The Phoenix Fallacy_Book II_Norm

by Jon Sourbeer,

  Middleton looked more serious and her eyes narrowed, “Well, they won’t be able to make it here without us finding them.”

  “Perhaps… or perhaps not,” Delacriox said reflectively, “But experience has taught me to never underestimate an Adept.”

  Middleton agreed passionately, “We both know that well.”

  Delacroix waved a hand in Janus’ direction, “Someone clean this mess up. Finish loading up those containers and get them moving.” He spoke to Middleton, “When you’re done with the chambers, destroy the equipment and leave; don’t worry about the Immutium. We’re abandoning this base.”

  Janus hesitantly motioned for help from the others.

  “Why? What about our work? I thought you said we could continue here,” Middleton asked.

  Celes and Lyn picked up the S.T. between them, while Ramirez grabbed an Infernus and threw him over his shoulder. Even Delacroix took notice, watching as Ramirez walked over to help Marcus with another. Janus struggled to get a glimpse of the Executor’s face while awkwardly grabbing Alastor.

  Delacroix turned back to Middleton, “This base has little to offer us now – other than further possibilities for exposure. Everything will be concentrated at the Phoenix facility for the final phase. And I want the full results of the ODIN assault against the Titan outpost. I need to know how effective our troops were against the Adepts. Even if ODIN didn’t find us in the ruins, they can still do far too much damage. They stopped me before – it won’t happen again.”

  The team moved away, towards the rail car, piling the bodies on the back. Janus tried not to hurry too much, despite his eager desire to be rid of his loathsome burden.

  He was just about to drop Alastor when Delacroix called to him, “Stop.”

  Janus rapidly motioned to his team, make ready (for) quick departure, and turned around, keeping his head low and submissive, “Yes, sir?”

  Janus could see Delacroix’s boots turn to face him, but Alastor’s body made it difficult to see anything other than his feet. “Come here,” he commanded.

  Janus moved hesitantly.

  Delacroix studied him as he approached, “You are a Cerberus S.T., are you not?”

  Janus felt his stomach turn, but he kept himself outwardly calm, “Yes, sir.”

  “Why are you here?” Delacroix asked. Janus hefted Alastor’s body, trying to adjust it’s positioning. He caught a glimpse of Middleton staring suspiciously. He promptly lowered his head, shifting Alastor along his shoulder as he did so.

  “I was ordered here sir.”

  “By whom?” Middleton asked abruptly.

  Janus knew he was going to be caught in a lie, and his mind raced, trying to stay a step ahead of the pair. “By you, Miss,” Janus kept his head bowed, but tried to peer along the top of his visor at the pair.

  Middleton reacted immediately, “I did no such thing.”

  “Well…” Janus stuttered, buying time. “I assumed it was your order, Miss, but it came from your servant…Alex…Alb…Andrew,” Janus murmured.

  “Albert, you moron.” Middleton said, taking a step forward.

  Janus took a step back, speaking quickly, “Sorry Miss. He said that the dead guy here,” he paused to catch his breath, looking directly at Middleton as he said it, “—the Overlord. Andrew said he was causing problems and…and something about helping our Mistress. Then I saw those Inferni go into the kitchen.”

  Delacroix motioned towards Celes, Marcus, Lyn, and Ramirez, “And what about them?” Janus glanced back at the team. They were facing the railway, and the boxes, ready to grab their weapons. They couldn’t see Delacroix’s face, either. Janus tried to shift Alastor again, but Delacroix began to circle him, moving to the edge of Janus’ vision, his head bowed in thought. Janus forced himself not to turn to look.

  “Well, I certainly wasn’t going to face an Infernus alone,” Janus responded in a whiny grumble, “uh, sir.” He had nearly forgotten that part.

  “And why didn’t you try to help your Overlord while we killed him,” Delacroix asked curiously.

  “Well, sir, I work for Miss Middleton, and she didn’t do anything about it. Besides, I don’t feel like dyin’ for some man I never knew,” Janus nodded in respect to Miss Middleton, “even if he was an Overlord.”

  Middleton sighed, “Let the oaf be, Magnus.”

  Delacroix, however, sounded unconvinced, “Of course, of course. You’re a smart man to feel that way…what was your name again?”

  “Bynes, sir,” Janus answered immediately.

  “Let me see your face,” he made a motion and an Infernus stepped up next to him.

  Janus felt beads of sweat form across his forehead, and he could almost feel the others flinch at the question. Middleton would surely recognize him. Janus reached for his helmet, his mind reeling. Delacroix finished his circle and stopped in front of him, gazing him right in the eye.

  Janus froze, his hand on the edge of his helmet. Delacroix was the youth in the painting. He – looks like me... Delacroix’s hair was long and white now, and his face seemed harder, less joyful – but it was him, just as youthful and unlined as the day he had been painted.

  “Is something wrong, Trooper?” Delacroix said.

  Janus was thrust back into reality, his hand still at the edge of his helmet. “Um…I’m sorry sir, but I can’t…”

  Middleton perked up, staring intently at Janus, and her Infernus guard took a step forward. Delacroix had an evil smile on his face, “And why not?”

  “Because…because…” Janus tossed Alastor to the ground with a shudder and turned to Middleton, whining, “I’m sorry, Miss. I stole a bit of that sugary stuff on the stove, but - but when you asked me to pick,” Janus motioned with his hand at Alastor and looked away, “him up, I threw up all over my visor. I didn’t want anyone to know. But now, because of disease protocol, I can’t open it without a trip to the armory…”

  Middleton stepped away repulsed.

  Delacroix looked at her with an amused expression, and smiled at Janus, “You may go.”

  As Janus turned, from the corner of his eye Delacroix signaled the Infernus with a familiar open and close handed gesture. Janus wasn’t sure if he was more shocked by the fact it was an ODIN signal, or what it meant:

  Kill them.

  Janus dove for the Zeus on the ground, sliding as he grabbed for it. It took only a moment for Celes, Marcus, Lyn, and Ramirez to spring into action. Celes and Marcus flung open the weapons crate, while Ramirez and Lyn quickly rolled one of the cryochambers onto its side. Celes provided cover while Marcus tossed a weapon to Ramirez, who caught it with one hand while he tossed one S.T. into another with the other.

  Janus quickly whipped around and fired the Zeus from his position on the ground into the chest of the Infernus. It immediately crumpled from the destructive force of the round. The surrounding S.T.s were moving in slow motion; they hadn’t yet grasped the full magnitude of what was going on.

  Leaping up, Janus felt a sudden jolt, knocking him back. A gaping hole had appeared in his armor. Only his Merc armor underneath had saved him. The shock took him a moment, but he quickly regained his senses. It was Delacroix, clutching a silver, long-barreled pistol with an ornately wrought bird upon it. He had reacted much more quickly than either the S.T.s or Middleton.

  Janus rolled and leapt up to his feet, a round glancing off the spot his head had been a moment before. He ran at full tilt towards the rail car as Lyn hopped into the driver’s seat, starting it rolling as she went.

  The S.T.s and remaining Inferni scrambled – caught off guard by the unexpected situation.

  Janus used the time well, jumping onto the rail car and behind the cryochambers as they recovered. Celes and Marcus joined him on the back, still firing as they ducked behind what little cover they had. Ramirez vaulted over a chamber to join Lyn up front. The car hummed as it struggled to gain speed.

  The sudden sound of the Zeus bolts bouncing off the cryochambers was unexpected and welcom
e.

  “Well, that’s convenient,” Marcus yelled.

  “They… they must be made of Immutium,” Janus said, crouching deeper.

  “Impossible,” Lyn yelled back.

  But all further conversation was silenced as the rail car accelerated loudly into the tunnel, Delacroix screaming in anger after them.

  Chapter 17: Out of the Dark

  The car raced through the mountain, craggy rock whizzing over the team’s heads. The noise was deafening.

  “Where do you think it’s going?” Lyn shouted.

  “Through the mountain, to a hangar on the other side,” Celes cried back.

  Dim lights rushed by overhead as the tunnel sloped upward, but the car continued to accelerate.

  A bright light appeared at the end of the tunnel.

  “Get ready for a hot welcome! They probably know we’re coming!” Janus shouted over the rushing wind.

  The tunnel opened into a large, well-lit cavern, with a raised landing pad and a massive Behemoth transport, its six giant, rectangular engines already humming, ready to lift the great belly of the beast. A full dozen Inferni waited at the end of the line, weapons poised and ready to fire.

  Janus moved up to the front of the car and grabbed Lyn’s shoulder. She shook her head and yelled, “Brace yourselves!”

  All five hunkered down, and Lyn slammed the brakes, the cryochambers sliding dangerously forward. Janus was nearly thrown from the car.

  Several things happened at once. Lyn shouted ‘Jump!’, the Inferni unleashed a salvo of Zeus bolts, and Lyn hit the accelerator again. The team leapt clear of the car, firing at the Inferni as they went.

  The shock troopers were unprepared for the resulting physical reality of the rail car as it slammed into the end of the track and flipped, sending tons of Immutium crashing down upon their heads. Some continued to fire at the car, others desperately fired rockets at the hail of cryochambers. None moved quickly enough. The resulting noise, explosions, and wanton destruction shook the dust from the walls, filling the cavern.

  Pulling himself up by the crate of Zeus bolts he had rolled into, Janus made a quick check – only twitching, clawed hands and limp two-toed boots could be seen. He took stock of himself. His helmet visor had shattered. His rifle was gone. His left arm hung useless and his shoulder was in excruciating pain. Why is it always my shoulder?

  He brushed it aside and whispered into his mic, “Everyone OK?” Static. Janus reached inside of his helmet with his good arm and ripped out the broken headset, a piece of his visor firmly embedded in it.

  The screech of metal on metal rang out as a clawed hand reached around a cryochamber and began to slowly push the ominous shape of an Infernus from the wreckage. Janus ripped his helmet off and struggled to reach Roger’s Ghostblade in the heavy suit. The Infernus was facing away from him, he only had moments to deal with the threat before—

  “Janus, down!” Marcus cried.

  Janus dropped like a stone and the Infernus whirled at the noise. A sudden burst from a Skadi rifle smashed through the Infernus’ visor and dropped it back into the heap of Cryochambers. Janus carefully rolled onto his uninjured side to see Marcus upside down and clutching a Skadi rifle to his shoulder, nearly buried under a couple of precariously perched cryochambers. Janus got to his feet and pulled Marcus upright with his good hand.

  “Thanks. You OK?”

  Marcus coughed, “Fine. You?”

  “Shoulder.”

  “Everyone else?” Marcus asked.

  Celes came limping out of the dusty fog, “Ramirez and Lyn are over here.”

  Ramirez was tending to a gash in Lyn’s side, which was clearly causing her great pain. “Stupid Infernus. I nearly got away scot free, and he had ta go fire a rocket at me,” she grimaced.

  Ramirez pulled out a jagged triangle of shrapnel from the side of her armor and quickly pinched close the vessel that had been bleeding profusely.

  “Marcus, find us a way out of here,” Janus said before turning to Lyn, “Can you move?”

  “Sure.” Clenching her side, and with assistance from Ramirez, she stood slowly. A sudden shift caused her to let out a yell of pain. She gritted her teeth into an awkward smile, “Well, I didn’t say anything about doing it quietly.”

  “Over here, the Behemoth’s ready to fly,” Marcus yelled. The sounds of another rail car approaching filtered down the tunnel. Marcus leapt over a railing to a control panel by the wall. High above them, solid doors opened in the cavern, and further up, Janus could see daylight. The pad was deep in the mouth of the cavern.

  “Time to go,” Celes said. Marcus warmed up the ship as Ramirez, Lyn, Celes, and Janus made their way over. Ramirez and Janus helped Lyn and Celes into the ship.

  “Too bad you had to drop Alastor’s body, Janus,” Marcus said from the pilot’s chair, “Any other Inferni survive?”

  Janus looked back at the scattered wreckage and shook his head, “No time to search.” Marcus turned back to the controls. “Wait,” Janus held a hand up, struck by a sudden thought. He jumped off the transport and raced over to the scattered cryochambers, his arm swinging wildly back and forth. He scanned the destruction – and spotted it. He clamored over to a cryochamber that had ended its careening journey against a wall. The chamber was undamaged – its control panel was not. Reaching in, he yanked out a cracked isotope drive. He gave the broken, translucent chip a doubtful glance, and then with the sound of the rail car ringing in his ears, clamored back to the behemoth.

  “Go!”

  The Titan transport leapt into the air, its claw-like landing gear pulling in like tiny legs on a massive insect, and hovered just over the surface of the bay as the second rail car arrived. Marcus pushed the throttle to maximum and the unladen transport shot off as S.T.s arrived and piled off the second car. In a moment, the team cleared the doors, squeezed through the cavern mouth, and emerged out over a giant mountain lake.

  “Nice view,” Marcus remarked, banking the craft as it quickly reached its slow and steady top speed.

  Janus turned to Ramirez, who was kneeling over Lyn, “Ramirez, get up front and act as co-pilot. If anything happens, Marcus might need you.” Ramirez grunted and moved towards the cockpit, gazing back for a second as he did so. “Don’t worry, I’ll watch out for Lyn,” Janus added reassuringly as he secured the Behemoth door tightly. Ramirez nodded and sat down next to Marcus.

  “Let’s hope that won’t be necessary,” Marcus looked back with a wry expression. “I’d prefer to remain intact.” Marcus glanced at the sensor screen of the transport and watched as two craft emerged from around the mountain. “Of course, we might not be out of the woods yet!”

  “Alastor’s Dryads!” Celes exclaimed, leaning on the pilot’s chair and glancing back through the side window.

  “Get low, Marcus,” Janus said. “We might be slow, but without any cargo, I bet this transport can turn on a dime. Get us back into the mountains.”

  “Already on it,” Marcus said confidently. The Behemoth banked, heading for the edge of the craggy valley.

  The Dryads fired as Marcus desperately dodged. Linked Zeus cannons peppered the transport and the team could only hope that none found the engines – or them. Holes appeared along the side of the craft, and they ducked instinctively as rounds flashed from one side to the other.

  One of the Dryads fired a missile and Marcus was forced to roll the entire ship into a steep dive to avoid its certain death. Janus, Celes, and Lyn flew helpless around the cabin, slamming into walls. Janus’ injured shoulder collided with one of the heavy support ridges of the transport, and he nearly blacked out from the pain. The window shattered in a hail of fire, and Marcus was engulfed in a wave of jagged glass.

  “Marcus!” Celes screamed as she and the others were thrown backwards.

  Ramirez quickly lunged forward and grabbed the controls, as the craft careened downwards.

  Marcus emerged from the pile of broken glass a moment later and re-assumed the controls from
Ramirez. “I’m fine,” he assured them, although he was decidedly bloody.

  The left engine exploded just as they reached edge of the mountains, slowing them further. Approaching the rock with too much speed, the Dryads broke off and flew higher, overshooting the slow moving transport.

  The Dryads quickly banked and came around. Janus felt his heart sink – there was nowhere to go. He could see Marcus tense for one last ditch dive The Dryads lined up for the kill, their linked Zeus cannons firing, leaving behind turbulent trails as the transport slowly drifted towards them. Janus looked at Celes, when suddenly the left Dryad exploded in a huge fireball. The right immediately veered away.

  “What was that!?” Lyn exclaimed.

  “Look, two craft! 3 o’clock low, middle of the mountain,” Marcus said. Two sleek, spear-like ships were screaming along through the mountain valleys. They broke off to pursue the final Dryad, which fled with all speed.

  “Ours?” Celes asked.

  “No,” Ramirez said, “Achilles fighters.”

  “SPARTAN!” Celes exclaimed happily.

  Lyn chuckled, still holding her side in pain, “Ha! Paid to find Middleton by Alastor, and bought again to backstab him, all the while accidentally saving our hides! Thanks Delacroix!”

  Janus, suddenly reminded of Delacroix, grimaced, “Take us home, Marcus.”

  Chapter 18: Plans and Plots

  Valhalla had moved back over open ocean by the time the Behemoth transport managed to catch it. Intercepting the Longboat waiting at the rendezvous point, and unwilling to give up the free Titan transport, they had limped back to Valhalla under Ramirez and Marcus’ constant nursing of the engines. Lyn was moved over to the Longboat for medical treatment, and was eventually joined by Janus, Marcus, and Celes. With Lyn out of danger, Ramirez had volunteered to take over the Behemoth from the exhausted Marcus. The four watched as Ramirez flew the heavy transport into the Dawn bay for storage and repairs. With the Behemoth safely tucked away, the longboat raced around the glittering citadel into the Chariot of Voyages, where Col. Hawkes waited to meet them.