by Ben Hale
Tess turned to find a man, a woman, and a little boy standing within Robar's circle. "Who are you?" Tess asked.
"The man who can get you to the roof," he said. "I need to report in and you need a chopper."
"Military?" Robar asked. He was reloading his pistol.
"Former," he replied. "Now with another agency. The name's Bracken."
"I've never liked spooks," Robar said, his eyebrows creasing.
The door shuddered and chips of wood fell to the ground. "We don't have time for this," Tess said. "Show us the way."
"One moment," he said, and turned to the woman at his side.
They embraced, and he kissed her on the forehead. "Don't do anything rash," he murmured, "And I will come back when it's over."
"I wish we could come."
"Trust me," Bracken replied. "It's safer for you here."
She answered in Russian, and then her son hugged him as well. The intimate moment caused Tess to catch Robar's eye, but he merely shrugged. Then the woman strode to a set of stairs and she and the child disappeared from view.
"Where are they going?" Tess asked.
"To the tunnels. It's how we got here ahead of you. This way."
Bracken obviously did not care to explain, so Tess did not ask. She followed him to a stairwell that spiraled upward into darkness.
"This used to be some sort of office building," he said. "But it's been abandoned since we got here. The elevator doesn't work. This is the best route to the roof."
Tess noticed that he stopped at the exact limit of Robar's circle, and she got the impression he understood exactly what Robar could do. After a moment's hesitation, Robar followed him in. Tess paused to seal the door the same way she'd done the exterior.
"Mage?" the man asked.
She nodded. "How much do you know about us?"
"Only what I've heard in the last few weeks," he replied.
"CIA?" Tess guessed.
"Good guess."
Tess blinked. "Do you know Jack Oliver?"
He quirked an eyebrow as he turned on a landing. "Head of the MIO? He's the one that sent me to gather intel on the cloud."
"Why didn't you get out?" Robar asked.
"The cloud grew too fast," Bracken said. "We heard that Romania had given in, so we holed up here. As long as you don't have the intention to break the law, the Dark on the ground doesn't come after you."
"How did you learn that?" Robar asked.
"I've seen what happened to those who fail to control themselves."
Robar threw Tess a glance, but didn't comment. Then a rending of metal reverberated from the bottom of the stairwell, followed by an echoing screech as Twisted joined them.
By unspoken accord they picked up the pace. Unclipping a grenade from his belt Robar pulled the pin and dropped it between the stairs. It rebounded somewhere and then detonated, eliciting cries of pain. They echoed like those of wounded animals. Another grenade followed the first.
Then they reached the roof, and the agent shouldered the door open. The moment Robar's circle covered the chopper, Bracken bounded to it and yanked off a panel. Sparks issued as he worked with the wires. Tess sealed the door while Robar took up position at the chopper. His gun out the door, he strapped himself in.
Tess continued to fortify the door to the stairwell, her attention drawn to the Dark that floated on the top of the building. Was it on every floor? She hadn't noticed it in the stairwell, but then, she'd been close to Robar the whole time.
"Do you know what you're doing?" Robar asked.
"Of course," he said, his head muffled from where he was working. "You?"
Robar's eyes connected with Tess’s. "Not much anymore," he admitted. "It's been over a decade since I've been in a chopper."
"Then it's a good thing you have me," the man replied as he worked.
A terrific clang rang out, causing Tess to flinch. She put a burst of magic into the door, and then lifted a section of roof to block it. Grunting from the effort, she collapsed the entire exit into rubble, and then cast a gravity shield charm. She didn't stop until she could barely hear the blows. The ensuing quiet allowed another sound to touch her ears.
Like thousands of claws on bricks, it seemed to come from all sides. Her heart sank as she realized what it was. Braving five steps into the Dark, she reached the edge of the building and launched herself into the air.
"They're climbing the building!" she yelled.
It was an understatement. Ascending with single-minded focus, thousands of Twisted clawed their way up the structure. She put on a burst of speed and flew around the building, evading the Dark's tentacles at the same time as she checked their flanks. Her gut tightened.
"They're on every side!"
The rotors on the chopper began to turn, and Bracken yanked himself into the seat. "Sixty seconds!" He had to yell over the hum of the spinning blades.
Sixty seconds wasn't enough. The Twisted were almost at the top. The chopper was vibrating with the effort to get off the roof, but it didn't have sufficient lift. She cast anti-gravity spells on it, but their power was weakened so close to Robar. Swallowing at what she had to do, Tess gathered her magic and struck the top floor of the building.
With every scrap of air and fire magic she could muster she ignited the air inside the building. Bursting into an inferno, it spread throughout the upper floors until flames exploded out the windows. The budding fire slowed them from reaching the roof—but that was not her intention.
Gathering her power, she pressed her palms toward each other and compressed the fire inside the building. The curling fire faded and almost disappeared, but the structure had begun to tremble. Like a giant fire trap in Tempest, she released the spell when it had become too strong for her.
The entire building cracked like an egg, splitting down the middle as the concussive blast ripped it apart. Metal whined as it was strained to the breaking point. Then both halves collapsed away.
Knocked from the roof, the chopper spun toward the wreckage, but Tess cast a cyclone beneath it. The surging wind collected the cloud of dust and pummeled the closer buildings as it burst upward. Thirty feet from impact the chopper reversed its fall and began to climb. Powered by machine and magic, it climbed free of the city.
The Dark had almost enveloped her as she'd been distracted, but she swung away and climbed up to the chopper. Driving past Robar's immunity and the downdraft, she landed on a skid and they pulled her inside.
"You're clear!" Robar yelled, and the chopper banked away.
The billowing air cut off as he closed the door, and she wearily climbed into a seat. Her gaze on the destruction they were leaving behind, she felt a rush of triumph. They were on their way to Auroraq with a weapon against the Dark. But she wouldn't be able to do it alone . . .
Chapter 30: Call to War
Kate's breath caught in her throat.
"Mom?" Tess said over the phone.
Relief flooded her frame. "Where have you been?"
Jack looked up at her voice. For the last two days they had been in the office trying to coordinate intel and communication with the Trimages, the temporary mage government.
"Is it her?" Jack asked.
Kate nodded as Tess replied, "I had to spend a few days with the dark elves, but returned to the surface. We just left Romania now."
Jack had joined her, and had caught the end of her statement when Kate put it on speaker. "Excellent," he said. "Are you okay?"
There was a muffled buzzing in the background and a crackle of static. Kate and Jack exchanged a look.
Chopper? Jack mouthed the word, and Kate nodded. The sound was too distinct to be anything else.
"Nothing major," Tess said. "And I'm all healed now."
Kate had been a teacher for years, and knew when someone was glossing over the truth. "How bad were you hurt, Tess?"
"Pretty bad," Tess replied. "But I don't have time to explain the Allegian Trial right now. Let's just say that you never wan
t to fight a reaver."
Jack's eyebrow shot up, but he changed the subject before Kate could demand more. "Do you know what's been happening up here?"
"Not really," Tess replied. "Care to fill me in?"
Jack briefly detailed the last several days. Although much of it was deemed classified, he shared the information about mammals becoming Twisted and the Dark's expansion.
"The Dark has almost completely swallowed Asia," he finished. "Africa and most of Europe are gone as well. In three days the Americas will be the only land left."
"Why did it go so far east?" Tess asked.
"The population density," Jack replied, and he exchanged a look with Kate. "All our intelligence suggests that the cloud creates a symbiotic relationship with its hosts. The Dark absorbs energy and feeds it to the mammals it has taken, while the Twisted help to expand its borders."
"What about the portal on Mt. Elbrus?" Tess asked.
Kate motioned to the phone, and Jack gave it to her. "The portal may still be allowing the Dark onto Earth, but the Twisted are the reason it's expanding so rapidly."
"Then we had better hurry," Tess said.
"You sound like you have an idea," Kate said.
"I do," Tess replied.
"Where are you now?"
There was a pause, and then Tess answered, "They think we're somewhere over western Romania."
"Who is they?"
"Three of us got out," she replied. "Robar is the one that rescued me in the Dark, and we joined another on the way. I believe you know him. His name is James Bracken."
Kate went rigid as she recognized the name of the lost asset they had deployed to evaluate the cloud's threat. Jack responded similarly.
"Any way we can talk to him?" Jack asked.
Kate looked daggers at him, and his expression became one of apology.
"Just him or both of us?" Tess asked.
"Both," Kate said firmly, and Jack grinned.
There was a burst of static, and then another voice was added to the line. Tess said, "I managed to link his headset into a thread. I don't know how much time we have. I tapped our radios into a stray satellite feed, but it's fading now and the spell isn't strong enough to hold it."
"Sir," Bracken's voice said.
"I'm glad you made it out," Jack said. "When we lost contact we weren't sure what happened."
"We're not out of the woods yet," James responded, "We don't have enough fuel to get past the Dark, so we are headed to Auroraq now. Your daughter thinks she can sneak us into the city there."
"Good," Jack said.
Kate could see the ideas turning in Jack's eyes. "What are you thinking?" she asked.
Jack's gaze had become calculating. "The instruments you put out gave us some interesting readings before the Dark destroyed their circuitry." He filled him in on what they had learned. When he finished Bracken agreed.
"That supports what I've seen out here," James said. "The Dark acts like it can sense the presence of a mind, and naturally moves to feed on it. The first time I escaped the cloud it acted like it was angry that I had."
"Exactly," Jack said. "Tess, will your plan stop the cloud?"
"I'm not sure that it will work to defeat the whole Dark," Tess said. "But it can help us retake Auroraq."
"That might be all we need," Kate said. "We just received information that the Sword of Elseerian is being held in what you call the Spirus. Didn't you say that destroying it would close the portal?"
"It was used to open it," Tess replied, "and what opens the portal is linked to closing it." She then released a thoughtful grunt.
Jack cocked his head to the side. "What are you thinking, Tess?"
After a pause where Tess spoke to someone else, Tess laid out her idea. Kate listened with ever increasing trepidation. When she was finished, Kate said, "That's not going to be easy."
"I don't think we have a choice," Tess said. "Or I wouldn't risk so much. Do you think you can cover your end? I know I'm asking a lot."
Jack shrugged, his expression thoughtful. "It's unprecedented, but I think I can get the president to go for it. He's been itching for a chance to fight back for weeks now. Even with the risk, I think he'll allow it."
"I don't want you to do this," Kate interrupted. She fought to keep her voice under control. I can't have you die again. "It's too dangerous."
"I don't think we have a choice," Tess said. "We might not get another shot at this."
Kate wanted to be angry, to demand that her daughter come home, to stay out of the fight. It was futile, and she knew it. The Marine in her knew it. This was the chance they had been waiting for—perhaps their only chance. If they failed here then Tess would never be safe.
"I don't know how," Jack said, "but we'll do it. We'll get you what you need."
Static began to cut in, prompting Kate to say, "Keep yourself safe, and contact us the moment you get to Auroraq."
"I will call as soon as I can," Tess promised.
"Agent Bracken," Jack said, "Protect her with your life."
"I'll do that, sir," Bracken said.
The static shredded Tess's next comment. "Just keep it quiet!" Tess repeated. Then the line died.
Kate released a breath and sought Jack's gaze. He stared back at her, but his expression had become pensive.
"Do you think we can do it?" she asked.
"The president will back me," Jack replied, "But doing it without alerting Alice is going to be a challenge. She's been a step ahead from the beginning. Her ability to tap into data networks is far beyond ours . . ."
She knew that look, and a sly grin spread on her features. "You have an idea."
"Alice has proven her reliance on her techno mages for intel," Jack said. "What if we avoid the use of computers entirely for this operation?"
"How would we do that?"
"We build the team in person," Jack replied. "Your task force has the most experience against mages. Then we add a couple of Special Forces teams and we would have a full strike force."
Kate stood and stepped to his desk. Thumbing through a stack of papers, she pulled one out and spun to face him. "Two SEAL teams are in range. One has extensive combat experience with the Twisted." She scanned the report. "His call sign is . . ."
Jack blinked in recognition. "Wolf."
"Exactly," Kate said, her mind buzzing. "If you collect the pilots and planes personally, you will just need—"
"—An order from the president without a destination." He nodded to himself.
Hearing the anticipation in his voice, Kate snapped to look at him. "You mean to lead this yourself, don't you?"
"Of course," Jack replied. "No one else is dialed in on the situation."
Kate opened her mouth to argue, but it didn't come out. Instead, she flashed a smile. "At least I'll be there to watch your back."
He grinned and reached for his phone. "Get me the president," he said. While he waited Kate picked up her own phone. "What are you doing?" Jack asked.
"Calling Hawk," she replied as she touched her nexus orb.
"What for?"
She cast him a challenging look. "We are going to assault Auroraq and protect our daughter. We need everyone we can get."
"Good idea," he said. "And tell him we will need his help augmenting some equipment so it can reach the city."
Kate then issued a grunt as she waited. "But they will need air support. How do we do that without using tech? The last time a plane got close to Auroraq its circuits were fried. The choppers will have no way of landing on Auroraq."
He sat back in his chair. "Hang on a second," he said into the desk phone, and then picked up his cell. Connecting it to his nexus orb, he touched the runes that would link it to Iris.
"Jack?" Iris's voice filled the room. "What's up?"
"Is this line secure?"
"Always."
"I need to know how we can get a few helicopters onto Auroraq."
To their surprise, Iris began to laugh.
Wolf finished his dinner in the mess hall and tried not to think about the lack of flavor. With so many to feed he was lucky to eat at all. The air of despair hung heavy among the other soldiers at the table, and conversation was dampened. By herculean effort, the Dwight D. Eisenhower had managed to get underway just minutes ahead of the Dark.
The rest of the fleet had rushed on, leaving the damaged US military vessels to limp their way behind. Bypassing Spain entirely, the devastated fleet had turned north upon reaching the Atlantic. In its current condition they would not make it to North America. Their only hope lay in reaching England before it too was overrun.
Wolf vacated his seat for another and returned to his quarters. Packed like sardines with the rest of his team, he did not complain. They had survived against all odds, and that was all that mattered. Duck invited him to join their card game, but he declined. Instead he ascended into his bunk, intending to sleep.
Then there was a knock at the hatch. Peterson stood and swung it open to reveal a dark haired man. Streaked with silver, his hair made him appear distinguished, but it was the intensity of his eyes that commanded attention.
"Captain Thompson?" he asked, and Wolf pulled himself into view. He nodded. "Please come with me."
Wolf exchanged a look with Duck, and then followed him into the passageway. The man led him to the demolished flight deck and to the railing, out of earshot from anyone. Only when they stood alone did he address Wolf.
"How's your team?"
"Injured, bleeding, and losing," Wolf responded. "You aren't dressed like military. Who are you?"
"Jack Oliver," he said. "Head of the MIO, sub-branch in the CIA."
"What's a spook doing out here?" Wolf said.
"Trying to win," Jack responded.
Wolf couldn't help it, he laughed. "We can't win. The Dark has proven that time and again."
"Does that mean you're done fighting?"
"I'm a SEAL." Wolf's voice filled with scorn. "We don’t have it in us to quit."
Jack smiled. "That's what I hoped to hear." He withdrew a folded sheet of paper and handed it to him.
"What's this?" Wolf asked.