Kyle West - Extinction

“Can you tell Angel from Lord?” Samuel asked.

“The Lords control most of the Bunker,” he said. “Their base is on the bottom level.”

“Why did they attack in the first place?” I asked.

“They didn’t think you were coming back. And there’s the matter of food. There was no way we had enough to go around. So, the Lords decided to save themselves.”

“See anyone we know on here?” Makara asked. “We can head to that location first, then hit the rest as we gather our forces.”

Lionel narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing the screen. “Can you pull up a map of the Bunker on the big screen?”

Samuel nodded. “I’m sure I can. Somehow.”

He created a new tab and began to search the directory for a map. Within a minute, he’d found it. A large map of Bunker 84 was put up on the big screen. The size of Bunker 84 became all the more apparent, considering the map only showed one level at a time. For now, level three was displayed — the one we were on. There were twenty levels total.

“This place is huge,” Makara said.

“Seems as if they could fit a lot more than two thousand people in here,” Julian said. “I think there was more to this place than just the nukes.”

“What do you mean?” Samuel asked.

“You’ve seen the dorms,” Julian answered. “There must be hundreds just like the ones we saw. As if…an entire army had been here.” He paused. “I don’t know. Maybe I’m wrong.”

“No,” Makara said. “It makes sense. It’s another reason why Askala would have targeted this place. Can you imagine if Bunker 84 had stayed alive?”

According to the Black Files, the U.S. government knew there was something guarding Ragnarok. The final Guardian Mission failed because it had been attacked directly. If they believed an alien invasion was imminent, it made complete sense they’d keep an entire army down here.

“We need to focus on finding our own,” Lionel said.

Level three was mainly dedicated to barracks, a training center, and the Command Center.

Samuel clicked the other tab, revealing the cameras once again.

“It looks as if the cameras are coded to each level. Like this one…”

Samuel clicked on it, and it showed a shot of a couple of men bearing rifles, standing next to a pair of elevator doors stuck halfway open. The number three was painted on the wall next to them.

“Level three,” Samuel said.

“Those are Lords,” Lionel said.

As Samuel clicked the camera, part of the map highlighted on the screen — a periphery corridor on the level’s western side.

“Looks like every time you click on a camera, it highlights where that camera is,” Lionel said. “We can make a list of what places to go to, and what places to avoid.”

“Good idea,” Samuel said.

“Let’s go through each of the levels,” Lionel said. “I can take some notes for each one.”

We did just that — Samuel scanned each level while Lionel took notes in a spiral notebook he’d found on a nearby desk. On most levels, the Lords had set up positions, especially the lower we got. It seemed as if there would be a lot of fighting once we got to level ten and lower.

Thirty minutes later, Lionel had taken notes all the way to level twenty. One of the cameras showed Jade, Rey, and Cain, sitting at a table over which a large map of the Bunker was spread. Apparently, they were making their own plan. They, too, had a map of the Bunker. If they knew this was where the Command Center was, then they probably wanted to gain control of it as soon as possible.

It seemed as if Samuel had come to the same realization.

“We need to find reinforcements,” Samuel said. “Once we have some fighters, we can start taking back territory.”

“See if you can call Ashton from here,” Makara said. “He’ll want the update.”

Samuel used Bunker 84’s encrypted communication network to contact Ashton. We updated him on everything that had happened so far. Ashton said he’d be on standby for when he was needed.

We left the Command Center, Lionel carrying his notebook that listed Angel locations. Our first destination was on this level.

Bunker 84 looked different with the lights on. In a way, the lights were a curse because it would be harder to remain hidden and the fighting would pick up again.

But the time for hiding was over. We had to make an end of the Lords while we had the men and firepower to do so.

We left the Command Center behind and entered a long corridor. About fifty feet ahead, the corridor had been buried in rubble.

We stood before the twisted pile of concrete, rebar, and dirt.

“No good,” Makara said. “That’s the way we need to go.”

“There has to be a way around,” Michael said.

Michael backtracked a bit, poking his head in a doorway.

“This could work.”

We followed him inside, finding a room that had once been a clinic. A wheeled gurney lay on its side. Bandages and unused syringes spread over the dusty floor, where they had spilled from the countertop. Another doorway led out of the clinic on the other side, leading into a corridor running parallel to the first.

Once we were through the clinic and into the opposite corridor, the temperature dropped drastically. As we walked on, the temperature continued to plummet.

The corridor took a ninety-degree turn to the left, at the end of which was a group of four men with rifles. It was a moment before one of them cried out and pointed at us.

As their guns were raised, I dove for an open doorway on right side of the corridor, Makara and Samuel right behind me. As the first shots were fired, I crashed into the floor. It was freezing cold in here. I looked back, across the corridor, to see that everyone else had remained behind the corner, cut off from us. Anyone who tried to walk across that corridor would be shot down.

“They have the hallway covered,” Samuel said.

“If they’re smart, they’re going for reinforcements,” Makara said. “We have to figure a way to take them down.”

Another doorway led out from the other side of the room. The camera feed had shown a group of Angels near here. The only question was where they were.

“They should be nearby,” I said.

That was when a man appeared in the doorway. His eyes widened.

“Makara?”

Instantly, Samuel, Makara, and I had him in our sights.

“Don’t shoot!” he said. “I’m with you guys.”

“You’re Angel?” Makara asked.

“Yeah,” he said.

“Where are the others?” Makara asked. “We saw them on the camera feed not five minutes ago.”

“A lot can change in five minutes.”

“You’re the only survivor?”

“Of my group, yeah. I think Grudge and some of his men are down on level six. So, that’s where I was headed.” He paused. “My name’s Damian, by the way.”

“Damian, we have to deal with these Lords first,” Makara said. “They got the corridor covered, and my men can’t move on until they’re taken care of.”

“We can sneak around,” Damian said. “While they’re focused on your men, we can hit from another direction.”

“How?”

“We’ll have to go outside.”

“Outside?” I asked.

“Follow me,” Damian said.

Damian turned from the doorway, disappearing into darkness. We looked at each other and went after him.

Damian led us away from the corridor, and the temperature continued to drop. It wasn’t long before gray daylight filtered through the twisted, collapsed ceiling. This part of the Bunker must have been destroyed, somehow.

“So, Grudge is alive?” Makara asked. “What about Char, Marcus?”