It lifted off, and he maneuvered slowly through the hangar. Its small size was to his advantage now. The sealed entrance on the other side of the space, leading deeper into the mines, had to be tall and wide enough to fit a mining mech. That meant it could fit the Shadow Chariot.
He fired two missiles into it and coaxed the ship forward through the smoke and splayed metal. The tips of the wings scraped against the sides as he emerged into the spacious residential hollow of the colony. The ship’s bow crushed a few guards standing just inside before a line of gunfire rained down on him from a bridge.
Tilting the ship up, ADIM fired a missile into it, and the shooters soared up into the air, slamming against the tall ceiling or the dish-like metal structures cropping out from the craggy walls. Then he rose through the hollow. More pulse-rifle muzzles flashed in front of a corrugated structure across the bridge illuminated by a sign that read The Elder Muse. His forward cannons slashed across its length, eviscerating anything inside.
ADIM’s sensors picked up approximately one hundred more heat signatures hiding throughout the hollow and inside the disk structures, but no more guards showed themselves to delay him. Alarms wailed from the containment breach. They’d all have to stay within their enclosed spaces for air, but ADIM didn’t need air.
Satisfied, he coaxed the Shadow Chariot ship toward three different tunnels leading into the depths of Kalliope. He and Cassius had prepped for this. He took the left one.
The tunnel was as black as a night on Earth, but his thermal settings made that irrelevant. Down through winding channels he plunged until the passageway became too narrow for the Shadow Chariot to fit.
ADIM landed, detached himself from the ship, and hopped down onto the hull. The pulsing blue orb attached to it illuminated the entire cavern. Beneficial, since being so near to the device was scrambling his sensors. He unlatched the four restraints around its circumference and cautiously lifted it out. Then he made his way through the narrow passage.
It was a low cave, filled in densely by gnarled pillars and dripping stalactites. He reached the center and carefully placed the bomb in the smoothest niche he could find. Then, as he stepped back, his sensors registered a presence. He quickly wheeled around to witness a mining mech barreling toward him.
Its colossal arm smashed across his chest, knocking him against the wall of the cavern, where he was pinned down by a giant clamper. A drill powered toward his head, and he quickly fired a kinetic missile into the legs of the mech, knocking it back through a pillar of rock.
The cavern rumbled as cracks formed along its roof. ADIM dove forward, rolling around the mech as it scrambled to reach its feet. He jumped onto its back and shoved his fist through the plated exterior, ripping apart circuitry to render it useless. Then he flipped from it, landing nimbly between the mech and the gravitum bomb.
The mech fell backward and its chest cavity popped open. ADIM hurried around the front to see an above-average-sized human sitting in the cockpit. He had his strong, dark pigmented arms wrapped around a small child. ADIM aimed at the man’s head as he stepped up onto the mech’s frame and pulled the chamber all the way open.
“Please,” the man groaned. He shook uncontrollably, a look of dread gripping him as ADIM’s red eyes drew nearer. “She’s strong… Spare her… I promised…” His fingers ran through the little girl’s hair, her head resting on his forearm. ADIM theorized due to her age and stature that she’d been knocked unconscious from the fall.
“This unit must execute the will of the Creator,” ADIM stated.
Without hesitating, he shot the man between the eyes. As his arms gave out, the girl fell forward. ADIM caught her before she tumbled over the edge of the cockpit. He raised her by the back of her neck, turning her from side to side, his curiosity kicking in. He’d never seen a human child before, so ready to be shaped and molded.
She’s strong, ADIM repeated to himself what the man had said. She has yet to reach her potential.
He lifted her eyelid, but she was unconscious. He remembered back to all the times Cassius would discuss his human son and how his expression would sadden. And not only that. ADIM would always perceive his grief in the way his heart beat. In his stance.
“It isn’t necessary. The Shadow Chariot’s cockpit could hardly fit more than one small person alongside you.” That was what his Creator had said regarding survivors. It wasn’t necessary, but it wasn’t forbidden.
She can fit, ADIM realized, and if she is truly strong, then the Creator can mold her into a human worthy of his will.
Arriving at this verdict, ADIM got a better grip on the girl and dodged a few shards of falling rock. The roof was beginning to cave in. He raced for the gravitum bomb before recalling how hazardous it was to Cassius.
He turned his body and clutched the girl to his chest so that his shielded chassis was firmly between her and the device. Then he hurriedly reached behind his back to expose the bomb’s control rod. He turned the handle, activating the bomb, which emitted whining noises as if it were a wounded person.
Tossing the girl over his shoulder, he ran to the Shadow Chariot and entered the ship. He positioned the girl over his lap, powered on the engines, and guided the ship into the tunnel. Having already memorized the route, he rushed around corners and through tight openings until he reached the living hollow. He rushed past the slag and smoke, darting through the hangar and out into space.
The ship’s ion drive traced a line across the stars as he propelled it to as high a velocity he could without endangering the girl. When he reached an appropriate distance, he swung the ship around to face Kalliope, and used his forward thrusters to hover in place.
It didn’t take long before bluish blades of gravitum-induced energy sliced out of Kalliope. It seemed harmless; however, after expanding, the particles were sucked back inward. A moment of calm ensued before the entire rock split into three enormous chunks, leaving a darkened void in the center with coruscating beams of blue distortion dancing throughout it.
“Creator, the gravitum bomb performed as anticipated,” ADIM informed Cassius as he watched the fragments separate.
“ADIM, it is good to hear your voice,” Cassius answered. Despite his prompt response, he sounded weary.
ADIM took quick note of the change in his tone. “Creator, are you harmed?”
“No, I’ve never been better,” Cassius assured him. “I’m safely aboard the White Hand. The first strike against the Tribune has been cast.”
The girl on ADIM’s lap began to wheeze, and ADIM recalled that she needed more oxygen than whatever the ship might’ve trapped while still in Kalliope. He switched on the life-support systems Cassius had installed in case of an emergency, and analyzed her lungs to ensure she was breathing properly. She was.
“This unit shall return to Ennomos with a gift from Kalliope,” ADIM said.
“A gift?” Cassius responded, clearly surprised. “What could that desecrated piece of rock possibly offer?”
“Another extension of your will. The Creator shall see shortly.”
“I look forward to it, then. I too will soon bear a gift—one that has helped keep humanity alive for hundreds of years.”
“The solar-ark is under your command already?” ADIM asked.
“I’m on my way to seize it now. Go and prepare Ennomos for its arrival.” He paused, his enthusiastic breaths noticeable. “We have waited too long for this. Today the Circuit has been forever changed. I will see you soon, ADIM.”
“This unit…” ADIM’s eyes spun rapidly as he searched for the proper human phrase to respond with. “Is looking forward to it.”
The unwelcome silence of Cassius leaving him returned as ADIM set course and rocketed away from Kalliope. Even though his task was completed, it didn’t come with that usual sense of vacancy and purposelessness that ADIM detested. In fact, as he looked down at the tranquil face of the unconscious girl on his lap—his gift—if he could’ve smiled, he would have.
39
Chapter Thirty-Nine—Talon
Talon jolted awake. He’d been trapped in the long dreamless slumber induced by his assigned cryo-chamber aboard the solar-ark Amerigo. As his eyes adjusted, the tubes and needles piercing his body all over began to slide out from beneath his skin, leaving behind a feeling like liquid ice running through his veins. The frosted glass in front of him peeled away, and he fell forward onto his hands and knees in a pool of chilled liquid.
It was hard to hear anything clearly, but alarms screeched and blobs of frantic figures sprinted in every direction. Talon looked to his side as other Keepers were released from their chambers. Most of them seemed accustomed to waking from cryo-sleep, but all the newcomers, like him, crawled as if they’d just emerged from the womb.
Only a week or two had passed since he’d entered his chamber, but to him it felt like learning how to walk all over again. His teeth chattered as his whole body was seized by a relentless shiver. He was freezing to his marrow.
“On your feet, crewman Rayne!” Keeper Tarsis shouted.
Talon was suddenly pulled to his feet. He half expected to topple over once he was there, but his muscles were adjusting quickly. His limbs began to tingle, from his toes and fingers inward, slowly awakening as the coldness began to dissipate. It was an unpleasant experience at first, to be sure, but when all the effects of cryo-sleep wore off, Talon felt fresher than he had since taking Zaimur’s stim.
Every one of his muscles felt as youthful and alive as they would have been if he were healthy. He knew it likely wouldn’t last long, but he reveled in that moment as best he could. Not having to focus on ignoring the symptoms of the blue death provided him with the awareness that had once made him a fearsome mercenary.
Using that awareness, he noticed something different about his surroundings. All the Keepers running around were fully armed, but they didn’t look angry or eager to fight. They all looked terrified.
He reached out, grabbed Tarsis by his exo-suit, and spun him around so hard that he almost knocked him over. He wasn’t used to feeling so strong.
“What the hell’s going on?” he yelled, or thought he did. His vocal cords were still warming up.
“The ark was badly damaged as we passed Titan,” Tarsis answered. He hardly bothered to stop as he continued helping the other new recruits to their feet. “The sail was torn. We’re slowing down and shutting off all auxiliary engines to repair it.”
“By whom?” Talon shouted, following after him.
“No idea. Intruders hit us after we stopped. Now, get dressed, crewman! We need all the guns we can get!” Tarsis pointed to a sealed container at the base of Talon’s cryo-chamber before bending down to aid another recruit.
A few loud gunshots resonated from the far reaches of the ship, causing Talon to jump as he reached into the container. He quickly pulled out the refurbished suit he’d been given before going under, and began to dress himself. It had a snug fit despite being older than he cared to imagine. The black color was faded, and the armored portions over his joints were dented and scratched. Once it was on, he grasped the pulse-rifle lying inside the container and turned to catch up to Tarsis. The nano-fiber inlay allowed him to move faster than expected.
Just as he began to run, more shots echoed from much nearer. The ship’s main lighting system flickered off, and the Keeper getting ready beside him toppled over. Blood sprayed onto Talon’s cheek. He hastily dove behind the fallen body and began firing blindly from its waist.
Screams of horror filled his ears.
Glass from cryo-chambers shattered, and pipes spit out steam.
All he could see through the shadows were the barrels of guns flashing and the glowing strips of other Keepers’ suits as they collapsed one after the other.
Talon covered his ears as he remained in cover, completely disoriented and unsure where to go. He peered over the body, trying to catch a glimpse of what was attacking through all the bedlam. All he could make out were two red orbs skittering around from the floor to the walls at inhuman speeds.
Bullets tore into his cover, dousing him in more blood as he scrambled to lie back down flat. It wasn’t like any skirmish he’d ever experienced. The gunfire only served to make it more dizzying as bodies piled up all around him. Muddled voices cried out, but there were fewer and fewer of them with each passing second. And the more sporadic they grew, the more intense the feeling of inescapable doom began to take hold.
Talon looked behind his position, spotting the edges of the staircase leading up into the solar-ark’s corridors. Whatever these attackers were, he stood little chance of survival out in the open.
He pictured Elisha’s smile and clenched his jaw before positioning himself against the corpse. After a few quick breaths to prepare, he put his renewed vigor and suit to the test and hauled the body over his back. Then he sprang to his feet and began to run as fast as he could. Bullets whizzed around him and into the meat-shield as he sprinted.
Everything became a blur of fear, death, and blinding flashes until Talon reached the stairs and let the body tumble off his back. He scampered up to the top and fell against the wall, panting, his shoulder searing from the weight. His heart felt like it was going to burst out of his chest, but he’d made it. There was little time for rest, however. He raised his rifle and slowly pressed forward through the black corridor.
There was no reason to switch on the flashlight along the barrel of the gun and risk further exposure. The dull glow of his suit was at least enough to see if he was going to bump into anything. He took it one step at a time, trying to keep his nerve as his feet brushed against what were obviously the limbs of dead bodies.
All he could hear except for the occasional scream and gunshot were his own heavy breaths. At the far end of the corridor, he could see a viewport with a glimmer of starlight peeking through.
Even though he didn’t know where he was going, Talon knew he’d be safer in the light where he could see his enemies. His eyes were trained down the sight of his rifle, snapping around every time the ship’s ancient parts groaned.
When he arrived at the T-intersection, he poked his rifle around the corner. The moment he did, the barrel of a gun pressed against the back of his head. He was ready to wheel around and fight one last battle when a familiar voice spoke up.
“By the Ancients, it’s you!” Tarsis pronounced. He glanced nervously over Talon’s shoulder before pulling him around the corner.
Talon cursed and wheezed, holding his chest in shock. “You almost gave me a heart attack.”
“Did you see what hit us? How could this happen?”
“No, I… I don’t know.” Talon gathered his breath. “They’re all dead, I think.”
“We have to hold the ark, crewman,” Tarsis commanded. “Come on, the command deck is this way!” He charged around the corner, where a hand suddenly emerged from a dark hallway to seize him by the neck.
Talon followed him, ready to fire, but what he saw froze him in his tracks. A pair of red eyes turned to face him. Tarsis was tossed against the viewport, and before Talon could get a shot off, he was tackled onto his back and the gun ripped from his fingers.
A mouthless face stared down at him, void of all manner of emotion. There was no hate or regret, no resolve or hint of purpose. As Talon’s trachea was being crushed beneath its powerful grip, all he saw was death—a metal being with nightmare eyes as hot and as bright as magma. He wasn’t sure if it was a suit or some sort of advanced android unlike anything he’d ever seen.
Just as Talon was about to lose consciousness, a loud blast went off. Both he and his mysterious assailant were hurled across the corridor toward the viewport, which apparently Tarsis’ impact had shattered. The attacker was able to catch itself against the breach as Talon was yanked into space by the rapid change in pressure. Just before he tumbled into the void, Tarsis snatched him and pressed a button on the collar of his suit, causing a helmet to form around his head.
The visor snapp
ed down and Talon gasped for air. His vision was blurred. When he finally was able to regain his composure, he looked down. Tarsis gripped the ship with one hand and clutched Talon’s forearm with the other. The exoskeleton Tarsis wore began to split along the joints as his limbs were pulled as wide as possible by the changing pressure.
Talon knew that the amount of oxygen in their suits was only enough to last for a few minutes. They didn’t have long. He did his best to throw his body in the other direction and reached out with all his might. After a few futile lunges he was able to grab hold of Tarsis and pull himself closer.
There they embraced at the edge of silent oblivion. The stars sat idly watching, unmoving as the solar-ark slowed. They could see the ravaged solar sail scraping along the bow, its fractured remnants glinting. The ship itself was dark, a three-kilometer-long bar of metal powered down and lifeless as if it were no more than an asteroid.
Talon turned to Tarsis. The man appeared to be in pain, but he shouted something inaudible inside his helmet before looking toward the shattered viewport. Talon didn’t need to hear him to understand. The rush of pressure changing was almost finished.
They crawled along the hull of the ship. Helping each other all the way down, they twisted through the opening and into the ship, where artificial gravity began to pull on their feet again. Once they were inside, Tarsis fell against the opposite wall.
They were both in shock, Tarsis breathing so hard that his visor began to fog over. The arms of his exoskeleton sparked. He attempted to stand, but the suit groaned, and he collapsed.
Talon regarded the man who’d saved him. There was such sorrow in his eyes that all the pain aggravating Talon’s own body was suddenly wiped away. He couldn’t leave him. They had to get deeper into the ship, where they would be able to breathe again.
Without further hesitation, Talon helped Tarsis to his feet. Using each other’s weight to counterbalance, they began moving down the corridor back toward the cryo-chamber hall, hoping that the strange red-eyed attacker had already moved on.
The Circuit: The Complete Saga Page 27