The first thing that Bars saw upon opening his eyes, was the hole in the pipe he had fallen through. Some trash was still dropping from it, and flakes of rusts floated down piling up on his Shell.
“Thirteen! Where are you?!” Bars yelled immediately, but there was no answer. He was the only one who had fallen from the pipe, which was now too far up to get back into.
The next thing that he noticed, once he could hear again, was quite disturbing. All around him reigned some kind of bustling and he knew that he wasn't alone. He stood up as nimbly as he could and looked around dazed.
An unbelievable scene stunned Bars' already tormented head.
He found himself on top of a pile of old trash, around which was being fought a battle. One of the walls of the room was completely covered in the bodies of several orange-colored slugs. Stuck to the wall, they were eating it, creating a hole in the healthy metal, through which entered even more slugs. This orange invasion was met by a group of droids, whose only job was to destroy these parasites. However, every smashed slug splattered, spraying its insides everywhere, and it stuck to the droids and ate through them in seconds. In the place of every destroyed droid, through a special hatch in the wall came his replacement, who would continue the fight. Throughout the room the solid floor was covered in craters filled with the bodies of hundreds of dead slugs and melted metal.
With an open mouth, Bars watched how one droid switched his melted hand with another, which he had grabbed off one of his crippled comrades, whose legs were missing. Then he continued his doomed battle and succeeded in smashing three slugs, before he himself was defeated. From the looks of it, this battle had been going on for quite some time and it wouldn't be over any time soon.
However, Bars had to get out of there now, so that he could find Thirteen. In order to do that, he would first have to cross the battlefield to reach the opposite side of the room, where there was something like a gate. Wherever he looked from high up on his observation point, he couldn't find another alternative.
“Three hundred corroded welds!” cursed Bars and descended down the pile.
The first few meters were no problem, but once he approached the main group of fighting droids, things got rough. Fulfilling their main task, the droids didn't stop for anything and brutally pushed aside everything that was in their path. At the moment that was Bars' Shell, who was trying to sneak through unnoticed. When he got successfully passed them, he entered into the area of the main battle. Exploding slugs flew everywhere making it extremely dangerous to try and get through there at that moment. Bars used the cover of a wall of doomed droids, who didn't have any sense of self-preservation. They fell one after the other together with the dying slugs, and in their place would pop up another one, who continued the same thoughtless war, which would never have a victor.
During one of the more serious bouts Bars had fallen to the floor. Several droids walked over him, but his suit protected him from their stomping feet. When they had passed, he tried to get up, but something was holding him down. Lying there was the top half of a droid, whose hand was clinging to the leg of his suit. Bars kicked it, in an attempt to free himself, but it didn't help. The droid grabbed on with his other hand, trying to tear off the limb that he needed.
“Let go of me!” Bars had had enough. “This is my leg!”
Then he began to hit the droid hard on its hollow metal head, but that didn't help either. Once he realized he wasn't going to get away from this droid so easily, Bars decided to get out of there immediately. He limped toward the door, dragging the useless piece of baggage with him, while all around continued to fly pieces of disintegrated metal and orange guts that brought down everything it fell on. In spite of his limited mobility, Bars succeeded in escaping these dangers and reached the side gate before he was knocked down by the next wave of attacking droids.
The gate was, of course, locked. However much Bars tried, he was unable to open it. Then he thought of another stupid idea. A few meters from the main battle, several smaller orange-colored slugs were sliding on the walls. Bars carefully took two of them and threw them in the direction of the locked floodgate. Once they had splattered on the gate, their guts did their job in seconds and Bars went through the hole.
On the other side, he found a long corridor, with no sign of any droids or orange-colored slugs. Bars went quickly down it, leaving the noise of the heated battle far behind him.
“Thirteen! Where are you?” yelled Bars while he roamed about lost in the interior of the Consummator.
The partially destroyed droid that was holding on to the leg of his suit wasn't very heavy, but on such a long walk it's extra weight proved to be quite exhausting. While he roamed the unknown corridors and rooms without any exit, Bars succeeded in finding a piece of metal pipe that was sticking out of the wall. Once he had freed it from the wall, he tried to use it as lever trying to free himself from the remains of the droid, but it only made the situation worse. Since the pipe ended becoming stuck between his suit and the strong grip of the droid. Now he had to free himself from the pipe as well.
“Three hundred rusted cans!” then he took a deep breath and continued on his way, while the protruding pipe hit the wall of the narrow corridor that Bars found himself in.
But it wasn't long before he got a lucky break. He came out into a wide open area, lighted by several floodlights. Everywhere along the walls were small tube-like openings and big tunnels, which continued in unknown directions. Some of them were closed with covers and others with metal grates. The signs on them were again written with unknown symbols.
“I can do without any more pipes!” said Bars disgusted and turned his attention to something completely different.
At one end of the wall was a wide rectangular door, upon which was written in white paint the number 10. That was the only symbol, which Bars succeeded in recognizing in the whole area of this vault. When he neared the door, he noticed a red button next to it. All of the signs pointed to the fact that Bars might be standing in front of some kind of elevator. It could take him to any floor he chose, so he bravely pushed the button. Upon hearing the distant sound of the descending device, he breathed a sigh of relief.
“Come on, faster! Faster!” hastily repeated Bars while the sound got closer.
When the elevator finally arrived and the door opened, a recognizable figure greeted him.
“How are you, Bars? You don't look so good,” said Thirteen.
The Hunter stood there astounded.
“Well? Are you getting on?” said the little Mechanic inviting him in.
Once they were both together again, Thirteen pushed the button for the last floor, which was number 49 and the platform noisily ascended.
“This is a much easier way to get around,” shared Thirteen. “The numbers are the same as ours.”
Bars nodded his head tiredly and closed his eyes.
The two of them just stood there listening to the mysterious melody that was coming from somewhere. They stood next to each other in their partially beat up Shells, covered in a thick layer of dried orange mud, with dislodged pieces of insulation, twisted pieces of cable and pipes hanging from them, and pieces of unknown filth that fell off of them onto the floor with every movement. And on top of everything else, half a droid with a smashed in head.
“By the way, what's that thing on your leg?” quietly asked Thirteen.
“Can you get it off of me?” asked Bars without opening his eyes.
“If its head hadn't been smashed in, it would be much easier,” replied Thirteen and started to look over the attached piece of metal with interest. “I simply would have unscrewed the cover and restarted the main processor...”
“There's a whole army of them down there, as well as some orange-colored slug-parasites.”
“Are they edible?”
“I don't think so,” replied Bars.
“Well, at least they'll distract those sentries, so we can go wherever
we want without any problems,” grinned Thirteen.
At that moment, there was a loud screeching and the platform suddenly stopped.
“Are we stuck again?” said Bars opening his eyes wide in horror.
“No!” puffed Thirteen. “We've arrived.”
The metal doors opened and before them appeared a wide hall, whose floor was covered in some kind of red cloth. The boys stepped cautiously forward and looked with amazement at the beautiful columns, decorated with unknown forms.
“This has to be the place!” said Thirteen amazed. “There's another door.”
The Mechanic ran to it, while Bars shifted the carpets as he followed Thirteen.
“Oh, no, come on!” yelled Thirteen in disappointment upon realizing that the door to control room was locked.
“Did you try forcing it?” asked Bars, who then took a few quick hits and then kicked the door twice. Then he stepped back with a gloomy look on his face.
“This is the door to the most important part of the Consummator. Of course, we won't be able to open it with brute force, once it's closed,” said Thirteen.
For a long time, both of them busied themselves with trying to think of ways to unlock the damned door, but nothing worked. Disappointed with this unexpected and impossible barrier that they couldn't get passed, the two boys sat in silence with crushed spirits. Luck wasn't on their side this time.
“I'm so tired! That's it, I'm done,” exhaled Bars.
Thirteen just looked sullenly at the floor.
“You never told me, why in the world you chose to leave the Fortress so early?” said Bars.
The Mechanic looked up at him sadly, wondering whether to even start telling the story. How would his friend react to it, once he learned the truth about his strange decision? It wasn't at all easy for him to begin and after a long time of trying to find the right words, Thirteen began to speak slowly, “I've kept this secret a long time, but now it doesn't matter. I.....”
Suddenly, the door of the elevator closed and descended to a lower floor.
The two boys jumped in fear and looked toward the number 49 painted in white.
“What's going on?!” asked Bars anxiously. “Who else besides us could be in the Consummator?”
“I have no idea!” replied Thirteen just as confused.
“Quickly! Get this thing off my leg!” Bars said and started kicking his leg.
“OK, OK!” and the Mechanic got out his tools, wondering where to start.
“Listen to me! Whoever or whatever is coming this way will want to fight. I'm a Hunter, but now I'll have to be a Defender!”
“Stay still while I try to cut it!” Thirteen said warning him.
“I'll handle it! I'll fight to the end! You keep safe, so that you can repair me when it's all over. At least, there's enough material here to make repairs.“ continued Bars excitedly.
The platform stopped somewhere on a lower level and then after a few seconds began its ascent again.
“Damn!” yelled Bars.
“Ready!” said Thirteen and quickly threw aside the droid without its head, but its hands continued to look for something to grab onto.
“Damn!!” repeated Bars, breathing faster.
“Now listen up!” said the Mechanic quickly, while the elevator approached. “There are some parts that can’t be replaced if they're destroyed. Protect your head and back at all costs! The suit's armor is strongest in the front. It will handle being hit or you can block with your hands or feet! Whatever is easiest for you, but protect your head and back, do you understand? If something breaks in those places, it's over!”
“Understood!” replied Bars with whitened lips and then he dropped his visor. The platform was almost there.
“Let me lure them in. You stand over there between the columns. Quickly!”
Bars succeeded in hiding in the shadows among the columns just as the noisy screeching announced the arrival of the platform.
Then the door opened and three suits jumped out.
“There you are!” said Thirteen upon seeing their pursuers. Only three remained of the group that had begun to pursue them – the strongest, the most durable, and the most stubborn avengers in the world. And now the two boys had to fight them for their lives.
Once they noticed their long sought after prey, the three foreign Shells went straight at Thirteen. One of them limped while another was missing a large chunk out of its defensive covering and the last one got out his powerful torch and started to wave its flames about.
“Wonderful!” smiled Thirteen to himself.
The pyromaniac moved quickly forward, impatient to burn the little Mechanic, while the other two watched the spectacle from a safe distance with interest. Dazed by the long chase, whose end meant the destruction of Thirteen, who just stood there frozen in place, they didn't even notice Bars hidden among the columns. Seconds before the flames of the torch reached their prey, Bars jumped out from his ambush and knocked the attacker to the ground. His comrades immediately entered the fight with war cries. Bars met the first hit and successfully hit back after the second one – a bitter struggle between the three of them began.
At the same time, the pyromaniac tried to get up while his torch was still spewing fire. Once Thirteen saw him, he jumped at him, caught his arm and with all his strength twisted it. The torch broke off and fuel squirted out of it covering Thirteen's Shell and it caught on fire. Once that happened, he ran away screaming, and then the pyromaniac's fuel tanks exploded. Burning pieces flew everywhere, catching the red carpets on fire.
“Thirteen!” yelled Bars foaming at the mouth, upon seeing Thirteen's burning suit fly straight at the stunned pursuers.
They still hadn't recovered from the explosion that cost them their comrade, and both of the boys used that against them. Once Thirteen caught one of them, he grabbed his arms, so he wouldn't be able to protect himself from the damaging blow, which Bars took at him right where he was missing his protective covering. The second pursuer's suit slid to the floor leaving only one of the pursuers standing. Limping, he withdrew and took up a defensive posture.
While all this was happening, the room filled with black smoke and a little bit later, the fire suppression system turned on. The fire was soon put out, but Thirteen didn't look good at all. His movements were weak and unbalanced, and his blackened suit put off a thick smoke.
“You'll have to finish this on your own, Bars!” he succeeded in saying.
Upon realizing that his chances of victory had evened out, the pursuer threw himself at the Hunter with an amazing agility even with his damaged leg. He was too fast and continuously pounded on Bars' Shell with strong blows, which Bars was barely able to block. The desperate opponent was much better than him. His attacks kept coming and he succeeded in landing several damaging blows that caused Bars' head to spin. Bars staggered and stumbled. The pursuer jumped at him, and Bars lifted his hand to protect himself. The hit was so hard, that metal pieces flew off his arm and he knew that he was doomed. His opponent saw how helpless he was and raised his arm. Then he hit Bars with all his strength. Bars almost lost consciousness from the blow and fell motionless on the floor.
“Hurry up, Bars!” yelled Thirteen breathlessly. “I can't stay in here much longer!”
Upon hearing him, the pursuer turned in the direction of the sound. He went for Thirteen's Shell and prepared to deliver a mortal blow.
He was going too far and Bars wasn't going to let it happen. He quickly got up and grabbed the remains of the droid, which was rolling around close by. With his only good arm he threw the droid at the enemy. The droid's arms latched onto his shoulders immediately. His miserable remains required a new head more than anything at the moment, that's why it headed straight for the pursuer's visor. This surprise attack caught him unprepared and he wasn't able to free himself from the annoying droid, whose hands tightened their strong grip on the suit's helmet.
“The head has
been neutralized...now for the back!” breathing heavily, Bars closed in on the disoriented opponent.
The pursuer didn't even understand that the Hunter had taken a position directly behind him. He was bent forward desperately trying to free himself of the droid, presenting a wonderful opportunity for a blow to his back. Bars made a fist with his good hand and hit with all his strength several times. The foreign suit jumped like he had been stung, then he collapsed to the floor in a seizure. Soon after that, there were no more signs of life from the suit.
Upon the floor laid the three destroyed suits, a testimony to the last fight of the two boys from the Fortress. Here and there the carpet was still burning and Thirteen's charred Shell continued to smoke filling the air with a choking stench. Bars' left hand hung there broken, while he was taking quick breaths and looking over the rest of his suit. His Shell, even though it was missing strong metal armor, succeeded in protecting his body, which at the moment was pulsing with pain. With the exception of several bruises, a few sprains and one lost tooth, everything else was where it should be.
The pursuers were defeated.
“Ready!” yelled Bars. “We beat them!”
Black smoke continued to come off the Mechanic's Shell. During the fire, few of the seals had melted and were now dripping on the floor, burning holes in the red carpet.
“Didn't I tell you to stay safe?” said Bars shaking his head.
Then the charred Shell cracked and a stream of steam shot out under pressure. The hatch of the suit opened and Thirteen lifted himself out. His face was covered in soot, his eyes were red, and his hair was singed. Upon taking his first breath of air, he started to cough long and hard.
“What are you doing?!” screamed Bars.
In spite of the Bars' anxious screams, Thirteen continued to crawl out of the destroyed Shell, choking on his hacking cough. When he had finally succeeded in getting out of the cocoon, he fell on the floor completely naked.
“Are you crazy? Get back inside now!”
A drop of the melting seals fell on Thirteen's shoulder and he jumped from the pain, cursing.
“Wonderful! Now I'm going to have a scar!” then he sneezed several times to clean out his lungs. “Don't worry! The air here is even better than in the Fortress.”
“Well, if that isn’t all!” exhaled Bars worn-out. “You freaked me out! I thought you were going to suffocate!”
“I would have if I had stayed any longer in that Shell. That torch totally ruined my suit – it's no longer usable.”
The last drops of water from the fire suppression installation washed away the filth and ash, covering Thirteen's body. Bars stared at his traveling companion unable to speak.
“What? Haven't you seen a girl before?” said Thirteen when noticing the surprise written on Bars' mangy face.
“No! It's nothing like that,” replied the Hunter, still stunned by the view.
“Find something for me to cover up with. It's cold out here!”
Bars tore off a piece of the carpet and awkwardly gave it Thirteen, who happily wrapped herself in it.
“If you tell anyone about this, you’re done for!” said the girl, while Bars continued to look confused. “I escaped the Hive several years ago. I succeeded in blending in with the boys and remained unnoticed. At least in the beginning...”
“And the horrifying stories?” asked Bars uncertainly.
“Yes.... That, it was horrible, what happened to the guys that uncovered my secret, but I had no choice. I had to do it, so I could keep my secret. Otherwise, they would have sent me back to the Hive!
“Why? It can't be that bad to live in the safest part of the Fortress?”
“I'm never going to return there! I don't want to be turned into a baby factory. Babies that they take away from you forever, when they turn 3 years old.” sighed Thirteen, shrinking farther down into the torn rag. “That's the fate of all the women in the Hive! But it's not going to be mine!”
“That's why you chose the Descent?”
“I had no choice. As you noticed, it's not as easy anymore to pass myself off as a boy. I had to get out of the Fortress before it was too late. Before my own body betrayed me.”
“And how did you get passed all the medical exams? Every year they gave us at least two of them,” asked Bars unable to comprehend how anyone could remain undercover for so long, unnoticed by the Fortress Guards.
“My name wasn't on the lists.”
“Just like for the Descent!” remembered Bars. “The Overseer of the Descent! She would have seen through your cover!”
“That's why I had to find another way into the hangar,” laughed Thirteen. “You didn't think that the elevator got stuck by coincidence, do you? I'm the best Mechanic among the girls and I'm even better than most of the boys! I know how to make an elevator stop where and when I want!”
“You're right!” admitted Bars in amazement.
The girl, who stood in front of his Shell, wrapped in a blood-red carpet, was an unusual sight and he couldn't take his eyes off her. Little and vulnerable, without any defenses, but at the same time, strong and decisive in the pursuit of her goals.
“Why do you want to take the Consummator to the Fortress? I will be proclaimed a Hero at that moment, but you would be discovered and punished,” questioned Bars.
“This Consummator has enough material to completely repair the Fortress!” replied Thirteen and her eyes lit up at the thought of it. “Once that happens, there will be enough room for everyone inside and the Descent will never take place again. Every mother in the Fortress will be able to enjoy her children watching them grow.”
“There's one more thing that we could do to make a better future for everyone! We'll smash that horrible monster that stalks underneath the Fortress!” said Bars inspired, once he thought of the possible revenge.
“Yes, it's a good plan, but the fulfillment depends on one door, which doesn't want to open,” Thirteen pointed at the impenetrable obstacle and frowned.
“What?! You're not going to let some door defeat the best Mechanic there is, are you? Imagine what you'll miss out on! No one's operated this Consummator in over a thousand years! You could be the first!
Thirteen's eyes became several times bigger. She jumped nimbly up and ran towards the door.
And upon reaching it, the door opened.
Chapter 18