Deathstalker 01 - Deathstalker

readings dropped to normal surprisingly quickly, but Silence felt he was owed some good luck.
    He was the first to leave the pinnace and step out onto the blasted plain, and Frost was right there at his shoulder. The air was hot and dry, rasping in their lungs. There was nothing to show the Maze had ever been there. Frost chuckled softly.
    "Don't mess with us; we've got the big guns. Nice shooting. Captain. Ever thought of becoming an Investigator?"
    "A shame about the Maze," said Dram, moving forward to join them. "I would have liked to study it, but time is of the essence. The rebels must not be allowed to reach the Tomb of the Hadenmen. Will you lead the way, or shall I?"

    "I lead," said Silence. 'This is still my mission."
    He gathered up what remained of his people, a dozen technicians from the pinnace, the Wampyr, Stelmach and his pet, and led them across the bare plain toward what remained of the city. They all carried their guns at the ready, but nothing appeared to threaten them. The metal walls were gone, and with them the bodies of the fallen. Silence made a mental note to hold funeral services at a later date. The forms should still he observed, even if the bodies could not be recovered. And then he saw something standing alone in the middle of the plain.
    He increased his pace, and soon they were all standing around a large glowing crystal, staring silently at the tiny human baby it held.
    "Now that is interesting," said Frost. "Why didn't the pinnacle's sensors pick this up?"
    "To hell with the sensors," said Silence. "How did it survive the disrupter fire?"
    "A force field of some kind," said Dram.
    "Right," said Frost. "A force field that our sensors didn't even know was there and could stand up to point-blank energy cannon. Whoever left this baby here really didn't want its rest disturbed."
    "Leave it," said Dram. "It's not important. Only the rebels matter now."
    "Agreed," Silence said reluctantly. "Move on, people. Keep together when we hit the city, but don't get in each other's way. If you see anyone, and they're not us, open fire. We don't have any friends down here."
    Before the Maze went down, the five people who'd passed through it and survived stood at the edge of the Hadenman city and began to discover just how much they had been changed. They all felt stronger, fitter, their thoughts unusually clear and lucid. Even the Hadenman was moved to say how well his various systems were
    functioning. They all looked at each other, waiting for someone to put into words what they were feeling, all of them strangely reluctant to break the mood of the moment in case it might fade away if questioned. Finally Owen shook his head slowly.
    "After everything we've been through, I should be out on my feet, but I feel like I could take on an army."
    "Right," said Hazel. "A large army. I feel… completely revitalized. Everything seems so—"
    "Sharp," said Ruby. "Distinct. As though the world's suddenly come into focus for the first time. And the Maze; I understand—"
    "Its function. Yes," said Random. "I only have to look at it, and I know what its purpose is. Evolution. Transcendence. Perfection. If we were to stay in it long enough, who knows what we might become. Have you noticed we're all ending each other's sentences?"
    "Yes," said Giles. "There's a bond. I can feel it. Like esp, but deeper, more fundamental. We've changed. We're—"
    "Different," said Moon. "Very different. You are now more than human, and I have become more than a Hadenman. Interesting. I wonder if the rest of my people also passed through the Maze, before entering their Tomb."
    "God, I hope not," said Owen. "That's all Humanity needs: an army of super-evolved Hadenmen."
    "Whatever happens," Moon said calmly, "I think I can guarantee that in the coming rebellion, my people will not be fighting on the same side as the Empire."
    "I'm not so sure I want you on our side, either," said Owen.

    "Damn right," said Hazel. "You guys made yourselves really unpopular the last time around. That's what comes of having a battlecry of 'Death to Humanity.'"
    "Imperial propaganda," said Moon. "All we ever wanted was our freedom."
    "He's telling the truth," said Random. "I can feel it in him."
    "So can I," said Ruby. "It's like… seeing colors for the first time. Weird. Are we espers now, or what?"
    "Definitely what," said Owen. "And while I believe Moon, he's been away from his people for a long time. People change. Giles, you're being very quiet.