by Franklin, TG
"Niko says he can cut them."
"Then quit jerking around and get it done."
The building went dark, including the outside lights mounted on the corners. "Alpha team," Michael called. "Go in ten, nine, eight..." He kept counting and walked to the door. "One."
Cool air swept into the hallway as the doors opened and the group made their way outside. For the first time the cold got to him, and Jonah shivered.
Michael took one step outside and held the door open. "Corene, wait until alpha team is close before you blow those doors. Bravo team, go in five, four, three, two, one."
His eyesight adjusted, Jonah watched the teams take their positions. Alpha team formed a semi-circle in front of Bravo team, ready to protect them from whatever threats lay ahead. Corene stood, radiating confidence. Jonah couldn't hear their voices, but Corene nodded once. Twice, and then the left door escaped its hinges with a loud screech, flew inside, turned sideways, and took out four, no five, sec mechs. Before the soldiers hit the ground, their guns were wrenched from their hands and floating toward Stran and other members of Alpha team.
The right door didn't do as much damage. The remaining men had scattered to find cover after the first attack, but Corene was able to pull more guns.
"Suppressive fire!" Michael yelled, and like a rattler, and the teams snaked forward. At the entrance, Stran took point, firing in a wide arc as the Dragons moved in behind him.
Jonah grimaced as he watched. Each side suffered casualties, but at this distance, it was hard to tell if any of the Dragons who'd been shot were dead or injured. He couldn't think about it. Not now. Doc Ernst and one of the squids had stayed behind, and they'd take care of any wounded.
"Okay Charlie team," Michael said. "Let's go."
Dex and Michael went out shoulder to shoulder, a human shield, and Doc followed a few steps behind.
The sight of Hadrian's elite forces cowering before Corene greeted Jonah as he entered the building, and despite the circumstances, it made him chuckle. "Corrie, you got everything under control?"
"Betcha. According to these guys, there aren't any more sec mechs in the building."
"You believe him?"
"Considering I had their balls in a kung fu grip when I asked? Yeah, I'm pretty sure they're telling the truth."
"All of them?" Jonah let out a soft whistle. "Remind me to never piss you off."
Dex walked over to the bank of elevators and punched the button. The door immediately dinged and opened. "The main controller comp is subterranean."
The five men piled into the elevator and rode it down. They exited into a large room with barely enough space to walk between the rows and rows of control comps. "Where's the main?" Jonah asked.
Dex started walking. "Follow me."
He turned to Michael and David. "You guys go guard the elevator. I don't expect any trouble, but I'll work better if I'm not worrying about it."
"You go do your thing. We got your back, man," Michael said.
He and Dex made their way through the maze to a massive comp station. Unmanned, thankfully. Jonah didn't want to make a statue out of anyone. Not that he wouldn't if he had to, but it was a small relief to not have to make the decision. "Listen, once I port in, I'm gone. In the machine. Don't try to pull me out. I don't care if I'm frothing at the mouth, having seizures, or if my freaking ears are smoking. You got it?"
"Got it."
"And if anything happens, promise me you'll take care of Mary. Watch over her. She deserves..." His throat tightened, and for the first time he understood, really understood, why they fried the controllers' limbic systems. "Tell her I love her."
"You'll tell her yourself."
Jonah simply nodded and sat in front of the comp. Nothing to do now, but plug in and pray.
Niko, you still with me?
All the way, dude.
Jonah located the connection he needed, and with trembling fingers, plugged it into the port on the back of his neck.
Information punched through his brain. No precision. No finesse. More like a drunken brawl. Arms pumped with data and swinging their fists in every direction.
Concentrate! Niko's voice broke through the chaos. Find the controllers and follow them. Figure out which parts of the web are weak or missing.
Inside the system, Jonah rode the swirling whirlwind of ones and zeros until he found his bearings and the paths he needed to take. Niko, you seeing what I'm seeing? Not only had Hadrian severed parts of the energy web, he'd maneuvered controllers onto the paths at key gateways and had left them there as guards to prevent anything from getting through. Statues. Not just shadows, either. Jonah sensed a consciousness in each one.
Sick bastard. Niko said. No alternative, man. You gotta shatter them.
What will it do to them?
Don't know. Maybe they'll be absorbed into the network. Maybe they'll poof. Hate to say it, but their fate belonged to Hadrian the minute they agreed to be controllers. Whatever you do now is a mercy.
Jonah knew Niko was right. Didn't make it any easier, though. Each time he broke through, he imagined the statues screaming. Might've been a mercy for them, but he'd hear those screams in his nightmares for the rest of his life.
Once the paths were cleared, he went to work and discovered that Hadrian had relied too much on the statues. The sabotage wasn't on the same level as the original programming, but the massive amount of it meant he couldn't complete all the repairs in time. He pulled controllers off stable parts of the web, but it still wasn't going to be enough. Deliberately, he masked locations and worked on the breaches as he came to them. After the first few, the work became automatic.
Hey, looks like you're getting some outside help.
Absorbed in the network, he'd almost forgotten about Niko. What's happening?
Wave's getting close. Fifteen minutes or so until Heavenfall, and every country with the capability has prepared missile launches. Seems that none of the world leaders totally trusted Hadrian to deliver on the protection.
Fifteen minutes? No way. I've only been in the system a little while.
Almost two hours, dude. And it's time to cut loose. You don't want to be in there when the wave hits. Every hit the energy wave takes will be like a spike in your brain
I'm staying.
Sorry, but I got my orders. I'm checking out, now. Good luck.
Jonah didn't have a chance to argue before Niko pushed him out.
"Look at me." Dex snapped his fingers, clapped. "Come on. Look at me."
Jonah opened his eyes, and a wave of dizziness washed over him. His mouth was dry, and his voice sounded more like a growl. "Plug me back in. Now."
"No can do. Mary cut the cord. Literally." Dex pointed to the comp. Mary stood beside it, knife in hand and the severed wire in the other.
"I lost dad. I wasn't about to lose you, too."
Still disoriented, he didn't think he'd heard her right? "Dad? What?"
Mary placed the knife on the console, put her arms around him, and hugged him tight. "I'll explain later. Once you've recovered."
"The wave?"
"Any second now," Dex answered. "We're safe down here, and the rest of the Dragons are with us. Got some injuries, one maybe fatal, but Doc and Ella are taking care of them. A couple of squids went through the place, found a kitchen and brought us what provisions they could find." He laid a hand on Jonah's shoulder and squeezed. "You did all you could. We all need to get some rest. Some food and water. Tomorrow's going to be one hell of day."
EPILOGUE
Brother Samuel knelt next to Hadrian and laid his hands on the man's back. Under his palms, blood flowed hot under Hadrian's skin and brought life back to his body. Bones aligned, muscles mended, and bullets left his flesh far more gently than they'd entered.
Hadrian took several deep breaths, filling his lungs with much needed oxygen. "Damn, that hurt." He moved to a sitting position, flexed his hands, his feet. "Still hurts. Are you sure you fixed everything?"
>
"By faith you are healed." Brother Samuel smiled. "A gift from the Almighty. It is by His hand your wounds have healed, not mine."
A gift from the almighty energy web. But Hadrian kept the thought to himself. Let the preacher keep his delusions. The man had been an early blaster, like himself. And while his congregation prayed over him, he'd developed psychic healing. Strange how he'd never made the association between his “miracle" and the others who had developed powers.
Brother Samuel pointed to Nate. "Do you wish to revive the heretic?"
"No." Hadrian stood and brushed the dust from his pants legs. "Leave him dead. As much as I'd relish killing him again, we don't have time. The copter should be here by now to take us to the president's secure bunker. Tomorrow, a new world emerges out of the ashes. Our world."