Chapter 14: 13: MALFUNCTION

Elias stood in the empty kitchen of a dilapidated house in Silver Rock, a RedSect mountain town in North Asylum also called the middle of nowhere. Chunks of roof weathered from exposure littered the floor, bearing traces of old stains. Interior windows blown out from detonations lined the deteriorating walls, framing views of further wreckage outside. Home Base’s ping returned Elias to the zone after many long years since his days as a Union captain. Exploring the place awakened blood-soaked memories of the final days of his term.

Over the past eleven hours, he and the three hunters of his squad examined every nook of the crumbling town, racking up a termination count of twenty-eight heads both above and below ground. Each host wandered far from the others, shuffling through the area’s web of twisting caves.

Noor, fully armored in Silatem’s storm gray gearsuit, completed a blood pick for the twenty-seventh host as Elias took a moment to relive the violent days. He commented to Noor through their link.

“Seventeen years since we won Silver Rock. RSC made no effort to fix the damage in all this time.” He gestured at the run-down home. “Feels like this coordinate’s cryo-locked.”

Noor’s visor bobbed in acknowledgement. “Lots of memories stirring this Harvest. The location surprised me.”

“I hate surprises.”

Elias scanned the air quality on the visor of his helmet, and radiation levels spiked from another room as Hudson and Davies engaged with Host Twenty-Eight. Two hosts in the same location was a jackpot considering how the day had gone.

“What say you, Navigator?” he commented to Noor.

“Activity’s slow. Sporadic.” Noor inserted the metal needle into the kit. “Strange how the day’s dragged like this with an unremarkable count. The infected seem to pop up only when we’ve eliminated the others, like they’re receiving a beacon.”

“What a punchline to this damn joke.” A dry humor crossed Elias. “Stuck here sniffing for stragglers when critical issues that need attention. This routine stuff’s for the guild. It’s their jurisdiction anyway, and might make a tiny dent in our ratios.”

Noor’s visor tilted up. “Some good news, at least. R&D confirmed dissection of Grimley’s corpse without triggering spontaneous deconstruction. As soon as they find something, we’ll know. Perhaps a mutation.”

“We’ll do a final sweep and look for other stragglers. Been here long enough, and I’m sick of this place—again.” Elias tapped an input on his helmet, toggling to thermal vision. “Anything interesting from today’s picks?”

“Ordinary for their stages, and based on our delays, I’d say the high ether levels preserved their states. It’s also lagging our equipment. No bio matches found on the hosts, so there’s a high chance they’re rebels or unnamed prisoners emerging from the depths of the mines.”

“Let’s see if there’s corroboration with Grimley’s decay. I’m open to every explanation after his change. Terminate that parasite after you preserve the material and chain these samples to Grimley’s red flag.” Elias switched back to normal view, gripping his rifle as he walked the room’s perimeter. “Note that we’re conducting a risk assessment.”

Noor tapped on his COM. “Grimley may be patient-zero.”

“When this suspension’s lifted, we’ll head to Oasis to retrace his steps. Wouldn’t surprise me if the trouble started there—you’ve seen evidence of his leisure activities.” Elias gestured toward the kitchen. “Let’s process Twenty-Eight, and with any luck, we’ll debrief by zero. Let’s alert Union to ramp up Harvest security.”

A sudden bang of a heavy gauge firearm resonated through the home, and a piercing shriek of a wounded parasite rattled the air. Noor faced Elias at the noise.

“I’m reading dead space. Are you?”

Elias glanced at his radar as well. 0000.0. “Aye.”

“Malfunction?”

“Possible around Harvest—and after Grimley.”

Elias walked past Noor to the doorway between the kitchen and sitting area. Chemical readings spiked as Noor completed the termination of Twenty-Seven, activating the parasite’s automatic decay with a stake to the heart. Behind him, the host crackled then crumbled to ash.

Commander Hud Hudson, Silatem’s Chief Tactician, who was a hulking man both with and without the gearsuit, stood in the other room. He menaced a bony creature writhing in a pool of dark crimson. The commander had immobilized the beast with four bone-shattering rounds in each of its limbs while Lieutenant Maxwell Davies, a young officer of twenty-three, stood by Hudson with his rifle on his shoulder. Elias engaged the team link to address both men, snapping them to attention.

“Stop messing with the Stage Five, Commander.”

“Thing startled me, Captain. Found ‘im in the debris.” Hudson’s boisterous South Isles accent blasted over their link and filled their helmets. “Started chargin’. I charged back.”

“Did you collect the pick?”

“Sure did. Logged and delivered for Mr. Noor’s pleasure. Tell ‘im to check the mission log for the love letter. Come on—some smiles for ‘arvest.” Hudson circled the parasite with heavy rifle, aiming down. “One of the few joys on the field. Otherwise, it’s misery, misery, misery.”

Elias glanced back as Noor entered the room, and Noor nodded to confirm Hudson’s records were part of their logs. Elias gestured at the growling beast squirming beneath Hudson.

“Terminate it, Mr. Hudson, or I will. Don’t need the bounty but I needed an 18 on this mission hours ago. Finish the job.”

“Yeh used to more fun in Defense.” Hudson paused his taunting of the creature to taunt Elias instead. “Those were the days. Yeh used to make barters for ‘eadcounts and win ‘em, too. Now we’re blessed with President Sour Puss. Call tag: Lion Six? Nah—more like Kitten Six, with all yer meowin’—”

Elias snapped his staking tool from his armor’s side compartment and terminated the parasite with a jab to the heart. Sensor readings skyrocketed as his devices triggered in the presence of decaying matter. His helmet turned toward Hudson after. “Those days are gone, Commander. Forever. We have business to finish, and I want you to do the job correctly. Copy?”

“Copy.” Hudson bowed his head. “Lucky I like yeh, yeh grim fuck.”

“Acknowledged.”

Noor mused over the details. “That one woke the sensors up.”

“Small victories.” Elias scanned the same alerts. The synced connection between his stake and his visor cataloged the DNA of his kill, finding a valid match to a Union identity.

A2 HERBERT D. LAWRENCE, AGE 41, RSC7 ADMIN, INFECT: Y

He paused on the host’s rank and title, a small jolt of surprise striking him. The creature used to be an admin for the RedSect Council of North Asylum. He linked to Noor to comment.

“Got a hit. This one’s an A-level RSC admin for Silver Rock. He must have wandered into the wrong part of town and got bit.” Elias transmitted the data to the navigator. “Cross-check his biometrics with anomaly reports, see if anyone’s noticed he’s missing.”

“Yes, sir.”

An emergency ping from Davies flooded their helmets with sound as Davies barked, cutting through their interaction. “Captain! Over here.”

Davies shifted position to the doorway. Elias walked toward the lieutenant, catching a glimpse of a shadow on the other side. He brought his rifle into position as Davies spoke.

“It’s targeting me, but I’m reading dead space.”

“I’m aware.” Elias peered at the alerts. “It’s an issue.”

If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

He locked his attention onto a parasite, one more degenerated than the others. The host appeared to have had little to feed on except for ether, and grew massive in artificial size due to an uncontrolled mutation. Tumorous growths inflated its height a half-head taller than Hudson’s one-point-nine-five. Its bloodied mouth bared fangs extending from rotting black gums.

“Advanced Seven.” Davies uttered the classification, remaining still. “All the worst traits of a rabid with nothing human left. Can’t believe no one spotted this monster before.”

The parasite kept its sunken gaze on Elias as he moved along the eastern wall with Davies close behind. He signaled for Hudson and Noor to provide support. Low static buzzed over his COM.

“Host’s signature reads neutralized, no frequency, but it’s still rustling our sensors. We clearly see it’s active. New strain means new stages.” Noor highlighted the readings on their display. Although the creature emitted no unnatural neural activity, its garbled breathing and low body temperature registered in close proximity. “Our activity likely attracted it. Might be worth preserving.”

“Agreed. I’ll disable the target, since it’s focused on me. Commander, Lieutenant—prepare to restrain.” Elias took another step toward the creature with a cautious pace. “One of you stay in the cruiser while the rest of us complete final inspection. Anything goes wrong, I want to know how and when. You decide who’s staying.”

“I’ll guard the cruiser, Captain,” said Davies.

“Davies will guard the cruiser, sir,” said Hudson.

“Great.”

Muzzle aimed, Elias adjusted the caliber of his weapon for maximum stopping power. He pulled the trigger twice, and the beast popped backwards. Blood and matter sprayed as the deformed figure collapsed to the ground. Elias stepped aside, allowing Hudson and Davies to work, until loud feedback blared over the link. He winced, lids narrowing at the painful noise.

“The fuck—?” he spat

Alarm jolted him as the fallen creature shuddered back to stand, jerking its malformed limbs into animation. The creature shrieked, and the noise seemed to emanate from somewhere inside its gouged head. In a split second it hurtled toward Elias, sprinting into his armor and barreling him to the ground.

Elias spat as the creature seized his helmet, bashing his head into the ground. He rolled with the creature gripping tight and cursed his luck in an unconscious breath—his second tackle in a day. He released the rifle now pinned to his chest beneath the creature and whipped out his pistol from his side, pumping ammunition into its skull on repeat. No reaction came from the beast, though the damage was immediate and severe.

“Captain—” Hudson sprinted toward him. “Hold on!”

The parasite howled, though it didn’t fall. It kept deteriorating—and fighting.

Hudson jammed a blade into the parasite, tearing into tissue until the grip on Elias loosened. The commander wrenched the parasite away with a hash pull, but not before Elias was dragged for another half-meter until they separated. He dug his boots into the ground and heaved to his feet, holstering his pistol and dragging his rifle back into position.

Discolored limbs thrashed as the creature fought with Hudson. One of its arms hung by threads after a near amputation by Hudson’s blade, though it didn’t slow. Hudson slashed again as the parasite ducked, and swung the arm it had left toward the weapon.

“Piece of shit’s fightin’ like a man!” Hudson roared over the link. “Evadin’ and counterin’—these shits are too stupid for that! What gives?”

Hudson seized the creature, throwing it over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry to slam it to the ground. The commander rammed his blade where its face had been, and tore through with a heave, splitting apart the parasite’s flesh. Davies rushed close and unloaded ammunition into the parasite until Elias approached, halting him.

“No readings, Captain.” Davies circled the creature, his visor pointed toward black matter spurting from the creature’s wounds. “Nothing registered that whole exchange. Can’t believe this, and it’s still moving. Look—it won’t stay down.”

“It’ll stay down if I stake it,” Hudson huffed, jamming a boot into the parasite’s chest. “I’ll do this one nice and quick, Captain. I see the fucker’s ‘eart now.”

“No.” Elias kept his muzzle aimed at the squirming beast. “Restrain it. Use any means necessary to subdue it without termination. Navigator, complete the pick so we can get it to the cage.”

Hudson and Davies went to work at his order, firing several more rounds before binding the creature’s legs and arms with armored cords. Elias reviewed the recent activity feed and found that as Davies noted, the EM readings had remained the same the entire time—0000.0. A glow from his COM caught his attention, and he balanced his rifle in one hand to bring the faceplate closer to his helmet. The numbers on his personal device didn’t match the ones on his visor. A frown creased his face.

0981.9

“Weird reading,” Elias muttered. “0981.9.”

“That’s high. Where do you see that?” Noor paused his work, his visor turning toward Elias. “I’m not reading anything.”

“It’s not on the visor. Appeared on my COM.”

“Let me see.”

“Hold on.”

As Elias stared, the numbers rolled backward until they reached dead space. He waited, but the display didn’t change.

“It’s gone.”

“What?”

“Disappeared in a second, too fast to snap a visual. I’m reviewing my cam footage now, but the reading never changed from base.” A foggy sensation crossed him. “I know what I saw.”

“Creepin’ me out, Captain,” Hudson rumbled over the link. “Don’t like these malfunctions. Are yeh bein’ followed?” The commander’s helmet moved aside as he paused his cryo-freeze procedure. “Followed ‘ere?”

“Sir.” Noor cut into their exchange, his head bowed in front of the NAV. “We’ve got another problem—we know this parasite.” A heavy breath escaped him. “It’s Captain Havershaw.”

A chill coursed through Elias. His attention darted back to the restrained rabid.

“Impossible.” He shook his head, dumbfounded. “Havershaw’s an active commander. Why is he in a state of deep infection in Silver Rock?”

“He’s a captain like you, right Six?” Davies tightened the restraints. “He’s got UIA clearance like us—and you served with him here during the Time.”

“Right. I don't believe this.”

“Captain ‘avershaw.” Hudson lowered his helmet in respect. “We’re dealin’ with terrible shit today. These animals killed ‘im after all ‘e’s done.”

“They killed him the first time.” Davies stared at the creature. “We killed him the second, third, fourth—”

“Shut up.” Elias jerked his finger towards the exit. “Get the body to the cruiser. Navigator—”

“Establishing contact to Home Base now. I’ll find out everything about Havershaw’s status.”

“Good.”

Elias walked over to Noor while Davies and Hudson hoisted the creature between them. The NAV connected to a Home Base operator named Samuel, who requested their verification codes per standard. Once authorized, Elias took over the line.

“Listen here, Samuel—” He spoke gruff and hurried. “We’ll 18 after a final check, but we’ve encountered repeated COM issues in the zone. Red-level when the bloodsucker’s down, dead space when it’s up. We located advanced stages far past the S-4 quoted for the mission, and we’re too close to occupied sectors for this not to be an issue. UIA needs to seal Silver Rock and return with hunter response.”

“Understood, sir,” said Samuel. “The discrepancies are already flagged. I’ll escalate your recommendations.”

“You’ve got more problems than the glitches. We picked up Captain Havershaw—found him turned, and an unstable Seven.”

“Captain Havershaw?” Samuel paused. “You’re saying he reached maximum parasite load? Doesn’t sound right.” A few bleeps followed as the operator accessed his system. “You must be mistaken. Captain Havershaw signed off for a twelve-day leave this Harvest. His most recent medical scans were perfect. Zero traces of infection.”

“Check the details, Samuel. It’s Havershaw, and we verified that by blood pick—or at least, it’s what’s left of him.”

Another extended pause. Samuel returned.

“Yes, sir. It’s Captain Havershaw.”

“We’re returning Havershaw to Silatem Capitol HQ for processing.” Elias remained curt as he relayed hs direction. “We're elevating this to an emergency response due to multiple unexplained infections, critical sensor failings, and suspicious movements. If UIA needs more information, they can petition MOJ for removal of Silatem’s suspension. That’d makes sharing privileged information and bodies simpler.”

“Noted, sir.”

“We’ll update once we’ve 18’d—”

“Actually, sir, you're 18 now.”

Elias frowned. “What?”

“Complete your expedited final checks as part of your mission cool down, but you’ve been auto assigned.”

Noor chuckled over the team link, though Samuel wouldn’t hear that over the NAV. Elias scowled deeper, glad his helmet hid his face.

“Another automated mission before we complete our current one to our standards. Strange, isn’t it?”

“I don’t know, sir. I relay the updates as they’re fed to me.” More blips from Home Base followed. “You’re headed 1200 kilometers southeast to Central, and entering an occupied transition zone. It’s a single ping, faint and bobbing, but it’s there.”

Elias paused at the information. “Why is a single ping from a transition zone being auto assigned twelve hundred clicks away? Refugees live in those areas. They travel frequently to the wildlands with zero interest in assimilating. Pings in that zone should automatically require a blanket quarantine. Justice needs to intervene.”

“There’s a personal note to you on file here, Captain. It’s from Admiral Heywood. He requests that you to remain on this thread, and advises you to check your inbox at zero hour. He’ll be sending a processing code to view the petition you requested to get your suspension lifted.”

“I see. Acknowledged.” Elias receded his nerves. Something was going right, small as it was. “Tell him I said thanks. I’ll check when I can.”

“Yes, sir.”

“All right. I’ll assess your ping’s coordinate history, and it looks like this thing’s mobile. Has the host breached the city line?”

“Unclear. Doesn’t appear so based on the data, but the occurrences happen tens of kilometers apart sometimes.”

Elias grumbled. “Sounds like another malfunction. Seeing a lot of those.”

“Sorry I can’t give you anything more exact.” Samuel sounded apologetic. “It’s enough of a concern that you’ve been auto assigned.”

“All right. Thank you, Operator.”

“Anything else?”

“That’ll be all.”

“Yes, sir. It’s a pleasure to assist your hunt. Operator out.”

The display blipped, and Elias addressed Noor over their link.

“This isn’t random chaos during Harvest. Not after Grimley, not in a Red Sector transition zone, and not after Havershaw.” Elias tightened over concerns that never disappeared. The latest were just the newest piled on to his endless queue. “Someone knows I’m following the trail, and must know Grimley tipped us off to their involvement. That’s why Heywood’s pushing to continue these auto-assigns.”

Noor sealed the NAV kit. “Our enemy appears several moves ahead.”

“Not for long,” Elias replied. “We’ll cut ‘em off.”

He swept out of the room, his mind passing over his last interactions with Havershaw. The accomplished leader was a serious man, older than him by twelve years, and someone Elias might have hired to work for Silatem if conditions and alliances ever aligned.

The battle for Silver Rock once felt like it would never end, and almost two decades later, the conflict wasn’t over.