Cure for a Nation

Chapter Fourteen

Daniel groaned and peeled himself off of the floor. He rubbed his gloved hand down his face and wiped the stars from his eyes. That was Tech magic, he thought as he surveyed his surroundings, but where did it come from. He got onto all fours and looked up at the doors that steamed and smoked. They were sealed once more and not a bandit was to be seen. "I lost my damn knife," he grumbled angrily as he clunked to his feet. I wonder how Claire faired, he thought. And then it hit him. "Claire!" He yelled and looked around desperately. The hall he stood in was very dark but there were red embers floating about everywhere like fireflies. He saw that there were quite a few gathering over a prone figure huddled behind his backpack and his heart skipped a beat as he realized it was Claire. He ran towards her and slid on his knees to her side. "Oh no no no.." he mumbled as he looked her up and down. He could hear her straining to breathe and found a rifle bullet embedded in her armor. Very carefully, he unbuckled the clasps and Claire arched her back as she took a deep breath and woke up. Daniel smiled as he kept her from sitting up. "Sucks, doesn't it," he said kindly as he removed the armor. Claire gasped for breath and looked wildly about the hall until her eyes rested upon Daniel. "What happened," she asked groggily.
"You were shot, Claire."
"Shot?"
"Yep. Right in the chest."
"Ow..shot by what?"
"A rifle, Claire. A big one."
"Wow. In the chest?"
Daniel scowled and Claire took notice. She smirked and rubbed her forehead. "Just give me a moment," she said, "I need to get my bearings." Daniel sat back on his heels and looked around. Even though the Imperium was disbanded years ago, there wasn't a speck of dust to be found. "Hm," he groaned. "Danny," Claire said softly, "is there any water?"
"Of course," Daniel replied as he reached into his pack for the canteen. He found it..or what was left considering the bullet holes. "Well..never mind," he corrected. Claire looked up at him. "Where are we?"
"We're here, Claire."
"Where's that?"
"Hmph. The Imperium headquarters building. We did it. We can finally get some answers about the plague." At the mention of the plague, Claire's expression darkened as memories came rushing back to her. Her stomach ached for a moment and she closed her eyes until the feeling passed. When she opened them, she saw concern and worry twisting Daniel's features. "Claire.." he said softly, "what happened?" Before Claire could brush it off, there was a scrape and a bang farther down the hall. Daniel snapped to attention and Claire slowly sat up as much as she could before Daniel's protective arm restrained her. "We're not alone," he whispered. Claire knew better at this point than to question him when he was focused like this. Slowly, Daniel looped his arm under hers and held her hand over his shoulder to help. He stood up slowly, his damaged armor straining and hissing slightly. Claire grit her teeth as she found her feet and pain flared in her chest. "It came from down the hall," he whispered. Claire noticed there were red glyphs glowing faintly on the walls just like the lock on the doors. Her head was buzzing slightly and she felt butterflies tickle her rib cage the farther in they went. She thought she could hear a quiet humming and her head throbbed. She faltered at a corner and Daniel knelt next to her, concern twisting up his features. "Claire, are you okay?" He asked quietly."
"I'm fine," she dismissed as she slipped her arm off of his shoulder, "just got light headed. Let's keep moving." Daniel scowled but eventually gave in. He walked close to her, paying attention to the dark hallway they walked down and to her condition. Claire noticed that one of his shoulder pads was still smoldering along with the side of his ruined helmet, giving him a sinister look. It wasn't long before she began to hear something faint and they stopped again. "Hear that?" Daniel asked.
"Yeah..what is that?" Claire asked in return.
"Tech Warriors," he said before pausing. He scowled and shot a look down the hall. "Or more specifically, a Magister," he added.
"A what?"
"It's a cross between a clan leader and a priest. They were prominent figures among the Warriors, twelve in all to lead them. They were the first choices to govern the territories."
"How can you tell it's one of them?"
"The chanting. He's brainwashing someone right now."
"Brainwashing?"
"You'll see soon enough. I need you to promise me to stay close to me no matter what."
"I will."
"Promise me."
"I promise."
Daniel stood back, a cautious look on his face. Claire felt the Magister's chants flowing through her and pulling her closer to him. Were it not for Daniel's hulking figure in front of her, she felt as though she would have ran towards the chanting. Daniel stopped at another set of doors that were covered by a thick tapestry covered in red glyphs. On the other side, Claire could hear the muffled chant of the Magister. Although she couldn't understand what he was saying, it still felt right to her, like it made too much sense to walk away from. Daniel rested a hand on the tapestry and turned back to Claire. "Ready?" He asked. Claire only nodded eagerly and he sighed before tearing the tapestry to the side.