Venusian Uprising
Page 25
Before she finished the final word, Moira’s head exploded in a spray of blood, bones, and brain.
FIRE WITH FIRE
STELLAR DATE: 3227476 / 06.06.4124 (Adjusted Gregorian)
LOCATION: Uplink Tower, Tarja, Teka Continent
REGION: Venus, InnerSol, Sol Space Federation
Williams’ lips drew into a thin line as he tapped Smith’s feed and confirmed the count—not that he doubted the MICI agent, he just liked to be certain of things.
The gunnery sergeant grunted his acquiescence and waited for the MICI agent to move into the control room before following after. In the center of the room, Urdon turned back to face the holotank, which—to Williams’ dismay—showed the two suns on a trajectory to crash into the far side of the planet.
“The plans have changed,” the admiral’s voice boomed through the room. “I’m fully prepared for the Federation to retaliate. In fact, it’s what we want. This will be the powder keg that finally ignites this war.”
Williams assumed that Smith understood the meaning of Urdon’s proclamation as well as he did. By the look on Katelyn’s face, she wasn’t happy with the plan—something that relieved the gunnery sergeant more than he expected.
Her eyes darted between the admiral and the mech-AI.
Shit, what’s she going to do?
With attention no longer on her, Katelyn began to move back and toward a console where something lay behind the NSAI node. Williams watched her palm whatever was there, and then put the console between herself and the rest of the room.
He was far enough back that his armor was able to handle the concussive force without trouble. Glancing back, he saw the six Disker soldiers all laying on their backs, two unmoving, four rocking side to side.
Williams turned his attention back to the center of the room to see Urdon back on his feet, the other woman shakily rising to hers as well.
“You disappoint me, Evans,” the admiral said. “When your initiative at Makemake was brought to my attention, I had hopes you might be groomed for a position with SSID. But now….”
Williams watched Urdon nod at the woman, who gave a predatory smile.
She reached for a lightwand at her feet and took a step toward Katelyn.
The SSID agent was egging Katelyn on with barbs, feinting lazily with her blade. Joe’s sister evaded the strikes and backpedaled, only to have the agent fling her lightwand.
It sank into Katelyn’s leg, and the woman shrieked, grasping the hilt and clenching her teeth.
She delivered another quip, to which Katelyn spat an angry response before pulling the lightwand free.
Damn, woman’s got some guts, Williams thought, knowing that in a second, he’d have to shoot, whether Smith was ready or not.
Urdon sent the woman a look of annoyance. “Stop toying with your kill. We need to confirm the suns’ trajectory and return to the shuttle.”
“Fiiine,” the woman whined. She started to deliver one last barb, but Williams was done waiting.
His finger twitched, and a trio of rounds sped across the room and blew the annoying woman’s head off.
Katelyn shrieked and fell backward, but Williams paid her no heed, switching his focus to the AI in the sleek combat frame, and sending a trio of kinetic rounds into its breastplate before aiming at the one in the mech frame.
“No, stop! Please!” Katelyn shouted, flinging out a hand and looking to where Williams had last fired from. “We want to stop Urdon, too.”
The admiral stepped back from the holotank, his hands in the air. “Doesn’t matter. It’s too late. I’ve been working toward this day for decades, and it’s finally here. You idiots can’t do anything about it.”
Williams dropped his stealth and set his faceshield to translucent as he approached.
“Shit, you?” Katelyn spoke though clenched teeth, both hands gripping her thigh.
Williams grabbed a canister of biofoam from his waist and tossed it to her, his rifle still aimed unerringly at Urdon’s chest.
“Turn it off, Admiral. Final warning.”
The Disker grinned. “Go ahead. Shoot.”
“Aaron,” Katelyn said, looking at the remaining mech. “Can you do it?”
The mech made a defeated gesture. “That SSID bitch did something to my Link. It has a slight delay. I didn’t pick it up at first, but it’s enough to keep me from getting past the NSAI node’s defenses.” The AI swiveled, turning to address Williams. “If we don’t stabilize the suns in five minutes, it’ll be too late to stop them.”
“Let me try,” Smith said, approaching the group, his stealth suit sliding off his head to expose the man’s face.
Before he reached the NSAI cube, a spray of blood burst from his neck, and the agent fell.
A shocked cry ripped from Katelyn; she stepped back, tripping and falling to the floor.
Williams’ armor tracked the source of the shot. He spun to see the other MICI agent, Jones, standing behind him.
* * * * *
Janiss Jones’ hand twitched at the last moment.
The headshot turned into a graze, nicking Smith’s jugular instead. The resulting spray was a dramatic, bloody mess, but survivable—for a MICI.
What the hell do I care? He deserves to die, after ordering the Marines to take me into custody.
Her mind fogged, and she shook her head, willing herself to focus. The stimulants she’d stolen off the Marine medic were wearing off. She’d injected the last of them right before she’d followed Smith and that gunnery sergeant into the tunnels.
The gunnery sergeant who was standing between her and Evans. Again.
“You got loose.” The sergeant’s voice was flat. “You kill any of my people in the process?”
Janiss barked a laugh. “No. Well, maybe one. I don’t remember.”
Her attention swerved to the holotank and the man standing beside it.
When she’d first entered the room, she thought the stimulant was causing her to hallucinate. But no, it really was Urdon, and damn if he hadn’t pulled off a move with those suns that was as daring as it was deadly.
Hell, maybe the guy’s right. Maybe we should just get on with it already. Stars know there’s going to be war, one way or another.
Movement caught her eye. It was that bitch, Evans.
She shifted her gun hand, her aim switching from Urdon over to Katelyn.
* * * * *
“I’ve got a different plan,” Jones said, her lips parted in a toothy grin, and eyes feverishly bright. “Let’s do like the admiral wants, and kick this war off for real. I’m sick of trying to stop it. Time to watch the world burn.”
“Literally,” Urdon added with a surprised laugh as he shot an appraising
look at Janiss.
“Are you all fucking nuts?” Williams gaped. “This will destroy the planet—everyone on the Solward side will die!”
As he spoke, he drew his sidearm and aimed it at Urdon, switching the direction of his rifle to point at Jones. He locked eyes with her, searching for the right thing to say, and felt a swell of frustration. He was a Marine; he didn’t do flowery words.
But dammit, he had to try.
“Your partner said he could stop it. If he could do it, then so can you. Agent Jones, you could save billions of lives. Just try,” he pleaded. “You have to.”
To his surprise, she shrugged and nodded. “OK, fine. I’ll save Venus. That’s going to look great on my record. Of course, I’m going to need something in return.”
“What?” Williams chewed out the word.
Agent Jones gestured at Katelyn. “She dies.”
The console beside Aaron crumpled under a mechanical hand as the AI punched it.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Aaron shouted. “Since when does the Federation execute unarmed pilots?”
Jones only shrugged.
Williams was about to bellow a fresh threat, when a small voice reached his ears.
“OK. Do it.”
He turned to Katelyn, eyes wide as she struggled to her feet.
She took a limping step forward, turning to face Jones. “What are you waiting for?” Joe’s sister asked, lifting her chin. “Shoot.”
“No!” Williams bellowed. “NO!” His eyes drilled into her, willing her to stand down. “Your brother saved my life, Katelyn. I can’t let you die like this.”
A tired laugh escaped her lips. “My brother? You’re gonna have to be more specific. Joe, right?”
Williams nodded silently, his eyes darting to Urdon and Jones.
Both appeared bemused at his outburst.
“Is that why you didn’t take the shot back at the fuel dump? You could have killed me there.”
“Yeah,” Williams said. “I owed it to him. And now…. Now you’re doing the right thing. I’m not going to let some bent Mickey kill you.”
“Four minutes,” Agent Jones said. “One life versus billions. Your choice.”
Williams’ gaze settled on Katelyn.
She was staring at him, her eyes wet, but a look of certainty on her face.
“Everyone dies,” she told him. “This will be a good death.”
“I’ll even make it quick,” Jones agreed.
Williams’ gut twisted into knots, and a lump filled his throat. The bravery Katelyn Evans displayed reminded him of another woman he knew—one he admired greatly.
“OK.”
The word left his throat in a slow rasp.
He tore his gaze from Katelyn and narrowed his eyes at Jones as he lowered his rifle. “But if you don’t stop the suns, you die.”
Urdon began laughing as Jones took aim at Katelyn.
Williams wished he could look away, but knew it was impossible.
Then a new voice spoke, and he turned to see a man standing behind Agent Jones, his hand resting atop her head.
“Janiss, you’re fired.”
A second later, she dropped to the ground.
Williams caught movement out of the corner of his eye. He pivoted in time to see Urdon lunge for a rifle resting behind the holotank.
Training kicked in, and the gunnery sergeant fired, punching three rounds through the admiral’s chest. Just as quickly, he swung back around to face the new arrival.
“Who are you?” Katelyn asked before he could. She sagged against a console, and the mech-AI moved to support her.
“Name’s Harm Ellis,” the newcomer said calmly, as if the world wasn’t about to end. He strode toward the NSAI cube, sparing Smith’s inert form a glance. “Gunny, any chance you could get some biofoam on my friend, here? He’s a good agent, and I’d hate for him to bleed out.”
“Uh, sure,” Williams stammered as he moved to the MICI’s side and pulled a second canister of biofoam free.
He applied it to the agent’s neck, and then slapped a nanofilm patch on top. When he was finished, he looked up to see Harm standing with his hands on either side of the cube, his brow lowered in concentration.
It was then that Williams realized the EM signature coming off the man was all wrong.
“Wait, you’re not…you’re an AI?”
“Sort of,” Harm replied. “Can you tend to Urdon too? He’s more useful alive than dead.”
“Sort of…?” Williams repeated the words as he rose and walked to the fallen admiral.
The man was still alive, his face a rictus of pain as blood pooled beneath him, seeping from his wounds.
The Marine turned to Harm. “You sure we can’t kill him?”
The ‘sort of’ AI smirked without looking up. “Trust me, Tanis would be so happy if I iced that asshole, but I can’t. Patch him up.”
Williams looked down at Urdon, and kicked the rifle away before dropping to his armored knees. One landed on the admiral’s arm, causing the man to suck in a deep breath.
“Oops. Didn’t see that there,” Williams’ voice didn’t contain an ounce of mirth.
He didn’t move while applying the biofoam, and once it was set, he grabbed the admiral’s now-broken arm and placed it on his chest, cuffing his wrists together.
“Move, and I break more bones.”
The admiral didn’t respond, but for once, his smug expression was gone, replaced by one of rage.
A moment later, it morphed again to shock as Harm pronounced, “Done! The suns are moving back into place. Now to get our friend there to order his troops to stand down.”
“Never,” Urdon hissed.
Harm gave a cocky laugh. “Admiral, you of all people should know not to underestimate me.”
PROPOSITIONED
STELLAR DATE: 3227480 / 06.10.4124 (Adjusted Gregorian)
LOCATION: Unknown MICI Prison Facility
REGION: Sol Space Federation
Katelyn didn’t bother raising her head from where it rested against her bent knees when the cell door slid open.
“Told you,” she said in a sour tone, her voice muffled. “I’m not hungry.”
“Good thing,” the voice replied, “since I forgot to bring you anything.”
Katelyn rolled her head to one side, the curtain of her hair obscuring her face from the newcomer. From what she could see through the strands, her visitor was a man, dressed in TSF fatigues. In other words, someone she had no interest in.
“Impressive, how you managed to steal that node right out from under a Marine company—FRODs, no less.”
Now she recognized the voice. It was the man who had saved her from death at the hands of that rogue MICI agent.
“Those guys are known for being the elite of the TSF military, did you know that?”
Harm Ellis’s tone sounded admiring, causing Katelyn to stir uncomfortably. His words were casual, as he strolled over to the lone chair. He flipped it around and straddled it, laying his arms, crosswise, along its back.
She shrugged, knowing a rhetorical question when she heard one. Still, what he said had her recalling one FROD in particular—a Marine with intense grey eyes, willing to fight a MICI to save her life.
“You’re not even going to ask me why I’m here?” he prodded.
Katelyn sighed and straightened. “If I ask, will you tell me where ‘here’ is?”
At his silence, she laughed humorlessly. “No, I didn’t think so.”
“You read me wrong. I’m happy to tell you where you are. I’ll even reunite you with that AI you were with on Venus, and your sister—who is on her way home to your family on Makemake, by the way,” he added with a slight smile.
Katelyn stared at him, feeling an inordinate amount of relief, and then a flash of suspicion. She’d asked after Rory countless times, but her jailers had refused to answer. This man had to know that, and she wondered if he was playing her.
“All that, out o
f the kindness of your heart,” she deadpanned. “Sure, pull the other one. It has bells on.”
Harm shifted and shook his head. “No one’s ever accused me of being a kindhearted person. You, on the other hand….” He leant forward and clasped his hands, expression earnest. “What I observed on Venus was someone who was fighting to save lives. Someone who believes that wrongs need to be righted. Someone willing to sacrifice her own life for the greater good.”
Katelyn snorted. “Laying it on a bit thick, aren’t you? I’m not that idealistic.”
“Could have fooled me.” Harm stood, paced to the door, and then turned. “The Sol system needs people like you, Katelyn Evans. There’s too much corruption on both sides of this conflict. Things are heating up, and if we don’t find a way to stop it, and soon, well….” He broke off with a shrug.
“There won’t be a solar system worth fighting over?” Katelyn finished for him.
Her eyes dropped to her unmarked prison uniform. She ran her hands down the front of her thighs as she turned his words over in her head.
“You know I’m right,” he pressed. “This will destroy us all.” He paused. “Come work for me.” At a snort from her, he clarified. “Not Division 99, not the Sol Federation. Me.”
Katelyn’s head shot up, and her eyes met his. He nodded.
“Yes, I’m asking you to be a double agent. I’ve made the same offer to Aaron, and…a few others.”
Harm’s expression shuttered at that last, and Katelyn had the feeling she’d missed a cue there—a hint at something important.
“Our mission won’t be to ensure Terran supremacy,” he continued. “It won’t be to see the Scattered Worlds win. We’ll work for peace. What do you say?”
Katelyn sucked in a breath as she studied him intently. Then she nodded. “I guess…well, when you put it that way, how can I refuse?”
MEETING IN THE WOODS
STELLAR DATE: 3227503 / 07.03.4124 (Adjusted Gregorian)
LOCATION: Marine Training Facility Barque-N7
REGION: Earth, InnerSol, Sol Space Federation
“Stone in your boot, Perez?” Williams bellowed as the Marine passed by, last in his group.