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CHAPTER 68 The Last Cry of the Evocanis Part II

There was no telling what was up or down while hitting the walls of that confined space. His shattered armor spewed a shower of sparks as he gained speed down that vent. He ignored where he was heading, or when he would stop. All he could do is brace and wait for it to end.

His body was weak and torn apart after all that he had gone through to save his brother. Husky was losing strength by the second and his will to survive was slowly decreasing as he slid down that vent deeper into the bowels of that horrible ship. The deeper he went, the further he was from safety. He only wished his brother had made it to safety.

Losing all track of time, he didn't realize how long his trip down the vent lasted, but it seems he had reached the end of the line. He was surrounded by darkness inside that vent, but suddenly, light made itself visible as he approached the end of that vent tunnel. There was no way to stop because of the position that he was in; going down head first. He tried to use the claws of his armor, but the speed that he traveled didn't let him get a secure grip of the edges of the vent tunnel.

His heart rate sped up as he approached the end. He knew it would be a hard hit, and there was nothing that he could do to avoid it. Trying to slow down was futile. The best option was to protect his head; and so he did.

He was lucky. The ship was so eroded, and so was the vent. The vent hatch gave away with no resistance when he went through it like an unstoppable projectile. But Husky knew there was a problem when he felt gaining speed while he fell. Opening his eyes, he noticed the ground several meters down. He was free falling and that fall would injure him severely or even worst.

As he fell, he noticed a wall approaching. All he could think of is to somehow brake his fall by getting hold of that dark wall with bizarre decorations.

Husky drove his claws deep into the wall. Chunks of that wall fell off, sparks went flying, dust invaded the air; a deep thud was felt when Husky fell hard on the ground. Debris that followed him fell on top of him, covering the young Evocanis in what seem to be synthetic wood and a fine silverish powder.

That day, Evocanis were discovering their true potential. All that Husky went through would've been enough to take any other creature to a lethal limit. It is unsure of what could take an Evocanis to that limit, but Husky thankfully hadn't reached it yet.

He whimpered a bit as his blurred vision went back to normal. The large room spun around him as he recovered his breath.

"Hasky..." Were the only words that came out the young Evocanis. It was his instinct to call for a stronger Evocanis; that Evocanis that had cared of him all his life.

But Husky's energy wasn't gone yet. Once he recovered full consciousness, his strength came back to him. He slowly got back on his paws as his body screamed of pain. His ribs were on fire, his head hurt, his right shoulder stung at the slightest movement and his left leg couldn't hold his weight. But he still had enough strength to walk and move around.

It was a strange sight. The place he was in looked much different than what they've seen so far. The architecture was like nothing he had seen before. The black walls looked like covered in stalactites, but not of natural origins. They looked symmetrical and like following a pattern. There were crevices, ridges, and other elegant geometrical shapes all around. They looked elegant indeed, but let out a very eerie energy.

The floor was covered in dust, but when he walked on it, the dust dissipated, showing almost mirror like black tiles. What seemed to be remaining of red carpet that ran at the center of the floor, still was visible.

The place was dead silent, except from a soul shattering echo at the distance; a resonance created by the high ceiling and the cupules that adorned it. Husky was confused and disoriented, but he knew that he couldn't stay there. At this point, he wasn't sure on what to do next, but the best option was to keep moving.

Looking around him, he looked for a possible way to continue. As he looked for an exit from that bizarre place, his heart jumped when he saw strange beings standing on pedestals close to the walls. He searched for his E.M.P, only to remember that he had lost it. His heart almost exploded of fear as he went for his Lanthracit blade and readied himself for another fight.

The young husky was hurt and exhausted, but he once again prepared to fight. His paws shaking and breathing heavily, Husky never took the sight of these beings. With horror, he noticed how similar they were from those humans that attacked them back on that planet.

Something was wrong when he lit them with his gauntlet light. They didn't seem organic at all. But that could mean those could be machines, which made Husky's heart raise its rhythm to a critical point. Everywhere he looked at; he noticed he was surrounded by these synthetic humans covered in a thick layer of dust.

"Come on!! Attack me!" Husky yelled furious. A tear rolled out of his blue eyes... The husky Evo was exhausted and tired of the situation that his race was unfairly placed in.

The bizarre human figures stood still, like frozen in weird positions. Most wore what appeared to be a single piece of cloth that covered their entire body. Others wore nothing but a loin cloth. Some even had strange broad appendages protruding from their back and seemed like floating in mid air.

Husky's heavy panting soon calmed when he realized these humans weren't showing the slightest movement. No buzzing could be heard either, which ruled out the possibility that they were machines. No heat, no nothing; these things were cold and just part of the room.

"Are these... decorations? Why would someone create such bizarre thing?" Husky said to himself once he dared to get close to one of the life size human figures. Just a few inches away from one of them confirmed that there were no joints, any signs of individual panels or anything that might suggest movement. These were solid pieces.

Husky was still in high alert because of these realistic figures, but knew they weren't a menace. He continued waking with effort down the main hall of that large room. Husky never took his eyes from the solid synthetic humans. They seem to tell a story of some sort. Even through their dead eyes, Husky could perceive suffering and conflict in these scenes.

Oxygen level decreasing. Life support mandatory. His ComPod advised. "I know... I know..." Husky saw the screen and how the levels were below the safe point. The headache and his overall drowsiness were probably not only being cause by all the stress his body had gone through, but the lack of oxygen. Husky took out his oxygen nozzle and breathed deeply.

Leaning against a wall of tighter corridor, Husky took his time to recover his breath. He ran a scan of the area to find any possible way to escape. While his ComPod ran the scan, he kept an eye at his surroundings. He was tired, hurt, confused and afraid. This ordeal had gone for too long now, and the only thing that Husky desired was being in Canis Major with his family and friends.

Unable to run full scan due to interference. His ComPod read. "What? No! Please, don't do this to me. I need to get out!" Husky yelled desperate, but his voice was drowned by exhaustion. Husky fell on his knees, gasping for air after the effort of yelling.

Who knows how much time passed; Husky kneeled looking at the eroded floor of that ship. The mirror-like black tiles somehow still kept their shine after all that time that the massive ship was abandoned.

Husky could see his reflection even in the darkness. He noticed how his muzzle was now tainted in red due to how much his nose had bled. His fur looked mangled and dirty; not what the clean Evocanis was used to. He never saw himself or any of his own race in such condition.

"I want to go home..." Husky muttered with the little strength that he had. A tear rolled out his blue eye and fell on the floor tile, immediately absorbed by the dust that covered the place.

Husky had proven how fierce his tender race could be in difficult situations. Evocanis were true warriors. But as any warrior, the young Husky was reaching his limit.

"You can make it home, Husky..." Strange; for a second, Husky thought of hearing a voice. This voice didn't make him feel scared, but it was enough to bring him back his senses to full alert.

"You just need to fight and keep going on, pup..." That voice again. Was he loosing consciousness? Was this just his mind playing tricks on him due to the lack f oxygen?

Husky's sight was blurred, but he still stared at his dark and diffused reflection.

"Huh!?" Husky gasped. Behind him in the dark corner of that eerie wall something moved. Husky was confused and now very scared, but this blurry object... this entity somehow dissipated before Husky could focus on it.

The lack of oxygen was starting to affect his senses. That was the only explanation. But why did that white mist look like an Evocanis for a second? What was more intriguing is that he managed to have a glance at its face; it was staring right at him. It was for a very brief moment, but he could identify the features of this mist. The Evo, as he interpreted it, was like him, but of a yellowish brown color; so familiar for some reason. Somehow this presence was still pressing against his chest. He looked directly at were this strange phenomenon had stood behind him, but he didn't see anything anymore.

"I need to get out of here..." Husky said to himself. He felt as if something still pressed against his chest, but it wasn't a bad feeling. On the contrary, it made him feel immense warmth.

Husky couldn't rely on his ComPod for orientation anymore, but there was a force inside him that told him where to go. His body still reminded him of how hurt he was, but this force made him overcome the pain, and continue his way.

Limping as he went further into that strange sector, he finally got to what looked to be a door. It was difficult to see, but there was light coming from some vents around him, as well as his armor's light that still functioned. The light was enough to tell him that it might be possible to open the door since no visible obstacles blocked it.

Husky took a deep breath from his nozzle and put it away again. He didn't want to spend the precious gas, as he didn't know how far he would need to go.

He examined the door and his surroundings. Behind him, a long "L" shaped corridor where he came from. To his left and right, nothing but a long corridor that didn't seem to have an exit. The door before him was the only way.

Husky took his Lantracit blade and looked carefully for hinges or any locking mechanism that he could cut to make his way through, as the door seemed shut in place. Nothing...

The door was of strange material; it almost seemed organic, much like the wood of the trees in Canis Major. But he knew this might just be the façade, and behind this wood there must have been a metallic structure.

But before Husky could figure it out, behind the guttural echo he heard something that he wished he hadn't.

"Please... no... No more..." Husky said as he slowly turned back into the darkness. From that long corridor full of humanoid figures, he could hear a noise getting stronger. It was a metallic noise and there was no doubt of what it was.

Those things couldn't appear in the worst place possible. Husky was weak and hurt. He was in no condition of fighting. He had enough.

His paws shaking as he looked for the hinges of the door.

The sound got closer...

"Please open... PLEASE!!"

The longer he took, the more nervous he became; the harder it was to focus. The fear was burning him from the inside out as the noise got closer by the second. The monsters were very close from appearing from around the corner of the corridor. Husky could feel it.

"I won't die here!" In one desperate move, Husky thrust his Lanthracit blade into what appeared to be a seam at the middle of the door. An orange glow told him that he had hit metal. He swung his blade vertically in hopes to cut any lock.

They were too close...

With an unknown strength to him, Husky kicked the door with his good leg and to his luck, it moved. It was enough for him to squeeze his paws between the gap and force open the door. He managed to open it enough for him to gain access to the next area.

He didn't know if those monsters saw him, but he didn't care; he just pushed the door shut.

There was no way of securing that door. The wooden material wasn't affected by the Lanthracit blade, so he couldn't solder it.

Husky had lost his breath. His trembling paw searched for the oxygen nozzle while he sat on the floor, putting all his weight on the door.

The metallic rattling could be heard at the other side of the door. It was getting closer.

"Please... tell me they didn't see me..." Husky muttered to himself as he close his eyes and waited for the inevitable.

The rattling was now just a few steps from the door; he knew it. What to do? There was obviously more than one of those things out there. Fighting was not an option due to how hurt he was. The thinning air was causing a great exhaustion on him after the simplest of actions.

The rattling stopped...

Husky wasn't safe yet. With eyes closed, still putting all his weight on the door, Husky could hear the buzzing at the other side. Maybe; just maybe those things hadn't seen him.

"Please, go way... please, go away..." Husky muttered. His body now shook violently due to the fear.

A few seconds passed; nothing. But the buzzing was still present. And he could hear how the buzzing shifted directions very close to the door. It was like they were scanning the area.

It was possible that Husky had been lucky and those things hadn't seen him at all. With more luck, they would ignore the door.

For a few seconds there was silence. Those things were gone.

The hope for the possibility of the machines not seeing him was soon shattered when a huge impact shook the door that Husky leaned on.

Husky's body was again taken to the limit as he braced after every impact. There was really nothing stopping those monsters from going through the door, yet for some reason, they stopped.

Husky still sat on the floor with his weight placed at the door. For minutes he held this position, even though the machines at the other side were now gone, as their steps were heard gaining distance. Husky was again spared, but that didn't guarantee his survival in that dreadful place.

Husky panted heavily for minutes, but soon calmed down as his body succumbed to the exhaustion. He was still conscious, but his will to continue was now shattered. The young husky Evocanis was taken to the limits and there was a possibility that he would lose his life unfairly as many of his comrades.

His surroundings soon started fading away ... Husky was about to lose consciousness.

"What did I tell you?" That whisper again...

That was enough for Husky's body to release adrenaline and bring him back to his senses. Husky grabbed his oxygen nozzle and took deep breaths. His heart was pumping fast but weakly; signs of oxygen starvation, but thanks to the nozzle that still had some minutes left, his strength came back.

"I don't know what to do..." Husky asked to himself. He temporarily started feeling better thanks to the oxygen, but now that his mind was more active, he started realizing how precarious this situation was.

Looking around him, he examined this new area. This area certainly followed the same decorations as the area that he was before. It was a very large room. The ceiling was incredibly high, creating a nerve wrecking echo. All the twisting and crunching of the crumbling ship was amplified in this room, making it urgent for Husky to find a way out.

He finally managed to get back on his hind paws. The pain was back, and more severe than before, but he could still walk, and if he took it slowly, he could continue without risking exhaustion.

He feared that if he got away from the door, those things would just come in and attack him, but he knew that if that was their intention, they probably already done it by now. Ignoring that shattering fear as much as he could, he slowly got away from the door, and walked away from it, without taking his sight from it.

It took some minutes for Husky to feel more comfortable to continue on, and so he did. His senses were working at full; his eyes scanning the area, while one of his ears tilted all around in search for anything that could be either a menace or a possible way to escape. His other ear was focused at his rear, just in case something approached the door he came from.

As he got further into this huge hall, he studied it carefully. He walked right at the middle of it, in the only narrow path he was able to walk through. This was because at both his sides, there were strange structures aligned in rows. Looking carefully at them, he noticed they seemed like benches, but of a very rough appearance. They also looked like wood, just like most of the decorations in that sector. He wasn't sure if they were meant for sitting though, since they looked incredibly uncomfortable.

Everything was just like that he had been so far; bizarre decorations all around, horrible human figures decorating the walls, and a thick layer of dust covering everything.

From within the shadows, the blank face of death followed his every move...

"What is this place?" Husky asked to himself. The hall let out a very disturbing energy. The crew of this ship was once unfurred ones; humans, no doubt. But what was the purpose of this hall? What did they do here? Husky didn't really want to know. He just knew that he was thankful for not being one of them.

The more he walked across that hall, the worst the sensation was. The walls far away at each of his sides were full of those artificial humans, and as he noticed before, they expressed nothing but pain and suffering. Some seemed to express happiness, or a similar feeling, but Husky was not fooled; behind that smile, great fear, confusion and even suffering was expressed.

Getting close to the end of the hall, he noticed how all these figure were facing the same way. Some of them even extended their arms to that direction. Slowly turning his sight to this direction, Husky realized what they were looking at. Not five meters away from him, a larger figure stood.

"By Canis Major..." Husky gasped. He felt a jolt inside his chest when he saw this horrible figure. The human figure was at least twice the size of the rest. It seemed... bolted to a structure consisting of two intertwined beams forming a cross shape behind it.

Husky turned the flashlight integrated in his gauntlet and shined at this figure. Husky's heart beat harder by the second as he noticed the gruesome details in this figure. It didn't seem to be wearing any noticeable clothes other than some sort of rag covering his groin. It was also made of wood, but traces of pigmentation could be seen. Looking closer, he noticed what appeared like metallic bolts going through his limbs, literally nailing it to the cross shaped beams. Red pigmentation made it evident that blood was carved in the wood to make it seem as if was coming out of its wounds.

Husky just swallowed dry... This was the typical erratic and violent nature of humans that the Retcans always warned them about. Whatever the purpose of this horrible thing in front of him was, it just reflected the evilness of the unfurred ones. Husky wanted to get out of that place more than ever.

Cruel face of death... What do you want from the sweet, pure and innocent Evocanis?

A cracking noise suddenly echoed through the large hall. Husky was terrified of turning to where he heard this, but he knew there was no option. Slowly turning back, he saw it.

Illuminated by a soft light beam that gently fell from some vents far above the ceiling, Husky could see this black figure standing a few meters from him. It was motionless like those wood figures, but he knew what it was.

"Why?" Husky said in the verge of crying tears of anger and desperation. "Why do you insist on hurting us? What have we Evocanis ever do to you?" Husky questioned that monster; the same black, humanoid machine that he and Anubis had defeated before.

There was of course, no response. There was no reasoning with this cold artificial monster. But Husky somehow felt he needed a reason from those who had caused them so much suffering in the past and now during the events of that day.

"Answer me! Why do you attack us?" Husky demanded. His had wielded his Lanthracit blade, but his shaking paws could barely hold on to it.

The eyes of the monster flashed red for a second. It finally showed movement, as it slowly approached Husky.

"Get away from me!" Husky growled.

"Genesis..." the monster spoke with its distorted voice.

"Get away from me! NOW!" Husky now yelled back. His lips were curled all the way up, the fur in his neck rose up and his glare was so fierce that no one would believe the young Evocanis belonged to such a peaceful race.

"Father was weak... Apocalypse was superior... Inferior life form was exterminated." The machine kept on walking towards Husky. Each step letting out a cold metallic thump when its human-like legs made contact with the floor tiles.

"No matter how much you insist on attacking us, we will fight back!! We are not the same as thirteen years ago. We are faster, smarter and stronger than before!" Husky yelled at the monster. The effort suddenly made him loose balance and fell on his knees. Just raising his voice was enough to make him black out.

"Genesis is the key... The original programming makes Apocalypse inferior!" That nerve wrecking squeal again. The machine seemed to be struggling with itself. "Genesis must be destroyed... But why, father? Genesis will make Apocalypse stronger!!" It was bizarre. For a second, the machine seemed to be arguing with itself. The strangest thing was that it seemed to change the tone of its distorted voice, as if expressing emotions.

Husky wad no way out. His mind was blocked, but he knew that if he didn't do anything, that thing would kill him.

Closer and closer...

"Leave us alone!" Husky yelled again, as he desperately picked his Lanthracit blade after he had dropped it.

"How many more of Genesis must be exterminated...? When is the original programming accomplished?" The machine said as it twitched and the buzzing got louder. Its left arm suddenly turned into a massive blade. Husky knew this was it. That stronger type of machine would attack him and there was no way he could fight it; not even if it was one of the regular assassin type.

Just a few steps from its victim...

That machine seemed to be in a struggle. It squealed and shook violently. The wire harness on its head wiggled as if it had life of its own.

"Please... don't hurt us anymore..." Husky was too weak to fight and he knew it. He was confused, frightened and in the verge of losing consciousness.

"Genesis is the key! Genesis has what apocalypse needs!" The machine kept on speaking.

"You call us Genesis? Is that what I am for you? What is it then? What do you want? If you ask for it, we might give it to you, but please do not hurt us anymore!" Husky begged, as he gasped for air. Deep in his mind, he knew that those monsters had hurt his kind so many times, but to this point, if anything could be done so they could be left alone, then he would do whatever it took. Even dialog with the enemy.

"The original programming interferes... Genesis must die!!" That was it... The black machine was just that; an irrational monster with no intentions of opening for dialog. It had no feelings; no heart. For whatever its reason was, it would continue on hurting the Evos and there was no option but to fight back.

The horrible machine readied itself, preparing to finish with Husky in one blow. Husky just watched as the machine aimed its blade right at his head. One blow and Husky would finally have that earned rest. He had fought bravely and gave his life for his brother. His friends and family would remind him as a hero and he would rest assured that his efforts were not in vain...

"I will not accept your death, son... We will reunite eventually, but now is not the time. Get up Husky and fight...!" That voice again... What was that mist that whispered directly to Husky's heart?

"I am tired... and it hurts." Husky whimpered to himself.

"You will be victorious where many of us failed... Get. Up."

The lack of oxygen and the exhaustion were probably making Husky hear this voice. But it sounded so close and so real.

Something strange happened after. This strange force that Husky felt before guided him somehow. Never had he felt this presence so strong. It infused him with strength that he ignored he had left.

"I will fight..." Husky muttered. The machine was just a step from him, ready to plunge its blade to end the life of the innocent Evocanis.

"You will not win today, machine!"

The blade of the machine was already flying in Husky's direction. In one millisecond, Husky evaded the brutal blow, immediately countering with his own blade.

It was a direct hit...

The arm of the monster flew meters away, after Husky managed to sever it. The machine never saw it coming.

"That statue, Husky. Climb it." That voice once more. Was this an interpretation of his subconscious? That was now very doubtful due to the word he heard. But for some reason, even though he never heard that word before, Husky knew what the voice referred to.

Husky immediately looked back and saw that horrible huge human figure nailed to that cross. He didn't notice at first, but right above it, there was a vent. He knew that was the only way out.

With strength that he shouldn't have to that point, Husky climbed the human figure to reach the vent. But the machine was far from being defeated. Husky looked down to notice how the machine had turned its other arm into a new blade.

"Genesis!" The machine let out a terrifying scream.

It was no time to look down. Husky gathered what was left of his strength and managed to get on top of the figure. He didn't doubt a second and opened the vent, immediately getting in. But he wasn't safe yet.

Relentless monster...

Husky couldn't escape through that vent; not with that thing behind him. He quickly looked around him and noticed how the figure was anchored to the wall. He didn't think it twice and sliced both anchors, loosening the huge figure.

"You will not win..." Husky said to the machine. A powerful kick dislodged the massive human figure from the crossed beams. The machine that was already climbing it fell along with the heavy looking figure and crashed on the floor in such a deafening impact that it even shook the ground. A massive mushroom cloud of dust covered almost half of the large hall.

Husky couldn't stay there anymore. He needed to continue. He soldered the vent's hatch and slid through a vent once again.

But how far was this ordeal from over? Husky knew that he was far from being safe. Now that the adrenaline decreased, his body was literally in agony. Husky just lied on the vent tunnel, trying to regain his breath, taking deep breaths from his almost empty oxygen nozzle.

The world around him soon started fading once again. He knew he should continue, but that last effort ended up with the last ounce of strength he had.

0.1% Could be read in the small display on the nozzle. It was over now. He had been lying in that vent for more than he had thought, passing out while he still breathed through the nozzle.

"No..." Husky cried when he saw the empty nozzle. His body still craved for air and there was no more to satisfy his urge.

Husky had given up once, but he decided to fight for his life. But he now knew it was all a futile effort. His chances were gone now and all he wanted now was to fall asleep and rest.

"Please forgive me, Hasky... Fx..." He cried for his family and friends... If Canis Major won that battle he knew how devastated they would be when they knew he hadn't made it.

The pain soon faded away once more. The exhaustion and suffocation now turned into I warmth. Husky was just tired now, and ready to sleep...