Antagonize (From the Logs of Daniel Quinn Book 2)

by Thomas R. Manning

  “What? I have to protect—”

  “Ambrose’s orders. No one is permitted within proximity of the council with weaponry of any kind. Now hand them over.” To make sure I took him seriously, the guard raised his rifle and pointed it at my head.

  Flux.

  I pulled my sword off its magnetic strip and removed my revolver. Once the guard took possession of them, I didn’t know if I could get them back, but I had little choice. I relinquished them, but took care to make sure I kept the device from Scott between two of my fingers. Once he had possession of my equipment, the ensign knocked on the side of the float and another guard opened from the inside, a rifle hanging from his shoulder.

  “Wait a fluxing minute, he gets a weapon, but I don’t? I’m the damn advisor for stars’ sake.”

  “The previous advisor didn’t carry anything and Sentinels have clearance in order to ensure the protection of the council.” He sounded like a damn robot. I wanted to punch him, grab my sword and revolver, and haul ass to the council, but the second guard stared at me from inside the float and I needed to get past him.

  Maybe these men were true Sentinels, loyal to Scott. I’d be lucky if that happened, but I don’t usually get lucky.

  I stepped into the float, the undercarriage a narrow hallway. Every step I took felt awkward with the movement of the float underneath me. I walked around in a circle until I reached a set of stairs. The steel steps and a door led me onto the balcony, its floor covered with a red and blue carpet, the colors cut down the middle. The door behind me closed and the latch locked. The council turned toward me, then to each other. Their shoulders shrugged and whispers passed from person to person. Then I realized they never technically saw my face. They only heard my voice.

  “Councilmen and women,” I said, “I’m Captain Daniel Quinn.”

  My grand announcement didn’t seem to help their memories, until one of the women lifted her eyebrows and pointed at me.

  “Quinn . . . Damon’s replacement. We talked with you and Commander Reynold Scott?”

  “Yes,” I said. “Listen to me. All of you.” Only now did I feel the nerves creeping inside me, a spreading whirlwind of anxiety and fear. We were all together, and every person in front of me was a target. Any minute—hell any second now—things were going to get bad.

  Deep breaths. Don’t complicate the situation. Think.

  “There is going to be an attempt on your lives,” I said, stepping close to them so I didn’t have to shout. “We have to find a way to get you to safety.”

  “Mr. Quinn, Captain Quinn, we’ve known for weeks that our lives were in danger. You think we didn’t know that when we approved of the parade? We told you before, this is a way to show the enemy that we will continue no matter what.”

  “The enemy is counting on that,” I said. “They want you to stand tall and face the public. It just makes it easier to kill you!”

  “That’s enough,” a woman to my right said. I think her name was Burns. “If there is an attempt, the Sentinels are here in force to stop it.”

  Frustration joined my anxiety and fear, and I wondered how a group so determined to find peace could be so ignorant. I leaned into Burns, my nose almost touching hers.

  “The Sentinels are the ones who are going to attack.”

  Everyone heard me. Their smirks faltered, their arms dropped to their sides. One woman placed her hand on her chest. Maxwell turned his head toward the Sentinels in front of him. That got their attention.

  “How could you make an accusation like that?” Burns asked me. “The Sentinels have been protecting our way of life for years.”

  “Not ours, though,” Maxwell said. He must have been a Gaian. “They’re your security force, Amanda. What are you playing at?” Burns and Maxwell stared at each other.

  “This isn’t the time to fight amongst yourselves,” I said, my voice loud above their arguments. “You’re the peace council for flux sake. The entire reason the parade was moved up a week is because Commander Scott, Autumn Derringer, and I discovered that Ambrose was working against the council to stop the treaty from happening.”

  “Why would he do such a thing?” another councilwoman asked, one of the only members who currently looked scared.

  “That’s not important. Listen, you don’t know me, and if I were you, I wouldn’t trust me either, but trust in Commander Scott. Trust Autumn, Damon’s daughter. We are going to do everything we can to keep you safe.”

  The length of our conversation took us through the first quarter of the parade route. The council talked to each other and tried to determine their next course of action, despite the fact that they didn’t really have any choices. We were locked on the balcony, and to jump off would result in severe injuries because the platform was about fifteen meters off the ground.

  For the first time, I opened my hand and studied the device Scott gave me—a kind of module, black with transparent lines circling the outside of it. There was a button on the underside, just one. I wish he would have told me what the hell it was for, some kind of whisper or clue. He wouldn’t have given it to me if he didn’t think I needed it, so I kept my finger close to the button.

  The attack was coming. I knew it, but not how or when. I activated every kind of sight with my bionic eye—analysis, infrared, thermal—but didn’t see any unusual activity. I looked up, but the buildings were blocked by the large balloons.

  I ran through a list of ways Ambrose could pull off the murder of the council, but the options were limited. The easiest method would be snipers from the buildings’ windows. Eight shots, nine including me, and the council would be dead, but only the immediate crowd would see it happen.

  Enjoy the show, Granak said.

  No. Assassination was out of the picture. Whatever was going to happen, it would paint the sky red, raise a flag of blood that screamed war. Something big, like fireworks. The longer our float traveled down the main road, the harder my heart pounded. I itched for my sword and revolver.

  I still had one advantage that the soldier couldn’t take away—my bionic eye. A scanning grid appeared in my vision, and I walked the perimeter of the float as I looked in every direction. In front of us, the marching soldiers had varying degrees of heart rates and blood pressures. Some of them were highly elevated, which worsened my bad feeling. Above, in the buildings, I detected dozens of soldier silhouettes lined behind the windows, along with various weapon signatures.

  “We have to get out of here,” I said, the council’s half-hearted attempt at waves to the crowd diminished. They stepped away from the edge of the balcony toward me. I tried to open the door; I kicked at it, ran my shoulder into it, but it wouldn’t move. I ran past the council towards the balcony and leaned over. Too far.

  Our options weren’t just limited, they were non-existent. Did I really just back myself into a corner, one that would see the council murdered?

  The device Scott gave me—he knew the parade route and how it would work. Just because it moved forward a week didn’t mean anything else about it changed. Could a miniscule device help us now? I scanned over the small circular object. My eye picked up a strong energy signature around the button, one that I’ve seen surrounding two buildings and my prison.

  A shield emitter. I pressed the button and a small jolt of energy sparked to life. I dropped the device, and as it landed, a faint shield, one barely noticeable by my human eye, enclosed around us.

  I felt the beginning of a smile. The weapons would have trouble penetrating this. I doubt the power supply would last the length of the parade, but it gave us time.

  Then I realized that the weapons in the windows weren’t meant for us. I kept my eye on them—sniper rifles and the blue fireball shooters—and watched as they aimed forward, high above us, and let out a flurry of discharges.

  Each of the balloons in front of us exploded in a burst of red and orange as they were hit, filling the sky with what could only be described as hellfire.

  Sixteen
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  Debris rained. As the balloons landed on the floats and crowds around us, flames spread. People screamed in terror and enflamed human shapes ran flailing and falling.

  “The Gaians! It has to be them!” people screamed.

  “We’re all going to die!”

  The float in front of us turned into a bonfire, but we were protected. The small module was successful, though it didn’t stop the intense heat from pressing against our skin. We dropped to the floor of the balcony as the fire passed over us.

  More and more people fled the parade scene, blaming the Gaians for the attack. Ambrose’s plan worked perfectly. As much as I wanted to determine the next course of action, the surrounding sickening horror caused me to close my eyes. If it hadn’t been for Scott, we would either be dead or dying in agony right now.

  Get a grip, I thought. You have ten seconds to let the fear consume you and then you have to move.

  One . . .

  What felt like an asteroid tumbled around in my stomach and tears built up in my eyes.

  Three . . .

  I let myself relive all the bad experiences I survived. The mutiny on the ESA Echelon, the massacre on the planet Dawn, the death of Damon Derringer, the assassination of the three council members, and more.

  Six . . .

  I did all I could in each circumstance. Maybe my intentions weren’t always honorable and I had more than enough blood on my hands, but I did what I thought was right, what my family would be proud of. Daniel Quinn was one man, but it’s possible that all you need is one to make a difference. One more man. One more second.

  Ten . . .

  I stood tall and looked at the scene around me. Below us, in between our float and the flaming wreck in front of us, were the numerous Sentinel guards I walked by earlier. More than half of them looked up at me, their weapons raised. Others looked confused and didn’t know what to do.

  “Everyone stay down!” I yelled, and as I did, a majority of the soldiers opened fire at us. Each burst ricocheted off the shield and left behind small ripples.

  The confused Sentinels realized what was happening and raised their weapons toward their comrades, but each one was gunned down before defending us.

  The weight of their deaths pressed on my shoulders, but at least I knew Ambrose didn’t have full control of the Sentinels, which meant help was out there somewhere. Unfortunately, this also meant I had no idea who to trust.

  More discharges hit the shield. We couldn’t just sit like motionless targets. We had to move. The small size of the module meant that its energy would deplete sooner rather than later. The door behind us was still locked, and I doubted that the guard behind it would open it. My bionic eye searched for anything that could help us.

  The floats still moved down the predetermined path of the parade, their structures slowly consumed by fire. How many people still stood on them, helpless? How many shapes did I see fall from them, burning? I tried to shake away my distress and focus instead on myself and the council. Thirty feet ahead of us was a tall glass building, all its windows tinted black. I scanned over the side of the float and the window itself, judging the distance.

  Less than ten feet. We could do it.

  I looked around the top of the float, trying to find something hard to throw. Nothing. The damn guard took my gun and sword before I got on the float. What the hell were we going to throw at the window to smash it?

  As we drew closer, only one option came to mind, but I didn’t like it. I scanned down the street as far as I could and tried to see if there were any smaller buildings. That’s when I saw the gunmen above us getting closer. If we stayed on the float, we would cross their path. And as if on cue, the shield began to fluctuate.

  All choices were void, except one.

  “Everyone, get up. We’re going to jump.”

  “Jump?” Burns said, standing. “Are you insane? We’re over thirty feet off the ground!”

  “We’re not jumping to the ground,” I replied, backing up to the far side of the float, which was still protected by the shield. My previous fear resurged.

  “You’re kidding,” Maxwell huffed out through short breaths.

  “Listen to me. You have two choices. You can all stay here and wait for the shield to fail, in which case the Sentinels will kill you, or you can risk your life by jumping into the building. Two options and only one clear path toward living. Do you seriously need to consider this?”

  “But we have nothing,” Burns said, her eyes darting back and forth from me to the building. “What are we going to use to break the glass?”

  “Me,” I said. “So, worst-case scenario, I’ll jump and smack into the glass, fall to my death, and you won’t have to do anything.”

  I don’t know whether they all realized their options were limited, or if my sacrifice proved my loyalty to them, but one by one the council stood and walked toward me. We all watched the window draw closer. The float in front of us stopped. The fire must have finally damaged the motor.

  Flux me.

  “Okay, well, at least you won’t have to wait to be gunned down. If this doesn’t work, you’ll all just smack into the float in front of us. At least you might squish a few Sentinels below.”

  The timing would have to be perfect. If anyone hesitated, the float would crash before they had a chance to jump. I stared at the window and chose my point of entry. Everything blurred, including the council and the screams from the people below.

  “Put your whole body into it. Focus on the spot you want to land on.” I said to myself so the council would hear it. The window approached. The burning float came closer. Only a few more seconds. The large window passed the front of the float.

  I took off at a sprint. I pushed harder than I ever have and used every ounce of energy, but I wasn’t a machine. On the Kestrel Belle, I could divert energy where I needed it. Here, I didn’t have the ability to transfer more power to my legs, but I imagined it—pictured myself leaping from the platform and clearing the open space to the window. Whether the glass would break, that was out of my control.

  Quickly, the floor ended and I pushed off the ground. The time I spent in the air seemed to be an eternity. I saw the Sentinels below, some still firing on us and others reloading. I saw various shapes and sizes of people fleeing the area. Then all I could see was glass. I held my knees up and stuck out my elbows. This was going to hurt.

  The glass didn’t shatter into a million pieces when I hit it. Instead, the window cracked and large shards broke off. Pain shot through my left arm and leg and I knew one of the shards cut me. But I’d done it—I’d broken through the window. My body fell to the ground and I rolled, ungraceful.

  No time, I told myself. No time to recover. Get up. Help the council.

  I stood and put pressure on my right foot. Every left step I took hurt like hell and I felt blood dripping down my arm and leg. I limped my way back to the window and used my elbow to knock a few more shards out of the way, leaving more room for the council to jump through. The float moved slowly enough, but we only had a minute or two before it crashed.

  “Now! Let’s go!”

  One by one, the council ran from the far end of the platform and jumped into the window. I stood by in case any of them needed help, but so far everyone cleared the window without problems. Burns and Maxwell were the last to jump.

  “Ladies first,” Maxwell breathed out. I worried about him. The stress from the attack seemed to aggravate him physically. I never took the time to learn their medical histories, but from what I saw, he wasn’t in the best of health.

  Burns ran as fast as she could and jumped. I saw the fear in her eyes as she stretched her arms toward me. I extended my right hand, ignoring the pain from my left as I held onto the frame. Our hands clasped and I pulled hard. She landed at the edge of the window.

  Maxwell leaned over, a coughing fit taking control.

  “Maxwell! You have to jump!”

  The Sentinels below dispersed as the floats cam
e closer. If Maxwell waited any longer, he wouldn’t leap before impact. He spat on the ground and rushed forward. But with his strained look, I knew he wouldn’t make it. I reached out to grab him like I did Burns. He gritted his teeth and grunted as he made the best jump he could. I took hold of his wrist, but he wasn’t high enough and he swung into the frame below me. The impact jostled both of us and his arm slipped from my fingers. Maxwell grasped the frame and held on for his life. I dropped to the floor to help him, carefully to avoid any glass shards still sticking out of the frame.

  The door on the balcony of the float flew open. A Sentinel stepped through and turned toward us.

  “No, flux, no,” I gasped and tightened my grip on Maxwell.

  “Let me go. Save the rest,” he said.

  “No. No! We’re all getting out of this together.”

  The guard pointed his rifle at me. I couldn’t save everyone, but I still held on, not frozen in fear, but determined despite the stacked odds. Maxwell must have seen the look on my face.

  “Thank you,” was all he said before he released his grip on the window frame. I screamed for him, but he fell to the ground below. I rolled to the side just as plasma bursts flew past me and tore into the opposite wall.

  Grinding metal signaled the floats crashing together. In that instant I knew the Sentinel wouldn’t wait around. I got to my feet as he landed in the window frame. I felt like I was in slow motion, racing to my feet as he balanced himself and turned his weapon toward me.

  I clasped my fingers together, wound my arms back, and thrust them against the weapon. It fired as I diverted the direction of the blast, but the heat that surged from the muzzle burned my hands. I ignored the pain and recoiled, hitting the guard in the chest with my elbow. He fell toward the window opening and I lunged to grab his collar.

  “What’s your plan of attack?” I asked through gritted teeth. “How many men are trying to kill the council?”

  The Sentinel, leaning out the window, his life in my hands, laughed.

  “Daniel Quinn, the path of Infinity is endless!” He followed his cryptic words with a push against me. He fell further back and I couldn’t hold on without toppling out of the window myself. I let him go, but not before grabbing his rifle.