by M. R. Forbes
It couldn’t. It leveled and rose more slowly, putting it out ahead of the fighter. Nathan banked and rolled, inverting into a reverse that made the jet shake so hard he thought it might come apart. The move brought them in behind the Harpy, which was already trying to switch directions and escape.
He held the ship in the reticle and squeezed the forward trigger. Heavy slugs blasted from the front of the fighter, one after another whipping through the sky and into the Harpy’s hull. The square turned red, and he reached for the rear trigger.
The dropship’s thrusters flared, the spacecraft blasting off, rocketing straight up the way only a starship could. Nathan tried to get under it for a moment before giving up.
“We can’t match that,” he said.
“I’ve got it on the display back here,” Hayden replied. “It’s slowing the ascent. Did you hit it?”
“I’m not sure. I don’t know if the slugs are strong enough to break through the hull even if I did.”
“Here it comes. It’s got the drop on us.”
Nathan looked up, finding the Harpy as a dark blot over their heads. He added thrust, trying to accelerate away, but the dropship adjusted its vector, firing both plasma cannons at the fighter and forcing him to turn in a tight circle to narrowly avoid them. He only had a few seconds before the Harpy’s pilot would adjust.
“Fuck this,” he said, guiding the F-15 into a vertical climb of its own. He pushed the thrust all the way up, the fighter gaining speed despite the pull of gravity.
The Harpy grew larger ahead of them, pegged in the center of Nathan’s reticle. He narrowed his eyes and lowered his head as if he were a charging bull.
Plasma fire burst from the Harpy in large bolts that nearly tore the wings from the fighter. The shots missed by less than a meter. Nathan threw the jet into a corkscrew roll, careful to keep the dropship centered inside the targeting reticle.
The Harpy was dropping toward them, closing fast. If the lock didn’t take in the next couple of seconds, they were going to die.
The square turned red.
Nathan held down the trigger, another AIM-120 launching up toward the Harpy. They were so close it couldn’t miss, detonating against the bow as Nathan pulled out of the climb, the return fire coming so close his left wingtip began to smoke.
He leveled off, turning his head back and down to find the dropship coming out of its dive, the front of the craft smoking.
It wasn’t enough. Not even close. The bridge was buried in the center of the ship. Had he done enough damage to the forward cameras and the bow-mounted sensor array to keep the pilot from getting a bead on him? Dropships didn’t tend to worry too much about being hit in the nose, their approach vectors usually leading to the hull taking the most fire.
He would find out in a few seconds.
The Harpy leveled out, heading east. Nathan kept the fighter moving in the same direction, though he wasn’t able to match the overall speed and acceleration of the more advanced ship. He adjusted course to get the starship back in his reticle, using the thumb switch to select another missile from the aircraft’s ordnance. Would the rocket have enough speed and range of its own to catch up?
He pressed the trigger and held, three times, watching as the fighter’s remaining missiles streaked away, headed for the back of the Harpy. He expected Captain Fahri would try to evade the attack, but the starship reacted as though it couldn’t see it at all.
The hit to the front of the dropship had damaged the sensors. Did he manage to knock out the visual subsystem as well?
The missiles continued toward the Harpy. The Harpy didn’t change speed or course or show any signs it knew the projectiles were there. They impacted the rear of the ship a moment later, detonating against the weaker armor close to the main thrusters in three flashes of fire and light. Smoke started to pour from the back of the craft, and it immediately began to lose altitude, the nose dipping toward the desert below. It hit less than a dozen seconds later, a massive gout of dirt and flame engulfing the ship.
“Scratch one dropship, Sheriff,” Nathan said, already banking the jet to head back the other direction.
“Nice job, Stacker. I had heard you’re a pretty good pilot.”
“Pretty good?” Nathan replied.
Hayden chuckled. It only lasted for a quick second. “Get us on the ground so we can wrap up this ugly business.”
“Pozz that, Sheriff.”
Nathan swung the fighter back to the west, taking a moment to get a fresh visual on their target, and then locating the small rut they had spotted earlier. The landing would be anything but smooth, but he was pretty sure he could stick it.
“I’m almost there, Nat,” he heard Hayden mutter into the comm.
Nathan could only hope they weren’t too late.
Chapter 50
Natalia stood off to the side with Major Efreet while General Stacker worked to clear the sealant layer away from the hidden hatch.
She had thought she already knew all of the Pilgrim’s secrets by now.
How wrong she was.
The thin layer of stone and the foam underneath broke apart easily, and it only took a few minutes for James to pulverize it and clear it, revealing a two-meter diameter hatch beneath. It had the eagle and star logo etched into the center, and a small touchpad against the north side, next to where the real stone of the cavern resumed. It was a secret vault that had been waiting to be opened for the first time in centuries.
Regardless of the situation, it was impossible for Natalia not to be curious and slightly excited.
“You should do the honors,” James said, climbing off the top of the hatch and facing Tinker. The effort to break apart the area had helped ease some of the fury she had recognized in his posture. She didn’t blame him for being angry. Tinker was speaking down to him as though he were an idiot or a child, or both.
She shifted her wrist slightly, cautiously testing the bonds of her handcuffs. It would be up to her to attack Tinker when the time came, whether James approved of the move or not. If he didn’t, he would kill her, but hopefully not before she killed the Mad Messiah. She wasn’t about to let him recover and use an alien artifact the Space Force had worked so hard to keep hidden.
Tinker moved to the edge of the hole, leaning down over the control pad and reaching for it. He paused halfway, his whole body freezing. Natalia turned her attention to James and noticed he was frozen too. Then James’ head turned in her direction, his face hidden by his dark visor. He stared at her for a moment before looking away.
What was that about?
Tinker started moving again, his armored hand reaching to the control panel and activating it. She could barely see the panel from her position, but she noticed that the device did ask for a password.
She was dismayed when he typed it in without hesitation, and an LED on the back of the pad flashed green. A soft click followed that, and then the hatch began to spin open.
“This is it!” Tinker exclaimed gleefully, standing and leaning over to look into the hole. “This is iiiittttt!”
He moved around the rim of the hole to the other side, turning back and stepping down to where Natalia assumed there had to be a ladder.
“James, hurry,” Tinker said, right before his head disappeared.
“Bring her,” James said to Major Efreet, whose grip on her arm tightened slightly.
“Relax Major,” Natalia said. “I want to see what’s down there as much as you do.”
He smiled at the comment, loosening his grip a little. They approached the hole together, at the same time James started down. When they reached the edge, Natalia peered over it. The ladder dropped about twenty meters into what appeared to be a larger space. She couldn’t see any hint of the artifact from the top. Only a cold steel floor reflecting the ambient lighting of the vault.
“You can’t climb down like that,” Major Efreet said. “Put your hands over my head. I’ll carry you.”
“Aren’t you afraid I�
�ll choke you to death?” Natalia asked.
“No,” he replied gruffly, turning his back to her.
She was careful as she put her cuffed hands over his head and past his eyes. Would he notice how loose the right side was on her wrist? Would he suspect General Stacker of trying to play both sides?
She did her best to hold onto him, and he reached back and picked her legs up, placing them around his waist. She tightened her grip there, and he backed up to the ladder and started climbing down.
He made it to the bottom without concern, and she withdrew her hands from his neck, nearly slipping and causing the cuff to tighten. The vault was larger than she would have guessed, running almost three hundred meters south from their position, along the length of the Pilgrim. The whole thing was encased in what she guessed was copper, designed like a Faraday cage. That explained why the signal had been weak despite the distance between the vault and Tinker’s device being less than 30 meters.
Had the USSF retarded EM transmission for a specific reason?
The vault was also a lot more full than Natalia had expected. It wasn’t only home to the artifact Tinker was searching for. It was filled with all kinds of things. Chunks of what appeared to be space rock, bits of matte black alloy, an odd sphere that reminded her of a child’s ball. An entire display box of unusual crystals and minerals. A second filled with dried out plants like nothing she had ever seen.
Her eyes tracked along all of it as Major Efreet pushed her to follow Tinker and James toward the back of the vault. She tried to take in as much of the collection as she could and form some kind of opinion on what it all meant. She had a feeling she knew, and the idea of it was both terrifying and exciting.
Tinker and James stopped walking two-thirds of the way along the length of the vault. James pointed to something, speaking out loud through his helmet.
“Have you ever seen anything like that before?”
He was asking the entire group. Natalia doubted any of them had ever seen the crystals or the plants further back before, so why was he only asking now? She turned her head to follow his finger, her eyes landing on the remains of a dark, humanoid figure. At least, she thought of them as remains. The head and limbs were all separated from the torso, each piece of the thing spread a few centimeters apart and held to the wall by who-knew-what. The thing was black and faceless, with human fingers and solid feet with no toes. The locations where it had been cut showed signs of some kind of solid gel that had discolored to a pale yellow over time. It appeared to be a robot, but it wasn’t like any other robot Natalia had ever seen.
“The Others made that,” Tinker said. “The original James Stacker never mentioned it. None of the data I recovered mentioned it. It didn’t mention any of what was really happening. What is it they say, James? There are three versions of the truth. Yours, mine, and reality.” He cackled.
“The USSF used the artifact,” James said. “They didn’t just open the door.”
“They went through it,” Tinker said. “And they brought these items back with them.”
“Earth was falling apart, and they were studying another world?”
“Maybe hoping they could escape to it,” Natalia said.
“A good thought,” Tinker agreed.
“So why didn’t they?” James asked.
“The Others would never allow us onto their world,” Tinker said. “That’s like asking the gods to let us live on Olympus without earning it.”
Tinker started forward again. The others followed him the rest of the way down the corridor toward an oblong rock standing upright against the back wall. It looked more like a sarcophagus than an asteroid, the shape not random enough to be a simple stone.
Tinker didn’t hesitate to approach it, putting his hand against its surface. Natalia could imagine his face beneath his helmet, in total awe and excitement to be united with his prize.
“James, help me get it out of here,” Tinker said.
“Yes, sir,” James replied. He approached the artifact.
“And be careful with it!” Tinker snapped.
James wrapped his arms around the rock, lifting it easily. “It’s lighter than I expected.”
“Major, stand aside,” Tinker said, turning back toward the vault entrance. “Take the rear. Once we have the artifact out, you’re clear to join us.”
“Yes, sir,” Major Efreet said. “What about the prisoner, sir?”
“I’m done with her,” Tinker replied. “Leave her here.”
“What?” Natalia said.
“What?” James repeated.
“You heard me,” Tinker said. “Do you have a problem with that, James?”
James’ face turned toward Natalia, but he didn’t say anything. Her heart was suddenly racing twice as hard as before. Did they intend to trap her down here? She tried to stay calm. She would wait for Tinker and James to leave, and then she would take Major Efreet by surprise. Of course, she didn’t want to look too calm.
“You son of a bitch,” she said. “I have a child. She’s just a baby.”
“She’s going to die,” Tinker replied. “Everyone is. That’s how this story ends, Mrs. Duke. But yours ends here.”
She ran forward, trying to reach him. Major Efreet grabbed her from behind, getting his arm around her waist and holding her while she struggled, still careful not to move her hands too much and disturb the cuffs.
“Goodbye, Mrs. Duke,” Tinker said.
James carried the artifact back, refusing to look at her as he went past. Tinker trailed behind him. When they reached the ladder, James placed it down and climbed up a few rungs before reaching back and gripping the top in one large, powerful hand. It must have been relatively light because he was able to hold it that way and climb, and within seconds General Stacker, the artifact, and Tinker all disappeared.
“I’m sorry to do this to you,” Major Efreet said turning toward her. “It’s nothing personal.”
“Neither is this,” Natalia replied.
She slid her hand easily out of the cuff, swinging her left hand back so the free side of the metal swung out and away from it, smashing the soldier in the face. The blow caught him by surprise, breaking his nose and sending him stumbling back.
Natalia didn’t hesitate, lunging and grabbing his gun, pushing it aside as he fired wildly, the bullets echoing loudly in the vault and ripping through the floor and the collection beside them. Major Efreet let go of the gun with his left hand, throwing a hard punch into Natalia’s side that would have stolen all of her air if not for the combat armor.
She took the blow, reaching for his sidearm and yanking it from the side of his armor. He realized what she was doing and tried to stop her, but she threw herself back onto the floor, the pistol gripped in her hands.
Major Efreet raised his hands in submission. “How did you get free?” His eyes widened as he realized the truth.
Natalia pulled the trigger, sending an invisible beam burning through his skull, into his brain, and out the other side. He collapsed a moment later, dead.
Natalia jumped to her feet, running the length of the vault toward the ladder. There was no doubt Tinker and James had heard the gunfire. Would Tinker send James back after her?
She reached the end, looking up just as the hatch finished sliding closed.
She stared at it a moment in disbelief, all of her hope fading away in an instant. She was too late. She slumped to her knees, tears springing to her eyes. She couldn’t believe she was going to die in here like this.
She couldn’t believe she was never going to see Hallia again.
Chapter 51
James watched the hatch finish closing, catching a momentary glimpse of Natalia Duke at the base of the ladder right before it sealed. As soon as Tinker ordered them to leave her down there, he expected she would use their setup to try to escape. She had taken Major Efreet by surprise and managed to get free. But Tinker wasn’t taking any chances, not now that he had what he came for, and James was left
right back where he always seemed to end up.
With no choice but to do as Tinker said.
“Captain Fahri, we’re on our way to the surface,” Tinker said through the comm. “I trust you’ve taken care of our problem.”
James was surprised when Fahri had reported that they had trouble from the sky in the form of an aircraft. He had no idea Hayden’s people had access to either a jet or jet fuel and had never considered they would give chase that way. He also would never have thought they had a pilot in their midst who would be able to fly a plane. Tinker had trained him on the F-15 he had kept in reserve, but who else besides Tinker would have access to anything like that?
It was curious but not concerning. A Spacer dropship should have no trouble against a barely trained pilot regardless of whatever type of aircraft they were flying. Tinker had ordered Fahri to shoot down the aircraft and standby, and James hadn’t thought much of it.
Until now.
“Harpy, this is Tinker,” Tinker said. “Fahri, are you there?”
Captain Fahri didn’t answer.
“Interference?” James said. The material surrounding the vault would have blocked their communication while they were inside. Why was Fahri unresponsive now?
“Fahri!” Tinker snapped, getting angry. He turned back to James. “Why isn’t he answering?”
As if James had any idea. They had left Nathan behind, forcing them to use the former member of the Trust to pilot the dropship. Fahri had declared his loyalty to Tinker and had given no reason for them to doubt it. Had he changed his mind once he was on his own? They had left a soldier behind to ensure he didn’t. What if he took the soldier by surprise and took off?
“We have to bring the artifact up anyway,” James said. “It could be the comms are still messed up.”
“That isn’t how comms work,” Tinker said. “The link should have re-established as soon as we left the vault.”