by Tarah Benner
“Yeah.”
“So Ziva is working with Mordecai.”
“I think Ziva will still help us,” I say. “She just needs convincing.”
Sipps shakes her head. “Forget about Ms. Blum. What other assets do we have on Elderon?”
“The entire Space Force, but it’s no match for the bots.”
“Still,” says Sipps. “If we can get in contact with First Lieutenant Greaves, we might be able to coordinate an attack.”
I raise an eyebrow. “You’d send in the air force?”
Sipps shakes her head. “I’m not going to put American boots on Elderon. It’s too dangerous. But I’ve spoken to the Pentagon. We’re authorized to launch a missile strike.”
At those words, my blood runs cold. I hadn’t even considered that that could happen. The possibility is too horrible to consider. “A missile strike would risk the lives of everyone on board.”
“We’ve run some simulations,” says Sipps in the careful tone of a politician. “We have the ability to launch a strike precise enough to disable a single sector, thereby minimizing human casualties.”
Suddenly, all the energy that’s been burning inside of me rises to a boil. It bursts out in a surge of fury so intense that Sipps shrinks back. “So you’re saying a missile strike is fine because it would only kill some people on board?”
Sipps’s nostrils flare, and she meets my harsh words with a severe look of her own. “I trust I do not have to explain the basic consequences of warfare to you, Sergeant.”
“A missile strike could kill hundreds of civilians. And the space station is currently occupied by thousands of the brightest minds on Earth.”
“I am well aware of that,” says the colonel in a deadly whisper. “And I do not take this decision lightly.” She fixes me with a sharp look. “According to my last communication with Elderon, the station is on lockdown. The strike is happening, Sergeant. We will do everything in our power to minimize the loss of life, but you do not get a say in this.”
I shake my head. My entire body is thrumming with fury. The blood in my veins feels as though it’s curdling with fear, poisoning my body from the inside out.
“Mordecai isn’t going to respond to a missile strike,” I say. “He doesn’t care about innocent lives. All he cares about is his own ego.”
The colonel’s face tightens, and she draws in a breath. “Mordecai Blum will respond . . . or we’ll take matters one step further.”
“What does that mean?” asks Jared, looking queasy. He hasn’t spoken until now, and I can tell that he’s on edge.
“Mordecai will have the choice to surrender or lose his entire fleet of bots. If he still does not surrender, we will take him — dead or alive.”
I swallow, but my throat is dry. I can tell that this is not good news. “What’s your plan?”
“Worst-case scenario? We have hypersonic missiles capable of deploying an EMP powerful enough to make Elderon go dark.”
12
Jonah
The colonel’s words hit me like a speeding truck. I feel the icy chill of death on my neck and a leaden weight in my stomach. It’s the feeling that comes with the decision to end as many lives as necessary.
“An EMP?” I croak. My mind is spinning. I can’t find the words. I can only repeat what she just said.
“An electromagnetic pulse,” Sipps explains. “Powerful enough to render any electronic device absolutely useless — including the bots.”
I shake my head. “Including everything else.”
I’m thrust back to the hours Maggie and I spent locked in the control room. The bots had shut off the vents meant to siphon heat out of the room. It was so simple, so basic, and it almost killed us. I can still feel that heat all around me, draining my body of energy.
“The colony runs on electronics,” I say slowly. “You knock out the power, and the entire system shuts down. Everyone on board would die.”
Sipps doesn’t contradict me. Her expression tells me she knows exactly how an EMP would impact the people on board the space station.
“First the pulse would disable the engines that generate centripetal force. Then the air-exchange system would shut down, rendering oxygen levels inadequate.”
“They would all suffocate.”
“They would fall asleep and never wake up, yes.”
This time, the anger doesn’t roll in like a wave. It explodes out of me with nuclear force. “Are you crazy?”
“Mordecai may leave us no choice.”
My entire body is vibrating with rage. My hands are shaking, and I can barely form a sentence.
“Are you listening to yourself?” I stammer. “Thousands of people would die.”
“A lot more may die if we do nothing.”
“So that makes it okay?”
“An EMP is the nuclear option,” says Sipps roughly. “Few of us imagine it will come to that.”
“Mordecai is never going to surrender!” I snap. “It flies in the face of everything he’s trying to achieve. He doesn’t care how many people die.”
“You seem to understand a lot about how Mordecai Blum thinks,” says Sipps.
“I was trained to exterminate terrorists,” I growl. “And I’m telling you . . . Mordecai will die before he gives up his power.”
“That remains to be seen.”
I let out a scoff of disgust. I am so fucking fed up that I can hardly even see straight. I don’t know what I have to say to make her understand that we aren’t dealing with a functioning human being. Mordecai doesn’t respond to threats or logic. The only thing that will stop him is death.
“The US armed forces are currently exploring all options for a peaceable resolution,” says Sipps. Here she goes again with that politician speech. “That includes taking Elderon out of the equation.”
“By killing everyone on board.”
“To allow a terrorist like Mordecai to fortify an extraterrestrial base of operations from which he could launch any number of attacks on Earth is untenable, Sergeant.”
“Well, it’s already happened,” I growl. “He’s already launching attacks on Earth.”
My head is spinning. I can hardly even speak. The air force is looking at wiping Elderon off the map. It scares the fucking shit out of me.
“Seems awfully risky,” says Jared out of the blue.
I look over at him. He’s staring at Sipps with genuine confusion — almost as though he’s calling her bluff.
“Excuse me?”
Jared has the look of an innocent bystander — just a sensible British guy voicing his opinion in a room full of hot-headed Americans. “I just mean . . . Well . . . Losing four thousand of the world’s best scientists, researchers, entrepreneurs . . . It would be a global tragedy.”
Sipps just stares at him, two frown lines working deeper and deeper into her brow.
“For the United States to initiate such an attack . . .” Jared feigns the universal “uh-oh” expression. “That would be pretty unseemly.”
Sipps’s throat bobs as she swallows, and suddenly I understand what Jared is getting at.
“How do the United States’ allies feel about this?” asks Jared.
Sipps blanches, and I feel a newfound respect for the kid bubbling up. Jared is onto something.
“Killing several thousand innocent people to take out one man would be a crime against humanity,” says Jared. “I can’t imagine the rest of the world would stand with the US on such a decision.”
Sipps just stares at him, breathing hard. She isn’t bluffing, but she’s well aware that launching an EMP over Elderon would be a radical move. Dozens of countries are represented on the space station. We wouldn’t just be blowing our own countrymen out of the sky.
“Let me go up,” I say suddenly, addressing Sipps with more respect. “Let me make a deal with Mordecai.”
Sipps gives me a withering look. “Be serious, Sergeant.”
“I am.”
“Why would I s
end a suspected terrorist up to Elderon to confer with another known terrorist?”
“You know I’m not a terrorist. Just listen.”
I take a deep breath, racking my brain. Mordecai represents a threat to the entire world. I’m just a guy the army shit out who’s probably been discharged from the Space Force. I need to give her a good reason to let me go up there. So far, I haven’t been very convincing.
“Mordecai isn’t stupid,” I say. “He must be expecting a threat from Earth — if not from the US, then from Russia or China. He’ll be preparing for an attack.”
“Which is exactly why we must act quickly.”
“Mordecai needs the Space Force,” I break in. “His bots aren’t programmed for galactic warfare. He needs strategists and weapons specialists and intelligence experts. He needs the Space Force.”
Sipps seems to consider this for a moment, but she doesn’t say a word.
“Mordecai can’t risk killing me,” I continue. “He wants — he needs — to win hearts and minds on Elderon . . . Let me convince him that I can do that.”
Jared and Sipps are both staring at me. I know they’re wondering how this could possibly help, but I’m making it up as I go along.
“Let me take Swift 9 to Elderon,” I say. “Let me talk to Mordecai.”
“What makes you think Mordecai won’t order the Space Force to shoot down the shuttle before you dock?”
“Mordecai is pushing for world domination. He’s going to need all the shuttles he can get. Once I dock, I can get him to talk to me. I can make him see that he has to come to Earth. Otherwise, everyone will think he’s a coward. I can make him think the US is willing to strike a deal — call it a peace accord with him and his bots. If he agrees, he’ll gain worldwide recognition. If he refuses, he and his bots will be destroyed.”
When I finish, Sipps doesn’t say anything right away. It’s a long shot, but I can tell she’s mulling it over.
“Why would Mordecai agree to come to Earth with no insurance that he won’t be imprisoned?”
I shrug. “I’ll convince him to leave Ziva in charge. Let him take the humanoid she thinks is her father. It’ll make him think he’s still in control. That also gives him a nuclear option. If he’s captured, Ziva will pull the trigger on whatever he’s planning next. Ziva’s reasonable. With Mordecai gone, I know I can convince her to cooperate.”
The words come out of my mouth so easily that it almost scares me. I’m not convinced that I’ve laid out a good plan, but it doesn’t matter. All that matters is convincing Sipps.
In truth, I have no intention of bringing Mordecai into custody. Mordecai isn’t stupid enough to go for it, anyway — no matter what the terms. And I’m not stupid enough to trust him for a second. Mordecai needs to die.
The colonel shakes her head. “Mordecai will never agree to leave Elderon — not when he knows he has the advantage.”
My heart sinks. Sipps isn’t buying it.
“Excuse me,” she says, glancing toward the door. “I need the room for a moment.”
Jared and I exchange a look and then shuffle out of Sipps’s office in defeat. She’s calling in Homeland Security — she must be. It’s the only thing that makes any sense.
For a split second I contemplate making a run for it, but then I think of Maggie stranded up on Elderon. I have to see this through to the end, or she and everyone else might die.
Anyway, Skinner is waiting for us outside the door, and I have a feeling we wouldn’t get very far. He looks me up and down as if trying to determine whether I’m trustworthy, but I stare him down.
Skinner might outrank me, but he doesn’t intimidate me. His job is to make his boss happy. My job is to keep his boss from killing everyone on board the space station. I won’t step aside and let the air force run the show — not when thousands of lives are at stake.
Finally, Sipps’s office door opens again, and she lets us back inside. There’s a fresh charge of authority in the air, and Sipps’s expression is filled with resolve.
“I just had a chat with my superiors,” she says. “The plan is to take Elderon by force. We will fire a warning shot to give Mordecai an opportunity to surrender, but the US government does not negotiate with terrorists.”
My stomach drops. It’s nothing that I wasn’t expecting, but it’s bad news for Elderon.
“What I need is assurance that our missiles won’t be shot down, and I can’t make contact with First Lieutenant Greaves.”
No surprise there — Greaves is in the middle of a war. But it sounds as though Sipps needs something from me. I just don’t know what that is.
“I need you to deliver a transmitter to him,” she says. “It operates off one of our satellites, and Mordecai can’t control it. This will give us the element of surprise while ensuring as few civilian casualties as possible.”
I don’t say a word. It sounds as though she’s agreeing to let me go to Elderon. It sounds as though I might get my chance.
“I’m taking a leap of faith here, Sergeant,” says Sipps. “Do not make me regret it.”
I swallow, waiting for her to finish.
“Get to Elderon, deliver the transmitter . . . give Mordecai his options. I’d prefer to resolve this peaceably, but I’m only giving you one chance.”
The colonel fixes me with a critical look, and I know she means what she says. “I will not allow Mordecai Blum to strengthen his position. I will order the EMP if I have to.”
“Yes, Colonel,” I say, swallowing to wet my parched throat. “One chance is all I need.”
13
Jonah
After my conversation with Colonel Sipps, I half expected to walk onto the pocket rocket and take off within the hour. That’s not actually what happens.
Even though I’m about to fly up to an enemy-controlled space station and make an impossible negotiation that could save thousands of innocent lives, Colonel Sipps wants to do everything by the book. She insists that we wait until daylight to launch, which means I have about three hours to pace around Vandenberg with Jared, running through every possible scenario.
Worst case — Mordecai orders the Space Force to shoot down Swift 9 before we even land on Elderon. If that happens, Sipps will probably order the air force to launch the missile, possibly killing hundreds of people.
I’m hoping that I’ll land on Elderon and be able to convince the bots to take me to Mordecai. If I can just get in the same room with him, he’s as good as dead. Five minutes is all I need.
But killing Mordecai is not on Sipps’s agenda. The military wants him alive to question and parade around to show the world that they captured the man responsible for the deaths of all those people. I’m guessing they’re worried that the bots have orders to carry out in the event of Mordecai’s death.
I don’t care about that. If Mordecai dies, we still have Ziva. Ziva will know how to deprogram the bots.
Sipps’s biggest mistake is thinking that a man like Mordecai would ever give himself up. Why would he? He thinks he’s untouchable, and a missile isn’t going to convince him. He’ll die trying to exert his power. And with access to the Optix network and Zephyr Morgan under his thumb, there’s no telling what he might do.
I force down a soggy waffle and a dried-out piece of sausage in the dining facility. It hasn’t been long since Jared’s Chinese food, but I know that I should eat something. I can’t sleep. I can barely sit still. I’m running on manic energy.
No matter how hard I try to focus on the plan, my mind keeps returning to Maggie. The girl is fearless. She thinks she can do anything, and she walked straight into Mordecai’s trap. If she’s his prisoner, he’s going to try to use her against me. I cannot let that happen.
Maggie’s not my girlfriend, and she isn’t a member of my squad, but I have this nagging urge to protect her that Mordecai will exploit. Maybe it’s because she went along with my plan when she had absolutely no reason to. She followed me on trust alone.
Normally I wou
ld have written Maggie off after a lie as big as hers. I don’t waste time on liars. But every time I think of her up on Elderon without me, I get this horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach. The feeling goes beyond the chain of command — it’s primal. I feel as if Maggie belongs to me somehow, though I’d never admit that to anyone.
Sure, Maggie has her good qualities, but she’s still just a journalist who used me to get ahead. She lied. She can’t follow orders. She’s sexy and bold and stupidly brave, and it’s affecting my judgment.
My circular train of thought is interrupted by the sound of Jared’s voice. Truth be told, I’m not sure how long he’s been talking, but he’s staring at me as though he expects a response.
“Huh?”
“What’s the plan?”
“What plan?”
Jared gives me a blank look, and then his eyes light up as though he’s caught my meaning. “Right . . .” He gives me a wink and then clears his throat. “I mean . . .” He lowers his voice and leans in closer. “What’s the real plan?”
“Still trying to figure that out. It’s not like we’ve got the element of surprise. Mordecai will have time to mobilize the bots, and I doubt you’ve got enough stunners to take out an army.”
“Nope,” he says. “I ran out of time. But I brought supplies to make more, so . . .”
What’s this kid’s deal? I wonder. Jared is a lot like Maggie — this unlikely stray who’s wildly brave and crazy enough to go along with my plan.
I used to be a staff sergeant with a squad of special forces assassins. How did I end up with my own platoon of unqualified misfits?
Just then, I see Skinner hovering in the doorway. I catch Jared’s eye and get to my feet, and we follow Skinner out of the cafeteria. We climb into the Humvee parked outside, and he drives us toward the terminal in silence.
Instead of going inside the building, we circle around and drive straight onto the tarmac. We pile out onto the pavement, squinting in the early-morning light. The sun has just risen over the mountains, and there’s still that crisp California chill in the air. The Swift 9 casts a long shadow over the pavement. Four men in orange vests are fueling it for launch.