Deadline

by Domino Finn

  "Want me to give you something for the pain?" asked Caduceus. Besides being quite impressive on the battlefield, the physicker had all sorts of concoctions.

  "Got a beer?"

  She smirked. "I'm not that kind of doctor. Besides, older men are kinda the opposite of what I'm into."

  He chortled. The girl had sass in her. "No thanks," he finally said. "I earned this pain. I'm gonna sit with it for a while."

  Trafford watched as Colonel Grimwart collected the Black Army, wondering how the young man still had so much energy. He was born for this, he knew. The other leaders, too, had all done their parts. The wild king had dived headfirst into battle, fighting alongside his subjects in the field. General Azzyrk was a mighty chieftain, ruling by example, while Serpico was ruthlessly efficient with his bow. The witches kept true to their word. Even Nooner refrained from his usual hijinks.

  Then there were the common folk. Ordinary men and women, NPCs and mobs. The pagans and wildkins found a cause worth championing. The legionnaires stretched their support of Stronghold to encompass Haven. And the aid of the catechists was undeniable. The Black Hats proved that it was possible for everyone to work together, if even for one shining moment.

  Yup, it had been a sound victory. The kind he'd be boasting about in taverns for the rest of his years, now that it was over.

  "Watch out!"

  Goblins and wildkins soothing Orik shifted in panic.

  Yup, Trafford stubbornly asserted to himself, IT WAS ALL OVER.

  Ropes snapped. Vines uprooted from the ground.

  "Away!" commanded Hood. Blackwood prisoners fled as links of magical chain popped apart.

  "Fie!" cried the witches in fear. "Fie!"

  The cyclops propped himself off the ground and shook like a wet dog. The army scattered. When Orik turned and gazed to the horizon, empty eye socket and all, there was a prescience to him that Trafford hadn't seen before.

  He was wild again.

  The Mighty One's throat rumbled awake in a deafening pronouncement of being. Orik rose to full height and lumbered hungrily toward Oakengard.

  2170 Titan Quest

  Avalanches of dust tumbled down the sheer rock cleft left behind as Gigas lifted higher in the sky. From the safety of the airship, we stared at the shifting mountainside in awe.

  "What is that?" asked Kyle. "Some kind of rock lord?"

  I snickered. "Rocks that come alive?"

  Izzy sighed. "Whatever you guys are doing right now, it's not the time."

  "You're probably right," I reluctantly agreed as we completed a circle around the massive landmass that was the third titan. "First thing's first before it's too late. We need to free the kraken. Papa Brugo?"

  I presented him with the Squid's Tooth. Vagram's eyes widened at the artifact he'd once coveted and hated.

  The Papa of Papas nodded. "It is a shame," he said in a deep baritone, "but it is also what must be done."

  He grabbed the kraken's soulstone and placed his other hand over the powerchain around his neck. The links of metal rattled as he pitted his jaw. After a few moments of heavy concentration, his faced eased. The Squid's Tooth went from ivory to black. Brugo opened his eyes.

  "The kraken has been released," he announced solemnly.

  "Two down, one to go," I said.

  "Mmm hmm," added Izzy with a heavy dose of skepticism. "That's easier said than done when the third soulstone's in the middle of that thing." She pointed but it wasn't necessary. Everyone within miles knew what thing she was talking about.

  Gigas was the final objective, the final boss, and it was impossible for anyone to take their eyes off her. Oakengard's steep mountain cap, famous for repelling attack, had completely broken away from its rock bed. Six spiderlike legs extended to the sides and bent at a single joint to the ground. Gigas was a walking island, sloping upward into a castle. The ground trembled, each step an earthquake, as the titan navigated down the steep mountains.

  Kyle whistled. "Some legs on the old girl, huh?"

  It was a major understatement. Each leg was a tower of rock spanning two-hundred feet. That was twice as high as Stronghold's walls—equal in height to Orik himself. Counting the combination of mountain cap and fortress, the spider's body accounted for another two-hundred feet at least. Gigas was aptly named. She was the single largest dynamic object in Haven.

  Oakengard shivered as its four equidistant towers activated. Violet energy crackled up their walls and collected above the battlements.

  [Gigas]

  Unique Pagan God

  ??? Health

  "You seeing this, Errol?" I called out.

  The pirate was waiting at the helm. "Arr, an' ready fer evasive action."

  The four purple energy collections shot to the center and combined before firing outward. The Void pulled away and the laser rushed past us.

  "If that hits the sails, we're dead!" warned Brugo.

  "I'm aware," said Errol. "I'll do me best, but me girl has a fat arse."

  Avisa pointedly crossed her arms. "You best be talking about the ship."

  Errol laughed wildly as the Void dove low and slalomed into the partial cover of lower peaks. As we weaved, explosions of dust encompassed us.

  "What now?" hissed the sergeant.

  Several chunks of rocky terrain broke away from the ground, hovered in the sky, and cracked into jumbles of legs.

  Izzy's face went flat. "Tell me those aren't spider babies."

  The brewmaster sang in climax: "Powerful living rocks!"

  The balled-up boulder legs rocketed toward the ship. The Void's famed speed had been outdoing the titan, but the flyers were closing fast.

  [Rock Weaver]

  500 Health

  I stomped to the handrail.

  "Come on, Bandit."

  I didn't bother to stop and consider whether it could be done, I simply knew it could. I climbed atop her back and we hopped off the side of the airship together. As the wind whipped against our faces, the mountain bongo grew into her dragon form. We swooped away from the ground and bore vertically at the pursuing rock spiders. Bandit breathed a stream of light that hit one dead center. Pebbles exploded over us.

  A couple of the flyers broke away and veered toward us. The other four continued toward the Void.

  "Man the cannons!" ordered Avisa. "We're in for a dogfight!"

  Cannon fire rumbled as Bandit swerved away from a slash. The spiders didn't appear to have ranged weapons and were attacking with pointed claws. It would've been a bigger disadvantage had they been less maneuverable. Dragon breath fired once more but the spiders were ready for it and easily dodged.

  Bandit's head followed one spider while I tracked the other. They were splitting up and staying on opposite flanks, and using the same strategy on the airship. The dragon beat her wings to gain an altitude advantage, but the flyers nimbly kept pace.

  I gritted my teeth. In a situation like this, it was easy to cede the upper hand. If we attacked one, we exposed our back to the other, but if we remained in the center we invited them both to close at once. No, it was better to be decisive and dictate the action.

  Bandit coughed up a short energy beam at one of the flyers, prioritizing speed and surprise over damage. The rock spider swooped away. I tugged the reins toward the opposite enemy, knowing we'd just bought a few extra seconds. The dragon rocketed to the singled-out spider minion with every intent to engage.

  It screeched and charged us. As we drew closer, I leaned into the pointed dragonspear.

  It was a feint. The weaver pulled away at the last second so it could swoop by. My spear point missed but Bandit's neck craned backward and clamped a rocky leg. The sudden clash of momentum spun us around, forcing me to hug her close. The caught spider screeched as five free legs frenetically slashed.

  Bandit's legs were larger and more powerful. Armored mitts held the smaller creature at arm's length, nails scraping, teeth chomping. The stone creature was well armored, but its health quickly dipped under
fifty percent as the dragon ripped a couple of legs off. As Bandit twirled in the air to keep her dominance, the second rock weaver slammed into her side.

  She cried out as a stone leg punched through dragon scales. I was dislodged from my seat and nearly fell off. The dragonspear batted at an incoming appendage. Although the damaged spider was nearly dead, Bandit couldn't hold on anymore. She released it and spun to face the greater threat.

  I crouched on dragonback, steadied with my free hand while defending myself with the spear. Bandit's jaws clamped one of the spider's legs, but two more redirected to scratch her face. Instead of locking into a hold, she had to settle for repeated nips. Meanwhile, the minion was doing more damage digging into her side.

  I stared in alarm as the original wounded spider was turning in the air to re-engage. My eyes shifted to the Void. Errol wasn't in a position to help. They attempted to suppress the flyers but their cannons were overwhelmed. Two weavers had clamped to the side of the ship. Izzy, Vagram, and Brugo were leading the charge against them while Bravo Team supported. I turned back to my predicament, knowing we only had seconds left until the second spider landed on us.

  Two could play at that game.

  "Get off..." I growled as I put the spear away, "my dragon." I equipped the tiger claws and vaulted between swiping legs and onto the back of the grappling spider. It stiffened as I hugged its thin body, legs frantically scratching upward. But I was on its back, outside the reach of its appendages. And just as Bandit had been forced to after being caught from behind, the spider panicked and released its prey.

  For a long two seconds, we plummeted. I gripped the free-falling boulder tightly and wondered if I'd made a miscalculation. Was this rock self-aware? Did it know if it cratered into the ground I'd be dead?

  But self preservation must've applied to rock lords too, because the weaver swooped around and increased altitude. It was just in time to see the wounded spider engage Bandit. Luckily, the girl was ready. She met it with a fierce bite.

  Things back under control, I scratched at the spider's back as it flew higher and higher. The tiger claws had proven decent weapons in the past, though they were better used as a distraction. I wasn't gonna kill the thing but I was scraping away health and keeping it busy. It was the best I could do at this range after losing the assassin needles.

  Cannon fire exploded nearby. I ducked as one the Void's enemies crumbled. On deck, two spider minions were dead. The last retreated, no match for the collective might of the Black Hat leadership. With four port cannons focused on a single enemy, they tagged it out of the sky. Some ways off, Bandit ripped hers to shreds. Despite the impending victory, the pirates on deck panicked.

  "Evasive action!" ordered Errol.

  I didn't see the danger until I spun to Oakengard. The violet energy was building up again. It was seconds away from firing. "Bandit, watch out—"

  I tensed. All the minions were dead except for the one I was mounted on. It didn't want to kill itself to get to me, but apparently Gigas had different priorities. I leapt off the flyer and dashed straight up to the clouds as the giant violet laser rumbled through my previous position. The rock weaver instantly disintegrated.

  Phew. One problem out of the way. My satisfaction floundered as my upward momentum slowed in the air. Years of programming game physics flooded my head as my vertical speed hit perfect zero for a snapshot in time before the acceleration of gravity took over. I was now in free fall.

  Pop quiz: A free-falling object in space has a Y value of 1,000 feet. Given standard gravity of 9.8 meters per second squared and assuming negligible air resistance, how many seconds does it take until Y equals 0?

  "Hooooly Shiiiiiiiiiiittttttt!!!!"

  I plunged toward ground, thankfully nice and low due to us clearing the mountain range. The countryside was beginning to soften and green, which while beautiful offered little practical comfort. At my speed I'd be a bullet.

  Bandit cried out and swooped into action. She was already well below me so she just needed to close horizontally. But as my speed increased, I was beginning to fear it wouldn't matter.

  The dragon neared and veered downward. Her wings beat with furious strength, propelling her great body toward the ground. As I rapidly closed the distance from above, she folded her wings to her side and entered a free dive. I was still too fast.

  Then again, textbook physics problems were often deeply flawed. They dealt with perfectly round masses in the void of space, bereft of friction and air resistance and all the tiny complications found in the real world and groundbreaking afterlife simulations.

  This here wasn't an academic exercise.

  "Negligible air resistance my ass," I said.

  I grabbed the corners of my stranger's cowl and spread them wide like a parachute. It didn't work as smoothly as planned, but the flapping streamer minimized my speed. As Bandit's sleek form increased descent velocity, I closed with her more gently.

  "Oof!"

  I hit her side and the air left my lungs. The tiger claws spiked into her scales. Bandit spread her wings and steered around, swooping so low over the ground that she kicked up a stream of grass as we passed.

  "Wooo!" I screamed as I climbed into the saddle. I'd never been skydiving before and it was a hell of a rush. Bandit turned her head around and I reached forward and patted her snout. "Thanks, girl. You're one in a million."

  She chirped in appreciation and snapped leathery wings as the last of the sun dipped below the ravaged mountain peaks to the west.

  >> Minigame <<

  For some reason, Tad had expected a short flight of stairs that plopped him directly on the roof. Instead he was growing increasingly exhausted as the steps kept coming. Even though Kablammy Games was on the top floor, he must have covered three flights at least.

  Or maybe it just felt like it. His strength was fading fast.

  The pain was excruciating, but only small amounts of blood seeped from the hole in the cast. It gave him hope that the wound was only a graze, but soon his sock sloshed inside his shoe.

  Tad reached the summit and rested on the concrete floor beside the service elevator. He turned and saw a short set of concrete stairs leading to a metal exterior door.

  "It never ends."

  But it did. When Tad crawled up and pushed the door open, he was greeted by a burst of fresh air. It had been daytime when Harbor Island exploded; now it was night. Christian and Tad had managed to bunker down for two and a half days and it was all coming to a head in the final hours.

  The programmer stepped outside and surveyed the roof. Instead of a spacious open area, there were walled platforms of various sizes and elevations. As he hopped around a roof outcropping, leaning on it for support, a helicopter blared nearer. It rounded the building and pulled overhead.

  "Don't move!" cried the pilot through a speaker.

  The side hatch slid open and revealed the rogue operatives within. This was getting ridiculous. InLink commanded a small army and was pulling out all the stops. Meanwhile Tad and Christian were just two bleeding engineers.

  Tad raised his hands in surrender. The chopper hovered above his head, rifles trained his way.

  Christian Everett breathed.

  It was no longer something he could take for granted, and it was becoming increasingly difficult, so he closed his eyes and breathed. Again and again, taking as much oxygen into his lungs as his pained chest would allow. He wasn't a doctor and didn't know if the bullet had punctured his lungs. He just knew he wasn't gurgling on his own blood. That had to count for something.

  Outside the door, the operatives had completely abandoned any semblance of negotiation. Mr. Hines was silent. The others alternated between bouts of firing at the obstruction and using the battering ram. The antique bookcase trembled as splinters filled the air. As much of an old tank as it was, the furniture could only take so much abuse. Christian wouldn't be safe forever.

  He ignored the impending doom and returned to his workstation. First he
made sure the launch protocols were ready. His black box was processed, his patch was queued, everything was waiting on the Phoenix Z satellite launch. If they could get it airborne before the soldiers reached the servers, they'd be gold. Literally, Haven would launch and go gold.

  All that was left to do was stymie InLink's tampering, which meant shutting down his hub access and other non-essential machines. It would take the operatives time to figure out what was happening. It would take them even longer if their machines were locked out.

  Christian twisted the workstation on the carpet to access the power switch on the back. He breathed. The CEO clenched his jaw...

  And spotted the poop emoji thumb drive inserted into one of the computer's rear USB slots.

  One of Abbie's thumb drives.

  He frantically spun to the monitor and checked his machine. It had been there the whole time. Throughout his code integration. For all he knew, his entire patch was compromised.

  Christian Everett stared at the workstation in shock, unmoving as the door rumbled, unresponsive to the security feeds of Armored Personnel Carriers advancing across the building plaza and SWAT officers flooding the main lobby en force. InLink operatives on the ground fell victim to the sudden superior firepower. They abandoned the hostages and retreated to the stairwell.

  Few of the events registered with Christian because the full implications of the thumb drive were much more dire. He was unable to accurately calculate the risk to his dream. To his paradise.

  He clicked open Haven's central hub and opened the Everchat interface, pinging anyone who would listen. No one answered his call. He'd failed to give Talon the time he promised, failed to warn them of the launch. He'd repeatedly failed to protect his legacy from threats inside and out, and now, during the final hurrah, it was too late.

  The brilliant CEO took an extended breath through strained features, squared himself with the monitor, and pulled the keyboard close.