The Crucible- The Complete Series

by Odette C. Bell

  “We had no way of knowing that the Forgotten army were behind that wall. We believed it was just another cache of technology, just another means to help us prepare for the Forgotten.”

  “Are you actually admitting you made a mistake?”

  “Yes,” he said without pause. “But I have more than made up for it with you.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Without you, Alyssa, we wouldn’t have a chance. Without my vision, the Milky Way would have fallen within days of the Forgotten’s arrival.”

  “You did this for yourself,” I suddenly spat, the bile rising in my throat and making my words bitter and twisted, “you did this for yourself,” I screamed louder, pointing a stiff finger at the floor. I had to be careful to control myself, lest I turn my implants on. Then again, did I really care if I lost control momentarily and tore through this room, tearing Axis apart in the process?

  Wouldn’t it be a fitting end for such a brutal man – to be destroyed by the very beast he’d created?

  Maybe he could see the hatred flaring in my eyes, because he shook his head. “Take a step back from your own anger, Alyssa. I always taught you that’s what a good soldier does.”

  “You taught me how to hate, how to give up hope, how to hide in the shadows. You took away my humanity.”

  “For humanity. I did everything for others. War is brutal, Alyssa – some must lose their freedom, rights, and existence to save others. Are you actually saying that you believe the cost of your hope was too high to secure the galaxy’s continued existence?”

  I recoiled at his question, and it killed me inside that I couldn’t stand up to him.

  “Alyssa, Alyssa.” His head dipped low, his eyes sparkling as he stared at me. “All that matters now is that you have come back to me. In time you will understand.” He held his arms up and opened them as if he were preparing for an embrace.

  I recoiled again, so sick that I could have thrown up.

  “I’m not here for you, Axis. We’re going to take on the Forgotten with the weapons on this station,” I proclaimed boldly.

  “Ah, the Endgame Weapons. Yes. But you will need my help to deploy them. Nobody understands that technology like I do.”

  “We’ll make do. Our scientists—”

  “Won’t have time,” he stated plainly. “The Forgotten will already be on their way. Once they realize we now possess weapons that can destroy them, they will not hesitate. Will your scientists be able to gain enough expertise with the Endgame weapons in such a short period of time? And are you willing to bet the galaxy on that proposition?”

  I gritted my teeth, grating them together, feeling the short hard vibrations shake down my jaw and into my neck.

  This is what Axis always did. Made himself seem indispensable, excused every crime he’d ever committed by telling you that despite the pain it was always in your best interest.

  “You’ll need me, Alyssa, like you’ve always needed me,” he promised.

  I took another step back but stopped.

  I couldn’t do this anymore. I couldn’t run from the truth. And I wouldn’t run from him.

  So I took a marching step forward. “I never needed you. But if you can help the galaxy, fine. You will. But know this, Axis, you have no control over me anymore. I’m the master of my own house.”

  For a few seconds he said nothing. He stood there, that smile still plastered across his face. Then slowly he let out a chuckle. I swear it split the air like thunder despite the fact it barely carried. It’s what it did to my stomach, my nerves, my courage.

  I got the urge to step back but I fought it with everything I had.

  “Laugh all you like – it won’t get you anywhere in the end. You will help us to defeat the Forgotten. And once we’ve one, you will go on trial for what you’ve done. You will spend the rest of your life paying for your crimes.”

  “That’s little incentive for me to help you. I see I should have trained you in negotiation.”

  “You’re going to help because I will make you.”

  “Are you threatening torture?”

  I sneered at him but didn’t answer.

  “If we want to defeat the Forgotten, Alyssa, you won’t be able to hold back. You will have to do exactly as I taught you and fight only to win. If only F’val had had your power, I would have had a perfect and loyal soldier.”

  F’val. He was still in the Ra’xon’s brig, and there he would stay until this was over.

  Unlike Admiral Shepherd, I’d never had a need to check on F’val. He was just another twisted chapter in Professor Axis’ game.

  “I’ll never be like F’val. And you’ll never change me.”

  Somehow his smile became broader until I swore it could split his face in two. “My dear Alyssa, you have no idea how much you will change by the time this is over.” Before I could react to that ominous statement, my comm PIP beeped. Unashamedly, I shook at the unexpected surprise. Before I could open my mouth to ask what it was I heard the blare of a general alarm.

  “Forgotten targets detected. Approximately 100 jumpers have entered the system. They appear to be a forward attack. The entire Forgotten fleet is half a day behind them.”

  I… couldn’t speak.

  Silence descended over me like a suffocating blanket.

  “All crew to battle stations. The jumpers will arrive in 20… no, 10 minutes.”

  Axis made no move. His expression didn’t change.

  Hell itself was descending upon us, and he looked just as relaxed as always.

  I jerked my head towards him, incapable of controlling my expression as terror punched through my gut and widened my eyes.

  “Go,” he shifted his hand forward gently, “Subject Omega, it is time for you to do what you are built to do. It is time for you to fulfill your destiny. Go. Fight for me.”

  I was halfway through turning, but I stopped. I arched my head over my shoulder, back rigid with tension. “I will never fight for you. I fight for them.” I brought my hand out and swept it around in a circle, indicating the ship and the countless galactic citizens beyond.

  I walked away from him, tuning him out. If he said anything more, if he goaded me further, I didn’t hear.

  I focused on what had to be done.

  I made it out into the corridor.

  It was a mess. Resistance fighters were screaming at each other, rushing down the corridor, their armored footfall banging against the floor.

  Shepherd waited for me, and as soon as I appeared through the door he took a staggering step towards me, locking a hand on my arm. “Did you hear?”

  I forced myself to nod. “What do we do? What’s the plan?”

  “All forces currently on this station are to stay and protect it. We still haven’t located the weapons.”

  My mind began to spin. “You mean they’re not on board?”

  “No. Our scanners have detected the presence of Forgotten technology, and it seems to be powerful. But we haven’t been able to locate it exactly yet. We need to buy time.”

  I nodded firmly. I stared at him, not wanting to blink for a second lest he disappear from my life.

  “We think the jumpers are going to concentrate on this station. Judging by what they’ve done in previous attacks, they’ll go straight for our jugular and try to destroy us. We must prioritize crucial systems like the energy grid, engineering, and life-support.”

  “Got it. Where do you want me?”

  “Anywhere and everywhere. You’re our ace in the hole. But Alyssa, if they go after you, if they call you—”

  I shook my head. “Shepherd, I’ll be fine,” I spoke through clenched teeth, staring at his helmet as I did. “I’m not gonna fall to those bastards.”

  It took a second, but he shook his head. “Then I’ll fight by your side.”

  With that we ran forward.

  It didn’t take the jumpers 10 minutes to arrive – it took them five.

  Shepherd and I barely reached main engineering befo
re the station shook and a red alert pitched through the air.

  “This is it,” he said as he grabbed the electro blade from his hip and swung his rifle over his shoulder.

  Engineering was the most critical location on the station, so that’s what I would have to protect. If the body drones managed to make the cores go critical, they could destroy the station in a single explosion.

  We left life-support and the energy redistribution grid to the other resistance teams.

  J’axal had come over from the Miracle, and he’d taken it upon himself to head the life-support team.

  Whatever animosity he’d had for Shepherd had ended long ago, and the two shook hands before J’axal raced off, the red alert lights glowing over his slim-fit grey armor.

  The red alert blared, kicking up a gear. “Body drones located on decks 11 through 15. Hold your ground. Don’t let them progress through the ship,” Captain H’agovan snapped.

  A second later I felt their presence. Even before the first body drone transported into engineering, I knew they were close. I heard that distinct awful siren song reverberating through my ears. I clenched my teeth, trapped a breath in my chest, and punched a hand out.

  I caught two as they transported into the room. Rather than expend my energy on tearing them in half, I held them in place as Shepherd attacked them with his electro blade.

  He was deft, fast, so skilled he reminded me of a samurai from ancient Earth.

  I span around, locking another three body drones in place as they shifted through the very walls to get to us. This fight was much harder than the one we’d endured with the station personnel.

  I had to keep my wits about me. I couldn’t be everywhere at once, and I couldn’t afford to blanket engineering in my energy, lest I hurt Shepherd or interfere with any critical systems.

  The station had a set of massively powerful magnetic cores. They sent a constant vibration through the floor and up into my knees. They let out a powerful green light, too, that bathed engineering and gave it the eeriest of feels.

  “By the door,” Shepherd suddenly screamed.

  I thrust forward, slamming my hand open, spreading the fingers wide as a massive charge of energy tore down them, the illumination powerful enough to push back the green glow from the cores momentarily.

  10 body drones transported through the door at once. I held them in place, my implants kicking into full gear.

  Shepherd had his work cut out for him as he cut each one down. At least with me holding them in place I appeared to be able to power through whatever protective barrier shielded them from standard Star Forces weapons.

  I heard a pop behind me, and before I could turn and thrust a hand out Shepherd shoved into my side and pushed me out of the way as a massive claw streaked down by my face.

  I twisted, saw the body drone behind me, locked it in place, and Shepherd spun around and sliced right through it from sternum to foot.

  More and more body drones kept blinking into existence, all headed for the core.

  Their siren song was almost unbearable now. It was so loud it felt like it could rattle my teeth right out of my head. It was discordant, too. It sounded like a cacophony of mumbling voices, all at different pitches and harmonies.

  It was enough to drive you insane.

  I tried not to let it affect me.

  “They’ve started assaulting life-support,” J’axal’s pitching voice suddenly erupted over my comm PIP.

  “Hold them back. Hold them back,” Shepherd shouted back.

  “Don’t worry. We are. But I have to warn you—” J’axal’s feed suddenly cut off.

  I felt a chill race down my spine.

  A few bursts of static echoed over my comm PIP as I spun, attacked another body drone just behind Shepherd, and waited for him to cut it down.

  “J’axal?” I called out. “J’axal?”

  Just before I could think he’d fallen in battle, he screamed over the audio feed.

  “There’s… a… different kind of… drone,” his voice was patchy.

  “What are you talking about?” Shepherd screamed as he shifted to the side, dodged a body drone, and replied with a blow of his own, his electro blade spinning with such a charge it looked like he was holding onto a slice of the sun.

  “Different… drone. Massive,” J’axal screamed.

  That chill that had raced down my back suddenly froze me in place.

  “It’s headed your way. It’s headed your way,” J’axal screamed.

  His audio feed cut out in a burst of static.

  “J’axal? J’axal?” Shepherd called.

  It didn’t matter.

  J’axal wouldn’t answer.

  We had half a second to stare at each other then there was a rumble from just outside the main doors.

  A second later they imploded, spinning towards both Shepherd and me with all the force of a cruiser slamming through space at beyond light speed. I had to shove both hands forward and turn my implants onto maximum to hold the doors in place.

  I thrust them to the side, sending them skidding across the floor as I focused on the now open doorway.

  That’s when we saw it. A massive body drone.

  The other drones were roughly the size of a man, though taller than a human, standing at about 7 ½ feet.

  This thing… it was huge. It was 20 feet tall and 10 feet wide.

  At first I thought it wouldn’t fit through the doorway, then it shoved towards it, and something extraordinary occurred – the metal that should have been in its way simply disappeared.

  It was transported away.

  “What the hell is that?” Shepherd bellowed.

  I didn’t have time to answer. Nor did I know the answer.

  Because just then the singing in my mind became excruciating.

  It twisted into my frontal lobe, feeling like a corkscrew trying to core my brain.

  I let out a scream, staggering backwards.

  If it weren’t for Shepherd, a body drone would have jumped upon me, but he slashed forward and protected me just in time.

  I saw him twist his head, the move snapped and painful. “Alyssa? Alyssa?”

  I staggered back and fell to one knee.

  Instantly he was beside me, slashing his blade around in an arc, attacking any drone that dared come near.

  It was excruciating. It was excruciating. The noise in my mind was like listening to a mountain being torn apart.

  It grew louder and louder and louder until I felt it would burst my eardrums.

  “Alyssa?” Shepherd thrust forward just as a body drone snaked towards me, its claws outstretched.

  He managed to collect it on its arm, but it span around, opened its claws wide, and latched them over his shoulder. It drove him down, jumping on his chest and pinning him to the floor.

  He screamed.

  And that scream did something to me. Somehow it was louder than the cacophony in my mind. It punched through it and reached my heart.

  Before the drone could tear through Shepherd, I shunted to the side, swiped a hand towards it, and obliterated it in a single move. Its constituent atoms tore apart at the molecular level and it exploded in a burst of power.

  I didn’t have time to be thankful that I’d driven that maddening siren call from my mind – the massive drone attacked.

  It was fleshier than the rest, sacks of grey fluid-filled skin hanging off it like jowls. They brushed against the floor, wobbling and sending constant vibrations through its body as it took another methodical step forward.

  Wherever its feet touched, the floor warped, whole chunks of it simply disappearing. The creature clearly had an unrivaled ability to transport matter.

  Shepherd rolled onto his back and sprang to his feet, twisting the electro blade around as he did.

  I faced him for one brief sweet moment, thankful he was still alive and still at my side, then the creature let its head jolt backwards and it screamed.

  I’d never heard anything like i
t and never would again. It didn’t sound organic, but rather like the screech of a cruiser splitting in half.

  I had to send a quick vortex of air spinning around my body so the sound didn’t burst my eardrums.

  “Hold it in place,” Shepherd screamed.

  I brought both hands up and readied my power.

  That’s when the thing stamped its foot down and the floor disappeared.

  It was transported away in the blink of an eye.

  I started to fall, and so did Shepherd.

  I punched a hand out towards him, somehow grabbing his leg.

  I used my implants to slow us before we could slam into the floor below.

  We weren’t on a deck, but rather close to the pulsing magnetic cores.

  We were in some kind of maintenance shaft, and it quaked and shook with the vibrating power of the engine.

  I kept the vortex of power circling around Shepherd and myself. Beyond it, I could sense heat. The burning heat of the magnetic drives.

  Above in engineering I heard every system blare in warning.

  The red alert kicked up another level, now pitching so loudly it would have likely maxed out the station’s audio system.

  We had to do something. Now.

  I could still hear that massive drone shifting about above.

  It would easily be the most powerful enemy I had ever faced.

  Keeping a hand on Shepherd’s shoulder, I used my power to fly up through the hole in the ground.

  As I reached main engineering, the shields holding back the cores almost flickered off. A blaring alarm told us we had seconds.

  With no other option, I turned and stretched a hand towards them, bolstering them with all my power.

  Suddenly the floor reappeared as the body drone took another stamp.

  At the same time the ceiling fell down towards us.

  I pushed my free hand towards it, spreading my fingers wide.

  I locked it in place.

  And there I stood, one hand pressed towards the shields and one hand holding the ceiling in place.

  “We have to destroy that thing before it tears through the ship,” Shepherd screamed, his voice being picked up electronically and relayed through my comm PIP.