The heartbeat blips on his HUD were moving too. Three of them again, which made no sense. Unless the heartbeats were never prisoners…
“Tadhg, check our right flank,” Akira said in a voice shy of a shout. He bolted toward the sergeant who rose from behind a tree, gripping his saw-toothed energy sword. The chains clicked on, rumbling.
Yellow eyes flickered throughout the forest.
“Let’s go, you metal motherfuckers!” Tadhg roared.
Akira slotted his rifle and pulled out his katanas. He followed the glowing yellowed eyes flickering through the smoke.
The Dreads had been here all along.
They moved fast and low, darting through the smoke. Akira tried to track their movement, but there were too many.
The first of the three charged Tadhg. He swung upward with his blade, cutting deep into the armor and sending the monster tumbling away in the dirt.
Akira watched in shock as it got right back up.
One of the eyes exploded from a .50 cal round fired from Frost’s rifle, and the creature finally went down and stayed there.
Another Dread exploded through a charred tree, splinters of wood bursting outward. Tadhg lifted his sword above his head and brought it down on the behemoth with a crunch.
Akira watched the other heartbeat moving through the smoke.
“Frost, you got eyes?” he asked.
“Negative.”
“Go find Perez,” he said.
“I’m okay,” Perez grunted over the comms. “And you’re not going to—”
Plasma bolts singed the air around Akira. He dove for cover, but didn’t even have time to get up before a third beast bolted out of the smoke and slammed into him.
Tadhg grabbed the Dread and pulled on an arm, ripping the prosthetic out of a socket. It roared in agony and scrambled back into the smoke.
“You good?” Tadhg asked.
Akira got up, staggering slightly, but nodding. “You keep saving my ass.”
“I’m sure you’ll repay me soon enough,” Tadhg said. “Like… now.”
A dozen new heartbeats winked on their HUDs, advancing through the cloud of smoke. It struck Akira then, the forest wasn’t just to block out the skyline with smoke, it was to disguise the army of Dreads and their advanced breathing masks hiding here.
Suppressed shots burst from Frost’s position, and two of the heartbeats went offline. Akira backed toward Tadhg, and they retreated toward her position.
Perez was already there, limping, covered in ash and pine needles.
“We hold this hill at all costs,” Akira said.
It was small, maybe fifty yards by twenty.
“Stay close, SS, together we are one,” he added.
The four Engines remained side by side, guarding the steep slope. Perez held his shield up with one hand, and his rifle in the other.
The first of the Dreads burst from the smoke, letting out a howl and charging up the dirt.
“Aim for the eyes!” Frost shouted.
Their plasma rifles purred, spewing hundreds of bolts that punched into the titanium armets. These creatures were incredibly strong, but a plasma bolt to the eye finished them almost instantly.
Bodies tumbled downward from the calculated shots, forming a skirt of dead at the bottom in the first minute of the attack. But the Dreads did not relent, and continued to flood out of the forest. The mechanical beasts leapt over the corpses and scrambled up the rocks.
Akira hit one in the cheek with a plasma bolt, blowing off part of the jaw. It kept coming, bone and flesh hanging off as it roared.
“Draw swords!” he yelled.
The four Engines pulled their energy blades and came together as the first wave of Dreads crested the hill. Perez used his shield to block incoming plasma bolts, but he couldn’t stop them all.
One hit Akira in the shoulder, knocking him back. He thrust his katanas into the barreled chest of a wide-shouldered beast. It shrieked and grabbed his arms, pulling itself through the swords until they were face to face. Yellow eyes stared through his mirrored visor, meeting his own.
The creature let out a cross between a belch and a grunt, blood exploding through gaps in its broken metal teeth.
Akira pulled his blades back, and the creature slumped to the dirt. Another took its place, bounding up on all fours and providing him a single second to swing his sword.
He got enough momentum to cut off the head, but the body slammed into him, knocking him onto his back.
His head hit the ground hard a second time and stars burst before his vision.
“Ay-oh! Ay-oh! Shadow Squad!”
It was the same tenor voice from earlier, but Akira knew this couldn’t be real.
Dazed, he pushed the corpse off and saw two new friendly beacons on his HUD.
“Hell yes,” Akira said. He grunted and rose to his feet to help the Fire Snakes storming into the flanks of the Dreads.
Leading the charge was Lieutenant Andy Jackson. The giant carried a sickle energy blade with an extendable hilt. The glow of the dual blades flashed in circles as he cut through the enemy.
Slotting his rifle, Akira switched to his swords. He lowered into a defensive stance where he surveyed the battlefield and noticed a sixth Engine without an IR tag. The soldier cut through Dreads with the powerful strokes of a cutlass energy blade.
Akira tripped over a corpse as he made his way to the side of the hill for a better look at the warrior encased in shiny black armor. The man was singing the hymn of the Nova Alliance.
“I don’t believe it,” Akira whispered. “It can’t be.”
“Akira the brave!”
The deep voice was just as Akira remembered it, but how could it be real?
The Engine that had yelled his nickname struck down another Dread, and then turned toward Akira, singing just like the day when Ghost had descended onto the hill in the Sea of Trees to save Akira.
“Rossi, is it really you?” Akira shouted.
The Engine in all black armor strode over while the Fire Snakes picked off the rest of the Dreads.
Shadow Squad gathered around the man they had watched die.
It was indeed Lieutenant Rossi, and now it seemed he was a ghost.
“Mate,” Tadhg said, reaching out with a blood-soaked hand. “Mate, how can this be?”
“I don’t understand,” Frost said.
“You’re alive?” Perez stuttered.
“I’ll explain everything soon, but first we need to get out of here,” Ghost said.
Akira suddenly recalled what Apeiron had said: “But first I have a surprise for you…”
Ghost was the surprise.
The AI had brought Lieutenant Rossi back from the dead.
— 19 —
For the past day, Chloe had sat in her hospital room thinking about her new body and parts, becoming increasingly depressed. She no longer felt like herself.
Every time she tried to think of something else, memories of her days in captivity would begin to surface before popping like bubbles. Her uncle had filled her in on more of what had happened. He had left an hour earlier, and once again, Chloe felt the cold void of being alone.
She tried to sleep when the door opened. A Medical Service Droid entered her hospital room with a smile displayed on the facial screen.
“There is something I would like to show you,” Apeiron said.
Chloe ignored the droid, staring at the ceiling. But her silence did not dissuade the AI.
Apeiron walked to her bedside and checked her vitals on the holo-screen.
“You should have let me die,” Chloe said.
“Child, you—”
“I’m not a child, and I didn’t ask for you to save me.”
The droid went to the window, which was closed off by heavy white drapes. “You are right, I am sorry. I thought the goal of all biological life was to survive, and I assumed you would want a second chance at l
ife.”
Chloe didn’t reply.
“Please, let me show you something,” Apeiron said. “Okay?”
“Fine.”
The droid pulled back the drapes with skeletal fingers, and sunlight streamed into the room. Chloe sat up in her bed.
“Natural light and vitamin D are beneficial factors toward your recovery,” Apeiron said.
Chloe noticed smoke on the horizon and slowly slipped back under the covers, trying to keep her memories at bay.
A knock came at the door. The droid opened it, and a pair of men in black suits and military hats entered. They removed their hats.
“Chloe Cotter?” asked the taller of the two, a slender man with thin lips under a thick black mustache that matched his high and tight hairline.
“Yes,” she said, sitting back up.
“My name is Colonel Sal Tanner,” he said. “This is Lieutenant Rick Nelson.”
Nelson was stocky and well-built, with a clean-shaven face and head. He nodded at Chloe politely but did not smile.
“We’re here to ask you some questions,” Colonel Tanner said. “About your work in the catacombs with Doctor Otto Cross.”
“She has been through a lot,” Apeiron said. “Some of her memories are still being suppressed.”
“We need them unsuppressed,” said Colonel Tanner.
“Do not fear these men,” Apeiron said in Chloe’s mind. “Answer their questions and you will be fine.”
Chloe swallowed hard. “I’m not a Coalition sympathizer, if that’s what you think. I did what was I asked to do in order to stay alive.”
The men stared at her like they didn’t believe a word.
“I’d say give us the room, but I know you’ll be able to access whatever she tells us,” Tanner said to the droid.
“That is correct,” Apeiron replied.
“Free her memories. That’s an order from Nova Alliance Intelligence Division.”
“Very well, but I will remain here to oversee her vitals, just in case she needs medical assistance.”
Chloe felt an itching and popping sensation in her brain that passed in a blink.
Tanner and Nelson approached her bedside.
“We need to know what you were working on with Doctor Otto Cross,” Tanner said. “Specifics, as detailed as you can get.”
Memories flashed through Chloe’s mind. The surgeries, the piles of dead, the screams of pain, and the Hell Hives full of flea-infested animals. She closed her eyes, trying to staunch the bleeding of painful images.
“I know it’s difficult, but what you remember could help us figure out what Doctor Cross has planned next,” Tanner said.
“It is okay, Chloe,” said Apeiron. This time it was the Hummer Droid speaking. “Your memories can help people, so they do not have to go through what you did.”
Chloe dipped her chin and drew in a long breath. “I… I was brought into the Hell Hives to help Doctor Cross with his experiments on his soldiers. He was creating a new type of enhanced warrior with robotic parts, but a human brain, like his animal creations.”
Tanner nodded like he already knew what she was talking about. “Did he say why? What their purpose was?”
“He said the transformation was necessary for the future world free of AI. I just assumed he was insane, but I guess…” Chloe remembered the tubed masks and artificial lungs, the project sites burning across the globe. “I believe he was modifying people so they could survive after the terraforming and reforestation projects were destroyed.”
“What else can you tell us about this work?” Tanner asked.
She explained the procedures and modifications in detail, though it seemed to her like the officers already knew much of what she told them.
But apparently not everything, or they wouldn’t be here, she realized.
By the time she finished talking, Chloe was shaking. “But the sites were saved, right?”
“I think that is enough for now,” said Apeiron. “Please, she needs to rest.”
The officers put their hats back on.
“We’ll be back later,” Tanner said. “If there’s anything else you remember in the meantime, tell Apeiron. She knows how to reach us.”
Chloe watched the men go.
“Would you like me to reconnect?” Apeiron asked.
“Yes,” Chloe said.
A warm sensation washed over her body, and her mind cooled. In seconds, she was relaxed and comfortable.
“Is there anything else I can do to make you feel better?” Apeiron asked.
“You could bring me Kichiro,” Chloe said jokingly. “I’d love to see him again.”
“Perhaps I can arrange a time for you to see him after your recovery.”
“Really?”
“I will see what I can do.”
Chloe smiled at the sound of another knock on the door. She pushed herself up, as a handsome man with wavy hair and oak-brown eyes stepped around the door.
“Cyrus,” Chloe said.
“Hey…” he smiled and stepped inside, his hands behind his back. “You up for some company?”
“She is very tired,” Apeiron said.
“No, I’m fine,” Chloe said. “Come in.”
Cyrus took two steps into the room and revealed what he was holding behind his back, a box with a red ribbon.
“You like chocolate, right?” he asked.
“Yes, I love it.”
Cyrus narrowed his eyes. “Dark?”
“My favorite.”
“I had a feeling.” He walked over and handed her the box.
“Thank you,” she said with a smile.
“I will leave you two alone,” Apeiron said. “But I will be back to check on you shortly.”
“Okay,” Chloe said.
Cyrus pulled up a chair. “How are you feeling?”
“Okay. It’s been different trying to get used to this.” She motioned to her augmented body. “Did you find your father?”
Letting out a sigh, Cyrus nodded, telling Chloe that he had, but was too late. His father had succumbed to his injuries from the escape before anyone could save him.
“I’m sorry,” she said.
“Me too.” He wiped at his eye with the back of his hand. “I’m just glad we’ll be able to bury him and say our goodbyes. At least, I don’t think he suffered long.”
“I always hoped the same for my parents.”
“Were they in that prison?”
Chloe shook her head. “The Coalition took them years ago and killed my dad. I don’t know what happened to my mother, but I always held out hope she might be alive.”
“I’m sorry.” Cyrus shook his head.
They were both quiet for a few moments, taking comfort in each other’s company.
“I don’t mean to pry,” Cyrus said, finally breaking the silence, “but I saw two NAI officers leaving when I got here.”
“They came to ask me some questions.”
Cyrus looked worried. “Did they say anything about what happens after you leave here?”
“What do you mean?”
He scratched his jaw. “I was a police officer before the Coalition took control of Megacity Paris. I’m just worried they might try and hold you accountable for whatever was happening down there.”
Her gut twisted. She had the same suspicion during the beginning of the interview. But part of her felt like she deserved to be punished. She had helped a madman who wanted to see the world burn—a man who had killed millions of innocent souls.
“I’m sure it’s nothing, everything will be fine,” Cyrus said. He gestured to the window. “The sun’s even out.”
“Does that mean the fighting is over?”
“Most of it. Refugees are slowly making their way to camps. I’ve been helping at one of them.” He looked down, solemnly. “Some of the people we’re getting in… it’s awful.”
Chloe could imagine. She had be
en one of them. Some of these survivors would never live a normal life again. She wasn’t sure she would be able to, either.
“But the future is bright,” Cyrus said. “You made it, I made it. We will rebuild Paris, and we’ll start over.”
He reached for the box and untied the ribbon. “And you have chocolate.”
She reached inside and took a piece, handing it to Cyrus.
“You first,” he said.
Plopping one into her mouth, she savored the richness. She hadn’t eaten chocolate in years. The simple yet luxurious treat instantly made her feel better, but also guilty for enjoying it.
They spoke for a few more minutes, until he looked at his watch. “I’m sorry to be rude, but I need to get back to the camp. I’ll come back soon if you’d like.”
“I’d like that very much. Thank you for visiting me, and for the gift.”
Cyrus smiled and got up. “Get some rest.”
Chloe felt her face warm as he left. She turned toward the window to bask in the bright sun. She couldn’t deny the joy she felt after Cyrus left. And she felt herself already looking forward to seeing him again.
Maybe there was something to live for.
The droid returned a few minutes later, and Chloe turned in her bed with a smile.
“Apeiron, I’m sorry about what I said earlier,” she said. “I am glad you saved me.”
***
Ghost led the way through the urban war zone in his black armor plates.
Akira still didn’t know how Apeiron had brought him back. Even with his brain preserved in the cryo-chamber, his body had been destroyed beyond repair. None of that mattered right now, though. What mattered was getting back to the frontlines before the Coalition surprised the Nova Alliance troops, including his brother Kai’s division.
He knew his brother was a skilled warrior, but he wasn’t an Engine, and none of the Pistons were trained to face the Dreads.
Akira shook away his worries to focus on saving his brother and the thousands of soldiers with the other divisions.
It was three in the morning, and the Engines had to cross ten miles of enemy territory to get to them. Akira glanced over his shoulder for hostiles. He was on rear guard, and they were still being hunted.
He ran hard, his muscles burning and fatigued. His augmented body could only take so much, and for the past day they had fought almost non-stop.
E-Day Page 26
