Extinction Cycle Dark Age (Book 3): Extinction Ashes

by Smith, Nicholas Sansbury

  “Please take a moment and pray for him and the countless citizens and soldiers across the Allied States who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country,” Ringgold said.

  A moment of silence passed as people bowed their heads to reflect and pray. She then brought the brief ceremony to a close and one-by-one, people went up to the improvised casket, offering brief prayers.

  As the crowd dispersed, Ringgold joined Beckham and Kate. She said hello, but he could tell the president was ready to discuss business. A short walk, and the celebration of life for Fischer was the only reprieve they would be getting.

  “Why don’t you go play with the dogs a second?” Kate said to Javier.

  He bobbed his head and bounded off to where Tasha and Jenny were trying to keep Ginger and Spark occupied, playing fetch with the dogs.

  To Beckham’s surprise, Ringgold gave Kate a hug, and then gave him a hug, too. He embraced her back, exchanging a glance with Kate while he did.

  “Your family gives me so much hope for this country, and seeing the kids like that gives me an idea of what our future looks like,” Ringgold said. “I look forward to the day we can go back to living in peace again.”

  “We’ll get there,” Kate said. “I’m sure of it.”

  “Me too,” Beckham said.

  “I’m afraid we have a lot of work to do,” Ringgold said. “What are the next steps?”

  “Now that we’ve cracked the code of communicating through the Variant network, I think we can make some real progress disrupting their plans,” Kate said. “I’m told there are some candidate sites around Houston that have direct webbing access, and I’ve already started making arrangements with my team.”

  “Great, I have faith in you,” Ringgold said.

  “Thank you, Madam President.”

  “Captain Beckham, we’ve been relocating our defenses and routing evacuations to focus on the remaining twenty-five outposts we have, mostly concentrated in the southeast, from Florida to Texas,” Ringgold said. “I’m meeting with my advisers in a couple of hours, and I want you to be there.”

  “Yes, of course, Madam President,” Beckham said. “Whatever you need.”

  “In the meantime, spend time with the kids and try and get some rest,” Ringgold said. “You’ll need it.”

  Soprano and a couple of Secret Service agents whisked her away, her shoes tapping on the pavement back toward the center of the outpost.

  Kate grabbed Beckham’s hand in her own. “What do you say we get something to eat with the kids and Big Horn?”

  “Sounds great,” Beckham said.

  They started off back to Horn, the kids, and the dogs, and then made their way back to the beach where a row of food stands were serving seafood and other meals.

  Beckham paused when he saw a figure on the beach, not far behind one of booths.

  “Give me just a minute,” he said to Kate.

  “Okay,” she replied.

  Beckham hurried over to the sand where he found Timothy standing alone, staring off over the waves past the chain-link fences and guard towers. The young man didn’t look like the teenage kid he remembered from Peaks Island. His cut and bruised face was confident like that of his deceased father, Jake Temper.

  “Mind if I join you?” Beckham asked Timothy.

  Timothy shrugged.

  For a few moments, they stood silently, taking in the view. Beckham had considered giving Timothy space in case he harbored ill-will toward him after all that had happened, but there were some things that needed to be said.

  “I’ll never forget the day I met you and your dad,” Beckham said. “I had never seen anyone fight so hard against all odds, like your father. Everything he did was to protect you.”

  Timothy nodded.

  “I didn’t know Jake before the first war, but I’d bet my life he made a great police officer. Back on Peaks Island, there was no one else I would trust more to protect our community than your father, and that’s why he stayed behind that night, to save you and the kids, and my wife.”

  “He was a brave, good man,” Timothy said.

  “He was a brave, great man. And he would be proud of you beyond words. In fact, I am certain he is proud. You helped save my life at Mount Katahdin and you also helped save countless others.”

  “Someone had to do it.”

  “Just because someone had to do it doesn’t mean just anyone would. But you stepped up. You risked everything to stop the collaborators.”

  Timothy brushed away a tear with the back of his hand. “I miss him. I miss my dad.”

  “Me too, kid. Me too.”

  Beckham put an arm around Timothy, and Timothy didn’t pull away.

  “I’m so sorry for leaving Outpost Portland that night,” Beckham said. “When we came back for you and you had gone off, I…”

  “You came back for me?”

  Timothy looked over at Beckham and he loosened his grip so he could face the young man.

  “Yes, Horn and I both came back, and then we went out and looked for you,” Beckham said. “A team of collaborators hit our truck and killed our driver, nearly killed us, too.”

  “I… I didn’t know.”

  “How would you have known? All that matters is that we’re here now, standing on this beach with a second chance to keep fighting.”

  “I’ll never stop,” Timothy said.

  “Me either.”

  They embraced, and Beckham patted the kid on the back.

  “Your old man isn’t the only one who’s proud of you. I’m so proud, Timothy, and I think there might be an opportunity for you on Team Ghost.”

  Timothy brightened at that.

  “But first, let’s eat,” Beckham said. “There’s plenty of time for fighting. For now, let’s spend some time with family.”

  ***

  Fitz woke up to find his ribs burning with every breath, and his limbs scorching with electricity. He couldn’t remember being in this much pain since he had lost his legs. Every muscle in his body felt like it was going to tear from his bones.

  With a gasping heave, he pushed his prosthetic blades over the side of his bed at the Banff Fairmont Hotel. They clanked against the timber floorboards as he made his way to the bathroom. There was still dried blood in the sink from earlier.

  He glanced at himself in the mirror. The bruises mottling his body had grown dark purple and blue, covering nearly every inch of exposed flesh. The cut on his chest was now covered in clean bandages and properly sewn up by the Canadian medics. Just another scar to add to his collection.

  Despite his pain, the past few hours of sleep had been one of the deepest in recent memory. In fact, he couldn’t remember the last time he had slept in a bed like this. Now it was his turn to watch their prisoner and give Ace a chance to catch some shuteye.

  When he, Ace, and Dohi had arrived with Corrin, the first thing he’d wanted to do was to talk to General Kamer, not trade shifts watching the Chimera in a hotel room. He had been ready to give Kamer a piece of his mind and explain exactly why Canada needed to join the fight with the Allied States.

  But General Kamer had been called away in the night to Valemont, another Canadian frontier base for a meeting with other military leaders. Apparently, the general was there to discuss provisions and supply routes before they settled in for the harsh winter.

  Fitz grabbed his rifle, left the room, and went a few doors down to where four Canadian soldiers stood outside. This particular room had been transformed into a holding cell for the Banff base.

  Team Ghost had told Kamer’s men they wanted to personally stand guard over the Chimera. The Canadian soldiers hadn’t seemed offended. None of them wanted the job of watching such a monstrosity.

  The Canadian soldiers outside the room stiffened when they saw Fitz headed their direction. One of them unlocked the door and let Fitz in. The soldier then closed the door and relocked it with a heavy click behind Fitz.

  Ace and Dohi stood in one corner, both cradling
their weapons as they faced Corrin. Bars covered the windows and heavy iron shackles were wrapped around the Chimera’s ankles and wrists. Chains secured the shackles to bolts in the heavy timber floors.

  The half-man stared up at Fitz with narrowed yellow eyes, his breathing coming out in rasps from his slitted nostrils.

  “You get some rest, boss?” Ace asked. He tugged at his beard and leaned heavily against the wall.

  Fitz nodded. “I’ll take over now. You two can go get some sleep.”

  Ace limped out of the room, but Dohi stayed behind.

  “I’m good,” Dohi said.

  Corrin seemed unperturbed by their presence. Fitz studied him, wondering if this creature really was who he said he was—or just cooperating so the New Gods could use him as spy.

  “You need the break,” Fitz said. “I got this.”

  “All due respect, but I want to personally keep my eyes on this thing until Kamer gets back,” Dohi said.

  The door opened again, and Fitz turned expecting to see Ace had changed his mind. But it was Sergeant Carter Prince who walked in with two guards.

  “General Kamer’s back,” Prince said. “He’s ready to talk to you if you’re ready.”

  “We were ready last night,” Dohi said.

  The soldiers unlocked Corrin’s chains, freeing them from the bolts in the floor. They kept the chains attached to the shackles and held them like a pair of heavy leashes. Then they ushered the Chimera out.

  Fitz followed, keeping his rifle trained on Corrin in case he tried anything. Dohi knocked on Ace’s room’s door. The older operator answered, his shirt already off and sleep already fogging his eyes.

  “Goddammit,” he grumbled.

  “Get your clothes on, we’re meeting the general,” Dohi said.

  Ace cursed and went back inside to change before hurrying after them.

  Soldiers milling about in the corridors or rushing through the base stopped and stared as the group made their way down the hall and stairwells. A few cursed under their breaths, and others turned white, pale with fear.

  Good, Fitz thought. Let them see what awaits them.

  Prince took Corrin through the main lobby. A few officers stood from their desks, gawking at the monster.

  “Why the hell did you bring a Variant in here?” one officer asked.

  “Ain’t no Variant,” Ace said.

  The officer shrank back to his desk.

  Most of the men and women here hadn’t been on shift when Ghost had brought Corrin in. The few soldiers who had seen the Chimera had been told to keep their lips sealed until General Kamer arrived. Ghost didn’t want to cause a scene, just like this, before they had a chance to introduce Kamer to the Chimera.

  After they passed through the lobby, Prince took them to the conference room where they had first met General Kamer. Seated at the oval table in the center of the room, the general had his head down, studying some papers spread before him.

  A half-dozen officers were gathered in the room with him, their eyes on their computers and briefing folders.

  Prince knocked on the door. “Team Ghost is here to see you, sir.”

  “Bring them in,” Kamer said, finally looking up. He stiffened in his seat when Fitz entered.

  “You look like hell, Master Sergeant,” he said.

  Fitz got out of the way to let him see Corrin.

  The general slowly rose out of his chair.

  “This is the face of the new war,” Fitz said. “We call them Chimeras. They’re smart as humans but have all the twisted mutations of Variants. And that’s why we’re losing.”

  Kamer stared for a moment, blinking a few times like he didn’t believe what was standing in front of him. But if his eyes wouldn’t believe it, Fitz knew his nose would.

  Corrin stank like a rotting fish and fruit market in a blazing sun.

  A moment of tension passed, and to the surprise of Fitz, the first words came not out of Kamer’s mouth but of Corrin’s.

  “The New Gods want to transform every man, woman, and child left in this world,” said the Chimera. “They want to turn them into…things like me.”

  “That’s impossible,” Kamer said in a shaky voice.

  “It’s not, and those they can’t transform, they’ll kill,” Corrin said.

  Kamer looked to Fitz.

  “These monsters are coming for you,” Fitz said. “They’re coming for all of us, whether you believe Corrin or not. I’ve seen it with my own eyes.”

  “Trust me,” Ace said. “It ain’t pretty, and the only way to stop what’s coming is to work together.”

  Kamer stepped from behind his table, approaching Corrin cautiously.

  “We nearly gave our lives to bring this monster to you,” Dohi said. “Take a damn good look at him.”

  “We were wrong when we thought the human race was going to go extinct.” Fitz paused, sucking in a breath that pained his agonized lungs. “The abominations we fought want to force human evolution, and right now, you’re looking at our future if you don’t step up with your forces and team up with President Ringgold.”

  “We can hardly feed our people, Master Sergeant, how do you expect…” Kamer began to say.

  The Chimera growled out what sounded like a laugh. “I wouldn’t worry about food. If the New Gods have it their way, there won’t be any human civilization left in North America by the New Year.”

  Kamer took a few steps closer, stopping in front of the beast. For a few seconds he said nothing. Fitz knew this general wasn’t a coward. He had the scars of a veteran who had fought the beasts for almost a decade. And he had done a good job keeping his people safe.

  For that, Fitz respected him.

  But sometimes a warrior needed to see the enemy up close to understand the threat they posed, and that’s exactly why Fitz had brought Corrin here.

  Kamer finally stepped away and sighed. He jerked his chin at a lieutenant hanging back in the shadows.

  “Get me President Ringgold on the phone immediately. It’s time we start planning together,” Kamer said.

  The lieutenant hurried away.

  Kamer looked at Fitz, Dohi, and Ace in turn.

  “Thank you for risking your lives to show me the truth,” he said. “The Canadians are with you.”

  Fitz couldn’t help but grin as he held out his hand to shake. “Welcome to the fight, General.”

  End of book 3.

  Click here to pre-order Extinction Darkness, coming Spring of 2020!

  About the Authors

  Nicholas Sansbury Smith is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Hell Divers series. His other work includes the Extinction Cycle series, the Trackers series, and the Orbs series. He worked for Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management in disaster planning and mitigation before switching careers to focus on his one true passion—writing. When he isn’t writing or daydreaming about the apocalypse, he enjoys running, biking, spending time with his family, and traveling the world. He is an Ironman triathlete and lives in Iowa with his wife, their dogs, and a house full of books.

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  Anthony J Melchiorri is a scientist with a PhD in bioengineering. Originally from the Midwest, he now lives in Texas. By day, he develops cellular therapies and 3D-printable artificial organs. By night, he writes apocalyptic, medical, and science-fiction thrillers that blend real-world re
search with other-worldly possibility, including works like The Tide and Eternal Frontier. When he isn’t in the lab or at the keyboard, he spends his time running, reading, hiking, and traveling in search of new story ideas.

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  About the Authors