by Ian Williams
For the next few blocks the route was relatively clear of obstructions. Within minutes they were again staring at the entrance to the library, checking the front for Sentients. To Gregson’s disappointment there was another small team of them standing guard outside. Isaac was far from running out of soldiers.
“Damn. OK, here’s the plan,” Gregson said, while checking her rifle over. It clicked and beeped as it confirmed readiness. She then took out a pistol, cocked it and handed it to Graham.
“Really?”
“Fraid so. Do exactly what I tell you, when I tell you, OK?”
Graham remained hiding around the corner at the end of the street and peered out across to the enemy. He was left alone and fretting over his poor aim. His last time with a gun had thrown bullets all over the place. Expecting anything different this time was beyond crazy, in his opinion. Still, as Gregson quietly ran to the building across the street, he took a few practise aims.
A moment later, once Gregson had disappeared up a staircase inside, he heard her voice speaking to him through their old-fashioned radios. “Graham, can you hear me?”
“I hear you.”
“Good. I’m heading to the outside emergency staircase, on the tenth floor.”
“OK, what do you need me to do?”
“When I say, fire a couple of shots toward those Sentients.”
“What, they’ll see me, won’t they?”
“Yes, that’s the idea. Just let off one or two shots and then get back into cover.” The sound of a door being forced open followed. Gregson then spoke quieter, and with a noticeable wind whipping at her mic too. “OK, do it now. And if you hesitate, I swear to God I’ll shoot you myself.”
There was no time for Graham to again pose his questions, he needed to act quickly. As instructed he stepped out from the corner of the building and fired three shots in the general direction of the library. As expected, the seven Sentient soldiers standing there and silently waiting immediately jumped into action and began running for Graham, their own weapons screaming a torrent of metal abuse in reply. The bullets quickly took chunks off the wall beside him.
“I did it, now it’s your turn,” he called into his radio, his hands up by his head to protect from flying pieces of brick.
“You got it,” Gregson replied. She then fired her own weapon, one that popped much louder, even from a distance. “One down ... two down ... three down...” she said in quick succession, each time accompanied by a metallic clunking sound as the next bullet was loaded. Unfortunately, by the time she reached six it was clear she had misjudged her timing a little. Soldier number seven had yet to realise another had been picking them off from a raised position, so assumed Graham to be the only threat still. “Fuck, no, no...”
“What’s going on?”
“He’s less than ten metres away from you, Graham. Use whatever you’ve got left in the pistol and floor that bastard.”
“Why can’t you–” was all Graham could say before the last remaining Sentient stormed around the corner and spotted him standing there, a finger in his ear.
The split second it took the Sentient to try and take aim was enough for Graham to act. Going against his better judgement, he grabbed the rifle and pushed it away as it fired. A single pull of the trigger sent a handful of hot metal slugs hurtling past and into the wall behind him. The two of them fought for ownership of the weapon, knowing the one that won would be the first to fire.
“Graham, what’s happening? I can’t see you.” Gregson was clearly panicked.
He could barely breathe, let alone reply. The Sentient had more strength in reserve and soon began to overwhelm Graham’s weakening grip. Three months in a coma had robbed his own reserve. At the point that he was sure he was about to let go of the rifle he turned to another tactic. To prevent the Sentient from taking aim, he forced all of his weight forward and pushed his enemy away. “Gregson, now!” he yelled, before landing flat on his face.
A single shot rang out that stopped the Sentient finally. It had burst through the back of the head and out again through the right cheek bone, shattering it and any teeth caught in the way into tiny pieces. The body then slowly arched forward, slamming into the ground beside Graham, who stared in shock.
He remained there for a short while and allowed his chest to draw as much air as it needed to calm him down. After that he heard Gregson again talking to him through the radio.
“Nicely done,” she said, as calmly as ever.
Nicely done, nicely done? She’s got a fecking nerve! a voice bellowed within Graham’s head.
Now they could enter the library, which Graham vowed not to leave again until every last one of the new relays was gone. He had seen all the fighting he wanted already.
* * *
The next forty minutes went by in a hurry for Graham as he and Gregson waited inside the library. They were eager to go ahead and send the signal to Luke through the Orb device. All that stopped them was the required command from Captain Rigs. That was not due until things were to become a little hectic.
Gregson was on one knee and resting against her upturned rifle as she surveyed the entrance to the library. There was no point in trying to secure the building because neither of them planned on staying for any longer than was absolutely necessary. So she stayed vigilant and free of distraction.
Until Graham’s nerves dictated he talk, as they often did. From his position sat on the floor and with his back against a bookshelf he had watched his companion with interest. While he twirled Susan’s wrist screen in his hands he said: “Can I ask; why did you join the military?”
Before answering, Gregson first shot a look of exasperation back at him. “Really, you want to do this now?”
“Sorry, ignore that. I’m just going a little crazy waiting here like this.”
They returned to silence shortly after. But the question had not been ignored. Gregson eventually sighed and then answered. “My family,” she said.
“What?”
“I have three brothers. They all joined, following my father’s insistence. It seemed like the obvious thing for me too.”
“Do you like it, being a soldier I mean?”
“If you have to ask then you really don’t get it. No-one stays in the military this long and goes through this kind of shit if they don’t see it as their entire life. I wouldn’t do anything else.”
With the conversation having gone much deeper than Graham had been prepared for, it was with great relief that they were interrupted by a radio message. It was Captain Rigs finally.
“Gregson, do you read me. Come in.”
“About time,” Gregson huffed as she pulled the radio from her belt and spoke into it. “Go ahead, sir.”
“Are you both in position?”
“We are, sir. Just give us the go ahead and we’ll get the signal sent.”
“Excellent. Each of the six teams are ready. We’re less than ten minutes from detonation. As soon as you hear the noise get that message through. Comms will remain open from now on, so listen in.”
“Affirmative, sir. We’ll be ready.”
The radio crackled as the conversation ended. Except instead of going entirely silent this time a low level chatter could be heard between each team. They were all preparing their EMP devices to go off simultaneously. Now it was down to accurate timing alone.
“Here we go then.” Gregson stood and readied her weapon once more. “Graham, you’re up. Do that thing you did last time and let’s get sorted. Any chance we can do it without that black mist shit again? I need to see to shoot anyone that stumbles in on us.”
“Right. I’ll see what I can do.”
Graham approached the giant Orb as before and stood before its shimmering surface. You guys ready for this?
“Go for it, G,” the oldest of the voices replied.
He placed his hand against the icy shell and prepared for a sharp pain across his body. It happened with the same ferocity as the last time, but was
easier to stand now.
The diamond flashed rapidly. Seconds later and the Orb reacted, turning a deep shade of blue. It was going ahead much gentler than he had expected.
“OK,” one of the voices in his head began. “We’re back in. Just give us a minute or two to locate Luke again. If this is the same as before then this should be about right.”
“Graham?” Gregson asked, concern written in creases across her face. “Is it working?”
All he could manage in reply was a quick jerk of his head to the side.
The voice continued to tell of its progress. “I think we’ve got it now, G. Just a few more...”
“Here we go then.” Rhys could be heard saying through the radio. “Timer is set for one minute. There, that’s it. Right, we need to be gone.”
It was too late to back out now.
“Wait a minute.” The older voice had obvious worry to its words as it spoke only to Graham.
What is it?
“I’m not sure. Give me a second or two.”
Captain Rigs then whispered into the radio, his words only just audible over the occasional rattle of interference. “This is it then. Twenty seconds to go. We should see something happen the second the bombs go off. If not, then we need to be ready to run. I don't think Isaac will like this much.”
Hey, what’s taking so damn long. Have you found Luke yet or not?
“I don’t know what’s going on.” The reply came with a tone of panic that Graham now shared with the many voices there with him. “Last time we reached him straight away.”
They’re probably a little busy getting themselves ready.
“I hope you’re right. Because we’re running out of time here.”
The final count then began over the radio. The Captain called the numbers out. “Here we go. In five, four, three, two...”
“Oh my God,” Graham heard inside his aching head.
“One!”
The sound of each blast thumping against the Earth boomed throughout the city centre, their combined energy causing the ground beneath their feet to shake violently. It sent a nearby gathering of pigeons off into a frenzy and flying in any and all direction. Shadows of the debris filled plumes then blocked out parts of the sky, stealing the purple light and struggling sunlight from the inside of the library.
“That ... was ... bloody ... awesome!” Rhys yelled over the comms system. “Look, the relay’s fucked.”
“Did it work?” one of the other teams asked.
“Only one way to find out.” Captain Rigs answered back with. “Come in, this is Captain Rigs calling the Ring, come in please.”
A loud fizz of static was soon followed by a voice that Graham instantly recognised. “My God, you’re still alive? Captain Rigs, this is Brigadier Harrington speaking. Give us an update, what’s happening down there?” The voice came through loud and clear, cutting through the rest of them.
“Yes!” Gregson said to the side of Graham with a fist pump.
“No time for that now, sir.” The Captain wasted no time and ordered his first strike. “Brigadier Harrington, you need to take out the larger relays in the city before the shield can reform.”
“We’re already coming around for a shot. Watch out below.”
From high above, the Ring opened fire with a simultaneous attack on all of the newer relays. Graham listened in as the sounds of a swarm of missiles erupted out of it and quickly found their targets.
But a growing fear was robbing him of any enjoyment.
“Stand by for more targets,” Captain Rigs told the Ring. “Gregson, send the message. Let’s end this now.”
“Gladly, sir.” Gregson stood in front and focused on Graham’s frozen face. “What’s the hold up?”
“We’re struggling to pass on the message, G,” was the answer from one of Graham’s internal voices. “We can’t locate Luke or any of the others to give it to them. It’s like they’re not there anymore.”
Graham breathed in sharply. Shit, something’s gone wrong. Without them this will all have been for nothing.
Through obvious frustration, Gregson’s face dropped suddenly. “Whatever is going on in that skull of yours get it sorted, now. I don’t care what it takes, you have to get that signal sent.”
To his dismay, the trouble only intensified a moment later when one of the volunteers shouted over the radio in a sudden panic. “There’re soldiers coming up the street towards us.”
“How many?” Captain Rigs yelled back.
“Too many to keep back.”
“OK, I want each team to fall back. Find somewhere to hide and let the Ring deal with them. We’ve done what we can now. Gregson, the same goes for you and Graham. Once you’re done find somewhere to wait.”
“Fuck, there’s got to be thousands of them,” Rhys said.
“Hey, don’t hang around there, you’ll be wiped out. Brigadier Harrington, come in. We’ve got a large movement of enemy combatants marching through the city. I repeat, we are seeing…”
“We see them, Captain. It appears the enemy has been waiting for this fight.” The reply was riddled with interference. “Just sit tight and let us…”
“Say again, sir, message was cut off. Sir? Come in. God dammit.”
The next thing Graham heard was of something exploding high above them. This time the shockwave was much stronger. It flew past the library, shaking the structure to the core and kicking up every ounce of dust into the air. Graham choked on the particles invading his lungs with each breath.
That’s it. Luke has to be there, so find him already.
At a distance of no more than a few hundred feet away came the flaming carcass of an enemy drone. It spiralled out of the sky before crashing on the roof of a nearby building. Amid the roar of its rotors came an ear-piercing shriek that continued well beyond the point of impact. Then closer this time came another, which found the ground a formidable foe, one it had no chance of surviving. The two demolished enemy crafts sparked and popped as the fires claimed them.
The older voice finally made the most obvious observation of their current situation. “Graham, Luke isn’t there. None of them are anymore. There’s nothing we can do.”
“Yeah,” another added, “we should get somewhere safe.”
Fine, then, let me go.
The very second he was released, Graham ran for the front window of the library and stared up into the sky. He was in for a shock too. All across the sky were more of the drones than he had ever seen before, even more than during his near fatal deployment from the Ring. Isaac had been saving them all for another battle with the Ring’s defences, it seemed. Everywhere he looked he could see enemy crafts whizzing about and passing by yet more of them. It was not the odd one of two, but what amounted to a swarm of hundreds.
What the Ring could manage to shoot out of the sky rained down upon the city below, amid a fiery orange glow. They fired a frenetic volley of rockets into the swarm from every weapon aboard. Small explosions began highlighting the dark clouds of smoke hovering high above. But what they missed was free to fly straight into them. Each drone that hit burst as it slammed into the sides of the Ring. The Ring defenders had no chance of fighting them all off and could only settle for slowing the onslaught down a little.
“Is it done, can we leave now?”
He struggled to find the right words to say in answer of Gregson’s question. The truth was the plan had just fallen to pieces like dried leaves in his hands. Without the same push against Isaac from the other Sentients there was no hope of defeating him. Now only survival remained. He shook his head with a forlorn look of regret.
“Don’t you dare, not now.” Gregson grabbed at Graham’s ballistic vest and dragged him back toward the Orb. “You’re going to try again, or so help me, I’ll beat you to death with my rifle.”
With everything going on at once, and with great volume too, neither of them noticed the flashing of Susan’s wrist screen as it hung from Graham’s arm. The old rela
ys were now unblocked, and they were again free to send their data and power to the city’s devices. He had been proven right, they had taken over as soon as the newer relays had been destroyed.
Gregson stopped suddenly. “Look,” she said.
One quick glance at the screen and Graham was again brimming with nerves. The name across the screen had him ready to come out in a cold sweat.
It was Phoenix.
“Phoenix?” Graham shouted into the small screen. “Thank God. Are you OK?”
“I’m fine. I’ve been trying to reach you. The old relays are working again.”
“I know.”
“Is Rhys with you, is he OK?”
“He led one of the teams. He should be hiding out somewhere. Where are you?”
“I’m still with Conrad’s group. Listen to me, Graham. It’s not what we thought. Things are not what they seem.”
“We know. We’re seeing the same from here.” Graham wiped a smear of muck away from the screen to clear it. “Isaac has been waiting for this to happen. There’s nothing we can do about it now, it’s up to the military to fight him off. I can’t even get a message to Luke anymore.”
“No, Graham, that’s not what I mean. Conrad’s lot have the Mayor locked up. He was working for Isaac all along. He knows what Isaac’s really up to. Putting up the shield was only to give him enough time to grow his army. But that’s just one part of it. There’s another side to it that’s even worse. Have you heard of The Twelve?”
“The what?”
“They’re the real threat here, Graham. The Twelve is the name he’s given to a group of people he’s turned into carriers of some kind of electronic virus. While we’re supposed to be fighting his army, he’s going to send them out.”
“To where, the rest of the UK?”
“No, the world. Each member of The Twelve has the power to cripple the technology of an entire nation. Mayor Crawley was promised he would be one of them, but Isaac has to have chosen someone else. Graham, we have to stop The Twelve making it out of the city, otherwise we’ll lose them forever.”