by Isaac Hooke
He glanced at Bender, who wore a grim expression.
“No one harms our kids,” Bender agreed. “We’re going to hunt down these bugs to the ends of the Earth. We’ll leave no stone unturned. No cave unexplored. Then we’ll board their mothership and squash any remaining bugs from the inside out.”
“We’re going to need some mechs...” Rade said.
twenty
Rade had the Weaver attend to the wounds of the other Argonauts while he waited for Alex to adapt. Of them, Tahoe had the worst injury: a punctured lung, caused by a laser strike from one of the scorpions. The laser had cauterized the entry and exit wounds, so Tahoe didn’t have a sucking wound, however he still had a build up of blood in that lung, which had slowly choked off his oxygen capacity.
When Alex and the others had fully recovered several hours later, Rade gathered the team, the children, and Shaw’s parents, and headed through the rubble toward the outskirts of town. The jeep and SUV had been destroyed by tornadoes in the last storm, but TJ reached out over the Internet and found several vehicles residing on farms and villas nearby. TJ was able to hack into the remote interfaces of three of them, and programmed the vehicles to pick up the team. An hour later, the merry band of humans, robots, and children was on the road, packed into two cars and a pickup truck. Rade received a surprise voice-only call request from Surus, and had a long, elucidating talk with the alien.
Shortly thereafter the vehicles reached the estate where Tahoe had left his wife and children with two Centurions. It was an abandoned farm that had seen a tornado cut through its fields, judging from the runnel that cleaved the land in two. Thankfully the chateau and outbuildings remained intact.
Tepin emerged from the main country house and gave Tahoe a long hug when he arrived, and then embraced Shaw. She nodded genially toward the rest of the team.
Rade entered the house with Tahoe. Lowering his voice, he told his friend: “I’m not sure the families should stay here. You saw how close that tornado came to the country house...”
“You really think any other estate will be any safer?” Tahoe said. “Or the city?”
“No, I suppose not,” Rade said.
“You must trust in the resilience of our families to protect themselves,” Tahoe said. “We will give them our best Centurions.”
Rade just hoped it would be enough.
After dinner, Rade convened a meeting of the Argonauts in the lounge. He invited Shaw as well, but not her parents.
“As you all know, I’ve decided to take the fight against the enemy,” Rade said. “And the first order of business is to secure some mechs for the team.”
“You know, mechs won’t help all that much if they’re hit by those particle beams,” Fret said. “You know, the ones that cover you in black veins and convert your unit over to the enemy.”
“I fielded a call from Surus during the trip here,” Rade said. “She might have a way to help on that front.”
“Really?” Bender said. “How?”
“She didn’t make it clear,” Rade said. “But she promised to update me once I had procured some mechs.”
“That still begs the question, where exactly are we going to get the mechs from?” Lui asked.
“We have Hoplites aboard the Argonaut...” Manic said.
“But we can’t get to them,” Lui replied. “In fact, we don’t even know if the spaceport holding the Argonaut even exists anymore. All space-based networks are down.”
“Maybe we won’t need to get to the Argonaut,” Rade said. “TJ has been in touch with one of his local hacker friends.” Rade glanced at the man.
“That’s right,” TJ said. “Trickydick tells me—”
“Trickydick?” Manic said. “You’re friend’s name is Trickydick?”
“That’s his hacker alias,” TJ said.
“That’s almost as bad as Bender’s,” Manic said. “What was his again? Pussy something? Pussywillow. Really a name to inspire fear in the hearts of men.”
“Dude, you just don’t get it,” Bender told Manic. “It’s not about inspiring fear. A hacker’s alias is meant to show his or her disregard for authority. We have our own unique culture that runs counter to the mainstream. The alias shows we could give a rat’s ass about the standard naming conventions the rest of society uses. I could call myself Pussy of Doom and I would still be revered and feared among other hackers, not because of the name, but because of the actions associated with that name.”
“Pussy of Doom kind of suits you,” Manic said.
“As I was saying,” TJ continued. “Trickydick has shared the location of a military installation eighty kilometers to the north, in an out-of-the-way area. It’s mostly a storage facility. He tells me there are several older-style mechs housed in one of the base warehouses. Along with the associated booster rockets we’d need to take them into orbit.
“I contacted our lieutenant friend in the Gendarme, and he reached out to his superiors and confirmed that yes, the installation contains mechs. Bastille told me there is a fueling depot near the installation, so we can ensure the rockets are topped up. Bastille also managed to snag the provisioning codes, which he gave me, so we’ll be able to take control of the mechs. I’ll have to plug into each mech directly, of course.” Remote provisioning would be disabled by default—a security precaution.
“Did Bastille warn the installation that we would be coming?” Tahoe asked. “Or get his superiors to do so, at the very least?”
“Therein lies the crux,” TJ said. “The base personnel were recalled to deal with events in Marseille. Before they left, they set the installation to run in autonomous mode. They locked it at Defense Level III.” That was the highest possible defense level. “And since neither the lieutenant nor his superiors were able to reach the officers who were in command, we’ll have to wait a few days until they can send another officer to the installation to unlock it.”
“Can’t they remotely unlock it?” Fret asked.
“No,” TJ said. “The personnel specifically programmed the installation to deny all remote unlock requests.”
“Given the worsening situation in the country,” Harlequin said. “Not to mention the planet, I don’t think they’re going to spare any personnel to come down here to unlock one installation for a few ex-MOTHs.”
“No,” Rade said. “We’re going to have to deal with the installation’s defenses ourselves.”
“What kind of defenses are we talking about?” Fret said. “Considering that all we have are rifles...”
“Oh, you know,” TJ said. “A couple of walkers, maybe some laser turrets. The usual.”
“That’ll be a breeze,” Bender said.
“Famous last words,” Fret said.
RADE STARED AT the twins, who lay asleep in their mini sleeping bags. Shaw had placed them in the bedroom she planned to use for herself, next to the bed. Cora and Dora were to remain in the adjacent hallway, on call at all hours.
Shaw stood beside him, gazing at their children.
“It never ceases to amaze me that I’m a father,” he said, softly. “I can’t believe it’s been two years. They’ve grown so much. And still have so much more to grow. They’re so young. So innocent. I just want to protect them from all the evils of the world.”
“They were innocent,” Shaw said. “At least until what happened.”
Rade didn’t answer. He gazed at Alex’s right arm. It looked indistinguishable from his left, and the boy had retained full mobility in the limb, but that didn’t change the fact of what had happened. He just hoped Alex wasn’t traumatized. Then again, it had all happened so fast, the boy probably had no idea he had even lost the arm. Rade hoped so, anyway.
He grabbed Shaw by the hand and led her outside into the hall. Cora and Dora were waiting, so he took her to the bathroom and shut the door. He wanted some private time with her.
“Won’t you come with me?” Rade said.
Shaw shook her head and lowered her gaze. “I have to
protect the kids. The Earth is under attack. A twister could come at any time. Or the invaders themselves. My most important duty is right here. This is where I will make my fight. I realize that now, after what happened to Alex. I should have never let Cora take him behind that pillar. I should have kept him under guard at all times. Same with Sil.”
“If it’s anyone’s fault, it’s mine,” Rade said.
She didn’t agree or disagree. Nor did she meet his eye.
“You hate me, don’t you?” Rade said.
Shaw sighed. “How could I hate the father of my children? I know you did what you had to back there. You had more courage than I. In fact, the anger you saw in me, well, it was more due to my own inaction than anything else. If you hadn’t acted when you did...” She shook her head. “I would have let Alex die. I didn’t have the heart, or the will, to do what was needed to save him. Cutting off the arm of my own child, it’s just not something I’m capable of. I don’t have the mettle for it. It took a warrior like you, inured to the horrors of war, the atrocities of combat, to commit such a deed. Perhaps if I was a stronger woman I could have done it.”
Rade slid a finger under her chin and forced her head upward so that she looked at him. “You are strong.”
“No Rade,” she said. “We’ve discussed this many times. If hanging around a team of ex-MOTHs has taught me anything, it’s that I’m not strong. At least, not in matters involving war and death. Sure, I can put on a jumpsuit and pilot a mech, and then I become just as capable physically as the rest of you. And I can put on a good act, killing with the best of you. But inside, I just don’t have that warrior nature. I’m a nurturer at heart. Not a killer. Whenever I cause a death, even if it’s among an alien, I feel guilt. And a part of me shrivels up inside.”
“We all feel some guilt after we kill, when the bloodlust fades,” Rade said. “Even me. Especially me. I thought you would have figured that out by now. Don’t you remember when the kids were born, I told you that it was about time I created life in this universe; to make up for all the death I caused?”
“But you’re better at compartmentalizing that guilt than me,” Shaw said. “You must be. You have to be, after what you did to Alex. Because if he had died from the wound you caused...”
“Then I would have never forgiven myself,” Rade said. “No, Shaw, I’m not better at compartmentalizing the guilt. But let’s be honest here. After Alex was hit... I bet you stopped feeling any remorse about mowing down those aliens. I saw you hold Alex close during some of the firefights, so that you could lift your rifle and join in the fighting. And I saw the gleam in your eyes when you squeezed the trigger. You were enjoying it, weren’t you? Especially when you were firing at those clones. Pretending you were shooting at me.”
Shaw’s expression hardened and her eyes momentarily glinted. “I did enjoy it. Targeting those clones truly felt like I was shooting you, and paying you back for what you did to Alex. I was so angry.” She slumped slightly, and sighed. “But as we fled, my anger against you faded, because I realized you did the right thing. I saw that blackened arm. Our son would be dead right now if you hadn’t acted. Or he would be one of them. So I channeled my anger against the invaders instead.”
“But you still enjoyed it?” Rade said. “Killing them? And you felt no guilt?”
“Yes,” Shaw admitted. “But that was different. That was vengeance. What is this, an interrogation?”
“No, but that brings me to the topic of the mission,” Rade said. “It’s all about vengeance. Come with me, and help me enact revenge for what they did to us. For attempting to kill our son.”
For a moment Rade thought he had her, then Shaw’s eyes softened, and she glanced longingly at the bedroom.
“No,” she said. “My place is here. I could not go with you, not when I was constantly worried about what might happen to them. Imagining all sorts of bad things.”
“And yet you have no such worries about me?” Rade asked.
“I have more worries about you than you’ll ever realize,” Shaw said. “But I know you can take care of yourself. The twins... they can’t.” She wrapped her hand around his. “Give them hell for me.”
Rade squeezed her hand. “I’m always torn, when it comes to you. I want you at my side, and yet I don’t want you to risk your life in the field. You’re a stronger person than I. Staying here, protecting the kids, while I go out to have my vengeance. That’s where the real strength of will is. Remaining behind, denying yourself vengeance, to protect those you love.”
Her chin jutted out with determination. “My vengeance is to ensure our children are never hurt by these invaders again. That’s my revenge. But stop trying to make me feel better. I know who the stronger of us is.”
Rade smiled sadly. “So I guess this is farewell.”
She released his hand and looked away. “I guess so. Go, before I change my mind.”
Rade went to the bathroom door and opened it. He glanced at her one last time and then stepped into the hall.
“Rade,” Shaw said.
He turned around in time to open his arms as she threw herself at him. She tucked her head into his chest and wept.
“It’s okay,” Rade said, running his fingers down her hair. “It’s okay.” Watching a woman cry, especially when that woman was his, was simply the worst feeling in the world. It invoked his own nurturing instincts: he just wanted to shelter her and protect her from the rest of the galaxy.
“No it’s not okay,” Shaw sobbed. “It never will be okay. This invasion... so many people have died. Why are the Mahasattva doing this? Why?”
Rade didn’t answer her. He knew she didn’t want words. She only wanted him to hold her.
Finally she pushed herself away and rubbed the wetness from her cheeks. She looked at him with her red eyes and gave him a brave smile. “It’s time for me to suck it up. To stop overdramatizing.”
Rade merely smiled, saying nothing.
“You saved Alex,” Shaw said. “He has full functionality in his arm, even if it’s bioprinted. You asked me if I hate you? No, I don’t. I can’t hate you. I love you more than anything in this universe, Rade Galaal. More than life itself. But if you die out there, that’s when I’ll hate you. That’s when I’ll never forgive you. Don’t you dare deprive your kids of their loving father. Don’t you dare leave me alone to raise these children by myself.”
Rade nodded grimly. He felt like he should say something, anything, but nothing came to him. He had no words for her.
He turned away and proceeded downstairs, where the Argonauts were waiting in the foyer of the country house. He said to them, rather gruffly: “Let’s go.”
Tepin gave Tahoe one last hug, and wished the men success. Rade noticed that Tahoe’s children weren’t present. He wasn’t sure why. Perhaps they were angry with Tahoe for leaving them to go off to war once more. Or maybe they wanted to come along and fight with him. Rade had heard that his kids had been training with Skullcracker at some point, another ex-MOTH. Well, either way, Rade decided not to bother his friend about it. If Tahoe wanted to talk about it, he would bring it up. Otherwise, he was due at least some privacy.
Shaw’s parents stopped Rade at the door. Mr. Chopra pulled Rade off to one side and waited until the others had gone before speaking.
“Thank you for what you have done,” Mr. Chopra said. “Stay safe. For your children. For Shaw.”
Rade smiled briefly. “I will.”
Mr. Chopra shook his hand, as did Mrs. Chopra.
It was the closest to acceptance Rade had ever gotten from Shaw’s parents.
Rade strode through the door. He gazed into the field as he walked and caught a glimpse of the two Centurions Tahoe had dispatched to the estate to protect Tepin; the sun glinted from their burnished polycarbonate shells. Other humanoid farming robots were distributed along the estate perimeter, and inside the house.
When Rade was some distance from the country house he glanced back and saw Shaw standing in
the bedroom window. She raised a hand and opened the fingers in goodbye. Her chin seemed to quiver behind the glass.
Rade waved back, then turned around and continued walking toward the vehicles.
He didn’t look back.
twenty-one
Rade sat in the passenger seat of the pickup truck as the three-vehicle convoy made its way toward the military installation. There was no sign of any enemy units overhead, or in the fields that bordered the rural road.
Tahoe sat in the driver’s seat, though he was not in control of the car, as there was no manual override. In the truck bed behind them, the Centurions had squeezed in.
“You could almost think we were winning,” Tahoe said. “When you look out at those fields. But then you turn on the news.”
“I dread to do it,” Rade said.
“Sometimes I wonder if it’s all fake,” Tahoe said. “A computer simulation put together by the invaders and transmitted over the main news feeds to fool us all. But then all I have to do is look at the photos and videos posted on the social networks.”
“Could be a botnet,” Rade said.
“Yes,” Tahoe said. “But then you have to consider the firsthand experiences we’ve had with these invaders.”
“That is definitely irrefutable,” Rade agreed. He paused. “As I said, I’ve been dreading to look at the news. What’s the latest on Marseille and Paris?”
“Paris has officially surrendered,” Tahoe said. “The government offices are surrounded by scorpions and other converted units. The people have been ordered to remain indoors until further notice. It’s a 24/7 curfew. Marseille still stands, though I’m not sure for how much longer. The city has been almost entirely reduced to rubble. Capitals around the world are facing similar dire straits.”
“So essentially you’re saying, it’s too late,” Rade told Tahoe. “And that we might as well give up.”