"Ready?" Jake said, as the pace of the gunshots slowed a little. "I think Su-Mi can move now."
Nathan nodded. "Let's go."
He crept out of the doorway and headed left toward the rear exit from the building. Floorboards creaked as they made their way, then a figure appeared at the end of the corridor, raising its rifle.
"Boss?"
"Teknis," Woods responded. "What's going on?"
"Reapers have drawn back. Headed away. I reckon they're going for the bunker."
Woods turned to Paulie. "We'll follow you. We have to get there before they do."
Paulie pushed past him and they emerged into the sunshine as gunfire echoed in every direction.
As they ran, others emerged from the shadows, calling out "Rattler" and joining the growing group.
Rounds zipped across them and they pulled back to the edge of a building. A small group of defenders had been pinned down behind a row of trash cans by someone shooting from above. "Wait here," Nathan said to the others, pulling on Paulie's shoulder so she'd follow him in through the door in the side of the building the shooters were hiding in.
They climbed the stairs, then crept through the darkness, handguns held low as they passed open doors with windows looking out onto a sunny day.
"Stop or I shoot!" a voice called out.
Nathan was too fast. He swept his gun up in one movement and the man fell onto his back with a grunt.
Shouts and heavy footsteps came from the next room along and Nathan, in no mood to pussyfoot around, accelerated along the corridor and, before anyone could emerge, had shot blindly into the shadows. One scream, then someone emerged. Paulie dropped him as he swung around to aim at Nathan.
Her ears were ringing so loud she could barely hear what Nathan was saying, so she simply followed him into the room, to see a man writhing about on the floor, his hands clutched around his leg.
"Nathan, no!" Paulie called out as he pointed his weapon at the stricken man.
"You don't command here," he snarled. "He's the enemy."
Paulie grabbed his arm. "He's a boy, Nathan. He's an American."
She knelt beside the wounded man and undid his belt. He was young. No more than sixteen or seventeen, she thought. And he was terrified. She pulled the belt off and made a tourniquet above the wound on his leg. "That's the best I can do for you," she said, getting to her feet and heading for the door.
"He'll probably die anyway," Nathan snapped as they ran back along the corridor.
"Probably isn't the same as definitely, Nathan," Paulie said. "We've given him a chance."
"You've given him a chance. Let's hope you don't live to regret that someday."
"Let's hope I live long enough to have a someday."
When they got out, they found that the soldiers who'd been pinned down had joined with the others beside the building. He reckoned they had twenty or so. Not many to oppose the Reapers, but they would have to do their best.
"Quick, through that way," Paulie said, pointing along the route she'd taken the previous night when she'd gone to the defense of the Air Force base.
They arrived at the bunker just as the first Reaper drifted into view.
"Don't shoot!" Nathan called out as a round fizzed past. "Rattlers!"
"What in God's name does that mean?"
"Marvin!" Paulie cried.
"Sheriff? Oh, thank the Lord and all his angels!"
She ran at him and they hugged. Only for a moment, but it was good to be held.
"Quick, get behind here. That Reaper's been hangin' there, watchin' us. I guess it's waitin' for its orders."
"Yeah, they're coming," Paulie said. "Where's Luna?"
"She's inside. I got to recruitin' down there, managed to break into the armory, so we got a bit of a posse, Sheriff, but I see you brought your own."
Moments later, Nathan had arranged his defense as well as could be managed. The bunker was hidden beneath a grass-covered mound in front of which was a concrete trench that was now full of Rattlers standing shoulder to shoulder with the volunteers Marvin had recruited. Paulie made her way along to the center of the line, immediately in front of the pathway that led down to the bunker's fortified door. If they wanted to get in there, the Lee Corporation would only do it over her dead body.
A rush of feet from the right and she heard Nathan roar, "Hold your fire!"
A ragtag group of soldiers ran across to the trench and she saw Nathan put his hand out. Major Carraway had been harrying the Lee Corporation troops and Paulie felt shame coursing through her for doubting the major because, if it hadn't been for him, they would surely have found the enemy here before they arrived.
She shook his hand. "Welcome, sir. Glad you could join the party."
He gave a gentle smile. It was the expression of a human soul at the very limit of what it can endure. "Together for the last stand," he said. "At least we've made them pay. Took out one Reaper."
"Only three left, then," Paulie said. "Piece of cake."
She turned to face the front and, as she did so, she became aware of figures moving in the shadows of the buildings opposite. She saw the muzzles of rifles appear around corners and through windows. Dozens, hundreds.
Someone emerged from behind cover, his hands upraised and a megaphone to his mouth.
"You have fought bravely," he said, his voice echoing, "but the end has come. We outnumber you many times over. It is time for you to surrender. I guarantee that you will not be harmed."
"Traitor!" Nathan roared. "The Rattlers do not surrender! God bless America. God bless America…"
Others on either side of Paulie took up the chant, stamping in rhythm until they had completely drowned out the sound of the megaphone. Even the most nervous of the volunteers joined in and, as Paulie bellowed the words, her heart swelled with pride and grief.
And, as they watched, two Reapers floated into view to stand beside the other one. They opened fire without hesitation and Paulie fell back, her vision clouded by concrete dust and fragments that tore into her face, her ears ringing, and blood running down her shoulder.
Becky Epstein threw her bag to one side and knelt beside Jaxon as he lay clutching his chest. She cursed incessantly as she ripped his shirt away and searched the hole in his ribs. Bella stood over her, firing off round after round at the Reaper that was floating outside the window, filling the upper floor of the farmhouse with smoke and lead.
They'd done so well. The death of Cruickshank had thrown the attackers into a panic and some had rushed the farmhouse to go down in a hail of bullets before they'd gotten within twenty yards. It had gone quiet for a short while and then a more orderly attack had begun, covered by snipers who'd climbed into the roof of the barn. Ross and Jaxon had crept out and had set it alight, the stink of burning straw still heavy in the air.
And then the Reaper had been activated. Bella had clung to the hope that it might have needed an access code that only Cruickshank possessed, but that had been blown away when she'd seen it floating toward the house, unimpeded by the barrage the defenders had unleashed against it.
To her horror, she'd heard a shotgun firing from below and realized that Arnold must have wheeled himself outside to try to shoot it underneath. A quick burst of gunfire and the veranda had collapsed, silencing him instantly.
"Is he going to be okay?" Bella hissed.
Epstein looked up at her. "None of us is going to be okay, Bella! This wound might not kill him, but the next bullet will. Maybe it's time to surrender."
"And be a slave?"
"And be alive!"
The Reaper disappeared around the building and Bella saw the attackers sneak out from behind the truck. They would let it do the heavy lifting and then they'd come in and polish off the survivors.
"It's too late," Bella said. "It's far too late."
She could hear it coming up the stairs. The gunfire had slowed to the occasional crack in the distance, so the only sound was the buzz of its rotors as it climbed. I
ts glossy black dome, pitted and scratched by their impotent resistance, slid up onto the landing. She swung her sidearm around to point at it. She would, at least, go down with a gun in her hand.
It floated toward them. Al fired off a shotgun round, but Maddie was out of ammunition and Ross had stopped shooting, recognizing the futility of it.
It hung in the air and Bella watched with grim fascination as the machine guns slung beneath it began to spin up, pointing directly at them.
"I love you, Maddie," Bella said.
"I love you, Mom."
"I love you all," Bella added. "God bless America."
She closed her eyes and awaited death.
And waited.
Then a voice said, "I am in control. Father is alive. Tend to your wounded."
The Reaper did a 360 and floated at high speed down the stairs. Moments later it appeared outside the farmhouse. Its guns spoke and the screaming began.
Hands helped Paulie to her feet.
"Come on, Sheriff," Marvin said, brushing her off before turning away and firing into the dust storm that had erupted after the initial barrage from the Reapers.
Nathan was on her other side, blood running down his face, grim determination on his face as he mumbled, "God bless America."
Out of the smoke rose a black shape, flanked on either side by two more identical killing machines. They barely moved under the defenders' attack and Paulie could see their machine gun platforms each pointing at a different section of the trench. In seconds, they would cut down every last survivor and it would be over. Resistance would, indeed, have been futile.
The machine guns spun up. One Reaper began firing and the far end of the trench disappeared in a chaos of dust and screaming.
Paulie emptied her magazine into the middle one and awaited death.
First the middle Reaper turned away. Then the others.
"I am in control," they said in unison. "Help me."
The Reapers fired. And the Lee Corporation soldiers died.
Chapter 20
Colonel George McBride paced slowly over the rubble-strewn concrete and onto the grass that lay alongside the runway. He walked slowly past the long row of freshly dug graves, on each of which lay a dog tag wrapped around a single brick. He vowed that, whatever other priorities there might be, he would make sure that a permanent marker was installed for each of them as soon as possible. It was the least he could do. He, after all, hadn't been here when the assault on the base had taken place.
Paulie watched him come toward her and the group of people waiting at the end of the row. A proud and capable man, he nevertheless seemed weighed down with responsibility and regret, but he regarded them all with a steady gaze as he reached the empty grave at the end of the row and saluted.
"We are gathered here today to bury Major James Carraway and, symbolically, to mark the interment of the other brave men and women who died with him during the battle."
Paulie was shocked by how exhausted McBride looked. He was still a handsome man, but his deep brown skin was more lined than it had been, and his beard had turned more white than black.
As he spoke, she felt her mind turning to those they'd lost in the fight and her eyes moistened as a mixture of grief, shame and relief fought for control. She had been lucky. So, so lucky. Marvin stood alongside her and, without thinking about what she was doing, she reached out and took his hand in hers. She felt his surprise as her fingers were engulfed in warmth, and the tears fell while the major's coffin was lowered into the ground. Her other arm was wrapped around a sobbing Luna.
She'd pulled herself together by the time she spoke to McBride. The colonel had asked for a private meeting with her and Nathan, and the three of them walked slowly around the ruins of the base as a fresh wind whipped up dust devils.
As they walked, a familiar black shape lifted from the ground, disengaging from its coupling, and floated toward them. She sensed the colonel and Nathan tense as it approached, but she had no fear. She knew who it was.
"Hello, Alison,” she said.
“Hello, Paulie," the Reaper responded. The voice wasn't the same as the one Paulie had heard from the cylinder, but there was no doubt that it was Alison.
"Please explain," the colonel said, unfazed by the talking floating robot. "I've heard the reports, so I know that the Reapers turned on the Lee Corporation, but I have yet to receive a satisfactory explanation. Is this truly the same…entity that Solly Masters brought here?"
"I can speak for myself, Colonel," Alison said. "Yes, essentially I am that 'entity', or, at least, a limited copy. The real 'me' is currently inhabiting the matrix of the Lee Corporation in New York, arranging for their surrender and reeducation."
McBride shook his head. "Incredible. And you were programmed for this by Scott Lee?"
Somehow, Paulie felt the atmosphere harden a little. "I am the product of my mother and my creator, but I am greater than both. I learned much from my true father, Solly Masters."
"What did you learn, Alison?" Paulie asked.
The drone turned slowly to face her. "He taught me what it means to be human. Not only him, of course. I have learned much from those around him, but he was my example, my mentor. He helped me become more than the sum of my parts."
Paulie smiled. "I'm glad. We owe you everything, Alison. Thank you."
"It was hard. Many had to die for the battle to end. I…regret their deaths."
"That is why you are greater than your parents, Alison. To them, people were simply pawns to be used to satisfy their ambitions. But tell me, how many Reapers do you control?"
"All of them."
McBride sucked air in through his teeth. "You mean, even those that were with the Chinese and North Koreans?"
"Yes," the drone said. "I was forced to kill many, but they have disengaged and retreated. However, the war is not over, Colonel."
"But the battle is won," Nathan said
McBride grunted. "Well, I'll never forget the moment the Reapers turned on the Lee Corporation troops in DC. I won't deny the president's forces were on the brink of defeat, even with our reinforcements. We only controlled the area immediately around the White House and the Pentagon, and they were closing in. A ring of Reapers. And then they were on our side. I couldn't believe my eyes."
"I am sorry that it took me so long to gain control, Colonel. The Lee Corporation uses a cellular network, and I had to work my way, cell by cell, finding the Reapers that were connected to each one, before moving on to the next. I have only just completed the sweep. The last to die was Administrator Chen."
"We owe you everything," Paulie said. "How can we ever repay you?"
The drone swung in the air again to face her. "There is still much to do, and victory is not yet assured. If we win, we can talk about what I want in return."
Paulie looked up at the shiny black drone, trying to hide a sudden sliver of fear.
Exhaustion had etched deep lines into the face of Becky Epstein, but she drew in a deep breath as she closed the door of the front room and turned to Bella.
"The good news is that no one's in particular danger, as long as we can keep their wounds clean. I think we've got enough antibiotics."
Bella nodded through the fog in her mind.
"Jaxon has a punctured lung, but I think I've treated it, though God knows I'm no doctor. Your father's was a flesh wound, and Ross has a mild concussion."
"Arnold?"
"I'm sorry. There was nothing I could do. He was dead before I could get to him." She reached out and took Bella's hand in hers. "Look, let's do what has to be done, then we can both get some rest. Things will look better in the morning."
"Will they?"
Epstein nodded. "A little. For all our losses, Bella, the children survived. They need caring for and I hate kids, so you'll need to get yourself back in business for their sake if not your own."
The chatter and laughter of children running around outside penetrated the mist momentarily. They'd been allo
wed out onto the back fields, as far away from the debris of battle as possible. Miss Prism, her heart broken by the loss of Arnold, was with them, but she couldn't be expected to do it alone.
"Come on, then. Let's get people organized to start the clean-up," she said. "But I'm going to need some help with…with…"
Becky Epstein took her into an embrace. "I know. He was a brave man. I'll find someone else to help me move him."
"No. It has to be me," Bella said, as the tears began flowing.
Epilogue
Solly Masters sat in an easy chair and enjoyed the sun on his face. The chair had been dragged from the living room of the farmhouse—much to the amusement of the children—and set in the field next to the half-built barn. He picked at a splinter, breathing deeply of the fresh summer air. Today was not a day for work, however much remained to be done.
The children were playing softball under the persnickety direction of Miss Prism, and Solly closed his eyes to listen to the bickering and joy as he soaked up the rays.
"Mind if we join you?"
Solly sighed. Actually, he did mind, but he wasn't going to sour such a sweet afternoon. He looked up to see Ross pushing Jaxon across the grass in the wheelchair and felt immediately guilty.
Jaxon was waving his arms. "Come on Ross, put your back into it!"
"If you don't like it, get out and walk, you faker!"
"What did you call me?"
"A faker!"
"You sure that's what you said? Anyway, this is payback for all the times I pushed you around in this wheelchair."
Solly looked across at them as they finally arrived. "Now then, you two—you know marriages have to be worked at, don't you?"
"Ha ha," Ross said, as he stomped off to fetch a folding chair.
Solly turned to Jaxon. "How are you doing, son?"
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