E-Day III: Dark Moon (E-Day Trilogy Book 3), page 29
Frost looked over at him.
“Get out the defibrillator,” Akira said. “Hurry!”
— 24 —
Toxic rain pecked the glass windows overlooking what was once a manicured garden. Wind battered the twisted rose bushes and crisp, brown grass. The runoff washed the ash off the stone terraces and walkways that connected the acres of ruined landscaping.
The storm howled, rattling the windows Chloe stood behind. She moved back to the oak presidential desk, bumping into the edge. Then she turned back to the expansive office. It looked like it had once housed a diplomat or government official, with plush leather chairs and walls of built-in bookshelves. Persian rugs covered the hardwood floors and were placed under the red leather sitting chairs facing a brick fireplace.
A matching leather couch provided a comfortable spot for Cyrus as he slept off the pain meds the Pistons had provided. She checked on him before crossing the beautiful room back to the windows.
Lightning sizzled across the horizon, followed by the booming clap of thunder.
She had always wondered what types of people lived on estates like this. They were from a different world than the majority of the population before E-Day. Privileged with money, food, shelter, and hordes of droids to wait on them.
It was very likely those droids had ended up killing the owners of this place, long before the Nova Alliance found the isolated estate and the bunker under the cellars.
Chloe noticed a Piston patrolling outside.
It was a reminder that she and Cyrus weren’t free here.
Once again, she was being held against her will. Tadhg was still off talking with Lieutenant Farland while they were locked inside the room. Sure, the rebels were taking precautions, but it didn’t feel good.
The click of a lock made her flinch.
She turned as the solid wood doors opened. Two Pistons stood in the hallway outside with their rifles cradled. Tadhg walked up behind them, and they parted to let him inside.
The floor creaked under his heavy footsteps.
Cyrus sat up, blinking groggily.
“Sorry to keep you in here,” came a deep voice.
Lieutenant Farland stepped in just as lightning sizzled outside, the blue flash illuminating his serious features.
Chloe went over to Cyrus as he got his bearings.
“Are you going to tell us where we are yet?” she asked.
“Ten miles west of Boston,” Farland said. “You’re as safe as you can be right now.”
“There aren’t machines out here?” Cyrus asked.
“Not right now, according to our scouts and drones. The few Canebrake packs we’ve been tracking fled back to the crater in Boston.”
“Something to do with the Praying Mantis fighters?” Chloe asked.
“That would be my guess, which is why we don’t have much time.” Farland turned and motioned politely. “Follow me.”
Tadhg nodded his approval.
They left the office and headed down a wide stairway with a spiral banister to a vast ballroom with an impressive chandelier. From there, they took an enclosed stone stairwell down into a wine cellar.
One of the shelves had been pulled away to reveal a secret passage that went deeper underground. A guard stepped away to let them through.
Farland led them down into the bowels of the estate. Chloe wasn’t sure how many steps she descended, but it had to be the equivalent of ten floors. An old bank vault door was propped open at the bottom leading to a bunker.
Ten soldiers and officers worked around a row of tables. Ancient computers lay on the tables near wall-mounted monitors that looked decades old.
“Welcome to the war room,” Farland said. “I’m ready to see what Doctor Crichton gave you that he thought would change the war.”
Tadhg gave Chloe a reassuring nod.
She reached into the vest over her suit and pulled out the case containing Jason’s virus.
“I have to get this to Apeiron at the Life Ark in the city,” Chloe said.
“One of those bunkers? Shit, you got an army that I don’t know about? Cause it’s buried somewhere deep in enemy territory,” Farland replied with a snort. “So that’s what you risked your necks to come here for? No wonder the LDC didn’t approve that shit.”
“I spent the past two hours explaining the LDC abandoned you,” Tadhg said. “Sorry we’re not what you were hoping for, but we are the only hope you got.”
Farland eyed Chloe. “So let me understand this then. Doctor Crichton wrote this code for you and just you to bring here? What makes you so special?”
“I’m not…” Chloe started to say.
“I don’t like your tone, lieutenant,” Cyrus said.
Farland’s gaze shifted over to Cyrus, but Tadhg stepped forward to intervene.
“We’re all friends here,” he said with a grunt. “Right?”
The lieutenant glanced up at Tadhg.
“Yeah, we’re friends, but your mission is fucking hopeless,” Farland said. “You had me believing we might actually have a chance.”
“It’s not hopeless, lieutenant. I just need to find Shadow Squad.”
“Like I said, hopeless.” Farland shook his head wearily. “We haven’t heard from Akira for over a week. If he is out there, he’s too far from us to help.”
“There’s got to be a way to contact him. To let him know I’ve returned, and we have the key to winning the war.”
“But you don’t have the key. You said it yourself. You still need Apeiron.”
Tadhg grunted. “Look, all I’m asking is for you to send out a message. You do that, and I’ll go to Megacity Boston and extract Apeiron myself from that Life Ark.”
Farland stared at Tadhg like he was crazy.
“He’ll do it,” Chloe said. “He’s fearless.”
“Fearless isn’t always smart,” Farland said. “No offense, Sergeant. I know you’re an Engine, but first you’d have to sneak past thousands of enemy forces, then you would have to actually find the Life Ark. You’d be better off just walking right into their hive on the MIT campus and blowing yourself up. At least then you might have a chance of taking down their hub in this sector by destroying the servers there.”
Raised voices came from outside the open vault door. A Piston burst inside, mud dripping from his boots and the smell of smoke wafting off his uniform.
“Sir, there’s activity topside,” he said.
“Machines coming this way?” Farland asked.
“No, sir, not this way.” The Piston pointed up. “You got to see this, sir.”
Farland rushed out of the room without saying another word. The rest of the command staff followed.
“We sure as hell aren’t just sitting on our asses down here,” Tadhg said.
He ran after them. Chloe tagged along with Cyrus, winded by the time she got to the top. The group was moving out through the ballroom and through open doors to the terrace. Thunder boomed in the distance, shaking the wall panels.
The Pistons stopped under a tattered green awning.
Wind shifted through the gardens beyond, blowing the bushes and trees. The crack of thunder continued, with almost no respite.
Standing out in the rain was a single Piston. He pointed to the south as the soldiers moved to the edge of the terrace.
Chloe slowly walked outside. Cold rain pelted her exposed flesh. She turned toward the mansion and raised a hand to shield her eyes as she looked to the horizon.
The booming thunder continued.
But it wasn’t coming from the storm.
Rising into the sky were dozens of missile-shaped objects, venting brilliant tongues of flame.
“That’s coming from the crater!” someone yelled.
“The machines are launching those superstructures,” Farland said. He turned with his comrades as the sky lit up with clusters of smaller ships.
Joining the massive machines were hundreds of Praying Mantis fighters.
“This is it,” Tadhg said. “It’s what the LDC was preparing for. The machines are headed to the moon.”
“Uncle Keanu,” Chloe whispered. “We have to stop them…”
Tadhg strode over to Farland.
“Send that message, lieutenant,” Tadhg said. “We don’t have any more time. Tell Captain Hayashi we have the answer to the war. He’ll come. I promise you, he will.”
Farland watched the horizon.
“You’re too late,” he said. “The LDC didn’t help us, I’ll be damned if I help them.”
Tadhg grabbed him and turned him.
“This isn’t about the LDC,” he said. “This is about innocent people on the moon and survivors here on Earth.”
He leaned closer, holding up a robotic hand, rain sluicing off the metal as he pointed back inside.
“I’m not asking you again,” Tadhg growled. “You send that transmission to Captain Akira or you’re going to have to worry about more than the machines.”
***
Ronin shuffled down the passage with an escort of two Troopers. They were headed for the execution chamber. He had seen that chamber plenty of times on the live feeds since E-day. The LDC had ensured every colonist and refugee did.
He prayed his death wasn’t broadcast.
He couldn’t bear to think of his family watching this.
The fact that he was minutes away from death began to sink in when they reached the hatch to the chamber.
Since E-Day, he had been prepared to die, but he never pictured it happening like this. Falling in combat with the machines, sure. Killed by the very people that he had just sworn to protect?
That never crossed his mind.
The troopers opened the hatch and led him inside a circular space where space suits hung on mounts. In the center of the space was a metal grate charred from the flames that had incinerated other prisoners.
“You have been sentenced to death for aiding a known terrorist,” said one of the troopers. “Do you have any final words?”
The soldier directed a mirrored visor at Ronin.
From his reflection in the visor, he could see the fear in his eyes.
Ronin took a deep breath, doing everything he could to keep it together. But that was nearly impossible.
They were putting him to death for hiding his conversation with Tadhg.
No, they are killing you because Tadhg got away, Ronin thought. Because they failed to stop him.
He was the scapegoat.
The irony of it all was the LDC wouldn’t have even known about that conversation if it weren’t for Micky. The little bastard had reported him all because he was jealous Ronin had been selected as squad leader.
Was he really that petty?
Maybe Micky was too naïve to realize what his blabbering mouth had gotten Ronin into.
He couldn’t possibly have known it would lead to this.
No, this wasn’t all Micky’s fault. The War Commander was responsible too, and this was exactly why Tadhg had warned Ronin not to trust him.
“If you don’t have anything to say, then make your choice,” said the trooper. “Death by fire or the short walk.”
Ronin pulled on the energy cuffs binding his hands, resisting the urge to plead for his life. He thought back to how he had begged War Commander Thacker for mercy, but he knew these men weren’t going to grant him it either.
The soldiers both stepped closer.
“Pick, or we’ll pick for you,” one said. “Think of your death as a sacrifice to the colony. One less mouth to feed.”
“And one less soldier when the machines come,” Ronin said.
“You’re a traitor,” replied the other trooper.
“No, I’m not! I’m a trooper like you. I swore to protect the LDC.”
“So did Sergeant Walsh before he went on a murdering rampage. Make a choice. Now.”
Ronin looked from the suits back to the grate.
“I choose to walk,” he said.
The two soldiers took him over to a suit on the wall.
When he hesitated, one of the troopers shoved him against the suit. “That’s yours.”
Ronin felt anger replace the fear.
He recalled something Akira had written in the Warrior Codex.
Do not fear death. Remain calm in the face of it, and perhaps you will evade it.
Ronin knew remaining calm meant managing his anger.
He controlled his breathing and focused on the book, thinking of another passage.
In battle, there is always a way to victory. Sometimes it’s living to fight another day. Sometimes it’s a new strategy on the battlefield, and sometimes you must try something that seems impossible. Sometimes, when your choices seem to have run out, impossible is all there is.
A trooper pulled out a scanner.
“Hold out your hands,” he said. “You try anything, and you’ll regret it.”
Ronin held up his energy cuffs. The scanner unlocked them, and the soldier pulled them off his hands.
“Get dressed,” said the other trooper.
Turning to the suits, Ronin found one that looked like it would fit. He took a seat on a bench and put his legs inside, taking his time while searching the space for something to fight back with. If he could take down these two men, then maybe he could escape like Tadhg did.
The troopers both watched him from a few feet away. They were close enough he could lunge for one of their swords.
He buttoned the pants and started zipping up the vest. He waited for an opportunity to present itself, but both men looked ready, like they were used to their prisoners trying a desperate last attack to escape.
“Hurry up,” one said.
Ronin finished zipping up the suit. The truth was that even if he took these two guys down, there would be more inside.
No, there would be no escaping his fate.
Panic set in. He lost control of his breathing, his heart racing.
One of the troopers suddenly stepped back.
Ronin heard the crackling of a radio transmission, but he couldn’t make out any of it. His eyes went to the unguarded hilt of the energy sword the man wore. Before he could make a move, the other trooper stepped away.
They both hurried toward the hatch they had entered, leaving Ronin by himself.
Confused, he remained where he was, watching as they left without a word.
Was this some sort of trick? Were they broadcasting this after all?
Ronin looked toward the cameras hanging off the walls, but neither were trained on him.
He flinched as an alarm suddenly erupted in the chamber. A red light flashed from the ceiling. Through the viewport of the hatch, he saw the two troopers vanish around a corner.
An automated voice boomed through the passage.
“All hands to their stations. This is not a drill.”
Ronin couldn’t believe his luck. The machines were coming.
No, no, this wasn’t luck.
If the machines were coming, then he was trapped just like he had been in that tunnel with Orson, Bradley, and Micky.
Helpless.
Ronin rushed to the closed airlock hatch. He pressed his face against the circular window, peering through the chamber and out the viewport of the exit hatch. Several bodies lay along a path on the surface.
It was hard to see, but he could make out cannons on the domed rooftops in the distance. The barrels rotated at the darkness of space.
Three King Cobra Spaceplanes shot over the base. Two more followed, their thrusters flaring like comets.
He stood there for what felt like an hour, the alarm rising and falling. He also tried pounding on the hatch that led back into the base, trying to convince anyone to let him out.
“I will help you fight, you need me!” he screamed.
But there was no response. No one to help him.
Finally, back at the airlock hatches, he saw a sliver of Earth rise over the horizon. The blue ocean, and the brown shroud of smoke and grit drifting across the continents was oddly calming to him.
But there was something else out there.
Between the moon and Earth.
Ronin didn’t need a telescope to know what was creating the tiny blinking lights in the stretch of black.
The machines were coming.
Phase 2 was finally here.
He wasn’t sure how much time he had, but he knew he couldn’t stay here. He ran back to the hatch to the station, pounding on it again.
“Let me out!” he screamed. “I will fight!”
He hammered his hands against the door until they hurt so bad, he felt like they were going to break.
Reality set in.
No one was coming to get him.
Not anyone human.
— 25 —
Akira entered the cold room at Neptune Station that served as a morgue. He nearly broke at the sight of Contos lying on a gurney in the dim light. While Bella had survived her injuries, the War Commander had not.
A blanket was pulled up to his neck, covering the wounds that had taken his life a day earlier.
Akira walked over to stand next to his friend, mentor, and commander one last time. He then pulled out the note that Contos had left for him, and finally unraveled it.
Dear Akira,
Many years ago, after decades of war and bloodshed, I questioned my decision to dedicate my life to that of a warrior. I’m sure at some point all soldiers do the same when faced with their own deaths and the deaths of so many they love.
But it wasn’t just seeing friends die that made me question my decision. Long before the one woman I loved fell victim to SANDs, I told her I never wanted kids. Something she desperately wanted. It tore us apart, long before her death.
Years after she left this world, I began to ponder if I had made a mistake. Then I discovered you on that hilltop. You became like a son to me, Akira, and at the same time, strange as it may seem, a brother too.
If you’re reading this, you must have confirmed that I didn’t make it back from contacting the LDC. I know how you might take this as a contradiction that I gave my life for this, or that I kept it a secret. But when Jackson died, I had very few options. I knew if you and Shadow Squad found out where I was, you might risk your lives to save me if we ran into trouble.
“Get out the defibrillator,” Akira said. “Hurry!”
— 24 —
Toxic rain pecked the glass windows overlooking what was once a manicured garden. Wind battered the twisted rose bushes and crisp, brown grass. The runoff washed the ash off the stone terraces and walkways that connected the acres of ruined landscaping.
The storm howled, rattling the windows Chloe stood behind. She moved back to the oak presidential desk, bumping into the edge. Then she turned back to the expansive office. It looked like it had once housed a diplomat or government official, with plush leather chairs and walls of built-in bookshelves. Persian rugs covered the hardwood floors and were placed under the red leather sitting chairs facing a brick fireplace.
A matching leather couch provided a comfortable spot for Cyrus as he slept off the pain meds the Pistons had provided. She checked on him before crossing the beautiful room back to the windows.
Lightning sizzled across the horizon, followed by the booming clap of thunder.
She had always wondered what types of people lived on estates like this. They were from a different world than the majority of the population before E-Day. Privileged with money, food, shelter, and hordes of droids to wait on them.
It was very likely those droids had ended up killing the owners of this place, long before the Nova Alliance found the isolated estate and the bunker under the cellars.
Chloe noticed a Piston patrolling outside.
It was a reminder that she and Cyrus weren’t free here.
Once again, she was being held against her will. Tadhg was still off talking with Lieutenant Farland while they were locked inside the room. Sure, the rebels were taking precautions, but it didn’t feel good.
The click of a lock made her flinch.
She turned as the solid wood doors opened. Two Pistons stood in the hallway outside with their rifles cradled. Tadhg walked up behind them, and they parted to let him inside.
The floor creaked under his heavy footsteps.
Cyrus sat up, blinking groggily.
“Sorry to keep you in here,” came a deep voice.
Lieutenant Farland stepped in just as lightning sizzled outside, the blue flash illuminating his serious features.
Chloe went over to Cyrus as he got his bearings.
“Are you going to tell us where we are yet?” she asked.
“Ten miles west of Boston,” Farland said. “You’re as safe as you can be right now.”
“There aren’t machines out here?” Cyrus asked.
“Not right now, according to our scouts and drones. The few Canebrake packs we’ve been tracking fled back to the crater in Boston.”
“Something to do with the Praying Mantis fighters?” Chloe asked.
“That would be my guess, which is why we don’t have much time.” Farland turned and motioned politely. “Follow me.”
Tadhg nodded his approval.
They left the office and headed down a wide stairway with a spiral banister to a vast ballroom with an impressive chandelier. From there, they took an enclosed stone stairwell down into a wine cellar.
One of the shelves had been pulled away to reveal a secret passage that went deeper underground. A guard stepped away to let them through.
Farland led them down into the bowels of the estate. Chloe wasn’t sure how many steps she descended, but it had to be the equivalent of ten floors. An old bank vault door was propped open at the bottom leading to a bunker.
Ten soldiers and officers worked around a row of tables. Ancient computers lay on the tables near wall-mounted monitors that looked decades old.
“Welcome to the war room,” Farland said. “I’m ready to see what Doctor Crichton gave you that he thought would change the war.”
Tadhg gave Chloe a reassuring nod.
She reached into the vest over her suit and pulled out the case containing Jason’s virus.
“I have to get this to Apeiron at the Life Ark in the city,” Chloe said.
“One of those bunkers? Shit, you got an army that I don’t know about? Cause it’s buried somewhere deep in enemy territory,” Farland replied with a snort. “So that’s what you risked your necks to come here for? No wonder the LDC didn’t approve that shit.”
“I spent the past two hours explaining the LDC abandoned you,” Tadhg said. “Sorry we’re not what you were hoping for, but we are the only hope you got.”
Farland eyed Chloe. “So let me understand this then. Doctor Crichton wrote this code for you and just you to bring here? What makes you so special?”
“I’m not…” Chloe started to say.
“I don’t like your tone, lieutenant,” Cyrus said.
Farland’s gaze shifted over to Cyrus, but Tadhg stepped forward to intervene.
“We’re all friends here,” he said with a grunt. “Right?”
The lieutenant glanced up at Tadhg.
“Yeah, we’re friends, but your mission is fucking hopeless,” Farland said. “You had me believing we might actually have a chance.”
“It’s not hopeless, lieutenant. I just need to find Shadow Squad.”
“Like I said, hopeless.” Farland shook his head wearily. “We haven’t heard from Akira for over a week. If he is out there, he’s too far from us to help.”
“There’s got to be a way to contact him. To let him know I’ve returned, and we have the key to winning the war.”
“But you don’t have the key. You said it yourself. You still need Apeiron.”
Tadhg grunted. “Look, all I’m asking is for you to send out a message. You do that, and I’ll go to Megacity Boston and extract Apeiron myself from that Life Ark.”
Farland stared at Tadhg like he was crazy.
“He’ll do it,” Chloe said. “He’s fearless.”
“Fearless isn’t always smart,” Farland said. “No offense, Sergeant. I know you’re an Engine, but first you’d have to sneak past thousands of enemy forces, then you would have to actually find the Life Ark. You’d be better off just walking right into their hive on the MIT campus and blowing yourself up. At least then you might have a chance of taking down their hub in this sector by destroying the servers there.”
Raised voices came from outside the open vault door. A Piston burst inside, mud dripping from his boots and the smell of smoke wafting off his uniform.
“Sir, there’s activity topside,” he said.
“Machines coming this way?” Farland asked.
“No, sir, not this way.” The Piston pointed up. “You got to see this, sir.”
Farland rushed out of the room without saying another word. The rest of the command staff followed.
“We sure as hell aren’t just sitting on our asses down here,” Tadhg said.
He ran after them. Chloe tagged along with Cyrus, winded by the time she got to the top. The group was moving out through the ballroom and through open doors to the terrace. Thunder boomed in the distance, shaking the wall panels.
The Pistons stopped under a tattered green awning.
Wind shifted through the gardens beyond, blowing the bushes and trees. The crack of thunder continued, with almost no respite.
Standing out in the rain was a single Piston. He pointed to the south as the soldiers moved to the edge of the terrace.
Chloe slowly walked outside. Cold rain pelted her exposed flesh. She turned toward the mansion and raised a hand to shield her eyes as she looked to the horizon.
The booming thunder continued.
But it wasn’t coming from the storm.
Rising into the sky were dozens of missile-shaped objects, venting brilliant tongues of flame.
“That’s coming from the crater!” someone yelled.
“The machines are launching those superstructures,” Farland said. He turned with his comrades as the sky lit up with clusters of smaller ships.
Joining the massive machines were hundreds of Praying Mantis fighters.
“This is it,” Tadhg said. “It’s what the LDC was preparing for. The machines are headed to the moon.”
“Uncle Keanu,” Chloe whispered. “We have to stop them…”
Tadhg strode over to Farland.
“Send that message, lieutenant,” Tadhg said. “We don’t have any more time. Tell Captain Hayashi we have the answer to the war. He’ll come. I promise you, he will.”
Farland watched the horizon.
“You’re too late,” he said. “The LDC didn’t help us, I’ll be damned if I help them.”
Tadhg grabbed him and turned him.
“This isn’t about the LDC,” he said. “This is about innocent people on the moon and survivors here on Earth.”
He leaned closer, holding up a robotic hand, rain sluicing off the metal as he pointed back inside.
“I’m not asking you again,” Tadhg growled. “You send that transmission to Captain Akira or you’re going to have to worry about more than the machines.”
***
Ronin shuffled down the passage with an escort of two Troopers. They were headed for the execution chamber. He had seen that chamber plenty of times on the live feeds since E-day. The LDC had ensured every colonist and refugee did.
He prayed his death wasn’t broadcast.
He couldn’t bear to think of his family watching this.
The fact that he was minutes away from death began to sink in when they reached the hatch to the chamber.
Since E-Day, he had been prepared to die, but he never pictured it happening like this. Falling in combat with the machines, sure. Killed by the very people that he had just sworn to protect?
That never crossed his mind.
The troopers opened the hatch and led him inside a circular space where space suits hung on mounts. In the center of the space was a metal grate charred from the flames that had incinerated other prisoners.
“You have been sentenced to death for aiding a known terrorist,” said one of the troopers. “Do you have any final words?”
The soldier directed a mirrored visor at Ronin.
From his reflection in the visor, he could see the fear in his eyes.
Ronin took a deep breath, doing everything he could to keep it together. But that was nearly impossible.
They were putting him to death for hiding his conversation with Tadhg.
No, they are killing you because Tadhg got away, Ronin thought. Because they failed to stop him.
He was the scapegoat.
The irony of it all was the LDC wouldn’t have even known about that conversation if it weren’t for Micky. The little bastard had reported him all because he was jealous Ronin had been selected as squad leader.
Was he really that petty?
Maybe Micky was too naïve to realize what his blabbering mouth had gotten Ronin into.
He couldn’t possibly have known it would lead to this.
No, this wasn’t all Micky’s fault. The War Commander was responsible too, and this was exactly why Tadhg had warned Ronin not to trust him.
“If you don’t have anything to say, then make your choice,” said the trooper. “Death by fire or the short walk.”
Ronin pulled on the energy cuffs binding his hands, resisting the urge to plead for his life. He thought back to how he had begged War Commander Thacker for mercy, but he knew these men weren’t going to grant him it either.
The soldiers both stepped closer.
“Pick, or we’ll pick for you,” one said. “Think of your death as a sacrifice to the colony. One less mouth to feed.”
“And one less soldier when the machines come,” Ronin said.
“You’re a traitor,” replied the other trooper.
“No, I’m not! I’m a trooper like you. I swore to protect the LDC.”
“So did Sergeant Walsh before he went on a murdering rampage. Make a choice. Now.”
Ronin looked from the suits back to the grate.
“I choose to walk,” he said.
The two soldiers took him over to a suit on the wall.
When he hesitated, one of the troopers shoved him against the suit. “That’s yours.”
Ronin felt anger replace the fear.
He recalled something Akira had written in the Warrior Codex.
Do not fear death. Remain calm in the face of it, and perhaps you will evade it.
Ronin knew remaining calm meant managing his anger.
He controlled his breathing and focused on the book, thinking of another passage.
In battle, there is always a way to victory. Sometimes it’s living to fight another day. Sometimes it’s a new strategy on the battlefield, and sometimes you must try something that seems impossible. Sometimes, when your choices seem to have run out, impossible is all there is.
A trooper pulled out a scanner.
“Hold out your hands,” he said. “You try anything, and you’ll regret it.”
Ronin held up his energy cuffs. The scanner unlocked them, and the soldier pulled them off his hands.
“Get dressed,” said the other trooper.
Turning to the suits, Ronin found one that looked like it would fit. He took a seat on a bench and put his legs inside, taking his time while searching the space for something to fight back with. If he could take down these two men, then maybe he could escape like Tadhg did.
The troopers both watched him from a few feet away. They were close enough he could lunge for one of their swords.
He buttoned the pants and started zipping up the vest. He waited for an opportunity to present itself, but both men looked ready, like they were used to their prisoners trying a desperate last attack to escape.
“Hurry up,” one said.
Ronin finished zipping up the suit. The truth was that even if he took these two guys down, there would be more inside.
No, there would be no escaping his fate.
Panic set in. He lost control of his breathing, his heart racing.
One of the troopers suddenly stepped back.
Ronin heard the crackling of a radio transmission, but he couldn’t make out any of it. His eyes went to the unguarded hilt of the energy sword the man wore. Before he could make a move, the other trooper stepped away.
They both hurried toward the hatch they had entered, leaving Ronin by himself.
Confused, he remained where he was, watching as they left without a word.
Was this some sort of trick? Were they broadcasting this after all?
Ronin looked toward the cameras hanging off the walls, but neither were trained on him.
He flinched as an alarm suddenly erupted in the chamber. A red light flashed from the ceiling. Through the viewport of the hatch, he saw the two troopers vanish around a corner.
An automated voice boomed through the passage.
“All hands to their stations. This is not a drill.”
Ronin couldn’t believe his luck. The machines were coming.
No, no, this wasn’t luck.
If the machines were coming, then he was trapped just like he had been in that tunnel with Orson, Bradley, and Micky.
Helpless.
Ronin rushed to the closed airlock hatch. He pressed his face against the circular window, peering through the chamber and out the viewport of the exit hatch. Several bodies lay along a path on the surface.
It was hard to see, but he could make out cannons on the domed rooftops in the distance. The barrels rotated at the darkness of space.
Three King Cobra Spaceplanes shot over the base. Two more followed, their thrusters flaring like comets.
He stood there for what felt like an hour, the alarm rising and falling. He also tried pounding on the hatch that led back into the base, trying to convince anyone to let him out.
“I will help you fight, you need me!” he screamed.
But there was no response. No one to help him.
Finally, back at the airlock hatches, he saw a sliver of Earth rise over the horizon. The blue ocean, and the brown shroud of smoke and grit drifting across the continents was oddly calming to him.
But there was something else out there.
Between the moon and Earth.
Ronin didn’t need a telescope to know what was creating the tiny blinking lights in the stretch of black.
The machines were coming.
Phase 2 was finally here.
He wasn’t sure how much time he had, but he knew he couldn’t stay here. He ran back to the hatch to the station, pounding on it again.
“Let me out!” he screamed. “I will fight!”
He hammered his hands against the door until they hurt so bad, he felt like they were going to break.
Reality set in.
No one was coming to get him.
Not anyone human.
— 25 —
Akira entered the cold room at Neptune Station that served as a morgue. He nearly broke at the sight of Contos lying on a gurney in the dim light. While Bella had survived her injuries, the War Commander had not.
A blanket was pulled up to his neck, covering the wounds that had taken his life a day earlier.
Akira walked over to stand next to his friend, mentor, and commander one last time. He then pulled out the note that Contos had left for him, and finally unraveled it.
Dear Akira,
Many years ago, after decades of war and bloodshed, I questioned my decision to dedicate my life to that of a warrior. I’m sure at some point all soldiers do the same when faced with their own deaths and the deaths of so many they love.
But it wasn’t just seeing friends die that made me question my decision. Long before the one woman I loved fell victim to SANDs, I told her I never wanted kids. Something she desperately wanted. It tore us apart, long before her death.
Years after she left this world, I began to ponder if I had made a mistake. Then I discovered you on that hilltop. You became like a son to me, Akira, and at the same time, strange as it may seem, a brother too.
If you’re reading this, you must have confirmed that I didn’t make it back from contacting the LDC. I know how you might take this as a contradiction that I gave my life for this, or that I kept it a secret. But when Jackson died, I had very few options. I knew if you and Shadow Squad found out where I was, you might risk your lives to save me if we ran into trouble.
