To say Operation Redemption didn’t quite compare to Thermopylae was an understatement. The crew of the GOA was outnumbered a billion to one. The enemy was far more advanced, capable of interstellar travel. But, unlike the Greek leaders at Thermopylae, Captain Noble held an ace up his sleeve, a way to beat the infinite odds.
The captain’s speech had inspired everyone in the cargo bay. But logic had quickly stemmed Ort’s optimism. The mission to take down the poles was longer than a long shot. Not only did Diego’s team have to make it to Offutt in one piece, they had to steal an armada of aircraft and take out a likely heavily guarded alien pole to disrupt the Organic network and save Earth. His gut churned with anxiety. The captain was right about one thing though. This was their last chance for redemption.
* * *
Jeff clutched his arm, trying to hold back the tears. The Sentinel’s spike had torn a gash in his upper right bicep. Blood gushed from the wound and ran down his arm, sending a wave of pain through his body with every heartbeat. He’d never experienced anything so excruciating. Fuzzy flakes popped before his vision. Taking a deep breath, he fought the agony and struggled to open his eyes.
“Jeff!” said a voice. It sounded distant. Faint. So far away.
There were other noises, too. Loud screeches from the aliens as they struggled and smashed into the Biosphere’s walls. He could hear their limbs snapping. Jeff wished he could watch, but the pain was unbearable. He was so tired.
He felt a pair of hands on his shoulder. “Jeff,” the voice said. He cracked an eye open with his last ounce of energy. It was Corporal Bouma, his eyes focused on Jeff’s wound. “You’re going to be okay, buddy. Just hang on! Kiel, we need to cut off the blood flow. Find something to make a tourniquet.”
Jeff felt a powerful pressure dig into his arm. He reeled in pain, screaming at the top of his lungs.
“Emanuel, get back to the medical bay, check on the others.”
Jeff winced again, and listened to the sound of footsteps.
“Got it!” Kiel said, tightening his torn sleeve around Jeff’s upper arm.
Jeff let out another wail and blinked away another set of stars.
He felt so weak.
“You’re going to be okay. You haven’t been a marine long enough to die,” Bouma said.
* * *
Emanuel used the light from the dying Organics to guide him back to the medical ward. His heart raced with every step. Everything had halted to a frustratingly slow pace. He sidestepped around the body of the dead Sentinel, its reptilian eyes staring blankly up at him.
He spat on the beast and continued on. Several Spider legs dangled from the ceiling, blue slime dripping from the shredded limbs. He ducked under them, realizing again how fragile the aliens were without their shields. The wave of electromagnetic energy had torn them apart.
When he reached the med bay he grabbed the door, pulling hard on the handle. The locking mechanism held, clicking as he tugged.
“Holly! Open up!” he shouted. “It’s me, Emanuel.”
The handle clicked and the door cracked open. He pushed his way inside. “How is she?” he asked.
She tried to choke out a reply, but her sobs were uncontrollable.
His heart stopped.
Sophie lay motionless in the bed.
“No,” he moaned. “No, please don’t be gone,” he whispered, stopping just shy of the bed.
The dim light from the tablet in the corner of the room shed a ghostly radiance over her body. Emanuel dropped to his knees, reaching for her hands.
“What’s wrong with Miss Sophie?” David asked. He and the other children joined Emanuel, placing their hands on the sheet covering Sophie’s legs.
Emanuel bowed his head, “She’s . . .” He paused when he saw the blanket over her chest move. Slowly he lifted his head.
Another twitch gave him a hint of hope. Was it just a muscle spasm? He felt for a pulse, closing his eyes in anticipation. There—a weak beat.
“Holly! She’s still alive!” He heard her cry out in surprise.
She approached Sophie on the other side of the bed, wiping away her tears with a sleeve.
He glanced back down at Sophie. Her chest moved up and down, ever so slightly. He laughed with joy. The woman had more lives than a cat. She’d survived events that would have killed others. It was a true testament to her strength.
He stood, leaned over and kissed her forehead, and then hustled across the room to the monitors. Keying in a series of commands, he brought Alexia back online.
The AI fizzled over the interface. She blinked and said, “Rebooting system.”
“See if you can get the RVM back online,” Emanuel said. He sucked in a breath of air, the smell of burning alien flesh filling his nostrils. The smell of victory, he thought.
“Alexia, when you’re finished rebooting the system, get us through to Captain Noble. I have an important message for him.”
* * *
Trish looked transfixed. Her eyes glued to a monitor, unaware that Captain Noble was studying her.
“You wanted to see me?” he asked.
She simply nodded and pointed at her screen.
Dr. Hoffman’s Biosphere map filled the display. The dark image prompted a wave of anger. Was this some sort of sick joke? A reminder of what they had lost?
Then he saw the blinking dot. Stumbling closer, he saw it was no joke at all.
“Is that . . . ?” he began to ask.
“Yes, sir. Cheyenne Mountain came back online several minutes ago.” Trish keyed in a series of codes and a data set emerged on the other monitor. “Looks like Lolo picked up their signal again when she flew over.”
“How?” He shook his head and grabbed the back of Trish’s chair just above her shoulder for balance. He was at a loss for words. Was it a trick? Had the Organics somehow managed to infiltrate the facility and then take over the operating system?
He shook the suspicion away. He’d seen no evidence that the aliens were that deceitful, and why would they be? They didn’t need to take such drastic measures. They were already winning the war.
“Have they tried to make contact yet?” Noble asked.
“Not that I’ve seen, sir,” she said. “Stand by.” Trish swiped the map off the first monitor and brought up a series of modules that Noble didn’t recognize.
“Try getting me a line.”
Trish flicked the screen again and then keyed in another set of commands.
“Irene,” Noble shouted. “Transfer us to the main display.”
The captain rushed over to the center ramp and loped down the steps to the first floor. As he walked, the events of the past few days replayed in his mind. After limping away from the accident that had left half his crew dead or injured, he’d thought the GOA was doomed. Then he’d received the coordinates of the surge poles, the beautiful, beautiful coordinates. And now Cheyenne Mountain had returned from the dead.
Footsteps pulled him from his thoughts. He spun to find Athena, Trish, and Ort standing behind him. The ragtag crew stood defiantly. Arms were crossed, sleeves were pulled up, and uniforms were stained with blood and dust. They reeked of body odor and fatigue.
Noble nodded and fell in line, standing shoulder to shoulder with his team.
The screen, hanging at an angle, flickered to life. Irene’s distant voice found its way across the room. She was restricted to a single pair of working speakers in the corner.
“I’ve made connection with Cheyenne Mountain. Stand by for confirmation,” she said.
“Acknowledged,” Noble replied.
Waves of white lines broke across the monitor, blurring the image.
“Can you hear us?” Noble asked. He looked over at Irene’s destroyed console and then up at the speakers. “Can you get us a better feed?”
“Working, sir.”
The distant sound of voices crackled over the PA system. “Captain Noble,” one of them said.
“Yes, we’re here, can you hear us?” he replied, his voice just shy of a shout. The anticipation was taxing his nerves. “Irene!” Noble yelled.
The feed suddenly cleared, and two men appeared. He recognized the bearded biologist and marine corporal immediately. But where is Doctor Winston? he wondered.
“Good to see you, Captain,” Emanuel said. His voice was shaky, and not because of the feed. His hand nervously drummed the table, but his eyes seemed calm, focused.
“Likewise,” Noble replied. “We lost your signal—”
“We were attacked,” Bouma replied. “We’re still trying to piece together exactly what happened.”
Emanuel cut in. “We were infiltrated.”
“Slow down,” Noble said. “Just explain from the beginning.”
“Lieutenant Allison Smith, the marine we rescued back in Colorado Springs,” Bouma said. “Remember her?”
“Of course. What does she have to do with this?”
The biologist ran a hand through his hair. “She was infected with alien nanobots. They’ve been growing inside her body for weeks. They finally took over. Somehow the Organics must have gained control of her body.”
Noble felt his features tense. The idea of the aliens controlling a human like that seemed impossible, but then again, so did everything else that had happened. “Do you know how the nanobots are transmitted?”
Emanuel shook his head. “All we know is they connect to the surge.”
“The surge?” Noble sank in his chair. “How is that possible?”
“They have an electrical output,” Emanuel continued. “And that’s not all.” He exchanged looks with Bouma.
“Sophie’s infected,” the marine said. “We think it happened when she came in contact with one of the poles at the human farm in Colorado Springs.”
“The good news is we found a way to destroy the technology,” Emanuel said. He began speaking more rapidly. “The RVAMP has the same effect on the nanobots as it does on the Organics’ technology. When Smith shut down Alexia and the RVM, the aliens were drawn to our location. We stopped them by setting off the RVAMP.”
“I see,” the captain replied. “What’s the current status of the Biosphere?”
“I’m afraid the damage is beyond repair,” Emanuel said bitterly. “The RVM is back online, but there are alien bodies everywhere. Biome 1 was almost completely ruined.”
“All that matters it that your team is still alive,” Trish interjected.
Noble faced his crew. “Plans have changed. We need to make a stop before Offutt.”
They nodded in turn.
“Doctor. Corporal,” he said, looking at each man separately. “Now that we have the coordinates to the poles conducting the surge, I’ve devised a plan. My team is preparing the Sea Serpent as we speak.”
“Preparing for what, exactly?” Emanuel asked.
“A strike,” Noble said confidently. “We’ll take the gunship to Offutt Air Force Base in Omaha, Nebraska. After clearing the base, we will secure the drones and three X-90s our bot found several days ago. My engineer will attach the modified RVAMPs to each aircraft, and we will then deploy them to the poles’ locations. In theory, we only need to take down one of them.”
Emanuel stared back at him with a combination of curiosity and fear. It reminded Noble a bit of the reaction Alex had had when he’d first informed the man of his plans to take the fight to the Organics.
“You won’t get close to those things without a fight,” Bouma said.
Noble nodded.
“How can we help?” the marine asked quickly.
“That’s a good question,” Noble said. “But before we discuss that, I think you should be aware of something.”
The feed flickered and Noble held his breath. When it cleared he said, “Our drone located an NTC spaceship prototype.”
Emanuel raised a brow.
“It’s at Offutt.”
Bouma didn’t look overly impressed, but a wave of excitement overtook the biologist.
“I need to tell Sophie. Leaving the planet in Secundo Casu was her plan from the beginning! When she finds out there’s a second ship, she’s going to be so happy!” Emanuel paused. “The only problem is, we don’t have an aircraft to get us there.”
“I know,” Captain Noble interjected. “That’s where we come in. What do you think of us picking you guys up?”
Emanuel smiled. “I think that sounds fucking fantastic.”
CHAPTER 18
EVERYTHING they’d worked so hard for over the past two months, destroyed in minutes. Their home had been transformed into a graveyard of rotting alien corpses. Emanuel kicked the twisted frame of the closest Spider. Thin gooey vines stretched off the creature’s flesh as he pulled his boot from the translucent skin.
“What a mess,” he mumbled, wiping the edge of his shoe on the corridor wall. He took a knee and stopped to examine the carcasses lining the hallway. After only a few hours their flesh had shriveled around their metallic bones. They looked harmless now, nothing more than fragile skeletons.
Emanuel continued to the med ward, carrying with him the exciting news. The Biosphere project had started as an opportunity that would lead the team to Mars, a dream that Sophie had held dear since the day they had met. To learn that there was a spaceship just over six hundred miles away made that dream once again seem like it could become a reality. He couldn’t wait to tell her.
Emanuel quickly navigated through the other corpses, jumping over the final body outside the door to the medical ward. He grabbed the handle and peeked inside. Jeff was resting peacefully in the bed that Smith had formerly occupied. To his left Holly sat by Sophie’s side, holding her hand as she slept.
“How is she?” Emanuel asked as he walked over to Jeff in two large strides, leaving a trail of alien blood behind him. He checked the boy’s dressing quickly. It needed to be changed, but at least they had stopped the bleeding.
Holly managed a reassuring nod. “Seems to be doing okay. She took some water a few minutes ago but fell back asleep right after.”
Emanuel glanced over at Sophie’s biomonitor. Her vitals had improved in the past hour, but without testing her blood there was no way of knowing if the blast from the RVAMP had completely destroyed the nanobots in her body.
“Bouma and I just spoke with Captain Noble.”
Holly looked surprised. “And?”
“They’ve offered to help us. He’s planning a mission. A strike against the Organics on a worldwide level.”
“How is that even possible?”
Emanuel pulled a chair next to the bed and sat down. “He sounds confident. And frankly, the plan is less insane than the others he’s had.” He reached for one of Sophie’s hands.
Holly kept her voice low. “Sorry if I’m skeptical.”
He nodded in agreement. “I’m skeptical, too, but the poles Lolo discovered could be the key to disabling the Organics’ network. Noble’s plan is to assault each one with a modified RVAMP. In theory, he’s right. If they can take out one of the rods, then their defenses will fail.”
“So it could work?”
“Define work.”
“Could it save the planet?”
Emanuel studied Sophie’s face, wondering how she would answer the question if she knew what he did. If their last conversation were any indication, she’d say no. The planet was doomed. The last normal discussion they’d had was about the future of the Earth. She believed that it was beyond saving. That the loss of water, rise in temperature, and overall damage to the environment had been too severe, that the Organics had finished what humans had started. With the Biosphere damaged beyond repair there was no reason to stay. He knew she’d agree, but he wasn’t goi
ng to make the decision. She was still the team lead.
“I’m not sure that it can be saved,” Emanuel finally replied with a sigh. “Even if we can defeat the Organics, the planet has entered a phase I’m not sure it can recover from.”
Holly was about to respond when the door was flung open. Bouma stepped inside. He looked distraught, a far deviation from his typical calm demeanor.
“There’s something you need to see, Emanuel.” He paused and locked eyes with Holly. “Like, pronto.”
“Watch the kids?” Emanuel said, patting Holly on the shoulder. She frowned, but ushered them over with her arms stretched wide.
He followed the marine into the hallway and when they were out of hearing distance he said, “What’s happening?”
“Kiel and I were clearing the alien bodies out of Biome 1. When we moved the first batch out onto the tarmac we found her.”
“Found who?”
“Smith.”
“She’s alive?” Emanuel choked out.
Bouma shook his head. “Far from it.”
Emanuel regarded the man with a raised brow. “Show me.”
The two men moved through the mess hall and past Biome 2, navigating the minefield of corpses. When they reached the garden Emanuel paused to survey the damage.
The rows of carefully planted crops were trampled into the dirt. Bodies littered the room. It was like a nightmare. A scene so surreal that it just didn’t seem possible.
Emanuel could feel the blood pounding in his temples. A bead of sweat dropped from his forehead as he scanned the Biome. So much careful planning and hard work, he thought, ruined in minutes.
He shook his head and ran after Bouma. The marine slipped beneath a shard of broken glass hanging from the entrance to the decontamination chamber. The shattered door crunched under their boots as they went into the outer hallway.
Kiel was waiting for them at the train, a makeshift crutch still under his arm. The shorter marine continued to impress Emanuel. He’d been captured by the Organics and survived. Like Jeff, Sophie, and the children, the marine team was strong.
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