As they approached, they could see a group of wounded soldiers, many being dragged along the ground towards medical assistance. Several ambulances were positioned in the surrounding streets.
“They don’t look like officers?” Quartzig said, pointing at several fighters covered in blood but holding back the prisoners. Xander looked at them as a realisation came to him.
“Mollie,” he whispered. “It’s the Krovoz; they’re on our side!” Xander watched as he saw the Krovoz standing in front of the line of troops, trying to defend the wounded.
“You’re kidding me? Those guys are real?” Mike said, squinting to try and make out the urban legend of the Underpass.
“Apparently so,” Xander replied, “Come on!”
The group continued, passing wounded soldiers whose faces stared up into the sky but with little hope left in them. Xander scanned the area, searching for Irving.
“Mike, Quartzig, can you lead the assist, help the Krovoz wherever possible,” Xander said.
“Got it,” Mike said, Quartzig already on the move towards the fighting.
“Xander, that you?” a voice called out weakly from his side. Turning, Xander saw Irving lying across a stretcher. Blood covered a large portion of his body. Crimson stained bandages lay across his chest.
“Irving, what the hell is happening?”
“There’s just so many of them and not enough of us,” Irving said through gritted teeth, “it’s like trying to hold back the tide, you stop one area, and they swarm in another.”
“Well back-ups here, we can reinforce the lines and get-”
“No,” Irving cut Xander off with a raised hand. “Trust me, unless you have the entire population of the Boulevard here to fight, and considering half of them are still over on the damned island, you’ve got no chance. We need to destroy the bridge, just as we originally planned. I don’t know what stopped the detonation before, but I sent a handful of men under the bridge using mag-boots. They’ve rigged up some separate explosives at the supports alongside the original ones.”
“But…how many civilians are still to come across?” Xander asked.
“Don’t know, but have you seen that army of damn psychos! How many do you think there are even still going to be alive over there?” Irving closed his eyes, his breath getting shallow before he reopened them. “Did you get in contact with the Corps?”
“I did, but they’re all in hiding; that’s why we’ve not heard anything. They’ve scurried into their bunkers like cockroaches.”
“Figures,” coughed Irving, blood-red spit forming on his lips.
“Only one was still on comms, Dramarti Silverstone. He gave me access to the MPD systems, full control.”
“Heh, I guess that puts you in charge,” Irving laughed.
An explosion caught Xander’s attention as a large plume of smoke near the line of soldiers began to fog the area. Irving’s hand grabbed Xander’s arm. Looking back, the man’s face was solemn.
“If this Silverstone guy has given you full access, your credentials should give you access to everything under the MPD control, more than even I have,” Irving said, passing him a small tablet device. “You’ve got to take out the bridge. It’s the only way we can stop this.”
“Yeah, I’m starting to think you’re right,” Xander nodded slowly, looking back at the bridge.
“You need to check the explosives have been planted, then blow those damn psychos to hell!” Irving's fingers slipped from the tablet, his arms hanging loose at his side. Xander held his breath for a moment, fearing the worst, but he saw the slight rise and fall of Irving’s chest.
“Rest up. You’ve done your part. Time I did mine,” Xander whispered. Tapping on the tablet, he found his bio-signature unlocked it. He made a mental note to thank Dramarti again. The tablet began to list several reports on the state of the area, confirmed losses and damage reports. Irving was right; even with the reinforcements, there was a slim chance of them winning the battle. Something caught his eye, something he hadn’t expected to find. A direct communication line to the prison.
Chapter Seventy-Six
Mollie
“Stay back!” the voice shouted again. Mollie looked up and saw Quartzig stood above her with several MPD officers beside him. They fanned out and circled Mollie, creating a small pocket of defence.
“You think you’re going to stop us?” a male prisoner who had managed to get a gun of his own laughed before pulling the trigger. The bullet ricocheted off Quartzig’s metallic body and buried into the concrete at his feet.
Mollie had moved behind the line of officers, still fighting against the burning inside her. It felt as though her entire body was glowing, inside the synthetic blood was reprogramming her bone marrow, altering their blood cell creation system to produce a different strain. A shout rallied the prisoners as they lurched, clashing with officers. Raising the blue rifles, the officers opened fire, and several bolts of metal tore through the closest prisoners, the slug being projected by its high powered magnetic field.
“Mollie, are you okay?” Quartzig pulled her to her feet and performed a quick scan. “There’s something…different about you?”
“I’m fine Q, thanks for the save. I just need a moment,” she tried to smile, but it came out as more of a wince. “What’s going on?”
“The MPD forces, Xander sent a signal out, and they’ve been arriving at the bridge, and it looks like just in time too.”
“We’ve lost Vladamir, but we need t-” her head swung backwards as she began to feel the presence of the Krovoz nearby flood into her. She could feel their pain, their anger and their fear. They had all been disconnected from Vladamir for only a few minutes, but it was an experience they were not accustomed to. They were scattered, disorientated, and scared.
Mollie knew she didn’t have time to practise her new powers. Concentrating, she tried to will them all to move towards her. Trying to get them to regroup and work with the MPD forces.
“Mollie?” She felt Quartzig’s hand on her shoulder, bringing her back to her body.
“It’s a long story, but I think I can control the Krovoz, but they’re all over the bridge. I’m trying to bring them all here to help support the front line.”
“Excellent, we’re going to need to work together if we want to win this,” Quartzig turned, seeing the fighting behind them. “I need to help them.”
“Go, once I know the Krovoz are on their way, I’ll join you,” Mollie smiled. “It’s good to see you again, Q.”
“Likewise, Mollie,” Quartzig nodded to her, then turned and ran towards the fighting.
Mollie watched him for a moment before focusing back on the Krovoz. A handful of them were getting closer, moving without knowing why towards her position. It was taking all her concentration to keep them all connected.
How did Vladamir manage to do this? She thought to herself as, one by one, the Krovoz arrived around her, bolstering the MPD officers defense.
“You?” an aggressive voice shouted out.
Mollie looked around her, seeing the handful of bloodied and injured Krovoz. They all had their cybernetic fangs bared, blood staining their faces. Standing ahead of them all, Issak stood glaring at her with fierce eyes, his katana dripping with viscera.
“How is it that you are the Sire? Where is Vladamir?” he demanded.
“Vladamir is dead. He…he gave me his blood,” Mollie replied.
“Unacceptable!” Issak roared.
“He wanted someone who was a little more level-headed!” Mollie shouted back.
“You’re not worthy of leading the brotherhood,” Issak stepped forward, raising his sword.
A hand reached up from behind Issak, grabbing his wrist and twisting the katana from his grasp. Issak turned, lashing out with a fist in the direction of his disarmer.
“Stop your barking little dog!” Gregor boomed, towering above the smaller man. “If Vladamir chose this one as our leader, then we must honour that, and now is n
ot the time for discussion!” he handed Issak his sword back.
“I will not follow this betrayer! She left the brotherhood; why should we follow her?” Issak snatched his sword back.
“You don’t have a choice, Issak. You know the sire controls our bloodlust, our powers,” Gregor continued.
“Hah, does it look like she has the power? Has our healing has returned?” Issak looked around at the injured Krovoz, their wounds still weeping.
Mollie followed his gaze nervously. She had no idea how to restore the powers that had been lost when Vladamir died.
“I…I’m working on it, I need time to adjust!” she stuttered back, trying to maintain some authority.
Issak let out a short laugh before turning his back to Mollie and addressing the forty-something Krovoz behind him.
“Follow me, and I will lead us through this battle and to victory whilst this impostor pretends to be our sire! You all know me. I have fought alongside you all and will not let you down!” Issak raised his sword as some of the crowd roared out their support.
He turned back and spat at Mollie’s feet.
Mollie tried to ignore the gesture despite her anger welling up. She was concentrating, trying to will the synthetic blood to return its restorative powers to the wounded. The thought of Issak kept pushing into her mind. The damn idiot didn’t understand she was trying to help! A burst of adrenaline ran through her as she ground her teeth in frustration, and a spark ignited inside her. The burning sensation became a warming glow, and she could feel her body begin to heal.
“Wait!” Gregor shouted, looking at several wounds across his arm. Sinew and skin were knitting themselves back together, the bleeding slowing.
The crowd hushed as others saw similar effects on their own bodies as their powers restored. Issak turned his nose up in disgust, despite his own wounds healing.
“Our new Sire has brought back our power!” a voice announced, an arm raised where a missing hand was reforming.
A cheer rose around them but was suddenly cut short as Mollie felt an overwhelming pain shoot through her body. Dropping to her knees, she vomited violently, blood and bile spilling to the floor. It felt like her body was rejecting the blood inside her. Around her the wounds of the others stopped healing.
“What is wrong?” Gregor knelt down beside her.
“I, I need time to adjust, to get used to this,” she said, trying to believe the words herself.
“Hah! She is no sire! She cannot contain the power we need,” Issak mocked, raising his sword again. “Follow me if you want a real leader!” He moved away from the crowd and charged back into battle. Behind him, half of the Krovoz began to follow, and less than half remaining with Mollie.
Chapter Seventy-Seven
Ally
It took Ally a moment to register what was happening. Between the shards of glass clinking around her that scratched her skin and the cold air that engulfed her body, she struggled to make sense of the situation.
Then the realisation hit. She was in mid-air and falling fast. The Nucleus was high, but even so, gravity would make the fall a short trip. Gasping for breath against the wind, Ally tried to keep calm. Close by, she could see Jacob, who was also falling, beside her. He was gasping for breath, and Ally thought for a moment he looked almost like a fish in a tank of water. The older man was struggling for air more than she was, though breathing wouldn’t matter once they hit the ground.
Looking down, Ally saw that the ground was rapidly growing in size. It wouldn’t be long now.
A flash of light surrounded them, forcing her to close her eyes, but she could still see an imposing glow through her eyelids. The light seemed to be increasing in intensity, pure white filling her field of vision. Perhaps this is dying, she thought, before the feeling of a hand wrapped around her arm. It felt as though the speed of her fall was slowing, but without being able to see, it was hard to tell. Then, as the feeling of cold metal beneath her pressed against her back and she realised she was now laying across a platform of some description. The light slowly dimmed, and carefully she opened her eyes.
The platform she was lying on was smooth, and now that there wasn’t the constant howling of wind across her ears, she could make out a low humming that seemed to be coming from above her. Sitting up, she rubbed her eyes, which were suffering the after-effects of the white light. The space she was sat in was about two meters square and lying opposite her. Jacob was propped up on his elbows, a look of horror across his face.
“You left that a little too damn close for comfort!” he shouted.
“Apologies, the virus from Koenig and Razz slowed my systems by a few seconds,” Yuri flickered into view beside them, only he looked more solid than before and fully coloured. Almost lifelike. He offered a hand to Ally.
“You’re...” Ally ignored his hand and stood up herself.
“A physical construct? Indeed, the hologram I’ve been using was only a precaution, a secondary representation of myself,” he explained.
“So, what is this? Some sort of helicopter?” Ally said as she peered over the edge of the platform, seeing the city below.
“Of sorts,” Jacob said, walking towards one of the sides of the platform, and opened a door that led into a larger room. Yuri motioned for Ally to follow. She stepped through, knowing she didn’t really have a choice.
The larger room consisted of what looked to be a workshop of some description. Several workstations and computers lined the walls with a long grey table at the centre.
As Ally walked through, she estimated the room was at least fifty feet long and wide enough that she could reach out to both sides without touching the walls. If it was a helicopter, it was larger than any she had ever seen.
“Welcome to the Ark”, Jacob smiled.
“How big is this thing?”
“Large enough, we needed somewhere we could work uninterrupted,” Jacob replied.
“It was in an old CyBio lock up, originally a prototype to be used for exploration and experimentation in the outer areas of the city from a distance above the ground. A fully equipped mobile laboratory,” Yuri added.
Ally stopped walking. As impressive as the vehicle was, she had a sudden feeling of dread as she remembered what Persephone had said.
“Is that why I’m here? To be experimented on?”
“This won’t be like last time,” Yuri said.
“Last time? You mean when you strung me up and tried to drain my blood?”
“I tried to show you your true origins, Ally. I just wanted you to understand what I was trying to accomplish,” Yuri replied.
“The city is lost, Ally. The Blackwater prisoners have almost taken the bridge and reached the city. Persephone has neutered the Corporations, and there’s nothing we can do other than prepare for what is to come,” Jacob said, motioning to a wall of screens in front of him.
On the screens, visual feeds from above Blackwater Bridge showed the prisoners spreading across its entire length, the small resistance against them becoming overrun.
“My God,” she whispered. Her thoughts shifted to the others, wondering if they were alright.
“Do you understand now? We must begin work on taking down Persephone and how we can reclaim a city that will soon be overrun with criminals.”
Ally closed her eyes, wishing for another solution, some way to reverse what was happening.
“There is no other way,” Yuri said, as though reading her thoughts. “Together, we can develop a means to suppress the prisoners.”
“You mean take control of them with the nanotechnology you wanted to infect everyone with?” she glared at him. “You won’t stop there, though, will you? If you do that, we’ll just be trading Persephone for you!”
“I understand your concern,” Jacob said, “but remember, I was against the use of the nanotechnology as well, but I have come to see the reasoning here. Between us, we can ensure that we help save the city.”
A light flashed on the screen be
side them. They all turned to see a massive explosion fill the screen. The flash seemed to engulf the entire bridge in a cloud of smoke and fire that rose high into the sky. The Ark rocked slightly as a shock wave blew past.
Chapter Seventy-Eight
Xander
Xander had received reports confirming all of the explosives had been set-up along the city side of the bridge. Looking over the schematic on his tablet, he saw that they were strategically placed to cause a chain reaction and kick-start the original detonation. All that was needed was the push of a button. He looked up at the bridge, hoping to see something that would mean he didn’t need to do it. The Krovoz line had been reduced dramatically, and prisoners were beginning to filter past them. The MPD forces were more concerned with protecting their own than stopping them now, dragging wounded allies to the sides of the bridge and out of harm's way. Even the additional forces they had brought were already on the defence.
Suddenly a surge of prisoners burst forwards, breaking the thin line of MPD and Krovoz defenders. The crowds of inmates were charging through the broken lines and onto the mainland. Xander knew it was now or never.
“This is Alexander Draven, acting commander of the Metropolitan Police Department,” his voice rang out as he accessed every available speaker system in the area, an emergency override offered by his new credentials. In thirty seconds, the Blackwater Bridge will be detonated. Anyone still on the bridge at this time will not survive. Inmates of Blackwater, I suggest you retreat back to the Island.”
Xander knew it was unlikely that anyone on the bridge would even hear him, never mind take action, the announcement being something that he had to do. He needed to know he had done something to try to save as many lives as he could. Despite that, he knew that once he pressed the button, things would never be the same again. He wouldn’t be the same. The deaths of a staggering number of prisoners, civilians, MPD officers, and Krovoz would be on his hands. But there was no other choice.
Neon Blood (Neon Helix Universe Book 3) Page 31
