by Ramy Vance
Then Anabelle came up behind Abby and wrapped her arms around Abby’s stomach. “You ready for this?” she asked.
Abby’s eyes went wide as her heart started thumping harder. “Wait, are you serious?” she shouted.
Anabelle didn’t answer. Instead, she picked Abby up and ran to the door, leaping out, laughing maniacally as they flew through the sky.
Abby couldn’t hear herself screaming over the wind thundering in her ears. There was only panic. She was going to vomit. Then she heard Anabelle chuckling softly in her ear. Once the elf stopped laughing, Abby heard only the whipping of the wind.
She stared out in front of her. The whole of the earth stretched out before her eyes. Around her was nothing but blue skies and clouds. It was surprisingly tranquil. She was reminded of the early mornings on the farm before anyone else had risen when there was only crisp air and the sound of silence.
Before Abby knew what she was doing, she was laughing. A laughter she had not experienced since her father had passed. She felt free. Truly free for the first time in a while.
Anabelle, hearing Abby’s laughter, grabbed the girl tighter and spun around, sending the both of them twirling through the air like insane ballerinas, plummeting toward the ground. When the two of them stopped spinning, Anabelle leaned forward, sending them rocketing faster toward their impact.
As the clouds passed them, Anabelle called a reasonable amount of manna to slow their descent.
Around Anabelle and Abby, the recruits and Blackwell activated their parachutes, ballooning up, and slowing down. Anabelle and Abby didn’t slow. They continued toward the ground.
Abby gritted her teeth, ready for the breaking of her bones against the ground. Maybe she had made a mistake trusting the elf this much.
Anabelle situated herself so she fell with her feet toward the ground. Abby screamed because there was nothing else to do.
Anabelle amped up the manna, slowing her descent so she landed on the ground as if she had simply stepped off a low ledge.
Abby moved out of Anabelle’s arms, and because of the magic used, she was unhurt. Shaken, sure, but in one piece.
She walked around a bit, trying to get used to being back on solid ground again as Anabelle stretched her legs. “You planning on bringing the drones with you?”
The question surprised Abby. For a second, she had forgotten she was on a mission. The drones were as necessary as she was. “Oh, yeah, of course,” Abby said as she used her watch to call the drones to her. “Should be here soon enough.”
The other recruits slowly landed beside Abby and Anabelle, detaching their parachutes and trying to regain their equilibrium. Blackwell was the first to free himself of his parachute. “Damn, forgot how fun that is!” he exclaimed.
Anabelle, who was still excited, clapped him on the back and said, “You’re going to have to try that without a parachute once. There’s nothing that beats it.”
Without missing a beat, Anabelle’s face returned to its serious façade. “Okay, we need to get moving. We have the coordinates. Let’s get to it.”
The squad waited for a few minutes for Abby’s drones to arrive then headed West.
The helicopter had dropped them off in what appeared to be a desert. From Anabelle’s briefing, they weren’t too far from where she had come across her first Dark Gate. Myrddin didn’t know what interest the Dark One had in Utah, but it seemed to be where he was applying most of his focus.
The SWARMMT squad started their trek through the desert. Blackwell passed Abby a canteen of water to make sure she was hydrated. The sun beamed down on their heads as if intent on punishing them for attempting to thwart the Dark One’s plans.
They hiked for almost twenty minutes before cresting a hill that provided them with the lay of the land. Anabelle pulled out a pair of binoculars and peered through them. She handed the binoculars to Abby, who glassed them as well, and, in turn, passed them to Blackwell.
When Blackwell was done, he returned the binoculars to Anabelle and said, “So, that’s where we’re headed?”
Anabelle pocketed the binoculars. “Yep. That’s where the Gate is supposed to open. Hopefully, we get a jump on them before they realize what’s up.”
A caustic voice came through on all of the squad’s comms. “It’s not rocket science to surprise them,” Martin said. “It still wouldn’t be rocket science to get into positions that would let us take care of them easier.”
Abby blushed when she heard Martin’s voice. Part of her wished he would have chosen a more amicable personality. But wasn’t that the point of AI? The little paperclip got to be the type of person he wanted to be.
Anabelle wasn’t bothered by the AI’s suggestion and readily agreed. “Martin, what’s the best place for us to post up?” she asked.
There was no immediate answer, just the sound of loud slurping and then a burp. “Split up,” Martin suggested. “There are four small hills around here. Set a sniper on each one. You take point at the exact coordinates. Use the drones to flush out the rest. Sound easy enough?”
Anabelle’s eyes narrowed at the point where the Dark Gate was supposed to open. “Yeah, that sounds doable.”
Chapter Twenty
SWARMMT split up across the various hills surrounding the coordinates where the Dark Gate was to appear. The recruits posted up, ready to take aim at whatever came out of the portal.
Abby stood next to Blackwell, waiting to see what was going to happen. Adrenaline was pumping through her veins, and she felt like crawling out of her skin. She wasn’t sure when the Dark Gate would arrive, but she knew it would be there. And she felt like she wasn’t going to be doing enough about it.
The air turned acrid. Abby could smell it. The same scent from on her farm. Above them, the sky turned crimson as swathes of lightning cut through the blackening clouds. She glanced across the valley and met Anabelle’s eyes, which were nearly the color of the red flashes of lightning.
In the middle of the valley, a rip in space and time occurred. The same as Abby had seen before. From that tear, a shape began to materialize, slowly taking form, the outer lines of the Dark Gate coming into existence as its portal expanded and solidified.
An orc stepped through. Anabelle considered sniping him, but the disturbance from the Gate made getting an accurate shot off almost impossible.
The orc roared upon entering Earth, raising his ax, his shout echoing through the still valley. Another followed him, then another. Within seconds, twenty orcs had passed through the portal.
Martin’s caustic voice came through the comms. “Uh, I’m pretty sure this is the part where you start shooting. If you’re planning on staying alive or anything like that.”
Blackwell took the first shot. He fired his plasma sniper rifle, and the bullet cut through the first orc who had arrived.
A cry went up from invaders as they drew their weapons, instantly scattering. The formation they assumed implied they were ready for an attack. They took cover nearby, behind a line of rocks, popping out and taking shots as they saw fit.
Although the orcs were ready for an attack, they weren’t prepared for the sniping event they met. Orc upon orc fell, Blackwell and the recruits mowing them down as they came through the portal.
Anabelle’s voice broke through the noise of the gunfire. She sounded annoyed as she said, “Looks like we already got them on the run. Great.”
Abby could relate to the annoyance. She wouldn’t have called it irritation, but rather, disappointment. The recruits were doing what Abby wished she was capable of. Orc after orc was dying. The Dark One’s minions. And Abby had almost nothing to do with it.
Anabelle was up on one of the hills next to a recruit. She was anxiously tapping her feet, waiting for something else to come through the Dark Gate, something worth her attention.
Then it happened. Just like she’d been hoping. The Dark Gate flashed bright white, and three trolls strode through the portal. “They’re mine!” Anabelle shouted as she le
apt to her feet and jumped off the hill.
A few orcs broke away from the group. Anabelle soared through the air, charging her arms with manna, flying into the fray of the orcs and trolls. She hit with the force of a small bomb, sending orcs tumbling through the air, the trolls pushed to the side.
Abby was still watching from afar, her eyes large with envy. Anabelle was right where Abby wished to be. In the fray. Yet here she was sitting by, watching everything unfold around her.
The recruits were still firing, Blackwell taking the lead, lining up shot after shot. It didn’t seem to be making a difference, though. For every orc that fell, another one came to take its place. Blackwell leaned back to take cover and reloaded his rifle. “How the hell are we going to do this?” he shouted.
Martin’s voice crackled over the comms. “Were you just planning on shooting everything that came through the portal? Fucking stupid idea.”
“Well, what the hell do you think we should do?”
“Obviously, shut off the Gate. Most reasonable thing.”
Blackwell ducked out from under cover, taking a quick shot that blew through the head of an orc emerging from the Dark Gate. “And how the fuck do you suppose we do that?” he asked.
Abby used her drone’s sensors to scan the area. “By shooting out its power source. I’ve highlighted the source for everyone. Check your HUDs.”
Blackwell’s HUD beeped loudly, and he glanced at the Dark Gate. Five points were glowing on the Dark Gate, one on either side, two at the base, and one at the top. “Holy shit,” Blackwell murmured. “Abby, send this to everyone else.”
“Already done. Hope you guys can clean this up fast enough.”
Over at the Dark Gate, Anabelle was cutting through the orcs who were trying to ward off the fire from the recruits above. The trolls were attempting to catch her attention, but Anabelle was too fast for them. Lightning crackled around her as she sliced through whatever was in front of her.
Caught in the fury of battle, Anabelle had nearly lost herself. All she heard was the sound of her heartbeat and the screams of those around her. This was the Path of the Traveler. The path she had long since forgotten, the path she had craved.
A massive, furry hand wrapped around the back of Anabelle’s neck and pulled her up into the air. Anabelle went flying, crashing against a rock, her vision blurring for a second as she tried to pick herself up and shake off the pain.
Two trolls stood in front of her, each holding clubs. One brought his club down so fast Anabelle could hardly see it move. She was barely able to roll out of the way as the troll cracked the earth in the spot she had just occupied.
The recruits fired at the points Martin had identified.
The Dark Gate shimmered and shook for a moment before sending out a giant EMP. The wave rocked through the valley, disconnecting Blackwell and the other recruits from their exoskeletons.
Blackwell fell over, grappling with his suit while shouting, “Proton packs, everyone! Proton packs!”
The recruits scrambled to get a hold of their proton packs and replace their batteries.
Down below, Anabelle was being overrun by the remaining orcs at the Dark Gate, which was still active, although it did appear to be shutting down. She dodged attack after attack as the trolls and orcs tried to pummel her.
An orc fired a plasma blast at Anabelle, and she barely raised her shield in time. The blast hit her barrier, which was poorly constructed, and sent her hurtling through the air.
Abby jumped out of cover instinctively, determined to help Anabelle, but she was too far away. Then she remembered Gertrude. The preinstalled proton packs had done their job, protecting them from the EMP. She summoned her HUD as she patched herself in to take manual control of her drone.
Gertrude came zooming out of the sky, firing a flamethrower Creon and Abby had added earlier that week. A handful of orcs caught fire and ran screaming away from the Dark Gate, giving Anabelle enough space to collect herself.
The two trolls were the biggest problem at the moment. Anabelle could easily deflect the shots from the orcs, but the trolls were too aggressive to leave her alone. She drew her manna to her hand, manipulating the fire Abby had let loose, wrapping it around her own arms and sending it shooting forth, burning through a few orcs and giving her the space she needed.
This had to end now. Anabelle shouted, “Abby, I need you! Clear me space!”
Abby maneuvered her drone toward the tight group of orcs and dropped a small concussive grenade. The explosion sent the orcs, along with the two trolls, flying.
Anabelle shouted, “Squad on me!” as she slashed through the two trolls.
The recruits and Abby descended the hills, running as hard as they could toward Anabelle, Abby having forgotten she was still controlling her drone. The drone went spiraling away, straight into the Dark Gate, and she chased after it, shouting, “Gertrude!”
She ran through the Dark Gate after the drone. Abby felt her stomach pinch around her belly button, a brief moment of nausea, and then nothing. She looked around her.
Orcs surrounded her.
Anabelle burst through the Gate, the recruits and Blackwell behind her. She caught sight of the orcs and didn’t waste any time attacking them. Neither did the recruits. They cut through the orcs in almost no time.
“Retreat through the Gate before it shuts,” Anabelle ordered.
They obeyed, and as the recruits, Anabelle, and Abby, tried to figure out exactly what had happened, a loud screeching sound tore through the sky. Abby looked up. A bright green light flashed across the sky, and a meteor-like object could be seen behind the clouds.
“What the hell is that?” Abby said.
Anabelle seemed less concerned with the meteor than Abby was. “Don’t know. Does your drone have any tracking shit on it?”
Abby nodded numbly as she stared up at the meteor-like craft. “Yeah. Yeah, it does.”
“Get me a tracker on that.”
Abby punched in a command on her smartwatch, and Gertrude shot out a tracking beacon with the AI’s coding on it after the meteor and attached itself. That tracking beacon would be Gertrude…granted with a smaller, less capable body. But it would have her intelligence.
And because of that…whatever that thing was…Abby was going to know where it went. Which was convenient. Because the meteor craft flashed bright green and disappeared into the night.
Chapter Twenty-One
Gertrude’s tracker activated. Abby was watching through her HUD. At first, it was impossible to see anything, but slowly the drone’s opticals activated. Gertrude was aboard a ship of some kind, one unlike anything Abby had ever seen.
Abby slowly guided Gertrude’s tracker along, sticking close to the walls, hoping to avoid capture. As she crept along, the feed from the tracker began to jolt and freeze.
On her smartwatch, Abby hit the GPS for her tracker. Wherever the tracker had found itself, it appeared to be moving away at an alarmingly fast rate. Abby extrapolated the tracker’s general location.
Gertrude was somewhere outside Earth’s atmosphere.
Terra woke up on a mattress so prickly it felt like she was lying on coarse straw. The bearded man was gone, as were the shackles. Terra looked around. The room was small, with no furniture other than the bed. A rug on the floor. A gourd of water near the door, which was locked.
The top of Terra’s head was still sore and she rubbed it, wincing as she ran her finger over the scab. When she was satisfied that her wound wasn’t mortal, she drank from the gourd.
When the water touched her lips, Terra realized how thirsty she had been. It felt like years since the last time she had any water. She downed the entire gourd in a couple of seconds.
As Terra put the water gourd down, the texture of the clay door started to warp and expand. A hole formed in the clay, and then through the opening came a tray of green and gray sludge. The tray dropped on the floor.
Terra stared at the sludge for some time before deciding
to smell it. The scent was repulsive, but there was something vaguely familiar there. Meat, maybe vegetables. Against her better judgment, Terra pinched her nose and scooped the sludge into her mouth.
Surprisingly, it wasn’t half-bad. She carried the tray over to her cot, sat, and continued eating. When she was done, she tossed the tray on the floor and stared at the door.
After a few minutes, the door opened. Two orcs armed with axes entered the room. “Eat enough?” one of them asked.
Terra kicked the tray at the guard. “The fuck do you care?” she spat.
The orc smiled darkly, his fangs glimmering. “We’re looking for a show,” the orc explained. “Don’t want you slacking off because you’re hungry. That’s some of the best chow from the kitchen. Most soldiers would be fighting for that right there.”
Terra contemplated another snide remark but thought better of it. She still didn’t have any idea what was going on. And, if she were honest, the sludge hadn’t been half bad. “What’s the show?” she finally asked.
“Abby? Do you have a read on that tracker yet?”
Anabelle was pacing back and forth, biting her lip, waiting for Abby to figure out where her tracker had gone.
Abby, on the other hand, was sitting on a rock, staring at her watch, hoping something would crop up so she could tell Anabelle anything that wasn’t disappointing. “Uh, looks like it might’ve slipped away from Earth,” Abby murmured.
Anabelle ran over to her and shouted, “What?”
“It’s not my fault. I didn’t know they were leaving Earth.”
Anabelle laughed, covering her mouth as a fit of giggles forced their way out. She patted Abby’s back for a moment before sitting down next to the girl. “I didn’t think it was your fault,” she explained. “Just freaking out. I just got a report from Myrddin a few seconds ago.”
Abby assumed the report had something to do with her failing some unspecified requirement for the mission. “What did it say?” she asked.
