by Drew Cordell
I took the first shift while Mary and Darren slept by the fire. Not wanting to wake them, I paced along the rooftop, breathing in the crisp night air without my mask. There was no stench this far up, and the freezing air had stopped a lot of the organic decay on the streets. I leaned against the edge of the building, staring out into oblivion.
I couldn’t let anything happen to Mary—I had to protect her, but I was starting to doubt my ability to protect anyone. We were in way over our heads, fighting an impossible war against an omnipotent enemy that controlled what was left of the country. It was impossible not to wonder what was happening in Olympus—how the Omniscience Engine was affecting the highest tier of what had once been a massive country. I thought life probably continued like normal there, and it was likely everyone was oblivious to what had happened in the Mids. At some point we’d need to bring the war to Olympus, but with the crushing loss at the Docks, it was hard to think the Guild could do anything anytime soon. I wanted to walk away from it all, to live the rest of my days with Mary in River’s Port and live a simple life, away from the corruption of the Omniscience Engine, but I couldn’t.
I didn’t have any tears left to shed, but the void I felt in my heart was growing. I needed clarity of thought—a sense of peace. I passed a few hours contemplating everything before waking Darren. With him on watch, I laid next to Mary and pulled her into my arms. She backed up into me sleepily, and I fell asleep holding her.
27 PEACE
I awoke to a smoldering fire, the faint glow of embers just enough to outline the roof. Mary and Darren were already awake and packing up their equipment. Without power, it was always pitch dark in the Slums, but it felt like morning to my internal clock.
“Are we about ready to move?” I asked, trying to overcome my drowsiness.
“Eat something. We’ve got a long trip ahead of us,” Mary said, passing me a ration pack.
I ate absentmindedly and took a few deep gulps of water. “Do we have a plan for this?” I asked.
“I was hoping you would have a plan,” Darren said. “You used to be a Runner, right?”
“Yeah. I know that part of the Undercity pretty well, and we might need to flee quickly if we spot an HK.”
“I should be able to find my way back on my own, but I only know a couple routes. I’m regretting depending on Artemis so much,” Darren said, taking a bite out of his protein bar.
“We’ll make it,” I said, trying to sound more confident than I felt.
After we finished our meal and repacked everything, we started down the staircase, using the flashlights to guide our way. We all put on our masks before exiting the building, sweeping our lights across the abandoned streets and looking for any signs of movement. When there was nothing, we proceeded to walk toward the abandoned warehouse that was the best way to get into the Undercity. The door looked undisturbed, but the electronic panel on the door was fried, apparently destroyed by the EMP. Wedging the blade of the Titan’s sword through the crack of the door, Darren leaned against the hilt and the door popped open.
“Nice work,” Mary said, shining her light inside the warehouse and toward the hatch on the floor as we walked.
I lifted the hatch and stared down into the entrance of the Undercity. A faint, amber glow came from the bottom, indicating the Undercity was unaffected by the EMP. Darren led, climbing down the hatch and raising his weapon.
When Mary and I reached the bottom, we moved through the tunnels as quickly and quietly as possible. My heart thumped in my chest and I anticipated HKs on every turn, but it was as empty as ever. I knew the tunnels well, but my thoughts were frantic and adrenaline coursed through my veins. We opted to carry our weapons, keeping our flashlights in our pockets and moving through the clouds of steam and noxious gas with just the dim light of the wall lamps to guide us. I heard something in the distance and held up my hand, signaling for Mary and Darren to stop. There was a creaking sound, and it sounded like the groan of a pipe, but I wanted to be careful. We weren’t armored, and if an HK got the jump on us, we were dead.
“It’s just the pipes,” Darren whispered.
“Shh,” I hissed. There was another series of groans and a dripping sound. Mary and Darren scanned behind us, trying to peer through the haze of steam.
“Something isn’t right. We need to go a different way,” I said. My intuition was screaming to go somewhere else. I felt something nearby, even if I couldn’t pinpoint where it was.
“I told you, it’s just the pipes. We need to keep walking,” Darren said, stepping to the side and trying to take the lead.
I grabbed Mary’s good hand, holding her back while Darren stepped forward. “Darren, listen to me. Something is wrong. We need to turn around.”
Darren looked back at us with frustration, shouting now. “It was the pipes, let’s—”
Darren’s face exploded in a spray of red mist, coloring the steam around him as fragments of flesh and bone stuck to the wall. Mary screamed and I pulled her away, rushing us around the corner as more kinetic rounds flew through the air. Adrenaline cleared my thoughts, simplifying everything and enhancing my instincts. We kept running, twisting around corners as an unseen enemy continued to chase us. Rounding a corner, I pulled us into a groove in the wall and we waited.
A few seconds later, an HK came around the corner and tried to jump away as it spotted us. I swung my sword as hard as I could from the side, the blade slicing through its armor and damaging the robot. It tried to raise its arm, but I cut down again, slicing through it before driving my blade through the robot’s head. The robot went limp, and I drove the weapon through the robot’s chest several times to make sure it was down. Mary crouched and picked up the robot’s rifle, but it was attached to the arm, unusable by us. She set it back down.
“Come on. There’s likely to be more,” I said, trying to control my nerves as cold electricity pumped through my body.
Mary nodded, keeping her sword raised and following me. I tried to be light on my feet, moving quickly and listening for anything other than silence. The normal sounds of the Undercity continued to reverberate around us, each one freezing the blood in my veins. I didn’t know enough about infrared waves to know if the steam would hide us or not, but I knew that infrared worked in total darkness.
A kinetic blast whizzed past me, slamming into the wall and causing an explosion of concrete and dust to blast from the crater. I continued running, trying not to lose my bearings as we fled the approaching HK. Heavy footsteps thudded behind us as we ran through the cloudy tunnels and toward the Guild Hall.
We weren’t moving fast enough, and we needed to hide. I recognized a maintenance vent to the side, and I halted, helping Mary crawl under a large steam pipe toward the small vent in the wall. Cursing, I followed in behind her, crawling in as fast as possible. I turned my body, shielding her as I watched through a slit between two pipes as three HKs ran past.
“Keep going; there should be an opening on the other side,” I whispered.
“Do you know where it leads?” she asked.
“No, but I’ll get my bearings once we’re back in the tunnels,” I said, trying to comfort her.
We crawled through the cramped crawlspace in total darkness, emerging in a sealed room lit by a single light on the wall. There was an old box of tools lying on the floor next to a bulky metal fuse box and a hatch on the floor that dropped down deeper into the Undercity. Catching our breath, we climbed down the ladder into the darkness below. Holding my flashlight in my teeth, I descended as fast as possible. Mary wasn’t able to move fast either, and it was clear the pain was starting to get to her, even with all the adrenaline.
We ended up in a maintenance room identical to the first, but this one had a door leading out into the tunnels. I looked at Mary and she nodded, indicating she was ready to move again. Gripping the handle, I pulled open the door and looked to either side, scanning the haze for any sign of movement. I knew which way we needed to go, but I didn’t recogni
ze which level of the Undercity we were on. As we started moving again, flashlight beams pierced the dense steam in front of us and I heard shouts.
Mary and I raised our hands in the air as armored Guild Runners surrounded us.
“You’re not an HK,” the leader said, lowering his SMG while the others did the same. His emblem identified him as Shield Squad, one of the teams that was stationed in River’s Port.
“Jacob Ashton and Mary Dunn, Knight Squad,” I said, trying to catch my breath as my heart pounded in my chest.
“We’re going to get you back to the Guild Hall right away. You’re the only known survivors of the operation,” the man said.
The leader and another runner unholstered their CZR-7s and handed them to Mary and me as we sheathed our swords.
“I’m Eric Novak,” the leader said. “Stick close and we’ll get you back safely.” He pressed a button on his headset. “Command, we just recovered two survivors from Knight Squad. We’re bringing them in.”
While his face was concealed by the older mask he wore, I recognized the last name. It was the same as Darren’s, and I doubted it was a coincidence. Following Shield Squad’s lead, we moved through the Undercity, not seeing any HKs the rest of the way to the Guild Hall. There were no guards outside like normal, but when Eric knocked on the doors, they slid open.
“We’ll catch up later. We’ve got more cleaning to do,” Eric said.
Mary and I thanked him and returned their handguns. The guards on the inside of the Guild hall closed the blast doors behind us as Mary and I walked into the Guild Hall.
We were surrounded by people, eyeing the insignias on our jackets and demanding answers about what had happened.
“Jake, Mary, thank God,” Edgar said, pushing through the crowd and pulling us into a hug. Edgar guided us through the crowd, ordering everyone to stand back. He led us to Medbay where medical staff appraised both of us. A doctor gave Mary a shot of painkillers and injected the break in her collarbone with a Nanogel, setting the bone and holding it together while it healed from the inside out.
“What the hell happened? HKs knew exactly where we were; they ambushed all the reconnaissance squads except yours. Are you two the only ones left?” Edgar asked.
“It’s just us,” I said, the words stinging.
Edgar’s head sunk. “My God,” he said, raising his hand and rubbing his face. “So many people. It was all a trap.”
“The EMP worked, but the Omniscience Engine sent a Titan to the Docks as well. It was immune to the pulse,” I said.
Marwin ran into the room, looking amazed to see us alive. “I’m glad you two are all right. We heard from Colton Adrihel. He and the rest of Olympus know what the Omniscience Engine did and they’re working to shut it down, but they need us there. The shutdown procedure requires unanimous biometric verification from all the houses,” he said, taking a seat next to us.
I looked to Edgar, and he nodded. “We’ll get you fixed up, but we need to send you back to Olympus right away. If there’s a chance to shut down the Omniscience Engine this way, then we need to take it. Martinez is working on building the full scale EMP right now, but we need you and Mary to go with Marwin in a few days. Adrihel is flying his ship down personally and will pick you up. We’re taking every precaution to make sure this isn’t a trap. We’ll make sure you are safe.”
“No one can keep anyone safe,” I murmured, the words seeming to come from nowhere.
Edgar nodded solemnly. “We’ll do our best, but if this works, then we can end the Omniscience Engine.”
“Jake, he’s right. We need to do this if there’s a shot,” Mary said.
“Martinez will fix your arm today, and we’ll gear you up for your departure. You’ll be able to rest between now and then. The Council wants to meet, but there is nothing to say. The mission was a disaster, and we’re scrambling to clear the remaining HKs from the Undercity. We’ve had to pull most of our squads from River’s Port and don’t have the time or resources to deal with the Scavenger Guild right now,” Edgar said.
Martinez walked in with his toolbox and a new set of electronics to replace the bad parts in my arm. I debriefed Edgar and Marwin on the mission while Martinez worked. Edgar recorded the conversation with his wrist link as I recollected my account of the past few days. The events seemed distant now as if they were false memories. I was feeling disconnected, somehow in disbelief of the fact almost everyone had died—I would never see them again. Martinez finished the repairs and left us without saying anything, apparently trying to give us some space.
“I need to talk with Master Aarlen before we leave. I need to tell him about Caeldra,” I said. The emotion hit again, and I was on the verge of breaking down as the pain resurfaced. “I can’t let their sacrifice be in vain—their lives have to matter.” I sucked in air and suppressed the tears that welled in my eyes.
Tears streamed down Edgar’s face and he wiped them away. I had never seen him cry before, never seen him sad like this. Seeing his reaction somehow made it worse for me, and I started crying again.
“I know you did everything you could. Their lives will matter, and we’ll shut down the Omniscience Engine forever,” Marwin said.
“We’ll talk later.” Edgar hugged Mary and me. “You two go and get some rest for now.”
“I’m so sorry about everything,” Marwin said. “We’ll make this right. We can win this.”
Edgar and Marwin left us to go talk with the Council, and I walked Mary back to Knight Squad’s room. I closed everyone else’s doors, unable to be around their things, and followed Mary into her room.
On the day before our departure for Olympus, I went to speak with Master Aarlen in his office. He stood as I came in, closing the door behind us and motioning for me to take a seat.
“Aarlen … uh, I don’t really know how to tell you this. Caeldra didn’t make it out. There was nothing I could do.” I met his gaze as he appraised me.
“I know in my heart you did everything you could to help her. We lose people in life so we understand just how blessed we were to have had them in our lives in the first place. Caeldra and everyone else who died won’t be forgotten; they’ll live on through our memories—through our history and their legacies.”
“It was all a trap. The Omniscience Engine knew we were coming—it knew where we were going to stage our operations.” I choked on the words.
“There was nothing you could have done. This isn’t your fault. How do you feel about your layering right now? I won’t be able to work with you once you’re in Olympus, but it’s important you continue your training while you’re away. Even if the Omniscience Engine is shut down, we’re still going to need your help building the archival structures and storing the data to last through the ages. Now that we’re so close to either total victory or defeat, it’s crucial we work to preserve the wisdom and history of humanity.”
“I’m struggling. I’m not mentally composed right now,” I said, telling the truth.
“Would you like to say a prayer with me for those we lost?”
“Yes.”
I had never prayed before, and Aarlen had never pressed me when I said no in the past. He was one of the few religious people remaining in the Guild, the only place that had any religion at all before the country collapsed. I needed peace, needed comfort. I wasn’t sure if I believed in a God. It seemed like if there was a just God, then things wouldn’t be like they were—my friends wouldn’t be dead.
Master Aarlen extended his hands, closing them around mine and bowing his head. He closed his eyes, and I bowed my head, listening to him as tears blurred my eyes.
“Father, we thank you for this day. We thank you for your endless blessings, and we thank you for standing by our side no matter what. Lord, give us the strength to fight our battles—to persevere through our trials and tribulations, and to defeat our adversaries. Lord, guide us on our mission and give us the clarity to see it through—to rebuild a world where your word can thrive
, where it can be heard. Give us the power to emerge from the shadows and rebuild the world in your glory. We pray for the ones we’ve lost. May you bring them the peace that only you can grant. In your name we pray, amen.”
I lifted my head, meeting his gaze and smiling weakly. I felt better. “Thanks.”
“Stay strong and know you aren’t alone.”
I nodded. “Do you think there’s a chance we can really pull this off in Olympus?”
“I do,” he said, nodding. “If the Supreme Leader knows what the Omniscience Engine has done to the Slums and the Mids, then I think there is a chance. I don’t know if the Omniscience Engine is able to act against the Supreme Leader, but this could be our best chance at shutting down the city without detonating a nuclear weapon in Olympus.”
“To be honest, I’m scared. I’m scared this is all a trick by the Omniscience Engine. I’m scared there is no Olympus left, and I’m scared that if there is, then it’s going to kill everyone just like it did in the Slums and the Mids. Most of all, I’m scared of losing Mary.”
“All reasonable fears given what you’ve gone through. There’s no guarantee of anything anymore, only opportunities that present themselves to us. We use the information at hand to make the best decisions we can. It’s as simple as that, and sometimes we’re right, and sometimes we’re wrong. I truly believe we will rebuild our society one day whether I’m here to see it or not.”
“You’re right. It’s just hard to act brave when I’m terrified.”
“Fear means you’re alive. It’s your body’s way of communicating self-preservation. How we deal with fear in our trials determines our resolve—our calling in life. I grew up in the 2070s when you could ride an elevator to the Mids for a few hundred credits. Aside from barring off access to different tiers of the country and further restriction of personal liberty, things hadn’t changed. Things didn’t change until you came along, and no matter how dark it looks now, I believe you are our hope for the future. Your calling in life is to build a new society built on our ideals. You have the power to speak life into a new world for us all, and it’s up to you to seize the day.”