system boots up in the armour. I sigh as lights and symbols flash about my eyes. Everywhere I look lights up and highlights the others who are in their armour. I shakily breathe.

The voice I heard earlier begins with a musical match of many hissed voices. It seems like a song that eerily hits the ears. I witness everyone exchange glances. We are not certain what to make of this, many of us raising the weapons we wield. We prepare to engage the beings that warned us to stay back.

“You all hear that too?” Mia asks.

“Come to your doom...” A hiss calls from the darkness.

Head lamps from the armour turn on from a handful of the armour sets. Dread sinks into my heart as I see the familiar glow of vines approaching, as if they are walking towards us. The sound of heavy breathing from many of us who are in the wake of the sight. I can feel my body shaking from the inside, out.

“I don’t think any of us are not hearing that...” I say shakily.

“Pull yourselves together!” Timerus says firmly.

“R-right.” Rosa says, shaking like myself.

What can possibly be glowing, speaking in a hiss and yet able to kill some of us with such ease? I dread to find out. I keep the gun aiming into the abyss toward the glowing vines.

“Leave now, Ark Tech scum!” The voices hiss in syncronicity.

“Did they just call us Ark Tech scum?” Mia speaks with utter shock in her voice.

“We’re not with Ark Tech.” Timerus speaks into the abyss.

“Ancestors caused us to change. Ark Tech is scum, it is humans failure.” The hisses speak as one.

Five glowing entities, surrounded by twisting vines which appear to be sentient. They seem to share one mind, even though they move independently. They speak in unison and this is what I find the most eerie of the idea.

“Ark Tech caused us pain, fused us. Life is of but only pain because of them.” It continues with the multiple hissing voices.

“Are you one or many?” Timerus asks.

“We are one and many.” The hisses reply. “The light now burns if we leave this place.” They add.

“It seems to me, they are voices of the past.” I say.

“What if we can help you?” Mia asks to the hissing beings.

“The lab, where we were fused, broken.” They say back.

“Is it the lab that made project purity?” I ask.

“Many experiments in the lab.” They respond.

“Sounds like they can maybe help us.” Amelia speaks softly.

“Ark Tech said help, but caused pain. We suffer for many years beyond normal life because they made us into one.” They speak with a growling hiss. “If you decieve us, we will end you all.” They say.

“We are going to do the best we can.” Mia says. “Would you lead us to the lab?” She asks.

“Lead you, yes, protect you, no. Many beings in the lab, vicious and unfriendly.” The hisses echo as the beings come into a clear view.

Sheer horror strikes through me. I freeze up at the sight of these monstrosities. A large jaw with fangs is on their face. Deep navy blue skin is over their bodies and teal vines dance over their bodies and extend out, to help them keep balance, it would seem. The vines are a part of them.

“Oh my...” Amelia says.

“You beings have been tortured...” Private Moore says.

“We need to help these things.” Mia says.

“Help us...? If you can...” The hissing replies.

“We will do anything possible within our abilities.” Timerus replies on our behalf.