“I am Spartifax!”

  - Ragnax,

  friend of Spartifax,

  and definitely not

  Spartifax.

  Chapter 10: The Wrong One

  The Sashyrians had been anything but gentle with him. Like bullies on the playground, they reveled in the chance to rough him up. Spouting out curses at him in their native tongue, the vengeful riders thought death would be too good for him after what he had supposedly done. He thought this might occur, but then again, now that it was happening, he was starting to become a little frightened. Magnus was beginning to doubt that this was a good plan.

  Twenty some odd riders and guards dragged, pushed, and shoved him through the corridors of the ziggurat prison. Magnus tried to memorize the path, but the task was difficult. All these old, dimly lit stone hallways looked the same, and they could not seem to go ten meters without making another turn.

  Magnus could not help but notice that the jombible fruit had not fallen too far from its tree when it came to the Sashyrians. Along the walls were carvings of the tortured and impaled, along with the perpetrators of such heinous acts. Memorialized on these walls thousands of years ago, Magnus was taken back to when he had learned about the ancient Sashyrians in history class. The victims in the scenes were all sacrificed to the Sashyrian’s feared god king, Ashur. Although their idol had changed, it looked like the practices had remained the same. Magnus hoped his path was the right one.

  Finally, they arrived at an elevator. Shoving him inside, the Sashyrians escorted him up to the 30th floor. Stepping out, it was clear that this was not a containment level. The decor was far too elegant for that. He and the guards had stepped out into a large, square waiting room. Armor, weapons, and ornate trinkets from the past lined the white, marble walls which lined the room. In the corners sat white, well cushioned hover chairs, presumably for any guests that might frequent this place. Magnus wondered why anyone would. In the center of the room, a fountain erupted up and out, tumbling down into a closed off pool. It alone seemed the only thing in the room that was a part of the ziggurat’s original interior design.

  Leading him past the waiting room and into a narrow hallway, they all passed by multiple closed doors on their right and left. Reaching the final door at the end of the hallway, they halted. The Captain of the Guard stepped forward, tapping a holo-panel next to the shielded metal door. A young woman with short hair and a driver’s cap appeared before him upon activating the panel.

  “Ma’am, the prisoner is here,” the guard informed her in the common tongue.

  “Send him in, Captain.”

  The shield to the door, and the door itself, opened. The desert sun nearly blinded Magnus as he peered into the room beyond. A large window on the far wall let the yellow sunlight bleed its rays through, making it hard to see anything else before him. As his eyes adjusted, he saw three silhouettes standing roughly twenty meters in front of him. From what he could tell, a short, squat figure, a taller, armored figure, and a feminine, well dressed figure was waiting for him. Dragging him forward, the guards kicked out his knees just short of those who waited for him.

  “The Blight. Face to face at last,” the shorter man spoke, his arms folded behind his back, “Is he unarmed?”

  “As far as we can tell, Commandant,” the Captain answered.

  “As far as you can tell? You didn’t check?”

  “Yes, Commandant, we did, but his armor and bio-suit are of a strange design. We’ll need a diagnostic scan to check its full capabilities.”

  The short man seemed frustrated. His voice raised in anger.

  “At least tell me his constraints and shockers are secure. If I have any unwelcome surprises, I’ll impale you outside this prison myself,” the short man threatened.

  “Yes, Commandant. You have nothing to fear from him,” the Captain assured.

  The short man walked forward, the shadow of the sun no longer concealing his features. He looked at him, a confident smirk residing on his twisted face. It was Tulius, former Commander of the Kenzanite forces.

  “My name is Tulius, Blight. You soon won’t forget it before I’m done with you.”

  Tulius paused, raising himself up slightly.

  “They say you don’t talk. They say you’re not even human. Well, let’s find out, shall we? Guard, disable his helmet,” Tulius commanded.

  “It already is, Commandant.”

  “Then remove it, idiot,” Tulius barked.

  “You must forgive my outbursts. It’s just so hard to find good help these days,” he continued, focusing his attention back on Magnus.

  Quickly, the guard removed the helmet from Magnus’ head. Magnus was glad to have it off his head, given it smelled of blood and sweat.

  “That’s not him,” the tall, armored man to Tulius’ left stated. Magnus recognized the voice. It was Dunmar Squad’s leader, Bucifer. Tulius turned to face him.

  “Is this the Stryker boy?”

  Magnus realized the charade was over. He hoped that the Blight was still out there. Otherwise, he doubted anyone was coming to save him.

  “Yes. That’s the pilot from the shuttle,” Bucifer replied.

  Magnus wondered how Tulius knew who he was. It looked as though the Blight was right about this being a trap. One Tulius and his subordinates had apparently set.

  Tulius gritted his teeth in anger, then proceeded to punch Magnus squarely in the face.

  “Where. Is. He?”

  “Am I not good enough for you?” Magnus responded, facing the Commandant once more after taking the blow. A loose tooth now resided in his mouth. He spit it out onto Tulius’ boot.

  “Whooo! I’ve always wanted to do that! Bet I look like a total boss right now. Check one thing off my bucket list,” Magnus cockily retorted, smiling with a bloody lip and a missing tooth.

  Tulius looked down onto his boot, then began to squirm.

  “Wipe!” he yelled, turning to his assistant. She moved too slowly for his taste. Turning to the guards, he demanded one again.

  “Wipe! Get me a wipe!”

  Quickly, one of the guards ran to fetch him a wipe. Retrieving one, the Commandant quickly swiped it from his underling’s hand, and viciously began wiping off the blood from his boot. Based on the tidiness of the office and the waiting room, Magnus guessed that this evil little man was a bit of a clean freak.

  “Oh, we’ll be sure to help you check off a lot of things from your bucket list, ‘friend.’ Now where is your friend? Where is the Blight?!” Tulius asked through gnashing teeth.

  Magnus remained silent, using his smile and cocky attitude to hide his inner fear. Tulius, regaining his composure, fixed his posture and stuck out his chest. Tulius stuck his nose up, looking down on him once more.

  “No matter. If you’re here in his armor, then he must be nearby. We’ll find him. In the meantime, we have ways of making you talk. You’ll beg for death before I end you,” Tulius warned, sticking his finger in Magnus’ face.

  “Take him away!”

  Before being dragged off, Magnus turned to Bucifer.

  “Traitor! You’ll be executed for this.”

  Bucifer smirked at the young man.

  “When we win, history will remember you as the traitor, won’t it?”

  Raising him to his feet, the guards forced the young pilot to the torture chamber.

  *

  Red never thought she would look forward to loading up with the rest of the filthy, grossly smelling prisoners, but today was that day. Mostly, because it could be the last day she had to. Few thoughts had given her more relief than to imagine that being the case.

  The chariot, driven by the imposter she had met earlier, descended down to the ground. In the recreational courtyard, hundreds of prisoners roamed around below, with guards watching them at every turn. It was amazing to think that Deathlock was kilometers high, and that just this floor alone included so much space. She imagined thousands of prisoners were being held here. Regardless of the intriguing architecture or the other trivial details, Red had no desire to stay and learn more about it.

  The chariot remained suspended in the air just a few meters above the ground. The driver then proceeded to drop a small ramp onto the floor below. From there, the prisoners unloaded off into the courtyard for their recreational time. The time was now.

  Red hung out in the back towards the driver. They had not been given a chance to talk, so she hoped that he would play along with what she had in mind. She also hoped he could take a punch.

  Just as the last of the prisoners were exiting the chariot, Red turned to punch the imposter. She saw him instinctively begin to shuffle his feet. Red had been in enough brawls to realize that the stranger could have easily dodged the strike, but chose instead to take it. Her fist landed on his rock hard chin, causing it to ache in pain. The stranger turned his face to the side, stumbling back. Red winced in pain, trying to focus on playing her role in front of the prisoners and guards. The whole courtyard turned to witness the scene before them unfolding.

  Red braced herself for the inevitable. They did not want anymore guards on the chariot, so she needed to be subdued immediately. Not, however, before she put the cherry on top.

  “You fuggruckler! How dare-”

  The stranger had returned the favor, only his punch was weak, and had just barely brushed her. Playing her part to perfection, she rolled with it, falling to the floor of the chariot. Grunting and moaning, she feigned an attempt to stand on her feet, but then intentionally faltered, pretending she was too shaken by the punch to do so. Below her, she could hear voices, and the sound of people approaching.

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  One of the guards, in his native tongue, yelled up to the imposter.

  “Is everything alright?”

  Though hard to see from her peripheral, the stranger put his hand in a thumbs up position, indicating it was.

  “Stupid sow. Take her to the detention area. We’ll teach her to respect her betters,” the Lieutenant commanded.

  The stranger saluted him, and then put bindings on her. Lifting the ramp, he then took the chariot upward and towards an exit in the wall. The exit led to an empty chamber which was vertical in design. The large, dimly lit cavern was seemingly used for chariots to gain easy access to each floor.

  Seeing that no one could witness them, Red rose to her feet. Having already lock-picked her way through her bindings, she placed her hands on her hips as she stretched out her lower back. Then, she looked to her new ally.

  “That was a weak cross back there. I hope you’ll do better than that in a real fight,” Red stated. “We don’t have much time before we get to detention, so we need to plan quickly. First things first, who are you, and why are you here?”

  The stranger remained aloof. After the stunt they had acted out together, Red had hoped they were past this stage. Of course, it was smart of him not to fully trust her. Roles reversed, she would do the same. She breathed out a sigh, readying herself to attempt an explanation as to why it was best she knew. Stopped short, she found it unnecessary after all.

  “Extraction. They’ve imprisoned Paradignians here. Among them, a friend. I’m here to get as many as I can out,” he explained, confiding in her after seemingly making up his mind.

  “You want to break out pretty much everyone here? You and what army?”

  “I imagine I needn’t guess your motives.”

  Red shook her head. “Just want to get out of here like everyone else.”

  “If that’s the case, we’ll need a layout of this place.” the stranger replied.

  “I have a good deal of it in my head, but physical layouts are hard to come by. Only Tulius would have the full schematics.”

  “Tulius? As in Tulius...?”

  “Tinychus. Tulius Tinychus. He manages this little slice of heaven.”

  The stranger became non-communicative, seemingly lost in thought.

  “Look, we’ll be there in another minute. At best, we might be able to get your friend out of here with us, but making the ultimate jailbreak happen for everybody is a pipe dream. Do you know where they’re keeping your friend?”

  “No. But they’d want to extract information from him.”

  “Then I think I know where he is, but I’d need something from you in return. I need you to find where they’re keeping my ship, The Horizon.”

  “Sub level 7, hanger C,” the stranger informed her.

  “Well that was quick. How do you know that?”

  “Overheard the guards talking about it. The Commandant is repurposing it as his own. He’s in the process of repainting it.”

  Red became visibly riled. Wrenching her hands together, she turned around in frustration. That was her baby, and no one else’s. A one of a kind ship. She would have her limbs chopped off before giving it up.

  “That fugrukkler. All the more reason for me to get out of here. In that case, I’ll tell you where I think your friend is. He’s right where we’re supposed to be going,” Red replied, pointing up at the exit above them. “The detention level.”

  “Put your bindings back on, but don’t lock them.”

  “Wait, you’re actually taking me to the detention level? What do you have in mind?” she said, eyeing him skeptically.

  “Follow my lead. You’ll see,” he replied.

  Red had no time to protest. They had arrived.

  “Oh boy,” she whispered, dreading the inevitable catastrophe to come. If her luck had run as it had been here lately, she knew she was in for a rough ride.

  Entering into the detention level, the two found themselves floating into a large, circular area. It felt as though they had entered into a large, red ball, seeing as how there were ancient, red brick walls on all sides. As with the rest of the prison, the walls were covered in carvings. A singular, shield enforced door was the only modern piece of architecture in the area.

  There was a large door to their left and a line of chariots filled with prisoners in front of it, all waiting for entry into their various sectors. Apparently, there were a lot of disobedient prisoners here in Deathlock, though Red imagined it was just the short tempered nature of the Sashyrians at work. Sheremembered how, at lunch one day, a man had been thrown into the detention center for dropping a morsel for food. She had not seen him since.

  The stranger pulled the chariot behind the others in line. Red tried to calm her nerves as she looked ahead. A thousand concerns flooded her mind as to what was about to happen. Since the counterfeit altercation on her containment level, she had been simply going with the flow. Her initial thought was that if this man could sneak into Deathlock, then he could sneak back out again. Of course, she thought there would be a considerable amount more planning before diving headlong into a foolhardy venture. That, and the stranger’s initial sentiments pertaining to how many prisoners he wanted to set free left her feeling as though blind luck, no pun intended, had gotten him here, and that his delusions would soon be brought to a rude awakening.

  Then again, there was something different about him. She had only met one blind person before, and although he was able to get around quite well, it was never to the extent this man could. Maybe he was not blind? There was no point in lying about that sort of thing, especially in their predicament. On top of that, he was mute. Her heart rate began beating faster upon remembering that fact.

  They were now second to next in line. Red bit her lower lip in frustration, realizing that the stranger would have to talk to the gate guards to explain the reason for this transfer. A thumbs up or nod of the head would not work this time, and they both needed something to work. If not, this could be the end of the line. For the escape attempt, and for their lives. The Sashyrians would be sure to make it a slow one.

  “Next!” The gate guard cried out, seemingly unenthused by his role in the prison.

  The stranger moved the chariot forward. Red clenched her fists in anticipation, as a drop of sweat rolled down her soot covered forehead.

  “Reason for transfer?”

  Red’s eyes widened as she heard a voice from right behind her.

  “Stupid sow needs to be taken to the detention area. We’ll much teach her respect for betters,” the voice said.

  “Uh. Yeah. Okay. Your ID numbers?”

  The stranger lightly kicked the back of her calf, suggesting she act. Thankfully, Red seemed to understand what he wanted, a slight smirk coming to her face. She turned around rapidly, casting off her bindings as she launched a devastating spinning side kick into the stranger’s side. Then, she began pummeling him with her fists.

  “You stupid fugrukklers! You can’t take me to detention!” she yelled, continuing to act unruly.

  The stranger grabbed behind her knees, pulling them near him as he launched his shoulder into her stomach. Tackling her, he began to try and subdue her. The other gate guard, witnessing the commotion, jumped into the chariot to help subdue the unruly prisoner.

  “Get her out of here!” the chief gate guard ordered, not bothering to adhere to protocol. He opened the gate to let them through.

  “And secure those bindings tightly on her, fool,” he ordered, his patience waning thin. The stranger did as ordered, and moved the vehicle forward. The other gate guard, however, was not leaving the chariot.

  “I’ll stay on board to help secure this one,” he spoke, directing his idea to his Captain. The Captain sighed.

  “Fine. Get through with that and get back here on the double.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  The gate shut behind them after they had passed through.

  “It seems as though the stranger’s plan is working,” Red thought, “save the plus one on board.”

  The guard turned to the stranger.

  “I’m glad you and this she-devil came along, friend. My Captain has been in the worst of moods today. He made us do double P. T., and he’s been on our cases today over the dumbest of things. I think I’d rather get punched in the face than have to deal with him, you know?”

  Though her Sashyrian was rusty, being in Deathlock had improved it. Making out what the guard said, she could not help but appreciate the irony of his statement.

  The stranger, moving at a speed Red barely registered, punched the guard with a haymaker to the left side of his jaw. Within an instant, the guard lay beside her, unconscious. The stranger then unlocked her bindings, and then helped her to her feet.

  “Wow. That was some punch. I guess it’s just your fake ones you need to work on. How did you speak?”

  The stranger pulled out a small, broken in half robot from under his cloak. It’s eye lit up with a red glow.

  “Much hi! You pretty. Much date you. Yes, very-”

  The stranger placed the droid back under his overcoat, muffling his voice until the droid understood he needed to hush.

  “A Doge model 24 handy droid. Impressive. I’ve always wanted one. Didn’t know they came with an emulator.”

  The droid climbed back out from under his master’s cloak, eyeing her.

  “Yes, me impressive. Much help you. Much serve you-”

  The stranger pushed the little droid back where he belonged, reminding him that this was not the time for talk or outbursts.

  Like the previous area, they were now in a circular space. Before them lay six different caverns, with different colors above their selected opening.

  “Which path leads to my friend?” he asked.

  “I don’t know. I’ve never seen inside here before. They had me blindfolded to and from my interrogations. I seem to recall the guard jerking his chariot to the right though.”

  “They blindfolded you?”

  “Yes. If you’re not blindfolded, you’re not going back to your cell,” Red replied, ominously.

  The door they just went through began to slowly open. The next chariot was coming through, and they needed to move. Red had an idea.

  “Quick, take the one with the red above it,” she whispered, pointing to the cavern farthest to their right. Complying with her wishes, the stranger entered it, just as the door behind them had fully opened.

  The cavern was dark, and barely lit. Unlike the other caverns, this pathway had no carvings on its walls, and looked to be machine bore. It led straight down, with seemingly no end in sight. Slowly, the two descended into it.

  “Do you have a name?” she asked nonchalantly.

  “You can call me… Kane,” he spelled out.

  “I’m Red,” she replied.

  “You appear a little more tan than red,” he joked.

  “Ha ha, very funny and original,” she remarked, letting off a small smile.

  The two made no further communication during their descent. Red remembered feeling a dropping sensation the last time she was interrogated, but this was taking too long.

  “I don’t think we’re going the right way,” she uttered. “This cavern goes deeper than the one I traveled in.”

  Kane did not reply. Before she could speak again, he put his index finger over his face, asking her to be silent. Then, he pointed towards his ear.

  She could not hear anything. At least, not at first. Continuing their descent, she then began to hear the faint sounds of machinery. Looking over the side, she saw a light at the end of the cavern.

  “We’re approaching the end of the tunnel. There’s a light ahead,” she said, relaying the information to him.

  “Someone is descending above us. We’ll go below, and you can change into this guard’s gear.”

  “But what if there’s a security gate and guards down here?” she inquired.

  “There isn’t.”

  Red could not tell if it was Kane’s pride or instinct talking, but given that she found him to be right by the time they had exited the cavern, she guessed it to be the latter. A light with another tunnel lay before them, leading to a place which Red could not see. She heard the chariot in the cavern above descending. Quickly, she grabbed the guard’s gear, and put it on her person, placing the rags she wore on him. Whilst doing so, the stranger looked away. She wondered why, given he had said he was blind, but she was glad he had done so, seeing it made her feel more comfortable. Upon putting on the guard’s helmet and vale, the other chariot descended.

  “What’s going on down here?” the guard on the chariot demanded.

  Red did not know what to say. Sashyrians did not allow women to take on any role of service in security or armed forces, and she doubted her mock imitation of a man’s voice would pass, especially since it would be in an unfamiliar language. She stood dumbfounded, trying to think of what to do. Then, it hit her.

  Quickly, she kicked the unconscious man that wore her prison rags. He lay on the floor of the chariot, his face was turned away from their unwelcome visitor. Red then extended out her hand towards the man in the other chariot, inviting him to deal out punishment on the man as well. The guard chuckled.

  “No thanks. I already beat one of the rats to a pulp today. Have fun,” the Sashyrian answered, nodding to Red and Kane as he sped by and out of sight.

  Red breathed out a sigh of relief.

  “That was too close.”

  “Quick thinking,” Kane commented.

  “Thanks. Guess we should head back up and try another cavern.”

  The stranger glanced down at his H.I.C., examining the time.

  “Let’s investigate what’s down here, then we’ll go back up.”

  “But they’ll figure soon enough what’s happening. We need to make a break for it while we still can,” Red protested.

  “We’ll have time,” Kane said, moving the chariot forward. Red, growing aggravated, put her hand on the controls, stopping the vehicle.

  “Look, this isn’t a time to go on a power trip. We’ve been lucky so far, but our luck has almost run out. We don’t have time to go exploring, and this cavern clearly doesn’t lead out of here.”

  Kane hesitated. Calmly, he turned his head to, as though to look down at her.

  “What if I promise you you’ll make it out of here alive, in one piece, and with your ship?”

  As she read his sign speak, her facial features contorted into disapproval.

  “Look, this isn’t preschool. Even if you did make that promise, there is no way to be sure you keep it,” she said, her hand still firmly on the controls.

  “Have I led you wrong yet?”

  Red had to admit that he had not. She stared at him over her veil for a moment, hesitant to answer. Shaking her head, she relinquished control of the controls and stepped back to the front of the chariot.

  “If I die today, I’ll haunt you in this life and the life to come. I’m holding you to your promise.”

  Though not sure, she thought he might be smiling.

  “Duly noted,” he replied.

  The two went forward after dumping the guard’s unconscious body in a crevice in the wall. Like the one they had just traveled through, this cavern was also machine-bored, and it looked to be a late addition to Deathlock. The sound of equipment grew louder as they approached the tunnel’s end. As they turned the corner, the tunnel abruptly ended. Looking below, Red could see that a circular, metal door existed in the tunnel floor. Though they hovered right above it, it did not open.

  “Are there any options to open the door on the chariot’s controls?” Red asked, pointing to the control panel.

  Kane checked, but found nothing.

  “Someone is coming up.”

  Though Red detected nothing, she trusted his judgment. Looking to the small space where the tunnel ended, she came upon another idea.

  “Drive it right there and turn it off. We’ll jump right after they come up.”

  “But the other tunnels...”

  “We’ll use your mute’s intuition to get us where we need to go,” she replied, half jokingly.

  “I thought the phrase was, ‘woman’s intuition?’”

  “Oh, right. Two opposite things,” she remarked, continuing on with her sarcasm.

  “You make jokes about your gender often?”

  Red chuckled.

  “If you can’t even make jokes about your sex without getting huffy, then you wouldn’t survive long in my world,” she remarked.

  “Fair point.”

  Quickly, they did as she had suggested. The door below opened, and a man in his chariot ascended upward, fortunately facing away from them. Red and Kane sat poised, ready to jump through the door. At the appropriate moment, the two lowered themselves through, just before the door nearly split them both in half. Darkness enveloped them as they descended into the abyss.