303 Far Future Ch. 13 – Where the Weird and the Long-Undead Play... (1/2)

”What's more, there's six ways into the Hole, and three thousand years later, there's still six ways into the Hole. Some smart guys have thought they had a Good Idea at times, and tried to seal the entryways. After various suicides, mysterious disappearances, vanishing work crews, and screaming madmen attacking officials, there was a decision made to Officially Ignore the place.” I half-smirked at the practicality of it all. ”What's more, any equipment that goes missing related to machinery existing in The Hole is simply written off... and for three thousand years, none of that machinery has had any problems whatsoever, which is about two thousand years longer than is statistically possible.”

I sent a stray eye upwards after I finished. ”They won't let you block it off?” I asked knowingly.

”Tried a few times. The blockades fell apart and were dumped over the Plunge. The city tried to put up a false ceiling up there, actually got it all put up in one day and everything. A week later it fell apart, and the beams were just left there.” He was sweating a bit, looking at me sitting there completely unperturbed.

”Well, I've been told I've some resistance to this kind of thing, so I'ma have to take a closer look for a validation. Shouldn't be an issue.”

He stared at me even harder. ”A... closer look?”

”Sure. 159 is the cutoff?”

”Yeah. The lift stops at 157 by building override. Won't be an issue taking the stairs. Nobody even posts graffiti up there now.”

”Nah, I'll just run up.” I spun, oriented myself on the nearest emergency stairs, and skated off that way.

”You're going to run up a hundred stories?” he asked in disbelief. Sounded more shocked then me looking Up.

”I didn't get this ass riding a lift, Pops!” I waved over my back, and given where his eyes were focused, he had to agree with that.

Of course, he had a lot of disbelieving company watching my derriere heading for the stairs. Which is cool, rep is built all sorts of ways.

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True to his words, there was no graffiti after 157. There were some really crazy warning signs and outright insane dream-stuff that likely hadn't ended well, but hey, that's life.

Running a couple thousand vertical feet was a nice workout, especially at 3g's. There were also four new corpses on the stairs who thought me running past them was a nice excuse to try to accost me. I'd have to tell Pops on the way out.

Yello. That there was some hefty negative energy pressure massing there. Seemed somewhat surprised to see me there as I kept going right up to 159 and threw the door open.

There were a few dozen standing corpses waiting there. Most of them were in ganger attire, a few workers or students who might have suicided here, couple hookers, and one fat fellow who had no pants on and had been emasculated. They were in oddly good shape for being dead, clothing very neat even as it hung on their shrunken flesh.

There was a blast of something roiling against my Null, and then the corpses all shivered subtly, and dark lights grew in their shriveled orbs.

”Don't even think about it,” I said in Necrus, and flicked up my Claw.

Vivic fire from Chalice burned on the gold, and their heads all snapped around to look at it.

First, they were shocked they could understand me. Living people are hard for the dead to hear, as all those language centers get corrupted. All undead and unliving can understand Necrus, however, although it's a bitch on the vocal cords of the living.

Second, vivic flames can render all that negative energy into helpful life energy, so the unwhite flames looked more real than anything here to them, even my Null figure who they couldn't sense until I was right on top of them, and certainly weren't able to tell was looking at them.

I flicked my hand out, and the smallest of the corpses, one of the hookers, was cut open from crown to groin instantly. Vivic fire blasted out, her flesh was gone before her bones hit the floor, and the impact of her clothes smashed her bones to dust.

”Given how long it's taken you to get some bodies, I don't think you want to lose these hands of yours. If you do, go ahead and attack me. Bring them all. They'll all die.”

They dead don't generally fear, that's a living thing, but practicality and waste and futility are a thing. They were banging on my Null like no tomorrow, and I was ignoring them. Had to hurt. I'd been upping my Null like mad for a damn reason.

Collectively, they were damn powerful, but their individual strength wasn't enough to pass my Null.

”And quit beating on me. You know I ain't no psion. I am about as far from the people who did this to you as it is possible to be.

”Now, I have been tasked by the government with renewing the Tau Rating that you have afflicted this place with, be proud of yourselves. If you will kindly get out of my way so I can get my damn survey done?”

I started forwards, and shouldered my way rather rudely through the walking corpses, who lurched back at the approach of my Claw, lining themselves up stiffly against the wall to let me pass.

After all, I had a job to do, and that was all most of their lives had ever been about, getting a job done. How could they not understand the mindset?

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The next day...