Page 309
Story: Seer Prophet
In front of us, Chinja, Anale, Poresh, Baleur and Dalejem had gone more or less silent as well. Even Jax and Holo’s footsteps muted as they followed directly in our path.
Stanley, who I’d nearly forgotten was with us, as well as Surli, took up the rear with Mansk and Tenzi. I couldn’t help noticing they moved just as quietly as those in front of us, most of whom were Adhipan-trained.
Terian’s guards continued to walk normally, as did Terian himself, who scarcely seemed to notice the change in the rest of us.
As we reached about two-thirds of the length of the warehouse, the space dramatically opened up. My eyes tilted up with it, following the height of the ceiling, its bare bones and high beams suddenly visible through the bluish glow from the upper windows.
As I focused there, a light ignited against the far wall, right at the wall’s base. Little more than a golden glow at first, it rose as we got closer, then began to spread like liquid flame around the corners of the far end of the warehouse and down its length.
Frowning, I wondered why Terian would wait until we were more than halfway through the structure before he bothered to turn on the lights?
Then the thought died.
Rows of cages appeared on either side of the building in front of us. Seeing the eyes reflecting back at me through the rising golden light, I sucked in a breath.
Next to me, Revik’s light flinched, too.
I couldn’t believe how many of them there were.
What had to be several hundred people were crammed into two, long, old-fashioned-looking cages with what looked like composite steel bars.
The cages stood roughly eight feet tall, the thick metal bars spaced only an inch or two apart and clearly of both organic and dead metals from the dark green sheen. The ends of those bars disappeared into the floor of the warehouse on the lower end, and when I looked down, I saw bare feet below an odd variety of clothing styles that spanned from traditional, Chinese and Indian peasant-type attire to full-fledged business suits and party gowns, as well as a number of outfits that looked more military in origin.
Looking across that span of faces and bodies, I wondered how they slept.
I wondered how long most of them had been locked in these cages.
I wondered how many of them had any idea why they were here.
Glancing over the insignias on a few military uniforms, I tried to decide if they belonged to private sec or the remnants of one of the human militaries.
After a few more seconds, I decided it was probably a mixture of both.
Looking at all of those dirt-smudged faces, including those behind hands that clutched at the thick bars, I could only return their stares at first, paralyzed.
They came from all over the world. Looking at them, it really felt like they represented the survivors. The ordinary people, who weren’t ordinary at all.
The last of their respective races.
Our party had come to a stop on the boathouse floor. Dalejem resumed walking after that initial pause, leading the rest of us forward. We all followed him wordlessly, until our entire group stood between the two rows of cages, looking from one set of faces to another.
I noticed a lot of them were looking at Terian, watching him warily.
I also noticed how quiet they were. Silent, really.
Pretty unusual in a group of people this large, whatever their race.
Even as I thought it, Surli muttered from my right, “Why don’t they speak? Why are none of them talking? Asking for help?” Seeing me look at him, he pursed his lips. “Wouldn’t you ask for help? If you were being held prisoner by this crazy fuck?”
Next to him, Stanley, who seemed to have bonded with Surli during their deployment here together, raised a hand to indicate for him to be quiet.
Glancing at Stanley, I gestured briefly that I agreed with him.
Whatever was going on here, I could feel something was wrong.
I glanced at Revik.
Once I had, my uneasiness turned to fear.
Stanley, who I’d nearly forgotten was with us, as well as Surli, took up the rear with Mansk and Tenzi. I couldn’t help noticing they moved just as quietly as those in front of us, most of whom were Adhipan-trained.
Terian’s guards continued to walk normally, as did Terian himself, who scarcely seemed to notice the change in the rest of us.
As we reached about two-thirds of the length of the warehouse, the space dramatically opened up. My eyes tilted up with it, following the height of the ceiling, its bare bones and high beams suddenly visible through the bluish glow from the upper windows.
As I focused there, a light ignited against the far wall, right at the wall’s base. Little more than a golden glow at first, it rose as we got closer, then began to spread like liquid flame around the corners of the far end of the warehouse and down its length.
Frowning, I wondered why Terian would wait until we were more than halfway through the structure before he bothered to turn on the lights?
Then the thought died.
Rows of cages appeared on either side of the building in front of us. Seeing the eyes reflecting back at me through the rising golden light, I sucked in a breath.
Next to me, Revik’s light flinched, too.
I couldn’t believe how many of them there were.
What had to be several hundred people were crammed into two, long, old-fashioned-looking cages with what looked like composite steel bars.
The cages stood roughly eight feet tall, the thick metal bars spaced only an inch or two apart and clearly of both organic and dead metals from the dark green sheen. The ends of those bars disappeared into the floor of the warehouse on the lower end, and when I looked down, I saw bare feet below an odd variety of clothing styles that spanned from traditional, Chinese and Indian peasant-type attire to full-fledged business suits and party gowns, as well as a number of outfits that looked more military in origin.
Looking across that span of faces and bodies, I wondered how they slept.
I wondered how long most of them had been locked in these cages.
I wondered how many of them had any idea why they were here.
Glancing over the insignias on a few military uniforms, I tried to decide if they belonged to private sec or the remnants of one of the human militaries.
After a few more seconds, I decided it was probably a mixture of both.
Looking at all of those dirt-smudged faces, including those behind hands that clutched at the thick bars, I could only return their stares at first, paralyzed.
They came from all over the world. Looking at them, it really felt like they represented the survivors. The ordinary people, who weren’t ordinary at all.
The last of their respective races.
Our party had come to a stop on the boathouse floor. Dalejem resumed walking after that initial pause, leading the rest of us forward. We all followed him wordlessly, until our entire group stood between the two rows of cages, looking from one set of faces to another.
I noticed a lot of them were looking at Terian, watching him warily.
I also noticed how quiet they were. Silent, really.
Pretty unusual in a group of people this large, whatever their race.
Even as I thought it, Surli muttered from my right, “Why don’t they speak? Why are none of them talking? Asking for help?” Seeing me look at him, he pursed his lips. “Wouldn’t you ask for help? If you were being held prisoner by this crazy fuck?”
Next to him, Stanley, who seemed to have bonded with Surli during their deployment here together, raised a hand to indicate for him to be quiet.
Glancing at Stanley, I gestured briefly that I agreed with him.
Whatever was going on here, I could feel something was wrong.
I glanced at Revik.
Once I had, my uneasiness turned to fear.
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 57
- Page 58
- Page 59
- Page 60
- Page 61
- Page 62
- Page 63
- Page 64
- Page 65
- Page 66
- Page 67
- Page 68
- Page 69
- Page 70
- Page 71
- Page 72
- Page 73
- Page 74
- Page 75
- Page 76
- Page 77
- Page 78
- Page 79
- Page 80
- Page 81
- Page 82
- Page 83
- Page 84
- Page 85
- Page 86
- Page 87
- Page 88
- Page 89
- Page 90
- Page 91
- Page 92
- Page 93
- Page 94
- Page 95
- Page 96
- Page 97
- Page 98
- Page 99
- Page 100
- Page 101
- Page 102
- Page 103
- Page 104
- Page 105
- Page 106
- Page 107
- Page 108
- Page 109
- Page 110
- Page 111
- Page 112
- Page 113
- Page 114
- Page 115
- Page 116
- Page 117
- Page 118
- Page 119
- Page 120
- Page 121
- Page 122
- Page 123
- Page 124
- Page 125
- Page 126
- Page 127
- Page 128
- Page 129
- Page 130
- Page 131
- Page 132
- Page 133
- Page 134
- Page 135
- Page 136
- Page 137
- Page 138
- Page 139
- Page 140
- Page 141
- Page 142
- Page 143
- Page 144
- Page 145
- Page 146
- Page 147
- Page 148
- Page 149
- Page 150
- Page 151
- Page 152
- Page 153
- Page 154
- Page 155
- Page 156
- Page 157
- Page 158
- Page 159
- Page 160
- Page 161
- Page 162
- Page 163
- Page 164
- Page 165
- Page 166
- Page 167
- Page 168
- Page 169
- Page 170
- Page 171
- Page 172
- Page 173
- Page 174
- Page 175
- Page 176
- Page 177
- Page 178
- Page 179
- Page 180
- Page 181
- Page 182
- Page 183
- Page 184
- Page 185
- Page 186
- Page 187
- Page 188
- Page 189
- Page 190
- Page 191
- Page 192
- Page 193
- Page 194
- Page 195
- Page 196
- Page 197
- Page 198
- Page 199
- Page 200
- Page 201
- Page 202
- Page 203
- Page 204
- Page 205
- Page 206
- Page 207
- Page 208
- Page 209
- Page 210
- Page 211
- Page 212
- Page 213
- Page 214
- Page 215
- Page 216
- Page 217
- Page 218
- Page 219
- Page 220
- Page 221
- Page 222
- Page 223
- Page 224
- Page 225
- Page 226
- Page 227
- Page 228
- Page 229
- Page 230
- Page 231
- Page 232
- Page 233
- Page 234
- Page 235
- Page 236
- Page 237
- Page 238
- Page 239
- Page 240
- Page 241
- Page 242
- Page 243
- Page 244
- Page 245
- Page 246
- Page 247
- Page 248
- Page 249
- Page 250
- Page 251
- Page 252
- Page 253
- Page 254
- Page 255
- Page 256
- Page 257
- Page 258
- Page 259
- Page 260
- Page 261
- Page 262
- Page 263
- Page 264
- Page 265
- Page 266
- Page 267
- Page 268
- Page 269
- Page 270
- Page 271
- Page 272
- Page 273
- Page 274
- Page 275
- Page 276
- Page 277
- Page 278
- Page 279
- Page 280
- Page 281
- Page 282
- Page 283
- Page 284
- Page 285
- Page 286
- Page 287
- Page 288
- Page 289
- Page 290
- Page 291
- Page 292
- Page 293
- Page 294
- Page 295
- Page 296
- Page 297
- Page 298
- Page 299
- Page 300
- Page 301
- Page 302
- Page 303
- Page 304
- Page 305
- Page 306
- Page 307
- Page 308
- Page 309
- Page 310
- Page 311
- Page 312
- Page 313
- Page 314
- Page 315
- Page 316
- Page 317
- Page 318
- Page 319
- Page 320
- Page 321
- Page 322
- Page 323
- Page 324
- Page 325
- Page 326
- Page 327
- Page 328