The Rise of Io

by Wesley Chu

  “She’s right about one thing, Cam,” Jax said. “All those Adonises I’ve encountered were pretty hot. You got hit with the ugly stick compared to them.”

  “All those Adonises tried to kill you, too,” Cameron replied.

  The rookie shrugged. “Nobody’s perfect.”

  “He looks good to me,” added Dana. “Well, at least from the neck down. Maybe if we put a paper bag over his head.”

  Cameron grinned. “I’m going to remember this during your reviews. Insubordination, disrespecting a superior officer…”

  “Don’t forget she stole your dessert last night,” Dubs added.

  The van erupted in laughter as the rest of the team began calling out all the things they’d done to him, and then to each other. They must have been together for a long time, Ella mused. They acted like what Ella imagined a family acted like. It was weird. It was such a big difference when compared to Io and Hamilton, who seemed completely dysfunctional.

  Hey!

  “Well, you are. I’m just saying, Io, not being an asshole goes a long way. I couldn’t stand either you or Hamilton for the first few weeks. I still kind of can’t. I’m already liking this crew.”

  Cameron leaned into her. “We’ll be working together for the next few weeks. You get used to this ragtag bunch. Look out for Nabin though. He’s a charmer.”

  Ella pursed her lips and rolled her eyes exaggeratedly, but her cheeks burned. She caught herself throwing glances his way a few times, and she wasn’t sure why. Nothing about him was that appealing individually, but the whole of him was kind of attractive to her in an ugly duckling way.

  “We’re here,” Dubs said, as he pulled the van past a set of rusty gates and up a driveway.

  “Hey Ella,” Cameron asked. “How did Io acquire this safe house? Our records indicated it was decommissioned before the war.”

  Emily was using this before she passed.

  Ella relayed Io’s words, and it seemed a satisfactory answer for Cameron. With a hiss, the van stopped next to the factory adjacent to a loading dock. The little band got out and was still ribbing each other when Dana, holding some contraption in her hand and waving it back and forth, raised a fist in the air. “Penetra scanner momentarily grabbed two pings. Now they’re gone. It could have been a ghost, maybe not. Some of the tracks and footprints look fresh. This building isn’t abandoned.”

  Cameron scanned the grounds and looked at Ella. “Is anyone else here?”

  Tell him this safe house is commonly used by operatives moving across the continent. Traffic is light but not uncommon.

  Ella repeated Io’s exact words.

  “Better safe than sorry,” he muttered. “Weapons out. I want a full sweep of the factory first. This place doesn’t look too secure.”

  The tone in the team changed immediately. All the friendliness they exhibited was gone in an instant and she could see who these people truly were underneath. The joking stopped and they became all business. No mistake about it, they were killers.

  “Io, is something wrong?”

  The Adonis is just being overly cautious. Considering all the recent leaks, I do not blame him. I would not worry too much.

  Ella found herself agreeing with Cameron. Her gut was telling her something was off as well. Those with bad instincts rarely survived on the streets. She drew a throwing knife in each hand.

  “Need a rifle?” Nabin asked, pulling one out of his bag.

  She shook her head. He looked puzzled and then shrugged. He slung his pack over his shoulder and then checked the magazine. Ella liked that he didn’t ask for an explanation. When he was ready, he signaled to Lam and then they all filed out of the van.

  As they walked toward the dock entrance, he leaned in close. “It’s probably nothing, but on the off chance it gets hot, stay close to me. I’ll keep you safe.”

  Ella’s heart fluttered. That was the most chivalrous thing anyone had ever said to her. Few men had offered to protect her before. On the other hand, it also made her think he thought she couldn’t take care of herself. She was going to have to set him straight about that.

  “Just don’t stand in my way,” she said, “or you may end up getting a knife in the back.”

  He grinned. “I will trust that your desire to see me alive will keep me safe.”

  Oh brother. This guy is too much. He is so cheesy.

  “I love cheese.”

  “Lead the way,” Cameron said.

  It took her a few seconds to realize he was speaking to her. Ella hesitantly walked to the front of the group. It was a good thing Io told her where to go, or she would have been completely lost. They entered the factory through the loading docks, down several dilapidated hallways, and into an office area cluttered with old desks, stacks of moldy cardboard, and chairs missing legs. The other end of the room was half-submerged in a pool of dark liquid. The room stank of shit.

  The group spread out, flanking Ella and Cameron on both sides. Dana, standing next to Ella, pointed a handheld device up. “I thought I blipped again just now. To the right, one story up. It’s gone now. Maybe another false positive. Possibly interference from something in the old factory?”

  “Maybe not,” said Dubs. “I don’t believe in ghosts.”

  “Where is the safe house located?” Cameron asked. “Please tell me it’s not underground.”

  Ignore that question. I will let you know when we get there. Make a right at the next door.

  “Next room over,” Ella said aloud and pointed at the large double-door to their right. Their progress slowed as the team crawled forward, clearing out each area as they passed. Their meticulousness began to make her feel anxious, and she tensed as Nabin and Dana positioned themselves on both sides of the door. Dana glanced through one of the circular window holes and nudged the door open just a sliver. Nabin, crouched, crept in, and Dana followed. A few seconds later, an arm appeared and waved for the rest to go on.

  They entered an area lined with long tables and benches. The ceiling was three stories up with two rows of broken-windowed skylights. A catwalk overlooking the first floor hung in the air, crisscrossing the entire room. Mounds of garbage, broken furniture, machinery and crushed steel drums littered the floor.

  Listen carefully, Ella. When I give the word, I want you to run forward as fast as you can. Do not stop until you reach the other end of the room.

  “What? I don’t understand.”

  Just do as I say when I tell you. Head straight into the middle of the room.

  Ella followed Io’s orders blindly, willing one foot to step in front of the other. Her skin crawled as her gut did backflips. Something was terribly off. She looked down; her hands were shaking so hard, she was in danger of cutting herself with her own knives. She looked back at Cameron and the rest of his team. Almost subconsciously, she reached out and pushed him on the chest. “Something is wrong. Go back.”

  Wait, no. What are you doing?

  Cameron held up a fist and everyone froze. The room became silent and time seemed to still, save for the wind whistling through the holes in the ceiling and an occasional piece of debris swirling like in miniature cyclones. His orders came low and quick. “Back to the van. Out the way we came in.”

  They nearly made it back to the double-doors when Jax swung his rifle to the side. “Movement left flank. Multiple contacts.” The rest of the team ducked behind cover as a small army of uniformed figures flooded into the room from three directions.

  “It’s a trap!” Lam said.

  Rough hands grabbed Ella by the collar and pulled her behind a column. “Get behind me,” Nabin said.

  “They have the high ground,” Dubs added.

  “I have two Quasing on the Penetra scanner,” yelled Dana.

  Ella peered over the side and saw more figures appearing on the catwalk overhead.

  “Prophus, you are out of position and surrounded. Surrender!” a voice on the far side of the room shouted.

  “Lay down your arms,” an
other voice barked from up on the catwalk.

  What have you done?

  “What do you mean, what have I done? I didn’t do anything!”

  How difficult is it to follow simple directions?

  “You’re not making any sense!”

  Everyone was shouting at once as they swiveled their rifles at the multiple targets that surrounded them. For another twenty seconds, each side dared the other to fire first.

  Even having never been in a firefight before, Ella knew they were in deep trouble. There was a line of soldiers on the catwalk, and there seemed to be even more on the ground level. They were wearing police uniforms. Any hope Ella had had that this was just a big misunderstanding vanished.

  Two figures appeared on the catwalk at the far end of the room. Ella recognized the woman. She was the stunning blonde Ella had occasionally seen touring the site. The man standing next to her was equally blond and beautiful, if not more so, though that could just be Ella’s personal bias.

  Ella caught herself staring. How did people like this exist? How could there be so many ridiculously gorgeous evil people in the world? She glanced over at Cameron and then back at those two perfect human specimens looking down at them. Why in gods’ hell were the Genjix Adonises so good-looking while the Prophus ones weren’t? Life was so unfair!

  The woman walked up to the edge of the railing and leaned over. She didn’t seem particularly worried about getting shot at. She smiled. “Hello, Cameron Tan. It’s been a long time.”

  Cameron, who had taken cover behind a crate, stood up. His mouth dropped open. There was a long pause as the two locked gazes. Finally, he spoke. “Alex? Is that really you?”

  “Alex is long gone. She died the night her father died, executed by the Genjix for treason. The name is Shura now.”

  “Executed by the Genjix? Is that what you call it?” Cameron’s face had turned sheet white. He set his jaw. “You’re the one they call the Scalpel.”

  The woman smiled. “I’m glad my reputation precedes me.”

  “Who is Alex?” Ella whispered to Nabin.

  He frowned. “I don’t know. The name sounds familiar though. The Scalpel I’ve heard of. She’s a dangerous Genjix Adonis.”

  The beautiful guy looked impatient and snapped irritably. “This is adorable and boring. You will waste my time no longer.” He nodded off to the side. “Keep vessels alive. Kill the rest.”

  There was a loud crack and Cameron’s body convulsed. Lam came sprinting from the side and dragged him down.

  Ella screamed.

  Dubs rolled a canister across the floor and a cone of smoke shot into the air.

  Both sides opened fire.

  Thirty

  Discovery

  In the period before what is now known as the Renaissance, I was of low standing, barely a small cog in the Quasing’s plans for this world. During those days, there were no Prophus or Genjix. We were still united, one and many, and our goal on this planet was to develop humanity to the point that they could build ships to take us back to Quasar.

  For thousands of years, hearkening back to when the Cro-Magnons warred with the Neanderthals to see which species was superior, the Quasing had believed the most efficient way to advance humanity was to drive them into a state of constant change. In order to do this, our purpose was to make sure there was never peace or stagnation within human society. The Quasing were the cause of many of the conflicts humanity waged with itself. This was based on the Conflict Doctrine, which stated that conflict bred innovation.

  * * *

  Things were not going as planned. But then, Ella had no clue what the plan actually was, except she was pretty sure this wasn’t it. All she knew was a barrage of gunfire was peppering the floor and walls around their position. Chunks of cement, dust, and wood exploded, raining down upon her in such volume, she had trouble breathing and could hardly see through the smoke.

  The thunderous reverberation from the constant gunfire in this large room shook her to her core. She was so terrified she couldn’t do anything other than huddle behind the column with her arms wrapped around her head.

  You should have run when I told you to.

  “I don’t understand!”

  Stupid girl.

  “You shut your fat alien mouth!”

  Ella peeked around and saw the rest of Cameron’s team firing from their defensive positions. Dubs took out another smoke grenade and lobbed it into the air. Lam barked out several orders, and then dragged Cameron over near Ella and Nabin. “Damn it, Cameron, are you all right?”

  He groaned and clutched his chest. “That hurt like hell. Hang on, give me a second to catch my breath.” He pulled his shirt back and pulled out the flattened slug embedded in his armor. He threw the hunk of metal off to the side and took a few deep breaths.

  He got Lam’s attention and made a bunch of hand gestures. His orders spread silently through the team and then, in unison, they got up and retreated. The sound of rifles spitting all at once was deafening. Nabin wrapped his arms around her and half-dragged, half-carried her back the way they had come.

  As soon as half the team had passed through the doors, Nabin pushed her against the wall and then he and Dana took position on the sides. The pair guarded the rear while the rest of the team pressed on ahead. When a group of soldiers appeared, they opened fired and pinned the soldiers back around the corner. Even in the chaos, Ella could tell how organized and tactical their movements were. She didn’t know how they all appeared so calm amidst this chaos. It was all she could do to not pee her pants.

  “Back to the van,” Cameron barked.

  This team is drawing all the heat. Find a place to hide and wait this out. Do not get involved in the firefight. Stay alive.

  “What? I don’t…”

  Ella saw a dark hallway off to the side. For a second, she almost broke from the group and followed Io’s orders, but it just didn’t feel like the right thing to do. And then it was too late as Nabin swept her up and dragged her along with them.

  Damn it, girl!

  “What happened back there?” she asked Nabin. “Why did Cameron looked so dazed when he saw that woman?”

  “I don’t know,” he said. “I’ve never seen him like this.”

  The team burst through the door to the loading dock and was sprinting toward the van when a squad of the police or Genjix – Ella didn’t know who was who anymore – blocked their path. There was a hail of bullets and the team scattered to the sides. Nabin dove on top of her and pushed her down to the ground. There was a fierce exchange of gunfire, and just like that, it was over. Ella smelled smoke and sweat as Nabin lay on top of her. She looked up and came close to the Nepalese’s face.

  “Are you all right?” he asked gruffly.

  “You’re really heavy,” she replied. “And you have bad breath.”

  “Sorry,” he muttered. “I’ve been in the air for the past thirty hours. I haven’t brushed my teeth in two days.”

  “That’s OK,” she said.

  Nabin got up and helped her to her feet. He looked to the side and spoke softly “Oh no. Dubs.”

  Ella followed his gaze and saw Nabin’s teammate sprawled on his back. The two of them crept over to him. She saw his blank stare and gasped. Nabin tried to cover her eyes, but she batted his hands away.

  “I’ve seen dead people before,” she said.

  Cameron rushed by and unslung his rifle. He handed it to her. “Take this. I’ll take him. Come on buddy, stay with me.”

  “He’s gone, commander,” Nabin said.

  “Shit, shit.” Cameron picked up his fallen comrade and slung him over his shoulder.

  “What are you doing?” she asked.

  “We don’t leave our own behind.” He turned to Lam. “Buy us some time.” He prodded Ella forward. “Come on, get to the van.”

  Lam ordered the others to stay back as Ella and Cameron sprinted halfway down the length of the building to their parked vehicle. She looked back and wondere
d who was going to die next. Living in the slums, death was a common occurrence, but it was usually because of starvation or disease. At worst, it was from a knifing in the dark or in alleys. Rarely did it happen with such violence.

  The two of them just reached the back door of the van when they were ambushed. This group was dressed differently, in unmarked black attire rather than police uniforms. They spooked Ella and, to her embarrassment, she dropped her knives. Cameron, however, didn’t miss a beat. Using Dubs’s body as a shield, he charged all five men.

  Any misgivings she had about him earlier faded in an instant. He rushed toward them head on and with such force that Ella couldn’t help gasping. He reminded her of how Emily had moved when she had fought all those thugs, except he was even quicker, deadlier, like a devastating force of nature.

  Just when it looked as if one of them was going to shoot him in the chest, Cameron somehow twisted and dodged the bullet at the last moment, and then he was on them. Cameron drew his handgun and shot one at point-blank range. He speared another in the throat, putting a round in him as the man fell, and then slipped to his right, dancing away from the muzzle of a rifle. He pistol-whipped a shooter when he got within arm’s reach, and then popped another round in the man as he was falling down. The last soldier couldn’t even spin toward him fast enough. Cameron grabbed him by the back of the neck, and with some elaborate throw that looked as if they were ballroom dancing, sent the man careening headfirst into the side of the van.

  Ella just stood there, worthless, her mouth dropped open. “Oh my gods.” This guy had taken all of them out in the time it took her to draw a breath.

  An Adonis is not like others. They are trained from a young ag –