Chapter 56

The ship had become quite a bit louder over the last day or so. There was an air of excitement, particularly among the dragons and the dragonkin, as everyone knew that we would be arriving in the Mezotis system in less than a day.

A lot of work was planned for the moment we arrived. A survey of each planet had been done when the two planets were originally discovered so Olmith knew exactly where he wanted to build their initial underground settlements. It had been over a thousand years since then, so he also had a number of backup sites in mind if his first choice didn’t pan out.

In addition to hollowing out somewhere to keep their eggs and livestock safe, they also needed to dig deep enough so they could set up one of the teleporters which would allow them to travel from one planet to another. Olmith would be leading the team in creating a safe place to store their eggs while two additional teams would be working concurrently to set up the teleporters. The hope was that they would be done with their initial work within forty-eight hours.

We wouldn’t be leaving until they were done, because Selalea and the other dragons that were returning with us wanted to be sure that their eggs were safe. Once they were safely underground, it would also make it much easier for them to stay hidden, should anyone approach the planet. Dragons and dragonkin should be able to hide from vision and most sensors, but it’s a lot harder for buildings to do the same.

I had finally pushed Abi’s growth back until a few hours after we arrived in-system, so now I could join my friends and play some games. We weren’t feeling Battlestate, so we loaded into The Escape instead. It had been almost three weeks of in-game time since we had previously played, so we were hoping that the other group had lost interest. We were going to make sure, though.

The last time we played, Mason estimated that I had been shot from about a kilometer away. After zeroing in his scope for that distance, he slowly crouched up the steps. When he was high enough up, he slowly stood up just enough to see over the top step so he could scan the buildings. Within seconds there was a crack from his rifle and he crouched back down.

Once he had cycled the bolt and chambered another round, he crept up again. Just like before, there was another crack and he dropped back down. He continued this another three more times before finally turning back around and descending back into our base.

“I definitely got a guy with my second shot, but didn’t see anyone else. The remaining shots were just in dark rooms that I couldn’t see into. If there was anyone in one of those rooms, then there is a chance I took out more than one, but I think there was only one out there. They could have had guys spread out and set up again, so I want to try the tunnel exit and see if they’re watching it too. If they are, then I think we’ll need to get on the radio and try to get a hold of Araku. Maybe she’ll help.”

“Sounds good,” I said. “How do you want to do this?”

He shook his head. “I need some more information before we plan anything. Ben, can you log out of the game and check what happens if someone gets captured?”

“Sure,” he replied before his character disappeared entirely.

“In any case, you two should remove all of your equipment. We’ll be traveling pretty light regardless, but I would rather not lose a bunch of gear if there are a bunch of guys waiting for us in the tunnels.”

The twins nodded and began unhooking all of their equipment. I hadn’t put any of my own gear back on since I got killed, so there was nothing for me to do but wait.

“Oh, that reminds me. Did Tessa and my sisters ever find out how close they were to Retsas?

“Yup,” Anja replied. “Their base was about one hundred ten kilometers away, so they abandoned it and started making their way here. It’s been a while since then though, so maybe they’re close. They have had a lot more free time than you have, so they’ve been able to put quite a bit of time in. They’re enjoying the game a lot more than I thought they would.”

“Alright, I’ll log out and check with them. If they are close, then maybe we’ll have to meet them in the lobby and draw them a map so they know where to go.”

Mason nodded and I willed myself to log out. When I appeared in the lobby, I saw that Ben had conjured a chair and a tablet, and was currently engrossed in some reading.

“How’s it going? I asked.

“Well, being captured isn’t as big of a deal as I thought it would be. If one of us gets captured and we don’t think that we can be rescued, then we can just delete our character and create a new one. We would have to be invited back to the squad, but we could log back in immediately and start playing.”

“There are two downsides that come along with that, though, and those are that you can only delete your character and create a new one every seven days, and deleting a character also removes you from any accounts. So if one of us gets captured and needs to delete their character, then we’ll need to add them back to our bank account when we get to Retsas.”

“Cool, that’s good to hear. I’ve gotta log out for a sec and see if I can get a hold of my sisters or Tessa. Anja said that they should be close, if they haven’t made it to Retsas already.”

“Alright, I’ll see you back in-game.”

Nodding, I willed myself to wake up. I sent a message to all four women and it wasn’t long before I got a response.

[Hey! What’s up?] Tessa asked.

[We just logged into The Escape, and we were wondering how far the four of you have made it so far.]

She laughed within Mindspeak. [We literally arrived there not fifteen minutes ago. We paid for a few rooms at the inn and we logged out for dinner and so we could let you know. When none of you responded, we figured that you were in-game. I suppose you’ll want to meet up?]

[If we can. You would figure that the guys that were waiting for us would have given up after not seeing us for almost three weeks, but they didn’t. Mason killed a sniper about a kilometer away, but there may have been more of them in closer buildings, or in the surrounding forest. We were going to try the tunnels, but I think we’ll probably wait until you guys log back in so we can draw you a map on where we want to meet.]

[Sounds good, ] Alexis replied. [Give us ten minutes or so and we’ll be back in.]

[Got it. See you in a bit.]

Getting back into my pod, I appeared back in the lobby and then quickly logged back into the game. After relaying what the girls told me, I went through my equipment and grabbed my pistol and a spare magazine. We weren’t sure what to expect in the tunnels, so we didn’t want to bring in our good equipment only to lose it immediately.

“Did you ask if they meant in-game time or real time?” Mason asked.

“I didn’t, but I just assumed that they meant real time. I think they were just sitting down for dinner when I talked to them.”

“We should probably head back to the lobby so we can meet them, then. It’ll also give us time to come up with a map. If we even can.”

“Oh, that won’t even be an issue. Meet you there,” Ben replied, disappearing once again.

We followed after him and logged back out of the game.

“Take a seat, this will only take a minute,” he said, turning away from us and then looking at the white expanse in front of him.

After about thirty seconds, a massive grey square appeared on the floor, though it didn’t remain like that for long. As time went on, objects began growing out of the grey square, forming buildings and roads and trees. There were also different elevations, showing what we knew to be Retsas up on a hill. There was a short delay after everything stopped moving, and then colors began to change from the grey they had started out as, making everything easier to see.

The square itself had to be at least fifty feet long by fifty feet wide, giving him a lot of room to make sure that everything was detailed enough. He also included every area we had been to so far, from the town south of Retsas to the industrial area where we found all the brass. With the addition of color, it was also clear that he had marked a few of the locations where we ran into the other group. In red, were two men standing on the roof of the very same building that Ben and I waited in for a few hours. As I looked around, I could see more and more of the red statues dotted around the map.

“That turned out well,” I said, walking around it. “It looks like you’re missing a few things though.”

He nodded. “I wasn’t sure where some of the guys were when Mason and Sonja took them out. If you guys want to point them out, then I’ll add them to the map.”

“Well, you missed the two guys here,” I replied, pointing to the spot where the first two guys were waiting, just inside the tree line.”

“You’re right, I’m not sure how I forgot about that one. We even gathered everything that was useful when we passed.”

Mason and Sonja were particularly useful in pointing out exactly where some of the guys they had killed were, since Ben, Anja and I didn’t see them while we were waiting in the forest. After the men were all accounted for, Mason walked around the table towards the town just south of Retsas.

“Mark this little building,” he said, kneeling and pointing.

The building in question was tiny, looking like a small shack or a backyard shed. It did look like it was made out of concrete, which was odd considering that the rest of the buildings were made out of brick.

“That’s the entrance to the tunnels,” Mason said when we looked at him questioningly. “I’m not sure if I would want them to enter the tunnels and try to make it way here, because it is probably a maze down there. It might be good for them to check it out on the way, though.”

“Good idea. Are we missing anything else?” I asked, looking around the map.

“I don’t think so,” Ben replied.

“What about routes to take?” Sonja asked. “We’ve taken the same route twice now, do we want to show them the route we took and maybe point out some places where they can look around before continuing?”

“That might be best,” Mason answered. “If they follow the same route we did, then we can show them exactly where to stop so they can scout ahead. If one or two of them also have sniper rifles, we can show them where to set up so they can cover the rest of the team’s advance.”

Ben was the only one who could edit the map, but we went around it and had him mark certain areas, as well as draw the path we had taken to get to Retsas and back. When we were done, we continued to walk around the map making sure we didn’t miss anything. When it was clear that we hadn’t, we all sat down and waited.

“So are we going to try to make our way to the town through the tunnels so we can meet them, or are we just going to explore the tunnels for a bit while we wait?” Anja asked. “It should take them two to three hours to arrive once they depart from Retsas, right?”

“I’m still debating that,” Mason said. “I took out one sniper, but by now there could be more watching the front of our base, waiting for us to emerge. I was thinking about having one of us make a run for it with a radio and hide it, but that wouldn’t work if there is anyone in the forest. I think going through the tunnels and meeting them in the town is the only option. That means we’ll need to map the tunnels while we’re down there.”

“What if Tessa and Jonathan’s sisters make a quick stop at Olnain’s shop? Maybe he could help them acquire a radio, that way we could keep in contact with them,” Sonja suggested.

“I doubt that would work while we’re down in the tunnels. Radio signals typically have a hard time penetrating through dirt. I think the only way we could keep in contact with them is if we left two people back here. I’m not sure I’d want to do that.”

“What do you mean?”

“Let’s say we left person A on the stairs to our base. They could radio the girls, getting updates on their progress. Person B would be standing in the tunnels, right by the hatch to our base. Person A could relay information to person B who would be able to radio us, because the signal should be able to travel through the tunnels. So those of us traveling through the tunnels could talk to the girls, albeit indirectly.

“What’s so bad about that?” I asked. “We’re already going into the tunnels with a minimal amount of equipment because we’re not sure what to expect. Three of us should be able to make it through the tunnels, meet the girls and then make our way back here.”

“If we made it through to the town without any issues I was thinking about heading to Retsas to pick up a few things. So whoever was back at the base would just be twiddling their thumbs for three to four hours while they waited.”

“What sort of things?”

“A reloader, for one,” he answered. “It’ll save us quite a bit of money in the future if we start keeping all of our spent casings and reload them. We’ll need to buy gunpowder and bullets occasionally, but neither of those should be particularly expensive. If we get a couple of molds and a small crucible, we could also make bullets ourselves, though we would be limited in the types of rounds we could make.”

“Aside from that, there are some other things that we need. A thermal scope is a big one, as are night vision goggles for all of us. We’ve only been playing during the day, so far, but I doubt that will continue. Oh, and earmuffs similar to the ones we’ve been using for the last few days, but I think I’ll get the ones that have microphones built in. That way we’ll be able to hear each other over the sound of gunfire, as well as be able to communicate without people being able to overhear us.”

“Sounds like we’ll be needing a ton of batteries as well,” Ben said. “Besides the reloader, everything you listed requires batteries.”

“True. I’ll have to look into those as well. I wonder if anyone is able to make them. If not, then I imagine that they’ll be pretty expensive.”

It turned out that the girls were in possession of a few radios already, having acquired them as they made their way towards us. That’s not all they had, as they collected a number of things as they slowly and cautiously made the trip. They each had some high-quality armor and much better weapons than we did, all picked up from other players and AI they killed on their way.

“So you’ll want someone to set up on this hill here,” Mason said, walking over to it. “It will give you a good vantage point to scan the surrounding area. I’d suggest putting your best shooter up there, along with a spotter, and then have the other two down in one of the buildings. I’m ninety-nine percent sure that this little building is an entrance to the tunnels, so expect us to arrive from here.”

“Once we arrive, then we’ll move to the edge of the forest and regroup before the seven of us make our way to Retsas. I’ve got a few things I need to buy, and then we’ll head back to our base. It should be a pretty quick trip back through the tunnels, assuming we don’t get interrupted along the way.”

“So who is staying back at the base, and who is going with you through the tunnels?” Lucille asked.

“I’d like the twins to stay back at the base,” Mason answered, looking over to the two of them. “I need Ben to come along to map the tunnels, and it might appear odd if our group enters the town and Jonathan isn’t there. Besides, if the tunnels are compromised and we need to take another route, then it would be very helpful if Sonja was back at the base with her rifle.

The twins looked at each other for a moment before nodding. “That’s fine with us.”

“I’ve been wondering something,” I interjected. “We know it is impossible for people outside of our faction to enter our base, so how do Aleena, Lucille, Alexis and Tessa join our faction?”

“That’s easy,” Mason answered, stepping over to the side and conjuring up a screen.

The screen was similar to the screen that he opened when we began playing The Escape, though up top it said ‘Faction’. The name of our faction was currently blank, but there were five names listed, Mason, Ben, Anja, Sonja and myself. Below that, was a green plus sign.

“Ladies, if you wouldn’t mind,” he said, gesturing to the screen.

They went up one by one, entering their character’s names. When they were done, Mason named our faction ‘The Wolves’ and then clicked save.

“Done. They’ll need to actually enter the base so they’re able to respawn here, but it’s as simple as that.”

There were a few more details to go over, but we were soon back inside the game. The twins began putting their best equipment on again while Mason got the radios ready. We were up to four now, which meant that we could split up into smaller numbers and still maintain contact. We were only going to use three today, because each of the twins needed one, but Mason, Ben and I weren’t going to split up. It ensured that we had a spare in case something went wrong.

“I set all of our radios to the same frequency, and you know the backup, right?” he asked the twins.

“397.12,” they replied.

“Good. Remember not to call it out over the radio, just refer to it as the backup channel.”

The two of them nodded and all five of us headed to the hatch that led to the tunnels. Mason, Ben, Anja and I moved into position around the hatch while Sonja moved up to it. At his nod, Sonja began turning the locking mechanism counter-clockwise to disengage it. The moment she was able, she pulled the door hard and the rest of us rushed through.

Mason was the first one through and he immediately started firing. Instead of following him, I turned to the right to engage anyone who might be there. I didn’t see anyone, but I continued to watch my side instead of turning an assisting Mason. The weapons fire didn’t last more than a few seconds before Mason said that it was clear.

We didn’t relax one bit, though. While Ben and Anja checked to make sure that our enemies were dead, Mason and I continued down our respective hallways, making sure that there wasn’t another group waiting behind the corner. We slowly advanced for about five minutes before deeming that it was clear and turning around.

“Alright, you two gather anything useful and then take your positions,” Mason told the twins. “As soon as you have everything sorted, radio the girls and tell them that we’re on our way. It may take a while to find our way, but we’ll be there as soon as possible.”

I hadn’t even seen the two men who Mason killed when we entered the tunnel, but it seemed like they were barely able to get to their feet before they were gunned down. The two of them were positioned as if they had been sitting up against the wall sleeping, or were just lazy. They paid the price for not being alert, one of them having a hole in his head while the other had two in his chest.

We walked past the two of them as we continued East, making sure to keep our eyes and ears open. Thus far every tunnel had been perfectly straight, which meant that it would be much, much harder for us to get turned around. That definitely didn’t stop Ben from making small markings whenever we came across an intersection, just in case we did get lost.

While Ben was making sure we didn’t get lost, Mason was remaining silent as he counted his steps, making sure that we didn’t undershoot or overshoot the exit we were looking for. The small town was a few kilometers away from our base, which meant that it would take about four thousand five hundred of his steps before we would be close.

It was crucial that Mason wasn’t distracted, so I took the lead while Ben remained in the back. It was a pretty uneventful trip, besides the odd rat here or there. Or whatever alien rats were called. After about forty-five minutes of walking, Mason said that we should take the next left and then follow it until we came across the first exit. If he was right, then we would be exactly where we needed to be.

We knew that the faction that was after us frequented these tunnels, so we were especially careful as we approached the exit. We had to make sure that no one was lying in wait and there were no traps placed on our route. There were lights on the wall every ten meters or so, but the tunnels were still pretty dark. It wouldn’t be hard at all to hide a trip wire along our path.

There proved to be nothing, however. Before we started up the steps, Mason used the radio to contact Anja so she could relay a message to the girls, letting them know that we were close. Anja replied back a moment later, saying that the area was clear but there had been some activity.

It seemed like the other faction had been doing something similar to what we were doing, and had someone in the tunnels who could quickly and easily relay information between groups. After we had taken out the two guys in the tunnel, a group of five members of the same faction arrived in the town. They were close to the tunnel entrance that we were on our way to before they were ambushed by the girls. Since then, it had been quiet.