"Perfect. Are you ready to end this?" Tirlmayn asked impatiently.
"No, not yet. He's still a bit leery of me. I want this to go without any bumps in the plan."
"Are you stalling, Aveni? Do I need to remind you what is at stake here? Your husband's life hangs in the balance. The longer you take to complete this mission, the closer Benjamin gets to death."
"What do you mean?"
"You did not foolishly believe that I would allow him to do whatever he wanted in your absence, did you? Benjamin is being tortured more and more until you finish this. Do I need to let you hear his screams and begging for mercy to get this point across to you? We removed one finger this morning. We'll cut off another every six hours until you kill Rav. Then we will start working on his flawless face."
His fingers? A doctor needed fingers. "No! No, please don't. I'm working on it. I want to do this the right way. Give me a day. Twenty-four hours."
"That's six more fingers gone."
"Please! Father, please stop. I'm on your side. Haven't I proven that? I can only go where Rav wants to fly. We're in the middle of a mission right now and I don't know how much longer it's going to take."
Tirlmayn hissed. "If you will do this, I will make sure you are able to get Rav Tillman alone at the predetermined location by tomorrow night."
"Why are we moving so quickly with this? I thought it was supposed to be a long mission with me and Rav becoming close through battle."
"Olonictu has declared war on us, Aveni. We don't have time to waste now. Any moment, they could activate Rav's anger state and make him go on a rampage against our warbringers on Elysia. I can't lose that many warriors at one time."
The communicator beeped quietly as another call came from an unknown number. "I have to take this call. Please don't hurt Ben anymore. Please."
"Do your job."
Vance ended the call with his father then answered the incoming one. "Hello?"
The steady and emotionless voice came over the speaker. "Hello, Cain Coolidge. This is Commander of Flight Masamba Adebayo. You are aware that all electronic devices are supposed to be declared upon assignment in the Flight Force, are you not? This device was not issued to you by the Flight Force."
Vance held his breath, unable to think of a quick rebuttal.
"I know who you are, Vance Trainor."
Not this. Not now. "What? Who's that? My name is Cain Coolidge. It always has been. You are mistaken, sir."
"No, I am not mistaken. Words can deceive, but blood samples cannot."
"Oh, shit."
"Indeed." Masamba typed on something in the background. "I know exactly who you are, but I do not know why you are here."
"So, you caught me. Now what? Are you going to send marshals to arrest me?"
"No. Not yet. I-"
A deep hissing voice came over the speaker. "Masamba Adebayo?"
Masamba spoke to them. "Yes. I am in a call right now. I will take your question in a moment. Hold on. You are an Azimandian. Guards, guards!"
Vance froze as the gunshots popped on the other end of the call. A moment passed before the harsh voice spoke to him.
"Prince Aveni, this is Warbringer Oslin. The threat has been eliminated. You are free to continue your mission."
He could barely form the words. "You killed Masamba?"
"And ripped him apart so no one will be able to find his data recorder. We are everywhere, My Prince. We will keep your identity a secret at all costs."
Vance stared at the screen after the call ended. What had he done? Killing Masamba was never a part of the plan. He had just been doing his job. How was Rav going to handle it? Those two seemed so close. But in the end, this was war. There were bound to be unintended casualties. Besides, in a little over twenty-four hours, Rav would more than likely be dead anyway.
"Vance? Are you there? Vance?"
That voice. Vance placed the communicator to his ear. "Ben?"
"Hi, dearest. We hacked into the communications system so I could talk with you. You can't go through with this. Please don't kill Rav. If you have ever loved me, you will reveal your true identity to Rav then run away. Take a ship and fly far away. Don't let Tirlmayn control you forever. Even if you kill Rav, you will still be controlled by your father for the rest of your life."
"I will do whatever is necessary to keep you alive. Period."
"But Vance-"
Vance shouted at him. "Shut the hell up, Benjamin. I am in control in this marriage. You do what I tell you to do. I'm the alpha. You're the beta. Learn your place or I will put you in your place. Don't test me. I know you are being viciously tortured, but I am working as quickly as I can. I'm doing this for you! Show me some gratitude, damn it."
Ben turned meek after being yelled at. "Yes, sir."
"Ben . . . no, I'm sorry."
"I'll do what you want. You won't hear from me again. But you need to know my life isn't worth all this.."
Why couldn't he understand? "That's not the point, Ben. I am doing this for you, but for a greater purpose as well. All of this will be better once I am the new warlord of Azimandia."
"Are you serious? You're planning to take Tirlmayn's place?"
"I will rule Azimandia with all the power of humanity behind me. I will seize the throne and claim what is mine, no matter who I have to eliminate on either side of this war. And you will be where all other consorts to the warlord stay. You will be wrapped in gold and jewels at my feet for as long as you live, serving me with love."
"At your feet?" Ben asked, his voice revealing his inner anger. "Maybe I'm tired of being stepped on. Yes, I am submissive and I prefer you to have the power, but I'm not your slave, Vance. I'm your husband, your partner, your equal."
"You will be what I tell you to be. I can't protect you if you're trying to be in charge with me. I need you in your glass case, perfectly cared for and protected like a rose to be displayed for your beauty. That way, I can keep you safe."
"I won't let you become warlord."
"You won't let me?" Vance laughed. "You'd better learn who gives you orders, boy."
"I'm as much as a man as you are, Vance. Don't call me a boy."
"No? Then maybe I'll call you ungrateful slut because that's what you're acting like. I am doing this, all of this for you! You are just too stupid to notice that. Don't worry, though. When I come back after this mission, I will sit down and explain the big words slowly so your tiny brain can understand it. So go obey Tirlmayn and stay quiet while I take care of this. Be a good little boy. I don't want you to lose any more fingers."
"What?"
"Go. I love you, Benjamin. Never forget that. What I do, I do for you."
Ben ended the call without another word.
Rav called to him from the other side of the plane. "Hey, Cain, you ready to head out? We still have to take some of the crates to the front lines. We're meeting with General Ivy. Hey, are you okay? Still shaken up from earlier?"
Vance discretely hid his communicator inside his pants again then turned around and feigned a smile. "Just a bit. I'll be okay, though."
"Good, good. Well, let's get in there and helmet up."
"Yeah. Let's go, Rav."
Chapter 10
"Cain, radar is showing two Azimandian fighters approaching from behind us. Get that machine gun prepped and ready to fire. Pull up the back cameras so you can see what's going on back there. This is about to get bumpy." Rav skirted the thin Elysian atmosphere where a battle raged along the red canyons and sand dunes. Green and red plasma balls flew through the air as hoards of humans in black exosuits engaged silver battle spheres and warbringers on hoverbikes, all visible even from this distance.
"Switching off of safety mode now, sir."
Rav heard the weapons powering up and saw the glow from the gunner screens as they covered the back wall of the cockpit. He tuned into the communication channel with flight control. "Quasar Luminous to Silicon Star. I am above the Crimson Canyon in Southern Elysia w
ith two bogeys on my tail. Seeking permission to engage as needed."
Silence.
"Silicon Star, this is Quasar Luminous. Come in. Masamba, are you there? Can you hear me? Masamba!" Rav turned to his gunner. "Something's wrong. Masamba isn't answering me. He's always at his post."
"Enemy fighters closing in fast, sir. Do you want me to fire?" Cain asked. "Rav, give me an answer."
"We can't engage without Masamba's approval."
The consoles flashed red as warning alarms blared inside the cockpit. A computerized female voice spoke to them. "Two missiles incoming. Thirty seconds until impact."
"Rav!"
"I know, I know. Masamba, answer me or I am doing this without authorization. Three . . . two . . . one. Fire all guns, Cain!"
"Yes, sir. Targeting the missiles now. Switching to guided laser cannon. Keep a steady course until I can lock on."
"I've got some turbulence, but I'll keep it as right as I can. Fire when ready."
Cain took the handles of the firing controls and tightened his taped fingers around the grips. He focused on the virtual screen in front of him. The clouds, the light, the darkness of space above him, it was as clear as if he had a window as well. The display clicked until the red crosshairs locked onto the first missile. "Firing now!" He squeezed the triggers on the insides of the handles. A volley of green laser beams shot out from the belly of the fighter.
Rav sped up as he passed through some high atmospheric clouds. "Talk to me, Cain."
"Hit. I got it!"
"One down. Get the other then you-" Rav was thrown forward into the controls when the plane shook roughly. He coughed as the the cockpit filled with thick black smoke. He held onto the yoke for dear life as the fighter began to spiral. "Cain! What was that?"
Cain could only cough and gasp.
"I can't see my controls. The smoke is blocking out the window. I'm flying blind. I need your help."
The computerized voice spoke again. "Cockpit pressure decreasing. Warning. Oxygen levels at eighty percent and dropping. Left fuselage damaged. Warning. Land immediately."
Cain wheezed through his asthmatic fit. He pulled his helmet off and unzipped his flightsuit to pull the collar of his t-shirt over his nose. "I can't breathe. Rav!"
"I'm gonna need you to focus. There's a roll of aviation tape on the bottom of your chair. Seal that hole."
"Now?"
Rav angled the nose of the spinning plane downward enough to begin reentry through the Elysian atmosphere. "Hurry up. I've got to get through the atmosphere before the pressure from outside sucks us out into space."
"I'll try."
The wind roared around the four wings and the smoke billowed from the flaming left engine, leaving a trail behind them. Flying with only the vague outlines of the distant mountain range displayed on his HUD goggles, Rav juggled the pressure gauges, the thrusters, and the oxygen generator knobs to switch most of the power away from the damaged engine and direct it to the oxygen generator to keep them from suffocating.
Cain fumbled around in the darkness until he found the roll of thick tape strapped to the underside of his chair. Through his uncontrollable coughing, he stood on his chair and ripped off a strip of tape with his teeth. He felt around on the top of the cockpit until he cut his fingertips on the jagged metal above the left fuselage. "Patching now."
"It's going to get rough during reentry. Brace yourself. But whatever happens, you have to patch that hole."
"Yes, sir!"
Rav's arms strained with the strength it took to pull back on the yoke and slow his descent. More red warning lights flashed through the smoke as the temperature gauge skyrocketed. He was descending too quickly through the atmosphere at an angle that was not catching most of the friction against the thermal tiles on the belly of the plane. He heard Cain cry out in pain from behind him, but he could not stop to check on him now. Just when he was out of options and the soles of his boots started to feel far too warm for comfort, Rav remembered what Masamba had said about this plane. It had warp capabilities. But warping involved the possibility of creating a black hole that could easily devour them and Elysia if activated this close.
It was a chance he was willing to take.
"Activating warp speed."
Cain called out to him. "Wait! I'm locked on to both Azimandian fighters."
That changed things. "Use the gravity field generator to pull them out of the sky, but you have to wait until they are right behind us."
"Are you crazy? They'll shoot us down."
"Trust me. This will work."
His gunner sounded desperate. "Rav!"
"You do what I tell you or we both die."
The heat inside the cockpit grew to near unbearable levels. Sweat poured from Rav's face and the yoke became nearly too hot to touch. The plane began to shake and vibrate on its side, its left wings threatening to break off from the growing friction. "Cain, how close?"
"Wait. Wait. Wait. I can see the pilots."
"Fire!"
The dull roar of the gravity field enveloped the plane. For a second, the cockpit became deathly silent. No alarms, no fire, no engines. The speedometer fell to zero and all oxygen left the fighter. The electricity died. In that moment, Rav shoved the yoke down and cut all power to the engines. This was their one chance to do this right. He had only ever heard about pilots pulling this maneuver off, but none of them were able to survive the landing after reentry when something this large went wrong. One step at a time.
As soon as the gravity field vanished, they were in free fall. The instability of one engine was gone. That change was enough for Rav to steady the plane back into its proper upright position with the thermal tiles skating against the atmosphere. With a flick of his wrist, he brought the power back online. The oxygen generator immediately began pumping vital oxygen back into the cockpit. All he had to was keep the fighter upright and steady for their reentry.
"Cain, we're gonna be okay. Cain?" Rav glanced back to the gunner's seat to see his flight partner slumped over the arm of the chair with a dark burn trailing up his left arm. He could have sworn he saw the glint of dark metal underneath the skin. "Cain, wake up. You patched the hole beautifully. We're going to make it because of you. Just hold on."
The alarms still blared their warnings at him, but Rav guided the Galaxy Glider slowly into the atmosphere, moving with the natural orbit of the planet, to ensure the best chance of a easy landing. Once the speed of the planet's pull was enough to keep them moving without the engines, Rav unstrapped the safety belt from around his waist and moved back to check on his gunner.
He shook Cain's shoulder. "Hey, Cain. Recruit Gunner Coolidge, wake up."
It was no use. The gunner was out cold.
A soft male voice came over the radio on the earpiece in Rav's ear. "Quasar Luminous, this is General of Flight Cunningham. Come in, Quasar Luminous."
General of Flight Cunningham? He was usually so angry sounding. Why was he so soft-spoken now? Rav touched the earpiece. "This is Quasar Luminous."
"Thank God. We lost you on radar and have been trying to get in touch with you ever since. What is your location?"
"I can't give you coordinates because my displays are shot. I'm operating on minimal power just to keep the oxygen and pressure at acceptable levels."
"We just found you. What is your status?" Cunningham asked.
"I took an Azimandian corrosive missile to the left fuselage and attempted to start reentry, but we came in sideways. As of right now, we are coming in through the atmosphere slowly, but I know the thermal tiles will hold up. We are seventy percent of the way through and temperatures are holding steady. I'm going to need an ambulance upon landing. My gunner is unconscious or dead. I can't tell which one."
"I'm alive, Rav." Cain groaned from his gunner chair. "Just hit my head."
"Scratch that. He's good. Some burns and scrapes, but he's alive."
"I am sending an Elysian freighter ship to intercept you. Do not powe
r up your engines. We will do the docking for you and bring you back down. The ship will be in your vicinity to pick you up in one minute. You have done well, Flight Master. Now that you are essentially in the clear, I will let you know about your commanding officer. I am devastated to inform you of this, but Commander of Flight Masamba Adebayo was found dead outside his office at air control. The Department of Peace is investigating this as an assassination by someone on the inside. We are all shocked by this news. I will be personally delivering a dress uniform to your house on base so you can attend the funeral. You have my condolences, Flight Master."
Rav fell into his chair as he processed the news. Masamba was gone.
Cain whispered from behind him. "I'm sorry, Rav."
He punched the dead consoles, cracking one of the screens in his frustration. "You didn't have anything to do with this, Cain."
"Rav, I . . . I'm sure whoever was behind this never meant for things to go this far. They didn't think about the consequences of their actions."
"No. These assassins and whoever they were working for are evil. I will find them and I will kill them all. Do you hear me, Cain? I will avenge Masamba."
The fighter sped up when the four-story freighter ship flew overhead and slowed in front of them. The back slid open, revealing the hangar of the docking bay. Tethers shot out from the sides and latched onto the wings of the Galaxy Glider, pulling it towards the safety of the airlock.
Once he knew they were safe, Rav ripped the earpiece out of his ear and threw it onto the floor of the plane. He gripped his red hair in his hands and screamed. He continued screaming until the plane was brought down inside the hangar of the freighter ship and the airlock buzzed to life around them. Soldiers in exosuits rushed to pry back the metal to open up the battered cockpit and pull them from the wreckage.
Rav squirmed out of the soldiers' grasps to walk on his own to the edge of the purple glittering haze of the airlock. He unlatched his goggles and threw them as far as he could across the metal-walled hangar. They bounced until they rolled to a stop below one of the other fighter planes that was being fueled, the sound echoing through the nearly empty docking bay. Rav fell to his hands and knees as he stared out into the distant sea of asteroids and the star fields on the other side of the Elysian atmosphere. He gathered all of his remaining strength to cry out to the universe the one thing he couldn't save that day. "Masamba!"
The Genesis Sequence Books 6-10 Page 23