by L. J. Suarez
“That’s where our newly acquired weapons from the old military base come into play,” Gareth said. “We’ll use rocket launchers to blast a hole through that wall.”
It was Sue’s turn to speak. “Doubt that’ll be enough. As I recall, the outer wall is made out of a special, reinforced glass metal. Supposedly impenetrable.”
Bishop said confidently, “Nothing’s impenetrable. We’ll get through. Even if I have to tear through the wall with my bare hands.”
“This isn’t a goddamn game!” Alex said, his voice elevated. “We only have one shot at this. One little mishap, and we’re done for.”
“There is another way,” Mace said, cutting into the conversation. His soft tone caused everyone inside the tent to stop and turn to him. He pointed to a section along the outer wall. “If I remember right, there’s a drain outlet right about here, in the south wall. Discharges the water from the Endless Falls into the nearby river outside the wall. The outlet leads into a service tunnel directly underneath the city. Back when we were kids, my friends and I use to hang around the tunnels all the time. Treated it as our own playground.” Mace let out a chuckle, reminiscing about the memories long past. “Glad I never told my parents about our little exploits, or they would have had my ass. Aside from a few maintenance drones, there’s not a single soul that ventures down there.”
Ava looked unconvinced. “Can we even fit through that outlets?”
“They’re about four meters in diameter, give or take. Won’t exactly be spoiled for space, but we’ll be able to get through. It’ll increase our chances of getting inside the Capital without giving away our position like we would if we simply blasted our way in.”
Gareth grinned as he looked at the section on the map Mace had pointed to. “Yes, this can work.”
“There’s just one problem,” Emerson said. “The Nads could likely detect us before we can get anywhere near the outer wall. We could be potentially facing an entire armada.”
“We’ll be ready for them,” Bishop said. “With our new weapons, we’ll give them a fight they’ll never forget. Only question is, how do we get the bomb inside the Capital without Empyreum security getting to it first?”
“Is this all really necessary?” Reed pleaded. He pointed his thumb behind him. “That contraption you’ve brought into our home has the capacity to kill millions.”
“We won’t be using it,” Mace assured him. “The bomb’s just for show. To scare the Nads to give into our demands. Nothing more. If they don’t see we have this capability at our disposal when we storm right through the city, then this plan won’t work.”
Reed breathed a sigh of relief, but seemed to remain troubled by Mace’s plan. “Surely we don’t need to stage all this and risk more lives just to get the Monad’s cooperation. There’s got to be another way we can reason with them.”
“From where I’m standing right now, this is the only way.” Suddenly, Mace heard the familiar warning horn blowing outside. Something was coming their way.
“What now?” Reed said.
A guard frantically entered the tent. “There’s another Monad airship approaching.”
Instinctively, Mace grabbed his bow beside him and rushed out of the tent along with the rest of his warriors. They all ran in a group toward the courtyard, where a set of lights illuminated the cloudy night sky above. An airship touched down at the center of the courtyard by the time Mace and the others arrived. He raised his bow at the ship with its aft section facing him, and the others drew their spears and swords. He wished he had an M16 right about now. “Nobody make a move until I say so.”
The ship sat idle for a long, uncomfortable moment. Its running lights were still active, contrasting with the dark lighting of the torches illuminating the settlement. Mace felt his arms tire as he waited for the occupants inside to show themselves. He turned to Ava, who shared his confusion. The hell they waiting for?
The ramp to the aft section finally lowered. A lone, tall figure walked down the ramp and made its way toward Mace.
He pulled the arrow farther back, ready to fire it—until he realized it was Ionne.
She came to a stop in front of the guards who blocked her path. With her hands raised, Ionne turned to Mace and said simply, “We need to talk.”
Chapter 29
Ionne stood nervously before the entire committee and several New Lazarus guards inside the Committee tent.
They listened to her reasoning for coming to the settlement unannounced, and her suspicion that a third party was attempting to start a war between the two races. She fell silent after explaining their predicament when Mace informed her of what happened to Aaron at the border and the delicate state he was in. After he finished, Ionne spoke. “I beg you all to reconsider what you are about to do. Your actions could have lasting consequences for generations to come.”
“What a convenient story,” Bishop said. Crossing his arms, he looked toward Ionne as though she were a revolting insect that needed to be squashed. “You honestly expect us to believe all that? You’ve tried killing us multiple times, forcing us to live out here where we had to fend for ourselves. Now Aaron is in a coma, and you have the balls to show your face here and say that you had nothing to do with it?”
“What I have just told you was the truth,” Ionne said, a hint of sadness in her voice “And we did not force you out of Empyreum. You left at your own accord despite my pleads.”
“It was a Monad weapon that fired on us at the border,” Mace said.
“Yes, but it did not come from any of our Empyreum guards. And we never did see the attacker’s face. Therefore, it could have been anyone.”
“What about the Shadow Order?” Sue said. “Could they have somehow come back and are exacting revenge on us?”
“That was my initial assumption,” Ionne said. “However, I do not believe they had anything to do with this. I spoke to Gideron himself. He does not claim responsibility for the attack.”
“And you believe him?” Sue said as she stared at Ionne, unconvinced. “Gideron is a genocidal maniac.”
“He does not have any reason to lie. I would assume he would take great pride in orchestrating our shared destruction at this point.”
“Then who is behind all this?” Mace said impatiently.
“I wish I knew. But I can assure you that our government had nothing to do with it.”
“Bullshit!” Bishop said. He turned to Mace. “We can’t trust her. They’ve lied to us before. What makes us think they ain’t doing it again now? I’m telling ya, this is a deliberate attack. We have to take action while we still can. Our entire race is on the line.”
“They used the stun setting,” Ava blurted out.
Mace arched a brow at her as he tried to figure out what she was getting at.
“When Empyreum security came to extract the Jafner survivors, they could have wiped us out from the sky with a single shot and taken their people without breaking a sweat. But they didn’t. Instead, they landed on the ground and used the stun setting on their rifles when we engaged them. Why?” Ava looked around the room for anyone to answer her.
“Who the hell knows,” Bishop said. “Maybe they didn’t want to risk the survivors being caught in the crossfire. Did you forget that they killed one of our own during the raid?”
“It was out of self-defense,” Ava said. “I saw the look of regret in the guard’s eyes after it happened.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because I can tell the difference between self-defense and murder.”
Brushing Ava off, Bishop continued, “So he felt bad. What a humanitarian. Doesn’t change the fact of what he did. The point is, we need to strike now.”
“The Capital is currently on high alert,” Ionne stated. “The authorities are prepared for any attacks you launch against us. You would not get anywhere near the outer wall.”
Alex raised his hands in frustration. “That’s just great! So much for our surprise attack.”
>
Mace began to pace the tent while everyone fell silent. “You know, back in Empyreum, one of my favorite subjects when I was in school was history. One piece of old Earth history that stuck with me was an event called The Trojan War. The story goes that two ancient human societies, the Greeks and the Trojans, were locked in a ten-year conflict. The Greeks constructed a giant wooden horse. They pretended to have sailed away to sea. The Trojans pulled the horse that was left at their front gates inside their city, claiming it as a trophy. Little did they know a select few Greek soldiers were hidden inside the horse. Later that night, they crept out of the horse and opened the gates. The rest of the Greek army entered and destroyed the city of Troy, thus ending the war.”
“Subterfuge,” Sue said.
“Exactly. The B83 is our Greek army, and Dr. Ionne’s airship will be our Trojan horse. That’s how we’ll slip the bomb into Empyreum, and security wouldn’t even know. We’ll also be taking Aaron with us. Get them to treat his injuries.” He addressed the map again and pointed to a section near the Central Plaza district. He then turned to Ionne. “Is this where your central power grid is located?”
Ionne said nothing.
Gareth moved to next to the Institute director, glared up at her, and said with menace, “Answer him.”
She finally gave a half-nod.
Mace continued, “The grid provides electric energy not only to the Capital, but to every Monad city on the planet. We’ll plant the B83 there for our little ‘demonstration.’ Once they realized their power grid is in danger, we’ll have their attention.” He turned to Bishop and Ava. “You two will lead a ground assault to the service tunnels and draw in Empyreum security while we make our way to the power grid with the nuke. Distract the Monads for as long as you can once you’re inside the city. Don’t engage until it’s absolutely necessary. Remember, we don’t wanna kill them, only slow them down long enough to make our move so go easy on those itchy trigger fingers.”
“That shouldn’t be too hard,” Gareth said. “Between their NIs and body armor, they’re almost impossible to put down for good.”
“Mace, there has to be a better way,” Ava said.
“I don’t know. The Nads came to our home and ram shackled it. Least we can do is return the favor.” He turned back to Bishop. “Make sure every able body gets a rundown on how to use the M16s and every god damn armament we got. I want you, Gareth, Emerson, and every other guard to start training as many settlers as you can to fight right away. We’re gonna need all hands on deck for this one. You have two days.”
“You got it,” Bishop said. “I’ll also need to reconfigure the B83’s circuitry and set up a triggering remote. To show the Monads we mean business.”
“Do it. Just try to not blow us up in the process.”
Bishop grinned. “No promises.”
“I will not cooperate,” Ionne said.
“I don’t see where you have much of a choice, doc,” Mace said. He then turned to a guard standing behind her. “Prepare a bunk for our guest. See that she’s…comfortable.”
Ionne bowed to silently thank him for the small courtesy and was guided out of the tent. Everyone else except for Ava walked out.
“Reed and Ionne are right. This is wrong and you know it.” She reached for his arm. “Please, don’t do this. You can still make the right choice.”
“To tell you the truth, I don’t know what’s right and wrong anymore. But I’ll do whatever it takes to protect us all. I promise that no one else will die; Monad or human, if we do this right.”
“Tell that to Bishop. I don’t trust him any further than I can throw him.”
“He’s a hot head, but loyal. He’ll stick to the plan.”
“This plan won’t work. We don’t stand a chance against them.”
Mace smirked. “Throughout Earth’s history, powerful civilizations have come and gone. The Monads will be no different. But I can’t do this without you. I need you, now more than ever.”
Ava paused.
Mace placed an affectionate hand on her shoulder. “You with me?”
“Yeah, I’ll go along. But have you ever stopped to consider what your father might think about what you’re about to do?” With that, Ava exited the tent, leaving Mace with only his thoughts to ponder.
Chapter 30
The muffled pops of the M16s being discharged had replaced the sounds of beating drums from the nightly festivities. The vibe throughout New Lazarus was a somber one.
Bishop walked past a group of guards familiarizing themselves with the antique weapons retrieved from Ellsworth. Throughout the day and into the night, thousands of settlers who had never picked up a weapon in their life were being trained all throughout the settlement on how to fight—from basic hand-to-hand combat, to wielding spears or swords, all the way up to handling humanity’s most advanced weaponry recovered from Ellsworth. Whether they were farmers, fishermen, or blacksmiths, come tomorrow they would all be warriors.
Gareth was teaching a particular group to properly aim the M16s at wooden log targets positioned several yards away, firing off random shots. Some of the settlers looked clumsy handling the rifles, while others gave off the impression of being lifelong marksmen.
Bishop walked up to a younger settler, who trembled as he held his M16. He placed a hand on the settler’s shoulder. “Take a deep breath.”
No older than twenty, the guard took a breath in and then exhaled. His hands seemed to cease trembling.
“Good,” Bishop said. “Now slowly squeeze on the trigger.”
On cue, the settler gently squeeze the weapon’s trigger, and a round hit the ground an inch away from the wooden target. The guard let out a frustrated sigh.
“That’s ok, you’re getting close. Try again.”
The settler aimed his rifle once again at the target.
“Picture in your mind that that log you’re aiming at is the face of a Nad. Remember all the hardships they’ve put you through. All the family and friends you’ve lost along the way because of them.”
The boy’s eyebrows were pulled down while his upper eyelids went up. Bishop could feel the young settler’s rage fuming out of him.
“How does that make ya feel?” Bishop asked.
“Pissed,” replied the settler.
“That’s good. Now channel that anger to your finger and fire right at that ugly bastard’s face.”
The settler gripped the M16 more confidently now. The hesitation was gone. He looked through the sight of the M16’s barrel, took another breath, and squeeze the trigger. With another loud pop, the bullet erupted from the barrel and hit the target log dead center.
A grin formed on Bishop’s mouth. “The Nads better watch out. Keep practicing.”
He continued through the courtyard until reaching his hut. Closing the door behind him, he walked over to his fire pit. Once Bishop got a fire started and his hands were warm enough, he opened a wooden chest next to the fireplace. Inside was a long object covered by a dark cloth. He lifted the cloth; underneath was the pulsar rifle he had used at the Gray Zone border. The weapon was somehow left unaccounted for by the Monad authorities during the Shadow Order incident all those years ago. Bishop had managed to secure it and sneak it out of Empyreum after they were exiled from the Capital. The Monads were none the wiser.
Superior race. Bishop scoffed at the thought.
The rifle had come in handy when he did what he had to at the border, setting the stage for what was to come next. Bishop stared at the rifle for a minute longer. Then he covered it back up with the cloth, placed his battle axe on top, and closed the chest.
A knock on his door took Bishop out of his daze. Standing on the other side of it was his own father. Reed didn’t wait for Bishop to invite him in as he walked right past him. Without saying a word, Reed moved to the pit and held his hands near the fire. Bishop waited for him to say the first word.
Rubbing his hands together, he said, “Is it done?”
“The acc
ess panel on the bomb was degraded worse than I thought. Had to rebuild the whole damn mechanism using the schematics provided by my A.I. buddy at Ellsworth. But I managed to configure it from a small tactical nuke to a 1.2 megaton warhead.
“Would that be enough to destroy the city?”
“It’ll definitely take out the whole power grid once it’s secured inside, and wipe out at least three or four million Nads in the blast wave. It’ll deliver some serious hurt.”
Reed nodded. “I suppose it’ll do. If the bomb works. We can’t leave anything to chance.”
“It will work. Don’t worry.”
“What about the remote trigger?”
“All set. We’re ready.”
“Good. It would seem all is going according to plan. I will be accompanying Mace and Dr. Ionne to Empyreum.”
“You think that’s a good idea?”
Reed turned to Bishop and arched a brow. “What’s the matter boy? Don’t you trust your dear old dad?”
“Mace might suspect something. I don’t think he’s fully on board with this. He may jeopardize everything.”
Reed took a step closer to Bishop. “More reason for me to be on that airship to ensure that it doesn’t. I can handle Mace. Besides, by the time he realizes what’s happening, it’ll be far too late. Until that time arrives, we have to make him continue to think he’s actually in charge. I also want you to keep a close eye on Ava when you leave for Empyreum tomorrow. She might try to…complicate matters for us.”
“I will.” Bishop had never felt so proud of his father for what they had accomplished until this point, and what lay ahead for them.
Reed placed both hands on Bishop’s arms. A wide smile cracked across his face, revealing his crooked teeth. “This is going to work. Soon, we’re gonna set things right. The Monads will have no other choice but to obey or get what’s coming to them.”
Chapter 31
A cold and overcast morning greeted New Lazarus, the sun’s warmth hidden within the thick gray clouds.