by M. R. Forbes
“You should have let me do that,” Hayden said.
Caleb looked at him and nodded. “Probably.”
“We could have used him to find out what Hanson has waiting,” Nathan said. “You killed him too soon.”
Caleb shook his head. “He wouldn’t have given it up. That wasn’t Bryant speaking. It was Hanson.”
Hayden sighed. “You really should have let me do it.”
“What’s the plan, Sheriff?” Max asked. “Do we go north? I want to go north. Hahaha. Haha.”
Hayden wanted to go north, too. As badly as he had ever wanted anything. Krake was headed there, to take the interlink through a portal to another world that could be anywhere in the universe. They had to stop the Axon before it fled.
But they also had to see the survivors to safety, especially if there were a large number of civilians hiding in Sanose. They weren’t any safer here than they would have been in Sanisco. But they might be safe inside the Pilgrim.
“Max, can you do some math for me?” Hayden asked.
“Pozz. What is the calculation?”
“Krake left Sanisco what...six hours ago?”
“Affirmation.”
“It’s driving the Caddy, which isn’t the fastest modbox we had. Top speed around fifty kilometers per hour at best, plus it needs to go the long way around to head north. Plus we haven’t cleared any of the roadway north of Ports. And actually, the bridges across the river in Ports are down.”
“We have to assume Hanson repaired them,” Nathan said. “And cleared the highway in preparation.”
“Good point,” Hayden agreed. “Let’s go with an average of sixty kilometers per hour to be safe. Six hours of lead time as of this moment. Do you know the distance from Sanisco to Seattle?”
“Approximately thirteen hundred kilometers,” Max said.
“That car was electric, wasn’t it?” Pyro asked. “It’ll need to recharge.”
““It can recharge the car from its Skin,” Max said. “It’ll take him twenty-two point six Earth hours to get there, Sheriff.”
“What about from Sanose to the Pilgrim launch site?” Hayden asked. “You’ve been there before.”
“Approximately one thousand kilometers. Sixteen point six hours.”
“We’re right on the mark, Sheriff,” Pyro said. “If the Axon enters Seattle and goes right through the portal, we’ll run out of time.”
“Maybe not,” Isaac said. “Sixty kilometers per hour in a heavily armored modbox carrying sensitive equipment along centuries-old roads? I think we’re overestimating the top speed.”
“If we drop it to fifty, it’ll take twenty-seven hours,” Pyro said, doing the math in her head. “We can get the Parabellum from the desert to the northwest in two hours—easy. We could be there before the Axon arrives.”
“Krake.” Max corrected her. “Hahaha. Haha.”
“Then what?” Caleb asked. “Do we storm in full-tilt, guns blazing? Bryant may have been exaggerating, but there’s no way Hanson is sitting there by his lonesome.”
“Hanson isn’t the primary target,” Hayden reminded them. “We need to stay focused on Krake. We get the interlink back, we throw a wrench in Vyte’s plans.”
“Enough of a wrench to stop him?” Isaac asked.
“I don’t know. Maybe not. But we can’t sit here and do nothing. I want that bastard dead.”
“I know you do, Sheriff.”
“Max, can’t we use the QDM as a bomb?” Hayden asked. “As a last resort?”
“Hahaha. Hahaha. Haha. Negation. Destabilizing a fully-powered QDM will destroy the planet.”
“That’s out, then,” Nathan said. “Sheriff, we might have time to go back to the weapons vault. If we take out the Axon there, we can access some of Tinker’s more powerful toys.”
“That’ll add three hours to the travel time,” Pyro said.
“That’s tempting, but it’s cutting it too close,” Hayden decided. “Especially if we need to land the dropship far enough away that Hanson won’t see us coming. We’ll need the time to get into position.”
“We don’t have to stay with the civilians,” Nathan said. “We’re only a handful of people.”
“We do need to stay with them,” Hayden countered. “They’re putting their faith in us. Their hope. As long as we’re here, they’ll believe they can make it to safety. If we abandon them, that all falls apart.”
“Hayden’s right,” Pyro said. “They need him. And you, General. And you, Caleb. Like it or not, you’re their heroes now.”
Hayden shook his head. “I’m no hero, Chandra. I’m just doing what Natalia would want me to do.”
“Like it or not,” Pyro repeated with a shrug.
“I think it’s settled, Sheriff,” Caleb said. “We take the caravan south, and then we hop a flight back north to intercept Krake before he makes it to the portal.”
Hayden stared at Caleb for a moment. Then he swept his eyes across each of the people gathered with him. It was the right thing to do.
“Pozz. Let’s get these people organized asap so we can get this show on the road.”
45
Rico
Rico and Bennett walked around the front of the armored eighteen-wheeler, headed for the people who had emerged from one of Sanose’s underground garages. They were a small group, easily identifiable as Sheriff’s Deputies in their brown uniforms, twin revolvers resting on their hips and silver badges pinned to their shirts.
“Not quite Centurion material,” Bennett said as the deputies noticed them coming. One of them took the lead, aiming to meet them halfway.
“No clones down here,” Rico replied. “Except for us.”
“As long as they don’t turn into lolies when the action hits.”
Rico glanced over at Bennett. “Lolie” was a word Steven had coined in reference to the people on Earth who froze at the sight of a trife instead of running, leaving the demons free to eat them like lollipops. It was a silly term, but that wasn’t the point. How did this Bennett know it?
She looked away from him before he noticed the sidelong glance, returning her attention to the lead deputy—a plain looking woman with brown hair and a freckled face.
“What is this?” the deputy asked, waving toward the convoy. “We heard fighting to the north, and we weren’t sure if we should run or hide.”
“It looks like you made your choice,” Bennett said, his voice slightly accusing.
“The right choice,” Hicks said, coming around them.
“Chief Ranger Hicks,” the deputy said. “We were a little worried this was a slaver caravan or something. That’s why only a few of us came out.”
“No slavers,” Hicks said. “Deputy Barnes, this is Rico Rodriguez and Ryan Bennett, Centurion Space Force.”
“Centurion?” Barnes said. She pointed up. “I saw the ship go over. I’ve heard the rumors, and Sheriff Duke swore me to secrecy, but… is Sheriff Duke here?”
“He is,” Rico said. “We aren’t with the CSF. We’re here as members of the Organization.”
“What is that?”
Now that Rico had said it, she wasn’t sure how to respond. What was the Organization, really? Able had tried to explain, but how did that translate to the here and now?
“We hunt aliens,” Bennett said, responding for her. “The Axon and the Relyeh. And anything else that might decide it wants a piece of humankind.”
Barnes smiled. “Sounds good to me.” She turned her head north toward Sanisco. “You said it was better that we hid?”
“Yeah,” Hicks said. “This convoy is all that’s left of Sanisco.”
Her head whipped back toward him. “What?”
“The city is gone,” he replied. “Ninety-five percent of the population was killed, including Governor Duke.”
Deputy Barnes’ face paled, her mouth going slack. Her lip started quivering, and she looked away, trying to recover her grip.
“We’re taking the survivors south,” Rico s
aid. “To the Pilgrim. You and yours should join us.”
Barnes looked at Rico again, her eyes threatening tears. “You want us to leave Sanose?”
“No. I don’t want that at all. But the entire planet is under siege. Those creatures you saw are called xaxkluth, and they’re everywhere. Thousands and thousands of them.”
“Like the trife?”
“Worse than the trife.”
“I can’t believe this is happening.”
“Do you know how many people are in the city?” Bennett asked.
“An exact count? No. A lot of people left after the last thing.” She paused, realization hitting her. “They went north. They thought they would be safer there.”
And they weren’t.
“Barnes, I need a count of available vehicles and a more accurate estimate of the number of survivors. Can you get that for me?”
Barnes nodded. “I can.”
“Good. We’ll wait outside. Hicks, why don’t you go with her?”
“Roger that,” Hicks said. He joined Barnes and the other deputies as they retreated to the garage.
“What do you think?” Bennett asked.
“About what?” Rico replied.
“All of this. Vyte. The Organization. Max.”
“What about Max?”
“An Axon Intellect helping us? I don’t trust it.”
“It doesn’t matter. He’s Hayden’s friend.”
“It’s no friend, Rico.” He moved in closer to her. “You know what the Organization is all about. If we get the chance, we should try to take the Intellect out.”
“Are you crazy?” Rico replied. “Max brought us technology that recharged the Parabellum’s core. He also helped save my life and Isaac’s. He’s hardly a threat.”
“Isn’t it? It’s acting in the interests of its makers. Even Sheriff Duke said that’s possible. Maybe taking care of Vyte is included with that, but what about when that’s done? We don’t know it won’t turn on us. We can’t prove that it won’t turn on us. And we don’t need it to fight this fight. It’s a wild card, and this mission is risky enough as is.”
Rico stared into Bennett’s eyes. She didn’t want to admit it, but he wasn’t completely wrong. Max was an Axon. What proof did they have that he wasn’t allied with Vyte?
“You know I’m right,” Bennett said. “I can see it in your eyes.”
Rico swallowed, heart racing. “It’s not our decision to make.”
“Whose decision is it? Sheriff Duke’s? Who put him in charge? With Able dead, you’re in charge of the Centurions, Rico. Not Duke. Not Stacker. Not Card. You. We go where you tell us to go. We do what you tell us to do.”
The more Rico thought about it, the more right Bennett’s statement felt. She didn’t want to go against Hayden. He was a good friend, and he had already been through too much. But Ryan was saying what everyone else hesitated to say out of their respect and sympathy for Hayden. Having an Axon in their midst was a huge risk. “I’ll talk to Hayden.”
“Talk? That’s not going to help. He—”
“My decision,” Rico snapped. “Right?”
Bennett’s mouth snapped shut. He nodded.
She realized suddenly that they were standing centimeters apart. Bennett was close enough for her to smell his familiar scent. She hated Haeri for bringing him back to life all over again as she stepped back from him.
“Is everything okay?” Hayden asked, coming around the side of the truck. “Rico?”
“Everything’s fine, Sheriff,” she replied. “Hicks went into the garage with Deputy Barnes. They’re counting heads as we speak.”
“Good. We need to get moving asap. We don’t have time to waste.”
“Did you get what you needed, Sheriff?” Bennett asked.
“Pozz,” Hayden replied. “We’re going to escort the convoy south, and then we’ll take the fight to the enemy.”
Bennett smiled. “Yes, sir. I like that plan.”
“I’m going to connect with Hicks and Barnes,” Hayden said. “I’d like the Centurions on watch while we reconfigure the convoy to include the people here.”
Rico glanced at Bennett, whose expression seemed to suggest that she didn’t need to fulfill Hayden’s request. But why wouldn’t she? “Of course, Sheriff. Consider it done.”
“Thank you,” Hayden replied.
“Sheriff, when you have a minute, I have something I’d like to discuss with you in private.”
Hayden seemed surprised, but he nodded. “We’ll make time once the caravan is moving again, pozz?”
“Pozz,” she replied.
Hayden headed off toward the garage. Rico put her helmet back on, activating the comm. “Centurions, we’re on watch duty.” She looked out at their surroundings. “I’m marking squad members and positions. Head to your marks and stay alert.”
She sent Bennett to the furthest vantage point she could find, hoping to get him away from her. Even though everything he had said made sense, there was something about it—and him—that was making her uneasy.
And it wasn’t just because she was attracted to him for all the wrong reasons.
She hoped.
46
Hayden
It took nearly an hour to get the people and equipment in Sanose organized. There were close to two thousand survivors in the settlement, and Hayden was sad to see a majority of them were adults. So many had brought their children north to Sanisco, thinking the walls and the closeness to Sheriff Duke would protect them.
Instead, it had led to their deaths.
They had managed to round up a few more large trucks, including a pair of gas tankers that had once delivered fuel from a nearby depot, which itself had gotten oil from the country’s unused strategic reserves. It was hardly comfortable for people to go into the tanks—even with a basic cleaning the smell of gas was intense—but there was little choice. They couldn’t afford to make the journey on foot. And at least, with guards on top, they could leave the hatches open.
Despite the extra vehicles, they still wound up extremely crowded—every car, truck, and van heavily loaded with people, equipment and excess tanks of fuel. There was nothing easy about the trip. The good news was that as long as the roads remained clear it wouldn’t be a long one.
Hayden wanted to remain in the tank with the survivors, to offer his personal presence in their support. But Rico had told him she needed to speak to him in private, and he knew if she had something she wanted to say in this environment, it had to be important. He decided he would ride in the Parabellum for the first leg of the trip, four hours on the move before a thirty-minute pause to rest, relieve and refuel. He made sure Rico joined him there, and of course Max tagged along too, unwilling to distance himself too far from Hayden.
“Any luck?” Hayden asked. He stood beside the command chair on the dropship’s bridge, looking at the small display mounted there. Pyro was in the seat, overseeing Isaac as he increased his experience at the craft’s controls.
“Nothing so far,” Pyro replied. “We’re probably out of range.”
“I would have expected Bronson to bring the chopper back toward Sanisco by now,” Hayden said. “We aren’t that far out.”
“Maybe he got a look at the fighting on his way in and decided to head somewhere else? Back north?”
Hayden didn’t want to think Bronson would run away from the fight, but he would never have expected the number of deputies who had headed to the bunker to cower. “That’s worrying. If he touched down anywhere Krake could find him…” He sighed. “That Iriquois’ range is enough to get it closer, but maybe not close enough. It would depend on what Hanson has waiting for it.”
“We have to control what we can control,” Pyro said. “That’s what you always said to me.”
Hayden nodded. “Pozz. You’re right. We have to stay the course. I’m floundering a bit right now.”
“It’s okay, Sheriff. You’re a good man, and a badass, but you’re also human.”
“Roger, Sheriff.”
Hayden took another deep breath, pushing it out. Too much downtime gave him too much time to relive the worst moment of his life over and over.
He went forward to the seats in the bow of the ship, where Rico was sitting alone. While Nathan and Caleb were still on the ground with Lucius, Drake and Bennett, Jesse and Spot were offered a chance to get some sleep in the bunks on the third deck.
“Rico,” Hayden said, coming up the aisle. “Mind if I sit?” he asked, pointing to the seat next to her.
“Sheriff. Not at all.” She patted the seat.
He slipped past her legs, coming down beside her. As soon as he hit the chair, he felt as though a thousand-kilogram weight dropped on top of him.
“You look exhausted,” Rico said.
“I got to rest while I was unconscious,” he replied. “You look exhausted.”
“I’ll sleep second shift. And I’m relaxing right now. As much as I can, anyway.”
“You wanted to talk to me about something.”
“Pozz.” Rico lowered her voice. “It’s about Max.”
Hayden glanced at the stairs leading down to the hold, where Max had chosen to take residence. There was no sound coming from below, leaving him to wonder what the Intellect was doing to occupy his time.
“What about him?”
“I’m concerned about its presence,” she said, the words coming out carefully. “Especially considering what we’re up against. A rogue Axon? That could be Vyte. Or it could be Max.” She lowered her voice a little more, leaning over. “For all we know, Max might be Vyte.”
Hayden shook his head. “No. That can’t be possible.”
“I’ve been thinking about this, Hayden. It’s very possible. And even if Max isn’t Vyte, it might be Hanson. You said you sent it through a portal back to the Axon homeworld two months ago, right?”
“That’s right.”
“But then it turns up weeks later at the exact moment you’re in trouble and saves your life? What are the odds of that?”
