Heart of Granite

by James Barclay

  Her pilot blinked first, taking her up and over. Max caught a glimpse of the pilot, eyes wide. Max imagined a flick and Martha’s tail whipped up, her spike connecting with the drake’s rear quarters as she passed.

  ‘One-nil,’ he said, ripping Martha into a left turn. He scanned with her eyes, seeing his target climbing high, its lower abdomen cut.

  ‘On your three, Max,’ said Kullani. ‘What a rush.’

  ‘On me, I’ve nicked one.’

  Max drove up after the injured Maf drake. Ahead to his left, the sky was crowded with combat. He saw Valera all but stand her drake on its tail to bring her round onto the back of an enemy and disgorge tight beams of fire over its wings and spine. It fell into a steep spin, smoke trailing from multiple wounds. Beyond her, two Mafs were harrying an Inferno wing pair. Max watched breathlessly as the quartet danced, twisted and rolled through other skirmishes, into empty air and back again, the Maf drakes unable to get close enough to strike, the Infernos unable to shake them off.

  Martha eyes were fixed on her quarry. The slash of her tail hadn’t disabled the enemy but there had to be discomfort and that might make all the difference. Max saw the white streak on the Maf drake’s belly that indicated blood.

  ‘Get on her tail, Kul-X, I’ll be right above you. Keep at her; let’s see what she’s got.’

  ‘Copy, Max.’

  Kullani moved in front of Max who ghosted a few metres higher. Ahead, their target turned and saw them before shooting down and left some two hundred metres ahead of them. Kullani adjusted instantly, taking the intercept line and closing fast. The Maf switched into a sharp right as Kullani dropped into her slipstream. Kullani followed without hesitation, her drake closing her left wing momentarily and stretching her right, pivoting about it.

  ‘Wooo!’ shouted Risa.

  ‘Oh yeah!’ yelled Max, following her move and feeling gee forces press him back in Martha’s pouch.

  ‘He’s bloody good,’ she said.

  ‘We’re better!’

  The Maf dived, dropping like a stone and sweeping its wings back along its body. Again Kullani followed but this time Max changed his angle, making his dive less acute. A Maf drake shot past him not thirty metres distant, chased by a pair of Infernos.

  ‘Go, go,’ he muttered.

  He knew what his enemy was going to do. There was pattern to her flight and it was revealing itself in her turn selection. It was so familiar Max wasconvinced he’d faced this one before. There was no doubting that the enemy would have to pull out and would do so as low as possible and as sharply as possible, hoping to leave Kullani no time to react. But something inside Max told him it wouldn’t be a vertical climb. The Maf would angle left or right to drive back into the main conflict at a more advantageous angle to strike.

  Max smiled. He knew which direction he’d take. He watched the Maf and Kullani screaming down towards the desert sands.

  ‘What’s your altitude, KulX?’

  ‘Two-fifty.’

  ‘Don’t leave it too late.’

  ‘I’ve got this.’

  Diving past the four hundred mark, Max twitched his drake left. The Maf drove out of his dive with speed and beautiful timing, Kullani ripping at his tail. He had speed into the climb, his back to Max and his drake was looking up and not behind.

  ‘Lovely,’ said Max and stretched out his toes and jerked his legs straight.

  Martha stamped down with her claws open. She slammed into the enemy, driving her claws straight through its scales and into the flesh sheath around its spine. The Maf was shunted forwards violently enough to stun the pilot, if the sudden slump of the drake’s neck and wings were any indication.

  But he gathered himself fast and the drake’s head swivelled, its jaws agape and coming at Max, flame ready. He curled his toes, simultaneously imagining a back beat. Martha complied, flaring her wings to apply the brakes and beating them hard to drag the enemy backwards.

  The enemy drake squawked in pain as Martha’s claws tightened. And in the moment’s delay, he brought Martha’s head around and asked for tight fire, all ducts. The octet of beams speared out, burning into the enemy drake’s face, blinding it and roasting its brain inside its skull. The head and neck dropped, Martha released her claws and the carcass hit the sand with a resounding crump.

  ‘Great work!’ yelled Kullani. ‘One for the lost.’

  ‘Teamwork, Kul-X,’ said Max. Martha exulted. ‘Let’s get back up there, see who else we can catch.’

  Max drove Martha quickly back into the sky, heading to the conflict which had scattered across a wide area. Two drakes, one grey, one white, dropped past him locked in a claw fight twisting in each other’s grip, tumbling and rolling, their wings fouling. Jaws sought purchase, tails were entwined and talons jabbed and raked, looking for the vital opening. He followed the fight, seeing the Inferno drake get the upper hand, still the rotation and bite down on the top of the Maf’s neck. The enemy juddered and its wings flailed, desperate to push away. The Inferno drake dragged its tail free and slashed it up the other’s belly. Blood surged into the sky. It was as good as over.

  ‘Skipper, Hal-X, how are we doing?’

  ‘A whole lot better than last time, Hal-X. Stand by . . . have some of that, you fucker. Run and hide, drake shit tic turd!’

  Max searched the sky and found what he was looking for. Valera and Nevant whipped across from behind him, chasing a drake with great slashes in its back, a hole in its left wing and smoke trailing from burn marks at the base of its neck. It was heading away from the fight, back towards the Virunga.

  ‘Sorry Hal-X, Head up on overwatch. I think we’ve got this in the bag. Gurney has a burn but otherwise we’re all fine.’

  ‘Good. We’ve ploughed one in so that makes them five down, by my count.’

  ‘Hal-X, MontX, coming by you in three,’ said Monteith. His drake swooped across Max’s bow, his drake’s claws battering into the belly of his target and her tail slicing deeply into flesh. She opened her mouth and scorched the pouch black.

  ‘Correction, Val-X. Six down,’ said Max.

  And with that it was done. On a signal the surviving Maf drakes broke and headed home, chased by Palant and Stepanek.

  ‘Pal-X, StepX, let ’em go,’ said Valera.

  ‘Copy Skipper’ said Stepanek. ‘Looks like we shaded this one.’

  ‘Looks like we ripped them up!’ said Palant.

  ‘Inferno-X, Val-X, great work, everyone. I think we can call that a win. GurX, your condition, please.’

  ‘Still here, Skipper,’ said Gurney. ‘But I should be heading home. No need for a nanny, I’m okay.’

  ‘Free to go,’ said Valera. ‘Did you copy all that, Flight Com?’

  ‘Confirmed, Val-X. Congratulations, Inferno-X, looks like we’re back on track. Be aware: skytime has been granted so all drakes are coming out to play. Go ahead and test the upgrade a little more but don’t push yourselves. You’ll all be needed for ERC tactical and neural debrief on landing. Have fun, InfernoX, you’ve earned it.’

  ‘Copy, Flight Com and thank you,’ said Valera. ‘Inferno-X signing off feeling a whole lot better about life than we did yesterday.’

  ‘You know it,’ said Moeller. ‘Flight Com out.’

  ‘All right, folks, looks like we’re done for the day,’ said Valera. ‘You know the skytime zones, make your own way there and enjoy the free time.’

  Skytime. The often dreamed about and seldom granted free flight benefit. Apparently there were cost implications to do with the extra nutrients required because of the extra flight time, blah blah. Max couldn’t care less. He was going to soar, he was going to dive, and he was going to irritate the shit out of anyone else he could find. For as long as it lasted, he was going to enjoy it.

  ‘Correction,’ he said. ‘Martha . . . we are going to enjoy it. It’s gonna be better than sex. Well, almost.’

  Chapter 16

  My dad said that some of the old nuclear submarines lasted ages
but eventually the behemoths got them. They could read the radiation signatures and chased them down and crushed them then took them to dry land so they wouldn’t contaminate the oceans. My dad said if you listen hard enough in the water, you can still hear the metal screaming and the submariners begging for mercy.

  Maximus Halloran, age 15

  With the HoG large on the landscape ahead, Max could make out the dots representing the other five squads, a hundred and twenty in all. He could see a few games going on. There was some netting, some stall chasing and the obligatory chicken and sprint contests. Today, though, he fancied relaxing into the upgrade and seeing a little more of what it could do, how much he had to push to get where he wanted. Martha’s mind-touch warmed him to his soul. She wanted it too.

  ‘Hal -X, ValX, sorry to intrude.’

  ‘Not a problem, Skipper, what can I do for you? I’m not signing up for a stall dare, okay? Scared myself shitless last time.’

  Valera laughed. ‘Oh yes, brown pouch time indeed. No it’s not that. Got a call for you.’

  ‘Who is it?’

  ‘Trust me. Go ahead, com is closed, Val-X out.’

  ‘I’m about to demonstrate skills beyond your wildest dreams, whoever you are. Are you ready to be proved inferior?’

  ‘Max, it’s me.’

  ‘Anna-Beth?’ he croaked.

  Max’s heart leapt into his throat and hammered away up there. Martha’s whole body shook in disapproval. She could be a jealous beast.

  ‘Oh, I have the unflappable Max Halloran off-balance, do I?’ she said.

  ‘I might be coerced into admitting that even your voice does things to me,’ said Max.

  ‘Fancy some up-close-and-personal? I need to talk to you.’

  Max felt a thrill rush through him that brought a growl from Martha. ‘You never know when we’ll get another chance.’

  ‘Quite.’ But something in Anna-Beth’s tone wasn’t right.

  ‘Where are you?’

  See the line of dunes a klick west of the HoG? There’s an old camel herd’s hut still standing there. Unbelievably. I’m at a thousand above it.’

  ‘I’m on my way,’ said Max. ‘Are you okay?’

  ‘Tell you in a moment.’

  He knew he shouldn’t but during the short flight to Anna- Beth, whose dappled red and white drake he could see circling, he wondered if he was about to be dumped. Stupid but he felt the anxiety nonetheless.

  Max flew low over the hut, seeing corrugated iron bolted to steel piles sunk into concrete. One or two panels hung loose, the roof was half gone, the remains of a camel pen remained in evidence, along with a washing line, while old litter still blew about inside, surviving against all the odds; splashes of bright colour against the background of sand.

  ‘Nice place you’ve got there,’ he said, flying up towards her.

  ‘I wrote down all the obvious clichés and that was number one.’

  ‘The decoration needs attention.’

  ‘Wow, Max, two for two. Get up here. Skytime won’t last forever.’

  ‘Can’t it wait until we’re in bed later?’

  ‘It’s hard to get into bed with a Landfill inmate.’

  ‘You mean the upgrade? It’ll be okay.’ Max turned tight and came alongside Anna-Beth. ‘What do you want to do?’

  ‘Twine,’ she said, looking across at him. ‘What else?’

  ‘Want to go on top first or shall I?’

  ‘Do you ever think about anything other than sex?’

  ‘I’m sure I’ve no idea what you’re talking about,’ said Max.

  ‘Whatever. You take position one. I’m ready when you are.’

  Max side-slipped away about twenty metres and matched Anna-Beth’s drake beat for beat.

  ‘Check this out,’ he said. He rose a few metres, turned a single roll and finished directly above her. Martha roared her pleasure. ‘Cool, eh?’

  ‘Actually, yes. But how about this?’

  Anna-Beth switched onto her back, had her drake twine Martha’s tail in hers and moved her head up to so the two drakes touched muzzles. She furled her drake’s wings, Martha’s snapping out in response. The pair began to descend, Max putting Martha on the glide, the extra weight making manoeuvring difficult.

  ‘All right, that’s even cooler.’

  ‘Good, aren’t I?’

  Anna-Beth’s voice came to him like he was sitting next to her. It was a wonderful anomaly of twine flying; still the best method for a fit drake to land a wounded one, that they could speak directly through their rides. He switched off his com and looked down at her, seeing only her eyes and nose.

  ‘You’re amazing,’ he said.

  ‘How long can you keep us up?’

  ‘Reckon we can take the strain for a good ten minutes at this height. I’ll let you know if we need a switch.’ Anna-Beth was regarding him with a seriousness that concerned him. ‘What’s up?’

  ‘You can’t take the upgrade,’ she said.

  ‘We—’

  ‘Listen to me, I’ve got to get this out. It’s because I trust your instincts when you smell a rat that I did this.’

  ‘Did what?’

  ‘Got some information out of the ERC about your upgrade.’

  ‘How the hell did you manage that?’ Martha was buffeted by a whack of clear air turbulence. Max beat her wings and put her in a shallower glide. ‘Okay, steady.’

  ‘I wouldn’t sleep with anyone else but you aren’t the only man who finds me attractive, all right? Do I need to draw you a picture?’

  ‘No,’ said Max a little more petulant in tone than he’d intended.

  ‘Deal with it. Just listen. That upgrade is less than halfcooked. The data doesn’t support deployment, only second stage modelling and partial field testing. It is unsafe. There isn’t even a neural map yet.’

  ‘But the skipper saw the report.’

  ‘She saw areport and Markov wasn’t there to endorse it, was she? She saw what they wanted her to see.’

  ‘But with shielding we’re protected anyway, right? It’s going to be retrofitted.’

  ‘You can’t retro-fit mindshielding.’ Anna-Beth’s eyes betrayed her anxiety. ‘It’s never been done because it’s impossible.’

  Max felt empty like someone had stolen his guts. There was a rushing noise in his ears and even his embryonic satisfaction at being proved right was scant comfort. Martha wobbled in flight. He felt horribly exposed and vulnerable. His first instinct was to shrink from her mind. They dropped a hundred metres.’

  ‘Max!’

  ‘Fuck!’ He stabilised Martha. ‘Sorry.’

  ‘What the fuck?’

  ‘Moeller promised . ..’ said Max, aware he was sounding a little vague. His heart was pounding away and all he wanted to do was land and get away from Martha and that reaction made him feel terrible. Angry too, very angry.

  ‘Then Moeller has swallowed the same shit as Valera. Just don’t let them fool you.’

  ‘They already have.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘I’m flying with the upgrade now. All of InfernoX are.’

  The widening of Anna-Beth’s eyes almost broke him.

  ‘How do you think we toasted the Mafs just now?’ he managed.

  Anna-Beth loosened the twine and spun her drake a hundred and eighty degrees before tightening again and beating her wings. Max reacted, Martha’s wings beating in sync to avoid fouling. It was inefficient but it gave them some lift.

  ‘I’m driving,’ she said, her tone cold and determined. ‘Don’t you do a fucking thing.’

  Max felt sick. Vindication of his suspicions was a hollow triumph. The rest of I-X were still at play, diving, sparring and cavorting; their moves so accurate so much cleaner than the others in the sky with them.

  ‘We have to tell them,’ said Max.

  ‘You can’t go open com with this,’ said Anna-Beth.

  ‘Who else knows?’

  ‘No one.’

  ‘I’ll tell them
when they’re home,’ said Max, his anger burning his cheeks. ‘I’ll fix this.’

  ‘Just don’t try fixing it with your fists, okay?’

  ‘What can we do?’ asked Max, suddenly lost. ‘We’re screwed, aren’t we?’

  ‘You’ve got to try and keep calm. Talk to Valera. I’ll stand with you if you want me, tell her what I’ve just told you. She’ll know what to do.’

  ‘What difference will it make? It’s too late.’

  ‘Don’t go there, Max. In a few days we’ll be off to the Red Sea. There’ll be time then.’

  ‘That’s five days!’ snapped Max, unable to quite contain his rage. ‘That’s five more sorties away at least. Twenty-plus hours unshielded in an untested upgrade. They’ve taken a gamble with my life and the lives of all of InfernoX, haven’t they? That we’ll take down the Maputo. How fucking dare they! I’m not ending up in Landfill to get some other fucker a medal.’

  ‘No,’ said Anna-Beth. ‘You’re not. I’m not losing you, Max.’

  ‘I love you,’ said Max before he could stop himself.

  Anna-Beth was quiet long enough Max thought he’d made a huge error.

  ‘I love you too.’

  Anxiety washed through Martha and juddered through Max’s mind. He shook himself.

  ‘Did you feel that?’

  ‘Yep.’ The calls of drakes at play had changed to mournful calls and Martha took up the chorus too. ‘Oh no.’

  ‘What is it?’

  Anna-Beth didn’t need to answer him. Martha’s head swivelled right and up to track a drake plummeting towards the ground. Max’s breath caught in his throat. Its great body led the Fall, its tail and neck reaching upwards, its head wobbling in the dirty air. From everywhere, other drakes charged in to try and get beneath it, alongside it, anything to help. Max was transfixed. He knew there was nothing they could do, nothing anyone could do.

  The open com surged with orders and counter orders, the shouts of pilots trying desperately to get through to the victim. Max stared, keeping Martha on the glide. The drake pushed out a wing and brief hope kindled but it was a twitching beat, an innate reaction nothing more. It turned lazily as it fell.