by Ran Vant
The black pads swung up quickly, and after a brief moment, the chairs' lights turned blue. The four Guardians rose from the black padded chairs and moved swiftly towards their power armor.
Michael stepped into the recessed archway, and after the familiar latching sounds and the flow of liquid metal, he emerged ready for battle. He secured his helmet, blinked once as his brain switched to interpreting images from the 360-degree vision his mask provided, and walked briskly down the corridor from the suiting chamber to a ledge overlooking the world below. Information on projected defenses, estimated number of truds, predicted travel routes, and surrounding land features streamed across his visor in rapid succession.
It was night. Michael stood on the dark ledge, looking once more upon the city. The city’s many lights formed a pattern of red, amber, orange, yellow, and blue that was at once familiar, yet different. Even though the city was ever changing, he felt there were few parts he did not know.
To Lightbringer’s right stood his mate, Stormcaller, and to his left stood Starmaker and Suncatcher. They paused for a moment, waiting to dive upon their enemies after a final data download from Magritte. Uncharacteristically, Michael turned his mind’s eye to gaze upon the silver figure at his side. Gabriella continued staring ahead, intent on the data stream flowing across her visor. Even in her armor, she was magnificent. A red crosshair suddenly flashed across Michael’s visor screen as Magritte sent the final targeting information, indicating the dive point on the surface far below. Michael noted the spot, and with a leap, began his descent to the world below.
The crosshairs indicated a residential neighborhood subtly lit by the orange glow of street lamps. Lightbringer amplified the surface streets. At the center of the target, a hoverbike was moving to the south, with a single rider wearing a large backpack. Very little fission material was necessary to make a weapon, and Lightbringer could not be sure whether the contraband was on the person riding the bike, on the bike, or in the bike itself. The low power density scanners were only accurate to a few feet when the target was moving, and the signal from a more powerful scan would tip off the truds. So, he had to satisfy himself with a little ambiguity. Michael also noticed a hovervan trailing 50 meters behind the bike, at precisely the same speed, and which Magritte had just indicated contained four heat signatures and the chemical traces of advanced energy weapons.
“Gabriella will target the hoverbike, I will target the rider, Dante will target the trailers, and Martha will fly high cover,” Michael ordered.
Martha extended her golden wings first, and began a slower spiral to the surface. Dante veered left and accelerated towards the hovervan, while Michael and Gabriella fell side by side, intent on the lone rider speeding through the dark night.
As Lightbringer and Stormcaller fell silently through the blackness, the rider suddenly looked directly up at the pair. “How did he know we were here?” Michael thought briefly, before modifying the angle of his fall to track the now accelerating hoverbike.
The van did not accelerate to follow the bike. Nor was there any fire from the surrounding buildings. Instead, the rider seemed to be all alone as he went faster and faster.
Michael came within weapons range and prepared to disable the hoverbike. His wings sprang open to glide him in at a more horizontal angle, slowing his speed so that he did not overtake the fleeing trud. He raised his fist and fired at the hovenbike’s engine, but the blast was absorbed at the last instant by a pulse shield.
“Did you see that?” Michael asked Gabriella, unaware that the truds had the capability of mounting such a device on a small vehicle.
“We want the material intact. We shouldn’t use a solid-state projectile or amp up the ray if we want it in one piece,” Gabriella responded. “We’ll neutralize him at close range with the wings.”
The rider turned and fired an energy blast at Gabriella, the weak bolt hitting her armor harmlessly in the chest.
Meanwhile, Dante fell upon the trailing van, blasted a hole in its roof, and prepared to annihilate the unsuspecting inhabitants. But as he landed on the now slowing vehicle, it became apparent that it was unoccupied. All that sat in the back of the vehicle were four heat generators and some chemically laced rags. Dante crackled across the comlink, “This is another weird one, team. The van’s empty.”
“What?” Martha asked.
“The van is empty – it’s a decoy. Watch out for that bike, Michael.” Dante warned.
“We’re almost on him,” Michael replied. “He doesn’t have anywhere to run. And judging from the blasts he’s firing at us, he’s very much real, unlike your van occupants.” But as they were closing the gap, the rider stood up on the hoverbike seat and leapt into the air. At the apex of his leap, his backpack erupted into blue flame, and he jetted upward into the night sky.
“I’ll get the bike,” Gabriella called as she flew after the now riderless vehicle. The hoverbike could be programmed to travel independently with the material. Perhaps the rider was taking off to distract them, hoping that the contraband would escape unnoticed. There was no guarantee the rider was even a biologic.
“Rex,” Martha called up to Magritte, “Where do the density scanners indicate the material is: with the bike or with the rider?” There was no response.
Michael zeroed in on the jetpacker. Even with his wings folded back and accelerating at near maximum speed, Lightbringer could not close the gap. But Michael knew he had an advantage the jetpacker didn’t: time. The rider’s fuel would run out much quicker than Michael’s.
The jetpacker turned toward the large lake next to the city and dove towards its black surface. Lightbringer followed behind. “Martha, do you have an intercept angle?” he asked, hoping to cut the pursuit short across the water. Martha did not respond. “Suncatcher?” Michael asked again. Still, the comlink was silent. “Dante?” Nothing. Apparently, the truds had more than a few novel jamming devices. But never mind, he was gaining on the jetpacker now.
The two raced only feet above the dark waters. Then, the jetpacker began a steep ascent. The blue flames from his pack suddenly diminished as a heavy mist began to be emitted from the engine. Michael could smell the heavy fumes of the flammable gas and thought the rider’s jetpack must have malfunctioned.
But this time, Michael was wrong. The heavy mist was intentional; it was filling the air for the purpose of being ignited and creating a massive pressure wave. He saw a brief flash before the wave from the fuel-air pressure bomb knocked him unconscious. Lightbringer’s black body fell backward from the night sky. With a splash, he hit the water and was swallowed by the dark waves.
Martha circled alone high in the sky, calling to her companions above and below. But there was no reply.
Golden light grew on the horizon. One could not yet see the sun, but the dawn and the new day that it would bring was on its way.
36.
The Grab
Perspiration beaded on his brow. A line of sweat ran down his cheek and paused in the stubble of his jawbone before dropping through the stale air and onto the deck. Condensation collected in tiny puddles beneath the small port windows. Jack checked the temperature gauge and saw that it was actually cool in the compartment. Nonetheless, he sweated.
He took another deep breath, and exhaled through tight lips. It was taking longer than expected.
“Where is it?” Jack asked.
“It will show up. Be patient,” Damien advised, trying to convince himself as much as the Lieutenant.
Jack wiped the stinging sweat from his eyes and looked at the console once more, striving to see what he was waiting for. And finally, it was there.
Lt. Carlitos moved the submersible into position.
Damien extended the robotic arm, reaching for the black object falling through the murky darkness. The mechanical arm scraped the forearm of the sinking armored body before it settled on the sandy bottom. Damien gripped the black one’s forearm tighter and retracted the submersible’s robotic arm, bringing th
e dark armored form closer to the sub’s skin. The catch was then deposited into a small bay for the underwater journey.
“All set?” Jack asked.
“Affirmative. We have one gargoyle safely contained,” Damien smiled. They had actually done it. “Please proceed, Lieutenant.”
The genbot had fallen a little further toward the south end of the lake than had been planned, but not so far as to jeopardize the mission. Considering all the variables, it was a small miracle it worked at all. Having the cargo safely stored away, Lt. Carlitos released the decoy debris as planned and then sped away to the north under the dark waves.
37.
A New Day
“What was living in the Refuge like?” She stared out across the dark water, killing time.
“The Territories? I don’t know, Eve,” Maren replied, her mind not really on the conversation at hand. “It seemed pretty normal at the time.” She struggled to see if there was anything out there in the near darkness.
“Didn’t you wonder what you were missing, what was possible?” Eve asked, absentmindedly plinking the aluminum rod supporting the overhead tarp that extended out over the water from the van parked at the shoreline.
“Do you mean did I feel ‘primitive’?” Maren responded with a hint of annoyance. “No, not really. It was just all I knew, and besides, it wasn’t all that primitive anyway. It seemed like a pretty good life.” Her eyes stayed on the black lake ahead of her.
Eve still couldn’t comprehend why anyone would choose to live like they did in the olden days. “I think it might be interesting to see the Refuge Territories, but I certainly wouldn’t want to live there. Like, what would you do all day? I would get so bor… Wait a minute. Is that it?” Eve pointed out into the water and suddenly became more businesslike. Before waiting for a response, she turned away from her red-haired companion and walked to the front of the hovervan.
Maren strained her deep blue eyes in the twilight of the morning. At first she wasn’t sure, but with a second look she saw it, too. How’d she miss what Eve saw? There was indeed a faint green dye in the water. She double-checked that her pendant was tucked inside her rash guard top, then leaned over to pick up the end and several loops of a cable woven from spiderlyn. Maren waded out into the shallows. Soon, she was treading water. Out a little farther, the green dye gently stirred from a subtle current flowing underneath.
Maren lowered her goggles, flicked them on, took a deep breath, and dove under the surface. The water was murky, made more so by the green signal dye. Yet she knew it was there. The goggles eventually highlighted it. She kicked harder and the black shape came into view. Grabbing ahold of the heavy armored figure that was resting on the sandy bottom to keep herself and the light cable submerged, she worked the spiderlyn sling under its arms and secured it tight. When her red hair breached the surface, she signaled the shore with a short salute.
Eve started the winch, and the body was slowly reeled up to the shoreline and into the back of the waiting hovervan. By the time it breached the surface, it was under the tarp, and then it was only a few more seconds before the body was inside and the doors where shut tight.
As they started up the van, the morning rays shown through the wooded shoreline. A bird sang in a tree. “Take a good look at the sunlight. It'll be the last time we see it for a while. The downside to our little success here is that we'll be locked down for weeks now.”
“Yep,” Eve said. Maren’s statement was true, Eve thought, as long as “we” did not include Eve.
They drove away into the light of morning. The new day had fully begun.
38.
Held Down
Clouds and water swirled around him. He needed to protect them. At first he tried to control where he was going, but he soon realized he was caught in the tumult, being carried away with no control of his own. He wanted to fly. A large hand kept him under. Trying to fight his way out, he tried to fire an energy wave from his fist at the large hand, but his gauntlet was missing. His fingers were cold. Then, for a moment, he felt the warmth. She was there, reaching for him. But her hair was not the color of silver, but of flame. Then she fell away into the swirling cloud below as the water covered him above. He tried to fight against the current with his wings, to make it back home. There was nothing there. They must have been ripped off in the fall. Even if he had his wings, there was no going back. For he looked in the sky, and the fortress was gone; to where, he didn’t know. He needed to protect them, but they weren’t there. Then he was sitting in the dirt, all alone, away from the city. The large hand was gone and the sun was shining brightly. But he was still cold. He thought of her again. Looking across the plain, he did not see her. Mist began to cover the ground, yet the sun was still shining brightly. Too bright; it hurt his eyes. He tried to lower the visor of his mask, but it would not go down. The light grew stronger…
“It’s coming around.”
“Wait until the beta scans show full consciousness. We only get one shot at this.”
“Be ready with the rail gun. If it comes after us, it’s going to be tough to stop it.”
“Calm down and pay attention. It’s not going to have a chance to do anything. It’ll be fried in a moment. Franklin, make sure you have the stasis shot ready.”
“B-scan at 90%. Priming the charge.”
“Here we go, people…”
“B-scan 100%, go.”
“Engaging pulse.”
Michael’s body wretched, his spine arching backward as all the muscles in his body seemed to contract at once. The black pads on either side of his head did not emit the warm humming pulse of Magritte’s scanners. Instead, the padded scanners burned and pounded into his skull. And instead of the few seconds in the chair on Magritte, this seemed to last forever. He writhed in agonizing pain.
Then it was over, and the light fell again to darkness.
“Did we get it?”
“We got it. Oh yeah, we got it.”
“Wait a minute… It’s still alive. It actually survived the procedure! It wasn’t supposed to do that, was it?”
“Confirm, we have the scan? It’s perfect?”
“Yes, sir. Scan and backup data chip both read 100% clean.”
“Then give me the stasis shot.”
“But that will definitely kill it, Lieutenant,” Franklin objected.
“The stasis isn’t necessary, he is still alive!”
“Maren, we’re sticking with the procedure. Franklin, give me the shot. I’m going to freeze its-” Jack said, his face set in a determined mask.
“But you can’t just kill him, Jack!” Maren said, grabbing Jack’s arm and preventing him from reaching the stasis shot. Jack recoiled at her hand. His burns from the ambush under the English garden had not yet completely healed. Maren let go immediately.
Jack stepped back and spoke to the room. “The plan was to freeze his neural network which means we kill it. We do it now and get it over with. What are you looking at me like that for? It’s a genbot! Its sole purpose in life is to kill us. It is a machine, a robot, designed by the gens, designed for one purpose: Hunting and killing us: me and you!”
“We don’t need to freeze the structures and pathways if-” Maren tried to continue.
“The plan was to kill it and study it and then-” Jack interrupted.
Then from the back of the room came an unexpected voice, but one they all recognized instantly. With the first words, the rest of the room went silent. “We didn’t think he could survive the scan, and it was questionable whether he would even survive the pressure bomb. Well, he didn’t die. That changes the plan,” Colonel Red calmly stated. “If he dies later, we can just as easily freeze the neurons then,” he said almost as an afterthought.
“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Jack argued, amazed that he was even having this conversation about a deadly machine built to kill him and everyone else. “Do you know what kind of risk we are taking? I mean, what are we going to do with it?! Its heat sign
ature alone is enough for them to find us! What does the Doctor think about this? If the neural pathways change-”
“We might be able to learn something from questioning the genbot, learning not just what it knows but how it thinks,” Colonel Red reasoned. “We don’t know yet what purpose he might serve, but-”
“The only way the Organization stays alive is through discipline, and we can’t go changing the plan,” Jack responded with fire in his eyes, as if his life depended on it. Jack believed it did. “It could get out and kill all of us even without its armor!”
“He isn’t going to be killing anyone in his current state. But you’re right about one thing: discipline keeps the organization going. And so I’m making it an order,” the Colonel commanded, but in the same level tone he had used all along. Jack was loyal, passionate, and persistent. That's why Red picked him. Jack wouldn't like it, but he'd do it. One way or another.
Jack murmured, “This is going to get us killed.”
“I said it’s an order. We are presented with a new opportunity and I intend to seize it. If the genbot is hurt… no… if the genbot doesn’t recover – fully, mind you Lieutenant – before we transfer him to Colonel Blue, I will hold you personally responsible, Lt. Carlitos. To the fullest extent of military law. Full recovery. On you. Is that clear?” Red was annoyed that he had to explain himself. The stress was getting to everyone. Jack didn’t normally argue about an order or a change in plan. Red knew immediately that his threat was more than necessary, but it got the job done quickly.
“Yes, Sir!” Jack responded crisply. He had forgotten himself. Even if it got him killed, which he thought it quite possibly could, he would follow the order. That’s what good lieutenants did.
