He raised a hand and his voice. “Enough! This isn’t up for debate. Time is of the essence. Set your coordinates for Earth as previously planned and Shift. Now!”
A series of frustrated “Yes, sirs” echoed over the system, and Serina caught Benson’s sly smile.
She didn’t bother stepping into the camera’s sights, but cut the feed. “They didn’t need me. That might have caused some second-guessing.”
Benson set a hand on her shoulder, and she pulled away instinctively. “You’re right. We didn’t need you.” The words sounded friendly enough, but they had a sharp edge to them. He was one to watch, moving forward.
Foggle’s voice carried through the speakers in the table. “Shift drive will be charged in four minutes.”
“I’m going to the hangar, and will board my own carrier when we’re done,” Serina told the bridge as she stalked out of the room. She only hoped her carrier was still there when they returned.
22
Flint
“How much longer?” Wren asked, coming out of her fitful sleep.
Flint had been by her side for the last hour, watching her chest rise up and down with even breaths. That was a good sign. “They think it’s an easy enough fix. One of the women used to work in mechanics for the Fleet, so she’s helping Charles in Engineering now. But you don’t have to worry about that. Just try to sleep. How do you feel?”
“I’ll be fine, Flint. It was just blood loss.” Wren was always quick to have others not concern themselves about her well-being.
“You could have died,” he whispered.
“I know. We all could have. At least it was in my thigh.” Wren closed her eyes and shifted her weight sideways, coming up a little higher on her pillow. “What do you think’s happening on Earth?”
“I don’t know. I wish we did.” Flint didn’t want to speculate on the battle’s outcome. Every time he did, he saw Earth exploding into a million pieces in his mind’s eye.
“What if we win? What’s next for Flint Lancaster?”
That was the kind of speculation he could get behind. “I haven’t given it much thought. I have no idea. The Earth Fleet will still be here, and they’re going to need good people, and stronger leadership than ever,” Flint said.
“Is that you?” she asked.
“I was more implying that you’d be good for the role.” He let out a little laugh, and she joined him, though it took immense effort for her to do so.
“Here, have some water.” He passed her an enclosed glass, and Wren sucked from the built-in straw.
“Thanks. Seriously. I have no experience. What would I do for the Fleet?” she asked.
“You have more experience and skills than even you know. All I’m saying is, they’d be lucky to have you,” he said.
“And you? Are you willing to get into the Fleet so quickly?” Wren asked.
Flint thought about it, and found he could actually answer the question easily. “I think so. I was basically back in already. Serina isn’t so bad, and think of how much rebuilding will need to happen.”
“If we win,” Wren reminded him.
“Yes, if we win.”
“What about us?” she asked, and Flint was glad to see the twinkle in her eye.
“Us? As in you and me?” He grinned, and she took on a serious look again.
“That’s what I mean.”
“Is there an us? I’d like there to be an us, but I didn’t know if you wanted there to be an us.”
Wren lifted an arm and held a palm toward him. “Okay, stop saying us so many times. I’m serious. Am I crazy to think we have something worth exploring?”
Flint wished she was healthy, because he’d be under the blanket with her in seconds. Instead, he leaned in and kissed her lightly on the lips. “Yes to all of it. If you want to complicate your life by shacking up with a guy like me, then who am I to stop you? I have to warn you…”
“What? You’re married?” Wren asked mockingly.
“Hey, I could be married.” Flint shook his head and tried to convey a serious tone. “I haven’t had much experience in real relationships. I’ve never let anyone get close.”
“What about Kat?” Wren asked.
“You know we were family, not partners.”
“I know, but you were still close,” Wren said. “You have it in you, Flint. Your walls aren’t as protected as you think they are.”
“I can’t say women haven’t tried, but I never could settle down.” Flint laughed, accepting the arm slap from Wren. “I miss Kat, though.”
“I know you do. But Kat’s safer where she is than here,” Wren said.
She was right. “If being hunted by Wendigos and not being able to use power is your idea of safe.” Flint unconsciously ran a hand down his stomach, where long pink scars lay protruding from his skin.
“Maybe we’ll see them again someday.” Wren’s eyes were hopeful, and Flint tried to absorb her optimism.
“I hope so.”
“Where will we go?” Wren asked him.
Flint shrugged. “I really don’t know. After so many years in a ship avoiding Earth, maybe there for a while? What do you think?”
Wren beamed. “I was hoping you’d say that. Somewhere warm?”
“Cold. Maybe northern Canada, in the mountains. I’ve always been drawn to that kind of isolated lifestyle. We wouldn’t have to worry about anything. Just each other.” Flint said it before his brain kicked in. Maybe it was a good idea. He knew it was going to be a moot point if Earth was lost, but it gave him something to look forward to.
“I don’t know about that. What about our friends?” Wren asked.
Friends weren’t something Flint had had to consider before. It had always just been him, then him and Kat. “They can visit. We’ll get Charles a charging closet.”
“Did someone say my name?” Charles’ voice carried from the hall, and Flint turned to see him nearing the door.
“Only good things, don’t worry,” Wren said.
The android walked in, stopping directly behind Flint. “It’s good to see you awake and feeling better, Wren. I couldn’t be happier.”
“Thank you for everything, Charles. Once again, you saved the day, didn’t you?” Wren squinted her eyes, and Flint saw real emotion welling in them.
“I only did what I had to do,” Charles said, and Flint noticed Wren’s gaze lingering on the android’s dented torso.
“What’s the word on the drive?” Flint asked, changing the subject.
“It’s functional, or should be. That Karen really knows her way around the technology. She was on the original team that outfitted the Fleet with the modifications. It was a simple fix. We can go when you’re ready,” Charles said.
Flint’s hands trembled. There was no more hiding out at Europa. They had to go see what was happening at Earth. He only hoped they weren’t too late to help.
He leaned in, kissed Wren’s forehead, and stood up, jamming his shaking hands in his pockets to hide his shame. “You stay here. I’ll try to keep us out of real danger until we can get you loaded onto the Eureka.”
“Don’t worry about me. Focus on the task at hand,” Wren said, and Flint left it at that.
“Charles, join me on the bridge, would you?” Flint moved to the door, stole a glance at Wren, and stalked down the corridor to the pilot’s seat.
With the touch of a button, the drive began to charge. In less than six minutes, they’d know the outcome of the greatest battle for Earth the Fleet had ever seen.
Ace
The canopy of trees seemed much easier to navigate when Ace was still a kilometer above the surface. As he neared, he saw how thick the copse was, and he was heading at it faster than he would have liked. The chute had torn in the center from catching on the ship’s hatch as he’d ejected, and now he let out a silent prayer that he could survive the fall.
The green-leafed limbs of the massive trees raced toward him, and Ace tried to keep his body loose and limber f
or the impact. His chute caught on a branch, sending him bouncing before snapping up into the thick oak trunk. The fabric tore more, and he found himself lowering toward the ground until he was hanging upside down, his head at least five meters from the grass.
Everything was still at that moment, and Ace continued to hang, laughing to himself. He’d made it! For the time being, New New York was safe, and he’d survived losing his Watcher fighter. Now he needed to find a way down, then he could worry about the rest. One thing at a time.
He remembered there was a release latch on his pack, and he found it, grabbing the tether with his right hand first. He counted to three and unlatched it, gripping the rope firmly as his body fell and swung around so that his feet were hovering a meter over the earth. He let go, bending his knees to soften the jump; he squinted with a hand over his eyes to shield them from the intense sun. The pack had a few supplies in it, but he wasn’t injured, and the city was only a few kilometers away.
Ace definitely didn’t feel like climbing into the tree to get the pack, so he left it. He walked through the trees, trying to find any signs of civilization, but saw none. A few minutes later, the forest opened up, and he saw the immense skyscrapers of New New York looming high in the distance. They rose toward the heavens, which today was a crisp blue sky, not a cloud in sight from Ace’s current position.
It was so calm outside. Ace didn’t even know what time of the year it was, but judging by the heat, it had to be summer. He tried to recall the weather when he’d been in Old Chicago a few days ago, but couldn’t. His flight suit was too hot, so he undid it, tying the top half around his waist. His t-shirt underneath was drenched in sweat from the anxious battle and his intense fall to the surface.
For the first time in a long while, Ace didn’t know what to do. He had no way to contact anyone, and he literally knew no one on the planet. Even though he was safe for the time being, there was no place he’d rather be than in a fighter up in the sky, helping the Fleet against the invading enemies.
But if it was all going to be over soon, he decided to enjoy the conditions. He started to walk toward the city limits, wondering if it would all be there by the time he arrived.
Serina
They had arrived. Serina surveyed the battle from the bridge. There was no time to get to her carrier. The fight was too far gone. She contacted Adams, who was still frantically trying to direct the Fleet, but the Invaders were too much; too strong to defeat with such a small defense. The enemies had lost over thirty vessels within Earth’s atmosphere, but they’d done far more damage than they should have been able to.
Serina paced the bridge of the Eureka, watching the entire Shadow organization appear slightly behind their own ship. They’d listened. Benson’s insane plan had worked somehow. Would it be enough?
Adams was excited. “You brought the cavalry?”
“Let’s hope it helps.” Serina put out a call to all channels, Shadows and Fleet. “We don’t have time for a speech…” She watched the screen as an enemy warship destroyed one of their last carriers. All those vessels were empty of fighters and Recons now, but they were full of people. Earth Fleet members, who’d fought the good fight for far too long already. She tried to keep talking, but it was difficult when over a hundred people were expunged by that simple icon disappearing. Serina withheld the emotions threatening to flood her mind, and continued. “We’ve practiced this. For years, we’ve fought them. Give them everything you have. Don’t hold back! We do this for humanity. We do this for Earth. We do this because we have no choice!” She was shouting and watched as her people attacked with fervor. Every fighter, corvette, warship, modified freighter, transport ship, and carrier battled without remorse.
Harry Tsang fired at will from the Eureka’s rear position, using the last few Destroyers to target the closest Invader vessels. One of Shadow’s ships, the largest freighter she’d ever seen, arrived between the Eureka and two incoming warships. It used a reverse thrust to slow and stop, before firing what could only be railguns. The Fleet hadn’t utilized that technology for a long time, but it was clearly effective, as the warships’ shields were quickly depleted seconds before the ships exploded.
The crew around Serina cheered as they saw enemy after enemy being destroyed, but for every two Invader ships that disappeared from the console’s radar sensors, one of their ships or their allies’ ships was gone too. Serina bit her lip, trying not to think of the sheer volume of deaths happening at that moment. She couldn’t.
Captain Barkley was shouting orders, and the crew worked like a well-oiled machine, causing Serina to step to the side, letting them work. The Eureka was deadly, with far more firepower than Serina had even known.
She listened as the remaining captains and admirals checked in, giving progress reports. She cringed as she heard the screams of crews before they were destroyed, their voices never to be heard again.
When the enemy understood their cause was a lost one, they turned their attention toward the planet, hoping to destroy it before dying themselves. But it was fruitless. They didn’t manage more than a few errant shots that burned through the atmosphere before plummeting to the ocean below.
Finally, after what felt like hours but was only twenty minutes, the battle was over.
Someone said her name, but Serina didn’t hear. She was walking toward the viewscreen, her ears ringing, replaying the sounds of battle in her head: the cries of her Fleet family as they died, the image of a bullet entering her brother’s head. She fell to her knees, staring at the screen, where the radar sat as a small box on the left edge. There were no visible enemy vessels in range.
“Grand Admiral?” Finally, Serina registered the voice trying to get her attention. It was Captain Barkley.
Serina turned around, noticing she was crying for the first time. Thirty damned years. Why hadn’t her brother reached out for her earlier? They could have worked together and ended it then.
She stayed on the floor, every single one of her fifty years stacked on one another, weighing her down. When had she gotten so old? Her whole life had been centered around this. Everything she had or was, intertwined in the epic struggle for their system and planet.
“Serina. There might be more out there. Some of them Shifted away.” Barkley, the ever-pragmatic voice of reason. Serina wiped her eyes and got up, seeing the crew all staring at her. Did they perceive her reaction as a weakness?
She found she didn’t care what they thought. She didn’t care what anyone thought. The Earth Fleet had prevailed. Humanity had triumphed. It was over.
“Set up perimeters. I want our strongest ships a thousand kilometers apart, surrounding Earth. If anyone Shifts back and they aren’t ours, destroy them.” Serina walked away from the screen and saw Benson move away from the commander’s chair, making way for her.
Serina sat down and closed her eyes.
23
Flint
The Perdita arrived at a serene setting. The first thing that passed through Flint’s mind was that the Fleet had lost and were all gone, but he saw the icons on the radar were actually those of the Fleet and someone else, not the Watchers.
“They did it,” Charles said from the seat beside Flint.
“They did,” Flint said, too startled to say anything else.
His ship jostled in all directions as the series of pulse volleys hit his shields. “Where’s it coming from?” he asked, looking around. There weren’t any enemies left.
“I think they consider us an opponent,” Charles said, and Flint clued in. He was inside an unknown vessel that appeared at the end of the skirmish. No wonder they were attacking him.
He reached for the communication line, and the ship was hit again, throwing him to the side. “Charles, tell them it’s us!” he shouted, scrambling to his feet. The ship was hit again, and Flint found his seat, moving the vessel away from the attacking Fleet.
“This is Charles of the Perdita. Hold fire. We have Flint Lancaster and Doctor Wren Sando
on board,” Charles said through the speaker, but the ship jostled again.
“They’re going to destroy us!” Flint was panicked. He couldn’t believe he’d managed to escape the Watchers’ clutches on Europa, only to find the war done so he could be blown up upon arrival.
“Shields are at five percent,” Charles said before repeating his statement.
“Cease fire!” A voice came through, and Flint recognized it as Captain Heather Barkley’s. They were too invested, so strung out on adrenaline from the recent battle that half of the Fleet was only interested in destroying any enemy vessels.
“Hold on to your asses,” a voice that sounded like Mark Foggle’s said, and Flint saw the huge form of the Eureka nearing them. A yellow beam shot out from its underside, and Flint held his breath. From the radar, he saw four projectiles heading his way. This was it.
The yellow beam covered the Perdita, and seconds before the blasts hit, destroying his ship along with everyone inside, they vanished momentarily, reappearing some ways away. He could see Earth through the viewscreen, still in one piece. The moon was closer to them, between their current position and their home planet.
Flint finally found his breath and let out a sound akin to a cheer. Then he started to laugh, like a madman with nothing to lose.
“We did it! I don’t know how, but we did it, Charles!” He was shouting, his fist pumping into the air.
“Eureka, come in,” Charles said, calmly as ever.
“Did you see that? Wow, Flint, I bet even you couldn’t have done it better,” Mark Foggle said, and Flint couldn’t help but keep laughing.
“Son, I think you just bought yourself a first-class ticket to a permanent position. What the hell was that?” he asked, wondering how they’d Shifted along with the huge vessel.
“New tech we apparently had this whole time. Benson showed us,” Foggle said.
Of course Benson had been behind it. “I look forward to hearing all about it over a cold beer. See you all in a few.” Flint stood up, feeling his heart rate finally slow down. “Good work, Charles.”
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