by M. R. Forbes
“Time,” Caleb repeated. “It takes time for information to travel across the Hunger through the Collective, except where Shub-nigu is concerned.”
“I’ve heard that name before. Natalia said when she entered the Collective, she wound up inside him or something?”
“His Construct,” Caleb said. “You’re sure she said Shub-nigu?”
“You don’t forget a name like that. Why?”
“Damn it,” Caleb said, shaking his head. “Shub-nigu is also known as the Artificer, the Archiver, the One-Who-Sees. He’s a Relyeh the size of a planet. The central server that powers the Collective. If your wife was able to enter his Construct and not go insane…that would have come in pretty handy right now.”
Hayden’s jaw clenched. So did his hands, curling into tight fists. “Yeah, having Nat here right now would be convenient.”
“I didn’t mean it like that, Sheriff.”
Hayden nodded. “I know. In any case, the experience nearly killed her, so I wouldn’t say it was all roses.”
“Nevertheless, Caleb said, “Vyte has a direct line to Shub-nigu. He captured the data Shub-nigu pulled from Valentine, which included how to make a reaper.”
“And he didn’t waste any time trying it out for himself.”
“Which is why I should have connected the dots as soon as I saw the reapers,” Caleb said. “I should have realized what it meant hours ago. We still might have been too late to stop what happened to Sanisco, but we might have had a head start on the Axon who stole the interlink.”
“Krake,” Max said. “Hahaha. Haha.”
Hayden considered for a moment. “The good news is, I don’t think it’s a stretch to assume Hanson has his own Axon portal.”
“That’s good news?” Caleb said.
“Pozz. Because we know where to find Hanson.”
“We do?”
Hayden smiled. “Not yet. But I knew there was a reason we didn’t throw Bryant out the back of the dropship.”
Caleb grinned back. If he were Sheriff Duke’s enemy, the viciousness of the smile would be enough to unnerve him completely. “And I knew there was a reason I liked you, Sheriff.”
43
Isaac
“How am I doing?” Isaac asked, his hands resting on the Parabellum’s flight controls.
“We haven’t crashed yet,” Pyro replied with a smile. “You’re doing great, Sergeant.”
Isaac’s eyes tracked the displays surrounding him. As a bystander on the dropship’s bridge, the different monitors left the outside world somewhat disconnected and hard to track. From the pilot’s station, the positioning fused them, creating a nearly complete view of the outside of the craft. As Pyro had explained, the brain realized the seams weren’t important after a while and began canceling them out, leaving only the unified display.
A twinge in Isaac’s leg caused him to wince. Doctor Hess had done an incredible job of putting the limb back together after it had been crushed, the metal framework he had installed allowing Isaac limited mobility without confinement to a wheelchair. But the damage was done, the injury removing him from the fight on the ground. Not satisfied to remain an observer while a rogue Axon worked to subdue the planet, he had gone to General Stacker and argued for a continuing role.
It had taken some negotiating, but Nathan had come to see the value in training Isaac to fly the dropship. While Rico, Bennett, and Nathan himself were all capable pilots in addition to Pyro, they were also valuable foot soldiers. Clones were stronger and faster than regular humans, and Stacker had the powered armor that made him a behemoth in the field. While Pyro would do most of the flying, there were occasions where her prowess as an engineer made her more valuable in that role. And if that situation arose again, they needed someone else to handle the ship.
Isaac had never flown before. He had done amateur drone racing as a teenager and had won a few races, but that was the closest he had ever come. The controls for the Parabellum were relatively simple. A touch-sensitive control panel with Braille-like bumps to allow the ship to be flown by feel. There were only three main controls. A single slider for throttle, and two ‘balls,’ one for vector control and the other for the plasma cannons. Each ball was a three-dimensional sphere under the flat surface that through simple touch could be manipulated as if they were physically present. At first, Isaac had argued the design was inferior to the stick and peddle approach of Air Force fighter jets. Then he had watched how Pyro deftly maneuvered the craft as she strafed the goliath, using two fingers and her thumb on the vectoring ball and her pinkie on the throttle slider on one side, and a matching setup on the other side for turret control and the firing button. And then she explained that she had learned to fly the craft less than a year earlier.
He was sold.
Especially now. He had taken over for her as the convoy left Sanisco, heading south along the highway toward Sanose. Strangely enough, the xaxkluth didn’t seem to have passed through the sister city. There was no sign of destruction. No trails of dark slime. But there were also no people. Sanose was much smaller than Sanisco with regard to population. It was possible they had heard the fighting in the distance and decided to hide. In any case, the front lines of the caravan were nearing the city’s population center. If scouts were watching the approach, the residents would make their presence known soon enough.
Isaac turned the ball, sending the dropship in a tight circle that nearly pulled Pyro off her feet.
“Easy there, cowboy,” Pyro said.
“Sorry.”
“The passengers should still be buckled in. Let’s hope so, anyway.”
Isaac looked out at Sanisco in the distance. The goliaths remained visible on the horizon, pushing through the water and heading east across the bay. There were no more xaxkluth in the immediate area, but he had seen the sensor readings from the Capricorn on their way in from space. He knew how many of the Relyeh creatures still spotted the landscape, not only nearby but around the entire globe. He could guess how many people were still out there dying, and it made him sick to his stomach.
“Try another turn,” Pyro said. “A little gentler this time.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Isaac replied. “I’m going to blame it on the QDM.”
“The QDM isn’t connected to the reactor anymore. We’re at full power.”
“See. It was the missing QDM,” Isaac joked, trying to get his mind away from his darker thoughts.
“If you say so, Sarge.”
Isaac took the dropship out a couple of kilometers before banking around again, following Pyro’s advice to do it more gently. He leveled out, heading east across the city and convoy below.
“Parabellum, do you copy?” Nathan’s voice boomed through the bridge’s loudspeakers.
“We copy, General,” Isaac replied. He scanned the displays for the Centurions. They had left Sanisco behind the main convoy, remaining back to harass the xaxkluth so the civilians could get out. He found them a kilometer behind the main group. Nathan was on the back of a modified pickup truck with Rico and Bennett, while Drake, Lucius, Jesse and Spot had doubled up on a pair of motorcycles riding in formation behind him.
“I was just talking with Sheriff Duke. We might have a lead on the Axon thief. Bring the Parabellum in at my mark.”
Isaac glanced at the situational display beneath the primary displays. It showed a three-dimensional outline of the area around the ship as captured and interpolated by the cameras and onboard computer. A red dot appeared where Nathan wanted them to land—an area that had once been a parking lot behind a mall.
“Roger, General,” Isaac said. “We’re on our way.”
“That’s a wide-open LZ,” Pyro said. “You should take her in.”
“We can’t afford to crash the dropship.”
Pyro smiled. “You’ll be fine. Nice and easy.”
Isaac felt a twinge of nerves at the idea of landing the ship. It was easy to fly because there was nothing to crash into in the sky. He swallowed h
is nerves, easing back on the throttle and dipping the nose to begin his descent.
“Remember, the dropship is VTOL,” Pyro said. “Just get over the mark and adjust the VTs.”
Isaac wasn’t completely accustomed to the acronyms, so he ran through them in his mind. LZ was landing zone, VTOL was vertical take-off and landing. VT was vectoring thrusters. “Got it.”
He came in slowly. Maybe too slowly. The tank and APC veered away from the convoy and headed for the parking lot, while the Centurions broke from the rear of the caravan and accelerated to meet them. Isaac noticed movement from the city now too. There were survivors still in the area, and they began to emerge when they recognized the vehicles.
He had a feeling the convoy was about to get bigger.
He maneuvered the dropship over Nathan’s mark, adjusting the controls to put the Parabellum into VTOL mode. He started cutting the thrust, each adjustment causing the craft to sink a little faster. Too fast. The ship began to drop, making his stomach lurch. He overcompensated, causing it to bounce roughly.
He stabilized the ship and tried again, managing to lower them more smoothly. The landers extended automatically as they neared the ground, and they only shuddered slightly as Isaac touched the dropship down.
Pyro squeezed his shoulder. “Nice work, Sergeant.”
He leaned back in the seat, only now realizing he had forgotten to breathe. He exhaled, unbuckling himself from the seat. “It was a little bumpy.”
“It always is the first time. It gets easier.”
Isaac stood up, careful to position his leg out straight. It twinged whenever he moved it, but it couldn’t be helped. “Why do you think the General wanted us to land?”
“Your guess is as good as mine. But knowing Sheriff Duke, it probably means we’ll be back on the hunt before the hour is up. Then you’ll really get a flying lesson.”
44
Hayden
Nathan and the Centurions met Hayden, Caleb and Max at the back of the Parabellum. The Marines looked tired, their posture slightly slumped as they approached. The battle for Sanisco had taken a lot out of them. It had taken a lot out of everyone. Hayden felt the same fatigue, both physical and mental. But he refused to give in to it.
Until this was done.
Isaac and Pyro were standing in the cargo hold as the ramp descended, waiting for the group with curious expressions. Hayden had explained the situation to Nathan, but otherwise the fighters were in the dark.
“Nice landing,” Nathan said through his armor’s external speakers. “Was that your doing, Ike?”
“Yes, sir,” Isaac replied.
“Did she tell you there’s an automated drop setting?”
Isaac glanced at Pyro, who shrugged. “He wouldn’t learn anything that way, General. Besides, you know the old saying, don’t you? Any landing you can walk away from…”
“...is a good one. Yes, I’m familiar.”
“What’s going on, Sheriff?” Pyro asked.
“We need Bryant,” Hayden replied.
“Who?”
“The khoron-infected man we brought on board,” Nathan said. “He’s in the fridge.” He turned to the Centurions. “Wait here.”
“Yes, General,” Rico replied.
“General,” Isaac said. “I saw some residents coming out of hiding near the convoy on the way down. We might want to send a representative to meet with them.”
“Good idea, Sergeant,” Nathan replied. “Rico, Bennett, you’re up.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Bring Hicks with you,” Hayden said. “They know him.”
“Roger, Sheriff,” Rico said.
“I’ll wait outside,” Nathan said.
“Come on, Caleb.” Hayden motioned him to follow.
They went up the ramp, through the hold and up the stairs and back to the dropship’s mess. The fridge was in the corner. Hayden opened it to reveal numerous boxes of MREs and a shivering Bryant sitting on top of them. They had removed Walt and the other deceased earlier, giving them a quick but proper send-off before Max vaporized them.
“The Master knows where you are, and where you’re going,” Bryant said, his voice choppy through chattering teeth.
“It’s not really a secret,” Hayden replied. “In case you haven’t noticed yet, we aren’t all that scared of you or your boss.” He entered the fridge and grabbed Bryant by the arm, shoving him across the space to Caleb, who moved aside. Bryant fell past him and onto the floor of the mess.
“Oops,” Caleb said. “I missed him.”
Hayden smiled. “You should be more alert, Colonel.”
“My bad.”
Hayden came out of the fridge and grabbed Bryant again, yanking him back to his feet. He squeezed the man’s arm harder than he needed to, causing him to let out a grunt of pain.
“Sorry. Guess I don’t know my own strength,” Hayden gritted out, fighting to maintain the sudden rage that filled him. He wanted to break every bone in Bryant’s body as if that would bring his family back.
“Easy, Sheriff,” Caleb cautioned. “We still have a use for him.”
“I’m not going to tell you anything,” Bryant said.
“You’re acting as if you have a choice,” Caleb replied. “I can literally make you talk.”
Bryant glared at Caleb, frightened because it was true.
“What do you want from me?”
“I want to know where Krake is headed,” Hayden said.
“Krake?”
“The Axon who took the interlink,” Caleb added. “The one who killed the sheriff’s wife and children.”
Bryant smiled at the statement.
Hayden punched him in the gut, causing him to double over. “You think that’s funny?” he growled.
“You could have served the Master,” Bryant whispered breathlessly as he slowly straightened back up. “You could have saved them. Their blood is on your hands, Sheriff.”
Hayden grabbed Bryant by the neck, easily lifting his feet off the deck.
“All the blood is on your hands,” Bryant eked out.
Hayden squeezed.
“Sheriff,” Caleb snapped. “If the host dies, the symbiote dies.”
“No, they come crawling out like the slimy worms they are,” Hayden said.
“And how do you expect to communicate with it when that happens?”
Hayden opened his hand, letting Bryant fall to the deck. “Let’s take him outside. I don’t trust myself with this piece of shit without Nathan to hold me back.”
Caleb’s face was tight, and he nodded as Hayden stormed away ahead of them. He needed to keep his composure. There were more valuable targets to focus on, and killing Bryant would hurt more than help. He just couldn’t stand the smug bastard goading him.
He wanted Hayden to kill him before Caleb could make him talk.
Hayden shook his head. Idiot. Get a grip.
He crossed the hold and rejoined Nathan and the Centurions outside.
“Where’s Bryant?” Nathan asked.
“Card’s bringing him,” Hayden replied. “I damn near killed him.”
“I don’t blame you. Do you want me to shut off your augments?”
“No. Just stay close and grab me if I go at him again.”
“Pozz that, Sheriff.”
Hayden remained next to Nathan while Caleb led Bryant outside. Hayden didn’t know what the Marine had done while he was alone with him, but he seemed much more subdued when they emerged.
“He’s ready to talk, Sheriff,” Caleb said, shoving Bryant forward.
“Hanson,” Hayden said.
“What about him?” Bryant glared at him.
“Where do I find him?”
“Up north. Place used to be called Seattle. But I wouldn’t go there if I were you. Not if you value your life.”
Hayden was surprised at how easily he spilled the information. He glanced at Caleb, trying to tell if he was forcing the issue through his Relyeh symbiote. He didn’t think so. �
��Then I guess it’s good I don’t really give a shit about my life right now. We dealt with your Master’s army of xaxkluth. If he’s got another one, we’ll handle that too.”
“How are you going to do that?” Bryant asked. “The giants don’t go that far north. That’s why Hanson operates there. Do you think your collection of clones is enough?” He looked at Max, standing nearby. “Or are you counting on an Intellect to save you? Believe me, Sheriff, that thing is only working for its Master’s best interests, the same way I’m working for mine.”
“Vyte threatens the entire balance of the war,” Max said.
“Have you stopped to think about all of this, Sheriff?” Bryant asked. “Have you taken a second to wonder if maybe having my Master in charge of the Hunger and the Axon might be a good thing for humankind? He can guarantee the safety of your worlds. He can help you rebuild this planet into a rival of the Axon homeworld.”
Hayden glared at Bryant. “Maybe he should have thought about all that before his Axon murdered my family.”
“Maybe you should have thought about all that before you let them be murdered.”
Hayden took a step toward Bryant, his right hand balled into a fist, but Nathan was ready. He moved in front of Hayden to stop him.
“You were so flippant and arrogant. The great Sheriff Duke. Too good to serve anyone, no matter what it could mean for his people.”
“He told me what it would mean. Some folks for food. Some for fighting. That’s not the world I want to live in.”
“It’s the world you’re going to get, whether you like it or not,” Bryant said with a smile. “You too, Card. You had an opportunity to save your people and didn’t take it, as if you stand a chance against the might of what’s to come. Do you think the xaxkluth are the end? They’re only the beginning. So go north, all of you. I dare you.”
Bryant started laughing.
Caleb turned to face him, and Hayden thought he would freeze him the way he had the reapers. He didn’t. He pulled a microspear from somewhere on his Skin and jammed it into Bryant’s chest, yanking it out angrily. Bryant collapsed to the ground.