Slumdog Hero

The rocks loomed above them, wind keening through their honeycombed hollows. Boulders tilted and leaned against each other in unsteady pinnacles, forming deep shadows even as the sandstorm roiled closer.

Fii extended her gravity sense as far as she dared, feeling static tremble behind her eyes as her mind grappled with the volume of information.

"Left passage," she directed. "It's the most stable, and there's less cover for ambush."

The convoy threaded between towering stone pillars, vehicles moving in careful single file through passages barely wide enough to accommodate their bulk. Above them, wind howled through natural chimneys and carved openings, creating an eerie symphony that masked other sounds.

Fii's gravity sense screamed warnings as they penetrated deeper into the maze. Mass signatures moved through passages parallel to their route—multiple contacts, keeping pace.

"They're all around us," she reported. "At least a dozen contacts, maybe more."

"Copy that," Soren's voice remained calm despite the circumstances. "All vehicles maintain formation. Do not engage unless directly threatened."

Tev grimaced as he wove the buggy down a tight canyon. "Easier said than done."

The storm's roar drowned the wind harp overhead, reducing visibility to mere meters. Gravely darkness filled the canyon. At the halfway mark, Fii felt mass signatures ahead abruptly converging.

The first attack came without warning.

A Netherling dropped from above, landing directly on the lead vehicle's hood with enough force to crack the reinforced windscreen. The creature's blade-arms struck sparks from the metal as it sought purchase, its multiple eyes reflecting the lightning flashes.

The driver swerved hard, trying to dislodge their attacker, but the Netherling's grip held firm. More creatures emerged from concealment, moving with the fluid coordination that marked pack hunters.

"Contact front!" Multiple voices called out over the radio as the convoy erupted into defensive action.

Serena's barriers flared to life around their buggy as two Netherlings charged from flanking positions. Luke accelerated, using the vehicle's momentum to ram one creature against a stone pillar. The impact crushed its carapace with a wet crunch, but its partner had already leaped onto their roof.

Fii pushed her gravity sense upward, feeling the creature's weight distribution as it moved across the buggy's surface. When it positioned itself for a killing strike through the roof, she was ready.

A localized gravity well grabbed the Netherling and slammed it into the stone wall with enough force to shatter its exoskeleton. Pain lanced through Fii's skull from the effort, but the creature stayed down.

"Nice shot," Luke called, wrestling the wheel as another Netherling tried to board from the passenger side.

Serena's constructs formed a cutting edge that severed the creature's grasping limbs, sending it tumbling back into the rocks. Throughout the convoy, similar battles raged as Collectors fought to protect their vehicles and each other.

The lead vehicle's engine coughed and died, steam rising from beneath its damaged hood. The Netherling attack had found something vital, leaving the vehicle stranded in the middle of the formation.

"Technical down!" The driver's voice carried frustration and growing panic. "Engine's finished."

"Abandon vehicle," Soren ordered immediately. "Transfer to backup units."

The convoy ground to a halt as fighters created a defensive perimeter around the disabled vehicle. Collectors rushed to transfer essential equipment while more Netherlings emerged from the surrounding rocks, drawn by the scent of vulnerability.

Fii counted at least eight creatures moving through the stone maze, stalking the now immobile convoy. Through gaps in the rock walls ahead, she could feel the mass signatures of more gathering, waiting for an opportunity to strike en masse.

"We need to clear a path," Luke said over the net as another Netherling fell to a barrage of fire from one of the mounted turrets. "Serena, can you create a distraction? Something big and flashy?"

"On it." Golden light erupted from Serena's position, forming a massive construct that filled the passage ahead. Not solid barriers this time, but something that looked like a giant golem made of energy.

The Netherlings hesitated, their coordination faltering as they tried to process this new threat. In that moment of confusion, the Collectors struck back with concentrated fire from multiple positions.

Energy weapons crackled through the rain, their beams finding targets among the creatures. Two Netherlings fell immediately, their carapaces cracked and smoking. The others retreated, seeking better cover among the rocks.

"Transfer complete!" called one of the tech crew. "Personnel and priority equipment secure."

"All vehicles, move out!" Soren's command cut through the chaos. "Emergency speed, maintain defensive formation."

The convoy lurched forward, leaving the disabled vehicle behind as they pushed deeper into the rock maze. Behind them, Netherlings swarmed over the abandoned buggy, tearing it apart in their frustration.

Luke navigated by memory and instinct, following passages that Fii's gravity sense suggested would lead them through the formation. Multiple times, Netherlings launched hit-and-run attacks, only to be driven back by the Collectors' coordinated defense.

"Almost through," Fii reported, feeling the rock walls thin around them. "Another few hundred meters and we'll be clear."

But as they rounded the final bend, her gravity sense detected something that made her stomach drop. Ahead, where the passage opened onto clear ground, a massive presence waited. Not multiple creatures this time—one large signature, easily twice the size of the Netherlings they'd been fighting.

"Contact ahead," she warned. "Big one. Really big."

The creature that blocked their exit stood three meters tall at the shoulder, its carapace marked with scars and battle damage. Long scythe-like blades extended from its forelimbs, while its six eyes glowed a deep crimson in the storm's gloom.

"I've never seen one that size," Tev muttered. "Looks like an alpha or something."

Luke brought the buggy to a halt, engine idling. Behind them, the other vehicles formed up, waiting for orders.

"Can we go around?" Soren's voice asked the question they were all thinking.

Fii extended her awareness, mapping the surrounding terrain. Rock walls rose steeply on both sides, offering no alternate routes. The passage they'd followed was the only way through this section of the formation.

"Negative. This is the only exit."

The alpha Netherling shifted position, raising its blades as if daring them to attempt passage.

"Options?" Luke asked grimly.

"We fight our way through," Vera's voice carried across the radio with matter-of-fact acceptance. "No choice now."

Fii studied the massive creature, noting how it positioned itself to control the bottleneck. Smart positioning, like the others she'd sensed using ambush tactics.

"I might be able to help," she offered reluctantly. "But it'll cost me."

"Save your strength," Luke replied. "We'll handle this together."

The storm raged overhead as the convoy prepared for their final push. Engines revved, weapons primed, and every eye turned to face what came next. In the distance, more Netherlings moved through the rocks, drawn by the confrontation ahead.

"All vehicles," Soren's voice cut through the storm. "On my mark, we punch through. Fast and hard, no stopping until we're clear."

The alpha Netherling's blade-arms scraped against stone as it adjusted position, blocking the passage with the patience of a predator that had learned to wait. Sand began to whip through the air as the storm front reached the rock formation, turning visibility to shit and making every breath a struggle against grit.

"Visual contact lost," Vera's voice crackled through increasing static. "Storm's hitting us hard."

The sandstorm swept into the passage like a living thing, turning the air brown and reducing the world to a few meters of swirling chaos. Luke activated the buggy's spotlight, its beam barely penetrating the wall of sand that now separated them from their exit.

"Can't see the target," reported one of the other drivers. "Need alternate approach."

Fii pushed her awareness forward despite the spike of pain behind her eyes. The alpha's position remained clear to her gravity sense—solid, immovable, waiting for them to come within range of those blade-arms.

"I can guide us," she said, her voice tight with strain. "But it's going to hurt like hell."

"Time to go," Soren's voice cut through the storm noise. "All units, coordinated assault on my mark. Target the alpha, watch for flankers."

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

Luke gunned the engine, feeling the vibration change as sand began clogging the air intakes. Around them, other vehicles did the same—engines straining against the storm while drivers prepared for a charge through a bottleneck defended by something that could tear through metal.

Serena's constructs flared to life, golden barriers forming around their buggy despite the effort clearly costing her. The hard-light flickered in the wind-driven sand, edges blurring as particles interfered with her projections.

"Barriers won't hold long in this," she grunted, sweat beading despite the cooling effect of the storm. "Sand's playing hell with the coherence."

The alpha Netherling shifted forward, drawn by the sound of approaching engines. Its blade-arms extended fully, each one longer than Fii was tall, tapering to deadly points.

Through her gravity sense, she felt its weight redistribute as it prepared to leap.

"Mark!"

The convoy surged forward in a ragged line, vehicles bouncing over uneven ground as drivers fought to maintain control in the storm. The alpha launched itself at the lead buggy, covering the distance in a single bound.

Fii reached out with her power, grabbing the creature mid-leap and slamming it sideways into the passage wall. The impact sent cracks spider-webbing through the stone, but the alpha recovered quickly, using its blade-arms to find purchase on the rock face.

Pain exploded behind her eyes from the effort. Blood trickled from her nose as the phase sickness responded to her power use, but she held on, keeping pressure on the creature as the convoy rushed past.

The alpha's struggles sent chunks of rock tumbling into the passage. One piece, easily the size of a person, crashed down directly in front of their buggy. Luke swerved hard, tires skidding on loose sand as he fought to avoid the debris.

"Fii!" Serena shouted as more rocks began falling. "Let it go!"

She released her grip on the creature, agony lancing through her skull as the power snapped back. The alpha dropped to the ground and immediately lunged after the nearest vehicle—Tev's modified hauler, loaded with equipment and two of the tech crew.

Vera's buggy cut across the alpha's path, her passenger leaning out to rake the creature's carapace with energy fire. The shots left smoking craters but didn't penetrate deep enough to cause real damage. The alpha's attention shifted to this new threat, blade-arms sweeping in deadly arcs.

Luke brought their buggy around, adding his own firepower to the barrage. The creature found itself caught in crossfire, unable to focus on a single target as vehicles harassed it from multiple angles.

"Flankers incoming!" Marcus called out from somewhere in the chaos.

Three smaller Netherlings burst from concealment, using the storm and falling rocks as cover. Serena's barrier flared to life as one of the creatures lunged at their vehicle, its grasping talons striking the hard-light barrier hard enough to make her gasp with effort.

Fii tried to track them through her gravity sense, but the effort sent fresh waves of nausea through her already overtaxed system. The world swayed as vertigo combined with phase sickness, making it hard to focus on anything.

One of the flankers leaped onto Vera's buggy, blade-arms striking sparks from the roll cage as it sought access to the occupants. Vera's passenger emptied his weapon into the creature's underside, finally finding something vital. The Netherling collapsed, ichor spraying across the vehicle's hood.

But the distraction cost them. The alpha, no longer taking fire from Vera's position, charged straight at Tev's hauler. Its blade-arms punched through the rear panel, sending equipment scattering across the passage floor.

"We're hit!" Tev's voice carried panic as his vehicle lurched sideways. "Cargo scattered, rear axle damaged!"

The hauler ground to a halt, steam rising from its engine compartment. Through the swirling sand, Fii could see figures bailing out, scrambling for cover as the alpha prepared for another strike.

"Cover the evacuation!" Soren ordered.

Every vehicle that could still move converged on Tev's position, forming a protective circle around the disabled hauler. Energy weapons crackled through the storm, their beams creating brief corridors of visibility in the brown chaos.

Fii forced herself to focus through the pain, reaching out with her power to grab chunks of fallen rock and hurl them at the alpha. Each impact staggered the creature, buying precious seconds for the evacuation. But every use of her ability made the phase sickness worse, until blood flowed freely from her nose and the world tilted at wrong angles.

"Fii's hurt," Luke called out, noting her condition. "We need to finish this fast."

Serena's constructs shifted, abandoning defense for offense. Golden spears materialized in the air around the alpha, striking from multiple angles in rapid succession. The creature's carapace cracked under the assault, finally showing real damage.

The alpha let out a shriek that cut through the storm noise, a sound like metal tearing. It turned toward Serena's position, recognizing the source of the most effective attacks. Blade-arms extended, it prepared to charge.

That's when Vera made her move.

The scarred scout gunned her engine, accelerating straight at the alpha's flank while its attention was focused elsewhere. The impact sent both vehicle and creature tumbling across the passage floor in a tangle of metal and chitin.

Vera's buggy rolled twice before coming to rest against the passage wall, steam hissing from its cracked radiator. The alpha lay beneath the wreckage, one blade-arm trapped under the vehicle's frame, ichor pooling beneath its damaged carapace.

"Vera!" Several voices called out simultaneously.

Movement from the wreckage—Vera pulling herself free of the driver's seat, favoring her left arm but mobile. Her passenger wasn't moving.

The alpha stirred, powerful muscles straining against the weight pinning it down. Metal groaned as it fought to free itself, determination overriding the damage it had sustained.

Fii gathered what remained of her strength, focusing on the twisted metal of Vera's buggy. Through the haze of pain and nausea, she increased its effective weight, pressing down on the trapped creature with the force of a building.

The alpha's struggles ceased as the additional mass crushed down on its damaged carapace. A final wheeze escaped its mandibles before it went still.

"Target down," someone reported unnecessarily.

The passage fell quiet except for the howl of wind and the hiss of cooling engines. Bodies moved through the sandstorm, checking on wounded and assessing damage. The cost of their victory was becoming clear.

Vera's passenger—one of the younger Collectors—wasn't breathing. Two others had sustained injuries serious enough to limit their mobility. Equipment lay scattered across the passage floor, some salvageable, some ruined by the fight.

"We can't stay here," Soren's voice cut through the aftermath. "Storm's getting worse, and there might be more of them."

"Load the wounded," Luke ordered, already moving to secure Tev's hauler with winches and cables. "Salvage what equipment we can carry. Everything else gets left behind."

Serena's constructs wove through the damaged convoy, helping to lift sections of bent frame or broken paneling so they could be cut away.

Tev's hauler groaned as cables pulled taut, dragging the disabled vehicle through the bottleneck and into open ground beyond. Engines revved, punctuated by the shriek of saws and hammers as techs worked frantically to jury-rig repairs.

Fii let Luke and Serena help her into their buggy, her legs unsteady from the phase sickness. The world kept tilting at wrong angles, making it hard to tell which way was up. Every heartbeat sent fresh spikes of pain through her temples.

"How bad?" Serena asked quietly.

"Been better," Fii managed. "Been worse too."

The reduced convoy limped through the remainder of the passage, engines straining against sand that found its way into every opening. Visibility remained nearly zero as the storm raked them with stinging particles and sharp gusts.

They emerged from the rock maze to find the desert transformed. The sandstorm had erased all familiar landmarks, turning the landscape into an endless expanse of shifting dunes that offered no shelter or reference points. Navigation became guesswork guided by compass readings that might or might not be accurate.

"Shelter," Vera called through the radio, her voice rough with pain. "Need to find shelter and regroup."

The convoy spread out in a search pattern, vehicles probing the storm-lashed terrain for anything that might offer protection. Fii tried to help with her gravity sense, but the effort sent fresh waves of nausea through her already battered system.

It was Marcus who found salvation—a natural depression in the desert floor, protected by a ridge of stone that broke the worst of the wind. Not perfect, but enough to keep them from being buried by the storm.

The remaining vehicles formed a defensive circle in the depression's center, their hulks providing additional windbreak for the people sheltering between them. Tarps were strung between vehicles, creating enclosed spaces where the wounded could receive treatment.

Fii found herself in one of these improvised medical areas, lying on a salvaged bedroll while someone—she thought it might be the expedition's medic—checked her vital signs. The world swayed even when she kept her eyes closed, and every sound echoed strangely in her head.

"Pulse is elevated, pupils dilated," the medic reported to someone outside her field of view. "Consistent with previous episodes."

"How long before she's functional?" Soren's voice, concerned but practical.

"Hard to say. Could be hours, could be days. Depends on how much she pushed herself."

Fii tried to sit up, discovered that was a terrible idea, and settled for turning her head toward the conversation. "I'm fine," she croaked, the words sounding unconvincing even to her.

"No, you're not," Soren replied bluntly. "But we knew this might happen. Rest while you can. We'll need you when we reach the crash site."

The storm raged for hours, wind howling across the desert with enough force to shift the dunes around their shelter. Sand infiltrated everything despite their best efforts to seal the enclosures, coating equipment and people in a fine layer of grit.

Luke spent the time checking weapons and equipment, cleaning sand from mechanisms that couldn't afford to jam at the wrong moment. His methodical approach to maintenance provided steady comfort in the chaos—something normal and routine in a situation that was anything but.

Serena worked on modifying her construct techniques, adapting to the interference caused by airborne particles. Her hard-light projections flickered and wavered in the storm, forcing her to develop new approaches that could function in compromised conditions.

As evening approached, the wind began to die down. The howling diminished to a steady whisper, and visibility slowly improved. When the expedition finally emerged from their shelters, they found a transformed landscape.

The storm had reshaped the entire region, burying some landmarks while exposing others. Navigation would be challenging, but not impossible. More importantly, the air was clear enough to see the horizon again.

"How far to the crash site?" Luke asked, studying their position on the salvaged maps.

Vera consulted her instruments, cross-referencing compass bearings with known landmarks. "Fifteen kilometers, maybe twenty. Hard to tell with all the changes."

Fii struggled to her feet, ignoring the way the world tilted around her. The phase sickness had eased slightly, leaving her functional if not fully capable. Her gravity sense worked again, though it felt like trying to hear through cotton.

"I can navigate," she offered. "Get us there."

Soren studied her with those sharp eyes, weighing capabilities against risks. "You sure you're up for it?"

"Sure enough." The lie came easily, born from necessity rather than pride. They needed her abilities, and she needed to prove she could still contribute despite her limitations.

The convoy reformed, two vehicles lighter than when they'd entered the maze. The wounded were distributed among the remaining buggies, equipment redistributed to maintain balanced loads. Everything non-essential had been left behind in the storm.

As they prepared to move out, Fii took one last look at the depression that had sheltered them. Already, wind-blown sand was beginning to fill it in, erasing the evidence of their passage. In a few days, no trace would remain that they'd ever been here.

The desert kept its own secrets.

The convoy rolled into the evening light, engines growling defiance against the vast emptiness ahead. Behind them, the rock maze disappeared into distance and heat shimmer. Ahead lay their objective—and whatever waited to defend it.

Fii settled into her seat, forcing her battered senses to focus on the gravitational landscape around them. The crash site pulled at her awareness like a lodestone, its mass imprinting itself on her mind. It was close, tantalizingly so. No more diversions. No more delays. Just one final push to reach their goal.