The Forsaken: A mummy on the Orient Express prequel by Thomas Beech

The searing sands scorched and burned the skin of those that crossed its wind. Yet, stood defiantly was Kayne, his digital eyes scanned the landscape with cold calculation. His internal UI flashed with a set of directives, but they were pushed aside by a sudden interface interruption. “I do hope you aren’t planning on being side-tracked.” The voice was English, posh English which irked Kayne no end. “No sir. Just looking for a clear path for the dead weight.” Kayne spat with an acidic tongue.

“Come now Mister Kayne, call me GUS. Also, that’s no way to treat your fellow comrades by the way. I’ll be watching this expedition closely for any more grievances.” GUS’s voice evaporated into the winds. Just reaching the figure was a struggling pair, consisting of a aged man with pale flesh and a young woman with rough, black hair buried under a taped-together helmet. Their throats were raw from the heat and swirling sands.

“We’re right here, robot...” The woman said.

“Liara!” The elderly man snapped, tapping his staff on her legs. Shutting her up, “sorry Professor Davids.” Liara responded scornfully.

The travellers pushed ahead in formation, stepping over debris and hollowed out bones of long-forgotten beasts. They stop ahead of a monolithic structure of sandblasted steel. Kayne twists his head, then his body towards the elderly man. “Professor. This is your area of expertise. Fulfil your purpose to the team.” Kayne’s voice was dull and filled with contempt for their humanity which Kayne himself sacrificed... The Professor stumbles ahead, placing wrinkled, synthetic hands onto the metal surface. After a few moments, his hands glowed yellow as his digits detached and spread across the door like wires, plugging into the steel structure...

“Remarkable...” Liara gasped, crossing her arms, and shielding her eyes from the harsh crosswind. The steel structure opened, forcing the Professor to retract his hands and smirk at the cyborg beside him. “Still got tricks.” Professor Davids chuckles as his staff taps against the steel flooring, it echoes out as the pair follow behind. The trio had explored deep into the catacombs of the steel structure, passing decayed corpses and phantoms of lives. “Our benefactor has located the asset in the lower sections.” Liara says, tapping on a sleek tablet. Kayne huffs, stomping ahead to rip open a panel below them. The trio stare into the revealed chasm below...

Kayne sighs and leaps, the red of his eyes lighting the way down as he lands with a mighty crash, sending plumes of sand and debris up the shaft. Liara and the Professor lean over timidly, staring into the pitch black. They are caught off guard by the sudden burst of wind as a metallic rope is fired past them, burying itself into the surface above. “The rope is secure for human use.” Kayne’s dull voice carried itself lazily up the shaft; causing Liara to scoff as she grips the rope. “Sarcasm like that will send him to the scrap heap.” Liara grumbles as she descends. While traversing the depths, she receives a communication from a familiar voice. “Good evening miss Liara.” The posh Englishman spoke smoothly. “I trust all is well with your expedition. My view is limited as you traverse the ship.”

Liara grunts as she hits a narrow side, “It’s going as well as it can... GUS. We know nothing about what we’re after, we’ve got an ancient relic and a sarcastic cyborg slowing the mission down.” Liara gritted her teeth.

“All will go according to plan miss Liara. Patience is a virtue.” GUS replied calmly, almost reassuringly as Liara hit the ground hard with her boots. Following close behind was the Professor who looked pale and frightened. “Remember our arrangement Professor...” Gus said as Professor Davids tapped his head quickly, his breath quickening. Ahead of the pair, Kayne was scraping his hands against a smooth panel. It flashed red, rejecting his inhuman touch. “Liara, your role has presented itself.” Kayne stated, standing aside, his bright-red eyes pierced the back of Liara’s head as she placed her scorched palms on the panel. It bleeped awkwardly, like an internet modem from centuries ago.

Liara had studied archaic technology at university under Professor Davids. While She excelled in her field, people held suspicions of her success. The wall ahead of them opened, the cracks shuddered as pools of sand fell through. Revealing a large corridor with rows and rows of decorated statues. The team march ahead, each holding a finger to their headpieces, receiving the same information.

“Congratulations are in order my fellow spelunkers!” GUS chirped, “you are now privy to classified information, lucky you!” The trio nodded, sidestepping jagged rocks, and stepping over fallen corpses. “You have been on the trail of a creature known as: The Foretold.”

“The Foretold?!” Professor Davids splutters, gripping his arm suddenly. Liara rushes to his side to comfort him as GUS continues.

“Yes, the Foretold... A creature so embroiled in myth that it took an unreasonable amount of time to gather a team professional enough to acquire it. In fact, if you look closely, the corpses you are stepping over... Are the failed attempts of the previous teams.” GUS chuckled politely as Professor Davids and Liara stop, aghast at the sudden information. Kayne charged ahead; his bright eyes cast a red grid that encircle the group. “Do not allow him to manipulate your emotions.” Kayne spoke dryly as he stomped ahead, crunching bones in his path. Liara sighs, catching her breath to lag behind the group. As she bows down, her eyes catch sight of a vacant skull, it’s slim in design with hollowed eyes and a widened jaw... It looked uncanny. Liara nervously taps her own skull, but remembers she is wearing a helmet and gasps in relief. She jogs ahead, catching up not realising that a set of skulls are blinking with a flickering red light... Kayne’s grid had slimmed and began flashing with a vivid green. “The Asset is beyond this wall.” Kayne spoke robotically.

“Wow. Show don’t tell much?” Liara beamed sarcastically, tapping her tablet to open a compartment. Liara unspools a thin cable from the device, finally inserting it into an worn socket in the wall panel. Liara mutters as the cable end takes a moment to adjust, transforming itself to fit snugly inside, granting her access. After several bleeps and tones... The panel grinds open revealing a large, dusty tapestry, it’s torn and faded from the sun. It’s indecipherable to the team.

Professor Davids pushes past the pair, his eyes are wide with wonder and bafflement. “This is incredible, why were we not told this before?! Why?!” Professor Davids was frantic now, his arms flail uncontrollably. Liara approaches gently. “What do you mean? What’s the Foretold?” Liara’s voice is shaky.

“The Foretold... It’s a horrid creature, extremely dangerous. No one has encountered it and lived. There exists no visual record of it either! We have no idea what we’ve just gotten ourselves into...” Professor Davids stops dead in his tracks... his eyes turn a pure white...

“Now Professor... Are you endangering our mission?” Gus’s voice was raised in the Professor’s head. It was deafening.

“No GUS! I’m not! I... I just can’t go ahead with this... I know what it does... What it will do! I...” The Professor uttered pathetically.

“You have proven your worth to the mission, Cheerio, Professor Davids.” GUS responded coldly... The calm, polite demeanour had been wiped away as Professor Davids’ sight returned. “Professor! Are you okay? You blanked out.” Liara asks, tapping the Professor on the shoulder. Her hand is gripped in a cold hard vice...

“We have to get out right now... We’ve been played...” Professor Davids speaks in a ghastly whisper... His pupils twitch, something shimmered in the distance. Something that had been following them. The air fled from Professor Davids’ lungs as a figure shambled from the shadows. A husk of skeletal remains drags itself across the sand ridden floor. Its arm is outstretched, yearning for its victim. The lights seemed to dim in the surroundings or most likely, Professor Davids’ vision was failing him when he needed it most. He knew too well that in sixty-six seconds... His life will be extinguished. Professor Davids’ stumbles back, trying to distance himself. His face is drained of colour as the rotten face of the Foretold shimmers from the light of the dying sun outside. Beams creep in between the cracks of the ship illuminating its torn flesh and ripped bandages. The Foretold’s eyes are cavernous pits of black holes, digging into Davids’ soul...

“Liara... You must listen...” Professor Davids’ mumbles, his stance falters. “The... Foretold isn’t the asset! The tapestry…” The Professor points his bony finger to the towering tapesty. Looking back, The Foretold glides effortlessly past Kayne and Liara, its skull bares mould-rotten teeth in a gaping grin... “Liara! You have to,” Professor Davids’ speech is cut off, distracted by an odd sight, the Foretold is bathed in a crimson glow, Kayne was watching the creature, recording it!

As the mummy placed its hands on the aged Professor it dawned on Davids that he was just a loose end, a pawn in GUS’s game. His body crumbled as his mind was wiped away from the touch of the Foretold, leaving Davids’ to die in Liara’s arms. The Foretold had vanished as the Professor made a final blink. Liara lowers Davids to the ground without a shred of emotion. Her part of the bargain was finished. She contentedly strides to the towering tapestry, reaching for slim blade on her utility belt. “Liara. This isn’t part of the mission; we are to secure the asset. Not tamper with it.” Kayne’s voice had revealed emotion and it was fear.

“Whatever killed the Professor is going to kill us. The Professor knew it was connected to this tapestry; it acts as a symbiotic bond. That’s why GUS sent us & the others here. It can control this creature!” Liara smiles, unclipping the blade from the belt. “Therefore, I’m going to take a piece, maybe it’ll protect me?” Liara says slyly, extending the slim blade.

“Liara, that action is not advised!” Kayne barks suddenly but his legs stop him from moving.

“Oh? Too much sand in your joints? Stupid machine...” Liara grins as her blade rips at the fabric, tearing a messy piece away. She tucks away the loose fabric, then sets fire to the larger tapestry. It’s dry nature results in the flames devouring the fabric in moments! “Sorry, did you want a piece cyborg?” Liara mocks, turning to face him. Her eyes widen however as Kayne stands; his breathing is non-existent. His arm had malformed into an arm cannon as his flesh shifted and dropped away revealing rusted mechanical parts.

“Forgive the acquisition of your former team member miss Liara.” GUS spoke within Liara’s headpiece. “You’ve just made a foolish mistake. Your contract is terminated.”

“Damage to the asset is against protocol.” Kayne’s voice rumbled, sounding more machine than man. His internal mechanisms were compromised, his UI flooded with a new command: TIE UP LOOSE ENDS- SECURE THE ASSET. It flashed blood red as a cracked crosshair hovered over Liara’s forehead.

Liara stands her ground, gripping the parchment to her chest like a armoured vest... “Kayne... This isn’t you.” Liara said insincerely, shuffling to the side. “You’re being controlled by someone that’ll just send you to the scrap heap when they can. Hell! They don’t even think you’re human anymore! You signed it away, got pumped with plastic and steel, blood and oil, you have a wired heart!” Liara yells passionately, reaching behind her back for a concealed weapon...

“You... Are... Wrong...” Kayne stutters, struggling to lower the arm cannon. His Internal systems cracked and screamed with directive conflicts. Flashes of memories long forgotten began to flood him as he fights the system imbedded within. Kayne finally overcomes the program, lowering his arm canon. With clear eyes he says, “I am one with my humanity again... Thank-“

BANG! Kayne’s skull cracks open with erupting sparks. Kayne’s body drops and crumbled, writhing in ‘pain’ a black fluid runs across the dusty floor. Liara steadies her pistol with shaking hands. An empty expression crosses her face as she steps over the bodies of her team and reaches for an exit. “If you want this tapestry, you better send an evac craft now.” Liara snarls, climbing up the shaft leaving behind a pile of grinning skulls...

The sands seemed to be calm. Drifting softly by Liara’s boots. The winds whisper softly with a secret only they will carry. “Your demands have been met miss Liara. Congratulations on the acquisition of the asset.” GUS remarked cheerfully as a pod-like craft descended. “If you wish to be of any more use to me... Enter the pod now.” GUS spoke bluntly as Liara timidly climbed into coffin-shaped craft. There was little space as her face was pressed up to the tiny view glass. Liara’s excited breaths fogged it up causing her to twist a hand to wipe it off. GUS had begun a take-off sequence as his voice counted down a dreaded set of numbers: 66, 65, 64, 63, 62, 61, 60... Time seemed to stretch... The sun ahead of the craft eclipsed into a blood-red glow. A harrowing silhouette was dead centre. “GUS… Can we take off now? I’ve done all you asked! The cyborg played that hologram to scare the Professor and you disposed of him. We scratched each other’s backs!” Liara wails smacking her hand against the plexiglass helplessly…

“Miss Liara, your contract is finished. Your purpose now is research, your death at the hands of the Foretold will provide valuable resources. Farewell.” Liara’s screams went unheard as the Foretold shambled across the dead planet towards its trapped prey...

Press play on Mummy on the Orient Express at 7PM BST!