A Gulf in Time by Chris Kennedy

Author:Chris Kennedy [Kennedy, Chris]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Theogony Books
Published: 2019-12-01T22:00:00+00:00

* * *

“Dantone, you and Weinert have point again,” Master Chief commed as Calvin started forward.

“After me, sir,” Dantone said, squeezing past Calvin to enter the cave first.

“And me,” Weinert said from Calvin’s other side as he followed the massive cyborg into the hole.

“And I better not catch any of you knuckleheads who haven’t dialed your grenade launchers down,” Master Chief added. “We’ll be underground, and I don’t want to get caught up in someone’s fireball of death, got it?”

As Calvin followed Weinert into the hole, he caught movement out of the corner of his eye as a couple of the Space Force troopers dialed their grenade launchers down. When he didn’t think anyone was looking, he pushed his down several settings, too, as he realized Master Chief was right—in the close confines underground, any blast could be channeled back at you, and the surrounding terrain might focus any blast in unpredictable—and possibly unwanted—ways.

Although the tunnel was very dimly lit—especially compared to the harsh sunlight outside—Calvin was able to use the suit’s low-light capabilities to enhance his vision and could see a long way in the gloom.

The passageway sloped down at a gentle angle, going deeper and deeper, and passages began jutting off on both sides. Master Chief had the troopers close up so they could better support each other and wouldn’t get cut off as easily in an ambush.

“You see that?” Night asked as they passed by some air shafts.

“The vents?” Calvin asked.

“Well, sort of. There were rooms up those air shafts, with a lot of heat signatures inside them. If I were a betting man, that’s where they have their garrisoned troops, ready to respond. Far enough from the surface to keep from getting caught up in a blast or collapse, but close enough to support the troopers there at a moment's notice.”

“Suppose that’s where the laser rifles are?”

“No, I think you’re right; they’re probably used for the defense of their leader.”

Calvin nodded. “So we continue on.”

The passageway opened up into a large cavern after another hundred yards, where a variety of shops had been set up. Smaller—comparatively speaking—T’Chillen rested on pillars as they hawked their wares. Everything from food to gifts was represented. Even though the T’Chillen didn’t wear a lot of clothes, there were also a number of adornments for sale. The temperature in the room was higher than the passageway into it, and the coolers on Calvin’s suit shifted into a higher gear.

He glanced at one of the vendors, then turned his head with a shudder. The shop sold food, apparently, as a variety of animals—some whole, some cut into pieces—were displayed. A number of the parts for sale looked identical to the T’Chillen they were following, and Calvin realized they were probably cannibals, at least to some extent. Happily, they exited the cavern shortly after and didn’t go by another food vendor, although they did pass through a few more caverns, some of which were enormous in size.

After about 20 minutes of walking, passageways

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