Genos looked back with a satisfied smile as he coasted toward the dock building with a trail of broken parts, debris, and fire behind him.
Chapter Twenty-Five
“Dr. Calloway, are you there?” Amber asked. She was almost halfway down the list when the trio approached the medbay barrier once again. Flynn could hear the battle still raging outside but nothing sounded like it came from within other than their own hurried footsteps. That actually concerned him more.
“Who is this?” a voice replied. “If this is security, I am Dr. Calloway and we are currently—”
“Doctor, it’s Amber Soni!” she interrupted and both relief and happiness manifested in her tone. “We’re almost outside the barrier, the power is back on, and we’ve eliminated all the bots we’ve seen along the way. We can guide you to the exit.”
“Amber! One moment, let me give the comm to your mother.” Rustling followed as the doctor transferred the device to Dr Soni, but once she was on, her mother’s own momentary joy was evident.
“Amber, I’m so glad you’re okay,” she began. “What does it look like now? There was so much commotion when those machines arrived. We grabbed everyone we could but the evacuation paths were locked—”
“I know, Mom. For now, it appears to be safe,” the battle medic said as she and her teammates finally rounded the corner into the ICU hallway. “Mom, we’re outside the barrier and can escort you and the others out.”
“If the power is back, maybe the tunnels are open again,” Marlo suggested. “It would be better than trying to escort them across the island.”
“That’s a good point,” Flynn agreed and placed a hand on Amber’s shoulder. “Ask her where the nearest exit is.”
“I know where it is. It’s basic safety meeting stuff and you have to listen to the speech even if you’re only a volunteer,” she responded. “Is anyone seriously injured in there?”
Dr. Soni was quiet for a moment. “We lost some of the injured. The droids took some but killed most of the faculty. Even with the instruments and medical supplies we have available in here, we weren’t able to help them.”
She nodded solemnly and took a deep breath. “I’m sorry, Mom. I know that’s hard. But we need to focus on the ones we can save right now. Is everyone else all right?”
“Yes. Everyone else is conscious and able to move on their own. We can leave if you are ready,” the doctor replied. Amber looked at Marlo and Flynn who nodded to her as each held their weapons up.
“Go ahead and disengage the barrier and we’ll get out of here.” She backed away from the door and waited for the medbay staff and patients inside to exit.
Five Ark troops stood outside the entrance to the medbay building. “Do we really have to bother with this one?” one asked. “It looks like the droids took care of most of it.”
“And almost all the droids inside have been destroyed. Something is obviously still kicking in there,” another retorted. “This should be a quick clean-up.”
“That’s my point. This is not a true battle with the Nexus students. Most aren’t even armed,” the first one protested. “I wanted to earn my stripes but I feel like a glorified janitor right now.”
“Quit your whining. We have a job to finish,” his teammate reminded him and took a step forward before a hand on his shoulder stopped him.
He looked back and tilted his head. The soldier who had stopped him held a finger up. “Remember, we are looking for others to join our army.”
He shrugged his shoulder free but nodded. “I know, but I’ve yet to see any who are worthy.”
“What do we do now, sir?” one of the security team asked as they made their way to the surface.
“You and the bots will make sure those tunnels and paths are clear for the students and get the evacuation started in earnest,” Wolfson ordered. “I need to get to the armory.”
“The armory, sir?” the guard asked. “I thought you said we are evacuating.”
“We are,” he confirmed. “Which means we’ll leave the island in the hands of these bastards. I intend to hobble them as much as I can while I’m still here. While Haldt and Kaiden get the ships ready, I’ll prepare as many weapons as I can to ship out. Then, I’ll rig the rest to explode when these bastards get close.”
“Are you sure you don’t need any help, sir?”
The head officer studied a map of the Academy on his tablet. “The students and teachers need help more than I do. And there are other security members on the way. I can assist them, and they can then assist me.” He shoved the tablet against her chest. “You’re in charge of any of the forces still here in the facility. All of you get out there and make me proud.”
“Yes, sir!” The guard saluted and ran off. Wolfson went left down the hall to his office. He needed to stock up and he should still have his small stash waiting in the locker for him. When he entered his office, a light flashed over him as a turret scanned him. It recognized him and retracted into the ceiling. Despite all the digs he took at Laurie, seeing the defenses working in a time of crisis was oddly calming.
He placed his shotgun on the table, walked to his locker, and quickly punched the code in. As the door unlocked, something hummed behind him. He spun quickly as a heated blade lashed at him, knocked it aside with his gauntlet, and kicked out. The kick missed when a figure in dark armor flipped back, landed on his desk, and picked his shotgun up. “Baioh Wolfson,” she said, her voice low and oddly monotone as she took aim. “Target acquired and eliminated.”
When she fired, she expected a blast of laser fire to melt through his armor and kill him instantly. Instead, only a few ember-like flashes puffed out as the weapon made a hissing noise. The kick, however, was still there, one powerful even for him to handle. The featherweight assassin was hurled off the table and she catapulted into the hallway.
Wolfson chuckled as he approached and brandished his hand cannon. He shoved his boot into her chest while she was on the floor. “Why do you flippy assassin types always think heavies are an easy kill? Because we can’t move fast?” He lowered his weapon until it was aimed at her head. “It doesn’t mean much in such a small room, and you should have taken a look at that shotgun. Do you think I would have put it down if it was functional? The core has given out after all the rapid venting.”
The woman made no response, which distracted him a little. Had she knocked herself unconscious on impact? She had a helmet on so that was unlikely. He stooped, reached under the helmet, and unclasped the locks so he could pull it off. What he was greeted with was blank eyes, dark spots dotted around her temple, and glowing lines under her skin.
At first, these horrific marks made him believe she was a golem. But there was too much detail in her features and she had hair, not the normal indicators of a golem. If she were really human, what had they done to her?
“Captain Wolfson!” an officer’s voice called over the comms and gunfire chattered in the background.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“The droids have made another push against the main gate of the security building. There are now armored troops with them as well.”
“Yeah, I met one.” He hurried to the locker, removed one of the damaged gauntlets on his armor, and replaced it with a new, mismatched black one with spiked rods that protruded around the knuckles. A memory surfaced and he smiled but hastily pushed it aside. He then selected a container of thermals, a new ax, and a couple of cores to replace those in his guns. “We still have our jobs to do, but let’s kick them off our lawn first.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
“This is the slowest elevator I have ever used.” Kaiden sneered and tapped his foot impatiently against the floor as the hum continued while the elevator descended to the bay below.
“Not to mention that it’s a little cramped in here.” Cameron grunted and leaned closer to the wall as a security guard’s elbow continued to dig into him. “Did we really all have to pile in here?”
“There was o
nly one elevator.” Haldt shrugged. “Most people don’t use this entrance. It was hard to convince anyone that we needed a spare.”
“We seem to be in a rather disadvantageous situation should anyone attack,” Genos pointed out and examined the rickety and slipshod container. “Even weak weapons could reach us through the glass of the door.”
“We’ll get down there eventually,” Jaxon said calmly from where he leaned against the side of the box. “I doubt there’ll be too many threats and didn’t see any signs of damage or struggle in the lobby.”
“The droids seem persistent and willing to use more untraditional paths,” Genos insisted. “We should still be on guard.”
“Agreed, but it’ll be a direct route into the hangar once we reach the bottom, so there shouldn’t be too many surprises left,” Haldt reasoned.
“I’m surprised you’re as hopeful as you are considering how today has gone so far,” Kaiden muttered.
“You have to keep your head up otherwise, you get lost in the chaos,” the officer replied.
Chiyo activated the tablet on her wrist. “When we get down there, I’ll send a directive to all your EIs to search for— Wait, do you hear that?”
Kaiden looked up and listened. Over the creaking of the elevator and hum of machinery, he heard the sound of rushing air. It was faint and seemed to come from the distance, neither above nor below them.
“That sounds like something flying at high speed—maybe a drone?”
“Too fast.” Cameron countered and readied his rifle. “That’s a rocket.”
Kaiden looked over as the front of the elevator finally descended past the rocky walls and revealed a massive interior hall with tall ceilings. Below them, looking up with glinting blue eyes, were a dozen Arbiter bots.
“So much for them not being down here,” the bounty hunter shouted as he kicked the glass of the elevator out, took aim, and fired at the rocket. Thankfully, his aim was true and he destroyed it before it could hit them.
Kaiden clenched his teeth and readied his weapon. “Assholes. At least wait for us to get out of the elevator before you try to blow us up.”
“I doubt machines have much of a sense of honor. If they see an opportunity to attack, Kaiden, they will take it.” Jaxon tried to aim at the droids below. “I can’t get an angle at this height. Everyone back up and wait until—oh no. They’re gonna shoot the hover line at the bottom.”
“Everyone get close to me!” Eckles ordered. He pounded his fists together and a bright purple light burst from his gauntlets. An explosion rocked the elevator and it plummeted but a large purple sphere appeared around the group barely seconds before impact.
Fortunately, the barrier broke their falls before it shattered. The two aces rolled forward and kicked what remained of the doors open. Another rocket careened toward them but Haldt destroyed it with a single shot as soon as he had visual. Kaiden took a thermal out and activated it, lobbed it at a trio of bots that immediately scattered before it detonated, and bought the group time to recover.
“Is everyone all right?” he asked and helped the others to their feet.
We’re good. That was quick thinking,” Haldt commended and joined him and Jaxon at the front to confront the bots that blocked their path.
“It is quite fortunate for us that you are a vanguard,” Genos acknowledged as Eckles helped him up.
“Technically, I’m a soldier. I only tinker with different gadgets from time to time.” Another rocket was fired by one of the droids, although this one went wide as Jaxon shot the droid’s arm off before it launched. The missile pounded into a nearby wall. “I can go into more details later.”
Genos nodded. “That is a good idea.”
“Genos, charge your cannon!” Kaiden yelled. The Tsuna nodded, dropped his rifle, and drew the cannon. As he began to charge it, the ace snagged another thermal but didn’t activate it before he tossed it to the left of two of the hostile droids. They didn’t seem to notice that it wasn’t armed and both dashed to the right to escape it. Genos saw his opportunity and fired a charged blast at the two. One looked up in time to see the glowing orb barrel down on them.
They were both caught in the explosion and their forms melted and disappeared in the flash of red.
“Dammit!” The ace looked back to see one of the guards struggling against a rather agile droid. He ran to the unexploded thermal and paused as the mechanical armed its cannon with another rocket and turned to fire at him. Without a moment to spare, he slid down and snatched the grenade, pressed the button to activate it, and held it to let the explosive cook.
As the droid lined up his shot, his rocket launcher was knocked away by a shot from Cameron’s sniper rifle. Kaiden used the opportunity to lob the grenade at it. The mechanical tipped backward in an effort to avoid it but the device exploded in its face. It was blown into the wall as the force of the blast shattered its shield and severed its left arm and leg before it caved its head in. The mechanical slid onto the floor, sputtering, and the right arm twitched until it finally stopped moving.
“Good riddance.” Kaiden nodded to the guard, who turned his attention to helping to finish off the small group of droids. He ran over to Haldt. “If these guys got in here, there’s a good chance more will soon.”
“Agreed. Let’s hurry.” The two broke away from the group and ran down the long corridor to the hangar door.
“Good Lord, who were they trying to impress?” the ace grunted as they drew closer.
“Supplies and parts come through here as well,” the security officer explained and gestured to some of the doors at the side. “But I’ll admit it does seem a bit much.”
“You do have the codes to get in, right?”
“Of course, but that may not help much,” he admitted.
“What do you mean?” He tilted his head in confusion when his companion pointed forward. The door to the hangar had been largely destroyed, most likely by the droids when they arrived. The ace drew his weapon. “Do you think they got in?”
“I would be ready just in case, but my guess is that we would hear explosions inside when they destroyed the ships if they were in there.” They reached the doors and Kaiden tried to check inside through the cracks while Haldt punched in the code to open it. It started but a loud screech announced the fact that the doors were unable to move apart from each other more than a few inches.
“Dammit. Do you have any more explosives?” the ace asked. Despite having the spare thermals Jaxon had given him, he wouldn’t have enough to blow through the doors, even with them as damaged as they were.
“I have something better.” Haldt stepped to the side and gestured for him to do the same as he placed a couple of fingers on the side of his helmet. “Eckles, do you think you can help us with these doors?”
From the other side of the corridor, Eckles pushed into a sprint toward them. His armor began to glow again and the purple light seemingly sparked out of areas like the legs and shoulders. Kaiden realized what he was doing and decided to take more than only a couple steps back as the man bulldozed into the door without even slowing. The energy surged and hurled one of the doors down and the other inside by several feet.
The other two men ran to help him up. “Did that work?”
“It worked damn well,” the ace replied with a chuckle. “Are you all right?”
“Yeah, but using that much energy back to back has me tapped for now,” Eckles stated as he stood.
“That’s fine. We’re in now,” Haldt said as he peered into the bay at the waiting ships. “Let’s get everything ready. We need to get these ships into the air and sea.”
As the ace scanned the ships, a thought occurred that should have come to him sooner. “Haldt, don’t you think the ships will be shot out of the air?”
“The shields will hold against the droids’ guns. The mechs might be trickier but we have good flyers.” He took a tablet out. “I need to get them here now that we have a route—”
“And th
e big-ass ship in the sky?” he questioned as the others finally joined them.
The security officer raised his head. “Wolfson told me Laurie was handling it. But if he needs a hand, I have access to some real firepower down here. But that’s a last resort. It may be too hopeful to think we can actually destroy that thing, but on the off-chance that we can, do you really want it to crash into the island?”
Kaiden frowned as Genos, Jaxon, Chiyo, and some of the security team hurried away to begin prepping some of the ships. “At this point, if it guaranteed that those bastards went down with it, I honestly might.”
“After everyone got off the island of course?” Haldt questioned.
Kaiden nodded, albeit with a little less enthusiasm than he normally showed. “Yeah, of course.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
“Is everyone in position?” an officer asked.
“Most of them are still busy in the plaza,” a recruit responded. “The ones that are still here are in position, but they’re not great locations. We’ll have to lead these droids into the center area.”
“You make it sound so easy,” another recruit muttered as he took his empty magazine out and reloaded. “Have they got through the doors yet?”
“Two of them so far and I’m about to take down a third,” a security guard said. “After that, it’s only the one in front of us.”
“How many do we have left?” the ensign questioned and scanned the area.
“Twenty-eight of us and about forty bots,” a petty officer responded and nodded approval as several security bots positioned themselves immediately behind the barrier.
“Wolfson will be here soon, right?” Before anyone could answer, the doors ahead of them erupted. Several Ark soldiers stepped forward, flanked by a large group of droids.
Invasion (Animus Book 10) Page 13
