Resonant Son: An Intergalactic Scifi Thriller by J.N. Chaney & Christopher Hopper

Author:J.N. Chaney & Christopher Hopper [Chaney, J.N.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Variant Publications
Published: 2019-08-02T22:00:00+00:00

17

I opened zero-level’s door and stepped into an environment unlike any in the rest of the complex. While every one of Oragga’s floors—even those under construction—had an air of sophistication and refinement, this level was all about functionality.

The concrete floors were damp, littered with oil stains, and reeked of too much chemical cleaner. Water dripped into puddles from any number of pipes crisscrossing overhead. And the light from flickering flood lamps was hampered by conduits and vents, washing the corridors in muted tones.

I heard gears grinding away in some unseen mechanical rooms, while gasses hissed in aging pipes. More strange odors filled my nostrils as I moved cautiously down the main hallway, alert to any movement. For a fleeting moment, I wished I had my flashlight. It was hard to make out much in the dim light. But I thought better of it as the light would have been a clarion call pointing out my presence.

I moved down the main hallway, careful to stay along the wall. I walked along the undulating surface of wires, control boxes, and maintenance hatches, careful to stay hidden. I had no idea where these thugs might be and wanted to make sure they could say the same of me.

My nerves were winding up in anticipation of contact. I brought my assault rifle up to ready position, making the sights an extension of my eyes. I peered along the barrel, knowing everything I saw was being processed through a subconscious threat analysis matrix in my head. It had been years since I’d used these skills. They’d once been honed to a sharp point. But now, I feared, they were blunted, shadows of their former selves. Or were they?

Somewhere in the depths, I could feel myself coming alive, ready for the fight, eager to take this enemy down. Wasn’t this what I’d lived for when I was back on the force? To take down bullies who thought they were better than everyone else… bullies who thought they were entitled to what others had worked for.

“Not today,” I whispered to myself. “You picked the wrong tower to hijack.”

My foot bumped against something. It gave a little, which startled me. I looked down to see a boot extending from a recess. “What the hell?” I said. No, it was two boots. At the ends of a pair of legs that extended into the darkness. It was a damn body.

I doubled checked the hallway for movement and then pushed against one of the boots with my foot. It felt lifeless. I slung the MX090 under my shoulder, bent down, and pulled on the body, sliding it out from the darkness. I hated myself for checking to see if the boots were my size as I did—what? I was desperate. But they are at least two sizes too small.

Once in the muted light of the hallway, I saw the body of a man in his early twenties wearing a Sellion City Public Works uniform. He’d been shot in the forehead, his body shoved into this recess.

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