Ascendance

by John Birmingham

  He remembered Karen had mentioned there might be others when they first met at the consulate. He turned to Zach. ‘Do you know about this?’

  ‘He doesn’t,’ Karen answered before Zach could reply. ‘They haven’t briefed him yet. They’re still sorting out the reports they’re getting in from all over the country. The whole world.’

  ‘You said there were five,’ Dave said, his mind starting to run ahead of him. He had no idea where this was going.

  ‘And “almost all of them” were civilians,’ Zach cut in.

  ‘Gold star for paying attention, Zachy! Yes, the last confirmed “enhancement” – their term, not mine – is military. But not how you’d think.’

  ‘How then?’ said Igor. His voice had a threatening note to it that Dave had no trouble making out in the loud, uncomfortable chamber of the Osprey’s cabin.

  Karen smiled.

  ‘An army chaplain. Another woman. The After Action Report was kind of sketchy. Identified her kill as a Sliveen. But I’m willing to bet it wasn’t.’

  ‘Because?’ Dave was intrigued now. The idea that he wasn’t alone, or at least alone in the world apart from Karen, was a lot more appealing than he would have imagined a few days ago, when being Super Dave mostly seemed to promise lots of premium pussy and free money.

  ‘Because of you, Hooper. You put down a Hunn, right? A blood-drunk BattleMaster? And Sliveen are sect allies of the Hunn. They’re all Horde nestlings in the end. I put down a Thresher, but mine was from the Qwm Sect. The other Threshers I killed, they’d been thinking deeply on the matter. Or rather Guyuk’s Scolari had. As far as the scrolls say anything, and they don’t say much, it seems the first calfling with the gurikh, the warrior spirit, to take down a sect warrior is chosen to lead the champions. Twelve sects. Twelve champions.’

  She smiled at Hooper.

  ‘That’s what Heath was talking about when he said he had other assets in play. He has other champions, like us. And one Dave to rule them all.’

  The Osprey droned on for a few moments, bucking in slight turbulence. They had left the New York area behind and seemed to be flying over water. Dave had done enough of that to recognise the signs, even at night. He could see the lights of individual ships and boats, small jewels on the endless black sea.

  ‘Damn,’ he said, when nobody else seemed to have anything left to add.

  ‘Oh there’s more,’ said Karen. ‘Your enchanted hammer? My katana? They’re not unique either. Sheriff Sheila May Robertson blew the head off of what sounds like a Hunn dominant, but almost certainly wasn’t, down by . . . Buttecracke County.’

  She smirked at the name.

  ‘It’s Beau-cray,’ Dave and Zach both said at once.

  ‘Whatever. The good lady sheriff is helping your authorities with their inquiries, and one of the things they’re inquiring into is why her Remington now blows giant holes in anyone who tries to pick it up. Anyone but her.’

  Zach looked down at his own weapon, a compact submachine gun with a long banana-shaped clip.

  ‘So, you’re saying . . .’ Igor ventured, ‘If I can tag me a brand-new kind of orc, I get an upgrade? My rifle too?’

  The long-barrelled, big bore sniper rifle he’d used back in Nebraska was secured with the rest of his kit a little ways up the cabin. ‘Because those zombies I took down, I don’t recall anybody bagging one of them before. So where’s my awesome zombie powers?’

  Zach snorted at him.

  ‘Tümorum aren’t pure sect,’ Dave said, earning a nod, possibly even some cred from Karen. ‘To the Horde they’re just a disease. Like foot and mouth running wild through cattle herds. Djinn use them as a weapon. But they’re not part of their sect either. The Djinn are both the sect and a clan in their . . . demesne?’

  He looked to Karen for confirmation of the term and she nodded.

  ‘Their allied clans are more like, I dunno, what’s the word?’

  ‘Vassals,’ Karen supplied. ‘If you’d nailed a Djinn warrior, or a Sumateem scout a little earlier, I think you’d have secured your upgrade, Chief. But you were too late. That army chaplain, she took the head off a Sumateem which stuck its nose in where it wasn’t wanted.’

  ‘Jesus, a chaplain?’ said Igor.

  ‘Igor,’ Karen beamed. ‘How very PC of you not to say “a woman” like it was totally unbelievable. But yes, a chaplain.’

  ‘How?’ Zach asked.

  ‘With a chainsaw.’

  She let that fall at their feet like a hand grenade, before jumping on it.

  ‘She wasn’t even part of the deployment on the river. She was in town for some interfaith talking shop. Like I said, the report’s pretty thin, but it seems she was at a childcare centre when the panic hit Omaha. They went into lockdown. An inquisitive orc stuck its head in and she cut it off.’

  ‘So this preacher woman’s rockin’ a magic chainsaw now?’ Dave said.

  ‘Yes. Ashbury’s report didn’t say so, but I’ll bet things got messy before they figured out not to touch it. And I’ll bet she hasn’t figured out to name it yet, either. Unless it’s just going by Husqvarna or Stihl or something.’

  ‘Sweet Jesus,’ Zach breathed. ‘The kids? In childcare?’

  Karen turned her palms upward, showing him she had no information about them.

  ‘I’d suggest the two of you start paying attention as well,’ she said, addressing the SEALs directly. ‘Ask questions. Don’t just take everything on faith because your one-legged sugar daddy says so.’

  Igor finally bristled at the provocation.

  ‘And we should take orders from you? Just because you’re like him?’ He threw a scathing glance at Dave. ‘You’re better than us? Last time I checked you were a spy, lady. You’re a liar. A killer. At least Hooper’s just a fucking moron.’

  ‘Hey! I have an engineering degree you know.’

  ‘Oh it’s true, Dave,’ Karen teased. ‘You know you’re a moron.’

  She grew serious though when she turned back to Igor.

  ‘Heath doesn’t tell you everything. He didn’t tell you about the other assets. The champions.’

  ‘He’s my commanding officer,’ Igor said. ‘He doesn’t have to. Does Putin call you for a catch-up every time he decides to shoot down an airplane or invade Ukraine?’

  ‘No,’ she said, not raising to the bait. ‘But there are things you’re better off knowing.’

  ‘Such as?’ Dave asked. Unlike Zach and Igor he wasn’t part of any chain of command. And he was all too used to being bullshitted.

  ‘Heath thinks you’ve lost already,’ Karen said.

  The SEALs reacted, each in his own way; Igor cursing, and Zach folding his arms, as if to shield himself. ‘No way. I’ve never known the captain to give up,’ he said.

  Dave said nothing. He watched the Russian closely.

  ‘Oh he’s not giving up,’ she said. ‘He’s getting ready for the next stage.’

  ‘Which is what?’ Zach asked, sounding entirely unconvinced.

  ‘Collapse,’ Dave said, surprising them. ‘Retreat. Consolidation. Counter-attack. That’s why you’re flying out of the fighting right now. We’re not going north to rescue my kids,’ he added sombrely as the realisation came to him. ‘Heath’s pretty sure they’re dead already.’

  Dave felt as though a couple of quarts of blood had just rushed away from his skin, but Karen was smiling at him, giving him a slow clap.

  ‘And so you finally begin to wake up.’

  ‘But my kids . . .’

  ‘Oh he’s probably wrong, Dave. I’m sure we’ll get there just in time. But it doesn’t change his thinking. And, you’re right. He thinks we can’t possibly hold everything. He thinks that Compt’n is smart enough to do real damage. Not just to stage a few mass casualty attacks, or even to defeat a modern military force. Your army, mine, even the Chinese who are throwing nukes around like firecrackers. But he’s not going to do that.’

  ‘No,’ Dave said, not so much seeing it now as adm
itting what he had been able to see for a while.

  ‘Compt’n’s going to collapse the support system for that military. The civilisation which created it. That’s what Heath thinks. That’s why he sent us up here. To preserve his assets.’

  ‘Bullshit,’ said Igor.

  ‘Really?’ Dave asked. ‘You know where the rest of your teams are, Chief? I doubt they’re back in Omaha, mopping up. National Guard units could do that.’

  Igor shifted uncomfortably in his seat, looking to Zach for help, but he had nothing.

  ‘Your other teams are out looking for the rest of the Super Friends,’ said Karen, tag-teaming with Dave. ‘Trying to put them in the bag before it’s too late. Before everything falls apart. Or before Trinder gets them.’

  ‘That asshole?’ said Dave. ‘What’s he got to do with this?’

  ‘He tried to kill us because he judged he couldn’t control you anymore, Hooper. Trinder and Heath are of one mind, I suspect. I’ll admit I’m guessing at Trinder because I haven’t had a chance to read him since everything went south. But I know what Heath thinks of him. Or at least what Heath feels about him. There is a difference, I’ll concede.’

  She took a sip from her water bottle, giving the others a chance to speak up. Instead, all three men just waited on her as the plane bounced around in another patch of bad air.

  ‘Go on, Dave. Think it through. Dazzle me,’ she said.

  ‘We’re not just fighting the Horde,’ he said, slowly. ‘We’re fighting all twelve sects. But the Horde are the key, because they’ve got Compt’n. And this Grymm Lord too. He’s been smart enough to know he can’t win a battle he doesn’t even begin to understand. The other sects will take some time to come to that. Some of them may never do so.’

  ‘That’s right,’ Karen confirmed. ‘They’re still rolling up in the same old way, deploying in squares on the open field. We nuked one outside of Kiev a few hours ago.’

  Dave frowned. ‘How do you know that?’

  ‘It was in Ashbury’s report. That you did not bother to read.’

  Dave nodded, slowly. ‘Okay. So the Qwm arrowhead we found in New York? How’s that fit in? They weren’t sitting in a field somewhere.’

  ‘They could have a couple of regiments drawn up in some cow paddock in New Jersey somewhere. But, even if they don’t, Compt’n will let them take the brunt of the fighting in the cities. Urban warfare is a meat grinder. And you are the little sausage if all you bring to the fight is a bad attitude and a spiked club.’

  ‘Still not really getting it,’ Dave said. He understood the argument she was making. A dragon was dead meat on the barbecue when it met a heat-seeking missile. A Hunn dominant could rage and roar like a grizzly bear with a scorching case of cock rot, but one bullet placed carefully was putting him down. A Regiment Select of Grymm drawn up in formal battle order outside the gates of your city was a Regiment Select of Grymm sitting in the kill box of a B-52 or a cruise missile swarm.

  But all of those things – heat-seeking missiles, jet fighters and bombers, firearms – were the products of super-evolved, highly complex human societies. Collapse the society, and the magicks went away.

  But that wasn’t exactly what Karen meant. She was talking about purely military tactics and strategy.

  Zach answered for him, sounding tired.

  ‘I think she’s saying that Compton will use the other hordes as cannon fodder,’ he explained. ‘Weakening them and weakening us.’

  Neither Dave nor Karen corrected his use of the term ‘Hordes’.

  ‘He might even do what we cattle do,’ Karen went on. ‘Seek allies and mercenaries among the natives. Aligning, at least initially, with any human forces he can convince to support him against the threat of the other sects. Or the rest of the UnderRealms.’

  ‘The rest?’ Zach frowned.

  ‘Sure,’ said Dave, getting scared, but getting angry with it. ‘The orcs aren’t the only things down there. You’ve already seen dragons and zombies and necromancers. Compt’n is right in a way. At least the sects are organised evil. They keep the rest of the daemon realm in check.’

  ‘Oh fuck this. I call bullshit,’ said Igor, sounding thoroughly pissed off.

  ‘Whatever,’ Karen replied, without rancour. ‘Believe what you will. But just remember we had this conversation. And as for you, Super Dave . . .’

  ‘Yeah?’

  ‘We go get your kids. Your ex-wife if you really want.’

  ‘Yeah, my boys. Toby and Jack. Does Heath really think . . . you know . . .’

  ‘Heath is a realist,’ Karen replied. ‘If he’s right, and it’s too late for your kids, I’m sorry. If he’s not and we get them, you have to decide what you’re doing next. The party’s over.’

  27

  ‘It’s gonna be close, people. Finish your drinks, put your tray tables up. Some prayers might help too.’

  The pilot’s voice crackled off the intercom and they were left in the dim, red-lit cabin, dropping down through rough air. Dave clenched his teeth and his butt cheeks, wondering if they’d have enough fuel to land safely. Wondering if he’d miraculously heal after being torn apart and burned to cinder in a chopper crash. Probably not, he thought. Zach hadn’t been exaggerating about the fuel. The Osprey wasn’t going anywhere once it was down. Not until the crew found some more avgas, or Heath organised a supply drop.

  Would Heath be able to do that? He was probably being swarmed right now. And in spite of Karen’s confidence that Dave’s superhero club had really taken off, he hadn’t seen any evidence that the Chainsaw Chaplain or Sheriff Shotgun would be helping out.

  And if Heath didn’t get them a refuel, would it lend credence to Karen’s theory that he’d sent them up here to preserve his assets?

  He tried to breathe slowly, wrapping his hands around Lucille’s smooth hardwood handle, hoping she might calm his nerves some. Karen and the SEALs had tooled up in their own way, ready for a hot landing. She wore Sushi the magical samurai sword on a strap across her back again, but like Zach and Igor, Karen cradled a machine gun in her lap. Her tactical vest carried spare magazines and dangled hand grenades like dark Christmas ornaments. A protein bar poked out of one pocket, but she mostly seemed to be carrying weapons and ammo. They’d eaten plenty.

  The intercom hissed and popped and the pilot’s voice returned.

  ‘Be aware we have flames near the LZ. Looks like three separate spot fires in the town centre. Muzzle flashes evident. No comm links to the local authorities. One minute to set down.’

  Zach did something to his weapon, taking the safety off Dave assumed, and a second later Igor followed. Even craning around in his seat, it was impossible to get a clear view of the town ahead of them. Impossible and frustrating. He could just make out a few lights but they appeared to be scattered in the darkness on the edge of town. Their approach vector put Camden Harbor directly ahead of them. There was little to be seen out of the cabin windows. Dave’s imagination filled in the blanks. Terrible images of his boys arose, unbidden. Toby and Jack screaming, torn apart like Dave’s workmates on the Longreach. Annie cursing his name as she went down trying to protect them. He tried to blink away the visions but they persisted.

  ‘Chill,’ said Karen, her hand suddenly on the side of his face. The fingers cool. Her voice in his head. Deep inside. This time he didn’t flinch, letting the balm of her will wash away his fears. Calming him down. Chilling him out.

  ‘You’ve done this before,’ she said. ‘You’re just bringing it home now.’

  ‘Hooper.’

  It was Igor, still grim-faced and fearsome, but no longer directing that animus toward Dave. ‘Your boys will be fine,’ he said. ‘We’ll get them, and we’ll put down anything tries to stop us.’

  ‘Yeah. There are no rules of engagement tonight, Dave,’ said Zach, patting his assault rifle. ‘We just kill ’em all.’

  The anxiety Dave had been feeling, a restless fear that had threatened to turn into panic, ebbed away. It woul
d have been nice to think it was the support of these men he wanted to call friends, even if the course of his friendship with Igor had not run exactly true, but he knew it was more than that. Karen removed her hand from his face, leaving behind little more than a tingling sensation on his skin and a mild tension in his gut. She had reached right inside him again and changed something. For once, he was glad of it.

  Everyone braced as the Osprey flared and decelerated. Dropping toward the landing zone, Dave’s stomach tried to climb up out of his mouth, but he was used to that. He’d done a lot of time in choppers over the years, flown into some pretty hairy situations. The Osprey was larger, louder, unimaginably more powerful than a civilian helicopter, but the sensation wasn’t all that different from the descent onto the deck of the Longreach when all of this started. Dave closed his eyes and tried to relax, waiting for the touchdown. When it came, it was a much harder jolt than he’d expected. The pilot cut power to the engines. The uproar died away and the blades slowed.

  ‘Okay. I’m cool,’ he said to himself. ‘I’m good. Let’s roll.’

  The loadmaster signalled them to stand as he dropped the big-ass hatch at the rear of the aircraft. Aircrew manned the heavy, mounted machine gun. Once the hatch thumped down on the ground, the SEALs stepped out into the night.

  ‘Dave,’ Karen said beside him. ‘This is the bit where you stay calm.’

  Drawing in a deep breath, he took his bearings. He could smell the smoke. Not clean wood smoke, but the chemical reek of burning plastics, cars, houses. He put it aside with a mental shove. This was Annie’s home town, not his, but he had a working map of the place in his memory thanks to a couple of access visits with the boys. He knew, as soon as he’d exited the back of the hybrid aircraft, that the pilot had put down on the baseball diamond in back of the local school. He’d brought Toby and Jack here to throw them a few pitches the last time he’d visited. He knew the Public Safety Building was only a couple of blocks from here. Roads radiated out of the town centre down on the waterfront like broken spokes from a bicycle wheel.