Rise of a Valkyrie

Prologue - Part 2

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The group came to another huge open cavern, and their flashlights flickered over a mess of strangely shaped equipment. Owen's mind spun as he took in odd metal bulges and complex forms that looked like no machining he had seen before. Tall floodlights hung from the walls and ceiling, while thick power cables snaked up into the darkness. Banks of computers converged on a central plinth, atop which stood a row of hemispherical glass chambers, each much larger than a man.

To one side was an enclosed booth, and Rayker strode directly to it. The cave echoed with the tapping of a computer keyboard, and within moments a dull hum filled the air as floodlights flickered to life. The soldiers spread out, examining everything carefully.

Owen shivered. The hall had a lifeless and sterile feel that gave him the creeps. His gaze was drawn back to the chambers at the center of the room. They looked perfectly formed, and only a hairline crack hinted at their openings.

He wasn't an engineer, but he didn't like what he was seeing. Alien machinery? Advanced technology? What if he was looking at some type of weapons laboratory? He wasn't interested in politics either, but everyone knew the Helvetic League was both in decline, and ruthless enough to do whatever it took to hold on to power. What if they had discovered something that would help them do that? It would certainly explain why they had sent soldiers.

Owen made a decision. Nothing that Rayker and her men wanted with this lab could be good for the colonists of Caldera. He had to get out and warn them.

He backed away as adrenaline flooded his veins, and he struggled to recall the path they had taken through the maze of tunnels.

"Owen—you're not leaving yet, I hope?" Rayker called from amid the machinery.

He cursed. She had shown unnatural perception throughout the hike, hearing distant animals before they were even in sight.

"Uh... you know, I'm just a mountain guide," he stammered. "All this... it's not my area of expertise."

Reed stepped forward, a machine gun now in his hands, as the other soldiers began withdrawing weapons from their backpacks. "The lady has requested that you stay," he said in an icy voice.

Owen knew he couldn't make it to the tunnels before they shot him. Ice ran down his spine, and his mind filled with the horror of the unknown. What would they do to him?

He put his hands up. Another soldier walked over and grabbed his coat.

"Do be gentle, Captain," said Rayker. "Fortunately, the manual my benefactor provided appears to be accurate, and we need our test subject in one piece."

Owen wanted to throw up. What manual? What kind of machine were they going to test on him? If they were armed, they had to be here for something dangerous that they would need to protect. Some kind of biological or chemical weapon?

He struggled against his captor's firm grip, but his muscles felt weak and useless. There was no way out for him.

They threw Owen into one of the glass chambers and sealed the door. He yelled, and beat his fists against the smooth wall of his prison, but it didn't crack or bulge. Tears ran down his cheeks as he cursed his stupidity. He should have listened to his instincts, and escaped while he had the chance. But his lust for exploration had led him too far.

The colonists would have no warning; they would assume he had fallen off a cliff in a storm.

Rayker emerged from the booth and approached the chamber. "If it's any consolation, had you refused earlier, we would have taken you at gunpoint. We needed a test subject for the transformation process. No need to blame yourself, but your willingness to go along speaks to the open and curious nature of frontiersmen, and that is something I do admire."