Janus’ mind raced. He had to buy time. Time for Celes and Lyn. There’s only one thing to discuss.
“And I’m guessing you never understood why Natalie raised a weapon to you either.” Janus retorted.
“What did you say?” There was surprise in his voice.
Janus hoped Delacroix could see him smile, “You heard me. Magnus.”
Other than her comm gamble, Celes hadn’t moved a millimeter since the Inferni had first revealed themselves. She eyed the terrifying armor beside her as it crept across her field of view, to the edge of the halo. Even at this distance, she wasn’t sure her Vidar would penetrate the back of the monster’s thick helmet, and it would only serve to give her position away – without a plan to help everyone else. Carefully, silently, she folded her rifle and slunk away.
Lyn had reacted immediately to Celes’ ping, leaping away from the door. She slunk to the back of the observation room to take stock of the increasingly dire situation. She assumed that the mirrored glass of the observation window, and solid walls of the room were keeping her hidden and preventing the Inferni from moving in for now. Delacroix’s voice echoed from all around her. She peered at the lift. Ring of Inferni, or Delacroix’s evil lair? Nothing seemed particularly attractive about either option, nor did she have any intention of abandoning the team. And Delacroix had only mentioned one girl – me or Celes?
Listening to Janus play for time, she considered her options.
“I’m curious, what rumors have you heard about me?” Delacroix had quickly squashed the surprise in his voice. But he sounded overly cold and calm to Janus. His muted tone sounded forced.
“Not rumors. Not stories. I know the truth, Magnus. About you. About Norm. About Natalie and Middleton. I know the full story – we all do. Do your Titan Troopers know that you plan to wipe their Corporation off the map?”
Delacroix laughed, “Is that the best you can do? I’m very disappointed. If you truly understood, you would realize that these Inferni are loyal to each other – to me – not Titan. Please say something that will impress.”
Janus changed tact, “How does it feel to be a pawn of Middleton?”
Delacroix laughed harder, “How’s that?”
Janus smiled. He could sense a tinge of irritation in Delacroix’s voice. He was fishing. It was all too familiar. Janus pressed, “Who do you think really killed Natalie, that day on the bridge?”
Delacroix stopped laughing, “You’re in no position to toy with me, Adept, and I’m wise to your games. I have an army that will obey me – the last of Phoenix. An army that has been conditioned to fight from the day it was born – and they can beat the best. Adepts. Adepts that have cost me too much. And now,” there was a pause, “I’m going to crush you and finally accomplish a hundred years’ effort!”
In the back of her mind, realization clicked, and Lyn rolled left reflexively. A gigantic fist smashed through the console she had crouched behind a moment before, turning it into a mass of tangled wires, flashing red lights, and shattered metal, and sending the nearby lift rushing downward. She could hear the emergency brakes send it to a screeching halt below.
Delacroix stood behind the console, in his fully armored command suit. The mechanical monster was even more frightening up close – twice the size of a normal Trooper, it was clear from the sheared metal that Delacroix’s strength had been enhanced to an extreme. Lyn unleashed a salvo of fire into his face. It didn’t even scratch the visor, and Delacroix turned his head to glare at the offending insect. With lightning speed, he grabbed her by the face, hauling her off her feet painfully. She struggled gamely, slamming his joints with repeated attacks. He didn’t even flinch. And with her still struggling in his right hand, he walked calmly to the window and touched a button.
The observation room’s large glass paneling turned transparent, and Janus put a hand on Ramirez, afraid he would leap for Delacroix.
“Adepts are so fragile,” Delacroix said. “Despite all their training, their physical perfection, all it takes is one little squeeze…” Lyn made a muffled scream, and Janus instinctively gripped Ramirez tighter as he quivered.
“But I’m curious, how do you know so much about me? Tell me and perhaps I’ll keep you alive for a little longer. Besides, the longer you talk the better the chance your friend in the halo can save you, right?” Delacroix taunted.
“You haven’t figured it out, yet, Magnus?” A new voice had joined the foray. Not just familiar, but strong.
No, Janus thought.
“Who?” Delacroix asked, turning his head to search.
“Can’t you see the resemblance?”
“That voice…” Delacroix sounded angry. “I know that voice… the voice of a traitor! A weakling!”
It can’t be.
“I agreed with you once, Magnus. Not anymore.”
“Norm!” Delacroix yelled, “Show yourself!”
Chapter 47: Overlord, Ascendant
“You’re dead. You died in the streets of Cerberus long ago,” Delacroix howled.
“I hope you did not trust Middleton to find me – did you?” Norm’s voice taunted.
“Middleton couldn’t find you! She hated you as much as I did!”
“No!” Norm’s voice was powerful, full of zeal. “She hated Natalie. She hated your affection for her. As soon as Natalie was out of the picture, she did not give a damn about me.”
“You’re the one who created the lie this boy spouts?” Delacroix asked, his voice dangerously low.
“You’ve always been blind to the facts that conflict with your ego. Middleton is not so much your thrall! And the boy only knows the truth – what I saw with my own eyes. Janus was far too young to remember the events of that day.”
“Janus?” Delacroix sounded momentarily off guard and dropped Lyn a few inches so her feet just touched the floor. Her toes struggled for purchase. He eyed Janus, who glared back at him.
“Yes, Janus,” Norm said. “Does the name stir something deep within you?”
Delacroix’s voice hardened, “Your pathetic tricks will do nothing against me, Norm. You never were sophisticated enough to be the Overlord of Intelligence. That is why I surpassed you.”
“Magnus, you always were my better, but besting a fool is hardly a feat. One who spends his time besting fools…” Norm voice trailed off with a hint of laughter. Magnus snarled.
Norm’s voice rang out again, “I saw you that night, oh so many years ago. I saw your anger. Was it rage for Natalie? Or your pride?’
‘You see, Magnus, I have learned from our many years together. There are two types of fools – those who follow blindly, allowing themselves to make choices that are at odds with everything they know, and those who do not learn from their mistakes. And there are two types of pride – the first is a belief in one’s ability to change the world, and the unyielding courage, fortitude, and wisdom to do it. The second has dragged men down from the beginning of time. The belief that none are as great as ourselves – that we have nothing to learn. We are both fools, Magnus, when it comes to our pride. I always lacked the former. You never lacked the latter. It is the ultimate fallacy, Magnus. The fallacy of man, the fallacy of the Executors, the Phoenix fallacy!”
“Natalie loved you,” Norm said quietly. “Even at the end, she hoped that you would see the truth and live on. She was strong, even when her body was weak. You know, Magnus, Middleton was right about me.”
Delacroix was strangely silent. Norm’s voice was thunderous, “I was weak. And I loved Natalie. She was strong. There was no limit to her will, to her hope for the future. Natalie never betrayed you, and she certainly had no interest in me. Do you know why? Because she loved you. You were strong. You were clever, and smart, and skilled. And you both had the same flaw. Hers was less apparent, but it was the same: She knew she could change you. The truth about you was plain to see – I knew it, but I was too weak to act. Middleton knew it, but she couldn’t move against you. Only Natalie could not see the truth
until that terrible day she confronted you. And then the worst happened, the blackest day of my life, beyond the times you and I knew when we fought together long ago. It was the day when the woman I loved was murdered, alone and surrounded by enemies. It was the day I realized how powerless I was…”
Celes had moved painstakingly slowly around the halo. Rarely had she felt so vulnerable or so weak. But she had moved silently and fearlessly, and now, she was ready. Norm’s voice rang in her ears as she carefully unfolded her Vidar. She would only get one chance at this. She lined up her first shot, and waited.
“And then I found Janus, your son, who had been discarded like the many piles of garbage that he fell into, rescued by another woman who held that same inner strength that Natalie did. That Aubrey did. I found that young man who stands before you and vowed that one day, when the time came, I would not fail. I would have the courage and fortitude necessary to do what was right, no matter the cost.’
“That time has come!” Norm’s voice rang out, “I will not fail!”
The roar of jump jets sounded from below, and Delacroix whirled as a second command suit emerged from the depths of the lift. He tossed Lyn aside, smashing her into the second console, where she went limp, and braced himself. Norm crashed into Delacroix, catching him around the middle, and the two flew through the transpicuoum window in a shattering wave of glass. The two appeared briefly in free fall, and then Norm fired his boosters again, sending the pair sailing towards the far wall of cryochambers at high speed. They smashed into a rising daedulus arm and tumbled into the darkness below.
As the pair vanished, Celes’ sniper rifle sang out, a sweet song to Janus’ ears.
Chapter 48: Those We are Bound to
Celes knew the time had come. She took a deep breath and held it. Before the pair of command suits had even reached the far wall she had blasted the visor of the first Infernus, sending him crashing backwards into the tangle. The world around her slowed as she flitted to her next target. In a flurry, his visor exploded in a cloud of glass and metal. She obliterated the Inferni across from her with lightning speed. A sudden rise in heat informed her that the Infernus to her right was desperately whirling upon her.
She was ready.
The Infernus fell out of the halo, toppling into the abyss below.
Now it was time for Celes to move – she didn’t have an angle on the other Inferni, but she had given her team a chance. She slammed the Vidar on her back and readied her Skadi, sliding back into the tangled mass surrounding her. There were plenty more Inferni to hunt.
Janus knew that he had to get everyone to better positioning – they were exposed and vulnerable in the center of the room. Norm and Celes had bought them a few moments, distracting their opponents, but they were still surrounded. They didn’t have much time, and Lyn was unconscious in the observation room.
“Marcus!” Janus pointed to the far side of the room, opposite of Celes. Marcus nodded, rolled and rushed along the catwalk, leaving his hostage curled up behind him. Janus let go of his technician, pushing him in the direction of the door. The man fled, pounding on the door for help. One of the technicians leapt up and hit a button upon the control panel. Warning alarms shrieked.
The alarms jolted the Inferni to action, who began firing in earnest. Janus ducked as fire whizzed overhead, signaling Ramirez to follow, but at that moment, Lyn began to stir. An opportunistic Infernus saw a chance, and leapt down to take her out at close range. As the armored monster raised his Zeus arm to her head, Ramirez howled, firing his Thor straight into the suit’s chest. The red devil was annihilated immediately.
From that moment forward, Ramirez could not be controlled. His face a mask of fury, he pounded across the middle platform towards Lyn. Zeus fire obliterated the path behind him as Ramirez returned fire. But the Inferni could not hit him. He moved too fast.
The speed and power on display was terrifying, and Janus had never seen anything like it. Ramirez leapt clear across the massive gap from the central platform to the stairs. At the top, another Infernus leapt forward with a clawed fist, ready to put the rampant soldier down.
Ramirez didn’t even slow down as he bulled into the armored soldier, crushing his visor with an elbow, smashing him through the railing and shooting him in the chest for good measure. The limp form of the Infernus spiraled into the depths. Some of the Inferni simply stopped firing at the display, awestruck. In one smooth motion, Ramirez gently lifted Lyn with one arm, and disappeared into the dark of the observation room, never ceasing his nonstop fire. Not one ventured after him.
Troopers emerged from the closest door, but Delacroix’s forces were showing weakness. Ramirez display had made the Inferni disorganized and reluctant to engage, and the lack of fire confused the incoming Troopers.
Meeting up with Marcus, Janus whirled on the door, and the pair dispatched the incoming Troopers with bursts of Skadi fire as the door slammed shut again. Celes’ rifle rang out above them, and another Infernus toppled past.
When Ramirez reemerged, however, the tide truly shifted. Upon seeing the raging Adept return, the few survivors leapt from the halo without hesitation, disappearing into the black, and taking their chances with whatever waited below.
With the Inferni gone, Janus realized that the warning claxons were still sounding their shrill call. In the midst of the firefight, they had merely been part of the background. But now, they roared back with full force, and Janus raced back to the center platform to stop it. Marcus was right behind him, and the two searched frantically.
“We’ve got to stop any more Troopers from coming!” Celes shouted from above.
“I know,” the pair yelled back in unison.
The pair split, moving around the broken console in opposite directions.
“This thing is a mess!” Marcus yelled. Wires popped out from holes blasted by the Zeus fire, and components smoked. Janus pulled his hand back as a button sparked, giving him a nasty shock.
“I’m coming to help you!” Celes said.
Ramirez rushed from the observation room, but Janus waved him off, “Stay there and watch that lift.”
After a few more moments of searching, Janus found what he was looking for. “I’ve got it!” Janus exclaimed, slamming a button. The alarm stopped, and the doors clicked unlocked. Janus turned in triumph, but the jubilant expression died on his face. Standing there, in the now open door, was the most heavily armed Infernus Janus had ever seen. Its modified armor had a rocket launcher armed and ready.
Several things happened at once. Janus and Marcus saw the Infernus and leapt backwards, trying to flee their exposed position. Celes caught the look of horror upon Janus’ face, and without hesitation, swung over the edge of the halo, catching her feet on a cable and dangling head down, rifle ready. A rocket emerged from the Infernus’ launcher.
Celes did not miss. Neither did the rocket.
It struck the central platform, disintegrating it completely, and sending the Marcus and Janus careening into empty space.
Chapter 49: Into the Abyss
Janus spun wildly, all sense of direction lost. The breath rushed from his lungs and he gasped, reaching out desperately for something, anything. His hand caught unexpectedly and he grunted in pain as he hung on grimly. His head spun, and he felt himself pulled upwards, metal creaking and groaning in protest. It took him a moment to orient himself, as he clutched a twisted rail that hung out over the abyss. The rail bounced up and down from his weight. He was staring at the rows upon rows of cryochambers, nothing but the blackness beneath him
“Hang on!” A voice cried distantly. His ears rang, and it took him a moment to place it. Celes!
Janus kept himself very still, twisting his head slowly to gaze around. He glanced upward, and could see what remained of the catwalk above him. It was slowly moving further away. His little lifeline was sinking further and further into the abyss, swaying and bending in agony.
Ramirez’s heavy boots pounded the catwalk, but Janus
could not see him. The railing twisted unexpectedly, and he sunk lower. Ramirez was racing along the outer catwalk, so close yet so far away.
And then Janus saw Marcus, clinging to the other railing. The catwalk to the center platform had split down the middle, leaving only its railing and a few sturdy struts that had somehow survived the explosion.
Janus reached, trying to see if he could climb higher. The twisted metal groaned furiously and Janus went still, hanging on with one arm. The squeal of nuts and bolts was piercing as the railing swayed, sending tremors along the remains of the catwalk.
“Do you mind?” Marcus yelled out at him.
Janus grabbed what remained of his lifeline again with both hands, struggling to hold on as the broken metal bit deeper into his hands. He looked up and saw Celes leap from the halo, rolling as she landed, and whipping the Vidar from her back. He saw a round fly from the chamber as she ejected it. Ramirez, for all his speed, still had too much ground to cover to be of any use.
The swaying metal made Janus’ field of view switch between Celes, Ramirez, and Marcus. Marcus smiled grimly, “Anytime, guys, anytime. No rush.”
And then there was the terrifying sound of popping as the nuts and bolts ripped apart. Janus was spun so that he could only see the black pit beneath him.
He heard Marcus yell ‘Celes!’ and felt the railing give, experiencing the sudden, significant feeling of weightlessness.
He cried out as he fell, grasping desperately at empty air. And then he felt something solid, and clutched at it with all his might. Celes let out a grunt of pain and effort. It was the Vidar. She was on the edge, her feet curled around the remainder of the surviving catwalk. He gripped the butt of the gun as fiercely as he could.
Celes’s feet slipped forward an inch, and she gritted her teeth, struggling to hold on.
The Phoenix Fallacy_Book III_Magnus Page 28