The Belt: The Complete Trilogy

by Gerald M. Kilby

“Thank God for that.”

  “It’s going to take me a while, though.”

  “That’s okay. We’re not moving from here any time soon.”

  “Unless a security drone blows a hole in that door.”

  “Good point. Maybe we should retreat farther down the tunnel. We could use some of the rockfall in here as cover, maybe make a stand if the drones get in.”

  Cyrus looked up at him. “If drones come through that door…” His sentence trailed off and he just shook his head.

  “Come on, let’s haul this back down the tunnel. You never know, we might pull this off yet.”

  “What about the android?” Cyrus gestured with his head toward the crumpled form of Athena’s avatar, Lexicon.

  Scott moved over and looked down at the machine. He gave it a light kick. “Dead… I think. Hard to know with these things. But there’s no lights on, so I reckon there’s no one home.” He gave it another kick.

  They moved the battered unit between them back down the tunnel, picking their way through the rubble of collapsed ceilings and walls. Cyrus struggled. He stopped several times to catch his breath, clutching his ribs in pain. Scott began to worry that his injuries might be more serious than he was letting on. It was particularly evident that Cyrus was suffering when they passed through a narrow gap in the rubble; his face was contorted in pain as he wormed his way through.

  “I think we’ve gone far enough, Cyrus. Here’s as good a place as any to stop.”

  Cyrus slumped down on the floor with his back to the wall. “Sounds good to me. I don’t think I could go much further…the pain in my side is too much.”

  “Maybe you should get out of that EVA suit and let me have a look.”

  “There’s no point. Nothing we can do about it now. Let’s just get this thing fixed.” He moved himself into a kneeling position in front of the unit and began to work on it. Scott helped as much as he could.

  They worked together for a while in silence, but all the time Scott worried about the health of his friend, watching for every sign that he might be worsening.

  “I’m sorry, Cyrus,” he said after some time.

  Cyrus lifted his head and gave him a quizzical look. “For what?”

  “This. I messed up…big time.”

  “It’s not your fault there are a swarm of drones out there trying to kill us.” He went back to poking around the uplink control panel.

  “I don’t mean that. It’s just…I’ve made some bad calls.” Scott shook his head.

  “Don’t beat yourself up over it.”

  He looked over at Cyrus. “You were right…what you said before, about being reckless.”

  “You’re not a QI. You’re only human, after all,” said Cyrus as he continued on with the unit.

  Scott sat back and rubbed his head. “I just wanted to find out what happened to Miranda.”

  Cyrus looked up from his tinkering. “Look, Scott….you have to realize it’s not all about Miranda. And don’t get me wrong—she was my friend, too. Although, she did have a way of pissing me off every now and then. And I get it, Scott. You know, her being pregnant, it can’t be easy for you. But you gotta think about what we’re trying to do here.”

  Scott sighed. “I know. It’s just sometimes I wonder what we are doing here.”

  Cyrus looked up for a beat. “Did you get a bang on the head? We’re trying to stop an all-out war.”

  “By handing complete control over humanity to a bunch of QIs?”

  Cyrus stopped tinkering again and looked over at Scott. “Got a better plan?”

  Scott gave a laugh. “Yeah, I see what you mean. We don’t really have a choice.”

  “Don’t get all philosophical about it, Scott. At the moment, warships are massing on the edges of the Belt, and wars rage all across Earth. Even here, the tribe is fighting for their lives. No, we don’t have a choice. That was made for us a long time ago.” He went back to the unit.

  “And we’re stuck here through my…stupidity and recklessness. I shouldn’t have pushed to come down in that storm. It was crazy. I don’t know how the hell you put up with me sometimes—the amount of shit I’ve gotten us into.”

  Cyrus dropped the tool he was using and sat up a bit. He looked at Scott and considered him for a second or two. “Look at me. What do you see?”

  Scott wasn’t sure what Cyrus wanted him to say. “Eh… I see Cyrus trying to fix the uplink?” He gave a shrug as if to say, “I can’t think of anything else.”

  “You see, that’s what I like about you, Scott. When you look at me, what you see is me. Not some weird, bug-eyed cyborg with a tendency to scare small children.”

  “Lots of people have augmentation these days, Cyrus. It’s not a big deal.”

  “Out in the Belt and the outer colonies maybe, sure. But back in civilization I was always seen as some oddball who should be avoided.”

  “Bullshit. Now you’re the one with the bang on the head, Cyrus.”

  “It’s true. Why do you think I signed up for a five-year mission on the Hermes? I was trying to find a place where I belonged. Running away, I suppose, like everyone else on that tub. Like the rest of the crew.” He poked a finger in Scott’s direction. “You were running away from your debts and your past, Miranda from her family, Rick from loneliness. I don’t know about Steph, but I’m sure if we looked deep enough we’d find something buried in there somewhere.”

  “And you? What were you running from?”

  “Alienation, Scott. I just wanted to belong, and I did on the Hermes. God, I loved that ship.”

  “Me too. Now look at us.”

  “Yeah, Rick’s dead, Steph… I don’t know if she’s still alive, and Miranda…” His sentence trailed off. “Have you ever considered that she may be dead, too?”

  Scott sighed, and dropped his head. “I have. But for a long time I chose to believe that there was still hope. That out there somewhere, she and the child were alive and well, and I would see them again.” He looked up at Cyrus. “All my actions on this mission were driven by this hope. That’s why I was being so impulsive.” He went silent for a moment, lowering his head again. “I know I need to just accept that she’s gone, and stop trying to chase a ghost.”

  He looked back at Cyrus after a beat. “It’s those still living who are important.” He shifted a little and leaned in. “You know, Cyrus, there was always something I wanted to say, but…it never seemed to be the right time.”

  Cyrus gave him a suspicious look. “Yeah, what’s that?”

  “You’re a good friend. I’m lucky to have you watching my back.”

  “Now I know you’ve had a bang on the head. You’re going all mushy on me.”

  “No, seriously. I just wanted to say it now, you know, in case—”

  “In case we die here?”

  “In case… I don’t get the chance again.”

  But Cyrus didn’t answer. Instead, his head spun around to look back down the tunnel toward the doors.

  Scott stiffened. “Something coming?” He grabbed his weapon.

  “Yeah.”

  “Drones?”

  “Don't think so.”

  “Wait here. I’ll go check it out.” Scott stood up, checked his weapon, scrambled back up a mound of rubble, and peered back down the tunnel. “Well, I’ll be dammed.”

  “What is it?”

  “It’s the android. Looks like it wasn’t dead after all.” Scott moved back down the rubble as the machine began working its way through.

  “You’re still alive,” said Scott.

  The android dropped in beside them and stood for a moment, surveying the scene. “Technically I was never alive to begin with, but yes, I have managed to reanimate myself. The plasma blast disrupted my core systems, requiring me to shut down for a while.” It shifted its head, directing it at the uplink. “Is it damaged?”

  “Yes, but nothing major. I should be able to get it operational again.” Cyrus pulled a wire from the guts of the unit and examin
ed it.

  “For all the good it’s going to do us.” Scott sat down again and put his weapon away. “We can’t go back out that way again. The entire area will be crawling with drones, and no doubt they’ve called in the security drones to blow open those doors.” He looked over at the android. “Is there another way out that you know of?”

  “None that are accessible. The only other way is back through the cave system, and that is where the tribe is being besieged by the drone army. Their outer defenses have already been breached. Drones have entered the main citadel chamber. Time is short for them.”

  “There has to be a way. Maybe we could just fight our way out of here and hold off the drones long enough for Athena to connect with the AIs and disable them—permanently,” said Scott.

  “I estimate the success of such a strategy as 0.02%,” said the android.

  “That might as well be zero,” said Cyrus.

  Scott rubbed sweat from his forehead. “If we don’t make this happen soon, the tribe will be no more. Tugo must have lost faith in us by now.” Scott’s head snapped up and he looked at the android. “Wait a minute. How do you know about the battle in the cave system? How do you know they’ve breached the citadel?”

  “I told you before: Athena has tapped into their data and communications. Their systems are very rudimentary.”

  “So, you know what they’re saying to one another over the radio. Over VHF.”

  “Yes.”

  Scott shifted his position and leaned in a little. “Is it possible for you to do two-way comms, and not simply eavesdrop?”

  “Of course. As I said, their systems are very basic—no security of any kind. But Athena has never done so, as it has no wish to reveal its current existence to the tribe.”

  “I know, but would it be possible for you to patch a two-way link through to our EVA suit comms?”

  “It should be possible. I will need to interface with your suit so that Athena can perform a technical assessment.”

  Scott stood up, facing the droid, and unclipped a small panel on his left sleeve, revealing a universal interface connection. The android hinged back its right hand, and a connector emerged from its wrist. It made the interface and stood silent for a moment. Then it retracted it and stepped back. “You now have two-way comms with the tribe’s VHF communication. But may I warn you that the voice traffic is somewhat chaotic at present.”

  Scott picked up his helmet, detached the comms unit, and began fitting it to his ear. “Is Tugo still alive?” He directed his question to the android.

  “Very much so. He is currently directing all military defenses. His power and influence have grown considerably within the tribe now that they are in peril.”

  “Does he have a channel?”

  “Yes, but it is an open broadcast channel. Anything you say will be heard by many.”

  “What have you got in mind, Scott?” said Cyrus as he began testing the unit.

  “I was thinking of calling out for a couple of pizzas.”

  “Bonus!” said Cyrus. “Make mine a chili-pepperoni.” He stepped back from the unit and announced, “We now have a fully operational uplink.”

  The dish antenna on the unit started to slowly rotate, seeking out the satellite, except it would never find it in there.

  Scott tapped a few icons on his sleeve’s control panel and set the comms unit to one of the tribe’s VHF channels. He listened. Just as Lexicon had said, it was chaotic. But the more he tuned in, the more Scott began to sense that there was order to the mayhem. Most groups, as far as he could tell, were holding the line, preventing the drones from entering the main cave. Some had gotten in, but that threat had been dealt with. Yet the attack was intense; there were calls for units under sustained pressure to fall back, while other units were seeking support. They were also running short on ammunition for their ballistic weapons. In amongst all the shouts and clamor, Scott could hear Tugo barking orders, giving encouragement, and coordinating the defense.

  Scott tapped the manual transmit button on his headset. “Tugo, this is Scott McNabb. I repeat, this is Scott McNabb. Do you read me? Over.”

  There was a momentary crackle before Tugo’s voice broke through. “McNabb, so you’re still alive. What the hell happened? We’re still under attack—we’re all dying down here.”

  “We made it to Athena, who’s still operational, and installed the quantum device. That’s working, but Athena can’t hack the AI that controls the drones until we get the uplink set up—and that’s the problem. We need your help.”

  “We’re a bit busy right now, in case you hadn’t noticed.”

  “We tried to get the unit set up outside an access tunnel that exits around a third of the way up the mountain, overlooking the valley floor.”

  “Yeah, I think I know it. Double steel doors?”

  “That’s it. But we were spotted and had to retreat back inside. Now there are drones everywhere, all trying to get in, and we don’t have the firepower to fight our way out.”

  “I can’t help you. It’s too late now—we won’t hold out much longer down here.”

  “We just need a distraction, something to get the drones away from the entrance for ten minutes. That’s all it’ll take, and Athena can hack the AI. It’ll be game over.”

  “I don’t know. I really can’t spare a single person in this fight.”

  “You have to, Tugo—it’s our only chance to pull this off. You’ve got to buy us a few minutes, that’s all.”

  There was a pause as Tugo barked orders for units to fall back.

  “We’re dying here, McNabb. But we’ll get you your ten minutes. Stand by and be ready to move when I give you the all clear. And listen, McNabb: this damn well better work, because once we commit to this action, we’ll be leaving ourselves wide open. Got it?”

  “Got it. We’ll be ready.”

  Scott looked over at Cyrus, who had been listening in on his own headset. “You get all that?”

  “Mostly. We better start making our way back up to the entrance door.” He started to pack up the uplink into its case. “Any idea what Tugo’s planning?”

  “I don’t know, but I get a horrible feeling it could be suicidal.”

  18

  Tugo

  Tugo leaned in over the dilapidated holo-table that they had set up in the war room, surveying the 3D schematic of the citadel and the extended cave system beyond. Clumps of green dots were scattered around the edges of the main cave, signifying the last remaining defense against the attacking drone army. The tribe was holding the line, but only just. At one point in the northwestern sector, some smaller scout drones had managed to break through, but he had pulled in reinforcements from other areas. Now that situation was contained, but for how long? They were also running low on ammunition for their antique ballistic weapons, and any sophisticated weapons that they did possess were too few, and proving to be unreliable.

  His main concern, though, was that the drones were being controlled by an AI. They could move and countermove faster than his feeble human mind could react. The tribe was being outgunned and outmaneuvered, and it was only a matter of time before they would be annihilated. And on top of all that, McNabb wanted his help.

  He tapped the side of his headset and opened a comms channel to a group that was holding an entrance in the southeastern sector. “This is Commander Tugo. Is Sasha Davorsky still alive?”

  “Yes, sir. As far as I know she is.” In the background, Tugo could hear the sounds of a fierce battle raging—gunfire, and the screams of his people dying.

  “Put her on. I want to talk to her.”

  A few moments later, the breathless voice of Sasha Davorsky broke through the comm link. “Sasha here, sir.”

  “Tell me you got some rockets left?”

  “Yes sir, just one. I’ve been keeping it for a special occasion.”

  “Well then, get your ass back to the war room as quickly as possible. I want to start a party, and you’re supplying the
fireworks.” He tapped his headset again to close off comms.

  His second-in-command, Pliny, looked over at him from the far side of the holo-table. “What are you planning, sir?”

  “A last throw of the dice, I fear. I need to find a way for a small group, maybe two or three people, to get back outside.” He leaned in again and studied the 3D schematic, pointing at a sector on the map that seemed only lightly guarded. “What about this sector here?”

  “We’re holding the line there. It’s a narrow tunnel that leads out onto a bluff overlooking the valley. It’s easily defended, but they still have a few drones knocking around that sector, sir.”

  Tugo stood up straight and scratched his chin. “Okay, I need two volunteers with enough ammunition to fight their way through the tunnel.” He looked around the makeshift operations room.

  Two young fighters jumped forward, eager for battle.

  “I’ll go. I’m sick of sitting around here like a spare part. I want to do something.”

  “Me too.”

  Tugo looked at the pair; they were barely sixteen. Yet like most of the young people, they were eager to fight. He had kept them away from the front lines for the moment, but he also knew it was only a matter of time before he would have to throw them into the fray. Much as he didn’t want to risk the lives of those so young, in reality, what choice did he have?

  “Okay, you’re coming with me.”

  Just then, a breathless Sasha Davorsky came running into the war room. She had a slight, wiry build that seemed ill-equipped for the physical task of carrying the enormous grenade launcher that was wrapped around her shoulder. She also had one long, conical rocket-propelled grenade shoved into her belt. Her last round.

  “Sasha, how many times have I told you not to take the safety cap off the top of those rockets? If you fall over, we’re all dead.”

  “Sorry, sir. It just gets messy in the heat of battle, you know, fiddling around with safety caps.”

  “Well, just be careful with that thing, that’s all.”

  “Yes sir, I will.”

  Tugo gathered them together around the holo-table. “Okay, here’s the plan. And just so you know before we start: if we pull this off, we may just save the city.”