When she got to the cargo bay, the door was already open. The wind outside was blowing the rain sideways.
Alexander, Trey, and Vish watched over the captives they had moved over from the container ship. There had been twenty-one new people, but a blanket covered the recently deceased woman, dropping the number to twenty. A grieving man knelt beside the body.
This was just the beginning.
Katrina took a quick inventory of the other newcomers. Only five men were in any sort of fighting condition. Victor was the leader, but he could speak only a few words of English, and communication was difficult. That would change, she hoped, when Deliverance showed up and she had Timothy to translate.
A draft of wind hit her as she made her way around the group. She put a hand to her bruised ribs. It still hurt like hell to breathe deeply.
Deliverance’s turbofans whirred as the airship moved into position, its smooth black belly hovering five hundred feet above the stealth warship. One of the children pointed at the sky, and all the newly liberated people looked up in wonder, as if at an alien craft descending from the heavens.
Katrina smiled and nodded at all the new faces. Most of them looked at her with wrinkled brows, untrusting.
She couldn’t blame them. This was only the second group of outsiders most of them had ever seen, and she didn’t fully trust any of them yet, either.
She moved over to the open door as Deliverance rotated a few degrees to hover over the USS Zion. The cargo bay in the warship’s belly opened. A rope dropped from the airship, and the blue glow of a battery unit came sliding down it. The moment the diver unclipped from the rope, another diver emerged from the airship and rappelled down into the cargo bay.
Footsteps clattered in the cargo bay as the captives from the container ship all got up for a better view of the two Hell Divers, one of whom was a good foot taller than the other.
Alexander and Vish remained standing guard, but Trey ran over to greet his father.
“Dad!” he yelled.
Les hurried over and hugged his boy.
“Captain,” he said, nodding to Katrina.
“Good to see you again, Lieutenant,” she said.
Layla took off her helmet, smiled, and went to give Katrina a hug, then stopped when she saw the thick bandage around her chest.
“That doesn’t look good,” Layla said.
“It’s not a big deal,” Katrina said. “How are you?”
Layla shrugged, and Katrina looked back up at the airship, sensing that her friend was worried about something besides the imminent battle.
“So where is Commander Everhart?” Katrina asked.
“Med bay, healing from his procedure,” Layla said.
“Procedure?”
“He’s got a surprise to show you,” Les said.
“I guess I’m heading up to Deliverance for a bit,” Katrina replied. “I’ll go with these people once we work out a bucket system to get them up there.”
Layla turned to look at the recently freed prisoners. “What are we going to do with them?” she asked.
Les and Layla took a long look at the haggard lot, who seemed to be studying them in return, as if they were alien creatures from another planet.
“I hope you have a plan,” Les said.
“I do,” Katrina said. “We’re going to save these people. Just as we’re going to save X, Magnolia, and Miles.”
TWENTY-ONE
Michael moved the index finger of his new hand. That was the intention, anyway. He stared at the robotic fingers, willing them to move. One by one, he flexed them, curled them, wiggled them in the air. Then he clenched them into a titanium-alloy fist.
“How does it feel, Commander?” Timothy asked.
“Uh, it feels weird.”
He sat up straighter, his back resting against the plastic frame of the bed in Deliverance’s medical ward. The spider had connected his nerve endings and muscles to the hyperalloy robotic arm from Red Sphere, and the nanotechnology was working to make the connections heal faster than normal—much faster.
Michael unclenched his robotic hand and moved the fingers, clumsily at first, but he already had them doing things that the real ones could not.
It was just Michael and the AI in the private quarters, but Michael could hear commotion outside. The prisoners Katrina had freed on the container ship were being moved to the airship for medical treatment.
“This is really weird,” Michael said.
“Sir, it will take some getting used to,” Timothy said. “The nanotechnology will strengthen the connections between your nerves and muscles, and the wires from the robotic arm. You should be fully operational in a few days.”
Operational, Michael thought. Like a machine.
Having robotic parts, especially parts that had belonged to Dr. Julio Diaz, was starting to freak him out. It wasn’t until the spider finished the job and he woke up and saw his new arm that he really started thinking about what this would mean.
It means you can fight again. It means you can dive again.
“This was the only way,” Michael murmured.
“Pardon me, sir,” Timothy said. “I don’t understand your question.”
“Oh, nothing.”
Timothy cupped his hands behind his back. “Are you in any discomfort, Commander?”
Michael raised the arm to look at the swollen flesh around the stump, where the robotic spider had connected him with the resized mechanical limb. The tender skin and muscle did burn, but he hardly felt any pain beyond the tingle of the nanotechnology gel that was busy working its magic.
“Not really, to be honest,” Michael said.
“That’s good, sir. The nanotechnology should expedite the recovery process, but I must admit, I was a bit concerned about this operation.” He paused and added, “I’ve never used a spider before.”
“Thanks for keeping that to yourself earlier,” Michael said with a hint of a smile.
“I didn’t want to cause you any distress. Now that the mechanical parts have been connected to your nerves, you should no longer experience phantom pains.”
Michael’s grin widened. “I already feel better. Stronger.”
He got up from the bed, but a wave of dizziness overtook him, and he stumbled several feet before reaching out with his robotic hand. The only thing within reach was a white medical cart.
His hyperalloy palm bashed in the side and sent the cart crashing into the wall. Drawers popped out, and supplies scattered over the deck.
“Shit,” Michael growled.
The noise prompted a rap on the door. He closed his eyes and then opened them, blinking several times. When his vision returned, Layla stood in the open hatchway, with Captain DaVita behind her.
“Layla told me we could start calling you Tin again,” Katrina said. “Now I see why.”
Michael smirked. “This is a bit stronger than that flimsy tin hat,” he said, raising the new arm. He slowly rotated it for the others to see.
Katrina walked over to his bedside and put her hand on his shoulder. “Good to see you, Commander.”
“Likewise, Captain.”
“It’s also good to see that the trip to Red Sphere netted something positive.”
“We also picked up another laser rifle,” Michael said. He looked over at Layla. “You tell her about the nuke?”
“Nuke?” Katrina said. “I’m listening.”
Layla shook her head.
“Nuke?” Katrina repeated.
“We dropped one on Red Sphere,” Michael said. “Wiped that evil place off the map.”
Katrina pursed her lips, frowning, but only for a moment.
“If it were up to me, I would have dropped them into the ocean a long time ago,” Michael said. “But in this case, I agreed with Lieutenant Mitchells. Red Sphere
was a stain on human history and remained a clear and present danger to humankind. It needed to be destroyed.”
Katrina seemed to ponder his words for a few more seconds and then said, “I’ll talk to Lieutenant Mitchells about this later. But right now we need to plan our attack on the Metal Islands. Are you good to go to the bridge for the strategic planning meeting?”
“Yes ma’am.”
“Good. We’re meeting there in an hour. In the meantime, enjoy some time together.” Katrina stepped out of the room, closing the door behind her.
“A little privacy, Timothy?” Michael said.
The AI had already vanished, but his voice replied, “Roger, Commander.”
Michael returned to the bed and sat, patting the mattress with his metal hand.
She sat down beside him, fingering the braid that lay over her shoulder. “How are you doing?”
“It feels odd, but it works.” He drummed his fingers on the bed.
She watched and let out a sigh.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“Yeah, just scared about the attack.”
“I’d be lying if I told you I wasn’t scared,” he said. “But I’m ready to fight and see our friends again, and to see the sun.”
Layla smiled. It was almost the smile he had fallen in love with all those years ago. But this time, her heart wasn’t entirely in it. Something was bothering her.
“What is it?” he asked, brushing the braid away from her face and over her shoulder with his mechanical hand.
Her eyes flitted to the robotic fingers, but they didn’t seem to bother her.
“There’s something I want you to know,” she said. “I wasn’t going to tell you until this was all over, but if something happens, you deserve to know.”
Michael lowered his hand.
“I think I’m pregnant,” she said. Before he could respond, she added, “But that changes nothing as far as this fight is concerned. I’m still going to do my part. I’m still going to dive with you and the others.”
“Layla,” he said quietly. The thought of becoming a parent did change things. It changed everything.
“What?” she said when he didn’t finish his thought. “Say something, Tin.”
He turned so he could grab both her hands.
“I love you, Layla. You’re my person, and you’re all I’ve ever wanted. Adding another person to our team would be amazing, and that’s exactly why you can’t dive. It’s too dangerous. I want you here on Deliverance during the attack.”
“It’s a bad time for this news, I know.”
He held her gaze, staring into the eyes that he had loved since he was a kid. He and Layla had seen so much together, grown up together, and fought together to keep the airships in the sky.
“I want to dive with you,” she said. “We should be together for this.”
An emergency siren rang out, cutting her off. The rise and fall of the electronic whine echoed through the medical bay. Michael and Layla both stood and moved out to see what was happening.
He punched a comm button and connected to the bridge. “What the hell is going on?”
Ada Winslow responded a beat later. “We’re picking up a ship on the radar.”
“The Hive?”
“No,” Ada replied. “This is on the surface, and it’s headed our way. You’d better get to the bridge, Commander.”
* * * * *
The horns ceased as the last of the Cazador boats vanished on the horizon, the red blinking lights swallowed by the darkness. The call to war was over, replaced by the chiming of some distant bell.
The ding, ding, ding reverberated through the capitol tower. Magnolia’s heart quickened with the chime, and she took in a deep breath to try to calm down.
She knew what the bells meant.
They were a warning, like the emergency sirens on the airships. The lack of movement in the hallways proved that. Everything was on lockdown, which made escaping all the more difficult.
That was why she had taken refuge in the room that Inge and Sofia shared.
“There are too many guards,” Inge said. “You can’t escape.”
“There is no way out of here even if you could get off this rig,” Sofia said.
Magnolia pulled back the drape covering the windows. The Sea Wolf was still docked below, but she had no idea how the hell she was going to get twelve floors down.
She didn’t even have a pair of shoes and was still dressed in a pair of shorts and a ripped T-shirt.
Magnolia turned back to the two women. Besides Rodger and Miles, they were the closest thing to friends she had on the Metal Islands.
“You attacked a scribe and killed two guards,” Inge said. “El Pulpo will not forgive these sins. He will …”
Imulah mumbled into the ripped sleeve she had tied around his mouth. He sat in a chair, gripping his hand, which was still leaking blood onto the floor.
“That’s why I have to try to escape,” Magnolia replied. “You’re welcome to come with me, but you’ve got about a minute to make up your mind.”
Footfalls clanked in the hallway outside their locked door. Armed with only a knife, she had a feeling that things were about to get ugly. But she was more than ready to fight, even if it came down to using her teeth.
A rap sounded on the doorway across the hall, and then came the shouts.
“¡Abra!”
The Cazador yelled again, and more deep voices called out.
“Sofia, please, I just need some clothes and shoes,” Magnolia whispered.
The voices continued as the door across from their quarters opened. A woman spoke rapidly, and Magnolia pointed her knife at Imulah to keep him quiet.
Sofia moved to a dresser and pulled out a pair of black pants and a black shirt, and then a black scarf.
Less than a minute later, Magnolia was clothed. Inge and Imulah looked on, but Sofia abruptly pulled off her shirt and brushed her long black hair over her shoulder, exposing the patchwork of raised scars.
“I’m leaving, too, Inge,” she said. “I’m sorry, but I’ve decided I’d rather die than stay here any longer.”
Inge sat on the left of the two beds and looked to the floor. A tear fell between her feet.
“You can come with us,” Magnolia said.
“I … I can’t.” Inge kept her eyes on the floor—the gaze of a broken, terrified woman.
Magnolia knew then there was no changing Inge’s mind. Fear had her paralyzed.
The locked door suddenly rattled, and a male voice boomed outside.
Magnolia tiptoed over to Imulah, pointing the knife at his lap. “Don’t make a peep, or you’re going to lose your peepee.”
His eyes widened.
“You do have one of those, right?” I already know you don’t have any balls.
He nodded.
Sofia replied in Spanish to the man in the hallway, and the door handle stopped shaking. She said something else, and the footfalls continued.
“What did you say to them?” Magnolia asked quietly.
Sofia flashed a pretty grin. “That I’m alone and naked and if they do come in and see me, their king will make them pay with their eyes.”
Sofia put a necklace on, grabbed a book from the top of her dresser, and opened it up. The pages had been cut out, leaving room for a handgun.
She was full of surprises tonight.
“Where the hell did you get that?” Magnolia asked.
“My lover.”
“Lover?” I sure as hell know you’re not talking about el Pulpo.
“I’ll tell you about him later.”
“Maybe he can help us escape,” Magnolia said.
Sofia stuffed the gun into the back of her waistband and covered the grip with her long black hair. “He’s not here. He’s of
f on a mission.”
“Got it.” Magnolia walked toward the door, but Sofia shook her head.
“Not that way.”
“Where, then?”
Sofia moved to the glass doors that opened onto a balcony.
“Be careful, Sofia,” Inge said. She got off the bed and walked over.
“Make sure Imulah doesn’t rat us out, okay?” Magnolia said.
Inge nodded, but Magnolia didn’t trust the redhead. She moved back to the scribe and said, “Sorry about this.”
He tilted his head, puzzled. Then came the flash of realization in his eyes.
“Please, don’t,” he mumbled.
Before he could react, she swung, hammering the back of his head with the heel of her fist and the butt of the knife hilt, effectively knocking him out cold.
She almost felt bad as she walked away, but Imulah had made his choice, along with Inge. Now she and Sofia were making theirs, even if it ended in death.
“Hope you know how to climb,” Sofia said as she opened the doors. The chiming of the bell grew louder, and Magnolia felt an invigorating gust of fresh air.
She took a second to look out over the star-filled sky, and the moon’s shimmery reflection on the water. The flowers growing in pots on the balcony moved in the salt breeze.
God, this really could have been paradise.
“Let’s go,” Sofia said. She swung her legs over the railing and bent down, then dropped to the next balcony. Magnolia looked over the edge and saw Sofia’s grinning face about ten feet below.
“You coming, or what?” she asked.
Magnolia followed the younger, more agile woman down two floors. Sofia reminded her of a version of herself when she was still in her twenties.
At the third balcony down, two kids looked out from behind cracked glass doors. A well-built man in a tattered white T-shirt and dungarees emerged in the living space behind them, and Sofia put her finger against her lips.
The man nodded and vanished back into his quarters with both kids. That was when Magnolia saw the gun in Sofia’s right hand. She tucked it back into her pants and went over the next railing.
They were on the fifteenth floor, not even halfway down.
Hell Divers V: Captives Page 25
