by Rob May
Jason whistled. ‘You think you can kill every thanamorph on the planet?’
Brandon managed a slight nod. ‘The bionoids can spread out and affect millions of lifeforms. My father found that out the hard way when it was unleashed on the balaks on Corroza and went viral, but this time I’ll have full control. Killing the thanamorphs won’t be wrong or immoral … it will just be like eradicating pests. I can save Earth, then we can leave in Discord and save Corroza too.’
Despite the venom churning through his body, Brandon managed a triumphant grin.
‘And we’re ready to come with you,’ Kat said. ‘I kept the superluminal drive safe.’ She patted the small pouch that all Levi’s jeans have stitched inside the right pocket. Apparently it was originally designed to hold cowboys’ fob watches, but now it held—
Kat stopped dead, and a cold chill ran down her spine.
The casino chip was missing.
In what felt like slow motion, Kat raised herself from the hangar floor and turned around. At the foot of the ramp to Discord, Tank and Lucky lay dead on the ground, laser wounds in their foreheads.
Treachery! The superluminal drive was just as important to Brandon as the bionoids; only with both of them could he realise his dream to travel the universe as a force for good. And Kat had managed to lose it for him; she had to get it back! Instinctively, she ran to Discord’s ramp just as it started to retract.
‘Kat!’ Jason shouted after her.
‘Stay with Bran!’ she yelled back, and leaped for the ramp just at the moment that Discord started to rise up off the hangar floor. She clambered aboard the ship and rolled inside, coming to a halt in the middle of the tunnel-like midsection. She held her breath … had she been seen jumping aboard?
There was no response from anyone on board. The door to the cockpit was open though, and Kat could see the control panels were all lit up. Slowly, she advanced down the length of the ship. Behind her, the hatch she had entered by sealed shut with a clunk. Alone on the ship with the enemy! What kind of crazy situation had she gotten herself into now?
But she wasn’t alone: she felt Brandon trying to make mental contact with her via the bionoids: Kat! Get off the ship! Forget about the stupid chip!
I can get it back, she replied. Where will I find it?
There was a long pause. Kat had crept up to the cockpit door by the time the reply came through into her brain: On the left as you enter the cockpit. There’s a slot next to three square purple buttons. Press the middle button to eject the drive. But Kat … be careful! Oh no, wait—
His words were cut off. Kat hoped that Brandon was okay, and hadn’t succumbed to the Thanamorph Prime’s venom. That was out of her hands, though; right now, all she needed to concentrate on was getting the drive back.
As quietly as she could, Kat stepped into the cockpit. Saoirse was in the pilot’s chair. She had pointed the ship at the airlock, and was tapping away at the console in front of her, presumably trying to find a way to open the hangar doors remotely. Both Discord and the hangar shook and shuddered as the Prime wreaked havoc outside. The noise hid Kat’s footsteps as she stepped up to the control panel on the wall and put her finger to the purple button. The superluminal drive—a small chip no bigger than an SD card—popped out into her palm.
‘Put it back,’ a harsh voice commanded. Kat turned and saw Saoirse standing and pointing a laser pistol straight at her.
Kat’s brain ached with the stress of trying to figure out what to do next. Could she talk her way out if this?
‘Why are you doing this, Saoirse?’ she said.
‘I’m leaving while I still can,’ the alien girl replied. ‘The Thanamorph Prime is going to rip the Majestic apart, and Brandon is as good as dead now too.’
‘You could have waited five more minutes!’ Kat almost shouted. ‘Five minutes and Bran might be able to kill the Prime, and then we could all leave together. Isn’t that what you came for? Bran and the bionoids? You’re crazy to give up now at the last minute!’
‘I have everything I came for,’ Saoirse said, mysteriously. ‘Now put the drive back and get out, before I put a laser through your skull too!’
Kat backed away from the muzzle of the laser pistol, inching her way back down Discord’s midsection. ‘But you fought so hard to keep us and Brandon alive,’ she said. ‘Why throw all that away now?’
‘I fought to keep Brandon alive,’ Saoirse replied, advancing on Kat, ‘not you. And now he’s doing his darn hardest to kill himself too. My mission parameters have changed!’
Of course, Saoirse never cared one jot for humanity. Kat remembered the way she had cruelly used the crew of the Proteus as a distraction to help them escape the thanamorphs as the ship went down; how she had been insistent on leaving New York the minute they had arrived.
‘Did you even care about Bran?’ Kat asked. ‘Or did you just want to take the bionoids back with you to Corroza?’
Saoirse didn’t reply. She just closed in on Kat, bearing down on her with a hard stare. But as Kat got nearer to the hatch, she sensed from the change in light that it was now open again behind her. And then she noticed that she wasn’t alone; in the shadows of the kitchenette off to the right, she saw Gem waiting for the chance to make a move. Two against one!
‘Give me back the drive, Kat,’ Saoirse seethed, ‘or I will kill you. I swear to Zaal.’
Zaal? The bloodthirsty god that was the focus of the Arch Predicant’s violent theocracy back on Corroza. ‘Oh no,’ Kat gasped. ‘Who sent you, Saoirse?’
Saoirse raised her pistol and fired.
But not before Gem had chance to act. Saoirse was still too far away down the length of the ship though, so instead Gem flung herself at Kat, grabbing her in a tight embrace.
The laser bolt that had been aimed between Kat’s eyes hit Gem between the shoulder blades. She let out a cry, and then they were both falling, tumbling out of the hatch and dropping to the hangar floor.
They hit the ground hard. Kat looked up and saw Discord hovering above them; Saoirse was in the open hatch, taking aim with her pistol. Kat was too stunned to do anything but wait for the next shot.
Then there was an almighty noise, as something explosive slammed into the side of Discord and sent the ship spinning through the air until it smashed against the far wall of the hangar. Kat looked around and saw Lieutenant Hewson climbing out of the turret hatch of one of the tanks. Its long main gun was smoking.
Kat turned back to Gem. Brandon’s sister was still alive, if only barely. ‘You took a bullet because of me once,’ she gasped. ‘Now we’re even. Now get me to my brother, quick! That’s an order, agent Brown!’
With tears in her eyes, Kat dragged Gem across the hangar floor. From where Brandon was lying, Jason ran over and helped pull Gem the rest of the way. They laid the siblings side-by-side and hovered over them, unable to do anything more except watch and hope.
Brandon was pale and glossy with sweat, but still conscious. He grasped for his sister and felt for her wound, his hands coming back slick with blood.
‘Heal me, Bran,’ she sighed.
Brandon opened his mouth, but couldn’t seem to speak. Eventually, he found the words: ‘I can’t! I’m sorry.’
Gem’s eyes went wide with fear. ‘What?’ she gasped.
‘She stole the bionoids, too. Saoirse stole the bionoids. All that time I was trying to teach her how to control them and she said she couldn’t do it … but she was lying. She stole them from me the moment I configured them to work with thanamorph DNA. I can’t save you, Gem … I can’t save myself or the Earth either!’
‘No!’ Jason shouted, angrily. ‘Hewson just blew Saoirse to pieces. You can get the bionoids back now!’
Brandon shook his head. ‘I can sense them, but I can’t take them back … she must be still alive somehow … and her mind is too strong …’
Kat had no more words. She stood and scanned the empty hangar, looking for a sign of the girl who had betrayed them all.
And while she stood there, in a state of stunned shock, Gemima Walker died in her brother’s arms.
24—EXODUS
Kat didn’t know what to do. Jason was also standing in a state of shock, his mouth hanging open. Lieutenant Hewson jogged over from the tank and fell to his knees beside Brandon and Gem. Brandon was wrapped in a tight embrace with the body of his sister; there was nothing appropriate that any of them watching could say or do.
Then without warning the floor rocked and the air was filled with the sound of screeching metal. The Majestic sounded like it was being ripped apart. There was a giant thanamorph clinging on outside: the ship was being ripped apart!
A frantic voice came over the speaker system: ‘Floors eighty-five through to ninety-six have been compromised. Estimated loss of life: sixty-five. Emergency bulkheads have sealed off the breach. Structural Integrity at ninety-four per-cent … ninety-three per-cent … ninety-two per—’
‘Shut up, Morse,’ General Stormkopf was heard barking. ‘Attention all troops. Find which one of those kids has the hyperspace thing we need and bring it up here now! We’ll shake that creature loose!’
Kat caught a flash of movement across the hanger. Saoirse was climbing a gantry to get to the higher levels. What would her next move be now that she had the bionoids, but no ship or superluminal drive to help her escape? If she wanted to, Kat guessed that Saoirse could use the bionoids to kill the Thanamorph Prime, now that Brandon had configured them, but then considering her situation … she would probably want to keep that threat hanging over the ship for now, and use it as leverage!
But Kat figured that Saoirse would still have to be cautious. Even though she had the bionoids, she could still only concentrate her attacks on one person at a time; setting them loose to attack as a swarm would leave them exposed for Brandon to take back. So … she’d have to choose her targets carefully … but she could control the whole ship if she were able to threaten the life of the most important person on board …
The President!
‘I’m going after her!’ Kat announced, suddenly spurred into action. ‘Jason, come on! Hewson—you stick with Bran. Hide somewhere and keep him safe until we get him back the bionoids.’
Hewson could only nod. ‘Yeah,’ he said vaguely.
Kat couldn’t bear to stay and watch as Hewson gently tried to pry Brandon apart from his sister. With Jason at her heels, she set off across the hangar floor to the elevators. On the way, she stooped to pick up something that had flown from Saoirse’s grasp when Hewson had fired the tank at Discord: her laser pistol.
Kat stared dully at it as she stood side-by-side with her twin in the elevator. Did she have it in her to shoot Saoirse dead with her own gun, if indeed she ever got the chance? Once again, she noticed the letters scratched on the barrel: Saoirse Gassun. A fake name for a fake girl.
‘What’s going on, Kat?’ Jason asked. ‘Why did Saoirse shoot Gem?’
‘Saoirse wasn’t our friend. She was sent by the Arch Predicant to steal the bionoids from Brandon. She earned Brandon’s trust, and he taught her how to control them. And she almost escaped with Discord, the superluminal drive and the bionoids. If me and Gem hadn’t ...’
Kat choked up. Jason swore in frustration. ‘Better give me the laser pistol,’ he said. ‘No offence, Sis, but I don’t think you’ve got it in you to kill someone. Not even Saoirse.’
I’ve killed zombie cats! I’ve shot infected humans! But Kat knew in her heart that this was different. She handed over the laser pistol without a word. Jason was the soldier, not her.
Her brother took the weapon and inspected it as the elevator rose. ‘Enough charge for three shots,’ he noted, ‘or one super-charged blast if you hold down the trigger long enough. Should we be discussing some sort of plan?’
‘I already have a plan,’ Kat said. ‘The first part involves beating Saoirse to the control room. I can’t tell you the rest.’
‘Okaaaaay …’
Kat turned to her brother. ‘Listen, Jase. Saoirse has the bionoids now. We know what she can do with them—everything Brandon could do, and that includes reading brainwaves. So the less people who know about the plan, the better.’
‘Are you saying I don’t have a strong mind?’ Jason said. ‘Whatever. I’ll settle for brawn instead.’
The elevator came to a halt and the doors opened. When they stepped back out into the control room, they were stunned by what they saw. The shutters had been raised again on the hundreds of triangular windows that made up the crown of the Chrysler Building. But instead of the weak sunlight of NYC, now they could see space and stars … and filling the view on one side of the great chamber: Earth.
Not the blue and green Earth that Kat had seen in movies and images, but a frozen white Earth, where the sea was indistinguishable from the land, and where the whole surface was smothered in a swirling storm of dust. Grey rings of debris, like those of Saturn, made Earth look more alien-like than it ever did from the surface.
But even that wasn’t the most incredible sight visible through the windows: on the other side of the chamber, the President, Stormkopf and the surviving members of the Majestic Twelve were all staring out at the face of the Thanamorph Prime. Its flat, ape-like features were only metres from the glass; Kat could see all the individual thanamorphs that had fused to make the giant Prime.
‘Bloody hell!’ Jason gaped. ‘Close the shutters again—’
But then he stopped. Kat had noticed it too: the face of the Prime was frozen in position. It stared unblinking into the control room, its massive red eyes fixed on nothing, its wide mouth paused mid-snarl. Kat and Jason went to stand with the other spectators, and stood transfixed for a moment, in awe of a monster seemingly stopped dead in its tracks at the last moment.
‘The bionoids,’ Kat said. ‘Its whole body must be held in place by the bionoids.’
The President let out a long breath of relief. ‘Brandon did it then, huh? That son of a gun managed to upgrade his powers and save us all just in the nick of time. I think that deserves a medal!’
‘Um,’ Kat said, ‘that’s not exactly what happened …’ She took the President’s hand and pulled him down to her level. He listened while she whispered her plan in his ear.
When she had finished, he gave her a silent nod, then turned with the rest of the group to face the latest newcomer to the control room: Saoirse had emerged from the top of the stairs. She walked slowly towards them across the cracked black screen of the floor map, arms held up as if to show that she wasn’t armed. Nevertheless, Jason raised the laser pistol and aimed it at her.
‘You are so dead,’ he growled.
‘Careful, Jason,’ she said, with mocking familiarity. ‘Shoot me, and nothing will stop the Thanamorph Prime hitching a ride outside from crushing this ship into a million pieces.’
‘Yeah, nice try,’ Jason said, ‘but shooting you will allow Brandon to take back the bionoids, and then he can deal with the Prime.’
‘Brandon?’ Saoirse scoffed. ‘If he’s not dead by now, he will be soon.’
‘All the more reason,’ Jason said, ‘to shoot you now—’
The President suddenly fell to the floor, gasping in pain. His whole body went rigid, as if he were being electrocuted.
Saoirse gritted her teeth. ‘It’s quite tough,’ she said, ‘to divide my attention between holding the Prime outside and the President in here … one false move and I could accidentally release the Prime … or kill the President …’
As if to underline her point, the Prime started moving very, very slowly, as if struggling to break free of its bonds. The thanamorphs that stood in for muscles in its broad face twitched and spasmed. Its red eyes were furious.
Jason didn’t lower his pistol. ‘Still gonna shoot you,’ he said. ‘Just cos he’s the President, doesn’t mean he’s not expendable.’
Kat nudged her brother in the ribs. He looked over to where General Stormkopf was aiming her massive Magnum right at his he
ad. ‘Don’t even think about risking the President’s life,’ she warned him.
Jason swore and lowered his weapon.
‘A wise decision,’ Saoirse said. ‘Alright, now here’s what’s going to happen. Kat is going to give the superluminal drive to the crew of the Majestic, and they’re going to fly us to Corroza. I’ll be keeping the President hostage until we get there, after which I might let you all go.’
The President was crawling across the glass floor towards Saoirse. He collapsed at her feet and curled up into a ball. It was a sorry sight. Kat pulled the superluminal drive out of her pocket as if to hand it over … but she had no intention of doing so. If things went to plan, then the small chip was never leaving her sight again …
‘Did the Arch Predicant put you up to this?’ Kat asked Saoirse, in an effort to distract her. ‘Is he paying you? Did he promise you money or power or what? Wait … are you in love with him?’
Saoirse laughed. ‘No, none of that,’ she said. ‘I was one of his top assassins once, but he told me to expect no reward other than the satisfaction of serving Zaal. Well, screw that! I came here on my own accord, on a rogue mission, having gone AWOL from the army back home. But when I return to Corroza, then no one will be able to stand against me. It might be time for a new Arch Predicant soon!’
Rogue! Why did that mean something to Kat? A sudden thought flickered into life at the back of her mind.
General Stormkopf still hadn’t relaxed the grip on her own weapon. ‘Why don’t you let the President go?’ she urged. ‘He can negotiate with you … work something out …’
‘No …’ the President muttered from between clenched teeth. Then suddenly without warning he leaped to his feet, taking Saoirse by surprise. ‘We do not negotiate with terrorists!’ He punched Saoirse hard under the chin, sending her flying backwards across the control room.
Jason wasn’t slow on the draw: as soon as he had a clear shot he fired one, two, three laser blasts at Saoirse. They all hit her square in the chest, and she was lifted off the floor, falling back on to it hard and cracking the glass of the map screen.