by Larkin, Matt
“Yup, yup.”
They needed to take out the Asherans before Adversary ships showed up. She’d heard the rumors about the flagship of Hell, the Azazel. People said it was larger and more powerful than even the Ark. So far, she hadn’t been able to find out.
With closed fists she punched into the plasma banks, sending bolts scattering among the Asheran fleet. Hundreds of them. It didn’t matter where they hit. The Asherans were so tightly packed nearly every shot would inflict damage somewhere. A rain of fire and terror to make them think twice.
Explosions filled her display. She continued punching forward, driving bolt after bolt into the incoming ships. Missiles fired toward her hull. She twisted her hand and a net of plasma detonated the majority of the warheads. Some hit, but her shields held. Everything had changed. She was the one with the ship now.
She would destroy fleet after fleet of Asherans.
The Angels were gone. And still she lost system after system. She could not be everywhere at once, and the NER fleet was dwindling more quickly than the Adversary’s host. In the end, there would be no stopping the apocalypse. All that remained was to make the Asherans bleed for it. To make Hell itself bleed for its crimes.
One of the Asheran cruisers wove through her plasma net, drawing too close for her to shoot at. Phoebe had left a contingent of Sentinels to guard the Ark. If the Asherans boarded, they were in for a nasty surprise.
She focused a plasma stream on a leviathan. The beam tore apart the battleship’s shields and punched right through the hull. The ship ruptured in two, bow and stern drifting apart.
An incoming signal chimed on her screen. Was Phoebe in trouble? She swiveled her display, but the Sephirot and the Sentinel ships under her command were doing well enough. That signal was coming from the Asheran cruiser.
Rachel’s hand hovered over the communicator. She had no reason left to care what these bastards had to say. The traitors had murdered David and damned mankind. Still … Shit. She waved open the channel and a hologram appeared.
An Asheran soldier in full battle uniform, helmet on, a cross of light emanating from within. “Rachel Jordan.”
What the …? That accent was …
The faceplate popped open.
David.
Cybernetic implants stuck out from his cheekbones, temple, and forehead, but it was him. Those eyes were the same.
And it was impossible. “Mac …” How could he be alive? She’d seen his shuttle destroyed. Hadn’t she? Had they somehow captured him before that? It was too much to hope for. If he was back … she could … have a reason. For more. “Thank you, God …” she mumbled, her lip trembling.
“Aye, lass. Disable your defenses and prepare to be boarded.”
“Wha-what?” What the void was he talking about?
“Surrender command of the Ark to me, Rachel. You will be spared.”
The cruiser had already docked in her hangar. David was already on board. And he was … wrong. Those implants meant … the same thing they meant to her. And he had so many more, for so much longer. She didn’t even know how long. The Beast was in him.
Rachel covered her mouth with her hand. God, no. They had turned him. Controlled him, as they tried to control her and Caleb. Tormented his mind with the horrors and temptations of Hell. Her David. Her Mac. Taken from her. Taken from himself.
Trembles shook her until she couldn’t separate rage from grief. Tears spilled from her eyes and she screamed. Roared in frustration. The universe was sick. And she was going to have him back. She would move heaven and face down Hell, but she was getting her David back.
With a wave of her hand she sealed the bridge. Another wave opened a comm to the Sephirot. “Phoebe! I need Knight and Leah over here immediately. I’m relaying a transmission.” It would explain everything.
“Yup, sure, okay. We’re in the middle of an apocalyptic battle, but you can totally borrow my boyfriend!”
Rachel cut the channel and sent the signal. She was in no mood to deal with Phoebe right now. She was in no mood for any of it anymore.
She had to see David. God help her. Rachel climbed from the chair, then sank to her knees. She pulled the implant from its case on her suit. Leah had suggested she destroy the horrid thing. Maybe she should have. But this … this let her truly be one with the Ark. If she implanted it here, she wouldn’t even need to stay on the bridge. She’d be able to control the ship from anywhere.
She shut her eyes. “God. Please help me now.”
One more time. One more time, she could stand up to the Beast. One last time, for David. Because he meant more than any knowledge ever would.
Rachel pushed the implant back in. The prongs bit through her skin and convulsions wracked her once again. She dropped to her hands and screamed against the pain.
Get up.
A few deep breaths, then she rose. David needed her. He had been through worse.
She felt the Ark in her mind. Allowed it to become one with her. Dove deep inside, so she could control its weapons on instinct. A defensive stance, while she dealt with the intruders. She could feel them, decks below her, engaging the Sentinels here to protect her.
She ran from the bridge, sealing corridors behind her as she went. No one was taking this ship. On and on she pushed, heart racing. In her mind’s eye she saw David engaging the Sentinels.
David raced forward, leading a squad of Zuzim. He leapt to the side, dodging pulse rounds, then swept a Sentinel’s feet from beneath him. David caught the falling man and slammed an elbow into his chest. A crack echoed through the deck as the Sentinel’s suit fractured and his chest caved in. David flung the dead man into one of the other Sentinels.
Her husband charged forward. Nearly as fast as Knight. His fist shattered a Sentinel’s faceplate. The Sentinels might have held against the Zuzim alone, but with David … with his training, her people were being torn apart. Rachel pushed harder. She had to reach him.
David grabbed a man, hefted him up, and slammed him down over his knee. Rachel cringed at the sound of the man’s spine snapping.
The Ark sensed Raziel’s ship approaching, preparing to dock. But the Sentinels couldn’t afford to wait for Knight. Rachel raced around the corner to see David snap a man’s arm and toss him aside like an old shirt.
“Mac!” she rushed toward him. “Mac, stop!”
A Sentinel’s pulse shot took down a Zuzim near David. He leapt into the air, covering almost five meters, then landed with a descending punch that crushed the attacking Sentinel.
Rachel raised her own pistol in the air. He had to know her. He had to know she wouldn’t hurt him.
David spun on her and advanced at a steady stride. His faceplate was open, his blue eyes narrowed. “Surrender this ship.”
“No!”
He continued forward, menace in his steps.
Shit. He wasn’t going to listen. Rachel backed away, slowly pointing her pulse pistol at his chest. “Mac … Don’t make me.”
His pace increased, brows drawn, teeth gritted. He knew her—she could see the recognition in his eyes—but he wasn’t in control.
Out of nowhere a shadow flew through the air, kicked off the wall, and slammed into David. Knight grabbed him, rolled, and flung, sending David soaring several meters. Her husband collided with a wall, hit the ground, and immediately jumped back to his feet.
“Run!” Knight shouted at her.
“No!” She wasn’t leaving David. Never again. Never.
David rushed Knight. Knight fell into a crouch and tried to evade the attack. She felt his surprise as David moved much faster than ever before and caught Knight’s arm. Knight spun, twisted, and tried to break free. But David’s cybernetics made him a match for Knight at long last. They traded blows faster than she could see. Blocking, swinging fists and feet.
David jabbed at Knight, who ducked. The punch slammed into the wall and dented it. Steam rushed out of the cracks, and the Ark recoiled in her mind from the sudden injury. More A
sheran cruisers were trying to draw in, reinforce the Zuzim. That was not happening. Rachel split her mind, focusing the plasma bolts on the advancing ships, while continuing to draw a bead on David.
And if she got a clear shot? There was still no way she could harm him. Instead, she shot down a Zuzim advancing on a Sentinel. Her crew had brought down several others, but it didn’t look good.
David caught Knight’s arm and flung him into the wall. Knight spun in midair, kicked off it, and flipped, pulling his sword. It expanded as he landed, becoming a full katana.
“Knight, no!” God, he’d kill David.
“I don’t have a choice.”
David leapt forward again, swinging another downward blow. Knight rolled to the side and David’s punch ripped a hole in the deck. Knight swung his sword as he came up, opening a light gash in David’s back. He could have severed the spine … Knight was trying to hold back, thank God.
“Just subdue him!” Rachel shouted.
“I’m trying—”
David twisted, spinning as though the cut didn’t even faze him. His elbow slammed into Knight’s ribs and the crack echoed through the hall. Knight crumpled backward, clutching his side. For a heartbeat, Rachel felt him trying to block the pain, to repeat his mantra. Then David grabbed him and flung him to the ground. Knight jerked from the impact. David kicked his prone form, sending him flying through the air. Knight collided with an atmosphere tank. It crunched under the impact, folding nearly in two.
Knight lay still on the floor.
David advanced on her.
Holy shit.
Rachel leveled her pulse pistol at him. “Please don’t make me do this.”
He ran toward her.
He was going to kill her.
But still she couldn’t shoot him. Not him. Not David. It was her fault all this had happened. If he killed her, it was justice. She let the weapon fall from her grasp and clatter to the deck.
“Mac …”
He raised a fist as he approached and grabbed her by the shoulder. He roared, his fist trembling. But the blow didn’t land. David groaned, spittle seeping from his mouth. “Rachel …”
Her heart raced. He was still in there. She gingerly reached up to brush his cheek. The metal implant there was cold, hard. So alien.
But she could reach him. Rachel sent wave after wave of empathic energy at David. She flooded him with every erotic memory of them she had, with every romantic moment they’d shared. In an instant, they relived a lifetime together.
This is you, she thought, certain her silent words carried into David’s mind. This is us. Remember us, Mac. Remember yourself.
David’s fist fell. He stared into her eyes, the recognition softening with love before growing cold with horror. He slumped forward with a groan. Rachel stepped in and wrapped her arms around her husband, catching him. “Shhh. You’re safe now, Mac.”
He shuddered in her grasp, then sank to his knees.
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED SEVENTY-THREE
In my darkest hour, I have found a dream I did not dare hope for. And with it comes a last prayer for our future. I might have David back. The implant lies untouched in my suit. It could easily unlock the answers to saving my husband … But how many more times can I afford to activate it? Even as I delve the Ark’s memories, I feel the Beast stalking me. And I have to question … how strong am I?
The Sephirot’s med bay was better equipped than the Ark’s, so Rachel had brought David there. He lay on a table, bound by multiple mag restraints, though he seemed lucid at the moment. Rachel sat by his beside, stroking his head. Never had she allowed herself to dare dream he lived … But this horror … What had they done to him?
David had been a symbol of the NER. By taking him to their side, maybe Asherah had hoped to break the spirit of the Republic. They must have used some kind of holograms to fake his death, just as the Serpent had tried to evade capture in the Expanse. Apollyon was a master of such things—he must have given Asherah the tech.
And so she’d never even looked for him. She’d left him to rot, tortured and altered in a sick cybernetic laboratory. She sighed and laid her head on his chest.
In a nearby bed, Knight sat up, clutching his side with a grimace. Leah said his natural cellular regeneration had already begun, but she injected him with nanobots anyway. According to her, Knight would be fine in hours. Which didn’t stop Phoebe from fawning over him. Not that Rachel would be doing any different in her place.
“That mean old Smogger hurt you, big guy?” Phoebe said.
Okay—maybe Rachel would handle it a little differently.
“Yeah, well. Kind of hard when I had to hold back.”
“Yup, I’m sure, baby. Don’t worry. I’ll protect you from now on. Now you’re on my ship.”
David coughed. “I thought this was my ship, lass?” The mag restraints prevented him from turning his head, but Rachel supposed he’d heard the whole conversation.
“Nope. You were dead, Captain. Plus, you hit my boyfriend.”
“Sorry … I …” David grunted. The Beast was still trying to take him. A torrent of conflicting emotions roiled within him, leaving Rachel nauseated.
Leah walked back over, a different scanner in her hand. “Phoebe, you can take him back to your quarters now.”
“Uh, I think we’d better keep him restrained for now.”
The Amphie quirked an eyebrow. “Not David. Knight.”
Phoebe shrugged. “I could restrain him, too.”
Knight slipped off the table and stalked to the door, shaking his head.
“Ohhh,” Phoebe said. “You mean you want some private time. Right. M’kay. I’ll just, you know, be around. Commanding my ship, and stuff.” She jerked her thumb at the door, then followed Knight out.
David snorted. “Glad some things haven’t changed around here.”
Leah gently pushed Rachel aside, then ran the scanner over David. After a minute or so, the Amphie sighed. “Rachel … can I talk to you alone for a moment?”
“Hey. Lass. Whatever you have to say, I’ve got a right to know, too.”
Leah looked to Rachel, who nodded. David was right. Whatever they’d done to him, he would have to face it.
“All right … the cybernetic implants are significant. And I’m not an expert on the subject, obviously. They appear to have grafted in synthetic muscles, plated his bones with mahtium, and put numerous chips in his brain. His knuckles also have mahtium reinforcements.” That would explain him punching through her deck. “I’m not even certain what those things on his cheeks and temples are meant to do, but gathering sensory input would be my guess.”
“One is an internal Mazzaroth relay,” David said.
A what? “You can access the Mazzaroth inside your head?”
“Aye.”
Holy shit. That was too weird.
“And I know one feeds holo imaging to my cerebral cortex. I can see a layout of most structures in my mind.”
Helpful, but again, she thought it would be a bit much for her. “Look, I don’t care what they do. Get them out of him. Everything.”
“I … I’m not sure I can. Not without causing serious harm to David. I’m not a cyberneticist, Rachel, but these things are wired directly into his nervous system. Did you understand when I said he’s had mechanical muscles grafted onto his existing muscles? It’s not like I can just cut them out.”
David grunted.
Rachel ran a hand through her hair. So he was stuck like this? Fighting against the Beast every minute? She slipped her hand into David’s, and he squeezed it. His face gave no hint, but she could taste the fear he tried to bury. And pain, constant torment from the Adversary. Trying to lure him back. The same Raziel and the other Angels had faced … And Raziel had withstood it. Maybe David could too.
Or … “We do have a cyberneticist on board, though.”
Leah nodded, and for a brief instant, Rachel shared her sudden surge of hope. Caleb might have the answers they needed
. Maybe Rachel wouldn’t even have to delve the Ark again …
“All right,” Leah said. “I’ll have Caleb brought up here, then.”
Rachel clutched her husband’s hand. “It’ll be all right.”
“I was going to say the same to you, lass.”
A few minutes later a Sentinel escorted Caleb Gavet to the med bay. He and Leah spoke softly, going over the data from her scans. They disappeared into her office, leaving Rachel alone with David.
“If they can’t take these things out …” Rachel said.
“I won’t let it take me again. You brought me back, Rach. I’m not … going anywhere. If that bampot Caleb can fight this, so can I.”
That was all she needed to hear. Rachel released the mag restraints.
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED SEVENTY-FOUR
July 21st
After all, with David back, maybe we have a chance. He has pulled through incredible odds before. And all of us are together once again. Myself, David, Knight, Phoebe. Together … Together I hope for salvation.
Its voice strengthened or weakened over time. Sometimes it was a whisper on the edge of his mind, lulling him into false respite. Sometimes it sounded like a clarion, ringing through his ears and demanding submission. But the Adversary never left David. Maybe it never would.
With Caleb’s help, Leah had removed several implants, including the one granting Mazzaroth access. Caleb said anything that plugged directly into his brain would be the greatest risk. The man should know, David supposed.
Legs folded beneath him, he sat in his quarters, trying to still the tremble in his hands. Hands that now had the power to punch through walls, but not the strength to control it. More surgeries would follow, Leah promised him. But he might never be free.
David ground his teeth. Never, unless they stopped the Adversary. He curled his hands into fists.
He would. He would storm the gates of Hell itself if he had to.
That was what a Sentinel did. They were the guardians against the darkness. They had been formed to face threats like the Adversary, to stop what happened on Eden from ever happening again. And Apollyon had played them well, weakening them through civil war and struggle with first the Conglomerate, then Asherah.
