The Phoenix Fallacy Book I: Janus (24 page)

Wouris stumbled as she leapt over the Infernus, and the group went sprawling to the ground.  Celes collided painfully with a tree, while Janus had a near miss with a rock.  Wouris lay panting, but managed to struggle to her feet.

“I don’t think I can go much further,” she gasped.

“Look!”  Celes gasped.  They were on the edge of the fores
t.  Spread out in front of them rested the gigantic ruins of Phoenix Corporation.

Chapter 29: Phoenix

Phoenix Corporation was a burnt shell of its former glory. 

The three ventured speedily into the dead city, the sounds of pursuit echoing strangely through the destroyed landscape.  Massive, crumbling buildings, long since abandoned gave only a glimpse of
Phoenix’s former greatness. 

An eerie fog had settled into the rui
ns in the early morning air.  Within it, the broken and blackened buildings seemed to come alive.  Twisted metal clawed at them as they ran, as if the place was possessed by its former power and fury.  With every step, the fog swirled about them, like the city was breathing, just waiting for its moment.

Celes led
them, slowing slightly so that Wouris could catch her breath as the sounds of pursuit died away amongst the silent monoliths.  Their armor slowly turned to a dull grey, matching their surroundings.

Janus was amazed by the size of the ruins.  He had spent his life exploring
the different parts of the slums of Cerberus, and he still had never even come close to knowing all of its byways.  Phoenix was exponentially larger.  Buildings as wide as Valhalla stood along huge boulevards, larger and greater than any three of the largest of Cerberus.  Most of the buildings crumbled away before reaching any height to rival Cerberus, but here and there, when he craned his head back, he could catch glimpses of buildings climbing higher and higher before disappearing completely in the clouds and mist.  Phoenix could have housed Cerberus several times over, and in one brief fleeting instant, Janus had a vision of a place filled with thousands upon thousands of people as far as the eye could see.  And then the vision was gone, insubstantial as the mist. 

“It will take us some time to cross the ruins and get to the evac point.  We need to find a place to rest before we continue,” Wouris said, interrupting Janu
s’ reverie.

“Well that shouldn’t be too hard to do in a place like this,” Janus noted.  The sounds of the S.T.s and Inferni behind them grew louder, although it was impossible to tell where they were amongst the echoing maze.  Janus, used to the trash filled Cerberus slums, felt as if he was in his element within the ruins.  He motioned for Wouris and Celes to follow him. 

Janus led them deeper into the city, expertly finding paths through the strewn wreckage, pausing only to get his bearings or to listen to the echoing pursuit.  The S.T.s struggled to follow them.

The Phoenix ruins felt familiar, and Janus soon discovered a lift station, not all that different from Cerberus, but considerably more ornate.  A great, gol
den wing sprouted from the side of the nearby building, encompassing the station like a protective mother.  Nearby, another golden wing lay broken and shattered upon the ground.  Raised gold and red enamel peeked out from the blackened exterior and scorched walls, forming fiery patterns all around the outside of the station.  It looked like it had been some great, un-hatched egg. 

But what it had been, it certainly wasn’t now.  The great column that supported the lift’s ascent to the higher levels was broken clean in two, the main entrance underneath its remains.  A jagged hole had been opened in the
side of the station, and Janus clambered up to it.  Peering into the dark, Janus was surprised to see that the lift station had collapsed into an underground cavern. 

The Corporations run deeper still?
  He mentioned it to Wouris and Celes.

Wouris was intrigue
d, but Celes seemed unsurprised, “Most Corporations have maintained a few underground bunkers in secret, to house important Executors or equipment, in case of a battle.”

Janus looked at Celes with confusion, “How do you know that?”  She cleared her throat hesitantly.

Wouris jumped in, “Perhaps you should have studied the Corporations better, Janus.  Although the locations of the bunkers generally aren’t known, we have been aware of their existence for some time.  It should be available in the ODIN computers.  You can study it when we get back.” 

Celes nodded and said in an upbeat tone, “Shall we should look into it?  Any place designed to house Executors probably has equipment and supplies we can use, plus it will give us a good, safe place to rest.”

They descended into the dark cavern, using the broken and split lift as a stair, hopping from piece to piece, their eyes struggling to adjust to the gloom.  The mist spread its tendrils everywhere. 

The dim light revealed a forgotten splendor.  Plush red and gold carpets, couches, and cushions all covered in a fine layer of dust and dirt.  Beautiful oil paintings of long-forgotten men and women, some in carriages, some on horseback – some standing behind oaken desks with glowing computers, still hung on the walls, but they had faded, unprotected from the elements.  The remains of a sultan-like spa was crushed beneath the huge slab of the lift, its fountains and faucets long since run dry, leaving o
nly dusty and moldy baths.  They pulled flashlights from pockets in their armor, illuminating even more of the bunker.  A computer station remained unpowered and unusable in the far wall.  Next to it, an unpowered door was stuck partially open.

“This lift wasn’t the main entrance to the bunker.  It was supposed to act as protection for it.  An attacking army wouldn’t be likely to directly try to destroy their only means into the upper levels of the city,” Celes said.

“They obviously didn’t plan for a scenario where invasion wasn’t the goal,” Janus said reflectively, letting his flashlight wander the room.  “Let’s see if we can find a supply room through here,” he added, pointing to the open door.

Janus was in awe of the wealth and excess which greeted him as the three wandered from room to room.  Grand beds with soft linens and hundreds of plush pillows.  Huge, multileveled, tiled pools with waterfalls, and bridges to cross them.  Great dining halls, with massive marble tables that could seat dozens before white tablecloths and utensils covered in a fine layer of gold.  Massive ballrooms with mirrored ceilings and false outdoor balconies, designed to entertain hundreds.  And rooms more fantastic still, filled with strange
devices whose purpose Janus couldn’t imagine.  The opulence was overwhelming, and the rooms had everything – except people.  Now they were claimed by their true masters, dust and time.

Janus felt the slightest twinge of vindication, and a smile crept to his lips. 

They finally discovered a large supply room, past a set of massive kitchens.  The back half of the storeroom had collapsed, and a thick, musty smell filled the trio’s nostrils.  Large fridges and freezers, unpowered for years, contained nothing but mold.    Shelves and shelves of parts and replacement necessities stood next to crates of hoarded treasures.  A small hole disappeared into the building above, the crashed single-man lift below it likely one of the many secret entrances to the bunker.  “Look at these,” Wouris pointed out a weapons locker on the far wall.  Janus and Celes joined her.  Inside the locker were four large and ornamented Security Suits.  The suits had a silvery sheen, and etchings filled with gold spread across the ceramium plates.  Each had a solid gold Phoenix emblazoned upon each shoulder.

“Elite Infernus suits.  For the Executor’s guard,” Wouris noted, putting a hand on the suits.  “Good, still functional,” she eyed Janus and Celes, “And close enough in size.  We can use these to get out of here and to the evac point in no time.” 

Large silvery wings extended from each helmet, and each claw was shaped like a talon.  The suits still possessed their angular form, but the heavy plate armor had been etched to look like bird feathers.  They were not so much terrifying as imposing now.

While Janus stared in fascination at the suits,
Celes discovered a medical locker to their right and started pulling out supplies.  With Wouris resting her aching limbs, Celes tried to convince Janus to let her take another look at his ribs.

“Look, you’re no good to us if we have to carry you out of here.”

“I dealt with worse when I lived in the slums.  I’ll heal just fine.”

Celes gave him an exasperated look.  “Don’t be stupid.  You might be just fine, you might not.”

“I’ll be fine.”

“Well, at the very least you’ll heal faster if you let me bind those ribs up,” she snapped.

Janus looked slightly abashed, and then sat down, grumbling, on a piece of ceiling debris, “Fine.  Do whatever you want.”

Celes remained on edge, “Good, I’m glad to know you don’t always act like an arrogant idiot.”

Wouris chuckled from her spot against the wall.

“What are you laughing at?”  Celes
snarled.

Wouris stopped chuckling
, “Nothing, nothing at all.” But a smile still lingered on her lips. 

She walked the room while Celes worked, stopping to stare at a pipe that ran vertically along the wall, “Hmmmm.”

“What?” Janus asked – wincing as Celes wrapped his torso.

“This pipe – it’s an old water line, but it’s dripping
.  There must be an intact power and water source somewhere down here.  It’s amazing that it’s still running,” she said reflectively, turning back to them, “Toss me your waterskins – I’ll fill them up.  We should stay hydrated while we have the opportunity.”

Janus gingerly pulled out an empty sack with a filter on the end from his armor and tossed it to Wouris.  She found a valve along the pipe and filled the three skins, tossing two of them back to Celes.  The water was cool and refreshing, and tasted good.

After Celes bound his ribs, Janus stood slowly and walked over to the half of the room that had entirely collapsed, looking for more supplies.  He felt much better, and no longer quite regretted every breath, but he kept silent, instead letting his flashlight roam over the huge wall of broken tristeel and plasment.  It was like a whole building had sunk into the ground.  “Looks like most of the dry goods were crushed, so we don’t
have any extra food.”

Highlighting a small hole at the base of the wall, he held his flashlight steady.  “Hold on, there might be something behind here.”  Janus got to his knees and peered into the darkness.  The light from his flashlight was quickly swallowed up within the space.

Celes and Wouris joined him, adding their light to his.  The space stretched to a small tunnel.  “Well, let’s check it out!”  Celes said excitedly, her discontent gone at the prospect of adventure.

“Do you think that’s the best idea?”  Janus glanced up the wall.

“Well, we might need supplies, and who knows what else might lie in this bunker?  Besides, this passage hasn’t collapsed yet!”

Janus glanced at Wouris.  She looked skeptical, but shrugged, “She might be right.”

“I’m the smallest, so let me see if I can squeeze through first,” Celes said.  She handed her rifle to Janus, attached her flashlight to her ear and, crawling on her hands and knees, crept into the hole.  She called back to them, her voice faint.

“It is really tight back here.  You’ll have to remove your S.T. armor Wouris.  There’s no way you’ll fit through with it on.  It looks like it opens up afterwards.  Hold on.”  There was a pause and then, “OK, I’m through.”  Another pause.  “Now, this is interesting.  You may want to come take a look at this.”

Janus and Wouris glanced at each other with interest, and he quickly helped her out of the armor.  Soon they too were crawling into the hole, the light disappearing behind them as the tunnel twisted and turned through the wreckage.  Dust rained upon them and Janus glanced skeptically at the roof of the passage.  Finally they emerged into a dimly lit room.  Janus looked around for a light source, and finally located it on a small panel sticking out of the wall, adjacent to another door.  But this door was totally different from the ornate, ornamental affairs of the rest of the bunker.  It was much larger, and extremely solid, capable of withstanding a huge blast.  And it simply bore the Phoenix Corporation emblem, an imposing fiery bird rising from the flames with its wings outstretched.  The adjacent panel was damaged, a large hole in it.  A twisted piece of concrete and steel debris lay nearby.