The King's Move

by Joshua Landeros

  “Sarge, you gotta see this.”

  Gabriella had heard the sound of a bullet striking metal from all the way down the road. Not just any metal, she knew. She saw Noah open up the door as the others held back, seemingly afraid. As his eyes registered what he was looking at, he too backed away in awe.

  Sergeant Neeson finally walked up to the Humvee, but unlike the others she went even farther. Putting down her pulse rifle, and with considerable effort, she began to tug on the body of the UNR soldier. The rest of them looked on in stupor or shock. Only Halsey dared to say anything.

  “Gabby!” He was too late.

  The slumped-over man gave way and fell completely to the dirt road. Gabby saw her soldiers flinch as if the corpse would rise as it lay at her feet. Nusaybah’s men looked equally terrified. On the ground before them was a super soldier. That familiar armor and overcoat were there and Gabby went as far as actually opening up the cyborg’s eyes just to be absolutely sure.

  Elation overcame her. She was looking down at an eyeball with no pupil or iris, just milky white.

  “I’ve never seen one so still,” Malik said, one of Khalid’s.

  “Get used to it. This is the future you’re looking at, right here,” Gaby replied as she picked up her pulse rifle. “Their era comes to an end.”

  “Come on, let’s go. By now, Will is at the facility,” Halsey said. To his distaste, the other soldiers took the time to soak in what Gabby had said and then moved to follow him. Sergeant Neeson walked on without apology or regret.

  ***

  Rock City Salvage Station was a triangular building that stood three stories high. Adding to its unusual look was its plate glass exterior. At the base of this anomalous structure were more UNR troops. They were the last line of defense and didn’t even realize it.

  A sniper rifle shot blew a crater in one of their helmets, and the soldier’s body fell to the dirt. Out of the darkness came Will. In mid-run, he hurled hira-shurikens with deadly accuracy, hitting each target right in the throat. One of the last ones tried to counter, but the cyborg had closed the gap between them. The super soldier rushed and snapped his neck before he could even pull the trigger. The remaining three ran toward the forest and sniper rounds ensured they never made it.

  Perched in a tree were Jacob and Adar, their suppressor-equipped weapons now at rest. They were a hundred feet away. Will was now the only figure standing in front of the clearing.

  “You’re not half bad,” Jacob complimented, slinging his rifle to begin his climb down. Adar was older, maybe older than Halsey, but he climbed down with no problem.

  “My brothers taught me how to shoot. They also taught me how to be courteous.”

  Jacob jumped down the last six feet while Adar took the time to climb all the way down. The lieutenant waited till he was ground level.

  “So you could’ve taken the last guy, huh? I like presents, especially ones I didn’t ask for.”

  The two began to walk toward the facility. Adar shrugged.

  “Okay, next time I’ll embarrass you, but only because you asked so nicely.”

  “I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Jacob said confidently. All around the Rock City Salvage Station, the dead were left behind and the forces advanced. The time had come to enter. They were certain that this was the beginning of a sound and flawless victory.

  ***

  Chancellor’s Office UNR HQ

  Venloran stared at the many telescreens on the wall before him. The ashtray next to him was full of the cigarettes he’d already finished. Kearney was also watching the live feed. Cameras in trees all along the trails and roads had displayed their gruesome ends clearly. Venloran was calm while Kearney looked sick.

  “All according to plan, sir?” Kearney said sarcastically.

  “They showed up undetected, as I assumed they would. The Crimson Angels now have help from a significant backer. If I’d devoted a whole squadron to the exterior forces they would’ve spotted them and they would have taken off back home.”

  “We just lost S.S.C. Unit 98. Thirty UNR soldiers are gone along with him. The research team is next, at this rate.”

  “This had to be convincing. Once they enter the base their fate is sealed.”

  Kearney bit his tongue, accepting what the Chancellor was going for. Still, he hoped the prize would be worth the cost. Right then, his phone began to buzz repeatedly. The assistant looked at the screen to see three texts, now four.

  “What is it?” Venloran asked.

  “Sir, local police at the DMVA in Lansing have reported a break-in.”

  “When did this break-in happen?”

  “Two hours ago, it seems.”

  “And they’re barely reporting?”

  “They thought it was simple vandalism, but nothing was taken or damaged.”

  Kearney received another text.

  “But a computer was accessed.”

  That drew the Chancellor’s eyes off the mission.

  “Any leads on what was looked at?”

  “Actually, the log shows only that the firewalls were bypassed. There is no record of files being opened.”

  Venloran went back to the telescreens.

  “Then we divert Unit 3-05. His team is now a go.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Kearney made the phone call. Tonight was the night of gambles. Only one side could walk away with victory. The other would be humiliated and serve as an offering of vital necessity. Venloran had stopped believing in sound and flawless victories. He’d learned in the past few months that the time of costless victories had come and gone.

  Chapter 10 - Throes of Bedlam

  October 22, 2065 - Rock City Salvage Station, New York

  The assailants walked down a long hall that was rounded in shape, with bright lights shining down on them. It was compact enough to force them to move two by two. Up ahead was the end of the corridor and along with it came the sound of laughter. Everyone immediately halted. Halsey was leading them and he inched his way forward slowly, just close enough to peek into the next room.

  Must be the main office. There was one large desk in the center of the room with four smaller ones arranged behind it. The head honcho was looking at something on his computer. The others were chatting away, one of them even seated on top of his desk. The book bag he wore told Halsey enough. It’s closing time. However, he was seeing a problem.

  On the left side of the room were a series of file cabinets. Secretaries were in the process of placing paperwork back into the storage units. When each one shut, a light at the top went red, right next to a keypad. On the right side of the room was a staircase that led up to the second floor. At the back of the office area was a large metallic door. He was too far away to see just how it was opened, but it was a safe bet they would need the staff members.

  The secretaries were all finished up and began to gather around the presumed head of staff’s desk. He thanked them before he stood up and pushed his chair in. The rest of the group rallied behind him, and they all began to walk toward the hallway. Shit. This was indeed seemingly the only way out. There was no time for observation.

  Halsey rushed out from the hallway, joined by the rest of the force that had been hidden with him.

  “Don’t fucking move! Put your hands where we can see ’em!” the captain yelled.

  The staff of ten all did as he commanded. The head honcho allowed his suitcase to drop to the leaden tiled floor. The group was surrounded, Will being the only one who’d hung back.

  “Please, we’ll do whatever you ask. Just—”

  “Shut the fuck up!” Jacob said, and the man obeyed. Halsey walked up to him, then grabbed his silk tie and pulled him in close.

  “Only way this ends without anyone getting hurt is you doing as I say.” Halsey read the name tag on his lab coat. “Understand, Harry?”

  Harry only nodded, which Joe appreciated. “Now all you secretaries open up the file cabinets and the rest of you sit over there.”
<
br />   Joe pointed at the left corner of the room, right next to a water fountain at the end of the row of cabinets. Soldiers led them to their destination, while Will got to work on Harry’s computer. The other desks were inspected by the rest of the team. As Harry was about to sit with his staff, Joe stepped close. The hostages flinched, most of them tearing up.

  “Not you, Harry. I need you real quick.”

  Harry comforted the men and women on the floor with nothing but the stern face he maintained before Halsey led him to the huge metal door. By now, Jacob was bagging folders of documents. Gabriella was rummaging through the paperwork on Harry’s desk. Transfer forms, fucking transfer forms! All these told her were that the younger of the interns were fresh out of the Academies.

  At the corner of Harry’s desk was a framed photo of him standing with a young girl in her school uniform. It was the same uniform she herself had worn at the Iowa City R&D Studies Center.

  “You look like the go-to-guy here, so I’m going to ask you something of the utmost importance. Are there any more people at this facility, staff and or security? I warn you, if you lie, I will drop all of you.”

  Harry looked terrified, but he did not shy away from Joe’s eyes.

  “No one but us. We were only here prepping for pick-ups to be carried out tomorrow.”

  “So when we get this door open I’m not going to get shot at, am I?”

  “No, I swear.”

  Harry was pouring sweat, but he didn’t stutter. Halsey took position to the side of the door. Without a word, every other soldier with their gun not on a hostage took cover behind a desk.

  “I’ll trust you, Harry,” Joe said. “Now open it.”

  The man gulped and walked over to the side opposite Halsey where Nusaybah was standing. She followed his movements but didn’t point her gun at him.

  “Excuse me, please,” the scientist said meekly. Adar watched more closely than ever. Nusaybah backed away slowly and now Harry tapped a single finger on the wall there. The wall opened up, exposing a retinal scanner.

  Halsey and everyone else was perspiring just as much as their hostages now. Even Will was glued to the scene. This was either the next step in their operation or a last ditch effort to set off an alarm. Halsey had always told himself he’d had a knack for reading people, but he never felt it would be tested this brutally.

  Harry lowered his face to the scanner’s level. There was a flash of light, followed by a beep.

  “Recognized, Doctor Harry Thorton. Please input password in the next five seconds,” a computerized voice said. Dr. Thorton punched in his code and then stepped back with his hands raised. The metal door began to slowly move upward; inside was a flashing light. It took a few seconds for the door to slide up into the ceiling, which was announced by a loud click of metal. With that, the lights inside went to normal.

  Halsey was the first to inspect the hallway. The door had revealed a downward sloping corridor with metal grating for its floor. It would take a few minutes to reach the bottom, but he could see another door below.

  “How do we open that one?” Joe asked.

  “Take my access card. It’s all you’ll need.”

  Halsey plucked it from his lab coat before allowing Nusaybah to seat him with the others.

  “I’ll check it out,” Jacob volunteered.

  “I guess I’ll tag along,” Nusaybah said.

  “Me too,” Adar said as he stood by her.

  Halsey was ashamed to admit to himself he would’ve preferred Jacob not being amongst the first to go down there. He didn’t stop him. Joe handed the access card to him and then watched the three descend down the hall. The only people not watching were Noah and Kurt, who were occupied with the hostages. Not being able to look was killing them. The people on the floor were petrified, and Noah was sure none would make a move. Still, he kept his eyes where they belonged.

  One more pair of eyes were leveled on the group: Will’s. Watching Jacob and the others depart, he was reminded of that mission in Kyoto. He knew exactly what they would find down there, and he was looking at the men and women responsible.

  At the vault-looking door, Jacob swiped the card and then backed up. All three of them remained on guard as the door slid open and stayed that way. Lt. Neeson was the first to enter and automatically the darkness was washed away with bright fluorescent lights. Before them was an immense laboratory, and, just as the doctor had promised them, it was devoid of anything but machinery. Jacob looked at Nusaybah, who nodded.

  “So far all clear!” she yelled. The report echoed up the hallway, allowing Halsey to breathe easy for about a second. Only a moment later and a scream could be heard. It was followed by muffled gunshots.

  Everybody tore their gaze to the sound to see Will standing over the hostages. All ten of them were laid out on the floor, a crimson puddle spreading between them. Harry twitched slightly, still having a bit of life left. Will’s eyes were quick to detect this, bringing his Colt C8A3 back toward him. One more shot sufficed, and the flickering flame was extinguished. Kurt and Noah stood off to the side, unable to speak.

  “What the hell was that?!” yelled Halsey, striding up to the cyborg in anger. “They were non-combatants!”

  Jacob and the others had rushed back up to see what the hell was going on, and they, too, couldn’t utter a word.

  “You were going to let them go? Do you have any idea what you’re going to see down there?” Will said.

  “I would’ve rather them stand before the public in a trial. We will never get them on our side like this!” Joe argued.

  Will scoffed, “They’re guilty of murder and so I saved the public the time. Now get down there and show the public what they really need to see.”

  Will departed now, heading up the stairs on his own. Gabriella saw the corpses just as well as anyone and felt little to no pity. In the past she might have, but Dylan had made it clear what went on here. She would never admit it, but she had been considering doing it herself. The only difference was that she had planned on saving it for once the mission was complete.

  Halsey turned away from the growing pool of blood. One second of looking at Gabriella and he knew right then and there how she felt about it. You’ve changed all right. Still not sure if it’s for the better.

  “We move now!” he commanded.

  ***

  “You’re getting this, right, Alex?” Halsey asked over the intercom. It took him a second to speak.

  “Yes.”

  “Start sending the live feed to Declan’s office.”

  “On it.”

  The first thing they saw upon entering was a room Will would have definitely recognized. This room was fairly empty with a single chair in its center. Straps for restraining the patient hung from it. On a tray next to the chair was a large silver pistol. Instead of a normal cartridge for bullets, the ‘gun’ had a now-empty syringe. Trace amounts of a sky-blue substance could be seen within it.

  “What is that shit?” Noah asked Gabriella, who had been studying the injection gun more than anyone.

  “Velocide. It’s used to destroy the memory of super soldiers as well as to augment their reflexes. Giving too much in one dosage can completely kill the brain.”

  Gabby walked off with the others, Kurt and Noah staring at the chair again before following. It was a walk down a short hall before the next room. They could all read the words above the entrance: SALVAGE AREA. This room was bigger than the last and had a much more familiar look to it. At first glance it could’ve been mistaken for a mortuary.

  A row of three-shelf units with rollers were lined up neatly on one side of the room. Two of these shelving units had black body bags on them. Jacob counted seven of them, and it was Halsey who prepared to open one of them. Even in the frigid room, the bag was still giving off quite a bit of heat. Still alive? Then he reminded himself even a living body wouldn’t feel this warm. He gulped and decided to just go on and unzip the bag.

  “Oh, dear Lord,” rem
arked Vivi.

  Halsey’s stomach heaved, and he backed away slowly from the bag. Inside was the neoartium skeletal remains of a cyborg, complete with the additional plating that covered the limbs and other vital areas. At the bottom of the bag and on the metal itself was a residue of pasty white ash. Joe could no longer fight it and began to vomit, Jacob kneeling down next to him.

  Nusaybah then realized the wall opposite the bodies was home to a large retort chamber. Noah walked up to the other bags, face pale. He found a tag with a barcode on the end of it. He made sure his camera got a few seconds to fully focus on the words written on it. That didn’t seem like enough.

  “Sara Nolan, Unit 3. To be shipped to Fort Javelin, Florida on October 23, 2065.”

  He went to the bag underneath and did the same, “Bobby Aspen, Unit 15. To be shipped to Fort Covet, Delaware on October 23, 2065.”

  Gabriella let him continue. There were still lots more in the room farther down and the rest of the team began to check on these areas. As she prepared to join them, she heard Alex address her over the intercom.

  “Yes?” she said.

  “I’m sorting through the files Will’s been sending me. Much of the staff had nothing of interest on their drives, but Thorton has the mother lode. With time, I can get the precise location of those military bases.”

  “Copy that, send all this to Declan’s people.”

  “And that’s not all, Gabby.”

  “What?”

  “His most recent emails caught my eye. The subject ‘Directive Lazarus’ came up one hundred times in the past two weeks.”

  “What is Directive Lazarus?”

  “An operation commissioned by an Aliss Howard, Unit 3-05. Approved October 9, 2065 by Chancellor Carl Venloran. Gabby, there’s a list of ten super soldiers here, all part of The First Fifty.”

  Gabby pieced it together on her own.