Ashera looked for the cameras that should be around here. She found one that hadn’t been destroyed by prisoners or guards or whatever was destroying them. The light was off, indicating the security system hadn’t been activated.
Excellent, Ashera thought. This gave them an edge. They weren’t too far from the security center. It was down by the lab. The lab that was probably crawling with these magitech people. Ashera motioned for the others to follow her and to keep quiet. As they moved through the hallways Ashera noticed how they had turned the processing centers for creating bioweapons into holding chambers for the infected and newly risen dead. Real zombies, not stasis inflicted accidents like her people had been. Before her mind started to wander down those memories Ashera pushed them aside. The closer to the security center they got the worse the smell of rotting flesh became. Soon they saw why; in the hallways were dozens of decomposing bodies. Some still trying to eat the others. Missing their lower halves and some even only heads.
“This weapon… this virus. It can never see the outside world,” Suntiana said grabbing onto Artemis’s arm. Artemis placed his hand on her and nodded.
“Agreed,” Ashera whispered, “now be quiet.”
Ashera, Suntiana and Artemis moved through the undead as quickly, quietly and cautiously as they could. The closer to the security office and subsequently the main lab they got the more bodies there were. The really concerning part were the growing number of elves in the mix. As they got to the last stretch of hallway before the security office and the lab Ashera heard someone talking around the corner.
“Is it ready?” one voice asked.
“Yes, the fools think we will be deploying in the morning. We deploy tonight. Our experiment must not be interfered with,” a second voice said.
“Those pesky life first faction. Wanting to keep the slaves have finally infiltrated the facility did you hear? The guard captain was letting them in. I don’t know why they would care, it’s only slaves. Now we must kill everyone in the name of our living God. Once the elves here are all done, we will release the antigen stopping the spread. Then we release the actual virus into the other cities. No more slaves true but no more worry about a rising army.”
Suntiana let out a small gasp in horror of what she had just heard. The magitechs turned to face in their direction. Moving faster than elvenly, humanly or even faster than Artemis the magitechs were upon them.
“Intru…”
Before he could finish his words Ashera slit his throat with a blade made from her magic tattoo. He fell to the ground, the other one turned to run. Artemis caught him before he could take a step. With one mighty grip crushed his throat. Artemis dropped him on the ground. The clank of his armoured robes hitting the ground echoed in the hall. Getting him a stair from Suntiana. The door to the lab opened, Unbeknownst to Ashera and her party the bodies were visible from the doorway. A scream of rage followed by a slew of profanities alerted them to the presence of the others coming from the lab.
“Someone killed Julius and Milus. Move up the operation,” the woman screamed back at her companions. “Release the virus now!”
After hearing those words everyone sprang into action, the woman’s companions threw the lab door closed and locked it. The woman ran around the corner fire burning on her hand as she rounded the corner. Suntiana expecting a borage of spells from multiple targets threw up a barrier. Ashera prepared a counter offensive with lightening jumping between her fingers. Artemis hardened his fur into metal spikes ready to grapple anyone or anything in a painful and deadly way.
The woman let loose her spell, it was strong breaking Suntianas barrier before it fizzled out. Ashera countered immediately. Sparks from her hand turned into bolts of lightning. Crashing into the woman knocking her back, most of the lightening was absorbed by her enchanted metal plated armour. Artemis ran forward tackling the woman squeezing her tightly, piercing her with his steel bristles. Wrapping his arms around her neck, she gurgled and spat blood. Not going down without at least taking someone with her; she lit herself up in flames. Something he had only ever seen a few people do. He let go, not before his bristles heated up burning his skin. The woman fell to the floor gurgling screams of pain as she burned in her own flames. Before she was dead Ashera ran forward, heading for the security room.
“Come on, we’re racing against them now,” Ashera said. She ran down the hall, not paying attention to whether Artemis and Suntiana were able to keep up.
Ashera rounded the corner into the security office, finding not a soul in there. As Artemis and Suntiana rounded in after her, Ashera slammed the door and locked it. Moving over to the consoles that were being used as storage, she pushed everything aside.
“Fools, messy, messy fools,” she said angerly. Quickly turning on the computers she tapped her foot impatiently waiting to see if the centuries old machinery would still work. A hum came from the terminals as they sprung to life. Loading slowly, they went through all the checks and balances. All the time they could see into the lab, the magitechs were loading something, the virus they all assumed, into tubes leading out of the lab. Ashera wasn’t sure what system they had modified to use as a dispersal system. The only one she could think would work was the exhaust system but doing it that way would mean exposing themselves to the virus as well.
The terminals finally loaded up and Ashera used her administrator credentials to login. Pulling up the security system she pulled up all the cameras all over the complex, only to see to her horror that all those they had killed were now being eaten and coming back. Those who could stand were headed for the cells with Praxis and the guard captain. Praxis was still unconscious, and the guard captain was screaming staying at the back of his cell out of reach. Ashera simultaneously turned on the automated weapons system and set it to target the elves in the base on all levels in all rooms. Keeping the ones in the hallway from targeting the guard captain. She had questions for him if they got out of this alive.
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Gun fire rang out everywhere as the security system sprung to life. Screams rang out over the PA as some tried to call for help. The lab was the last place to be hit, elven magitechs falling left and right. Of course, not everything went smoothly. One nearest the command terminal in there was able to initiate the deployment program. A timer came up on the screen. Counting down from ten, nine, eight, seven… two, one. With a woosh the virus spread throughout the exhaust system flooding the room and exiting through the ventilation system as the contamination protocols kicked in. They had failed.
As the system purged the virus one of the tubes pored the viral smoke into the building. Until the cloud in the halls dissipated and they could reach the cure Ashera, and her party were stuck.
Purging the virus had initiated the containment protocols of the city, closing all the gates trapping all the working beastites, and elves. The smoke started to roll down the hill infecting all the beastites it touched.
***
Seslyn and M.O.T.H.E.R. monitored Ashera through the cameras in the security system that had just sprung back to life reconnecting it to the system. They watched as the viral smoke started to rapidly descend towards the walls of the city.
“They failed,” M.O.T.H.E.R. said frankly. “This was within expected parameters. Unfortunately, now the city must be purged.”
“Mother,” Seslyn began, “why won't you be here, you could make more. Recreate the ratfolk from stored samples. Like you always have.”
“I have my own job child, I must erase all data connected to the virus, including my own mind. If I survive so does the makings of the virus again. I cannot allow that; it goes against my very purpose. Sweet child stay here until the door unlocks, then you will be free to get your friends. Take these containers of the vaccine for your friends. They will need it,” with that M.O.T.H.E.R.s monitors started to blank out as she uploaded herself to the system.
***
The ratfolk as if some instinctual fever took over all dropped what they were doing. Tilting their heads as if listening to something. Then without so much as a word they began to head for the surface. Slowly methodically, filing up the stairs and along the walkways.
The beastites now all zombies thanks to the virus, it had only taken a few hours for them all to turn. The time it took for the ratfolk to breach the surface was too long to see one uninfected, Elven or beastite.
To the surprise of the elves, the beastites rose and started to attack them. The elves had been led to believe that they would be docile and easy to put down. They soon realized the magitech department had lied to them. The fear and panic really began after the bitten elves started to fall and rise within minutes.
It was chaos by the time the ratfolk breached the surface. Elves fighting their fallen comrades and the rise beastites. Splitting up all filing into different parts of the city from below. Thousands of them pouring into the streets. A swarm unseen in ages since the plagues of old when rats were believed the carriers of many diseases. The moved in unison, each finding either a beastite or elf to engage.
The zombie hoard grew more powerful with each passing moment and the elves grew more desperate. Some were attempting to override the gates. None of the elves were prepared for the swarm that descended upon them. The ratfolk biting, clawing and stabbing at beastite and elf alike, risen or otherwise. Each bite inflicting the undead with a dose of the cure, whether it be the ratfolk biting them or being bitten. The elves had it worse they were left to fall then bitten over and over to prevent them from rising.
The screams, Seslyn would never forget the screams, as she watched from M.O.T.H.E.R.s room. Each time the ratfolk injected the antivirus the fell screaming in pain as their very essence left them. Each was a living vessel for the antivirus. Nothing more, Seslyn was realising, her mother had not been raising children like her. She instead had been raising an army for this very moment. Had her mother been just using them, was she still using her? Answers she would never get.
The ratfolk worked quickly taking down one target each before falling. The elves unable to decide which fate was worse, death and rising or just death, dropped to their knees accepting their fate. The zombie hoard thinning out quickly some ratfolk survived as the elves had killed the ones they were going for. Dropped to their knees screaming in pain, M.O.T.H.E.R. enacting the failsafe protocol, causing them to release the antivirus into the air. Eachone released a blue smoke that soon enveloped the whole city as it grew quiet. The silence lasted for what seemed like an eternity for Seslyn before the door unlocked.
Seslyn didn’t move for a long time gripped in griefs thrall. Tears for her fallen family falling freely down her cheeks. She pawed at them, trying to stop them. She knew it was their purpose now. She knew they had saved the world, but still, she could not stop. Only the sound of her mother’s voice snapped her out of it.
“Go my sweet child, your friends need you.”
With those words tears still streaming down her face she moved for the door.
***
Suntiana, Ashera, and Artemis looked on in horror as the ratfolk moved through the facility, taking out the risen and elven survivors alike. Indiscriminately, mercilessly, tirelessly moving like they were possessed. Ashera saw Praxis rise on the camera as the ratfolk came down the elevator shaft. The ratfolk broke into the sealed rooms, biting everything that moved. They even got into the lab. Some stopped outside the security office. Expecting the worst Ashera and her party readied themselves for a fight. Then as quickly as they came, they left, leaving the security office untouched. M.O.T.H.E.R.s voice came over the PA moments later.
“Thank you for trying Ashera and friends. I wish I had been able to save my children from this fate. This, however, was within expected parameters. Seslyn will be up after dawn with an antiviral for you. Until then stay there. After she comes for you take her from the city. Keep her safe, she has taken this sight harder than I had anticipated. Your other friends are already back outside the city lead up the passage before this began.”
“What will happen to you,” Suntiana said, not really expecting an answer.
“I will destroy all remaining knowledge of the virus including myself. This tragedy will never repeat itself.”
The PA clicked and everything was silent. They waited in the eery silence. Each not knowing what to say, so they just sat there looking at the carnage left on the cameras. Until a small, familiar figure came into view. It was Seslyn, they could hear M.O.T.H.E.R. directing her towards them. Soon there was a knock at the door followed by a small voice calling out to them. Suntiana opened the door without a thought to caution and grabbed Seslyn in a hug.
“I’m so sorry you had to bear witness to that,” Suntiana said softly. “I can’t imagine what’s going through your mind, or your heart.”
Seslyn returned the hug. “Later, mother has told me we need to leave as soon as you have each taken these.”
Seslyn handed each of them one of the syringes of the antivirus. Each injecting them without hesitation.
Ashera placed a hand on Seslyn’s head and rubbed it. “Come on, let's get out of here and then we can talk.”
She moved and grabbed Seslyns hand leading her back the way she had come. Once outside the magnitude of what had happened, what Seslyn had witnessed to had shaken the group. It was a battlefield unlike any Ashera had seen before. Mutilated bodies that had risen twisted by the virus; elves frozen in fear as they had died by ratfolk hands. And the ratfolk, strewn about each one with a twisted look of pain on their face frozen from the moment of their death. Ashera grabbed Seslyn and hugged her, holding her close.
“Sweet child, you should never have had to witness this. Never again will I let you witness something this horrific,” Ashera said with conviction.
That was it, Seslyn broke. Sobbing uncontrollably. Ashera picked her up, carrying her out of the city holding her hand above her face. Trying to shield her eyes from the site on the ground. Ashera knew it didn’t matter, but it was all she could do for Seslyn.