BIOLOGICAL SUPERCOMPUTER SYSTEM C.1014: A Sinister Discovery

Erik and June went through the underbrush and neared the city's outskirts.

The sewer entrance was shrouded by vines and foliage, and loomed ahead like a portal to hell. Though, that was just from the perspective of a fly. For a human, it was not bigger than a floor tile. The darkness to which the entrance led to, though, wasn't the major problem there. It was the smell.

The smell hit them right away. It was a disgusting smell that made their throats gag and eyes

water.

It smelled like a thousand dead bodies left to rot in a nasty pit with sewage. The air was so thick; it felt gross to breathe. The breeze that sometimes passed through the leaves seemed powerless, only swirling the stench around as if it were a cruel prank.

It was the kind of smell that made you wish you could stop breathing altogether.

<Well, it's not like I could expect something else.>

Erik looked around to make sure they hadn't been spotted, and once he saw that wasn't the case, he nudged June forward. Then he tapped at his communicator.

"Mira, Amber, status update on the eastern gate?"

Mira's voice crackled through. "Erik, it's busier than we expected. A lot of troops and vehicles have been entering since before we arrived. They must have come here during the night."

"How many?" Erik asked, ducking behind a fallen log. freeweɓnøvel.com

"Too many. It's impossible to count them, but I'm talking about at least 8000 troops and at least a thousand vehicles in the last hour alone."

"Most of the vehicles are transport trucks," Amber then added. "But we've spotted a few armored personnel carriers, too."

Erik gave a concerned glance to June. "That's a lot more activity than we anticipated. Any idea why?"

"Not sure," Mira said. "But the soldiers seem on edge. Their posture is tense. They all have their weapons in hand. Something's got them spooked."

"Or they're preparing for something big," Amber said. "Erik, I don't like this. The number of troops pouring in... it feels like they're fortifying for an attack."

That was a problem. Erik wanted to lure the thaids here and take advantage of the enemy's unpreparedness, striking them when they least expected it. But if they were preparing for an attack, what Erik wanted to do would not be effective.

With this many enemy troops, Erik would have to gather thaids for at least a week just to make the attack useful enough for him.

"But there have been no orders about an attack on this place from our people."

"That's the problem," Amber said. "I think it is a Thaid's attack, and for so many people to have these looks, I think it won't be something weak."

That, instead, was a good occurrence. However, to know if that was really the case, Erik had to enter.

"Understood. If this is the situation, then let's take advantage of it."

"Are you sure? You might end up trapped there. Besides, we don't know if this is true."

"Yeah. We need to get inside regardless to see what is going on. Aside from that, I doubt someone will pay attention to a fly. Not that they can do something against me, anyway. They'll be dead before they even hear the buzz of my wings."

June leaned closer to Erik's communicator. "Have you overheard anything useful?" he asked to the three women.

"Bits and pieces," Mira said. "Mentions of 'increased thaid activity' and 'safety protocols'. But nothing concrete on why. The increase in thaid activity might well be because of us."

"Erik, I'm worried about you two going in there. If they're this on alert, the risk of discovery is much higher. Can't we do it after this mess ends?"

"No, Amber. We lost too much time already; we need to stick to the plan. "

Mira gave Amber a reassuring look, then turned to the communicator again.

"Just... be careful," Mira said. "We'll keep monitoring the situation out here."

Erik nodded. "Keep in touch with the Chimaeric Demons and find out if the reason for this increased activity is because of us. Maybe someone spotted our guy and thinks we are attacking. If that's the case, then we might really have problems, since they might expect us. Otherwise, I don't think there will be problems."

Erik ended the transmission, turning to June. "Ready?" he asked.

June nodded. "Let's do this."

Erik and June exchanged a glance, then began their transformation. Erik's form shrank rapidly, his body contorting as wings sprouted from his back. In seconds, he became a tiny fly. June followed suit, his body twisting and shrinking until he, too, had taken on the insect form.

It had taken June considerable effort to swallow a fly in the past to gain the ability to turn into one, but it wasn't like he didn't understand the advantages of being a tiny flying menace.

<Ready?> Erik's thoughts reached June.

<As I'll ever be,> June said. <I Still can't believe I had to swallow a fly to do this.>

The two insects zipped into the sewer entrance, immediately assaulted by the overwhelming

stench.

<This smell is worse than I imagined,> June said.

<It's not worse than things we went through in the past.>

<Yeah, but there is something weird...>

<Stay focused, for now,> Erik said. <There might be someone guarding this area too.>

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<Sorry, Master.>

They flew deeper into the tunnel, their compound eyes adjusting to the darkness.

...

...

...

As they progressed, they noticed an odd undertone to the typical smell they would expect from the sewer.

<Master, the smell is too strong. There is something weird about it. > June said. <Can't you

smell that?>

<I noticed it too. It's not just sewage.>

As they approached the manhole cover leading into the city, the peculiar smell intensified. The two flies rounded a bend in the tunnel and suddenly halted in mid-air.

Before them stretched a sea of bodies, floating in the murky water as far as their insect eyes could see. Men, women, and children-all in civilian clothes-bobbed lifelessly in the feces-

infested water.

<What the...? What happened here?>

<A massacre,> Erik said. <I think they are the citizens.>

<Do you think they killed them all?>

<I doubt it,> Erik said. <This city had hundreds of thousands of people living here. I don't think the sewers were big enough to house them all. There are many corpses, but they might just be the ones belonging to those who fought when the blackguards conquered the city.>

They hovered silently, observing the lifeless bodies laying intertwined, their swollen faces gazing at the skyless ceiling without expression.

<We need to find out if there are more people alive,> Erik said. <And quickly. Because if the blackguards aren't coming here just to deliver supplies and they are truly running from something. We must get the people out, if we can.>

June agreed. <Do you think this is connected to the increased Thaid activity Mira and Amber

mentioned?>

<It's possible,> Erik said. <They might have thrown the bodies here to cover their stench as best as possible. But they could have also burned them. The choice is peculiar.>

They went through the grotesque obstacle course of corpses, heading towards the ladder

leading up to the streets above. They didn't need to use the ladder, though.

<Be prepared for anything when we emerge,> Erik said.

<Understood.>