Critical Dawn (The Critical Series Book 1)

by Wearmouth

  No movement.

  “You’re the best they’ve got, eh? Welcome to my world, motherfucker.”

  Charlie spat blood from his mouth and turned, leaving the dead alien behind in the dirt for the animals and bugs to feed on. If it wanted Earth so much, it could have it.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Gregor scanned through the trees past his office toward the chocolate factory. Layla had been gone for just over an hour. A hover-bike breezed overhead and lowered into the square. Nothing out of the ordinary. The massive shape in the sky was, and it started to move again, rumbling along, creating a sound like a continuous blast from a distant foghorn. The croatoans on the ground, he observed, seemed oblivious to the new arrival.

  In the near vicinity, Layla’s trailer was reduced to a black, charred skeleton. Gregor wondered if the croatoans would kill her on sight, although it was him they were after and only acted on direct orders or procedures. Alex and Vlad’s trailers were still in place without any noticeable damage, as was Igor’s rotting shed.

  Maria shuffled alongside him on her elbows. “They told me you were responsible for the set-up inside the harvester.”

  Gregor shrugged. “I didn’t build them. Just passed the idea along to Augustus. He’s the real boss. Besides, you were safe in there. Had hope.”

  “Until my retirement.” She slapped him across the face and shuffled out of arm’s reach. “Now I can work with you.”

  “You can have that one for free,” Gregor said. “But only that one.”

  “Can’t say you didn’t deserve that,” Denver said.

  The slap momentarily stung, but it was worth taking if it meant having Maria fully onboard. He needed trust when leading the diversionary assault on the farm. Not a former harvester worker with a grudge, taking him down before they achieved their goal.

  Gregor turned to Denver. “There’s a lot of things you and your fake dad deserve too. All good things come to he who waits.”

  “Do you know what he once said about you?”

  “Fuck this,” Gregor said. “I’m going to sweep the forest. Make sure they’re not sneaking up. You should know all about that.”

  Ben was propped against a tree. He’d sat and agreed with everyone for the last hour. Gregor resisted the temptation to kick him in the face as he passed.

  “How long you gonna be?” Denver said.

  “Not long. Layla should be back soon.”

  Gregor needed time to think away from the group. Every few minutes, Denver chipped away at his nerves. Maria was like a parrot on his shoulder.

  He wanted to think of a disaster recovery plan. If Charlie couldn’t get on the shuttle, they needed another play. Something effective. His mind blanked. It seemed like they had a one shot deal.

  Cutting through the trees, scrambling over obstacles and surveying the damp ground for fresh croatoan boot marks helped release some of the tension he felt building inside.

  Above, he heard the increasing hum of the shuttle descending toward the farm. The others would see it shortly. They’d positioned themselves in woodland between the landing area and warehouses. A trail was cut through the woodland to allow the containers to be transported for loading. As soon as the croatoans appeared on the trail, the plan was to attack the warehouses. Starting with the barracks.

  Something moved in the trees ahead.

  Gregor ducked behind a moss-covered rock and peered over it.

  A figured darted between two redwoods, heading toward him.

  Human.

  Charlie Jackson.

  Gregor looked down the sights of the AR-15. Aimed at Charlie. Followed his movements as he closed in. Fifty yards. Forty. Thirty.

  His finger itched on the trigger. Gregor had waited years for this opportunity. Denver would take the bomb if his father didn’t show.

  He couldn’t fire. Yesterday, Jackson would’ve been worm food. But not today.

  Charlie hadn’t spotted him. He was twenty yards away. Gregor kept the rifle shouldered and stood. “Managed to deal with the alien?”

  Charlie abruptly stopped. His hand twitched against the alien rifle. He darted behind a tree. “Waiting to ambush me, Gregor?”

  Gregor knelt back behind the rock. “I wasn’t going to shoot. I could’ve easily killed you if I wanted.”

  He peered over the moss. Charlie’s head shot back behind the tree.

  “We need to finish this, Gregor. Lower your rifle.”

  “Both of us come out after I count to three. Leave our rifles on the ground.”

  “Why should I trust you? You don’t have to pretend to care. Nobody else can see you out here.”

  “You need to get that bomb onto the ship. It’s in all of our interests. I’m arranging a place for you on the shuttle and leading the attack on the farm. Why would I jeopardize the plan?”

  “Because you’re a dick who has no respect for life.”

  Gregor scowled and bit his fist. “The shuttle’s arrived. There won’t be another run until tomorrow morning. If there is another run. You heard what Layla said.”

  A sickly-looking rabbit with greasy fur shuffled between the rock and tree. Time was against all native species. The shuttle would be gone in less than an hour.

  Gregor stood, placed his rifle on the rock, and held his arms out.

  Charlie looked around the tree. He placed his rifle on the ground and stepped out.

  They stood twenty yards apart. Charlie walked to his side. Gregor moved to keep an equal distance until they were ten yards away from their weapons.

  Charlie rolled up the sleeves of his camouflage shirt. Gregor took off his watch. They started circling a large rock, staring at each other.

  “Why did you kill Pippa?” Charlie said.

  “It wasn’t me. I swear on my mother’s grave.”

  “Your mother was a whore. Stop lying. Why did you do it?”

  Gregor winced. He’d slit throats for lesser comments. “I killed the man who did it yesterday morning. You, on the other hand, killed my cousin.”

  “He was collateral damage. I blew up a croatoan building. If you lot didn’t have your tongues stuck up the croatoans’ shit pipes, unlike us survivors—”

  “Stop right there. You won’t get a rise out of me. I did what I needed to keep my team alive. Those humans, livestock, they’re bred for food. They didn’t have a previous life like you or me. I only went after people who attacked my operation.”

  Charlie shook his head, maintaining his cold stare. “You think it’s acceptable? Do you? I mean, deep down in your commie soul?”

  “I’m not a commie, and the ice age froze my soul. We’re never going to agree, so let’s get this plan out of the way and meet back here.”

  “You know I’m not coming back, Gregor. Whenever I think about Pippa, I can’t help seeing your ugly face. Do you think that’s the last thing I want to see up there?” Charlie pointed to the sky.

  Gregor stopped and reached for his pocket. Charlie stopped opposite and narrowed his eyes.

  They walked toward each other. Gregor produced the blue bead necklace and held it toward Charlie. “Here. I think you’ll want this for your journey.”

  Charlie paused. Looked down. He snatched the necklace from Gregor’s hand and briefly closed his eyes. “If you lay a finger on Denver after I’ve gone …”

  “We’ll go our separate ways. You have my word on it. From now on, my enemy’s enemy is my friend.”

  Charlie started walking back toward his rifle. “Let’s do this.”

  ***

  Making their way back to the group, Gregor kept a healthy distance between himself and Charlie. A suspension in hostilities was all they needed. They were never going to be friends. There was too much water under the bridge.

 
Four people squatted against trees when he approached. Layla frantically gestured him over when she saw Gregor coming. He quickened his pace and crouched next to her. Charlie stooped on her other side. They briefly glanced at each other, then Layla.

  “How’d it go?” Gregor said.

  “They’re starting work right away. Alex is going to stall the croatoans,” Layla said. She looked at Charlie. “Vlad will help you in the warehouse. He’s going to put some equipment in a container for you. An alien rifle and some oxygen equipment.”

  “What about the farm? Any step-up in security since yesterday?” Gregor said.

  “Some reinforcements came down on a shuttle last night. Just the usual ones, nothing like that thing we saw in Ridgway. Besides Augustus asking them to pressurize the breeding lab, it’s been business as usual.”

  “Breeding lab. You fucking people,” Charlie said. “Can we rely on them?”

  “Augustus’s message put a rocket up their asses. It doesn’t take a genius to work out why he wants to do it.”

  Gregor raised his eyebrows. “Because they’re changing Earth into the middle box?”

  “What’s he babbling about?” Charlie said. He looked at Gregor and slowly said, “They’re doing it because that ship is gonna complete the terraforming process.”

  “I know that,” Gregor said. “I was referring to a scientific experiment. Something that’s probably way above your head.”

  “Look above my head,” Charlie said. “There’s two ships that want to kill us.”

  Layla grabbed Gregor’s sweatered arm and twisted. She did the same with Charlie’s shirt. “Knock it off. The pair of you. Charlie, there isn’t much time; move to the back of the meat-processing building.”

  “We’re both committed; don’t worry about that,” Charlie said. “How will I know the difference between Alex and Vlad?”

  “Alex is a woman,” Gregor said. “You might’ve met Vlad before. I’m not sure.”

  Denver moved over and joined the huddle. “Well? Are we ready to go?”

  “We?” Charlie said. “There is no we. I’m doing this on my own. You’ve always known it.”

  “I’m coming to make sure you get into that container. Once Gregor attacks, I’ll come in from the other side. Add to the confusion.” Denver glanced at Gregor. “Are you okay with that?”

  Gregor raised his left shoulder and pursed his lips. “Fine with me. I’ll bring the other three in.” He looked at Ben and Maria. Both held their respective weapons and peered through the trees. Hardly Special Forces, but it’d do.

  Charlie walked over to Maria and said something in her ear. She watched him walk away with a genuine look of sorrow, holding out an arm toward him before letting it drop.

  As Charlie passed him, Gregor held out his hand. “Good luck.”

  Charlie stopped, looked into Gregor’s eyes, firmly shook his hand, and slowly nodded.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Charlie and Denver sprinted around the farm facility’s perimeter, keeping to the shadows. Through the trees, they saw the one called Alex stalling a couple of croatoans by the shuttle. They were expecting the next load of meat and root and weren’t happy about the delay.

  “It’s coming,” Alex said, raising her voice and talking slowly as though that would get through to the increasingly agitated croatoan. It raised its hand to the shuttle and nodded its head, indicating that it needed loading.

  Charlie clutched the bomb case to his chest and duck walked to the edge of what Gregor had told him was the meat-processing building. For a moment, Charlie doubted himself, wondered if this wasn’t some sick, elaborate plan on Gregor’s part, but even if it was, it still represented an opportunity to get on that shuttle. Even if he had to kill every last alien and fly the damned thing up there himself.

  Denver took a quick glance around the edge of the building. “We’re clear,” he said, his body pressed against the building, the alien rifle in his hands across his chest. “They’ve gone back to the shuttle. Alex is making her way to the other side of the unit. Are you really sure this is the only way?” Denver asked, looking directly into Charlie’s eyes.

  “You know it is.” It really wasn’t the time to get into another discussion. He understood his son’s hesitation, but this was personal. He wanted to do this. Needed to do this. So much had happened since the day the aliens rose out of the ground. So many people close to him were cruelly killed as nothing more than inconvenient insects.

  A shadow passed overhead, sucking the light away from the farm compound, bringing with it a chill and a stirring of wind. The new alien craft made the mother ship look like a speck in comparison.

  He shook his head and mumbled, “What if it’s not enough?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “The bomb. I trust Mike and Mai implicitly. They’re great at what they do, but look at the size of that thing. With the mother ship conjoined to its underside like that, even with the bomb and the EMP, will it even scratch the surface of this new thing?”

  “Maybe it doesn’t even have to. Maybe by taking out the mother ship and its anti-grav engines, gravity will do the rest and pull that damned thing down.”

  Charlie pressed himself closer to the wall of the meat-processing unit as the massive terraforming ship stopped. It had turned so that the long, straight section pointed west. Following the line of the ship brought Charlie’s vision to the shuttle.

  There wasn’t really any longer to delay things. Through the open, mud-covered square, Charlie saw Gregor and the others spread around like small, dark lumps on the perimeter of the farm. The ‘livestock’ no longer wandered the fields, having been brought in by Alex earlier.

  The thought of those poor souls steeled Charlie’s resolve. How could he let the enslavement of his race like that go unpunished? Though it did occur to him that his actions would be like a bull assaulting humanity for farming cows.

  He didn’t think the aliens were evil—certainly no more evil than humans—they just thought humanity were nothing more than tools, cheap labor, and a source of food.

  Charlie waited for a count of twenty.

  When no croatoans appeared in the square from any of the units or the shuttle, he took one last look up at the terraform ship as though it were watching his every moment. Then he slid past his son and around the side of the building. He could see Vlad and Alex standing outside by the ramp.

  Inside would be the empty container—if Gregor and Layla had stuck to what was agreed. That they were waiting in hiding, preparing for the distraction, gave him some confidence, but the icy energy of anxiety still prickled at his nerves.

  Denver followed behind, his steps deliberate and quiet. The rear of the shuttle was open and pointed thirty or so degrees away from the ramp that led into the unit. As agreed, when Charlie was within a few feet of Alex and Vlad, he whistled quietly and then ducked onto his haunches, close to the front wall.

  For a moment, neither of Gregor’s colleagues moved. But then Vlad mumbled something, nodded, and headed inside. Alex took off and moved toward the shuttle. The distraction he needed to go inside. When she was completely obscured from sight, he heard her voice rise as she set about arguing with the aliens.

  A quick sprint later, and Charlie, with Denver right behind him, found himself inside. The smell made him want to gag. Even in the darkness, he could see the terrible machines that made food from people. Large, metallic boxes where the people were ground up, their bones crushed and liquidized.

  He was instantly reminded of the movie Soylent Green, and his stomach turned.

  Wide conveyor belts, now still, told him of their levels of production. People ground down to their constituent parts, nothing more than fat, protein, and carbs all mixed together into a paste.

  “You should be ashamed of yourself,” Den
ver whispered to Vlad. “You fucking traitor. How could you work here of all places, treating your fellow man and woman like nothing more than meat.”

  “I’m beyond your outrage,” Vlad said, pulling them further into the building. “So you might as well just shut up and stick to the plan. There’s a breathing mask and oxygen tank inside. Along with the supplies of meat and root. I had to guess your weight, including the bomb, to load this properly.” Vlad looked Charlie up and down. “You’re smaller than the myth that precedes you. We might be a few kilos off.”

  “I don’t care as long as that shuttle gets into the mother ship.”

  Vlad shrugged, appearing as disinterested in this as though it were just another day at the human-meat factory. Charlie didn’t hide his disdain as he looked into the container. There was a small space provided between the silver, foil-wrapped containers.

  The mask lay to one side, a pipe connecting to a tank hidden beneath the packages. Vlad looked up. “Get in now; they’re coming. You hide,” he said, pointing to Denver.

  Glancing back, Charlie saw Alex remonstrating with the aliens as she walked back toward the building. Charlie dove into the container, hurriedly placing the mask on his face and placing the bomb across his stomach.

  Denver leaned over and extended his right hand. Charlie grabbed it and squeezed. He noticed his son blink away a tear. “You go,” Charlie said. “Remember I love you, always. Never give in. Remember what I taught you, and save as many as you can. Now go!”

  He wouldn’t let go, just stared down at Charlie, shaking his head. Vlad displayed a surprising strength as he wrapped his scrawny arms around Denver’s shoulders, pulling him away into the shadows.

  “I love you,” Denver said as he hunched down in the shadows beyond the unit’s opening. Charlie nodded and smiled, doing all he could to stop himself from jumping out of the container, but the world was bigger than him. The stakes were greater than his own personal losses.