Xena moved into the driver’s seat and stared straight ahead. She paused for a dozen seconds, then looked at me. “If you move your head around, the headset will track your movements. You can assign the guns to fire where your pupils look,” she explained, changing the subject.
As I held the control sticks, I could feel triggers on each one. “I’m guessing this is how I fire?” I asked.
“Yes. Each control stick fires an individual laser cannon. I’ll likely be the one to engage the Moderator, but if not, my recommendation is to fire both cannons simultaneously if you see the XU-97 in your sights. Once you fire, continue holding down the triggers until you either lose sight of the jet, or the cannons stop firing.” she advised.
“Simple enough,” I muttered.
“It’s very simple. You know, I find it ironic. I taught you how to pilot the upgraded XU-97 so that we could save humanity, now we’re learning how to shoot it down to prevent it from destroying it,” she said.
I raised my eyebrows. “That’s true. Wanna hear something even more strange?” I asked.
“Why not, Captain.”
“The Moderator occupies what was your previous battle chassis, that same android frame was originally sent on Titan’s maiden voyage as a stowaway, to assassinate me. Now, it’s back under the Moderator’s control, and it’s more powerful than ever,” I said.
“It’s come full circle,” she said, shaking her head.
Chapter 10
THE NEXT DAY XENA AND I met on the south gate again. Today would be a live fire exercise with the AA tank’s weapon systems.
We were passing through the south gate. A dozen sentries were huddled together near a .50 caliber machine gun emplacement. Their spirits seemed high considering they were unaware of the impending doom. A young sentry told a story to the others. I saw a few smiles and heard some laughs as he brought the story to life with animated hand and body gestures.
As we neared them, the young man stopped telling his story and the sentries all turned to have a look at us.
“Ah, ma’am,” the storyteller said respectfully.
“Yes,” I said. Xena and I stopped. He glanced at Xena curiously before focusing on me.
The young man pointed his assault rifle out at the AA tank. “Any idea why the Engineer brought that thing back here?” he asked with a Midwestern United States accent.
“Because it’s operational,” I replied.
“Yeah, but, it’s for aircraft,” he said, ducking his head as he looked toward the exit. “We don’t see aircraft. Not only that, we’re underground, so there’s not really a threat,” he challenged.
I put my hand on my hip. “Were you at the Engineer’s meeting in the Great Hall?” I asked.
“Yes ma’am,” he replied.
“Then you know we just eliminated a convoy of vehicles that posed a threat to this region. How many convoys posed a threat to the Legion while the Mave were roaming the area?” I asked.
“Ah, not any that I can remember,” he answered.
“Exactly. Things are changing with the absence of the Mave, people will start to explore more and stumble on things that could threaten our presence. Eventually aircraft could be one of those things,” I explained. I had to think of something, and my response wasn’t exactly a lie.
He nodded. “Oh. Yeah, I didn’t really think about it like that. You’re probably right,” he said. As we started to walk away, he stopped us again.
“Ma’am, sorry to ask, but do you have any elk jerky?” he asked.
“Uh. No, I’m sorry,” I replied. He gave me a confused look. I had no idea jerky was so common. I reached in my coat and grabbed one of the small nutrition packs I was given.
“Here, this is all I have,” I said.
“Thanks, but no thanks,” he replied.
“Suit yourself.”
“Captain,” Xena said, nodding behind us. Far down the tunnel, I could see hundreds of civilians headed toward us, along with two dozen Legion soldiers leading them. It was time to begin the process of moving the population to the temporary safe shelters. They were moving in an orderly, calm fashion, walking with only what they could carry.
There was little talk among them, but there was a certain strength and grit about their demeanor. Most people seemed proud with their heads held high. There were no smiles, but no frowns either. Considering what they’d been through with the Mave, this was a cakewalk.
I was reminded of videos I’d seen from the second World War. Despite the horrors people had all endured, they seemed built to move forward under any circumstances. This was a strong contrast to the cushy culture I was subjected to most of my life.
Everyone was bundled up in cold weather gear. The children looked like balls of fur, even their little faces were covered. I grinned as a boy about six years old waved at Xena.
Xena glanced at me and waved back to the boy. His little brown eyes widened in awe as he gravitated toward Xena. But the boy’s mother appeared from the sea of faces and steered her son away from us. She pulled the boy in tight to her body, then gave Xena a fierce glare.
Xena shrugged. “I don’t understand, Captain. I was very pleasant to the child,” she said.
I leaned toward Xena. “Most mothers don’t take chances. Even though people here know you’re on our side, and that you’re a hero, mothers are different,” I explained.
Xena’s eyes lit up. “Much like the way you look after Leo and Neona?” she asked.
I narrowed my eyes at Xena. “Uh. Well. I, don’t know—”
But I did know. While I was taken back by Xena’s comment, it was apparent to me now, in Leo’s absence, that I missed him in a way that I hadn’t missed anyone else before. A paralleled, shared emotion with Luther perhaps. I often absorbed some of his pain. But there was a longing need inside my soul to know how he was, what he was doing, and it was painful to imagine he was hurting or worse.
I grabbed my chest. “Ah-h,” I muttered.
“Captain, is everything alright?” Xena asked.
Leo was my son, and for the first time in my life, I felt a sliver of what the woman before me felt—a need to protect what was mine. When Leo decided to stay with the nomads, I chalked it up as the right thing to do. It was right, but perhaps I was also coping with the fact that I likely wouldn’t see him again.
I always treated Leo and Neona as peers, but perhaps they needed more than that, even later in life. It didn’t cross my mind because they were grown, and I never had a mother either, so it felt like a natural progression. But it wasn’t right for me to pass down wrongs either, even though it was unintentional on my part.
I promised myself in that moment that if we survived the Moderator’s assault, I would make myself available to Neona as Luther’s other half.
But it was clear that opportunity had already passed with Leo.
“Captain, your heartbeat is higher than normal and erratic. Should we seek medical attention?” she asked.
I cleared my throat. “No. I’m fine, Xena, should we start training?” I shook it off.
Out near the AA tank, the Mauler was idling. There was a group of about four dozen elderly and injured people standing near the vehicle. Many of them had walking canes. There were soldiers with them, one for every two civilians.
Zion got out of the driver’s seat of the Mauler and stepped on the tank tracks. He overlooked the small crowd. He glanced over and met eyes with me and nodded. I threw up my hand and waved. Considering the situation, he seemed quite positive. I wondered if he knew the truth about the Moderator’s arrival.
Zion looked down the mountain before sizing up the elderly group around him. “Alright, ladies and gentlemen, you won’t be walking to the shelter, you’ll be coming with me. Presently, I have eleven people inside the Mauler. I’ll be taking them to the base of the mountain to load them up in a transport trailer. After that, I’ll come back and forth until everyone is loaded. When we finish, then we will proceed to the temporary shelters. I su
ggest waiting inside the entrance where it’s warmer until I come back. You shouldn’t have to wait more than fifteen minutes,” he explained.
The soldiers escorted the group back to the entrance as they stood just inside the gate, waiting for Zion to return. I noticed the Legion soldiers were very attentive to their needs, escorting them step by step. It warmed my heart to see them in action.
Xena turned toward me. “Captain, I find the treatment of the older population to be, interesting.”
“How so?” I asked.
She looked at them. “Seems a great deal of time and resources are devoted to accompany them safely to the shelters. Wouldn’t it be more efficient for them to stay here, deep underground with the doctors and the humans that are bedridden?” she asked.
I raised my eyebrows. “Possibly, yes. That would save time while we could do other things to prepare for the Moderator. But, that’s not how we operate. Luther is doing everything in his power to keep families together in case we don’t stop the Moderator. The loss of these elders would be a tremendous blow to morale if these walls collapse and seal them in a frozen grave,” I replied.
Xena stared at them. “I understand the desire to preserve all human life. However, spending so much time on these people could impair our ability to repel the Moderator. This could be devastating for the human species,” she said.
I nodded. “They are more than just walking time capsules. If the Moderator destroys our home here, the temporary shelters will be our new homes. They’ll need to formulate new strategies and leadership to survive, and having the eldest community members around would be a massive advantage for guidance. There’s no way to replace experience and wisdom. Just think how much you’ve learned about humans in the short time you’ve been on Earth,” I said.
She gazed past the elderly folks before turning toward me. “Thank you for explaining, Captain. While I don’t fully agree with the strategy, your insight gives me perspective. The tradeoff in preserving these elderly humans could be beneficial in the long run, to pass on knowledge. It’s a shame that humans don’t have a longer lifespan though, even more knowledge could be accumulated and passed on,” she said.
“Well, murderous machines haven’t helped us live any longer, Xena,” I said, grinning.
“No. They haven’t,” she replied. “I’m just glad that I’m not one of those machines,” she added.
“Me too, our friendship might suffer,” I replied.
“Suffer being the keyword, Captain,” she joked. Her eyes flashed red momentarily as the synthetic muscles in her face simulated a smile.
I laughed out loud and shook my head while she held a stoic, upright pose. It felt good to let out laughter. It was unexpected considering the situation.
We watched as the Mauler climbed back up the hill and parked near the entrance. As the elders began to shuffle their way to the vehicle, Xena stepped forward. She got under the arm of an elderly woman to help her.
I gasped. A Legion soldier was already assisting the woman. He did a double take as Xena escorted her from the opposite arm. “I’m here to help,” Xena assured, glancing at the soldier before looking down at the woman.
The old woman never looked up at Xena.
“She’s blind and can barely hear anything you say,” the soldier informed Xena.
“That increases the chances of her accepting my assistance then, don’t you think?” Xena asked. The soldier wearing a ski mask held his stare at Xena without a word as I followed behind them. I ushered a shorter man with a terrible arch in his back.
He looked up at me. “You know, you don’t have to help me. I’ve been doing this on my own since my wife passed,” he assured. I noticed he had a southern United States accent.
“Just in case,” I said, grinning.
“Well, okay then,” he replied, pushing a pair of thick glasses forward with his other hand. Xena carefully hoisted each person up on the Mauler’s tank tracks with ease, as if they were small children.
“Here you are,” she said to Zion. He took over, guiding the elderly inside the Mauler’s interior.
The old man that I escorted to the Mauler was staring at the entrance, waiting his turn. “You know, I was one of the first to come here. I was younger then, real handsome. You probably would have liked me,” he said, smiling.
“Probably,” I smiled back.
As Xena reached out for him, he held his stare at his home. “I don’t think I’ll see it again, will I?” he asked. He turned and faced me, staring deep into my eyes.
I was taken off guard by his comment. “I don’t see any reason why not,” I replied as Xena lifted him up.
Zion peeked inside the Mauler and waved the rest of the group off. “That’s enough for now, we’re full. I’ll be right back for the rest of you,” he said.
Before Zion got back in the vehicle, he stared down at me. “Are you having separation anxiety from your war horse yet?” he said, gesturing at the Mauler.
I glanced over at the AA tank about fifty meters away. “Looks like I’ve got a new one for the time being,” I said, putting my hands on my hips as I looked up at him.
He nodded and crouched down on the tank tracks. He leaned in toward me while staring at the AA tank. “That’s what I heard. Knight Renheart told me. Everything. Him and I go way back... and let me say this to you—I rest easier knowing that you stand between the Moderator and my family, my people. It’s difficult for me to imagine this is really happening, but you’ve proven yourself before, and I know you’ll do it again,” he whispered, patting me on the shoulder.
I stared through him. “Thanks,” I said. He quickly stood up and got inside the Mauler. “We’ll be right back,” he shouted loud enough, so that the elderly waiting to be picked up on the next run could hear him.
I turned away from him as Xena and I escorted the remaining elders back to the entrance. I thought about what Zion said. It didn’t really matter to me who got the opportunity to engage the Moderator, but Zion’s confidence in me instilled a sense of belonging. It wasn’t really what he said, but his energy, and the way he looked at me was that of supreme confidence.
We continued helping the elders until all of them were loaded up on the Mauler. After the last trip, Xena turned toward the AA tank. “Let’s continue training, shall we?” she asked.
“Absolutely,” I said.
“Do you notice anything different about the AA tank?” she asked.
“Looks like it was moved,” I replied.
“It was,” she said as we approached the tank. There was a hole in the ground near it. “This is an access tunnel to the Legion that was sealed off years ago. The Engineer said it works well as a foxhole,” she said as I peered down into the hole. The circular descent consisted of rock and ice walls. It appeared to be bored out by a large drill. There was a small ladder inside.
“Once you reach the bottom, there’s a small area for berthing. The Engineer’s men put a small heater and blankets inside there. From now until the time the Moderator arrives, we’re here to stay,” she said.
“Makes sense,” I muttered. Even though I wasn’t thrilled about my living quarters below, it was only logical that we remain on station.
“There’s also food and water down there, enough for a few days. I expect the Moderator’s arrival before then though,” she said.
Xena kneeled, pointing to the undercarriage of the tank. “There’s access underneath it. I’m going to park the tank over your foxhole. In the rare event that I’m unable to perform, you’ll need to climb up inside and take over,” she gestured.
“Got it,” I said.
“I’ll be inside the AA tank the entire time, scanning. Obviously, the reason you’re underground is because the Moderator could spot me first. There’s no reason for both of us to die inside the tank. If the Moderator sees me first, you’ll know it. The XU-97 will melt this tank and your foxhole will fill with toxic fumes, killing you in seconds. You’ll need to wear your helmet at all times, Ca
ptain,” she instructed.
“Dying horribly from suffocation wasn’t what I had in mind,” I said.
“Keep your helmet on. I would rather you live to be an elder someday. Your counsel and wisdom will prove valuable to the younger generations,” she said.
I looked at her and grinned before climbing down into the foxhole. Xena reached out to help me as I eased down the ladder.
There was a blue light at the bottom of the foxhole. The descent was about three meters deep. As my foot touched the last step, it became apparent to me that I would need to crouch to transverse further. I kneeled on the rocky, ice-covered floor, assessing the one-way path ahead.
“Captain,” Xena said.
I looked up at her, donning my helmet as snow flurries slowly drifted down from above. “Yeah?”
“After you have a look, can you come back up so that we can continue our training where we left off?” she asked.
“Of course. I’ll be right up,” I said, pushing into the small tunnel.
There were cool blue lights on each side that gave the passageway a calming feel. To the right about three meters away was a left turn. I made my way there, peeking around the corner. There was just enough room for a small sleeping bag and folded blankets, along with a metal container.
Surprisingly, the ceiling was just high enough for me to stand up. I opened the container and noticed several items; packages of food and water, along with my C-12 laser pistol. There was also a first aid kit.
I put my hands on my hips and sighed. “I guess this is it.”
I ducked down and headed back out to the tunnel. I noticed the dim sunlight that was beaming down into the foxhole was gone. The tunnel was black as night.
I moved back through the tunnel and looked up. Xena had parked the AA tank on top of the foxhole. There was a small access point underneath it, giving me a glimpse into the interior. As I made my way up the ladder, Xena leaned over, making eye contact. “So how would you rate the accommodations down there?” she asked.
The Legacy of the Lioness Page 15
