side, other than to occasionally send thoughts to one of the others who had been with him to read Bilford.
Kirev might not have known about that much if they didn’t occasionally verbalize their responses to one another, if with maddeningly cryptic brevity.
“Yes…then right,” Tan said, affirming something Wreg sent to him.
“I don’t think so…” Wreg began. “Ah. Yes. Right. I see what you mean.”
“Another one?” Rigor muttered. “What if we can’t?”
“I can feel it now,” Wreg said reassuringly. “It won’t be a problem, brother. Trust me.”
Kirev bit his lip, wanting to ask.
Instead he held the handgun he’d been given out in front of him but aimed at the floor, his finger resting on the barrel above the trigger. He increased the length of his steps when the other seers around him did theirs, pacing them even as he kept his light coiled discreetly around his body, his fingers tight around the gun.
He’d already been warned not to send up any flares down here. The lower levels were likely being watched by seers, periodically at least, and Kirev didn’t have the sight skills in actual or the military training to be able to operate unseen in a place like this, not even for a short time.
“There,” Wreg said then, pointing to a side corridor off the main. It wound to the right, just as they’d been saying. “At the end of that.”
Tan nodded, then jogged up ahead, Rigor at his side.
They reached a flat expanse of wall, a nondescript white.
They were all just standing there then.
Kirev stared at the wall, then around at the others, wondering what he was missing. Then Rigor pulled off his gloves with his teeth and began feeling over the flat surface of the wall with his bare hands. Kirev saw the others watching Rigor minutely, their bodies taut, their expressions holding a tension he could almost feel, even with his light guarded.
Following their eyes back to the wall, that time, Kirev gasped.
It had moved.
The fucking wall had moved, like it was alive.
He was still staring when he saw it again…a distinct ripple of motion over the front of that white surface, like liquid skin.
“Gaos…di'lanlente a' guete! What the fuck is that!” he cried out.
“Silence!” Ute said, glaring at him.
Kirev clamped his mouth shut, doing as he was told.
He had to clench his jaw to do it. He watched as Rigor continued to stroke the wall, almost like it was a giant cat. Kirev continued to stare, clenching his jaw so hard it hurt, when a sudden seam appeared in the middle of that blank, strangely white surface. That seam formed into two sliding doors as Kirev watched.
He continued to stare, wide-eyed, feeling his heart slam against the ribs of his chest, as that seam opened, revealing what looked like another elevator shaft. Inside the shaft, the wall looked like dirty cement, nothing like that strange, skin-like white of the outer wall.
Kirev bit his lip until he tasted blood, fighting to remain quiet.
The seers around him didn’t speak either.
Instead they stood there, watching as Wreg poked a cautious head inside the opening. After he’d looked up and down the shaft, he clicked his fingers again, motioning Ute forward with the rappelling gear. Within minutes they had it set up again and Wreg was on his way down.
For the first time, Kirev felt himself balk at going further.
Even so, when Ute motioned him forward next, after Tan and Rigor had followed Wreg, he barely hesitated. Forcing his legs and body forward, he stood there, holding his hands up with the gun in his hand as she strapped on the harness.
When she slapped him smartly on the back, indicating he was ready, he didn’t hesitate either.
Taking a deep breath, he held onto the cables and jumped into that dark.
AT THE BOTTOM, there was only one room.
Low-ceilinged and rectangular in shape, it seemed to stretch the length of a football field as the ceiling tiles lit up in symmetrical rows, with almost nothing in the way of
Kirev might not have known about that much if they didn’t occasionally verbalize their responses to one another, if with maddeningly cryptic brevity.
“Yes…then right,” Tan said, affirming something Wreg sent to him.
“I don’t think so…” Wreg began. “Ah. Yes. Right. I see what you mean.”
“Another one?” Rigor muttered. “What if we can’t?”
“I can feel it now,” Wreg said reassuringly. “It won’t be a problem, brother. Trust me.”
Kirev bit his lip, wanting to ask.
Instead he held the handgun he’d been given out in front of him but aimed at the floor, his finger resting on the barrel above the trigger. He increased the length of his steps when the other seers around him did theirs, pacing them even as he kept his light coiled discreetly around his body, his fingers tight around the gun.
He’d already been warned not to send up any flares down here. The lower levels were likely being watched by seers, periodically at least, and Kirev didn’t have the sight skills in actual or the military training to be able to operate unseen in a place like this, not even for a short time.
“There,” Wreg said then, pointing to a side corridor off the main. It wound to the right, just as they’d been saying. “At the end of that.”
Tan nodded, then jogged up ahead, Rigor at his side.
They reached a flat expanse of wall, a nondescript white.
They were all just standing there then.
Kirev stared at the wall, then around at the others, wondering what he was missing. Then Rigor pulled off his gloves with his teeth and began feeling over the flat surface of the wall with his bare hands. Kirev saw the others watching Rigor minutely, their bodies taut, their expressions holding a tension he could almost feel, even with his light guarded.
Following their eyes back to the wall, that time, Kirev gasped.
It had moved.
The fucking wall had moved, like it was alive.
He was still staring when he saw it again…a distinct ripple of motion over the front of that white surface, like liquid skin.
“Gaos…di'lanlente a' guete! What the fuck is that!” he cried out.
“Silence!” Ute said, glaring at him.
Kirev clamped his mouth shut, doing as he was told.
He had to clench his jaw to do it. He watched as Rigor continued to stroke the wall, almost like it was a giant cat. Kirev continued to stare, clenching his jaw so hard it hurt, when a sudden seam appeared in the middle of that blank, strangely white surface. That seam formed into two sliding doors as Kirev watched.
He continued to stare, wide-eyed, feeling his heart slam against the ribs of his chest, as that seam opened, revealing what looked like another elevator shaft. Inside the shaft, the wall looked like dirty cement, nothing like that strange, skin-like white of the outer wall.
Kirev bit his lip until he tasted blood, fighting to remain quiet.
The seers around him didn’t speak either.
Instead they stood there, watching as Wreg poked a cautious head inside the opening. After he’d looked up and down the shaft, he clicked his fingers again, motioning Ute forward with the rappelling gear. Within minutes they had it set up again and Wreg was on his way down.
For the first time, Kirev felt himself balk at going further.
Even so, when Ute motioned him forward next, after Tan and Rigor had followed Wreg, he barely hesitated. Forcing his legs and body forward, he stood there, holding his hands up with the gun in his hand as she strapped on the harness.
When she slapped him smartly on the back, indicating he was ready, he didn’t hesitate either.
Taking a deep breath, he held onto the cables and jumped into that dark.
AT THE BOTTOM, there was only one room.
Low-ceilinged and rectangular in shape, it seemed to stretch the length of a football field as the ceiling tiles lit up in symmetrical rows, with almost nothing in the way of
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