“The Lunar Defense Corps built a top-secret colony out there,” Keanu said. “Just in case…”
“Just in case the cannons don’t fire,” Chloe said.
“Yes.”
Chloe put a hand over her mouth, unable to hold back the shock. She stepped up next to her uncle for a view of Earth and zoomed in with her INVS eyes on one of the Poseidon cannons, still in orbit, angled out toward Hros-1.
Cyrus was still on Earth, and if those cannons didn’t fire, she knew she would never see him again.
“I’m afraid we’re about to see the end of the world,” Keanu said.
***
An hour earlier, Jason had watched two stealth MOTHs blast away from Nova One Station toward Earth. One carried an important message.
Dr. Cross has taken over the Canebrakes in an attack on Nova One Station.
We have throttled that attack but need assistance to hold the station.
Jason watched from the command center as Earth shuttles emerged from the darkness. There was nothing he could do to help. Their communications were being jammed by the machines, keeping Jason from contacting Kepler Station on the Moon, or anywhere else, over the long-range comms.
Nova One Station was completely cut-off. His only hope was that the first MOTH could get the message through to survivors on the ground, requesting more help to assist the one hundred ten King Cobra pilots currently protecting the station.
The second MOTH had been deployed to Life Ark 12 to order the launch of the Liberty shuttle, with his family, to Kepler Station. The journey was dangerous, but Jason figured it was more dangerous to leave them on Earth.
“Here comes another shuttle,” Darnel said.
The riskiest part of the exodus to the Moon was blasting off the ground and making a run for Earth’s orbit. This shuttle had already completed that leg of the journey.
“We have three hostiles in pursuit of Falcon 4,” said the lead flight-control officer.
Jason knew this one didn’t stand a chance. The civilian shuttles were sitting ducks once they were spotted. A few minutes later, he saw a tiny blast in the black of space as Praying Mantis fighters destroyed it.
The room went silent for a moment, but the crew quickly returned to work.
Only one hour and twenty-one minutes remained until impact, and just a few minutes before the Poseidon cannons could lock onto Hros-1. Millions were already dead, but if Jason could hold this station, he could still save billions.
He took his helmet off to wipe his matted hair away from his forehead. The scent of burned flesh and death entered his nostrils. They had moved the corpses out, but there hadn’t been time to clean, and the decks were still covered in gore.
Jason had used the past few hours to prepare for whatever Dr. Cross still had planned. Now that his OS was controlling the Canebrakes, it was just a matter of time before they attempted to retake the station.
“We just have to hold on a bit longer,” Jason said.
There were several nods from the surviving crew in the command center, but none seemed confident. Despite his own statements, Jason wasn’t sure he believed they could still win.
He found Apeiron at the top tier of the command center, standing in front of two stations, her fingers inserted into one of the interface ports.
“Can we do this?” he whispered.
The black Hummer Droid looked down at him with the face of Petra. She smiled, a kind, sincere, dimpled grin. “Earth will survive, and so will humanity.”
It was all the reassurance he needed. In his heart he knew the OS would do everything she could to save them.
“All charges are ready to go,” Darnel said. “The barricades are secure.”
The fifty-one remaining Pistons stood behind metal blockades in the passages outside of the six hangars. Inside the bays, charges were set to blow if any enemy spacecraft attempted to land. The one hundred ten King Cobra Spaceplanes patrolled the station outside. Everything was set.
“Locking on to Hros-1 in five minutes,” Apeiron said.
“Doctor,” Darnel said.”We have a squad of ten Praying Mantis fighters inbound.”
“Can you open a line to our pilots?” Jason asked.
“Standby,” Apeiron said. A moment later she confirmed a secure connection on the short-range comms.
“This is Doctor Jason Crichton,” Jason began, “broadcasting to the squadrons protecting Nova One. Over the next hour, we will face the greatest challenge of our lives, but we will meet it with strength and bravery, because if we don’t, our families on Earth will perish.” He paused to consider his next words. “If this station falls, the enemy will have control of the cannons, and I do not believe it is their intent to destroy Hros-1. If we fail, we lose everything.”
“Twenty more Praying Mantis headed our way,” Darnel said.
Jason’s heart skipped. The enemy fighters flew in a V formation, a squadron of insects with glowing blue eyes and mandibles prepared to unleash a wave of plasma.
“Locking on to Hros-1 in one minute,” Apeiron said.
Jason stared at the King Cobra Spaceplanes through the window. “Remember our families. We fight for them, we fight for Earth. Hold the line here, and we can save our planet.”
A wave of plasma bolts lanced away from the King Cobras, followed by a barrage of missiles. The lead enemy craft didn’t break formation. Unlike human pilots, the Canebrakes in the cockpits didn’t fear death.
They had orders: Take the Nova One command center. Disable control of the Poseidon cannons. Allow Hros-1 to hit.
Jason looked back to the holo-screen. It went from red to blue as the cannons locked on.
“Successful lock,” Apeiron confirmed.
Missiles pounded into the enemy fighters, destroying them in brilliant blasts. Another group approached, unleashing its own wave of bolts and missiles.
Jason could hear the pilots’ chatter over the channel in his earpiece. Some remained calm, while others shouted in panicked voices. One of those voices cut out as a plasma bolt hit a cockpit in a flash of fire. Two more burst on the outer edge of the formation, and then three more.
Soon the entire view above Earth turned into a lightshow of lasers and missiles. The comms channel became an indecipherable mess of transmissions.
The human pilots fought bravely against the more advanced Praying Mantis fighters and their emotionless droid pilots, but it quickly became apparent the King Cobra fighters were inferior to the faster and more agile Praying Mantis. And yet, the King Cobra pilots held their own, the men and women in the cockpits doing whatever they could to survive.
An alarm chirped from the station behind Jason, this one an internal warning. He spun to Darnel.
“What’s happening?” Jason asked. “Did one already get through?”
“I don’t think so,” Darnel said. “This is coming from Hangar 4.”
“Bring up the feed.”
Darnel tapped the glass monitor, which displayed a view of the hangar. On the deck, two Hummer Droids were beating a downed Piston, crushing his armor with their titanium fists. A few feet away, another Piston lay still, his helmet smashed like a melon.
“This can’t be happening,” Jason said. He knew right away what was going on, but he didn’t want to believe it was possible.
Apeiron confirmed his fears.
“Those fighters were not sent up just to destroy the station,” she said. “They were deployed to send another signal to the Hummer Droids.”
Darnel scrolled through the feeds. In the passages, machines slammed into the Piston guards, taking them by surprise. Energy swords flashed as the soldiers fought back.
Jason slowly turned to look at Apeiron.
“Do not worry,” she said. “I am unaffected by this new signal, but Jason, I am afraid…”
“The Hummer Droids on the surface are turning on us,” he stammered. He felt a stab of anxiety in his heart. “The Life Arks…”
>
“Do not worry, your family is already in the air,” Apeiron said. “I have picked up the beacon for the Liberty.”
Jason alternated his gaze from the battle outside to the battle on the holo-screens, watching the beacon Apeiron had brought online.
“The Pistons are pushing the Hummer Droids back,” Darnel announced. “We’re winning this fight.”
“Our pilots are, too,” Apeiron said.
Jason went back to the window to see about half of the King Cobra fighters still blasting through the darkness, hunting the remaining Praying Mantis.
Four of the enemy fighters pulled away and made a run for the station, only to meet a barrage of missiles from a King Cobra that swerved in front of the viewports, forcing Jason back a step.
For the next ten minutes, the battle subsided, and the surviving fifty-two King Cobra Spaceplanes returned to their CAPs.
Jason remained at the wide window, searching for the Liberty. A few minutes later, the corvette flew close enough that he could see the King Cobra Spaceplanes escorting the ship.
Raising a hand, Jason whispered, “I love you.”
“They will be fine now,” Apeiron said.
The ship blasted toward Kepler Station, where hundreds of thousands of refugees were seeking shelter.
“You’re still in control,” he whispered. “You can still do this.” For the next few minutes, he watched for any sign of what Doctor Cross might try next. All was quiet. “The tempest before the storm.”
Darnel looked up.
“That storm is indeed coming, Doctor. We have one hundred Praying Mantis fighters incoming,” he said gravely.
Exactly one hour remained to impact. That wasn’t a coincidence. This was the final attack, and there was no way to stop that many fighters. Jason stared in horror, trying desperately to think of a way to survive this.
“You must abandon the station,” Apeiron said.
“What? No, I won’t leave until Hros-1 is destroyed,” Jason said.
The droid walked over, and the face of his sister soured. “It will not hit Earth, Jason.”
Jason stared at Apeiron. “What do you mean?”
“It was never going to hit Earth,” Apeiron said. “I am sorry, Jason. Hros-1 is real, but it is not on a collision course with Baku, and it never was.”
“What are you talking about?”
“It was my last attempt to bring humanity together. I believed that a shared threat would rally the human species, and when it was destroyed, everyone would believe in AI, like you do.”
“My God…”
“Hros-1 will pass by Earth at a safe distance of over two thousand miles,” she said. “I planned on destroying Hros-1 and making it look like we eliminated the threat.”
“How the hell did no one know?”
“I manipulated the data over the past six months. Anyone who noticed was silenced. INN is everything, and I control all data and observations.”
“Sir, those fighters are closing in,” Darnel said.
“I have tried everything in my power to save humanity and the planet,” Apeiron said. “I thought by designing complex algorithms and relying on my human experiences I could provide salvation to everyone, but Captain Akira was indeed right about peace being a myth.”
Jason looked at the droid, no longer seeing his sister. She would never have kept this from him. He wanted to curse Apeiron, but that wouldn’t do any good. He had to try and fix the AI’s devastating error.
If the machines took over the cannons, there was no telling what their orders would be from Dr. Cross. The OS he had created was capable of anything.
“Doctor, what are your orders?” Darnel said.
Apeiron spoke louder, over the other staff.
“Peace is not possible when so much evil exists,” she said. “The Coalition will stop at nothing until I am destroyed, even if it means destroying humanity in the process.”
The statement hit Jason hard.
Apeiron couldn’t be right, could she?
“Doctor, we’re running out of time,” Darnel said.
Jason looked from his best friend to the droid. He needed a few seconds to think. What he did next could alter the future of the human race.
He stared at Apeiron, wondering if he could even trust her after her lie about Hros-1. But he also knew what the cannons could do if they fell into enemy hands.
Did he destroy them, believing that she was truly on humanity’s side? Or was she keeping something else from him? Something more dangerous?
“Jason!” Darnel shouted. “What are your orders!”
Jason turned to the viewports, seeing the enemy fighters closing in.
He was out of time.
Weighing his difficult and limited options, Jason decided he had to trust Apeiron.
“Pull the security crews back, and create an escort for the shuttle,” he said. “Send the rest of the King Cobra Spaceplanes out to destroy the cannons. We’re staying here until it’s done.”
Most of the crew hurried off, but Darnel remained behind. “You stay, I stay.”
“You’re a good friend, Darnel, but I need you to take care of my family,” Jason said. “Get on a MOTH and meet them at Kepler Station.”
Darnel shook his head. “I’m staying with you until the end. Your family will be fine now.”
Most of the Praying Mantis formation peeled off to chase the King Cobra Spaceplanes, but a small squadron continued toward Nova One Station. Jason knew this was his last chance to escape, but he couldn’t run. He had to ensure that the cannons didn’t fall into enemy hands.
A squadron of enemy fighters circled the station, releasing Canebrakes from hatches that blasted over to the spaceports.
“Blowing the other hangars,” Darnel said.
Thumps and thuds pounded the walls, rattling the command room violently. Darnel fell to the ground. Jason reached out against the glass to brace himself.
An object came spiraling toward him and slammed into the window, forcing Jason back. He fell and locked eyes with the fiery gaze of a Canebrake. It used all eight limbs to climb the outside hull and windows like a spider, the claws and blades clicking and clacking.
“Get him to the shuttle,” Apeiron said.
Jason turned just as the Hummer Droid stabbed him in the arm with a needle, which then retracted. His vision faded as the drug took instant effect.
“No,” Jason stammered.
“I will save Earth,” Apeiron said. “You need to be with your family.”
“No, please…” Jason said, his voice shaking. “I will stay with you. I have to end this.”
“This is why you created me, Jason.”
His legs buckled, and he slumped to the ground. Darnel picked him up and slung him over his shoulder.
Jason tried to focus on Apeiron as he was carried out of the command center. She stood in the open hatch and raised a hand.
It was the second time Jason had said goodbye to his sister, but this time it didn’t feel the same. His sister was gone.
This time, forever.
— 33 —
Akira gripped the remains of Blue Jay in his robotic hand at the top of a ten-story building where a Canebrake had shot it down. He cursed their luck and docked the burned remains of the droid, hoping it could be salvaged later.
Screams and shouts echoed through the city as the Engines spread out on the roof. The view was a sight Akira had never imagined—war inside the golden gates of Megacity Tokyo. To think that this could be happening across the globe sent a chill through Akira’s spine.
In the glow of the raging fires, thousands of civilians ran for their lives from the same droids that had built this city and served its people. Any hope of saving the city had ended the moment the formerly docile service units had turned on them.
Akira searched the dark sky for Hros-1. He wasn’t sure whether the asteroid or the machines was the bigger threat, but all
he could do was hope AAS and the Nova Alliance Sky and Space Patrol still had control. If they didn’t, then everything that happened on the ground in the next hour was meaningless.
“Stay on me, and stay tight,” Akira said.
“Wait, what about using our packs?” Tadhg asked.
“Too risky, and Allen doesn’t have one.”
“I’ll carry him,” Ghost said.
“No,” Akira said. “We can’t risk it.”
“Okay, I’ll be right by your side,” Ghost said.
Tadhg held out a hand to Ghost. “Time to get God Level, baby.”
“So you’re sorry for being an asshole?”
It took him a moment, but Tadhg nodded.
Ghost took his hand. “Me too.”
“You guys going to hug now, too?” Frost asked. “Maybe sing a song?”
“No more fucking around. Get your damn heads on straight. We’re Engines,” Akira said. “Understood?”
They all stiffened and nodded in turn.
“Death from the Shadows,” Akira said.
He leapt off the roof, falling ten stories before turning on his pack. The thrusters kept him from slamming into the street, and he lowered slowly to the ground, his shocks absorbing the rest of the impact. Tadhg grabbed Allen and carried him down to the street, landing next to Akira.
At the end of the next street, a group of people ran out of a subway entrance. Four ribbed Canebrake arms shot through the crowd, their heated blades tearing into civilians. There were too many people for Akira to get a clean shot at the massive machine ripping through the group.
“Frost,” he said over the short-range comms.
“I got it,” she said.
A suppressed shot cracked, and the Canebrake went down in a tangled mass of limbs. People fanned out in all directions. Some ran toward Akira, screaming for help, but all he could do was tell them to get underground and find a place to hide.
Twenty minutes later, with forty-one minutes to spare until Hros-1 impacted, Akira arrived at the base. He zoomed in on the tarmac where they had landed with Ghost’s remains months earlier. APCs and trucks burned outside of four aboveground hangars situated on the western side of the base. Armored lumps lay sprawled outside of the buildings. Only a few of the fallen were still alive.
E-Day Page 43
