Chapter 32. The fall

Arriz couldn't believe Iutah was behind this. His New Year's attack was an act of hatred – but it was more or less harmless. And this… It was a full-scale terroristic assault. "One Breed" would've been so proud!

The telepath didn't expect something like that. When he couldn't find Iutah at the party, he wasn't surprised. But when the earthquake started, he began searching for the former hybrid intentionally, and sensed him in the tunnel, where the machines used to be.

Only then did Arriz remember that he brought some weird devices on Ceres, together with the chemicals. These toys probably had enough chips hidden in them to break through the robots' defense system.

He had to find Iutah. Not only to stop him, but… to talk. Arriz believed there was a chance to find a peaceful way out of this. He hadn't told the truth to many people, so he could hide it, and the students leaving Ceres had their memory deleted anyway.

But before any negotiations they had to get to the end of the tunnel. Arriz knew it wouldn't be easy, even with such guardians. He didn't stand a chance against the metal giants; Light and Dark would need a lot of energy to deal with them. So the telepath was trying to find a route that was free of the machines. But it was hard for him to detect them, much harder than with living creatures, and he knew he'd make a mistake at some point…

"I'm gonna break his skull!" Dark warned him. "Smash it like a peanut! I knew there was something wrong with him!"

"Which didn't stop you from befriending him," Arriz noted. It was much harder for him to talk on the run than for the twins.

"We weren't friends, we were just hanging out together. Keep your mouth shut, you're moving too slow already!"

"We might not have to kill Iutah," Light added. "He's weak… On the other hand, he managed to do all of this in his weakened condition! Why are you so worried about him anyway?"

"Don't distract me, I'm trying to concentrate!"

He couldn't tell them he was afraid of Iutah revealing his secret – about his terrorist origin. The twins would never hide such a fact! But so far it was too early to worry about it, they had to come back alive first!

He was focusing on his gift, trying to sense the robots ahead. But when they finally appeared, he missed them. A machine sparkling in gold broke the wall in front of them, blocking their way. He should've guessed that Iutah would leave at least one of them to guard him!

The twins became instantly alert, ready to protect the human, but they didn't have to do anything. A small body crushed onto the robot, fast and agile, like a drop of quicksilver. It was moving at such speed that only white bandages made it possible to recognize who it was.

Karajo was perfect, as always. She kept moving all the time, and the creature's claws and cable-like tentacles couldn't catch her. If some of them got too close, she simply tore them apart. When she got her chance to strike, she was making it precise and swift. She wasn't trying to destroy the shell, the holes she left were as small as her fists. But they were enough to rip the microchips out one by one.

The Silver brothers were in no hurry to assist her. They knew they'd just get in her way. So they simply watched her, protecting themselves and Arriz from accidental hits.

It was over in five minutes. The robot fell motionlessly onto the floor, and Karajo slid down its claw to join them.

"Don't lose time. The base's air supply has already lost a third of its original volume," she warned them. "The computer is concentrating it in the areas where it can detect humans and hybrids, but that trick is a temporary measure."

"Why have you been following us?" Arriz asked. Her arrival didn't shock him, but he just had to know.

"Are you sure it's the right time to discuss that? I wasn't the only one following you – just for the record. Cuyo also went after you from the main hall. He intercepted the robot that was planning to attack you from behind. Not intentionally, of course, they simply crossed ways."

"Is he at least alive?"

"The robot or Cuyo?"

"Cuyo, of course, who cares about the robot!"

"I don't care about Cuyo either," Karajo shrugged. "But considering his powers, his chances for survival are nearly one hundred percent. But they'll become lower than that if we don't deal with those robots."

"True enough."

They continued moving together and soon reached the entrance to the tunnel, though they barely recognized it. The floor was damaged so greatly that there was nothing left from the railway. The walls and the ceiling partly collapsed, and they looked like a demolished building from aside. But there weren't any robots here, which was a relief.

Severe cold was coming from the tunnel. It hadn't reached the level of the surface yet, but it was clear that the heating system was nearly ruined. Arriz couldn't help remembering about the trees that grew in those halls. It was a weird thought now, but he felt sorry for them.

They had to stop in front of the block. There were some ways through it, narrow like rat holes. Even looking at them was scary, and any powerful tremor would destroy them completely, crushing the one who was inside at the moment.

Karajo turned to the twins:

"You're staying here."

"What?"

"No way!"

"You will," she repeated, unimpressed by their objections. "One robot had already tried to go after you, but it was stopped by Cuyo. That can happen again, with no Cuyo around. The robots might return to destroy the tunnel, Iutah could've programmed them for that."

"They can be on the other side of this mess too!"

It wasn't actually at option: Arriz could sense at least one big machine moving there.

"That's why I'm coming with him," Karajo explained. "I could take one of you with me, but you always work together."

"Why can't you stay?"

"Because I'm worth more than both of you."

They were angered by such statement, but they didn't dare to argue. The memory of her defeating a robot single-handedly was still fresh in their minds. Arriz didn't say anything either, he knew it wouldn't change her position.

He was the first to move into the ruins. It wasn't easy: the broken walls were already covered with a thin layer of ice that was cutting his hands now and freezing his skin. Breathing here was also very difficult due to the cold and lack of oxygen. But there was no other way, so he had to tolerate it. Karajo could see the bloody imprints left by his wounded hands on the ice, but she didn't comment on them.

Only a small part of the tunnel was blocked, the rest of it remained undamaged, with the lights still working. But it was cold, and Arriz wished his uniform was warmer than that!

"The temperature here is around plus ten Celsius and getting lower," Karajo informed him. "Your body won't handle it for too long."

"What about you?"

"Roughly the same."

She was as honest as ever, though Arriz knew her answer in advance. Off all hybrids on Ceres, Karajo was the most vulnerable to cold. Not merging the hybrid matter with her skin and muscles was a weakness now. Her body was human, and she felt cold like any human would. She could change that at the price of her main weapon, but she wasn't going to do that.

He wanted to keep running to stay warm, but he forced himself to walk slowly, just like his companion. Iutah knew someone might come for him, so he had to leave some traps along the way.

Such caution wasn't needed though. They saw the robots way ahead: the machines were waiting for them. Two of them stood side by side, barely fitting into the tunnel. Basically, they just clogged the road with their metal bodies.

"What are we going to do now?" he asked quietly. "I can try to call the twins telepathically…"

"Don't. If one of these robots attacks while the twins are inside the ruins, they may end up trapped or killed. It might've been planned this way."

"Got any better ideas?"

There were two of them against her. Plus, she was tired after her previous battles, and the cold was stably taking her energy.

But she remained confident even when Arriz was hesitating.

"I'll distract them and give you a chance to pass by them," she suggested. "I think that's the last line of defense Iutah has. I leave him to you."

"What about you? Are you sure you can defeat both of them?"

"I can't," Karajo shook her head. "But I can hold them back for a while. If Iutah is controlling them, you'll help me by turning them off."

"It's too dangerous, Dani!"

"Don't call me that!" she snapped at him. "This name is not for you. I'm Karajo. As for the danger… we're all dying here, in case you haven't noticed. You, me, the twins – we won't make it to the ship. We've got only two options left: stop the attack or kick the bucket. Less talking, more running, curator!"

She charged ahead without waiting for his reply. The robots reacted to her movement: one of them tried to catch her with its claw, the other directed the tentacles at her, originally designed to move stones. Karajo avoided both attacks right in the air, and landed on the back of the golden scorpion.

Both of them were using their tentacles now, because the tunnel was too narrow for their claws. She expected that. She was concentrating on the defense for a while, but when the moment was right, Karajo changed her strategy so fast that the machines failed to keep up with her.

She caught the tentacles of two robots and tied the metal cables together. When the claw flew at her, she caught it with an improvised lasso made of tentacles. She united the machines in a way that made it nearly impossible for them to move away from each other.

The robots were stuck now. Their attempts to break free shook the tunnel violently, with big stones collapsing all around Arriz.

He knew any of them could kill him, and he didn't want to be there. But Karajo was right: they had nowhere to retreat.

"Now!" she screamed. "Move!"

It was impossible to do, nearly suicidal on his behalf. But he still ran forward, making himself believe her. There was only one way open to him: under the metal abdomen of one of the scorpions.

They reacted as soon as he moved. Their claws were trapped by Karajo, but their feet still moved. One of those feet aimed at Arriz, attempting to stab through him.

Karajo was ready for that. She jumped to the base of the leg and broke it in a powerful kick. The tentacles managed to push her off, but she wasn't wounded, she was back on her feet in a second.

Arriz had already reached the other side by then. He didn't want to abandon her, because he could see fresh blood on her bandages. But he could help her only by stopping Iutah, he was helpless against those machines.

There weren't any robots left in the tunnel, but the air was freezing here. It was stinging his lungs in icy needles, and he had no idea how Iutah could survive here without his hybrid powers.

The answer was simple enough – Arriz got it when he walked to the end of the railroad.

He had been in this part of the tunnel before, but he couldn't recognize it. The walls were covered by deep cracks, and a huge crack appeared on the floor too, as menacing as a canyon. It had probably stretched from the foundation pit made for a new hall and was equally deep.

Iutah stood on the edge of this crack. He came here wearing a space suit, so he was well-protected from the cold and suffocation. But the suit was designed for the personnel getting to the surface in case of emergency, and its air supply was limited. A monitor on its sleeve indicated that Iutah would be left out of oxygen in less than an hour.

He could remove the helmet, of course, but in that case he'd lose the warmth generated by the suit. His body, still weak from the trauma, wouldn't handle that.

In his arms he held a strange control panel with a small display. It was obviously made out of the details Arriz remembered about.

"I knew you'd come here," Iutah said. "I'm glad."

"Why?"

"Because I'd love to see you die."

"You plan to survive?"

"No, I just plan to live a bit longer than you. As for survival… no. I've found a way to redeem my fault. I've been thinking a lot about it! I've dedicated my time at the infirmary to scheming my vengeance."

"That stuff again!" Arriz cringed. "There is no fault, you owe nothing to One Breed!"

"What's the price of a traitor's words? I don't need to know your opinion. I'm going to destroy a whole generation and the legendary school on Ceres, what can be more important than that?"

"Keep your space shorts on," Arriz smirked. "Most of the hybrids and teachers have been evacuated!"

"You're lying. Where would they go on an empty planet?"

"On the ship, Einstein! The one sent here for me. They're safe there, even if you terminate the base completely!"

The triumph on Iutah's face was slowly replaced with shock, and then – anger. He had actually forgotten about the ship! He'd been analyzing all the details for days, and he was sure he'd win. However, he was wounded, fighting a fewer, and that wasn't the best condition to make any plans, especially as complicated as this one.

His current achievements were darkly mesmerizing. But the facts that he missed were a serious blow to his intentions.

"You're… you're lying again!" Iutah hissed. "They couldn't get away…"

"They already did! So if anyone dies today, that's you and me. What good will it make for the Organization? You can still stop this!"

Arriz was convinced that the panel Iutah was holding could be used to shut those robots down. A construction machine wasn't programmed for self-destruction – or any form of destruction for that matter. Iutah's time was limited, so he couldn't have changed their settings too drastically. He'd have to switch them to manual control!

"I'm going to get rid of this school anyway!" Iutah announced stubbornly. "Away with that snake pit!"

"They'll build another school in no-time, and you know that. The Second Breed won't stop creating new generations just because you've destroyed the base on Ceres! You'll die for nothing, Iutah! It doesn't have to be this way. I haven't told anyone you're responsible for this diversion. They won't blame you, they'll let you go home!"

Saying that, Arriz was slowly nearing Iutah. His former companion was so shaken by his failure he didn't even notice it. The telepath couldn't wait any longer, he was freezing. Expecting help was useless in his position: the twins were too far, and Karajo was still fighting those robots. He could rely only on himself.

He deserved it. He was the one who brought this problem on Ceres, and he had to make things right.

"I have to die,��� Iutah exclaimed. "And so should you. Both of us didn't live up to the Organization's expectations. This disgrace is worse than the evil hidden in hybrids. Let them build their new school and do whatever they want. I'll be happy to die knowing I've done everything I could to destroy them!"

Continuing the negotiations was pretty useless. Iutah's eyes burned with wild fire, his forehead was covered with large droplets of sweat. His fever must've returned, provoking further insanity.

That could be credited to the Organization as well. Arriz suspected that Iutah's spirit was partly broken long before he came to Ceres. All that training, forced values, the feeling of responsibility and the feeling of guilt… Arriz had barely managed to escape that, but only because Olivia saved him. Iutah didn't stand a chance. The telepath could only hope he could be cured – by force even, if that was needed.

But any treatment was possible if they got out of here alive. Talking to Iutah had no effect on him, but it allowed Arriz to move closer. When the distance between them was minimal, the telepath attacked.

He tackled his opponent, and both of them rolled on the frozen ground. Each was trying to immobilize the other, press him down, hold his hands – and then decide his fate. Iutah was ready to kill, Arriz wasn't. He just couldn't go that far, his main goal was dealing with those robots.

But for that he needed the control panel, and it remained out of reach. Sure, Iutah became much weaker after losing the hybrid matter, but Arriz's situation wasn't much better at the moment. His cut hands went numb in this cold, his head was spinning from the shortage of oxygen, and his opponent's blows, strengthened by the space suit, couldn't go unnoticed.

He wasn't going to give up no matter what. His memory was flushed with the faces of those who believed in him, whose lives depended on him! He also remembered Olivia. Even in her final moments she was thinking about him. No-one had ever had so much faith in him before! He must justify that faith… at least once in his life!

"You're going to die here anyway," Iutah said through clenched teeth. "What are you trying to change?"

"I'm going to die, not they. That's what I'm changing!"

"They won't remember you tomorrow! They won't appreciate that ridiculous sacrifice of yours!"

"You're wrong. One Breed believes anyone can be replaced. The hybrids remember everyone!"

"Traitor!"

"I haven't betrayed anyone," Arriz objected. "I just found a place where I belong!"

Iutah was getting tired faster. Arriz was fighting desperately, and the resources of his space suit were at their limit. He understood that. Collecting what was left of his strength, he pushed the telepath away and dashed to the edge of the crack in the floor. It wasn't hard to guess his intentions…

"Iutah, don't do this!"

Standing on the very edge, Iutah stopped and turned to Arriz. The insanity in his eyes reached its maximum. There was nothing of the old Iutah whom the telepath met at the beginning of the year left in him.

"We're both going to die today, Arriz. But only one of us will do it with honor."

They moved simultaneously. Iutah made a step into the abyss, and Arriz tried to catch him… He had never run so fast, he didn't even know he could! But his despair made him faster.

He caught Iutah when the former hybrid had already started to fall. But Arriz couldn't hold him: the weight of the space suit was too great for him. Both of them were dragged down, and while Iutah longed for such death, the telepath wasn't going to give up that easily! He managed to hold onto the edge with one hand and found a small rock ledge with his feet. That was enough to keep him from falling.

He could've climbed up if he didn't have to hold Iutah with his other hand. The load was so heavy that Arriz felt like his shoulder would pop any moment. The sweat was running down his back from the strain, freezing along his skin, and that made his condition even worse.

"You're pathetic in your agony," Iutah said barely above a whisper. "You want to be a noble hero… But that doesn't atone for your sins!"

"I don't want to be a hero, I want you to pull your own weight! We can both get out of this!"

"I'm not going to do that. Stop clowning around."

"What clowning around?! I really don't want you to die! Iutah, goddammit, help me! We can make it!"

"There's no "we", but I'll play along," Iutah unfastened the control panel from his belt and showed it to Arriz. "You want it? Of course you do. That's the only thing that can save your buddies. Here, take it, you deserved it!"

He threw the computer up, leaving Arriz with mere seconds to make his choice. And the telepath had to do the one thing he knew he'd hate himself for later: he let go of Iutah's hand. The human fell down without as much as a gasp, and only a dull sound of his body hitting the rocks signified that it was over.

He died the moment he reached the bottom. Arriz knew that feeling from the day Olivia was murdered; it washed through him, blindingly painful. He could've lost his consciousness if he didn't focus on his mission. He couldn't let Iutah's death be in vain! He managed to catch the computer in the air, forcing his aching fingers to obey.

He wasn't strong enough to pull himself up anymore, so he had to act on the spot. Arriz pressed the panel to the stony surface of the crack to free his hand. This thing was easy to manipulate, three commands were enough to bring all robots on Ceres to a halt.

Once that was done, Arriz could feel relief and exhaustion spreading over his body. He succeeded, the base wouldn't be destroyed, and it still had enough oxygen left for everyone! No-one else was going to die…

Except for him. He knew he wouldn't make it. Arriz tried to climb up, but his body was too cold to function normally. However, he couldn't let go of the rock edge yet, though it hurt his bleeding fingers. Even if he deserved it, even if there was no other way to end the pain… he simply couldn't.

Not like he'd have to wait for too long! Soon his energy would run out… He wasn't sure about one thing only: whether he was going to faint before he reached the stones and died. He hoped for it, because otherwise he'd have to watch his frozen fingers unclasping and then live through every second of his final fall… He didn't regret coming here though. He did what he had to do, and he brought this up himself…

None of this would be important in a couple of minutes.

When he heard footsteps above his head, Arriz thought he was hallucinating – like it was the final attempt of his fading mind to believe in miracles. But the footsteps were getting louder, and then they were accompanied by a voice:

"Whadda you know… You're the type to cling to life, aren't you?"

A moment later a powerful hand grasped his wrist, pulling him up.

"Karajo…" – was the only thing he could pronounce.

She came after him in spite of the cold that was hurting her. That harmed her as much as he had expected: her once white bandages were covered in dirt and dry blood, and he saw a couple of deep cuts on her body. But she was standing straight and she didn't look weak at all.

"Who else did you expect to see? Easter bunny?"

"I didn't think you'd come… It's so cold…"

"It's fine!" she sniggered. "The cold stops the bleeding, and I need that. Can you walk?"

"Not too fast," he confessed.

"It shouldn't be too fast, because you'll harm your frozen muscles otherwise. Let's move as fast as we can. I can hear the twins starting to clean the way here. By the time we reach them, they'd make a safe passage for us. We need to get you to the infirmary, you're in bad shape in case you didn't know."

"Dani…"

He knew what this name meant to her. Her mother called her that, even in those final minutes they spent together in the fire. That's why she never used it and she was angry when he first called her that.

He wasn't going to make fun of her, he just said the first thing that came into his tired brain. Karajo must've understood that, because she didn't answer with a snarl this time.

"What?"

"Thanks for not leaving me…"

"You expected me to do something different? Pity. After all, you've saved us today, a whole generation of hybrids. Not bad for a terrorist."