He should have left the military to raise his son.
And he should have told Takeshi the truth when he had the chance over the past few months. Something Kai had been supportive of, if Akira wanted that.
Now his boy was dead, without ever knowing the truth.
Their past was lost too, with the disappearance of the Warrior Codex that Akira had left with Takeshi.
The augmented heart in his chest clapped heavily, threatening to shatter. Beneath the armor bulwarking his body, he continued to heal rapidly from the trauma inflicted during the recent fighting, but there was nothing he could do for his broken heart.
Lise, Ronin, and Elan made it, and you still have your other family here on Earth…
Tadhg, Frost, and Ghost, stood next to him, all injured but also healing quickly. Their companion droids were there too, Okami on his hind legs under Kichiro standing tall. The droids were unaffected by whatever Apeiron had done to turn the Canebrakes and Hummer Droids on humanity.
Akira had a feeling it was due to their unique operating systems, but he wasn’t sure. All he knew was the animal droids remained loyal to him and Shadow Squad.
“I’m sorry for your loss.” The strong, melancholic voice belonged to War Commander Contos. He lumbered over, still dressed in his battle armor, stained red with the blood of his soldiers and the civilians he had tried to save.
It was Contos who had pulled Kai out of Gold Base, still alive, barely, after holding back a Canebrake. He had died not long after Lisa, Ronin, and Elan had escaped on a corvette.
Akira took some solace in that. He bent down, putting his hand on the dirt. A constant vibration shook the ground as the Poseidon Orbital Cannons continued to eradicate megacities across the globe. It was only a matter of time before they turned on Megacity Tokyo.
But it appeared Apeiron was saving the Capitol for last.
Praying Mantis fighter jets soared overhead, launching another salvo of missiles into the Three Swords towers. The glass and gold skyscrapers folded in the middle, collapsing in a blast that sent a wave of dust and debris cascading across the city.
“It’s over,” Frost said quietly.
Akira closed his eyes, recalling a line from the codex. When you doubt yourself, you have accepted defeat. “We’re still alive. Until I take my last breath, it’s not over.”
Contos nodded. “There’s something you should know.”
Akira stiffened.
“Your younger nephew Ronin saved my life, and your son fought bravely, without armor, against the machines,” Contos said. “He died giving his life to save others like a noble warrior.”
The War Commander looked at Akira as if trying to take some of his pain and shoulder it himself. That was the type of man Contos had always been.
“Take a few more minutes, but then head to the tower,” he said. “I want to say some final words to the soldiers.”
“Yes, sir.”
A flood of memories came crashing down over Akira, now that his emotions were no longer controlled by Apeiron. Akira saw Yui laughing and dipping Takeshi into the Bay of Tokyo for his first journey to the water. The boy had giggled with each splash. It was one of his best memories, a day that he would never forget.
More memories drifted through his thoughts. He recalled the trip to Edo Castle when Akira had explained to Takeshi what his name meant. Of course the boy had been too young to understand it meant warrior, and while Yui had approved of this name at birth, her opinions of his heritage and fate changed as the boy grew older.
“I don’t want him to be like you,” Yui had said. “I want him to live a life free of war.”
Akira had agreed.
But in the end, despite his best efforts, war had robbed them all of life. He had lost his wife, his brother, and his son. Even though he had given everything in him to stop the endless cycle of conflict, just like he had once said to Apeiron.
Peace is a myth.
Another tear streaked down his face. He turned to his squad mates. The Engines had their own families out there, and he knew they must be thinking about them too. Parents, siblings, cousins, and friends, across the globe, all dying.
Bending down one last time, Akira bid his son and brother goodbye. Then he climbed onto Kichiro and started through the gardens, embers drifting on the wind.
Two Juggernauts guarded a bridge ahead, their Piston pilots watching the skies.
“Time to fall back,” Akira said.
The sound of metal joints and feet followed the Engines as the Juggernauts retreated into the six-story section of the restored castle, surrounded on all sides by water. In the pinnacle of the tower, a single Piston stood watch. Positioned behind the stone walls surrounding the central tower were the rest of the forces. Along the parapets, stood twelve Engines and one hundred and two Pistons. Only a total of one hundred and fifty soldiers had escaped Gold Base and made it here. Many sat or rested against the stone walls, exhausted and injured.
Engine Lieutenant Andy Jackson from the Fire Snakes was here with the two survivors of his squad, as well as Bella and Toretto from the Stone Mountain Battalion of the 10th Expeditionary Assault Force.
Akira imagined the forty-seven ronin with their swords and bows in sweaty hands, chests heaving, blood coursing from their wounds as they waited for the enemy to track them down and kill them.
The War Commander emerged in an open window over the walkways. “Engines and Pistons of the Nova Alliance,” he said in a booming, grave voice. “Think of your families and your loved ones in these final moments, think of them as you draw your swords and prepare for the end.”
The shrieks and rattling of Canebrakes filled the respite between explosions. The machines were getting closer by the minute.
Contos swept the faces of his soldiers with the sad gaze of a seasoned commander who cared deeply for each and every one. But today there was also a look of shock that even the War Commander couldn’t hide.
Humanity on Earth was on the brink of extinction. All within twenty-four hours. Destroyed by what they had believed would save them.
Artificial intelligence.
Salvation was a lie.
In the end, the Coalition had been right. AI was doom.
“History may not ever know what happened upon these walls, or the valiant fight you all gave to prevent the fall of humanity,” Contos continued, “but true warriors do not care about being remembered. They care about protecting the innocents. Our actions over the past day have saved the few so that our species can survive on the Moon.”
Akira studied the man, his Lord Asano, a leader who Akira was proud to die serving.
“We may not win this battle, but the war is far from over,” Contos said. “By fighting, we are giving humanity a chance to escape to the Moon, until the day our forces are strong enough to return to Earth and take back our home from the machines.”
Akira felt a trickle of hope at the words. Not that he would survive this fight, but that his efforts had given humanity a chance. And that Lise, Ronin, and Elan would survive.
A streak of red on the horizon faded away as a Poseidon cannon fizzled off.
Another city wiped off the face of the Earth.
Soon it would rotate to another target, obliterating millions of souls in seconds.
The soldiers and their commander would likely be dead before they were incinerated in the heat wave. They had missed their chance to escape to the Moon with the rest of the command staff and officers, but Akira had a feeling War Commander Contos had never planned on fleeing with General Thacker. He was prepared to die here, on Earth, and Akira was ready too.
Contos nodded proudly, the strength in his gaze returning.
“It has been the greatest honor of my life serving with you,” he said. Balling his robotic fists, he pounded the Silver Crane logo over two saw-toothed swords on his chest.
The rest of the soldiers did the same, the noise becoming a drumbeat.
“I’m ready for Valhalla,” Tadhg said. He held up his long sword. “And I’m ready to take some of these dickless machines with me!”
“Ay-ooooooooooh!” Ghost sang.
More cheers and shouts rang out, Okami barked and howled. Kichiro lowered his head and let out an ear-splitting whinny.
“Take a few final moments and prepare your heart and mine,” Contos said. “Then take up your positions.”
He pounded the Silver Crane logo on his chest and nodded before slipping back into the castle to make his own preparations.
The soldiers dispersed to their positions.
Ghost held out a lit cigar. “For Perez,” he said, taking a puff and passing it to Frost.
“He was the best of us,” she said.
“Definitely the smartest,” Tadhg said.
Okami let out a whine.
“Want some, little ankle biter?” Tadhg asked. He handed it down to the droid wolfdog, then over to Akira.
“Incoming!” The soldier posted in the pinnacle of the central tower ducked down as the entire top of the tile roof disappeared in an explosion.
Akira tossed the cigar and pulled on his kabuto and oni mask as a Praying Mantis fighter roared over the castle. The Engines hunched down along the parapet walk to avoid a wave of plasma bolts overhead. Pistons ran for cover as an explosion from a rocket shook the walls.
One man continued running despite blood gushing from stumps where his arms had been blown off in the blast.
Missiles slammed into the stone, the impacts shaking the entire fortress.
Akira used his tactical display to tap into the drones they had monitoring the gardens. What he saw took his breath away.
Hundreds of Canebrakes and Hummer Droids moved through the forests.
The hope from earlier vanished.
This wasn’t going to be a battle, it would be a slaughter.
Akira silently walked over to Kichiro and climbed into the saddle. No one seemed to notice until he was already riding the stallion down the stairs.
Okami growled, but Akira whistled for the wolfdog to stay.
“Captain!” Frost called out.
“Bosu, what the fuck are you doing?” Tadhg exclaimed.
“Don’t be stupido!” Ghost shouted. “You’re throwing away your life!”
“He’s not,” Contos said. “Akira the Brave is giving us a chance.”
That’s exactly what Akira was going to try and do, by drawing the machines out into the open.
He leaned down to his horse. “It’s just you and me, boy. Time to end this the way we started it.”
A whistle got the stallion moving, starting as a trot and then a run, before finally galloping at top-speed.
There was a moment of calm, only the sultry wind and embers blowing over their armor. But that quiet vanished when they entered the gardens.
The distinct rattling of the war machines came from all directions. Akira guided the stallion up onto a hill of dense trees to overlook the forest where the Canebrakes advanced. Two hundred black eyes burned in the smoke.
A piercing shriek from a single machine called out. Kichiro hoofed the dirt and backed up.
They had been spotted.
Plasma bolts burned the air, one hitting Akira’s right shoulder plate with enough force to knock him back in the saddle. He righted himself and kept low, gripping Kichiro around the neck as he galloped back toward the fortress.
“Get the artillery and Jugs ready,” Akira said over the short-range comms. “We’re only going to get one shot at this.”
The rattle of Canebrakes rang out through the gardens, and plasma bolts lanced through the air, searing deep into trees and burning into bushes.
Akira rode past the graves of his brother and son, reliving the loss again in his raw heart. But seeing them also gave him courage.
Kichiro burst out of the forest and across the field toward the castle, metal hooves clapping through water. Akira glanced over his shoulder. The Canebrakes had taken the bait and were flooding out of the garden in pursuit.
Akira was halfway to the fortress when Contos gave the order.
Thousands of bolts and shells flew overhead. Explosions burst behind Akira and Kichiro, violently shaking the ground. Akira looked over his shoulder at a beautiful sight—pieces of machines bursting into the air.
He turned back to the castle.
The men and women on the parapets shouted over the noise.
“Akira the Brave!” they shouted. “Akira the Brave!”
Electronic shrieks called back as if in answer, the noise so loud it brought some of the Pistons to their knees above. Akira looked over his shoulder again.
Over half of the original Canebrakes burst out of the smoke of the artillery, their shoulder-mounted plasma guns spitting bolts out of the smoke cloud.
Akira rode up the stairs and hopped off, whistling for Kichiro to take cover with Okami.
“Stay with me, Shadow Squad! Together, we are one!” Akira yelled. He moved down the parapet next to his Engines. “Hold the walls!”
Okami ran over, ignoring the order.
“Get out of here, go!” Akira shouted.
The droid finally retreated into the interior of the fortress with Kichiro.
Akira sighted up a Canebrake skittering toward the walls and fired a burst into the fanned head, dropping it to the dirt. It got right back up, shoulder cannons firing at Akira.
Flashes of blue streaked past his flanks, slamming into Pistons that crumpled on the parapet walk. Another squad vanished in an explosion on the pinnacle above.
Tadhg continued firing over the wall, unwavering. “Suck my dick, you metal whores!”
“Ay-oh!” Ghost yelled. “Three down!”
Akira stood, fired, ducked, and repeated the process as he moved with the rest of the team. On his left, a segmented arm shot over the stone railing, the attached blade glowing red hot and sinking deep into the armor of a Piston. It yanked the man over the side.
“Draw swords!” Akira shouted. He pulled his from their sheaths, the blades glowing in his hands.
In a downward stroke, he cut through the curved skull of the first Canebrake head that popped up. The body clung to the wall as the head plummeted to the dirt. Another machine skittered up the side, flinging heated blades at Akira.
He rolled away, close to Tadhg.
“Move!” Tadhg shouted. He activated the saw-toothed section in the blade of his long sword, the noise chattering as the Canebrake leapt over the railing. He brought the rumbling sword down into the carapace of the machine. Letting out a shriek, it stabbed him with two hooked blades.
Akira hacked off both of the segmented arms, leaving the blades in Tadhg’s armor who continued cutting through the Canebrake until it slivered in two pieces.
A plasma bolt hit Akira in the back, spinning him against the railing. He jabbed a sword into the chest of another Canebrake perched on the ledge. The war droid fell away, taking another Piston with a quick swipe of an arm.
Akira sucked in a deep breath and analyzed the positions of the remaining fighters on his HUD. Two Engines were already gone, and twenty-two Pistons had taken their last breaths. The Juggernauts were on the wall to the east, firing on another wave of Canebrakes rushing the castle. War Commander Contos was with them, swinging his energy sword through Canebrakes that had crested the parapets.
The parapet shook from a machine that vaulted onto the stone behind Akira. It ran on all four legs, firing all four telescoping arms at him.
He deflected the blows, ducked, and hacked off an arm, but one of the blades slashed through his shoulder plate. Warnings echoed in his helmet from the damage to his power-armor.
A shot of adrenaline emptied into his bloodstream. His heart raced and his vision flooded with red. The armor was doing ever
ything it could to save him, but it was just a matter of time before his second skin failed.
The Canebrake stepped back, the three remaining arms preparing to strike at Akira. He brought up his swords, cutting through one, but the other two wrapped around his neck and legs, pulling him in opposite directions.
He squirmed in the machine’s grip, his nerve endings screaming in agony as his joints popped.
“Bosu!” Tadhg yelled.
Akira gritted his teeth. He watched a blurred shape running toward him. It suddenly rose up on two legs and kicked the Canebrake. The arms released Akira, and he landed with a thud, his entire body on fire from the pain.
Kichiro bolted over, slamming into a pair of Canebrakes that had mounted the wall.
Akira got up, grabbed the reins, and swung into the saddle, trying to focus his vision.
Tadhg brought his sword down sideways on a Canebrake, kicked it away, and moved to the next. Ghost and Frost fought back-to-back, picking off machines that had made it over the walls.
“Follow me, Shadow Squad!” Akira shouted.
The War Commander’s golden armor came into focus as they rounded a wall. He fought next to two Royal Pistons firing at a pack of three Canebrakes. The lead machine crumpled under the onslaught, but the other two whipped arms that wrapped around the Pistons from their legs up to their necks like an anaconda, crushing them.
Contos charged, hacking to try and free them both, but it was too late. Their broken bodies slumped to the stone, lifeless.
“War Commander!” Akira shouted. He held onto the metal hide as Kichiro jumped over machines and men who had fallen on the parapet. They were almost there when a flash of metal slammed into the horse, taking them down in a heap of metal limbs.
Akira hit the ground still gripping his swords. He pushed himself up and immediately ducked under a segmented limb.
Two more wrapped around him, squeezing on his armor from shin to neck. The plates cracked and buckled as he squirmed in their grip.
In his blurred vision, Akira saw Okami running in front of Ghost, Frost, and Tadhg, all firing their rifles or swinging their swords.
E-Day Page 45
