RIOT DAWN_Attack of the Space Druids

by Anthony Thackston

  Finally, the interior of the plane was in full, solid view and Axel’s words became clear.

  “…And doing that could have just created a serious problem. Do you realize how complicated diplomatic relations are?” Axel demanded.

  Riot was pretty sure she knew what he was referencing but the light show from the Spectral Net fading away, reverting the material to a dull gray color had kept her attention. She and Carlos pushed the net off themselves and let it lightly bounce to the floor. It looked like a ruddy pile of stretched out cotton.

  “Are you listening?” Axel asked.

  “You’re worried about diplomatic relations with those two down there, I got it,” Riot said. “What were we supposed to do? Fall with the tower? You want another notch in that gun of teams lost in those things?”

  “It was reckless,” Carlos said.

  Riot spun toward him. “I’m sure you’ve held your tongue long enough, Diaz. Let’s hear it.”

  “What’s she talking about?” Axel asked.

  “Knocking out a Russian troop instead of shooting him,” Axel explained. “If that soldier is still alive—”

  “Big if,” Riot said as an aside.

  “If he’s still alive, he’ll likely report that we were there and then who knows what the ramifications of that will be.”

  “You’re worried about the ramifications of a few American soldiers in the middle of a war between opposing countries? What about the ramifications of that thing that got out? Or that tower from out of nowhere? You don’t think those warrant a little more care than us?”

  “What thing?” Axel asked. “You said you let something out?”

  “It’s dead,” Carlos said. “The Russians and Georgians got it.”

  “Then it’s their problem,” Axel said. “And the tower is dust so that’s their problem, too. Even so, we just flew an American plane over their borders in the middle of a conflict. There’s going to be some fallout from that regardless of being seen by a single Russian soldier. I appreciate that you both may have died in your mission but we had an evac zone set up specifically to avoid other countries taking notice of us.”

  “I’m sure the See-SID can cook up some alibi,” Riot said.

  “Lucky for you, we already have. Damage control is claiming a fifth column hallucinogen was released into the war zone. That should offer explanation for you, us, the monster and the tower. Assuming any survivors come out of that battle, PTSD will take care of the rest.”

  “What about the monster’s carcass?” Carlos asked.

  “One of the Russian or Georgian secret agencies will take care of that. I guess it just depends on who gets there first. Like I said, it’s their problem. Until then, it looks like mission accomplished.” Axel turned to Carlos. “The others?”

  Carlos only shook his head while Riot felt a surge of regret.

  “I see.” Axel took a deep breath. “I’m sorry to hear that. They were good soldiers. There’s solace in that. You both look like you could use a breather and a shower.”

  “Does that mean this is all over?” Riot asked. “No more Space Druids?”

  “I am afraid it is far from over, Miss Dawn,” Nobu’s face appeared on a screen on the wall. “I fear you will be with us for some time, yet. I am curious. Tell me, how are you with space travel?”

  Chapter 10

  Targeting reticles and data streamed across the screen, all pointing to a large mass on the data feed. Nobu’s assistants rushed amongst each other just as they had when Riot first arrived, all pouring over the data and calculations of the looming object.

  “We’re calling this meteor SD Crash Zero-One,” Nobu said. “Ten minutes ago, it appeared just on the other side of the moon.”

  “Which moon?” Carlos asked.

  “Ours,” Nobu told him.

  “What’s its course?” Axel asked.

  “It is heading for Earth-fall around Greenland.”

  “Who else knows about it?”

  “We’ve been in contact with a federal observatory in the Netherlands, trying to keep them from making a public announcement.”

  “If it’s that close, wouldn’t it be better to inform people?” Riot asked.

  “If it were an ordinary meteor, yes,” Nobu told her. “But, as you can see…”

  Riot glanced back at the screen as the rocky object slowly turned. Protruding from its surface was what, to her, looked like a stick. But as the giant cosmic rock continued its rotation, the truth became more clear.

  “That’s a citadel,” Riot said.

  “Precisely.”

  “Why are we even talking about this? Send a warhead to it and blow that thing to Hell.”

  “I wish it were that simple. Our probes show it is surrounded by a field of some sort. Whether it is a hard light barrier or one of more mystical sorts, I cannot say. Whatever the source, I am afraid there will be no sending any offensive weaponry to it.”

  “Then what are we supposed to do? Jump in a rocket and go for a space walk?”

  “You and your team are to infiltrate the tower and eradicate its inhabitants,” Nobu said.

  “Well I’m glad it’s as simple as you make it sound. First, we rush through a war zone and now we’re rushing into outer space to a target that we can’t get to because of some force field or other. Obviously nothing can go wrong with this plan.”

  “For once, we agree,” Carlos said to Riot. “And I don’t know if you’ve noticed, Doctor, but the two of us don’t exactly make up a ‘team’.”

  “You’ll be pleased to know you aren’t the only ones going,” Nobu said. “You, Miss Dawn, will find this of special interest.”

  Riot’s eyes shifted from Carlos to Axel and finally back to Nobu. “You sure like to keep a girl waiting.”

  “I don’t think we have time for suspenseful introductions, Doctor,” Axel said.

  “Of course. My apologies,” Nobu said as he made his way for the door. “As I said, you are not the only two going. We simply have to wake the others up. Please, follow me.”

  The doors opened and Nobu stepped through the opening, confident his verbal bread crumbs would have the others following.

  “What is he talking about?” Riot asked.

  Axel smiled. “Let’s just say you were right and I’ve been promoted to level seven clearance.”

  A heavy steel door slid open. Behind it were a series of five-inch diameter deadbolts running across another door. Those slid into the wall and another heavy steel door rose up into the ceiling.

  “This the See-SID financial reserve?” Riot asked.

  “Believe it or not,” Axel said. “This isn’t even the most secure room.”

  “Maybe not for level seven,” Nobu added. “You should see the security for Alpha Black.”

  Finally, a laser grid system was all that stood between them and a very normal looking door. Nobu leaned down to an iris scanner to deactivate the laser grid.

  The door swung open into a dark room. Only the light from the hallway shone inside. Riot peered into the darkness, trying to force her eyes to adjust before she walked into an unknown situation.

  There was a sound of air clicking on and off in a rhythmic pattern. It reminded her of oxygen machines she’d heard in hospitals.

  “Please, step inside,” Nobu said as he entered the dark room.

  Riot walked just to the edge of the light from the hall. The shapes she could make out were obviously machines, though she couldn’t tell what they were for.

  “Are you ready?” Nobu asked.

  Riot turned to the Doctor who stood just at the wall. “For what?”

  The lights flickered on and Riot turned back into the room. Her stomach dropped. Against the wall on the opposite side of the room were two large tanks with windows set in them. Inside the tanks were Hick and Jessica.

  Riot’s eyes went wide and she rushed to the casings. Her gaze darted back and forth between the windows as she smiled. It had been five years since she’d seen them. And
the last time that had happened they had both gone crazy.

  Her smile shifted to a frown. They were both extremely pale with signs of decay. To everyone in the room, they looked dead. But Riot could make out the slight rise and fall of their chests.

  “Is this machine assisted or—”

  “They’re breathing on their own,” Axel told her. “I didn’t think this was possible but there it is.”

  “Resurrection,” Riot muttered.

  “The CSID discovered a spell ten years ago. It was one declared unfit for use except out of extreme necessity,” Nobu said. “When you brought your team back from the Marianas Trench, it was thought they may be of use. Strictly for gathering information of the Soul Slide, of course.”

  “How long have they been alive?” Riot asked.

  “Only since you and Sergeant Diaz left for the tower. We had kept them frozen but even we were unable to halt the decay.”

  “But they’re alive, now.”

  “Very much so.”

  “What about Lino and Weaver?”

  “I’m afraid Weaver is still in a coma,” Axel said. “Whatever happened to him is looking less and less reversible. Even for the See-SID. And Lino’s body was never recovered.”

  “He was ripped apart,” Riot said, her voice wavering.

  Nobu walked to another door and input a code. “True, Lino Perez’s body was not recovered. But his mind…well, I understand he was a fan of memory uploads. We had a sizable database of his thoughts.”

  The door swung open with the hissing sound of smoke and the electrical snap from wires as they ejected from their ports.

  Riot slowly walked toward the compartment beyond the door, her eyes locked onto the thing inside. The size, shape and even aspects of its face were all nearly identical to the man she’d left behind.

  “You could call him Lino two-point-oh,” Nobu said. “But that might take too long.”

  Riot’s eyes began to tear up as she considered the combination of man and machine before her. “How long has he—this been here?”

  “A few years,” Nobu said. “Android technology has been tricky but with the advent of more advanced cybernetics, this latest model is state of the art.”

  “Personality?”

  “Intact.” Nobu smiled. “The mind is a fascinating thing to work with. The memories may be uploads but for all intents and purposes, this is Lino Perez. He will recall everything that is him from his last upload and back.”

  “When was his last one?”

  “Before entering the Soul Slide.”

  “So he doesn’t know what happened,” Riot said. “Good.” She walked back to the tanks that held Hick and Jessica. “Can they hear or speak?”

  “All good questions. Lino, yes. Your other two compatriots… I believe we will find out the answers together.”

  “I just want to go on record,” Carlos broke in. “I don’t like any of this. It’s unnatural.”

  “I assure you, it is completely safe,” Nobu said. “And now, Miss Dawn, if you would care to do the honors.” He gestured toward the tanks.

  Riot noticed the control panels that stood between the tanks. Stepping close to them, she looked at the controls, and tapped one finger on each panel’s command to open the tanks. With a series of whirs and clicks, the front of each tank dropped to the floor like a castle drawbridge.

  Riot took a moment, eyeing each of her team members. It was a happy time for her. She smiled, forming an idea.

  Her head tilted up and her shoulders squared off. Both fists rested on her hips and she took a deep breath. “Hick! Jessica! Fall in!”

  Both soldier’s eyes popped open, their pupils were a lighter color than normal. Their mouths dropped open and both let out the shrillest screams Riot had ever heard.

  Chapter 11

  Everyone in the room covered their ears at the unearthly sound. If they didn’t know any better they’d swear the shrieks could have broken glass.

  “The Hell with this!” Carlos shouted, pulling his side arm. He sighted down on Hick and pulled the trigger.

  “Diaz, no!” Riot shouted, lunging for the Marine.

  But it was too late. The bullet hit the resurrected man dead in the chest, slamming him back into the tank. It was a clear kill shot but the look that came into in Hick’s eyes was not that of death but of anger.

  “What the Hell?” Riot asked.

  Hick launched out of the tank, heading straight for Carlos. He grabbed the Marine and slammed him down. Gun flying from his hand, Carlos hit the floor. He struggled to get Hick’s hands from around his throat.

  It took Riot an extra second to comprehend what she had just seen. There was no way Hick should have been standing after taking a bullet straight to the chest…let alone strangling another man with apparent ease.

  She finally regained her senses and grabbed the resurrected man by one shoulder. Her metal arm easily pulled Hick off Carlos, tossing the zombified man to the floor where he hit his head and went still.

  But he wasn’t out.

  “Sarge?” Hick asked, obviously confused about his surroundings and circumstances.

  “That’s what you get for chewing my arm off,” Riot said, tapping the cyber arm.

  Jessica's screaming finally stopped and she collapsed to the glass and rolled down the narrow ramp it made.

  Axel moved toward her but Jessica shied away as if in fear. She scooted toward the nearby wall. The woman’s hair had fallen in front of her eyes and she hugged her knees, scared of her surroundings and circumstances.

  “It’s okay,” Axel said, his hands up in a non-threatening position. “You’re alright.”

  Jessica held her own hand up as if trying to ward him back.

  Riot spun around to Carlos as he regained his feet, she got right in his face. “You ever shoot one of my people again, Diaz, I’ll crush your skull.” Riot held her metal arm up, snapping the fingers to the palm. The metal on metal sound gave Carlos enough reason to believe she could back up her words.

  “Sarge?” Jessica asked. The woman quickly rose and ran to Riot, grabbing her in a desperate hug. “Sergeant Dawn!”

  “Well, at least it’s a happy reunion,” Axel said.

  “What happened to us?” Jessica asked, backing off and staring at Riot. “We were in the— What happened to your arm?”

  Riot shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. None of that matters now. You’re alive. You’re alive and I plan on keeping it that way.” She turned to Axel. “Now you know what I was talking about when you found me.”

  “I’m not going to pretend to understand any of this,” Axel said. “But I do hope you can make good on your plan to keep them alive. Because a certain something is still on its way here.”

  “Who’s the suit and what’s he talking about?” Hick asked, rising from the floor. “And why do I feel like I got shot?”

  “Because you did get shot,” Carlos said. “And if you come at me like that again, you’ll get shot again.” His eyes shifted to Riot. “Regardless of you and your arm.”

  Riot let it slide. It was a fair warning. But more importantly, Hick had been shot but didn’t seem to need any medical attention.

  “Does it hurt?” Riot asked.

  “Stings a little but otherwise, nah. I got a question, though. How come I just got shot and why am I not dead from it?”

  “Here’s the deal, boys and girls,” Axel said. “You two, Hick and Jessica, have been resurrected. I know, I’m just as shocked as you are. But it’s true.”

  “Why is my skin so decomposed looking?” Jessica asked, looking down at herself.

  “The decay process is—”

  “Wait! Resurrected?” Hick interrupted Nobu. “As in, we were brought back to life?”

  “Catches on quick, doesn’t he?” Carlos asked, sarcastically.

  “We were dead?” Jessica asked for clarification.

  “That’s the size of it,” Riot told him. “I don’t know how it works and, frankly, I don’t car
e. You’re back, that’s all that matters.”

  “How did we die?” Hick asked.

  Riot’s eyes went to the hole in Hick’s head then to the hole in Jessica's. Regret was heavy on her heart, and it must have shown on her face.

  “You shot us?” Hick asked in disbelief.

  “It was self-defense,” Riot told them.

  “What were we doing?” Jessica wanted to know.

  Riot held up her metal arm. “Besides making a dinner out of me? You’d all lost your minds after walking through the Soul Slide.”

  “So, Lino was right about those things,” Hick said. “They make people go crazy.”

  “Look, I’m sorry I…” Riot struggled with the word. “Killed you both. But it was either that or we all died.”

  “Speaking of all,” Hick said.

  “Well, Weaver is in a coma and Lino is a robot,” Riot spoke like it was just another day. The truth was, she was still trying to wrap her head around it all. “What all do you remember?”

  “I remember standing in front of that mirror and then…” Jessica shook her head. “Nothing after that. I feel like I’ve been asleep but somewhere else.”

  “Same here,” Hick added.

  Riot felt like she needed to explain further but if the last thing any of them remembered was stepping toward the Soul Slide, then the last five years wasn’t going to mean much.

  “So we’re back from the dead, magic boy is in a coma and Lino is a robot. And you’ve got a robot arm,” Hick said. “Am I missing anything else?”

  “Besides the meteor threatening to hit the Earth,” Axel said. “I think you’ve got it all covered.”

  “Okay. Sounds like one big snafu. Nothing new under the sun.”

  “Where is Lino?” Jessica asked.

  Riot pointed to the android which remained in its place.

  “That’s a good look for him,” Hick said. “He finally became the stuff he always had his nose stuck in.”

  “That’s enough,” Riot ordered.