Up ahead, the barricade was coming into view. She saw helmets bobbing up and down. Rifles aiming. Off in the rear, a figure was standing in the shadows, giving orders from the safety of a large boulder.
“We’re almost there!” Tayshaun grunted as he crawled along the ground. He was behind Yumiko, trailing Anais, who was behind Koda.
As they approached the barricade, Sibylla’s heart was pounding. It was a familiar feeling, made common by the daily routine of fighting and pain. But now, she was beginning to relish it, desire it even. If only it didn’t feel so good.
“Alright,” Sibylla whispered through her com, waiting for the lull that would signal an ammo change. “Now!”
As one, they jumped to their feet, storming the fortress of blocks that had stood in their way. Recruits reached for their rifles, aimed their barrels, unyielding as they fired into the line of unsuspecting soldiers.
For a moment, the enemy tried to gather themselves. Some scrambled to reload, while others reached for their blades. But they were all too slow. And in seconds they were overcome by the frightening attack.
All around her, Sibylla watched as enemy soldiers writhed in pain. They spit foam from their mouths, convulsed on the ground, buckling from the merciless voltage surging through their bodies.
Removing her helmet, she felt a wave of guilt as she witnessed firsthand the effectiveness of her assault. What have I done?
Next to her, a young woman without her helmet was in full seizure. She had cocoa skin and braided hair, her eyes rolled back in her head as she fought to remain conscious. Reaching for a branch on the ground, Sibylla struggled to wedge it between the woman’s teeth. “Stay with me,” Sibylla whispered, comforting the woman by gripping her hand and brushing back her hair.
When the fighting had stopped, Yumiko ripped off her helmet and stared at her troops with a grin. “Alright, you beautiful bastards!” she yelled proudly. “Secure the area, check the bodies, and let’s call it a victory!”
But instead of cheering, the recruits were too busy congratulating Sibylla. She didn’t know what to make of it. She’d never been praised on such a level before. In fact, she couldn’t remember the last time someone had even said, thank you, to her.
At first, the feeling was uncomfortable, but as she began to count the number of friendly faces, realizing that most of her platoon hadn’t been injured, her unease was replaced with a sense of pride.
“Not bad,” Tayshaun said, patting Sibylla on the shoulder.
“Yeah,” Anais agreed. “You keep this up and we might end up being in the championship match.”
“I don’t really care about that,” Sibylla said. But she did. The taste of victory was becoming sweeter than she could’ve ever imagined. And already, she was wondering what it would be like the next time they battled.
“Hey!” a voice called out.
Sibylla turned to find Yumiko stalking toward them. “I thought I told you guys I wanted this area secure.”
“And we heard you,” Anais said.
“It’s okay,” Sibylla assured, motioning for the other recruits still bunched around her to take off. “You heard her guys. Get to work.”
Yumiko’s eyes narrowed as she watched her troops brush past her, not one of them stopping to offer her their congratulations. When her gaze turned to Sibylla, Sibylla felt the chill of dreadful eyes.
“You too,” Yumiko said.
Sibylla rushed to put her helmet on and joined the others. Yet, just as she marched out to check on some of the injured soldiers, she noticed a shadow moving in the distance.
Switching to her infrared, she saw standing by the ammunition dump the figure of a person. It must be their leader, Sibylla thought, the one she saw giving orders by the large boulder when they were crawling along the ground.
“There’s someone there,” Sibylla whispered through the com.
“Nothing but a straggler,” Yumiko bit out. “Tayshaun, take care of it.”
Sibylla stared back at Yumiko who was watching from afar. “But he’ll be too close to the ammo drop.”
“He’ll be fine,” Yumiko replied curtly.
Sibylla turned to Tayshaun. She could sense the apprehension in his posture, the way he hesitated for just a second.
“I’ll be okay,” he assured.
But Sibylla wasn’t so sure. Reaching for her blade, she rushed to catch up, quickly flanking his side.
The forest was quiet, but the fog was mysteriously lifting, as if it had been waiting for the battle to finish before deciding to let up. Sibylla’s grip tightened around her blade.
As they approached, Sibylla could see the figure more closely now. He was a young man. But his helmet was missing, and his rifle was at his feet. Sibylla activated the zoom of her helmet and saw that he was trembling, his light skin wet with sweat, his dark, brown hair damp around his gaunt face. He was muttering something.
Tayshaun aimed his rifle.
“No,” Sibylla said, steering it away. “You hit that crate, and we’ll be toast!”
Realizing that she was right, he quickly lowered the weapon and nodded. “Stay here, then. I’ll secure him.”
“Wait!” Sibylla cautioned, reaching out for him to stay. “Something’s not right. We need to draw him out…away from the ammo dump.”
But Yumiko’s voice sparked through the com: “Let him go!” she barked.
Sibylla glanced back over her shoulder at Yumiko who was still watching and saw that the other recruits had formed up around her. They were watching, waiting to see what was going to happen.
“It’s okay, Sib,” Tayshaun said. “He’s not even armed. I’ll be right back.”
Sibylla watched in silence, as Tayshaun made his way toward the young man. This isn’t right, she thought. Why was he so nervous? And what was he doing so close to the drop?
Tayshaun halted a few feet away, cautious as he removed his helmet and waved for the young man to step forward. “Come here, man. I don’t want to hurt you.”
But the young man didn’t move. He simply turned his gaze to Sibylla, his voice stuttering through a trembling jaw. “Are you…her?” he called out.
Sibylla’s brows drew in confusion. Tayshaun glanced back at her. None of this was making sense.
“They wanted me to tell you something,” he continued, on the verge of crying.
A biting wind tore through the forest, and Sibylla saw the cyclone of dead leaves swirling around them. It reminded her of the stream, that moment just before she’d started to hallucinate.
“Who’s they?” Tayshaun asked in confusion. “What’s he talking about?”
“That whatever you do, no matter how hard you try, they’re still coming.”
Sibylla wanted to speak, to ask him questions. But before she could even open her mouth, he raised a hand to show her what he’d been hiding in his palm and Sibylla saw an electrical grenade. “I’m sorry. But they’re too strong.”
Sibylla’s eyes widened as he pulled the pin, her gaze shifting to Tayshaun who was now only feet away from the ammunition drop.
The detonation was quick. It ruptured into a flare of electricity that crackled through the air, reaching out to the metal skin of the ammunition dump, and seeping into the weapons inside, where it ignited into an electrical storm that engulfed Tayshaun in a horrific second.
27
The Sting
Sibylla lifted from the ground, stared into the billowing smoke, searching for any sign of Tayshaun. The sudden rupture had left a ringing in her ear and her balance was off. She swayed to the side, struggling against the unexpected wave of dizziness that impeded her direction.
Her hearing was coming back. She heard voices. People were screaming around her, and she felt a hand grip her by the arm. But she pulled away, determined to keep moving. “Leave me alone,” she said, staggering through the smoke like a drunk person. Eventually, she tripped and fell to her hands, startled as she found what appeared to be a severed arm on the ground before her.
She scurried back, looked away, suddenly frightened as she noticed the staggering amount of debris littered around her. She saw pieces of a body suit, metal shards from an exo-suit, sections of the dump that had been ripped to shreds. But still, no sign of Tayshaun. She wanted to find him. She wanted to make sure he was okay.
Anxious, she pressed through the circle of bodies that had formed up ahead and found him lying on the ground, his body motionless. “Someone, get help,” she whispered.
The recovery team responded quickly. They flew in with transport helicopters, landing just beyond the forest, where a stretch of open land waited.
Rushing out, they attended to the wounded, lifting them onto gurneys and hurrying them back to the choppers, where they frantically worked to sustain them.
Sibylla watched, helpless, as they hefted Tayshaun. He’d been so sure about everything, so confident that he would be okay. Now, she wasn’t even sure he was alive. When they removed his helmet, she saw that his eyes were closed, and her stomach turned, worried that he was already gone.
The ride back was filled with silence, interrupted only by the occasional clack of safety restraints as the transports dipped in altitude. Sibylla looked at Anais. She was sitting with her back against the hull, her eyes focused on Yumiko who was looking the other way. She could only imagine how angry she was.
As they arrived at the Nest, the recruits were sent to the armory, where their exo-suits were readily removed. But afterwards, those who could still stand, rushed to the infirmary, desperate to hear the news of their fallen brother.
Sibylla was no different. She hurried as fast as she could, racing toward the other side of the base while looking for Anais, who had left early. But the girl was nowhere to be found. She must’ve already gotten there, Sibylla thought, knowing how quick the redhead could run.
When she got to the infirmary, she found an already-filled reception area, that was brimming with recruits from other platoons. Some sat in seats, while others lay across couches, their heads lifting as doctors and nurses passed by them, clearly hoping to hear news about one of their fellow recruits.
Her father had once told her about the bonds that formed between soldiers. But she’d never believed it, until now.
Koda greeted her at the entrance.
“How is he?” Sibylla asked.
“He survived the blast,” Koda said. “But that’s all I know.”
Sibylla sighed. He was alive. That was all that mattered. But at what price? Healing technology had advanced so much over the past decade of war, that most injuries on the field could be treated. But even with healing rods and advanced graphing, Sibylla suspected that it would be a while before Tayshaun would be ready to return. But still, he was alive.
“Where’s Anais?” Sibylla asked.
Koda motioned toward the waiting area. “She was the first to get here.”
“I’m not surprised. And Yumiko?”
“Back at the barracks. She’s not talking, though. She’s pretty upset.”
“She should be. It was her fault this happened.”
“That is true,” he said. “Perhaps things will be better once you take over and become platoon leader.”
Sibylla looked at him. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He grinned. “Fine, now, tell me: what happened?”
Sibylla didn’t know what to say. It had all happened so fast. One second, she was speaking, the next, everything was gone. “There was a young man.”
“Who?”
“A recruit from the other platoon. He was muttering something.”
“What?”
“I don’t know, he was nervous, stuttering. It’s hard to explain.”
“Is there something you’re not telling me?” Koda narrowed his eyes and Sibylla felt as if he was staring into her very soul. "Tell me," he said. "What did you see?"
Sibylla glanced over her shoulder at the nurses behind her, making sure that none of them were listening. The infirmary was already packed with injured recruits. The last thing she needed was to be added to the list for being crazy. "I'm not sure," she said. "It's hard for me to explain."
"Visions are always a mystery."
"That's the thing, you see. I'm not really sure it was a…vision," she said, using her fingers as air quotes.
Koda stared at her for a moment. "How so?"
"Well, you know how visions can be like snapshots of the future? Well, this was more like something in the present. I could interact with it. Speak with it."
His brow furrowed. "Are you finally going to tell me what you saw?" he asked.
Sibylla hesitated to answer. She was worried by what he might say. Speaking with a hallucination wasn't something she was ready to admit to. But she had to tell someone. Who better than someone open to the possibility? "It happened on the first day."
"You mean, by the stream?"
She bowed her head and nodded.
"And what did it tell you?"
The corners of her mouth drew downward as she thought. "I'm not sure. It told me that something was coming, something that knew what was going on…here."
He straightened, appearing troubled.
"What?" Sibylla asked. "What is it?"
"Visions are like windows to the past, the present, the future. They pass their messages through the ripples of the universe, offering a glimpse of information to a select few."
"You lost me," Sibylla said.
He sighed. "Visions are natural; not something to be frightened of."
"Then why am I so scared?"
He took a moment to form his answer, casting her a grave stare. "Because," he said. "What you saw weren't visions. They were…warnings."
Sibylla felt her stomach turn. She wasn’t one to believe in the spiritual. But after what she'd experienced in the mountains, and in the fog, she couldn't help but feel as though what Koda was staying was true. "Are you sure?"
"They show all the signs."
"From where are they coming then?"
He cupped his chin in thought. "That is the question, isn't it? But what I can tell you is that whatever is sending you these warnings it is extremely powerful."
"Great," Sibylla said with a weak snort. Just my luck. Instead of crazy, I'm in danger. If only she could've spoken to the young man, if only she could've asked him who he was speaking with, maybe she could've made sense of it all.
Thanking Koda with a touch to his arm, she turned her attention back to the waiting area, where Anais was sitting by herself. Wanting to help, Sibylla strolled over to the vending machine, where she ordered two cups of coffee. When they'd both been poured, she strolled over to Anais and handed her one.
"You okay?" Sibylla asked.
Anais gazed up from her lap, seeming lost in her worries. Taking the coffee from Sibylla, she expressed her thanks with a weak smile.
She was a mess, Sibylla could see. Rushed-up bun. Blood-shot eyes. Even her immaculately soft skin looked blotchy from the stress of a long night. She needed to rest.
"You sure you don't want to crash out for a while?" Sibylla asked.
"Could you?" Anais asked.
"No," Sibylla agreed. If it had been Dillon in there, she would've camped out for a year. "I guess I couldn't," she said, taking the seat next to her.
"You know, it's strange," Anais said. "I'm actually worried about the guy."
"We all are."
"No," Anais said. "It's more than that."
"Like what?" Sibylla asked. "Love?"
Anais blushed, peering into her coffee. "I don't know. At least, not yet, I don't think. I'm still trying to reconcile the whole conservative gentleman thing."
"All of it?" Sibylla asked, arching a suspicious brow at her.
Anais rolled her eyes, conceding with a grin. "Well, maybe not all of it. Like when he stands up from the table whenever I go to the bathroom. Or when he walks me across the field back to the Barracks. No one's ever done that for me before. Especially someone so…"
Embarrassed, she gave Sibylla a playful shove.
"What?" Sibylla asked. "He's tall, built, beautiful eyes. What's not to like?"
"I know. I know." Anais said, covering her face in frustration. "It's so damn annoying. I think that's why I’m such a bitch to him sometimes."
Sibylla snorted, remembering that day in the Hall when Yumiko had forced them to leave. Anais had been so upset, that she'd stormed past them without even saying goodbye.
"There's something I've been wanting to ask you," Sibylla said, turning to Anais. "That day at the Hall, what were you looking for?"
The question surprised her, and she perked up in her seat, glancing at the other recruits nearby. "If I tell you something," Anais whispered. "do you promise not to say anything?"
"About what?"
"The reason why I'm here."
“I know why you’re here,” Sibylla said. "To protect your country."
"No," Anais said. "It's not."
Sibylla peered across the field at the Data Center on the other side of the Nest, counting the number of guards at the front entrance. Security in this part of the base appeared to be strangely thin, especially when considering it was the heart of the Nest's computer network.
"So, tell me again," Sibylla said. "What exactly are we doing here?"
"I need to get into the main servers. There's something I have to see."
"What?" Sibylla asked.
"I can't say."
Sibylla shot her a suspicious glare. "You're not a Russian spy, are you?"
"Of course not," Anais replied, seeming insulted by the suggestion. "It's just…there's something I need to see for myself."
Sibylla eyed her closely. Breaking into the Data Center was more than a breach of regulation, it was treason, an act that was punishable by federal execution. Sibylla needed more than a pledge of surety from a friend before risking her life on something like that.
But there was an opportunity here, she knew. Hacking the mainframe allowed her access to the Pass Codes for Atra, who was already pressuring her by the day to get them for him. All she had to do was get Anais in and out. She could do that. She knew she could.
Sibylla of Earth: Book One of the Anunnakiverse Page 21