Chapter Text
Mensah led the crew down the steep path closer to the riverbed, their third hour of searching this ridge without finding anything that satisfied their requirements. The hopper hung a couple hundred feet back, unable to hover much closer. Murderbot slowly plotted along behind them as Gurathin controlled the hopper, just below the tree line. Just barely out of sight of anything trying to see them.
It was hot and humid, filled with the quiet hum that everyone said was peaceful. It never understood what they were talking about half the time.
"We are looking for a flat place to make a camp. Some place away from prying eyes." Mensah ordered. Ratthi stumbled over a fallen tree, as Pin-Lee lunged for his arm, stopping him from going headfirst into the mud-soaked ground. The grass was slick and wet from the recent rain showers, coming every chance that it could.
Arada and Bharadwaj walked hand in hand trying to steady each other. If Gurathin's leg wasn't shot, he'd be with them instead of stuck piloting the hopper just above the tree line. The hopper hidden away in some underbrush or something away from the eyes of those agents. His leg still sported the wound from Leebeebee, it would take time to heal. More time than anyone was comfortable with since they couldn't access the medbay.
Why do they always move so slow?
Murderbot wondered. Even though it moved at the back of the group, it knew they were practically crawling along the ground, the surface growing more treacherous with each step. Even its own feet slipped a few times on the slippery terrain.
"SecUnit." Mensah's voice echoed over the chattering of birds and bugs in the air. It looked up, catching her gaze for a second, just enough to register that it was listening.
"Can you tell from any maps if there are any good spots to make camp?"
Well, yes, I already pointed out four of them on our way down this ravine. But Bharadwaj said the first one was too wet. The second one, Arada said it didn't vibe correctly… whatever that means. The third one Gurathin shot down before I even said anything, saying they couldn't drop the hopper. Something I couldn't really argue with. And the fourth… Everyone just kept walking past it.
Murderbot let its scanners do the work, finding a spot away from anything watching from above. A safe place to land the hopper and hope no one spots the smoke. It had no doubt they were going to produce once they started this bonfire they had talked about earlier.
A lot to consider, plus keeping them dry enough that none of these fragile humans get sick. It scanned the map trying to identify even one place within reasonable distance. But nothing suitable appeared.
"The closest clearing with enough space to land the hopper, as well as to remain out of the rain is three miles ahead of us. And further downstream."
Grumbles escaped everyone as Ratthi looked back at it.
"Come on, Seccy. Isn't there one closer?" Ratthi whined.
I hate when he calls me that.
"There is not one closer that would provide available cover as well as the ability to hide the hopper. We did pass one about two miles back." Murderbot stated as Arada flicked her hand in a dismissive side-to-side motion.
"It wouldn't have worked."
It most certainly would have worked.
"Come on. A few more miles, then," Mensah called over them.
"I can go fly the hopper there if you ping it on the map, SecUnit." Gurathin's voice came over the coms.
"Yes, that's a good idea, Gurathin." Mensah answered as Murderbot pinged the location.
Well at least I wouldn't have to look after him now.
The hopper flew over them, the wind rushing around them kicking up everything along the dried riverbed.
"So he's going to pick his spot first." Ratthi mumbled.
"Oh don't be a baby. You think he's actually going to get off the hopper without help." Pin-Lee stated as she reached forward, hooking her fingers into Arada's, letting her partner drag her forward.
What strange humans these are.
Murderbot shook its head. The visor retracted with a soft hiss, helmet folding back into its compartment. Still plenty of mire ahead, and humans moved like they had no internal servos.
"Maybe if we all link up, we can help each other move." Bharadwaj added as she reached out toward Mensah, who happily took her hand.
"Come on SecUnit." Ratthi called to the unit.
Yeah, I don't want to do that.
It switched to the hopper's camera feed, trying to see the clearing properly. Get an idea of the layout so it could properly secure the perimeter while they trudged through the sludge of this world.
It could see the trees bending as Gurathin guided the hopper lower.
Something… Something seemed off.
An image of the map flicked up on its hud, as it tried to gauge exactly where the augmented human was descending. It had assumed the map was accurate. Or as accurate as fractured, half-corrupted terrain data could be.
Then what was in front of the hopper?
Its systems ran immediate diagnostics as it switched to the hopper's camera, the lens flickering as it adjusted for glare. It tried syncing with the terrain data again.
Hydro pressure reading: unstable.
Seismic shift: minimal but climbing.
That wasn't right.
It flicked through the hopper's feed; thermal, depth scan, pressure readings. What it was seeing made sense now. This wasn't just a riverbed they were walking through… it was the old riverbed. The original channel had been blocked upstream by fallen trees, rocks, and debris from all the recent storms. The water had been building up behind that natural dam, saturating everything, looking for a way through. The debris field looked packed tight from the surface, but water was pulsing through the cracks now, and the pressure readings were climbing.
It activated comms, hoping Gurathin would notice as well.
"Gurathin, back the hopper up. Something's going on." But its order was ignored.
Stress fracturing detected.
Containment integrity: 42%... 37%... 29%.
Dropping.
A low tremor ran across its HUD. It barely felt the vibration through the mire under its boots.
Flow velocity increased.
Downstream acceleration: +12%.
That wasn't normal runoff. That was pressure.
That was mass trying to break loose.
Acoustic anomaly detected.
Frequency resonance triggered.
The hopper's engines. The downdraft. Gurathin had unknowingly shoved the final brick out of place.
"Dr. Gurathin, no, don't lower th-"
Pressure spike.
Debris displacement: active.
Surge path: direct.
Warning: flood event imminent.
Water began to churn through the gaps, hissing at first, then howling.
"Everyone get out of the riverbed!" Murderbot yelled, as it began moving. Sludge sucked at its feet. Its sensors screamed.
The others, frozen. Eyes wide. Staring at it like it had grown another arm. Confused. Sluggish. Too sluggish.
"SecUnit, what is it?" Mensah asked.
Downstream acceleration: +30%
"The river was blocked," it snapped. "It's not blocked anymore."
The comm crackled with Gurathin's voice, barely audible over the roaring forest ahead.
"Water! A lot of water is coming! Get out of the way!" Gurathin's voice screamed.
Panic hit fast.
Heart rates spiked across its HUD. They tried to run, tried to move, but the mire clung to them like glue.
Too sluggish.
Even it was dragging. Heavier. Each step pulled it deeper into the bog.
Just get to them. Throw them somewhere safe. Anywhere but here.
Downstream acceleration: +50%.
Ratthi slipped in the slick mess, crashing to the ground. The others turned, tried to haul him up, losing precious seconds.
Murderbot was on him in moments, shoving the others away and pointing to the side of the riverbed. Hopefully a safe place, hopefully out of the raging water.
"SecUnit!" Gurathin's voice shouted into the comm. The hopper came back into view. Below it, the river roared, an avalanche of dark water, white caps foaming as it swallowed everything in its path. It devoured everything around it, dragged it down into that murky torrent filled with dirt and debris. "Something's in the water!"
Of course there is. Why wouldn't there be.
Its scanners swept over the gushing water as it hauled Ratthi up and off his face. It could throw him, get him up to the closest tree, maybe even a large rock. Somewhere out of the way. But even it knew that it was unlikely it wouldn't be swept away as well.
Downstream acceleration: +89%!
It didn't think, it didn't need to. Its body moved as it turned to run after the others. One look and it knew they would be gone in moments. Its sensors screamed, its systems calculating their imminent death.
Its body moved, ignoring the bog trying desperately to pull it back, dragging at every step, but it didn't care. Pulling Ratthi up on its shoulder without a thought.
Just needed to get close enough.
Just. A few more steps.
Its hand seized Pin-Lee's arm, yanking her backwards along with the others, their hands never unlinking. It pulled them backwards, dragging Ratthi off its shoulder and pulling them all in front of it, its back to the racing water.
"Whatever you do, don't let go-"
The water hit.