We finally found a directory near the elevators, which were as dead as doornails. We could hear the ocean water sloshing around inside the shafts.

  It seemed that we were in the Phillp P. Zuulman building, and the first twenty-five floors were for the Ameritronics Corporation, LLC. From what I could gather, Ameritronics was basically a mixture of Microsoft and Dell, controlling both the software and the hardware market. It was a whole different planet. The next ten were for Good Neighbor Insurance Company. Above the Good Neighbors’ Insurance company were private residences, with a series of penthouses at the top.

  We didn’t necessarily need any more office supplies, and I wasn’t sure how well armed the insurance company people would be, so I figured we’d go right to the top.

  Being inside the stairwell of the half-submerged skyscraper was an unnerving experience. It wasn’t dark, not with my suit glowing, but the swirling water down below sure was loud. We were about halfway up to the penthouse, when we heard the squealing sound. It came from far below us. And like the slosh of the water, the shriek bounced around the walls. A second later, it was silent.

  “Did you guys here that?” Billie asked, face pale. “I kind of want to pretend I didn’t hear anything.”

  Khanna frowned. “Khanna hear, Bil-lie.” She turned to look at me. “What does your spirit say?”

  HOST COMPANION: Khanna the Huntress’s query is difficult to answer. No known lethal biological entities detected. There are many biological entities in the area of an unknown nature. Please continue with caution.

  I simplified all that. “We’re fine. For now.”

  We hurried up to the top. I was simply glad that the boat was loaded and ready to go in case we needed to get out of their fast. If any of the shark men returned and tipped it over, I was going to be pissed. We’d found some good stuff.

  Getting through the door to the penthouse was easy. I had an axe and superhuman strength.

  Unlike the Ameritronics offices, this place wasn't under a foot of water. However, the colors were exactly the same. You had green, light green, and avocado green with various hues of browns and oranges. The fixtures were a yellow metal, but I didn't think it was real gold.

  The place was dusty and had a bad smell, but we found any number of cushions on the couches, throw pillows, and other things, like comforters and blankets, that we could use to make our beds so much more comfortable. We'd want to wash them, of course, but after some scans, Opal said they were relatively clean. No lice or any other biological matter.

  “There are more dishes, pots, and pans in the kitchen,” Holly called out.

  Around the place were pictures of a middle-aged guy and his family. He had a wife and two daughters, all blond and pretty. He seemed to be living his best life all right. I checked out the master bedroom, which had a dusty window and a view of the coast. In the far distance, I could see Lonetree Ridge.

  I wanted to make sure our boat was still down below, so I took my ax to the window. It only took a couple swings to smash through the window. A chill wind blew in, and I shivered a bit.

  “Are you all right, Sid?” Billie called from the other room.

  “Just fine,” I called back.

  Leaning out, I could see the rowboat far below. It was still there. We were way too high to jump down into the water without killing ourselves. The squealing in the stairwell, though, was still bothering me. What had made those sounds?

  “Opal, are we still in the clear? Any of the squealers on their way?

  Negative, HOSTNAME: Sid Marshall. No threatening biological entities detected.

  I went over to the nightstand, opened it, and found a few books, some reading glasses, and a letter to the guy, Carl Zuulman. I had to wonder if Carl Zuulman was related to Phillip Zuulman, the guy who the building was named after.

  In the drawer was a leatherbound journal. It might go well with the Ameritronics Employee Handbook that Billie had grabbed. Did I feel bad about grabbing some random guy’s journal? Not really. Most likely he was dead, and besides, he was from another universe. That made it seem more acceptable for some reason.

  I went to the bedroom closet and swept aside some leisure suits and some super ugly sports coats. There were some women’s clothes as well and some nice coats. “Girls, I found women’s clothes, if you want something from 1973 or earlier.”

  In the back, I found a shotgun and several boxes of shells. It was a .12 gauge with most of the barrel sawed off. That was going to give us some maximum spray.

  Why did I feel like I was in a video game, scrounging for weapons? Well, I was picking up power crystals like I was in a video game. Why not grab some free guns? I also found a hunting rifle, with a scope. It was a bolt action .306 and a scope. All in all, it was a nice gun and laying on the ground were boxes of ammo. Luckily, there was a dusty duffel bag there that I could pile the ammo boxes in.

  “Thank you, Carl Zuulman,” I said out loud.

  That was the first thing that started to go wrong.

  Khanna screamed out my name from the other room. “Sid Marshall! Why did you say that name? What do you know of the Iron Descendant?”

  She came charging in. She looked both terrified and pissed off. I slung the hunting rifle over my shoulder. I kept the shotgun in my other hand.

  “I found clothes in here as well!” Billie said.

  Holly called out as well. “And I found camping gear, Sid, in the third bedroom. It seems that Carl Zuulman enjoyed the outdoors.”

  It was clear, though, that Khanna didn’t give a shit about them or anything. “The old slut said that name as well. What do they know? What do you know?”

  “Nothing!” I said. “It’s just the name of the guy who lived here…and the name of the man who built the building. Maybe it was his father. I don’t know.”

  I should’ve been happy that we were finding so much good stuff, but I couldn’t not with Khanna standing there, glaring at me.

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  Then things got worse as Opal’s voice flared up in my head.

  Biological entities detected, swarming en masse in the stairwell. Electrocytes detected. Biological entities will emit an electrical charge. Biological entities are cephalopodic in nature.

  “Professor! We have company. What are electrocytes? And cephalopods are squids, right?”

  Khanna snarled at me. “Khanna does not have time for your stupid English. If this is Zuulman’s building, it is Padishan’s Pavillion, and we must leave. Now! There is a way to the Inferness down below. Demons come.”

  “Khanna, trust me. We’ll deal with one thing at a time.”

  I ran into the main living room, and already, we could hear the squeals outside.

  Holly was pale. “Cephalopods are the class of marine mollusks that include squids, cuttlefishes, and octopuses.”

  Billie snorted. “I think you mean octopi.”

  “No, the word comes from the Greek, not the Latin. As for electrocytes.” The professor didn’t get the change to impress me more because the door opened, and inside sprang dozens of huge black squid, their skin sparking. The entire room was filled with electricity. The hairs on my arms stood up straight.

  These things didn’t just run on the ground, but no, air sacks filled, and when I saw them puff, I knew they could float like the puff otters could. Only these things could use their tentacles to fling themselves across the room.

  One launched itself off the doorway and streaked toward me. I was fast enough to cut the thing in half with my axe.

  “Get behind me!” I roared. “And grab guns as you go!”

  The professor peeled the hunting rifle off my shoulder while Billie snatched up the shotgun. An arrow appeared in the next electric squid. It shrieked and squealed as it hit the floor.

  Khanna already had another arrow knocked but her quiver was already nearly empty. I’d have to deal with the flying squid up close and personal.

  A dozen of the creatures struck me all at once, and it felt like I’d stuck my finger into an electrical outlet. I’d done that as a kid. I was lucky I’d survived. However, it’s hard to fight and be electrocuted at the same time.

  Warning! Lethal levels of electricity detected. HOSTNAME: Sid Marshall in danger. Adjusting. Optimizing. Processing.

  I was glad that Opal was at 99%. I needed all the optimization I could get! The problem was, I was out of the fight for a second. An electric squid wrapped its arms around my neck and started to squeeze. Another was around my leg. Another around my arm. They were squeezing the fuck out of me and hitting me with enough voltage to light up Detroit.

  “Sid Marshall!” Khanna screamed.

  She’s put away her bow and was using her spear, but it wasn’t enough to stop a squid from zapping her. Like with me, the octopus immediately started to strangle her. Khanna went white.

  “Fuck this!” Billie screamed. She leapt forward and opened fire with the shotgun. That spread cut through three of the squid floating around. The professor had picked up Khanna’s spear and started stabbing.

  Khanna continued to spasm on the green carpet.

  I wasn't optimized fully yet, but I wasn't going to let these squiddy fuckers get the better of me. Going in and out of consciousness, I pulled one off my arm and crushed it to death. My fingers. Another I plucked off my leg and tore it in half. That left the guy around my neck. I couldn't breathe, but breathing is overrated anyway. The problem was, I felt my windpipe being crushed. But I was gonna crush it first. I managed to get my fingers up through the tentacle, and then it was just a quick bit of ripping, like a psycho third grader pulling the limbs off a daddy longlegs, I eviscerated the thing. But more were coming.

  Billie’s shotgun fired again and again until I heard the click. She was out of shells. We had to get out of there.

  Khanna managed to get to her feet, just as three squid flew toward her.

  At the last second, Billie threw herself in front of the tentacled fuckers and the first one hit her, and she went down.

  Khanna shrieked. “Bil-lie!” She was strong enough to pick up the unconscious cheerleader in her arms.

  The doorway was jam packed with the octopuses. There was no getting out of the stairwell.

  Opal gave me more bad news.

  Optimization failed. Please charge this unit to 100% for protection against electrical attacks. This unit suggests avoiding electrical attacks for continued biological functioning. Primary mission incomplete.

  At least Opal was honest with me. She didn’t want me zapped again because she hadn't completed her primary mission, whatever the fuck that was.

  “To the master bedroom!” I managed to gasp.

  I led the way, swinging my axe left and right, splattering electric squid across the apartment. There was no getting all of that blood, ink and brains out of the shag. Once inside I slammed the door closed. I knew how smart octopuses were on Earth, so I knew they could work the door handle. I slammed the big dresser against the door and then piled more stuff on top of that.

  The door banged open, but the dresser held for now.

  Khanna carried Billie and put her on the bed. Khanna had survived the initial attack, but then, she was tougher than most in all kinds of ways.

  The professor looked sick with worry. “What now, Sid?”

  Going to the window, I looked down.

  “Hey, Opal, what is the percentage chance of me surviving the fall down to the ocean?”

  Surface tension of water from this height is lethal for Terran primates. HOSTNAME: Sid Marshall has a 75% chance of injury to skeletal structure. 98% chance of survival.

  Great, I'd survive, But I couldn't say the same thing about the professor and Billie. “Hey, Opal, what are the chances that Khanna would survive?”

  Enhanced biological functions detected in Arkadian primate. Reinforced skeletal structure detected. Optimizations detected. HOST COMPANION: Khanna the huntress would have similar percentage chances of survival as HOSTNAME: Sid Marshall.

  I hadn’t expected that answer. Opal must have been doing some additional scanning, but this was the wrong time for me to discover all that. It did explain the freckles, though. I wondered if all the women in the Fabrikata Enclave had been optimized.

  Electric slammed against the door, throwing sparks.

  The professor started hurling blankets, pillows, and bedding out of the window.

  I wanted to point out that the mattress on the water wouldn't do shit if I hit the ocean at terminal velocity. I'd let the professor go crazy. I had a question for Opal.

  “Opal, I need a rope. Is there anything in this fucking apartment that’s like rope?”

  Extension cord detected behind the bed.

  Underneath the shag carpet was a bright orange extension cord. It only took a second for me to tie it around the massive bed.

  I then hurled myself out of the window. The cord tightened, and I went smashing through the window of the apartment underneath us. It was another bedroom, only this one had more of a Hawaiian tiki bar feeling to it.

  I bashed the rest of the glass out of the window, and then I grabbed the mattress and put it on the windowpane to act as a landing pad for the girls.

  I climbed back up the rope, my muscles glowing.

  Holding onto the cord, I reached out a hand to Holly. “Come on Holly, time to leave.”

  She immediately threw herself into my arms, and I lowered her down onto the mattress, sticking out of the window.

  “Khanna! You’re next! Hurry!”

  “Khanna not leave Bil-lie! Blonde slut save Khanna!”

  I motioned to her. “Come on. Billie doesn’t want to see you die. I’ll grab her. Don’t worry.”

  The huntress gave Billie one last helpless look. And then I lowered her onto the mattress underneath me.

  I’d just grabbed Billie when the door burst open, knocking over the dresser. The electric squids were about to swarm us.

  Holding Billie in one arm, I swung into the apartment below.

  Weirdly enough, the professor again started throwing out more bedding out the window. The ocean around our rowboat looked like a Bed, Bath, and Beyond had thrown up on it.

  I kept Billie in my arms as we made our way through the Hawaiian apartment and back out into the hallway.

  Opal confirmed that the colony of electrical squid was still up in the penthouse. That allowed us to race down the stairwell, but those squids weren't stupid. Or maybe they were. They followed us into the Hawaiian apartment, but I had closed and barricaded every door.

  By the time the squid made it into the Ameritronics offices, we were rowing our way back to our shore. The professor had collected up as much of the bedding as she could from the water around us.

  As I rowed away from the squid hive, Holly, who was sitting on top of the table we’d tied to the boat, gave me a weak smile. “At least now our new bedding is relatively clean, thanks to the oceanwater.”

  “Sorry, Professor, it’s not new. It comes from the 1970s.”

  “New to us,” she argued.

  Khanna hung off the side. With one hand she gripped our rope. With the other, she held onto Billie. I’d never seen the Huntress looked so worried.

  I couldn’t blame her. Suddenly, my adventures in K’Shaul didn’t seem so fun.

  I had to remember. K’Shaul was not a safe place.

  When Billie’s eyes flickered opened, Khanna let out a shocked sob. And then? The huntress cried like a baby over the cheerleader. What?

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