“I guess I just can’t believe in that fairy tale stuff. If it were true, then all this is predestined, and none of what I do makes any difference to that. As if I am some kind of computer programme running on a set course. Well, I don’t believe that.”
“So you are that good, then?”
He didn’t want to say it.
“I can fight sure. I fight like hell to survive.”
“There is a fire in you, no doubt, one we would do well to understand, although we don’t. But it is there for all to see and witness.”
“All right, that’s enough of this buttering me up.”
Rogers smiled.
“So where do we go from here?”
“The only way is forward, and I understand the reservations you have about Rivers’ work, but we can’t stop. Get some rest. As much as we have faked your medical state, you still aren’t back to full health.”
“I sometimes wonder if I ever really am. I do my best work at my lowest points.”
“Maybe as a fighter, but not dealing with people. There are hundreds of men and women in that room that have dedicated their lives to helping you. They have left everything behind, including their families for many. All because they have faith in you, and what you can achieve with the things they are developing. You see, Colonel, there are many ways to fight and win other than with a gun in your hand.”
He knew it was true. He rarely ever stopped to think of the work and sacrifices of all those who worked in the background for the war effort. It was a rare glimpse for him, and something quite alien. He was used to dealing with finished products than experimental tests.
“Is there somewhere here I can lay down for a while?”
“Of course, there are quarters prepared for you. Let me show you the way.”
Taylor was a little relieved to know that he could walk away from it all, at least for a few hours.
“The whole thing gives me a bitch of a headache; you know what I mean?”
“I am not sure I will ever know what it’s like to live like you do, Colonel, but I think I have had enough of a taste to have an idea.”
“So you are really along for the whole ride? Right up to facing Bolormaa with your own two hands?”
“I am, Sir. That is what I volunteered for. They are my orders, and my promise to you.”
“That is quite something, to volunteer for this? I never did.”
“Sorry, Sir, but I don’t believe that. Nobody ever forced you to do the things you did. You could have stayed as just another field officer like any other, but you chose to rise above that.”
“And that is what you are doing?”
“I am.”
“Why? For the glory you think it will reward you with?”
“Not at all. I believe others can rise to be just like you, and how can I hold onto that theory and claim it to anyone if I am not willing to prove it myself?”
“Brave man.”
“I doubt it, probably just stubborn.”
“Sometimes that can be the same thing.”
Rogers came to a stop beside a door that read ‘Emperor’s Suite.’ It brought a smile to Taylor’s face.
“What are you trying to tell me?”
“It was Rivers’ request that nobody use this room but you. It has never been occupied by anyone.”
“Well, ain’t that swell? Don’t you think it could have been put to better use?”
“By who? All the staff working here have luxurious accommodation of their own, the benefits of this place being built the way it was. This room simply wasn’t needed, and Milo refused to take it for himself.”
“I’m not royalty.”
“You might as well be. You are to everybody that works here.”
Taylor groaned.
“I’d take a store cupboard with a bed. Hell, it’s what I am used to.”
“I’m sure you’ll manage. The scanner is already set to recognise your DNA,” he said as he left.
Taylor took one step closer to the door, and it opened with any contact at all. He stepped in and stopped, marvelling at what he saw. To call it a room would be unfair. It was a suite fit for a King. He took a few paces in to what was a large balcony that had rooms off to each side. In front was a large stairway down to a personal Jacuzzi. It was ten metres wide with a bar beside it, and a deck leading out to a line of sun loungers with views of perfect white beaches.
“Paradise?” he said to himself, “Not far short.”
He went down to check it out, but was disappointed to see that the bar was empty, just like Rivers had said.
“Shame,” he said as he walked around the Jacuzzi. He could feel heat irradiating from it and put his hand into the water. It was comfortably warm. He shook his head at the ridiculous lavishness of everything around him. He moved his hand through the water and considered getting in, but then the thought of Alita struck him and how he’d want to be in there with her. He pulled his hand out of the water, not feeling comfortable with the prospect now.
He rushed back up the stairs to be away from it all. The silence was killing him. What he wouldn’t give to hear the noise of people and some goings on. The tranquillity that had been so carefully crafted for this suite made him feel like he was trapped in a cage. He passed through the first door he reached to find it had nothing but a large pool table and another empty bar. He sighed as he went to the next and finally found a bed. The room was twice the size as a bunkroom for a whole squad, and the bed looked big enough for six people. He threw himself onto it and tried to forget about it all.
Taylor knew Rivers had his best interests at heart, but he clearly didn’t understand him at all. He’d have been happier sharing a tiny room with everyone else he knew than having the solitude the decadent suite gave. He shut his eyes for a moment, but instantly knew he had little hope of sleeping. A buzzer suddenly rang out, the timing perfect, as he didn’t know what to do with himself. He sprang up and reached the door. It once again opened automatically for him.
“Hey, Colonel, how you doing?”
Dart was standing casually in the entrance as if he had known Taylor needed someone to stop him from going crazy.
“Fucking great,’ he said sarcastically. He stepped back and gestured for the pilot to come in.
“You’re not looking your best,” he said sympathetically.
“Well, I don’t feel it either. It’s like my own personal hell in here.”
“Hell?” Dart’s eyes widened at the treasures around him, “Just look at this place! You know what I’d give to have had a vacation like this?”
“Except that it ain’t no vacation, and the only person I would want to spend it with is gone.”
“She’ll be back.”
“How? How can you know that?”
“Because the alternative is just a misery and pain I don’t want to have to deal with unless I know one hundred percent that it is true.”
Taylor seemed to lighten up as if he had a point.
“But you already knew that, didn’t you? Because you have told us all a hundred times in pretty much the same words.”
Taylor nodded in appreciation.
“Sure. It can weigh on a guy, you know. It seems like I am losing everything and everyone, all to pursue some crusade that will probably get me killed anyway.”
“I don’t think you ever chose this, did you? You never asked to be brought into this war? You never chose any of it. But life seems to have wanted you right here where you are. Most people would buckle under the pressure of it all before they even actually got to do anything.”
“No they wouldn’t. I see the courage and sacrifice of people every day.”
“That’s true, but you can’t deny that you are an inspiration to us all. And don’t think we don’t understand what a toll it takes on you. All we ask is that you keep on being you.”
He laughed. “Keep being me? And who is that?”
“The pain in everyone’s ass that never quits. The pain in the a
ss that will punch a superior officer, and then save his life on the same day.”
He nodded along. ‘That’s true.”
“You are the guy that everyone hates and loves at the same time, and yet I think the latter always surpasses the former.”
“It’s got to be a fine line, though, don’t you think?”
“Sure, but you know why you always stay on the right side of it?”
He shook his head.
“People like winners, and that is what you are, Colonel.”
“Can’t say I feel like it right now.”
“Bullshit, even after Bolormaa wreaked her havoc, you still pulled plenty of victories out of this.”
“You think so?”
“I know it. I was there for enough of it.”
Taylor still didn’t look convinced.
“You know you can’t give up now, don’t you?”
Taylor was happy to humour him and waited for the punchline.
“Because if you give up now, you’ll never get her back. Alita. And that bothers you more than anything else, doesn’t it?”
He didn’t respond, but they both knew it to be true.
“Anyway, enough of this wallowing,” said Dart, and he pulled a bottle of hard spirits from a small pack on his back, passing it to Taylor as he drew out two glasses.
“Well, you marvellous son of a bitch,” said Taylor with a smile.
Chapter 5
“Colonel? Colonel!”
The voice was muffled and getting progressively louder, and he felt himself being shaken. Somehow it was like a dream, and he couldn’t quite respond. Suddenly, his eyes shot open, and his hand instinctively reached for the throat of whoever was disturbing him. His hand clamped like a vice, but as his vision began to clear, he could tell it was Rogers. The Captain was gasping for air, trying to get out of his grip, but he couldn’t do anything against Taylor. Finally, he let him go, and Rogers staggered back, gasping for air and shaking his head in horror.
“What the hell was that for?”
“You should know better than to attack a marine when he’s sleeping.”
“It wasn’t an attack…I was…”
“No,” snapped Taylor, “You know the days we live in. If you wouldn’t mistake that for an attack, then you haven’t got as much sense as I thought you had.”
Rogers didn’t look impressed but was too shocked and stunned to retort. He looked over at the empty bottle on the side table and shook his head.
“Don’t even think about judging me. I just don’t give a shit,” Taylor said to pre-empt him.
Rogers shrugged.
“Hey, whatever you need to keep you going, it’s not me that cares. It’s Rivers who makes the rules around here.”
“Right, and what’s he gonna do? Tell me not to?” Taylor chuckled.
At that moment he felt his head throbbing.
Maybe the Captain has a point.
“So what is it? What is so goddamn important you felt the need to shake me awake?”
“You know what it is. The same reason we came here.”
“Haven’t we seen everything there is to see?”
“Far from it. I don’t even know half the things Rivers has cooked up in this place, but he sure is excited to show you.”
Taylor groaned.
“What is it?”
“What gets Rivers excited about and what does it for me, clearly aren’t the same thing. He sees the potential for something, but potential doesn’t mean shit. I need things that I can take into a fight tomorrow that will give me the edge.”
“If you had been up when the rest of us were, that was three hours ago, then you might have known that Milo has plenty to offer for that very situation.”
“Really? Something complete, something useable? Not a prototype?”
“Yes, really, something you can walk away with now if you so desire.”
Taylor groaned again as if he didn’t quite believe the Captain, although the hope of something new was enough to get him on his feet, and he was soon heading out the door with Rogers.
“This better be good. Getting out of bed for anything short of good news really sucks.”
“I hear you.”
As they stepped into the dome, Taylor’s eyes widened.
“Ah, Colonel, good, you are just in time!” Rivers yelled.
Taylor was marvelling at the hulking armoured creature standing before him. It looked like a downscaled Aranui Guardian. It had humanoid form, but was well over three metres tall and heavily armoured.
“It looks like a tank on legs!”
“You’re not wrong,” added Rivers.
“But how are you getting Guardians to operate for you? We have a few still in the Regiment, but the Aranui won’t replace our losses or provide any more help, and their number are depleting through every engagement!”
“That is no Guardian,” muttered Rogers.
Taylor didn’t hear him. He was too enthralled in the robotic creature. It took a few paces towards him and finally stopped a metre away.
“So what can it do?” Taylor asked.
Even as he spoke, a hatch opened where its head would be. To his amazement, he could see Babacan was inside and controlling it.
“What the hell?”
“This is power,” declared Babacan.
“What the hell are you doing in there?”
“Another project that we were working on and making great headway until…well you know,” said Rivers.
“Tell me this isn’t a one-off? Please tell me this doesn’t have the same problems as the other suit?”
“Well…”
Taylor shook his head as if waiting to be disappointed once more.
“The truth is, Colonel, we have come much further with these suits than the AR2, and this one and a handful of others are ready for service.”
“A handful?”
“Come on, Colonel, be reasonable. Be thankful for what we’re getting, not what we aren’t,” replied Rogers.
Taylor grimaced but soon saw he needed to suck it up and stop being such a miserable bastard. He disliked being that way, and yet it was hard to dig himself out of it. He had to give them a chance to impress him.
“All right, tell me about this thing, what can it do?”
“Kick serious ass,” insisted Rogers.
“Can it do more than thirty minutes?”
“It sure can.”
“Yes, Colonel, the BA1 can operate for up to six hours at a time under normal use, and can be recharged in about the same time.”
“Not too bad, what’s the but?”
“The what?”
“Oh, come on, what is the catch?”
“If there is one, it is that you will not be using one of these suits. The truth is they are too formidable for the human physique. Even after all the work we have done, and trust me it is a lot. The BA1 is a powerful piece of equipment and provides its user with both a lot of protection and power, but it also requires its controller to put in a lot effort. The human body simply isn’t up to the task.”
“Okay, that’s not all bad,” grumbled Taylor.
“Except that few of my kind are able to be drawn upon at present,” replied Babacan as he began climbing out from the cumbersome suit.
“I am sure we can find a few volunteers,” added Rivers.
“It is already in hand,” replied Rogers.
“Now this suit. You have to understand that it isn’t built for facing off against an opponent such as Bolormaa, but it should handle near enough anything else you might encounter. It provides the user with immense strength, even more than the AR2, as well as the capacity to carry very heavy weaponry,” said Rivers.
“All right, then, what else have you got?”
“Okay, I see it’s going to take more than a few miraculous developments in technology to impress you, Colonel.”
“Not by choice, I am afraid. We need more than a few party tricks if we’re going to make some headway i
n this war.”
“Good, because that is not the business we are in here.”
He turned away to get something else and returned holding an Assegai.
“Yeah, I am more than familiar with them,” said Taylor as if unimpressed.
Rivers was not dismayed.
“Not like this one, you haven’t, Colonel, I can assure you of that.”
He stepped up to a steel manikin that was clearly intended as a target. He smiled at Taylor, but Taylor wouldn’t be convinced until he saw something that impressed him. Rivers held up the Assegai and activated it. From the tip and thirty centimetres down, it glowed slightly with a shimmer like you would get from a natural flame. Rivers first thrust the blade into the armoured suit, and it passed through with ease, as Taylor was familiar with, but as he drew the blade back out, he cut down against the shoulder. The blade met a slight bit of resistance, causing it to slow a little before passing through, and severing the limb from the suit. Now Taylor was interested.
“All right, you have my attention,” he said with a smile.
Rivers wasn’t done yet and took a few paces away from the target, holding the Assegai away from him. He pressed another button on the grip, and the blade sprang forward. It extended to two metres long and with a counter balance that shot out from the base. Rivers took it in two hands and cut down with it against the neck of the target. The blade embedded into the collar, burying it down halfway into the suit before drawing out. He retracted the blade, and it powered down, once again resembling the weapon Taylor was so familiar with.
“Now that is something I can appreciate.”
Taylor had a big smile as he strode forward to take a closer inspection. As he took it in hand, he found it was a little heavier than the previous type, but only by a small amount. It looked near identical to the model he was used to, except for two recessed buttons just above the grip.
“No bullshit now, is this all that it seems? Is this everything my old Assegai was plus more?”
“Yes, exactly so, Colonel. With increased power output, and certain tweaks inspired by Irala himself, this is the Assegai 2.0, and it makes that little thing you are used to look like a toothpick.”
Battle Beyond Earth: Deception Page 7
