Oblivion: The Complete Series (Books 1-9)

by Joshua James

  Agent Moreno. The bitch really did it. How the hell did she expect me to set up an illegal transit more than two weeks ahead of schedule?

  Moreno thought rules didn’t apply to her. But now she’d gone too far.

  “And how did that happen?” Engano asked, beginning to walk again. She moved the video call to a corner of her HUD. Her convoy of cars was at the bottom of the very long and wide set of stairs that led up to the Senate Circle.

  “We don’t know. They were able to shake a couple fighters. Then they somehow—” Harmonie shook his head. “I saw it and still can’t believe it, but they somehow slipped by the turrets.”

  “I’m assuming you’re tracking the ship?”

  “We are, ma’am.”

  “Why do I feel like there’s a ‘but’ coming?” Engano stopped on the steps. From her vantage point, she could see much of the city. The Government District was built on a hill.

  “But it crashed.”

  “Where?”

  “Near Vassar’s tomb. Actually, not just near it—”

  “Survivable?” Engano interrupted.

  “We think so.”

  “Send a crew out immediately,” Engano said. “I want whoever is in that ship arrested. I’ll have a clean-up team there as well, to make sure this lapse in security isn’t public news.”

  Dammit, Agent Moreno. That’s gonna be a public relations disaster. You better not die, so I can strangle you myself.

  “Understood. Right away, ma’am. End call.” Lt. Harmonie went to work following Engano’s orders.

  “What is it, ma’am?” asked Stacey as Engano hurried to get in the waiting hovercar.

  “Nothing, Stacey. Just more shit to add to the growing pile. Let’s get out of here. I need a hot bath and a strong—”

  Engano was interrupted by the unmistakable sound of an explosion.

  Thirty-One

  It wasn’t just a single explosion, she realized. It was quickly followed by another, and another.

  “Are we under attack?” asked Stacey as she and Engano looked out over the city. From the look of it, they were very much under attack. They watched as more and more explosions were visible. Multiple towers of black smoke arose in different locations across the sections of Vassar-1 visible from their position.

  “We’re too late,” murmured Engano.

  “Too late for what?” Stacey was on the verge of tears as she watched what certainly were massive losses of life. She wasn’t military. She wasn’t even technically an agent. She was a civilian with a high clearance job. Emotionally, she wasn’t ready for an attack on such a large scale.

  Engano’s HUD blew up. Notification after notification arrived. She had to turn off her notifications so she could think for a second. When she did, she came to one conclusion.

  “It’s Oblivion. It must be.”

  “But you just said—”

  “I know what I said in that bullshit presentation,” Engano snapped. “And I’m telling you this is Oblivion.”

  Engano felt helpless, and she hated that. She didn’t know what to do, or where to start. This was clearly a massive coordinated attack. Even though she had more resources at her fingertips that almost anyone else on the planet, at that moment she was left with as many questions as anyone else had.

  But her answers would come soon enough. She needed to get herself into a position to respond quickly.

  More vehicles pulled up at the bottom of the Senate Circle’s stairs. Senators and their security teams started to pour out the building. All of them were too panicked or scared to pay the Director much mind or ask her any more questions. They just wanted to get to safety. Only one of them stopped.

  “Director? What is this?” asked Senator LeFleur. “I just got three or four calls saying that multiple farms were attacked outside the city, too. We lost the bio-dome on one of them. Over twenty workers died, that we know of. Who’s doing this?” He was calm but demanding.

  “Terrorists, Senator.”

  LeFleur shook his head. “You bastards knew this was coming and you let it happen. All of you.”

  “And you, Senator,” Engano responded coldly.

  LeFleur shook his head like he hadn’t heard her. “First you kill my family. Now, you kill everyone else’s. Where does the incompetence end?”

  A military transport flew in from up above, coming straight towards the Senate Circle stairs. Engano knew it was coming for her. In case of an attack, the standard procedure was to get her evacuated, along with the highest-ranking generals and military personnel, even though it was created with the UEF in mind, not crazed cultist terrorists.

  “Where are you going? What are we supposed to do?” asked LeFleur.

  The AIC military transport hovered about a foot above the stairs. Soldiers in the open doorways had to ward off and tell senators to stay back. They were there only for Engano and, by extension, Stacey.

  “My advice would be to stay in the Government District. If you go out into those streets, you’ll be targets. At least here there are military and guards. They’ll keep you safe,” advised Engano as Stacey was helped aboard the transport.

  “You’ll have to answer for this, you know,” pointed out Senator LeFleur. “An intelligence failure like this, not seeing this coming. You’ll have to answer to the Senate and the people.”

  “I know.” Engano took the outstretched hand of one of the soldiers on board. He pulled her up into the transport. “But not right now. Right now, we have to stop this.”

  Thirty-Two

  “So…are you going to tell me what happened to her?” The orange-eyed proprietor of New Dawn Bio Hacks washed her hands in the sink of the business’ surgery room.

  Ben sat in a corner, exhausted. Ada was in the room with him. Everyone else was out in the lobby area, upon the orange-eyed woman’s insistence.

  “Our ship crashed, she was behind the piloting sticks, took a piece of glass in her stomach,” answered Ada.

  “I know that. I just took the piece out of her. What I mean is, how did she end up with you lot?”

  “We’re her friends,” responded Ben. “Not that I’m not grateful for what you did, saving her and all—”

  “Hold off the parade, kid. We’re not out of the woods yet. She’s stable, for now.” The orange-eyed woman turned to Ada and Ben, leaned against the edge of the sink she’d just washed herself off on. She used a towel to dry her hands and forearms off.

  “We’re grateful. But with all due respect, who the hell are you? And why did she want us to bring her to you?” Ben, now happy that Morgan wasn’t going to die in his arms, had a boatload of questions, and he was determined that this stranger was going to answer at least a few of them.

  “Wait…are you telling me she didn’t tell you?” The woman looked surprised. Ben realized that it was just her irises that glowed orange. They were clearly artificial, much like Morgan’s.

  Ada stood with her arms folded. “Didn’t tell us what?”

  “Jeez, she didn’t. You poor bastards. Here.” The woman threw her towel to Ben. “Wipe yourself off, son, you’re covered in blood.”

  She walked over to and stood above the sleeping Morgan, looking down at her. “Sorry, love, but it looks like your cover’s blown. And if it isn’t, I’m gonna blow it. Least that can be done for your ‘friends’ here who saved your ass.”

  “Her cover?” Ben asked stupidly.

  Yes, her cover. Of course.

  Ben had known deep down that something about Morgan was different. The fact that a woman like her would get involved with a psycho like Ace and then become...whatever they were at that point...was confusing. It was unbelievable. Her connections had first warned her about the Oblivion double-cross on Earth, and then gotten them off the planet. A little too convenient, and now Ben knew why.

  “I see. You must be the bright one of the bunch,” the woman said. “I’m LaFey, No first name, no last name, just LaFey. That’s all you need to know. And sleeping beauty here, her name is
Clarissa Moreno. Agent Clarissa Moreno, with the AIC Intelligence Agency. In other words, she’s a spook.” The orange eyed woman—LaFey—took out an auto adhesive bandage and placed it over Morgan’s fused stomach wound. The edges of the bandage stuck to the surrounding skin on its own, creating a seal.

  “I don’t believe it,” Ben stammered, but he did. He just couldn’t say it aloud.

  “I don’t really care if you believe me, kid. It’s the truth.” LaFey reached into one of her shirt pockets. Out of it she produced a cigarette case. From it she took out a single cigarette, an incredibly rare item these days.

  Ben stared down at Morgan, shaking his head. “This is crazy,” he whispered.

  “All this time she’s been working for the AIC?” Ada asked. She, too, was looking down at Morgan.

  “Yeah.” LaFey raised one index finger up. The top of it popped off, hanging on by a hinge. Out of the exposed top came a small flame, which she used to light her cigarette. “That’s what I just said.”

  Ben stood up, threw the bloody towel on the floor. “Why?”

  “That’s a great question. I have no idea. I haven’t heard from her for a couple of years now, so I’m kinda wondering the same thing. Honestly thought she was dead, not just ignoring my existence.” LaFey blew smoke in Morgan’s face.

  Was she spying on us? Ben wondered. On me? And if so, for who? What does the AIC want with us?

  “This stays between us,” said Ben. He looked over at Ada. “Understood? None of the others need to know.”

  “Ooooo, secrets, secrets.” LaFey smiled with the cigarette hanging on her bottom lip.

  “What are you talking about? We can’t keep this from them,” Ada said.

  “Yes we can, and we will. Look, the last thing we need right now is for any of us not to trust each other, because we need to rely on each other to survive this fight. They find out she’s a spy, and any trust goes out the window. We know. That’s enough. And when she wakes up, we’ll make damn sure that she’s aware we know.”

  Ben could tell that Ada thought it was a terrible idea, but she just crossed her arms. “I’m not sure about this.”

  “I think it’s a terrible idea,” LaFey said as she took off her bloody apron. “Though I’m not one of your group of….what exactly are all of you to each other, again?”

  Ben and Ada looked at each other.

  “Not sure, huh?” LaFey asked. “I can smell the tension in the air. Anyway, you guys hungry? I’m damn near famished.”

  Thirty-Three

  “So she’s going to be okay?” asked Ace. He slurped down some noodles as he sat around a round table in LaFey’s apartment above New Dawn Bio Hacks.

  “Not making any promises, but she should be fine, handsome.” LaFey made a point to make eye contact with Ace. For all his talk and bravado, Ace actually shied away from her. Seeing that almost made Ben choke on his food as he tried to eat and laugh at the same time.

  “What’s so funny?” Ace asked.

  “Nothing, man, just….nothing. Finish your noodles.” Ben couldn’t help but smile. It wasn’t just Ace that amused him. He was happy that Morgan, or Clarissa, or whoever she would be to them going forward, would be okay. He was happy that for the moment, they had shelter from the madness outside. And he was happy that, for the first time since they’d met, his group, his crew, newer members included, weren’t running or fighting, even though he was aware that wouldn’t last.

  “So what’s your deal?” asked Francesca. Her question was directed at LaFey.

  “Me? Not much. I’m a biohacker, which means I implant all sorts of devices, prosthetics, and other shit into people for credits. You interested? I just got in some new fibrate legs. Sturdy as hell, and strong. They’ll make ya run like a damn gazelle.”

  “No, I think she’s all right,” Ben answered for Francesca.

  “Oh well.” LaFey ate another mouthful of noodles. “Her loss.”

  Ada realized that only Tomas was missing the much-needed meal. “Shouldn’t someone go relieve Tomas? He’s been up there for a while.”

  “I’ll go up and get him. I’m done anyway,” volunteered Ben. He got up, finished his water, then left the apartment.

  There was a staircase that went up to the building’s roof, where Tomas was keeping an eye on the chaos outside, making sure no one was coming for them. As soon as he entered the stairwell, Ben could hear the sounds of fighting outside. He knew, even before he opened the door at the top, that things hadn’t calmed down.

  Ben was smart enough to put together that LaFey wasn’t just a simple biohacker business owner. She too must’ve been AIC Intelligence. How else would she get tech like a camouflage canopy on her rooftop? Stretched out above the roof, the camouflage canopy used miniature cameras to record and project its surroundings, making the roof look much more mundane than it was.

  In reality, there were all sorts of canisters and crates, full of God knew what. There was also a weapons rack with rifles, shotguns, and pistols. LaFey was ready for a fight. Question was, who was she preparing to fight?

  The sounds of explosions and gunfire could still be heard all over the place, to say nothing of the screams. But Ben didn’t hear the crowds, the mass of humanity in the street outside anymore. And judging by the AIC ships screaming overhead, the military and the Sentinels must’ve been doing the hard work of trying to get things under control.

  “How’s it going up here?” asked Ben as he walked over to Tomas, who was set up near the edge of the roof.

  The former special ops operative surveyed the area using the scope on one of LaFey’s rifles. “Okay, I guess. This city? Not so much,” answered Tomas.

  “Still bad?”

  “Come take a look for yourself.”

  Ben reached Tomas, who handed over his rifle. The first thing that he noticed was that the streets were mostly empty. That was, except for the dead who littered it, and the dying who squirmed and moaned. As much as he wanted to help, Ben knew that if they left their safe spot before things died down, they’d be killed as well. Either by the Sentinels, the AIC military, or the damn Oblivion cult terrorists.

  “When was the last time you saw military, police, or terrorists coming down this street?” asked Ben as he continued surveying the surroundings through the rifle scope.

  “There were some City Sentinels about a half an hour ago, but that’s about it. It’s pretty dead, at least here.”

  “Have you heard anything through the HUD feeds?”

  “Just a whole lot of chaos,” Tomas answered. “Hard to make anything of it all. But if you’re asking if it’s clear to move, no, not at all. Still way too hairy out here.”

  “Got it. Go inside and get yourself something to eat. We need everyone as strong as possible. Who knows when the next fight’s coming.” Ben looked away from the scope for a moment.

  “And Morgan? How’s she doing?” asked Tomas before making for the exit off the roof.

  “She’s going to be okay.”

  Tomas nodded, and then walked away.

  Ben’s watch didn’t turn out to be as long as Tomas’. Within twenty minutes, a black gunship landed in the middle of the street not two hundred yards away from the New Dawn’s entrance.

  Ben watched as three tall men emerged from the ship. Each had a shaven head. They wore all black, including their body armor and even the weapons they carried. When they turned their heads, he could see a red streak across each individual’s face. It looked like it was made of smeared blood.

  Some poor soul stumbled out of one of the buildings a hundred yards down the street. They looked shell-shocked, wandering slowly towards the decidedly unfriendly-looking men in black.

  It was a fatal mistake.

  One of the bald men knelt down into a firing crouch. Ben watched as he squeezed off one perfectly-placed round, killing the dazed person with a head shot. It was a senseless murder, though Ben had seen plenty of that on the streets today. But something about this was way off.

&
nbsp; Oblivion cultists were untrained radicals. Most of them, in their attacks, maybe shot guns once or twice in some haphazard training. But these three men in black, Ben knew they were different. Even the way they carried themselves was like soldiers.

  Then another group of people appeared down the street, catching the attention of the bald commandos. There were children with this new group. Ben saw them holding hands with the adults.

  Two of the commandos exchanged a glance that Ben read instantly. They weren’t taking chances. They were going to take them out.

  Ben felt his grip tighten. He couldn’t stand there and watch children be killed, cover be damned.

  His finger moved to the trigger of his rifle.

  Thirty-Four

  Two of the commandos knelt down into firing positions. The remaining one stood and calmly reached for another weapon slung around his shoulder. Ben, from his time in the military, recognized the weapon. It was a multi-launcher.

  Multi-launcher were all-purpose tools of destruction. They could be used to fire all manner of grenades and charge rounds. Police used them for crowd control, shooting gas grenades and other suppressants. Soldiers used them to launch all manner of explosives. Construction workers used them for demolitions, getting shape charges on hard-to-reach portions of buildings.

  Ben put three shots into the back of the standing commando. He crumpled, the multi-launcher falling to the ground beside him.

  The other two commandos spun around, pointing their weapons up toward the rooftops.

  Ben pulled his rifle clear, but not before one of the commandos spotted a glint of light off his scope. Ben saw an unnatural smile spread across the blood-smeared face. He dropped below the lip of the rooftop just as automatic fire started to pepper it.

  Knowing that he needed to warn the others, Ben quickly withdrew from the edge of the roof as pieces of it flew apart under the barrage of gunfire. He kicked the door open and hurried down the stairs. In fact, he was in such a hurry he lost his footing and fell down the last five steps or so.