When the Stars Fade (The Gray Wars) (69 page)

             
Sasha shook his head
.“
W
e’
ll probably be arrested and put in a deep, dark hole for the rest of our lives.
I’
m not too familiar with the rules of the Grudge, but
I’
m pretty sure nanomachines fall unde
r‘
performance enhancing
.’
But if we do
n’
t release him, we violate the Treaty of Vegas and end up in a deeper, darker hole. W
e’
d be better off dead than exposed, at least this early
.”
He paced around the room, twirling a half-chewed cigar in his fingers
.“
I told you Dax would be a problem. It was only a matter of time before one of the bigger countries called for a ringer. And who else could they want than the Wall of New Freeman
?
”

             
Markov said nothing. He had
n’
t heard a word since Sasha had sai
d“
better off dead
.”
A smile formed on his face as he pushed away from his desk and stood
.“
Sasha, I always knew you were a genius
.”
He leapt toward a tablet his far wall: a glowing screen with various ideas and equations scratched onto the surface. The doctor picked up a stylus and began to write
.“
It would
n’
t do to have our project jeopardized because of some political squabble. But we ca
n’
t refuse the right of the Grudge without a Colonial court sending a few hundred angry officers our way
.
”

             
Something in his frien
d’
s demeanor scared the elder Martian. H
e’
d seen Markov this way only once befor
e—
the same fervor and focu
s—
and it had not ended well for either man
.“
Markov
,”
he said
.“
What is it you are thinking? We have to convince them that Dax is unfit to play. It would not be hard to fake a training accident
.
”

             
“You think too small
,”
Markov said. His eyes were red from weeks without sleep, and his face was gaunt from skipping meals
.“
We ca
n’
t pretend Dax is hurt every time the draft comes out. We need something more permanent. Something they cannot dispute
.
”

             
Sasha knew better than to interfere now. No objection he made, no matter how sound, would faze the obsessed scientist. He figured he could always talk him down later, after the initial excitement had settled
.“
What do you need
.
”

             
The smaller man turned, smiling like a child with a new toy
.“
I need bodies
.”
He did
n’
t wait for a response, but turned from his shocked companion and resumed writing on the board.

*              *              *              *              *

              Josh had never felt more alive. The wind tugged at his jumpsuit, roaring in his ears and stretching the skin on his face. His heart pounded loud enough to be heard as much as felt. Below, the ground raced toward him, reaching up to snatch him from the sky. He turned his head slightly, as h
e’
d been instructed, and let his peripheral vision take over. Dax and Liane fell to his right, while Pierre and Cho dropped above and to the left.

             
The training had been surprisingly simple. Although the Mark III was far removed from the original design, it was
n’
t altogether different from other gliders the military utilized. Josh and Alexa both had their Airborne pins, and the rest of the soldiers were eager to earn their own. Dax had been a different story. H
e’
d never been a fan of heights, and the idea of dropping from a reasonably safe shuttle to ride a sheet of mystery material to the ground did
n’
t make a lot of sense. Still, h
e’
d suited up with the rest and prepared to jump.

             
An overwhelming sense of deja vu struck Josh. The altimeter, a strap running around his wrist, began to warn of the approaching height limit. A small metal prong tapped on the inside of his wrist, growing steadily faster as the numbers ran down. At the same time, the wind picked up a high pitch, whistling as he tore down through the clouds. He panicked, his chest heaving in and out but not drawing in air. Tumbling toward the ground at terminal velocity, Josh struggled to breathe. In his flailing, he pressed in the release plate on his chest, deploying the suit.

             
Wings shot out of either side of the pack as the engines rotated down. With the sudden resistance, Josh jolted to the side and began to spiral. The turn became tighter and tighter, the g-force squeezing his head until he thought it would burst. His vision burned red, then began to darken. A tunnel formed and the world shrank smaller and smaller. Using his legs he tried to break the turn, but the wind pushed back too hard. He barely had the strength to grit his teeth as the ground rushed forward.

             
A sudden weight took his breath away, knocking him hard to the right, and Josh fell straight again. He looked to the side as Dax raced past, his wings vibrating. Back in control, activated his jets to gain speed and felt his fall turn into a glide. He eased his ankles back and suddenly he was flying. He soared through the sky, joining his fellow soldiers in a tight formation. It felt natural, just thinking and letting the wireless interface link with his nanomachines. He barely had to look to the left and his body would bank in a perfect arch until he decided to be righted. A sound caught his attention, and it took him a moment to realize he was laughing.

             
Alexa drifted up alongside smiling from ear to ear. Her hair had been pulled tight when the
y’
d left the shuttle, but wind and her own acrobatics had pulled the strands loose. She rolled completely around Josh, graceful as a falcon. It became clear to all the soldiers the power such maneuverability allowed. They practiced their formations, using hand and arm signals to communicate. Even with sound-dampening equipment in their helmets, it was difficult to speak. Josh crossed his wrists to form an X, the symbol to break to avoid incoming fire. Each soldier went in a different direction and zipped away to safety.

             
A chime alerted Josh to an automated message. The sound of rushing air died out
.“
All units, flight training is complete for the day
.”
Groans echoed over the net
.“
Land at field Helo Two and prepare for debrief
.
”

             
As one, the soldiers angled down toward the ground. Cho seemed to be having the most trouble controlling his suit, though he was still managing. Alexa was the clear leader of the pack, though Liane and Pierre were close behind. Josh understood why the nanomachines were necessary for the equipment. Without the Mark III reacting to his impulses, it would take months of training to achieve what they had in a day. And the MCUs provided that extra layer of control over the finicky wings. There was clearly much to learn, and actually utilizing the suits in combat would be a completely different story, but it was motivating to finally see a glimpse of the future for which they had been chosen.

             
The simulation ended with a rush of air as the gliders flared out above the ground. Josh and his fellow soldiers awoke seated in comfortable chairs, their faces damp with sweat despite the cool room. Doctors removed VR pads from their foreheads, coiling the wires and hanging the devices in leather harnesses. It took a long, disoriented minute before the vertigo ebbed. Josh closed his eyes and waited for the spinning to slow down before trying to sit up.

             
Alexa could
n’
t wipe the smile off her face. If reality was half as amazing as the sims, she could
n’
t wait. Dax hobbled over, woozy on his feet. Alexa and Pierre supported him under each arm, though they were hardly better off. Liane and Cho remained in their seats and chatted. Fares bin Sharif, the quiet combat medic, remained in deep thought.

             
“That went better than last time
,”
Dax said, breathing heavy
.“
Did
n’
t think sims could ever get me this worked up
.
”

             
Josh smiled, wiping his face down with a hand towel
.“
I swear, the longer I know you the less I can believe you were ever a star athlete
.”
A technician handed out water bottles full of sweet-tasting liquid and Josh gulped it down eagerly.

             
“I never said I was a star athlete. They paid me to be big and scary
.
”

             
Liane squeezed Da
x’
s bicep
.“
The great Wall of New Freeman. It had a nice ring to it
.”
He flexed and she giggled.

             
Josh eased himself up and out of the chair, standing slowly so the blood would
n’
t rush to his head. His face contorted and he wavered, losing his balance. Alexa slipped out from underneath Dax and caught her lieutenant, steadying him with a hand on his chest. She placed a palm against his temple, feeling the heat coming off his face.

             
“Yo
u’
re hot
,”
she said.

             
Josh grinned wide
.“
Thanks for noticing
.
”

             
She pushed him into his chair, and Dax and Pierre joined him in laughing. Alexa blushed red, but she let out a little smile. Fares appeared behind them with Cho and Pierre at his side. He pushed into the center of the group, eyes bright.

             
“
I’
ve come up with a name
,”
he said.

             
Josh managed to calm down enough to ask
,“
for what
?
”

             
“Us. Who we are, as a team
.”
Fares paused for effect
.“
We are the hidden hand of
Allah
, the chosen few to smite down evil before they can spread their filth to the rest of the world. We are
Alkul Areysi
.
”

             
“What does that mean
?”
Liane asked.

             
Fares looked around at his fellow soldiers, his expression breaking into an excited grin
.“
Archangels
.
”

-                           
IX                            -

February 19, 2237

              The moons rose low over the hills, illuminating the city of the dead. Paradise Point had days before been written off as a lost cause, too overrun with infected humans and animals to be gainfully retaken by armed forces. Without help, the surviving citizens had no chance against the ever-growing population of monsters. By luck or design, the creatures preferred to remain out of sight during the day and hunt at night, which afforded the civilians precious hours to attempt an escape. So far, however, no one had made it out alive.

             
Inside their own little fortress, Timothy and Mary scraped at the last bits of food from the pharmacy. There had
n’
t been much; a few cans of vegetables left from some charity drive days before, and candy bars. Mary had
n’
t eaten the chocolate at first, telling her father she did
n’
t want to ruin her dinner. He had laughed then, like it was all a game. That had been at the beginning, when help was just around the corner and this was all just a short-lived nightmare.

             
Now the real food was all gone. Mary picked at an empty can of cat food sh
e’
d discovered in a back office, and Timothy tightened his belt and drank more water. At least the screams had stopped a few days before. There had been dozens of voices at first, calling out of help or asking if anyone was still alive. The monster found them easily. Then there had been raiding parties banging around in adjacent shops. After a bloody fight they were gone as well. All the while, father and daughter remained silent and hidden.