Cronus

by K. A. Finn

  'What about you?'

  'Vance, Lucan, and I are going to irritate the Foundation long enough to get everyone off the surface. Buy you all as much time as possible.'

  OUTER SECTOR

  Chayse watches as the battle continues on the screen beside his chair. His orders were clear - they had to find the blacksmith. That was all Gryffin wanted him to do. It goes against everything he is to walk away from a fight, but he risks seriously pissing off Gryffin if he disobeys. Whoever this blacksmith is, he better be important.

  'Tret. Push her as hard as she'll go. I want to get to Gryffin's coordinates as fast as we can.'

  Milla rests her hand on his shoulder as they speed away from Ultar and their friends. 'You okay?'

  'No, I'm not fucking okay. We should be back there with everyone else. This feels wrong. Nemesis can more than handle herself against the Foundation. We shouldn't be running.'

  'You're following orders. You've just got to trust this is more important.'

  Chayse lowers his voice so the rest of the crew can't hear him. 'I took those orders from someone who's been locked in a cell for weeks because he's unpredictable and potentially dangerous. Where's the logic in that?'

  'You took those orders from someone you've known for years. Someone you trust.'

  Chayse snorts and looks down at the screen again. 'Not so sure about the trust part. None of this makes any sense. I mean what the hell can a blacksmith from a remote colony possibly do to help us?'

  'I guess we'll just have to wait and see. It'll be worth it though.'

  Chayse looks up at her. 'What makes you so sure he's not sending us on a wild goose chase?'

  'Because it's his body that's falling apart.' She taps the side of Chayse's head. 'Up here he's our High Commander. If he wants you to go to this delightful sounding colony it's for a good reason.'

  'Delightful? You know it rains there - as in most of the time.'

  'From what I read it actually rains there all the time. I forgot to mention when I said delightful, I was being as sarcastic as I can be. I strongly suggest you try to grab this mysterious blacksmith from the ship without actually setting foot on the surface.'

  'Sir, I got Baila on comms,' Tret says. 'Apparently Gryffin asked her to back us up.'

  'Baila? What's going on?'

  The Rogue captain appears on the screen in front of him. She shakes her head, clearly as pleased about leaving the fight as Chayse is. 'Ask your High Commander. He told me he wanted Dannan to go with you. So here we are. I'm going to assume he's got you on some important mission or else you wouldn't be running like this.'

  'He gave me coordinates - that's it. Apparently there's something there that'll help the Nomad.'

  'Yeah, 'cause that's what I live for - helping the Nomad.'

  'You don't take orders from Gryffin. Feel free to head back.'

  Baila shakes her head again. 'Given a choice between the Hunters and the Nomad, I'll go for the Nomad. I've got you, Captain. Give me a shout if you need anything.'

  Chayse cuts the connection and looks at the readings from the area around Ultar. The Foundation have landed. Ultar has fallen. He considers turning around and heading back. There's nothing to say Gryffin is still alive. There's nothing to say any of his friends are still alive. Is he really doing them and the Nomad a service by saving his own ass?

  Milla squeezes his arm again. 'Follow his orders, Chayse,’ she whispers before kissing him on the cheek and leaving the command deck.

  He slumps back in his command chair and rubs a hand over his face. 'We at top speed?'

  Tret nods. 'That's all we can get from her.'

  'How long until we get there?'

  'About thirty hours or so.'

  Chayse turns off the screen. No point watching a battle he can do fuck all about.

  ULTAR

  Gryffin resists the urge to break open the cell door - not that he'd be able to, but it would make him feel better to at least try instead of just standing here. 'What the hell is taking so long?'

  'On it, sir,' Lucan replies. 'Do I need to restrain you?'

  'Shoot me if I do anything I shouldn't.'

  'You mean do anything you shouldn't, again, sir.'

  Gryffin grimaces. Lucan is right. He's already opened Ultar to the Foundation. 'Shoot me in the head then.'

  Lucan shrugs. 'That'll do. Right, so I guess we're good to go.' Lucan takes the gun from its holster then opens the cell door.

  'Where are the other cyborgs?'

  'Only three are still with us. The others were... well they had to be taken out, sir. The survivors are being loaded on Ares. We need to get her off the ground as fast as we can.'

  Gryffin stumbles as he leaves the cell for the first time in weeks. 'Is the evac underway?'

  'Sorry, sir. You're on the don't need to know list. I don't want to hear anything from you, Captain. Whether you were aware of it or not, you and the other cyborgs killed our defences. You need to do as you're told.'

  Desyl stares at Lucan then at Gryffin, expecting an argument, but Gryffin is all out of those. Lucan is right. He's the reason the Foundation is coming. He'd give anything to stay and fight on the ground, but in his current condition, he'd be worse than useless. The best place for him is on his ship.

  He tries to take a step on his own but his feet have other ideas. Lucan and Desyl slip under his arms to help support some of his weight. Desyl blows out a breath as he adjusts his position. 'Why are you still so heavy? You haven't been eating.'

  'His implants aren't going to lose weight. You'll need to help us, sir. You're too heavy for just the two of us.'

  Gryffin nods, ignoring the fact the room doesn't want to stop moving. Leaning as little as possible on Desyl and Lucan, they finally make it to the corridor leading to the main hangar. Desyl props Gryffin against the wall so he can check the area ahead. He rejoins Lucan and holds up his weapon as someone comes barrelling around the corner. Terra skids to a stop inches from Lucan's weapon. 'It's just me.' Terra frowns as she looks up at Gryffin. 'Hey, you okay?'

  He nods, not trusting himself to speak and breathe at the same time.

  She frowns as she continues to examine him. 'We'll get you on board as quick as we can.'

  He must look like he feels. He squeezes his eye shut and nods again. Heavy footsteps echo through the corridor so he opens his eye again, blinking to clear his blurring vision. Roman joins the group and wipes his forehead with his sleeve. 'Everyone's loaded. Ares is ready to fly as soon as you're on board. The ships have just landed so we're running out of time.'

  'Is Nemesis gone?'

  'She's clear. Baila's ship too.' Roman stops the group as they approach the main hangar. All they can hear is gunfire and shouting. 'Damn it. They're here already.'

  'I need a gun.'

  Roman looks at Gryffin and shakes his head. 'Don't think that's a great idea.'

  'I want them dead, not you.'

  'No offence but you can't stand on your own.'

  'I can still shoot.'

  He looks over at Terra who shrugs. 'An extra gun would come in handy.'

  'Fine. If you feel anything off you tell me immediately, preferably before you shoot me in the head.'

  Lucan gives his captain a gun. 'Try to point that away from me, sir.'

  Gryffin frowns at Lucan but doesn't respond.

  11

  ULTAR

  Gryffin peers through the smoke in the hangar and sees a faint purple glow. The strange whispering starts in his head again as he stares at the approaching cyborgs. Are they trying to communicate with him? Trying to give him orders? Whatever it is, he could do without the added distraction. Staying on his feet is taking all of his concentration. 'They're here.'

  'Who,' Terra asks.

  He nods to the front of the hangar. 'The Foundation cyborgs.'

  Terra and Desyl don't argue. They herd any stragglers towards Ares and hurry up the ramp. Gryffin looks over his shoulder, counting three sets of purple eyes in the gloom.
He registers the red glow from a gun sight and throws himself at Terra, grabbing Desyl's arm on the way down.

  The three of them hit the ground in a heap, sending knives of pain through his leg. The round buries itself in the wall where Terra's head was seconds ago. They get up and pull Gryffin to his increasingly unsteady feet. There's no way they can make it without taking hits. He leans against the wall and watches the approaching cyborgs. He can't make out any details yet, but they're heading in his direction.

  'Desyl. get Terra to the ship.'

  'What the hell are you talking about? I'm not going anywhere.'

  Ignoring Terra, Gryffin directs his order to Desyl. 'It's not a request, Commander. We'll hold them off. Get her to the ship.'

  Terra hesitates, but accepting he's not going to back down, nods and kisses him. 'I'll see you on the Command Deck.' Gryffin grabs Desyl's arm as he passes. 'Get Ares in the air and protect the colony. Keep Ares and Ultar out of Foundation hands.'

  Desyl opens his mouth to argue, but Gryffin cuts him off. 'It's an order. Clear the hangar and keep the Ultarans safe from the air. Understood?'

  Desyl nods and races towards Ares. Gryffin glances over his shoulder at Lucan and Roman. 'I want you both behind something solid. Now.'

  Lucan has the sense not to argue. He grabs Roman's arm and shoves him into an office to Gryffin's left. Gryffin concentrates on his implants, knowing if he gets this wrong it will probably tear a hole right through him. Hell, even if he does it right, it could still take him out.

  He reroutes all the power from his implants to his arm, hoping the damaged metal stump can handle everything he's going to send its way. The pain builds in his body as his implants rally to obey him - maybe for the last time.

  He opens his eye to find the room bathed in a purple haze. He lifts his arm, then sends everything he has left out of his body. The blast is deafening as it rips out of his arm. Crates of supplies, boxes of machinery, consoles, anything in its path is knocked to the ground. A smile crosses his face as he watches half a dozen cyborgs get blown off their feet and away from the waiting ship. Then his world goes black.

  FOUNDATION HQ

  One sits on the chair the guard places outside Garvan's cell. Garvan hasn't acknowledged him and that causes him a great deal of irritation, which no doubt causes Garvan a great deal of pleasure. One clears his throat but Garvan continues to ignore him.

  He clenches his jaw, trying not to lose his temper. He's sure that is what Wade wants. Instead he takes a few discreet breaths to calm himself before he speaks. 'You survived your first session. I'm impressed.'

  Still nothing.

  'Very well. Who was on board Alpha with you?' Garvan's chest rises and falls, but the man remains motionless on the bed.

  'We have footage of a security officer called,' he stops speaking and checks his notes. 'Erin Richards. She unlawfully gained entry to Alpha with another man. I want you to tell me who he is.'

  No response.

  'I have sent a team to her house in the city and a farm her father owns on the outskirts. We will find the answers sooner or later.' The continued lack of response finally gets to him. He stands up and beats his fist against the panel at the side of the bars. 'Answer me!'

  Garvan slowly turns to face him, a big grin on his face. 'Oh, hey Harvey. How long have you been there?'

  One hits the panel again. 'You will respect me!'

  Garvan rolls over and sits up on the bed. Harvey is momentarily shocked when he gets a proper look at the prisoner. The women had been ruthless in their attack. His left eye is bruised and swollen shut, his right cheek has a deep gash and his lip is split and bleeding. Deep bruises cover his arms and chest. His hand is pressed firmly to his old wound as the other hand clutches his thigh. The injuries are not life threatening but are intended to be painful.

  Wade takes a few attempts to push himself to his feet and unsteadily limps across the cell. He rests one hand against the wall, keeping the other pressed to his wounded side. 'Ah come now, Harvey. You can't really expect me to respect you? Hell, I don't even like you.'

  In spite of his cheery tone, Harvey can hear the pain in his voice. Another few sessions like that and he will be more than ready to accept the control implant. 'Who is the other man in the footage with you?'

  'You're not jealous I was spending time with someone else, are you?'

  One turns his back on the cell as he composes himself. He cannot let Wade know he's getting to him. He turns back, irritated by the large grin on the prisoner's bruised face. 'Is everything a joke to you?'

  Garvan shrugs and winces. 'Just trying to make the best of a bad situation.'

  Harvey laughs and shakes his head. 'You're right, old friend. You are in a bad situation. Perhaps it can be improved by telling me what I need to know.'

  Garvan grins widely at him. 'Where's the fun in that? Besides, you said you can find the details all by your lonesome. I'm not going to take that from you.'

  Harvey steps closer to the bars and sneers up at Garvan. 'I will take great pleasure in watching you take the first steps towards a new and more useful existence.'

  Wade coughs and curses in pain. 'Do whatever you have to, mate. Make me stronger. Make me more resilient. I'll use it all to destroy you.'

  'You really think you'll have free will after you go through the procedure? I will own you.'

  Garvan shrugs again. 'Did they say the same to Gryffin when your mates were doing their worst to him? Didn't end too well for them. You just got yourself a pissed off cyborg intent on taking you all down. To be honest, I'm a tad confused why you'd create more of the same?'

  'He was malfunctioning. Thanks to years of research, this issue has been taken care of.'

  Garvan laughs as he slowly makes his way back to the small cot. 'Issue? That's one word to describe him. Can't say I'd fancy being in his sights. And now you're in my sights too. You're a popular guy, Harvey.'

  Garvan groans as he lies back and rests his head on his hands. 'Spending a few years locked in what you affectionately called a prison, for something I didn't do... well, it gave me clarity.' He turns his head slightly to look at One. 'It's kind of ironic if you think about it. If you hadn't thrown me in Tyrat I wouldn't be the man I am today. I worked hard to survive both mentally and physically. Your actions resulted in me being a bigger problem than you could have ever imagined.

  'The old me couldn't have cared less about who your parents are or about your position, title, or any of that meaningless fluff. I just wanted to get on with my life. But this new me...' Garvan sits up to look him in the eyes and One takes an involuntary step back. 'You see, this new improved me has one objective. That objective is at the core of my being and there's not a damn thing you can do to me that will ever stop me from carrying it out.'

  'And what's that exactly?' One asks before he can stop himself.

  'Keep up, Harvey. I plan on killing you, mate. I'm going to look in your piggy eyes as your fat chest rises and falls for the last time. And I'm going to be smiling as I do it.'

  ULTAR

  Roman groans and pushes onto all fours. Rubble falls off his body, landing on the ground around him. He blinks, but a searing pain shoots through his left eye. He slowly touches his fingers to his eye and they come away covered in blood. 'Shit. That's not good.'

  He forces a foot to the ground and tries to push himself upright. Dust fills his lungs, bringing on a coughing fit that does nothing to ease the pain in his eye.

  'Roman?'

  He looks around the gloom, but can't see farther than a few feet in front of him. He opens his mouth to answer the call then stops. If it's the Foundation, telling them his position probably wouldn't be a great idea. He stumbles forward, catching his foot on the masonry covering the floor. Bracing himself for the upcoming pain of hitting the ground, he is surprised when someone catches his arm, keeping him from falling. He smiles when he sees Lucan instead of a Foundation cyborg. 'Am I glad to see you.'

  Lucan frowns as he ch
ecks him out. 'Bit surprised you can see anything. Your eye doesn't look too good.'

  'My legs work. You okay?'

  Lucan smirks. 'I'll be every colour of the rainbow tomorrow, but I'm good.'

  'Where's Gryffin?'

  Roman crouches down, searching the darkness for his son. 'Gryffin?'

  'Over here,' Lucan whispers from somewhere to his left. Roman follows his voice and nearly trips over something on the floor. He focuses on the space in front of him and shapes begin to take form. Lucan is crouched on the ground beside the prone body of Gryffin. 'Is he hurt?'

  'Don't think so. I'm guessing using his arm like that knocked him out.'

  'How do we wake him up? We can't just sit here and wait to be found.'

  Lucan pauses then slaps Gryffin's face.

  'Is that the best you can come up with?'

  'Do you have any better ideas cause I can tell you there's no way we'll be able to lift him. He weighs a hell of a lot.'

  Roman looks around them but Lucan is right. He doesn't have a better idea. The Nomad repeats the process and much to Roman and Lucan's surprise, Gryffin coughs and rolls to his side as he tries to catch his breath.

  'Are you okay?' Roman asks as Gryffin groans.

  Gryffin curses instead of answering. 'What the hell happened?'

  'The compound collapsed.'

  'Did I do that?'

  'I don't know. I think you may have knocked me out when you did that trick of yours.' Roman coughs again, tasting blood in his mouth. He looks down at Gryffin. 'Can you walk?'

  'I'll need help to get up.'

  After a few failed attempts, Lucan and Roman manage to get him upright, but he's not going to be fighting anyone anytime soon. Roman can feel the tremors working through his body as he leans heavily on the two men. 'Did the ships get away?'