Slumdog Hero

Luke studied the map closely. "These tears... they form a pattern. Almost like a network." He pointed to where several lines converged. "And we're here, just outside this major concentration."

"Which explains why you got dumped here," Tev said, speaking up for the first time since bringing the tablet. "The Shimmer's strongest in this sector. Things appear and disappear all the time." He tapped the screen. "And these Netherlings—we've seen them. Called them phase-shifters. Nasty business. Kill anything that moves."

"They're tracking us," Fii said suddenly, the certainty dropping into her mind like a stone. "That's why my powers felt wrong at the basin. Why my head still hurts. They're... following somehow."

The others looked at her, expressions ranging from skepticism to alarm.

"You can't know that," Luke began.

"Every time I use my powers, it feels like something's watching. Listening. And it hurts now. Never used to." She wiped away a fresh trickle of blood from her nose. "They did something to me. Or I did something to myself."

Tev stood abruptly. "I need to tell Soren."

He hurried from the room, leaving them with the unsettling information and the growing certainty that their problems were just beginning.

Dinner was a subdued affair in a communal eating area. The Collectors were polite but wary, especially after Tev's report to Soren. They served a hearty stew made from desert plants and what might have been lizard meat, alongside flat bread baked in stone ovens.

Soren joined them halfway through the meal, sliding onto the bench across from Fii.

"So," she said without preamble. "You think these Netherlings are tracking you."

Fii nodded, mouth full of stew.

"Why?" The question was direct, challenging.

Fii swallowed. "Don't know. But every time I use my powers, it gets worse. The pain, the wrongness. Like they're connected somehow."

"Your powers," Soren repeated. "Which are?"

"Gravity manipulation," Luke answered for her. "She's a metahuman."

Soren's eyes narrowed. "Zürukalu," she corrected, using the Kurigali term. "Wielder of forces beyond the mundane." She studied Fii with renewed interest. "The old stories say that one Zürukalu could speak to the Loa directly, bend the very fabric of the world."

"I just move stuff around," Fii said, uncomfortable with the intensity of Soren's gaze. "Nothing fancy."

"Hmm." Soren clearly didn't believe her. "The data you found—it mentioned Kurigali artifacts. Rituals that affect the tears."

"Yeah. Tricon was stealing them. Studying them."

"Not just studying," Soren said. "Activating them. The fools thought they could control the Shimmer, use it like some kind of weapon or transport system. Instead, they tore holes between worlds that were never meant to touch."

"What worlds?" Serena asked.

Soren shrugged. "Ask the Kurigali elders, if you ever meet any. They speak of the realm of Loa, the space between spaces. Places that exist in the cracks of reality." She tapped her fingers against the table. "All I know is, the tears have been getting worse since Tricon started meddling. And now we've got creatures leaking through that shouldn't exist."

"We need to get back to the Metropolis," Luke said. "Warn people about what's happening out here."

Soren laughed, the sound without humor. "The Metropolis knows. Or at least, Tricon does. Why do you think they keep sending expeditions? They want to weaponize this." She gestured toward the cylinder, which sat on the table between them. "Turn it into an advantage somehow."

"Then we need to stop them," Fii said simply.

Soren's expression softened fractionally. "Brave words from someone who can barely stand from the phase sickness."

"The what?"

"Phase sickness. What you're experiencing. Happens to some people near the tears—especially those with... special abilities. Your powers interact with the Shimmer somehow, and it rebounds on you. Headaches. Nosebleeds. Worse, if you push it."

Fii absorbed this. "Is it permanent?"

"Not usually. Get far enough from the tears, it fades." Soren leaned forward. "Problem is, if these creatures really are tracking you through your powers, using them might be like sending up a flare."

"Great," Fii muttered. "So I'm basically walking bait."

"Essentially." Soren didn't sugarcoat it. "But we might be able to help each other."

"How?" Luke asked, instantly suspicious.

"The Rust Jackals control the territory between here and the nearest outpost," Soren explained. "Nasty bunch. Raid our salvage runs, attack anyone trying to cross their turf. We've been looking for a way to bypass their territory." She tapped the cylinder. "The map you found might help with that."

"And in exchange?" Luke pressed.

"Safe passage as far as we can take you. Supplies. And—" she nodded toward Fii "—something that might help with the phase sickness. Temporarily, at least."

"What's the catch?" Fii asked. Nobody offered help in the Wastes without wanting something substantial in return.

Soren smiled, appreciating her directness. "We need access to a Rust Jackal outpost. Their main camp is too well defended, but they have a supply depot on the edge of their territory. If we could get inside, we could map their patrol routes, maybe disable their perimeter security."

"You want us to help you steal from raiders," Serena clarified.

"I want you to help us survive," Soren corrected. "The Jackals have been getting bolder. Last month they took three of our people. We haven't seen them since." Her voice hardened. "We don't have your fancy powers or Metropolis tech. We just have what we can salvage and our wits."

Fii glanced at Luke and Serena. They'd all come to the same conclusion—they needed Soren's help more than she needed theirs.

"We'll discuss it," Luke said diplomatically. "Let you know in the morning."

Soren nodded, apparently satisfied. "Fair enough. Rest well. The Wastes aren't known for their hospitality."

She left them to finish their meal in contemplative silence.

Later, back in their sleeping quarters, they debated their options.

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

"It's risky," Luke said. "We don't know these people. And raiding a raider camp..."

"Like we have a choice," Fii pointed out. "We're in the middle of nowhere, with limited supplies, no vehicles, and apparently being stalked by interdimensional predators."

"And you can't use your powers without making it worse," Serena added, wincing as she adjusted her injured shoulder.

Fii scowled. "I'm not useless."

"I didn't say you were," Serena backpedaled. "Just... it complicates things."

"She's right though," Luke admitted. "We need Soren's help. And if these Rust Jackals are as bad as she says, disrupting their operations might be doing the Wastes a favor."

"So we're agreed?" Fii asked. "We help them, they help us?"

The others nodded reluctantly.

"Good," Fii said. "Because I already told Tev we'd do it."

"You what?" Serena yelped.

Fii shrugged. "I know a good deal when I see one. Besides, it's not like we can stay here forever."

Before they could argue further, a commotion erupted outside their chamber—shouts and running feet. Luke was on his feet instantly, moving toward the door.

"Stay here," he ordered.

But Fii was already following. Something felt wrong—not with gravity this time, but with the air itself. A pressure that made her teeth ache.

They emerged into the corridor to find Collectors rushing toward the main entrance, weapons in hand. Tev spotted them and veered in their direction.

"We've got incoming," he said grimly. "Something tripped the perimeter sensors."

"Raiders?" Luke asked.

Tev shook his head. "Don't think so. Movement pattern's all wrong. Too... coordinated."

A cold certainty settled in Fii's gut. "Netherlings."

Tev's expression confirmed it. "Soren wants you three to stay back. This isn't your fight."

"The hell it isn't," Fii shot back. "They followed us here. That makes it our problem."

Luke placed a restraining hand on her shoulder. "He's right. We don't know their defenses, their protocols. We'd be in the way."

Reluctantly, Fii acknowledged the logic. "Fine. But we stay ready."

They followed Tev to a monitoring station carved into the rock—a cramped space filled with salvaged screens and crude sensor arrays. Soren stood at the center, issuing rapid-fire orders to her people.

"Defensive positions. No one goes out alone. Keep to the lighted areas." She spotted them and frowned. "Told you to stay put."

"Thought we could help," Fii said.

Soren studied her for a moment, then jerked her chin toward one of the screens. "Take a look. Your friends arrived."

The monitor showed the approach to Haven—a narrow ravine leading to the hidden entrance. Dark shapes moved through the shadows, low to the ground but unnaturally fast. The infrared feed showed them as cool spots against the warm sand, their body temperature far below normal.

"Six of them," Soren noted. "Bigger than the ones we've seen before."

Fii counted at least eight, but said nothing. The creatures moved with disturbing coordination, testing the ravine walls, seeking weaknesses.

"Your defenses will hold?" Luke asked.

"Against normal threats, sure. These things?" Soren shrugged. "They phase through solid matter. We've hardened what we can with electrical fields—disrupts their phasing—but they're adaptive. Find ways around eventually."

"They're intelligent," Serena observed. "Learning."

"Evolving," Soren corrected grimly. "Getting smarter with each generation. Used to be they'd just attack anything that moved. Now they plan. Coordinate."

A proximity alarm blared, red lights flashing across the monitoring screens.

"They're at the outer door," Tev reported.

Soren nodded. "Activate the field."

A switch was thrown, and the screen showing the entrance filled with crackling blue energy. The Netherlings retreated momentarily, then began probing the barrier, testing its edges.

"That'll hold them?" Fii asked.

"For a while," Soren said. "But it drains our power reserves. Can't keep it up indefinitely."

They watched in tense silence as the creatures circled the electrified barrier. One thrust a blade-arm through, only to withdraw it quickly when the energy field scorched its carapace. Around the barrier's edges, sand began lifting in small spirals—not from wind, but from something else entirely.

"They're testing it," Luke observed. "Looking for weaknesses."

"Always do," Soren confirmed. "Question is, how long before they—"

The screen suddenly filled with static, then went dark.

"—find the sensors," she finished with a sigh. "Tev, get the backup cameras online."

"On it."

But before he could comply, a different alarm sounded—shrill and urgent.

"What's that?" Serena asked, hands glowing with instinctive defense.

Soren's face went rigid. "Breach alarm. West passage." She grabbed a weapon from the wall. "They're inside."

The monitoring station erupted into controlled chaos as Collectors armed themselves and moved toward the breach point. Soren pointed to a heavy metal door at the back of the room.

"Panic room," she told them. "Get in and seal it behind you."

"We can help," Luke insisted.

"You've helped enough," Soren snapped. "Those things followed you here. Now they're our problem too."

She was gone before they could argue further, the door slamming behind her.

"We should do as she says," Serena urged, tugging at Luke's arm. "We don't know this place, don't know their defensive plans."

Luke hesitated, clearly torn between safety and action. "Fii?"

But Fii wasn't listening. A strange pressure had built in her skull, different from the usual pain. Not gravity calling to her—something else. A pulling sensation, as if invisible hands were tugging at the edges of her consciousness.

Without conscious thought, she found herself moving toward the door Soren had exited.

"Fii!" Serena hissed. "What are you doing?"

"They're here for me," Fii said, the certainty humming through her bones. "I can feel them. Like they're... calling to my power somehow."

"All the more reason to hide," Serena insisted.

Fii shook her head. "No. I can help. I just need to..."

She reached out tentatively with her gravity sense, ignoring the sharp pain behind her eyes. The disorienting wrongness flooded back, but this time she didn't fight it. Instead, she let her awareness expand, feeling the mass distributions throughout Haven.

The Collectors moved in practiced formations, their weight shifting across the corridors. And through it all, the Netherlings' strange half-presence, existing in flickers and pulses as they phased in and out of normal space.

"They're herding the Collectors," she realized. "Driving them toward the central chamber."

Luke was instantly alert. "A trap?"

"I think so. They're smarter than Soren realizes." Fii pushed open the door, decision made. "We need to warn them."

"Fii, wait—"

But she was already moving, following the gravitational map in her mind. The corridors were empty, emergency lights casting red shadows across the stone. In the distance, she heard shouts and the distinctive crackle of energy weapons.

Her headache intensified with each step, blood trickling from her nose again. She wiped it away without slowing. Something about the Netherlings called to her powers, an uncomfortable resonance that vibrated through her core.

She turned a corner and nearly collided with a Collector backing away from something, weapon raised.

"Get back!" the woman shouted.

Fii peered past her to see a Netherling advancing down the corridor, blade-arms extended. It was larger than the ones they'd encountered at the basin, its carapace marked with iridescent patterns that shifted and swirled like oil on water.

The Collector fired her weapon—some kind of makeshift energy projector. The beam passed harmlessly through the creature as it phased, then solidified almost immediately to lunge forward.

Without thinking, Fii thrust out her hand. The prohibition against using her powers crumbled in the face of immediate danger. Gravity distorted around the Netherling, compressing inward from all directions. The pain in her head exploded into white-hot agony, but she held on, feeling something tear inside her consciousness.

The Netherling shrieked, its phase-shifting disrupted by the gravitational pressure. For a brief moment, it was fully materialized—and in that instant, the Collector's second shot hit home, burning through its carapace in a flash of acrid smoke.

The creature collapsed, limbs curling inward. But Fii barely registered the victory.

The corridor around her warped and twisted, reality itself seeming to buckle under the strain of her power use. The stone floor beneath her feet rippled like water, and for a heartbeat, she saw through it—not to the earth below, but to somewhere else entirely, a place of shifting geometric patterns and impossible colors.

She staggered, blood now flowing freely from her nose and ears. The Collector caught her arm, steadying her.

"What did you do?" the woman demanded, eyes wide.

Fii couldn't answer.

Her vision swam, darkness encroaching at the edges. The last thing she saw before consciousness fled was Luke and Serena rounding the corner, their faces masks of alarm as the floor beneath them continued to warp and shimmer.