Sky Swimmer

Slaves, Part 19

Bollingsworth leads Floe, Eric and Dan along the ridge of a giant underground grotto ... the lava river flows far below them. The grotto opens to an even larger chasm and a quarter of a mile away a massive underground stone mountain cliff is capped by a lava flow that cascades from multiple tunnels with the intensity of Niagara Falls.

Even at this distance the heat is unbearable, but the view is breathtaking.

Eric is floored, "Wow...."

"Oh noooo... lava," groans Floe.

Eric puts a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Bollingsworth urges everyone forward, "It is a natural way for the Earth to cool herself by venting through Volcanos. But this ... this is coming from Max Industries Borax Mines, owned by Global Financing. It was the largest mining operation in the continental USA; abandoned and now being exploited by the Soilers for The Warming."

In the distance Soiler taskmasters guard, prod and whip slave workers. The slaves are forced to blast holes and tunnels into the cliff with jets of water ... high pressure water rushes forth from cracks in the great cliff wall and the slaves appear to magically guide the water streams by waving their hands.

Bollingsworth continues, "With the enslavement of the water-wielders the Soilers were able to carve out these arteries of lava throughout the world. There are thousands of these Volcanic furnaces being piped into abandoned mines and drained underground oil fields ... millions of subterranean acres being forged, then heated and all of it designed to increase global warming."

"What in blazes is that?" exclaims Dan with as he points to the lava river far below and behind them.

Transgressa stands at the bow of a magnificent Goth-Tech Lavaship as it cruises up the lava flow, its hull constantly shifting, exchanging new material for the old burned material, keeping the hull fresh even as it hisses and cracks and steams from the lava beneath its hull.

Transgressa looks very much like a carved figure head at the prow of an ancient sailing vessel, her figure predator-lean and menacing.

"Engage!" she yells.

The lava ship lets loose a volley of lava blasts ... Bollingsworth counters with a shock wave ... disrupts one of the lava balls and Eric alsocounter-fires using his lance.

Already out of breath, Bollingsworth shouts, "Run!"

They sprint for the nearest tunnel. A lava ball cuts off their escape route and they are forced to head toward the magma mines. Lava balls erupt all around them, liquid shrapnel explode in fiery splashes of deadly anger ... a piece of magma shrapnel hits Dan's back ... he falls, deeply wounded.

Eric runs back and helps his dad to his feet as Bollingsworth retaliates ... his discharges fall short of the lava ship which is now transfiguring into a Battle Boulder as it sails directly into the Lavafall.

The party hurries toward stairs hewn into the great cliff. Heat from the lava-fall distorts the air.

Narrow, precariously cut footholds rise at a steep angle, almost straight up the face of the Cliff. Dan staggers ... and his son catches him.

"Keep goin' dad, we're almost up," says Eric.

Dan sways, "I'm hotter than a skewered catfish in a campfire and I can't see straight ..."

"Come on, I'm your eyes, just put one foot in front of the next and go."

"Don't see much point in it son, can't feel my feet either ... too hot."

The cliff next to Eric, Floe, Dan and Bollingsworth bursts open ... the lava ship-turned-battle-boulder, dripping molten lava, sticks its formidable prow out ... a cannon turret emerges, turns to take aim ...