by L. J. Suarez
Mace and Bishop leapt out of the building and landed hard on the sandy pavement. They got up to their feet, and each drew their weapons. Mace held his dagger near his face with his feet firmly planted on the ground, while Bishop had his axe at the ready. The creature seemed to have gotten caught inside the destruction it had created inside the building. It finally erupted through the weak concrete wall above the doorway Mace and Bishop had come out of. A chunk of the building collapsed as the creature flapped its wings victoriously.
“This is it,” Bishop said in a somber tone.
Mace said with more defiance in his voice, “Get ready.”
They braced themselves for what was to come next. As the creature charged after them, Mace felt his entire life flash before him. Ava, Aaron, and everyone at New Lazarus flooded his mind’s eye all at once. He quietly said his goodbyes to them all, and hoped he could take this angry bastard with him before he departed this world.
The grotesque demon that was nearly on top of them was replaced by a hot fireball, followed by a loud bang. The force of the explosion forced Mace and Bishop back on the ground. The world around him fell silent once again.
It seemed like an eternity passed. As the smoke cleared, Mace managed to get to his feet. Pieces of the creature were scattered everywhere. A permanent dark spot was etched onto the pavement inches away from where Mace stood. He helped Bishop up, and saw Gareth Andre and Emerson standing together several feet away. Emerson held a rocket launcher in his hands with smoke still rising from the barrel.
“You alright?” Gareth said as he and Andre approached Mace.
Bishop patted Gareth on the shoulder; happy to see the New Lazarus guards coming to their aide just in the nick of time.
Mace nodded to Emerson. “Good shot.”
Emerson looked at the launcher, and a giddy grin crossed his lips. “Think I’ll keep this one.”
* * *
Mace extended out his torch as he made his way inside the second bunker where the creature had first made its appearance. Andre, Gareth, and Emerson were on either side of him, while Bishop took his usual position up front. At the center of the bunker was a nest, and resting inside was a single egg. The settlers surrounded the nest as the lights from their torches reflected off the egg’s white shell.
“Now we know why that thing attacked us,” Bishop stated. He turned to Mace. “We took out mommy. Hopefully there’s no daddy around to finish us off.”
“In that case, let’s get this over with if he does show up.”
Past the nest lay a short hallway, with both a freight elevator and staircase at the end of it. Mace angled his torch over the elevator shaft. The car seemed to be in the underground section of the bunker several levels down.
“We’ll take the stairs,” Bishop said, already making his descent.
Mace switched the torch to his other hand and followed Bishop down the staircase. Every step the group took elicited a series of creaks. Mace held his breath, praying the staircase underneath his feet wouldn’t give out. Reaching the bottom level, Mace entered what looked like a massive underground cellar, a place no other human eyes had seen for centuries. The air was thin, making it difficult to breathe.
What his torch illuminated next caused Mace to freeze in place. Stacked on either side of the curved walls of the cellar were rows of missile-like objects around twelve feet long, nestled inside cradles. They were cylindrical with pointed ends, and looked to weigh more than a ton.
Bishop said with glee, “Gentlemen, what you see now will bring the Nads to their knees.”
“What is this?” Mace whispered.
Bishop turned to Mace. “Our future.”
Chapter 26
“Our ancestors called them thermonuclear bombs,” Bishop explained. “These in particular are B83s; missiles that were once deployed by ancient military aircraft during combat. It derives power from a nuclear reaction. The most destructive force our kind have ever created, and it’s now within our hands.” Bishop patted Mace on the shoulder. “We really got the Nads by the balls now, huh?”
“You’ve really done your homework on all this stuff,” Gareth said as he passed his hand on one of the B83s, to which Bishop gave a knowing shrug.
“Like I said, I spent a lot of time here. Central has been a valuable resource to me.”
Mace stared at a B83 nestled inside a cradle; feeling as though he were entranced.
“You’ve been awfully quiet,” Bishop noticed. “What do ya think about my little discovery?”
“I dunno about this.”
The grin on Bishop’s face vanished. “What do you mean?”
“This seems a bit…dangerous. We can grab the M16s and any other weapons we can carry.” Mace placed a hand on the tip of the bomb. “But this just too much power to wield.”
“Don’t tell me you’re getting cold feet on us now,” Bishop said.
Mace turned to his second-in-command. “Getting the Monads off Earth is one thing, but blowing them all out?”
It won’t come to that. The M16s alone won’t be enough. We need something powerful enough that will get the Nads’ attention; to give them pause. And this is it. Once they see we have this kind of weaponry at our disposal, they’ll listen to us and we won’t have to use it. It’s only a bluff.”
“And if they call our bluff?”
Bishop guffawed at that. “They’re cowards. Once they see us with the bomb, they’ll shit their pants. I’m telling ya, this is the only way they’ll take us seriously, and we’ll get our planet back.”
Mace rubbed his chin and let out a sigh.
“Don’t forget everything they put our people through,” Bishop added. “If it weren’t for what they did to us, we’d still be in Empyreum, and Sarah would still be alive.”
Mace shot Bishop a glare. “Don’t bring her into this.”
Bishop changed his approach. “All I’m saying is that our plan won’t work without this bomb. We need you to get behind this all the way, Mace.” He paused before continuing, “For your dad’s sake. For Conner, DJ and everyone else back home.”
Mace turned to Gareth and Emerson. The glow from their torches reflected off their faces. Mace didn’t even have to say a word before both men stated their thoughts.
“We came this far,” Gareth said. “Might as well see it to the end.”
“I agree with Bishop,” Emerson said. “Let’s finish this.”
It was Andre’s turn, who simply said, “I’m in.”
Mace turned back to the nuclear device sticking out of its cradle. He made a fist as the memories of those rough times when settling in the Outlands, when his mother’s life was claimed. They were right. He needed to see this through the end, and the ultimate weapon before him was the key to reclaiming their world and saving Aaron’s life.
Mace turned to Gareth, Emerson and Andre. “You three, head back up to the armory. Gather all the M16s and every other weapon you can. Bishop and I will load the bomb to take it with us. Double-time it.”
“Right away,” Gareth said. With that, the three men stormed out of the cellar and up the staircase.
* * *
Within an hour, Mace helped Bishop safely secure the B83’s warhead from the missile casing. They placed the warhead onto a trolley, hooked chains on either side, and had it hauled through the non-functioning freight elevator shaft toward the surface, with Gareth, Andre and Emerson pulling from the top level. After hooking all the weapons trollies to the saddles on their leebacks, Mace and the others rode off with their newly acquired arsenal on their trip back to New Lazarus. Before leaving Ellsworth, Emerson snagged the egg from the nest they found by the bunker entrance as a prize for their win against the bird-like monster —“a snack for later,” as he put it. The small moment of doubt Mace experienced back in the bunker had vanished, replaced with laser-focus on the mission at hand. His spirit was filled with newfound determination. Soon, Mace and the rest of his brothers and sisters would get even with their Monad oppres
sors.
Chapter 27
New Lazarus was in shambles.
It had been almost two days since the Monads came crashing through the walls and forced their way into the settlement to recover the Jafner survivors. Ava and the other settlers were left to pick up the pieces from the mess that ensued. While most of the settlers were unharmed from the stun effects of the Monads’ pulsar rifles, there was one casualty at the hands of a lone Empyreum guard. Ava had watched it happened, as well as the look of regret on the soldier’s eyes afterward—before being trampled by the human locals. The Empyreum guards suffered more losses on their side, even though most of them managed to get back up with all their injuries healed instantly thanks to their NIs. Dusk was settling over the snowy mountain peaks beyond the settlement, its glare bouncing off Ava’s face as she assessed the damage done to her home. The settlers were all working in unison to pick up the pieces of debris left scattered over the ground.
Ava walked over to help a group lifting up an immense log that had collapsed onto the roof of a settler’s home. She bent her knees as she lifted the log upward and off the structure along with the others. After making sure the settlers didn’t require further help, Ava continued on her way down the pathway to the northern point. She stopped and looked toward the main gate; where Mace and the others had ventured through. She took in a breath of the cool air coming in from the mountains. Ava hoped he was safe, and that they had found what they were looking.
* * *
“Mother, where are you going?” Ionne heard Tamira say.
She turned to see her standing in the doorway into her bedroom. Tamira had caught Ionne packing some of her belongings into a small traveling bag. “I have business to attend to in Cadon,” Ionne said quickly. “I shall return in a few days.”
Tamira was silent for a moment with a worried expression on her face. “I heard in school today that the reason Empyreum is on alert is due to a pending attack from the humans. Is it true?”
Ionne knelt to Tamira’s eye level. “There is nothing to be concerned about. Those are only rumors that you are hearing. They are simply a drill.”
Tamira lowered her head. “I heard the other children say the humans will come to kill us.”
Ionne placed a finger on Tamira’s chin and gently lifted it upward. “They are wrong. The humans are our friends.”
“Then why are we in a drill? Why is everyone so afraid?”
Ionne had no other words to say. Instead, she pulled Tamira close and gave her a long hug. “Everything will be fine.”
“You promise?”
Ionne found herself hesitating, as she had no way of knowing what would transpire in the coming days. “I promise,” She finally let out.
Looking toward the doorway, she saw Callam standing there with his arms crossed. Ionne turned back to Tamira, lifted a lock of her hair, and placed it behind her ear. “Now, go and work on your school assignments.”
“Yes, Mother,” Tamira said. She turned and walked out of the room.
Callam walked over to Ionne as she rose to her feet. “Is there something I can say to stop you from going?”
Ionne paused before shaking her head. “I must go to the settlement and speak with Aaron. I couldn’t raise him on the transmitter, and feel that something terrible has happened to him. I need to be sure that he is alright, after what happened at the border—and perhaps prevent a possible war.”
“Why does it have to be you?” Callam asked. “You are a scientist. Let Empyreum security handle this. You should not risk your own life.”
“I know the humans far better than anyone. I can get through to them. Whoever attacked us at the border wants this war to happen. I must try to stop this in any way I can.”
Callam let out a long sigh before saying, “You were always so stubborn.”
Ionne smiled. “Which was why you married me.”
Callam and Ionne placed their large foreheads against one another’s.
“Be safe out there,” Callam said.
Ionne gazed into his eyes. “Always.”
Chapter 28
Mace yearned to see home again.
They would finally arrive at New Lazarus in the morning. It was the first time he had been away from the settlement for this long. After traversing the deadly terrain of the old world for the past four days, Mace looked forward to sleeping in his own bunk and sink his teeth into some fresh horalo. He also couldn’t wait to hold Ava in his arms, make love to her, and take a tall drink of slurma by the pit at the courtyard while listening to the drum beats from the local band until dawn. It would be a well-earned rest after everything he and his men had been through.
Mace poked at the flames of the fire he had made to keep it from going out. Impaled on a spit above the fire was what was left of their dinner. Caught by Emerson before night fell, the meat from the large game animal was carved to the bone, leaving only a skeletal carcass.
Bishop, Emerson and Andre were sound asleep on the ground near the fire. Even the leebacks were out cold. Mace was the only one up at the camp, his thoughts racing a million miles a minute. He rubbed his chest to stay warm and took a breath in, allowing the smoky aroma to travel through his nostrils.
Mace looked up at a moonless night sky and saw a faint band of light stretching from one horizon to another. Thousands of twinkling stars were spread across, moving ever so slowly as the Earth spun. Watching the light show gave Mace an inner peace he hadn’t felt in a long time. He had never gotten the chance to leave Earth, and wondered what the Monad off-world colonies were like in person. What else was up there in the cold silence? But Mace had eventually given up those trivial, child-like wonders, as he and his family were too busy trying to stay alive in the Outlands.
He turned to the weapons trollies that sat unhitched next to the sleeping leebacks. He focused his attention on a giant green case containing the B83 warhead. He still couldn’t wrap his mind around the fact that they were hauling something with enough destructive force to kill millions. That thought alone kept him up at this hour of the night. His heart would skip a beat or two every time they hit a bump along the trail, fearing that the slightest movement would set it off. They knew very little about the ancient arsenal they had acquired from Ellsworth.
Except for Bishop.
Mace glanced over at his sleeping second-in-command. He was lucky to have someone in the team who had some knowledge of these weapons’ functionality, and taught him and the others how to operate them. Yet something inside made him feel uneasy, that perhaps Bishop knew more than he was letting on.
* * *
The next morning, Mace, Bishop, and the rest of the crew had gotten an early start to the day and were back on track. Off in the distance, the settlement was coming into view down at the valley. That was when Mace realized something terrible had happened while they were gone.
“Whoa.” He sat deep in his saddle, signaling his leeback to come to a stop as he looked out into the distance. The others halted as well, staring out as their worst fears came to fruition. The east wall of New Lazarus was destroyed. A small stream of smoke issued out of the sunken huts and hung above the settlement.
“No,” Mace whispered softly. With a click from the side of his mouth, Mace’s leeback lurched ahead and galloped the rest of the way to the settlement. The others tried to catch up without tipping the trollies over. Once they reached the front gates, a New Lazarus warrior signaled from his post on the fort above for the gate to be opened. The group’s leebacks trotted past the gate as Mace surveyed the damage around him.
Several structures lay in waste. More settlers helped one another pick up the pieces of debris from a recent battle—a battle he wasn’t here to fight alongside them. His blood boiled within his veins. What was once a sanctuary for humans alike was now a ruin of despair that would take months to rebuild. Based on the plasma scorch marks sprayed across the walls, there was no denying who had left this path of destruction.
Mace halted once he re
ached the courtyard and dismounted. He spotted Ava, who locked eyes with him while in a conversation with a settler. She rushed over to him, and they embraced. For that moment, he almost forgot the rage he felt inside as held onto her. Releasing his grasp, Mace asked Ava what he already knew. “What happened?”
“Empyreum security was here. They took them.”
Mace’s anger returned in full force as he once again scanned the destroyed architecture.
“I should have been here.”
“Don’t do that. It’s not your fault. I’m just glad you came back to me.”
“Did we lose any of our own?”
“One. The rest were stunned with only minor injuries. A few of the Monads were killed, including Constable Rylan.”
Mace sighed, though he didn’t feel much remorse for the loss on the Monads’ side.
Ava looked over Mace’s shoulder at Gareth and Emerson as they climbed off their leebacks and unhitched the weapons trollies attached to their saddles while Bishop and Andre did the same. “Find what you were looking for out there?”
Mace nodded. He looked ahead at the other huts that had suffered extensive damages farther down the path. His rest would have to wait. Their plan of attack would have to be moved up sooner than expected.
* * *
Mace, and the New Lazarus brigade congregated inside the Committee tent.
On the center table lay a hand-drawn map showing the entire perimeter of Empyreum, including its surrounding glass wall. Ava stood next to Mace as he studied the map with his arms crossed. Whenever Mace shifted his weight, he could feel the slight pinch of the needles across the skin of his wounded rib. The doc had worked his magic in cleaning and stitching up all of the injuries Mace and company had received in the Outlands after they returned home. The Committee and Mace’s guards were engaged in a heated debate.
“I don’t see how we have a shot in hell at getting inside,” Alex said. “Empyreum is practically a fortress. It can’t be done.”
