by L. J. Suarez
Mace was taken aback. “Me? I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
Reed took several steps toward Mace as he spoke. “You underestimate yourself, Mace. Much like your father, people trust you. Everyone at the settlement would follow you to the end. Which is exactly what we need, now more than ever. I can’t think of a better person for the job.”
Mace visibly hesitated. “Why don’t you lead us? You’re a Committee member, after all. You’d be the obvious choice.”
Reed gave him a gentle smile. “I’m an old man, and leadership is a game for the young. When we first settled out here, I helped your dad build this village. He had a vision for this place, a thriving community where the human race could be reborn – and live on. I was glad to be there to see his vision come to fruition. It’s time for you to take your father’s mantle and protect what he’s fought so hard to create while we still have a chance.”
Mace noticed Ava’s worried look, as if she wanted to telegraph to him that all of this felt wrong. He thought so too, at first. He looked at his father who lay in a coma, not knowing when or if he’d ever wake up. It was all the Monads fault that he was in this state. Mace needed to make sure they paid for it.
Pushing aside any remaining doubts, he turned to Reed. “All right. What we need right now is to plan our next move. If the Nads want a fight, they just got one.”
Chapter 15
Ava searched throughout the settlement for Jarzon.
Night had fallen, and all the candles and torches were already lit. But this night wasn’t filled with music and laughter like the others. There was a somber feel in the air one could almost taste. Word was getting out about the ambush at the Gray Zone border. After asking a settler if he had seen the Monad boy, Ava was pointed in the direction of the windmill.
Reaching the windmill, she made her way to the top of the five-story structure. She found Jarzon seated on the ledge of one of the openings overlooking New Lazarus. “I was told I might find ya here. Want some company?”
A long moment passed before Jarzon nodded his head. Plopping down next to him with her legs crisscrossed, Ava didn’t say anything at first. Jarzon simply sat there, his abnormally wide eyes looking outward. The lights illuminating the settlement cast it in an almost orange glow. Every few seconds, the sails from the windmill passed over the opening Ava and Jarzon sat in front of. Ava didn’t know what to say to him. She felt responsible for the Monads, since she was the one who found them inside their wreaked ship in the first place. Based on what Mace and the others had experienced at the border, all signs pointed to this being an elaborate trap laid out for them to walk right into. It didn’t add up.
Why would the Monads do this? Ava kept asking herself. It didn’t make sense for the Monads to risk their own people’s lives just to wipe out a dozen or so humans. Regardless of who was behind the attack, Damari was dead. Ava blamed herself for it. She should’ve been there to watch over them and ensure nothing bad fell upon them. Ava had given her word that they would be returned to their people safely. Now, she had to live with her failure.
“It is pleasant up here,” Jarzon said.
Ava nodded. Jarzon had been picking up more of the English language ever since he and the other Monads arrived in New Lazarus. When she’d first found him, Jarzon had barely said a word. He was now speaking in full sentences without much of accent. Being amongst the settlers and playing with the local children had an influence on him. Taking a relaxed breath, Ava grinned.
“When I was a little girl, my friends and I would come up here all the time. It was our little meeting spot. We would tell ghost stories to each other. Catch fireflies. Mainly, we came here to hide from our parents when they called us back in after dark.”
“Where are your parents now?”
Ava cleared her throat as the memories began to flood in. “They died. Long time ago. A pack of horalos attacked the settlement back when we were first putting up the walls. They killed several settlers. Tore them to shreds. Including my parents”—she paused before finishing with—“and Mace’s mother.”
Another pause followed between Ava and Jarzon.
“Who attacked us at the Gray Zone?” Jarzon said.
“I don’t know yet.” She turned to Jarzon, who continued to look outward. “Jarzon, I… I just wanna say… I want you to know—”
“It is not your fault,” Jarzon said, cutting Ava off.
Ava was surprised by Jarzon’s composure. Tears rolled down her cheeks. “I should’ve been there to look after you…and your father.”
Jarzon’s expression turned to sorrow as his eyes dropped and the first tear broke free; the first sign of his unbreakable shield dropping. “Why did this happen to us?”
Ava grabbed Jarzon’s shoulder and gently pulled him close for an embrace. He wrapped his arms tight around Ava’s waist to the point of suffocation. His face was buried under her armpit as his body twitched uncontrollably from his forceful crying. Ava’s tears rolled down onto the boy’s dark hair. They held onto one another in silence for a long while. “I will protect you all. I promise I won’t let anything else happen to you.” If the Monads were indeed behind the ambush and killed one of their own in the process, then they had become more sinister than Ava realized.
* * *
All of the Committee members and the New Lazarus troops were gathered inside the Committee tent. They listened to Mace as he went over what happened at the Gray Zone border, the mystery figure who fired upon them using a pulsar rifle, and the injuries Aaron had sustained during the attack. A fire burned in a pit off to the side, casting the room in an orange shine. Ava was also in attendance as she stood by Mace’s side.
“Doc doesn’t know when—or if—my father will wake up,” Mace said. “He’s in pretty bad shape. Which is why I have decided to take his place as the leader of New Lazarus.”
Sue and Alex both looked concerned, while Reed nodded approvingly. Bishop and the rest of the village’s soldiers sneered at hearing Mace’s new position.
“We’re with you, Mace,” Bishop blurted.
Alex spoke next. “The Monads will be expecting a response from us after this incident. What should be our next course of action?”
Bishop turned to Alex. “It’s obvious what we should do. They attacked us. I say we hit ‘em right back.”
“Now wait a minute,” Reed said. “We should find out first who was behind the attack.” He turned to Mace. “You said it yourself that you couldn’t make out a face.”
“It’s obvious who was behind it,” Bishop stated. “Nads wanted to lure us out in the open so they could pick us apart.”
“Once they discovered New Lazarus, they could have easily bombarded the entire settlement if they wanted to,” Alex said. “Why bother luring us anywhere?”
“Let’s not forget the survivors were on the ground with the others, too,” Ava said. “I doubt they would risk attacking us with their own people in the line of fire.”
“They probably chalked it up to collateral damage,” Bishop said.
“Maybe we should just reach out to the authorities in Empyreum and clear this up before making any rash decisions,” Reed said. “Maybe they can help us figure out who did this.”
Bishop slammed his fist against the table. “This bullshit is pointless. We’ve done enough talking. Has everyone forgotten that this wasn’t the first time these bastards tried to kill us? Don’t you find it odd that one of their civilian ships just so happened to crash-land on our side of the zone? Then they send one of their drones to track down the settlement. Hell of a convenience, wouldn’t ya say? I’m telling ya, the Nads have had this planned out all along.” His eyes moved toward Ava. “Who knows if the Monad survivors Ava picked up aren’t spies for Empyreum security this whole time? Sent here for the sole purpose of getting the layout of our home.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Ava said. “They’re not spies. I’ve gotten to know them. They are good people who just so happened to be in the wrong
place at the wrong time.”
“That’s what happens when you get too close.” Bishop pointed a finger to his temple. “They get into your head; get ya to drop your guard. Can’t you see they’re playing you?” He turned to Mace. “We went to them to deliver their people in good faith. What do these sons of bitches do? They kill several of our people and put Aaron in a coma that we don’t know if he’s gonna make it out of. And you can bet your ass they’ll be coming back here with an entire strike team. Mace, this is war they’ve just declared. This is our moment to strike back and retake our world from them.”
“Retake?” Reed asked.
“The Nads have ruled over our planet for long enough. They’ve created us in their labs and treated us like science pets. Tried killing us many times. Drove us out here from the safe haven of Empyreum, where we’ve lost more friends and family. This planet belongs to us, not these freaks. This is our time to take it back.”
“And how do you expect to do all of that, exactly?” Sue said as she crossed her arms, seemingly unconvinced. “In case you forgot, they’re technologically superior to us. We don’t exactly present a threat to them, no matter our numbers. If we tried attacking them head on, they’d crush us without so much as breaking a sweat.”
Bishop raised a finger in the air. “We do have something we can use that’ll give us a leg up. There’s a place out in the Eastern Regions, about a two-day ride from here. Stumbled upon it months ago while hunting game. Some kind of military installation built by past humans. There are weapons inside that we can use.”
“How do you know there are weapons there?” Ava said.
Bishop reach behind his back and pulled out a short-barreled hand pistol and laid it on the table. Everyone cautiously leaned in to examine the strange weapon. Mace felt his jaw hit the table as he marveled at the unusual object.
“It’s called a Glock,” Bishop said. “An ancient hand gun. Kept it as a souvenir while I was roaming about inside. It fires small, lead-based projectiles. There’s a whole arsenal of every kind of weapon you can imagine, as far as the eyes can see.”
“How do you know if that thing even works?” Alex asked. “It’s thousands of years old.”
In a quick motion, Bishop picked up the gun, aimed, and fired it at a small elephant statue sitting on a nearby shelf. The statue shattered into pieces onto the ground. The whip-like snap from the gun caused everyone inside the tent to jump and cover their ears.
“Jesus Christ, Bishop!” Ava yelled. “A little warning next time.”
A mischievous smirk crossed Bishop’s face as he placed the Glock back in his belt.
Mace rubbed his ear, the ringing still persisting.
“Why didn’t you bring this up to us before?” Sue said.
“Didn’t see the need at the time. But with our current situation, those weapons would be our only chance to put up a fight. I can take a squad with me to retrieve them. We can not only use them to force the Nads to their knees, but also get them to help save Aaron’s life. It’s the only way.”
“I can’t believe what I’m hearing,” Ava said. She paced the room. “This is absolutely insane. You’re seriously suggesting we go up against the most advanced society of our time using antique firearms?”
Mace leaned against the table with his hands resting on the edges. After a moment, he said, “Are you sure you can get us inside this place?”
“Yes,” Bishop said confidently.
“Tell me you’re not actually considering this,” Ava said.
It was Mace’s turn to pace around the table. “I can’t stop thinking of all the people we’ve lost since migrating to the Outlands, and the lives we’ve lost today. My own father is dying, and our options are limited.” After a moment, Mace continued, “This is not the first time we’ve faced annihilation.” He looked into Sue’s eyes, then Alex’s as he said, “Aaron, Sue, Alex, and countless more went through hell for every single one of us years ago during the Shadow Order plague. Many have died to make sure we all survived against impossible odds. We cannot allow their sacrifices be in vain. Bishop’s right—we can’t stand by and watch them continue to get away with murdering us. Earth is ours, always has been. If this facility has weapons like this, then we’ll need them to save Aaron, our leader, and take back Earth.” He turned to Bishop. “We’re going to the facility. Gather your troops. I’ll be leading the operation.”
“What about the Monad survivors?” Sue asked.
“We’ll round them up and place them in the holding block. Have a guard posted by the door at all times. In case they really are spies, I don’t want them roaming freely around the settlement.”
“You’re gonna keep them caged like animals?” Ava said. “Listen to what you’re saying. All you’re doing is solidifying the Monads’ beliefs about us.”
“I don’t have time for a debate,” Mace said coldly. “We have to be careful, now more than ever. I won’t jeopardize the lives of our people any longer. We leave at first light.”
All the guards nodded, and an eerie grin had formed on Bishop’s lips. The rest of the Committee didn’t seem to share in the guards’ enthusiasm.
Mace met Ava’s eyes, who shot him a disapproving look. He didn’t much care what anyone felt about the plan at the moment. If he was going to have any chance to not just take back their world but save his father in the process, he needed to do whatever it took to make sure they would win this fight.
The survival of their species may very well depend on it.
Chapter 16
The atmosphere inside the Inner Council conference chamber was grim.
It seemed that all the councilors’ voices had converged into one garbled mess. The uproar began after Ionne reported on yesterday’s attack at the rendezvous point, and her failure to retrieve the survivors of the Jafner. Confusion and fear rang supreme among the assembled leaders. They wanted answers, and Ionne had very few of them.
“How could this have happened?” a councilor called out.
“Councilors, please!” Saavi finally said as she rose from her central chair. “We must all remain calm and vigilant if we are to come to a resolution to this predicament.”
Silence returned to the room. Solmon was the next one to speak. “The next logical step is to secure the Jafner survivors. The question is, how? Especially after our initial attempt failed so miserably.”
“The solution is clear,” Drega said. “We must send our troops to their settlement and take them back by force.”
“Unacceptable!” Ionne found herself shouting those words louder than she’d intended. All the councilors’ eyes were trained on her.
Drega almost seemed amused by Ionne’s sudden outburst. “We gave the humans the opportunity to return the survivors back to us on their terms. Instead, they decided to run back to their settlement with our people in tow. It is clear they had no intention of returning them to us.”
“We were attacked!” Ionne said. “They were scared and retreated, just like we did. They seemed to be protecting the Jafner survivors by getting them out of harm’s way. If you have already forgotten, several of the humans were killed in the attack. They most likely believe we orchestrated the ambush.”
Drega balked at the claim. “Of course they would believe that. They always blame us for all their misfortunes.”
Solmon spoke then. “There is still the question of the attacker using one of our weapons during the ambush. Is it possible the Shadow Order was behind this attack?”
Ionne shook her head. “I cannot see how. Their agents have either been killed or apprehended. Or it could be an entirely new sect we are not aware of as yet. Regardless, we must find out who this attacker is, as it could help us get to the bottom of what is going on.”
“Agreed,” Saavi said. “Dr. Ionne, I would like for you to begin an investigation to identify the architects of this ambush. In the meantime, I feel that we should go with Councilor Drega’s suggestion to immediately deploy a task force to the human settl
ement to extract the survivors. All those in favor?”
Ionne couldn’t believe what she’d heard. She stared in shock with her mouth agape as every hand in the room went up around the round table.
Saavi noticed Ionne’s hand had remained down. “Dr. Ionne?”
“I cannot believe what I am seeing. You would all abandon your principals so easily. This is all wrong.”
“I am afraid we have no other choice, Doctor,” Saavi said. “We do what we must to secure our people who are still out there and in possible danger.”
“If you go through with this, it would be a declaration of war from which we cannot come back. I ask everyone in this room to reconsider their decision. I beg you!”
Saavi’s patience was clearly running low, judging by the annoyed expression on her face. “We have outvoted you in this decision. We will be carrying out this plan, and I expect you to fulfil your duties in identifying this attacker.”
“I cannot go along with—and officially object to—this council’s actions.”
“Objection noted,” Saavi said. “But this rescue mission will go through with or without your support.”
“I will fight this decision with every ounce of my being.” Ionne couldn’t believe the words she was uttering. At this very moment, she was jeopardizing her entire career.
Saavi’s voice suddenly grew colder. “Let me be perfectly clear. If you in any way interfere with this operation, you will be removed from this council, as well as your role as director of the Science Institute. Do I make myself perfectly clear?”
Saavi’s threat cut through Ionne as keenly as a knife. All the councilors’ emotionless expressions didn’t give away whether they agreed with her stance or not. But from her vantage point she was outnumbered, and she couldn’t afford to lose her position as councilor and as Institute director. Ionne needed to be where she was if she was to have a chance at finding out who the attacker was. Yielding was her only recourse for now.
Clearing her throat, Ionne reluctantly uttered the word, “Yes.”
