Recollection: Age of Expansion - A Kurtherian Gambit Series (The Ghost Squadron Book 6)

by Sarah Noffke

  “Remember to aim for the fleshy parts,” Julianna said, hiding a sneaky grin.

  Eddie readied his weapon. “Unless we want to inflate their ego, and then we shoot them in the foot.”

  “Exactly,” Julianna said, picking up her boot and slamming it into the closed door.

  ~~~

  Two Trids and one man bolted upright when Julianna busted through the door. The closest one, a Trid with a metal face and one red, glowing eye, launched himself at them. He was all brute force, and not even a little nimble, with grinding gears moving his limbs.

  The other two searched the room, obviously trying to locate their weapons.

  Let them find them. It will be more fun that way, Julianna thought.

  I’m sensing a weird signal from the next room, Pip informed her.

  You think it’s our last cyborg?

  I think that whatever it is, you’d better be careful.

  You telling me to be careful is worrisome.

  Firstly, focus on these guys who apparently have metal plates obstructing their reasoning.

  Pip was right. Julianna had merely lurched to the side when the cyborg Trid raced at her. His head had busted through the wall, where he was now pinned, trying to get unstuck.

  Julianna whipped around and swept the Trid’s legs from underneath him. The fucking metal bit into her leg and hurt like a bitch, but she successfully took him down. He sputtered out several choking sounds as he tried to regain his balance.

  Eddie had abandoned the guns, which was probably a good idea, since ricocheting bullets was a real possibility with three cyborgs in the room. He fended off attacks from both sides, as the man whipped his metal fist at him while the Trid brandished a bo staff.

  Julianna yanked the trapped Trid out of the hole by the back of his shirt, the wall ripping open his throat. Blood gushed from the giant laceration and started to form a pool beneath the Otterbot.

  The other cyborgs looked up, shock on their faces. Julianna guessed that it wasn’t every day that two puny humans walked in and bested these guys.

  They both glared at her with white-hot anger.

  “Oops,” she said, dropping the Trid to the ground.

  The man flexed his fists, the hydraulics in his joints making a sharp sound.

  “Oh, did you want to play?” Julianna asked, holding up her purely human knuckles.

  She liked everyone, whether they were part machine or not, but she fucking hated murderers. That wasn’t what Ghost Squadron was; she’d never thought of soldiers on the battlefield that way. They were defenders of justice. Protectors. Those willing to sacrifice themselves for the greater good. These men were fucking cowards who preyed on individuals because they couldn’t look themselves in the mirror.

  Eddie looked to be humoring the Trid, jumping back out of the way as the bo staff nearly sliced him in half. Julianna wanted to laugh.

  The man in a steel suit, the one with only one red eye, held up his giant fist. The knuckles spiraled like the top half of a rubik’s cube until a small cannon surfaced.

  Fuck, I should have seen that coming.

  I was so expecting it.

  Shut the fuck up, Pip!

  The end of the cannon glowed orange—a sure sign that it was ready to fire.

  Without guns as a viable option, Julianna set off at a sprint. She launched off a chair sitting to the side of her, ricocheted with one foot off the nearby wall, and leapt for the man. Before he could react, her legs wrapped around his head, and she yanked back, dragging him to the floor.

  The metal man fell hard, his weight crushing Julianna. She managed to roll out from underneath him before he could scramble up, giving her the advantage, but she didn’t know what do with it. His entire back was a complicated mess of metal wires, and he was pushing himself up, although his cannon was making it difficult. She heard the gears as his body shifted, working the cannon back into his hand.

  Press a knife in between the space along his armor at the base of his neck, Pip said, his voice urgent.

  Huh. I don’t think I can.

  This cyborg was covered in sheaths of metal, unlike the raccoon man they’d taken out.

  All cyborgs have a weak spot. His has to be between the armor. That’s your best option.

  Julianna pulled out a knife and, with lightning force, drove the blade down. She expected it to meet metal, which at first it did, but then it slipped between the sheets of armor and sliced deeper into a texture she recognized.

  Flesh.

  The cyborg collapsed, the lights extinguished and the noisy gears stopped grinding.

  Thanks.

  No problem. I’ve always got your back.

  Julianna looked up to find Eddie standing in front of the cyborg Trid, who had his own bo staff protruding from his chest.

  Eddie turned, appraising the kill Julianna had made. “Just gotta find their soft spot, huh?”

  Julianna grimaced. Between you and Eddie, I get my fair share of bad jokes.

  Although I’d prefer to follow that up with a pun, I need to draw your attention to something.

  Julianna tensed at the sudden serious tone of Pip’s voice. What?

  Whatever is on the other side of that door over there…it just got a lot more intense.

  By ‘intense’, do you mean angry?

  I don’t know what I mean. This isn’t something I recognize.

  So we should probably storm in right away then?

  Definitely. Ask questions later.

  ~~~

  Eddie readjusted his armor and steadied his weapon. Fighting the Trid cyborg had nearly made him break a fucking sweat. If the assassin wasn’t pinned to a wall with his own staff, Eddie would have told him off for such a thing.

  He was about to laugh to himself when he caught the serious expression on Julianna’s face. Well, more serious than usual. Actually, in battle, she looked half giddy. A trait he appreciated about her.

  “What’s up?” he asked.

  “Pip is concerned about what’s on the other side,” Julianna said, motioning to the door.

  “Like that it’s mostly machine and has a grasp like a vice grip?” Eddie asked.

  “He’s not sure,” Julianna said. “But doesn’t it appear that it wants us to come to it?”

  Eddie stared around at the dead cyborgs. “We did make enough noise to rouse everyone on Ronin.”

  “My thoughts exactly,” Julianna stated, worry in her tone.

  “Is it a trap?” Eddie asked.

  “Even if it is, what do we do?”

  Eddie stared between the closed door and Julianna. “We can’t turn back now. We’re supposed to take them all out.”

  “Right, which means we’re going in.”

  Eddie stepped in front of her. “Of course we’re going in. But I’m going first.”

  Exactly as Julianna had done when they entered this room, Eddie lifted his foot and slammed it through the metal door. It busted almost completely off the hinges and hung sideways.

  The room on the other side was filled with smoke, like an explosion had occurred. In the overhead lights, Eddie could barely make out debris littering the space. Food wrappers and packing material were everywhere. He kicked it out of his path as he marched forward.

  His boot crunched down on a can, and he looked to find something that filled him with disgust. A fucking Pepsi can. Of all the things to find. It made him hate these cyborgs more.

  A cough marked by screeching metal caught his attention. Eddie looked up to find mostly spiraling smoke, but then it began to clear and a figure materialized on the other side of the room.

  Like the other cyborgs, this one’s body was predominantly covered in armor. However, the man, only fifteen feet away, was smaller than the others. Tubes ran from his armor into the top of his head, making him look like some sort of prehistoric sea creature.

  His eyes glowed red.

  Eddie lifted his weapon, searching for the right place to aim. The smoke cleared suddenly, like being
sucked into a vacuum. Then a screeching sound filled Eddie’s head, so loudly he doubled over with pain.

  Unable to hold onto his rifle, he dropped it. His head and the searing pain inside was all he could give focus to. A bomb had detonated in his skull, and his brain felt close to exploding. He was only marginally aware of Julianna down on the ground beside him.

  Whatever that cyborg was, whatever he could do, he was taking them both down without even moving.

  ~~~

  Julianna tried to scream, but nothing came out. She strained to recapture control of her limbs, but with her brain on fire, she was lost.

  It felt as though her head was being forced through a sieve. The figure in front of them stood casually, watching with his glowing red eyes.

  Julianna, she heard over the crushing pain that sounded like a forest fire in her mind.

  Her mouth parted, and she made to say, “What?” but nothing came out.

  Julianna, Pip’s voice came again.

  Drool puddled under her face, which was pressed to the ground. The pain was too heavy for her to hold herself up.

  Julianna, I can help you. But you’re going to have to turn your thoughts over to me.

  She couldn’t process that. She couldn’t think. The blinding, scorching pain was all she could feel.

  Julianna! Let me have control of your thoughts. Then I can block out the cyborg.

  I don’t know how.

  He’s in your mind. Causing this pain.

  I know!

  Just grant me full access. Turn it over to me. You’ll still have control, but I need a chance to put up a firewall.

  But how?

  Pretend to go to sleep.

  How could she sleep when the aching, throbbing torture was robbing every moment of her sanity?

  Let go, Pip urged.

  Julianna tried to pull in a conscious breath, and snot trickled down out of one nostril. She was losing control. It was only a matter of time before her heart stopped beating.

  Let me have control. It’s as easy as handing me the key.

  Julianna didn’t know what that meant. She did know what it felt like to surrender, though. With the blaring pain still overwhelming her, Julianna pretended as if this were a battlefield and it was time to surrender. She acquiesced with her last bit of remaining strength, her eyes falling shut, and the world going black.

  ~~~

  Fuck. This better work.

  Pip was frantic. This was a chance. A risk. But Julianna had done what he’d asked—she’d turned her mind over to him. Now he had to hold up his end of the deal. Save her life.

  No biggie.

  Her heart rate is dropping. Oxygen levels are on the decline.

  Focus, Pip.

  Stop talking to yourself.

  Stop telling me what to do.

  There it is! There’s the firewall for Julianna’s consciousness. If I can just reinforce it, then I can shove this fucking cyborg all the way out.

  Oh, fucking shit. Blood pressure plummeting. No! No! No!

  Don’t you quit on me, Julianna Fregin. I’ve nearly gotten that trespasser out of your brain. I just need ten more seconds to reinforce perimeters. Firewall will be impenetrable in five, four, three, two…

  ~~~

  Wake up!

  Julianna felt like she was drowning.

  Wake up already.

  Her head cramped as she pushed drool away from her mouth. She didn’t realize she was sitting back on her heels until her eyes opened to find the smoky room.

  Oh, good, you’ve decided to fucking join me.

  Julianna still couldn’t remember where she was or why a red-eyed robot was staring at her. She did recognize the voice in her head, though, as if it were her own.

  Pip, when did you start cursing?

  Since you decided you could take a nap on me and nearly die.

  Die? Julianna looked around. Eddie was sprawled out beside her. Oh, fuck! That cyborg.

  Yes, and he’s going to turn Teach’s brain to pudding unless you stop him. I have the firewall protecting you, but there’s nothing I can do for the captain.

  But I don’t know how to kill this one. He appears to be mostly metal. How am I going to find the weak spot?

  He doesn’t appear to be the physical type, so why don’t you just leave him here and run the fuck away?

  You know I can’t do that. However, that does give me an idea.

  She dug into her pocket furiously. Testing her limbs, she jumped to a standing position and darted for Eddie. He was pale and looked like he was suffering worse than she had.

  Damn it, he’s almost gone.

  Because I can’t guard him the same way I can you.

  I get the point. We will discuss this sharing you business later, once I’ve saved Eddie’s ass.

  Julianna lifted Eddie up with ease, securing him on her shoulder. He started to convulse.

  The cyborg is trying to kill him. You have to get him out of here.

  Julianna knew Pip was right; they didn’t have a moment to spare. Taking off at a sprint, she didn’t even worry that she was dragging Eddie’s legs. They bumped over the trash and fallen cyborgs in the other room. When Julianna was almost out of the second area, she pulled the clip from the “holy” hand grenade Hatch had given her and launched it back, straight through the door and into the room where the red-eyed cyborg was.

  She darted forward, continuing on. The blast knocked both her and Eddie into a wall, but she didn’t stop. Distance was key. When they were almost to the Q-Ship, she realized that Eddie’s feet were underneath him, and he was ambling forward, like a drunk man being led to bed.

  “Eddie, are you alright?” she asked.

  He picked up his head, but kept his eyes shut. “Yeah, but I feel like I’ve been shot in the head.”

  That sounds about right, Julianna thought.

  I’ve uncloaked the Q-Ship and it’s ready for departure.

  Thanks.

  The cyborg appears to be offline now.

  So it’s dead? Julianna asked as she loaded Eddie’s mostly limp form into the back of the ship.

  Yes, I don’t think it could have survived that blast.

  That cyborg was an evil motherfucker.

  Agreed.

  And he’d have killed both of us if not for you.

  If that’s your way of saying ‘thank you’, then you’re very welcome.

  Julianna slipped into the pilot’s seat, letting out a weighty breath. That’s my way of saying I have a lot to think about.

  Like that I should share a place in both your head and the captain’s?

  Julianna cloaked the ship, lifting it into the air and up to the door they’d come through.

  We will discuss it later. For now, open the gate to this place, or Hatch will have my ass for banging up his ship.

  Already done. I’ve hacked into their security system. You’re good to go.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Intelligence Center, Ricky Bobby, Behemoth System

  “I’m sorry, but I don’t get it,” Marilla said, leaning over Chester’s shoulder and eyeing his screen.

  An exaggerated sigh fell out of his mouth. “It’s easy. You make your character get a job. You have to feed and socialize them and take care of their basic needs.”

  “But why?” Marilla asked.

  Chester moved the cursor and made his sim sit down and watch TV. “Because it’s fun. You know, that emotion that makes you happy?”

  Marilla straightened, shaking her head. “I don’t see the point in playing a video game that simulates real life. Why not live life?”

  Chester paused his game and spun around to face her. “That’s boring. And there’s many benefits to playing a game of this sort.”

  A challenging look sprang to Marilla’s face, and her brown eyes narrowed. “Do indulge me, Mr. Wilkerson.”

  Chester held up a single finger. “For starters, playing the Sims helps to calm our brain and feed our need to have control over our life.
” He leaned forward, looking around with mock caution. “Don’t tell anyone, but we actually have little control; it’s all an illusion.”

  “Not only does none of that make sense, but you’re totally making it up.” Despite her attempt at skepticism, Chester spied the laugh Marilla was hiding.

  It was Chester’s turn to give Marilla a look of utter offense. “I do not spout lies nor am I one of those pesky people who pretend to know things or make them up as I go. This universe, sweet, naïve Mar, isn’t a system that we control.”

  “How do you know that?” She stood back, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

  “Simple. I study the codes that string this universe together.”

  Marilla flashed him a mutinous expression. “You’re a hacker.”

  “Bingo. And who better to understand how the universe is striving for chaos rather than organization than a hacker?”

  “Chester, I’m usually open to many things you try and lecture me on, but—”

  A startled gasp fell out of Chester’s mouth. “How dare you? I don’t lecture you.”

  Harley trotted over, interested in the heated exchange that was only half-bordering on joking.

  “As an anthropologist, I—” Marilla began.

  “You want to believe that there’s meaning to all this,” Chester said, cutting her off again. “You want to hope that there’s a cosmic purpose that we’re all building toward.”

  “I do believe that.” Marilla threw her arm out indicating the room at large. “How can you be a part of Ghost Squadron and not know that?”

  How did an instructional lesson on a video game turn into a philosophical argument? Chester probably should have seen this coming. This wasn’t really about God or life or purpose. Usually the smaller underlying things fed these much larger diatribes. Strange, but true.

  “Mar, do you really think that one day our job on Ghost Squadron will be done?” Chester paused, waiting for her answer. When there wasn’t one, he said, “Because I don’t. There will always be a bad guy to fight or a terrorist to stop. That’s because the universe doesn’t strive for perfection, but rather chaos and disorder.”

  “That’s a very pessimistic perspective to have,” Marilla said, leaning down to pet Harley, but looking like she was the one who needed the reassurance.