Reclaim: Books 1-3

by J. A. Scorch

  "What's that?"

  "The transfer. We'll spend the next twenty-four hours hauling ass to Mars at full burn just to rally and die as one fighting the Zeal. Might as well enjoy what shitty little time we have left on this rock."

  Clay shrugged. "A heroic death in space sounds okay to me. Besides, how long do we actually have before the Zeal hit the inner planets?"

  "According to the announcement, the fleet's current acceleration will have them on Mars' doorstep in less than a week from now. Six days, at the most."

  Clay let out a long whistle. "They must be moving fast. The more important question is how do they cross the space between systems so quickly? Only one year to come from another planet that could be any number of light years away."

  "Guess we'll never know. The Zeal aren't exactly known to be open to discussion. They fired at us the second they arrived. No warning. No conversation. Just kill, kill, kill."

  Clay let a chuckle out. "Yeah, those bastards are something else. Is it too late for me to go back to doing milk runs on Mars? Maybe the Zeal will need an overqualified courier pilot to run between Earth and Mars."

  "One can dream, Clay. But I think occupation will be beyond their thoughts now. We took out their fleet. Killed off thousands of them. I know it's nothing compared to the billions they slaughtered on Earth, but they hold all the power with the size of the fleet that's headed our way. I'd be surprised if they don't wipe humanity from existence."

  Clay's face half dropped. Whatever humor he was protecting himself with soon faded with Porter's words.

  "Sorry, Lieutenant. I don't mean to bring you down to my level, but I'm just trying to wrap my head around this as much as the next pilot."

  "Don't be sorry, sir. You've endured this war longer than most of the people here. I doubt I would have lasted as long as you without losing some faith, either." Clay pushed himself all the way up and swung his legs over to plant them on the ground. He stood and stretched his arms into the air, temporarily blocking out the sun's light from Porter's eyes.

  "I suppose we'll be heading off soon," Clay said.

  Porter moved over to the bunk and rested an arm on the top layer as he reached for the MAF appointed rucksack he had slung over the end of the bedding. He didn't bring much with him on the short trip, but there was one item he refused to leave behind. He pulled out a small tablet not associated with the MAF or UEF in any capacity. No personnel could own such equipment out of Command's fear of any valuable information getting leaked or exposed to the wrong user, human or Zeal.

  He kept the tablet concealed within the rucksack and carefully checked if Nicole had sent him an email using a backdoor the MAF was unaware of in the cross-planet network. If Command did know about it, no one was actively trying to shut it down in the one year it had been activated. The second the last Zeal carrier went offline, Earth and Mars were able to reopen communications without the hassle of risking a pilot's life just to send and receive data.

  Porter used to be one of the suicidal pilots who had to rush past several hundred Zeal Triton fighters to deliver goods and data to Earth with his wingman named Briggs by his side. He hadn't seen his friend in a few weeks, but he knew Briggs would be up in the MBC Andromeda training pilots for the big push.

  No message came up from Nicole or from any of the MAF people he had spent a large chunk of his adult life with. He put away the tablet before anyone realized.

  Clay saw right through his weak attempt to be secretive. "I don't think Command will care about those things now. The network is probably jammed with traffic as it is."

  Porter let his shoulders drop as he moved back around to Clay. "You're probably right. There's nothing in my inbox. I suppose everyone will be freaking out about the new fleet."

  "Damn straight, sir. If they aren't, there's something wrong with them."

  As if on cue, Porter received an alert on his UEF appointed e-slate. He brought up his wrist to see a list of orders come through for him to issue down the line. He was the highest ranked pilot on site and had no choice but to comply.

  "What is it?" Clay asked, his voice half breaking.

  Glancing up from the screen, Porter regarded the look of concern in Clay's eyes. He wanted to tread lightly, but there was no point in sugarcoating the news. "Orders have come down from the top. We're being transported to the nearest airport to be flown to Central. From there we'll all be boosted to orbit and shuttled to Mars."

  Clay stared past Porter's shoulder and pointed a finger to the main road. "It's already happening."

  Porter swiveled around on his feet and saw a single transport truck headed for the base. The electric engine allowed the canvas-covered flatbed to creep up on the road until he could hear the tires crackling over the strewn-out rocks.

  "They're not messing around, are they?"

  "No," Porter half whispered. The single truck would be enough to carry every pilot left alive on the base as well as transport Teve and Mish to Central. What Command had planned for the UEF regulars was anyone's guess. It almost seemed pointless to try and take any of the remaining Zeal bases plaguing the planet. If the main defense of the solar system failed, the UEF would be all that was left to hold back the second wave of hell the Zeal were about to bring.

  As Porter began to drift toward the slow-moving truck, he spotted Teve storming out of the main building from the control room. He detected a stiffness in his shoulders he only ever wore when he was beyond pissed. He was so frustrated that he hadn't noticed the vehicle rolling into the middle of the base that would start his journey to Mars.

  Teve moved straight past the truck in the opposite direction. Porter went to chase after him, but a hand held him back.

  "Let him go, sir," Clay said. "That driver can wait for us to get on board. It's not like it'll make a difference if we're a few hours late."

  Porter's shoulders slumped down in defeat as he watched Teve continue until he found Mish. He wrapped his arms around her and lifted her off the ground, utilizing his height.

  All Porter could think about as he stared at the couple was Nicole. He had to get back to her on the MBC Andromeda before anything else happened.

  Chapter Forty

  "What happened in there?" Mish asked Teve after she let him go.

  "Nothing. Just having a little chat with Miller."

  Mish crossed her arms and tilted her head slightly sideways as she raised her brows. She didn't have to say another word to tell him that she thought he was lying. "Out with it."

  "Okay. He told me why the nanites are killing off SF soldiers." Teve explained in full the conversation he had with Miller. She took the news well, even though their efforts in the field were slowly poisoning them. The UEF had used every single enhanced soldier to perfection.

  "Basically, they've guaranteed our deaths with the number of bases that have been liberated across the planet. The connection to the Zeal our nanites have is getting weaker with every Orb destroyed. Command has kept this a secret up until now. I'd imagine too many dead SF soldiers would raise a few questions."

  Mish shook her lowered head. "Miller," she spat out. "I trusted that bastard with everything. Even after what they did to you and every other SF grunt, I still thought he and Command were doing this for everyone. They were trying to save their own asses."

  "Doesn't matter," Teve said. "The new Zeal fleet will find them eventually." He glanced over to the flatbed truck that had come to rest in front of the MAF pilots. He spotted Bradley staring at him from a distance, so he gave him a wave.

  "It's for us," Mish said. "Command is ready to ship us all to Mars for the last fight."

  Teve chuckled as he looked away from the vehicle. "What good are we going to do in space? Even if we managed to get on board one of the alien ships, there will be thousands of Stiltz to contend with along with whatever else they've decided to throw at us this time round."

  "It gets worse," Mish said. "I heard the brass hasn't fully identified some of the ships. We'll be dealing wi
th unknown tech, and possibly vessels crammed full of advanced Zeal fighters and soldiers. The ones here on Earth could be nothing but a weak vanguard."

  Teve found himself scraping a rock over the concrete surface of the base with his foot while both of his hands remained firmly in his pockets. "This is so stupid. We'll be lucky if we even leave a dent in the second wave."

  Mish moved forward and grabbed his forearms at his sides. She stared into his eyes and leaned in. "Then let's not go. Why spend our last moments together dying in space? We could go into hiding and enjoy what time we have left on this planet in peace."

  Teve couldn't take his eyes off her. He found himself drifting toward Mish's words, picturing them away from it all in a cabin deep in the woods. He could take her to the lake his family used to visit. They could live out their final days away from the death and destruction the Zeal brought with them.

  Bradley entered his mind before an answer came out of his mouth. He was only just getting used to the idea of having his brother back in his life. "But what about—"

  "He can come with us. I couldn't guarantee he'd have as much fun as the two of us, but he could avoid the fight and get to spend some time with his brother."

  A smile fell on Teve's lips as he shook his head. "He won't do it. And not just because he has someone waiting up there for him. I haven't seen him for years, but I know he won't abandon his duty like this."

  "We could tell him the truth about—"

  Teve held up a hand and waved off her thought. "He knows what they're like. He told me Command once placed him in the brig for questioning orders. I'm sure he's had to make some tough choices to take out those Zeal carriers. I can tell you with confidence that he won't quit this war."

  "And what about you?" Mish asked. "Can you honestly tell me that you would leave with me the second I asked you?"

  A dozen thoughts filled Teve's mind as he thought about leaving the war behind. Part of him could forget about the pointless effort humanity had put up over the past four years, while the rest of him would rather die fighting the Zeal than to wait for them to come and destroy the planet once and for all.

  "I don't know. I just—"

  Mish pushed away from him. "What do you mean you don't know? You either want to come with me, or you don't."

  "I do want to go with you, but I also don't want to abandon the fight."

  "We're not abandoning anything," she said. "We're merely delaying an inevitable death. If I'm going to die at the hands of the Zeal, whether it's in a fight or because of these damn nanites, I'd rather spend time with the man I love first. Otherwise, why do we do this?"

  "Why do we do what?" Teve asked as he backed up.

  "This," she said. "Why do we have a relationship? We might as well not bother if you'd rather hang out on a cramped spaceship, waiting to die inside a Martian carrier."

  "Mish, I—"

  "No, you've said what you want. I've heard enough." She backed away and turned around. He spotted a few tears in her eyes as she began to leave, heading away from the flatbed.

  "Mish, wait," he called. He jogged along and caught up with her. When he turned her around, she had both arms wrapped around her body.

  "What?" she barked at him.

  "Don't do this. Don't let what we have end like this. Let's talk about it first."

  Mish stared into his eyes for a moment as he held her arms tight. Her brows twisted up for a slight moment. Teve knew it was over in that second. She shrugged him off without effort and continued to storm away, moving with purpose from the truck that would take Teve, Bradley, and the rest of the MAF pilots to Mars.

  Chapter Forty-One

  Porter could tell something was up when Teve approached him with his gear over his shoulder. His purple eyes seemed to be swollen as if he'd been crying or rubbing at them with fury.

  Only ten minutes ago, he spotted him arguing with Mish over what he could imagine was the Zeal and the pending fight in space none of them desired to be a part of. As Porter went to see how his brother was doing, Teve cut him off.

  "She's not coming."

  "Mish?" Porter asked.

  "Yeah. She doesn't want to waste the time she has left up there fighting. She won't be joining us."

  Porter moved closer to Teve and patted him on the shoulder. "Sorry, man. I don't know what to say."

  "There's nothing to say. I want to go, and she wants to stay. It's pretty simple."

  "You want to go?"

  Up until that moment, Teve had kept his eyes on the ground beneath his feet. He stared up at Porter and narrowed his focus. "Of course I don't. None of us do, but we have to fight. We can't give the Zeal an easy victory."

  Porter nodded. "We won't give them one, either. Whatever it takes, we'll kill as many of those things as we can, together."

  Teve agreed with enthusiasm. "Yeah, we will, man." He slapped Porter on the shoulder and moved past him. Both of his broad shoulders were hung low and defeated. No amount of bullshit from anyone was going to make a difference. Teve would never see Mish again.

  Clay stepped over to Porter and cleared his throat. "Looks like we're loading up now, sir. Should we tell Command about the Sergeant?" Clay was talking about Mish. Her absence would be noted. Command had a check-in system tied into the truck. If anyone didn't sign in as the vehicle left the base, they would be flagged for an investigation as to whether they were KIA, MIA, or had decided to go AWOL.

  "Don't tell them shit. Let Command chase their tails with BS paperwork. They would never find her, anyway, even if we gave them a head start. She's SF. They understand how to sneak past the Zeal."

  Clay smiled as he kept his arms behind his back. Porter couldn't figure out why the man was still complying with standards. The other MAF pilots were already starting to show cracks with their discipline.

  "I won't say a word, Captain."

  Porter patted him on the shoulder. "Good. She's been through enough, from what I can tell. There's no point forcing her to fight. Besides, it would take a full squad of Marines to take her down. Hardly worth the time." He moved toward Teve away from Clay. He found him sitting on a supply crate with both elbows on his knees. Teve didn't look up as he sat down beside him.

  Porter let out his breath and shook his head. "What a day, huh?"

  Teve gave him a sideways glance. "What a year, more like it."

  "Yeah, I hear that. I spent fourteen hours a day training cadets for a year straight before Command even considered giving me the time to come down here to visit you. It was supposed to be a surprise."

  A laugh broke out of Teve's mouth. "Well, it sure was a surprise when I found you in that hybrid's grip."

  Porter smiled nervously as he instinctively reached for his damaged throat. "Those things are something else. What I don't get is why they are covered in that weird armor. I mean, from my understanding, the hybrids are nothing but humans who have been consumed by the nanites in an extreme way. How that stuff can change them so much confuses the hell out of me."

  Teve let out a short huff. "I understand them. Those same nanites run through my veins. I was never given a strong enough dose to push me to that point, but I can feel them inside of me, always there." Teve closed his eyes for a moment.

  "It must be terrible ... I'm sorry."

  "What are you sorry about?" Teve asked.

  "Everything. Coming here like an idiot. Driving a wedge between you and Mish."

  "What do you mean?"

  Porter leaned forward. "I understand why you're heading up to Mars. You think that you have to go where I'm going. We both know I'm not going to forget this fight and move on, but that's not what's important here. You have to decide what you want."

  Teve let a frown build on his forehead. He rubbed his temples with fury as if he hated to think about any of this.

  "Tell me, right now without thinking, what choice you would make."

  "I ... " Teve trailed off. "I don't know. I'm completely split. Take you and Mish out of the equation, an
d I'm still in two places at once. When that truck starts to roll away, I can't guarantee I'll be on it or not." Teve covered his entire face with his large hands.

  "Hey, it's okay. You don't have to hold the answer to every question. I can tell you now that I don't know much. I don't have a clue about what's right and what's wrong anymore. This war has changed me. It's changed us all."

  Teve removed his hands from his face and rubbed his eyes. The puffiness increased a little. "That's it, isn't it? None of us wanted this war, but here we are." He glanced up at the cloudy sky. "What's it like up there?"

  Porter stared up through the clouds, picturing space. He realized Teve had never left Earth. Porter had always been the one to come to him. He never knew if it was because Teve was afraid of space travel or if he never wanted to leave his home world. Whatever had held both of his feet on the ground all these years was about to face the worst possible way to fly from Earth to Mars.

  "It's like nothing you can imagine until you're up there. When I was running packages to Earth past the blockade, I remember thinking how insignificant the planet felt from high up in orbit. One slight change in the way I delivered the package would alter its course and send the valuable cargo into the ocean or worse. But that's nothing until you get so far away from the planet that you can barely make it out among the other dots in space."

  The MAF pilots began loading up into the truck. Clay was the last one to board as he looked back to Teve and Porter. "Sir? Are you and the Master Sergeant coming?"

  Porter turned to Teve. "So what's it going to be? I promise whatever choice you make I'll support. If you want to stay, we'll try and fudge the truck's data and declare you and Mish KIA or something."

  Teve stood while lifting his gear and faced the truck a moment before he glanced past it to the outskirts of Atlanta.

  Porter held his breath as the brother he hadn't seen in over four years was about to make the biggest decision of his life.

  Chapter Forty-Two