Flint was about to speak, when she lifted a hand. “What about rumors of a virus?” she asked, surprising him.
How could they have heard about that? It didn’t seem possible. Flint kept his face as impassive as he could, and shrugged nonchalantly. “Don’t worry, my vaccinations are all up to date, if that’s what you mean.”
She slammed a hand on the table, sending his glass toppling to the ground, where it shattered. “Why do I get the feeling that you’re playing with me? Are you? Are you playing with me, Flint Lancaster?”
“As I’ve said, this Tag guy is unreliable. He’d do anything for a better scenario for himself. He’s selfish. I don’t know what he told you, but I’m just a dumb pilot. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a great pilot, but nothing special other than that. I was lucky to even be on the big ship on the other side. Kept me from being dead in the early years of the war.” He fiddled with his fingernails, pretending he wasn’t terrified of her wrath. He was pressing his luck every day, coming in here and being the cocky pilot with more guts than brains. Maybe it wasn’t such a stretch, but the real Flint knew when to shut up. This version of him didn’t.
“Tag’s dead. I’d say that’s unreliable,” she said.
“Touché,” Flint said, getting a confused look in return. She didn’t know what that meant. He moved on. “What else would you like to cover?” he asked, wanting to change the subject.
“Do you personally know the Grand Admiral?” she asked.
Flint shifted in his seat and focused on keeping his answers straight from day to day. “No. A pilot like me doesn’t get to meet the higher-ups. We’re kept in the bunks until needed. I don’t even know who’s in charge these days.” He used the same answer as yesterday, and she didn’t comment further on the subject.
She kept going with the interrogation, and it was only a matter of time before things turned ugly. They seemed to be content with the long game. Maybe that was why they only took one or two a month from the main pen of humans. They spent that long asking each of them questions every day, until they outlasted their usefulness or gave a different answer. Flint hoped they’d keep him alive for a while longer, at least until he found a way out of here. So far, he was drawing blanks.
Did his friends think he might still be alive? He tried hard not to think that they’d ever come to rescue him. They’d think he was dead and would keep fighting. To think otherwise was to hope for something that would never happen. He couldn’t do that to himself. As he answered her queries, Flint ran through everything he could about the hallways, the guards, and any weapons he’d spotted. He spent hours contemplating the layout of the base from his previous time there.
He had to do something soon, because judging by his interrogator’s eyes, he didn’t have long to live.
17
Wren
“Are you sure of this, Charles?” Wren asked the android.
“I’m as sure as I can be. The evidence proves they built their own hangar. It was small and private, most likely for the dignitaries’ arrivals, or for secret rendezvous. We can’t be sure, but it should be right… there.” Charles pointed to the projection of the Earth Fleet base on Europa. It was on the opposite side of the main hangar, which sat just outside the major dome. There was a building attached to it, and it was labeled as “Residence” on the blueprints.
They’d asked a few Fleet crew if they knew what that building was, but none of them did. They all said it was closed or disregarded when they were stationed nearby.
“And if no one used it, it’s almost as if the secret was kept for years and probably forgotten,” Ace said. His eyes were full of excitement, and Wren loved the kid’s energy.
“So here’s the plan,” Wren said, glancing at Heather, who motioned for her to continue.
“It’s your rescue. I’ll be on the Eureka trying to destroy the enemy. We have ten new Distractors built, and we’re ready for them this time,” Heather said.
“While the Fleet’s engaging the enemy, we use one of our Watcher fighters. Ace will be flying it. Oliv, you’ll be staying out there away from the fight, but in an EFF-17. Shift away if anyone challenges you, and come back in fifteen minutes. We have a timer on this, people, and we have to make it work. We’re told that the prisoners are in the largest open building on the base. This can only be the training gymnasium. It’s twice the size of any other space. That’s where we go.” Wren had their group’s attention, and they ran through the plan four times, adjusting small details as they went.
“There will only be the three of us going. Charles will double down as our muscle. Can you do that, Charles?” Wren asked the android, knowing full well how that had ended for him last time. He’d been destroyed, but only after saving them first.
“I’ll be happy to help,” he said without delay.
“Good. Ace, you’re coming with us, and I want you to stay on the fighter. Even though it’s one of their own, they still might investigate their ship landing outside the dome like that. You need to be prepared to leave,” Wren said.
“I’m not leaving you guys down there. I’m coming with you,” Ace said stubbornly.
“Ace, we need you to get away with the ship. They need every available ship up there. You’ll be joining them after we rescue Flint,” she said.
“We’ll talk about it,” Ace said, and Wren could tell that wasn’t the end of the discussion.
The truth was, Wren didn’t know what the odds were that Flint was actually there. They had to try, though. She had to know, and they couldn’t leave one of their own stranded like that. They’d never let her rot away in a prison. Her eyes welled as she thought about Charles helping her escape Caliban. Flint needed them. She needed Flint too.
“This secret entrance better be there. If it’s not, what’s the plan?” Ace asked, looking at Charles.
“Then we move to plan B.”
“Which is?” Oliv asked.
“We go through the front doors. There will be so much going on in space, I think we might be able to sneak by. We still have the Watcher uniforms,” Charles said.
Wren cringed at the thought of wearing one of them. They were large, heavy, and musty, and she knew neither she nor Charles would pull off a Watcher under any sort of scrutiny. “It’s the only option. Let’s go get Flint back,” she said, less confident in their plan than she’d been an hour ago.
Heather Barkley met her gaze. Her expression matched Wren’s: sad and afraid.
Serina
It was time. Serina had been waiting years for this moment, when she could gather all one hundred and fifty vessels and send them against the opponents. They kept ten on Earth for safekeeping, but those were the runts of the Fleet. Every able body and vessel was with them now as they prepared to Shift to Jupiter.
“Shadow, do you have the coordinates locked in?” she asked her brother over the ship’s speakers.
“We’re a go. Stick to the plan, everyone, and we’ll be victorious today,” Beck said under the guise of Shadow. Only a handful of them understood the truth that he was her long-lost brother, and for now, they’d keep it that way. No one needed another distraction. Not today.
Their fleet was as impressive as she could expect, thirty years into the war. With Shadow’s welded-together, salvaged ships, they had almost two hundred and fifty total, plus their ten squadrons of fighters and Recon vessels. It was all or nothing, and Serina’s stomach felt the pressure. She wondered if this was the stress Jish Karn had gone through when she was preparing for the invasion.
“Eureka, you’re ready?” she asked Captain Barkley on the speakers.
“Affirmative. We are a go.” Heather’s voice came through with confidence. Serina hoped to get to know the woman better when this was over, if they survived. If they kept the Earth Fleet intact, she’d make a great admiral. Serina always needed good people around her. Deep down, she didn’t expect to make it out alive today, and part of her was okay with that, as long as they won.
Serina stood
on the bridge of the old carrier, watching empty space through the viewscreen. She’d been waiting for this moment for so long, and now that it was here, she couldn’t bring herself to command the Shift.
Adams glanced over at her, the slightest smile forming on his mouth. That was all she needed, and she was back. “Do it. Let’s get this over with.”
One second she was looking out past the moon; the next the massive visage of Jupiter was lingering in front of them, Europa a tiny speck against the white and brown planet.
“Bring us in,” Serina said, and the Fleet spread out, moving toward Europa. The primary docking station was ten thousand kilometers above the moon, and that was their first target.
“Shadow and company aren’t in range,” Adams said, unable to hide the worry from his voice.
No. They’d just left the man and his hundred ships behind at Earth, practically undefended. Had it all been a ruse, like Ace had suggested? Was the man Serina thought to be her brother really a fraud? Panic started to fill her, and she tried to decide if they should retaliate or stick to the fight.
Before she spoke a reply, Adams chimed in, “Wait. Here they are. Shadow’s here,” he said, his relief palpable.
Serina tried to steel her nerves. “Good. Proceed.”
They scanned the area for Watcher vessels, and Serina’s stomach churned once again at the results.
There were only twelve vessels in the vicinity. The enemy had moved their main fleet.
Ace
“Where are they all?” Oliv asked. Her EFF-17 raced beside Ace’s Watcher fighter toward the far side of Europa. So far, they hadn’t been contested. The Watchers’ vessels were engaging the Earth Fleet and Shadow’s ships in a skirmish as Ace lowered toward Europa.
“I don’t know. We’re committed now. Oliv, Shift away and come full circle in fifteen, as discussed,” Ace said, hoping the girl would listen.
“Ace, we have to be quick,” Wren said from behind him. She and Charles were strapped in, and Ace headed for the surface of the ice moon, making his way to their target on the far end of the dome. The HUD flashed as a few fighters lifted from Europa, moving toward the ongoing battle in space above.
“They don’t seem to be coming for us. That’s step one,” Ace said, cutting toward their destination with excessive speed. The ship shook, vibrating heavily as they moved through the moon’s atmosphere. Five minutes later, he was lowering toward the area of the secret hangar entrance on the back end of the Fleet base. “I don’t see it,” he said, scanning the space as they neared it. He slowed the thrusters, easing up on the throttle.
“It has to be there,” Charles said. The android was so sure of his discovery. Ace wasn’t as confident.
“Okay, but I’m going over it now, and I see nothing but white ice like the rest of this godforsaken moon!” Ace shouted. If Flint was down there, their chances of getting to him were decreasing with every wasted moment.
Wren’s hand darted over Ace’s shoulder, pointing to the edge of the dome. “There. See the light reflecting off the surface? It’s different. Muted.”
She was right. “I see it! Heading there now.” Ace slowed the ship, and dropped toward the man-made landing pad. The ship slid on the ground, coming to a halt right by the dome.
“The hatch should be close. Line up the ship here.” Charles pointed to a spot on the console, and Ace abided by his suggestion.
Wren was already moving to the rear of the fighter, and Ace heard her yell that it worked. The door existed.
A thrill coursed through him as he watched Wren climb to the front of the fighter. Charles passed her the Watcher flight suit, and she put it on, the mask and helmet covering her features. She looked like one of them, only forty percent smaller. Charles didn’t fare much better, but it gave them a slight chance of escaping notice. Charles grabbed a gun, shoved a magazine in it with a click, and nodded at her.
“Wish us luck,” Wren said, opening the airlock hatch.
“Break a leg,” Ace said and they were gone. “I hope you’re there, Flint,” he whispered to himself.
Flint
Flint was alone in the familiar interrogation room. He’d been brought in over an hour ago, and the female Watcher still hadn’t come inside. That was a common tactic she liked to implement, so he expected her any time now.
Alarms blared in the distance, and Flint grabbed hold of the table in surprise. This was new. He hadn’t heard any alerts since arriving on Europa over a month ago. Maybe the Fleet had finally gathered their forces and were making a push. If that was the case, he was likely going down with the dome. The Fleet wouldn’t leave it intact; they’d destroy it, along with any Watchers that remained on the ice moon’s surface.
Still, this wasn’t such a bad way to go, knowing your own were fighting the fight against the oppressors. Flint wondered what the other prisoners were thinking at the training facility. Was Clark still alive and safe for the time being?
The room had a sole window, high in the back left corner of the space, and Flint rose from the chair. They didn’t bother to cuff or restrain him, and he felt relieved as he dragged the chair across the floor and stood on the seat, lifting onto his toes. He saw a few Watcher fighters lift from the main docking pad, rushing toward the skies.
It was the Fleet, all right. Flint suddenly felt the urge to be in the fight, to be racing through space in a fighter, firing at the enemies, coercing their fighters into complacency while his partner sprang the trap, ending their miserable existence.
Where was Wren? Would she be aboard the Eureka, or had Serina forced her to remain on Earth? He hoped that wherever she was, she was safe. Ace and the others too.
Flint hopped down and walked to the door. He pressed an ear against the slab, listening for signs of movement out there. Nothing. All he could hear was the incessant alarm’s repetitive noise, over and over. It was a grating sound, but it brought war with it, and he was grateful the Fleet had made a move.
Flint spent the next few minutes pacing the room. His body was full of energy, using reserves of strength he didn’t know he had left. When no one came ten minutes later, he crossed to the door.
He noticed the handle. They wouldn’t have left it unlocked. There was no way. The chrome lever stared back at him, unmoving, and his hand settled on it. With a push, it depressed, the latch clicking open.
Charles
“It’s this way,” Charles said, leading them out of the abandoned building. The hold they’d entered was lined with supplies from floor to ceiling, all covered in a layer of dust. No one had been inside for a long time. The secreted door opened with a hard shove, and Charles scanned his surroundings as he entered the building. As he’d suspected, the door was integrated into a bookshelf, completely hidden from prying eyes.
They moved into the street, where a Fleet alarm rang out. The Watchers were using their enemy’s technology on Europa to alert the others of the attack. It was quiet, as if all of their adversaries had left the surface to join the ongoing battle in space somewhere between the Moons and Jupiter.
Wren stayed silent, a stunner in her hand as the two of them ran down the street, heading for the long alley between what looked to be an office building and an apartment block. Charles knew that at the peak of the Fleet, Europa had housed five thousand Fleet members. Now the streets and sidewalks were empty, no one around but them for what felt like kilometers.
Charles hated wearing the Watcher uniform, as it decreased his visibility, but after long deliberation, they thought it would help them stay incognito. Now he wasn’t sure. Being out here alone on the empty streets, wearing Watcher uniforms, they’d be strangely out of place.
“The training facility is over there.” Charles pointed towards the block. Wren would know all this from their hours of studying the maps, but humans tended to become flustered, forgetting plans and maps when they threw themselves into danger. Wren was conveying a surprisingly calm demeanor, and he followed her as she ran forward at a fast pace. They
arrived two blocks down behind the large gymnasium two minutes later, and Wren was breathing heavily under her mask.
Charles gave her a second to compose herself; then he took the lead, carrying the rifle up, ready to fire at will. He wondered if he should switch to the semi-automatic or pistol, but decided to stay with his weapon of choice. They didn’t need to fire as they crested the corner of the building, but ran along its outer edge, making their way to the front entrance.
Charles stopped there, finally spotting one of the enemies. It was a large male, staring toward the sky with a hand to his forehead. The android peered around, trying to see if there were any others in earshot. When he didn’t see any more, he aimed and fired the rifle, taking his target in the back of the head. He ran to the body, dragging it over to where Wren waited. A thick smear of blood was all the evidence that anyone had been there.
Wren ran to it as they headed for the entrance, and dropped a chemical on the blood. It hissed and dissipated into nothing on contact. She grimaced through the mask, and Charles entered the facility, gun raised.
“Charles!” Wren warned him, as he heard her stunner firing a volley of shots. Charles saw the reason for the alert and shot the female Watcher in the chest. He stepped up to her and finished the job with a head shot. He moved with cold efficiency, crossing the foyer to the alien Wren had stunned. One shot, and the motionless enemy was dead.
Wren nodded to him and they kept moving, seeing the large glass barrier. The alarms still rang out, somehow louder inside the building. Charles spotted one more guard near a blue energy field at the front of the gym. He fired toward Wren, and Charles shoved the doctor out of the way, hoping he didn’t hurt her.
The errant pulse went wide, striking the wall and burning through it. Charles didn’t hesitate. His rifle swung around, aiming for the head, and he pulled the trigger. Nothing happened. He pulled Wren behind cover and reloaded. Wren was panting beside him, and she raised three fingers, dropping one, then the other, before closing her palm and standing up, her stunner in the air.
The Resistance- The Complete Series Page 66
