by P. T. Hylton
Only CB’s face was blank, as if it were carved from stone. “You’ve pulled some shit in your day, Goddard,” he said, “but this is one step too far. Come with me. We’re going to see the general.”
Alex nodded. She tried to keep the emotion out of her voice when she said, “Yes, sir.”
As they turned to go, Drew said, “How could you, Alex? You know we need you on this team. We need you down there. Anything happens to us, it’s on you.”
“What were you trying to accomplish here?” Owl asked.
Alex considered whether to answer that or plead ignorance, but only for a moment. Her team deserved the truth. “I thought if we could demonstrate the Daylights, if we could show how effective they are, it might help change the Council's mind.”
“You thought?” Simmons said. “We all know this wasn’t your idea. You’re so far in Fleming’s pocket you don’t even know what you’re doing anymore. You don’t even realize you’re a traitor.”
Alex turned back at that, her eyes suddenly alive with anger. “A traitor? How about the Council? They were elected to serve the will of the people.”
Simmons laughed dryly. “See what I mean?”
Firefly glared at Alex. “If they say we can’t go on the mission because of you, I’m gonna kick your ass. Girl or not.”
“I think we both know what would happen if you tried,” Alex answered.
“That’s enough!” CB yelled.
The ship fell silent.
He turned back toward the cargo hold. “GMT needs the ship. Everyone else, clear out.”
They waited a minute in silence as the R&D techs left. When they were alone, CB said, “The general and the Council will decide how to address what Alex did. It starts and ends with them. This city is tearing itself apart. I won’t have this team do the same thing. I already lost one team.” He paused, looking around, meeting each of their gazes. “It’s time I tell you how it happened.”
“It happened when I was twenty-five,” CB began. “I was in charge of demolitions for the GMT, at the time. We had a strong group. Lots of years of experience, more than we have now, even. The captain was this grizzled old woman named Murphy.” He paused and chuckled. “Well, she seemed old at the time. Come to think of it, she was probably about fifty, same as I am now.
“The thing you young people gotta know is, this isn’t the first time the idea of Resettlement has gained popularity. Seems to crop up every generation or so. Back then, our sniper was this dude about a year younger than me named Kravitz. He was a cocky SOB, but damn if he wasn’t good enough to back up his confidence. He was also a big proponent of Resettlement, and, even more importantly, he had Murphy’s ear. Maybe more than her ear, if you want to believe the rumors that were flying around then.
“I don’t know how he did it, but Kravitz somehow convinced Murphy to allow us to give a little demonstration of how effectively we could deal with vampires. Thought was, if we were successful, it would be quite a boon to the Resettlement movement. It’d show people maybe the idea wasn’t so farfetched after all.
“So, we headed down to the surface, an old city in the northern hemisphere called Quebec. It was supposed to be a routine mission to gather some parts for Engineering, but we had other ideas.
“Our pilot set us down right in the old center of the city, in the middle of a mess of buildings. We all stayed near the ship, safely in the light. We’d brought a supply of human blood with us, quarts of the stuff. We spread it all around us in a circle. And, sure enough, soon the vampires began to appear.
“They stayed in the doorways of the buildings, in the shadows, but it was like they couldn’t resist. They came right up to the edge of the light and stopped, pretty as a picture. I’ll tell you what, it was like target practice. We spent hours killing vampire after vampire. Every time we’d blow one’s head off, another one would drag the body out of the way and take its place.
“At first it was exciting. We were killing dozens, hundreds of them, and hardly breaking a sweat doing it. But after a while, I started to feel numb. Then, a few hours on, the nervousness started to creep in. See, the whole idea was for us to prove we could clear out this whole city center. Make it a vampire-free-zone, you know? But no matter how many we killed, they just kept coming. I couldn’t help but wonder, if there were this many just in the few buildings around our ship, how many were there in the city? In the world? Still, I have to admit, I was enjoying myself.
“We’d started clearing them out around midday, and the work dragged on for hours and hours. Shoot one. Wait for another vampire. Shoot that one. Reload as needed. Repeat. Thankfully, Captain Murphy had thought to bring an ungodly amount of ammo. Even with all the vampires, we weren’t in much danger of running out. We’d periodically send one of us back into the ship to restock the team.
“As the day wore on and the sun moved across the sky, the shadows on the west side of the street grew longer, and the vampires were able to move out of the doorways and into the street. Still, we were safely in the sun, and we were happy to be able to kill them in a new location. Since they were in the open, I was able to use some explosives, which everyone enjoyed. It’s the only time in my life I remember being on the surface and feeling comfortable. It was so easy. We were just killing dumb animals. I started to consider why I’d been so afraid of vampires all my life. Why anyone was.
“Somehow, in the midst of the mind-numbing repetition and the violence, we lost track of time and didn’t realize how quickly dusk was approaching. I can’t explain it other than to say we felt invincible. For the first time in my life, night didn’t seem the least bit scary.
“Murphy sent me back to the ship to restock everyone’s ammo, and as I was walking toward the ship, the sun dipped behind a building, a shadow fell across the ship, and all hell broke loose.
“Vampires poured out of the buildings and attacked the team. Still, the team held their own. They circled up quickly and killed the vampires racing toward them. It felt like no big deal.
I was almost at the ship, and the team seemed to have the vamps in hand, so I ducked inside to grab the ammo. When I stepped back out, that’s when everything changed. The sun set.
“It was as if the vampires suddenly woke up. I don’t know how else to explain it. In an instant, they were different. They moved with power and speed like I’ve never seen, before or since. They seemed like a different species than the creatures we’d been facing all day.
“The team kept attacking, but now their shots weren’t landing. The creatures moved almost too fast to see, let alone to shoot. In a matter of seconds, two of my team members were down, their throats torn out. The fresh blood brought even more of the creatures from other buildings. They weren’t even using doors anymore; they’d just burst through the buildings’ concrete walls.
“Murphy shouted for the team to retreat and everyone started running toward the ship. I tried to cover their escape, launching grenades from the door of the ship into the mass of vampires. But Murphy waved me inside, told me to get the ship into the air the moment everyone was aboard.
“I stumbled my way to the cockpit, dazed from the sudden turn the fight had taken. I was trained to operate the away ship, but it had been a while since I’d even sat in the pilot’s seat. I somehow managed to activate the exterior cameras, and I watched in horror as my team was overrun and devoured.
“Somehow I managed to keep my wits about me enough to remember to shut the doors to the ship just before the vampires reached it. The creatures jumped onto the exterior of the ship and began clawing at it, trying to tear it apart.
“I shakily managed to get the ship off the ground and raced toward the sun. The vampires on the ship burned in that light, and I’m not ashamed to say that I reveled in their screams. I somehow managed to get the ship back to New Haven and into the hangar before I broke down and wept, the last living member of the Ground Mission Team.”
CB placed a hand against the wall to steady himself as he finished his
tale.
Alex blinked hard, trying to take in everything she’d just heard. She’d known CB had faced vampires after sundown, and he’d told them time and time again that vampires were different at night, but she had never imagined he’d lost his entire team. That he’d had to watch as they were torn to shreds.
“That’s what we’re up against,” he said. “I understand your overconfidence. You haven’t seen what I have. Hell, I felt the same way before I saw it with my own eyes. But I’m the only person alive who witnessed it up close, and I can tell you that it is much worse down there than you’ve been taught. The vampires are everywhere, and Resettlement is suicide.”
16
After the story, tensions seemed to relax a bit. CB announced that the mission would be delayed a day. This was met with a nominal amount of grumbling, but not nearly as much as Alex would have expected. It also gave her reason for hope. If the mission were today, she’d definitely be left behind. Maybe by tomorrow, cooler heads would prevail, and she’d be allowed to keep her place on the team.
CB left her alone for a few minutes while he went to find the general. Alex felt like she was a little girl waiting for her dad to come home from work and hand out her punishment. It didn’t take long; CB soon returned and told her the general was with the City Council. He was taking her to see them.
As they rode in CB’s cart toward the Hub, Alex thought about the story he’d just told. She couldn’t imagine what it must have been like to experience that, to have to leave his teammates behind. It also made her think a little more deeply about the idea of Resettlement. According to what CB had said, vampires were able to bust through concrete walls at night. They moved almost too quickly for the human eye to follow. How could humanity stand up to something like that? Had she been wrong to support Fleming and his ideals?
“Can I ask you something?” she said.
“Sure.” He didn’t exactly sound excited about the possibility.
“What happened when you got back to Haven? After the mission, I mean. Why’d they allow you to stay on the GMT after your team had disobeyed the mission orders and provoked the vampires?”
There was a long silence before he answered. “I lied.”
Alex’s eyebrows shot up in surprise at that. She felt like she knew the captain pretty well, and she couldn’t imagine him lying to leadership.
“I didn’t want my team to be remembered like that,” he said. “As disobedient fools who brought death on themselves. So, I told the general that the mission took longer than expected and we didn’t make it back to the ship before sundown. He treated me like a hero. Promoted me and let me help train the new members of the Ground Mission Team.”
They were passing through the Engineering section of the ship by then, and workers in green jumpsuits, the uniform of the Engineering Corp, filed past.
“Look, Alex, I understand you better than you think I do. Hell, I was very much like you once upon a time. But I’m done lying. I can’t hide this from the Council.”
“I understand.” And she did. It wasn’t CB’s fault she was in trouble. She was a big girl. She’d take her medicine.
“I don’t know what the Council's going to decide, but if you remain on the GMT, I’ll ask that you learn from my mistakes. Don’t underestimate the creatures on the surface. I lost one team already. I’m not sure I could handle losing another.”
Before Alex could reply, a siren started blaring. For a moment, she thought it was the siren that sounded every time the hangar door was opened. But no, this one was different. Higher-pitched, and more frantic.
“That’s nearby,” CB said. He turned the cart down the next side street and headed toward the siren.
A moment later, a larger vehicle raced past them. Alex recognized it was the Emergency Response Team, the group in charge of providing emergency medical assistance and battling fires.
“This can’t be good,” Alex said.
“Let’s check it out,” CB said.
“What about the Council?”
“The Council can wait.”
Chadwick Stearns and the other Council members—minus the still-absent Daniel Fleming—stared up at the Head of Engineering, Jessica Bowen.
“What’s the report, Jessica?” Stearns asked.
“It’s bad, sir.”
Stearns grimaced. At least she was being straightforward. That was one of the things he liked about Jessica: she never sugarcoated anything.
“The fire damaged a pretty large swath of equipment,” she said. “Most of it is salvageable, or not vital to the ship’s viability. The real concern is the nuclear reactor. The main control panel was damaged beyond repair.”
“Holy hell,” one of the councilmen muttered.
“The ship can continue to fly. For now. But without the reactor, our power cells will decrease daily, and that will adversely affect our ability to maintain altitude.”
Stearns leaned forward. “Bottom line it for me.”
“I’ve run the numbers. We have thirty days to get the reactor back online. Otherwise, we’ll have to land and find a way to survive on the surface.”
17
CB entered the room and looked around, not sure where he was supposed to go. Most of the thirty or so seats in the room were filled. Finally, he caught General Craig’s eye, and the general nodded him over.
They were in the City Council headquarters building, in the largest conference room in the city. The group sat around a massive square table. A quick scan of the room gave CB an idea of the scope of the dilemma they were facing. Jessica Bowen, Director of Engineering, was present, as was Tom Horace, the ship’s chief pilot. Williams, Director of Agriculture, was there, too. On the other side of the general sat Henry Kurtz, the captain of the badges, the New Haven police force.
And then there was the Council. Every one of them but Fleming. They wore pale, gaunt expressions, and the dark circles under their eyes indicated they probably hadn’t slept since the incident in Engineering the day before.
Councilman Stearns called the meeting to order and asked Jessica to brief the room. She stood up, her face the picture of seriousness. Clearly, she wasn’t intimidated by the group seated before her.
The general had already given CB a high-level briefing on the incident, and he’d seen enough first-hand to have a pretty good idea what had happened. But he didn’t know everything Jessica told them now.
“As most of you know, the damage caused by the fire is not easily fixable. Given enough time and the right parts, we could make it happen. But we have neither. We only have two options. Fix the nuclear reactor or land the ship.”
“Sure, land the ship,” Horace muttered loudly enough for everyone to hear. “And give those Resettlement bastards exactly what they want? No way.”
Stearns held up a hand. “Horace, please. We don’t know who did this. We don’t even know that the fire was intentional. Let’s not jump to conclusions.”
“It doesn’t take a genius to narrow down the list of suspects.” Horace turned to Kurtz. “How about it? Send some badges to talk to Fleming and his pathetic followers. Maybe don’t ask so nice, and I’ll bet you’ll get answers pretty quickly.”
A murmur of agreement rumbled through the group.
“I said, that’s enough,” Stearns said. “We’re here to make plans, not to start a mob. Jessica, please continue. What’s the likelihood of finding the parts you need to repair the ship?”
Jessica stared at the ceiling for a long moment before answering; CB could practically see her wheels turning. She was cute when she was thinking. He’d always thought so, though he’d never shared these thoughts with anyone. Certainly not her.
“It wouldn’t be easy,” she said. “We’d need to get them from a reactor on the surface. Then, if we’re lucky, we might be able to retrofit them for our system. That’s assuming we find a plant that was properly shut down during the vampires’ attacks and didn’t go critical. Even then…it’s a bit of a crapshoot, but it’s the
only chance we’ve got.”
“Lovely,” Stearns said. “So just find a functional reactor, get the parts, and hope they fit?”
The general nodded to Stearns. “Our GMT is willing to give it a try.”
“Damn right, we are,” CB said. Of course, they’d do the job, if needed, but despite his bluster, it wasn’t a job he’d relish. A nuclear facility had to be huge. Lots of dark places for vampires to hide.
“Good,” Stearns said. “But before we decide on going that route, let’s discuss the other possibility. Landing the ship.”
That was met with a heavy silence.
“I know no one wants to give the Resettlers what they want, but this is the survival of humanity we’re talking about, here. The Council overrode the vote because Resettlement was the most dangerous option. Now it seems it may have become the safest one. So, let’s at least talk about it. How would we go about it?”
“It would have to be somewhere safe,” Williams said. “Remote. Maybe we could land just long enough to fix the reactor, then head back up.”
“We’d be lucky to last long enough to fix anything,” CB said.
“And getting this beast back up off the ground would be no easy feat,” Horace added.
“What about Antarctica?” one of the other Council members said. CB thought her name was Kara, but he could never remember.
“Could work,” the general said. “The extremely low population before the vampire attacks means there would be very few vampires there now. If any.”
Williams shook his head at that. “No way we could keep the crops alive in those temperatures. The crops die, so do we.”
“Not to mention the ship components,” Jessica said. “Some of them won’t function in subzero weather without the reactor keeping things warm.”
