I take mental control of my fighter and open up on the mech. It gets its attention and it returns fire to my ship but its shields are holding strong. Mine are slowly recharging after the pounding they’d taken in the last few minutes, but they’re not strong enough to deflect much direct fire from a mech this size. I analyze the building schematics and see a gas line passing near the mech’s current position.
“Subtlety,” says Tanya. “I like that.”
I fire once with a blaster at the conduit. Gas starts leaking atop the mech. I let a few seconds pass so enough gas volume builds up. Then I get out of cover again and ignite it with a shot of my repulsor weapon. The explosion is massive. Flames shoot outwards and smoke fills most of the entrance quickly.
C H A P T E R
XVII
Mission completion time: T minus 69 minutes.
When the smoke settles I’m surprised to see the mech’s large arm and legs emerge from the dark, grey, heavy smoke. Its metal body is still burning in places. At least its shields are down. I don’t think the mech knows where I am at the moment thanks to the explosion and the resulting commotion. I intend to use that to my advantage.
I enter stealth mode, erect a liquid metal helmet to protect my head and start running towards the mech at maximum speed.
“What are you doing?” says Tanya.
“Trying something new, and hopefully getting rid of that recalcitrant piece of metal. It’s been a thorn in my side this entire battle. We really need to get a move on.”
I choose a running path that is free of debris and dead bodies, when I reach top speed. About ten yards from the mech I jump, legs aimed forward, and let myself slide on my back the rest of the way. I cross my forearms in front of me and use the liquid-metal augment to create two very large, extremely sharp swords to extend from them. When I’m under the mech’s legs I uncross my arms and slash the giant blades.
They slice through the mech’s heavy armor as I slide through and cut it into large pieces. I retract the blades, get back on my feet and drop out of stealth. The mech explodes before all the sliced parts can reach the ground, resulting into another huge blast that makes the ground shake briefly. I’m momentarily engulfed in flames myself, but my shields protect me from the heat.
I call the elevator and we’re off to the third floor. We need to get the jamming field out of the equation. It will help deal with any other foes that may be stopping me from reaching Ahmed, and may also help us locate the nuke so we can neutralize it before turning my attention towards my arch enemy. I check my power levels to find they’re at ninety-eight percent. Overcharging has proven to be a smart move.
When the elevator doors open, the first thing that catches my eye is the lush vegetation. This is the garden floor of the building. I don’t have time to admire the beautiful natural scenery, though, as an array of red targeting lasers converges towards me. I sprint outside the elevator and dash to the side. A flurry of laser fire is passing only inches away from my face. There are at least six sentries in range firing at me.
“Do you know where the jamming device is?”
“Behind the sentries, of course,” Tanya answers.
Of course it is. But then I realize that I might have an easy fix for that new problem. I take control of one of the drones and have it fly here. The jamming field makes that very difficult, and I’m having trouble keeping the drone flying straight. I blast a hole through the glass as more laser fire hits the back of the column I’ve taken cover behind. The hole in the window helps with the jamming somewhat, but I still find it challenging to keep flying the drone straight. Chunks of concrete explode at my back, and I know I won’t be able to stay behind this column for very long.
Hopefully I don’t have to. The drone shoots past the hole I blasted just moments earlier and I send the command to overload its power source. I send a holo-ghost to run on the other side of the room. All the turret sentries are tracking and firing at it the moment it runs past me. I send the overloading drone past the turrets at top speed. The moment it’s behind them I set it to self-destruct. The explosion takes out three of the nearest turrets while the resulting short-range EMP disables the rest of them.
The lights on that floor blink shortly before turning off altogether. Whatever static from the jamming field was interfering with my neuronal instrumentation is now gone.
Two birds, one stone.
I’m starting to get much more tactical telemetry from Tanya, who didn’t wait for my command to do a full tactical sweep of the building.
I go towards the now disabled jamming device. It’s not that big considering how large a range it had been affecting. It’s barely bigger than an apple. I smash it with my foot for good measure. The last thing we need is for it to re-activate in case it has secondary backup circuitry.
More data appears on my HUD by the second. There are more than fifty soldiers left, a few mechs, more automated defense systems and, finally, the location of the nuke. It’s on the roof.
“Has Ahmed not yet deployed it?”
“Or he decided that to get to it, you’d need to get through him. Eleanor’s signal is also emanating from the roof.”
“Had I known I wouldn’t have wasted ammunition, time and power coming from the bottom of the building.”
“It’s obvious that whatever data we gathered during pre-deployment has changed. The nuke’s position is probably not the only difference,” Tanya adds.
“It also makes everything more difficult. If the nuke is where most of the troops are, then it’s going to make fighting on the roof very difficult and risky. At worse, we could blow it out in the middle of the firefight. We need a new plan of approach; one that allows us to isolate the nuke first, then take out Ahmed and his men.”
“Agreed. Computing multiple scenarios. I’ll have a couple of tactical solutions in a few moments.”
“We’d better get moving in the meantime. I’m sure Ahmed is aware his jamming field is down, and he’ll be sending goons this way sooner rather than later.”
“You may want to have a surprise for them when they get here.”
“Good thinking, Tanya; what would I do without you?”
“I don’t know but I’d rather we didn’t find out.”
I smile. For a tactical AI she really has my kind of humor.
I booby trap the place before we leave the level and set a drone in sentry mode for good measure. Whoever is coming through here thinking to find us won’t, but they’ll get a fight alright. And if they’re dumb enough to come through the elevator, well then it’s game over for them before the doors open up fully.
With the elevator booby trapped we start making our way upwards inside the tall skyscraper. After a few tens of floors and a couple of easily dispatched encounters with guards sweeping the area, I realize that there has to be a faster way.
I punch a window on the thirty-third floor and call my starfighter. Its canopy opens with a single thought and I jump inside.
“Where are you on your tactical approach, Tanya?”
“Coming by ship as you’re doing is too dangerous. But we can use it to get high up fast.”
I didn’t think otherwise really. It’s too risky to open fire on the roof with the nuke there. The last thing I want is to be the one blowing it up.
“I’m opened to suggestions then, Tanya.”
Tanya shows me a couple of scenarios, and one in particular catches my attention. It will be a little time-consuming and needs some prep work, but I think it’s the safest way to deal with the situation and the clock that’s really ticking now. When I reach the two hundred and sixtieth floor, give or take a couple, I let the ship hover, fire a single shot to blast the nearby window and jump out of the ship and back inside the building.
I roll onto the carpet of what looks like an administrative open space, and I feel trembling under my feet. I then get visual confirmation that the charge on the main elevator has been blown. Looks like they did take the elevator; bad move. Farew
ell suckers.
I count six less soldiers on my HUD. I travel the last few floors via the stairways. On the last floor, two men are guarding the stairway entrance. Before they can do anything I send a pair of smart shuriken flying through their skulls. They collapse on the floor without too much fuss. I enter the hallway and scan the area. It seems clear. I use my HUD data to find offices located right under where the nuke is deployed. I call five of my six remaining drones I have still functional.
This is a bold plan, but considering how this entire day unfolded up until now, it’s probably the safest plan of action. At the very least it’s the one that has a serious chance of giving me the necessary time to diffuse the nuke before going after Ahmed.
And Eleanor . . .
My heart stings thinking that I’m actually considering killing Ahmed before trying to save her life. I hate myself for it, but this scourge, the heart of this reject-of-a-human needs to stop beating today. I vowed it to myself and I need to see this through. Hopefully I can achieve both rescuing Eleanor and taking Ahmed out.
After all, I still have his data chip; we’ve copied the data from it, so we should, in time, get that Intel. I sure hope it was worth it. But perhaps I can use this as some sort of bargaining chip. That is, if it’s important to him, and my guts are telling me it is. I just wish I knew what was on it; it would make my position easier in case I decide to bargain it for Eleanor’s life.
I place explosive charges on the ceiling at all the strategic points to bring the roof down. I do the same on the floor, then get downstairs and position the drones accordingly. I pre-program them to activate their shields the moment I command them too. I also put charges on this floor at feet level, in case we need another level for cover, and to make sure I have a backup plan if Ahmed or one of his men tries to fiddle with the nuke once we’re doing that grab and disable op.
“Are you sure we can diffuse the nuke before the drone’s shields drop completely?” I ask.
“We can’t be sure of anything, but five super-imposed shields will make shooting through them very unlikely for as long as their power sources hold. Best case scenario we will have about six or seven minutes to disable the nuke under fire.”
“And worst case?”
“I’m not sure you want to know.”
“Tell me anyway.”
“About one minute and fifteen seconds.”
That isn’t a long time.
“You could use bullet-time, if needed.”
Yeah the idea crossed my mind, and if push comes to shove I will. But I’d rather keep that in reserve for later.
“I’d rather not, but I will if I need to.”
“Remember, Cole, nothing is more important than this. It’s our mission objective. Everything else is optional.”
I want to bark at her in a fit of rage, as I don’t like to be talked to like a child. Then again, I do have a fixation about killing Ahmed, now even more than before, and it’s affecting my focus. So, no matter how much I hate hearing it, I know she is right. The nuke is the mission. I repeat it to myself like a mantra as I check all the final calculations in simulation. Everything is set up to perfection. All that needs to be done now is to make it happen.
“Good luck, Cole,” says Tanya.
“To us all.”
I look at the counter: only thirty-seven minutes and twenty-two seconds left. I take a deep breath and detonate the charges. A square-shaped portion of the roof collapses downwards and just before it hits the floor below the second synced charges explode as well. I activate the drones and they get in formation to catch the two layers of concrete and the nuke sitting on top of it with their tractor beam. They gently land the dislodged structure in front of me.
I can hear people shouting from the commotion and imagine the chaos on the roof, though I have no doubt they’ll soon come down here. In fact, I’m expecting them any moment now. I run towards the nuke and as soon as I jump on the elevated concrete I activate the drones’ shields. They expand around me and the nuke, adding layers upon layers of shielding to provide the protection I need to neutralize the threat once and for all.
I’m seeing a green counter counting downwards from four minutes and forty-five seconds. Either Ahmed has advanced his timetable or the roof explosion has triggered an automated detonation safety on the nuke. Doesn’t matter now; all that does is that these four minutes and change are the new best case scenario time we have to deal with. Soon, hits of laser-blaster fire start to rain from the roof and onto our position. The drones’ shields are holding strong. It will take a lot more than that to make a dent in them. I try to ignore outside stimuli and focus on the task at hand.
“Tanya, you have to guide me here.”
“It would be easier if I took control, wouldn’t it?”
I hesitate for a moment but then I realize that there is nothing I can do except try to obey her guided commands. I’m not a bomb squad specialist. I point guns at bad guys and blow their heads off. So yeah, this decision isn’t a tough one to make.
“Agreed. Take over.”
It’s the strangest of feelings, seeing and feeling your body move without your own mental impulse. Just being a witness instead. I take it that it’s what it must feel being possessed; if there is such a thing, of course. I’ve never given much stock to god, angels, demons and all that crap. But still, this is something odd and it feels very unnatural.
Tanya is moving my hands and fingers with a dexterity I only have when I’m shooting at someone. She has already removed the outside panel under the countdown. I feel my head move to have a better look at the inside mechanism. She cuts wires without hesitating. I realize that one wrong move, something she’s probably unable to do, would blow us up in an instant. But then again, at this range, we’d be consumed instantly. It would be the end of us in a split millisecond. I am surprised by the sudden thought that it might not be so bad if it happened. The end of worry, stress and pain.
“Cole, now is not the time to get existential on me. We’re not dying today, you got that?” shouts Tanya.
“My bad. That’s what happens when all I can do is think. I don’t like not being in control, even though I realize that in this particular moment, it’s probably best I’m not.”
“Hang on, Cole. I’m almost there; you’ll soon regain control.”
We still have more than three minutes on the counter so that’s good. But then everything around me is tainted orange and red and for a moment I think that the nuke is blowing up. But it’s just the outside force firing everything they’ve got at us. Rockets, blasters, and now even grenades. The cumulative shields are still holding, and while things do tremble a little around, Tanya seems unperturbed. I feel my heart beating fast and a strong itch to grab a weapon and fire back.
There will be time for that as soon as she’s done and, in fact, I can already feel excitement at ridding the world of these fanatics.
That’s when she appears once more in my thoughts.
Cole, you know what’s waiting for you at the end of this mission, don’t you?
Seeing Vassiliki’s face so many times in one day is the hardest thing about this mission. It has taken me so long to get over her passing. I thought this part of my life was over, and I get furious thinking that Ahmed is trying to screw with me in this fashion. Little does he know I’m not the one neutralizing his nuke, so he can keep spitting his venom all he wants. It won’t matter. We’re stopping him.
But what if it’s not him behind these weird apparitions? After all, it was her last appearance that gave me a tip on how to get rid of the sentries.
No, it can’t be.
Vassiliki speaks once more.
Cole, every time you succeed in your mission, there are two of you here in this timeline. You must realize that by now. I know time travel is a hard thing to wrap your mind around, but think about it. If you prevent a catastrophe, yourself from the future doesn’t have to jump back to prevent it anymore, so what happens then? You both exist
in the same timeline.
What is she trying to tell me?
Nobody can survive time travel, Cole. Nobody. They told you you were special and that there is something in your DNA, but that’s all bullshit.
What is she getting at?
Of course, I can survive it. I’ve done it so many times! I shout back mentally.
Yes, and it seems like this to you, because you remember each mission, but that doesn’t mean your body actually survives. When you’re successful after a mission, Cole, what do you do?
I get into a time decontamination chamber.
More like time-remnants cleaning chamber, Cole, removing time anomalies from existence once you have achieved your goal. Except you’re the biggest anomaly of all. After your missions, there are two of you. Do you really think the company can afford two or even more Coles? But that’s beside the point. Whoever time travels dies shortly after. That’s a side effect of the current level of technology Rewind is using. Traveling through time unravels your DNA, Cole. That’s why you only jump back 717 minutes. Didn’t you ever ask yourself why this number? You can only survive about one thousand minutes once you’re using Rewind’s contraption. In fact, in your earlier missions, they were sending you back one thousand minutes, but sometimes you’d die before that due to unforeseen circumstances and then your present self wasn’t able to receive the data from your mission and have its consciousness upgraded with its latest version. Doing so made you a much more effective agent as the added experience from previous deployments added to your overall fighting experience. Over time they adjusted the timeframe to a number they thought was the best average for you to complete your mission, get back to base safely and be euthanized, but not before your consciousness could be transferred to the present you.
A chill, cold as ice, courses down my spine. I’m no longer watching what Tanya is doing. I feel like someone has just walked over my own grave.
What are you saying? I say in my mind. That every time I deploy I die?
Rewind 717: The Adventures of Time Traveler Anti-Terrorist Agent Cole Seeker Page 17
