The Phoenix Fallacy Book I: Janus

by Jon Sourbeer,

  “You sure?” Janus glanced back at Lyn’s grim face.

  “Yes,” Ramirez stated simply.

  Janus nodded, “Marcus, ready?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “On three.”

  “One…” Janus readied himself.

  “Two…” A sharp intake of breath sounded behind him.

  “Three!” They burst from cover, running as fast as possible for the canal. Janus looked across to see Marcus, Alexis, and Young making their own run. He could hear the explosion of fire from behind him as the remaining cadets provided cover.

  An S.T. popped up from the cover of the canal, aiming at Marcus. Janus lined up a shot as he ran.

  He missed, badly, the round ricocheting off the edge of the trench. The S.T. looked up in surprise, quickly turning his weapon to bear upon Janus.

  Well…at least he stopped firing at Marcus, Janus thought. He jumped right, fired again, and this time the S.T. went down.

  Janus splashed into the shallow river just as a cry went up behind him. Janus turned to see Thomas writhing on the ground, just a few meters short of his goal.

  Without any hesitation, Ramirez effortlessly picked him up with one arm and slung him over a shoulder, carrying him the rest of the way and diving into the canal.

  Janus and Valers cleared the immediate area as Ramirez leapt in, gently depositing Thomas as he turned to fire at the incoming S.T.s.

  Janus glanced at Valers, “Check him.” Valers bent down to examine his teammate.

  “Well, he’s out cold, but I can’t find anything wrong with him. He’s breathing, and he isn’t bleeding, as far as I can tell,” Valers said.

  Ramirez gave Janus a questioning look and Janus turned to Valers, “Stay here with him and watch this area. Ramirez and I will clear out the rest with Marcus and his team.” Valers nodded.

  “Marcus,” Janus spoke into his comm, “Thomas is down, but we think he’ll be OK. Valers is staying with him. Ramirez and I will proceed clockwise around the edge of the canal.”

  “After we clear the area between us, we can bring in the rest of our teams and secure the canal,” Marcus added, “See you in a few.”

  Signaling to Valers to sit tight, Janus and Ramirez splashed through the shallow river, opting for speed rather than silence.

  Just a few S.T.s stood along the shallow canal, and none were expecting an attack from the side. As the last one dropped, the sound of a Skadi rifle came from around the bend and Marcus appeared.

  Janus flashed a hand signal. Clear. Marcus signaled back and the three quickly met in the middle.

  Janus kept scanning the area for new S.T.s rushing in as he spoke, “We are secure for now. Let’s get—“

  “INCOMING!” Marcus yelled in panic, cutting Janus off.

  Janus glanced upwards just as a huge Infernus hurtled out of the darkness towards them.

  The Infernus landed with a tremendous slam, knocking the cadets back, its massive legs clicking and whirring as it compensated for the gigantic force of its landing, the split toes spread wide for balance. As the hulking monster stood up to its full height, Janus suddenly understood why the Praetor’s brief demonstration could never communicate its raw power. Janus had never seen an Infernus in the slums before, but he now knew why few spoke of Inferni with anything less than terror.

  And this Infernus was terrifying, the armor was a dull black, but it was given a ghostly blue glow from the hot light of its dual flamethrowers. As it turned its head to look at the three, Janus could see the helmet featured a huge laughing skull, giving the suit the appearance of death itself. ‘Merc Killer’ had been scrawled onto its right arm, with several notches etched into it.

  “Time to roast some Mercs,” the Infernus laughed, raising his flamethrowers.

  Janus’ natural instincts took over and he dove away from the Infernus, but he knew there would be no escape. The canal was too narrow; it would become the perfect grave.

  A round bounced dangerously close to the Infernus’ visor, and suddenly he was being peppered by fire from two directions, as the rest of the cadets struggled to take down the monster.

  The Infernus shrugged off the fire, but the rounds did divert his attention. “Pathetic. I would have thought you would know better than that,” the muffled voice of the Infernus said. Finally, everything clicked into place for Janus.

  The Infernus raised his arms high, leaping to the edge of the canal, “Worthless Adepts,” the Infernus yelled, “I’ll teach you the meaning of fear!” He fired at Celes and she went down with a howl.

  Marcus yelled ‘Celes!’ as both he and Janus sprung into action, leaping towards the hulking monster. The Infernus planted a fist into Marcus’ gut, the air rushing from his lungs and sending him across the floor. As the hulking monster turned, it paused at the gun barrel that was pointed at its visor.

  “Freeze, Wouris,” Janus said. The Infernus and Adept stared at each other for a moment.

  Suddenly three rounds peppered the side of the Infernus’ head and Janus glanced left to see Wouris dashing from around the trunk. “Janus, Shoot!”

  A pit formed in Janus’ stomach as the Infernus tilted its head and taunted, “Not quite.” Snatching the weapon from his hands with one arm, it planted its powerful claws into to his side, slashing into him. Janus felt his ribs crack as he was bodily lifted and thrown. Weaponless, he could only watch helplessly as the towering Infernus loomed over him.

  Chapter 21: Lessons

  Janus drew in his breath as he prepared for the worst. A surprising thought flashed through his mind, Sorry C----.

  “Enough,” came a booming voice. The Infernus froze and the hall lit up, illuminating the trunk and the invading army.

  It took Janus a moment before his eyes adjusted to the suddenly bright room. He struggled to his feet to find the Praetor walking out of the trunk, clapping his hands with a smile on his face. Colonel Yalla followed behind him, tending to the Adepts and S.T.s. High above him, watching silently from the bridges, were hundreds of Adepts.

  “Very good, all of you. Excellent job. It is great to see such loyal and well trained cadets defending ODIN,” Jennings added. The Adepts above broke into cheers.

  The cadets were tentatively stepping out of their hiding places, as the S.T.s began to congregate around the Praetor. Some of them removed their helmets, and Janus recognized familiar faces. And he realized some weren’t even wearing complete suits of S.T. armor, just the pieces that were visible to the attacking cadets.

  “Thanks to all of our willing volunteers who participated in this exercise,” the Praetor added.

  A particularly squat S.T. stamped up. Janus knew who it was, before Hawkes even pulled off his helmet. “Yes, well, this particular exercise always seems to have willing participants,” Hawkes said with an evil grin.

  Lyn led the rest of the cadets from Janus’ group towards the gathering crowd. She had an amused, if mildly confused, look upon her face.

  “What just happened, Praetor?” she asked.

  “Just a simple test,” Wouris said as she came walking up from behind the Praetor. “A test designed to see both what you have learned and provide you the opportunity to deal with a battle, and all its repercussions, without the battle.”

  “Yes, make any scenario seem real enough and it will have the same emotional and mental effects as a real encounter,” the Praetor added.

  “But how?” Alexis said from the canal. She was helping a disheveled Young, watching the S.T.s who had been ‘killed’ get back up, completely unharmed. “We all thought we were killing S.T.s, and that our companions were really being shot. It was…” She paused, unable to speak.

  Wouris gave a smile of understanding.

  “With these,” Celes came walking up, helping Marcus along and holding a large, oddly shaped round. Janus was surprised to see her up. She turned to the Infernus, “It got stuck in my armor and never fully penetrated.”

  The Infernus pulled off its helmet. “Hmmm, that’s th
e problem with these specialty rounds. They’ll deliver a nasty shock to anyone, but only if they reach the body. But, we might risk more serious injury if they penetrated more.”

  Janus and the other cadets stood open mouthed. It was Colonel Keats.

  Lyn gave Ramirez a strange look. K-E-A-T-S? she mouthed. He shrugged.

  “I’m afraid your guess was wrong, Janus,” Wouris said seriously from behind the Praetor.

  “Yes, Sergeant Wouris was forbidden from participating until the end, as all sergeants are when their cadets go through this exercise. Although I dare say that Sergeant Wouris would probably make this test even more difficult if given the chance. Overall, you did very well. And Janus showed excellent reasoning, realizing the nature of the test, despite getting some of the specifics wrong, and for understanding the value of the canal to the assaulting S.T.s. This should be an excellent lesson to all of you and a warning about the dangers of sacrificing your mobility. If Keats had been a real Infernus, that river would have been your doom. Sometimes it is better to simply remove an enemy’s advantage than to try to turn it to your own. But on a lighter note, it is sometimes surprising the things you learn about people when you least expect it. Don’t you agree, Colonel Hawkes?” The Praetor added with a smile.

  Hawkes had a grin on his face, “Oh very much so, sir. Although anyone who knows ‘manda and what she used to—” Keats narrowed her eyes and gave him a withering stare. Hawkes immediately clammed up.

  “So do we have to worry about any more midnight assaults?” Marcus asked with a wince, holding his chest. Col. Yalla came over and inspected him, “Medical branch,” he said quietly.

  Wouris gave Marcus a hard look, “Do you think we would tell you?”

  Marcus grimaced, “No, Sergeant.”

  Yalla walked over to Janus and he lifted his arm to allow the officer to inspect his wound. Janus winced as the old doctor’s fingers probed the area. Yalla nodded approvingly to Keats, “Mostly superficial. A few broken bones, but nothing a small Nanyte injection won’t cure.” Janus grimaced.

  The Praetor smiled, “Actually, Marcus, you don’t have anything to worry about. From this point on I want you to know that if you hear any warning alarms, they will be the real deal. Besides, it takes us months to put together enough of those specialty rounds for this exercise, not including the special rounds for your Skadis. They are hand-made by two of our tech-sergeant weapon smiths, and I think Chiles and Graham would kill me if I asked them to make another batch, no matter how much I outrank them. So, no, you won’t get a second opportunity to participate in this exercise. It never was quite as effective the second time, anyway.” The officers nodded in agreement.

  “Which reminds me,” Wouris whirled to face Janus, “Never hesitate! You might not get a second chance.” The cadets were taken aback by her reaction, but the Adepts remained impassive, whispering, “There’s always one…”

  “What did you think you were accomplishing by not firing?” Wouris added.

  “I was afraid that I might kill you at point blank!” Janus exclaimed.

  Wouris grabbed him by the uniform and dragged him over to Keats. “See this!” She knocked on the visor. “All of the armor and suits have had an extra layer added to them.” She grabbed a weapon from a nearby cadet and whipped out a round into her hand. “See these? Special shattering rounds designed to lose all of their energy before they penetrate armor. You had a better chance of hurting yourself with them than you did Keats! You don’t think we considered the possibility?”

  “But…how was I supposed to know that?” Janus asked.

  “You’re not!” Wouris exclaimed. “That’s the point! You know what your problem was?”

  Janus was silent, but shook his head.

  “Arrogance! You had the arrogance to assume that you had actually bested me in battle! That you were smarter than me and the officers! That you beat me to the punch! Well, guess what, you’re not that good – not yet. But if this had been a real battle, what would have happened to you,” Janus kept his eyes locked with Wouris. “or your team then?” she finished.

  Janus lowered his gaze, but remained silent. No one spoke, but he could feel a million eyes upon him.

  “As soon as the Praetor dismisses you, you can do a quick 100 laps around the column before heading to the Medical Branch to get that cleaned up,” she pointed to the slashes across his ribcage. “Maybe it will help you remember the lessons you learned tonight. Then you can go to bed,” Wouris added irritably.

  Janus looked up and could see the first vestiges of light trickling through the Great Seal. He sighed.

  The Praetor nodded in agreement with Wouris, but after a moment smiled and turned to the group as a whole, “I want to reiterate how very pleased I am with all of you tonight. All of you showed great promise. Cadets Marcus and Janus did an excellent job leading all of you today. The officers and I are always pleased to see cadets step up and take on the challenge of leadership.” The officers and the sergeants all nodded approvingly.

  “Commendations to Cadet Lyn for her excellent support earlier tonight and Cadet Celes for her wise counsel, as well,” the Praetor added. He glanced over at Dunn, who stood with his two, apparently uninjured, companions near the outside of the circle. Janus noted, however, that the Adept who had been slammed into the wall still appeared slightly woozy; realism had been one of the goals of the exercise.

  “On a final note, please do not hesitate to discuss with the officers anything you may have felt during the exercise, whether it be a suggestion… or a personal concern. Cadet Nathans…”

  Nathans looked up - his face didn’t seem quite so young anymore.

  “I believe Captain Rogers would like to share a story with you. Now, go on and get some brief rest before you start today’s training. Dismissed.”

  Several cadets slapped Janus on the back as they left or gave him thumbs up. Lyn and Ramirez walked by, followed by Celes, who was aiding a very gingerly moving Marcus.

  “Don’t I get any help?” Janus asked.

  “You look fine to me. I’m sure you’re tough enough to handle it,” Celes replied with a teasing smile. “Besides, Marcus was injured trying to rescue me. You got injured because you were an idiot.”

  Marcus smiled as Janus scowled. “Not that either of you were any less stupid,” Celes added. Marcus quickly stopped smiling. Celes glanced at Janus, motioning with her head towards the trunk, “You better start running before Wouris notices,”

  And then Wouris’ voice cut across the hall, “Cadet Janus! Get yourself moving or I will!”

  With a sigh, Janus turned and ran, resisting the urge to clutch his side.

  Chapter 22: The Mission

  The next day Wouris wore a much grimmer look.

  “Your advanced training is over.”

  The cadets looked around at each other in confusion.

  “This morning, I was informed that the Praetor, under advisement of the officer’s council, has elected to move forward with a large contract. Due to the size of the operation, all available personnel have been made active for duty, even the cadets,” Wouris struggled to keep her face calm, her teeth grinding. “This operation will be your first mission, and as such, it will determine whether you become full-fledged Adepts. The Praetor and the majority of officers feel that you are well prepared for this mission and can make a meaningful contribution to it. Anyone who does not agree may step out now, as we neither want you nor need you to become a liability. You will be returned to your former corporation as soon as possible.”

  Many of the cadets looked around at each other, but none moved. Janus remained still. I can’t believe they’re sending us out, he thought.

  “Good. Briefing is at 0600 hours.”

  When Janus arrived at 0550, the mess hall had been converted into a meeting chamber, with the seats lined up towards the far end of the room. At one end a MuDi was already running, lowering from the ceiling. Adepts crowded into the room, and excitement filled the a
ir. Wouris leaned against a wall and stared stonily at the display.

  Janus, Celes, Lyn, Ramirez and Marcus sat off to one side, by the windows. Praetor Jennings entered the room swiftly, sporting a grim look. Wouris stood at attention as he passed, but her expression did not change. The Praetor’s appearance silenced the buzz.

  “As you are all aware,” he began, “ODIN has agreed to a new contract.”

  There were cheers all around. The Praetor raised a hand for quiet, “Yes, this is a boon for us. Many of you are aware of the decline in the number of jobs we have had in recent years. The Corporations have been – apathetic, at best. This is a critical opportunity for us – a chance to replenish our coffers beyond what trading has been able to do. What is unique about this operation is that it falls outside standard Adept missions: this is a full-fledged assault upon a Titan Corporation outpost.”

  The murmuring began again.

  “Silence, please,” the Praetor commanded. “I realize that such a job hasn’t been undertaken in years, and that it is much more dangerous than a standard infiltration operation. I also realize there has been some dissension among the officers concerning my decision to include the cadets in this mission. However, those of you who know me,” he glanced at Wouris and Keats, who looked away, “should realize that I would not send out cadets who I do not feel are ready for the task. I consider the safety of my fellow Adepts paramount.”

  “Unfortunately, we cannot pass up a job of such exceptional pay, and let me assure you that the pay is exceptional.”

  Marcus blurted out before he could stop himself, “How much is exceptional?”

  Col. Keats stood up and addressed Marcus, “That is none of your concern. If the Praetor gives the order, it doesn’t matter how much money ODIN is receiving for a job.”

  Jennings smiled at Keats, “Thank you Colonel. However, in this case I find it to be a perfectly valid question. To answer your question, Cadet: seventy cross-ingots of Immutium alloy, of which, we have already received half.”