Tower In The Mountains

“Dosei!” 
          Norio doesn’t hesitate. He drops down, spear braced, slamming down onto the Skelloid’s head, the point driving clean through the crown of its skull. The creature convulses violently, spasms rippling down its body. Norio leaps back into the trees before it collapses. Its corpse slaps into the mud, twitching as its slime seeps into the earth. 
          “Get back up! Quickly!” Thorn yells over the commotion. 
          Skelloids swipe wildly at the branches. One claw shears bark from the trunk where Dosei had been only a moment before. 
          The team pushes on, forced to leap from tree to tree while the Skelloids tear through the forest below. Their claws splinter straight through trunks, collapsing them. Their bodies slam hard enough to send other trees crashing down around them. Every tree shudders like it might give way. Their screeches create a chorus of fury. 
          A branch snaps under Yumi’s weight, dropping her a half-step before Benji grabs her arm and hauls her up, both of them panting. 
          They climbing higher and higher into the canopy, rain running in rivulets down their coats. At last, the branches slope upward toward a cliffside they can climb on to. Norio hauls himself over the rim of stone, turning to reach for Halo as she grabs his hand. Thorn lingers at the rear, refusing to climb out of the trees until every member of his team is safe. One by one they spill onto the rocky path, mud-streaked and breathless. 
          Below, the forest seethes with orange and red shapes. The Skelloids thrash in frustration, clawing at the trees, toppling them over. The Skelloids’ screeches echo through the mountain while the team lies sprawled on their backs, rain splattering against their weary faces. 
          Once they muster the energy, they are back up and shuffling through the mud, boots slipping as loose rocks clatter down the mountainside. The cold rain setting their shoulders shivering. 
          “This planet’s trying to drown us,” Cinder mutters. 
          Half-buried between the rocks ahead, a rusted android shell juts out, its frame wedged into the stone and strangled by weeds. 
          “How did it even get lodged in there?” Halo asks. 
          “Skelloid shoved it, I guess,” Dosei replies. 
          The thought sends a ripple of unease through the group, each of them shuddering as they move past it. 
          Before long, they reach the ridge, and a tower looms above them. Its frame is choked with vines, panels streaked with rust. The wind whistles this high up on the mountain, setting the whole structure into a low, mournful creak. At the very top, a single red light blinks weakly, slow and steady, like the faint pulse of a heart. 
          “It has a power source?” Halo asks. 
          “Must have a generator of some sort,” Dosei says as he looks around for a way in. 
          Norio kicks open the locked door. Inside, dust coats every surface, the air stale with abandonment. Rows of dormant consoles line the walls. Halo brushes her hand across a desk, leaving a streak through years of grime. The tower creaks and shifts in the wind. 
          “Over here!” 
          A monitor is left on, its screen casting the room in a sickly glow. They all gather around it. Lines of data are listed, and a single message pulses faintly across the display. 
          “Click it. See what it says” Halo points to an icon of a letter. 
          Dosei leans in and reads aloud: 
          “The next shipment of androids has arrived from Earth. We’re keeping them at the warehouse until we get confirmation that the latest set of uploads were successful. We haven’t been able to reach anyone on Novaterra in a few days. Please respond.” 
          “Look at the bottom,” Halo points. “It says ‘From Tower 2.’” 
          “Another settlement!” Yumi smiles. “I wonder if they’re still there?” 
          “Whoever sent those messages might not be friendly, even if they are human,” Thorn cuts in, his voice like a blade. “Don’t let your guard down.” 
          Hope and fear wrestle across their faces. 
          At last, Thorn straightens, his decision carved in stone. “If we’re going to find out, we’ll need transport. Vehicles.” His gaze hardens. “And that means stealing them from the androids. We’ll need a plan, one we can’t afford to get wrong.” 
          Benji rummages through a drawer and pulls out a rolled sheet of paper. He spreads it across a console, its corners curling with age. 
          “It’s a map!” he yells out to the others. 
          Everyone crowds around, shoulders pressed tight as rain patters faintly outside. Voices overlap in a jumble, arguing about what’s real, what’s outdated, what roads could possibly still exist. The map is damaged with rips and stains, but some parts remain clear. A road to the east, faint but legible, winds toward what might be the other settlement. Fingers trace the faded lines, arguments giving way to excitement. 
          Dosei’s eyes widen, a grin spreading as he leans closer. “This is incredible, look at the infrastructure, the planning, the way they linked everything together—” He cuts himself off when Thorn clears his throat, but his face still glows with unashamed enthusiasm. 
          Norio notices a faint, unique marking. “Look down here at our city, a laboratory?” 
          “I don’t remember ever seeing that.” Yumi remarks. 
          Halo goes still, her mind spiraling inward, the others’ chatter fading to a distant murmur she no longer hears. 
          That’s the place where I woke up. The others… they didn’t come from there too?  
          Dosei proudly carries the map, a spring in his step now. Excitement buzzes through the group, talking over each other about the other settlement as they make their way back down the mountain. They’re so preoccupied its slowing their pace. 
          Halo is further ahead on the path, just about to turn the corner. “Come on, guys!” she pleads. 
          Cinder catches up, matching her stride. 
          “This is where we climbed up from,” Halo points at the twisted tree branches. She peers down at the Skelloids below. Their screeches have faded, but they continue to prowl restlessly in the place where the team escaped them. 
          “Yeah. Hey, so what do you think is in the new town?” Cinder asks. 
          “Hmm… it looks like a base. Military, maybe?” Halo muses. 
          Cinder’s gaze sharpens. “Your expression changed when they were talking about the lab. You ever been there?” Her eyes lock onto Halo. 
          “No... Why?” Halo answers cautiously. 
          Cinder’s boot slips on a rock, sending her staggering. She crashes into Halo, shoving her off balance. Halo slides in the mud, barely managing to stop at the cliff’s edge. She lets out a shaky sigh of relief. 
          “Ugh.” Cinder huffs in frustration, pulling herself upright and stepping toward Halo. 
          “That was close! Are you okay?” Halo asks, looking up at her. 
          But Cinder’s eyes are cold, empty. She stops in front of her, rain streaking her face. 
          “Cinder?” Halo’s voice shakes. 
          A slight smirk curves the corner of Cinder’s lips. Then, without hesitation, she lifts her leg and kicks Halo off the edge.