NanoSwarm: Extermination Day Book Two

by William Turnage

  He held the shaking yoke as best he could until he felt one of the wheels hitting the road with a powerful thump. But the angle was off slightly, and the other wheel never touched. The plane dipped to the side and the left wing hit the ground.

  Sparks flew as metal ground along the asphalt. Then the plane twisted and spun along the axis of the wing, veering off the road. Mattie applied the right brake, trying to stabilize the skid, but still the plane careened into the desert. He was jerked to the side, straining against his harness.

  The plane twisted again, still going too fast to stop, this time hitting rocks and rolling forward onto the right wing. The wing couldn’t stand the pressure and snapped, the sound of wrenching metal reverberating through the cockpit.

  Then the plane flipped, once, twice. Anything not bolted or buckled down went flying. Mattie felt like he was inside a washing machine as he flipped around in all directions, seat belt cutting into him and straining his body.

  Finally the rolling stopped and the plane came to a rest, its wings destroyed and debris everywhere he could see. Mattie hung upside down, suspended by his harness.

  He was still alive.

  He tested his body to make sure nothing was broken. Then he dropped down and started making his way back to the others. The main compartment was intact, but unfamiliar in its inverted position.

  “Anyone hurt?” Mattie called out, pushing debris aside.

  “Ahh, I’m okay.”

  That was Corvin.

  “Me too.”

  Holly.

  “Still alive and ready to get eaten by an alien swarm,” Chen quipped.

  “Let’s get out of here before this thing catches fire,” Mattie said as he moved back into the main section of the plane.

  “Or before we attract the attention of something else,” Holly added.

  Mattie helped each of them get free. Aside from a few new bumps, everyone was okay. They made for the side of the plane, where Mattie held the door open. Tendrils were still creeping down over the door, and they all were careful not to touch them as they made their way out and hopped to the ground.

  They were already a safe distance from the wreckage when a small fire sparked and what was left of the cargo plane began to burn. In the light of the fire, Mattie could see the giant mass now under the plane, clutching the fuselage like a bulbous tumor. It seemed to like the fire and its vines crept ever closer to it, still pulsing red. He wondered what Boston looked like now with the giant tree taking root there.

  Mattie tapped his eye and brought up a map, a grid overlay of the land before them. The road was about a hundred yards away. If they followed that, it was pretty much a straight shot to the coordinates Paulson had sent him. They were only about five miles away and should be able to cover the flat ground fairly quickly, even with Mattie helping Chen on his still recovering leg.

  “We’ve got a little bit of a hike ahead of us,” Mattie said. “I can run forward and get vehicles and come back for you or we can go together.”

  Mattie could cover the distance in about eight minutes at full speed, but that would mean leaving the others out on the open road, unprotected.

  “You go ahead, Mattie, we’ll be fine,” Holly, always strong, said.

  He considered the idea for a second. There were no swarms around, but leaving them alone for a half hour or so was too risky. No, he would stay and protect them.

  He grabbed Chen around the waist to help him walk.

  “Let’s go together.”

  “I’m fine, Colonel,” Chen grumbled.

  “I’ve made up my mind, let’s move,” Mattie said firmly.

  They began fast-walking along the road. The remote area was dead quiet with only the stars and the moon lighting their way. He imagined others travelers from ancient history walking this same route to the once great city of Babylon. The vast future of mankind had lain before those people. Now the age of man was quickly dwindling into a memory.

  About twenty minutes into their walk, a convoy of vehicles appeared on the horizon driving at high speed away from the base. Mattie pulled out his flashlight and signaled for them to stop.

  Seconds later the convoy of six large vehicles rolled by, not even slowing down, much less stopping. The last vehicle in the group however did slow and pulled up beside them. A window rolled down.

  “What are you doing out here, Colonel?”

  The man looked like Secret Service and held a gun trained on Mattie. Three others in the back seat, behind tinted glass, had weapons ready as well.

  “We’re trying to get to the base for safe haven. I’m under direct orders from the president and vice president to bring these important scientists in. My clearance and order code.”

  Mattie raised his palm to the agent’s eye so he could read the orders on his visual cortex. The agent blinked his way through the orders and nodded. He relaxed somewhat, but still held his weapon up and ready.

  “Everything checks out, Colonel, but the status has changed since your last contact. There’s no safe haven at Chronos Two anymore. The base will be under attack shortly. They’re preparing a last defense to keep the aliens at bay as long as they can. We’ve been instructed to take key members of the government to a safe house outside of Baghdad.”

  So they were retreating. It wasn’t like they had much choice. Mattie had felt the clamor of the alien communications growing in his head. They would have no chance against the huge swarm cloud that was coming.

  “Who’s in this group, the president, the vice president?”

  “I’m not at liberty to discuss the details, Colonel.” A look of indecision crossed the agent’s face. “I’ll tell you this, though. Vice President Paulson is a great man. He wanted to stay and fight to the end. That old warrior is not going to go out hiding. He’s going out fighting, with a gun in his hand. I wish I was there with him. Maybe even kill one of those alien motherfuckers myself.”

  Mattie knew there was no chance of that happening. They had no weapons that could stop the aliens’ technology. Paulson would die with the others who stayed behind. But Mattie could at least help, could hold off the swarm for a time. Those precious few moments could make a difference.

  A man in the passenger side of the vehicle leaned over and whispered in the driver’s ear.

  “We need to move out, Colonel. I’ve received permission to take you and the others with us to the safe house.”

  Mattie sought input from Holly, Chen, and Corvin, who were standing right behind him, listening. Holly’s face was wet with tears.

  “Is Senator Madison in your group?” she asked.

  “No, ma’am. He chose to remain behind as well.”

  “Then I’m going to the base,” she said firmly.

  “I want to see this Chronos Two,” Chen added. “I want to see how many of my ideas they stole.”

  Dr. Corvin looked at the others and shrugged. “I’ve come this far with you guys, I’m not going to abandon you now. Besides, you’ll need someone to set up the temporal bubble.”

  “Let’s go, then,” Mattie said. “We haven’t got a lot of time.”

  He turned back to the agent.

  “I don’t suppose you would give us a lift back to the base?”

  “I’m sorry, Colonel. I'm already too far behind the main group. We need to go now, but I can give you this.”

  The agent punched a button on the vehicle, and the top panel slid back to reveal a compacted motorbike.

  “It’s got two sidecars, so all four of you can ride. Good luck.”

  The agent extended his hand, and Mattie shook it. Both men looked each other firmly in the eye, knowing they would never see the other again and that very soon one or both would be dead.

  Mattie quickly pulled the bike off the roof. Then the vehicle sped away. On the ground, the bike booted up and began auto-assembling. In seconds it was fully functional.

  Chen and Corvin sat in the side compartments, with Mattie in the driver’s seat, and Holly hanging on to
his waist right behind him. Mattie twisted the throttle into gear and they zoomed off toward the base.

  It wasn’t long before they were at the right coordinates, but there was nothing visible except for an empty airplane hangar. In the center of the hangar was a metal post with a box attached to it, like an old-fashioned mailbox. Mattie climbed off the bike, the others following, and jogged over to the post.

  Everyone looked exhausted, covered in dirt and grime from the plane crash and journey. Mattie tried to rub some of the desert grit out of his eyes but just seemed to add more. His stomach rumbled. He couldn't remember the last time he ate, and despite having incredible healing abilities he still needed to eat and sleep like anyone else. He imagined the others were starving as well. For now, though, he put these thoughts behind him. They were in a combat situation.

  Mattie began sensing a tug in the back of his mind, the same tingling and pulling he got when the swarm was nearby. But this felt more like a distant echo than a direct pull. It was growing, however, and getting louder.

  He scanned the horizon, looking for signs of an attack. Then he switched to infrared telescopic vision, a nice little military upgrade to his optical nerve, courtesy of Uncle Sam. Still nothing. Whatever it was, it was headed this way, and it must be very big for Mattie to be able to sense it this far out and yet not be able to see it.

  “Is this the right spot?” Holly asked.

  A green light shot out from the post and quickly scanned Mattie.

  “Palm entry required,” said the security AI.

  Mattie placed his palm on the box. A second later the floor around them jerked and began descending. Down they went, deeper and deeper until they finally jolted to a stop. The doors opened to a chaotic scene of military personnel getting ready for battle.

  Mech units were clomping back and forth, swiveling from side to side. Men were checking their rifles one last time, tanks were lined up, and hover drones and other automated units were buzzing or walking around. And it was all happening deep underground in a cave far vaster than Chronos One.

  A captain approached Mattie and saluted, then studied Holly’s patched eye and their torn and bloody clothing. “It looks like you guys have been through hell, Colonel.”

  “It’s been a fight to get here, that’s for sure,” Mattie said. “You ready for this?”

  “As ready as we’ll ever be.”

  The captain lifted his face toward the cave’s ceiling. “For a last stand we’re going to kick some fucking alien ass. How’s it look up there, by the way? Any sign of the bastards?”

  “I couldn’t see them yet, but I have a feeling they’re coming.”

  “Let those motherfuckers come!” yelled out another soldier. “I got something for ’em right here.”

  He held up his six-foot-long heavy artillery weapon with the help of his enhanced battle suit.

  “The vice president is waiting for you, Colonel. Just take the train to the command center. We’ve got to get outside now.”

  The captain saluted, and Mattie returned it. Then the captain jumped on the large service elevator platform, joining several mech units and other soldiers. The door shut behind them.

  Mattie knew they would fight to the last man.

  “Come on,” he said to the others. “Let’s find out what’s going on.”

  He was shocked at the massive scale of the underground base. They must’ve been planning to hide out here for a long time, with thousands of people. There were factories and stores and food production areas, everything needed to keep society going.

  But now the swarm and the singularity weapons were coming.

  And all of it would be wiped out.

  They arrived at the command center without any more stops. Paulson was waiting for them at the main entrance, as were Jeff Madison and Paulson’s assistant, Melinda Rider, whom Mattie knew all too well. Claire hovered in the background, ever present.

  “Oh, Jeff!”

  “Holly! Thank God!”

  The two ran to each other and embraced, kissing passionately. Mattie smiled. They were old and had been together a long time, but their love had never faded. He was jealous. He’d never felt that way for any of the women who’d passed through his life. Except maybe one.

  Melinda purposely avoided looking at him. She hadn’t taken their breakup well and hadn’t said a word to him in the year since. They had their chance, and Mattie blew it. Now there wouldn’t be another.

  “Great work, Colonel.”

  Paulson embraced him and shook the others’ hands. “Come with me,” Paulson said to Mattie. “I’ll brief you on the way inside.”

  The outer checkpoint was smoking, and repair drones were cleaning up debris. A hulking mech unit lay in ruins.

  “Looks like a war zone here,” Mattie said. “What happened?”

  “We were attacked less than an hour ago by a renegade group. They managed to breach security and get inside the vortex chamber.”

  They walked through the lobby and up to a large cracked glass pane that ran up the inside of the building. Inside was a vast stadium housing the time travel vortex generator. Dozens of technicians and repair bots swarmed around the device. Paulson nodded at it as they waited for the elevator.

  “The group was able to time jump through the vortex. They left behind a plasma grenade which damaged the generator and much of the surrounding equipment. The jump was also picked up by the aliens, who are now sending a full assault against us. We have maybe thirty minutes before they’re here.”

  That explained the growing headache deep in Mattie’s skull.

  “And the vortex generator? Can it be repaired in time?” Chen asked.

  Paulson frowned. “We’re working as fast as we can.”

  “You were preparing for a long jump, we’re you?” Holly asked.

  “Two thousand three hundred and sixty-eight years.”

  “Jesus,” Holly said, clearly shocked. Jeff immediately began whispering details of the plan in her ear. Chen and Corvin exchanged wide-eyed stares.

  "This is just amazing," Holly said, eyebrows raised and mouth open as she looked around at all of the equipment and the vortex generator. "The size and scale of this operation is beyond anything I imagined."

  "I must say Paulson, this is indeed impressive," Chen added, giving a rare compliment. "Your foresight to build such a base and temporal generator is truly astounding."

  "Thank you," Paulson replied. "It's been a tremendous amount of work without a doubt. I just hope it's all been worth it."

  As they walked into the command center, Paulson quickly explained their jump strategy and the goals they’d set. It all made logical sense, Mattie thought. Now if they could just get the chance to execute the plan.

  “With the attack, however, the plan has changed,” Paulson continued. “We’ve had to scale back the jump in terms of personnel and equipment based on our limited fuel resources. Plus we don’t know if the generator will even work after the damage it sustained.”

  “I can help with the repairs,” Chen jumped in. “I know that machine better than anyone. After all, you copied my designs to build it.”

  “I can help too,” Dr. Corvin said eagerly.

  Holly tapped Corvin’s arm.

  “Darren, you should begin setting up the singularity bubble generator. If we’re able to make this long jump, then I for one don’t want to blink out of existence.”

  “Agreed.”

  Chen headed out to the floor of the vortex chamber, and Corvin begin explaining what the bubble generator was and what he needed to get it working.

  “Will a tank suffice as a containment shield?” Paulson asked. He’d understood the generator’s purpose immediately.

  “Most definitely,” Corvin replied.

  According to Corvin, those inside the bubble needed to be protected from radiation and the other forces generated inside it. The new X-31 radiation shielded tank would be perfect.

  “It should be set up on the surface, thoug
h,” Claire spoke for the first time. “When the temporal wave hits, we have no idea what changes will take place. It’s very likely that this base will wink out of existence, in which case the people inside the bubble will be trapped underground.”

  “She’s right,” Holly said.

  Corvin turned to Paulson. “Is there a tank on the surface we can use?”

  “I’m ordering one into position now. But you don’t have much time. The swarm will be on us soon. And once you get inside, I suggest you drive that tank away from here as fast as you can.”

  “Who’ll be going into the bubble?” Mattie asked.

  “You can fit four people in the tank, five if you’re willing to sit on top of each other,” Paulson said. “Senator, I’ll let you decide who goes.” He flipped his hand. “Yet there’s a catch, of course. You’ll need to choose in the next two minutes; otherwise, you’ll never make it to the surface in time. I’m needed here as long as I’m still breathing, so I won’t be going. It’s either death or oblivion for me.”

  Mattie certainly admired the old man. Yet he felt a deep pang of grief that this could very well be the end for him—for them all, for that matter.

  Paulson patted Senator Madison on the shoulder. “Good luck. I need to get down to the vortex floor and make sure the jump team is ready.”

  Paulson looked at each of them, then turned to Mattie.

  “Colonel, take care of this group. See them to safety.”

  Mattie saluted. “Yes, sir.”

  The old man was giving him one last mission.

  Mattie vowed to be worthy of Paulson’s trust.

  He vowed to protect his charges until the final breath was pulled from his body.

  Chapter 39

  5:30 a.m. Local Time, January 17, 2038

  Chronos Two

  “Let’s move,” Mattie said, hustling Senator Madison, Corvin, and Holly to the doors.

  “There’s no time to choose anyone,” Jeff said solemnly. "Where's Whittenhouse? I should call him, get him to join us."

  Paulson had given the senator an impossible choice to make and no time to make it. Who would he choose to go into the temporal bubble? He called Whittenhouse using the internal base communication system and quickly explained to him what they were doing.