by Mark Walden
‘Sounds good,’ Sam said. ‘How long will it take to crunch the numbers?’
‘A couple of hours,’ Stirling replied. ‘I’m afraid my orbital dynamics may be a little rusty.’
‘We could get the Servant to process the data,’ Will said. ‘Might be faster.’
‘I’m quite capable of performing the calculations myself, thank you, William,’ Stirling replied.
‘Of course, Doctor Stirling,’ Will said sheepishly. ‘Sorry.’
They had all experienced the more abrasive side of the doctor’s temper at one time or another, and their recent victory over the Voidborn seemed to have done little to improve his mood.
‘Once we have an approximate location we can scan more effectively for Voidborn signals and hopefully pinpoint their precise coordinates,’ Stirling continued. ‘I will discuss the necessary modifications to the Mothership’s equipment with the Servant.’
With that he turned and walked out of the room.
‘So what are we going to do when we find out where the other Motherships are?’ Jay asked Sam quietly as the others sat around chatting with one another.
‘Good question,’ Sam said with a sigh. ‘It’s important that we keep everyone occupied with planning this operation until Stirling and the Servant have more of an idea about what’s causing the problems with the Sleepers. What we don’t want right now is everyone starting to think about what it might mean if we can’t ever wake them.’
‘Yeah, I know what you mean,’ Jay said, glancing over at their friends. ‘We’ve all been thinking for weeks that this was our big chance, that maybe we could wake enough people and actually strike back at the Voidborn. That’s going to be a lot tougher if it’s just us.’
‘Hey,’ Sam said with a smile, ‘just us managed to take control of a Voidborn Mothership. Who knows what else we could pull off if we put our minds to it.’
Stirling sat at his desk in a tastefully furnished room that had once been occupied by his old colleague and traitor to humanity, Oliver Fletcher. The office was housed within the structure that the Voidborn had built around their drilling rig in St James’s Park. He studied the sheets of data, occasionally making small marks on a large map of the world that was spread out on the desk beneath them. The columns of numbers would have been meaningless to most people, but to his mind’s eye they were a graceful arc plotted through the open sky.
He reached into one of his desk drawers and pulled out a ruler, using it to mark a line that passed straight through London, intersecting with the location of the one Mothership that they knew for certain, before turning to another sheet of figures and starting to make small marks on the map.
‘Doctor Stirling,’ the Servant said as she appeared at the open door, ‘I am sorry to disturb you, but I have made a discovery that I believe you will find interesting.’
‘And what might that be?’ Stirling asked without looking up from the map.
‘I have been attempting a broad frequency scan as you had instructed,’ the Servant explained.
‘And you had success?’ Stirling asked.
‘Not as yet,’ the Servant replied. ‘I am proceeding with caution to ensure there is no possibility that I will inadvertently re-initiate my own connection with the Voidborn.’
‘So what have you found then?’ Stirling asked, frowning slightly as he looked up at her.
‘A signal of unknown origin,’ the Servant replied. ‘Both the content and transmission frequency suggest it is human in origin.’
‘Human?’ Stirling said, sounding surprised. ‘Some kind of automated beacon or distress signal probably.’
‘I do not believe so,’ the Servant replied. ‘I have recorded the message. Would you like me to play it back for you?’
‘Yes, please do.’
The Servant opened her mouth slightly wider and her own voice was replaced with a hiss of static that suddenly resolved into a man’s voice.
‘Hotspur two, this is Hotspur seven. We have live targets at grid seven two nine, repeat live targets. We need a Predator strike package on station now.’
‘Roger that Hotspur seven, Drone inbound. ETA four minutes.’
Stirling’s eyes widened as he listened: it was a military transmission. A moment later the signal dissolved back into white noise.
‘Where did this signal come from?’ Stirling demanded, all thought of sub-orbital trajectories suddenly gone from his head.
‘Unfortunately, my systems were not designed for tracking such basic communication technology, which makes that more difficult to determine. Also, the transmission was very brief, making it difficult to get a precise fix on its point of origin, but it appears to have originated from somewhere in the northern region of this landmass.’
‘Show me,’ Stirling said, standing up and walking over to the large map of the British Isles that hung on the wall.
The Servant studied the map for a few seconds and then pointed at a specific location.
‘My calculations suggest that this would be the nearest human population centre to the point of origin for the transmission.’
‘Edinburgh,’ Stirling said. ‘There’s someone awake in Edinburgh.’
2
Sam walked into the meeting room with Jay. The others were already sitting on the folding metal chairs that faced the whiteboard at the other end of the room. Doctor Stirling and the Servant stood on either side of a map of the United Kingdom, waiting for them to take their seats.
‘What’s this all about?’ Sam asked as he sat next to Rachel.
‘No idea,’ Rachel replied. ‘Stirling just called for everyone to get together. He must have some sort of announcement to make.’
‘Do you think it’s about the Sleepers?’ Sam asked quietly.
‘Could be,’ Rachel said with a shrug. ‘Suppose we’re about to find out.’
‘Thank you, everyone,’ Stirling said, waiting a couple of seconds for everyone to quiet down. ‘I’m sorry to gather you all at such short notice, but there’s been an exciting development.’ He turned to the Servant. ‘Please go ahead.’
Stirling watched the faces of the gathered children as the Servant replayed the recording that she had shown him less than an hour earlier. Their expressions perfectly summed up his own feelings, a mixture of excitement and curiosity.
‘When was this recorded?’ Sam asked as the playback ended.
‘The transmission occurred sixty-three minutes and fourteen seconds ago,’ the Servant replied.
‘Do we know where it came from?’ Rachel asked, gesturing to the map that stood between Stirling and the Servant.
‘My calculations have narrowed the point of origin to somewhere within this area,’ the Servant said, picking up a marker pen and drawing a perfect circle on the map.
‘That’s Edinburgh,’ Rachel said, ‘but that area covers the entire city. Can’t you be any more specific?’
‘Not without receiving further transmissions,’ the Servant replied. ‘It was only by chance that I intercepted the first broadcast.’
‘And you’ve not heard anything else since?’ Nat asked.
‘No, but I am still scanning for any other transmissions,’ the Servant replied.
‘So we got lucky,’ Sam said.
‘Yes,’ Stirling replied, ‘so the question now is what do we do?’
‘There’s no guarantee that the transmission source wasn’t mobile,’ Will said, pushing his glasses up on to the bridge of his nose. ‘If that’s the case, intercepting more of them may not help narrow the search area – if anything it might just make it larger.’
‘Will’s right,’ Anne said, nodding. ‘We won’t necessarily get a more precise fix than we already have.’
‘So, the real question is, do we go take a look?’ Sam said.
‘Surely we have to,’ Nat said. ‘If there are other people fighting the Voidborn up there, we have to try to find them. Don’t get me wrong – we’re more than capable of holding our own here now that we have ou
r own tame Mothership, but more guns on our side can’t hurt, surely.’
‘Might not be that straightforward,’ Jack said, shaking his head. ‘What if they’re not so friendly? What if they decide that they want our resources for themselves?’
‘A shared foe doesn’t automatically make people allies,’ Liz said, nodding her agreement.
‘I still think we should at least go and have a look,’ Sam said. ‘We may have driven the Voidborn out of London, but we’re still a long way from winning the war. Whoever these people are they sound like professional military. That’s the kind of help we need.’
‘Yes, well, the Voidborn presence outside of London may be more relevant to this discussion than you realise,’ Stirling said with a slight frown.
‘How so?’ Rachel asked.
‘My telemetry data revealed that the Voidborn Mothership heading towards the northern half of the British Isles stopped at almost exactly the same location,’ Stirling replied.
‘So the area’s probably crawling with bug-eyed creeps,’ Jay said.
‘It will make any reconnaissance of the area more difficult,’ Stirling said. ‘I would suggest that we only send a small team. We must avoid detection until we have a better idea of what’s going on up there.’
‘OK,’ Sam said, looking at the map, ‘four-man team. No more. We travel light and fast, get in and out as quickly as possible. If we find whoever’s giving the Voidborn a hard time up there, great. If we don’t, we head back to London and think again.’ He turned to the Servant. ‘How close can a drop-ship get us without being detected by the Voidborn Mothership?’ The Voidborn drop-ships were fast-moving, heavily armed aircraft that made up the bulk of their airborne forces. Their sleek, black triangular outlines were a familiar sight in the skies above London.
‘If there is a Mothership in the region, as Doctor Stirling predicts, it would be unwise to bring the drop-ship within a thirty-kilometre radius,’ the Servant replied. ‘Inside that range it will be impossible to conceal the energy signature of the power core from the Voidborn sensor net, no matter how stealthy our approach.’
‘And they’d be able to tell we’re not one of their own?’ Rachel asked.
‘It would be possible,’ the Servant replied.
‘Not a chance worth taking though,’ Sam said. ‘I think Jack, Rachel, Jay and I should go and have a discreet look around up there. We’ll drop outside the city and make our way in quick and quiet.’
‘Hey,’ Nat said, ‘I want in too. I’m as good a shot as any of you.’
‘I know,’ Sam replied, ‘which is why I want you here. If something goes wrong up there we’re going to need you to come and get us.’
Nat looked for a moment like she was going to argue with Sam, but then she gave a reluctant nod.
‘Thanks for volunteering me,’ Jay said. ‘I was just starting to get used to not having anyone shooting at me.’
‘I think you can handle it,’ Rachel replied, ‘or have you lost your edge over the past couple of months?’
‘Least I had an edge to start with.’ Jay grinned.
‘OK,’ Sam said, ‘let’s put together a tactical breakdown and get our kit together. We’ll leave as soon as it gets dark.’
Sam watched as the Voidborn drop-ship touched down in the centre of the compound, its landing gear hitting the snow with a crunching thud. A hatch opened in the side of the large triangular aircraft, the patterns of yellow lights that ran in fine lines over its hull pulsing in time with the subsonic throbbing of its power core. A ramp slid down from the hatch to the ground with a soft hiss and the assembled members of the scouting team started to pick up their packs and other gear.
‘Have you found us somewhere to park up there?’ Sam asked the Servant.
‘We have identified a suitable site.’
‘Good to know,’ Rachel said, sliding a knife into the inverted sheath on the front of her body armour and clipping it closed. ‘The last thing we need is a welcoming party.’
‘Still wish we could take a couple of these guys with us,’ Jay said, pointing at the Grendel patrolling the outer fence of the compound. ‘We might need some muscle.’
‘Worried you’re a bit rusty, Jay?’ Rachel asked with a raised eyebrow. ‘Been a while since you fired that thing in anger.’ She nodded towards the assault rifle that was leaning against his backpack a couple of metres away.
‘Hey, I’ve logged just as many range hours as you have over the past few weeks,’ Jay replied indignantly. ‘Besides, I don’t need as much practice as you do. You couldn’t hit a cow’s backside with a banjo.’
‘You two aren’t going to do this for the entire flight, are you?’ Sam said with a sigh. ‘Because if you are I think I’ll walk.’
Jack jogged towards them from the direction of the armoury carrying a large black hard case.
‘Sorry I’m late, guys,’ he said, catching his breath. ‘Just had to go grab my new toy.’
‘Is that the gun that you found at the Woolwich Arsenal?’ Sam asked as Jack placed the case on the ground, popping open the clips and lifting the lid.
Jack sighed. ‘This isn’t a gun, it’s the gun. The Barrett M107 sniper rifle, the perfect way to finish an argument.’
‘That’s what I call a bullet,’ Jay said with a low whistle as he reached down and took one of the fifteen-centimetre-long rounds from the ammunition compartment of the case.
‘Big enough to punch through Grendel armour, I reckon,’ Jack replied. ‘Only one real way to find out, I suppose.’
‘Well, you’re not testing it on Tiny,’ Rachel said, nodding towards the patrolling behemoth that guarded the compound.
‘You named the Grendel?’ Jay said.
‘Yup,’ Rachel said, ‘you should be grateful I didn’t go with Anne’s suggestion.’
‘Dare I ask?’ Sam said.
‘Friendel,’ Rachel replied.
‘OK, your name’s better,’ Jack said, ‘though I’d rather not go toe to toe with any of his brothers in Scotland if we can possibly avoid it.’
They had become quite used to the fact that the Voidborn in London were no longer hostile. The thought of having to go up against a Grendel that was out for their blood left a cold knot in Jack’s stomach.
‘OK, let’s mount up,’ Sam said, trying to ignore the nervousness he was starting to feel. ‘We’ve got a hike at the other end of this trip and I don’t want to get caught in daylight by a Voidborn patrol.’
The other three members of the scouting party slung their packs and weapons over their shoulders and walked quickly up the ramp and into the comparative warmth of the drop-ship’s passenger compartment. As they walked into the black-walled space, four smooth, sculpted seats slid out from the walls.
‘Goldie finally got round to giving us somewhere to sit in these things,’ Rachel said, stowing her gear at the rear of the compartment before sitting down. ‘Nice.’
‘I am glad that you approve of my changes,’ the Servant said. Her familiar, slightly digital-sounding voice seemed to come from the walls around them.
‘Maybe some cushions next time?’ Jay asked.
‘It’s fine, thank you,’ Sam said, elbowing Jay in the ribs as he took his seat. ‘We should get going.’
‘Understood,’ the Servant replied. A moment later the fine patterns of yellow light in the black glass floor began to pulse faster and the low-pitched hum of the drop-ship’s power core increased in volume as the ship lifted straight up from the ground. There were no windows to give the passengers any sense of their surroundings, but the lurch in his stomach was enough to tell Sam that they were climbing fast. Just a few seconds later he felt the direction of travel change as the drop-ship switched to forward thrust, sending them rocketing towards their destination.
‘Flight time will be approximately twenty-five minutes,’ the Servant reported.
‘Let me get something straight,’ Jay whispered to Sam as Rachel and Jack checked their kit. ‘This drop-ship
is part of the Mothership right? And the Mothership is the Servant, so all Voidborn tech in London is part of her, yeah?’
‘Pretty much,’ Sam replied with a nod. ‘So?’
‘So we’re pretty much sitting inside her right now,’ Jay said. ‘Which is weird.’
‘I’d have thought you’d be used to weird by now,’ Sam said, shaking his head with a chuckle.
The rest of the flight passed without incident, giving all of them one last opportunity to check their gear. None of them really knew what they might be flying into, so they had equipped themselves for as many different eventualities as possible. Sam checked his weapon, removing and reinserting the magazine and checking his safety was engaged. Reassuring as their weapons were, he hoped very much that the four of them would find the source of the mysterious transmission without ever having to use them. It was always best to avoid a noisy, attention-grabbing gunfight, especially if Stirling was right about there being a Voidborn Mothership nearby.
‘We are approaching the landing site,’ the Servant reported. ‘Touchdown in fifteen seconds. Extinguishing interior illumination.’
Sam felt the same shift in gravity as the drop-ship began its descent and the cabin was plunged into darkness. Just a few seconds later they landed with a soft thud. Sam snapped his night-vision goggles down into place and the passenger compartment was suddenly visible again, illuminated in a lurid green. The hatch hissed open and the four scouts quickly jogged down the ramp, spreading out across the field that the Servant had selected as their landing site. Sam dropped to one knee once he was twenty metres from the drop-ship, raising his weapon and scanning the silent snow-covered field for any sign of the Voidborn. The other three scouts followed suit, each checking their own quadrant of the surrounding countryside for any potential threat.
‘Clear,’ Rachel reported, her voice crackling over his earpiece.
‘Ditto,’ Jay said, ‘I got nothing.’
‘Clear here too,’ Jack said.