by Drew Cordell
A pang of guilt lanced through me, sharp and cold. I hated the pain we had caused her—hated all of the damage Grez had caused. This was his fault. I hoped one day she would understand—and find happiness.
I turned my back and walked out.
21 DIVE
∆∆∆
“How did it go?” Mary asked.
“As well as it could have,” I grumbled, taking my seat amongst the others. At the Builder’s request, Bob and Jasper remained with Violet while we waited for the Champions to respond. I couldn’t shake the feeling of anticipation. It was a mix of fear, anxiety, and excitement, but it was making me uncomfortable.
“Marwin, Jake, Mary, come in,” Edgar said.
Marwin sprang to action, grabbing his headset. “Yes, Edgar. Go ahead.”
“We’ve rounded everyone up… we only have thirty-five with combat training and gear suitable for this op if we’re going to make it to the Docks. Is that going to be enough?”
The Builder grimaced. “It will have to be. The mission timeline is too short for me to deploy my Spinners. I also don’t want the Omniscience Engine hijacking them and using them against you.”
I adjusted the volume on my headset. “Believe me, we don’t want those things fighting against us. Did you manage to get ahold of the Harvesters?”
“Yes. They’re meeting us at the Docks with Leroy and your box.”
“Good. We’ll be ready for the trade when we get there,” I said.
“What about the EMP?” Mary asked.
“The main EMP is good to go. For maximum results, it needs to be detonated two hundred feet above Olympus, inside the artificial atmosphere. That means someone is punching a one-way ticket unless one of these Spinners can do it without the risk of being hacked by the Omniscience Engine,” Edgar said.
“I have just the bot for the job, though I will miss it dearly,” the Builder said.
“You’re sure?” Edgar asked.
“It is incorruptible, and I can modify one of the ODIN II’s scout ships to remove all network compatibility. We will fly it into position, and it will go off before the Omniscience Engine knew what hit it.”
“What about the troops? Even with five squads of seven plus, it will be difficult to get everyone to extraction points. I imagine we are short on pilots since we only have a few here,” Edgar said.
“What are you hoping to get out of the ground assault that can’t be accomplished by simply getting the EMP into place and detonating it?” the Builder asked. “I cannot see how the risks justify the rewards at this point.”
“To rescue the people still being held in Olympus.”
The Builder frowned.
“What?” I asked him.
“I have lived through this before. The people of Olympus do not live for long after River’s Port is taken over. It might be too late.”
Marwin set his jaw, obviously trying not to let emotion take over. Though he hadn’t seen her in years, he did have a certain closeness with Jexus Brae, and I was certain he was thinking about her.
“Regardless, I think we stand the best chance of victory if we are able to invade from all angles. Did Martinez build smaller EMPs?”
“Yes,” Edgar said. “There are ten of them, strong enough to take down local systems in key strategic locations but we risk losing comms in the process. How much do you know about any missile or air defense systems or protocols in Olympus, Marwin?”
“Barely anything. There has never been an attack on Olympus. I have no idea what is waiting. I don’t think a single scout ship is going to cut it, especially if we have to get the ODIN II far away from the blast before it happens.”
“Builder, what do you suggest?” Edgar asked.
“The assault you have planned can work. There are six towers that relay the Omniscience Engine signal through Olympus, but most of the tier should be hardwired. This means we lose effectiveness with the smaller EMPs. Our infantry rescue parties are going to have to do the bombing before landing. I would use assault drones, but we would lose them to the Omniscience Engine in seconds and we do not want them turning against us.”
“Okay, we can do that. You’re certain we’d lose the drones?” Edgar said.
“We should not activate any of my robots. I struggled with what seemed to be a narrow AI at the facility we left. That was also with additional computational resources which I no longer have access to. I do not want to see how we fare against the full power of the Omniscience Engine.”
Minutes passed as we shaped our plan. We would use the ODIN II to pierce the artificial atmosphere of Olympus. After that, the ODIN II would disrupt any defense systems of Olympus while our rescue squads fly over the six towers of Olympus with the EMPs, dropping and detonating them to take out the relays while the ODIN II assaulted Olympus with its weapon systems. After that, we would begin our ground assault and have fifteen minutes to locate and extract survivors of Olympus before the ODIN II would leave and the EMP would be detonated. It was a sound plan; we just had no idea of what to expect from Olympus. If past events were any indication, it wouldn't be easy.
“Mary and Jake, you will each need to fly a scout ship since you are some of the only people we have with any flight training at all,” Marwin said.
I fixed him with a look of disbelief. “Look, Marwin. We ran those sims over three years ago, and even then we had never flown anything for real. I don’t feel comfortable flying a ship with other people in it, let alone in an active battleground.”
Marwin shrugged. “This is the way it has to happen. Your flying doesn’t have to be pretty. It just has to get you from the ODIN II to your assigned Omniscience Engine signal tower to your entry and exit point.”
“If it makes you feel any better,” the Builder said, “the scout ships have built in function which will automate the take off and docking process with the ODIN II.”
“A little bit, yeah,” I said, exchanging a nervous glance with Mary who didn’t seem to be any more comfortable with the situation than I was.
“We’ll have the assigned pilots run sims on these ships on the way to Olympus. It’s risky, but if we pull this off then it will be safe to activate the Builder’s Spinners and have them help us with clearing Olympus and rescuing any human survivors,” Marwin said.
“It’s settled then. Meet us at the Docks in two hours. The sea wall is still down, but I don’t advise bringing in the ODIN II if it is as big as you say.”
“We’ll be there. Let us know if anything comes up,” Marwin said, breaking the connection.
The Builder pressed some buttons on his console, opening a file directory. “There. I have moved the sim modules you will need over to SS1 and SS2 down in the hangar.”
“Practice up so you are ready for the real thing in a few hours. Also, take your armor and weapons you used in the lab and make sure they’re stored in your ships. You’ll need to be ready to assist the rest of your strike teams, and that gear should be more than good enough,” Marwin said.
Mary and I took the elevator down to the belly of the ship where the hangar was located, all of our gear bundled up and ready to go. There were 10 scout ships in the hangar, all the size of an Enforcer Dropship, and two larger transports which looked suitable for hauling cargo. The space in the hangar was open but narrow and cramped. It was clear why all the ships on board had the option to dock and depart with an autopilot function. One mistake could cause a lot of problems.
“Are you okay with this?” she asked me, placing her gear in the co-pilot seat of her ship while I did the same with mine.
“Yeah. I’m nervous, but it will all be over soon. I’m hoping Edgar will hook me up with a Hellfire Blade, even if I haven’t used one in a while,” I said, rejoining her.
“I just hope this will be quick. I don’t like that we won’t be together.”
“It will be fast. All of this for a fifteen-minute attack to end it all,” I said, considering the fact.
“Fifteen minutes to freedom. L
ook, if we don’t make it out…”
“You can tell me after the attack,” I said, stopping her. “I have something I need to tell you once it’s over, too.”
“Oh, come on. That’s not fair and you know it,” she said, walking up close and wrapping her arms around me. She started tried to kiss me, but I pulled away. She frowned. “I was just messing around. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“It’s not that,” I said. “There is just a lot on my mind, and we’re on camera.” I pointed at a corner of the hangar where a camera was perched on a support beam, angling at us. “They’ll know we aren’t practicing.”
A sly smile formed on Mary’s lips. “Oh, we’d be practicing something.”
“Ha. Tempting, but it’s me we’re talking about and I don’t know how I’m going to pull this flying thing off and not kill my group in the process.”
“Promise you’ll tell me what’s on your mind once Olympus is ours?”
“Yes. I absolutely will, even if I’m terrified to say it.”
“Oh, now that’s really not fair,” she said, lunging in and poking at my sides.
I batted her attacks away, pulling her in and squeezing her with my arms, lifting her from the ground and flailing her around as we both laughed. I set her down. “Okay, I’ll tell you and you’ll tell me when this is finished. It’s a deal. We should really hit the sims now. It’s times like this I wished we still used credits. This is something I would be happy to take your money over.”
She smirked. “Not likely.”
“We’ll see. It’s probably isn’t scored anyway. See you when we arrive at New York. Hey, I love you. Don’t forget that.”
I kissed her then climbed into my scout ship, squeezing through the rows of seats to get to the cockpit which, as I suspected, had way too many buttons. I struggled to adjust the seat to my preference, not even sure if this would be the exact ship I would use anyway. I spent the next five minutes trying to boot up the simulations and the next twenty crashing my virtual ship. Things were not looking good for me.
By the end of the trip, I was proficient enough in flying to avoid crashing in the sims, even when I was being shot at by enemy ships. I had no idea how the modules would translate to a live run. As Marwin said, my flying didn’t have to be pretty; I just had to be able to fly in the right direction and land without totaling the ship in the process. I was hoping it would be easy enough.
Mary and I rejoined Marwin and the Builder on the bridge of the ship as we approached New York. From here, the city I had lived in all my life looked like a massive, featureless cylinder of matte gray metal topped with the beautiful features of what must have been Olympus. The Builder assured us were taking all necessary precautions to hide our presence, even from a visual standpoint during our approach.
“We’re in position but don’t have eyes on you,” Edgar said over comms.
The Builder joined the conversation. “Sending Marwin and the crew to you in transports. Marwin will fly the freighter, and Jake and Mary will be in the smaller scout ships. Should be plenty of room for everyone and all the gear. Are the Harvesters there for the trade?”
“Yes, they are here waiting and they have Leroy and the box. We’ll facilitate this deal then get the show on the road,” Edgar said. “Just so you know, the Docks are still in pretty bad shape. We sealed off the train holding our dead, but the surrounding area is covered in debris. Might make landing a little difficult.”
I followed Marwin and Mary to the elevator, feeling my stomach knot up as I thought about what was coming. I was nervous about flying, but I was just as nervous to return to the Docks, to see the horrors of the past even if they were now only imagined.
The elevator brought us to our hangar where Violet was already waiting with Jasper. She was secured to a wheelchair, and she avoided eye contact with us when we arrived.
“Remember, in and out. I’ll let you two take the prime landing space since you’re newer to this,” Marwin said. “Violet, you’ll be back with the Harvesters in no time.”
Violet managed a nod but otherwise remained silent as Jasper pushed her into the larger cargo ship Marwin was going to fly. Mary and I climbed into our own scout ships and initiated the sequence for automatic undocking from the ODIN II. The effect was immediate, and my ship lifted itself into the center of the hangar, inching forward before spinning laterally and departing through the now open hatch on the side of the ship. The control dashboard blinked, indicating I once again had manual control, though I kept the flying assist on and limited my speed as I coaxed the ship toward the Docks, still only a distant shape.
I increased my speed, lowering my altitude and flying only a few hundred feet above the Atlantic Ocean, trying to line up the AR display on my windshield with the partial opening in the sea wall we would use to access the Docks. Mary was right beside me, probably just as nervous as I was to be flying for real. The sims had helped, but now that motion was involved, it felt completely different and most of the confidence I had built over the past two hours was turning to uncertainty.
As we finished the short journey, I initiated the landing process, putting the ship down in an empty patch of concrete. The Champions, all clad in whatever armor was still on hand, stood back and made room as Mary and Marwin touched town around me. The Docks were still a wreck, and although they had mostly been scavenged for parts, the charred husks of Enforcer Dropships still littered the scorched concrete surrounding the boardwalk up against the massive sea wall.
Marwin, with his ship still powered on, ran outside pushing Violet in her wheelchair, quickly exchanging her for Leroy and my box with a group of shifty looking Harvesters while Champions stood at the ready to fire if the deal went bad.
As soon as the Harvesters had Violet, they started off into the distance, not waiting to watch us leave. Surprisingly, Leroy was on his feet and didn’t appear to be struggling with his injuries. In fact, at first glance he appeared to be back to perfect health. Marwin pointed, and Leroy walked over to my scout ship wearing a cheery smile and waving to me.
I put the ramp down, and Leroy and several other Champions boarded my ship.
“Jake, it’s good to see you again, buddy. Glad you made it out. Thanks for coming back for me,” Leroy shouted, patting my back and handing me my still sealed box he had kept safe before taking a seat with the others. It was hard to hear him over the engines, but there would be time for talking later.
“Oh, and this is from Edgar. He said you would want it,” Leroy added, passing me a Hellfire Blade. The hilt was battered, and the blade was a little longer than what I was used to. I’d wait to test it out until we were back on ODIN II, but I was happy to have it.
“Appreciate it,” I said, squeezing the handle and mentally adjusting the Nanotech in my cybernetic arm to form a secure grip around the hilt. I relaxed the grip, returning the Nanotech to a resting position on my arm and placed the weapon in the mesh net next to my chair so it would be secure in flight.
The other Champions outside loaded a massive metal crate stacked on top of a heavy-duty hydraulic wheel frame onto Marwin’s cargo ship with a few other crates of supplies.
Once everyone was on board, I raised the ship’s ramp and took off with Mary and Marwin, gripping the throttle lever and nudging it forward. I was being cautious, but the whole plan would be compromised if we lost one of the scout ships now over something stupid.
Marwin’s voice sounded in my headset. “Jake, Mary, try to build some speed this time once we’re clear of the Docks. You’re going to have to go fast in Olympus, and we need to get there as soon as possible in case the Omniscience Engine knows we’re coming now. I think you’ll find your ships are pretty responsive to quick acceleration and deceleration.”
The other Champions riding with me weren’t wearing headsets, but I made sure they were buckled up in their chairs before adding a little more speed. I gained some altitude with the main control stick, becoming what I perceived to be level with the ODIN II
before putting on a strong burst of speed. I felt a smile of half excitement, half fear creep onto my face as the ship shot forward with impressive speed, pushing me back into my chair with the acceleration. With the vertical engines, it was surprisingly easy to control all aspects of flight without having to rely on constant forward motion to stay in the air. It also made several high-speed maneuvers I had run in the sims possible, though I hoped I wouldn’t need to use them in Olympus.
Growing more comfortable, I finished the return trip and decelerated quickly, lining up with the hangar of the ODIN II and activating the automatic docking feature.
“Nice work everyone,” Marwin said as the ships landed and everyone walked down the ramps. I took my father’s box, handing it to Jasper and Bob and asking them to watch it for me while I was gone. I would pick it up later when we were done with all of this. I couldn’t risk losing it if something happened to my scout ship.
As people grouped up, waiting for the elevators to arrive, Edgar walked over and wrapped Mary and me in a hug. “Great to see you. Let’s talk when this is over. I’ve missed you both.”
“Great to see you too, Edgar,” I told him, placing a hand on his shoulder.
It was cramped, but with all three elevators, everyone was able to make it to the ship’s armory in one trip, being briefed along the way through the speakers of the elevators. We left the EMP behind in the hangar once it was secure since it would need to be loaded on its own ship before the assault anyway.
The groups of combatants, most wearing battered armor and wielding C-15 energy repeaters circled around so Edgar, Marwin, and the Builder could discuss the finer points of our plan.
I recognized several faces within the Champions who had joined us. All of the Council members were with us and Alex Price, though we had certainly had our differences, looked pleased enough to see me, giving me a firm nod out of respect as we locked eyes. Chloe Schaff, Rachel Hensley, Clark Mohr, and Tomas Escobar were with us too, though I had no idea Clark and Chloe had any combat experience.