Doom 3™: Maelstrom Read online

  He heard people yelling behind him—the survivors. But he couldn’t stop and wait—so he just stepped in—

  —and through to the other side.

  To where Campbell should have been standing with the massive gun. Instead Kane, stepping out of the open chamber, saw Swann, half his body blown away, sprawled near the open chamber door.

  And Campbell? Kane scanned the room and thought: Need that gun, buddy. Could really use that gun where I’m going.

  He spotted another body halfway across the lab, close to the wall. Campbell, looking like someone went to town with him, drilling holes everywhere.

  Then a noise filled the room, an incessant clacking echoing in the empty lab.

  Kane spun around to see…

  What was once Sergeant Kelly, now some kind of horrific tank creature. Bad enough, but worse was that Kelly held the BFG in his one hand that still looked normal.

  “Private, attention!” The words garbled, guttural. Then Kelly screamed them again. “Private!”

  Now the BFG, wavering in the hand of the Kelly creature, started chewing holes in the metal floor.

  Two skeletal demons appeared, one armored only with its claws, the other with cannonlike guns part of its body. They came at Kane from the other end, and he realized that he had walked into a classic pincer movement. But none of the creatures seemed to have noticed what Kane held in his hand.

  As Kane rolled right, sliding to the ground to avoid the burst from each end of the pincer, he heard a voice in his mind as the cube glowed: Use us!

  He aimed the cube at one of the demons and pressed the artifact where it glowed. And suddenly a star-shaped burst of light flew out of the Soul Cube, directly for the center of the demon, annihilating it.

  In just one shot, Kane thought. The other demon hesitated, and Kane turned back to Kelly, now maneuvering its armored body at Kane, ready to bear down.

  The Soul Cube glowed again, and Kane pressed the spot.

  And now, fed by the force of the creatures he had killed—and whatever the great Martian race did to create this weapon—he watched another brilliant star rocket out of the Soul Cube and smash into Kelly’s upper torso. This time the burst punched a hole in the flesh, and Kane could see right through the plate-sized cavity.

  Kelly’s eyes blinked, and then his tank lower torso ground to a halt. His left hand dropped the BFG.

  Kane fired one last blast from the Soul Cube, and Kelly’s upper torso was blown off the tank.

  Kane ran up and grabbed the gun, a massive weight, even with the heavy shoulder strap bearing some of the load. And with the gun held in his right hand and the Soul Cube in his left, Kane left Delta Lab, the portal already closing behind him, and hurried to the nearby exterior access, to leave Mars City…and to face whatever waited for him at Site 3.

  THE BATTLE CRUISER NEAR MARS

  Captain Hakala sat in his chair as the signals from both Mars City and Earth began filtering into the ship’s comm system.

  The messages that had built up during the silence started arriving at a dizzying rate. He had a number of his analysts on the data, looking at what was happening on the Red Planet, floating before him, as well as messages from Earth.

  But a live contact suddenly cut through the flow.

  His communications officer came up to him. “Mr. Kelliher, Captain. On a secure line.”

  Hakala wondered if there would be a delay or any distortion. Sometimes when the comm system rebooted, it took a while before instantaneous conversations could take place.

  “Mr. Kelliher.”

  “Captain, status report on your battle cruiser?”

  “Sir, we are prepared to land for the planetary evac on your—”

  “No, Captain. The battle-ready state?”

  “All weapons systems active and fully engaged. I have landing parties all equipped. We’re ready for whatever we find down there.”

  “Missile warheads, Captain?”

  Hakala stopped. Missiles? What was Kelliher talking about?

  “Mr. Kelliher, I haven’t readied the missile teams, or plotted any target trajectory, sir. I’m afraid I’m a little confused. What exactly—”

  “Captain, you will be getting a confirming order from the President of the United States, coauthorized by Defense Secretary Simmons. You are to plot and target the planet for an immediate attack.”

  “Attack? Sir? Those are our people down there. Civilians, scientists, other marines. You can’t—”

  “Perhaps I’m not making myself perfectly clear. You will have orders to plan the destruction of Mars City, the obliteration of everything on that planet. You will carry out those orders without question, and on my immediate order—or your superiors will have you replaced. Am I clear now?”

  Hakala looked at the screen showing Kelliher, and he wondered, What the hell happened on Mars? He had thought the Armada had come to reinforce the brigades there, perhaps transport civilians off the planet. Now they were to destroy it?

  Was what had happened exclusively on Mars, or did something also happen on Earth?

  “Yes, sir. I understand. I will order all preparations to be made, bringing the missile systems into readiness and ready for your command.”

  “Good. You should be receiving your confirming orders in minutes. And in approximately sixty minutes, I will give the command.”

  Hakala took a breath. Sixty minutes, and every living thing on the planet below would be destroyed.

  “I will stand by, sir.”

  Kelliher’s screen flashed off, and Hakala sat there for a moment, numb.

  Kane placed the EVA helmet on and twisted it tight. He checked that the HUD inside showed the two canisters of air, and that the outside reading systems worked fine.

  He stood inside the airlock, ready to make his way to Site 3. There were other ways to the excavation area, he imagined, but he thought, I’m new here. So this way will have to do.

  And there was one thing to do before leaving.

  “Maria Moraetes,” he said. A bit of squelch in the earpiece. Then he was connected. “Maria, you okay?”

  “Kane, where are you? We’re fine. What happened?”

  “Much to explain, Maria. But not now. You and Theo got back to Reception okay?”

  “Yes. Kane, your voice sounds muffled, almost—“

  “Got a helmet on. Have to step outside for a while.”

  “Outside? Out on the surface?”

  “Listen, Maria, I can’t talk any more. We don’t have the time. But if I’m successful—and I will find a way to let you know—then it will be safe for the Armada to come. Tell Hayden. It will be okay. But only if I succeed.” A breath. “You understand what I mean?”

  Would Maria know the implications of Kane not returning, and what it meant to Mars City? Absolutely, he thought. “Maria, I’ll come back if I can.”

  A hesitation at her end. “You better.”

  “So—” Now a long pause from him. “Bye for now.”

  “B—” she started.

  But he had already turned the radio off. He wanted no signals being picked up as he made his way to the excavation site. He engaged the airlock.

  42

  KANE WALKED PAST THE DEAD SCIENTISTS, their bodies twisted in their EVA suits. Compared to many, they’re actually the lucky ones, he thought.

  He gave the BFG’s shoulder strap a small heft, trying to work it up closer to his neck. And in the other hand, the Soul Cube, its glow a bit reduced now. Clearly, the more creatures that were taken out, the stronger it became.

  And the voices? Though they were now quiet, Kane could feel them with him. He thought, Someone, someday, will write the history of the great Martian civilization and its amazing sacrifice. That is, if anyone here survives.

  Deep into the cave now, Kane saw the markings that filled the excavation site’s walls, all incomprehensible, icons with no meaning, swirls and squiggles darting in every direction.

  He saw how, the deeper he went, the bright
er they became. Though his march deep into the cave seemed to have no impact on the Soul Cube, perhaps the cave itself was responding?

  He looked down at the cube, then the BFG, wondering: Would they be enough? The time to find that out drew close.

  At the site of the last excavation point, the cave gave way to an opening that led sharply down, and then twisted away even deeper into Mars.

  Not very inviting, Kane thought. Once he stepped into it, he would more than likely slide down until he reached whatever was at the end of the twisting tunnel.

  But now the cube seemed to flash brighter, as if sensing that it was close to where it belonged. The artifact, dubbed U1 when found, might be the only thing that saved Mars. Kane leaned over the edge, wondering if he could carefully navigate his way down. His bones and muscles hurt in so many places, it almost didn’t matter what body part he favored.

  There was no easy way down. He took a step, almost like a diver stepping into the abyss of the deep ocean, and in the next moment, weapons clasped tight, he was tumbling head over heels, rolling into the unknown.

  Kane came to a stop and scurried to his feet, imagining that a deadly welcoming committee might be there. But this part of the tunnel was still empty. He could see that it led to a great glowing area ahead, as if lit by a thousand flickering candles.

  With his first step, he heard the voices again, the words alien, the sounds unknown to the human ear, and yet…they conveyed fear, and hope…and a mix of emotions that nearly clouded Kane’s head.

  He walked, nearly limping, into the great room ahead, the sound of the voices swelling.

  He wanted to speak back to them, to say, I will try. Because, after all, that’s all I can do.

  He repeated that mantra in his mind a few more times. I will try.

  Then something from his past emerged, a different mantra from so many battles in the past, some bit of combat propaganda drilled into new recruits from day one of their admission into the corps.

  Failure isn’t an option. Damn right, Kane thought. Damn right.

  Axelle opened her eyes. She looked down at the cave floor, now so many feet below.

  What happened? she thought. Her body was wrapped in a tight webbing that held her arms and legs in close. But her head was free, and she could look around the room.

  And she saw it—the portal, swirling, growing—and only then did she wonder: Why am I here? Why am I still alive?

  Kane stopped in the room. Only seconds to take it all in, this massive room with what looked like a map of glittering stars from unknown constellations high above him.

  And the opening, the portal, pulsing, growing with every tornadolike swirl. The real path to hell, the roadway to doom, now being made permanent. No creatures yet, he thought. Maybe there was still time.

  But then he looked up and to his right—and saw her.

  A woman floating, levitating in the room as if hung by a thousand invisible lines. Her body was wrapped tight, nearly cocoonlike. But she could look down at Kane, could see him, her eyes looking down so amazingly peaceful from her floating prison.

  She was breathing. There was air here.

  He took off his helmet. “I’ll help you!” he shouted up to her, taking a fateful step in that direction.

  She quickly shook her head and started shouting at him.

  “No. You have to stop that. The way they did—one armed with all the souls of Mars. But—but—it’s here!”

  The words registered as Kane tensed. It’s. Here.

  A pair of winged demons, small, with infantile heads, fluttered up to the woman. Their claw hands dug at the webbing, exposing her body, but she still floated. Then their infant heads split open, exposing massive teeth.

  Kane raised the BFG and started blasting, but as he caught the first two, another pair flew close, then two more, blocking her. The woman screamed, and Kane raised the Soul Cube, thinking it was already too late to save her.

  It’s. Here.

  In that moment he recognized this for what it was. A trap.

  He spun around, and there, behind him, so close, towering over him, undaunted, a full thirty feet tall—

  A demon like none Kane had seen. One arm ended in a cannon, and while its protective carapace shifted as it started to aim and fire, the cannon blasts blew into the ground near Kane.

  He barely dodged the first blast, and he kept rolling on the ground, awkwardly rolling over the BFG, but knowing that to stop moving would make him an easy target.

  The mammoth demon—the thing that must have occupied the throne in hell—took a leap in Kane’s direction, and when it landed, the ground shook.

  Kane saw other things coming out of the vortex. The party was beginning, and he was on the ground, nearly atop his gun, useless.

  The woman’s screams had ended. But her word of warning, that millisecond of warning, had saved Kane’s life. Now what would he do with that chance?

  The Soul Cube spoke again in a single voice, the meaning clear even if there were no actual words: Use us…use us!

  Kane stood up for his final battle.

  The demon waved one six-foot arm in the air, directing its new arrivals, all taking positions in this room, and soon to fill the planet, and eventually this very universe.

  Use us.

  A few eager imps appeared and started circling movements around Kane, toying with him. But he spun around with them as if in an ancient dance, finally holding the BFG up, the trigger held as the gun fired, kicking some imps back against the wall and punching plate-sized holes in others.

  Others from the mammoth demon’s troops hesitated, seeing their brothers cut down. Everything alive—no matter with what kind of life—wants to stay alive, Kane thought. Even things from hell.

  But the giant demon used that feint to move close, its carapace again shifting, rearranging its layers of plate armor. The cannon arm locked into a position, clear and straight, perfect for aiming.

  Kane ripped off his last grenade and tossed it, hoping to send it right down the wide bore of the demon’s gun. But he missed, and instead the grenade detonated at the demon’s feet. But the blast made the cannon arm fly up, screwing up its perfect aim.

  Other than that, the grenade hadn’t at all penetrated the armorlike plates on the thing’s body.

  Can it talk? Kane wondered. Communicate? Or does it have the empty single-mindedness of a warrior ant, ripping an opponent apart for food?

  Now, in the only time left—these few seconds before the creatures in the room would be emboldened to swarm and kill Kane and more cannon shots came—Kane raised the Martian Soul Cube.

  The life force of the entire planet was embedded inside it, a ward against evil that transcended time and space.

  Kane held the artifact up. He aimed at the giant demon king—if that’s what it was—and began firing.

  The first starlike blast from the cube caromed off the armor, and Kane thought that even this great weapon was useless against the demon.

  A half dozen trites—the front lines of their final attack—had scurried to Kane’s legs, looking to grab on and close their viselike legs on him.

  He couldn’t be distracted. He thought of what he told Maria: If I come back, it will be safe. If not…

  Then, as if trying to get his completely exhausted mind to focus, the unspoken words again, so clear: Use…us!

  He fired the Soul Cube again, and this time he saw a star blast create an opening in the layers of armor plating. Like any machine or vehicle, this monster had its weak point. The blast alarmed it and it looked down, and Kane saw liquid rocket out.

  “Yeah, hurts like a bitch,” Kane said. And hearing his own voice made him feel somehow stronger. “Have another.”

  Another blast from the cube rocketed out, and this one too found a weak spot. The demon fired a cannon blast, but even with the trites holding on, Kane stepped away.

  He took a moment and aimed the BFG at the trites, taking care not to blow off any parts of his own body. One ha
d crawled up to Kane’s midsection, and Kane let the BFG dangle from his shoulder, grabbed his handgun, placed the muzzle right at the head of the thing, and fired.

  He quickly returned his attention to the giant demon. It waved its arms again, signaling those who had arrived. But the other creatures, the foot soldiers of demons and imps and trites, moved slowly.

  “Just you and goddamn me,” Kane said.

  The Soul Cube glowed at its brightest, and Kane fired it again. Another shot found its mark, this time near the knees of the thing, more metal and machine than demon’s skin. But still an opening was found.

  The creature fell to one knee, and now Kane could see the thing’s head tilt. He wondered: Is this the ruler, or just a grunt, some lieutenant from hell about to pay the price for an invasion gone wrong?

  “Say good-bye….”

  Another star blast from the cube raced to the thing’s head, to the open maw gasping from the wounds it had received.

  And that head exploded, sending chunks of the thing, along with the metal parts of its body, flying into the air.

  The room was still full of creatures. But now, this part…this part would be easy.

  He turned and started firing, and kept firing, screaming with each kill, relentless in this ancient room.

  43

  WHEN THIS GREAT CEREMONIAL ROOM OF THE Martian civilization was filled with the dead bodies of the invaders, Kane walked up to the portal, still twisting, swirling.

  He wasn’t sure what to do, and the woman who had saved him from the demon’s attack was gone. The cube itself glowed with massive power, but told him no secrets.

  He fired at the portal, and a bright flash disappeared into it. Kane watched it shrink, like a slug recoiling from salt. Okay, that seemed to work.

  Then another, and another, until, like a spider-web swept away in some forgotten corner, the portal was gone. The room was quiet.

  And the Soul Cube? Quite clearly that should stay right here, Kane thought. In this warren of caves, to make sure that hell never tried to come to Mars again.