by Drew Cordell
I raised my rifle and took out the gunner while the rest of Knight Squad made quick work of the remaining attackers. The Harvesters hadn’t been organized, and once we had taken out the frontline of metalclad bruisers, the rest didn’t stand a chance against our superior tech.
When they were all down, I walked over to check on everyone else. Aside from recoverable injuries that weren’t serious, we were all fine.
“What the hell was that?” I asked Caeldra. “No strategy, no coherence, just a mad rush.”
“They were either really desperate or drugged out of their minds,” she said as she set about looting the bodies.
“Don’t bother with the junk; just take the guns and ammo,” Caeldra said. “Load them up in the truck.”
Gabe dropped from the truck, landing on the ground and drawing his handgun. “Don’t put that crap in the truck. Carry it. You’re not supposed to know the cargo for this shipment,” he said.
“Is that so?” Caeldra asked, walking up to him and grabbing him by the throat. With a swift motion, she pushed him up against the side of the truck, positioning her feet and pivoting her body for additional leverage. Gabe struggled against her grip, trying to pry loose with his hands, but he hadn’t anticipated Caeldra’s attack. His gun clacked on the surface of the streets as he lost his grip on it. The driver in the cabin was watching with disbelief, but so far hadn’t gotten involved.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Gabe wheezed.
“Quit being an asshole. We’re not carrying this stuff by hand. And if you ever are in charge of another transport again, you need to listen to your protection detail and let us do our jobs. You can rest assured I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure we never have to work with the likes of you again.”
Caeldra squeezed harder, choking Gabe then releasing her grip and walking away. Gabe bent over, leaning on his knees and coughing as he recovered. His face was flustered and blotched with red patches. He muttered something under his breath, and Caeldra smiled. Walking over to the driver’s side, Caeldra simply held out her hand, and the driver handed her the keys to open the doors on the back of the truck.
Caeldra cracked open the swinging doors. There was a single, metal crate in the center, about four feet long on each side. Heavy, elastic bands anchored the container to the floor, holding it still. Circular dents littered the sides of the crate where bullets had struck, but it looked like they hadn’t gone through. Pulling the datapad from its mount on the inside of the cargo hold, Caeldra powered it on and inspected it.
“No records.” She unlatched the elastic bands on the floor and powered on the electronic console on the side. This was some serious tech, and it wasn’t like the standard cargo they’d been shipping. After fumbling with the console, she swore and jumped out of the back, landing on the pavement lightly and walking over to Gabe. “You need to open the crate,” she said.
“I don’t have the codes; this one’s for the higher ups,” he said, reaching down and picking up the handgun he had dropped. Gabe returned the gun to its holster and started to approach the cabin of the truck again.
“Unless you want us to leave for violating our agreement, you need to tell us what’s in the crate,” Caeldra said. “Our contract states we offer protection detail in exchange for supply and food shipments to our Guild. You’re supposed to disclose any hazardous or valuable cargo to our Guild before we take a job. And, most importantly, you’re supposed to listen to what we say and follow our orders when we’re out in the Slums.”
“Look, they didn’t even tell me what’s in it, only that delivery was urgent and we’d get a big bonus when we delivered it. They told us to move it as standard cargo to avoid suspicion. That’s all I know,” Gabe said.
“Not good enough. Who are they?” I asked.
“A business partner who demands discretion in our dealings. Look, it’s of no concern to the Champions.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. You made it our concern when you lied and put all of our lives at risk,” Caeldra said.
Gabe set his jaw stubbornly. “I don’t know what’s in the crate, and I can’t tell you my business partner.”
Caeldra had her CZR-7 drawn in an instant, pointing it at Gabe’s head. Gabe tried to draw his weapon, but Mary moved in, swiping it from the holster and pulling it away from him.
“You’ve got about five seconds to start talking or open the crate,” Caeldra said, her voice dark.
Gabe held his ground.
“Look, pal, you don’t want to test her. Believe me,” I offered.
“You really want to start a war with us, kid?” Gabe asked, but his fear betrayed the confidence he was trying to convey. He was shaking.
Caeldra pulled back the slide of her weapon, and there was no way Gabe would have noticed it, but she ejected the magazine into her jacket sleeve and depressurized the weapon all in a single, deft motion.
“You’re not going to shoot. We both know it, kid.”
Caeldra shrugged and pulled the trigger, the clicking sound audible.
Gabe screamed as he heard the sound. Caeldra punched with her gun, cracking it on Gabe’s nose. The break of his nose was audible even from where I was standing. Staggering back in pain and cursing, Gabe raised his hands to cover his bleeding nose.
“You bitch! My Guild is going to hear about this and there will be consequences!”
Caeldra smirked and loaded the magazine back into her gun, pointing it at Gabe again. “My weapon won’t be empty the next time I pull the trigger,” she said.
Gabe looked at the driver, searching for help, but the driver apparently knew better than to get in Caeldra’s way.
“We’re transporting data. A third party found some strange data related to the Rail operations, but that’s all I know,” Gabe said. “I don’t know who the third party is or anything specific about the data.”
“You don’t think that’s something that would interest our Guild?” I asked in disbelief.
“It’s our property, and once it’s been vetted, if your Guild wants access, you’re going to have to pay,” Gabe said.
“Unbelievable. We’re the only ones who might be able to get New York out of this mess, and you put a price tag on surveillance,” Leroy said.
“I don’t know anything about the specifics. It’s just business.”
“Have you managed to get in contact with anyone in your Guild?” Caeldra asked.
“No, nothing. They don’t even know where we are. I’m going to—”
Gabe was cut off as Caeldra shot a burst of energy bolts into him and the driver, killing them on the spot.
“What the hell?” Mary yelled, jumping back and pointing her weapon at Caeldra. I reached out and pushed her weapon down, staring down at the bodies in partial shock.
“What have you done?” I asked, staring at Caeldra as she lowered her weapon. We were all staring in disbelief; it was unthinkable what the Scavenger Guild had done, but Caeldra’s actions could start a war—they would start a war.
“Do you have any idea what the Council is going to do to you?” Leroy cried.
“I made the choice none of you had the guts to make. I gave us a chance. Those scum bags aren’t going to hold information that could save humanity and hawk it like the rest of their crap. The Guild won’t tolerate it, and I made things simple. We don’t have the luxury of time to wage political battles with the Scavenger Guild,” Caeldra said, walking past us to the back and inspecting the crate.
“They can exile you for this or worse,” Leroy yelled, sounding more scared than angry.
“I’m getting out of here. I don’t want any part of this,” Adam said.
I grabbed Adam’s shoulder. “You’re not going anywhere, not until we figure out what we’re going to do with this. Caeldra will be accountable for her actions, but if we don’t work as a group and solve this problem, we put our lives in more danger than they need to be in,” I said.
“You need to invoke control of
the squad, Jake,” Mary said, staring at Caeldra then glancing at the bodies of the two Scavenger Guild men.
I shook my head, exhaling and cursing under my breath. “I really wish you wouldn’t have put us in this situation, Caeldra. We’re obligated to report this under oath.”
“No one saw anything, no one heard anything, and the cargo was destroyed,” she said.
“It’s not that simple. We’ll all face the same punishment as you if we try to cover it up and it’s discovered. The only way we cover this up is to unanimously agree to stay quiet,” I said. “Frankly, I’m opposed to that. Caeldra, you’re under arrest. Please comply so we don’t have to restrain you,” I said. “I’m formally taking control of the squad until we’re back to the Guild Hall and the Council can institute a new squad commander.”
“I relinquish my command without complaint,” Caeldra said simply.
I shook my head. “Dammit, Caeldra.”
“Is it any different from when you killed Bernie in the Mids?” she shot.
I glared at her, trying to maintain my composure and not lose my temper. “That’s not fair and you know it,” I said.
Mary stepped forward, angry as well. “You didn’t have to kill them; we could have just held them hostage and worked all of this out.”
“I don’t know if you’ve looked around, but we’re not in any position to escort prisoners back to the Guild Hall. We’re twenty miles out, and we only have rations for two days’ travel each. Three if we stretch it. We need to get this crate open, transfer the data, destroy it, and get the hell out of here. If the Council plays their cards right, then they can spin this as a Harvester attack and we get away clean,” Caeldra said.
“Caeldra, you screwed up,” Leroy said, raising his hands and placing them on his head before pacing back and forth.
I reloaded my handgun before returning it to its holster. “That wouldn’t work anyway, Caeldra. The Scavenger Guild has a delegate that sits in on all the Council sessions. I don’t see a way to avoid war, and without the Scavenger Guild’s resources, we’re going to struggle. River’s Port will join their cause and rally for them, and we’ll be fighting against them when we should be fighting the Omniscience Engine. I can’t believe this,” I said.
“You destroyed our relationship,” Leroy yelled, angry now.
“I did a lot more than that,” Caeldra fumed.
I grimaced. “Get out of here, Caeldra. The more I think about it, the more I think they’re going to kill you on the spot. I’ll take the heat for letting you go, but you need to leave. Stay on the surface, and I’ll meet up with you to bring you supplies to survive. We’ll try to work this out when we can.”
“Jake, we need to take her in,” Mary said. “This isn’t your fault; you shouldn’t get in trouble for her actions.”
Caeldra met my eyes, tears pooling in the corners of hers now. “I’m sorry I felt like I had to do this.”
“I am too,” I murmured. “Leave.” My voice was low and cold. Mary tried to say something again, but I turned away from her.
“Leroy, if you want to go with her you can, just come back to the Guild Hall later and we’ll get this sorted,” I said.
Leroy shook his head. “We’re done,” he said to Caeldra, skulking off toward the back of the cargo hold to inspect the crate.
“I’m out of here,” Caeldra said, starting off on the street and powering her rifle’s light back on.
“Wait for me on the streets and keep your radio ready,” I called after her. She disappeared around the corner without replying.
“Well, that’s great,” Mary grumbled.
I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself. “Let’s get back to work; we’ll deal with this later. Let’s get this crate open and transfer the data so we can get out of here. Bailey, Adam, I want you on overwatch while we figure this out.”
The two of them nodded and climbed back on top of the truck.
16 DATA
Leroy continued to struggle with the crate, fidgeting with the datapad he had rigged to the console and cursing.
“You want me to take a look?” Adam asked.
“No. There’s no way we’ll be able to crack this; we need Martinez,” he responded, unplugging the datapad and returning it to his pack.
“How heavy is the crate?” I asked.
“Heavy, but we may be able to slide it,” Leroy said.
“We could attach the restraint lines and drag it behind us, maybe make some kind of sled to pull it on?” Mary offered.
It was worth a shot, but we were still way too far away from the Guild Hall. Transporting the huge crate through the Undercity would be close to impossible.
With our combined efforts, we managed to push the crate out of the back of the truck and it landed on a pile of trash with a dull thud. The thing must have weighed close to four hundred pounds. Tying the restraining cables to the crate’s handles, we prepared to haul it across the lifeless streets.
“Mary and Bailey, I want you to guard us and be on lookout while Adam, Leroy, and I pull the crate,” I said.
They nodded, and we took our positions. With three of us pulling, the weight wasn’t so bad, but the screeching of metal on concrete was horrific, and we were sure anything within a few blocks could hear what we were doing.
I was sweating now, bracing myself before hauling the box with the other men. It was grueling work, and we had only managed a few blocks. We were broadcasting to the Guild, but we had yet to get in range or pick up a signal. The emptiness of the streets and lifelessness of the buildings was eerie, and I still hadn’t gotten used to it. No matter what, it always felt like something was watching me, and the powerful beams from our flashlights were eventually consumed by the darkness in the distance. With hundreds of buildings with multiple floors and no power, there could be enemies watching us from anywhere.
“I still don’t understand why those Harvesters attacked us like that. It didn’t seem right,” Mary said.
“They were just desperate, not thinking clearly,” I said, letting my weapon swing from its sling and trudging forward, holding the straps of my backpack with my hands to reduce the discomfort.
“Knight Squad, we’ve received your transmission. We’re sending Martinez with a protection detail to your location,” a voice crackled over the radio.
“Send Edgar or Marwin as well,” I responded through my headset, hoping it would go through.
“Copy. They’re both coming,” the voice said.
With the new squad heading in our direction, we moved the crate to a more defensible location off the street and surrounded it, scanning the darkness of the Slums with our weapon lights. It was eerily quiet now, and none of us were in the mood for conversation. I could only hope Caeldra’s actions helped the Guild. I didn't think anyone in Knight Squad was prepared for war, but then again, it would be a long, cold war. The Scavenger Guild wasn’t militaristic like ours; they would fight us by cutting supply lines and restricting our access to River’s Port. Without relations with their Guild, we’d have to rely on our own resources and food to survive. That or invade River’s Port.
“Do you really think we’re going to go to war?” Bailey asked me.
I turned to her. “I don’t know. It’s not up to me. Let’s not talk about it right now; stay focused on the task at hand,” I said, casting a quick glance at Leroy. I knew he didn’t want to talk about it either; he just lost Caeldra as his girlfriend after all.
“Yes sir,” Bailey responded.
We passed another half hour in silence until we spotted Shadow Squad which broadcasted over the radio to let us know they were nearby. When they arrived, Martinez started working on the crate, and I pulled Marwin and Edgar to the side.
“Jake, what the hell is going on? Where is Caeldra?”
I explained what she’d done, answering their questions as they came up.
“My God. I can’t believe they would try to commercialize that information, but I also can’t believe Caeldra
would do that,” Edgar said.
“I’m guessing it was to give us the option to cover it up,” I replied. “The Scavenger Guild members we were with hadn’t been able to connect with anyone since we left the Docks. Caeldra wanted it to look like the Harvesters did it and didn’t want to take prisoners back to the Guild Hall since we were so far away.”
“Where is Caeldra?” Marwin asked.
“She left,” I said.
“You didn’t think to try to stop her?” Edgar shouted.
“We had bigger problems on our hands. Besides, she would probably have been exiled anyway,” I said apologetically.
“That wasn’t your call to make. You should have detained her; we’re going to have to put this in front of the Council,” Edgar said.
“What about the Scavenger Guild representatives? We’re stealing their data right now, and two of their members are dead by our hands,” Marwin said.
“Is Caeldra in radio contact range?” Edgar asked, turning back toward me.
I shrugged. “Not sure.”
“Look, I know you’re trying to protect her because of everything she’s done for you, but we need to talk to her if we want to have any shot of helping her. I can tell you right now no one on the Council would vote for her execution. Exile is on the table, but we also need to figure out a way to sort this out without going to war with the Scavenger Guild. I can tell you it wouldn’t be a fun war to fight, and we’d be severely depleted of resources,” Edgar said.
“Can I tell her I have your word she won’t be killed for this?” I asked.
The two of them considered what I asked, then nodded. “Just get her to come back and we’ll do everything we can to protect her while we work this problem,” Marwin said.
“Caeldra, this is Jake. If you can hear me, come to the location I’m pinging. I have Edgar and Marwin’s word you won’t be executed. Exile isn’t off the table, but you can still help the Guild. I know you did what you did because you thought it would help, and you can still help if you come to talk to us,” I said.