by Drew Cordell
“If that’s the case then we’ll have to think of something, I guess. I really do think this is our last chance. If this doesn’t work, then maybe we try to get the hell out of New York and come live here in Vermont. We could start a new life in solitude.”
“As much as I’d like that, I still believe we can win.”
“I do too; we just need to get this stuff worked out,” I said. “Are you buying everything the Builder told us?”
“I don’t know. There is no reason to believe he is making up the time difference or isolation between countries. But I also think he planted that skeleton, that he wanted us to find it. Like a test almost to figure out what we were.”
“Yeah, we can bring it up if we’re able to speak with him in private. That would be interesting to say the least.”
“You’re putting me to sleep,” she yawned, pivoting her head to kiss me before nestling back in my arms.
“Oh, I’m that boring?”
“Mmmhmm.” She laughed quietly. “Long day. Let’s get some sleep.”
I kissed the back of her head and closed my eyes. Mary’s methodical breathing lulled me back into peaceful sleep.
We woke up on our own and I stretched my arms over my head, feeling incredibly well rested. We found fresh clothes waiting for us in a dresser in my room. I wanted to try to talk to the Builder alone, to try to get him to help us with Grez, but I didn’t quite know what to say. The Builder was right—I knew that now after sleeping on it. I knew this was likely our last shot. Even if we did manage to return to New York with the ODIN II and the Grez problem was worked out, we still needed to regroup with the Champions and hope Martinez had finished the massive EMP designed to obliterate the Omniscience Engine.
Mary and I changed out of our pajamas and walked out into the white hallway, leaving our armor behind for the time being. Many of the doors in our wing were closed, but there were enough open to suggest we weren’t the first ones awake. A Spinner rolling down the hallway greeted us with an awkward lurch that was probably intended to be a bow. The machine pivoted, then rolled the other way, suggesting we should follow it.
The robot led us back to the dining hall where the Builder and several of the others were already seated, steaming mugs of coffee and tea lining plates filled with savory food. Marwin was still sleeping, but Violet, Jasper, Agatha, and Jennifer were already eating and chatting amongst themselves. Bob sat at the table next to Jasper as well, holding an empty mug and pretending to go through the motions of drinking coffee.
“Enjoying the coffee, Bob?” I asked, taking a seat with Mary while watching the strange robot.
Bob nodded. “Quite good. It makes me jittery, but maybe that’s just a faulty capacitor.”
I tried not to smile but failed, shaking my head and finding I enjoyed the robot’s company and his jokes.
“More of Bob’s dry humor,” Jasper sighed, taking a sizable bite out of a piece of toast.
“Wet humor, actually,” Bob said. Everyone looked up to stare at the robot that was still holding his empty mug. “Since it’s a joke about liquid, it is wet humor.”
There was a profound silence, and eventually people turned their attention back to their personal conversations while I laughed to myself, apparently the only one who thought Bob was hilarious.
Spinners loaded up plates for Mary and me and placed them in front of us, pouring tea for Mary at her request and coffee for me.
“Did you sleep well?” The Builder asked as I started eating.
“Yes, I did. Thank you for having us,” I said, nodding to the Ascendant.
“You seem to be warming up to the place, Jake, maybe even to me,” he said, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
“You’re right, I know that now. We share a common enemy, and we are better off taking a risk on one another. Because of that, I apologize for my harshness last night. Until you give me reason to believe otherwise, I’m choosing to take a chance on you.”
He nodded. “Now that is a sentiment I can toast to. A little too early to bust out the liquor, but I have a real treat for you once you return from your adventure today. I doubt you have ever had two-hundred-year-old scotch.”
“Violet, I was hoping we could have a word in private before your father wakes up,” I said, taking a sip of my coffee. I turned back to face the Builder. “You as well, if you don’t mind. There are some things we need to discuss.”
Violet nodded. “Let’s talk now. Breakfast will still be here when we get back.”
“I’m going to have to tell Grez if you talk with them,” Jennifer challenged, dropping her fork and fixing Violet with a hard glare.
The two women stared at one another for several seconds before Violet broke the silence. “You do what you want, Jennifer,” she said, standing from the table and walking with Mary and me as we followed the Builder back to his study.
“What would you like to talk about?” the Builder asked once we were all seated at his desk.
Mary pulled Kira Hollins’s ID card from her pocket, setting it in front of the Builder. “Did you plant this, and is it real?”
He nodded. “Yes to both. It is real, and I wanted to confirm your identity before my robots made contact with you.”
“That was her original gun though? If the date on her card was correct and Vermont also started in the base year of 2039, it seems like the tech should have been a lot more advanced,” I said.
“Tech of a country is directly proportional to the progress of the Paragon Thoughts it has generated from what I have discovered. I do not believe this iteration of Vermont was ever as advanced as New York from the things you have told me, but I have managed to acquire a lot of Golden Age technology from this lab—things I do not think can be found anywhere else. Forgive me for saying it, but I do not think we needed to have a private conversation if that was all you were going to ask.”
“That’s not it. The Champions in New York have a weapon capable of wiping out our Olympus,” I told him. “We built an EMP with the capability of destroying the Omniscience Engine; we were just missing the delivery component. With the ODIN II, we could destroy it all for good.”
“This EMP of yours, how exactly did you come about it?” The Builder asked with eagerness in his voice.
“The same way we got the map through the Maze. We’re following instructions that were left for me from a source that is no longer with us. That source knows things that don’t seem to be possible, but it led me—us, to you. I see why now. Because without the ODIN II we can’t win.”
“And you brought her here to talk with us because?” he asked, drawing out the question.
I looked at Violet, seeing her for who she was rather than the people she was with. “Because she can see there is no life for us in New York while the Omniscience Engine remains. We watched our River’s Port crumble. There was nothing we could do to help those people. And the worst part of it? I didn’t stay behind to fight because I was selfish—because I wanted to live, and I didn’t want to risk my life or Mary’s, even though there were good people in that city who didn’t deserve to die or experience whatever horrors the Omniscience Engine has planned for them.”
The Builder shook his head. “I was not here personally for the collapse of this River’s Port, but I doubt there was anything you could have done, even if you would have stayed. The invasion is brutal and decisive, and the city is intended to fall in less than an hour.”
That sent a chill down my spine, how everything was so carefully orchestrated and planned. It was terrifying to see what had happened here—to understand that unless we did something drastic, the same thing would happen to New York.
I thought of the woman who had sold me the tea, the vendors who had sold me too much food. More lives lost to an inexorable tide of desecration. “Even so, I’m tired of running, tired of losing.”
“Why didn’t you tell me about the weapon sooner?” Violet asked. “If my father knew, maybe he wouldn’t be so against trying
to take down Olympus. Maybe he would be willing to negotiate a deal.”
I shook my head, trying to remain calm with her. I had to remind myself this wasn’t her fault, that it would be hard for me to believe someone I loved would be so unwilling to do what was right over an issue of pride.
“No. He has no intention of helping us, no matter the circumstances. After everything we have been through, you must see that now.”
“I can’t believe that. He has his faults, we all do, but I still love him,” she said.
Mary sighed. “In his eyes, the Champions are the problem. From what I’ve gathered, he just wants us to work and trade with him. What does he gain? What kind of life would we all live if we have to stay in the shadows, fearing the collapse of everything? What happens if the Omniscience Engine decides it doesn’t need the reactors in the Undercity anymore?”
“Well, I can tell you my father is either going to walk or try to run the Builder’s mission and take the ODIN II,” Violet said. “If you tell him about the EMP, and you actually have it, then he might change his mind. It changes everything about this situation.”
“And if he doesn’t side with us, then what? He’s going to take the ODIN II and park it in the Slums somewhere until he thinks of a use for it?” I scoffed. “If that is the case, then we need your help getting the others in your group to side against him. He doesn’t have to get hurt; he just needs to be taken out of power until this is all over.”
Violet shook her head, her face growing red as she raised her voice. “I don’t know why you think I’m satisfied with this situation. He’s not going to listen to me. He doesn’t like that I’ve been talking to you and has been surprisingly distant from me this entire trip. If you think I’m going to imprison him, you’re wrong. He would never forgive me, and I’d be sacrificing our relationship.”
“So you’re going to let him walk away and ruin everyone’s future because you’re scared he won’t love you anymore?” I demanded, my anger starting to flare.
Violet narrowed her eyes, raising her voice. “You love her, right?” she asked, pointing at Mary.
“Of course I do.”
“Would you do something knowing that after you did it she probably would never love you again? Would you sacrifice your relationship with the person you care most about in this world at any cost? We’ve all lost. My father is the only true family I have left. I can’t lose him.”
My anger dissipated as I shifted my gaze between Violet and Mary, feeling the weight of Violet’s words and understanding what she felt. “I’ve almost lost Mary several times. I know how scary that can be. But does that mean we shouldn’t try to take a better life for ourselves?”
“I don’t know, Jake. All I know is I’m not that brave. I can’t lose my father, I just can’t. If you are scheming something and are planning on turning against us, you better be sure you kill me because if you try to hurt my dad, I will kill you. I expect you to do the same thing if anyone tries to hurt Mary.”
Mary placed a hand on Violet’s shoulder. “There is no reason why this can’t work. We can make it look like it isn’t your decision, like—”
The doors of the office burst open. Grez strode forward, his face quivering, black rage burning in his eyes. He quickly closed the distance and raised a hand to strike Violet.
“You disobedient wretch! You go around my back and undermine my authority in front of my own people!”
I stood and used my wrist to deflect the blow, much to Grez’s surprise. It only took him a second to recover and understand what had happened. His fury redirected itself from Violet. “You,” he spat. “How dare—”
I cut him off. “No. You don’t get to hit her because she wants a real life in New York,” I said, icy resolve solidifying in my veins. “Even when you beat her, she loves you. All she wants is a better life for both of you and you treat her like this.”
Grez roared, lunging forward and lancing out a boulder-like fist at my face, but I ducked under the blow and launched a counterpunch, hitting him square in the gut with my cybernetic hand, resisting the urge to extend Nanotech blades from the fist as I hit him. Grez exhaled from the impact, but recovered without pause, resuming his onslaught.
“Stop!” Violet pleaded, but Grez showed no signs of relenting.
I backpedaled quickly as Grez pushed forward with his greater weight, ignoring any hits I managed to land on him while I focused on protecting myself. Blocking wasn’t an option; he was hitting too hard and didn’t seem to be tiring.
I was too slow to move out of the way. One of his punches landed on my shoulder, nearly spinning me around from the crumpling collision. My arm went numb as the force of the blow shuddered through my body, sending a lance of shock all the way down my arm. I was slowed by the hit and struggled to regain my composure and defensive stance, barely managing to dodge or deflect his enraged assault.
“Enough!” the Builder yelled, standing. Spinners rolled into the office from hidden doors, filling the space and surrounding us. I backpedaled away from Grez who was too mad to stop his attack. A Spinner wrapped long arms around him, rooting itself on the ground and securing the man until he stopped resisting.
“I won’t tolerate violence in my home,” the Builder shouted. “We were having a nice conversation which would need to involve you anyway, so I guess it is good you are here, Grez.”
“You deal with me, not them. I am the one in charge,” he spat at the Builder, glaring at Violet with a look of disgust.
The Builder continued, disregarding Grez’s anger. “Jake tells me the Champions have an EMP large enough to level Olympus. Since this is the first time Violet has heard this, I think it would be safe to assume you are just now hearing about the weapon as well.”
“Let me go. I’m calm,” Grez huffed. The Spinner holding him retracted its spindly arms and rolled back against the wall. Grez took a seat with us, still breathing hard. “I haven’t heard of this weapon. But why would I believe it?” he asked.
I answered, still breathing hard. I could feel my shoulder start to bruise, and a dull ache throbbed through the point of impact. “You visited the Docks. Were you not curious why all those dropships littered the Slums? We didn’t shoot them down, we used small test versions of the EMP tech the Champions have developed and that was the result. It works.”
“Yet almost everyone died,” Grez said. “In fact, you and your girlfriend were the only ones to make it out, right? Doesn’t seem like a weapon I’d be willing to bet my life on.”
I shook my head. “HKs have some kind of shielding built into their armor; it protected them from the smaller EMPs because the pulse wasn’t strong enough. That was our mistake. Our lead engineer designed the test versions we used so we could use them in close proximity without risking collateral damage. With the ODIN II, we have the means to get the real thing into Olympus and get out before it detonates.”
“And what about River’s Port? What if the attack in Olympus fails and we’re forced to fall back to the Slums? What if River’s Port is already churning out more Enforcers to wipe us out?” Grez demanded.
“If I’m willing to put my trust in him,” I pointed at The Builder, “You should be able to put your trust in me. Again, you still have my property and my friend, and I want them both back. We are running out of time, and we can’t hesitate now.”
The Builder folded his fingers across his desk. “Grez, will you agree to let everyone in your group in on this conversation? I think it has gotten to the point where everyone needs to be involved. I’d like to reach a consensus on what will happen today.”
“Yes, I think that is a good idea,” Grez said.
After returning to the dining room, we resumed breakfast and the conversation.
The Builder started. “Jake has brought to light that the Champions of Liberty in New York have constructed an EMP large enough to level Olympus. While they lacked the means to bring it to Olympus before, Jake believes the ODIN II can be used to deliver the weap
on. If the weapon exists, I believe this is the best way to clear Olympus and rebuild New York.”
Grez took his turn next, surprisingly calm considering how mad he been only minutes before. I noticed he hadn’t said anything to Violet since we left the Builder’s office, and there was a cold distance between the two of them.
“We don’t know if the Champions really have this EMP or not, yet we would be fools to pass up the opportunity to earn the ODIN II. I propose we help the Builder access the lower levels of the lab, clear it out for him if there is any danger, then bring the ship back to the edge of New York. At that point, we can figure out what to do with it.”
I closed my eyes, sighing and trying to keep from lashing out.
“How would the Champions build such a weapon? I think they’re bluffing,” Jennifer challenged.
“Jake’s map brought us here, didn’t it? The plans for the EMP were given to us by the same source. The weapon is real,” Marwin said.
“I’m with Grez,” Jennifer declared.
“What is the alternative?” Agatha asked.
Marwin spoke up. “The alternative is that you do what’s right and help us destroy Olympus. We help the Builder, load up the ODIN II with his Spinners and supplies, and fly to the outskirts of New York to rendezvous with the Champions and Harvesters. We load up the ship with the EMP and all of our troops, and take the fight to Olympus.”
“I’m with Marwin,” Violet declared, glaring at Grez.
“I’m with Marwin,” Mary said.
“Marwin,” I said.
“Grez,” Christopher said, suddenly taking great interest at staring at the food on his plate.
“Grez,” Agatha said.
“Grez,” Gerald said.
“Bob and I are with Marwin. But, neither one of us have a lick of combat experience so we’ll stay behind with the Builder for this mission if you don’t mind,” Jasper said.
I nodded to Jasper. “We have the majority,” I said, turning to Grez.
“Regardless, I am the decision maker, and all of my people, minus my daughter, have sided with me. If you want Leroy back alive, you’ll respect that fact. Let’s finish eating and you can show us to the armory,” Grez said, returning his attention to his plate.
