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That steely grip around her wrist. The Matriarch pulled against it experimentally. It didn't move. It wasn't tight. His hand barely touched her skin. She tugged again, much harder this time. He looked at her, his slow blinking eyes drinking her in. She stared back. The terror that had engulfed her previously forgotten. Kluke's head cocked to one side again. She made to speak. His free hand covered her mouth. There was movement around the corner. Voices. They'd realized she'd gone ahead. Rapid footsteps and then the three of them emerged. Bringing their weapons to bear. He was so quick. The force drove the breath from her body as the alien man shielded her from the blasts of their rifles. The fools had panicked she thought. Not understanding their fire would have killed her.
"Cease fire." She commanded.
"Stay here. Don't move."
The firing continued. She could feel the impacts through him as he held her in his arms. The slow blink. The blur. Two bodies fell their skulls crushed. Loomah stood transfixed. Grunted then looked down at the fist driven through his chest. This Shining One had killed all three of them without mercy. Without thought . She hurried to their bodies giving him a disgusted glare.
"Why did you kill them?" She spat kneeling beside the broken bodies.
"They represented a danger to your well being."
"They were just afraid." She snarled viciously. "Shooting blindly. They are my children."
"These ones were no longer your children. They died the moment the Kishock infected them. Look."
He pointed at Loomah. The gaping hole in his chest oozed an orange jelly that was turning a putrid green even as she gazed at it.
"How is this? What...."
"That is the Kishock. These are its thralls. In time they to would have become Kishock. It is how the infection spreads. We must go now. They are in your city."
She jerked away from him.
"No. We must return to the council. They may be in danger. I need to warn them."
"Council?"
"My trusted advisers."
"They are no longer functional."
"What do you mean?" She already knew.
"Their life signs are few and fading. Their bodies damaged. No longer functional."
Slipping her shoes from her feet the Matriarch rolled away from him. Sprang upright and started running back along the tunnel. Her legs pumping hard as she sprinted along. Klook drew up beside. Effortlessly keeping pace.
"Don't try to stop me." She panted. maintaining her pace as best she could.
"I am yours to command Golden Light of the Dawn."
She ignored him. Lungs bursting she threw herself at the door back into the chamber. Falling thorough. Bodies everywhere. A choked sob escaped her mouth. These were people she'd known all their lives. Watched them grow as children. Nurtured their talents. Encouraged their growth. Still processing what Kluke had said, she surmised that Loomah had been infected on the high plateau. He'd brought whatever it was into the city. Infecting others within the guards. Some of whom were lying here. Had they been the betrayed or the betrayers? The whole world turned upside down in a day. There was a faint groan. It drew her attention to the far corner of the room. Where the dead troopers were concentrated. The noise had come from beneath three of their bodies. Rushing over she dragged at them fruitlessly.
"Help me." She groaned, pulling with all her might.
Kluke tossed the bodies aside like toys. It was Kulathorn. Twice as strong. Half as fast. His milky eyes flickered as she knelt beside him taking his huge hand in both of hers.
"You're safe.. My fault." He husked weakly.
"No. The fault was mine my friend." His blood was leaking everywhere, from a dozen critical wounds. Twin tracks of tears rolled down her cheeks. Bringing his hand to her face she kissed it. Kulathorn's eyes rolled back. His chest barely moving.
"This moisture from your eyes. What is this?" Kluke queried. "You must stop. They are taking your vital signs to dangerous levels."
"This is sorrow. I'm saying goodbye to my best friend you despicable thing. This is our way of coping with loss. Without him I don't even know if I want to go on. I'd rather die here by his side."
"This cannot be permitted. I can repair this entity. Render it functional if that is what you wish."
She spoke, without even thinking.
"Do it. If you are at my command, do it."
"There is a price to pay for such intervention." He cautioned.
"I don't care. I will pay any price you ask."
"You are not the one who will pay the price. He will. I must link with him. This will be permanent..."
"Just do it."
Kluke gently removed her from Kulathorn's side. Taking up her position. His hands placed to either side of the head. She'd turned away to scrub at her face. Then back. The sight that greeted her gaze made the Matriarch gasp. Gaping holes in his skin and flesh. Muscles exposed. The bones of Kluke's ribs laid bare. The lungs within moving before her startled eyes. Even as she watched the grey skin was healing. Then that stopped as he started to glow softly. White light pulsing from his body. Kulathorn coughed. His limbs jerked. A heart rending cry exploded from his gaping mouth. Just as suddenly the neanderthal relaxed. The grey stranger stood.
"It is done."
Pushing aside everything this thing had done, she had to admit he'd saved her friends life, hers to. That warranted at least a small modicum of sympathy.
"You're hurt."
Kluke's head darted around as he processed this.
"Hurt? Damaged. My overall offensive capacity remains undiminished. Damage superficial. Repair systems will resume operation."
"Don't you even feel pain?"
"Pain? Discomfort. Yes. This does not affect efficiency. Those impulses are vital, but they must be contained. Their only function is to report hurts as they occur. We must go. The Podes and their human allies are attempting to enter the main city. Your people are loosing functionality. Many more will follow."
"What about the gates? If we can close them it will slow them down at the very least."
"The gates are closed and are already being breached. There are Podes within. When the others enter there will be heavy casualties. I will now repulse them."
"I'm coming with you."
He did that curious thing with his head and the slow blink.
"Though not optimal I will be able to protect you from potential harm." He bent down picking up two of the troopers firearms. She scooped up another hardly knowing which way to hold it. Then they headed out.
They called them the Unenlightened. The derogatory term of primitive being frowned upon. Right now Tansi and Matuo had other things on their mind than verbal etiquette. The power cells on their beamers were running low. Having cleared the bridge and closed the outer gates, they were down to about three shots each. Someone had closed the inner gates behind them, leaving the pair of them alone to fight off scores of the Unenlightened. Even as they operated the controls to those outer heavier doors they'd spotted the behemoth. A huge machine clanking along on two legs. At least four times the height of a man. It would make short work of those gates. Only intended to protect against men. Matuo had taken a spear to his thigh. Right down to the bone. The wound gushing his life fluids.
Tansi half carried him to the rear gates. Setting her husband down as she hammered at the metal door to the right hand tower. Screaming at someone inside to let them in. There was no answer from within. Tansi slumped down beside her partner. Pressing her head against his.
"Help me up." Matuo moaned. "I can give you a boost to the lowest window. You'll be able to get inside."
"No I won't stupid."
"Yes you will. You can break through the shutters. Get inside and open the door for me. I will be fine here."
The barrier they'd risked their lives to seal began to glow cherry red. The glow spread, turning yellow at the center. Then the metal began to drip.
"No. I'm staying here with you my love."
"Please..."
She hushed him.
"If I leave you here alone you will only mess things up. Besides the weather's nice. It's good to sit in the sun. One last time."
Before he could do more than open his mouth to protest the gates behind them shuddered under a massive impact. Then again and again. They picked up their near useless weapons. Kissed one last time as the outer gate dissolved into a pool of smoking slag. The leviathan stepped through.
"Help me up Tansi. There's no way I'm dying on my ass."
Another shudder of impact and the gates sagged. One more should do it. Tansi chuckled humorlessly as she lifted her husband to his feet.
"It sure would be nice if we could could take at least one of them with us."
The were dozens of humans with the colossus. They leaped over the still hot metal. Their spears and clubs at the ready. There was another crash followed by those gates bursting open. Then with hardly a break a mangled Pode cartwheeled along the bridge taking out many of the Unenlightened in its path. The couple looked at one another in bewilderment. Almost missing the small slim figure who bounded through after it. A rifle in each hand he sprayed the onrushing men. This didn't go unnoticed of course. The war machine opened fire. It's arms sending beams of energy at the pale figure. He moved out of the way before they'd even left their projectors. Still firing from the hip. They were wavering now. Becoming more reluctant to throw themselves at what seemed certain death. Where before there'd been a crowd there was now a scattering of frightened survivors. A handful more died and the headlong retreat began. They fled back past their robotic ally, which was still firing. Hitting only its own allies. Tansi and Matuo slid down the wall onto their bottoms. Now there were only the two of them.
Klook fired repeatedly. Blast after blast striking the mechanical monster with no effect. Stalemate it appeared. But then the man started to glow. Brighter and brighter. No longer moving and each beam that hit him only made the light grow in intensity. The weapons he was holding also blazed brightly. Until it hurt the eyes. One, two, three long strides and the rifle in his right hand was thrown like a javelin. It's trail fizzing through the air. Until it impacted the metal giant, passing right through it. The monster swayed and crashed to the ground. Kluke spun on his heel striding back towards his entry point.
"Is he on our side?" Tansi asked in wonder.
"I sure hope so." Matuo responded. "I really hope so."
"He is." The Matriarch declared stepping through the gateway.
The two of them flailed as they fought to stand up.
"Mother." They exclaimed.
"Stay as you are." She suggested softly. "You've had a hard day. You deserve some rest."
The grey man was examining the modified beamer in his hand. Modified by Loomah, into fatal weapons.
"Useless." He announced, before tossing it far out into the lagoon below.
At this point two troopers came out of the tower behind Tansi and Matuo. Looking around in stunned amazement. Moving their weapons nervously.
"We were unable to reopen the..."
The Matriarch interjected.
"I'm sorry."
"What for?" One of the troopers asked.
Her weapon flashed twice.
"For that." Before the pair of guards could express their shock and horror, she addressed them. "They don't smell right. They two locked you out here to die."
As they both struggled to get their brains round that revelation, Kluke came up to them. His grey eyes drifting across every millimeter of their bodies.
"You I like." His arm swept around. "The others? Mostly useless."