The door closed, a flash of light was seen, and Merlin again rolled his eyes to the heavens.
“Ascension help me, I’ve become a babysitter.”
*****
Elan stumbled out of the room, her stomach doing flip flops but without the urge to fall to the ground and heave up her internal organs. She doubted she would ever enjoy what that “transport” was, but at least she was able to operate after using it this time.
A glance around was enough to tell her that she was back where she’d started, though thankfully the corridors were no longer blocked off. Elan set her sights and quickly made her way back to where she hoped Caleb and the children were still waiting.
She was rewarded for her hopes with the sound of voices chattering ahead of her, and Elan broke into a run over the last short distance to the room she’d left them in. When she broke into the room, all eyes turned to her, and instantly everyone started screaming and crying as they fell back to the wall away from her, while Caleb stepped forward with his sword held up and at the ready.
“Stay back!” he warned her.
“Caleb?” She blinked, stepping back a pace and bringing her new blade forward to the ready position. “What’s wrong?”
He paused, staring blankly at her for a long moment before speaking. “Elan? What are you wearing?”
She sighed, suddenly understanding the problem. “Don’t ask. Listen, take the children into the facility. You'll be led somewhere safe.”
He blinked. “What do you mean, I’ll be led? What about you?”
“Don’t worry about me,” Elan said, walking into the room. “I have to go back.”
“If you’re going back, then so am I!” he declared hotly.
“Caleb, we don’t have time for this,” Elan said. “Someone has to watch the children.”
“And it has to be me?” He looked at her like she was insane. “What do I know of children?”
“More than I do! You grew up with some, didn’t you?” Elan really didn’t want to do the whole arguing thing, but Caleb was being so stubborn. “Don’t waste time fighting, people are dying!”
“There’s an army of demons back there,” Caleb snapped, gesturing wildly despite not having any idea where they were or where “there” was. “One person isn’t going to save anyone from that.”
“And two will?” Elan countered. “I have to try!”
“Why?” Caleb demanded. “Why is it so damn important for you to try, but you want to stop me from doing the same?”
Elan just glared at him, an effect that lost something in the fact that her face and eyes were entirely covered by the mottled grey armor.
“You don’t understand,” she gritted out finally.
“No, I don’t,” he admitted freely, “but I’m not letting you go back there alone.”
Elan growled in frustration and was about to continue the argument when she heard Merlin’s voice echo through the room.
“I am already looking after one petulant child,” the specter’s voice said, exasperated. “A few more will not kill me. Bring them to the transport chamber and I will have them moved to a safe area with food and water.”
“Who was that?” Caleb demanded, looking around.
“That was Merlin. He…” Elan considered her words. “…is in charge of this place. I think we can trust him.”
Not that they had much choice, Elan thought grimly. It was clear to her that the EI, whatever that was, could pretty much do as it pleased, and that left the lot of them at his mercy.
“Merlin, can Caleb get armor?” she asked wearily.
“No, I am afraid we do not have time to gene code a set for him,” the voice answered. “Not if you want to have any effect on the current situation, at least.”
Elan frowned. “How did you get this ready for me?”
“That suit was your great-grandmother’s,” Merlin responded. “The key markers are in your blood. Altering the suit to match you personally will take time, but it can be done while you wear it.”
“Okay, fine,” Elan said, making the choice. “Come on, everyone, we’ll get you somewhere safe until we come back.” The children didn’t like the sounds of that, not that Elan really blamed them, but she wasn’t concerned with their feelings at that point either. When they cried, some of the younger ones mostly, she just shook her head and gestured. “This way.”
“Elan,” Caleb hissed, eyes wide. “They’re just kids. Give them a moment.”
“And we’re not? Everyone else seems to think otherwise,” Elan snapped, getting more frustrated by the moment. “We don’t have a moment. We’ve wasted enough time already.”
She really didn’t understand what the issue was. When she was young, if her momma told her to run and hide, or go somewhere safe, that’s damn well what she did. If she’d refused, or started noisily crying, Elan knew that the world had better damn well have ended…otherwise her momma would have made her wish it had.
Between her urging and Caleb’s cajoling, the two got the kids into the hallway and then to the transport room. She didn’t envy them that experience, but she wasn’t going to tell them that either. Instead they herded the children all inside and let the door shut on them. When the light flashed, Elan turned away and started back to the Gate room.
Caleb hurried to catch up to her. “What’s the plan?”
“We have to see what’s going on there first,” she said, hefting the newly acquired blade in her hand. “There were a lot of demons there when we left.”
“The facility you departed from is currently empty,” Merlin said calmly. “I have been monitoring it since you reactivated the systems.”
“What happened?” Caleb asked, frowning. “It was full when we left.”
“Unauthorized User Command.”
“Screw. You,” he said pointedly.
“Just answer the question, Merlin,” Elan sighed, tired by it all.
Come to think of it, she really just wanted to go to sleep. She blinked, shaking her head.
Later. Sleep when I’m dead.
“The demons killed or captured everyone remaining after your transport,” Merlin replied, “but as they were moving the prisoners out…this happened.”
A wall flickered to life, showing the interior of the temple they’d left. Elan hissed as she saw the demons pushing injured people ahead of them. Then both she and Caleb gasped as two familiar figures appeared and struck down a pair of demons in tandem.
“Simone!”
“Kaern!”
They watched as the duo tore through the demons, laying waste to anything in their path with furious vengeance. It all came to an end as Kaern slammed a human to the ground and held him at sword point.
“That’s Venadrin,” Elan hissed, rage boiling up. “What is he saying?”
Sound came to life, and the pair listened as Kaern stopped Simone from killing the man who’d done so much to Elan and then let him go with those confusing words. After that, the pair had gathered up the survivors and led them out the bolt hole.
Elan didn’t know what to think of it. She had so many conflicting feelings about the scene she’d just watched that none of them made any sense to her.
“Are…are you okay?” Caleb asked her.
“I’ll be fine,” Elan said sullenly.
She didn’t know whether to be grateful or furious with Kaern. Venadrin still lived when he could have easily cut the vile beast down…but he’d been right about one thing. Venadrin was not his kill.
“It doesn’t matter,” she said suddenly. “We have things to do. Merlin?”
“Very well. Transport…initiated.”
There was a flash of blinding white light, and when it cleared…the room was empty.
*****
How did it come to this?