The Resistance- The Complete Series

by Nathan Hystad

  Charles recalled the story as well. “What does this have to do with Benson?”

  “She thinks he was behind it. Which meant he had contact with Shadow.”

  “We’re going to leverage his contact?” Charles asked as they lifted up into the ship in the elevator.

  “If we do, we might be able to win this war after all.”

  Benson

  Benson wanted to hate the doctor but couldn’t bring himself to. She wore her emotions on her sleeve, and Benson had almost sold them all out.

  “Almost,” he muttered. “You screwed them over, you fool.” Talking to himself wasn’t a new thing. He’d grown accustomed to it since his captivity with the Watchers.

  “You’ll get them on your side. They’ll have no choice.” He surveyed his cell and took the small satisfaction that it wasn’t as bad as the enemy having him. He was fed here. Had a toilet. Things could be worse, much worse. He’d lived that.

  Benson wasn’t surprised to hear about Serina Trone being in charge. He’d lied to Wren and the android. Of course he’d known Helina had a daughter. Her husband and son going missing had been huge Fleet news, and everyone knew about Helina and her last remaining family, a young daughter who was put on the fast track to become an officer when she turned eighteen. The last Benson had heard, she’d been heading to the Moon base for boot camp while Benson was waiting on Europa for Flint Lancaster to arrive.

  Thirty years. He still couldn’t believe so much had happened over here, but so little had transpired. How was it that the war was still raging between the humans and Watchers? Benson was glad he’d been on the other side for the majority of it.

  He blinked and found his eye still hurt, its vision blurry. He could only keep it open for a few minutes at a time, but it was always better. Yes, things were improving for Benson. He would eventually gain their trust back, and it all started with giving them Shadow’s contact details.

  Seeing Wren and Charles had motivated him. He picked up his blazer and slid his skinny arms through the sleeves, feeling it drape over his frail frame. He’d ask the guards to bring him some extra food. He thought they might concede he was getting out. They already looked at him with pity, and he’d slowly been chipping away at their hard edges since he’d been placed in the cell.

  Benson sat down, tendrils of new potentials coursing through him. In the end, he still held a couple of wild cards in his back pocket. They’d need him soon enough.

  Flint

  Flint recognized they weren’t alone the minute his heavy boots clanked down on the hard metal floor of the bay. One of the Watchers moved from the shadows in the corner of the room and shouted an alert to the others. The enemy was wearing a full armor suit of its own, one that would have enough oxygen to keep it alive after the life support reserves faltered.

  Three pulses blasted from Flint’s gun toward the running adversary, and then Flint had to duck and hide from its oncoming fire. Banks was breathing heavily beside him, his gun held up, pointing at the ceiling.

  “At least we were right,” he said between breaths.

  Flint nodded. “I wish we weren’t.” He peered around the Recon ship he was hiding behind, where pulse fire was erupting all around the room.

  Tony’s voice carried into his earpiece. “Five targets. We’ve taken down two. Wait, I see one heading to the far left of the hangar.”

  Wait. That would mean… Flint shoved Banks to the ground just in time to see a pulse hit the side of the fighter. Flint didn’t hesitate this time. He aimed, fired, and ran toward the huge Watcher. It was dim in the room, his night-vision feature on. The alien’s face shimmered green, its black eyes wide as he tackled the enemy.

  Flint silently thanked all those hours of practice, wrestling, and fighting with Bull. He was nowhere near the size of this opponent, but the principle was the same when taking on someone far larger than yourself. Flint was on top of it, the Watcher momentarily startled, and he went straight for the lines on the front of the armor. He knew there had to be breathing tubes inside, and Serina had briefed them on the armor technology. Beneath the chest plate sat the vents bringing air into their helmets.

  Without any grace, Flint smashed at the chest cavity. He was too close to use his gun, so he slid a knife from his boot, jamming it at the armor. It slid off, unable to penetrate the suit. The Watcher finally came to and swung a thick arm at Flint, knocking him to the ground. Flint received a well-placed kick in the solar plexus before rolling away and firing his gun at the Watcher. It hit the alien’s arm, and he screamed in anger. Flint didn’t wait. He shot it two more times and breached the armor, exposing its face. He slowed down, took a breath, and shot it in the nose. It crumpled to the ground in a loud heap. It was chaos all around him.

  Then all was silent.

  “The room is clear. Proceed,” Tony’s voice said, and Flint walked over to where he’d pushed Banks. His partner was a few feet away, standing over a lifeless body.

  “I didn’t help him,” Banks said quietly, without his comm-mic. Flint barely heard it through his helmet.

  Flint grabbed Banks’ arm and stepped over their fallen Marine. “Let’s move.”

  The others were at the doorway. They’d only lost one of their own.

  Flint met Tony at the hangar’s exit. “Two of them retreated. It’s not over yet.”

  Banks pushed past Flint, gun raised, as if trying to recover from his screw-up from a minute ago.

  “Which way?” Flint asked, and Tony pointed down the corridor.

  “We find Engineering,” Tony said.

  There were seventeen of them on the ship, each wearing armor and holding enough firepower to take down a city. Flint continued feeling uneasy as they crept through the dark corridors. One of the lead Marines tripped, and Flint stepped over a dead Watcher. It was in plain clothing: loose black pants and a sleeveless shirt. Its bald head was exposed, its eyes closed.

  Charles had indeed cut the life support, because they found dozens more Watchers dead in the halls and rooms as they cleared the way toward Engineering.

  Flint and Banks headed into an open space off to the right of the corridor, and something moved in the corner. Tables lined the floor, and a feeble two-digit hand slapped the ground by Flint’s boot.

  The creature was strong, clinging to life when there should be none left. Before Flint could act, Banks fired a pulse into its chest.

  Without another word, his partner turned and left the room. Flint followed.

  It took an hour to clear that entire section of the warship, and they’d counted hundreds of dead enemies along the way. There was still no sign of the two armed Watchers that had run from the hangar. Flint knew they were still around, waiting for their moment to attack.

  Eventually, they made it into Engineering, and Tony ordered two of the Marines to stand guard at the door. Once inside, Tony ordered them to turn the night vision off, and he pulled out an orb that shone brightly, giving light to the entire room.

  The ship’s drive was dead. No light emitted or pulsed from the reactor, and Flint watched as one of the Marines headed for the console near it. He removed a pack from his shoulders, and it fell hard to the ground.

  They were attempting to reboot the system. Serina had told them of a few success stories, and Flint had found it hard to believe it was a possibility. EMPs had evolved and didn’t necessarily serve the exact function as ones from centuries ago. Ships’ drives were comprised of many different types of energy, electromagnetic being just one of them. Kat had understood far more about it than he did, but she’d gone over it a few times with him. The Fleet was lucky to have such brilliant minds working with them to create something that could boost an enemy warship from dead.

  Tony walked over to Flint and Banks, who was staring at the corner of the room into the shadows, like he was expecting a ghost to attack him.

  “We need to clear the ship. This won’t take long, but we can’t have those renegades running loose. Bring Tim and Nance with you and
head down below. Work through the vessel.” Tony turned to another pair and ordered them to the floor above.

  Flint glanced at the man working on the console and hoped he could get it working. He wished he’d stayed back on the Eureka.

  5

  Ace

  Ace wandered through the halls aimlessly. Why couldn’t he have joined the Marines on the trip to the warship? He wasn’t experienced enough or strong enough to fight a Watcher, but he couldn’t help being upset that Flint was there while he was left on the ship like a little kid. That was how Serina saw him now, and he couldn’t really blame her.

  She was all grown up and had been through so much adversity. Her arm had been ripped off and her leg crushed. Ace flexed his own hand, grateful that he could. He considered finding Oliv, but she was still sleeping. They’d stayed up late last night going over their simulation programming with a few of Serina’s pilots, and Ace was impressed with their skills. These Fleet pilots were used to Shift drives and fighting against them.

  Ace and Oliv had learned a lot in a short amount of time, and he was looking forward to training with them longer. Serina’s pilots were far different than the reserved ones he’d gotten used to. They were rougher, tougher, and angrier.

  “Kid, over here,” someone said, causing Ace to turn around.

  It was Jonesy, one of the pilots he’d been training with last night. Ace suddenly wished he was aboard the Eureka, where he knew most of the people on board. He felt like a fish out of water on this old carrier.

  “What’s up, Jonesy?” he asked.

  The bigger man scratched at his stubble-covered chin before answering. “You’re one of us, right?”

  Ace nodded without hesitation. “Sure. We’re pilots. We fly fighters and shoot the bad guys.”

  “Good. Good. I have something to show you, then.” Jonesy glanced up and down the corridor, as if making sure no one was around.

  “What is it?” Ace asked him.

  “I have to show you. Can’t just tell you. Wouldn’t be the same. Know what I mean?” Jonesy had a slight accent that Ace couldn’t place. His gray eyes danced about; above them, a jagged scar formed a line on the man’s scalp. His hair was cut short like a new recruit’s, as if he liked to show off the old injury.

  Ace had nothing better to do right then, at least not until Oliv woke up, so he joined the offbeat pilot as he strode down the halls with purpose. Eventually, they reached the end of the hall, where they were at the rear of the carrier. On either side of them were docking bays.

  “Get in,” Jonesy said when the elevator doors chimed open.

  Ace followed, and Jonesy hit the icon for the top deck. Ace hadn’t been there yet, but he knew the hangar bays didn’t go all the way up to the top.

  The doors opened, and they were greeted by two burly guards. One of them was chewing on an unlit cigar. “What you doing here, Jonesy?” the man asked gruffly.

  “Just showing the kid. He should know. He’s a hero, I’m told. Can fly his bony ass off too.” This was enough of an answer for the guard, who stepped to the side, nodding at Ace as he passed.

  “What are they guarding?” Ace asked.

  “You’ll see.”

  They walked into an open room with high ceilings. It was dimly lit, much like the rest of the carrier. Serina had told him most of the ship’s power was focused into the Shift drive and life support, so they scrimped on unnecessary things. Like lights, evidently.

  The floors were dirty. If there had been a room in this condition on the Eureka, someone would be thrown out the airlock. Ace’s boot stuck to something sticky, and he pried it free.

  He was about to comment, when Jonesy nudged him with an elbow. Ace saw the cameras lining the walls now, and the guards at each corner of the room. Directly in front of them, an energy barrier ran the entire width of the large space.

  “What’s this for?” Ace walked toward it, curious what was on the other side.

  Jonesy began to laugh, a deep throaty sound that Ace didn’t like. “Keep watching. You’ll see.”

  Ace squinted, trying to see what was through the barrier. It wasn’t clear; rather a light blue tinge, like the hangar containment fields. Whatever was on the other side wasn’t meant to cross the barrier.

  Ace was about to turn to Jonesy, when it appeared. The Watcher walked over to him, long arms bunching at its sides. It was a female, her bald head shining with sweat. She was slightly thinner than her male counterparts, and completely naked.

  “Don’t get any ideas, kid. I think she’s taken.” Jonesy laughed so hard, he started to cough.

  The female Watcher looked at Ace with miserable eyes. He’d expected anger, or at least a quiet defiance. Instead, he felt her sorrow course through him.

  “Why are they here?” Ace asked, spotting at least a dozen of them behind the barrier. They were all naked, and there were no beds or toilets that he could see. It was disgusting. Ace fought to calm himself. It wasn’t his ship, and these people weren’t his own.

  “Why? So we can study them. Grand Admiral likes to know who it is we’re fighting. We take them down one at a time, question them. They don’t like to talk much,” Jonesy said, standing close to the barrier. He waved his middle finger at the female, and she walked away slowly. “I can get you an invite, kid.”

  “Invite to what?” Ace didn’t even want to know. He wanted to turn around and run away. This place felt wrong.

  “To one of the interrogations. The best pilots get rewarded with it. You should see some of the stuff they do to the animals,” Jonesy said.

  “I want to leave,” Ace said, his throat acidic.

  “Why? We just got here. We can taunt them for a bit if you like.” Jonesy thought he was doing Ace a favor. He had to play this right so he didn’t insult the pilot. They were already a rough crowd, and he needed to fit in, but not like this.

  “I’m scheduled for training in a few minutes,” Ace lied.

  “We were just in training eight hours ago. You shouldn’t be…”

  “I asked for double duty. I need to get up to speed,” Ace lied again.

  “Good on you, kid. You’re a good pilot. I’m going to stay here a while. Let me know if you change your mind. They’ll even let you punch one if you ask nice.” This brought on another laugh from Jonesy, and Ace forced an insincere smile.

  “Sounds good. I’ll keep it in mind. See you later, Jonesy.” Ace turned, walking as fast as his legs would let him without seeming like he was running away. The guard with the cigar grunted as Ace made his way through to the elevator. When the doors were closed, Ace let out a long breath, resting his hands on his knees.

  Just what had become of the Earth Fleet?

  Flint

  “Clear,” Flint said as he exited another room. So far, they’d made it through eighty percent of the ship, and still no sign of the last armored Watchers. They did, on the other hand, find many more of their dead associates sprawled out: some in beds, others crawling down halls. It was morose, and Flint was ready to get the hell off the ship. They’d bring the warship back to Serina and let her clean the deceased bodies off it.

  Banks met him in the corridor; the man was sweating bullets under his helmet. “It’s been a while. I wish these things had climate control like the EVAs.”

  Flint did too. He wasn’t staying cool either. They’d been there for hours, and his body was barking at him to stop.

  Tim and Nance met them at the elevators. “Clear. Let’s go find Tony.”

  They headed up, the four of them crammed in the tight space with their bulky suits on. The lift stopped short of the deck they selected.

  “What’s that?” Flint asked, tapping the controls. They’d managed to get minor controls activated on the warship, and he assumed they must have temporarily lost power again.

  “Bad timing,” Nance said, running her hand along the door. She found a slot in the edge, and motioned for Tim to help her pull it open. With a few grunts and curses, the two Marines pried
the elevator door wide apart.

  They were between decks. The lights were off on both decks, and Banks looked to Flint. “Which one?”

  “You pick. Up or down?” Flint prompted.

  Banks took the lead, climbing out of the open doors. “Up. Closer to Engineering.”

  Then Banks screamed, his voice cutting sharply into Flint’s eardrums through his helmet speaker. He was being pulled quickly, and Flint tried to grab the commander’s ankle, but his reaction time was too slow in the bulky suit. He grasped at air.

  “Go, go, go!” Tim shouted, raising his weapon as he hopped up and out the opening. Flint heard pulse fire erupt along with flashes of light as he followed Nance out. His heart pounded in fear, but this wasn’t his first rodeo. He went through the motions, his body knowing what to do. The moment he was on his feet, he scanned with his night vision on, finding a pool of sticky liquid where Banks had been. The body had disappeared.

  Tim was gone too.

  “Where did they go?” Flint asked Nance. She shook her head, her face pale. They were alone.

  Serina

  “Shadow, you say?” Serina repeated. Wren was across from her in the Grand Admiral’s cramped office. Consoles and endless paperwork were strewn about, and Serina almost wished she’d cleaned up. It wasn’t often she had visitors or outside guests, and it had been a long time since she’d considered appearances.

  She was trying to play this calm and cool, but the prospect of finally locking down the largest independent fleet in the system to help their cause was enough to turn her lips into an unstoppable smile.

  “That’s right. You’ve heard of them? He wasn’t just messing with me?” Wren asked.

  Serina assessed the other woman. Wren would have been something like sixteen years older than Serina when she’d first left the Rift; now she was fourteen years Serina’s junior. Her skin was smooth, and the perfect tone. Serina couldn’t help but feel jealous of the woman. Her hair was black and thick, jutting from her head in deep curls, and it worked for her. The beautiful doctor was low maintenance, yet high performance.