Trey took a deep breath and slowly let it out. His heart pounded. He wasn’t going to yell at his aunt in the middle of a massive counties-wide evacuation, but he needed a few things clarified. An old woman shouldn’t be wandering LA in all the chaos.
Wait one damned second.
Trey’s grandmother’s words floated into his thoughts.
No, I want to die in this house.
“Damn it. I think she’s still in LA,” Trey explained. “I can’t believe this. Of all the times to pull some stubborn stunt!”
“I don’t understand. What should I do?”
“Where are you right now?” Trey asked. “And can you drive?”
Charlyce sighed. “The roads are still pretty jammed up.”
“Then go find the National Guard or go to one of the portals,” Trey suggested. “Get out of there as soon as possible.”
There was no way in hell he would risk losing two relatives.
“I can’t just leave her,” Charlyce complained. “What if something happens? What if the thing blows up?”
Trey sighed. “Don’t worry. I’ll handle finding her. Remember who my girlfriend is. She’s got a way of finding things and people. It ain’t like Nana knows counter-magic shit, even if she’s hiding out.”
“I’m sorry, Trey. I should have gone straight to pick her up like you told me.”
“It ain’t your fault. She tricked you.” Trey stood and frowned. “I told you how she was complaining about not wanting to move, but I ain’t letting her get hurt, even if I have to drag her back. You just get out of LA and leave everything else to me. I’m a bounty hunter. I can find one old woman.”
Senator Johnston swirled the ice cubes in his glass of whiskey. Drinking while staring down a dangerous alien attack might not be all that professional, but so far Operations Red Weed and Dandelion were both proceeding better than he could have hoped. After decades of service in the government, that was a rare occurrence.
Brownstone was on board with their plan to engage the Vax, and if the Purifier kept to his current pace, they might actually have a shot of the city being empty if he even bothered to come over to LA. Even though the senator believed the Vax would travel to Earth, he held out a small hope that he wouldn’t.
It’d be funny if the Purifier walked all that way and disappeared at the end of this back to the hell planet he came from.
Senator Johnston lifted the glass to his lips and took a sip. They’d set him up in an empty office near the base commander’s. The accommodations were more spartan than he was used to, not that it mattered. He was spending most of his time in conference rooms or on the move making calls. If the government needed their next plan, Operation Gulliver, he wouldn’t even be staying on base.
Skin in the game. That’s what I keep telling myself—skin in the game. Maybe if I say it enough, I’ll actually believe it, and not feel like the world’s greatest fool for sitting at Ground Zero of an alien invasion.
Senator Johnston’s desk phone rang. The Caller ID was a bearer of bad news. He picked it up and sighed.
“Hello, Corey,” Senator Johnston answered.
“The line is now secure on my end,” the alien replied.
“Are we going to have another tiresome discussion? We’re handling this our way, and we don’t rightly care what the Alliance thinks about it.”
Corey chuckled. “So far, we think you’ve done an excellent job of handling things.”
“Is that so?” Senator Johnston replied.
“If anything, I’m glad you’re being efficient in your evacuation of Los Angeles. You’ve made a difficult decision far easier, and I wanted to thank you for that. It makes what has to happen next that much easier.”
The senator shot up, his heart racing. He didn’t like how confident the Shepherd sounded. They already had one overconfident alien on his way to cause trouble. They didn’t need another.
“Given how much danger the Purifier represents, it wasn’t like we were going to leave millions of potential victims in his path,” Senator Johnston replied. “Just because we don’t agree with the Alliance about handling the situation doesn’t mean we don’t take what you’ve said about the Vax seriously.”
“Again, that’s good to hear.” Any hint of mirth left Corey’s voice. “I’m calling because what we have to do next is dangerous, and it will fundamentally change the relationship between the Alliance and Earth. However, after consulting my superiors, we’ve decided that since you can’t stop it anyway, it’s better if we tell you. That way you can withdraw any residual forces from the LA area before it’s too late, and we can avoid unnecessary casualties.”
“What are you talking about, my alien friend?” Senator Johnston’s voice revealed his thinly veiled anger. “Because if you’re talking about what I think you’re talking about, we’re going to have to go beyond agreeing to disagree.”
“I know you’ve detected the incoming fleet,” Corey replied. “I should let you know that your telescope facilities have poor security, even by human standards. You might want to change that situation if you’re going to use them to track alien space fleets.”
Senator Johnston chuckled. “I won’t insult you by pretending not to know what you’re talking about. Yes, we’re aware of your little fleet, but like you said, it’s not like we’re in a position to do much about it at this moment.”
“I’m glad you’re being reasonable about this. None of us are happy about what must be done, but it’s the best for both Earth and the Alliance in the long run.”
Senator Johnston took a deep breath. The decisions made in the next few minutes could have ramifications for decades, if not centuries. “If you’re calling to beg forgiveness, you should at least explain exactly what you plan to do.”
A tense silence passed between them.
“The Vax are powerful, but they’re not immortal, even when they’re fully adapted,” Corey finally explained. “They can be surprisingly resilient against many weapons, but the reality is they are still individual hosts connected to an advanced but not godlike technology. The application of a sufficient amount of destructive power can end them, even if they’re adapted to it. The important thing is to ensure there is nothing left for regeneration. You’d be surprised how easily a fully prepared Vax can reconstitute itself with relatively little left, as long as the bulk of the symbiont has survived. The Alliance learned that lesson the hard way.”
Senator Johnston gulped down a huge drink of whiskey and swallowed. “Why don’t we get to the punchline? I want you to spell out clearly what your plan is.”
“It’s simple. The Vax is powerful, but if we bombard the entire area and turn the land into glass, it won’t survive. If we do it immediately upon its arrival, it won’t be able to escape, hide or somehow elude our attack.”
“Now wait one damned minute,” Senator Johnston snapped. “We can’t be sure the city will be completely evacuated, let alone our troops.”
“This is why I’m telling you this now.” There was an edge to Corey’s voice. “Pull out your troops. We can’t wait for you to evacuate. Any civilians left behind will be unfortunate losses, but this is war.”
Senator Johnston slammed his glass on the desk. “I’ll admit the evacuation is going better than we hoped, and this is the first time a major city’s been evacuated with the aid of such high levels of magic, but that’s not the same thing as this city being empty tonight, tomorrow, or even in the next few days. We’re talking a lot of people. There are enough gone that our cover-up plans should work, which I would think you would want, given what you’ve told me about Alliance interactions with the so-called ‘more primitive civilizations.’ If you kill all those people with an orbital bombardment, I think it’ll be kind of hard to explain away.”
“This is an unusual situation. It’s a matter of galactic security.”
Senator Johnston’s jaw tightened. “You could at least give us a chance to solve the problem. We have a solution in play.”
<
br /> “Would you prefer we wait until the Vax advances to another city? They can be fast when they want to. Are you going to evacuate the entire state?”
“The bastard’s not that fast. He’s practically meandering over on Oriceran.”
Corey snorted. “That only means it doesn’t have a reason to move quickly yet, or it’s trying to gain more adaptations prior to the next part of its mission. If we don’t surprise it during its first appearance, we might be forced into a high-mobility situation. I don’t think you want the fleet carving up half of California trying to nail the Purifier, and before you say anything, no, we don’t trust Brownstone to defeat it. His presence in LA only makes our mission more imperative, but if you want to, tell him to withdraw. We’re willing to tolerate that, even if we believe it would be better for your planet and all of ours if he too was destroyed.”
Senator Johnston laughed. “You’re willing to tolerate that? Let me be very clear about what we’re discussing. Four Alliance military vessels plan to bombard an American city from orbit without the explicit permission of the United States? Is that what you’re telling me, Shepherd? Because it sounds damned outrageous when I say it aloud.”
“We’re not doing this because we want to. You don’t understand. This is a unique opportunity. We have a general idea where and roughly when a powerful Vax might emerge on a target planet. Generally by the time we’re forced into this sort of position, the Vax have already laid waste to a significant area. If we wait, it will move on to another city, and it’ll happen quicker than you can evacuate it. This is about simple numbers, Senator. Do you want to lose thousands of people, or do you want to lose millions of people? You were elected to help your people, so help them!”
Senator Johnston took slow, measured breaths despite his pounding heart. “Firing weapons of mass destruction against Los Angeles without our explicit permissions means you’ll be all but declaring war against the United States. I encourage you to study Article 5 of the NATO Treaty. Declaring war against the United States means declaring war against NATO, and for that matter, I’m pretty sure the Indians, Russians, and Chinese aren’t going to be okay with some alien military bombarding our planet from on high, or most countries really. You ready to declare war against the strongest countries on Earth, my alien friend? Because that’s what you’re talking about doing.”
“You’ll thank us when it’s over,” Corey replied. “Even if you don’t, it doesn’t matter, because we’ll have saved you.”
“Oh, you believe that crap?” Senator Johnston asked. “You need to spend a lot more time on Earth because you obviously don’t understand humans.”
“Think about this: you’re in a panic because of a single Vax, one that can potentially call others. If you were smart, you’d evacuate everyone but Brownstone and let us to destroy them both.”
Senator Johnston scoffed. “You can’t honestly believe we would agree to that.”
Corey sighed. “You should consider that there’s a good possibility the only reason the other Vax is coming is that Brownstone is on Earth. If he’s gone, and the Vax are destroyed, there’s a good chance they’ll never return.”
“And if you’re wrong, we’ll have lost our best weapon against them other than dropping piles of nuclear weapons on ourselves or letting helpful aliens obliterate major metropolitan areas.” Senator Johnston stood and shook his head. “You do what you feel is right, Shepherd. And we’ll do what we feel is right. Don’t cry when we respond in kind.”
“I’ve given you our warning. That’s all I can do. Every human you leave in that area who dies is your responsibility now.”
“Interesting perspective. We’ll have to agree to disagree. Now, goodnight. I have a few things to take care of.” Senator Johnston ended the call and stuck his phone in the pocket of his suit jacket.
You arrogant sons of bitches underestimated Brownstone. Now you’re underestimating the United States, and you’re going to be sorry about that.
Senator Johnston threw open his door and marched down the hall to the base commander’s office. The light was still on, so he knocked.
“Come in,” the general ordered.
Senator Johnston pushed open the door and stepped into the room, plastering his best politician smile on his face. “It turns out, General, that we’ll have to implement Operation Gulliver, after all.”
Chapter Seventeen
I’ve got a few loose ends I should tie up, James thought. Just in case. Plus, I’ve got to show my respect. It never hurts to have someone above looking out for you.
James eyed the coat in the closet. He’d awoken and taken a shower before Shay stirred. For all his bitching about the bed, it ended up being surprisingly comfortable once he bothered to go to sleep.
“I’m gonna go do something,” James explained. “You stay here. It shouldn’t take long unless the military decides to be stupid.”
Shay yawned and sat up, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. “Are you going to go cause trouble? You should probably save that shit for the Vax. I know we’ve got a few days still, but half the city’s already empty. I doubt you can find a decent warm-up.”
James grinned. “Trouble? Nah, far from it. I’m going to church.”
“To church?” Shay’s confused expression suggested she couldn’t tell if he was joking or serious. “You’re going to go to church right now?”
“Yeah. I missed last Sunday, and like you said, we’ve got some time.” James considered for a moment, then grabbed only his holster and gun. An entire tactical vest and accompanying gear might be overkill for the minor pieces of shit he might run into on the streets. He was half-surprised the government had let him keep it all in his room. “I didn’t think it was a big deal, but now with all shit happening, it feels like it will be, so I want to go to church.”
“I can understand that,” Shay replied, her tone placating. “Or at least I can understand why you would believe that, but it’s probably already been evacuated. Is it really that important to go an empty building?”
James shrugged. “It is to me. I want my head screwed on right before I cut off the Purifier’s.”
Shay laughed. “Who knows, it might be the end of the world. Church makes sense. You sure they’ll let you leave? Johnston was acting like he didn’t want you wandering away too far. He might have made you think you had a choice, but he was implying that you didn’t, and he might not think an early-morning prayer session is a good enough reason for you to leave the base.”
James finished putting on his holster. “Fuck that. The Vax might come an hour from now, or he might not come for a week, and I’ve got some thinking to do. The last thing anyone on this base wants right now is to piss me off.”
“Okay. You do whatever you need to. Try not to get in any fights with demons on the way.” Shay snickered. “Or if you do, make sure they’re over quickly. We still need you for the main bout.”
“No promises. You know me. I don’t go looking for shit, but if it comes to me, I take care of it.”
“That you do, James. That you do.” Shay laid back down. “Okay, I’m going back to sleep. I’m still worn out from last night, and if the Apocalypse hasn’t already started, it’s too damned early to get up for less than five million dollars.” She offered him a playful grin. “If I’m going to get blown up, sleeping after our fun last night would be a nice way to go out.”
James headed down the sidewalk toward the base’s front gate, his hands in his pockets. Two Air Force Security Forces personnel manned the small guard post next to the gate, bored looks on their faces as they glumly stared out the window. Given everything going on, he was impressed with their blasé attitude.
Huh. Is it really so different from me most of the time? We have to deal with the shit in front of us. Everyone can get used to anything, given enough time.
James glanced over his shoulder. Much of the base was deserted, with most of the remaining personnel inside helping with whatever schemes and plans Senator Johnst
on and his government friends had concocted. A single truck turning onto the street in the far distance was one of the few signs of life James had spotted after leaving the mostly-empty barracks.
All non-essential personnel and families had already been evacuated, but a half-dozen drones flew low and circled the base. At least one of the little flying spies had been following him the last couple of minutes.
James didn’t give a shit. He wasn’t sneaking out, he was leaving in broad daylight. The government wanted his help, and he was happy to give it, but that didn’t mean he would ask for permission for everything he did. They didn’t own him.
One of the SFs frowned and looked at James as he approached, but the airman kept his rifle slung over his shoulder. “We’re on lockdown, sir. Our orders are to not let anyone off the base without explicit permission from above.”
“You know who I am, right?” James asked. No matter how many times he assumed his reputation preceded him, sometimes that wasn’t the case.
The SFs exchanged glances.
“Mr. Brownstone, we know who you are,” the first SF agreed. “We have respect for you and your work, but we’ve got our orders. Please don’t make a scene, sir.”
James shook his head, keeping the frustration he felt out of his voice. “And I have somewhere I need to be. You don’t want to try to keep me here. We’re supposed to be on the same team and shit, but it’ll end badly if I have to force my way out. Fuck, you should probably call someone and tell them to give me a ride. It’ll be easier to get back then.” He turned and waved at the drone following him before gesturing toward the gate.
Just give them different orders, assholes.
The SF opened his mouth, then closed it. He raised his hand to his ear receiver. His brow wrinkled, and he looked at the other guard. They nodded to one another.
“Problem?” James asked. He wasn’t in a hurry, but he didn’t want to stand around all day waiting for the Air Force to get their fucking act together. He would like to visit his church before some Vax asshole blew it up.
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