Darkness (24 page)

It was good to hear that Ruth was finding her place. At the mention of his wife’s name, Michael made a move for the door. Ever the soldier, he waited for Makara’s nod before striding out of
Aeneas
and into
Gilgamesh.

“How much longer will Samuel...” I began.

Ashton put a hand on my arm. “There will be time for this later. We need to return to Pyrite and begin the evacuation. If the swarm is there and Askal and his friends are fighting for us, speed is of the essence.”

Ashton had a point. We once again had two spaceships at our disposal after losing
Odin.
Thankfully, the one replacing
Odin
was much larger. We could evacuate the town more quickly than we had planned.

“You’re right,” I said.

“I have something you can do,” Makara said, speaking to Lyn. “When the first wave of refugees reaches Bunker 84, I need you to prepare the way for the Exodus. Set up food. Clear up space for people to sleep. Get water ready.”

Lyn nodded. “It will be hard, but I’ll see what we can do. The entry tunnel should still be open. If I remember correctly, it’s programmed to recognize when
Aeneas
is close. Even if it’s closed it should open up.”

“I can set course for Pyrite,” Ashton said. “Anna?”

Anna hesitated a moment, then nodded. “Yeah. I’m coming.”

The two of them left the anteroom. I watched as Anna walked away. She seemed to still be shaken from the battle with Elias. It was hard to see her like that, hard to see her go through so much only to reach a breaking point now. All of us were dealing with the aftershocks of a very traumatic experience.

“I need to return to
Gilgamesh,”
Makara said. “The rest of you can remain here until we go to Pyrite and back to Bunker 84. It will be a few trips until everyone is safe underground, but at least we can begin the process.”

***

We did as Makara said. When we reached Pyrite, my jaw dropped at the scene. It was an island in a sea of swarming pink and purple. There were thousands upon thousands of crawlers surrounding the settlement, bashing into the walls and gates. The perimeter was sturdy, but probably could not last against a long assault.

We had to get everyone out of there soon.

Several dragons circled the skies above, patrolling the air. We had won the battle there, which is what mattered. They cleared the way for the ships to move everyone out.

Gilgamesh,
then
Aeneas,
settled into the center of the town. Makara disembarked, and began to spread the word. Within minutes, people were streaming on board both ships, many more coming onto
Aeneas.
We could only take three hundred or so at a time, or we risked weighing down the ships too much.

We left with our first evac group around 19:00. Darkness covered the land, save for the many glowing eyes of the surrounding monsters. Seeing that seething swarm made me wonder if there would be a town by the time we got back at midnight.

When we reached the mountain housing Bunker 84, the boarding tunnel was still open. Ashton guided in
Aeneas
first – we wanted to be sure there was room for both ships before landing them at the bottom of the vertical tunnel. When
Aeneas
landed, we confirmed that there was. We unloaded the first of the refugees. Michael and Julian stayed in the Bunker, along with a few Angels, in order to keep things organized while the Community women prepared for everything.

We arrived back at Pyrite at midnight. To my relief, the walls and gates still stood. By this point, I was exhausted. The only sleep I had gotten since leaving for Bunker 84 came from being drugged out in my Bunker 84 jail cell. I nodded off a bit during the trips between, which allowed me to catch a couple of hours here and there.

By the time we loaded our next refugees, over half of the town had been emptied. I felt bad at leaving anyone behind – but we left most of the fighting men there in order to stave off any sort of attack. The
Radaskim
xenodragons might return and cause trouble. I wondered which of the dragons flying above was Askal, and I hoped that he was okay.

We returned to Pyrite at 04:15 to take the last of the refugees. We fit in the remaining five hundred people or so like sardines and prayed the ships could still function. After making a final sweep of the town, making absolutely sure that everyone was on board, we lifted off and headed north, leaving the remains of the city to its fate. The Wasteland was slowly being conquered, and there was nothing left to do but watch it be swallowed by the
Radaskim.

I finally allowed myself to relax, curling up in a corner on the bridge and falling fast asleep.

Chapter 20

When I awoke, gray daylight filtered onto the bridge. I felt weak and achy all over, as if I could sleep for the rest of time and still not catch up.

As hard as it was, I forced myself onto weary feet – feet that were sore and blistering from all the punishment they had taken the past few days. My fingers felt numb and every one of my muscles ached.

I went to stand by Anna, who was seated and copiloting the ship. Ashton gazed intently ahead, raising a white mug to his lips and drinking his coffee black.

I almost said that we had finally made it, but I didn’t want to speak too soon. We had come a long way, both in this particular mission and in each of our individual lives – but all it took was one mistake, one misfortune, for it all to come crashing down.

As dawn broke in the east – a dawn free of clouds or fog – the sky gleamed pink, yellow, and orange. I stared for a moment, mesmerized by the colors.

Then, the sun peeked above a mountaintop.

“Well, I’ll be,” Ashton said.

None of us said anything, appreciating the rare spectacle. The sun should not have come out like that – not at this latitude. The thick dust, and perhaps even the fallout from the bomb we had launched, made the sunrise even more beautiful. Streaks of purple, as if painted by God’s own hand, interweaved with the yellow and orange, the light and the sun so powerful that it seemed to split the clouds with beams of light. I even had to shield my eyes.

Then, we turned the ship, heading for the entry tunnel of Bunker 84. As we descended, Makara announced that we were in. Slowly, the door above shut – shutting out the dangerous world above and leading us once more into the Bunker of darkness.

But with the people there, perhaps it could become a Bunker of light.

***

The next week was spent on mad organization followed by deep rest. It was amazing to think that we could finally
rest
– at least, most of us could. Both
Aeneas
and
Gilgamesh
used their fusion drives in order to power the Bunker. The grow lights for the hydroponics were once more online. Ruth and several of the Community members took a look to make sure the irrigation lines were working.

The Community members proved invaluable. Though the death of Elias made them forget many inexplicable things, they still knew how to run their Bunker. We were guests in their home, in a sense.

Everyone was fed full rations for the next few days. Makara had said we needed our strength. It was clear, however, that the food would not last forever. There was perhaps enough to feed the Exodus at full rations for about two weeks. That meant we had to find alternatives, even after harvesting Bunker 108’s crop and bringing it to 84.

On the third day of coming back to Bunker 84, I was as rested as I would ever be. The main crew gathered aboard
Aeneas
in order to determine a battle plan to take over Los Angeles. Present were Makara, Ashton, Char, Marcus, Anna, Michael, Julian, and myself, along with the gang lords of Vegas.
Aeneas’s
conference room was crowded as every one of us piled in. I still did not trust the gang lords – aside from Grudge and perhaps Boss Dragon, the second of whom I hadn’t seen in quite some time.

Everyone talked amongst themselves until Makara stood at the head of the table, fixing an intense glare on everyone present. All voices stilled as she began to speak.

“We are here and we survived the Xenoswarm,” she began. “As you all know, we only have about two weeks here. It’s a temporary stop. It is also the place where we will plan our attack on Los Angeles. In two weeks’ time, Carin Black and the Reapers must be brought to heel. Only then can we deal with Emperor Augustus and make our attack on the Great Blight.”

No one said anything to her preamble. I watched the Vegas gang lords – Rey, Cain, and Jade – who looked at Makara with hollow eyes. Boss Dragon sat with arms folded, chewing his lower lip in contemplation. Grudge stood in the corner, silent. I did not forget Makara’s and Char’s promise to the gang lords – that Los Angeles was theirs for the taking as soon as the Reapers fell. As much as it hurt to have them in here with us, we needed their firepower. They easily provided most of the men who would be fighting to bring Vegas down, so they had to attend this meeting.

“With
Aeneas
and
Gilgamesh
both, taking L.A. should be easy,” Rey said.

After a week on the run from the swarm, Rey was looking the worse for wear. He still wore a suit – but it was dirty and featured several tears where something had attacked him. Dark circles underlined his tanned face, and his face, once clean-shaven, now featured the hints of a beard, thicker along the mustache and chin and more scraggly upon the cheeks. His eyes narrowed; those brown orbs had not lost their focus or intensity.

“Land us inside the walls and we can storm their base,” Rey said.

“This is dependent on finding Carin Black,” Ashton said, fixing Rey with an intent stare. “Such an attack would be foolish if Carin was not present in the building at the time.”

This much was true. It was Carin Black that we were after. As long as he was dead, taking the rest of the gang down would be easy. At least, we could only hope.

“I agree with Ashton,” Cain said, his blue eyes cold. He leaned over the table, propping himself with his right forearm. The beginnings of a gray beard, thicker than Rey’s, covered a square jaw. “He has a point. We might need to be sneakier at first. Find out where Carin stays. Where he goes during the day. And how we might take him out.”

Jade, who sat next to Cain, snickered, his wet eyes widening with glee. He drew his index finger across his thin neck in the universal symbol of murder.

Even if taking out Carin Black with an assassination was probably a better idea than storming his gates, the fact that Jade was behind the idea made it unappealing to me. The guy made me feel slimy just by looking at him.

“Assassination,” Makara said, testing the word.

“I want to be the one to gut him,” Anna said. “He destroyed my life. The least I can do is destroy his.”

Makara met her eyes. “You will have to contend with
me
for that.”

“Deal,” Anna said. “We both have equal claim – whoever is first gets the prize.”

Makara nodded. “But no sneaky stuff. I want him to see me as I stab him in the heart.”

Michael and Julian looked from Anna to Makara uncomfortably. I wasn’t sure if they were aware of the story behind why both Makara and Anna hated Carin Black so much – but even though
I
knew the story, this was getting to be a little much.

“Let’s try to focus on the specifics,” I said. “And not get caught up in something that may or may not happen. Black has to die; that much is clear. But I’d be happy just blasting the Reapers’ main base to bits with a few well-placed missiles.”

All of the men nodded – I hadn’t expected them to agree with me so readily, but I could see why. If we just did things my way, no one would have to risk themselves. If we had the resources to attack from a distance and not get anyone hurt, then why wouldn’t we do it that way?

“Perhaps a mix of the two tactics would work best,” Char said, coming out of his silence. “We could have people on the ground, spotting for Carin Black. Upon confirmation of his location, we could fire the missiles.”

Makara shook her head. “But how will we know he’s
truly
dead if we use missiles? His body might be blown to bits, but we wouldn’t know it. I want
no chance
of this scum escaping. That means me looking him in the face as I watch every ounce of life drain from his eyes.”

“Besides,” Anna said. “A lot of innocents could get hurt in such an attack. Their headquarters will be filled with slaves and innocent people.” She shook her head. “That should be a last resort.”

“The kid has a good plan,” Rey said. “And Char was right, too. A few people on the ground to spot Black. An attack from the air once his location is confirmed.” Rey made a gun with his right hand, shooting it. He smiled. “It’s easy.”

I thought about Anna’s point. Having innocents killed wasn’t something I had considered. The gang lords seemed to have no qualm with it, however.

“Whatever we end up doing,” Anna said,
“I
want to be in the thick of it.”

“Why?” Cain asked. “So you can go commando and get your revenge?”

Anna said nothing.

“You need to rest up, anyway,” Makara said. “And I need you to pilot one of the ships. You getting in the thick of it won’t be happening.”

“Aren’t
you
needed to pilot as well?” Anna asked.

Makara did not have an answer for that.

“Look,” Char said, “what matters is knocking off Carin. And we need to do it quick since we’re running on several clocks here.” Char held up a finger. “One is the food clock. We have two weeks until we run out.” Char raised a second finger. “Second is the Empire clock. Augustus will be arriving soon with his legions. We need to take the Reapers down before he arrives.” Char held up a third, final finger. “Then there’s the last clock – the xenovirus clock. The Blighters are pressing farther and farther west. Los Angeles won’t stay safe for long, even when we take control of it. We’ll have to be quick about rallying all of the gangs there, and take the fight to the Great Blight. And it would help to have Augustus on our side for that.”