5th Column Comics: The Indigo Codex #6 (of 8)
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San Vincenzo, The Island of Stromboli
Victoria screamed and scratched at the walls of the sarcophagus, albeit to no avail. As she panicked the stone at the bottom of her tomb cracked open, and a thick cloud of blue gas leaked into the sarcophagus. Panicking she held her breath, but ultimately she couldn’t keep from breathing and took a deep lungful of smoke, spluttering and wheezing as the inside of the sarcophagus lit up, the symbols etched on the rock merging together to form a wall of light.
Blinking once, twice Victoria looked around at the vast field of blue that made up her new surroundings. Turning she saw a massive monolith that resembled the sarcophagus behind her, but beyond that there were no landmarks at all.
“Assessment begin.” A voice ordered, as each word rippled out across the floor. “Tissue scan shows low levels of pollution and low levels of cosmic radiation.” The ripples announced. “Your species has begun to experiment with industry and short range atmospheric flight.”
“Where is this place, what and where are you?” Victoria asked, as she took a step forward, the blue of the environment swirling around her as if she was wading through a lake.
“My apologies, we are the last chorus of our world.” The voice announced. “Our song has long been dormant, ready for the right moment to convey our warning to you. The last of your kind came here two thousand cycles ago, but he was deemed not ready.”
“What warning, are you an enemy? Are you working with Ruston?” Victoria asked, as she looked across the field she was standing in, ripples radiating out from the horizon towards her.
“That war is petty compared to what comes next,” The voice announced, as shapes began to emerge from the blue, “this world is a target and you must be ready to fight.” It announced, as Victoria looked around the penthouse suite she now found herself in, and then across the cityscape of towers in-front of her. Taking a step onto the balcony she spotted an older woman of about fifty looking up in the sky.
“Ma’am can you tell me where I am?” Victoria asked, her words drowned out by the sound of a whip-crack, albeit one magnified to defining levels that shattered the glass all across the city, as a ship carved of gleaming chitin and steel descended from the clouds, stubby fin like wings keeping it aloft over the city.
“We are at the moment where you and I make the decision that changes the fate of the world,” The woman told her, as ports on the side of the ship begun to open up, “again.”
**
Karl slammed his fist into the Sarcophagus, the stone humming under his blow but refusing to budge. “Open up you bloody slab of stone!!” He snarled, as he backed off before aiming a kick at the door of the sarcophagus.
“It won’t budge.” Mulholland stated, as she looked up at Genaro and Williams as both of them kept their newly acquired MP38 machine pistols aimed at her. “Ruston took months to open it, he even attempted to use explosives to open it. It was only an epiphany late in his life that allowed him to open the door.” She added looking over to the corpse on the floor, a dagger stabbed into his heart, black blood still flowing from the wound.
“Perhaps one of the other Germans knows how to open it?” Genaro stated, as the sound of gunfire got louder and closer. A few seconds later the noise was joined by the explosion of a grenade and the noise of running feet as five SS agents came running into the room, their pistols and submachine guns cracking and snapping as they fired into the crowd of men who were pursuing them.
“Herr Ruston, the Kranke-Mensch are…” One of the agents stated, before stopping as he saw Ruston’s body lying on the floor. “How is this possible, the lower races rise from the dead yet our Aryan superiority prevents us from doing so?” He added, as the first of the Kranke-Mensch pushed their way through, their grey skin stained with black blood pumping from multiple bullet wounds. Wheezing and spluttering a group of five grabbed the nearest German and began to claw and bite at him.
“We need to keep this area secure, we are not leaving until Victoria gets back!!” Karl snarled, as he opened fire with his the Lugar he had acquired from Ruston’s corpse, his slugs biting into the crowd, although only a few fell from the barrage. Seconds later Genaro, Williams and the remaining Germans opened fire as one, bullets and slugs scything through the group, bodies breaking, blood spilling and thick blue liquid oozing out of the now rapidly increasing pile of ex-workers in the doorway.
“These creatures aren’t stopping, it’s like they don’t realise that they are walking into gunfire!” Williams yelled, as parts of the pile squirmed and wiggled due to living Kranke-Mensch pinned under the ranks of the truly dead, while more tried to push past the barricade of flesh.
“They must be ill or something.” Genaro stated, as a few of the Kranke Mensch pushed their way in, and grabbled with the nearest Germans, crooked teeth biting into their exposed arms and necks. Taking a few steps back, he accidently nudged Ruston’s corpse, the unseen obstacle rocking, before moving under its own power. Looking down Genaro swore in Italian, as thick black organic cables began to crawl out around the area where the knife had entered Ruston’s heart. Slowly pulling itself to his feet Ruston looked over the men in the chamber, before turning his gaze on the Kranke-Mensch, their bodies shaking as he glowered at them, before the remaining walking corpses roared in unison, one that Ruston echoed.
“What is this devilry?” Genaro asked, as cables shot out of Ruston’s body and drilled into him before ripping him apart, blood splattering onto the floor.
“This world is ready for conversion.” Ruston hissed as the Kranke-Mensch began to surge forward again. “This world is mine.”
**
Tiny insectile craft flew across the city, firing down at the city roads and landing on the walls of the buildings before creeping inside, their sensors glowing in the half light. High above them jagged edged drill headed segmented craft fired down at the ground, the high energy beams dredging trenches into the earth. By now the cities defenders were responding, opening fire at their attackers with whatever they had, the enemies caught in their fire crashing to the floor, thick blue fluid leaking down the newly formed trenches.
“We have renewed Blight activity across all districts.” A mechanical female voice announced from the railing of the balcony, tiny lights blinking on and off with every word. “And we also have confirmed sightings of the ‘Black Root’ moving towards the city centre.”
“Thank you Delphi, direct CBTF and ICPD forces as best you can, Ruston can’t be allowed to gain traction.” The woman stated, as two of the smaller beetle like craft leapt off the side of the tower, before blasting down the road back towards the largest ship which was still spawning insectile drones and drill headed sappers.
“Ruston? You mean Joseph Ruston? Where am I, when am I?” Victoria gasped, as she looked on the burning city with horror.
“It’s the 17th of September 2017. You are in Indigo City. Remember this date, if you fail then this is the date where we lose everything.” The woman announced. “If you find yourself standing right here at this date, then it means that Ruston has won.”
“Who are you?” Victoria asked.
“I can’t tell you, but you’ll figure out soon enough.” The woman announced, as a drill headed sapper smashed into the ground, a haze of blue gas spreading out over the battlefield. “If we are to prevent this then you need to make sure that none of the altered leaves Stromboli. If we can manage that then this date gets pushed back a century and we’ll be ready for this.” She added, as she pushed Victoria over the balcony, the younger woman stumbling out of the Sarcophagus and back into the chamber.
“Karl!” She called, as she spotted Williams and an unnamed German officer blasting a length of black cable crawling across the room, vents of blue fog spraying from the tendril.
“Victoria!!” Karl yelled from the other end of the room where he was stabbing a Kranke-Mensch in a German uniform with a dagger. “Behind you!!” He yelled, as Victoria turned around to see another Kranke-Mensch running at her. Balling her fists Victoria struck out at her attacker, the blow causing the undead creature to collapse, its body burning with blue flame as it hit the ground.
“Boys,” She stated, “We have work to do!!”
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