Prologue

     “This is a drill, this is a drill! Class bravo fire detected in machinery space ONE, ONE, BRAVO. I say again…”

     It was another drill, and Ethan tried to remind himself why he didn’t wear earplugs to the shop. He rubbed his temples as the fire alarm violently purged any thoughts from his head with its unending and inescapable blaring. He set his tools down, got up from his workstation and walked to the hallway to see several persons in various stages of dress making their way down the hall towards the elevator.

     “Another drill?” a young man in a camouflage uniform moaned as he walked by, still fastening the buttons on his fire-retardant face-mask. “Didn’t we just do one three days ago?”

     “Maybe The Man is expecting the whole moon to catch on fire.” Another answered, while donning his emergency fire-fighting gear. Though he had seen the routine before, Ethan was amazed that the soldiers or marines… he couldn’t tell the difference, could get into their fire-fighting gear so fast, all while complaining. In less than four minutes, the hallway was deserted.

     “Fire in machinery space ONE, ONE, BRAVO…” the computerized voice droned over the howling of the fire-alarm.

How could the military be so worried about fire in a place where there is no oxygen and it’s cold enough to freeze motor oil solid. Ethan thought.

The alarm abruptly halted.

     “Thank God.” Ethan said aloud to no one in particular and turned to head back into his machine shop before hearing something.

It sounded like a scream.

He waited for a moment and listened to the silence. He was rewarded with another scream, unmistakable this time. Ethan left the doorway and headed down the hall.

     “Hello?” He called out, but not very loudly. He couldn’t explain it, but the hairs on the back of his neck were standing straight up.

Something is very wrong.

He stopped in the middle of the hallway when the lights flickered overhead. He jumped as he heard the inimitable sound of gun-fire… and more screaming. It was coming the direction he was facing.

More weapons-fire echoed from the halls behind him. Shrieks of terror filled the air.
     “Everyone!” The announcing system crackled, “Get to the surface! The robots…” it never finished.

Ethan’s heart raced, and his mind was dulled by panic. He didn’t know where to run, or what to do.

The elevator!
     He sprinted down the hall in the semi-darkness of the flickering lights. Suddenly, he found himself staggering forward, almost falling down. He looked down to see a body in a white lab coat, just like his. He didn’t know who it was, but the cause of death was obvious, as multiple holes riddled the body. It wasn’t the first time he’d seen a man dead, but this was the first one he’d seen murdered. The blood was pooling around his shoes. Ethan shook.

It’s true; maybe a RT-71 did this… I have to keep moving.

     A knot formed in Ethan’s stomach as he took stock of the situation: The RT-71s were specifically designed to combat humans within narrow corridors underground, which is exactly where they were. Even if he was armed he doubted he could even dent one.


Why? Why is this happening?
Why were there no soldiers coming back up here to help us?
Why isn’t the even sounding anymore?!

     He slowed his jog as he got to a corner in the hallway. He cautiously peered around plastic and ceramic-tiled wall and saw the elevator. The green light above it signaling that the elevator itself was on this floor and just beyond the sliding double doors.
Ethan cringed as merciless fusillade of gunfire erupted somewhere behind him. If there was a scream accompanying it, it was blotted out by the roar of the 15mm vulcan cannon.

Definitely an RT-71… but I’m not sticking around to make sure.

     Ethan pulled the elevator access card from his lab coat pocket, and prepared himself. With a quick prayer, he sprinted around the corner and head for the elevator. Ethan heard a faint beeping sound and his heart sank as he realized what it was.

It can’t be…

     The room lit up in an instant and Ethan could barely make out the white ball of plasma as it smashed into the wall, sending out a brilliant explosion of sparks and melting a black ring into the ceramic wall just in front of him. He froze, and turned to see an automated weapons turret positioned down another hallway.

How did that ET-3 get here? Run you idiot RUN! He scolded himself for stopping. It must not have been calibrated properly, but that would change with the next shot.

     The beep came again, and sharp acute pain shot through his hip as the room flashed again. Ethan fell to the ground just as he slapped his access card against the reader on the elevator door. The doors slid open, and he pulled himself in just as a third plasma ball slammed into the wall a mere foot from his head. The doors slid closed behind him.

Turrets like the ET-3 can’t move on their own, someone had to put it there to guard the elevator…

     Ethan tried to stand and was greeted by a burning sensation unlike anything he’d ever felt. He looked down and was horrified by his wound. The gaping hole in his lab coat was still smoking and a large saucer-sized patch of flesh was charred beneath.

At least 2nd degree burns, maybe 3rd. He thought, while hitting the ‘up’ button.
He was on the 16th floor, and no elevator moved more than a floor at a time.

His wound hurt, but at least he wouldn’t bleed to death. It could have been worse…

The elevator pinged, as he reached the 15th floor, and the doors slid open. Ethan peered out to see total darkness. He heard something move in the shadows.

     “CAUTION WET FLOOR!!”

     The electronic voice rang out from the darkness and Ethan scrambled to hit the button to close the doors. Too late. A small janitor robot bolted into the cramped elevator with him, the doors closing behind it. Ethan’s screams could barely be heard over the electric whine coming from within the elevator room…