Imperium, Chapter 2 Part 1, first draft

The Warsong was like a menacing shadow that darkened the usually bright face of the Upper district. It was a large, gray box of a building that held all of the treasures of humanity; technology, gold, weaponry. While the rest of the Upper district was dedicated to frivolity and excitement, the Warsong was an unbreachable force that most avoided religiously. The Warsong didn't need to be patrolled by the Volcrum or any kind of guard, the technology used to protect it eradicated all who tried to enter unlawfully. Outside, Hudson leaned against one of the thick, stone doors smoking a cigarette.
He had thought about how to handle this moment every day since he and Tokio had last met. She was right, he did want to take her down himself, but she had chosen the Warsong to make sure he would come alone. The Warsong didn't shut down for anything, except automatically only two days every year. If he had brought others with him they would have either died trying to get in or waited outside as the Azure Bandit made her escape. At this point, it would have been difficult to explain needing backup to break into the Warsong anyway. Needless to say, Hudson arrived with only his trusted claymore and Snug.
I can't believe I'm doing this, Hudson thought to himself as he blew out a stream of smoke, This goes against everything I've ever been taught and I'm going to do it anyway. He had a feeling in his gut that this was more than petty thievery and casual murder for her. Tokio had a reason for what she was doing; she was building up to something, but he didn't know what. Sliding his ring up and down his knuckle helped calm him. He had a lingering feeling that whatever was about to happen would continue whether she was still alive or not and he feared that most of all.
The Warsong was always on alert, but at 3 a.m. the secondary security system shut down to process all the information gathered from the previous day: camera feeds, heat and touch sensor information, etc. With these systems down Hudson would only have to deal with the main security system which boasted an impressive fleet of lethal traps and mechanics. With a small green light on the stone door shifting to red, Hudson knew it was time. He tossed his cigarette on the ground and started to push on the door; with the automatic system down he would have to open it himself.
He threw all of his weight against it, the scrapping of stone against stone echoed through the deserted streets. Every inch was a small victory until Hudson finally heard the metal latch break free and with one last heave he opened the stone door enough for him to squeeze through. Inside the Warsong was pitch black, void of light, except for the whisper of fluorescence that creaked through the open door. The silence was unnerving. Only Hudson's heavy breathing and the rapid beating of his heart filled the lifeless hallways with sound. While he caught his breath, Hudson let his eyes adjust to the darkness.
Everything came into focus and memories started to flood back to him. He had been in the Warsong a dozen or so times before, along with other select officers, to help test the security system and had made himself a mental map during those visits. Unfortunately, there were still many places he hadn't been, though he had a good idea of where everything was. He slowly started down the entryway, every footstep was carefully calculated from what he remembered.
Suddenly, a part of the hallway came alive and smashed together inches from Hudson's face. The walls started ramming against one another progressively faster, the sound was unbearably loud. If anything was asleep in Warsong, it wasn't now. Hudson stood there waiting, eventually the walls would stop speeding up giving him a chance to time his run-through. He noticed the cracks and chips on the wall from all the times they had be set loose. Looking at the ground he caught glimpses of dark stains from the people who had been crushed there.
The blood was rich and thick it had soaked into the stone like a curse; it would always be tainted. The walls' speed was consistent now, Hudson backed up and prepared to jump through. If he didn't time it right he would be crushed, or at least most of him. With one last deep breath he charged. They crushed close enough in front of him for him to feel the air from the collision. He ran through and vaulted over a deep pit in the floor as he heard the impact behind.
Those who survived the walls almost always died in the pit. They would keep running and fall to their death. Hudson didn't know how deep the pit was or how many bodies were piled down there, he always hoped something was cleaning them up. He had never heard of a body being recovered from the Warsong though. He was on his knees, sitting quietly until the walls stopped moving. Once the walls were finally motionless the quietness took over again, Hudson never thought he would be so relieved to hear nothing. There were lefts and rights scattered along the way, but Hudson took none of them staying true to the path. As he neared the next trap he could see all of the jagged openings with his keen eyesight.
He approached the first hole in the wall, which was obnoxiously positioned hip height on him, and crawled on the ground to go underneath it. As he did this a thick metal stake shot out of the hole and into a parallel outlet across the hall. If the large gaping wound from the stake didn't kill you the poison it was covered with would finish the job. He rolled over and shuffled a little further before sitting up; another spike shot behind his back. He stood up precisely, unflinching as stakes threatened to drill into his knees. He stepped over one cavity and reclined to avoid another. Hudson meticulously maneuvered his way through this flying minefield, quite comically because of his size, and found himself intact on the other side. This was the end of the entryway, which lead into a large vaulted room. From here all of the other hallways into the Warsong could be accessed and the real danger started.
This was about as far as anyone ever made it into the Warsong. At this point, had the secondary security system been functioning the Warsong would have already alerted the Volcrum of an intruder's presence and the place would be surrounded. More skilled officers, like Hudson, would have stormed the building and apprehended the criminal, if this area hadn't already dispatched him. The space was octagonal and the hallway Hudson needed to get to was on the other side. He started tiptoeing very softly around the very edge of the room.
Only one necklace of true importance resided in the Warsong; the Coronation Emblem. On top of being a swearing in of the new Chancellor, when placed around the new Chancellor's neck it adds his or her's genetic code into all the prism's mainframes; it gives the new Chancellor access to everything. Hudson was about halfway to the corridor where the Coronation Emblem was held, every step he took sounded thundering to him. He compressed himself against the edges of the chamber hoping his large feet wouldn't trigger any pressure sensors. If he set off the traps here, he wasn't completely confident of his survival. He was close now, maybe it was possible to get through this place!
As this thought crossed his mind, Hudson's shoulder pressed against a soft spot in the wall. The point creaked and a small red light started to flash inside it as turrets emerged from the vaulted ceiling. Hudson drew his claymore as the turrets locked onto him, he used it to cover his vitals while he made a desperate dash to the safety of a nearby hallway. Bullets were a thing of the past, crystalline weapons were developed from Rishkian technology after The Landing and had taken over. The solidified light projectiles flew around the room like deadly comets. Many hit the walls and floor, splattering a corrosive acid-like substance into the air, but more still shot across Hudson's flesh.
Hudson's arms and legs had both been scathed, the caustic stinging was burrowing into his bones. He was about to turn into the hallway, when the turrets ceased fire and robotic sentinels were lifted out of the floor in front of every entrance. Hudson did his best to stand still, but the intense burning made him want to go wild! The sentinels would attack him if he took another step. He tried to gather his thoughts as the fifteen foot sentries glared at him through lifeless sensors. They had been forged together from various strong metals, their patchwork gears were tensed for battle. Hudson thought back to all of Cristo's rants on neuroplasma, where would they put it? If I can take that out the whole machine will fall. This room had been painstakingly overridden for Hudson's other visits, he had never had to face these protectors before.
As he contemplated his somewhat inevitable demise, Snug jumped out of his coat and onto the floor. Hudson froze. He couldn't reach for Snug or call to it without the sentinels attacking, what was the gadget thinking?! Hudson started to sweat nervously as the mechanical bug inched up the nearest sentry's leg. The sentinel seemed unconcerned with Snug though, letting it crawl up its torso and around the back of it's neck. Maybe it didn't recognize such a small, non-organic creature as a threat? Moments after Hudson had lost sight of Snug behind the gargantuan robot's head, he saw the sentinel go limp and it's eyes flash lifeless.
Hudson had no time to ponder this happy twist of fate because the other seven sentinels took this as an act of aggression and assaulted him. Two were behind him, two were in front and three were at his side. The ones to his rear reached him first, Hudson dove between the legs of the first and sprung up to pierce the second in the throat. The neuroplasma spewed out of the sentinel and covered him in the green slime. He quickly distanced himself from his group of attackers, feeling relieved with the cool neuroplasma easing the burning in his lacerations. Hudson turned in time to see another sentinel shut down, Cristo must have planned for everything when he programmed Snug.
Five were still coming for him, they were gradually spacing themselves out to surround him. Hudson, anticipating he would be backed up against a wall with no escape, decided to move first. With his blade laid to the side, he attacked the sentry at the end of the line. The automaton thrust its arms down to crush Hudson, but the peacemaker bound up onto its giant fists and severed its head with one swing of his claymore. Green erupted from the opening blinding Hudson. As he fought to regain his eyesight, he lost his footing. He slipped off the wet metal and fell hard onto the floor as another sentinel slammed into the corpse of the one he had just been standing on.
With no time to indulge in pain he jumped back up to his feet gasping for breath. His lungs had been pushed up against his rib cage and filling them caused sharp cramps in his chest. In the distance behind him he vaguely heard another sentinel go offline as he scarcely lunged out of the grasp of another. Hudson rolled to his feet and viciously chopped off his attacker's arm, but the unfeeling metal hulk was unaffected. All three were closing in on him and he was progressively loosing maneuverability. One last ditch plan came to him, it had as much chance as saving him as slaughtering him.
The peacemaker ran towards the amputated machine and, using his claymore as a pole vault, landed on its shoulder. He quickly readjusted himself to the other side of the sentinel's head, without its other hand the metal contraption couldn't reach Hudson. Clinging on for dear life, Hudson waited as the other two sentinels turned on their comrade. He braced himself while another sentinel guillotined the one he was hanging onto. Hudson was hurled across the room with the metal head. His body flopped like a rag doll across the floor and was very nearly crushed by the severed robotic cranium.
He looked up; the room was spinning lethargically. The chaotic, slow motion of his surroundings made Hudson's stomach convulse. He could see that Snug had shut down the second to last sentinel, but it didn't completely register to him; everything was hazy. The world rapidly became faster as he caught sight of his claymore across the room. He recalled where he was and the danger he was in. Hudson stood up, but his legs didn't want to support him anymore. They felt like jelly underneath him and the last sentinel was in striking distance. He needed to move, but his feet had chosen the perfect time to revolt. The robotic monstrosity raised its fist into the air, it was going to squash Hudson like an insect.
So this is how it ends? Hudson reflected, I didn't think it would happen so seamlessly. The defeated Volcrum peacemaker let his legs go and fell to his knees. He looked up at his reaper. He wasn't a coward, he didn't want to die scurrying away. He had defeated monsters the likes that many men inside the prism would never know, devils of other worlds. These metal sentinels, these mindless destroyers, were different. Built only to take life away from man, maybe that's why he couldn't defeat them, he had never slayed something created only for killing. He wondered about what kind of man it would take to build such an atrocity; concluding his last thought, the metal hand came down, but it stopped a foot from his head.
Hudson saw the sentinel's eyes flicker dark, it's gears and joints creaked as the metal monster fell. He plunged out of the way, rolling across the ground before it flattened him. He sat incredulous of his own survival as Snug, his small comrade, crawled out from the last sentinel's neck. He felt the tingle of a laugh building in his abdomen and at the same time a knot from tears rising in his throat, he held back both. Instead of giving into emotion, he waited for his mechanoid bug to proudly shuffle over to him where he greeted it with a soft pat. He set Snug on his lap and waited patiently for feeling to return to his legs. He watched as other smaller robots came out of hidden compartments in the walls and cleaned up the mess Hudson and Snug had victoriously created.
These small robots would collect the neuroplasma and the body parts to reassemble the sentinels for the next intruder. Self repairing robots had been made a reality about 200 years ago. They were able to fix each other and when parts were scarce they had been able to use the materials around them by rearranging the atoms to make what they needed. The technology was ingenious and the applications were endless, it was fantasied that a way had finally been found to rebuild Earth in its entirety. They eventually were programmed to patch roads, fix architecture and build homes from the ground up when the population grew!
The Seguro prism in what used to be South Africa negotiated relentlessly to be the first prism to adopt this new way of life and for the first month everything went great. It was so great that people were considering using the robots to constitute food from dirt. The prism was peaceful, everything looked perfect and it was. Everything was fixed, there was nothing left for the automatons to do and because of that they malfunctioned. Like a fire in the night they destroyed everything; not just roads, not just homes, but people too. They tore apart families piece by piece, converting them and multiplying.
They replicated so that none could escape, everyone was torn apart little by little. Fortunately for the rest of the world the designer of the technology stayed alive long enough to put a cyber field around the city. He had designed it to keep people from taking his inventions out of the prism in case it became a problem later on. The robots, no matter what, would not pass through this invisible field. He saved the world in his last breath, for his creations would have consumed everything. Myths claim that the robots can still be seen tearing down the prism and rebuilding it anew to this day.
Since then the synthesizing technology that had been used was outlawed and machines repair each other using simple programs. Hudson and Snug watched the small machines heave giant sentries back onto their platforms to disappear under the floor once again for repair. Little suction hoses appeared from the robots to purge the floor until every bit of neuroplasma was sucked up. Afterwards they scrambled back into the walls, leaving Hudson and Snug alone in the darkness.
Hudson gently rolled Snug into his jacket pocket as he unsteadily rose from the ground. His legs were sore, but at least he could move again. Hudson walked to the other end of the octagonal room after retrieving his claymore and into the hallway that lead to the Coronation Emblem. The corridor was ordained with display cases filled with precious jewels; Hudson wasn't too worried, but he was always on guard. The peacemaker hadn't been down this hallway before so he treaded lightly and carefully.
Hudson gazed at the intricate treasures as he passed by them, nothing in the prism looked like these riches. Nothing he had been raised seeing had time and care put into it, the jewelry looked otherworldly. How could such delicate things have been made by human hands? Hudson had made it half way down the hall when he started to feel sick. His head began throbbing and his stomach started to lurch. Hudson fell against a display case, making the jewels rattle angrily, as his head erupted in crippling pain. He clutched his stomach trying to keep it all in; his insides lurched. He looked around feverishly for an attacker while he resisted the buckling in his knees. The back of his eyes felt like they were going to pop and leak into his skull; the ringing in his ears was unbearable.
The ringing, he hadn't noticed it at first. "White Tiger, the ringing." Hudson announced faintly to himself as he desperately tried to readjust his earpiece as biting pressure started to build behind his eyes. He finally fiddled with it enough to snap the noise canceling setting on. Hudson had fallen into one last ambush. The hallway was equipped with sonic weaponry that emits high pitch frequencies to incapacitated intruders and ultimately kill them. Luckily for Hudson, all Volcrum radios have a noise canceling setting that intercepts outside racket. It was equipped in case Volcrum should ever have to battle against Vapara.
Hudson continued to lean against the case, inhaling deeply, until his body started to calm down. As he labored to the end of the hall, Hudson worried if he would even be able to stop Tokio at this point. Was she even alive was the real question though, she had to face all the same perils that he did. Maybe she was dead somewhere and all this was for nothing? For some reason he deeply hoped she was still alive. She was a challenging opponent, even though he knew she would eventually die at the hands of the Volcrum, he found her treacherous charm alluring. Something drew him to her; the best way he could explain it was the feeling the smell of your childhood home or taste of cooking just like your parent's gives.
He arrived at the main chamber to find it filled with standing jewelry cabinets. He paced through the mirroring maze of glass displays until he reached the room's center, he put both of his hands on the empty case where the Coronation Emblem should be. He glared into it intensely, his eyes reflecting in the gold of an lone necklace stand. "Finally!" Tokio's voice echoed around the room, "I thought I'd wither waiting here for you, wasn't I just saying that?" Hudson turned around the room searching for her, he figured she was talking to her imaginary friend like the first time they met. "Show yourself!" He ordered her. "Up here dear." He could hear the satisfaction in her voice.
He looked above to see her clinging to the ceiling like a spider, the Coronation Emblem around her neck. "Are you coming down to fight me? I'm defiantly not coming up there." Hudson challenged her smugly. She let out a snicker that sent chills down Hudson's spine. Tokio let go of the ceiling; Hudson wasn't certain of how she was even staying up there in the first place. The Azure Bandit flew through the air like a bullet, shattering a case near Hudson and spraying the room with glass as she landed. He had his claymore drawn before she reached the ground, swinging it through the shards of glass in the air around her. She flipped off the case just in time as the tip of Hudson's sword grazed her calf.
"Well, that's not really fair, at least give a girl some time to warm up!" She said with a smirk hidden behind her mask. She had drawn her tantos while putting a few cases between her and Hudson. Last time Hudson's reach had been her downfall, it would be much more difficult for him to use that advantage this time. Hudson and Tokio maneuvered around the displays like refined dancers, each step was strictly placed and every move pre-planned. Several attacks were executed between them, but neither opponent was having any luck gaining ground on the other; the two were quickly finding themselves in a stalemate.
Hudson started to back up towards the edge of the room, if he could draw Tokio out of the glass cabinets he would have a chance to catch her. When he got out of the display field Tokio stopped. "Don't insult my intelligence," Tokio snarled, "I won't leave myself open." "You're going to force me to do something I really don't want to do then." Hudson groaned. "Sorry dear, but relationships you know, it's all give and no take." She purred with her hands on her hips. Hudson raised his claymore and prepared to be in serious trouble with General Mou as he sliced through all the cases on his way to Tokio. If he couldn't fit around the obstacles he would go through them!
Glass and jewels rained down on them as Hudson and Tokio's blades met. He slid his sword across her tantos pushing her through another case. She stumbled back, but did not fall, shards of glass protruding from her leather suit. He thrust his claymore at her chest hoping to catch her off guard, but she parried forcing Hudson to take an extra step towards her in order to not loose his footing. This gave her a small opening, she slide her free tanto across his face as he pulled back cutting open his cheek. They separated and paced around each other like hungry wolves.
The Coronation Emblem still hung loosely around her neck. Though she was a taller woman, the necklace looked large over her narrow shoulders. The pendant was made of a dozens small rubies perfectly cut and placed together to appear as one large gem. Everything was set in place with gold and held by an ornate chain. It was not the most complicated piece Hudson had seen tonight, but by far it was the most breathtaking; hidden inside that pendant were the keys to the world. The technology behind the Coronation Emblem was a well kept secret.
Hudson ran at Tokio, his claymore angled across his body. The floor was covered in perils, glass shattered and jewels scrapped underneath his heavy boots with every step, if he slipped it would mean his demise. He found a steady footing and attacked Tokio with all the force he could muster, tearing her weapons from her hands when she tired to block his attack. She was defenseless now and backed up against a case, he pulled his arm back for the finishing attack. This last impact was intended to slit her down the middle.
Her big, blue eyes stared into his, he wasn't feeling guilty, but they were as stunning as aquamarines. Her long, dark hair shined with glass shards and she seemed fragile at that moment. He had killed a lot of people, the worst part was it got easier. Hudson tried to hold on to pieces of his humanity though, he always entertained a fantasy where no one had to die. To have only one life and to have it end, before their time at his hands, did it have to be this way? He would let that mercy seep in for a second. Then he would remember they were free to make the choices that had landed them at the end of his blade.
He brought his claymore down swiftly, he wanted to make it a clean cut. Tokio didn't have to suffer needlessly though she probably deserved it. She desperately dove out of the way, but Hudson's blade fell on the back of her knee. His claymore should have severed her leg at the kneecap, instead Hudson was dumbstruck as Tokio crawled to her tantos and hobbled to her feet. Blood was spewing from her leg and the floor was covered in a sea of red. Her body and suit had been shredded by the glass she had plunged into, she looked like a walking corpse.
He couldn't grasp what he had just witnessed, but it didn't matter. She had no where to go, even if she did have an escape route he would catch her. She was hardly standing, he body wavered in place like any gentle breeze would topple the mighty Azure Bandit. "It looks like we are out of time," Tokio wheezed through her bloody rags. He walked towards her, ready to place the final blow, when the alarms went off. The secondary security system had rebooted, the place would be surrounded by Volcrum soon awaiting Hudson's triumphant exit with the Azure Bandit's body.
What happened next Hudson couldn't have anticipated. The room filled with smoke and he lost sight of Tokio in the plumes. The gas scolded as he breathed it causing him to cough hoarsely expelling any air he had managed to pull in. The poisoned fog forced Hudson to run out of the room to the safety of the hallway. He inhaled fiercely; choking, he fell to his knees clutching his windpipe. He didn't have Tokio and he didn't have the Coronation Emblem.