Eventually, at the bottom of the staircase, we found ourselves in a green and white tiled hallway, the grime on the walls thick with the scent of mildew and age. As we neared the end, a high-pitched whirring reached my ears, punctuated by the sharp crackle of electricity, casting an eerie, flickering glow in the distance. I patted the wall as we walked, hoping to find a light switch or something to illuminate our way. My fingers brushed the cold metal of the lever, pushing it upward, and the room ignited with a harsh fluorescent light.
My vision was clouded by black spots from the sudden brightness, struggling to adjust. A sterile feel pervaded the room, and the walls, sheathed in pristine white tiles, met a floor of cheap, imitation marble vinyl. The air smelled of oil and metal as I gazed upon rows upon rows of tool benches, each laden with an assortment of parts. To my right, a colossal metal box, easily the size of three cars, hummed with a low, whirring noise vibrating through the ground. Rusty bolts and nuts were scattered across the grimy ground, and a thin trail of black oil snaked from the back of the room to a drain in the center.
“Wh-where are we?” I whispered.
“It looks like a workshop.” Jude took a tentative step forward, his head slightly forward, scanning his surroundings. “But who’s keeping it running?” His finger extended at the black liquid on the ground, keeping his eyes focused forward. “The oil on the floor is pretty new, and the large box to your right is the generator keeping the electricity running for the entire town.”
One question was answered, but now we were here, the bigger question on my lips was who created this hidden room…and for what? I caught Jude taking his gun from the holster, holding it in front of him. “Let’s go forward together. This place is giving me the creeps.”
Following his nod, we traced the trail of oil leading us to the back of the workshop. As we stepped inside, the automatic lights flickered to life, illuminating the space with a soft glow. In the next room, rows of metal tables stood under a large triangular mechanism, each reflecting the cold, metallic light. A network of wires, like a spider’s web, hung from each robotic arm. In the center of each, a pyramid-shaped metal claw hung silently, cold and still.
The entrance to the workshop groaned open, the sound accompanied by a chilling draft, filling us with sudden dread. “We need to hide,” I whispered, my voice trembling. A wall ofoil cans was stacked on top of each other on the far wall of the room. Without another thought, I grabbed Jude’s hand, and we crouched behind them, hoping they’d provide enough cover not to be seen.
The slow, rhythmic thud of footsteps grew louder as they approached. Was this who lived here? Peeking through a narrow gap between the barrels, we watched the door, our breaths held tight. To me, it sounded like two pairs of footsteps were stumbling, like they were drunk. My mind was racing, thinking about what we would do next if found. A large shadow crawled up the wall and decreased as the footsteps drew near and the creature came into view.
It was a Dog. Great.
I closed my mouth, hardly daring to breathe, as I waited for the Dog to turn towards us, its ears twitching at the slightest sound. A long hiss escaped its leg with each step, and glossy black hydraulic fluid spurted from a metal joint.
It was damaged.
With a thump, the Dog jumped onto one of the cold metal tables, settling down on its side with a contented sigh. Like a tiny engine starting, a quiet whirring vibrated through the room, growing louder until it filled the space.
I cautiously poked my head outside our hiding place to see what was happening. The sudden flash of light filled the room, followed by Jude’s hand on my shoulder. “Vinny, what’re you doing?”
Crouching low, I slowly shifted my feet to get a better look. “I wanna see what’s happening.”
“You can’t, it’s a Dog. It’ll kill you.”
A sharp tug on my shirt from Jude threw me off balance. My body landed heavily on the stack of empty barrels, sending them crashing to the floor in a clatter of metal on tile.
Shit.
My muscles tensed, every hair on my body prickling, knowing full well the Dog heard me. The noise was too loud for their ears and sensors not to catch the ruckus. It was only a matter of seconds before it would descend on me. I heard Jude make a swift movement, but no other sounds reached my ears. The Dog didn’t come. What the hell was going on?
I scrambled off the ground, my hand reaching to my side and brandishing my gun in front of me. Where was this Dog? It must be toying with me. My head turned quickly to look for Jude, who was also holding his gun pointed toward the doorway to the other room. We waited for an attack for what felt like forever, but it never came.
The Dog continued to lie on the metal bed, but what was happening to it was miraculous. With a whirring sound, the claw above the table spun before piercing the Dog, each wire above it reacting with a frantic jump and jolt. With a slow, deliberate motion, the pyramid-like claw unfurled its segmented parts, then snapped shut into a deadly point. A white-hot electrical current, crackling and spitting, surged toward the Dog, creating a blinding flash of light. Its arms extended, grasping a heavy, metallic pipe from a cluttered box filled with various metal components. The device emitted three quick bursts of light as it rested the pipe on the Dog’s leg.
“What’s happening?” Jude asked quietly, his eyes lighting up with each flash.
“Is it being repaired?” I didn’t know exactly what I was seeing, but the new pipe replaced the broken one and was being welded and attached to the Dog’s leg. Moving slowly, I saw the Dog’s eyes—two empty, dark pits staring blankly ahead. “I think it’s turned off…at least for now.”
“Look.” Jude was pointing straight ahead to a large metal door.
It was as if a sinister energy radiated from what was inside. I almost felt the danger, but at the same time, it intrigued me so much that it drew me closer. Another flash of bright light from the claw made me wince, and I quickly looked from Jude to the door. “Together?”
He nodded, wrapping his fingers comfortably around mine. “Together.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
The massive metal door, cold and imposing, appeared to have once sealed a vault or perhaps a nuclear weapons stockpile. It had a sense of danger about it, like whatever was behind it needed something indestructible to keep it contained. With a deep breath, I gripped the smooth, cold handle—the chill seeping into my skin—and pulled.
Locked. Not surprised.
Next to the door, a keypad, its buttons worn from countless presses, was built into the wall. Using my sleeve, I wiped away the thick dust, revealing a dim red light emanating from the pad’s surface. “Any idea what the code is?”
“Actually, I may.” Jude bit his bottom lip as he looked at me. “This is what Michael and I were discussing while you talked with Nessa. He had cracked a code from the mainframe within Elysium, but we didn’t know what it went to. Should I try it?”
