Scum of the Universe (Fire and Rust Book 7) by Anthony James

Author:Anthony James [James, Anthony]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-02-11T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seventeen

The Ragger replication facility was as unwelcoming as Conway thought it might be, though nothing that compared to the meat locker. The red-lit central space filled much of the dome and he could see the curved roof high above. Dozens of different noises assailed his ears – the gurgling of fluids and the swish of glutinous liquids being sucked through pipes. Added to those was the sound of metal clanking gently against metal and a peculiar susurration that came from everywhere. Underlying it all, a low drone that gave him a headache after about five seconds.

Conway and his squad stood on a wide metal platform that followed the perimeter of the vast space. In front of them, an elaborate arrangement of thin metal struts and walkways supported thousands upon thousands of Ragger growth tubes. A network of silvery-colored flexible pipes entered the growth tubes near the top of each one, doubtless to provide nourishment and extract waste.

The tubes themselves were made from a clear material, exposing the horrific half-grown contents within. Occasionally one of the part-formed Raggers writhed or thrashed, disturbing the thick-looking fluid they were suspended within.

Level after level of these growth tubes rose towards the topmost part of the dome’s ceiling and Conway didn’t bother counting. Instead, he hurried across the twenty-meter width of the walkway and looked over the railing, with the nearest growth tube about ten meters opposite.

“Shit,” he said.

Lieutenant Rembra joined him and muttered his own curse in the Fangrin tongue.

“More tiers of growth tubes below the ground.”

Conway leaned out a little further. The shaft was immense and seemingly went on forever, filled with force-grown Raggers in their tubes. The numbers were so big that Conway could only stare in disbelief.

“Millions of the bastards,” said Kemp.

Conway stepped back from the railing and looked about. In the distance, he watched a group of Raggers cross the walkway and exit the central area.

“The newly-grown Raggers come up on these open lift platforms,” he said, fitting it together. “They pick up a gun from somewhere and then they go out into the forest.”

“What for?” asked Barron. “This all seems crazy to me.”

A clunking sound made Conway return to the railing. He saw movement below and a lift came up from one of the lower levels, with what he guessed was exactly fifty Raggers on it. The lift platform wasn’t exactly generously sized and one of the aliens suddenly fell off the edge and into the shaft. Not one of the other Raggers so much as blinked.

“Tough being a Ragger, huh?”

The lift stopped about fifty meters away, with its closest edge joining perfectly with the perimeter walkway. A section of the railing slid out of sight and the Raggers stepped off.

“Let’s get away from this doorway,” said Conway.

The squad followed and the newly arrived Raggers exited the dome without spotting the soldiers. Conway looked around again. He felt exposed but couldn’t see any obvious place to plug in a data extractor.

“Let’s go this way,” he said, pointing clockwise.

At the same time, he requested, and got, a channel to the Raider.

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