Tapping away at the cogitator, I checked the figures one last time before sending off the request for another batch of ammunition for the Red Corsairs. We were running low, especially on heavy stubber rounds, so it fell on me to order more. I'd taken near total control of the unit's logistics by this point, with Zardelle tied up in several gang-related projects.
Her right hand, the one who used to handle this, had finally got her own unit, leaving no one else and foolishly I'd volunteered. Switching the cogitator off, I pushed my chair back and stretched, relieving the crick in my neck.
Checking my chrono, I grinned to myself, excited to finally have some spare time. I started strapping on my armour, my knock-off carapace set. It was still far below the protection of the real thing, but I was getting there. I'd made three in total over the last two years. The others I'd sold to the gang for a pretty good deal, but kept this one.
It offered similar protection in some areas but was far more jankier and didn't move nearly as smoothly. But I would get there. I just needed time. Once the helmet was in place, I reached out through my impulse unit and sent a signal to Snuffles. He perked up from the corner, executed a perfect downward dog and then trotted over to me.
He too had changed over the two years; gone was the last of his puppy fur, and he had fully grown into his body, taking him to one and a half metres tall. Far larger than I would have guessed when I first got him.
By this point, the cyber mastiff programme was in full swing with over a dozen success cases. I'd decided to standardise most of them early on and then specialise them as needed.
They all got Thul's supplements to help them grow as strong and big as possible, that combined with enough food, had made a huge difference. Then they got a cheap MIU, vox and my learning programme, which had proven to be far more successful than I could have imagined.
No milestone from it though.
Finally, they were fitted with bionic eyes, ears, enhanced scent and subdermal armour, enough to protect them from most forms of damage. It wouldn't stop the truly big stuff, but it could certainly save their lives, like it had already done on several occasions, Snuffles included.
From there, they became more specialised depending on what role they were needed for. Maybe more armour, better claws and jaw if they were combat focused or a further enhanced auspex if they were to be on guard duty or hunting.
Snuffles obviously had the best of them all.
I had finally put some of his armour on, along with many of the other enhancements I had saved from the hardcase. I was lucky he had grown large enough that the armour plating needed minimal changes, I was still a long way off from being able reforge it. The rest of the bionics weren't a problem, from the claws and paws to the metal jaw.
I had spent a lot of my time and resources getting him fully set up, but it was worth it. I was still enhancing him further when I found something, but he was now one of the more dangerous entities in the gang. His speed and strength, combined with his armour, made him a nightmare to deal with. Not to mention his paws could latch onto walls, there was nothing funnier than seeing him drop from the top of the tunnel onto some unsuspecting bandits or raiders.
It was safe to say that my snuggleable fluff ball was gone, and in its place was the best protector a man could ask for. As he had proven countless times, as well as keeping his top dog position in the mastiff hierarchy, which had only grown.
I now had dozens working under me. They all reported to Skyla, who had fully grown into my right-hand man or women I suppose. Didn't matter. She was someone I couldn't do without by this point, and with Merek's help on the tech side, we'd built a very powerful core for the gang. Already, it was an undisputed power within the gang, with our handlers and dogs supporting every corner of the gang's operation.
I'd restarted the breeding, picking the best bitches and males, getting the traits I wanted: intelligence, strength, size, and agility. All different linages, so I would eventually end up with mutts tailored for different roles.
The main bottleneck was skilled handlers. We had the dogs, but not enough hivers to command them out in the field. Still, they were effective at patrolling key points, since some basic commands could be used by regular gangers. They just had to be logged into the system, as thanks to the vox and MIU, I could rig up a kind of IFFs so they'd only respond to specific, pre-programmed voices.
Of course, there was my team, the bosses and lieutenants, and then it was granted on a case-by-case basis. It was one of my better ideas, and I was pretty smug about it when I got it to work.
With the last of my war gear strapped on, I locked my room and headed for the tunnels. I was far too big now to use my old crawlspace, but I didn't need it anymore; people avoided me, not the other way around. Having Snuffles by my side only enhanced this. At seventeen, I'd hit a respectable 6ft, if I'd say so myself. I was pleased with it, even if I secretly hoped to grow a bit more, so I was taller than Lanto.
I couldn't quite get the separate armour pieces to link together like some of the best carapace armours had, so I only had the heavy armour over my vitals, head, neck and torso were the main ones. But I also had greaves, pauldrons for my arms and shoulders, with my legs the same. Underneath this was a tough fabric which didn't give as much protection between the gaps in the armour, but it was tough, so it did provide some.
The helmet was modified from a carapace armour set, and I had put a lot of extra features into it. This had made it slightly bulkier, but I had also removed the visor and placed my own screen in its place. Giving me a lot more options. It had a smooth metal plate at the front, polished to a mirror finish.
All a matte black.
Finally, I had my relic pistol strapped to my thigh and rifle slung over my back. I also had several grenades tucked in the small of my back, nothing ridiculous, just a flashbang and a fragmentation grenade. The fragmentation I bought, but the flashbang I actually made. Unlike the ones I'd seen, it was electronic, so it could actually be reused. It lost some of the power of the chemical version, but its reusability made it too valuable to pass up.
Snuffles was similarly decked out, able to stare most people in the eyes with his red bionics ones. I was pleased he still resembled a dog, even if it was one of nightmares. I had managed to keep all his cabling internal, so all people could see was the smooth plating.
When it had been installed and polished, it looked incredible, a rich dark gold that sparkled with a hidden light.
In fact, it looked too incredible, a bit too eye-catching. So, I'd had to paint it a dirty brown. Less inspiring but also wouldn't draw the eye—well, no more than a fully kitted out metal cyber mastiff anyway.
Fully decked out, we made an intimidating sight.
Nodding to the guards, I walked past them and was officially taking part in the Tidefall. It was the first one I'd been able to join in a while, and was incredibly excited. The few I'd managed hadn't earned me much, but I was hopeful this time. With a few days to dive, I should be able to make it pretty deep.
Although this was an unfortunate Tidefall with only a few paths, so I followed the main tunnel, heading deeper, ignoring the blood spatters as I went. The corridors were grey metal, coated in a layer of grime and dripping water, ten metres wide and dim lights running along the ceiling, illuminating everything in an orange glow.
I followed the winding corridors, sometimes branching off into one of the many side paths. But I never got far; there were always signs others had already cleared it. Slaughtered monsters, smashed turrets or destroyed security doors.
Whether by explosives or some other kind of tool.
All the while, we kept descending, sometimes through sloping corridors, other times climbing down ladders or rubble piles. At first, we passed other scavengers regularly, and other than keeping an eye on them, we passed by without difficulty. But that changed the deeper we went, further from the reach of Glow Gate laws, limited as they were.
The quality of people we came across also changed. At first, it was mostly ragtag hivers, clad in scrounged-up and patched together armour and whatever weapons they could find. In most cases, crappy beat-up autoguns. But as we crossed the two-hour mark, we started running into the professionals.
Well-maintained wargear, clear teamwork and a confident alertness. They were easy to spot if you knew what to look for. I kept my hand near my pistol and stepped to one side of the corridor, giving them plenty of enough space to pass me by. The leader and I made eye contact and nodded, passing without a word. Both sides only relaxed when we were well past each other.
This trend only continued, passing several groups—some carrying loot, others wounded or even the dead. Whatever they were carrying, they passed Snuffles and me with a tense alertness but no conflict, which I was grateful for.
I spotted a promising corridor partly hidden by a collapsed ceiling and followed Snuffles inside. Water trickled along the floor, lime green algae coating everything in a layer of slippery gunk.
But there were no footprints, which made me more confident this passage was unexplored. Now that I was off the main routes, I drew my pistol; it would have been seen as a sign of aggression back there. I kept my ears pricked, though I doubted I'd hear anything before Snuffles alerted me to it.
As we followed the trickling water down, the hallway lights began to flicker and dim. Some had failed altogether. I had to place each step carefully, the floor uneven, diverted from the polluted water, not to mention the rubble scattered about. At the bottom of the tunnel, we found a metal door torn off its hinges with water pooling in front of it. I carefully followed Snuffles' footsteps as we entered the next room.
A few steps from the entrance, my foot found nothing but water, and I plunged into the gloopy mess up to my knee. "Shit." I whispered, picking myself back up. Snuffles let out a concerned whine, and I sent back. 'I'm okay.'
I shook off my leg to get rid of the worst of the water and goop and checked to make sure it wasn't eating through the material, or worse, before setting off once more. The armour plating wasn't watertight thanks to all the gaps, but the underlayer I wore was. Mostly. I wouldn't stay dry swimming in it, but a quick dunk should be okay.
With me okay, Snuffles gave me a snort and flashed me that little smile of his. I laughed, sticking my tongue out at him, even if he couldn't see it because of my helmet, he knew what I was doing.
Taking the last few steps more carefully, we left the puddles and were once more on solid ground. The same algae and water coated everything, casting a dim, eerie glow.
At least there was no free running water anymore.
The luminescent algae were the only sources of light in the room. With a flick of my mind, I toggled the night vision in my helmet, and the room snapped into clear focus.
Looking around, there wasn't much to see, even with my night vision. Just machines and massive tanks, all covered in the same algae. Shrugging, we started to systematically explore, taking care not to make too much noise, and more to the point, slip on the slimy floor.
As we moved deeper into the room, Snuffles tensed. He growled over our comms and sent a mental image of a small, hairless rat—a sump rat. 'Good boy!'
'Woof.' Snuffles replied, clearly agreeing that he was, indeed, a very good boyo. That was one of the true powers of getting dogs on an impulse unit; they could send information, not just sound. Invaluable in situations like this. Sump rats were nasty. In small number they were a pest, but in larger number they were a plague. Climbing up from the very bottom of the hive, known as the sump, even a scratch from them was lethal, tainted with whatever poison or pollutant they lived in.
Pretty soon, I noticed some signs of animals, faeces and gnawed bones, but without Snuffles, I wouldn't have known what kind of animal left them. I'd tried getting some training from Brix, but I'd failed pretty miserably, and with Snuffles, there was no real incentive to try again.
The sparks were making me lazy.
Shaking off those thoughts, I focused back on the room. We were about halfway through scouting when Snuffles crouched low, letting out a soft, audible rumble. But over the vox was a different story, as he let a clear, loud growl of warning.
I couldn't see or hear what had set him off, but even without my own instincts screaming, I'd have trusted him. Scanning the room, I spotted a tight passageway that would force them into a narrow choke point. I kept my pistol out, but made sure my rifle was within easy reach. As always, Snuffles was out in front, being my shield.
I heard the patter of claws on the metal gangways—getting louder and louder. Then came the hissing and high-pitched squeaking of countless rats. 'Get ready Snuffles, you know what to do.'
The tidal wave of flesh rounded the corner; each rat was no larger than a mid-size cat, but there had to be dozens, maybe a hundred. Adrenaline surged through my system, but I kept my hands steady as I squeezed off my first shot.
They were impossible to miss at this range, but I still noted with satisfaction how cleanly my shot hit centre mass. The relic pistol proved its worth, just like it had countless times before, letting me fire again and again.
But still the rats got closer. A deep, almost mechanical roar echoed out of the metal walls as Snuffles launched forward, claws slashing. The claws tore through flesh and bone, ripping through bodies with ease.
His roar, deep, loud and almost otherworldly, unnatural, gave the sump rats pause.
Snapping out, he crunched one's head in his metal jaw, blood and brain matter leaking from his mouth. I picked my shots more carefully now, targeting any that were trying to flank him as he held the line between them and me.
But the horde wasn't dissuaded for long. They charged again. Some leaping onto Snuffles back or running around him. Knowing we were about to be overwhelmed, I backed and grabbed a homemade flashbang, primed it and threw it. It bounces down next to Snuffles. 'Flashbang.' He already knew, his sensors far sharper than mine, with an almost supernatural awareness of everything around him. But it was a good habit.
I flicked a setting in the helmet to shield my eyes and ears. My flashbang went off, my display went grey for a moment, stopping me from seeing anything but it dimmed, so I wasn't blinded.
The rats weren't so lucky.
When my vision cleared, Snuffles was still moving, raking his way through the rats, many of whom were slumped or curled up, while some others were standing but clearly dazed and unsteady.
"Hey, leave some for me." I said, as Snuffles made short work of the incapacitated animals. I focused on those furthest away and least affected, so together we cleared the rest. When the last one was killed, I paused—waiting.
'Woof.'
'Thanks, boy.' I said when he gave the all clear. Hopefully, that would be the last of the danger on this path.
With the room clear, I set about looking for loot. 'Guard'.
I would have him do a sweep when I was done to see if his sensors could pick up anything I had missed. For now, I examined the large glass vats, each filled with a viscous grey gloop. At the centre of each was a malformed crystal.
Whatever process controlled their growth had long since failed, as it was heavily misshapen. But the purpose of the machines was clear enough—they were meant to grow crystals. Why, I wasn't sure. But I was pretty confident that was their function.
I didn't know much about these crystals, and the stuff I did know was mostly as focuses in lasers, although there were hints they were used in some shields.
I considered collecting some of them, as well as the slime, but decided against it. Firstly, I didn't know what the goo was, and the crystal had seen far better days. Maybe if I found nothing else, I would come back for them, but I wasn't that desperate… yet. I pocketed a few interesting bits and pieces, but otherwise left the rest as it was.
'Good boy. Go.'
We explored the rest of the facility. It was pretty much the same story, row after row of crystal growing vats. It took us hours to finish; the chamber was massive. Annoyingly, we came up empty. Nothing worthwhile caught my attention. But that was the risk, sometimes the route you picked had nothing to offer. That was the luck in diving; you weren't guaranteed a payout.
But if you got lucky...
Annoyed, but not too surprised, we went back to the main corridor and continued our descent.
I had just finished climbing down a narrow, almost vertical shaft, dropping the last two to three metres into a completely different style of tunnel. Snuffles dropped down next to me, with barely a sound.
The walls and floor were gleaming white tiles; harsh white lights spilled down from the ceiling. I stamped on the tiles—they didn't even shift, so not ceramics. Moving to the side, I pulled out my knife I traded all those years ago and tried to pry one off the wall to take home for research.
I couldn't even slot the knife in the gap, it was so fine, and whatever they were made from was tougher than the blade as I did fuck all trying to wiggle it in. Giving up, we picked a direction in the tunnel and started walking. I went slower than I had been. By my reckoning, we were reaching near the pack leaders exploring the ruin.
The most rewarding place to be, but also the most dangerous.
We'd barely been walking five minutes when Snuffles slowed in front of me, hackles raised. Through vox, I heard a faint growl warning me there were people close. Training him to growl over vox instead of out loud had been a right bugger, but I was damn glad I'd done it.
Poking my head around the corner, I saw seven heavily armed men crowded near a shut door. As soon as I was spotted, they all turned, guns drawn.
One of them called out, "Clear off, this one is ours."
"Easy, mate. No Trouble." I said, backing away.
I had no interest in fighting them for the door. If I knew what was inside or they had some good loot that might have changed, but as it stood, there was little benefit in starting a firefight even if I was fully confident I would win. No point risking the odds.
Doubling back, we tried another path. I'd passed a few doors or vents that might've been worth checking, but none of them spoke to me. I was just passing a large blast door marked Laser Engravements when I suddenly realised the wording was vastly different than what I expected.
I'd learned Gothic or Low Gothic ages ago. Mostly from the pamphlet the priests handed out. It wasn't their purpose of course. No, they were meant to remind the populace how great everything was. But it was enough to get me started. So, in a way, religion had enlightened me, not something I thought I would ever say.
But this was different; it had the same roots, or, thinking about it, was more likely the original dialect. The fact that I could read it, a language that had to be thousands of years old, was surprising. I almost started digging through my memories, trying to figure out where that knowledge had come from.
But I shook my head and pushed the thought aside. I could investigate that later.
For now, I crouched down in front of the door controls. I hit it in the vague hope it wouldn't be locked, but the red beep denied me. Sighing, I pulled out my portable toolkit. It didn't contain much, but it let me remove the casing of the door controls and get access to its internals.
When I had made that virus to gain access to the main hive network, I thought I'd be able to hack into any door I wanted. Either using my access or whipping up another exploit.
I had since been rudely awakened.
First, I had zero access to any part of the facilities down here. I'd checked several times, even made a device to see if it could connect to anything. It didn't.
The only times I could find anything were during a Tidefall, and the protections on it were unlike anything I'd ever seen. Far beyond my skill level. Shifting and changing in a fraction of a second.
The other and more important problem was that, even with it right in front of me, I had no way to access it. If I could access it, I would be confident in hacking it, but as it stood, I had a bigger chance of the Emperor waking up than hacking the door. I knew it needed some kind of wireless connection, but even with the devices I'd build I couldn't detect anything, nor did it respond to any pings asking for connections. It was like it was on a completely different frequency that I didn't have access to.
So, I was left with the old-fashioned way.
Sliding my knife in, I cut a few cables and rewired the door. When done, I hit the door control once again.
They sparked, groaning before slowly torturously opening. When they were wide enough to get through, I stopped them. Partly to stop the noise, they were so fucking loud, and partly to make a natural chokepoint.
I gave the corridor one last looks then we carefully entered the newly opened corridor. It was much the same as the one we had just left, the same white walls and harsh lights, only narrower. Coming to the first door, also locked, I once more popped the door controls and got in. The room beyond was devoid of anything, as if someone had already passed through, clearing it out.
More notable was the complete lack of dust covering anything. The room looked like it was brand new; in fact, both corridors were the same. Not a speck of dust or dirt. With nothing interesting inside, I went to the next door.
This room looked like an office of some sort. It too had been gutted, but there was some stuff still left over. Opening drawers and cabinets, I came across some papers. Again, I was able to read it perfectly, so I knew they were mostly worthless, but I still tucked them away anyway. I did not need to know the review for their latest theatre play coming out that weekend.
Still, I knew someone would pay good credits for it.
The third room was more useful. It had some research papers about the crystals. Something about how they wanted to use them to contain or focus psychic powers and information. Most of it went over my head, but I'd give them a proper read when I got home.
The fourth door got stuck. There was just enough of a crack to see in the room, and with nothing standing out to me, I moved onto the final two doors.
The first opened up into a lab. It had been cleared too, but it looked like whoever had done it was interrupted halfway through. One side of the lab was stripped clean, like the others. But the other still had banks of cogitators.
Fuck yes.
I did a small jig, celebrating. They were in good nick, a huge find. They were definitely coming back with me, and I wouldn't be selling them either. High-quality components like that were incredibly valuable, but far more useful if I could use them in my tinkering.
The final area tucked into one corner was half cleared. The machines were gone, but scattered everywhere was a fine powder. Glass or crystal of some kind. If I didn't miss my guess, it was the crystals made using the vats I found earlier. The leftover chunks of crystal were a good hint. The few chunks remaining looked to be filed into the exact same size, no larger than a Post-it note. I didn't find anything interesting about them at first. I was about to lose interest when one of them caught the light, glinting to reveal the most beautiful structure.
Someone, somehow, had etched incredibly fine lines deep within the crystal's structure. Far too small to read, but whatever it was, there was a lot of it. Even in the small shards, I could see layers and layers of engravings. Tucking them into my bag, I moved on to the final door.
I knew immediately it was different. It was a workshop of some kind, with large machines lining the walls, many of which I recognised. But that wasn't what was different, no, that was the scattered remnants of a battle. Two turrets hung from the ceiling, both visibly damaged with scorch marks. One was hanging limply, held up by the cables; the other looked more damaged but was still attached.
Scattered throughout the rest of the room were the remains, piles of bones encased in armour and dozens of destroyed robots. But these weren't the cumbersome models I had seen before or even bio-fused ones like those seen in servitors. No, these were humanoid, larger than me but sleek, with flowing, graceful lines instead of boxy and sharp edges I was used to.
I waved my hand into the room to see if the turrets would spring to life. When nothing happened, Snuffles crept while I stayed by the door. He had a better chance of surviving, thanks to his powerful armour. But looking at the lascannons I wasn't sure even that would protect him from a clean shot.
He was nearing one of the workbenches in the centre of the room, and I had just started to relax when the turrets whirred to life. The more damaged one sparked, smoking and died, but the other started to spin towards him.
"Snuffles hide!" I shouted, slightly panicked.
Not that I needed to tell him. The moment the turret screeched into motion, he bolted, diving behind the workbench. The turret's damaged state worked in our favour; it was clearly in need of a service. It spun torturously slowly, giving Snuffles plenty of time to get well out of sight when it fired.
Sheathing my pistol, I shrugged my 'Monster' from my back and fired off a few shots. As expected, they pinged harmlessly off the armour. I wasn't sure even at full power it could punch through that armour plating. But I'd achieved what I wanted.
A distraction.
I ducked out of its line of sight just as the doorway was lit up by las fire, scorching and even melting the tiles. From cover, I saw Snuffles charge around the workbench, scrambling on the polished floor, his claws cutting small scratches into it. Before the turret could fully rotate back to him, he jumped onto the table below it and launched himself straight at it.
His claws dug deeply into the metal, and his jaws clamped around the barrel of the gun. Thankfully, in such a way that it couldn't hit him as it continued to fire and spin helplessly. Shaking his head and body, Snuffles pulled at it. It held for a moment before, with the sound of tearing metal, it was ripped from the ceiling. A cloud of dust and rockcrete power plumed up as they both crashed into the floor.
I immediately checked Snuffles' biomonitor and sighed in relief as it read back all green. 'You okay, Snuffles?'
A happy bark came from the dust cloud, and he emerged shaking himself, dislodging most of the powder. Going over to him, I checked him over before patting his flank. "Good boy. Who's a clever boy? Yes, you are. You are." I said in a baby voice, a habit I hadn't been able to break. "Now let's see what we have." Checking the rest of the room, making sure there were no other surprises, I sent him to guard the door as I started to catalogue what was there.
Now that I had a better view, I could see that the human bodies were grouped together in one corner, surrounded by a ring of robots. To me, it looked like they were protecting them, as many of the humans didn't even have a weapon near them.
The enemy could have taken them, I suppose, but that didn't make much sense. Why leave so much else behind then? Scattered around the rest of the room were more destroyed robots, but from the way they were resting, I could have sworn they were the attackers. But they were the exact same designs, so that didn't add up.
Regardless, I got to work scavenging. I wouldn't be able to take everything; there was too much, but I would give it a damn good try.
First, I went through the remains of both the humans and robots. The scattered bones didn't have much on them, except the body at the very back, where I found a chrono and tablet. Both dead, but I took them in hopes of getting them working. But the best find was a full arm replacement bionic, sleek as hell and indistinguishable from a human arm. The only reason I knew it was artificial because the rest of the body had decomposed, leaving only the bones behind. From the robots, I took some of the more intact parts, especially the heads and torsos, so I could reverse engineer them at home, but otherwise broke them apart for scraps.
The machines were the same, too large to move, so I dismantled them and took the valuable components. The only exception to this was one that I didn't recognise. It was far more advanced than any of the others were, clearly archaotech, and a high-tier one at that. I could understand enough that it was some kind of laser-based device. I was hoping it was the machine used to engrave the crystals, with the powder collecting at the bottom being a strong clue. Unfortunately, it was far too large to take with me, but I kept as many of the components intact as possible, leaving behind anything I knew was unnecessary or too bulky, like the casing.
I had also popped back and grabbed many of the cogitators, again breaking them apart for their parts, but leaving two intact to take with me. The servers looked like they had been fried or at least wiped, but I took the most intact ones in the hopes I could pull something from them.
I got lost in the machines, staying far longer than I should have. I was only pulled from my frantic work by a growl from Snuffles. Snapping back, I asked. 'What you got?'
I received the images from him, nine humans in total. 'Got it' Leaving what I was doing, I joined him by the door, poking my head around the corner. I couldn't see or hear anything, and there was no one in the main tunnel, which I could just about make out. But I still got set up. He hadn't been wrong before.
I took Snuffles to the fourth room and made sure he was mostly hidden behind a desk. 'Stay' and then made it back to the fifth one and waited.
I didn't need to wait long; the scraping of boots on metal and the low voices echoed up the corridor. As they came into view, wearing decent flak armour, but that was all. They also weren't wearing any gang colours I could see.
I had a decision to make. Should I warn them off? Looking at their gear, it wasn't too impressive, so I didn't feel particularly threatened and shouted from behind the doorway. "That's far enough! Leave."
"We will as soon as we make sure we didn't leave anything. We opened this."
Poking my head out, I didn't give them another warning and shot the closest with my laspistol.
Screaming, he dropped to the floor. I'd managed to slip the shot between the gaps in his armour. As soon as I fired, I ducked out of sight, a good thing too, as the doorway was lit up with gunfire.
Retreating further into the room, I hid behind a thick metal workbench and waited for them to come into view. The pounding of feet approaching gave me the timing I needed. I took the shot with my rifle as soon as the first stepped into the doorway, punching through his armour with ease. His companions showed no regard for their ally, pushing him out of the way as they charged into the room.
I squeezed off another shot, grazing one of them and sending him spinning to the floor. Then I needed to dive behind cover. The crack of gunfire and slugs striking metal, as well as the smashing of glass, filled the room.
They'd better not hit any of the machines. Twats.
If they damaged one, I would be pissed.
Crawling, I poked my head around the corner and fired off another pot shot, taking a hiver through the throat.
In my brief peek, I saw they were all in the room, back turned to the door. Before they could spread out, I sent the signal to Snuffles. It always bamboozled me how he could move so quietly when he wanted to. Even listening out for him, the first sign of his entry was a scream and the crunching of bone.
Springing up, I took in the room with a glance. Snuffles with a hiver's head in his mouth and the others of his party turning in surprise. How a dog weighing almost a ton could sneak up on people, I will never know. Well, I did know, those archeotech paws.
Snuffles could handle the rest with ease, clumped up by the door as they were. So I twisted to the one furthest from the door and fired twice from the hip. It wasn't my most accurate shot, especially since I was not connected to the gun, but it took him in the low chest, so did its job.
Bringing the rifle to a more stable firing position, I flicked it back to the remaining targets, ready to fire. But there was no need. Four were already down, a large swipe of Snuffles' paws finished them off, and the last was firmly clutched in his jaws, the sound of slowly breaking bone, like a watermelon, only meatier, filled the room.
"Well done, Snuffles. Guard." Rushing now, I didn't want to push my luck further. I finished taking apart the laser machine and then started to pack. There was more around the room, but I had enough. It was going to take some careful packing as it was.
First, I packed my bags, one rucksack and a sling bag, filling them with the bulkier, lighter items before slotting in whatever else I could.
"Snuffles."
Bounding over to me, a happy smile on his face. I couldn't help but grin at him, patting his head and scratching under his jaw. I pulled out his bags, I strapped them over him, hanging off his sides like saddlebags. He was coated in blood and guts, but I ignored the mess.
He would need a wash when he got home. Even with all the metal, he still hated getting a bath, which I found hilarious. If he saw me getting the soap out, he'd run and hide, only begrudgingly follow me once I tempted him with treats. It was probably a waste of water; I still very rarely had showers to clean, but rising up the gang had its perks.
Once everything was secure, I set about organising everything as efficiently as I could. The bags were massive, and weight wasn't really an issue, so I stuffed everything in. The bags were bulging by the time I had cleared everything out, but what a haul. Now came the dangerous part—getting it out.
Giving the room one last look, there were still some machines I wanted to disassemble, and I did have some extra space…
As I wavered, almost tempted to go back for them, Snuffles wined. 'What is it, boy?' I got the image of rising fog and closing doors. That makes the decision easy. "Good boy. Let's go." Snuffles once more proving how powerful his sensors were, the Tidefall was coming to an end. I wanted to have no part of the mass exodus. Some risked staying longer. I was not one of them… normally.
When we reached the main corridor, I kept my pistol out, a clear threat. I also made sure the bags were sealed and covered, hiding their contents. Out of sight, out of mind. Hopefully, with none of the truly valuable stuff visible, it might dissuade some.
Striding down the corridor, with Snuffles trotting in front, we made good progress, not encountering anyone until we left the lab section, once again entering the grimy upper levels. With warning from Snuffles, I was prepared, moving to one side of the tunnel. Unfortunately, there was no passageway that I could duck into.
Tensing as they saw me, their hand darting to pull out weapons, before noticing I was loaded. Very carefully, they moved to one side, keeping hand near, but off their guns. I nodded at them and passed without issue.
We had gone up several more levels and were nearing the surface when the tunnel shivered. A pulse of static rushed through the air, and the floor started to vibrate gently below my feet. Not great, I was hoping to be fully out before that. It was a short Tidefall this time. With no other option, we pressed on, the gentle vibration intensifying, and the humming of the air growing heavier.
Definitely a shorter Tidefall. At this rate, there was less than a day before it closed.
As I feared, with the clear signs, everyone was trying to leave. More and more people were walking the main tunnels. We had ascended high enough that those we bumped into were mostly nobodies, so they left us alone. If we had been further down in the lab section, I doubted we would've been so lucky.
We were almost to the surface, nearly a dozen other groups around us by this point, when we reached the penultimate turn to the surface and saw a crowd had formed. Even as we got closer, I still couldn't see through the crowd. A small rumble from Snuffles cleared the path, allowing us to move forward without difficulty, and we reached the holdup.
Sighing, there were always a few. A group of well-geared mercs were shaking people down. Why they thought they would get away with it, especially this close to the exit and the Courts guards, I didn't know. Nor did I care.
Marching forward, I ignored the raised hand trying to slow me down, and when I didn't, he jogged over to me, away from the kid he was pressuring. "Hold it, friend. We just need a contribution for keeping the tunnel safe, and then you can be on your way."
I had no interest in this. Without replying, my gun came up. I could see the moment he realised how fucked he was by the widening of his eyes. "Wai—"
The whizz of my pistol silenced the crowd around me, all of them freezing. Even his friends seemed surprised. Why, I had no idea. What did they expect to happen? Regardless, I wasted no time and shot another, the furthest away. The others had other issues. When my gun came up, Snuffles pounced. Even with the added extra weight, it didn't seem to appreciably slow him down. Just added more momentum to his charge.
In seconds, they were all dead.
Leaving the bodies for others to scavengers, I moved for the surface once more, the sound of shouting and then fighting breaking out behind me as people fought for the gear I left behind. Funny how crowds worked. I bet most of them would have handed something over to get through, but now they were fighting for scraps.