I shrug uncomfortably. "Love…I guess."
"That answer would be true if you had any idea of what love is."
"I do know what love is."
"I don't think you do, Specter. You might have once, but they took that away from you the same way they took your sense of self. You were just at your mother's grave, but where were you when she died? In the years and months when she needed you?"
I remain silent, all too aware of where I was.
"You isolated yourself from the person who loved you the most. You stole from her. Lied to her. And why? Because you thought you were in love with a virtual reality woman. A DLP created for the sole purpose of forming a relationship that would keep you tied to Elysia. Your supposed love for this false construct kept you from experiencing or reciprocating real love. Family love. Human love. Your world is completely synthetic. So how would you know what it's like to be human?"
I stop in my tracks, face flushed with fierce heat. Dabria pauses, turning around to look at me. My hand clench into quivering fists.
"You think you're my judge, is that it? You get to put me down, act like you're so much better than me. Like you've never made mistakes. Like you never did anything you're ashamed of."
She gives me a pitying look. "Shame? I know it like a reflection of my own face. The mistakes I've made have left me scarred for life. But the difference between us is that I don't wallow in my shame. I don't surrender to the weight of my mistakes. At some point, you have to move forward, Specter. At some point, you have to grow."
"You don't understand." I hesitate, trying to keep my voice from choking up. "I know I'm messed up, okay? I want to change. I want to know what it's like to be normal. To be clean. But I don't have any family. I don't have any friends outside of Elysia. All I have is Hel. All I know is what's in Elysia. And yeah, in the back of my mind I know it's not real. I know Hel is just something a team of programmers designed to match my personality. But it doesn't matter. If I don't have her, then what do I have? I'll be completely alone. With nowhere to go. With no one that cares."
Dabria approaches and places a hand on my shoulder. "You can start here, Dean. With me. With what we're doing here. You can find family. You can find friends. You can have something real."
I look her in the eyes. "Only if I do what you want, right? Only if I let you use me."
A small smile touches her lips. "We all use each other, Dean. We loan of ourselves to help out others. It's called a relationship. That's what the fabric of humanity is. The threads we tie to one another—the things we do to form bonds that strengthen over time. Take away the tech, take away the money, take away the trivial things we own and what do we have left? Each other. And that can never be taken away from us. Do you understand?"
I nod, too emotional to speak.
"Then come. There's something I want to show you."
We enter the depot, which turns out to be surprisingly state-of-the-art inside. Built like a mini-lab, it's equipped with sophisticated equipment and gadgetry. Dabria stops by a human-sized vertical pod that looks similar to a Deep Sleep resident capsule. She places her palm on the access reader and holds her face still while her eyes are scanned. Upon verification, the capsule door slides open with a hissing sound, expelling clouds of vapor into the air.
She motions me to look inside. I gasp in recognition. A man lies in the cushioned interior as if asleep. He's tall and handsome with dark hair and a close-cropped beard.
"That's Jude Maximillian. Head of Maximillian Industries. How in the world did you manage to abduct the richest man in the world?"
"Don't be silly, Dean."
I looked up in surprise. "This is a synoid?"
"Not any synoid. A carbon copy designed by Maximillian himself. So perfect that he used it in place of himself when he didn't want to handle certain activities in person."
"I've heard of that. But there's no way you should have been able to get your hands on this. Gotta be a catch."
"The catch is that this is an older model."
"How old? This thing looks perfect."
"Over one hundred versions old. Maximillian is a perfectionist. Always tinkering. Always upgrading. Striving for absolute perfection, striving for godhood. He has an entire warehouse full of discarded carbon copies. Decommissioned, but still useful in the right hands. All it took was an inside man to smuggle one out. It took years of time and effort, but we were finally successful."
I tore my eyes away from the magnificent model to stare at Dabria. "You want me to link to this synoid. Use it to access Syn City. This was your plan from the start."
"You're the only one who can do this, Dean. This isn't a coincidence. Every moment of your life has led to this moment. The question that remains is: will you take the leap of faith and believe in yourself now that your time has arrived?"
Before I can open my mouth, her holoband buzzes. Kilgore's face appears on the screen.
"The trap is set. They're in route now."
The transmission ends. Dabria looks up at me. "It's time. You know the plan is."
My heart nearly explodes. "But…I need more time. I'm not ready for this."
She taps the badge on her uniform and her uniform ripples, nanomachines altering the material and reforming into her familiar sleek beetle-black armor. Panels slide from her neck guard and click into place, forming her helmet and visor.
"You have to be ready, Specter. Because we're at war and we're out of time."
Chapter 14: 3N16MA
The landscape blurs past the window, imperceptible as my future. We're flying at speeds of over eight-hundred miles per hour toward a confrontation I want no part of but can't avoid. The jet chopper rumbles from mild turbulence, like thunder before a massive storm.
Zen crouches in Brutus' broad shadow, surrounded by a squad of soldiers that look like giants even when crouching to listen to her. She doesn't let her tiny size stop her from ordering them around.
"Okay, listen up. An hour ago, we caught a transmission from target D—" She pulls up a photo of Dabria and leaves it suspended in the air. "—to target K." Another photo, this time of Kilgore.
"They've arranged a meeting at this location, just outside of the Los Nuevos Haven." She flips a positioning map beside the photos. "It's an abandoned amusement park. From what we've deciphered, Dabria's rolling with two squads. Best guess is up to twenty-five hostiles. All highly-trained combat professionals. Do not underestimate them."
Agent Rogers looks at her with strained eyes. "Kilgore has single-handedly taken out every squad sent at him. And not just grunts like us. I'm talking Elite kill squads. Super soldiers. If they weren't a match for this guy, what are we supposed to do?"
Uneasy mutters break out from the gathered squad. They might be hardened soldiers, but every one of them knows the legends about Kilgore. He's a boogeyman, something spoken about in whispers and drunken conversations. Not a living person you've just been ordered to hunt down.
Zen doesn't let the question faze her. "We have two accompanying air units and five on the ground awaiting our arrival. We'll have superior numbers and firepower plus air support. Your orders are to locate and capture Dabria and Specter. All other targets are expendable. So don't worry about Kilgore. That's what they're here for."
Their heads swivel the direction of her pointed finger, over where I sit next to Kage. Brutus growls deep in his throat, beady eyes glinting suspiciously at the bioroid.
Kage is geared up in form-fitting black armor that gives him the appearance of a metallic spider, complete with a skull-shaped helmet to further intimidate. He sits motionless, eyes flickering inside of the mask as countless scenarios play out within milliseconds inside of his computer-enhanced mind. He's running the operation in person, a rarity that only underscores the import of the mission.
He turns head, voice harsh through the helmet. "You know that we're running into a trap."
I swallow hard, nodding.
"This is what the Collective told us
about. It's too easy. This is how they lull us in. Make us overconfident. The question now is how they plan to take us out."
He waves a hand across the air, projecting a holographic map from the cy-gear in his palm. "Initial scans reveal only one person in the park. Based on body measurements, it's Kilgore."
I lean forward, looking at the infrared image of a solitary figure sitting cross-legged in one of the abandoned buildings as if in meditation. No other heat signatures are visible. The park looks skeletal, just the bare bones of roller coasters, old booths, an ancient Ferris wheel, and a giant statue of a pre-Cataclysm mech soldier unit.
Kage points to an approaching blinking dot. "That's Dabria's team. They departed from General Hamilton's military compound twenty-seven miles from here and are two minutes from the rendezvous. Two armored transports, two groups of ten."
"That's only eleven hostiles. How many troops at our disposal?"
"One hundred thirty-two, excluding you and me."
"Should be easy then." I wish I felt as confident as I sound.
Kage appears to share my doubt, tilting his head as if accessing information. "It won't be. Dabria would never be caught off-guard this easily. And Kilgore? He's been a ghost for years. If we're here, it's because they want us to be."
"Then we should abort. No point playing right into their hands."
"No. We proceed as planned. They're not the only ones who can lay traps."
I shiver at his words, know that he doesn't plan on letting them break me loose. Kage is playing his own game, and won't give me up just because of the Collective's predictions. He wants my pain all to himself, something to break down and forge into his own image.
"We're approaching the rendezvous. Eagle Two, I'm taking us up out of their detection range."
His eyes flash, and the chopper jet's nose tilts upward, taking us higher. Glancing out the window, I spot Eagle Two following formation. Onboard is another sixteen-man squad like the one we have with us. Both ships hit their retrorockets, slowing down to hover over the attack zone. The wall screen activates, giving us a magnified bird's-eye view of the action below.
Dabria's two transports arrive in the park, driving directly to the supply building that Kilgore waits in. The garage doors open, allowing them to drive inside.
"Give me eyes in the building," Kage hisses.
The screen obeys his command, displaying video feed from insect drones that have already infiltrated the building. With hundreds of cameras in every part of the structure, we're able to get a three-dimensional, interactive display of the activity inside.
Facial recognition immediately identifies the pertinent targets: Kilgore, standing on a rampart above the transports. Dabria in her battle armor, walking beside Specter, who looks completely out of place despite his new outfit consisting of an asymmetric military jacket and matching cargo pants. The rest of Dabria's crew leap out of the transports, securing defensive positions throughout the building.
Dabria looks up at Kilgore. "What's so important, Kilgore? We're not ready to make our move yet."
He raises a finger, scanning the area. "We've been compromised. Everyone watch yourselves."
"What are you talking about?"
"This place is bugged." A device flashes in his hand. "Get ready to move." His thumb clicks a button, and the feed dissipates, the screen going black.
"Damn it." Kage waves a hand as if conjuring magic. The screen flashes back on, displaying a close-up shot of the building. Thermal and X-ray imaging from drones outside gives us an indication of movement from inside.
Kage places a hand to his helmet. "Take the building."
The five transports move in, one through the main entrance and the others through the four corners of the park. They meet no resistance as they close in on the targeted building. Cyber Corp soldiers spill out of the transports like scurrying ants and form attack formations: androids in front, troopers behind, and five Scythers in command. They breach through doors and windows, entering the building at various entry points. We wait to hear the sounds of the imminent firefight.
Instead, the entire park explodes.
The image on the screen is a massive fireball, painting the screen angry shades of red and orange. We stare in stunned shock at the destruction of our ground forces. Kage is the only one who appears undisturbed, already activating failsafe measures and backup plans. An army of saucer-shaped drones drifts from the sky, descending into the billowing smoke and ash in search of the enemy. His eyes flicker as he receives instant transmissions, his enhanced brain processing information in the time it takes me to blink.
I peer at the screen, searching for signs of movement. "No way they set that off while still in the building."
"Agreed. Suicide isn't Dabria's forte. They must have a secured underground bunker." His eyes flash. "Eagle Two, you've got movement on your flank."
"My sensors aren't picking up anything, Eagle One."
"I'm registering a disturbance in the airflow. The ship is cloaked. Get out of there."
"I don't see anything. Where is it?"
"Get out of there, Eagle Two."
Dabria's airship materializes on the side of Eagle Two, surface rippling as the cloak vanishes. The ship opens fire at point-blank range, shredding Eagle Two's armor with ease. Kage is already taking evasive measures, spinning the jet chopper around as Eagle Two spins in jerky circles, falling to the destruction below. The screams of the men inside crackle over the receiver.
Our ship veers, throwing us around as it tries to outflank the enemy fighter. The sound of firing guns is deafening, the thrum reverberating through the hull. I catch Zen's gaze across the aisle. Her eyes are wide, lips compressed, hands clutching Brutus' protective arm. She shouldn't even be here. I suppress a stab of fury, but I can't concentrate on that now. Especially when the situation becomes even more dangerous.
A sliver of light flashes in our ship's interior, crackling like a strike of lightning. When my vision clears, I can only blink in disbelief. Kilgore is inside of our chopper, kneeling with one fist planted against the floor. His head snaps up, looking at me. A predator's grin stretches across his face.
"What the hell?" Agent Rogers screams.
Kane unlatches his harness. "I'm putting the ship on autopilot. Everyone evacuate and regroup on the ground." He moves while speaking, launching himself at Kilgore. The two men brawl in a dizzying display of blurred limbs before Kilgore pivots, spinning around Kane and delivering a reverse kick that sends him sprawling.
Agent Rogers and his squad unstrap themselves and draw their weapons, but compared to Kilgore's speed they may as well be moving underwater. Kilgore whips his arm in their direction. One second his hand is empty, the next he's clutching an ion blaster as if he summoned it from thin air.
I tackle him as he opens fire, slamming him into the floor. Driving my elbow into his back, I look at Brutus. "Everyone clear out. Brutus, get Zen out of her now!"
He immediately wraps one massive arm around Zen and slaps the OPEN hatch with the other paw, freefalling out the door in a rush of roaring wind with Zen's scream dwindling as they fall. The rest of the squad follows suit as a glancing barrage of enemy fire rocks the ship. I grit my teeth as Kilgore pushes himself up as if my weight is nothing, even when I rain down punches on his head that would turn a normal man's brains into mush.
He responds with a swinging elbow to my temple that makes my vision go double. I roll on the floor, wincing as he leaps to his feet and grapples with Kane, who has regained his equilibrium. Two extra arms unfold from Kane's sides, one wielding a laser-edged dagger, the other an ion blaster. Somehow Kilgore manages to counter every stab and shot, moving with a speed that should be impossible for a human body.
I shake the dizziness off and leap at Kilgore as he rips one of Kane's extra arms off, metal crunching in his fist. I plant the muzzle of my blaster against the back of his head, stopping him in mid-motion. A dark laugh curdles from his throat.
"Ah, yes. Th
e prodigal child. You're fighting on the wrong side, you know."
My hand tightens on the pistol grip. "I know you're fast, but I promise you're not fast enough to dodge this."
His hand slowly relaxes around Kane's throat. "I don't doubt it. There's one thing you're not taking into account, though."
"What's that?"
"Autopilot isn't good enough to outfight Dabria's ship."
The side of the chopper explodes from a direct hit, throwing us off our feet in a searing blast of flame and shredded metal. Blinding light crackles around Kilgore, and while still in midair, he vanishes like an apparition. I slam against the opposite wall as the chopper whirls wildly out of control. Kage lands beside me, head jerking back and forth as he remotely tries to keep the chopper from nosediving. The air sucks through the gaping wound in the hulls, howling as if in agony. The smoke nearly smothers me, but I'm able to filter it through my artificial lungs fast enough to keep from blacking out.
Kage turns his head, helmet a ghastly skull with flashing eyes. "I can't keep her in the air. Abandon ship."
"What about you?"
He glances down at the charred stumps of the legs that were torn apart by the detonation. Torn cables and wires spark and leak fluid in place of muscle and ligaments. "I won't make it. I know that makes you happy, Scyther."
Gritting my teeth, I seize him by the armpits and drag him to the open hatch. "We both know that's not how this ends, Kage."
Wrapping my arms around his metal-encased chest, I leap out into the howling winds and blackened sky. The chopper continues its dying descent as we fall away into smoke thick as ocean waters. Radar flashes across my vision, illuminating objects obscured to the naked eye. We're closer to the ground than I thought and falling fast. My boots automatically fire retro-thruster blasts, slowing our fall from instantly fatal to highly probable.
A metal skeleton appears in the gloom, rusty and ancient. We collide with the framework of the giant Ferris wheel with metallic ping, separated by the blow and flying different directions. I lose sight of Kage, trying desperately to right myself as I whirl through the air, but I hit the ground before I can even register the impact. Something tears in my shoulder as I bounce across the charred concrete, through burning rubble before rolling to a standstill in front of a burning building. Everything hurts; a throbbing bubble of agony impels me to curl into a shuddering ball and clamp my teeth to keep from screaming.
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