“Be advised, target incoming,” Riordan said.
Kirt keyed a series of codes in to the holo interface and said, “Advise reducing speed in T minus thirty seconds.”
The red and green dots on the radar screen blinked as Howard and Riordan acknowledged the request. In the bottom right corner of the display, Noble saw their speeds slowly reducing.
As Howard’s jet descended, the feed cleared. For the first time during the flight, Noble could see the landscape below.
Closing his eyes he pictured the great Alaskan frontier before the Organics had invaded: thousands of square miles of grass, crystal-clear streams snaking through the fields, herds of wildlife grazing freely, and snow-tipped mountain peaks.
All reduced to ash.
When his eyes snapped open he saw the grave truth. The gray mountains were approaching fast, their jagged peaks devoid of snow, their ridgelines filled with petrified trees. A wildfire burned a section of forest for hundreds of square miles in the distance, filling the horizon with dark smoke.
“Check your weapons systems; prepare to attack,” Noble said.
“Roger that, Offutt. Preparing weapons systems,” Riordan replied. Howard responded with an “Aye aye,” his Red 9 dot blinking green.
“Surge countdown is T minus forty three minutes,” Kirt said, looking up at Noble.
“Howard, Riordan. You have forty-three minutes to take this son of a bitch down,” Noble said. He grunted when he saw the majestic peak of Mount McKinley rising out of the black smoke cloud. “They’re going to have to fly through that?”
A short nod from Kirt confirmed the captain’s fear.
Static flickered over the com. “Offutt, are you seeing this? Please advise, over.”
“We’re seeing it,” Kirt replied. “Proceed through the smoke. Target is just on the other side, over.”
Noble watched the dots streaking across the radar. Red 9 blinked first, but Green 6 hesitated before acknowledging. He moved back to Howard’s display. Flares of exhaust trailed Riordan’s jet as it streaked toward the cloud. And then it was gone, swallowed by the smoke.
The radio crackled a moment later.
Riordan’s voice sounded distressed. “Captain, we’re picking up a strong magnetic disturbance. Please advise, over.”
Kirt glanced up at Noble, his forehead lined with wrinkles.
“Tell them to hold course for now,” Noble replied.
“Aye aye,” Kirt replied with a short hesitation.
Noble checked the radar. Both dots looked like they were on top of Mount McKinley. That couldn’t be right, could it?
Holding his breath, he counted down the seconds. Just as he reached seven, Howard’s X-90 exploded out of the smoke. A chorus of warning sensors chirped over the channel. Emergency lights flickered across the dashboard.
“Be advised, impact imminent,” came an automated voice inside the cockpit. “Take immediate evasive measures.”
Before Noble had a chance to respond, he saw it.
Mount McKinley towered above both jets. They were coming in too fast. Seven hundred fifty miles per hour too fast. He didn’t need Kirt to tell him what had happened. The magnetic disturbance had disrupted their navigation equipment and the smoke had rendered them blind.
Screaming, Riordan yanked hard on the control stick. The jet pitched upward, and rays of sunlight washed over the cockpit.
Intense light filled the display, forcing Noble to look away. He waited for an explosion as Riordan’s and Howard’s jets smashed into the gray mountain.
But the sound never came. When he turned back to the monitor he saw clear skies and the black dot of Riordan’s X-90.
Relief washed over Noble.
“Circling,” Howard said. His voice faded as an explosion rang out. “What the fuck was that?” the pilot said. He twisted in his seat, his camera showing two of the drones trailing him. The other had smashed into the side of Mount McKinley, flames licking the sky where the craft had blown to bits.
“We lost Drone 3,” Kirt said, pointing to the radar.
Noble grunted. “I can see that.” He shifted his gaze from the radar to the feed from Howard’s X-90.
“My god,” the pilot suddenly said.
Noble instantly saw why.
The alien tower Lolo had discovered rose out of the south side of the mountain into the sky. The metallic sides pulsated, a blue light moving up and down the shaft in intermittent bursts.
“That’s it,” Noble said, locking eyes with Kirt. “Take that fucking thing down.”
“Engaging,” the pilot said. He swiped the screen, deactivating the autopilot on the two remaining drones. Andy sat up straighter and grabbed the joystick as his drone came online.
“Riordan, Howard. Protect the drones,” Noble said.
“No sign of contacts,” Howard replied.
A lump formed in the captain’s throat. He’d expected resistance. Major resistance. But the skies appeared clear, the pole seemingly unprotected.
He focused on the strange Organic architecture. It throbbed with life. The pulsing of the alien light gave the impression of breathing.
As Howard maneuvered around the tower the light suddenly changed rhythm. The entire pole became solid blue. Seconds later it changed again. This time hundreds of miniature lights flickered. And one by one they pulled away from the construct. Countless cylinder-shaped objects peeled off the tower.
Noble’s stomach sank when he realized what they were. Shocked into motion he stood and leaned over Kirt. “Hurry—use the RVAMP while we still can.”
Kirt navigated through the minefield of alien drones. The sky was filled with them, like blue fireflies they were everywhere.
“There’s too many!” Andy yelled. Noble saw the feed from his drone flicker and fade as it detonated into a thousand pieces.
“Fuck,” he said, cupping his head in his hands.
Noble moved back to Kirt’s monitor. The expert pilot zigzagged around the alien ships. With a quick jerk to the right he pulled them away from the mountain. Then with another swift movement he changed course, this time straight up toward the sun.
“Firing,” Howard said.
The captain’s eyes darted back to the X-90 feed as a volley of rockets launched at the sky that was now choking with tiny blue dots. Explosions burst across the display, several of the missiles sending the aliens into fiery poofs. But there were so many.
“Bogies on my tail,” Riordan said.
Howard cried out over the channel. “They’re everywhere!”
“Keep them off Kirt’s drone,” Noble replied. “He has to get closer.”
Both of the pilots acknowledged, their dots blinking green on the radar. When Noble looked back at Howard’s video, he saw impossible odds.
The same odds humanity had faced all along.
For a moment Noble couldn’t move; he couldn’t even speak. He watched a wall of alien drones moving along a collision course with the X-90. They would do anything to stop the pilots from taking out their life source, even if it meant sacrificing themselves in the process.
Howard screamed and jerked his plane to the right, but it was too late. Fire filled the display as the X-90 exploded in a cloud of debris.
The monitor panned to Riordan’s feed just as his jet exploded as well.
Anger pulled Noble from his trance. “Use the fucking RVAMP, Kirt. Now!”
The pilot shot him a glance, his brown eyes pleading behind his visor. “But we aren’t close enough.”
“You have to do it now! While we still can.”
Kirt nodded and tugged the control stick to the left, angling the drone back toward the mountain. The tower, now just a speck on the mountain, blinked as if it was tempting them.
“Just a little closer,” he muttered.
Kirt’s fing
ers hovered over the RVAMP button. Hovered too long. And in a fit of rage, the captain leaned forward and reached for it himself. He punched the button and waited for the invisible electromagnetic magic to work.
Kirt, gasping in surprise, turned back to his interface and keyed in several commands.
“The drone’s gone, sir,” the pilot choked.
“Did it work?” Noble glanced down at him with bated breath.
The pilot shoved the monitor away, sending the display crashing to the floor.
Noble felt his heart sink. He knew, like Kirt, that Operation Redemption had failed.
The planet . . .
Lost.
CHAPTER 27
EMANUEL removed his glasses and, using his shirt, cleaned the smears of blood off the lenses. When he put them back on, Sonya’s hologram had emerged above the AI interface. The bridge, crowded with NTC soldiers, reminded him of a beehive. The armored men moved from station to station, activating the life support systems.
Within minutes the room flared to life, holo displays spreading their warm light over the cold metal floor. Diego’s team had already removed Kiel’s body, and those of the ship’s previous crew—what was left of them. The smell of rotting flesh, however, still lingered.
“Doctor Rodriguez, all systems are now online,” Sonya said.
“How are the children?” he asked. “How is—”
“Their vitals are all unchanged,” Sonya replied. “Doctor Winston has entered a completely frozen state. Her body is technically alive, but her brain activity is minimal.”
The words hit Emanuel like a belt to the face. He flinched and closed his eyes. Deep down he knew before Sonya answered that Sophie was beyond saving. That she had died in his arms. But science and technology gave him hope, as it always did. He still held on to that hope. Without it, he had nothing.
He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Diego standing next to him. Emanuel caught his gaze, finding strength there. “I’m sorry, Doctor. I really am.”
Emanuel nodded.
“Listen, I don’t mean to detract from your loss, but there’s something I think you should see.”
Taking a deep breath, Emanuel attempted to pull himself together.
“Follow me,” Diego said.
The soldier led him away from the bridge and through a passage that connected to Biome 1. At the end of the hall, two of his men held black garbage bags.
“What’s left of the crew,” Diego said, gesturing toward the gore-soaked walls.
A partially raised metal blast door covered the glass entrance to Biome 1. Holding his nose, Emanuel looked over at the lieutenant, not quite understanding why he’d brought him here. He ducked under the door.
The chamber looked different from the one at Cheyenne Mountain. Instead of the curved ceiling that defined their old Biome, this one was low. A bank of glowing lights extended from the panels illuminating the room. The dirt looked unscathed. The space completely undisturbed.
It was then that he understood.
Diego smiled when Emanuel nodded.
“These brave men and women made their last stand in this hallway to prevent the aliens from getting inside,” Diego said. “They sealed off the rest of the Sunspot to protect the water supply and the other Biomes.”
Emanuel didn’t know how to respond.
Diego put a hand on Emanuel’s shoulder. “They saved the Sunspot so that someone else could take it to the stars.”
Emanuel managed to move his lips, but the words wouldn’t come out.
“Hold on,” Diego said. “I’m getting a transmission from Captain Noble now.”
Emanuel turned back to the Biome, scanning the perfectly level dirt and clean white walls. Despite everything that had happened, he couldn’t deny the hint of hope growing inside him. The hope that maybe they could still get to Mars and save Sophie.
“Captain Noble’s on his way here,” Diego said. “He wants to see you before you take off.”
“Me?” Emanuel asked, finally finding his voice again.
“You’re in charge now, aren’t you?”
With a nod, Emanuel said, “I suppose I am.”
* * *
Captain Noble stepped into the fleeting sunlight and looked up at the sky. Mars was out there, somewhere, and so was Dr. Hoffman’s magical colony.
Crossing the tarmac with Kirt and Andy on his heels, Noble thought of the old scientist. The mile-long walk to the hangar provided him with ample time to consider everything that had happened. It dawned on him that Hoffman had known all along that the aliens couldn’t be defeated. He had been right after all. It was Noble who was wrong. From the beginning, the bastard had realized that no amount of human military muscle could keep the Organics from what they desired—the most important resource of all.
The Biospheres and the colony on Mars were the only options left for the human race. And it finally all made sense. Why jump ship from a dying planet to an already dead one?
The answer had never been so clear.
Mars was free of the monsters. And with the terraformers and NTC technology, the Red Planet would soon be habitable for humanity.
There were still the Biospheres, though. Why had Hoffman even bothered with them?
Perhaps it was a fail-safe, one of many in the old bastard’s delusional plan to save humankind. Maybe he thought they could survive the invasion and, if the colony failed, the species could find a way to survive.
Noble shook his head. He could talk himself in circles trying to figure out the scientist’s master plan, but what did it matter? Redemption had failed. He had failed.
There was only one thing left to do: make sure Dr. Rodriguez and his remaining teammates made it into space.
As he walked he thought of his own crew back on the GOA. Surely they knew the mission’s fate by now. They had access to Lolo, and would have tracked the battle from beneath the surface.
“Sir, with all due respect, what are we going to do now?” Andy asked as they crossed the concrete.
Noble felt his heart sink. He had known the question would come, and that he would have to answer his men. They were out of options. They could always take the Sea Serpent back to the GOA and try to survive until the Organics drained the oceans.
But that seemed like too much of a risk. The gunship was already in rough condition, and he doubted it could make the journey back to the GOA. For the first time in months he had no plan.
“I’m not sure—” Noble began to say as a supersonic boom thundered overhead. The sound sent a shockwave barreling down on the base. Noble cupped his ears.
The alien cavalry had arrived.
He looked up at the skyline, expecting to see a drone racing toward them. Instead, the outline of one of their black mother ships descended over the south part of Offutt.
“Run!” he yelled.
Dust swirled around the three men as they raced across the tarmac. Noble risked a glance over his shoulder and saw the oval craft hovering over the ruined structures at the opposite end of the base. It moved slowly, scanning for life.
Hunting.
“We have to launch the Sunspot!” Noble shouted. He bumped his com to open the channel to his men.
“Diego, do you copy?”
“What the fuck was that?”
“Get those doors open. You need to launch the Sunspot. ASAP! ”
“On it!”
Kirt ran past Noble at a dead sprint for the hangar. They were close, maybe two hundred yards away now. One of the soldiers peeked through the open door and waved the men forward.
The ground rumbled and Noble pushed harder, running as fast as he could.
Bursting through the door, he slid to a halt. His team surrounded him, their anxious looks pleading for information.
“Redemption was a failure,” he said
, shaking his head. “I don’t have time to explain, we need to get Doctor Rodriguez and his team in the air. If any of you want to go with them, you have my blessing, but you have only seconds to decide.”
He scanned each man’s dusty visor. They all stood quietly. Not a single soldier moved.
“Then let’s buy them some time!” Noble shouted. “Grab your weapons and let’s show these motherfuckers there are still some humans left to fight.”
Cheers roared behind him. He turned to move back outside when he felt a hand on his shoulder. “Captain,” Emanuel said. “Thank you for everything.”
Noble smiled and said, “Go. And good luck!” Then he followed his men out onto the concrete.
“Diego, get your ass over here,” he shouted as he ran.
“Here, sir.”
Watching his men fan out and form a perimeter around the hangar, Noble said, “Find Ort. I want you two to go with Doctor Rodriguez.”
“But sir,” the man began to protest.
Noble craned his helmet and found the terrified man’s gaze. “They’re going to need your help. And Ort’s, too. Do this. For me,” Noble pleaded.
The hum from the alien ship’s engines forced Noble to look away. The vessel hovered over the hangar where he’d set up the forward operating base.
“Go,” Noble shouted. He turned and ran, listening for Diego’s footsteps. They came seconds later. Satisfied, Noble took up a position behind Ramirez.
“Give me your electromagnetic grenades,” he ordered.
The soldier plucked two from his belt and handed them to Noble. Chinning his com he said, “When that thing gets close enough, use your grenades. We’ll bring down the shields and then concentrate all our fire on the underbelly.” Noble remembered Colorado Springs, when the Sea Serpent had torn a hole in the other ship.
Behind them, the Sunspot’s engines roared to life. Noble knew this was it. No more time for memories or for revenge. Only one thing left to do: clear a path for the Biosphere team.
Pressing the buttons on both grenades, he coiled his arm and launched them toward the ship. They detonated in midair, sending the alien shield pulsing. A half dozen more of the devices sailed through the dust, bursting into blue ripples along the ship’s surface.
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