H.O.M.E. 23
by
Fin
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"This is Water. I am in position. Over."
"We read you Water. Wind and Cold are waiting for confirmation from Fog. Over."
Operation Infinite Rain Delay had come to The Core.
Today was the day of the first transuniversal travel attempt by The Council and its followers. All of Outer Ring City had been waiting. Would their leaders really be able to breach the dimensional divide and send them all home? Or would their technology turn on them as it had done The Idiots and send the rest of The Core to oblivion with them instead?
The Blades would not be waiting to find out. The humans would be trying to end today's trial before it ever had the chance to siphon energy from another star, whatever dimension it might lay in.
"This is Fog. I can confirm your bird has landed."
That was Sammy and his team on the other side of the city. The Icarus I had just been moved into its final launch sequence position.
Stored somewhere in secret for the last hundred years, the craft was key to The Council's success. Taking it out was then, was just as integral to The Blades' strategy.
If the men only managed to bring down one of the energy spires, then these mad tests would be postponed only at best. The Council would be able to recover and begin the trials once more at their convenience.
However if they were able to destroy The Icarus I itself, these rulers would lose the only vehicle capable of crossing the universal barriers, and The Core would be saved from their self destructive foolishness once and for all.
The timing of Operation Infinite Rain Delay was thus critical to achieve its goals. The Icarus I had to be in the air at the time of their strike for them to be successful. And so the team had been forced to wait until the day of the launch itself in order to finally attack.
"Alright boys. You might want to get a move on. This thing is going to be flying in no time."
That was the signal for Wind and Cold's team to move in, while Water continued to spy on The Council's viewing platform at the center of the city.
The unguarded entrance to the ring's underground had been found some days ago. This stairwell to nowhere could not pose much of a threat to The Council's agenda as it was however. Ending in a thick wall of metal, there currently was no tunnel through to reach the facilities hidden beyond.
Sammy though had been practicing with team for days.
James held up his hand and placed it on the smooth metal surface. Closing his eyes, the boy willed the the ancient technology to bend to his thoughts.
Slowly but surely, to the sound of dull grinding, the magnetic metal peeled backward to create a small opening just large enough to fit. Franklin and several Sams went through, disappearing into the darkness.
"We are about to lose radio contact," said the lieutenant into his ear. "Wish us luck."
"Don't get lost down there James," replied Sammy from half a city away.
"I'm already on my way back to you," answered the soldier as he too vanished into the shadows beneath the city.
The way down into the heart of The Core took just as long as Sammy had said. "The Ring" of Outer Ring City was embedded hundreds of meters into the surrounding rock. And it was precisely this feature that had allowed the facility to survive The Idiot's first catastrophe. The Blades however intended to make sure there would be no second.
It had been down here that The Council had discovered the remnants of the once human civilization, frozen in time where it had fallen so many Cycles ago. These alien beings viewed the inert technology with envious eyes, but were forced to wait centuries until a suitable key arrived. And when one finally had, the newest rulers to this world made the immediate choice to follow the same doomed path as the previous ones, beginning their long preparations to rebuild The Stellar Engine in order to provide the vast amounts of energy required to return home.
And the two new Umons to The Core were not going to be changing these plans in the slightest. In fact it was their recent Slimstim campaign that had actually advanced their timeline considerably. The Council knew they had to finish construction of their project while the city still housed so many of its clone workers. Nothing would prevent these otherworldly rulers from their return journey home, and the spires had risen ahead of schedule as needed.
So when Franklin and James saw how many soldiers were stationed on defense at one of these pillars bases, it was just another sign that The Council would not be going down without a fight.
"Damn. There weren't supposed to be half as many," spat Franklin under his breath as he surveyed the underground chamber. "There's too many for us to take."
"We'll need to lead them away," said James as he viewed the scene. "It's the only way the boys will have enough time."
The ret. admiral grimaced. They were already off their schedule. Surely The Icarus I must be in the air by now. They were losing time every second!
But before the humans were able to enact their new plan, one of the patrols walking the edge of the chamber saw movement in the shadows and an alert was raised.
Chaos.
Shouting.
Fleeing.
Franklin stumbled in the madness.
A hand reached out to save him.
"This way Dad!"
James' voice rang out through the cacophony.
Franklin was pulled into a tiny passageway just as many guards raced by.
The metal fissure closed seconds later.
"Where are we? Where are the others?" questioned the older man as he tried to catch his breath.
"I made an alcove for us," answered his son, his hand still touching the metal. "The others. They fled to the surface."
Franklin punched the solid walls around him in frustration. Without the team of Sams there was no way they could bring down a spire!
"We need to get out of here ourselves," said James equally not thrilled at their situation. "I think I can make a path."
Regaining his composure, Franklin nodded at his boy. They had to keep their cool. Now more than ever.
Creating a route in what James hoped was the correct direction, the two humans burrowed through the metal ring just out of sight of the alien soldiers in the hallways beyond. Able to make out hazy shapes and muffled sounds through the thin metal walls, The Blades often chose to wait until the adjacent room was vacant before trying to pass by. In this manner the father and son slowly weaved their way through alerted underground facility as best they could manage without further incident.
That was until the pair found themselves in a large room they had not seen the likes of before. Around them in many stacks lining the walls were tanks bubbling with a mysterious liquid. And growing inside them... a hazy figure...
"Dad," whispered James as he stared in awe. "What are we looking at?"
"One of their cloning facilities I believe," answered his father as the man took stock of the chamber quickly. They had been trying to get access to one their whole time in The Core.
That's when the admiral saw it. A tank not like the others. Larger and positioned in the center of the room. With many electrodes attached to active readouts at its side.
A tank not built to grow a clone. A tank built with a different purpose in mind.
Franklin gestured toward it. James fell silent as well.
The two walked toward the rounded glass.
At first they could not tell what it was for. At first they could not tell what it stored.
But after clearing away the dust that had formed over many decades on its viewing display, the two men finally saw what it contained.
Inside was someone the father and son had not seen for some time.
Inside was someone Franklin and James had lost many years ago.
Inside was... Sam.