The Underground (Book one of the Derivates Rising trilogy)

Chapter Three: Death, it seemed, was inevitable

KC-847  

 As he waited outside the abandoned subway entrance with his team, KC-847 got his first real chance to look at the ruins of Ground Zero. The air in the city was still and stale, dust motes dancing on the dying sun rays in the deserted streets. The once towering brick and steel buildings had fallen into a crumbling state of disrepair, but some parts, like the subway entrance, remained eerily intact. It was an out-of-place portal of concrete and industrial solar tiles that cast ghoulish shadows on the cracked asphalt. The tunnels beyond were rumoured to house any number of mutated animals that evolved well after the Government stopped cataloguing them.

"Alpha team. Come in!" VC-825's voice burst through KC-847's musings. Her overly chirpy voice elicited a grunt of disgust from one of his team members.

"Copy, what is your status?" KC-847 focused on the info feed on his visor, noting that his fellow Derivate had forgone the gesture communication.

"We have located a mangled corpse in the first eight-way junction. It's wearing the right gear, but we need to get closer to confirm it is our mark. Requesting bac-"

KC-847 was just about to signal for his team to follow him when VC-825's transmission cut short. "Bravo team, report!" He snapped.

"Immediate back-up req-" VC-825's frantic call was interrupted by the staccato tattoo of gunfire.

"Shit, they must be close, I can hear the gunfire from here!" Rogers hissed under her breath. KC-847 pulled out his earbud and grimaced as he confirmed Rogers' assessment.

"Alpha team, we're going in!" KC-847 ordered, breaking into a run. He didn't need any further requests from VC-825.

The retrieval team's feet pounded against the broken ground, following KC-847 as they raced into the cavernous mouth of the tunnels. KC-847 switched his visor to dark-vision and superimposed the map of the tunnels over his view. Using the linked tracking module, he spotted the circular junction that VC-825 had referred to a level deeper in the subway system.

"We're overwh-!" VC-825's plea was drowned out by a low, guttural chittering before the transmission cut off.

"Double-time!" KC-847 barked. "Alpha team incoming. Bravo team, pull back. I repeat, retreat!" His words were steady through the hard pace he was keeping; the officers beside him were panting already.

Down and around, winding through the dark labyrinthine tunnels they went. Without the map on the visor, even KC-847's remarkable sense of direction would have been stumped. Between the consuming blackness and acrid, wet stench of the stale air, any normal person would turn and flee.

"Bravo team, we are approaching your position now!" KC-847 skidded to a stop as he and his team entered the junction.

The blinking trackers for Bravo team were attached to limp bodies, buried beneath surging mounds of fur, teeth, and claws.

"What the hell?" Lee gasped from behind KC-847.

While KC-847 agreed with Lee's crude assessment of the situation, they didn't have time to waste. Instead, he raised his weapon, just as hundreds of pairs of black, glittering eyes turned to face them.

"Open fire."

The glow of their laser pointers lit the tunnel, bringing the true horror of the scene to life. The undulating mass of mutant rats screeched with each round fired towards them. Splattered with fresh blood, torn skin, and ligaments, the creatures surged towards the new arrivals. The burning acid tang he smelled before was stronger here, radiating out from the dozens of decomposing carcasses and mutant rat droppings that littered the ground. The stench clung to his nostrils as he sucked in deep, steady breaths. All in various states of decomposition, the corpses made sick squelching sounds beneath the mass of giant, mutated rats that scampered over them. Closer and closer the rats surged, unperturbed by the constant rain of bullets falling around them.

"Sir, we need to retreat!" Lee's cry was barely audible beneath the roiling thunder of weapon fire.

KC-847 grimaced as he raised his hands. He focused his mind on the surrounding targets, and pushed, throwing half a dozen of the mastiff sized rodents into a wall. There was the sickening crunch of spines snapping as their bodies sagged down onto the muck-slicked stone floor. As his team provided covering fire, he scanned the area, finding two vital signs from Bravo team's tracking markers.

"Negative, hold position. There are two officers alive under that swarm!" KC-847 flung his arms out, sending more furry bodies flying as he helped to thin the tide. But, like any true wave, this one was unstoppable.

"There are more coming from behind us!" Anderson yelled.

KC-847 turned to see a whole new swarm of the monstrosities surging towards them, coming from the tunnel they had used to get there. He was just about to order the rear three officers provide cover when the first wave of rats leapt, taking down Anderson with a sickening tear of flesh and a splatter of hot blood.

Alpha team gave the rats everything they had, but they just kept coming. Lee, Anderson and Antonios were gone, buried beneath the ravenous aberrations. Out of the corner of his eyes, KC-847 saw McWilliam and Rogers sinking beneath the swarm. He stumbled back against Chang and the two fought, side-by-side, backs against the grimy junction wall. It was short-lived. Chang's gun spluttered as it ran out of charges. The rats took advantage of the pause and lashed out, jaws snapping shut around Chang's legs and dragging him under. KC-847's body shook as he summoned all the power he could muster to keep the creatures at bay, but there were just too many of them. They climbed over each other, their teeth and jaws flashing ravenously as they surged towards him.

Death, it seemed, was inevitable.