Wolves

TWENTY-TWO

The C4 had done the trick.

X sped away from the oil rig. He had selected it because it appeared to be just a warehouse with floors and floors of stacked junk—nothing vital to his own people’s future needs.

Another explosion rocked the structure, enveloping the entire rig. Flames licked the sky. In a few hours, the entire skyline would be obscured in smoke.

His plan wasn’t perfect, but it could work. It had to.

Creating chaos was his only way to save Magnolia and Miles. If he could give the impression that there were more hostiles than one out here, he might have a chance to follow his friends’ beacons while they remained alive.

Looking over his shoulder, he saw Cazadores in flames, jumping off the platforms into the water. Others were flailing in the ocean.

Some of them had made it to boats anchored beneath the structure. X hadn’t seen any children or women before detonating the C4—another reason he had selected the warehouse, even though part of him considered all these people enemies, just like the Sirens.

Anyone who wants to eat me, I’m happy to kill.

Still, he couldn’t help but have qualms about killing kids and women. They were still human, unlike the Sirens, which had developed into an entirely new species.

He felt a faint pang of remorse, but nothing he couldn’t get over.

He hadn’t come here to make peace. He came for revenge.

And now they had his friend and his dog.

If it meant saving two of the most important beings in his life, he would kill every last one of them.

So far, his plan was working.

None of the bastards back on the platform had seemed to recognize him before he detonated the C4. The drivers of boats and WaveRunners that passed him didn’t seem to pay him any mind, either.

Dozens of the vessels zoomed away from the clusters of oil rigs in the distance. They were too enraged to pay close enough attention. Cazador soldiers raised weapons and screamed in Spanish.

And they didn’t seem to have a way of communicating over distance, which gave him another advantage. No radios to connect them and help them sort out what was going on. He would use that to his advantage.

X steadied his breathing and rode the waves as fast as he could, heading for the beacon on his wrist monitor. Timothy was still active on the Sea Wolf and was feeding him information via his headset under the baseball cap and goggles X had taken off the dead Cazador soldier.

The goggles were ancient artifacts with lenses yellowed from centuries of use. But they still helped keep the water out of his eyes.

He gunned the engine toward the next oil rig.

This one wasn’t a junkyard—it was a farm built on multiple levels. On the lower decks were shanty houses, some of them dangling over the water.

Blowing up a farm wasn’t an option. If Katrina ever did make it here, they would need it.

To blend in, he joined an armada of four boats, all filled with Cazador warriors, heading around the structure.

You’re going the wrong way, assholes, he thought.

Why would they be heading away from the Sea Wolf and the explosions?

Unless you’re on your way to protect someone or something…

Scanning the horizon, X counted a dozen more oil rigs. It took him only a glance to see their target. The city on the sea had a capital, and he was looking at what appeared to be a goddamn castle.

He eased off the throttle when he saw what could have been the Hive, sitting on top of the towers.

“Commander Rodriguez, do you copy?”

“I’m here, Pepper. You got a sitrep?”

“I do, sir. Magnolia’s beacon hasn’t moved for several minutes.”

X glanced down at his wrist monitor, which he had put back on a few minutes earlier. Sure enough, the beacons were idle. But they were still blinking, which meant Mags and Miles were alive.

“I believe she reached her destination about thirty minutes ago,” Timothy added.

“On my way there now,” X said.

“Sir, there’s something else.”

“What’s that?”

“A dozen Cazador ships have surrounded the Sea Wolf, and they just pulled a naked body out of the water.”

X cringed at the news. They had found the man he killed and stripped. But how?

Then it hit him. The man was fatter than any of his mates. Of course he would float! X felt like kicking himself.

“I’m about to be boarded, sir. I presume this is the end. Whatever happens next, I’m afraid you will be on your own. To say it’s been an honor would be an understatement, Commander.”

“You done good, Pepper. Thank you for helping us.”

“It was my pleasure, sir. Is there anything else I can do to assist you?”

“Yeah,” X said. “Relay this message to the Hive and Deliverance before you’re shut down. The very fate of my people may rest in your hands, Pepper. Make sure Captain DaVita gets this message.”

X grabbed the handlebar and gave what might be his final transmission as he sped toward the capital of the Cazadores.

In the medical bay of the USS Zion, Michael raised his left arm and bandaged right stump so Trey and Layla could pull his shirt over his bare chest. What had once been a routine requiring little thought or effort was now a painful and laborious process. Moving hurt. Breathing hurt. Staying awake hurt.

Layla held out two pills before he put his helmet on.

“No more,” he said. “I’m done with those. They make everything numb.”

“That’s the point, and you might need them for the trip back to Deliverance. Come on, Tin.”

“I said no.” His words and tone brooked no argument.

Layla closed her hand over the pills. “Fine.”

Les walked into the quarters. “Ready, Commander?”

Michael nodded.

“Follow me.”

The divers all made their way down to the hangar bay that had once been used to store aircraft and vehicles. Only one vehicle remained: an armored truck similar to the one back in the garage at Red Sphere. All the windows but one were cracked, and the tires flat. A mounted rocket launcher pointed ahead, the barrel covered in faded markings from centuries ago.

Helium boosters, armor, and helmets sat neatly arranged in front of the locked door. Michael glared at the two laser rifles on the ground, and then bent down to pick one up by the olive-green rail that had iron sights mounted to the barrel. Holding the weapon sent a bolt of pain through his stump and down his missing arm.

Layla reached out. “You okay, Tin?”

He nodded and examined the weapon that had taken his arm. “Do we know how these work now?”

Edgar nodded and grabbed the other gun. “Battery operated. These two have about half a charge left.” He pushed a button on the bottom of the barrel, ejecting the battery that had a display on the side. “This one is at forty-seven percent.”

“All right, everyone,” Katrina said. “Gather around.”

She motioned for everyone to join her around a computer station on the starboard bulkhead. The screen had multiple cracks across the surface, but it somehow came to life, activating a map of their current location.

“These are the Metal Islands,” Katrina said. “Interestingly, they aren’t actually islands at all, but old-world drilling platforms that once pumped oil.”

Michael gritted his teeth at a fresh wave of pain. He didn’t regret passing on the pills yet, but maybe Layla was right.

“We’re not sure how many oil rigs there are or how many Cazadores we’re going to be facing,” Katrina said, “which makes forming a battle plan difficult. The last thing I want is to blow up anything we might need to make this our home. But we have to make them pay dearly enough that they surrender.”

“These people are barbarians,” Layla said. “They aren’t just going to lay down their weapons when the Hive and Deliverance descend on them and we show up with the Zion.”

“Perhaps not,” Katrina said. “But they will pay a heavy cost until they do.”

She put her palms on the desktop and looked at each diver in turn with the confident gaze of a captain. Whatever doubts, grief, and insecurities she was harboring, none of it showed. The woman in front of Michael was the leader he remembered before she lost her child—the woman X had once loved.

“Vish, Sandy, Jed, Eevi, and Alexander will parachute to the deck shortly,” Katrina said. “I’ve asked them to bring a fuel cell from the airship to help us get to the Metal Islands.” She looked to Trey and Jaideep. “You two will remain here with the other divers and me.”

“I’m ready to fight,” Trey said.

Michael envied his friend, who had the bearing of a young man ready to go to war. No matter how hard Michael wanted to fight, this was one he must sit out.

Katrina looked to him and Layla next. “Layla, I need you and Les to return to Deliverance with Michael and Edgar. You will then fly to meet the Hive. As soon as you dock, your orders are simple: recruit a fighting force. We can’t do this all with missiles and cannons.”

Several nods.

“Once that’s done, the airships will meet us at the Metal Islands, and we will give el Pulpo a chance to surrender and hand over X, Mags, and Miles.”

More nods, except from Edgar.

“With your permission, Captain, I’d like to stay here,” he said in a gruff voice.

Everyone turned to look at the young man.

“You’re wounded,” Layla said.

“Don’t matter. I don’t want to go back up there. Ramon’s dead. He was all I had in the sky.”

Katrina held his gaze for a moment and finally nodded. “You can stay. I’ll need the extra help.” She looked at them all in turn again. “Any other questions?”

Les appeared to want to say something. It was obvious he didn’t want to leave his son.

Katrina stood up straight from the station and clapped her hands together. “Okay, let’s get ready. Deliverance is traveling at top speed toward our coordinates and should be in position within a half hour. We have a window in the storm above, people, and I don’t want to miss it.”

Les led the group toward the closed hangar-bay door.

“You heard the captain; everyone, suit up.”

Layla helped Michael into his armor. They were face-to-face, close enough that no one but her could hear him.

“Do you think this is the right move?” he murmured.

“I don’t know what the right move is anymore, Tin. I mean, they found a place we can call home, but it’s going to cost us to take it for ourselves. And… I just don’t know. I’m afraid.”

Michael raised his left hand into the air so she could cinch the strap on his back securing his armor. She leaned in closer.

“I’m afraid we will lose our own humanity if we go to war for the Metal Islands,” she whispered.

“Me, too. But they have X, Mags, and Miles, and they killed Rodger. We have to fight them.”

“Maybe there’s another way…”

Michael turned so she could finish securing the clasps on his sides. He closed his eyes against another jolt of pain. When he opened them again, he saw Trey and Les embracing.

“I love you and will see you soon,” Les said. “Be careful.”

“I love you, too. Tell Phyl and Mom that I love them, too.”

Les hugged his son again and then put on his helmet, looking in Michael and Layla’s direction.

“You almost ready?” he asked them.

Layla and Michael finished suiting up in front of the hangar door. As soon as they had secured their helmets, Les hit a button on the bulkhead, and the ancient door cranked open, letting in a gust of wind and rain. It was coming down in sheets from the dark skies. Lightning rickracked across the eastern horizon.

“You sure this is safe?” Layla asked.

Katrina stepped up behind them, holding one of the black laser rifles. “Safe as we’re going to get,” she replied, opening the rifle’s battery compartment and removing the battery. “Les, I’d like you to take this up there and hold onto it. If we end up sending Hell Divers to the Metal Islands we will need at least one of these for the dives.”

He grabbed the weapon and threw the new sling over his shoulder.

“Keep that locked away,” Katrina said, handing him the battery separately. “A single bolt could cause a disaster in the skies.”

“Will do, Captain.”

Michael stared up into the black vault. They waited in silence, with nothing but the thunder and the creak of metal to fill the void of words.

Katrina put her finger to her earpiece and walked back into the hangar. “Yes, I copy you, Ensign White.

She nodded and said, “Okay, good news. We’re almost ready.”

Katrina rejoined the divers near the open door. “Ensign White thinks he can get the ship low enough to drop ropes.”

A whirring came out of the storm—a sound Michael knew well. The turbofans churned through the clouds as Deliverance lowered. He still couldn’t see the hull, but far above, the darkness seemed to lighten.

“Easy,” Katrina breathed.

Rays penetrated the darkness, and spotlights turned the USS Zion’s decks bright as the daylight she had imagined all her life.

“There she is,” Layla said.

Michael watched the massive vessel descend, its thrusters firing periodically to hold the ship steady.

Overhead, the hangar door to the belly of the airship slowly opened, and he could see the blue glow of battery packs. Ropes dangled to the Zion’s weather deck, and Les ran out to grab them.

He used carabiners to clip them to the deck cleats. The ship rocked slightly from the wave action, but remained steady overhead.

The first thing down was a supply crate.

Trey and Jaideep hurried over to secure it, then wheeled it on a dolly back into the hangar.

“Our fuel cell and food for the trip,” Katrina said. “Plus some extra ammunition.”

Next came the other divers. The blue glow of five battery units winked on above and started down the ropes, swaying in the wind and rain.

Les, Trey, and Jaideep waited to help them.

One by one, the new divers hit the deck. They ran to the garage with multiple weapons slung over their shoulders and more holstered on their hips and legs. Bandoliers stuffed with shotgun shells and belts of high-caliber rounds hung over chest armor.

Michael had never seen such heavily armed divers before, but they would need every gun and bullet for this mission. They would also need the contents of the crates Alexander and Jed carried. Inside were drones and other recon equipment from the armory on Deliverance. They also had EMP grenades that could be used to fry small and large grids.

He turned as Jaideep embraced his brother.

“I was so damn worried about you, man!” Vish said.

Jed, Sandy, Eevi, and Alexander stowed their packs and weapons in the hangar, then came together in a small group while Katrina walked over to the departing divers.

“Lieutenant, if there’s anything you want to say about this plan, now is the time,” she said to Les. “I need to make sure I can count on you to follow my orders once you get back to the Hive.”

“You can,” Les said. “Just take care of my boy.”

“Do what I can’t do, Captain,” Michael said. “Save X, Mags, and Miles. I wish I could help.”

A wave of dizziness rushed over him, and he closed his eyes to let it pass.

“I’ll do everything, Commander. You have my word.” Katrina reached out but stopped short of clapping him on the shoulder. She moved to Layla and gave her a hug. Finally, she went to shake Les’ hand. They embraced instead.

“Good luck, Les,” she said. “Remember, start with the militia, I don’t want panic to spread on the airships.”

“Understood, Captain. Good luck to you as well.” He looked to Trey one last time and gestured for Layla and Michael to follow him onto the deck. The rain beat down on the divers as they made their way out.

“We’ll secure Michael first!” Les shouted over the noise of the storm.

Layla moved into position. Once Michael was tied in, he looked up at the airship, raised his hand over his head, and rotated it in circles.

A winch started at the top, and he rose off the deck, swaying in the violent wind.

His earpiece crackled. “Commander Everhart, there’s something you should hear,” Katrina said over a private channel.

He looked down to the deck. Layla and Les were tying in to ride up next, clearly oblivious to what Katrina was saying.

“This is a recorded transmission from X.”

Michael’s heart leaped with hope when he heard X’s gravelly voice in his helmet.

“This message is for Michael. As you may know, I’ve found the Metal Islands. I know I told you not to come for us, but we’re here now and it’s everything Janga said it would be, plus some.”

The wind howled, making it difficult to hear.

Michael held the rope as it bowed in a gust.

“By the time you hear this, we will likely be dead,” X said. “But when you do come, prepare to face a brutal enemy—worse than the Sirens. Avenge Miles. Avenge Magnolia, and promise me that when you make this humanity’s future, you won’t resort to barbarism like the Cazadores. I dived so humanity would survive. I dived for this place. I love you, Tin. Be good, fight hard, and remember what you told me: Accept your past without regrets. Handle your present with confidence. Face your future without fear.” He paused for a moment. “I’ll always be here for you in spirit, kid.”

The transmission shut off, leaving Michael with goose bumps prickling his arm. He looked out over the swollen storm clouds, wondering whether this was how X felt when he was left behind all those years ago.

A tear rolled down his cheek. He took in a long, deep breath. This wasn’t the time to despair.

It was the time to fight.

Minutes later, he was in the hangar bay on Deliverance, and Ensign Ada Winslow reached out and grabbed him, pulling him into the safety of the bay.

Michael looked back down at the USS Zion below, and a wave of energy rushed through him. As soon as he got back to the Hive, he would get patched up, and then he would prepare for the most important part of his life: the fight for the future of his family, his friends, and all humanity.