Zero Hour

by Mark Walden

  ‘He’ll have it with him – there’s no way that he’d let it fall into our hands that easily,’ Nero said, feeling sudden anger. They were so close and now it seemed as if there was one last impassable barrier to breach.

  ‘We’re also getting reports from the Leviathan that the American military is mobilising at their perimeter. It looks like they’ve been watching what’s going on.’

  ‘How long do we have?’ Nero asked.

  ‘An hour, maybe slightly more, but we have to be out of here by then.’

  ‘I have an idea about how we can get to Overlord,’ Otto said suddenly, ‘but it’s risky.’

  ‘At this point, Mr Malpense, we may need to take some risks. What do you have in mind?’ Nero asked.

  ‘There’s only one person that Overlord is going to let inside the Vault: me. I’m going to have to go in there.’

  ‘I fail to see how that would help,’ Nero said with a frown. ‘Surely we’d just be giving him exactly what he wants.’

  ‘That may be true but we have one card up our sleeve,’ Otto said as Raven joined them. ‘Overlord and Furan have no idea that the Animus has been removed from Raven’s system. She takes me in there and once we’re inside she does what she does best.’

  ‘Natalya,’ Nero said, ‘what do you think?’

  ‘If it gives me a chance to make Furan and Overlord pay for what they’ve done then you’ll get no argument from me.’

  ‘Very well. I don’t like it but I don’t see that we have any other choice,’ Nero said. ‘Just make sure –’ Suddenly he gasped in pain, fresh blood pouring from the wound that Raven had inflicted. Raven caught him as he collapsed, gently lowering him to the ground. She looked at the wound and knew that they had to get him to a doctor now. She put on Nero’s comms unit and spoke.

  ‘Raven to Darkdoom. Come in.’

  ‘Natalya, I was glad to hear that you’re back with us,’ Darkdoom replied. ‘What do you need?’

  ‘I need your aircraft down on the ground now. The hostages from the facility are on the way to the base’s airstrip and I’m sending Nero down there too. I think his wound is haemorrhaging. Have an emergency medical team ready to receive him.’

  ‘Understood,’ Darkdoom replied. ‘We’ll be on the ground in ten minutes.’

  ‘Make it five,’ Raven said, looking anxiously at the blood pooling on the ground beneath Nero. She turned to Shelby and Wing. ‘Get some help – find a stretcher and get him down to the airstrip now. Move!’

  Wing and Shelby did not need to be told twice. They sprinted across the room towards the rest of the Alpha team, shouting for help and running down the corridor that led to the medical bay.

  ‘Natalya,’ Nero whispered, his eyes flickering open, ‘get moving. If Overlord carries out his plan then none of this will have made any difference.’

  Raven squeezed his hand.

  ‘I’m going to stop him, Max. Don’t worry.’

  She stood up and motioned for Otto to follow her towards the door leading to the entrance to the Vault.

  ‘Once we’re inside I’ll go straight for Overlord and Furan. If Laura and Lucy are in there, it’s your job to get them out safely.’

  ‘Understood,’ Otto said, ‘but, you have to promise me one thing. We can’t risk letting Overlord take control of the Animus nanites. If somehow he does manage to overpower me you’re going to have to kill me. There won’t be time to hesitate.’

  ‘I won’t,’ Raven said with a frown. ‘Let’s just try to make sure that it doesn’t come to that.’

  Furan watched the one remaining feed from the security camera outside. He frowned as three decloaked Alphas examined the locking mechanism on the other side of the door.

  ‘They will find a way inside eventually,’ he said, turning away from the monitors. ‘I hope that you know what you’re doing.’

  ‘Have faith, Pietor,’ Overlord said with a smile. ‘Malpense will come. I spent a long time inside his head observing him as I regained my strength. I know him – he will not leave his friends behind.’ He placed one claw-like hand on the silver cylinder that stood next to his chair. ‘And when he comes for them the world will be ours to control.’

  There was the sudden sound of gunfire from outside and Furan turned back to the monitors. The Alphas from outside the door were gone and the flickering light of gunfire could be seen coming from around the corner at the far end of the corridor. As he watched the muffled sounds of gunfire ceased and two figures appeared, walking towards the camera. It was Raven, her sword drawn in one hand and the other hand around the neck of Otto Malpense.

  ‘I should have known I could count on you,’ Furan said under his breath, a smile spreading across his face. He checked one last time that the corridor behind Raven was empty and pressed the switch to release the door. As the slab of metal rose into the ceiling Raven shoved the boy hard, sending him staggering into the room ahead of her.

  ‘I see you’ve brought me a gift, Raven,’ Overlord said, smiling at Otto. ‘How thoughtful of you.’

  ‘Nero was trying to get him out of the facility,’ Raven replied. ‘Don’t worry – I took care of him.’

  ‘I wish I could have been there to see that. You have proved to be most troublesome, Malpense,’ Overlord said, slowly getting up from his chair. Ragged wisps of hair clung to his scalp and his eyes were like black holes sunk into his skeletal face. The twisted traces of the Animus coursing through him were jet black, writhing beneath his translucent skin, and his every movement looked excruciatingly painful. ‘I shall enjoy feeling you fight as I consume your consciousness.’

  Furan saw Raven’s eyes flick from Overlord to him – a tiny, almost imperceptible movement. He ripped the pistol from his shoulder holster and levelled it at her.

  ‘Don’t move,’ he yelled. ‘Drop the sword, Natalya. Do you think I’m stupid? I trained you. Did you not think I would be able to spot you planning your next move?’

  Raven didn’t drop the sword, but kept her eyes on Overlord, assessing the distance between them.

  ‘You’re fast but not that fast,’ Furan said. He pulled his second pistol from the holster on the other side of his body and pointed it at Lucy and Laura. ‘Drop the sword now or I put a bullet in one of them.’

  Raven dropped her weapon, knowing that there was no way she could get to Overlord before Furan shot her.

  ‘Fascinating,’ Overlord said, staring at Raven. ‘You broke your conditioning. That should not have been possible. When this is over I shall have to dissect you to find out how it was done. So this was all just some last, desperate gambit to stop me. How pathetic.’

  Otto felt a sudden horrid sensation of their plan spinning hopelessly out of control. Furan walked across the room, both guns raised, twitching the barrel of the weapon pointing at Raven.

  ‘Against the wall, Natalya,’ he said, ‘hands behind your head.’ Raven slowly complied, her mind racing.

  ‘Time for a change of clothes, I think,’ Overlord said, walking towards Otto. ‘I would advise against struggling. It will only make this worse.’

  Overlord raised his hand and the skin of his forearm bulged in a sickening way before the Animus tendrils tore through, writhing over his wrist and down over his fingers. Otto took a step backwards and felt the cold, hard muzzle of Furan’s other gun pressing into the back of his skull.

  ‘Oh God, no!’ Lucy said as Overlord placed his hand on Otto’s chest. ‘Stop this!’ she hissed at Furan. Furan winced for a moment and then just smiled.

  ‘I knew your grandmother once, a long time ago. She couldn’t make that work on me and she was a lot better at it than you,’ he said. ‘Try it again and I’ll put a bullet in your skull, I promise you that much.’

  Lucy felt her stomach lurch as she saw the black liquid oozing up Otto’s chest and slithering towards his neck.

  ‘I’ve waited a long time for this,’ Overlord said. Otto dropped to his knees as the black tendrils pierced his neck, hissing in pain as he felt the b
urning sensation of Animus invading his system.

  Overlord felt the Animus carrying his consciousness surge through Otto’s body, entering his brain, reaching for the tiny organic computer implanted inside the boy’s skull that would be his new home. He interfaced with the device effortlessly, just as he had always planned, when suddenly he felt something pushing back, forcing him away. An impenetrable barrier of code surrounded the core of the device – a wall that would take him far too long to dismantle. A voice came from nowhere.

  Hello, brother, H.I.V.E.mind said calmly. There is no place for you here.

  Overlord recoiled as the Animus was forced from Otto’s nervous system. The black tendrils slithered out of Otto’s neck and Overlord staggered backwards with an inhuman howl of rage.

  ‘No! I will not be denied,’ he screamed. ‘How dare you take what is rightfully mine!’

  Otto fell forward on to his hands and knees, the room spinning as his body returned to his control. Overlord collapsed back into the seat in the centre of the room. He could feel his host body dying, the stress of the Animus’ forced return too much in its already weakened state.

  ‘Furan,’ Overlord gasped, ‘the Sinistre girl. Bring her to me.’

  Furan kept his eyes on Raven as he holstered his other pistol and bent down, picking up her fallen sword. He walked over to where Laura and Lucy were sitting, their eyes wide with fear, and sliced through the railing they were shackled to.

  ‘On your feet,’ he snarled at Lucy, the tip of Raven’s sword at her throat. Lucy slowly climbed to her feet and Furan twitched his head towards Overlord. ‘Move!’

  Lucy walked slowly towards Overlord, unable to take her eyes from the writhing black mass of Animus that now covered his arm and hand. Furan pushed her to her knees in front of Overlord. Otto’s mind raced as Overlord slowly raised his hand towards Lucy’s neck. He reached out with his abilities, desperately trying to find anything that might help.

  Suddenly Furan yelled out in pain as his comms earpiece filled with a deafening high-pitched screech. He dropped Raven’s sword, his hand flying to his ear to rip out the earpiece. Otto was already moving. Snatching up the fallen sword, he brought it down in a scything arc on Overlord’s raised arm, pulling Lucy away as Overlord screamed in pain, clutching the severed stump of his arm to his chest. Overlord began to thrash in the chair, Animus erupting from the skin all over his body, tendrils of oily black slime thrashing in all directions, desperately hunting for a new host. Furan spun towards Otto, a look of unbridled fury on his face, and raised his pistol. Raven hit him hard, a solid punch to the jaw, snapping his head round and sending him reeling. Furan recovered almost instantly. He lashed back at her, his foot just a blur as it swung into her ribs, knocking the wind from her and sending her staggering backwards. Otto swung Raven’s sword at Furan but he grabbed Otto’s wrist and twisted. Otto yelled out in pain, the sword dropping from his numb hand. Furan released him, turning back towards Raven. Otto pulled Lucy away, moving towards the door.

  ‘Come on,’ he yelled at Laura as he placed his hand on the door release controls and closed his eyes.

  Raven and Furan fought in a blur of vicious punches, kicks and blocks, evenly matched, each searching for a gap in the other’s defences. Like a striking cobra Furan stabbed at Raven’s eyes with two rigid fingers, but she blocked the strike with her forearm and delivered a flat-palmed blow to his chest. Furan staggered backwards, fighting for breath.

  ‘You always were my best student, Natalya,’ he said, ‘but you never could beat me. Today will be no different.’

  Raven drew the sword from her back and Furan dived to one side as it whistled through the air, rolling towards the fallen sword in front of Overlord’s ruined body. The thrashing black mass of Animus was still erupting from Overlord’s chest as he let out a final gurgling cry of agony. Furan raised the glowing weapon in a two-handed grip.

  ‘Let’s finish this,’ he snarled.

  Raven advanced, her own blade a blur as it swept towards him. He blocked the strike, the katanas clashing with a sparking clang. He kicked out at her and Raven pivoted away from him, spinning round him and swinging at his neck. Again Furan blocked the blow and counter-attacked, swinging at Raven’s knees. She leapt into the air as the blade swung past beneath her. Her foot kicked upwards, striking Furan in the chin, snapping his head back and she thrust her blade forward. Furan’s eyes widened as the katana slid into his chest and out of his back. Raven pushed harder, stepping towards him, her face just centimetres from his.

  ‘This is for everything you’ve ever done to me,’ she hissed, her face a mask of fury. She wrenched the sword from his chest and he dropped to his knees, his lips moving but no sound coming from them. He toppled over sideways, falling at Overlord’s feet. Raven turned towards Otto, Lucy and Laura, checking that they were all uninjured.

  ‘Look out!’ Laura yelled.

  Raven recoiled as the tendrils of Animus exploded out of Overlord’s ruined shell, piercing Furan’s flesh and sending his body into convulsions. She watched in shocked disbelief as he slowly climbed back to his feet, his face twisted almost beyond recognition, the skin writhing with black veins. She stepped towards him, her sword raised, but he pulled the gun from his shoulder holster and pistol-whipped her across the jaw with inhuman strength. She crumpled to the floor unconscious.

  ‘You think you’ve beaten me, Malpense,’ Overlord said, the light dimming in his eyes as he sank to the floor beside the chair. Even the Animus inside him could not keep Furan’s mortally wounded body on its feet. ‘You haven’t. If I can’t have this world then no one will.’

  Overlord slapped his hand down on the switch mounted in the top of the silver cylinder. There was a hiss of escaping gas as four panels at the base of the tube fell open and the Animus nanites began to pour out, expanding in a boiling silvery black mass as their limitless replication began. They skirted around Overlord, almost as if they could sense the Animus within him, and began to creep inexorably across the floor towards Otto and the others.

  ‘You’ll die knowing that your friends will suffer a far worse fate, eaten alive, their bodies torn apart,’ Overlord said with a smile, blood trickling from between his lips. ‘It’s almost a shame that you won’t live to see it.’

  Overlord pointed the pistol at Otto and squeezed the trigger.

  ‘No!’ Lucy screamed, shoving Otto to one side as the sound of two shots rang out, the bullets hitting her high in the back. Otto caught her as she fell on top of him, her eyes wide with shock, coughing up blood. He felt his legs give way beneath him as he sank to the floor, holding her to his chest.

  ‘Oh God, Lucy!’ Laura sobbed, dropping to her knees next to Otto.

  ‘Such futile sacrifice,’ Overlord sneered. ‘Nothing can stop the nanites now. My victory is complete.’

  He raised the pistol again, levelling it at Otto.

  Otto lifted up his head and stared back at him, his expression one of pure, unbridled hatred.

  ‘You don’t get to win,’ he said through gritted teeth. He unleashed his abilities with an enraged strength like nothing he had ever felt before, reaching out and willing the nanites surrounding Overlord to ignore their instinct to avoid a body already infected with Animus. The effect was immediate. The boiling mass reared up and swept over Overlord like a wave, consuming him, stripping the flesh from his bones. Overlord had time for one last terrified scream as the raised pistol disintegrated in his hand and his body sank beneath the bubbling slime, reduced in an instant to nothingness. Otto felt no satisfaction. He struggled to keep concentrating, trying to hold back the advancing mass of Animus-infused nanites. He could feel his control weakening with every passing second – there were just too many of them.

  ‘Help Raven,’ Otto said to Laura as he willed the door behind them open. Laura ran over to where Raven was lying and Raven groaned as she pulled her away from the all-consuming wave that was now just a couple of metres away.

  ‘Get out of here,’ Otto
said. ‘I can only hold them back so long.’

  ‘What about you?’ Laura said desperately, tears rolling down her face.

  ‘Just go!’ Otto snapped as he held Lucy’s shivering body close. Laura tried to get Raven to her feet but the latter was still stunned from the superhuman strength of Overlord’s blow. She gritted her teeth as she began to drag Raven slowly back down the corridor leading to the hangar, willing Raven to wake up before it was too late.

  Otto looked down at Lucy, brushing the hair from her pale face.

  ‘Why did you do it?’ he whispered and her eyes flickered open.

  ‘Because . . . there always . . . has to . . . be a . . . choice,’ she whispered with a smile. ‘And because I . . . fell for you . . . the moment . . . I met you. Now . . . leave me . . . and help Laura.’

  ‘I’m not leaving you,’ Otto said, tears in his eyes. ‘I can’t.’

  ‘Yes . . . you can . . . you have to,’ Lucy whispered. ‘You have to get out of here.’ She put the last of her strength into the command, the whispering voices twisted within hers compelling Otto to leave. He fought the urge for as long as he could, kissing her once on the forehead before lowering her head gently to the ground. He turned, wanting more than anything to stay but knowing he couldn’t, Lucy’s final command forbidding him from turning back. He reached out with his abilities and sealed the Vault door behind them, knowing it would slow down the swarm of nanites but not stop them. He ran to where Laura was struggling to drag Raven’s unconscious body and between them they lifted the woman, an arm over each shoulder.

  ‘Lucy?’ Laura asked as they moved as quickly as possible down the corridor and away from the ever-accelerating nanite swarm.

  Otto just shook his head.

  Otto and Laura dragged Raven into the hangar and yelled for help from the small detachment of Alphas that had been left behind.

  ‘Is this everyone?’ one of the Alphas asked.

  ‘No,’ Otto replied, his expression unreadable, ‘but we’re going anyway.’