Titus (The Anno Ruinam Book 1)

by Caleb Byrnand

  “It’s something right? I’ve flown in some interesting wings before but nothing like that.”

  “What is it?” It is Titus’s turn with the questions. The Major steps forward to take this one.

  “We thought you could tell us seeing as they’re coming from your neck of the woods. I’ve counted hundreds of them already.” A few seconds pass while they hold eye contact. She needed answers.

  Titus gives her a subtle nod. It is clear what she wanted him to do next. He walks towards one of the windows and casually steps out, falling out of sight. Noah runs to the window to see Titus gently land and continue walking.

  All able-bodied personnel run down the internal stairs to catch up with Titus who is on the hunt for another plane.

  “What are you doing?” The words on everybody’s lips, but no one is saying it. Didn’t matter. They’d see soon enough. Titus spots something and points to the horizon. A tiny dot camouflaged by the spreading ash cloud, a hover plane returning from the (old)north.

  Noah peers through his binoculars for a few seconds before finding it himself. “According to the prophecies the world is going to be invaded and oppressed by your kind for a thousand years. Safe to say it’s true?” Noah turns his head away from the plane to look Titus in eye while waiting for an answer. There was no maliciousness behind his query, but a lot of suppressed emotion.

  “If they get their way. Yes.”

  Winters is perplexed. “How do you know the prophecies?”

  “Remember Captain Jason?”

  Glen and Raythe do nothing to hide their groan and eye roll. Winters clues on quickly. Noah turns back to his binoculars and finds the plane. “What are you going to do?”

  Titus doesn’t answer. Just closes his eyes, and waits.

  ❖

  Flying high in the air, Jason and his co-pilot are sitting in uncomfortable silence. The boy looks emotionally dishevelled like a guilty child. “That your first time on the mainland?” Jason’s question hung in the air for a few seconds.

  “No. I’ve visited many of our overseas factories and facilities. As well as our various Churches in foreign lands. Have you?”

  Fine kid, we’ll return to uncomfortable silence. Jason faces forward and looks out the windshield at the familiar landscape. Very familiar. He realises he has been using the same flight path he always used coming back to base. Old habits die hard. His instinct is to turn and convey his realisation to the man sitting next to him, but something else overwhelms him instead. “Prepare for landing.”

  “What?”

  Jason is defenceless as he watches himself go through the landing procedure. Even his co-pilot is on board now.

  “Touch down in five…”

  ❖

  The hover plane comes to a silent and soft landing mere meters from the on-lookers. Titus, holding his fingers over his temples in deep concentration, turns to the major and says, “Let’s get some answers.” The group have become somewhat restrained. Being confronted with displays of incredible unrestrained power is uninviting, and puts people on edge.

  The cabin doors open and both pilots exit the plane, docile and compliant. Winters and two corporals move to intercept the pilots when Noah recognises Jason.

  “You!” Noah is angry at him but kind of glad to see his old friend again. Conflicted because Jason was right about the Fall, furious because he was a part of it. Jason remained silent, not even registering Noah’s presence. Annoyed, Noah turns to Titus to fix it. Pointing to Jason, Noah commands, “Wake this one up.” Titus nods and an instant later Jason’s eyes focus and expression return to his face. Surprised and relieved to see his friend alive.

  “Noah?”

  The right hook. Jason goes down.

  “You didn’t warn me. No warning, nothing!” Noah is fuming.

  “I told you every time we met up. I said don’t say I didn’t warn...”

  “Tell me, how much did you know? And don’t say it’s all written in the fucking scriptures. You knew something.” Noah is serious. Jason makes eye contact with Titus and is equally surprised to see him here.

  “I was privy to the fact the prophecy was happening soon. I nearly even broke my oath the last time we met telling you.”

  “But you didn’t, and decided to let me die with everyone else.”

  “Yes. The non-believers. How is this a surprise for you?” Titus has heard enough. He raises his arm and Jason’s body flies backwards into the side of the plane, an invisible force lifting him up by his neck.

  Noah is hurt and full of spite. “I bet that was a surprise. Jason, meet Titus. I’m done talking. Do what you want to this piece of shit.” Noah turns his back on his old friend and walks back towards the tower. Glen and Raythe follow Noah while Titus and Winters approach Jason and his off-guard sidekick, ready to get their answers.

  “It’s a mass exodus. They’re heading everywhere, all over the globe. Thousands of ships with thousands passengers. The Fall affected every continent on the globe, and they look to right it.” Titus is reading Jason’s mind, giving Winters a commentary on his findings. An undisciplined mind is easy to browse and unlock. “Once their army have registered what remains of the human race, the survivors will be relocated for reassignment. Those that refuse will perish. Everyone takes the mark.” Winters is shocked at the audacity of it all, the scale of it. A catastrophe of this magnitude is inconceivable.

  “Knock him out. I’ve heard enough.” Titus obeys and catches Jason as he falls unconscious, gently laying him on the tarmac. He turns his attention to the hypnotised co-pilot, and with one finger pushes on the kid’s ‘third eye’. Time slows to a point of near death, allowing a lifetime of memories and knowledge to be telepathically passed along. He draws his finger away and takes a moment to gather himself. That was a lot of information to take in, to try to process. Becoming overwhelmed, Titus drops to one knee, clicks his fingers and the boy drops fast asleep. He then slumps himself in a meditative seated position, closes his eyes and absorbs his new found knowledge. One question quietly plagued him. One he’d manage to ignore up until now.

  How could having god-like powers come so naturally?

  CHAPTER IV

  Major Winters

  Her three remaining soldiers have splintered off, whispering and conspiring with one another. Unsure of the status quo now that society has crumbled, she decides to interject herself into the conversation and judge the chain of command for herself. She enters the circle while Glen is mid-sentence. They make room for her as he finishes his thought. “Do you think this was why the sailors left in such a hurry?” Glen has growing reservations about the company they keep. They have enough trouble on their plate without adding to it.

  “I say we kill these two, take their plane and go. Or just leave them and take their plane and fly back state side. There’s nothing for us here.” Raythe has a point.

  “There may not be a home to go back to,” Winters says with a heavy heart. “The Fall affected every continent and the Ants have already begun their invasion.”

  “What about Australia? Jas talked about it being some kind of a haven. Isn’t your missus there?” Raythe makes another good point.

  “She is, and of course I want to reunite with her, but you’re forgetting one thing. I’m not about to go AWOL just because the lights went out. I didn’t take my service oath for payback, a president or a pay check. I took the oath because I meant it, and now we are faced with a very clear and present enemy. There must be protocols for this scenario, Major?”

  “As far I know, if any protocol exists referring to clones with telekinesis, a global blackout and the mass destruction of everything, it is above my security clearance. Rest assured, if any of the military survived, you can be sure they are going to fire back.”

  “With what? Sticks and stones? Harsh words? With the collapse of our government and without a computer based or battery operated arsenal, we’re all dead in the water. Our bullets are the only things that work and even then we hav
e a finite amount. We know that and so do they.” Raythe is on a hat-trick.

  Glen puts in his two cents, “What are we still doing here then? No power, no weapons, no food, no army. Just a perfectly good hover plane at our disposal, and no laws or regulations governing our actions.”

  “Tread carefully, this is dangerous territory.”

  “What for? I’m just stating the fact that we are all alone, Winters, and it’s every man for themselves.” Glen has overstepped and Winters is in no mood. She kicks him behind the knees, dropping him to the ground. She catches his hand on the way down and twists it to the point of incapacitation, holding him in a frozen contorted pose. Glen squeals in pain as Winters stands over him, Noah and Raythe looking on, not daring to involve themselves.

  “It’s Major to you, Private Glen. I will not have such talk of dissonance and sedition in my company. As much as you don’t like it, we’re in this together. All of us. Until we have confirmation of the dissolution of our government, our duty stands.” She releases his wrist and he slumps to the ground. Noah and Raythe are a little taken back. They knew she could kick arse but never had the good fortune to see it.

  Noah decides to weigh in on the debate. “He has a point though. We’re going to need more fire power than our side arms and rifles. If these clones can stop a tidal wave what luck will we have using these?” Noah checks over his shoulder to confirm that the barracks, mess and armoury have been washed away. Any landed planes or parked vehicles was also picked up by the wave and dumped a long way from their compound.

  “I have something.” Titus speaks. He’s awake. He raises his head slowly and meets their eyes. “Mother.”

  ❖

  Mother was the term given to the Church of Light’s quantum super computer; the central processer, the hook their whole operation hangs on. When a person’s atom chip is registered it connects with Mother, giving her a live feed into that person; thoughts, feelings, intentions, interactions. Once you take the mark, it has the access and ability to subdue, disarm, and kill you if necessary. But only while it is operational.

  ❖

  A small window of opportunity arises. Titus explains how until their global network is operational, Mother is the only thing standing between freedom and subjugation.

  “Do you think you could locate it?” Major is on board. She has a sense of purpose. A target and the means. Titus nods his head. He’s on board.

  “I’m in, but we need guns.” Noah already planning the mission in his head and scoping out the grounded hover plane. “I mean, if Jas could fly it, surely anyone can right?”

  Glen is unconvinced. “Fly into enemy territory blind with limited bullets and no explosives. Besiege the most fortified position in the the world in the harshest conditions against a foe with powers never before seen. I’m out. Court martial me when you don’t return.” Glen is holding his breath in suspense of another beating, but it doesn’t come.

  Instead the major calmly says, “You’re wrong about one thing.”

  The creaking of metal from inside a pitch black underground bunker. Stale dusty air catches the ray of light as the bunker door swings slowly open, creaking like old bones. The large door is thrust open displacing all the dust in the air. Major walks in first, waving her hand in front of her pushing the particulates away.

  “Being one of the most isolated US army bases they installed this before construction began, in case of emergencies. A weapons cache, supplies, rations. This installation is a [*]Faraday cage, built to be invisible to various detection techniques and built to withstand the EMP from a nuke, so everything should be operational.”

  “Cool. XM-25 grenade launchers, AA12 Atchisson Assault Shotgun, KRISS Vector submachine gun, Semtex, HMX, and Octanitrocubane.” Noah is impressed with the score and likes to show off his weaponry knowledge.

  “Is that good?” Titus is in the dark with such things.

  Noah has a polite chuckle. “Yes. Yes it is.” He picks up a detonator and flicks the switch, a LED screen lights up reading zeros. Like a kid in a candy store. Major has more dignity than that, but she still goes for the largest rocket launcher there.

  “They’ll be expecting their plane back soon. Best not to disappoint them.” Major looks to her men, and everyone’s on board now. Armed and ready.

  “Agreed,” replies Titus.

  Major is about to grab a box of ammunition when she hears a familiar click of Titus’s fingers. Everything suddenly goes silent and her vision starts to blur and fade. She falls to her knees, then to all fours. Trying to lift her head, she sees that Noah and the two privates are experiencing the same symptoms.

  The air maybe, the…

  Just before she completely blacks out she sees Titus walk past her carrying a box of C4.

  Bastard.

  CHAPTER V

  Cholo

  A large storefront security gate is jimmied open and jerkily slid open. The shards of the shopfront glass still clinging to the frame are kicked and knocked to the ground, and a heavily tattooed Cholo steps inside. He takes a moment to scan the dishevelled pawn shop. All manner of unimpressive second-hand and stolen goods carpets the floor. He pulls back a few toppled shelves clearing a path when he hears a noise from a room at the back of the store.

  That’s no animal.

  Reaching in his belt and producing a revolver, he sneaks towards the back store room. In a matter of seconds from him entering the room a scuffle can be heard and Cholo re-emerges out of the room with a teenage girl, Sofia. Holding her in a rear choke hold and using her as a shield, he presses his gun at her head, taunting the other people in the room. A father and son slowly creep out of the room with their arms raised, looks of pleading and fright in their eyes.

  “Take whatever you want, just don’t hurt her.” The father begs with the captor who is uninterested by his pleas and is obviously not interested by the goods in the store.

  “This is shit, who would want this? This little sweet peach however…” He slides the barrel of the gun slowly down the girl’s chest in between her breasts, down her torso and resting on her groin. The experience is traumatic for the family, especially Sofia who is now sobbing uncontrollably.

  “What do you want? Anything but…”

  Cholo interrupts him, “What do you think I want, huh? Think about it old man. You’ve been holding something for Los Monos all these years, right?”

  The Father’s eyes quickly dart to a painting on the wall before returning to Cholo’s gaze. It is too late; he has given himself up. As he shifts is body towards the painting his son yells for his father to stop, only antagonising the Cholo further.

  “Speak up again little brother, and big sister gets it.”

  Father moves towards the wall with the painting trying his best to reassure his daughter. “It’s okay honey, it’ll be all over soon.” He pulls the painting back revealing a wall safe and with trembling hands he fumbles through the combination lock, failing the code several times.

  “Hurry up old man otherwise I will take this little hyna as well.”

  “Just a few seconds. Please.”

  The lock clicks and handle turns, the heavy door on the small safe swings open and Cholo’s interest is captured. To the point where he is oblivious to the fact that the son is reaching for something underneath the cash register.

  “That’s it old man, hand it over.” As father reaches inside the safe the son grabs a loaded pistol and quickly fires at Cholo hitting him in the side. Not a kill shot but enough to warrant a response. With a surge of adrenaline Cholo pulls Sophia to the right shielding him from the son’s aim, just as the son fires again. The bullet hits Sophia in the heart killing her instantly. Before the son has time to react to what he’s done, Cholo raises his gun and shoots the boy in the head. Spinning to the left he throws Sophia’s limp body towards the father and holds his side, trying to stop the bleeding.

  He tucks the gun in his pants and snatches a small briefcase from the safe while Father is sobbing wit
h his dead children in his arms. Cholo slams the case on a display cabinet and opens it quickly, checking to see the goods are present. A golden glow from the open case reflects off his eyes and grinning teeth before he slams the case shut, thrusts it under his arms and leaves the scene of the crime. Father begins to scramble for the gun his son dropped when Cholo turns around, watching the vain attempt for revenge. He lets the father get close, as the gun reaches his hands Cholo whips out his and takes aim…

  ❖

  Cholo limps into the bustling hospital, his whole left side drenched with his own blood. The gun is tucked away from prying eyes and briefcase stashed somewhere for safe keeping. The hospital has disposed of the dead rotting victims of the Fall. The long queues of desperate people demanding service have diminished and the hospital is now functioning once again. Small mobile generators have been wired into the main lines and power has been restored to this building, even if it is just the lights. By today’s standards, luxury.

  “Hey. Help. I’ve been shot!” Cholo is demanding satisfaction. Looking around he sees none of the locals working their shifts, just strange robed giants accompanied by strange robed Antarcticans. “The fuck is going on here? I need a doctor!”

  Marianne enters the room, smiles at him and leads him into the OR. He lays down on a stretcher and she cuts his shirt off. He begins to calm down now he’s being seen to. “I’m shot doc. Some bastard came out out of nowhere.”

  “Just lie still. And I’m not a doctor.” This is news to him. His calm demeanour begins to crack and the gangster in him begins to surface.

  “I said I need a fucking doctor, bitch!”

  Marianne is having none of this. Her Guardian companion will help if needs be, but she feels she has control of the situation. She rams the jet injector in his neck, filling his veins with life giving technology and implants the Atom Chip--doing the same procedure all day has meant she has gotten very good at it. She hits a few buttons on her computer registering his Chip and activating the Nanotech. A rush of endorphins hits his agitated and angry body like his favourite drug, causing him to reel back in the bed as he savours the hit. This is soon cut short as he can feel something move internally; the uncomfortable sensation of a bullet becoming dislodged. He looks at his open wound, surprised that the bleeding has stopped and pain is gone. The muscles around the entry point begin to flex and pulsate and after a few second he watches the bullet get magically pushed out of his body. The wound then seals itself, the damage to his organs is amended and his breathing returns to normal. He is absolutely flabbergasted.