in the ribs. The merc doubled over, wheezing in pain.
“Son of a bitch !” he coughed.
“That’s more like it,” Tiernan growled, hauling the merc up to his feet. The young man glowered back at him, though it was hard to tell what scared him more—the armed soldier holding him by the throat or the building about to collapse on top of him.
“Who the fuck are you?” the merc wheezed, wincing from the flash burns on his face and the pain in his chest. “What the fuck is going on ?”
Tiernan jammed the business end of his rifle into the merc’s face.
“You got a problem,” the lieutenant said. “Whether you live or die depends on what you do about it.”
The merc believed every word. Tiernan could see that much.
And that gave him an idea.
Tiernan shoved the merc toward the control node, grabbing him by the shoulders and forcing him down into the chair. The merc’s fear changed to amazement when he saw the array of numerics on the virtual display. Even as the domain clusters shorted out all around him, he seemed dazzled by the digital free-for-all unfolding before his eyes. The image fluctuated from overloads and dropouts, but always came back even more chaotic than before.
“Holy shit,” the merc said. “It’s really happening. What the hell did you people do ?”
“You tell me.”
“It’s a containment breach!” The merc tried working the node, bringing up a series of code banks, but those disintegrated as quickly as he called them. “You can’t just pull the plug on these systems, man! The wave harmonics alone are powerful enough to pulverize the foundation of this building!”
“Then fix it.”
“It’s not that easy,” the merc explained, his hands shaking heavily as he ran a few more permutations, each one a failure. “There isn’t enough of the original code to salvage. The architecture has been totally destroyed.”
“Then I suggest you think fast,” Tiernan said, stepping away and leveling his rifle at the back of the merc’s head. “Otherwise I pull this trigger and let your friend give it a shot.”
“You’re crazy! We need to get out of here!”
“Give me something and I’ll consider it.”
The merc swore under his breath, but it was obvious he had no desire to sacrifice himself for the Inru cause. Cracking his knuckles to keep himself steady, he ripped through a dizzying multitude of screens, all while the roar beneath the basement advanced and retreated in an ominous tide.
“ Talk to me,” Tiernan prodded, his finger flexing on the trigger.
“We don’t have time —” the merc started to protest, his words stopping dead when the display—and all the lights—went out. Tiernan flipped his visor and switched on the infrared, scanning the basement as the rest of the clusters tripped one by one. The persistent thrum of their cooling systems lapsed into an anxious stillness—fraught with the tingle of some new, malevolent presence.
And Tiernan knew they were no longer alone.
The merc swiveled around to face him, blind eyes searching the dark. Tiernan saw that young face in the glow of his visor, a scowl of puzzlement taking a sudden turn into fear.
“What the hell…?” the merc asked, before lightning pierced his cranium.
The concentrated burst took the merc’s head off, then slammed into the control node directly behind him. A bright halo of intense heat rode the concussion that followed, smacking Tiernan hard. He stumbled backward, reeling from the blast, his arms flailing as he tried to regain his balance. Three more shots followed in quick succession, each one creasing the space where he had been standing only a moment before, each one getting closer as the shooter led the target. Tiernan didn’t even think to evade them, gravity and momentum catapulting him in random directions—saving his life in the process. But that luck was quickly fading, and would soon leave him in a smoldering heap on the floor.
Fuck this, Tiernan thought, and allowed
“Son of a bitch !” he coughed.
“That’s more like it,” Tiernan growled, hauling the merc up to his feet. The young man glowered back at him, though it was hard to tell what scared him more—the armed soldier holding him by the throat or the building about to collapse on top of him.
“Who the fuck are you?” the merc wheezed, wincing from the flash burns on his face and the pain in his chest. “What the fuck is going on ?”
Tiernan jammed the business end of his rifle into the merc’s face.
“You got a problem,” the lieutenant said. “Whether you live or die depends on what you do about it.”
The merc believed every word. Tiernan could see that much.
And that gave him an idea.
Tiernan shoved the merc toward the control node, grabbing him by the shoulders and forcing him down into the chair. The merc’s fear changed to amazement when he saw the array of numerics on the virtual display. Even as the domain clusters shorted out all around him, he seemed dazzled by the digital free-for-all unfolding before his eyes. The image fluctuated from overloads and dropouts, but always came back even more chaotic than before.
“Holy shit,” the merc said. “It’s really happening. What the hell did you people do ?”
“You tell me.”
“It’s a containment breach!” The merc tried working the node, bringing up a series of code banks, but those disintegrated as quickly as he called them. “You can’t just pull the plug on these systems, man! The wave harmonics alone are powerful enough to pulverize the foundation of this building!”
“Then fix it.”
“It’s not that easy,” the merc explained, his hands shaking heavily as he ran a few more permutations, each one a failure. “There isn’t enough of the original code to salvage. The architecture has been totally destroyed.”
“Then I suggest you think fast,” Tiernan said, stepping away and leveling his rifle at the back of the merc’s head. “Otherwise I pull this trigger and let your friend give it a shot.”
“You’re crazy! We need to get out of here!”
“Give me something and I’ll consider it.”
The merc swore under his breath, but it was obvious he had no desire to sacrifice himself for the Inru cause. Cracking his knuckles to keep himself steady, he ripped through a dizzying multitude of screens, all while the roar beneath the basement advanced and retreated in an ominous tide.
“ Talk to me,” Tiernan prodded, his finger flexing on the trigger.
“We don’t have time —” the merc started to protest, his words stopping dead when the display—and all the lights—went out. Tiernan flipped his visor and switched on the infrared, scanning the basement as the rest of the clusters tripped one by one. The persistent thrum of their cooling systems lapsed into an anxious stillness—fraught with the tingle of some new, malevolent presence.
And Tiernan knew they were no longer alone.
The merc swiveled around to face him, blind eyes searching the dark. Tiernan saw that young face in the glow of his visor, a scowl of puzzlement taking a sudden turn into fear.
“What the hell…?” the merc asked, before lightning pierced his cranium.
The concentrated burst took the merc’s head off, then slammed into the control node directly behind him. A bright halo of intense heat rode the concussion that followed, smacking Tiernan hard. He stumbled backward, reeling from the blast, his arms flailing as he tried to regain his balance. Three more shots followed in quick succession, each one creasing the space where he had been standing only a moment before, each one getting closer as the shooter led the target. Tiernan didn’t even think to evade them, gravity and momentum catapulting him in random directions—saving his life in the process. But that luck was quickly fading, and would soon leave him in a smoldering heap on the floor.
Fuck this, Tiernan thought, and allowed
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