The IX (15 page)

“What is it about us exactly?” Mac insisted. “We at least deserve to know
why
we were specifically targeted.”

“And you will be told, believe me,” Mohammed replied, looking genuinely apologetic, “but Commander Cameron has insisted the tactical briefing wait for tomorrow when all the team leaders are gathered together. Yourselves included. In the meantime, he has authorized me to emphasize why your previous petty disputes and conflicts will now be a thing of the past.”

Mohammed paused to scan each face before depressing a large orb protruding from the side of the monument. The huge panoramic windows behind the Reverence glided silently into the walls on either side. The room was immediately assailed by the echoes of a nerve-jarring howl of myriad throats roaring in unbridled lust.

Gesturing toward the bay, Mohammed concluded, “Gentlemen, although we are over two miles from the city wall, come and get your first glimpse of your true enemy.”

Appalled, they crowded forward.

CHAPTER TEN

Possibilities

Saul Cameron’s gaze roved over the faces of the men and women crowded into the confines of the senior officers’ mess. Despite the significance of what they were hearing, many of them looked numb, especially those from among the less technologically advanced groups of the latest arrivals. Saul had adjusted the minutes of the briefing to take into account their lack of understanding. Nevertheless, things had dragged on.

He glanced at his watch.
Damn. The session’s gone over more than I’d anticipated. Still, it’s served its purpose. With one or two minor amendments, the proposals should be agreeable to everyone and will help them all blend into the larger family.

Mohammed wound up his discourse regarding the city’s defensive capability. Grabbing the opportunity, Saul skimmed through the list in front of him for the final time.
And I know exactly which changes are needed.

Making one or two adjustments as he went through, Saul couldn’t help but feel smug. The alterations conveyed a sense of symmetry that looked rather elegant.
Oh yes. I think I’ve earned myself a shot of the good stuff when this chore has finally ended.

“Commander?” Mohammed invited Saul to the chair once more.

“Thank you.” Saul got to his feet and waved the report in the air. “And now to the part you’ve all been waiting for, not least because it’s the final item.”

A smattering of impromptu cheering and applause circulated the room. As he waited good-naturedly for the joking to die down, Saul stooped to remove something from within his briefcase. Placing it on the table before him, he paused to judge everyone’s mood. He wanted them alert and focused for this last item, and he was glad to see he’d captured their attention, despite their obvious fatigue.

Judging the time was right, he began. “As you know, up until now we’ve been forced to tolerate a relentless assault that has not only worn us down, but one that has steadily chipped away at our resolve as the years have gone by. Quite by chance, an incident recently occurred which changed all that, and we were granted our first ever respite. Today, I will publicly reveal for the first time
why
we were given this miraculous break, and what we intend to do with it. Anyone interested?”

He moved to uncover the mystery item.

Everyone craned forward.

His revelation was met with stunned incredulity. Those who had served in Rhomane for years seemed puzzled. An expression closely echoed by almost everyone else in the room. But not all.

Saul snorted as he caught a look of recognition on several faces. One in particular stood out from the rest.
I might have guessed. Ayria said he was sharp.

“Is that an old Webley .445 break-top revolver?”

“It certainly is . . . Lieutenant McDonald, isn’t it? Or should I say Mac?”

“Mac’s fine. Where the hell did you get that? They were antiquated even during my day, in 2052.”

Saul smiled. “Antiquated? They were relics by my time, but fortunately for us, this one works just fine.”

“The marvels of solid design, eh? It’s nice to see something of the old British Empire living on. Pip, pip, and all that. But if I might ask, what’s it doing here?”

Saul lifted the gun into the air and addressed the entire room. “This is indeed a British manufactured Webley pistol from the early twentieth century. World War One vintage to be exact. It was an heirloom belonging to one of our colleagues who, fortunately for us, was from a proud line of soldiers stretching back through umpteen generations to the late nineteenth century. I say fortunately for us, because the family was very particular when it came to their heritage. It seems anything they passed on, be it a weapon, a token, diaries or keepsakes, were all kept in pristine condition. And this was no exception. Simon inherited it from his father and had it in his possession when he was brought to Arden eight years ago. Obviously, he didn’t know what a treasure he had at the time, and stashed it away among his belongings after he settled in here. And there it remained, forgotten, until a couple of months ago.

“There’s a cave network about ten miles north of Rhomane. We call it the Rainbow Cathedral. It’s full of rough, fist-sized diamonds that the Ardenese use in their gel packs, to regulate the city’s AI systems. We go there from time to time to get replacements for upkeep, maintenance and so forth. We have to keep such trips to a bare minimum so as not to attract the attention of our friends out there. When we do go, we employ a six-man team. Two extractors and four armed watchers in a skimmer craft kitted out with a mobile null-field generator. As we’re still not fully conversant in meshing the different technologies, the portable units aren’t too reliable. Thus the need for secrecy.

“Anyway, I was part of the last crew. We were on the way back when the shield emitter frizzed out. As we were only two miles from the city at the time, we thought we’d make a run for it. Needless to say, the sudden exposure of the skimmer’s power unit drew the attention of a small group of scavenging Horde. We lost Pete, Michelle, and Dmitri during their first wave. Then Vigor on the second, along with the rest of the weapons. I took over the driving while there was still a little charge left. Simon began rummaging around in his pack. At the time, I wondered what the hell he was doing.”

Saul held the revolver up even higher. “Turns out he was digging for this. He was always cleaning it. Said it was a waste of time having such a gift if you didn’t look after it properly. Lucky for us he felt that way. When the ghouls swarmed us for the final time, he started firing. The noise was deafening. I remember thinking, you idiot! Why are you wasting your time with that piece of junk? Then the monsters hit us. We crashed. I felt the awful sense of dislocation associated with being drained. All of a sudden, I was bewildered by the silence . . .”

Saul’s narrative trailed off as he relived the horror of the attack. His eyes came back into focus and his voice took on a softer edge. “He gave his life to save mine. It was blind luck I was there to witness what happened; otherwise we’d have never known. We’d all be doomed. I’ve no doubt about that now.”

“What
did
happen?” someone called out from among the crowd.

Saul depressed a stud and broke the weapon in two. He briefly fiddled with the revolving chamber and removed a tiny object from inside. Grasping it tightly, he held it aloft for them to get a clearer view. “Basically, he screwed them! Simon only managed to let off a few of these rounds before he went down from the shock of their attack. But because the Horde are mostly comprised of energy, the bullets passed right through his attackers, and then disrupted those behind as well. Four exploded instantly as their matrixes were shredded. Several more dissipated as they ran. Apparently, these insignificant bits of metal mess up their ability to maintain a cohesive field.”

Rolling the .445 projectile between his thumb and forefinger, Saul said, “It’s the first time I’ve ever seen them panic. Not even the null-field scares them as much. Whatever it is about these godsends, they are capable of doing what our advanced technology can’t.” Addressing the ninth group in particular, he added, “That’s why we sought the Architect’s help to bring
you
through. We didn’t need any more useless Tec. We needed cold steel.”

“You need iron,” Cathal MacNoimhin bellowed. “And we have plenty of that too—”

“I’m sorry,” Ayria Solram cut in, “why iron in particular?”

The Caledonians looked to each other as if the doctor had lost her mind. “Iron. Is it not obvious, woman?” Cathal repeated. “Blood metal. The bane of furies and devils. How can you not know this?”

The rest of the clansmen murmured assent.

“The painted warrior speaks truth,” said Jishnu Kuruk—also known as Victorious Bear —chieftain of the Apache tribe formerly allied with Snow Blizzard. “We of the first peoples also have our stories of the fey metal that demons fear to touch.”

The assembly began to buzz.

Saul motioned for order. Once it was restored, he tossed the bullet in his hand toward his second-in-command. “Mohammed? I want you and Ayria to get onto this immediately. Full spectral, chemical, and whatever else you can think of, analysis. Find out why iron has this affect on the Horde. Involve the Archive. We need to know what oxides, magnetite, and hematite deposits this planet has, and where they are.”

He turned to the clansmen and tribesmen. “I’d be grateful if you could spare one or two of your own people? We need to understand everything you know. Your knowledge, legends, stories. Anything you feel might be helpful regarding the mythos of this particular element. There’s a connection here somewhere. Possibilities we need to exploit.”

The mood was becoming more jubilant by the second.

Yet Saul was puzzled.
I wonder? Is that why the Architect brought these particular people to us? Did it know? If so, how? I’ve got to think about this more deeply
. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Saul returned his attention to the briefing, and the new amendments in particular.

“Okay everyone, listen in. Our latest breakthrough aside, we still need to protect the city. It looks as if the Horde has had long enough to lick its wounds. The arrival of the ninth has stirred them up again, and any day now they’ll be throwing themselves at the wall with fresh abandon.” Opening the report, Saul presented the proposals. “In anticipation of that, a new strategy has been devised as follows:

“John Edwards? Sebbi Farah?”

A man and a woman raised their hands at separate ends of the table. Acknowledging them, Saul continued, “You both represent the factions taken from the Husker-Trent oil platform. Put your animosities aside. We desperately need the skills and expertise your teams can bring to the table in the everyday running of a city this size. In fact, your assistance will be invaluable, because you’ll free up over a hundred other people who are trained fighters. Please liaise with our quartermaster, Jagpal. He will assign your staff appropriately. Jagpal?”

A gentleman of Indian origin identified himself, and signaled for the opposing leaders to come find him once the meeting had ended.

Saul pressed on. “By far the largest contingent of new arrivals are the soldiers and officers of the Ninth Legion. Colonel Marcus Brutus? I’d like you and your men to speak with Sub-Commander Shannon De Lacey over there.” Saul pointed out an athletic-looking woman with piercing eyes and hawk-like features. “City defenses are in her charge. Arrange with her the best deployment of your men. Emphasize the skills and expertise you can offer, and ensure an appropriate watch schedule is devised so the enlarged teams can stay fresh and alert. Something, I’m sure, which won’t take long.”

Marcus nodded and began threading his way through the crowd.

Saul resumed. “Captain James Houston? Your arrival means we can now start to take the offensive. As most of your horses and equipment survived the transition unscathed, I’d like you to organize your platoons to form flying pickets. Your skills lie in long range patrol and reconnaissance. While we can’t promise you’ll ride as far as you used to, we can ensure your experience provides us with the intelligence we’ve sorely missed since the last of the flyers were zapped. Please, report to Commander De Lacey as well.”

Houston beamed with pride. Surging to his feet, he swaggered through the press, slapping his gloves on his thigh with every step.

“Flyers?” interrupted Mac. “Manned or unmanned?”

“Unmanned drones. Eyes in the sky, to be exact. The sentinels now operate within the city confines as a safety precaution. They’re a coherent mass of pure energy, you see. The further from the Rhomane they travel, the more power is required to maintain their matrix. In the past, they could roam at will because of the abundance of booster-stations scattered across the planet. Obviously, the advent of the Horde ended that. However, we were able to facilitate the use of over a hundred flyers which had been stashed in a hangar within the city’s own commercial grav-port. Sadly, attrition has taken its toll. One by one, they were either destroyed or drained. Municipal archives show a massive stockpile of them out at the spaceport, twelve clicks south of here. The trouble is getting there. We can’t risk a land run, as there’s a sea of monsters between us and it. There used to be a direct link via underground shuttle and surface transporter platforms, but we disabled them and filled in the tunnel for good measure.”

“Transporter? You mean matter teleportation? We were only just beginning to lay the foundations for that.”

“Yes. Back on Earth in my day, we’d solved the conundrum of signal degradation which had bugged scientists for over a hundred years. They were in common use in all military, commercial, and private luxury facilities. But as good as they were, they didn’t employ anything like the sophistication of those we have here. The Ardenese were . . .
are
incredible when it comes to technical marvels. And that’s a pity. If we could only get our hands on some of the kit holed up in the port, it would make life so much easier, especially as we know how to adapt quite a lot of it.”