Heart at the back of her throat, Leah stepped forward. Her suit’s sensors picked up vague traces of the laser light, but not enough to set off any alarms. According to the seismograph built into her armor, there were sonics involved as well.
She studied the configuration of the cube, but it offered no clue as to what she dealt with. A moment later, her sensors picked up the sound of demons growling down the tube in the direction the Templar had gone.
She freed her rifle and almost ran down the tunnel. Then she realized the demonic baying and wild screams came closer. They raced back up the tunnel.
Outrunning the Stalkers wasn’t always possible. The demons were incredibly fast. Not only that, they could also run along the sides of the tunnel as well as the ceiling, evading the tumbled-down wreckage. The Templar had to negotiate the overturned train cars and debris that had choked the tunnel.
“I hate running from these things,” Nathan growled, then cursed as he stumbled over loose rock and went down. He caught himself on his off-hand and pushed himself back up. By that time, though, one of the Stalkers had launched itself from the ceiling. The Stalker sailed toward Nathan like an arrow.
After a quick twist to set himself, Simon said, “Boot anchors.” He felt them chug into the stone floor as he shoved his shield out to protect Nathan’s back. The Stalker smashed into the shield, rolled away, and yelped in displeasure.
Another Stalker sprang from the wall on the left and slammed into Simon with enough force to rip his left boot anchor free of the concrete. Unable to bring his sword into play with the demon in his face, Simon smashed his doubled fist into the Stalker’s open and slavering maw. Teeth shattered under the impact. Nearly unconscious, the demon staggered away.
The Stalkers hurled themselves at Simon then, giving him no quarter as they swarmed him. Buried by sheer numbers, he went down. The suit’s AI warned him about the diminished defenses.
Nathan, Quincy, and Danielle stepped in and hammered the Stalkers back with their swords. They used their shields to hold back other Stalkers. When there was a break in the attack, the Templar turned as one and fled back up the tunnel.
“You better hope that Node works,” Danielle said. “If it doesn’t we’re going to have a long fight on our hands.”
“I know.” Simon ran, eyes forward as he used the suit’s 360-degree view to spot an attacking Stalker leaping from overhead. Pivoting slightly, he slammed the sword hilt against the demon’s brow. Bone gave way with a loud crack! The Stalker dropped to the ground and lay twitching.
The tunnel turned gently to the right. A quick check of the map inside his helmet showed that they were only seventeen yards from the Node. Even with the amplified night vision possible due to the helmet, he barely made out the environment.
As he ran through the first side of the cube, Simon experienced a brief thrill of fear. He caught himself holding his breath, expecting the worst. Then he was through. The Stalkers were on his heels, only inches back.
The demons reached the protective Node less than a second after he crossed the threshold. With the 360-degree view, Simon watched as the first eight or nine Stalkers passed through the invisible wall.
Bright purple sparks suddenly flared to life and ignited into deep lavender conflagrations that consumed the demons. Stalkers that had thrown themselves hard enough to penetrate the wall completely also turned to ash completely. Other Stalkers that didn’t quite make the distance found themselves only partially incinerated, but since the part that was harmed was generally the head, they died on the spot. A few Stalkers got knocked into the protected area by the demons behind them.
“Bloody brill!” Nathan exclaimed. He stood nearby with his sword and shield raised, obviously not trusting the barrier to stop all the Stalkers. “I didn’t expect it to work as well as all that!”
Simon silently agreed.
The surviving Stalkers drew back and growled in confusion and fear. A couple pawed at the barrier and succeeded only in amputating part or all of a paw.
“What about the power source?” Simon asked. With the rate that the field had disposed of demons, it had to have expended a lot of energy.
“The power levels dipped for a moment,” Quincy said. “But they came back up. Macomber and Brewer said the field should feed on the inherent arcane energy of the demons it destroys. It’s a self-contained system.”
“Power supply isn’t as big a problem as you thought we’d have, is it?” Danielle asked.
“No,” Simon answered.
“You can’t get much better than self-perpetuating.”
“I know.” The redoubt didn’t need any more stress on their meager resources. As necessary as the protective field was, powering a huge drain might have come close to breaking the fragile balance they kept. No only that, but supplying that protective field also meant it would be vulnerable to attack.
On the other side of the barrier, the Stalkers paced restlessly. They barked and yelped, and Simon trusted the barrier.
“If Macomber and Brewer can figure out how to enlarge the field, we’ll be able to protect the redoubt,” Nathan said.
“They’ll get it,” Simon said. “It’s just a matter of time.” For the first time since the invasion began, he felt real hope about the outcome of things.
THIRTY-ONE
Leah waited until Simon and the Templar were gone, then she crossed the tube platform and dropped into the tunnel. The patches that had sealed the devices into the ground hadn’t quite assumed the same temperature of the floor around them. They were visible in her thermographic vision.
She slipped the combat fighting knife from her right shin and knelt down. Hesitation held her up for a moment.
“Black Orchid,” Lyra Darius said. “Are you experiencing difficulties?”
Yes, Leah wanted to answer. Simon trusted me.
Except in this, she told herself. And this is
