by Drew Cordell
“We’ll have teams in full EPX gear on standby, and we’ve prepared for that scenario,” Marwin said.
“If the train is running on the Omniscience Engine signal which is probably embedded in the track, then couldn’t we hit it with the bomb right as it arrives and disable it?” I asked.
“We don’t know what the armoring is made of. If it’s hardened, then the pulse might not make it through and the train could be autonomous. It’s not worth risking a team or one of the EMPs if it doesn’t work. Since I’m working on a test version, it wouldn’t be able to get through hardened material like the real one will,” Martinez said.
“One thing we’re certain of is the Omniscience Engine is moving again. It’s planning something, and we’re running out of time to act. If possible, we need to test this weapon right away, then build the real thing so we can plan our attack to end this,” Edgar said.
“The Council has accepted the fact that if the weapon works, we’ll need to rebuild New York from the ground up. We’ll be left without the systems that once sustained the city. It’s going to be a challenge, but we’ll have the opportunity to build new lives without the oppression of the Omniscience Engine weighing us down. This is what we’ve been fighting for; it’s just not everything we thought it would be,” Alex said.
“With that, we’ll adjourn the session,” Chloe said. “Caeldra, you and the rest of Knight Squad get some rest. You’ve certainly earned it. We’ll continue to assess the situation and act accordingly.”
The Council adjourned the meeting, and we were free to leave. As I was walking with Mary and the rest of Knight Squad, I was stopped.
“Jake? Do you have a moment to talk?”
It was Alex. I spun around and nodded, too tired for artificial pleasantries.
“I’ll catch up with you later. Go get some rest,” I told Mary. She nodded and walked away with the others.
Alex had grown out his beard over the past few years; it was wilder and he looked tired. I could only imagine what kind of stress he and the rest of the Council were dealing with on a daily basis. Still, he and I didn’t have a good track record.
“Thanks, Jake. I just wanted to apologize to you. Your father and I didn’t always see eye to eye, and I thought his work would get a lot of people killed. If you’d like, we can talk about everything that happened back then, when things aren’t so crazy around here.”
“I’ll take you up on that another time. I’m too tired right now,” I said.
“Okay, I understand and respect that. I just wanted you to know I was wrong about you. You’ve been a tremendous asset to the Guild, and I was wrong to not give you the benefit of the doubt in the first place.”
“I appreciate that,” I said awkwardly, unsure of what else to say.
“Master Aarlen has said your Unbound training is coming along nicely and our data is more secure than ever thanks to you.”
“He’s taught me a lot over the past few years,” I said.
“I’m glad. Anyway, I just wanted to thank you for your service and all you’ve done for the Guild. I’m not too proud to admit when I’m wrong, and in this case, I made a huge mistake in not trusting you.”
I nodded. Alex extended his hand, and I shook it.
“When all this ends and we’re able to brew again, I’ll buy you a couple beers,” he said with a half-smile.
“Looking forward to it,” I said, returning the smile and walking toward the lower level of the Guild Hall to head to my bunk.
By the time I reached Knight Squad’s barracks, I was ready to pass out. The lights were dimmed in the main room that connected our smaller bedrooms, and it looked like all the other doors except Bailey’s and Adam’s were closed. I quickly changed from my clothes to some comfortable pajamas and climbed into my bed. I flipped the lights off and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.
“We’re finally moving?” I asked, finishing the last of my breakfast bowl and setting it down on the table in Knight Squad’s dining room. It had been weeks of waiting since the train had arrived at the Docks, remaining dormant ever since.
“Yeah. Martinez is certain there isn’t a nuke on the train. Other than that, we have no idea what to expect. Squads Raven, Paladin, and Lancer are going to breach in full EPX while we’ll be on standby a few blocks away in case they need backup,” Caeldra said.
“We won’t have EPX?” Mary asked.
“Nope, not enough to go around. We’ll be far enough away to get the hell out if it’s a bio weapon or something else. They’re positioning us and a few other squads to run reconnaissance and flank if needed.”
“Martinez finished the EMP then?” Leroy asked.
“He finished three test versions of the weapon which means we’ll be set for disabling this thing from the inside out. Paladin and Lancer will each have one, and we’ll have the third,” Caeldra said.
“Why are they giving one to reconnaissance?” Adam asked.
Caeldra pushed her empty bowl to the side and projected the map display from her wrist on the table. “We’re the cavalry. If the breach teams need back up, then we’re first in line with a flank from the eastern side. Ghost, Crypto, and Vector squads are on reconnaissance on the outer north and south borders to make sure nothing hits us from another direction if something else goes down. Shadow is going to be doing the same job as us on the western front, but they’re not going to have an EMP, so we’re first in line if they need an extra detonation,” she said, marking the locations on the holographic map on the table.
“Do you have the EMP already?” Mary asked.
“No. It’s finished, but I haven’t seen it. The report assured me it would be easy to carry and isn’t dangerous. It’s a small cylinder that only weighs about ten pounds.”
“What’s the blast radius on the explosion?” I asked.
“A few feet for this test version, but it’s only got a small fraction of the payload of the real thing. The pulse range on this one should be a few hundred feet, and anything within that range running on the Omniscience Engine wavelength should be fried. It might interfere with our gear a bit since it is an electromagnetic pulse, but overall we should be fine,” Caeldra said.
“What are we doing gear wise?” Leroy asked.
Caeldra pulled up the list on her wrist link. “Rifles and stun grenades, two sets of mags—HexTox and CO2—and extra Nanotech modules all around. We want to be quick, but we also want to be well armored and prepared for anything. They also want us to carry a bullet-based SMG with a few mags each just in case. If there are bots, they won’t be as effective, but if the EMP disables our gear, we’ll want to have something to fight with if things get nasty.”
“Seems like a good kit for the job,” Adam said.
“It’s not on the list, but Marwin encouraged you and Mary to carry your Hellfire Blades on this one,” Caeldra said to me. “They have Nanoedges, right?”
“Yeah, they’re Nanoedged, and it’s no problem,” I said. The sword wasn’t heavy, and I wouldn’t mind having it with me. Mary and I would be able to protect the rest of our squad well if we got into a firefight while at the Docks, and we’d be able to preserve our Nanotech modules. I preferred my Hellfire Blade over firearms in most cases, but it was practically useless in the cramped space of the Undercity. In large, open spaces, it performed quite well. “When do we move?”
Caeldra checked her wrist link. “We’ll start gearing up now. We’re leaving a few hours before the breach squad and need to get some infrastructure set up. Shadow Squad will be doing the same thing as us. We’re going to set up an uplink that will allow for better comms and video feeds. The Guild is setting up some more links on the surface to make sure everything makes it back to the Guild Hall as well.”
I walked into my room and grabbed my Hellfire Blade, checking the charge before I changed from my street clothes to my Runner gear. There was something comforting about Guild leather—it wasn’t constricting like the EPX suits, and it allowed me to move quickly. I had a feeling we�
�d be carrying enough Nanotech to deflect quite a few shots as well. I clipped my Hellfire Blade onto my belt on the opposite side of my handgun, feeling the familiar, comforting weight. Satisfied, I walked out from my personal room to the living room where the others had assembled.
“Looking good,” I said to Mary, pulling her into a quick hug and kissing her on the forehead.
She smiled, and we walked out to the main staging area of the Guild Hall to get the rest of our gear.
“Good to see you all,” Martinez said as we walked into the Armory. He was standing in front of a table which held one of the EMP cartridges. It was a small silver canister that was encased in a square frame with a datapad on the top. The weapon looked too simplistic and unthreatening, and I was beginning to have my doubts about its ability to perform.
“That’s the weapon?” Caeldra said, asking the question on everyone’s mind.
Martinez smirked. “Doesn’t look like much, but it’ll do the trick. The full version will be twenty times the size and have considerably more power in the blast. Now, I’ve rigged the bomb for manual or remote detonation, and I’ll send the Artemis link software to you now. Triggering the Artemis link remotely requires an activation from two different squad members while the manual detonation can be triggered by just one person. Once you activate the weapon, you’ll have ten seconds before it detonates, so set it down and run or throw it as far as you can. The explosion radius is small, but you still don’t want to be anywhere near it when it goes off since this is a test.”
“Is there a code or anything?” Caeldra asked.
“Yes, it’s 4068. You can open that info with Artemis if you forget,” Martinez said. He raised his datapad and pressed the screen, sending the software package with the EMP kit to our Artemis links. “Ideally, you won’t need to use the EMP at all, but this could be a good test if the train is crawling with Enforcers. Again, unless you’re right next to it when it goes off, you won’t be harmed, but point blank range might fry your gear. If you do end up using your EMP, make sure it counts. You’d be the last ones to detonate it, and that would mean either something went wrong with the other two, or there were more enemies than anticipated and the pulse couldn’t down all of them.”
“Got it. I think we’re good to go. Did Shadow Squad already leave?” Caeldra asked.
“Yeah. They’ve got more ground to cover than you, and they didn’t need the EMP. I had to finish the software and run some tests. Get the rest of your gear and get going; the breach squads will be heading out in a few hours as well,” Martinez said. “Oh, and I made a little treat for everyone just in case. The oscillator tech Emily’s father made that you brought back a few years ago turns out to be a lot more effective than we thought. I converted the tech into some rifle attachments that will blast the disruption signal from the EMP to try to jam the frequency on anything running on the Omniscience Engine wavelength.”
I didn’t know if Martinez knew what had happened to Bernie—what I had done. Marwin and the rest of the Council knew, and Emily and Nick were still working with the Guild, but I had tried to forget the painful memories.
We thanked Martinez and started to gear up. I had grown to like the SK-9 rifle the Guild used and was quite fond of the dual mag receiver that allowed me to switch between CO2 and HexTox with the press of a button on the grip. Since the gasses didn’t mix well, the weapon had two pressure chambers and two barrels stacked vertically on one another. The weapon was surprisingly light compared to MXV-30 I’d trained with in Olympus. Mary was an expert with what she liked to call the SK-10, a heavily modified version of the original with shorter barrels, her preferred variable optic sight, and a power dial which allowed her to adjust her weapon’s power and gas consumption with her neural link. The rest of the Guild hadn’t adopted her weapon builds, but there was no question of her lethality with the custom creations Martinez built for her.
We distributed the uplink equipment between our packs and unfortunately, since we weren’t wearing powered armor, it was a burden to haul. With a few days of food and water each, we set out toward the buildings to the east of the Docks, heading toward one of the tall apartment complexes with a roof that would give us a good vantage point. The trip through the Undercity to the surface was quick, and I pulled on my gloves and scarf when we exited into the icy winter air.
“Martinez has another treat for us,” Caeldra said as we walked in the opposite direction of our objective.
“Where are we going?” Leroy asked.
“You’ll see,” is all Caeldra said, apparently looking forward to surprising us.
We rounded a corner, and Caeldra checked her Artemis display. She pulled a power cable from her wrist link and plugged it into a console on the side of a building. There was a filthy, metal garage door that was half buried in trash, but it groaned to life when Caeldra punched in a code. The door lifted to reveal a strange looking car that rested on a tripod extended from the bottom of the vehicle. The car didn’t have any wheels or doors. It looked like it was just the interior frame of a car, comical almost.
“What is this?” I asked.
“A piece of garbage,” Adam said. “It doesn’t have any wheels, and even if it did, it wouldn’t be able to get through the streets of the Slums.”
Caeldra laughed and took a seat on the driver’s side. “Get in.”
“Come on, Caeldra; we don’t have time to mess around,” Leroy said, obviously impatient.
Caeldra sighed. “You guys always spoil the excitement. Get in. That’s an order.”
Obliging with the formality, we all climbed in the vehicle and Caeldra connected her wrist link to the console in the center of the dashboard. The screen powered on, and Caeldra shifted the gear to her right. The engine growled to life, and something lifted us off the ground. The car hummed as the tripod retracted into the bottom, and Caeldra coaxed the car out of the garage before activating the floodlights. Caeldra kicked the car into gear and blasted us through the streets at an alarming speed. It was a hovercar.
“Whew!” Adam yelled, lifting his hands into the air and laughing as Caeldra launched the vehicle forward.
“You guys really screwed up that dropship you brought from the Mids, but Martinez used it to build a couple of these babies!” Caeldra yelled over the rush of wind as she piloted the car through the streets, drifting around corners and swerving around debris and abandoned cars.
“Slow down!” Mary yelled as Caeldra shifted gears and punched the accelerator as we rounded a corner. The car vaulted to the side, roaring as it leaned at an impossible angle before correcting. Black spots swam in my vision as the car righted itself and sped forward.
“We’re just getting started,” Caeldra shouted, shifting gears and pushing the car even faster. Caeldra revved up the engine and pressed a button, launching us into the air and over a car. Satisfied with the thrill ride, Caeldra slowed the car to a reasonable speed for the rest of the trip.
“This is it,” Leroy said as we pulled up to a monolithic apartment complex. Cheaper than standard issue flats on the street level had been, the apartment complexes like this one were nicknamed cells. Adam moved forward and kicked down the front door, bypassing the manual lock. The door groaned and swung open, slamming against the wall with a loud bang.
“That’s one way to do it,” Caeldra commented, swinging her rifle behind her back and drawing her CZR-7. With the cramped hallways, the long-barreled rifles wouldn’t do much good if there was anyone lurking in here.
Adam took point, and we followed, trudging up the seemingly endless stairwell that was overloaded with black trash bags. The first floor looked like hell, and we didn’t check to see if anyone was home. It had looked like the rest of the Slums: filthy, covered in trash, and lifeless. It looked like people had started to use the stairwell as a trash chute when everything fell apart. After fifteen grueling minutes of climbing through the trash piles, we reached the roof some thirty-something floors above the streets.
Mar
y sealed the door behind us, and we began unpacking the uplink components. Within a few minutes, we had positioned the antenna on top of one of the AC units and hooked it up to the battery packs we brought.
“Command, this is Knight Squad. Can you hear us?” Caeldra asked over comms.
“This is Marwin. We hear you loud and clear. Edgar and I are in route to the western front with the rest of Shadow Squad. My link reads that your transmission is patching through to Command through the uplinks near base.”
“Copy, commencing reconnaissance. Do you have an ETA for the breach squads?” Caeldra said.
“Three hours. Just sit tight,” Marwin responded.
Caeldra pulled the telescopic night vision camera from her pack and clamped it to the edge of the wall on the roof, adjusting the angle and focus with her wrist link. “Copy. We’ll patch video feed of the train through. Should be coming now.”
“Crystal clear at Command, Knight Squad,” someone said.
Caeldra linked the feed through to our Artemis links and sunk down into a seated position with her back against the wall. Following her lead, the rest of Knight Squad did the same, waiting and watching the motionless train through the video feed.
Despite running missions for more than three years, I was jittery and my nerves were acting up. Something was different this time—the stakes were higher, and despite all the precautions taken, we were more vulnerable than ever. I scooted over toward Mary and held her hand, squeezing it and interlacing my fingers with hers. She gave me a nervous look, apparently feeling the same way.
23 DARKNESS
We watched as the breach squads approached the train, weapons raised and moving in standard formation. The train stopped at the Docks looked huge compared to the people circling it. We continued to point the camera system at the train, receiving and broadcasting video uplinks to Command and the teams on the ground.
“Raven, Paladin, and Lancer are in position,” a voice said over comms.
