1

I tossed my satchel down and wiped my forehead with my sleeve. It was midday, and the heat had reached its climax.

Not that I minded. The air was crisp and clean, and it felt good to work outside with my hands. I always said that if I couldn’t be a Renegade, I’d be a farmer. In this new life, it seemed I could be both.

“You’re looking well-worked, Captain,” said Hitchens. He was walking from the nearest building, a twenty-story tower we’d recently renovated into a new set of dorms. With the arrival of the recent Eternals, our little colony had never been so full.

“It feels nice to be outside,” I admitted, slinging my satchel back across my shoulder. “And I like getting my hands dirty.”

“I believe that’s true,” he said with a slight chuckle. “You’ve taken to it. Maybe you ought to put down the pistol and take up the plow for a change.”

“Maybe eventually,” I said, giving him the satchel full of fruit.

He took it, fumbling with the bag for a brief moment before stabilizing himself.

I glanced back at the field to see several Eternals working diligently to harvest the crops, tools and satchels in hand. Every last one of them seemed determined to contribute their fair share. I was glad to see that, considering the mess they’d made during their arrival and the distrust that still brewed because of it. Despite all of that, we’d taken them in, given them a place to live and food to eat, and they had been thankful for it. They were eager to work and ready to help, which made everything much easier. So long as they continued to follow orders and assimilate, the two groups might eventually come together.

“How’s cleanup going?” I asked, looking at the building behind Hitchens.

“Ah, well, since you’re asking,” he said, shouldering the satchel I’d given him and turning towards the building. “Young Billins and his team have made their way to the twelfth floor and are making fine progress. We’ve moved some Eternals into the lower half of the building, but we’re waiting on new beds and supplies for the rest.”

“I thought we were covered for that?” I asked. “The Galactic Dawn brought back a pretty decent load, didn’t they?”

“They did,” he agreed. “Over three hundred mattresses, in fact, as well as tables, dressers, and enough kitchenware for two dozen restaurants.”

“That sounds like more than enough,” I said.

He frowned. “I’m afraid it doesn’t even cover half of what we need. There are nearly as many Eternals as there are Verdunians, which means we will—”

“What did you just call us? Verdunians?” I asked.

He chuckled. “Do you like it? I thought of it the other day.”

I cocked my brow. “Not sure that’d be my first choice, Professor.”

“Right this way, everyone!” called a voice from inside one of the nearby buildings. As the door opened, I spotted Freddie leading a group of Eternals into the street. “We need to get moving if we’re going to get everyone situated.”

Hitchens and I watched the crowd make their way to the other side of the street and into another building. “It seems young Frederick has finally processed his group,” observed Hitchens.

I had asked Leif, the de-facto leader of the Eternal refugees, to take down a list of his people’s previous job experience. Considering the fact that they’d spent most of their adult lives in a war of attrition against the Celestials, constantly on the run or in hiding, there seemed to be a lack of diversity in the area of education and experience. Not many had ever grown food, relying instead on automated machines to do the work for them, but we still found a few dozen volunteers willing to get their hands dirty.

Freddie’s group was mostly made up of ex-soldiers, so we decided to have them help out with cleaning. Like Billins’ team, they’d spend the next few weeks clearing out the city’s remaining buildings, giving us the space we needed for our new arrivals.

“With all the extra help, we should have Verdun in tip-top shape by the end of the month,” said Hitchens. “Don’t you think, Captain?”

“Let’s hope,” I said, watching the last of Freddie’s group enter the building.

At that moment, something caught the corner of my eye, causing me to turn towards the center of town, near the so-called “factory”—one of the largest buildings on the city platform. Dressler and Sigmond had determined that it served a few different purposes. For starters, it worked to create a new atmosphere and generate an electromagnetic field around the planet. This was an essential part of the terraforming process, I’d been told, although it seemed to have slowed down its production shortly before we arrived. If that weren’t enough, the building housed its own fusion reactor, which we eventually hoped to tap into. Every single city had one of these, and they were always located in the same relative spot.

I noticed two familiar faces walking towards me from that direction. Karin Braid and Leif Solesdar, each of them smiling as we made eye contact.

“Looks like the new representative would like another word,” said Hitchens.

I grunted, already knowing what to expect from Leif before he even arrived. He’d been making the same request of me for two full days, and I didn’t expect this time to be any different.

“Captain!” called Leif, waving at me.

I nodded my return as the two of them arrived. “Something wrong, you two?”

“Mr. Solesdar would like to talk with you about the slip tunnel situation, Captain,” informed Karin.

“Is that right?” I asked.

Leif nodded. “I know I’ve already asked you before, but it is critical we proceed soon.”

“It is?” I asked, feigning surprise. “I hadn’t realized, Leif.”

He paused at my sarcasm, clearly confused. “I thought I had made its importance clear. Oh, perhaps the culture is different here. Should I be more direct with these matters?” He looked at Karin. “I’m not sure about the protocol for your people.”

Hitchens chuckled. “The captain has an interesting sense of humor, Mr. Solesdar. I assure you, he understands the importance of your request.”

“T-truly?” asked Leif.

I touched my holster and leaned on my right side. “You’ve asked me how many times now? Too many to count, I’d imagine. Look, I’ve got my people working on clearing the debris from your space station. Shit’s gonna take me some time. Try to be patient, pal.”

“I-I understand,” he said quickly.

“Relax, would ya?” I asked, taking a step forward beside him. “Our boys should breach the wreckage by this afternoon. Siggy told me to expect results before sundown.”

There was a click in my ear. “Before that, actually, sir,” informed Sigmond. “I’m thrilled to say the drones are making superb progress.”

“Sundown,” I repeated, not bothering to mention Sigmond’s new timetable.

“That’s wonderful news!” Leif exclaimed.

“Sure is,” I agreed. “Don’t worry, Leif. Everything is going to work out.”

“Thank you, Captain,” said Leif. “I simply want everyone to be safe. As your people’s representative, I’m sure you understand. The Celestials are truly horrific, and they will stop at nothing to see us all dead.”

I paused at his statement, not knowing how to answer him. We’d had this talk several times by now, so I got it. He was afraid, and maybe he had every right to be if what he said about the Celestials was true. Fighting them wouldn’t be in anyone’s best interest. I agreed with that. We already had too many enemies, and I didn’t need another. Not right now, when we were still building a home and recovering. “Stay with Karin,” I told him after a moment. “I’ll send her news once we’re ready. You can be there to observe with me when the team pulls the plug.” I looked back at Hitchens. “Professor, you’re with me. Karin, call if there are any more problems.”

“Of course,” said Karin.

I watched them continue in the direction of a group of Eternal children, most of them orphaned from the war. As they explained it, the space station had apparently been one of the last refugee centers, full of displaced Eternals with nowhere left to run. Leif smiled and waved at them. He was a good man, and I knew everything he’d told me had come from a place of concern. I’d always had a knack for reading people, and everything about Leif had told me that he was the real deal, which meant I had no reason to distrust him.

Still, I wondered about his fears and whether they were justified. I knew so little about the Celestials, only what he’d told me. Were they really so terrifying and powerful? And what would possess them to actively seek out other humans, simply to wipe us all out?

The whole notion seemed crazy, but I’d just watched a space station come barreling into the center of the Earth with a colony of Eternals, so hey, anything was possible.

If what Leif had told me was even remotely accurate, we had cause for concern and a desperate need to shut that slip tunnel down for good before the Celestials came through. Doing so would, at the very least, give us the time we needed to prepare. We could build up a drone fleet, establish our colony, and rebuild the Earth, strengthening our defenses to the point where no enemy could ever pose a serious threat to us.

I was never one to sit and play it safe, but maybe the time had finally come to put away the gun and pick up the shield.

Hitchens waddled up beside me, and we started walking. “Where are we off to?” he asked once we were out of earshot.

“You still got the fruit I picked?” I asked, glancing down at the satchel on his shoulder. “Good. Hold on to that until we get to the clinic.”

“The clinic? Whatever for?”

“I wasn’t out there picking fruit for my own health,” I told him. “Someone asked me to get them. Apparently, some of the patients asked for some when they found out we had a new harvest ready. Figured I’d step out since I’m useless as a nurse.”

“Ah, I see,” said Hitchens, listening intently. “That was kind of you.”

“Hey, you don’t gotta sound so surprised, Prof,” I scoffed. “Give me a little credit, man. I can do the nice guy thing.”

“Oh, of course, Captain,” he assured me. “I never believed otherwise.”

2

The medical floor brimmed with activity. We’d brought in dozens of injured Eternals from the crash, many of them in need of a med-pod. Luckily, these people healed quickly, which cut their recovery time significantly. While it might have taken someone like me a few days to get myself patched up, an Eternal took only a few hours.

Still, we only had so many pods, limiting how many we could treat at any given moment. All the patients had been critical, too far gone to self-heal. Eternals usually didn’t need medicine, unless the injury was life-threatening. Even then, it had to be pretty bad to warrant a med-pod visit—broken bones, a ruptured organ, a deflated lung.

Despite their healing abilities, we still had our hands full of patients, even after a full two days.

“Where shall we go?” asked Hitchens.

“Just a second,” I muttered, looking around the room.

Across a bay of pods, I spotted Athena standing next to an occupied pod. She was talking to one of the Eternals, smiling pleasantly and motioning to a nearby screen. In addition to all the pods, we’d also brought down some extra hard-light emitters to allow her to move around the floor. The long-term goal was to get most of the city outfitted with them, but that would take a while.

Athena looked up at me, locking eyes, and then said something I couldn’t hear to the woman in front of her.

A second later, she disappeared, vanishing instantly, only to reappear right in front of me.

Without flinching, I said, “Athena.”

“Captain Hughes. It is a pleasure to see you. What can I do for you?” asked the Cognitive.

“Jace?” called a familiar voice from the other side of the room.

I glanced over to see Abigail and Octavia inside a nearby hallway. As they approached us, I snagged the satchel from Hitchens and offered it to her. “I brought the fruit like you asked.”

Abigail’s eyes lit up. “I didn’t expect this so soon,” she said, beaming at me. “Thank you, Jace. The children have been asking all day for these.”

“Children?” asked Hitchens. He looked around the bay. “Now that you mention it, I don’t see any young ones in here. Are they all right?”

“They’re doing better,” said Octavia. “We separated them from the main group. They’re down the hall.”

“Ah, I see,” said Hitchens. “I suppose it’s better for them not to see the more gruesome injuries.”

“Gruesome?” I asked, cocking my brow. “Haven’t the pods fixed the bad ones by now?”

Before anyone could answer, the door behind us opened. “It looks like everyone else is here, too” said Freddie right as I turned around. Petra was right beside him, sporting her new mechanical prosthetic arm.

“What are you two doing here?” I asked.

“We came to volunteer again,” said Petra. “Abigail mentioned needing the extra help. Our shift starts in a few minutes.”

Freddie’s eyes were locked on her as she spoke, a stupid grin on his face. I stared at him until he noticed me. “C-captain, what are you doing here?” he finally asked, straightening himself.

“Dropping off some fruit,” I said.

“Fruit?” he asked.

I ignored his confusion and turned back to Octavia. “You said something about gruesome injuries before?”

“Not quite,” said Octavia. “Actually, that reminds me. There’s someone you should have a look at.”

“Are you talking about Fumi?” asked Abigail.

Octavia nodded. “He’s grown another few centimeters today, believe it or not.”

“Who’s Fumi?” I asked.

“You haven’t heard about Fumi?” asked Freddie.

I raised my eye. “Should I have?”

Hitchens chuckled. “He’s the talk of the ward, Captain. I met him yesterday afternoon.”

“How’d you find out about him?” I asked.

“Octavia keeps me quite apprised,” he answered, smiling at her.

“I told you about him, but you weren’t listening,” said Abigail, giving me a look that suggested I was going to hear about this later. “It was yesterday during lunch. We were—”

A click in my ear pulled my attention. “My apologies, sir,” interjected Sigmond. “I believe I called you in regard to the drones clearing the debris if you’ll recall.”

“Just like that,” said Abigail, tapping my shoulder. “Look at him. He’s talking to Sigmond again.”

“No, I wasn’t,” I insisted. “Did you see my lips moving?”

“You had that dazed look in your eyes,” she explained, glaring at me.

Octavia gave a knowing nod. “She’s right, Captain. You do get like that from time to time.”

I shrugged at the both of them. “Alright, alright! Just show me this Fume person so I can get on with my day. I’ve got other things to do.”

“It’s Fumi,” said Octavia, turning around and walking to the other hallway from where she had first arrived. “This way, everyone, if you’re coming.”

“I thought the kids were down that way,” I said.

“They are,” said Abigail, a soft and quiet tone in her voice. She took me by the hand. “Come on.”

The children were in their pods—some asleep, while others watched us with curious eyes. Every single one of them had white hair and pale skin, so it took me a moment to notice the familiar little girl on the other side of the room.

Lex sat between two of the pods, a small pad in her lap and a bright smile on her face.

“I was lonely,” said Lex, reading something from the device in her hands. “I had nobody to talk to until I had an accident while flying my plane. It happened in the Sahara Desert.”

I wondered what the Sahara Desert was, but reasoned it must have disappeared a long time ago. Most of the planet was a wasteland, no trace of green to be found. Not yet anyway.

Octavia and Abigail walked into the adjacent room, full of other children. I was about to follow and leave Lex to her own devices, when she poked her head up.

I paused near the wall when she looked at me, her eyes widening with her smile. “Mr. Hughes!” she exclaimed. “What are you doing here?”

“Just passing through, kid. What do you got there?”

She snapped to her feet, but I raised a hand to settle her and then walked closer so she didn’t have to move. “I was just reading to my friends,” she explained.

“Friends?” I asked.

She pointed to the first boy. “This is Tiler.”

I gave him a quick wave. “Hey, Tiler.”

“Hello,” replied the boy, who looked to be about the same age as Lex.

“And this is Dixon,” she continued, pointing to the second child.

Dixon tucked his mouth under his blanket. “Hi,” he said in a muffled voice. His white hair dangled over his bright eyes.

“What’s Lex reading to you?” I asked him. “Something good?”

“The Little Prince,” said Tiler.

The name didn’t ring any bells. “Never heard of that one. Is it any good?” I asked, looking at Dixon.

The boy nodded, and I could see the edges of a smile beneath his blanket. “Uh huh.”

I placed my hand on Lex’s head. “Did Hitchens tell you about it? The book, I mean.”

“Athena gave it to me. She said it was a good one for kids,” explained Lex.

“Yeah? I never did much reading when I was your age. Let’s hear the next part.”

She straightened her shoulders, tapping the screen so the light grew brighter. “I had to sleep on the sand, thousands of kilometers from any civilization,” she read, barely pausing, even at the longer words. “I was more isolated than a sailor in a lifeboat after a shipwreck in the middle of the ocean. So, you can imagine how amazed I was when a miraculous childish voice woke me up at dawn.”

“Draw me a sheep!” exclaimed Tiler.

I looked at him, confused by the outburst.

“Draw me a sheep!” echoed Dixon, finally loosening his grip on the blanket and revealing his eager smile.

“What’s that?” I asked, knowing I must have missed something.

“It’s the next part of the story,” said Lex, pointing at the pad. “A little boy shows up. He’s a prince, and he wants to see a sheep because he’s never seen any, so he asks the man to draw him one. I already read this part to them yesterday, but we started over because it was so good.”

“I’ve never heard of a sheep,” I admitted.

“Athena says it’s some kind of animal,” said Lex, tilting her head as she tried to remember. “Fluffy and white, like a cloud. She promised to show us a picture later if we were good.”

“They sound neat,” said Dixon, giggling.

“Have you finished the story yet?” I asked them.

The two boys shook their head.

“Well, tell me how it ends, alright?” I asked, tousling Lex’s hair as I spoke. “I wanna know if the kid ever gets his sheep.”

“He’s a prince,” insisted Lex like I should know better.

“Oh, right,” I said, raising my hands in defense.

“Jace,” said Abigail, drawing my attention. She stood in the doorway. “Over here. You’ll want to see this.”

I nodded at her then turned to Lex and her two friends. “Gotta go, but you three have fun.”

“Bye, Mr. Hughes,” said Lex.

“Bye!” exclaimed both Tyler and Dixon.

I turned and left them to their stories, the sounds of their giggling lingering behind me as I walked.

I joined the others in the second bay. They stood around one of the pods along the far end of the little room. “What is it?” I asked as I stepped closer.

Hitchens and Octavia moved aside, letting me get a better view of the sleeping boy inside the pod. He looked to be about seven years old. I was about to ask what happened to him, when I noticed his missing hand, wrapped in a bandage.

“This is Fumi,” explained Octavia.

“I take it he almost didn’t make it,” I said.

“Almost,” said Octavia. Her eyes fell on the missing hand. “Were he a normal little boy, things surely would have gone the other way.”

“Let me guess,” I said. “He survived because he’s an Eternal, so his body stopped the bleeding.”

“More or less,” said Octavia. “Although there’s a bit more to it than that.”

Fumi shifted in the pod, cracking his eyes. It took him a few seconds to realize there was a crowd gathered around. He stiffened when he finally saw us, eventually relaxing. “W-what is it?” he asked.

“Hello there, Fumi,” said Abigail with a smile. “We came by to check on you.”

“I-I’m okay,” he said shyly.

“Do you mind if we have a look at your hand?” asked Octavia.

He nodded. “Okay.”

Octavia reached down to his side and took the bandage, unwrapping it slowly. It took nearly two minutes as we stood there in silence. I felt for the kid, but I wasn’t sure what the big deal was about a severed hand. Sure, it was awful for a kid this young to deal with something so terrible, but what purpose did it serve to show me this?

The last of the bandage slipped off of the boy’s wrist, revealing a stump of pink flesh.

I looked at Octavia. “Are you just showing me this to emphasize how bad the injuries are for these kids or something?”

“Not at all,” she replied. “You’ll recall how quickly Lex’s hands healed while we were traveling on your ship, correct?”

“Sure,” I answered. “Is that what’s happening here? The end of his wrist is sealing the exposed flesh?”

Octavia showed a hint of a smile. “That’s the least of the situation,” she explained, turning to the monitor attached to the pod. She pulled an image up, motioning for me to look closer. It was Fumi, lying in the pod the same way he was right now, except something was missing on him—an even larger section of his arm. “When he was first brought in, the appendage had been severed six centimeters below the elbow. Now, nearly one day later, it has grown 7.29 centimeters. That’s staggering. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

I blinked, staring at the image. I looked back at Fumi, who was watching all of this unfold with some curiosity.

“It’s the fastest growth rate we’ve seen so far,” inserted Abigail. “Even faster than the adults.”

A light materialized nearby as Athena popped into existence. Before any of us had time to react, she said, “It is quite interesting.”

Hitchens and Freddie both flinched. “Goodness!” exclaimed the Professor, clutching his chest.

“Every time,” muttered Freddie, breathing quickly.

“There you are,” I said, casually turning to the Cognitive. “Is this normal? Is the limb just gonna keep growing? How does it know when to stop?”

“As I previously explained to Ms. Brie,” said Athena, nodding to Octavia, “the Eternals of my time could regrow their limbs as well, but this is at a much faster rate. It is most impressive.”

Octavia crossed her arms. “It’s been two thousand years since then, so it’s possible something might have happened to their biology. A natural mutation. Possibly intentional manipulation. None of the Eternals can say with any certainty.”

“Leif told me that the war claimed most of their records,” explained Hitchens. “What little remains are sparse on detail.”

“If that’s true, then how did they know where the slip tunnel was?” I asked.

“Major events are often referenced many times across a multitude of records and logs. There was enough information for them to know the location, but not enough to tell them that the tunnel could not be activated from their side.” Hitchens frowned. “Had they known, I doubt very much that events would have unfolded the way that they did.”

I thought back to the conversations I’d had with Leif since his arrival. He’d explained as much as he could about his experiences on the other side of the tunnel, so far from Earth, but it had mostly been about how dangerous the Celestials were and why we should shut down the gate.

Not much that I could use, really. None of these people had ever seen a Celestial up close, and only a few had survived a direct encounter with one of their ships. What little info I’d gleaned had come in the form of vague warnings and stories of life on the station before it came crashing into our world.

“Yes, it is most surprising,” continued Athena, breaking my focus. “While these Eternals are technologically less advanced than their ancestors, they are decidedly more biologically capable.”

“They’re survivors,” said Abigail, looking at Fumi and smiling.

He smiled back.

“Right down to their cells, the same as Lex,” she finished.

I heard Petra move her synthetic arm behind me, the metal alloy beneath the fake muscle and skin creating an almost mechanical sound. She clenched her hand, cupping her other palm around the fingers. I returned my eyes to the boy and his growing arm. It had to be hard for Petra to see this, knowing that she could never have abilities like this. I wondered how strong her jealousy was in this moment. If she was angry at the world, even at the boy, I couldn’t say I blamed her. She was still in mourning, and it would still take time to heal.

“How long before it grows back?” I asked, having difficulty making out the end of his arm and leaning closer to examine him. The pod had covered it with a hard-light construct in order to assist in the healing process.

“We think a few days, based on what we’ve observed so far,” said Octavia. “Of course, nothing is certain.”

“I wonder,” began Hitchens, stroking his cheek.

A few of us looked at him curiously, but he only stood there in silence. “Oh?” asked Abigail, trying to prompt him to continue. “What do you wonder?”

“Hm?” He blinked, glancing at her. “Ah, did I say that out loud? Goodness!”

“He tends to do that,” commented Octavia.

“Still, I’d like to hear it,” said Abigail.

He beamed. “Of course, Ms. Pryar. I was only wondering if—and this is quite hypothetical, mind you all—but I was curious if it might be possible to examine the boy’s DNA. It might allow Athena here to better evolve her medical practices if you like.”

“Would that actually help?” asked Freddie, looking at Athena.

“Indeed, Mr. Tabernacle. In fact, I have already processed nearly two hundred individual samples with plans for further testing. I simply lack the necessary equipment at this time. Once we transfer the material to Titan, a better analysis can be performed.”

“You’ve been taking samples?” asked Abigail. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I apologize if my actions were presumptuous. I simply did so as a precaution, given the unknown nature of their biology. In order to better serve, I require additional biological information. As I stated, these Eternals are different from those I have on record. Rest assured, however, that I had no plans to proceed without the captain’s approval.”

“No, that makes sense,” assured Abigail. “It’s better for everyone if you can figure out how they came to be this way.”

I heard a sudden click in my ear. “Sir, pardon the interruption,” said Sigmond. “The drones are nearly finished. I believe we will have an open path to the control room in less than an hour.”

3

I left the medical floor as soon as I could, telling Sigmond to have Alphonse meet me at the landing pad with his team. I’d had him waiting on standby for the last few hours so they’d already be there before I arrived.

Freddie and Petra both asked if they could join me, to which I agreed. I didn’t really need their help, but I knew Petra was itching to get out in the field again, and this seemed like an easy job to get her feet wet.

I grabbed a sandwich from the cafeteria, along with a fresh, steaming cup of coffee, since I wouldn’t get another chance to eat until later in the day.

I stowed the food in a small bag and held on to the cup as I walked, making my way towards the shuttle bay at a quick pace. As I neared the transport, I spotted Alphonse and a few crewmates as they loaded some supplies into the ship. He gave me a swift nod, and I raised my cup at him. “Fancy day there, Constable,” I said as I neared. “What’s with all the cargo? You planning a move?”

“Computer equipment from Titan,” he explained. “We have no idea how damaged Gaia’s systems are, so Sigmond suggested we come prepared. This is the fourth ship we’ve loaded so far today. The others are en route as we speak.”

“You expect to find the control room under a pile of bricks?” I asked.

“Given the size of that crash, I wouldn’t be surprised,” admitted Alphonse.

I waited for his team to move the last crate inside the ship before I climbed aboard, grabbing the passenger’s seat in the front.

Alphonse followed, but then paused beside my chair. He looked at the empty pilot’s seat before glancing back at me. “Aren’t you flying, Captain?”

“Not today,” I said, unwrapping my sandwich and setting my coffee on the dash. “You’re taking the stick on this one.”

“If you insist,” he said, settling into the other chair and strapping in. He placed his hand on the control pad, illuminating his tattoos with a soft blue glow.

Seeing that reminded me of the new Eternals, none of whom had tattoos. It had limited their ability to access certain areas or interact with specific equipment, but I hoped to rectify that in the coming days and weeks. Just like the other colonists we’d brought from the Deadlands, they’d eventually be fully integrated into our group and given the same access as everyone else, but like so many other things on our priority list, it would take time to get there. We still had to deal with the slip tunnel, the cleanup from the crash, and the many wounded Eternals still sitting in our makeshift med-bay.

The strike ship lifted off the platform and started moving toward the horizon, accelerating at a comfortable pace. Before I knew it, the land faded into a blue sea, steady waves crashing in the morning light.

I eased back in my seat, chowing down on the rest of my sandwich. The bread was fresh enough that I didn’t mind the dry meat, but I would give anything right now for a steak. I thought about the diner on Taurus Station, wondering if the food was still what I remembered. Maybe I could convince the owner to move his operation to Earth, maybe incentivize him with a few hundred regular customers and the promise of being the only restaurant in the system. I wagered an offer like that would be hard to turn down.

I took my coffee and kicked my feet up on the dash, easing back in my seat and taking a swig. The brew was fresh and went down smooth. It wasn’t the best, but it was relaxing all the same.

“Feeling comfortable, Captain?” asked Alphonse.

“Just making plans, Al,” I told him.

“What kind of plans?” he asked. “Do they have anything to do with the new domes? MaryAnn mentioned some interesting finds at the Alpha site.”

I waved a dismissive hand at him. “Sure, sure. Something like that.”

“I believe that is a lie,” interjected Sigmond, appearing on the holo display. His golden head appeared to hover slightly above the dash, an easy smile on him.

Alphonse snickered. “I gathered that much.”

“If I were to guess, given the look on his face at the time, I’d say the captain was likely thinking about food,” said Sigmond.

“Oh? And just what do you know, Siggy?” I asked. “Don’t think for a second you get how my head works.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it, sir,” said the Cognitive.

I took another sip of my coffee. “Somehow, I have a hard time believing that.”

We reached the chasm before I had a chance to nod off. From there, it was a long drop to the center of the planet.

Thankfully, we’d already gone through the trouble of mapping it all out, allowing Alphonse to navigate with absolute precision as we accelerated to full thrust.

What had taken us nearly a day to explore on our first excursion now only required about two hours. In other words, just enough time for a short nap.

And a short nap it was, thanks to the call we received when we had gone about halfway down the tunnel. It was Dressler, having already arrived at the core. “You’re running late,” she announced, forcing me to sit up. “Is there a problem?”

“What’s the hurry, Doc?” I asked, stretching my legs and arms. I looked at the time, which indicated we still had ten minutes before the drones would complete their work, finally giving us access to the inner chamber. “It’s not like it would move any faster if we were there.”

“It’s going to take time to unload your supplies, which means you should arrive earlier than the estimated completion time. It is more efficient.”

“More efficient? You in a hurry or something? What difference do a few minutes make?” I asked.

“In case you’ve forgotten, Captain, my team and I are in the middle of a very important research project. Every second I spend away from my work is progress lost.”

“If that’s true, then why’d you bother coming all the way down here?” I asked.

She glared at me. “While I would prefer to remain at the Alpha site, I promised Alphonse that I would join you for the shutdown sequence.”

“I felt it would be wise to have someone with her engineering background present,” explained Alphonse.

I snickered and looked at Dressler. “Sounds like Al’s trying to find any excuse to have you around, Doc.”

She started to say something but paused, almost like she was choking on the words. “J-just get down here quickly. We have work to do.”

Before either of us could say anything, the holo cut off, and she disappeared.

I turned to Alphonse. “Well, would you look at that. It’s not every day you see that woman flustered.”

We arrived, and the progress the drones had already made shocked me. They’d cleared most of the crash site of debris, but it would take some time to remove everything. There had been dozens of towers here before the slip tunnel had opened, but now only their ruined foundations remained. In time, we’d clear all of that away as well, but it would take weeks, if not longer. The biggest priority, for now, was clearing a path to Gaia’s chamber and recovering her system, all the while shutting down the slip tunnel indefinitely.

I tossed on a breathing mask—necessary because of the lingering dust in the air. Sigmond had a plan to bring in some filters over the next day, but that would have to wait until after we cleared the major wreckage. I hoped to set up a permanent station down here eventually, maybe even use this city as a research center. Considering how much tech the Eternals had left here, it stood to reason we had plenty to find.

One thing at a time, I had to remind myself as I disembarked from the ship.

I grabbed hold of one of the crates, helping Alphonse and his crew unload the equipment and haul it to the edge of the platform.

Three figures appeared from the distant tunnel, one of them waving at us as they approached. It didn’t take me long to recognize them—Dressler, Karin, and Leif.

“How’s it looking in there?” I asked before any of them could say a word.

“The path is mostly clear,” said Dressler.

I glanced at Leif, a little surprised to see him here. “Do your people know you’re down here?”

He nodded. “I sincerely apologize if I’ve overstepped, but I am only here to ensure the—”

“The slip tunnel gets shut down,” I finished. “I hope after all of this is done, you find something else to feel that passionate about.” I smacked Alphonse on the back of his shoulder. “Let’s see about that Cognitive. What do you say, Al? Doc?”

“Of course,” said Dressler. “We were waiting for you to arrive with that cargo.”

I glanced back at the crates. “Let’s get this stuff inside, then. What say you, boys?”

“Yes, sir,” replied a few of the crew. They each grabbed hold of the handles, hoisting the boxes.

I took one by the hand, motioning for Alphonse to take the other end. I shot a quick glance at Leif and Dressler. “You two planning on pitching in?”

Dressler raised her brow like I’d insulted her and turned around, heading back to the corridor.

“Guess she’s out,” I said. “Leif, if you’re sticking around, you’d best pitch in.”

The Eternal gave a swift nod without argument, taking the last remaining crate. He struggled to lift it, quickly dropping the box on the ground.

“Are you all right?” asked Karin, quickly shuffling to his side. “Please don’t try to do that by yourself.”

I motioned with my head for Alphonse to follow me, and we left Karin and Leif to figure out the crate on their own time.

We reached the tunnel, which was now partially filled with fallen slabs of metal debris. A few people were working on the other end, slowly removing various pieces and setting them in a large pile. The drones would be responsible for hauling all of that to the surface once the workers had collected enough, but that would take some time.

The inner atrium was mostly still intact, so long as you didn’t look at the far wall. I was surprised to see the corner ceiling collapsed, blocking the exit that led to the former holding area and shutoff switch for the trilobites.

“Let’s hope we don’t have to use that again anytime soon,” I said, setting down the crate with a hard thud.

Dressler stood beside Gaia’s capsule unit, which seemed to be largely untouched, and plugged Sigmond’s thumb drive into it. “Sigmond, if you wouldn’t mind,” she began. “Let’s wait before we reactivate the Cognitive. I want her systems fully analyzed and repaired.”

“Understood, Doctor,” replied Sigmond’s disembodied voice.

“In the meantime,” continued Dressler, looking at both Alphonse and me, “the rest of us will need to get to work on repairs.”

I watched Alphonse bend down and pop the lock on the crate. He removed a large device from the cushioned safety of the box, setting it firmly on the floor and unfurling the attached wires.

Dressler must have seen the question forming in my eyes, because what followed was another explanation. “The power to this part of the facility is in dire need of repair, so to compensate, we’ll be using several generators.”

“Makes sense,” I replied.

Alphonse flipped a switch and the device powered on, glowing with a soft orange ring of light around its metallic base. A few seconds later, he had three identical devices set up beside one another, each of them connected by a single line.

Dressler had part of the capsule’s panel removed by this point, ready to take the end of the cord from Alphonse. “This might take a few minutes,” she said, sticking her head inside the oversized console. “I suggest you proceed with unpacking the rest of the equipment.”

It took nearly an hour, but we finally managed to get the capsule back online. Shortly afterward, Sigmond appeared before us in a golden glow, a knowing look in his golden eyes. “I believe I have the coordinates for the power source.”

“Let’s hear it,” I said, ready to get this party started.

“I’ll upload the location to your data pad, but I suggest you bring a team to retrieve the core. It is rather large,” explained the Cognitive.

“Large?” I asked, wondering if I’d missed something since the last time I’d held a Tritium core in my hands. “How much are we talking?”

“Unlike Titan, it would seem this facility uses a unique power source known as a Sedicium core,” said Sigmond.

“A what?” I asked, having never heard the term. I looked at Dressler to see if she knew the name.

“Explain,” ordered the doctor, confirming her own ignorance.

“According to the data I’ve collected, the core uses nitrogen, specifically an isotope known as N-16.”

Dressler’s eyes widened. “How is that possible?”

I glanced at Alphonse. “Are you getting this?”

“Not really,” he admitted.

Dressler turned to the two of us. “N-16 has an incredibly short half-life. For the Eternals to somehow create a working, sustainable energy source from the isotope is impressive, to say the least.”

“It is also highly volatile,” added Sigmond. “You must use extreme caution when removing and transferring the core.”

Dressler nodded, her eyes deep in thought. She was quiet for a few seconds, then motioned at one of the nearby crew members, snapping her fingers. “Six of you with me. Bring the hover cart and straps. I shall have to see to this personally.”

“I thought you were staying here to fix Gaia?” I asked.

“She will have to wait, I’m afraid,” said Dressler. “The core is too dangerous to leave in the hands of a less experienced technician. Ms. Braid can see to the Cognitive’s repairs, I’m certain.”

Karin nodded. “I’ll do what I can until you return.”

I thumbed my holster. “Don’t think for a second you’re running off without me, Doc.”

“By all means, Captain. Considering what happened the last time we ventured into the deeper recesses of the Earth, I should welcome the added protection.”

4

It took some time to find the right corridor, since half the facility was buried under a pile of shit. If it hadn’t been for the cave-in, we would’ve reached the engine room in thirty minutes. As it stood, our little underground excursion ended up taking a good portion of the afternoon.

By the time we arrived, my feet were screaming for a break.

The door to the engine room was thick and could only be unlocked with an access code. Lucky for us, Sigmond had it ready in just a few seconds.

“6-0-2-1-9-4-4-1-0,” said Sigmond, pausing long enough between digits for Dressler to punch them into the pad on the wall. “You’ll need to enter another set on the engine’s panel once you’re inside. Do not attempt to remove the Sedicium core without doing so.”

Dressler entered, followed by about half our crew, while I kept my distance in the hall. “I’ll wait here for you. Don’t take too long, Doc.”

“I’ve no intention of lingering, I assure you,” she answered, going immediately to the far side of the room.

I let out a short sigh and leaned against the nearby wall, pulling out a piece of hard candy from inside my jacket pocket. I pulled my breathing mask away long enough to plop the candy in, then immediately sealed the mask again.

Grape this time. Not bad, I thought.

I crossed my arms and closed my eyes, leaning my head back as I sucked on the candy, contemplating my to-do list. As soon as we had things wrapped up down here, I’d have to check in with Abigail, see how those new power generators in Verdun were going, and maybe grab a bite to eat again if I had a second to spare. I shook my head. No, I still had to meet with Lucia and Bolin about taking point on recruitment. Abigail had been in charge of helming the Galactic Dawn to bring in new colonists, but with everything going on with the Eternals, I needed her here. The same went for Octavia, since she was one of the only people we had with traditional medical experience. I supposed I could just wait and send them out once things slowed down, but I knew we’d need the manpower eventually, and those Deadland worlds wouldn’t be around forever, what with the Union and the Sarkonians eating up the border systems.

I let out a long sigh.

If things didn’t improve around here, I was pretty sure I’d have a stroke by the second year.

The thought made me snicker. Renegade fights the Union, the Sarkonians, an ancient fleet of drones, and makes his way to a forgotten planet on the other side of the galaxy, all to be done in by a fucking stroke. Wouldn’t that be a fitting end to everything?

I shrugged off the concern. To hell with it. If things got bad, I’d just put Freddie in charge and then retire to a beach somewhere. Maybe snag myself a new ship and start working again.

The shuffle of feet pulled my attention, and my eyes snapped open. Dressler walked out of the room with the hover cart behind her, three people pushing it carefully through the opening and into the hall. “Enjoying yourself?” the doc asked, giving me a quick glare.

“You’d prefer to have me in the way?” I asked, still with my back against the wall.

“A fine point,” she remarked. She beamed a half-smile over her shoulder at the cart and the item on its surface. “The core is secure, but I shall have to find the time to analyze it further. I’ve never seen anything like it, not even on Titan.”

“Why don’t you save some of that infatuation for your boyfriend?” I asked.

She stiffened at the question. “M-my what?”

I eased off the wall and bit down on the last of my candy. With a hard crunch, I turned away from her and started down the hall. “Speaking of which, he’s probably getting worried. We’d best get back, don’t you think?”

I was surprised to find Gaia back online when we returned to the atrium, standing beside Sigmond near the capsule. She glowed with a soft blue aura—a stark contrast to Sigmond’s gold. The two Cognitives seemed to be talking with Alphonse, who was on one knee, examining a generator.

“Looks like it’s working,” said Alphonse. “Any problems on your end, Sigmond?”

“None that I can see,” he replied.

“I see you boys have things under control,” I announced, causing the three of them to turn.

“Ah, Captain, welcome back,” said Alphonse.

I walked up to Gaia and gave her a quick once-over. “How you feeling? All your parts in order?” I asked, then looked at Sigmond. “She still acting crazy?”

“There is no need to worry, Jace Hughes,” said Gaia. “Now that the automated sequence has fulfilled its intended purpose, my system is fully under my control.”

“Is that true, Siggy?” I asked.

He nodded. “Quite so, sir. From what I have gleaned, whatever happens next with the planet will be fully automated and outside of Gaia’s responsibilities. For security’s sake, I purged the capsule of all non-essential protocols related to the terraforming process. Gaia now maintains full control over her program and all of its subsystems.”

“What about your memory?” I asked, turning back to Gaia. “Any of that return yet?”

“I’m afraid not,” she replied, frowning.

“Too bad,” muttered Dressler as she approached from behind me, the hover cart resting beside her. “If you’ll excuse me, I should secure our new Sedicium core before returning to my work at the Alpha site. I’ve left my research team alone for far too long as it is.”

“Any word from your team about what they’ve found?” I asked.

“In addition to the DNA samples we uncovered from hundreds of different types of animals, insects, and other fauna, we discovered nearly sixty artificial wombs. I have my team working to disassemble one of them in my absence.”

I whistled. “Sounds like we’re about to have our hands full,” I told her.

“That’s one way to put it. The only problem is that I don’t know when the next phase will begin.”

“What about you, Gaia?” I asked.

She paused briefly, probably in an effort to check her own data before responding. “Not that I can find, Jace Hughes.”

“Figures,” I muttered.

“Based on what we know so far, I think it’s safe to say it’ll begin soon,” inserted Alphonse. “Otherwise, why expose the domes?”

“Indeed. We will simply have to observe what follows next,” said Dressler. “In the meantime, I need to secure this device in our storage facility. Good luck to all of you.”

Right as Dressler began to leave, both Leif and Karin entered from the hallway, talking amongst themselves.

“There you are,” I commented. “I was beginning to think you’d left.”

“Not so,” replied Leif. “I asked to leave in order to give your people the space they required to work.”

“He didn’t want to be in the way,” explained Karin.

“Yes, and it would seem you have fulfilled your promise of shutting down the gate. Thank you for taking our words of caution so seriously, Captain,” said Leif.

I fanned a hand. “I just don’t need another space station crashing into this planet. Once was enough.”

Leif nodded his agreement at the sentiment, then looked at Alphonse, who stood near the capsule with his back to us, quietly working. “If need be, I can allocate some of our engineers to assist you with this machine,” offered Leif.

Alphonse raised a hand over his shoulder but didn’t turn around. “Thank you, but there’s no need for that yet.”

Leif smiled. “Very well. In that case, I’ll take my leave of you both. Thank you again.”

I watched Leif head off towards the landing platform with Karin beside him. Once he was out of earshot, I stepped closer to Alphonse to see what he was working on. “There a problem with the system?”

“I’m not sure yet,” he answered, a distracted tone in his voice.

I decided to give him some space for a minute, walking a few paces to the side and leaning against the wall. He didn’t talk again for five minutes, but when he finally did, he seemed perplexed. “While you were gone, I had Gaia compile a log of everything she recorded during the slip tunnel event and the subsequent crash.”

“What’s wrong? Did something not add up?” I asked.

“That’s putting it lightly,” he said, turning to the machine again and pulling up a data log. “We have multiple scans of the tunnel here, and most of them are normal. There is one point of discrepancy that I can’t account for, though, and Gaia doesn’t seem to have a reason for it either.”

“A discrepancy?” I asked.

“The readings for the tunnel are off, but I’m not certain if this is because of the tunnel itself or something else. It will take time to decipher. I’ll continue to monitor it and let you know if I find anything.” He turned to Sigmond. “In the meantime, we need to worry about getting Gaia out of this facility.”

“Yeah, about that,” I said. “How do you propose we move her?”

“The only way we can,” said Alphonse. “One piece at a time.”

5

Alphonse’s team spent the rest of the afternoon working with Sigmond to transfer Gaia’s capsule from the core of the world to the surface. The drones made the process easier, carrying the non-essential parts back to the city. Meanwhile, Alphonse’s ship would house the primary data drives—Gaia’s consciousness, in other words.

I left him to it, opting to return to Verdun to meet with Abby and Octavia in my office. The two women were already there when I arrived, each of them wearing a tired expression, suggesting they’d had their fill of the med-bay for the day.

Lex was also there, holding her book as she sat reading on the floor. When she saw me enter, she sprang to her feet and smiled. “Mr. Hughes! You’re finally back!”

“Sure am, kid,” I said, letting out an exhausted sigh as I closed the door and walked to my desk. “Hope I didn’t keep you three. The ride took longer than I thought.”

“How did it go?” asked Octavia.

“Better than I expected,” I admitted. “I thought for sure something would go wrong.”

“I’m glad to hear it didn’t,” she said.

I nodded. “What have you got for me?” I asked. “Did we lose any survivors?”

“Surprisingly, no,” said Abigail. “They’re quite resilient.”

“Much like someone else we know,” said Octavia, giving Lex a sideways glance. “That being said, we’ve decided to keep several of them overnight. Athena has agreed to stay active on the floor until tomorrow.”

“Glad to hear it,” I told her. “What about housing? Food? Crops? How are the teams integrating?”

“Dr. Hitchens assured us that both groups are acclimating well,” said Abigail.

I felt relief at the sound of that. “That’s good. Anything else?”

Octavia laughed. “There’s always something else, Captain. That’s the job.”

“Nothing major, though?” I asked.

“Not particularly, and whatever comes up can be handled by one of the team leads,” she assured me. “I’m going to my room to wind down for the evening. I suggest the two of you do the same. Take some time to relax, or you’ll work yourselves into an early grave.”

“Is that your professional medical advice?” I asked, trying to give the verbal equivalent of an eye-roll.

“If you’d like, I can give you a lecture on cortisol levels and blood pressure. Or you could just shut up and relax,” remarked Octavia. “Why don’t the three of you take a walk? Get some fresh air for a change. I’m sure you could use it after breathing in all that dust.”

“I wore a filter, but I get your point,” I said.

She nodded. “I’ll leave you to it, then,” she said, finally heading for the door.

Once she was gone, I turned to Abigail. “What do you think?”

“She has a point, and I’ve heard there’s a nice beach nearby.”

“Yes!” exclaimed Lex, dropping her book as she leaped a few centimeters off the floor. “Please, can we go? Please?”

Abigail looked at me with a smile that told me I’d be heartless to turn her down.

“Alright, alright,” I said, grabbing my coat from the nearby rack and tossing it over my shoulders. “I guess a walk by the water wouldn’t kill me.”

The ocean smelled fresh and clean, a stark contrast to the beaches of my youth. In fact, this might have been the clearest and cleanest ocean I’d ever seen. I supposed that’s what you got from a recently terraformed planet.

Everything was new again.

Lex ran in the waves, kicking water as the tide marched in. She laughed with the most carefree voice like things had always been this easy.

Abigail and I sat on my jacket in the sand, and I wrapped my arm around her as the wind blew her hair into my cheek. We said nothing as Lex continued to play, each of us relaxed and taking in the scene. We’d come so far to be here, fighting our way through the fire to simply exist in this single moment.

And it was nice. The smell of Abby’s hair mixing with the saltwater air. The feel of her head on my chest. The sight of our girl living a free life. All of this had been worth the cost.

The temperature in the air dropped over the next half hour, bringing a cool chill to the beach.

Abigail leaned up and kissed my neck. “We should do this more often,” she told me. “Don’t you think?”

“Yeah,” I said, squeezing her shoulder.

We were both quiet for a while, content with our silence. After some time had passed, Abby finally continued. “Eventually, these waters might have life in them,” she said.

I grunted but said nothing.

“Imagine the fish we’ll catch,” she told me. “And the sky too. I wonder what kinds of birds we’ll see.”

“You think they’ll all come back?” I asked.

“If this planet really does start over, then who knows? We might see all sorts of animals.” She sounded excited, more eager than I’d expected.

I had to admit, I hadn’t given much thought to the types of animals we’d see once the planet fixed itself. I’d been too busy and distracted. Now that she mentioned it, though, the realization that we really had no idea what this world would become, finally had a chance to settle. Sure, it was safe to assume it would have land, oceans, rivers, and forests. Maybe even a desert or two. But its life was another story.

“We’ll finally get to see the world of our ancestors,” said Abigail, drawing me out of my head.

She sounded almost dreamy, the way she talked about it. “Seems to me like you’ve already given this some thought,” I said.

She was quiet for a moment. “I suppose I have.”

“Oh?” I asked, genuinely interested. “It’s the first time you’ve mentioned it to me.”

“That’s because it’s been a while since the last time,” she explained. “Years.”

I didn’t say anything, giving her time to get there.

A minute later, she did. “I used to read those old stories. The myths and legends about this place. I wanted them to be real so badly.”

“What did they say about it?” I asked.

She looked up at me. “Didn’t you ever read them?”

“I heard of it, but never read any myself.”

“Too busy stealing, were you?” she asked with a laugh

then squeezed my knee. “No matter. They were only children’s stories.”

“But not to you,” I corrected.

She nodded. “I read them whenever I was alone and needed an escape. We didn’t have very many books with dragons in them.”

“No offense to your childhood, but I hope we don’t get any dragons out of this. Seems like a nuisance.”

She laughed. “I suppose they would be, wouldn’t they? Flying around and shooting fire. But the ones in the stories were good, I think, and they helped people. You could even ride them.”

“That’s more like it,” I said.

Lex came running up from the beach, a wide grin of satisfaction on her face. “What are you talking about?” She leaned forward on her knees, breathing heavily.

“Just dragons,” I said.

“Dragons?” asked the girl, curiously. “What are those?”

“You haven’t heard of dragons before?” asked Abigail.

Lex shook her head.

“Well, they’re very scary. Isn’t that right, Jace?” she asked.

I nodded. “Sure are.”

“Really?” asked Lex, dropping her mouth.

“Mhm,” said Abby. “And they’re really big.”

Lex looked at me for confirmation. “It’s true,” I told her.

“No way,” she muttered, almost in awe.

“They fly around with great big wings and chase after anyone they don’t like with their horrible claws,” explained Abby. She eased forward, raising her arms into the air above her head, pretending they were claws.

She lunged playfully at Lex, who laughed and scooted backward.

Abby jumped up and started chasing Lex down to the water’s edge, both of them laughing so much they could hardly keep their pace.

I leaned back and watched them, not afraid to let myself smile a little. Octavia had been right about taking a break, although I’d never tell her so.

There was a sudden click in my ear, followed by Alphonse’s voice. “Captain?”

“What is it, Al?” I asked, sitting back up.

“Ah, pardon the interruption, but Sigmond and I have been analyzing that signal from the slip tunnel. Suffice it to say, but we think we’ve found something.”

“Have you now?” I asked, easing myself to my feet.

“We still can’t place the origin of it, but sensors confirm it isn’t one of ours or Gaia’s.”

“Hold on,” I told him, placing the call on mute. Abigail stood near the water, holding Lex’s hand. The two of them were laughing as the tide swept against their feet. I waved to get their attention. “What say we call it a night? It’s getting late.”

“Already?” asked Lex, instantly disappointed.

Abigail’s smile faded as she looked at me. “What is it?” she asked.

I shook my head. “Nothing serious. I just need to get back. Alphonse wants to have a word.”

She paused, but then bent down and smiled at Lex. “Ready to go home?”

“Do we have to?” asked Lex, frowning.

“We can come back in a few days,” assured Abby.

Lex glanced at me. “Really? All of us?”

“Whatever you want, kid,” I answered.

She smiled again. “Okay!”

We filed into the shuttle, which I’d parked about fifty meters from the beach. As we lifted off the ground, the light of the moon glittered against the waves. It had been a peaceful few hours, the smiles of my girls an important reminder of why all of this work was necessary.

“Break it down for us, Al,” I said, sitting in my office with Abigail, the Constable, and Sigmond.

Alphonse tapped his pad and brought up a three-dimensional image of the Earth’s core on my desk’s holo. One section lit up in red. “This is where the station crashed,” explained Alphonse. He tapped his pad again, lighting up multiple dots along the outer walls. “These are the escape pods.”

At the center of the core, I could see a blue fog, representing the slip tunnel. It was larger than I remembered.

“Now observe the signal,” said Alphonse.

An orange wave appeared, originating along the wall of the core and extending into the slip tunnel. It was nowhere near any of the escape pods or the crash site.

“I don’t get it,” I said, staring at the image. “Who is sending this?”

“We don’t know,” admitted Alphonse.

“What’s in the transmission?” asked Abigail.

“We don’t know,” he repeated.

“I’m sensing a pattern,” I said.

“There are some things we do know,” remarked Sigmond. “For example, the signal is being transmitted into the tunnel on a continuous loop, which persists even after the tunnel’s closure.”

“You say that like it’s supposed to mean something,” said Abigail. “Do those facts lead you to a conclusion?”

Sigmond beamed at the question. “They very well may, Ms. Pryar. Because it persists, we believe the signal may be automated, perhaps originating at a standalone repeater that is too small to detect.”

“In other words,” continued Alphonse. “The source could be somewhere else, outside of this region.”

“But you can’t be sure,” I added.

“Correct,” said Sigmond.

Alphonse continued. “Once we locate the device, whether it is a transponder or a simple repeater, solving the puzzle should be a simple task.” He stepped closer to the desk, eyeing the holo with a slant in his brow. “It’s very curious.”

“Maybe Leif can shed some light on this,” said Abigail.

“I’m sure he could,” said Alphonse.

“But you don’t think we should ask him,” I said, detecting a hint of pessimism in the Constable’s tone.

“You’d be right about that, Captain,” he replied. “While it may give us a more immediate answer, we have no way of knowing if it is the truth. Consider this: we approach Mr. Solesdar about our situation and inquire as to the nature of said signal. He feigns his ignorance on the matter and plays the fool. Not only have we given away what we have learned, but now he knows we’re onto him. He can disable the transponder and completely sever our investigation before it truly gets underway.”

“You think he’d do that?” I asked, having a hard time believing the Eternal had it in him. Then again, I barely knew the man, and I didn’t know much about his people. Only that they were afraid of what lay on the other side of that slip tunnel. Even then, I was going off nothing more than their word. For all I knew, every last bit of it could have been a lie.

“I believe Mr. Solesdar has been truthful with us, at least insofar as he is willing,” remarked Alphonse. “Still, there is always a chance that the unlikeliest of scenarios is true.”

“Which is?” I asked.

“That our man isn’t at all what he espouses himself to be, and that he is, in reality, misleading us into believing a very hard lie,” said the Constable. “That we’re all being played for fools, and that the Eternals, for all their cautionary tales, are not the victims they would have us believe, but the true aggressors, looking to seize this world for themselves.”

The room fell deathly silent as the words settled in the air. The thought that Leif and his people could be lying had crossed my mind, but only briefly. Given their willingness to integrate into our society, their eagerness to help, and the loss of life that they underwent, I had little reason to suspect them of such a crime.

But Eternals had built this world, turned it into what it was, and expelled my ancestors from its land. Despite what any of us would like to believe, there was a historical divide between us. If Leif and his people remembered that, if they had held on to it, Alphonse’s fears could very well prove true.

All I could do was prepare for the worst and hope it wasn’t true. Paranoia had kept me alive, back when I was a working Renegade. Trust no one, except yourself, and always keep a gun beside your bed. I’d hoped those days were over, but it seems running a colony was no different from dealing with the smugglers and crooks. You still had to watch for the inevitable knife in your back.

“You don’t really believe that,” said Abigail.

Alphonse tilted his head. “I never believe anything fully, nor would I suggest that you do. What I do believe is that there is always a possibility, and it is because of that possibility that I push for caution.”

“Caution,” I muttered, chewing on the word. I could scarcely believe what I was hearing, but I also couldn’t deny the possibility. As far as we’d come, we couldn’t risk any of it on good faith. I liked Leif, and I wanted to believe he was a good man, but I also couldn’t gamble the future of this colony on that feeling. “We’ll keep this to ourselves for now,” I finally said, looking at each of them. “Siggy, Al, I want you to keep looking into this. Don’t concern yourselves with anything else until you figure out what this signal is and where it’s coming from. Once we know more about what this is, we’ll share it with Leif and the rest of the colony.”

“As you wish, sir,” replied Sigmond.

I released everyone for the night. Abby and I returned to her apartment, mostly silent on the walk. Neither of us felt comfortable with the knowledge we’d just learned. “You don’t think all of that is true, do you?” Abby finally asked once we were inside the door. She had to whisper for fear of waking Lex, who was sound asleep in the neighboring room.

“Of course not,” I told her. “Al is only being cautious.”

“I know that, but still,” she went on. “You don’t think there’s a chance of it, do you? That we’ve been nursing these people back to health, only for them to turn on us?”

I paused at the question, not knowing how to answer. I opened my mouth, only to have the image of the boy in the med-pod flash in my mind. I’d forgotten how close Abby had grown to these people, assisting in the medical ward. She’d probably talked with all of them at some point or another, learning their names and stories. Not like me, spending all my time in my office or going from one group to the next, checking in with team leaders to coordinate the integration. No, Abby had taken a more direct path, sitting with the most fragile of them, seeing them in their worst moments. The idea that those same people could soon become her enemy must have felt like a weight against her chest.

I felt like a fool for not seeing it sooner.

“I don’t think it’s true,” I said, taking her hand in mine. “I’d bet we’re looking at nothing. Maybe some kind of broken piece of the station.”

“But the things Alphonse said—”

“He’s a Constable,” I reminded her. “He’s a trained skeptic. That’s his whole shtick.”

She paused, processing everything, and then nodded. “Okay, right,” she said at last and smiled as she gripped my hand. “Time for bed. We have a lot to do tomorrow.”

“Sure do,” I agreed, and I watched her turn and head to her room. With her back to me, she removed her jacket and shirt, finally glancing over her shoulder with a look that suggested I should hurry and do the same.

I quickly followed, sliding close behind her and wrapping my hands around her sides. With a gentle kiss along her neck, we slid into the bed, off to better thoughts.

6

I slept deep that night, waking from a dreamless rest to an empty bed. The light broke through the window and made me wince as it hit my eyes. I turned on my side, toward the darker half of the room, and noticed Abigail had opened her dresser. She must have already left for work.

I tapped my ear. “Siggy, what’s on my schedule today?”

“Nothing for the next hour, sir,” replied Sigmond immediately. “At that time, you’re to meet with Mr. Solesdar and Dr. Hitchens to discuss the construction of a second farm.”

“That’s right,” I remembered, stretching out my feet and arms. Hitchens had made the request shortly after we began integrating the Eternals into the colony. It was next on the priority list, now that we’d handled job assignments, living arrangements, and, most importantly, closed the slip tunnel.

“Guess I’ll grab some coffee,” I said, twisting around and plopping my feet on the floor.

“Understood, sir. I’ll let them know to meet you in your office,” said Sigmond.

“That’ll work,” I said, opening up my personal drawer—the one Abby had given after my sixth or seventh night here. I only kept two sets of clothes in it at any given time. No sense in having more than that, since I already had a place of my own.

I pulled out a spare shirt and threw it on, followed by yesterday’s pants. Once I was ready, I left the apartment and headed for the stairs, making my way down to the bottom floor and out into the street.

The cafeteria was right around the corner from our apartment building. Not a bad walk when it was early in the morning or late at night and you wanted an easy meal or a quick drink.

The sun had eased even higher above the horizon by the time I was outside. Judging from the heat, today was set to be a hot one, which was fine. I’d take a scorcher over a blizzard any day of the week, especially after the experience I had on that frozen tundra of a world, back where we found Karin and her clan.

Thinking about it now, I couldn’t help but feel all the more thankful for being on a world as comfortable as this one. For all our luck, the Earth could’ve been a hellscape, barely habitable or hospitable. Sure, we had to deal with the trilobites and a hollowed-out core, but all things considered, it could have been worse.

About fifteen or so colonists had gathered outside the cafeteria, many of them with plates of breakfast as they prepared to head off to their daily jobs. Jobs that would help the colony prosper and grow into something they could all be proud of. Maybe that explained the smiles on their faces and the laughter that now filled the street as I passed by them. All of these people were needed, each one of them a valued member of the group. That was something I’d grown to appreciate about this place.

We all had our roles to play. We all had a purpose.

Inside the building, I received several hellos and how-are-yous from familiar faces, as was often the case whenever I walked around the city. I couldn’t say I was a fan of the attention, but at least the new arrivals had stopped treating me like The Renegade—the myth of a man who defeated the Union in a single, glorious blow—and more like Captain Hughes, the gruff colony administrator with too much crap on his plate. I would’ve preferred a little more anonymity, but I’d take whatever reprieve I could get. It was better than them ogling and staring at me all day.

I found the coffee dispenser, which I’d brought here on special order during the last trip to the Deadlands. There was no greater asset to a burgeoning colony than a high-grade coffeemaker that could reinvigorate and motivate the workforce.

Or so I had told Abigail when I asked her to bring it back.

With a fresh cup in my hand and the threat of conversation looming the longer I stuck around this place, I quickly made my way back out into the street.

According to the clock, I still had thirty minutes to kill before the meeting. Enough time to take a walk and wake up, I decided.

I could either go to the medical ward and check in with Abigail, maybe see how our regenerating little friend in the pod was doing with his arm, or go somewhere else. When I thought about how busy it had been the last time I was there, I figured I’d leave well enough alone and stay out of their hair. Abby and Octavia probably had their hands full, all things considered.

Before I knew it, I’d walked to the edge of the city overlooking the western horizon. I hadn’t intended to come here, but it was just as good a place as any to fill my belly with caffeine and be alone.

I leaned against the nearest building, one of the many we hadn’t yet cleared out, and breathed in the steam from my cup. So much useless furniture and other miscellaneous garbage filled the old structure, it seemed like more trouble than it was worth to empty and repurpose. That wasn’t to say that we’d never get around to it, but priorities were priorities, and we had other things to think about right now.

That was usually the case for most of my to-do list. Once I finished a task, six more would pop up to take its place, each one just as important as the last. I kept telling myself that, eventually, we’d get through everything, but the work just kept on coming.

Then again, I supposed anything that was worth doing had always felt like that in the beginning. Back when I was a kid on Epsy, dreaming of being a Renegade, everything always seemed so far out of reach that it was really more of a fairytale fantasy than anything else.

I always had to bury my own doubt—tell myself I could make it as long as I just kept going—but when you’re so far from the goal, you begin to doubt you’ll ever make it to the end. Then you take that first step, followed by the next, and eventually, you look back to see you’ve traveled farther than you realized.

That was how I felt right now, imagining the face of the boy I used to be—the little wannabe thief, running jobs with his prepubescent crew. Bunch of fools we were, but I was glad to have them.

“How’s the view today, Captain?” called a voice from behind me. I turned to see Freddie walking in my direction, smiling his usual grin. I was surprised to see he was alone, considering how attached he’d become with Petra. In the days since her accident, he’d barely left her side.

“Looks all right, I guess,” I said, casting my eyes to the brown and gray valley beneath us. “Could use a little more green, though.”

“You’re not wrong about that,” he agreed, walking up beside me. “Has Gaia said anything about when we’ll see some plant life? It sure would help the scenery.”

“She’s clueless,” I said bluntly. I took a sip of my coffee, letting out a short gasp of satisfaction as the sweet, delicious drug ran down my throat.

“I was just on my way to meet Petra,” said Freddie.

“Of course you were,” I said.

“Athena has her practicing hand movements,” he continued, ignoring my sarcasm. “Her grip strength is already impressive. That’s what Athena says anyway. I’m trying to do everything I can to help, but all I have are words.”

“You don’t think you’re doing enough?” I asked.

He scratched his ear. “I don’t know, truth be told. What do you think, Captain?”

I took another sip. “I think what’s happening to Petra is up to Petra to fix. Not you, not me, not anyone else with two working arms. All we can do is support her and be there when she wants to complain about how hard it is or how much the prosthetic hurts. When that happens, don’t try to relate. Just shut up and listen. That’s your job, Freddie.”

“To shut up and listen?” he asked.

“Maybe throw in a smile or two if she needs it. You’re always good for that.”

He chuckled. “Thanks, Captain.”

I raised my cup at him, saying nothing, and then took another sip.

Before I could pull the mug from my lips, a sudden burst of thunder rumbled from a distance.

No, not thunder. The sky was clear and blue. This came from the west, towards the far side of the valley. “What was that?!” asked Freddie, sudden panic in his voice.

Black smoke came together, pluming in the expanse, just short of the horizon. “Look over there!” I barked.

“Isn’t that where the dome is?” asked Freddie.

I went to tap my ear, but the click had already come through. “Sir, there’s been an incident,” said Sigmond, his voice breaking in before I could say anything.

“Was it the Alpha site?” I asked hurriedly. “Put me through to Dressler!”

It took almost no time for the connection to process. When the line activated, panicked breathing and several screams coming from the background was all I could hear.

“Doc!” I snapped, holding my ear. “Are you there? Doc, say something so I can—”

“H-hello? Who is this? K-Karin! No, you can’t go back in there! Tell everyone to evacuate right—”

The comm cut out with a hard click.

I tapped my ear. “Siggy, what just happened? Get her back on the line!”

“I’m afraid the connection has been lost. The explosion may have damaged the doctor’s earpiece, sir.”

I shot a hard glance at Freddie. “We’re going out there right now. No time to prep.”

He nodded quickly.

I turned back to the valley, watching as the smoke continued to rise. “Keep trying her, Siggy. Get me Karin if you have to. Anyone with a working comm. Then tell Abigail and Octavia to gather a team. We’re going to need a medical unit out there right away.”

“Anything else, sir?” asked the Cognitive.

I shot a quick glance towards the beach I had taken Abigail and Lex. “We need water to put out those fires. Can your drones pick some up from the ocean?”

“I can have water delivered before you leave the city.”

“Don’t waste any time, Siggy,” I told him before looking at Freddie. “The rest of us are on our way.”

7

Before we even touched down, I could see the panic on the ground. The Eternals and colonists alike had moved far from the smoke and destruction of the dome and into the open field. Many of them had blackened faces, making it difficult to differentiate them from one another.

As soon as my ship had landed, I popped the door open and rapidly made my way towards the crowd, snapping on a breathing mask in the process.

Most of these people were still in shock from the blast, unable to process their surroundings. I wagered most would come unwound by tomorrow, and then the real breakdowns would begin.

For now, they stood around like living corpses, barely holding themselves together.

A young woman moaned nearby, her voice just one of many. Freddie ran to check on her with the ship’s med kit. It probably wouldn’t be enough to treat the wound in her stomach, but it might keep her stable long enough for the others to arrive. Octavia and Abigail were still on their way, flying a few minutes behind us. Once they showed up, we’d have a better chance at saving some lives. However, in the precious moments between now and then, I feared the worst.

I spotted Karin near the front of the dome, standing with frazzled white hair and a torn shirt. She also wore a breathing mask, along with several individuals who were crowded around her, listening as she barked orders. As I drew closer, her words became clearer. “Don’t worry about the equipment,” she told them. “Focus on recovering any survivors you can find. Do you understand?”

I reached out and touched her arm. She flinched instantly and swung around. She took a second to process who I was and where I’d come from but then relaxed. “Are you all right?” I asked, not waiting for her to speak first.

She blinked but finally nodded. “I’m okay,” she assured me. “Just a headache, that’s all. Did you bring help? We’re missing people. Dr. Dressler went back inside to look.” She spoke quickly, almost vomiting out the words.

“Abigail and Octavia are on the way,” I told her. “They’ve got a whole team coming. Are you sure you don’t wanna sit down?”

She shook her head. “Tell them to hurry, please. We have wounded all over this field, and we need to start triage right away—”

Her knees buckled at once, and I had to move in swiftly to catch her before she hit the ground. “Easy!” I snapped, managing to get my arms around her waist. “Got you!”

She let out a short yelp as her foot twisted in the dirt. Her head fell into my chest, and I could feel her taking heavy breaths.

I brought her down slowly, setting her against the soft earth. As I did, I noticed a line of blood ease out from her scalp. It was also on my shirt.

“Godsdammit, Karin,” I muttered, wiping her hair away. There was a gash there, and the blood was pooling. “Why were you even still on your feet?”

She took several quick breaths, her eyes darting from side to side as she tried desperately to focus. Her eyelids were growing heavier by the second.

“Never mind,” I whispered, leaning closer. “Just stay down and try to stay awake.”

My ear caught the sound of a ship arriving, not far behind us. I glanced over my shoulder to see two vessels landing in the field, not far from the crowd.

That would be the medical team, I thought. I tapped my ear and ordered Sigmond to put me through to Abigail immediately. “We’ve got injured all over the damn place. Tell your people to spread out and hurry. I saw several people with blood on them, and that’s just what I could see. Gods know how many of them inhaled smoke or might have broken bones. We need to get them all looked at immediately.”

“We’ll get right on it,” answered Abigail. “Have you found Dressler yet?”

“She ran inside to look for survivors. I haven’t seen her.”

The transport doors swung open, and the team unloaded into the field. Abigail motioned for everyone to fan out, then set her sights on me. To my surprise, she had Petra at her side, carrying a med kit in her good hand.

I made eye contact with Abigail. She said something I couldn’t hear to Petra, and the two came jogging towards me. Before I could say a word, Petra had her kit halfway open, her knees slamming into the mud beside us. “Where was she hit?” she asked quickly.

“On the scalp, best I can tell,” I explained.

Petra reached into her kit and retrieved a small handheld scanner, bringing it close to Karin’s forehead. “She has a closed head injury, but there shouldn’t be a need for surgery,” explained Petra. She took out a small container full of pills. Popping the top, she handed one to Karin. “Take this. It should help with the pain.”

Karin swallowed the pill while Petra examined the gash on her skull. “Thank you,” said Karin once she had the pill down.

“We need to get you back to the ship, along with anyone else with a serious injury,” said Abigail, who was standing beside me and watching all of this. She swung around and waved at someone. “Over here, both of you. That’s right. Bring the cart.”

A minute later, two men were on their way with a hover cart. The five of us hoisted Karin off the dirty ground and onto the transport.

Abigail leaned over her and rubbed her shoulder. “Try to relax. We’ll get you home soon.”

Karin smiled, her eyes half-shut. “Thanks.”

As the two men rushed her off, I crossed my arms and let out a slow sigh. “Let’s hope it ain’t much worse than that.”

“It is,” bemoaned Abigail as she looked out at the crowd, half of whom were sitting on the ground. “The medical ward is about to be full again.”

I noticed Petra glancing down at her prosthetic hand. She clenched her fingers, slowly opening them.

“How about you?” I asked, turning to her. “You good?”

“M-me?” asked Petra.

“How’s the hand? The pain still bothering you?”

She stared at her palm for a second. “I’d rather not think about it right now if it’s all the same.”

“Sure,” I said, knowing when to leave well enough alone.

“Perform another sweep immediately,” came a voice from inside the dome. I turned to see Dressler and four individuals, all of them covered in dust, making their way out of the decimated structure. “Who is that out there? Karin?” asked Dressler, her voice a little muffled by the breathing mask she wore.

I stood with my thumb in my belt, waiting for her to stumble through the rubble. “Just me,” I said once she was close enough to see my face. “Been looking for you, Doc. Find anything in there?”

She nodded at her team, who quickly returned inside the building to continue their search. “I’m afraid not,” she said, taking long strides as she walked through piles of fallen debris. There was a hard crunch every step she took—the sound of glass and broken stone. “I believe the explosion occurred near the other side of the building. That area has taken the most damage. Several people who were working nearby at the time have gone missing.”

I was surprised by the look on her face. Where once there had been a stoic, contemplative expression, I now saw something else. A jarring sense of fear for what she knew must be the truth. Knowing her, she’d already done the calculations and determined the most likely outcome—that those missing people were likely all dead.

But I also knew she wouldn’t blame herself, because she wasn’t the type to let her emotions overtake her objectivity. Yes, there was fear in her now, but Dressler had no control over this situation, so she wouldn’t waste time dwelling on it. She would gather herself and move forward to look for solutions. Maybe that made her a little cold-hearted, but it also meant that no matter how difficult our situation became, I could always count on her to be pragmatic.

“Thank you for coming, Ms. Pryar,” said Dressler. She looked at Petra. “That goes for all of you. I don’t know the cause of this, but I plan to find out immediately.”

“Let’s see where this explosion happened,” I told her. “Think you can show me?”

She nodded. “Of course.”

“We’ll see to the others,” said Abigail, motioning for Petra to follow. “Let us know if you find anything.”

The two women grabbed their med kits and took off for the nearest group. “Alright, then,” I muttered, glancing up at the dome’s missing ceiling and the smoke high above us. “Guess we’d better get to it.”

Sigmond’s drones had calmed the fires along the rear half of the dome, but the air still smelled like fire.

The smoke had yet to fully clear and likely wouldn’t for a while. We walked around the outside of the building, towards the rear, where Dressler believed the explosion had occurred.

As we passed a section where the wall had come down, the innards of the dome became visible again. A brief glance caught the remains of several biomatter storage modules. According to Dressler, those contained the DNA of ancient animals and would likely be used to repopulate during the next terraforming phase. I had to figure the loss would set us back, even if the other domes had their own stash of animals to pull from.

As though she could hear my thoughts, Dressler said, “As soon as we have the site secure and evacuated, I want an excavation team on the ground, ready to salvage whatever we can.”

“You’ll have it,” I assured her.

She said nothing as we continued towards the rear, coming around the south side of the dome to a mound of debris. It was a piece of the upper wall, broken into rubble and scattered.

“Is this it?” I asked, looking around. “There wasn’t much to this section, was there?”

“No, it was mostly vacant,” said Dressler, taking a careful step over some glass.

I’d only been here once before, but I couldn’t remember anything significant about this place. Most of the computers and DNA modules had been in the other rooms. “So what caused this?” I asked the doctor.

“That’s what I’d like to find out,” she said.

I touched my ear. “Siggy, is this the source of the blast? Can you confirm that?”

“Calculating, sir. Stand by,” he replied.

“In the meantime, let’s see what we can find,” I said, edging my way around a jagged piece of metal.

Dressler was careful not to get too close to the pile, leaning forward every few seconds to examine something, and then moving on. It would take us days to go through all of the wreckage and pick out whatever was still useful. That was to say nothing of the investigation into who caused this.

Who? The question ran through my mind and sent chills down my neck. Was I already leaping to conclusions about what had caused this? What part of this felt intentional? Was it the fact that there were no known combustibles in this section of the dome? Or was I just being paranoid?

“Siggy, do you have it yet?” I asked, my impatience getting the best of me.

“As it happens, sir,” he responded. “Orbital scans of the building suggest you are standing close to the origin of the explosion.”

I looked at Dressler, expecting her to say something, but then remembered that her comm was damaged. “Siggy says this is the spot,” I explained.

She peered around. “Then I was right. Ask him if he can extrapolate an exact location. Precision would be useful.”

“Siggy?” I asked.

“I’m unable to determine that at this time, I’m afraid.”

“He says he’s working on it,” I told Dressler.

She took a step inside one of the mounds of charred debris and leaned forward, trying to get a better view of something before pulling back. The doctor sighed in a way that almost felt like defeat. “I’ll have to return with the proper equipment before I can examine any of this.”

“Doctor!” called a voice. A young man hurried from the other side of the building, opposite from where we’d arrived. He walked quickly but carefully as he neared the mound between us. “There you are! Mica says he saw someone over here before the explosion. We’ve been looking for you.”

“Who?” asked Dressler, straightening herself. “Did he give you any names?”

“Not yet! I told him to keep his voice down and wait for you. He’s with Ms. Pryar now!”

Dressler started shuffling her way to the other side of the pile like she was walking through deep snow. “Excellent! Take me to him immediately!”

Dressler was quick to get the hell out of there, scurrying her way back to the crowded field. I followed after, keeping a few paces between us. She was a woman on a mission, and I didn’t feel like getting in her way.

“Where is he?” asked the doctor as she approached the ship.

Abigail popped her head out. “MaryAnn?” she said.

Over here,” said the young man leading us. “She needs to see Mica.”

Abigail hopped off the ship and made room. “Inside.”

Dressler climbed aboard the ship and disappeared. Abigail looked at me curiously, but I only shrugged. She turned to the ship, waiting to see what all the fuss was about.

“Siggy, were the other ships damaged in the explosion?” I asked, turning back towards the dome.

“No, sir. Not according to sensors,” he replied.

“Good. Tell the medical crew to have anyone who isn’t seriously injured to report to their transport ships and head home. We need to start clearing this place out.”

“Understood,” he answered.

Seconds later, I noticed the crowd thinning as survivors began to leave. With the wounded tended to, there was no reason for most of these people to stay. They needed rest, and I wasn’t about to deny them.

“Have you told the others about this yet?” asked Abigail.

“If you mean Alphonse and Hitchens, I haven’t had the chance. Besides, they both have their hands full, last I checked.”

“Still, we may need to call in a cleanup team. Don’t you think?”

“We’ll worry about that when we’ve cleared the field,” I told her. “One thing at a time.”

A moment later, Dressler reappeared from inside the ship. As soon as I saw her, it was clear she’d heard some disconcerting news. The look on her face was unmistakable.

“What did he say?” I asked.

Dressler stepped off the ship then came closer to both Abigail and me. “Mica believes he saw three Eternals in the rear compartment moments before the explosion.”

Abigail and I exchanged a quick look. “What?” I asked. “Is he sure?”

“Yes, but none of the three were carrying anything that he could see,” she explained. “However, we know very little about their munitions capabilities. During my time working for the Union, I had the chance to catalog multiple explosive devices of varying size. Some were no larger than my palm. They didn’t have the ability to level a building of this size, but the Eternals could have taken a completely different research path. It is impossible to know.”

“That’s crazy,” said Abigail, shaking her head. “These people haven’t shown any signs of violence before. Why would they strike here and not the city? What reason could they have?”

“That is a question I myself would like to ask,” said Dressler.

I was quickly beginning to regret not calling Alphonse about this. He could have started a criminal investigation immediately and saved me the hassle. “We can’t just go around accusing people without more evidence,” I said, trying to channel my inner Constable. “What else do we have?”

Abigail raised her brow at me like she was surprised.

“What?” I asked, crossing my arms.

“Nothing. I just didn’t expect you to say that,” she admitted.

“You’re right, of course, Captain,” said Dressler, pulling our focus back. “We can’t go around making unsubstantiated accusations. I suggest asking Sigmond and Athena if they caught anything with the drones and whether they can support Mica’s claims. There should have been at least one drone observing this site at all times.”

“Siggy?” I said, waiting for the Cognitive to respond.

“Processing now, sir.”

“He’s working on it,” I confirmed.

“The drones have been watching this place?” asked Abigail.

“Along with every other dome, yes,” confirmed Dressler. “I requested it for security purposes. In hindsight, I regret not asking for more.”

“My footage confirms three Eternals entered the south side of the dome before the explosion,” interjected Sigmond. “Unfortunately, the building obscured the events inside afterwards.”

Abigail, who could hear every word of this discussion, let out a sigh.

“Were they carrying anything?” I asked.

“Not visibly, I’m afraid,” replied Sigmond. “I can send the footage to your device if you wish to observe for yourself.”

“That’s okay, pal. Thanks for checking.”

“Well?” asked Dressler.

“Siggy confirms your man’s account,” I told her. “Even said they weren’t carrying anything. Not big enough to see anyway.”

“I was afraid of that,” she muttered.

“Jace, I think it’s time you talked to Leif about this,” suggested Abigail.

She had a point. Between what Alphonse had told us yesterday and now this, I couldn’t see any way around it. Not without risking more lives. Before today, the only cause for concern had to do with that mysterious signal we’d found, but this was different. People were dying.

“Let’s get these people loaded up and out of here. I’ll call Leif on the way, and we’ll see what the man has to say about all this.”

“Do you really expect him to admit to anything?” asked Dressler.

“I sure as hell wouldn’t,” I said honestly. “But let’s wait and hear it straight from him. Worst case, he’s lying, and things get a little rough.” I placed my hand on the butt of my pistol.

“Ah,” she said, eyeing the gun. “Well, let’s hope it doesn’t come down to that.”

“Yeah,” I said, looking back at the smoke and the field of debris. “Let’s hope.”

8

“I must say, Captain Hughes, I don’t appreciate these accusations,” said Leif Solesdar, his face turning a little red. The man had a knack for posture, but the situation had him clearly rattled.

We were in my office, looking at a holo of the dome. The image was zoomed in on the three Eternals, which we’d only recently identified. Two were missing. The other was a woman named Bresna. I’d sent Freddie and Lucia to find her and bring her in for questioning.

Bolin and Abigail were with me, both of them armed. I didn’t expect things to escalate, but I wasn’t taking any chances. “I want to believe you, Leif, but you gotta give me something to work with,” I told him, pointing at the people on the holo. “This is your chance to convince me that this is all a big coincidence.”

He stared at me, blinking and sweating at the holo. “I-I don’t know anything about this. Captain, you know as well as I do that we didn’t choose to come to this planet when we did, and we wouldn’t attack you after what you’ve done for us. It would do us absolutely no good to hurt you. Whoever caused the explosion, it wasn’t one of us. It had to be—”

“One of ours?” asked Abigail. “Are you suggesting we’re responsible?”

“No, of course not,” he hastily assured her. “I-I was just saying that none of my people would ever intentionally sabotage our new home. It would be suicide!”

“I’m not saying it was the smartest move, but you have to admit, Leif, this doesn’t look good,” I said.

“He does sound sincere,” said Alphonse, his voice coming in through my comm. I’d patched him into this conversation since he was still on his way back from the Earth’s core. “He looks genuinely surprised too. Should we bring up what we know about the transmission?”

I didn’t answer, sensing Alphonse was about to answer his own question.

“No,” he continued, barely skipping a breath. “We don’t want to give away too much. Perhaps we should propose a simple swab to see if any of his people have any chemical residue on them.”

I cleared my throat. “You need to give me something, Leif. I need proof to counter what we’ve got here.”

“You’re already bringing in Bresna, aren’t you? Surely she will have something to substantiate my claim.”

“Then again,” continued Alphonse, “even if he agrees to it, a clean swab doesn’t guarantee innocence. Oh, I apologize for rambling in your ear like this. I’m simply thinking out loud.”

“Fine, Leif,” I finally continued. “We’ll wait and see what Bresna says, but afterward, I’m going to need your full cooperation on whatever happens next.”

“You’ll have it, I assure you,” he said.

I wanted to believe him. Hell, I was pretty sure I already did. But I couldn’t deny what the feed showed, unless the whole thing really was an accident.

As soon as Alphonse returned, we’d have to throw together an investigation. It would take time and resources we couldn’t afford to spend, but there would be no getting around that. Not unless Leif came clean right here and now—giving me everything I needed on a silver plate. If he didn’t, we could very well end up with another attack on our hands. Gods knew I didn’t want that.

Which was why I had to press him, as much as I hated it. Even if he was innocent, even if all of this was just a coincidence, I had to get to the bottom of things and find out for sure.

My hand slipped slowly to my holster, thumbing the butt of my pistol. “Siggy, where is Freddie right now? How close is he with Bresna?”

“Less than five minutes away, sir,” he replied.

Almost here. Good. “Anything you wanna tell me before we start questioning that woman, Leif?”

“Only my assurances that neither she nor I had any part in this,” he said desperately.

“I hope you’re right about that,” I told him, walking past him to the door. I cracked it open and looked down the hall towards the exit. Any second, Freddie and Lucia would be here, and we’d get this over—

“Sir,” interjected Sigmond. “Something is happening in the cafeteria. I believe you’ll want to see this.”

“Cafeteria?” I asked, turning back inside the room.

The holo changed at once to show a crowd of people standing around a set of tables. Two figures were in the middle, facing one another. “A fight appears to have broken out between a man named Gilian Randall and Mako Fi, a young Eternal boy.”

“What the hell are they fighting about?” I snapped.

Gilian, the larger man, took a hard swing at Mako, hitting him square in the jaw.

Mako staggered backward, landing between two other men. They laughed and pushed him forward.

“Godsdammit,” I said, turning for the door and grabbing my coat off the rack.

As soon as I entered the hall, Freddie entered through the front door with Bresna and Lucia.

“Where do you think you’re going in such a hurry, boy?” asked Lucia.

“Gotta break up a brawl. Take her to the old med room,” I said, passing between the three of them. I stopped at the door, looking over my shoulder. “Freddie, you’re with me. Might need you.”

He swallowed. “Me? But what am I supposed to—”

I grabbed his wrist and yanked him out of the door. “No time for overthinking, Freddie!”

“O-okay!” he yelped.

Lucia watched the two of us leave, sticking her head outside long enough to yell something about us leaving all the real work to the adults.

Or something. I’d already stopped listening.

The streets were less active than usual. That was to be expected, given recent tragedies. The medical wing was full of broken bodies and grieving friends, while others had taken to their homes for the evening. The air of Verdun had thickened with stress. It was no wonder there was a fight happening in the cafeteria right now.

Hell, I’d be surprised if we didn’t see more of them by the end of the night.

I quickly broke into a full sprint. The longer we delayed, the more likely that boy would wind up with a broken skull.

Or worse. The last thing we needed was a dead Eternal at the hands of one of ours. I reached the building with Freddie right behind me, and stomped up the stairs, grabbing the door handle. Before I could even open it, I heard chants coming from inside.

“Fight! Fight! Fight!”

“Skin that bastard alive, Gil!”

“Don’t let ‘em squirm his way outta this!”

“Kick his ass!”

I walked in with my hand on my holster, spotting the mob instantly. They were still gathered around the centermost tables, raising fists and yelling. A handful of Eternals were near the back of the room, fear on their faces as they watched, heavily outnumbered and unable to help the boy.

“Oh, gods,” muttered Freddie, stepping beside me. His mouth dropped when he saw what I’d already witnessed on the holo.

“Get ready,” I told him in a low voice. “Things might get rough.”

“I-I’m with you, Captain,” he assured me.

I nodded then stepped closer to the mob. Freddie stayed a few paces behind, keeping his eyes on my blind spots. “Everyone, break it up!” I yelled.

No one responded.

They probably can’t even hear me, I thought. “I said shut up!”

Still nothing. Too consumed by the fight and too fixated on seeing blood, the mob had lost their sense of place and purpose. I’d seen that sort of tunnel vision before. Hell, I’d had it myself, watching bar fights and street brawls.

And I knew just what to do to grab their attention.

I reached to my side and withdrew my pistol, raised it above my head, and fired two shots.

Nearly everyone winced at the sound, many ducking instinctively in the process. With half of them crouched, I could finally see both Gil and Mako duking it out in the center. For a brief moment, the two paused to look at me, but it didn’t take long for Gil to seize the opportunity to take another swing at the boy.

Poor Mako didn’t even see it coming. Gil’s fist dug into his face like a brick, spewing blood and spit into the crowd.

I fired my pistol into the ceiling for the third and final time. “Hey!” I barked, my voice booming through the cafeteria with a lingering echo. I lowered my gun, aiming directly at Gil. “Quiet the hell up or the next two sounds everyone hears will be this cannon followed by your body hitting the godsdamn floor!”

Everyone froze.

Gil staggered and raised his hands, smirking.

Mako fell to his hands and knees, blood dripping from his split lip. His chest heaved as he continued taking heavy breaths.

I flicked my barrel at the boy and whistled, prompting Freddie to retrieve him. “Everyone in here know who I am?” I snapped.

Half the room nodded. “Captain Hughes,” said a woman near the window. “You’re the Renegade.”

“Godsdamn right I am,” I said, letting every eye fall on me. “Anyone wanna test me to see if the stories are true, go right ahead.” I kept the barrel level with my target. “Try me.”

Freddie threw Mako’s arm around his neck and slowly walked to the exit.

“You don’t look so tough,” muttered a nearby man. I didn’t recognize him. Must have been one of the new folks from the Deadlands. He was the same height as me, a little more weight to him, maybe a little younger. He was probably used to having his way in the slums back home. Probably thought that meant something here.

I swung around and jammed the butt of my pistol into his jaw, causing the crowd to pull away from us. He fell to the floor with a single heavy thud. Before he could push himself up, I kicked him in the side of his stomach, knocking whatever hot air he had straight out of him.

Someone else—a friend of his, I wagered—tried to come at me, grabbing my arm before I had a chance to move.

I lowered my pistol, pulled it around behind my waist, and fired.

The bullet grazed his foot, and he screamed, letting go of me at once. As he backed away, I stepped forward and grabbed his collar, pulling him close, and forced his jaw open with my pistol.

With the barrel in his mouth, he tried to scream, but the words were too muffled to make out.

I stared down at him with a look that suggested if he tried anything, I’d leave his brains on the floor of this room without a second thought.

He raised his trembling hands as tears formed in his eyes.

“Are we done? Or do I need to keep going?” I asked, drawing the hammer with a hard click.

He shook his head, wheezing through the barrel. I shoved him forward, and he landed on his ass in the middle of the floor.

I looked at the remaining Eternals, who watched all of this from the corner in silence. “You three,” I said, nodding at them. “Go see about your friend. Mr. Tabernacle will take you to the med ward.”

The men shuffled their way through the crouched mob. One of them paused long enough to say “Th-thank you, sir” before hurrying to the exit. I gave them a few more seconds, letting Freddie and the four Eternals put some space between us before I finally gave my next order.

“Gilian, right?” I asked but didn’t give him a chance to answer. “We’ve got a conversation that needs having, and you’d better pray to the gods that I like what I hear.”

9

“I don’t get what the problem is, Cap’n,” said Gil. “You saw what they did out there.”

“Did you?” I asked, standing on the other side of the table. I had my pistol holstered but kept my hand on it. “What do you even know about what happened?”

“I know enough,” he scoffed.

I whistled. “Yeah? Maybe you ought to be in charge, then, Gilly. What do you say? You can have my office, my chair, even this here gun. Sound good?”

He blinked. “Uh…”

“Shut the hell up, Gilian!” I snapped, slamming my hand on the table in front of him.

“But you asked me if—”

I snarled with a look that suggested if he said another word, I wouldn’t hesitate to drop him.

He closed his mouth and stared back at me in silence.

I glanced to the back of the room, far behind me where Abigail watched in silence. I let out a long, agitated sigh.

A few seconds passed—long enough for Gil to eye my fingers as they impatiently tapped the butt of my gun. He gulped at the very real possibility of what I might do to him, and I decided I’d made my point.

“You did a bad thing, Gilly,” I said, this time in a more relaxed tone. “A very bad thing.”

I placed a mobile holo-emitter on the edge of the table, and the image of the medical bay appeared instantly.

“Show us the boy,” I said, knowing Sigmond could hear me.

The holo zoomed in on a single pod. Mako was lying in it, hard light moving over his bloodied jaw and nose.

“Now you’re gonna watch this while the two of us have ourselves a talk,” I explained.

“He’ll be fine, won’t he?” asked Gil. “Eternals can heal really quick, I heard. I knew he could take it before I even hit him.”

“Oh yeah? You’re an expert on that too, are you?” I asked, raising my voice. “That kid can’t be older than, what? Fifteen? What makes you think he can heal the same way an adult can?”

Gil didn’t answer.

“Not one for thinking, I guess. Sit here and watch until I come back.” I started to turn away from him.

He opened his mouth.

I snapped forward and slammed my open palm on the table, then leaned closer to him, locking eyes. “Don’t say a damn word, unless you want me to do to you what you did to that kid.”

He slowly closed his jaw and nodded.

I took a few steps away from the table then paused. “I’ve got eyes on you, and unlike yours or mine, they don’t blink. If you don’t focus all of your attention on that holo, I’ll know. Trust me, Gilly, that ain’t something you wanna test.”

I left him sitting there like a fool and made my way to Abigail.

We stepped out of the room and into the hall, letting the door close behind us.

“What do you think? Three days in the brig?” I asked.

“We should send him back to the Deadlands where we found him,” asked Abigail. She looked frustrated, almost tired. “I’m beginning to regret picking these people up in the first place.”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself. We’re recruiting colonists from a lawless region. Take it from a Renegade. You can’t domesticate us overnight. We have to be eased into it.”

She smiled. “That’s true. It took a few months for you.”

“And I still ain’t settled,” I said, half-smiling. “Look, I was down there in the field. I saw the Alpha dome and the folks with blood on them. The smoke’s still rising as we speak. It’s natural for us to have a few pissed off folks in the mix. To tell you the truth, Abby, I’m surprised there weren’t more.”

“More fights?” she asked.

“Sure, or worse. Hard to say in a place like this.”

“That’s because there isn’t anywhere like Verdun,” she commented.

“Isn’t that the truth?” I asked.

We were both quiet for a little while, thinking about what we ought to do. I kept going back and forth on Gil’s punishment, debating with myself about how harsh I should be. A man like that needed a target for his anger, a way of making things right. The only problem was that he was acting on impulse, rather than thinking it through. Maybe the Eternals really were responsible for what had happened down there. Maybe not. I still didn’t know what to believe, but I knew we couldn’t let kids wind up in the medical ward.

I pictured Mako’s face, beaten and broken. He was one of the many I’d yet to meet in person. The Eternals hadn’t been here long enough for that. All the same, his face was familiar, not much different from Lex’s. He had the same blue eyes, the same button nose. A nervous flush ran down my cheeks as I imagined Lex in the same pod, blood on her face like his, a broken nose and a cracked jaw.

“Jace,” said Abigail. Her voice snapped me out of my head. She eyed me with concern, almost like she could see the anger rising in my throat.

I settled my calm and drew a deep breath. As I exhaled, I gave Abby a nod. “I’m good,” I said, and she seemed to think it was enough.

“I think we should place him in holding for a week,” she suggested.

“Works for me,” I said promptly.

“You’re sure?” she asked.

“You take the lead on punishment. I need to go see about the boy.”

“What are you going to do?” she asked.

“About what?”

She paused. “If it turns out they really are behind the attack, what will you do?”

“That’s a question I’ve been asking myself since yesterday, and truth be told, Abby, I still ain’t got the answer,” I explained.

“I hate to say this, but—” She paused. “—it might be time to think about that outcome.”

I leaned closer to Abigail, taking her hand in mine, and kissed her. I pulled away, but not by much, and stared at her passionate, gentle eyes. “Whatever trouble finds us, we’ll give it cause for regret. That much I can promise you.”

“I know that,” she said, squeezing my hand.

I left her in the hall and made my way out into the street, walking quickly to the medical ward.

10

I didn’t stay long at the medical ward. Just enough to see that Mako had recovered from most of his injuries, thanks to both his Eternal physiology and the pod. According to Athena, he’d be back to normal within a few hours. Relief swelled within me when I heard the news.

I walked through the children’s wing of the medical ward, eyeing the different pods—some open, some closed. That was when I saw her again.

Lex sat beside a familiar pod—the one belonging to the boy with the missing hand. Little Dixon was with her, sitting with a grin on his face as she read from her pad. Fumi, the boy in the med-pod, looked to be half awake, his eyes barely open.

“Mr. Hughes?” asked Lex, noticing me as I stood near the doorway. “What are you doing here? Did you come to see Fumi too?”

I sighed and walked closer to her, placing my hand on her shoulder. “Hey, kid. No, I’m here for someone else. Why aren’t you with Hitchens? Isn’t he supposed to be looking after you?”

“He’s in the next room with Ms. Octavia. I asked if we could come here and read. We wanted to. Didn’t we, Dixon?”

Dixon nodded.

“Still reading the same book?” I asked, overlooking Fumi’s pod. The boy blinked sleepily at me. I had to assume he was barely aware that I was even here. All the regeneration must be taking a lot out of him. I couldn’t imagine it was easy to regrow a hand.

“We’re at the part with the fox now,” said Dixon, smiling. “I wish he could be real.”

“What’s a fox?” I asked, raising my eye as I tried to view the pad.

To my surprise, there were pictures to match the text. I wagered that made sense for a children’s book. There was a boy on a hill with a tiny orange thing with ears and a bushy tail.

“Is that it?” I asked.

Lex nodded. “Yes, and he asked the Prince to tame him, so he did, and now the Fox has all kinds of things to say.”

“Well, let’s hear a few,” I said.

“You want to? Really?” she asked.

I leaned against the nearby wall and crossed my feet. “Go on, kid. You seem to like this story, so it must be pretty good.”

She giggled at that, then looked at the pad and cleared her throat. “Goodbye, said the fox. And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: it is only with the heart that one can see rightly. What is essential is invisible to the eye.”

“What’s that mean?” asked Dixon.

“Abby said it means you can’t always trust what you see. Sometimes you have to trust how you feel,” explained Lex.

Dixon’s eyes widened as he nodded along.

Lex smiled and continued. “Men have forgotten this truth, said the fox. But you must not forget it. You become responsible, forever, for what you tame.”

I stared at the boy in the pod as Lex read the rest to me. He’d fallen asleep during the story, off to dream of better things. Could both this child and Mako really be part of a terrorist group? Could Dixon and his brother? Why risk each of their lives after we did everything we could to save them?

None of it made any sense, no matter how the evidence stacked. I needed a way to fix this, especially before the whole thing got out of hand.

Before another Gilian took fists to another Mako.

Before it went too far.

I said goodbye to Lex and Dixon and decided to head back to my office and finish my talk with Leif. Maybe I was a fool, but I hoped I could trust him. I hoped we could find a way to fix this.

As the door opened and I entered my office, I was surprised to see a figure standing beside my desk.

Two of them, actually, but only one happened to be glowing.

“Sir,” greeted Sigmond.

“We’ve been waiting on you,” said Alphonse, giving me a coy smile. “There’s something here you’ll want to see.”

“Oh?” I asked, stepping inside and shutting the door.

Sigmond stood in his usual spot, a meter away from the hard-light emitter in the corner. As I approached the desk, he flicked his wrist, and a holo appeared at the center, showing the Earth’s core.

“We’ve made some headway on that transmission,” explained Alphonse.

“The one neither of you could explain before?” I asked, crossing my arms.

“The very same,” remarked Alphonse.

“We triangulated the source of the signal, using multiple drones,” explained Sigmond. “It took some time, admittedly.”

“Once we had the right signal pattern, the rest was simple enough,” continued Alphonse.

“And what did you find?” I asked.

The two looked at one another. “Well,” said Alphonse, glancing at the nearby desk.

The holo display appeared, showing what seemed to be high altitude, high-velocity footage. “Is that—”

“A drone,” finished Alphonse. “Headed to the source as we speak.”

I took a step closer to the feed, watching as the drone passed over a wide, brown field between two hills. A mountain range broke through the edge of the horizon, growing taller by the second. Aside from the blue of the seas and lakes of this world, the mountains’ snow-covered tips were a pleasant and rare change to the otherwise brown planet.

The drone entered the cliffs at a quarter its speed, sliding between rock and snow without pause. The feed grew so close to the cliffs that I could hardly tell which direction the drone was headed in.

But then it slowed, focusing on a single mountainside, following the rocky surface towards its peak. Brown transformed into white as we ascended higher into the sky. As the drone pulled around, it was clear this was the tallest mountain in the entire range, towering over the rest.

Here, the drone decelerated into a full stop, breaking just before the highest point of the highest cliff. The camera panned the white ground until we finally caught sight of a break in the snow—a sign of movement, perhaps.

That was when we saw it, planted there in the ground—a device with three legs and a smooth metal body, which twisted and turned in a full 360-degree sweep.

“Interesting,” muttered Alphonse.

“Analyzing object,” said Sigmond.

“Is that the source of the transmission?” I asked, looking at Alphonse, but the Constable was too deep in thought to respond. His eyes were transfixed on the holo, trying to understand what he was seeing.

The object had three steadily glowing red lights along its body. The rotating top could be anything but resembled the head of a Sarkonian torpedo.

Not that I believed for a second that the Sarkonians had anything to do with this. They hardly had the resources to slip through our defense network, let alone plant a bomb on the planet without Sigmond or Athena finding out. This had to be something else.

“I’m afraid this is not the source, but rather a relay device,” said Sigmond.

Alphonse leaned closer to the display. “Similar to a signal repeater?”

“Exactly so,” confirmed Sigmond. “The transmission itself is being sent from somewhere else, likely nearby.”

“The only reason you’d need a repeater is if your ship is immobilized,” said Alphonse.

“So we’re dealing with a downed ship,” I said.

“It could be,” muttered Alphonse, staring at the holo. “I wonder. Sigmond, are you able to follow the primary signal from this point?”

“Yes, Constable.”

Alphonse looked to me for confirmation. I gave him a quick nod, which he returned. “Very good. Let’s see what lies at the end of this, then. Shall we?”

“As you wish,” said Sigmond.

The drone pulled away from the cliffside, rising up and into the blue sky. It turned towards the eastern horizon to reveal a wide and empty valley, flat as a piece of stained wood in an old home.

“We are nearly there,” informed Sigmond.

I grew closer to the display, hoping for an answer to the plague of questions I’d been asking myself since all of this began.

There, amid the barren earth of this desolate place, I spotted something gray and disfigured. A broken shell of metal, pieces torn from its body like the wilted skin of an insect.

The drone moved swiftly through the air, until it was close enough to magnify the object, and then it finally slowed to a full stop. It hovered near the clouds, maintaining a safe distance.

“Is that a ship?” I asked, staring at the debris.

“Might be,” said Alphonse, but he had no certainty in his voice.

“Do you think it belongs to the Eternals? Siggy, bring up one of their escape pods. Let’s see if they’re the same.”

“Very well,” said the Cognitive, and in an instant, I had one of the escape pods floating beside the live feed.

The Eternals’ pod had rigid sides and squared edges, lines of blue and white accenting the vessel’s gray exterior. This was a stark contrast to the sleek metallic design of whatever lay in the field, its smooth and round body reflecting sunlight like a jewel.

“They’re nothing alike,” I muttered.

“So it would seem,” replied Alphonse.

I searched for any similarities I could find but came up short. The patterns, the designs, even the hatch placement was different.

“My analysis agrees that your assessments are correct,” said Sigmond.

“That doesn’t mean the Eternals didn’t build it, though,” I added.

Alphonse nodded. “We can’t rule anything out, but it might be wise to bring in Mr. Solesdar to hear what he has to say on the matter. This ship is still transmitting. For what reason, we can’t be certain, but that is what makes it so dangerous.”

“You want to ask Leif about this?” I asked.

“I do,” he admitted. “If this really is one of theirs, then we need to know what it is and how to shut it down.”

“If he refuses to talk, we can always bomb it with a handful of suicidal drones,” I remarked, glancing at Sigmond. “Isn’t that right, pal?”

“I shall rain true destruction upon it, sir,” said Sigmond.

“Shall I call our man in for questioning?” asked Alphonse.

“Is he still in the building?” I asked.

“Four doors down the hall on the left,” explained Alphonse. “Along with Bresna. We have Lucia to thank for looking after them.”

A sudden, distant scream erupted from outside. Alphonse and I both jerked our heads up.

“What the hell was that?” I asked, quickly.

Another scream followed. It sounded painful, terrified.

Without a second thought, I ran out the door and into the hallway, sprinting to the exit and reaching for my pistol.

As the outer door swung open, I saw a woman running down the street in my direction. She was crying out for help, eyes full of terror. “Somebody, help!” she begged, a powdered white chalk all over her skin and face. “It hurts! Somebody help! It burns!”

She fell to the ground, tears in her eyes, and I rushed down the steps with my hand outstretched.

As I neared her, I caught a thick whiff of something sweet and spicy, like onions and flowers, followed by—

I cringed, a hard burn rising in my nose and along my skin. “Gods!” I shouted, trying to back away.

“Help!” the woman begged as she tried to wipe her face. The powder was in her hair and on her skin. No matter what she did right now, it wouldn’t be enough.

“What happened? Try to talk to me!” I told her.

But it was no good. She was screaming, rolling on the ground in agony, and it only seemed to be getting worse. I tried to get closer, but the smell—gods, the smell. I gagged, clutching my stomach as it burned my nostrils like sulfur, and my eyes filled with tears, and my nose with snot.

I wiped my face with both sleeves, but it accomplished little more than clearing the blur long enough to see the woman had stopped moving.

“Captain!” shouted Alphonse, who stood near the stairs behind us. His eyes had settled in the direction the woman came from, towards the western half of the city. There, near the centermost building—what we called the Factory—a white cloud had filled the area like a growing fog.

Before I could say another word, several people came running out of the thick of it, each of them covered in the same white powder.

Every one of them screaming.

11

Alphonse ran to get three breathing masks and two pairs of gloves, returning in less than two minutes. When we slipped on the breathing masks, he refrained from giving one to the woman. “We need to get her to a decontamination point immediately,” he explained.

Athena cut in through the comm the second he finished talking. “Excuse me, but the medical station inside is capable of cleaning any contaminants from the patient.”

“Lucky day,” I said, helping Alphonse lift the woman.

We hurried our way indoors to bring the girl to the old medical room.

We set her inside the pod. We’d yet to transfer to this one to new medical ward, thanks to an overstuffed to-do list, and right now, I was thankful for that.

I closed the lid, and Athena manifested beside it. “Greetings,” she said.

“Does anyone know what the hell is going on out there?” I asked, holding the wall with my hand.

“A gas attack,” said Alphonse, his voice muffled by the mask. “If I had to guess.”

I followed his example and slid my own mask back onto my face, covering my nose, mouth, and eyes. It was a snug fit, gripping my skin like a vacuum, but I supposed that was the whole point.

“Athena, is she okay?” I asked, looking at the unconscious woman.

“She’s alive,” said Athena. “I shall run an analysis on the material immediately, while the pod cleanses her skin and lungs of the substance.”

I licked my lips. “We need to find out what’s going on,” I muttered. “Sigmond?”

The Cognitive appeared beside Alphonse. “Yes, sir.”

“Open a channel to Abby and Octavia. Hitchens too.” I paused. “Better make it the whole team. Freddie, Bolin, Lucia, Karin, and anyone else we’ve got who can help get a grip on things.”

“Opening comm line now,” said Sigmond. “Speak when ready.”

“Everyone, this is Hughes. We have some kind of chemical outbreak in the center of town. Keep everyone inside. If you’re not indoors, go to the nearest shelter immediately. Everyone affected by the—whatever it is—get inside and wait for the medical team.”

“Jace, what’s going on?” asked Abigail.

“Are we under attack?” asked Octavia.

“I don’t know,” I answered quickly. “I’m working on it. Just get the hospital ready. You’re about to be flooded.”

“Understood,” said Abigail.

“The children and I are in our classroom. We shall await your orders from here,” said Hitchens.

“Captain, I can have my team armed and ready in five minutes,” offered Bolin.

I looked at Alphonse, who gave a quick nod. “Do it,” I ordered. “Have them meet us in front of the Factory, but make sure you’re protected. We need to get inside that fog and see what we’re dealing with. Have everyone do a safety check before you head out.”

“Understood,” said Bolin.

“Alphonse and I will meet you there. Everyone else, focus on safety and keeping your people alive. Get them inside and secure your exits. Whatever you do, don’t expose yourselves. Trust me,” I said, glancing at the woman in the pod. “You don’t want that kind of pain.”

I twisted my helmet into place, sealing the suit with a hard snap.

“Ready?” I asked, looking at Alphonse. The Constable stood directly across from me in a tiny storage room not far from where we left the woman in her pod.

Alphonse slipped on his gloves and let the suit tighten the seals automatically. “As ready as I can be,” he said.

I took a long breath as the visor on my helmet came to life, pulling up the map of the city. It was, for the most part, outlined in shades of blue with our target—the Factory—highlighted in bright red. “Sure. This ain’t exactly how I pictured my day going when I woke up this morning either. Still better than getting chased down by a swarm of trilobites, though, wouldn’t you say?”

“I wasn’t there for that one,” he reminded me. “The way I remember it, you left me with Verne and a malfunctioning Cognitive.”

“Oh, yeah,” I said, tilting my helmet. “I forgot about that.”

“An honest mistake,” he said.

I opened the nearby door. “Hey, at least you get to be here for this one.”

“I don’t think that’s a good thing,” he said, following me into the hall.

The environmental suit was stiff and smelled like old water. I guessed it hadn’t been cleaned in weeks. Understandable, considering everything that had happened recently. It was a wonder the crew had the time to refill the oxygen tanks at all.

As we left the building, I was glad the streets now resembled a ghost town, empty and quiet. By all accounts, the residents had sealed themselves inside their designated buildings, awaiting word that the threat had been cleared.

Everyone except for us, of course—since we were stupid enough to go traipsing off into this new nightmare of a fog, which had already spread through half the city.

The only good news was that it had thinned enough to see through. If we were lucky, this meant the fog would eventually dissipate altogether, but without a way to confirm it, we’d have to remain cautious.

Down the street and towards the Factory, I spotted what I guessed must be Bolin’s team. They were vague silhouettes, drowned out by the white fog. If I hadn’t known the layout of the street, I might’ve thought they were part of the city itself. Trash bins or broken lamps, maybe.

“Siggy, put us through to the others,” I said as we began our long walk in the gas.

“Matching frequency,” he acknowledged.

“—fucking crazy. I can’t see anything in this, sir!”

“Did the Eternals really do this? They’d better hope we don’t find any of them inside!”

“Keep quiet, all of you,” ordered Bolin. “We have orders to hold here until the captain arrives. That means staying off the line and keeping your eyes open. Be ready to breach on my mark.”

“You’d better listen to your squad leader, boys,” I said as we neared the soldiers through the fog. Their shadows began to take shape, and I could make out five of them. “We want everyone on their toes for this one.”

Bolin turned away from the Factory, towards me. “There you are, Captain. And Alphonse too.”

“Bolin,” greeted the Constable.

We planted our feet in front of him, his crew flanking him. I’d met them all enough to remember their faces and names. Felix, Mackie, Gustin, and Nash.

I nodded at each of the four men. “What do you all say we do this in a hurry? I can’t say I’m fond of walking around in a fog of boiling poison.”

“I think we’re all in agreement about that, sir,” said Felix.

“That we are,” agreed Bolin.

“Has anyone had time to check the exits?” asked Alphonse.

“We have,” said Nash. “They’re all sealed, save the front.”

“What do you mean by sealed?” I asked.

“We can’t get the doors open. Our best guess is someone blocked the other side,” he answered.

“Or found a way to lock ‘em,” inserted Gustin.

“There are no locks on the doors, though,” countered Nash.

“We don’t know that,” said Gustin. “Could be something we just ain’t aware of.”

“Alright, alright,” I said, raising my hands to quiet them. “Siggy, you got anything for me?”

“I’m afraid my system hasn’t been integrated with this particular building yet,” replied the Cognitive. “A most unfortunate oversight. I apologize.”

That wasn’t good. If we went in blind, then anything could happen, and I didn’t like the odds of that. “Al,” I muttered, turning my whole body to look at the Constable. “Give me a second option here.”

Alphonse paused a moment. “We could use a drone,” he proposed. “A smaller one with the ability to capture video feed and maneuver ahead of us.”

“That would definitely eliminate the unknown element,” agreed Bolin.

“Siggy, how about it?” I asked. “Think you can help us out?”

“Yes, sir. I can have a level-6 drone to your location shortly,” said Sigmond.

“Do it, Siggy.” I raised my eyes to the Factory. “We’ll be waiting.”

The drone arrived at exactly the time Sigmond predicted, and I was thankful for it.

Bolin’s squad took both sides near the entrance door, ready to make the breach whenever we gave the order. That would all depend heavily on what intelligence the drone provided, but if everything went well, we’d have this place secured in no time.

The flying tin box made its way up the stairs and into the building, hovering about a meter off the ground. “Let’s see that feed, Siggy,” I said right as the drone crossed through the archway.

The stream appeared in the corner of my visor, giving me a first-person view of the Factory’s innards as seen by the drone. The smoke made visibility difficult, but I could still see most of the room—a large rectangular area with a set of stairs along the far wall, leading to the second and third floors. We’d already explored most of this building, so I knew there was a second staircase on the other side of the third level, leading all the way to the highest point in the building. That was where we’d found the power source to the city—an isolated fusion reactor blocked off by a half-meter thick wall of Neutronium, the rarest and strongest metal in the known galaxy.

And there was no way inside, far as any of us could tell. Not that we actually wanted to break into it. According to Dressler, a working fusion reactor could potentially contain the power of a small star. That wasn’t a box I was eager to open.

“Swing around and give us the angles, Siggy,” I ordered.

The drone scanned the entire room, showing everything within visibility.

“Everything looks secure,” said Alphonse.

I nodded. “Take us to the second floor. Once the drone gets there, everyone will move in.”

“Before you try to take the lead, my team goes first, Captain,” said Bolin. “I’m afraid I have to insist.”

Alphonse smirked. “He knows you too well.”

“So he does,” I said, half-smiling at the former scrap merchant. “Alright, Bolin. We’ll stay in the rear.”

“Right,” said Bolin, his back against the wall. He glanced sideways at his team. “Ready in ten seconds.”

“Yes, sir,” said all four men.

The drone floated up the stairs, gradually revealing the second story. The hallway path appeared to be clear, but the fog prevented us from seeing all the way to the end. From here, it would continue to level-3, holding there until we caught up.

Bolin’s eyes fixated on me, waiting for my signal. I replied with a quick nod.

He raised his rifle to his chest. “Breach!”

Felix and Nash filed in, rifles out as they covered both the left and right sides. Mackie and Gustin followed, heading forward and taking the center of the room, towards the stairs.

“Clear!” said Felix.

“Clear!” repeated Gustin.

Bolin followed, moving with his rifle aimed towards the second floor’s railing. “Move up!”

The team continued, with Bolin now in the lead as they began their climb to the next story.

Alphonse and I were quick to follow. Bolin had already gone halfway up the stairs by the time we were inside, along with Felix and Nash.

Gustin and Mackie waited for me and Alphonse to catch up, then took up position behind us. I had to admit, the time Bolin had spent training his men certainly showed. They were more than prepared for this.

The video feed from the drone showed an empty third floor passageway, giving us the ability to check the second floor without having to worry about an ambush from above.

Bolin and Felix were first into the hall, checking each set of rooms on both sides of the corridor. Nash stayed between them, keeping his aim fixed on the far end of the hallway. The whole process took less than a minute, front to back.

“All clear,” said Bolin. “Head to level-3.”

The team returned to the staircase, this time with Gustin and Mackie taking the lead. When they caught up with the drone, I gave Sigmond the order to push forward.

“Right away, sir,” replied the Cognitive, and the drone floated into the nearby hallway immediately.

The fog was thicker here, but not enough to make a real difference in visibility. The drone reached another set of stairs at the end of the corridor, then began its climb to the next checkpoint.

Gustin and Mackie followed, checking each room they came across, with the rest of us behind them.

We’d found nothing by the time we reached the tenth floor, but that didn’t mean we hadn’t made progress. The fog had grown thicker with every level, diminishing visibility, but I considered this to be a good thing. The thicker the fog grew, the closer we’d come to the source of it all.

In other words, it wouldn’t be long before I had the one responsible in front of me. The only question was whether they’d be taken alive or dead at the end of this.

Based on what I’d seen in the street with that woman, I was leaning towards the latter.

Nearly every floor of the Factory had a compartment that was filled with consoles similar to those we’d found in Gaia’s atrium. Athena believed these were most likely part of the fusion core’s power distribution and management system, rather than a Cognitive capsule. Gods only knew how right she was about that.

Here’s hoping for no surprises, I thought as we passed through the thickest of the fog. It was difficult to see anything here, with visibility limited to less than a meter.

I passed through rows of tall charcoal boxes, each of them sealed behind a translucent container. I’d been here before, so I knew there was a heavy metallic door made entirely of Neutronium on the far side of the room. This was the end of our tour.

“It’s open!” snapped Felix. “Look at the feed! Someone opened the godsdamn door!”

My eyes flicked to the corner of my visor at the drone feed. It was sitting directly where the Neutronium door should be, only there was nothing there anymore.

“What could do something like that?” asked Gustin.

“Eternals are tough, but they aren’t that strong,” muttered Nash.

“Hold on,” I said, heading to the nearest wall. From there, and because the fog was so dense, I continued my way to the other side of the room, searching for the drone.

Alphonse was right behind me, staying far enough back so that if things got bad, we’d both have enough space to fight.

I spotted one of the lights on the drone a moment later, using it to guide myself the rest of the way. Sure enough, the door had been opened, but not by force. There was no sign of that.

No, this had been clean, like the person responsible had used an access code or found a way to hack the system.

“Well, that’s a problem,” observed Alphonse.

I slowly nodded, leaning on the inside archway. The hallway on the other side was filled with fog, making it impossible to see ahead of us. “I bet they’re still here,” I told him. “Whoever did this. They’re going after the power source for the city.”

“Sabotage,” said Alphonse. “But why take out Verdun when the Eternals are here too? It doesn’t make sense.”

“Maybe it’s not an Eternal,” I said, looking directly at him.

He was quiet as the words settled, and he seemed to go into that quiet place in his head where he often disappeared. After a short stretch, the distant look in his eyes changed, replaced by what I knew to be an idea. “The ship,” he finally said.

I had forgotten about it in all the commotion. The ship. The source of the signal that we had discovered mere hours ago. It was unlike anything we’d ever seen before, whether from the Eternals or us, and that made it unique. Could it somehow be connected to the white gas? Could those two be connected to the attack on the Alpha Dome? If the answer to those questions was yes, then I feared what was about to happen.

“You’re talking about a Celestial,” I said, still staring at Alphonse. A swell of heat ran through my neck and cheeks. I felt sick to my stomach like I might throw up inside my own suit.

He turned towards the connecting hallway. “I suggest we send the drone inside, Captain.”

I wasn’t about to argue with that. “Siggy, take us inside.”

The drone rattled beside me, getting into position at the center of the doorway. Alphonse and I scurried back to each side of the outer wall and waited.

“Proceeding,” said Sigmond, and the drone began to move.

The feed was entirely white from the fog. Here at the head of it, the smoke was at its worst. Whatever was waiting for us up ahead, I only hoped we could find a way to stop this before it consumed the entire city.

“I can’t see shit in this,” muttered Felix.

“Quiet,” said Bolin, edging up beside me, rifle in hand. “Be ready to move.”

I stared at the white screen on my visor in silence, waiting for anything to—

A soft, yellow glow appeared from inside the white. “Look!” whispered Nash.

I said nothing but only watched as the light grew brighter and thicker. The drone moved towards it, but only because there was nowhere else to go.

The white fog, thick as it was, could not hold back the intensity of what awaited us at the heart of this place.

On the far side of the fusion reactor, a bright orange and yellow light shined through a small hole no larger than a finger. Somehow, the light was strong enough that it filled the room, and when the drone drew close enough to see inside, I had no words to give.

An orange ball floated in a vast and empty space—the source of the fusion reactor’s power.

It looked like a star, and it was small enough to fit in the palm of my hand.

12

“Well, it seems you weren’t lying,” said Dressler, standing beside me in the fog, near the reactor. I’d called her the second we’d found this thing, and the site had been secured. “How extraordinary. A working fusion reactor—an exponential increase in renewable energy output.”

“Does that mean you know what it is?” I asked.

“The creation of a fusion reactor has only ever been attempted twice, and both times resulted in disaster,” explained Dressler. “The first attempt destroyed an entire colony. The second wiped out half a moon. To see it here is—” She paused. “It is quite outstanding.”

“Glad you think so, Doc, but let’s try to focus on why you’re here,” I said, motioning to the silver orb near the base of the wall. We’d found it shortly after arriving here, where the fog was at its thickest.

“Ah, yes,” said Dressler, turning away from the reactor and looking at the device near my feet. She stepped closer and bent down beside it. “This would be the source of the gas, correct?”

“That’s the theory,” I said.

Alphonse watched from the hallway, observing the two of us. Bolin and his team were standing on his other side, patrolling the rest of the floor. “The gas appears to be coming from it, but I believe it’s winding down,” said Constable.

“A fair judgment, I think,” said Dressler without looking up from the orb. “I can see the holes on its surface, but the gas is so thin. It could indeed be running out. I suggest we let it finish on its own before relocating it.” She stood back up. “We can take it to my lab for a more thorough analysis after it finishes.”

“Think you can get some prints off it?” I asked.

“If there are any,” she said, walking to the reactor and peering inside. Her visor was already dimmed to the max setting, but the light was so strong that I still saw her face. “Aside from the question of design, we need to find out who created it.”

“Alphonse and I have a theory about that,” I said.

“Oh?” she asked without looking at either of us. “Does it have anything to do with the Celestials?”

Alphonse smirked. “Clever as usual.”

“As I thought,” she remarked.

“There’s a ship,” I explained. “It’s located far from here in a valley. We found it today with one of Siggy’s drones, but we haven’t had a chance to check it out. Think you can pull together a team?”

She finally turned back. “You found a ship?”

I nodded.

“Why am I only finding out about this now?” she asked.

“Maybe it’s slipped your mind, Doc, but we’ve been a little busy dealing with all of this,” I explained.

“Does Sigmond have the images?” she asked, ignoring my sarcasm.

“I do,” interjected the Cognitive.

“Let me see them, please,” said Dressler.

A deafening noise rang through the facility at once, causing everyone to recoil. The suits adjusted, quickly dampening the sound, but not soon enough.

Before any of us could say a word, the entire floor shook violently. Alphonse held on to the rail, but I fell face first into the wall. “Holy—”

Dressler lay down in the prone position, arms over her head.

“Alert,” said a voice in my ear. It was Athena this time. “Captain, I’m detecting an energy build-up in your location.”

“What kind of energy?” asked Dressler, still with her head down.

“Fusion, if these readings are accurate,” informed the Cognitive.

The rapid shaking ceased, but I could still feel vibrations in the floor. “Fusion?” I asked. “But that would mean—”

“The core’s unstable,” said Dressler. She pushed herself up to her knees, her eyes on the glowing hole in the wall.

“Is there some kind of control panel in here?” I asked, looking around. Unfortunately, the walls were almost entirely bare, except for the tiny hole leading to the core.

“Not that I can see,” said Dressler. “Perhaps I can—”

Another tremor, knocking us all off our feet. I staggered on my knees and hands. “Godsdammit! Athena, tell me what to do down here!”

“The temperature inside the core is increasing, Captain,” said Athena. “By my estimates, you have twelve and a half minutes before the heat inside that room begins to melt your suits.”

“I didn’t ask you for a time limit. I asked you what to do,” I snapped.

“Unknown,” she replied. “I have no information on that facility. All I can do is—” She paused. “Captain, there appears to be another problem.”

“What the hell is it now?” I asked.

“It’s the city, sir,” answered Sigmond.

“What about it?” asked Bolin. In all the commotion, I’d forgotten that the entire team could hear us.

“We are detecting destabilization in the lower compartments. Ground sensors show all materials beneath this structure are—”

“You mean, the Factory?” asked Alphonse.

“Yes,” answered Sigmond.

“Is it the core?” asked Dressler. “Check thermal sensors. Look for any correlation between the rising temperature and the rate of degradation.”

“Analyzing,” said Athena.

I wanted to ask Dressler what she meant by all of that, but the fear in her eyes told me everything I needed to know. If we didn’t get this settled, things were going to get messy.

“Analysis complete,” said Athena. “Correlation confirmed. The reactor is increasing its energy beyond the confines of the facility. To accommodate this function, additional mass is being reallocated.”

“Reallocated?” asked Alphonse. “By whom?”

“Unknown,” said Athena. “The rate of consumption implies purpose, rather than chaos. It is holding at a linear, progressive rate of decay.”

Dressler’s eyes widened, and she slowly looked down at the orb in the corner. It was no longer emitting gas. “That’s why they came here,” she muttered. “They must have known about the reactor—known how to activate this process.”

“What is it?” I asked. “What do you think is going on here?”

“The Celestial,” she said, glancing up at me. “It did all of this.” She paused. “But why would the Eternals place a self-destruct switch inside the reactor? Why have it consume the city?”

“Those aren’t the questions we need to be asking,” said Alphonse.

“I know, I know,” she said, nodding.

“Ten minutes remaining, Captain,” informed Athena.

“We don’t have time for this,” I told everyone.

“Agreed,” said Alphonse. “We should evacuate immediately.”

I peered down the hall towards Bolin and his team. They were more visible than before, now that the air had partially cleared. “Siggy, check the city and see if the fog has thinned yet. Start sending orders to evacuate.”

“Eighty-seven percent of the gas has dissolved, sir, but the areas closest to this building are still too dense to openly traverse,” he replied.

“Start with everyone else. We’ll figure out the rest in a minute,” I ordered.

“Understood, sir.”

“Did he just say we’re evacuating?” asked Felix. “As in, the entire city?”

“Deploying all strike ships,” informed Athena. “Setting rally points for evacuation and relocation.”

“You heard the captain,” said Bolin. “Get to the dorms and start searching for stragglers!”

I had to admit, of all the shit I’d tried to see coming, I never expected this.

Verdun was eating itself from the inside, getting ready for something.

I couldn’t really say. Whatever it was, Dressler believed it was part of the next phase in the terraforming process. I didn’t know about her, but I couldn’t see how any of this was beneficial to the planet. What good did it do to destroy an entire city?

That fusion reactor was going to expand, and it would take the rest of us along with it if we didn’t get ourselves clear.

Ten minutes passed in the blink of an eye as our people continued evacuating the dorms and nearby buildings. We had every last strike ship on the landing pad filled to max capacity in no time, which meant we’d have to wait for the rest to arrive from Titan before continuing.

The reactor’s heat indicated that the chamber inside the factory was officially off limits. Unless someone found a way to turn it off from the outside, there was nothing more we could do.

The quakes were growing more frequent as time passed, almost like they were counting down to something. I knew better than to focus on that, choosing instead to cast my attention on the colonists and the evacuation.

“Siggy, how far away are those ships?” I asked.

“Incoming now, sir,” he replied. “Two minutes.”

“We’d better have that long,” I muttered.

“My estimates place total collapse in approximately thirteen minutes,” informed Athena. “That gives us eleven minutes once the ships arrive.”

“Oh, good,” I said. “Eleven minutes is plenty of time to carefully load a few hundred frantic people and get them out of range of whatever this is.”

“Captain!” shouted Dressler, jogging up from the building where my office was located.

Or had been, since it was about to be destroyed.

Several others followed behind her, including Abigail, Alphonse, Karin, and Leif.

“Yeah?” I asked.

Dressler came to a halt in front of me, having jogged most of the way. “Mr. Solesdar has something to share. I suspect you’ll want to hear it.”

I looked at Leif. “What is it?”

The Eternal appeared concerned, but considering the current state of the city, I wasn’t exactly surprised. “Captain, is it true there’s a Celestial ship on the planet?”

I glanced at Dressler. “You told him about the ship?”

“Of course I did,” she said.

I wanted to sigh but swallowed the feeling. “Yeah, Leif. There’s a ship.” I pulled out my pad and brought up the video from the drone footage, showing the broken gray ship in the middle of a valley. “Right here. Do you recognize it?”

He stared at the screen, slack-jawed. “I…this is…”

“Spit it out, Leif,” I told him. “We don’t have a lot of time right now. Either tell me what’s going on or get out of the way.”

“Y-yes! That’s a Celestial ship,” he blurted out.

“That right? You don’t sound confident about your answer, Leif.”

“I-I’m sorry, sir, but this is the first time I’ve ever seen one of them in this state.”

“What state?” I asked.

“Destroyed,” he answered.

Abigail and I exchanged a quick look. She stood behind him, holding a bag on her shoulder. “You mean, you’ve never shot down one of their ships before?” she asked him.

He glanced back at her. “I’m afraid not,” he admitted. “Their shields have always been far too strong, but—” He paused, studying the video again. “—this appears to be a scout. I’ve only seen images of them a handful of times. They’re nearly impossible to track.”

“Sounds like my kind of ship,” I muttered.

At that moment, I caught sight of several objects breaking through the distant clouds. Strike ships, I guessed, just in time to get us the hell out of here.

“Captain, whatever problems you’ve been experiencing, I believe this is the cause,” said Leif, handing the pad back to me.

“There’s more to it,” said Alphonse. “The signal from this ship is being sent directly to the core. We need to know why they’re—”

“We don’t have time for this,” I broke in. “All of you get your asses to a ship and head to the rally point. Understood? We’ll figure the rest out later.”

“Yes, Captain,” acknowledged Alphonse, not bothering to argue.

“Let’s go,” said Dressler, motioning for Leif to follow.

The ships touched down around the city, going to the most populated areas first. Sigmond and Athena ran through our roster, ticking off every person as they boarded the ships, ensuring we had them all.

Abigail and I waited near the square, helping anyone who needed it. The quakes continued to grow even more frequent, and time was running out.

I looked around the square as two more ships lifted off, each one packed with survivors. “How many more people are we missing, Siggy?”

“Four colonists are unaccounted for, sir,” said the Cognitive. “Scanning the city now for bio-signatures.”

The city shook again, and a distant building collapsed in on itself. A cloud of dust exploded from the rubble like a bomb, causing the ground to shake even more. The sight gave me pause. Knowing your home was about to disappear was one thing. Actually seeing it happen was another.

At that moment, someone yelled from one of the dorms—the newly cleared building where many of the Eternals had gone to live. Three of them—two women and a man—were hurrying through the doors.

“Over here!” I shouted, waving them in our direction.

The man appeared to be limping, the two women holding his arms around their shoulders. Abigail and I ran across the square to meet them, just beside one of the gardens. “Let us help,” said Abigail, taking the man’s arm from one of the women, who was also struggling to carry her bag.

“Thank you!” she exclaimed.

“What happened?” I asked.

“P-part of the ceiling fell,” said the man, breathing heavily. Beads of sweat ran along his cheeks and neck, his face red with pain. “It crushed my foot.”

The second girl pointed to the building behind them. “I heard a scream inside as we were leaving. I think someone is still in there.”

“Where?” I asked.

“I don’t know. The second or third floor, maybe,” she replied.

“Scan complete, sir. Location verified. I am detecting one lifeform on the second level, fourth room,” informed Sigmond.

Abigail’s eyes snapped to me. “Jace, we don’t have time. We have to go.”

We’d already lost a dozen or more people to the gas, not to mention the attack on the Alpha site. I couldn’t stand for another. “How much time, Siggy?”

“Six minutes, sir,” he answered.

I took a quick breath then looked at Abigail. “Be right back.”

“Jace, don’t!” she snapped.

But I was already running.

The ground shook as I reached the outside stairs, nearly knocking me to my feet. I grabbed hold of the door and held on, swinging it open as the quake settled and I regained my balance.

Inside, pieces of ceiling tiles had broken free and littered the corridor. “Keep me updated on that timer, Siggy!” I ordered as I made my way to the nearby staircase.

The second floor was in worse shape than the first. Part of the hall had fallen in on itself, water dripping from the level above. I paused a moment to listen but heard nothing.

“Is anyone here!” I yelled. “Say something if you’re still alive!”

The ground shook, and I placed both my hands against each wall. “Not exactly the answer I was looking for,” I muttered. “Siggy, which room is it?”

“Fourth room down, sir,” said Sigmond.

Two more doors to go. Almost there.

I stepped over an open case full of clothes, right outside door number three. The fourth one was still closed because nothing could ever be easy.

“Think you can open this, pal?” I asked.

“Attempting security override,” said Sigmond.

The blinking red light on the wall pad changed to yellow, indicating network activity. Despite the failing infrastructure, at least we still had access to the system.

The light switched to green, and the door cracked open a few centimeters. “In you go, sir,” said the Cognitive.

“Better than nothing,” I said, slipping my fingers through the small opening. I wedged my foot and pulled back, snarling as I heaved the door open.

It crunched its way into the wall, probably off the rail.

I stuck my head inside the apartment. “Anyone here?!”

Glass crunched beneath me as soon as I stepped through the opening. The entire room looked like it had been through a cyclone. The windows had shattered, the ceiling had caved in the back half, blocking off the bedroom, and the kitchen floor was littered with utensils, pans, and broken plates.

“Where are they, Siggy? Give me a clue,” I told him.

“To your left, three meters,” said Sigmond.

“If anyone’s in here, say something,” I said, trying to ease my way to where Sigmond had indicated.

I reached the place where the ceiling had caved in, briefly wondering if this person might be unconscious and buried beneath it.

That was until I saw another closed door, standing beside the wreckage.

“In there?” I asked.

“Accessing,” said Sigmond.

I beat my fist on the door but received no response. Whoever was inside, they weren’t talking, and I feared the worst.

The wall pad blinked green, opening all the way this time, revealing a small tiled room with a wet floor.

The sink was broken in half, the pipe busted as it continued spraying water into the air. A body lay in it, hand atop the fallen section, and red lines of blood flowed in the current as it swam into the nearby drain.

It was a young girl, not much older than Lex. I knelt beside her, boots splashing in the two centimeters of water, and turned her on her backside.

Her chest was moving. Good, she was alive. Just unconscious. “Must have fallen during one of the quakes,” I said, looking at the broken sink beside her, streaks of blood on the edge.

I felt around her white hair, pulling my fingers up from the back of her head. Sure enough, there was blood. A lot of it too.

It was probably a bad idea to move her in this condition, but I didn’t have a choice, and the clock was running out.

With one arm under hers and another supporting her knees, I hoisted the girl up from the water. She was soaking wet, making it harder to get a firm grip.

Back on my feet, I sidestepped out of the bathroom and into the main area, watching her head as I moved.

Another quake rocked the dorm, and I leaned against the nearest wall to steady myself. I couldn’t drop her. Not in this condition.

The shaking continued, and I caught sight of the tower outside the nearby window as it suddenly collapsed.

“Four minutes, sir,” informed Sigmond.

I took a heavy breath and started moving. I stepped on the glass, a piece of it digging into my boot and staying there.

Another quake as I entered the hall. The gaps were shortening between them. Just a few seconds. Better hurry.

Dust swirled over my head and shoulders as I reached the stairwell.

Take a breath. Easy now. Watch the walls.

Another quake.

Somewhere above me, there was the echoing screech of metal against metal. This building wouldn’t last more than another minute. I needed to—

A light fixture tore from the ceiling, falling in the middle of the hall beneath me, sparks scattering into the air. I hurried down the stairs to see it still attached to a long, thick cable in the middle of the floor.

“Okay, then,” I said between breaths.

I eased my way around the fixture, staying careful not to touch it. I didn’t know if it could electrocute me, but I could do without finding out.

After squeezing around the light, I braced for another tremor. This time, the breaking noise from above grew even louder.

“Two minutes, sir,” informed Sigmond.

The exit was just ahead, left side, middle of the hall. I just had to keep moving forward.

The girl shifted in my arms. She moaned in a soft voice, clenching her eyes as she slowly came around.

I didn’t stop moving. “Easy,” I said, picking up my speed. “Easy, easy.”

“P-Papa…?” The girl cracked her eyes and blinked. She stared up at me. “W-where are we…?”

“Quiet now,” I said, and a loud, heavy crash roared from above us. “Everything’s fine, kid. Everything’s good.”

She looked up at me with the same blue eyes that Lex had, and I could feel her begin to shake in my arms. “Who are you?” she asked, blinking repeatedly. “You don’t sound like my Papa. W-why can’t I see?”

Tears filled her frightened eyes. She was breathing quickly, and it wouldn’t be long before the panic set in.

“It’s okay. You just have some dust in your eyes,” I told her, not knowing what else to say. “Everything’s gonna be all right. Trust me. We’re just gonna go for a walk. You can do that, right?”

A tearing, shattering crack echoed far behind us as another quake let loose through the city. Another fixture snapped free of its place inside the stairwell. My eyes flashed back to see it crash, sending sparks in every direction.

The girl flinched, darting her confused eyes all around us. “W-what was that?!” she screamed.

“Stay still. Just try to relax, kid. I’ve got you,” I said, trying to sound calm. “What’s your name?”

“E-Elise,” said the girl.

“I’m Jace,” I said. “Just a little bit longer and we’ll be out of this mess.”

I started moving again, holding her close.

We’d barely gone more than a few steps, when another tremor hit, and this one stronger than the others. The quake tore through the city, sending a shockwave beneath my feet and into the building, strong enough that I knew our time had come.

Part of the ceiling came tumbling down on the far side of the hall, collapsing into the floor, bringing a stream of water with it. There was another loud and thunderous sound behind us, above, and all around.

This was it.

The girl sensed what I saw, and she threw her arms around my neck, pressing her cheek into me.

I ran, knowing that another tremor could very well be the last. As we neared the exit, I slammed my boot into the door to throw it open, slowing for only a second.

But it was in that moment the ground shook again, and it felt like we were falling in two directions at once. I pushed my back against the left side of the archway, propping my leg against the right, all while trying to hold the girl steady in my arms. The world shifted, the metal bending beside us as the ground itself came undone.

“Hold on to me!” I told Elise.

I let go of the archway and fled towards the street, leaping over the stairs and hitting the ground running. The clanging sounds of metal beams ripping free in the building reverberated all around me. The collapse happened in seconds.

I ran with Elise in my arms, knowing better than to look back.

The ground shook as the building tore itself apart, sending a wave of dust at our backs before the cloud overtook us. I tried to move but quickly lost my footing, and we tumbled forward to the pavement.

I tightened my grip on Elise, keeping her close to my chest as I took most of the hits as we rolled. The shock of the pavement numbed my forearms and knees, but I ignored it.

The dust cloud blew through us, and the noise of the collapsing building was deafening.

Elise began to cry, clutching me with every ounce of her strength as I shielded her body with mine.

Through all of this, the city continued to shake. The tremor refused to end this time, even after the building had finished its fall.

The cloud was so thick around us that I couldn’t see where the shuttle was anymore. We’d have to get up and start moving, get our asses to the square, but which direction had it been in?

The tremor intensified at once, rumbling the city with such intensity that it felt like it was about to implode.

Time was up.

I forced myself to my feet, lifting Elise in my arms as she covered her eyes from the cloud. I took a step forward, trying to keep us both steady as the violent shaking continued. It was so difficult that I thought we’d fall again at any moment.

I opened my mouth to give Sigmond an order, when I coughed, quickly covering my mouth and nose. The dust was too thick. Why hadn’t I brought my breathing mask?

I tapped my ear to open the comm. “Siggy!” I snapped, coughing immediately. “Did Abigail get away?”

“Not exactly, sir,” he replied.

“What are you—” The tremor knocked me to my knees, and I coughed so hard, I thought my lungs would break.

That was when I saw the lights.

Inside the dust cloud, a glow of white and yellow seeping through the fog, accelerating to us from above. The street lamps! They must have lost stability in the quake. I had to get out of here before—

The shuttle appeared right in front of me, coming to a stop, and the door opened.

“Jace!” yelled a voice inside my ear.

The comm. It was Abigail.

“I’m here!” I yelled, trying to talk through the sounds of the city dying. I staggered forward, the ground heaving uncontrollably beneath my feet. Each step took everything in me to keep myself standing, but I had no choice. I had to get there.

Abigail appeared inside the ship. “Come on!” she screamed. “We have to move now!”

“Take the kid first!” I told her, reaching the edge of the shuttle. Abigail grabbed Elise’s arm and pulled her inside. Before she had a chance to tell me again, I grabbed hold of the inside rail.

Dust clouds parted behind us, swirling in circles as the engines lifted us away from the ground. Before I could drag myself off the floor, we’d already started accelerating in a mad hurry.

Taking heavy breaths, I looked back at the city of Verdun. Half the buildings had fallen, and more were going down as I watched. The outer fringes had disappeared completely.

Then, as we reached the ocean shore, a white and blinding light appeared, beginning from the center of the city and expanding to fill the whole of the sky.

13

The sky dimmed as we escaped the light. I could hardly see anything as my eyes adjusted, blue skies slowly fading into view.

I picked myself up off the floor of the ship as Abigail helped Elise to one of the seats. I was surprised to see Bolin in the pilot’s chair. “Glad to see you made it, Captain,” he said as I collapsed into the passenger seat.

I sank into the chair and closed my eyes, still breathing hard. “Same to you.”

“Sir, there’s something you should see,” said Sigmond.

His voice felt like a hammer in my temple. I just wanted things to slow down for two minutes so I could catch my breath.

I opened my eyes to see him standing on the dash. “What is it now?” I asked, sitting up and clearing my throat. I wiped a thick layer of sweat from my nose and forehead. When I brought my hand down, it was covered in wet clumps of gray dust. I needed a shower.

“The city, sir. It’s transformed,” explained Sigmond.

He looked to his side, where another holo appeared. This one showed a floating orange orb—the core from the fusion reactor, only it was several times its original size and sitting inside a kind of hexagonal sphere with gaps between each of the connected blocks.

“What in the gods’ names am I looking at right now?” I asked, leaning forward. “That looks like the core we saw in the reactor, but what happened to the city? And what’s that thing around it?”

“I am still in the process of analyzing it, sir, but if I had to postulate—” The holo zoomed in closer to the new object, which was still attached to the scaffolding that had been beneath the city. It loomed above the ground like an egg, partially hatched. “—I would say that the casing is likely intended to absorb the orb’s energy.”

“Like a Dyson sphere,” said Dressler.

Her voice threw me for a second. “Doc? Is that you?” I asked. “Siggy, why didn’t you tell me she was connected?”

“Apologies, sir. I thought it would help to have the entire team for this one,” explained the Cognitive. “Mr. Malloy and Athena are also connected.”

“Petra and I are on the line too, Captain,” said Freddie.

“The gang’s all here,” I said before looking back at the newly exposed fusion core. “Now, Doc, you were saying something about a sphere?”

“Not so much a sphere, I suppose,” she said, correcting herself. “The core is still visible through the gaps in the casing, but so perhaps a Dyson Array would be more applicable.”

“Decide on the name later. Tell us what you think it does,” I said.

“Oh, well, it’s as Sigmond suggested. Those panels are likely absorbing the orb’s energy, funneling a substantial amount to another location.”

“Another location?” asked Freddie.

“Sir, I hate to interrupt,” said Sigmond.

“What is it now?” I asked.

“Athena and I have been running a planetary sweep while you were talking and we’ve discovered several more transformations,” he explained.

“More? Are you talking about the other cities?” asked Abigail.

“Precisely so, Ms. Pryar,” he confirmed.

“Every elevated city on the planet has been reshaped and absorbed,” said Athena.

The holo changed to show a worldwide view of every location where the cities had once been, each of them now replaced by a single egg of fusion energy.

“My gods,” I muttered.

“All of them?” asked Bolin, dropping his mouth.

“There you have it,” replied Dressler. “Whatever this was, it was part of the next phase of the process. We need to find out what else is coming.”

“We’ll worry about that later,” I told her. “We have injured, we’ve lost our home, and worst of all, there’s a godsdamn Celestial on the loose.”

The ship tore through the clouds at supersonic speed, bringing us into view of the Beta Ark site. Only a few ships were here, since the rest had been given orders to return to Titan for the time being. They’d be safe there until we could deal with the threat at our doorstep and figure out this whole terraforming debacle.

“Actually, I had a thought about that,” said Alphonse, his voice so casual that you’d think nothing was wrong.

“About what?” I asked.

“The Celestial is attacking, but we haven’t had a chance to stop and ask why,” he continued. “What is its motivation? What’s driving it to do what it is doing?”

“Hate for the Eternals, I’d imagine,” said Bolin.

“Perhaps, but Leif has already told us that these entities are highly intelligent, hasn’t he?” asked the Constable.

“What’s your point, Al?” I asked as Bolin touched our ship down.

“That Celestial’s ship is in pieces. It isn’t flying, not without repairs, and even then, where would it go?” asked Alphonse. “What if all of these attacks are intended to draw our attention away from its true target.”

“You’re saying it’s trying to distract us,” I said as the ship’s hatch cracked open. I eased my way out of my seat and grabbed the handle near the door, holding it until the hatch had fully dropped into the ground beneath us.

“Distract us from what?” asked Freddie.

I stepped off the ship and into the hard dirt of the lifeless field, letting go of the grip inside the hatch as my feet hit the ground. At that moment, I heard a sudden scream, pulling my attention to the dome.

The doors flew open, and several scientists appeared, each of them running in my direction. Before they made it six meters into the yard, the window pane above the door shattered, raining glass as a broken metal canister came flying. It tossed as it slid in the dirt, followed by the escaping scientists.

I took a step forward, gripping and unholstering my pistol. “I think we’re about to find out,” I said, breaking into a run as I started towards the dome. “Siggy! I need eyes on the Beta site!”

“The Beta site?” asked Dressler.

“That’s what I said!” I snapped, breaking into a hard sprint. “I’m heading in!”

People screamed as they continued to escape, but it was clear to me that more were still inside.

“I’m detecting movement, sir, but only our people,” informed Sigmond.

I reached for my side, breaking quickly out of the run, nearly sliding as I came to a full stop. I reached into my side pocket and withdrew my pad. “Show me!”

The dome appeared on the screen immediately, giving me a bird’s eye view of the terrain. A filter swept across the image and allowed me to view what had to be thirty warm bodies inside the structure. They were in different positions, some running, others on their knees. Some weren’t moving at all.

“What’s going on in there?” asked Freddie. I assumed he must be seeing the same thing.

The mob was so chaotic, I couldn’t tell much of what was going on, except that whatever was after them had to be near the east side, maybe to the north.

One of the red bodies jerked towards the north wall so quickly, I could barely follow. It slammed into one of the walls with so much speed, I flinched. I heard several more screams, matching the movements I saw on the pad.

My eyes widened, already knowing what that meant.

I started running, not bothering to put the pad away. I heard something beside me. It was Bolin, already caught up to me with his rifle, and Abigail was right behind him.

We reached the open doors right as the fleeing mob began to clear into the field, giving us room to enter. “Get out!” shouted one of the scientists, a man I recognized as Brenon. “It’s invisible! Get out of here! Everyone hurry! Get to the ships!”

Abigail grabbed him by the shoulder. “What are you talking about? What’s invisible?”

He shook his head and pushed her hand off. “It’s trying to kill everyone!”

Before she could say anything else, he was running in the opposite direction, headed straight for the landing platforms. “So much for that,” she muttered.

“Forget him,” I told her, lifting my pistol to the ready position. “Focus on the job.”

She nodded, raising her own rifle, butt against her shoulder. “Always.”

The dome was covered in debris when we got inside. Toppled equipment littered the area, while survivors screamed as they tried to get away. Glass crunched beneath every step I took as we entered through the doorway.

One of the birthing chambers was open, and orange slime bled out of its cracks to form a pool of goo along the floor.

There was a flash of gold light to my right, and I swung around with my gun ready.

The barrel stopped between Sigmond’s eyes. “Pardon me, sir,” he said, glancing at the weapon before flicking his eyes back to me.

“Siggy!” I snapped, dropping the gun. “What are you thinking, sneaking in here like that?”

“When did the holo-emitters get installed?” asked Abigail.

“Yesterday,” said the Cognitive. “More importantly, I thought it prudent to inform you directly that there are still no additional bio-signatures beyond the humans present in this facility.”

“That man said it was invisible,” said Bolin.

“To the eye, but it shouldn’t be that way for infrared,” said Abby.

“Correct,” said Sigmond. “Athena and I believe the creature has the ability to mimic the heat level of the area around itself. Its black body radiation must be equal to the rest of the room and the objects therein.”

One of the birthing chambers, still mostly intact, lifted off the floor, hovering high into the air. It bent and twisted, snapping free of the attached tubing and releasing a stream of orange slime, just like the first. It began to spin, dropping the birthing goo on some of the fleeing scientists, and then the chamber snapped forward directly towards us.

Abigail, Bolin, and I lunged out of the way, all of us moving in different directions.

A blue wall appeared, however, right in the object’s path. It crashed into the barrier, shattering it into bits of light, but it was enough to stop the chamber’s momentum and bring it to the floor.

I was on my side, near the back wall, staring in confusion as the object settled in place near the door with a loud thud.

Abigail and Bolin were both safe on the other side, much to my own relief, and I pushed myself to my feet in a hurry, then got behind a piece of debris. It looked to be one of the birthing chambers.

“What just happened?” asked Bolin.

I looked at Sigmond to find him gone, but as soon as I opened my mouth, he flashed back into existence. “That would be the emitters,” explained the Cognitive. “Oh, excuse me, sir. I cannot hold this form when manifesting other objects. Not with such limited power.”

“You’re good, pal,” I assured him, dusting some glass from the lower part of my coat. I glanced at Abigail, giving her a nod to let her know I was ready.

She returned it.

We were roughly ten yards from the enemy, maybe less, and I still couldn’t see it.

“Now, let’s see if we can find this thing and wrestle it down. Siggy, do whatever you can to help. Use those barriers.” I dropped the pad I’d been carrying and grabbed my second pistol, then edged my way to the side of the pod, peeking over the edge with my gun.

Slowly.

I saw eight or nine bodies on the floor, some buried beneath pieces of the wall. Others more exposed, their innards pulled free. Five of the seven scientists were in the center, and they quickly began to move in our direction. I kept my eyes fixed on the space above them, both guns raised and waiting. I had no idea what I was looking for, but I was certain I’d know it when I saw it.

“Everyone, break cover and move behind us!” I shouted to the survivors, some of whom were already leaving their hiding spots.

One at a time, they passed us, and we kept our weapons forward. If this really was a Celestial, the danger would be beyond anything we’d ever encountered. Leif had told what he knew of them, but his knowledge had been filled with gaps. Not many of the Eternals had encountered a Celestial in person. When they had, most had been killed. That only made the danger all the more real as we stood there, waiting and watching, trying to anticipate the actions of a thing we could not see.

As the five survivors fled through the doors behind us, I turned my attention to the remaining two. They were both pinned on the other side of the room. The moment stretched as I waited for something—anything—to happen. Another sign of movement from the invader. An opportunity to fire.

I took a slow, quiet step towards the two men, only one of which appeared to still be conscious as he reached out his arm, scraping the floor as he tried to drag himself free. “Eyes up,” I told my team. “Cover me while I—”

The man suddenly snapped free of the beam, flinging back and high into the air. I tried to keep focusing on the empty space, but I couldn’t keep my eyes off of him.

He flew higher still, like a doll being flung by an angry child during an outburst, nearly hitting the eighty-meter-tall ceiling before coming to a full stop and hovering—no, hanging—so quickly, I thought his body might snap from the force.

He screamed like his ribs had been broken, and I suspected they had.

I sensed Bolin begin to move, but I reached out in front of him. He looked at me in confusion. I stared back, shaking my head as the sweat bled out of me. “Not yet,” I insisted. “This doesn’t make any sense. Why is this thing still here? What’s the endgame here?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” asked Abigail. I looked at her, and she eyed the floating scientist. “It’s trying to bait us.”

“You think it knows who we are?” asked Bolin.

“Remember what Leif said,” recalled Abigail. “They’re smart. Very smart.”

I scoffed. “I don’t care if it has six doctorates under its name. Siggy, how’s the range on those emitters? Can you make something to catch our boy if he falls?”

“The emitters cover the entirety of the dome,” explained Sigmond. “Although several were damaged along the collapsed wall, but the rest remain intact.”

“And you can use them to catch a falling human being from fifty meters up?” asked Abigail.

“Seventy-three meters, Ms. Pryar,” corrected Sigmond. “I believe I can.”

“Alright, then, time to throw a wrench in with the bait,” I muttered, holding one of my pistols out and looking down the sight towards the floating scientist. I followed it down and to the right, where the room was at its widest. “Open fire on my mark.”

“On you,” said Abigail.

I took a slow breath. “Ready, and—” I glanced over my shoulder. “—Siggy, you’d better catch him, or I swear—”

“Jace!” snapped Abigail. “Now!”

The man let out a curdling scream, like he was drowning, and started to fall.

“Go!” I barked, then squeezed the trigger and fired. Abigail and Bolin followed suit, and we filled the distant air with as many shots as our guns would allow.

Most of them clashed with the rear wall, hailing sparks across the floor or splitting holes inside the metal.

I wasn’t sure if it was my eighth bullet or one of Abby’s, but the air above the debris flickered into a strange kind of shape. It was brief, and I couldn’t see it clearly, but the white color gave it away, and the three of us knew where to focus our firepower.

The entity vanished and reappeared so rapidly that it seemed like a ghost, living somewhere between realities, flickering back and forth. I unloaded both pistols and reached for a new magazine in my jacket, snapping it into place.

All of this in seconds as the scientist fell, screaming uncontrollably.

Luckily, a flat brick of blue light filled the space beneath him, and he continued on into it, crashing and shattering the construct. It wasn’t enough to stop him completely, but it slowed the fall long enough for Sigmond to create another one directly beneath the first.

The man hit that one too, only to shatter the light again.

The third time was the charm, it seemed. The wall appeared diagonally, catching him and guiding his momentum like a child’s slide, taking him swiftly to the floor, where he crashed into one of the birthing chambers.

Sigmond reappeared beside us as soon the constructs vanished. I didn’t stop shooting to thank him.

I couldn’t see how, but the Celestial seemed to move into the air and through the newly-created opening in the ceiling. It continued flickering, all of our shots going through. “Siggy! Use those walls to keep it here! Don’t let it out!” I yelled, running towards the large, mostly invisible creature.

Sigmond disappeared without a word, replaced by a cloud of blue light. It materialized into a band of thin strings, dancing in the space above our heads like music waves on a holo synth. I raised both pistols and fired, once I was beneath the entity, trying to center my shots in the middle of the hole.

At the same time, the hard-light strings swept across the dome and wrapped themselves into a circle, quickly closing around the Celestial. The light tightened and pulled, finally catching part of its body as it briefly appeared in a solid, white form.

I squeezed the trigger one more time, hitting the closest section of the body. The Celestial let out a terrible cry, then let go of the ceiling and immediately disappeared.

Sigmond’s light flickered and broke apart, as though the creature had phased through it somehow.

I swept the room with my guns, eyes darting so quickly I could hardly focus. I breathed heavily, and I could feel my heart beating in my chest, hard ringing inside my ears. “Where did it go?!”

Abigail and Bolin seemed no less confused, turning in every direction, searching for any sign of movement. Sigmond reappeared in the same spot, near the entrance, and only stood there, a curious expression on his calm face.

“I-I think it’s gone,” said Abigail.

The hole in the ceiling loomed above us, all our eyes on it. I squeezed my pistol, anger rising in me as I realized she was right. “Godsdammit!” I shouted, and my voice boomed and echoed through the dome.

14

We searched the field for nearly two hours, looking for any signs of movement, any indication to tell us where the enemy had gone.

But there was nothing.

In the meantime, we had everyone but our essential personnel evacuated to Titan. A small team stayed behind to explore the Beta site and search for any clues where the Celestial had gone.

“Captain!” shouted Freddie. He was jogging when I turned to him, coming from the landing area. Dressler was right behind him, walking briskly to keep up.

“What is it?” I asked as they arrived.

“Someone found a trail,” he explained.

“We don’t know that,” corrected Dressler, giving Freddie a sideways expression. “But we did find something interesting.”

“What’s your theory, Doc?” I asked, leaning to one side and looping my thumb through my belt.

She cleared her throat, removing her pad from her side pocket. With a quick swipe, she brought up a display of the field, thanks to one of the drones we had observing this area. “We discovered several markings in the field, though it was too difficult to tell when or how they were created. I had Sigmond analyze the feed from one of his drones to see if we could determine whether or not they were created around the time of the attack.”

“And what did you find?” I asked.

“See for yourself,” she said, handing me the pad.

I examined the screen, staring at the empty field with no clue what I was looking at, other than a barren field of mostly flattened earth. The feed zoomed in on a specific piece of brown, which appeared much the same as every other slice of dirt on this lifeless planet. That was when I noticed the time in the upper-righthand corner begin to move forward. A full six hours passed within fifteen seconds, all without any change to the Earth. It wasn’t until the ninth hour, when the sun was at its zenith, that an indention appeared along the dry ground.

I scrunched my nose as I tried to decipher what I was seeing. Indentions in the dirt swept across like claw marks. The camera pulled away, only to zoom in at another point several meters away from the last. Once again, more markings scrawled their way into the dirt, always in the same direction.

This went on for some time before I finally grew tired of watching. “How far do these go?” I finally asked, looking up at Dressler.

She tilted her brow. “We don’t know precisely. They stop exactly sixteen kilometers from here, towards the north.”

“The north?” I echoed, cocking my head. “Isn’t that where we found the ship?”

“It is,” she returned.

“That’s good, isn’t it?” asked Freddie. “It means we know where it’s headed.”

“It doesn’t tell us what it was doing here,” I said.

Dressler nodded.

I tapped my ear, activating the group channel. “Alphonse, you hear me?”

“I do, Captain,” he replied. He sounded mildly distracted.

“Doc thinks the Celestial is headed home to its ship,” I told him. “How would you feel about putting together a team?”

“Don’t forget the drones,” inserted Freddie.

“I’d love to, but before we get ahead of ourselves, I should mention I’ve found something,” said Alphonse. “Or, rather, the lack thereof.”

“What are you talking about?” I asked.

Dressler and I exchanged a quick look of confusion, although she hid hers better than I did.

“The Sedicium core is missing,” explained Alphonse. “I’m standing in the warehouse now. The device has been ripped right out of its canister.”

“What?!” snapped Dressler, her tone so hard, it made Freddie jump.

“I’m afraid we’ve all been misdirected,” said Alphonse. “That Celestial has been playing all of us since it arrived.”

Dressler, Freddie, Abigail, and I arrived at the warehouse in less than half an hour. Before we even landed, I gave orders to Sigmond to send several drones to the Celestial’s ship to observe and report. No engagement. Not yet.

As I entered, I found Alphonse crouched beside the Sedicium core’s storage container, examining the floor. “Tell me everything you’ve found,” I said sharply.

He eased himself to his feet. “Good timing.”

“As you might recall, I mentioned that I thought all of this might be some sort of diversion. I only had scraps of evidence at the time, but—”

“You had a feeling there was more to it,” I finished, knowing exactly what he meant.

“I did, and so I went to examine the core, and look what I’ve found.” He raised a small cotton swab, the end of it covered in a dark shade of red.

“Is that blood?” I asked.

“Seems to be,” he said, twisting the swab between his fingers. “There isn’t much. A few drops, maybe, but enough to run an analysis, I’m sure.”

He placed the swab into a small biohazard bag, sealing it and heading for the entrance.

“Leaving already?” asked Abigail.

“The blood is the only evidence that matters,” said the Constable. “We know almost nothing about its biology. This is our best option for finding out.”

I heard a click in my ear, causing me to bend my neck as I waited for whoever it was to start talking. “Sir, I hate to interrupt,” began Sigmond. “The drones are on their way to the crash site, but there appears to be a slight problem.”

I let out a brief sigh, already knowing where this was going. “Godsdammit,” I muttered.

“What’s wrong?” asked Abigail.

“Might as well share the news with the rest of the class, Siggy,” I said.

“Opening full channel, sir,” said Sigmond. “Greetings, everyone. I was informing the captain that the Celestial ship has relocated.”

Both Freddie’s and Abigail’s eyes widened, while Alphonse stayed entirely calm. “Let me guess,” said the Constable, cocking his brow. “It’s headed for the Earth’s core.”

“Precisely so,” said Sigmond.

“Guess we know why it wanted the Sedicium,” said Abigail.

“This is good,” said Alphonse, tapping his chin. “It means it’s not planning on using it as a bomb, but rather a means of opening the slip tunnel.”

“To do what? Escape?” asked Freddie.

“Or call for reinforcements,” I said, imagining the worst possible scenario. “If that Celestial hijacks the tunnel, it can stay here and keep it open while its friends come through.”

Freddie made an audible gulp.

Alphonse paused then tapped his chin. “This could be a good thing.”

“How do you figure?” asked Freddie, balking.

I shook my head. “He’s right. If that thing goes to the core, it means we’ve still got time to stop it.”

“Shall I relay this information to Bolin, sir?” asked Sigmond.

“Tell them to meet us at the lower platform, near the atrium,” I ordered, then motioned for Freddie and Abigail to follow me as I headed for the entrance.

“In the meantime, I’ll work on getting this blood analyzed,” said Alphonse.

I nodded. “Find a way for me to kill it. That’s your only job.”

We exited the building and entered the field. A small crew continued to comb the area, giving it a sense of chaotic order as we walked to the nearby strike ship.

“I take it this means we’re heading into trouble,” said Freddie, catching up with me.

“Trouble may be an understatement,” said Abigail.

I smirked, climbing inside the strike ship. “Ain’t that always the case?”

As soon as we left the continent, Sigmond reported on the status of the Celestial ship.

It was gone, already cleared out of the valley. I would’ve liked to say I was surprised, but there was a reason I’d set our flightpath to the chasm entrance. We couldn’t afford to waste any time. One way or another, that Celestial would try to reach the core and power that slip tunnel back on, which meant there was only one destination that mattered.

We reached the chasm entrance within an hour, our thrusters at max burn. Times like this, I wished we could just create a miniature slip tunnel from one side of the planet to the next, saving us the travel time to get here, but it couldn’t be helped. We were going as fast as we could.

The descent into the ground was long and tense. I could feel the discomfort in the air as the anticipation of the fight built upon itself. Abigail, Freddie, and I had been through our share of fights, but we’d never taken on something like this. Hell, I still didn’t even know what this was, besides the glimpse I’d seen in the beta dome—a floating white figure, most of its features obscured. It had only appeared for a few seconds, but what I’d witnessed had turned my stomach. How could something so strange come from humans?

The idea of us sharing any connection, however distant, sent a flush down my neck.

We passed Sigmond’s drones inside the chasm, each one acting as a signal repeater. They were permanent fixtures in this place now, at least until we established something better. They allowed the cleanup drones in the core to do their work, clearing the debris from the Eternals’ space station and the decimated cityscape inside the core. They’d be at this for months, I’d been told, but still they made progress each and every day. Always working, never resting.

Right now, however, Sigmond had them scanning the area for any sign of the Celestial’s ship. I’d already assumed it was undetectable, but still, we might get lucky and spot something.

“Any sign of movement yet?” I asked once we were nearly halfway down.

“I’m afraid not, sir,” said Sigmond.

Abigail shifted in her seat. I could sense her agitation at the impossible task ahead. How were we supposed to kill something we couldn’t see or track, especially down here? It was one thing to fight it on the surface with the assistance of our orbital scans, but this was something else entirely.

“How are we going to find this thing?” asked Freddie, voicing the question on all our minds.

I hesitated to give an answer, not entirely certain of what to tell him. Without a means of tracking it, we’d have to do our best to anticipate its actions. Not an easy thing to do when you were dealing with an enemy like this one—faster, stronger, more intelligent, and, of all things, built for stealth.

Still, we had to try.

“Siggy, send every available drone to the engine room. Hold them there until we arrive,” I ordered. I leaned back and glanced at Freddie.

“We’re waiting for him to come to us?” he asked.

“Now you’re getting it,” I said, turning to the dash. “Siggy, one more thing. Tell Bolin to meet us there as soon as he touches down.”

“His team is right behind us, sir,” reported Sigmond.

“Good,” I said, tapping my finger on the armrest. There had to be something else I could do. Something more besides a few extra guns, waiting for the enemy to come to us.

I cursed under my breath then sighed as I went over the one and only fight I’d had with the Celestial. Nearly every attack we’d sent its way had gone straight through its body—all except for one. Even still, I had no idea why. Was its phasing ability limited to a certain amount of time? Was it only capable of phasing while sitting still? No, that couldn’t be right. The orbital footage had showed it invisibly moving across the ground. So what was it? What was I missing?

I tapped my comm and leaned back in my seat. “It’s been a while. Patch me through to Al, Siggy. Let’s see if he’s got something for us yet.”

“Hold please, sir,” replied the Cognitive.

A few seconds later, I heard the Constable clear his throat. “Captain? I was about to give you a call. Good timing.”

“Did you find something?” asked Freddie.

“As a matter of fact,” began Alphonse.

“We certainly did,” interrupted Dressler.

“Hey, that was my line,” said Alphonse.

She ignored him. “Captain, you will be pleased to know that the blood analysis has concluded. The results are quite interesting, I must admit.”

“What did you find?” I asked.

“The entity is certainly related, however distantly, to both Eternals and humans. However, there are several key variants, with multiple markers being similar or in some cases identical to others found in other species, such as those in the different domes. The sequencing is precise and, I believe, intentional in its design. This is not a natural creature.”

“I don’t care about any of that,” I said, a little less polite than I’d intended. “Tell me how to kill the damned thing.”

“We still don’t have the answer to that,” admitted Alphonse. “We need to run a new battery of tests before we can determine anything further. We’ll need to explore how the observed abilities are performed on a cellular level.”

“You mean you don’t have anything yet?” asked Abby.

I glanced at her, noticing the frustrated look in her eyes. “How long do you need?” I asked, giving her a gentle nod.

“An hour,” informed Dressler. “Perhaps more.”

We’d be at the core in thirty minutes, according to the holo. From there, only another ten to reach the atrium. We’d be cutting it close, and even then, there was no guarantee we could stop it from getting to the engine room. “We need a weakness, godsdammit,” I said, not bothering to hide my frustration. “Don’t you have anything we can use?”

“Not from the blood,” said Alphonse.

“But?” I asked, sensing there was more to his thought.

A short pause. “Well,” he continued, “based on what we’ve observed of this creature, it seems highly specialized, like it was built for stealth.”

“It’s probably a scout,” I said.

“My thought exactly,” said Alphonse. “That would explain why it was alone, probably sent to observe the Eternals’ space station. For all any of us know, it may have been waiting for its allies to arrive. The ship we saw in the field was certainly no warship. It was small and sleek, built for speed and maneuverability.”

“What’s your point, Al?” I asked.

“Specialization requires sacrifice in other areas, other strengths,” he explained. “A military unit that focuses on protection will often sacrifice its speed to achieve the desired goal. The opposite is true as well. We know there are many different kinds of Celestials, based on what Leif has told us, but we’ve never had the chance to observe or catalogue them, so we don’t know the exact specifications.” He let the thought linger before continuing, giving us a moment to process it. “You’ll recall, I’m sure, how a single bullet was enough to penetrate its flesh?”

“How could I forget?” I asked, cocking my brow. “So you’re saying its armor is shit. Is that it?”

“There’s more to it than that,” said Dressler, answering in Alphonse’s place. “What little we’ve analyzed of the blood, especially when we compare it to the Eternals’, shows a slower healing rate. The wound you gave it may still exist, although it will likely heal faster than your standard human.”

“Hold on a second,” I said, sitting up in my seat. “You’re telling me, as advanced as this Celestial is, it can’t heal as fast as an Eternal?”

“That doesn’t seem like much of a perfect being,” commented Freddie.

“No, it certainly doesn’t,” replied Alphonse. “But then, we don’t know how the Celestials view perfection. They may actually believe that over-specialization is the best path to achieving that vision.”

“In other words, this Celestial is the perfect scout,” said Abigail.

“Exactly,” said Alphonse. “It has been conceived, built, and bred for a single purpose, and from everything we’ve seen to date, it does so without equal.”

“Enough praise for the enemy,” I said, scoffing. “I’m hearing that if we can just land a few bullets, we can end the damned thing once and for all. Is that right?”

“We believe so,” said Dressler.

“Good,” I told her. “It’s not perfect, but it’s something. Keep looking at that blood and call me when you’ve got more ammunition for me.”

“Will do,” said Alphonse.

The comm clicked off, leaving our ship in silence. We still knew very little about how to expose and kill this monster, but at least we knew it could be done. We’d already shot it once. Somehow, I had to find a way to do it again.

The holo display showed we were nearing the Earth’s core. The time for planning was over.

15

Bolin landed less than a minute after us. He and his team unloaded onto the platform, fully geared and ready with personal shields and an arsenal of weapons to go hunting. I’d taken the time to brief them shortly before we arrived, going over everything we knew about the Celestial.

“Captain,” said Bolin, approaching me near the rear of the platform.

“Yeah?” I asked, staring at him through my helmet. “Your boys ready to move?”

“Fully,” he told me. “We’ll take the front and rear, if it’s all the same.”

“I don’t need any bodyguards, Bolin,” I said.

“That’s good, because I don’t plan on taking a bullet for you,” he said.

I laughed. “Everyone ready?” I asked, looking at the rest of the crew. Between all of us, we only had eight people. That was hardly enough to handle a job like this, but it was all I could muster in the short time we had.

Thankfully, Sigmond’s drones were scattered all throughout the underground network—over two hundred of them, waiting for any sign of movement from the Celestial. Not all of them were armed, but they didn’t have to be. We needed eyes and ears more than we needed bullets right now. When the time came to kill, we’d have the firepower for it. I’d make sure of that.

Bolin, Felix, Mackie, Gustin, and Nash split themselves into two groups, ensuring that Freddie, Abby, and I stayed between them. I’d give him the courtesy of doing this for now, but if a fight broke out and I saw a chance to engage, I wouldn’t hold myself back. He’d seen enough of me to know that.

The walk to the atrium was quiet as we each remained on edge, each of us gripping our weapons tight, expecting the worst. At any moment, the enemy could arrive out of thin air. Hell, for all any of us knew, it was already here, waiting in the dark.

One of Sigmond’s drones hovered along the far exit, continuously scanning the corridor. Before now, this machine and its many brothers had been tasked with cleaning up the facility. I realized now how lucky we were that the project was still unfinished. Had they already completed the work, we might have been on our own.

“Sir,” said Sigmond, causing me to stop shortly after entering the atrium. “I believe I have something.”

I raised a hand to stop the others. “Go ahead, Siggy. We’re listening. Do you have the Celestial yet?”

“No, sir, but I believe my analysis of the Sedicium core has concluded, which means—”

“You can track the core?” I asked, my eyes going wide.

“Exactly, sir. I am recalibrating each of the drones now with a firmware update. It will take approximately one minute.”

Finally, some good news, I thought, breathing a short sigh and letting myself relax. If we could track the Celestial, at least we stood a chance of getting to it before it reached the engine room.

“Show it on the map,” I said.

My visor’s display lit up and showed the layout of the entire underground facility. From there, a series of blue dots appeared, each one representing a different drone. Looking at them now, I was surprised at how many there were. I knew Sigmond had sent more than a hundred of them, all varying in size, but it was only just now hitting me.

“Firmware update installed,” announced Sigmond. “Beginning facility-wide scan.”

I waited, staring at the map for longer than I cared. After nearly a full minute, I assumed the worst. Was it possible the Celestial could cloak something like the Sedicium core? It hadn’t occurred to me that it might be capable of hiding more than its own body. If that was the case, we’d have no choice but to run in blind and hope to randomly find it. A fool’s hope, I knew, with no chance of success.

Before I could voice my concerns, a small yellow light blinked into existence on the screen. It was somewhere between the atrium and the engine room.

“I believe I have it, sir,” said Sigmond. “Target is on the move.”

Without thinking, I began to run towards the rear corridor, heading for the marked location. “Everyone, with me!” I shouted, nearing the back of the atrium. “Siggy, can you slow that thing down while we catch up to it?”

“See if you can seal a few of the doors along the way,” suggested Abigail.

“An excellent idea, Ms. Pryar,” replied Sigmond. “Accessing door controls now.”

“If it can phase, how are doors going to stop it?” I asked. I was surprised the question hadn’t already occurred to me. “Let’s test that. Siggy, lock one of the doors directly ahead of it.”

“Doing so now,” said Sigmond.

I watched the display as a red line appeared in the middle of the corridor ahead of the Celestial. The entity approached the door, nearly running into it before stopping. The yellow light representing the core—and by association, the Celestial—hovered near the door, then backed up. It lingered in the hall for a few seconds longer before finally heading into the nearest available corridor.

“I think that answers your question,” said Abigail.

“That’s good news, isn’t it?” asked Freddie.

“It’s certainly not bad,” she answered.

I motioned at my team and started walking to the rear of the atrium. “Siggy, I want you to keep closing those doors until we get down there. Our top priority is preventing that thing from reaching its goal.”

“Yes, sir,” said Sigmond.

The rest of my team shuffled to keep up as I left the atrium, with Abigail and Bolin right behind me. We’d have to move quickly to catch up to it, and even then, there was no guarantee that we could stop it.

Still, I was just thankful to know its location. If nothing else, it gave us the fighting chance we so desperately needed. Sure, I had no idea how we were going to kill it, but I’d worry about that on the way. For now, at least, I had no choice but to run.

“All doors have been sealed. If the Celestial follows the available path, it will take double the time it takes to reach its target,” informed Sigmond.

“Find us the fastest path to him,” I ordered. “Open whatever doors you need to along the way. Just get us there.”

“Understood, sir,” the Cognitive responded.

“Are you sure you want to run in like this?” called Freddie as we reached the first turn in the hallway. “Without knowing how to kill it, I mean.”

“I ain’t sure about shit, Fred,” I said, unholstering my pistol. “But that doesn’t mean we can’t find ourselves a way.”

“Three more halls,” announced Sigmond right as we made another turn. “Opening door B-13.”

The Celestial had kept ahead of us, but we were closing the gap. Only a few more turns and we’d be there.

What happened after that was anyone’s guess.

Running through the corridor, wearing my environmental suit, I wondered why I hadn’t packed more weapons. Maybe a few grenades, considering how big this damned thing was, or perhaps a quad cannon.

The door that Sigmond had labeled B-13 was halfway open when we entered the second hallway. It slid to the ceiling with a swift and fluid motion. The moment we were through, Sigmond reactivated the lock, sealing it back into place.

The idea was to trap the Celestial, but I knew it wouldn’t work for long. It wasn’t stupid, and we’d already seen it break into one of the most complex locks any of us had ever seen. If this thing could access the fusion reactor, it could probably find a way to open these access doors, given enough time.

We just had to get to it before that happened.

“Opening door C-21,” announced Sigmond right as we entered the adjacent hall.

Like the last one, we slid through with perfect timing.

The map showed the Celestial was ahead and around the next turn. I opened the comm to signal Alphonse one last time before we went ahead with this. “I’m here,” he told me, no delay in his answer.

“Anything yet?” I asked. “We’re out of time down here.”

“I wish I could give you some good news, Captain,” he said, reluctance in his voice. “We’re still trying to figure it out. The blood is—”

“Remarkable!” said Dressler, echoing in the background.

“Remarkable,” repeated Alphonse. “And frighteningly complex. The cells are in a constant state of flux, and we’re unable to affect it, despite the battery of tests we’ve run.”

I wanted to curse but kept my composure. “It’s fine, Al. We’ll figure it out. Call me if you find anything else.”

“Of course,” he said.

The line clicked off. “Okay,” I muttered, nudging closer to the nearby turn inside the hall. “Everyone ready?”

“We’re with you, sir,” said Bolin.

“Sure are,” said Felix. “Ain’t that right?”

Gustin, Nash, and Mackie grunted their agreement.

I nodded. “Good,” I said, raising my pistol and leaning forward. “Ready, on my mark.”

“Ready,” said Abigail, standing right beside me.

I took a quick breath, a bead of sweat running down my cheek, and I marched forward.

The visor showed the yellow indicator light glowing steadily as we entered the long stretch of open corridor. Behind us, the third and final door slid shut, sealing us—or trapping us, depending—with the Celestial and the Sedicium core.

I scanned the hallway, searching for any sign of movement, any indication to tell me where to shoot.

But I had nothing.

“Where is it?” asked Felix.

Bolin held his fist up, quieting the other men. I could sense the tension rising between us, the sheer uncertainty of what lay ahead.

“There!” snapped Abigail, pointing to the distant corner.

The screen on my visor zoomed in to match where she was looking—a helpful little feature, thanks to Sigmond’s integration—and I caught a glimmer of reflective light against a piece of metal.

It was the core, resting in the darkened section of the tunnel, still deactivated, and it didn’t appear to be moving.

That wasn’t good. It meant the Celestial could be anywhere.

I felt Bolin and Freddie tense beside me, and I knew they’d both had the same realization. Without a way to track the enemy, we’d set ourselves up for a trap.

“It knew we were coming,” said Freddie. “Do you think it left? Maybe it slipped by us?”

A short pause. “No,” said Abigail. “It wouldn’t leave this behind.”

Freddie turned to her. “What are you saying?”

“It’s still here,” I said, aiming my gun directly ahead of us, through the tunnel.

Felix and Nash turned their backs to us, gripping their rifles as they prepared to fire. In seconds, our team had formed a circle, all our weapons fixed in every direction.

We stood totally still, saying nothing. Doing nothing.

I switched the suit’s noise-canceling off and listened to the corridor—searching with my ears for what my eyes couldn’t find.

Searching for—

A light touch, barely audible, but something to the rear of us. A tapping sound, I decided, like metal clinking against metal.

I twisted around, scanning for the source, looking at the others to see if they were moving their feet.

Abigail looked up at me but didn’t say a word. She seemed to understand.

I stared towards the other end of the hall at the door we’d entered from, and I waited.

Another tap, tap, tap. The same location.

The others noticed my focus then turned to face the door as I had. Freddie backed up, stepping to my side, along with Abigail, and finally Bolin and his team. We stood in a line from one wall to the other.

“On my mark,” I whispered, keeping my eyes on the far door.

A short stretch of silence passed as we waited for another sound, another tap, tap—

Tap.

“Now!” I snapped, then squeezed the trigger tight.

My shot was the first, and it slammed into the distant metal door in a blossom of sparks. In that instant, the air distorted and a floating figure appeared, a vague and undefined image I couldn’t quite make out.

But we all knew what it was, and we didn’t hesitate.

The entire team let loose a maelstrom. Bullets danced off the walls and door, creating waves of yellow lights, forcing the creature into a vague but fixed visibility.

It didn’t stay still for long, but rather came at us, moving like a fish through water as it glided through our bullet storm.

We backed up but continued firing. “Why is it still invisible?!” cried Freddie.

“I don’t know!” I shouted back.

“This didn’t happen last time!” he yelled.

“Don’t stop!” returned Abigail. “It can’t touch us if we keep shooting!”

I didn’t have to ask what she meant. So long as we kept firing, the Celestial probably wouldn’t be able to drop its invisibility. Our bullets would rip its body to shreds if it did. Then again, we knew so little about this thing that nothing was certain. Even if it was true, that plan would only work for so long. Our ammunition wasn’t limitless. Eventually, we’d run out.

The creature phased through us, heading for the Sedicium core. “Don’t let it touch it!” I shouted, continuing to fire as it drew closer to the device.

Abigail lunged forward, running swiftly to where the core was sitting, far across the hall. Bullets hailed over her head, forcing her to stay low to the floor.

I felt my chest tense as she slid and touched the core, grabbing the handle. The Celestial swarmed above her, flickering in the air as more bullets passed through it, and finally, it dove toward her.

With one hand on the core and the other on her rifle, she swung around, lifting the gun and firing a sweep into the air. I stopped shooting, too afraid of hitting her. The rest of my team must have felt similarly, because they did the same.

The Celestial came within a meter of Abigail when she fired again, preventing it from materializing. I took the opportunity to run after her, getting close enough to take the other end of the core, and together, hoist it off the floor.

We scrambled back, firing behind us as we hurried to the rest of the team. The Celestial flew at us but couldn’t make itself tangible.

Bolin’s team surrounded us, placing their backs to the core and firing again at the enemy. Like a gust of wind, it blew through us, rising through the other side and forcing us around.

We brought our guns around to face the nearby door, and I wondered for a moment if the Celestial might try to escape. Instead, right as the creature reached the gate, its body flickered in the air like a distorted holo.

Where there had been a blur, a white figure appeared instead, its towering body looming five meters above us.

“Now!” I shouted, firing my weapon into the Celestial’s visible flesh.

Several bullets pierced its body, causing it to dart away. As it did, a mist of blood scattered in the air and along the door, and the creature fled. This time, it flew to the other side of the hall, hugging the only available path and escaping into the deeper recesses of the facility.

“What do we do?” asked Freddie. “Do we go after it?”

“Don’t move!” I ordered, raising an open hand.

I waited to see whether the Celestial would double back around, letting a long stretch of silence pass before lowering my hand and clearing my throat.

“I think it’s gone,” said Felix.

“Might be,” I said. “Or maybe it’s waiting for us to chase it.”

Abigail lowered her rifle, but not so much that she wasn’t still ready. “What do you think happened?” she asked, glancing back at the place where the Celestial had dropped its cloak.

“Couldn’t say,” I muttered.

“Something caused it to do that, don’t you think?” she asked.

I nodded slowly.

“If you’ll pardon me, sir, I might have some additional data on the matter,” informed Sigmond.

My eyes widened. “What data?”

“The observational data from each of your cameras shows the exact moment in which the Celestial appeared,” said Sigmond.

“And?” I asked. “What about it?”

“The body, sir. It was touching the doorway,” said Sigmond.

“The door?” I asked, glancing at the automated gate behind us.

I looked at the hallway the Celestial had gone down. It could have gone through the doors or even the walls, but it had chosen to stay in the open corridors. Why?

I walked closer to the door, examining it. There was nothing remarkable or out of the ordinary, as far as I could see, but I wasn’t a scientist or an engineer. I had clue what I was doing.

“Siggy,” I muttered, sliding my finger along the solid metal plating.

“Yes, sir?” he asked.

“What kind of metal is this?” I asked him.

“Steel, according to the data I downloaded from Gaia’s drives,” said Sigmond.

“Is that all?” I asked, tilting my head at the door.

“Oh, no, sir,” said Sigmond. “Steel only makes up 96 percent of the material.”

Abigail and Freddie approached my side, but neither spoke. They shared the same look of curiosity, likely expecting me to say whatever I was thinking.

“What about the other 4 percent?” I asked.

A pop-up window appeared in the corner of my visor, providing a short list of various metals, half of which I’d never even heard of. A few stuck out, however, including zinc and, strangely enough, Neutronium.

“That’s interesting,” said Abigail finally.

“Isn’t it?” I asked, crossing my arms.

“You find something, Captain?” called Bolin from behind us. He and his men were still standing in a line, holding their position, weapons ready.

I waited before I answered, once again going through the list on my visor. “Might have,” I muttered, my eyes still fixed on the screen. “But I think I need to make a call first.”

16

“I have to say, Captain, I’m impressed.” Dressler’s tone didn’t match the statement, but that was true of everything she said. I had learned to believe her words, rather than the way she spoke them—the opposite of most people.

“Does that mean you found something on the list?” I asked.

“After exposing the blood to each of these metals, the only one to have a direct effect is the Neutronium. Most intriguing, indeed.”

“Neutronium? You’re saying that’s what caused the Celestial to drop its cloak?” I asked.

“When exposed, the blood cells had a similar reaction,” she explained. “The metal seems to have caused the cells to solidify.”

“How long did that last?”

“For as long as we sustained contact,” she told me.

I smiled at the sound of that. “Finally.”

Abigail and Freddie were right next to me, listening intently to the exchange. “Does this mean what I think it means?” asked Freddie.

I gave him an upbeat glance. “Seems like it.”

“We need to find a way to weaponize that metal,” insisted Abigail, already quick to put this new information into practice.

I cocked my brow. “You wanna make some bullets with it?”

She shook her head. “I doubt we have time for any of that. I was thinking we’d try something a little more—” She paused. “—direct.”

“I can do direct,” I said. “What’d you have in mind?”

She smirked. “We set a trap, light a fuse, and let it come to us.”

“How are we going to do that?” asked Freddie. “That thing isn’t going to just walk up to us on our terms.”

“First, it doesn’t walk,” said Abigail, giving him a look. “And second—” She glanced down at her feet to our latest prize and the one asset we had that the enemy wanted. “—we’ve got something it needs, which means it will come to us.”

“Doc,” I said, focusing back on the comm.

“I’m here,” said Dressler.

“How close does the Neutronium have to be to cause the Celestial to show itself?” I asked.

“Direct contact,” she responded.

“That ain’t ideal,” I lamented with a sigh. “But fine. We’ll figure it out. Siggy, we got any Neutronium-dense rooms with low ceilings?”

“Only one, sir,” said the Cognitive.

“Which is?” I asked.

The map on my display lit up, zooming out and back in on a specific area not far from here. It only took me a second to recognize it, since I’d already been there once before. “The engine room?” I asked, almost spitting out the words. “You can’t be serious, Siggy. There’s gotta be somewhere else.”

“I’m afraid this is the optimal location, sir. It is surrounded by Neutronium metal and contains very little area for the something of the Celestial’s size to maneuver, while still providing adequate space for you to fight.”

Abigail cursed under her breath.

Freddie’s eyes skipped between me and Abby. The discomfort in him was clear, and I couldn’t say I blamed him for that. We’d have to go to the one place we were trying to avoid.

“Maybe we can take the core to the surface,” suggested Bolin.

Abigail shook her head. “There’s no protection once we’re in the air. The Celestial could catch up, maybe phase directly into the ship and kill us all. The shuttles don’t have Neutronium in their hulls, so we’d be too exposed.”

“But we can’t just walk into that room with this,” said Freddie, motioning at the core.

“It might be our best option, outside of chasing that monster through the hallways,” said Abby.

“She’s right,” I said, looking at Bolin and Freddie. “If we wait too long, it’ll just go back to the surface on its own, maybe kill more of our friends while it waits for us to return. Truth is, we can’t afford to go slow on this. There’s too much at risk.”

Everyone was silent at the sound of that. None of us wanted to chance another attack, especially after everything we’d just witnessed. The Celestial had to be stopped today, right here before it could hurt anyone else. Considering how smart this thing was, I wagered it would only be a matter of time before it found another way to contact its people, and we couldn’t wait around for that to happen.

We had to act.

“If that’s your plan, we’re with you,” said Bolin.

“Damn right we are,” said Felix.

“Damn right,” echoed Nash, Gustin, and Mackie.

“Frederick and I are too,” said Petra. She smiled at Freddie, who could only gulp.

“Well, then,” I said, leaning down to grab one side of the container. “Either you’re all fools or we might just stand a chance at this.”

“Definitely fools,” muttered Abigail, walking by the doorway to the engine room.

The two of us set the core on the floor near one of the walls, tucking behind one of the nearby consoles. The engine itself was further in, secured behind another door and in a smaller compartment, but there was no need to take the core there at the moment. This entire section was surrounded by Neutronium, and the ceiling only stretched about five meters high. It was the perfect spot for an ambush, with plenty of space to hide and shoot from a distance.

There was only one problem. Two ventilation tunnels, each one large enough for the Celestial, sat at the top of both the left and right walls. According to the schematics, one of them led all the way to the chasm, which in turn led to the surface. That meant, of course, that if the Celestial wanted to, it could conceivably enter from two directions. Fortunately, the last remaining tunnel dead-ended into an air purification system, cycling oxygen into other sections of the facility. Nothing to worry about there.

“A few of you on that,” I ordered, motioning from Bolin’s team to the vent. “The rest of us will focus on the doorway. You see any sign of movement, even just a blur, call it out.”

“You got it,” said Bolin.

I took position on the other side of the room behind one of the consoles. Abigail and Petra took one side of the opening, near the corner, while Freddie crouched beside me.

“Siggy, one more thing,” I said.

“What’s that, sir?” he asked.

“Start moving a few drones in this direction. Make sure they’re the kind with guns on them.”

“I’ve already begun,” he replied.

I shifted my weight on my heel, not wanting to get on my knees should the enemy come flying in so quickly that I had to move.

None of us were strangers to waiting, especially me, since I’d cased so many targets during my Renegade days. After a while, you learn to pass the time in whatever way helps you to keep your wits. No daydreaming, no fantasies, but something methodical, like counting the seconds in your mind for as long as you could keep track. Personally, I liked to play with numbers. Start with something low, then double it again and again until I couldn’t do the math anymore.

I usually didn’t make it very far before I had to start over, but that didn’t matter. The important part was that it kept me steady and alert.

After nearly an hour, I began to wonder how long we’d need to stay. If this turned into an overnight venture, we’d have to take shifts. If that happened, we’d lose focus and firepower. Maybe that was the Celestial’s plan—to wait us out until we were exhausted and slow.

“Sir,” said Sigmond, his voice taking me by surprise. It had been the first time he’d spoken in a while.

“What is it?” I asked.

“I don’t know the cause, but at least two of my drones have gone offline over the past thirty seconds,” he informed me.

“Show me where,” I told him.

Immediately, two indicator lights displayed on the map. The first was near to where we’d encountered the Celestial before, while the second was closer in our direction.

Before I could say anything, another light appeared, this time closer than the previous one. “It’s moving,” said Abigail, her eyes fixed on her visor screen.

“Get ready,” I said, positioning my arms on the console and taking aim at the doorway.

Another icon lit up, showing that we’d lost a fourth drone. Again, it was closer than the last.

I felt my chest tighten with anticipation but then took a long and steady breath. Any second now, all our waiting would be over.

Seconds passed, filling the room with a stretch of silence.

“Sigmond,” muttered Petra. “Are you certain it was on its way?”

“I am not certain of anything other than the loss of my drones,” he replied.

She edged her way out of the corner and drew closer to the doorway, peering into the outer hall.

“Petra, be careful!” said Freddie, rising to his feet.

“I’m fine,” she assured him. “There’s no sign of it.”

“No sign that you can see,” said Abigail.

Petra nodded but said nothing.

“Get back to the wall. It could just be picking off the drones to draw us out,” I suggested.

“Right,” she said, turning away from the doorway and taking a step towards Abigail.

She squeezed close to the wall and took a breath.

I let out a quiet sigh and shifted my weight again, watching as Petra gripped her weapon in both hands and kept the gun in the alert position. As my eyes drifted back to the opening, I caught sight of something that gave me pause.

The air changed, almost like heat rising from desert sand, and it moved. I blinked, opening my mouth to warn the others, but I could only react so quickly.

The blur reached into the room, moving towards Petra and Abigail in less time than it took for me to speak.

“Get down!” I shouted, raising my pistol, but even as I said the words, I knew it was too late.

The blur surrounded Petra, snapping her back and away from the wall, and dragged her into the hall. Abigail raised her rifle but didn’t fire. She couldn’t—not without risking Petra’s life.

Without a word or hesitation, Freddie leapt out of his position and ran into the middle of the room. His speed took me by surprise, but I didn’t question it. Instead, I followed his lead, and so did the others.

In a single moment, the entire room erupted into chaos, our entire plan having come undone.

Petra screamed so loud it pierced my ears, her voice booming through the comm as fear and confusion overtook her.

“Nobody shoot!” yelled Freddie, already nearing the doorway. He bolted through it and into the hall as the Celestial dragged Petra away from us.

“It’s going to pick us off!” said Nash. “That’s its plan! We have to stay together!”

I knew he was right, but no one was listening. If we didn’t save Petra, she’d wind up dead and alone, and then we’d have truly lost. I wasn’t about to sacrifice one of us for the rest, no matter how practical it might have seemed.

We were on her quickly, the whole of our team, as it neared the rear of the corridor, before the next turn. Freddie came close enough to touch her leg but could only manage to brush her boot.

The Celestial pulled Petra into the next section, out of his grasp. This was no good. We couldn’t keep up with it forever, and without a clean shot—

Petra hit one of the walls, catching herself with her prosthetic arm. She fell to the floor, landing on her side with a loud thud and turning on her stomach.

As we neared her, the Celestial passed through us, moving like a swift breeze through the corridor and into the previous room. I turned around, stopping short of reaching Petra, and motioned for everyone to go back. “Move!”

Bolin and Felix were in the rear, closest to the room, but the Celestial flew by them in seconds, giving no time to follow. I launched back into a run.

Abigail did the same, but Freddie stayed beside Petra, more concerned with the fact that she wasn’t moving than the danger before us. I didn’t have time to yell at him, but I also knew I couldn’t blame him.

To my own fear as I neared the doorway, I saw the Sedicium core rising in the air, surrounded by the Celestial’s blur. It moved so fast that I could hardly aim—not that I’d risk hitting the device. There was no telling what a stray bullet might do to something like that.

The Celestial entered the small alcove on the far side of the room, otherwise known as the reactor, and I knew what would follow.

“Facility power is coming online, sir,” informed Sigmond.

I wouldn’t allow myself to slow, and instead continued forward, Abigail and Bolin at my back and side. When I was only a few meters from the reactor door, the Celestial came at us like a ghost, its whole body shifting between worlds.

I fired into it, forcing it to maintain its invisibility. It flew straight through me and towards the other half of the room.

As I turned to face it, the beast materialized long enough to plow into Bolin and Felix, lifting them from the floor and tossing them into the near consoles.

Abigail fired her rifle, forcing the Celestial to dematerialize once more and fall backwards into the air. As it did, part of its body grazed the ceiling, and suddenly, the blur took shape again.

This time, the whole of it came into being, a white body three times my own size. Abigail planted her feet and fired, her bullets whipping at the creature’s flesh.

It reacted with a sweep of its arm—no, that was something else. A kind of wing.

Abigail went flying, slamming directly into Nash in the outer corridor. The two rolled, and I heard the sound of his visor breaking.

“Anyone still standing, on me!” I shouted.

Gustin and Mackie were right behind Nash and Abigail, but they followed orders and came running. I wasn’t concerned about the others. Abigail could handle herself, and she could damn well handle a fall like that.

The Celestial turned to me, and I responded with two shots, both of which landed in the center of its body.

It barely reacted.

Instead, it extended its whole body, displaying two massive, glowing wings to each side, connected to its back. It wore no clothes, only the vanilla skin of a sleek and unapologetic body. The wingspread took up most of the room, it was so big.

I stared up at its face—a chalky white head, twice the size of a normal human’s, with empty eyes, seemingly devoid of any emotional response, even to its own pain. It had no hair, not even eyebrows, and soft features that almost resembled a child’s. Its body towered over me like a slender, porcelain pillar, almost glowing as light reflected off of its smooth skin. Marks from the bullets peppered its wings, which were not feathered but rather glowed with a sort of hard-light essence to them. There was no blood, however, except for the spots where the bullets had grazed its torso. If the wings themselves truly were made of hard-light, it would explain their indestructibility.

I took a step back, staring into its eyes.

Shots fired from behind it, lighting up its backside. It swept its wings around the entirety of the room, knocking over half of the consoles and ripping them from the floor like blades of grass.

Mackie and Gustin charged at it, no hesitation in them as they continued shooting.

But the Celestial’s wing hit them like a wall, flinging them away.

Mackie hit one of the broken consoles, not moving or getting up, while Gustin rolled safely to his side. He continued firing at the enemy until he emptied his weapon. He popped the magazine and began to swap it with another, but the Celestial had already chosen to move. With a single motion, the creature reached out for him, flicking the gun from Gustin’s hands.

I fired my pistol through it all, plugging the spot where the heart should be, then moving up towards its neck. As the bullets hit, the Celestial barely reacted. It was only when I tried shooting at the head that the second wing came around to shield it.

Finally, the monster turned to me, its eyes meeting mine for the second time. I gave no pause, shooting at the head with the only chance I still had.

The wings blocked me.

I ran at it, trying to get a better angle from beneath the wing. I fired and struck its neck, but those dead and empty eyes only stared at me.

The wing struck my side before I had a chance to react. The speed of it, the sheer power behind the force was so much that I thought it would be the last thing I ever felt.

I landed beside the ventilation tunnel, my visor cracked, and personal shield totally wiped.

“Sir, you must retreat at once,” said Sigmond.

I groaned in response, trying to push myself up from the floor. The room was blurry and confused, but I could see the outline of white that made up the Celestial, and it grew closer by the second.

I didn’t have long.

“Siggy,” I managed to say. “Tell everyone to get out before—”

The wing came down and dug into my leg, burrowing through my muscle like a knife through a tomato.

I screamed.

“Captain!” I heard Freddie yell, but I couldn’t tell from where.

My visor blinked, showing the map of the facility, but the glass was so broken that half of it was gone. I could still see our section, but only barely. Only enough to tell where we were, where the core was, and the nearest drones.

The Celestial bent down to me, its empty face a meter from my own, and it stared into mine like it was searching for something. It drew nearer, coming close enough for me to see its blue eyes. I buried the pain as best as I could, and I stared right back.

Right as I thought it might open its mouth and speak, Freddie fired on its back. “Get away from him!” he raged. “Get away, you monster!”

The Celestial flicked its shoulders, pulling itself away from me, and slid its wing out from my leg. It hurt just as bad coming out as it had going in.

I caught sight of Freddie, holding his weapon near the rear, towards the door. The Celestial brought its wings around to its back, shielding it from the attack and leaving its front exposed to me.

I reached for my pistol and brought it up to meet the head, but fired prematurely, tagging its chest as I tried to steady my aim on its forehead.

I squeezed the trigger again.

Click.

My eyes widened as the sound of an empty chamber echoed through the room.

In all the fighting, I’d lost track of my shots, and I didn’t have time to reload. Not without signaling my move to the enemy. This was it.

I was fucked.

The Celestial reached out to my weapon, grasping the barrel. Its fingers were so small, almost like a child’s, but there was strength behind them. I could feel it.

It jerked the weapon free from me, tossing it to the opposite side of the room.

The Celestial leaned down again, this time reaching out for my throat. At the same time, my visor blinked, flickering with an array of different lights, each of them indicating—

Three yellow icons. What did that mean? Was it a glitch? No, not a glitch. Something else. Those were—

I looked to the ventilation tunnel to my right, then at the Celestial as it gripped my throat with its hand. “Fuck you,” I moaned.

The Celestial raised me off the floor, our eyes still locked. I tried reached for my knife and drew it free from its sleeve, then plunged the blade into the hand. It dropped me, and I pushed myself back.

“S-Siggy!” I managed to say.

“Patience, sir,” replied the Cognitive. “Here we come.”

As he said the last word, a medium-sized drone slammed into the side of the Celestial.

I felt the pressure from the impact, and the sound hurt my ears like a gunshot.

The Celestial hit the wall, along with the drone. Immediately, another drone followed, hitting the monster in its chest and burying it. A third arrived a second later, striking with the same amount of force as the previous two.

And this time, the Celestial didn’t get back up.

Freddie came running to my side before the dust had even cleared. “Captain!” he shouted, quickly spotting my torn leg. “Oh, gods!”

I motioned for him to help me to my feet. “I’m fine,” I said, obviously lying.

He grabbed my arm and wrapped it around his shoulder, hoisting me up so I could get a better view.

“Sir, this seems like the appropriate moment to inform you that the slip tunnel has been activated. A new gate will form shortly,” informed Sigmond.

I had Freddie bring me to the railing near the stairs. “I need you to disarm that core,” I said, trying to slow my breathing. Between the strain of standing and the intense pain in my leg, it was all I could do to say it.

“I’m not sure how, Captain,” said Freddie. “But I’ll try.”

“I shall walk you through it, Mr. Tabernacle,” said Sigmond.

“You heard him,” I said, motioning with my head to the reactor. “Go.”

Freddie nodded and took off, heading into the rear compartment.

I glanced around the room, finding Abigail and the others at different points, most of them conscious. The exceptions seemed to be Felix and Gustin, who weren’t moving. “Siggy, is everyone alive?” I asked, unable to check their status with my visor.

“Yes, sir,” he responded.

I breathed a sigh of relief. As long as we hadn’t lost anyone, I could turn my focus on what mattered.

“Jace?” called Abigail, her voice coming into my ear through the comm.

“Over here,” I said, raising my hand so she could see me from the broken drone resting between us.

Bolin was on his feet too, making his way to my position, along with Nash.

I stood on my one good leg, trying to reload my pistol while holding on to the railing. It was harder than I expected.

Still, by the time Abby reached me, I had a round in the chamber and the hammer pulled. “Did we get it?” asked Bolin.

“Don’t know,” I said, taking Abigail’s arm when she came close enough.

I had her bring me close enough to have a look, and it didn’t take long to find the creature’s head. It looked exactly as it had before, with no sign of stress or fear in its eyes. Only the same empty, unnerving features.

“I think it’s dead,” said Abigail.

As if to answer, the Celestial blinked, then darted its eyes to me. I reacted swiftly and without thinking, raising the pistol to meet its forehead.

And I pulled the godsdamn trigger.

The bullet splattered through the skull, destroying the eyes and nose and creating one hell of a hole.

I holstered my pistol. “There,” I muttered, twisting around so I didn’t have to look at it anymore. “Now it’s dead.”

17

Freddie got the power off before things got out of hand, which was good. No impending invasion from a race of divine superbeings. One less thing to worry about, I supposed.

In the meantime, we had wounds to stitch and bones to mend. Petra had a broken leg, but that had been the least of it. Felix’s spine had shattered in three places, causing its own share of problems.

Octavia had to place him in a coma until we could get him home and into a medical pod, but she said he’d recover just fine. We all would, including me with my torn-to-hell leg.

“I have to say, you’re fortunate, Captain,” remarked Octavia.

“How do you figure that?” I asked.

“The size of this cut,” she said, motioning at my thigh. “It missed most of the bone, but had the angle been different, you might not have a leg.”

“Well, I guess things could always be worse, couldn’t they?” I asked.

She nodded. “I suppose they could.”

We were in a temporary structure right outside the Gamma Dome. “How long do you figure this’ll take to heal?” I asked.

“Six hours, based on what I see,” she explained. “But I can’t make any promises.”

I looked around the room at the other pods. Aside from Felix and Petra, there were also Bolin, Gustin, and Nash. They were fine but still had to get themselves checked out.

Abigail and Freddie were already cleared, so I’d sent them outside to help with the arriving crew. There was far too much to do right now, and I didn’t have the patience to wait, even with the injury to my leg.

“If I have to stay in this pod for the next six hours, I expect you to relay my orders to the rest of the crew,” I told Octavia.

“You can tell them yourself,” she said, giving me a look. “Those ships are at least a few hours away. Take a nap and let your body heal.”

“Fine,” I said. “But I’m walking out of here as soon as the engineers arrive.”

“Do what you want,” she returned, giving me a shrug, followed by a slight smile as she walked to the next pod, leaving me alone.

“Typical,” I muttered, and then closed my eyes.

“I hope you’re not planning to sleep all day,” said a familiar voice.

I opened my eyes to see Abigail standing beside me, a relaxed smile on her face. I blinked a few times as my eyes adjusted to the light. “How long was I out?” I asked, licking my chapped lips and stretching my arms. I immediately noticed the pain in my leg was gone.

“All night,” she said.

I sat up. “What?”

“You were clearly exhausted,” remarked Dressler, who was standing a few meters away on the other side of the room. She walked over to the end of my pod. “You should listen to your body.”

“Tell me what I missed,” I said, twisting around and easing my feet to the floor beside me. Abigail offered a hand to me, and I took it, steadying myself as I got up.

“Things are complicated,” said the doctor.

“Complicated?” I asked, glaring at her. “I don’t like complicated, Doc.”

“In a good way,” assured Abigail.

Dressler nodded. “I have six teams working at the moment, each with a different assignment. You’ll be happy to know that the Celestial’s corpse has been relocated and an analysis has already begun. I suspect it has quite the story to tell us.”

I chuckled. “You suspect?” I asked, walking to the door. “That abomination had better be worth the cost, Doc.”

“It will be,” she assured.

I grunted and turned the handle, cracking the door and letting in the outside light. The sight of the rising sun forced me to cringe before my eyes adjusted. It was a bright day.

A good day.

Walking out into the field, I noticed several children playing with a ball, most of them familiar.

“Mr. Hughes!” shouted Lex, waving with a bright smile on her face.

Elise was with her, along with Tiler, Dixon, Fumi, and three others. Their laughter carried so loudly that I wondered why I hadn’t heard it in my pod.

Lex ran to greet me at the same moment that Abigail and Dressler left the building. “They said you were asleep,” said the girl.

“I was,” I said, giving her a nod. “Long time.”

“You’re better now?” she asked, eyeing my leg.

“He’ll be fine,” said Abigail. “Our Jace is a tough one.”

I looked at her, spying the knowing smile. “Yeah,” I said, turning back to Lex. “And I ain’t going anywhere, kid. Best get used to me.”

Lex smiled, but then glanced at Abigail. “Did you tell him about the animals?”

“Animals?” I echoed, cocking my brow.

Dressler cleared her throat. “Something happened while you were asleep. I was planning a briefing on the matter, but I suppose I can tell you now.”

“I suppose you’d better,” I said.

“Shortly after we arrived here, and not long after you fell asleep, the birthing chambers inside the dome activated on their own.”

“On their own?” I asked. “What exactly happened?”

Abigail sighed. “It might be better to show it to you.”

The two women led me through the field, past five temporary shelters, and to the front of the Gamma Dome. The doors opened as we neared, and we stepped into the laboratory.

It was laid out very much like the others, filled with birthing chambers and seed distribution hubs. We’d never been able to figure out how to activate any of them, and Dressler had been too cautious to try, but now it was all happening on its own. In fact, the entire facility seemed to have come alive. Every last machine was lit up and active. The dome had filled with noises, loud and quiet, hums and beeps, and all of it with purpose.

Two figures stood near the center of the dome, glowing in their own auras—gold and blue. Sigmond and Gaia.

“Good morning, sir,” greeted Sigmond. “I’m happy to see you walking around again.”

“Siggy,” I returned before eyeing Gaia beside him. “I see you managed to get her transferred.”

“We did indeed, sir,” he replied.

“Hello, Captain Hughes,” said Gaia with a smile.

“She’s been assisting my team,” explained Dressler.

“That’s good,” I said.

“If you call ignorance helpful, I suppose,” she remarked.

Gaia frowned. “I’m afraid I don’t know much about many of the extended protocols and processes outside of my domain, so my assistance has been somewhat lacking, admittedly.”

“That’s not true,” said Abigail. “She tapped into the local network and now has access to all of the domes across the planet. Thanks to her, we know exactly what’s happening inside all eight hundred of them.”

“Eight hundred and seventy-two,” corrected Sigmond.

“Whatever,” said Abigail. “My point is, she’s hardly useless.”

“I never said useless. I said ignorant,” inserted Dressler.

I walked to the nearest birthing chamber, looking through the gold-tinted glass on the hatch. Before, these had been completely empty, but now I could see something inside, floating in a thick liquid. “Is that—” I paused. “What the hell is going on right now?”

“Another phase in the process,” answered Gaia.

“But what is it?” I asked.

The door opened behind us, and I instantly reached for my pistol but didn’t find it. They must have taken it from me when I was in the pod.

I relaxed, however, when I saw who it was. Lex came running into the dome with her friends, the ball under her arm. “Mr. Hughes!” she exclaimed. “Mr. Hughes, you have to come see!”

I took a step towards her, my heart beginning to quicken. After everything we’d just been through, I couldn’t afford another fight right now. “What’s going on?” I asked quickly.

She ran up and grabbed my hand, yanking me towards the door. “Come on! You have to see!”

I ran with her, not knowing what we’d find when we reached the field.

The door swung open and the two of us continued ahead, our friends coming behind us. As my eyes drifted through the yard, I saw no sign of danger. No clue as to what had the girl so riled up. She still had that smile on her face, brimming with excitement and purpose. This wasn’t fear or concern, I realized, but an eager kind of joy. Whatever she had seen, she wanted to share it with me.

We came to a dead stop near where the children had been playing, and Lex released my hand. “Here!” she said as she turned away from me, pointing at the ground in front of us.

I stepped closer to her, trying to see what she saw.

She got on her knees, looking at the dirt with a concentrated stare, still with the same bright smile as before. I crouched beside her, finally seeing what had caught her eye and stirred her soul.

A single blade of green grass poked through the mound of dirt, glistening in the morning light.

My jaw fell when I saw it, and for a brief moment, I held my breath. “It’s—”

“Is that what I think it is?” asked Alphonse, his voice coming from several meters away, towards one of the other temporary shelters.

I refused to look away from the little thing in front of me. “I think it is,” I said, wanting to touch it but knowing I shouldn’t.

Dressler crouched down beside me, easing closer to examine it. “Fascinating,” she muttered.

“Look!” shouted Tiler, who was standing with his brother a few meters to my right. They were both pointing at the ground near their feet. “We found another one!”

I got to my feet, only to have my attention pulled away by Lex again. “And here!” she exclaimed. “Two more!”

In a matter of minutes, we’d found over fifteen blades of grass, all in the same little area. “This is incredible,” muttered Abigail, looking around at each of the blades. “I just don’t—there was nothing here before. Where’s it coming from?”

“Seed spores,” said Sigmond, speaking through the comm in my ear. “Laced with a growth accelerant. The system indicates a wide delivery across the entire valley, beginning nearly an hour ago.”

“Was it only here?” I asked.

“No, sir,” he replied. “Everywhere.”

We sat and watched as more blades of grass continued to stretch out of the ground, right before our very eyes. It was like watching a holo in quick time, only right now.

“Sir, I beg your pardon, but Gaia has informed me of an alert inside the building,” said Sigmond.

“I’m on my way,” I said, turning around and breaking into a light jog.

“Wait up!” called Abigail.

When I opened the door, I heard a kind of alarm sounding in the rear corner, a bright orange light flashing on one of the chambers.

“What’s going on, Siggy?” I asked, running to the front of the machine and trying my best to spy the creature inside.

“Unknown, sir, but I have a theory,” he remarked.

Before I could ask what that was, the animal inside the hatch disappeared, sucked through the back and into the floor to some unknown location. “Where did it just—”

“This one’s doing it too!” said Lex, pointing to another chamber.

Like the first, the creature inside disappeared, moving through the tube to some unknown place.

“Siggy, if you’ve got a theory, now’s the time to share it,” I told him.

He flickered momentarily, the same way every Cognitive did when they were processing something complex, finally regaining his composure. “Ah,” he said with a sly grin. “Orbital scans show the emergence of another structure, not far from this location.”

“What kind of structure?” asked Abigail.

“Another dome, but much smaller,” he explained.

“There are many,” said Gaia, causing all of us to turn to her. “One for every facility, according to the system. Most of these facilities are tasked with the production of a unique lifeform.”

“Unique?” asked Abigail. “Are you saying each dome creates different animals?”

“There are some duplicates, but yes,” said Gaia.

“So what are those new buildings you mentioned?” I asked.

“That seems clear enough, don’t you think?” asked Dressler. She motioned to the nearby chambers. “The infants have left the womb. I believe we all know what comes next.”

I stood on a field of grass, newly grown from this morning. It was soft and brought a fresh, calming smell to the air, which seemed to carry across the entire valley. What had been brown and desolate when I first awoke had now filled itself with shades of green.

Freddie, Petra, Abigail, Octavia, Bolin, Leif, Dressler, Alphonse, and Lex stood beside me, all their eyes on what lay ahead. All their words gone.

A little dome, three meters tall and two across, sat alone at the base of a small hill, but that was hardly the cause of our speechlessness.

No, that was reserved for the animals grazing in the field, all of whom had come from the dome mere moments ago. They walked on four legs, had black faces and legs, with a white fluff around their bodies. I’d never seen anything like them, except in a storybook, not long ago.

“It’s a sheep,” muttered Lex, and her eyes were wide with awe. She took a step forward, but then pulled back, almost afraid to go near them. I couldn’t blame her. It wasn’t every day that the made-up animal in your storybook came to life.

“It sure is,” I whispered, unable to turn my eyes from them.

I’d asked Sigmond to scan the planet to show us what kind of animals had appeared. When he’d mentioned finding sheep, I knew Lex would want to see them.

She wasn’t the only one. Tiler, Dixon, and Fumi were right next to her, all of them in disbelief at the miracle before them.

“What do you think, kid?” I asked after a while. I placed my hand on her shoulder. “Are they like the story?”

She slowly nodded, the edges of her lips curling into a smile. “I knew they were real,” she whispered. “The book said if you believed in them, it was proof.”

“Proof of what?” I asked, glancing down at her.

She looked up at me. “Proof that they exist.”

I stared out at the animals, a soft breeze blowing through the valley, bending the grass around us. The world had changed in a day, transformed into another.

But we were still here.

I looked to the east—to where Verdun had been—and saw a glowing light against the horizon. Not far beside it to the north, another one lay waiting. The fusion reactors that had once been cities stood tall and alone. Whatever their purpose, I expected we would find out soon.

When the dark of night came, the world would glow with a thousand tiny suns as newly born animals grazed on fields of day-old grass.

We’d seen enough change for one day, I knew, and yet I could not help but wonder—

What would we see tomorrow?

Epilogue

I sat in the newly-built shelter at a makeshift desk. Alphonse, Sigmond, Freddie, and Abigail were with me, most of the others having already gone to bed for the night. It was late, and the day had been long, but still, we had matters to discuss.

Matters that could not wait.

“Where’s the Celestial now?” I asked.

“Dr. Dressler has it sealed inside a case of Neutronium,” said Sigmond. “She and Athena have already begun their dissection.”

“I expect we’ll learn a few things from that,” said Alphonse.

“Hopefully, something we can use,” I told him.

“You still think they’ll come for us?” asked Abigail.

I nodded. “Even if they don’t know we killed one of them, they’ll figure out where he went eventually.”

Freddie tilted his head. “But the tunnel’s sealed now, isn’t it? I removed the core myself. Won’t that be enough?”

“Maybe,” I said, reaching out and touching the Foxy Stardust bobblehead on the corner of the desk, turning it so it faced me. “But we can’t just sit around and put our bets on a hope. That’s a life of fear, not freedom.”

“What can we do, then?” he asked.

I leaned forward. “Al, what do you know about the state of the Union right now? How’s their military holding together?”

“Since our last confrontation? Not bad,” he said, tapping his chin. “We have their flagship, but the rest are still intact. The leadership was disjointed afterwards, according to my sources. The loss of Brigham was—significant.”

“Was it?” I asked, bending my mouth and cocking my brow. I had no love for the old man, even in death, and I wasn’t ashamed to show it. “How’s the government doing?”

“The Union and the Sarkonians broke their agreement not long after our victory, and they’ve both resumed their push into the Deadlands. Over the last few weeks, they’ve had many hostile encounters with each other.”

“Good. Let them fight it out,” said Abigail.

Freddie crossed his arms. “Why are you asking about the Union, Captain?”

I was quiet for a moment, still putting my thoughts together. I’d never cared for either the Union or the Sarkonians, but I knew I’d have to put that hatred aside for now. I couldn’t let my own stubborn animosities be the reason we lost this world and all that we’d worked toward.

I had to be better.

“I believe I know why,” said Alphonse, pulling my attention from my thoughts. When our eyes met, he gave me a half-smile. “But I should caution you, Captain. They’ll stab us in the back as soon as we’ve won.”

“I know,” I said, and it was true. “But I also know we need them.”

“Wait a second,” said Freddie. “What exactly are we talking about here?”

“An alliance,” I said.

“Between three enemies?” asked Abigail.

“Against another,” I finished. “You saw how strong that one Celestial was. For gods’ sakes, it was unarmed and alone on unfamiliar territory and it still managed to do all of this damage. We’ve all heard the stories from Leif. If we don’t find a way to build our numbers, we might not survive a legitimate attack. Imagine what a fleet of them could do against us.”

She didn’t answer.

“How are we going to convince them?” asked Freddie.

I nodded to Sigmond. Instantly, a holo appeared to my left, showing the Celestial’s corpse, back when it had been brought from the underground facility. “We’ll show them exactly what we’re up against,” I said, nodding at the image. “And if that doesn’t work, we’ll find another way, because none of us has a choice in this. None of us can afford to let the others do the fighting, because if we lose, then everyone loses. The whole damn galaxy is on the line.”

“You’re serious,” said Abigail, blinking at me.

“I am,” I said firmly. “There’s a war coming, and we need to get ahead of it.”

Freddie gulped then scratched his head. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m with you.”

“As am I,” said Alphonse.

I looked at Abigail, never one to speak for her. We all had our problems with the Union, but hers ran deeper than most. She’d witnessed Lex’s torture, fought to keep her alive. If anyone chose to stay behind on this one, I wagered it might be her.

She glanced at the holo, like she wanted to remind herself of what was at stake, and then she looked at me again. “This is insane,” she said, an almost annoyed tone in her voice, and then she rolled her eyes. “When do we leave?”

Author Notes

Boy, what a wild ride! Thank you so much for picking up this latest entry in the Renegade saga. I have to admit, life has been so hectic lately, but I’ve been working hard to get this book out. I know it was late, but hopefully, the wait was worth it.

Over the last few months, I’ve been trying to move across the country, as many in the Renegade Readers Facebook Group are well aware. This has been quite the experience, let me tell you, but it’s been so much fun. I was extremely fortunate to find a great house to rent, and I’m really looking forward to sitting in the new office and writing Renegade Union (Book 9).

On top of that, we recently released a brand new series in the Renegade universe, titled Orion Colony. This was a story developed by Jonathan Yanez and me, set two thousand years before the first Renegade Star book. In it, we get to see a glimpse at Earth’s culture and the mass Transient exodus. It’s a fun story with a lot of interesting surprises.

Additionally, I released a standalone novel called Nameless, which follows Abigail as she learns how to be an assassin. If you like this character, please check it out.

So, what comes next for our band of misfits? That’s the real question. Well, I’ve got some fun adventures in store for them in the near future. As you saw from the epilogue, their next task is establishing alliances with former enemies, all in an effort to prepare for the inevitable war that is to come. It’s going to be a wild ride as we continue to move forward into the Celestial storyline, with additional mysteries and answers set to be revealed. I hope you’ll join me, because the story is only going to get bigger and better.

In the meantime, thanks for reading, Renegades. I’ll see you soon!

JN Chaney

PS. Amazon won’t tell you when the next Renegade book will come out, but there are several ways you can stay informed.

1) Fly on over to the Facebook group, JN Chaney’s Renegade Readers, and say hello. It’s a great place to hang with other sarcastic sci-fi readers who don’t mind a good laugh.

2) Follow me directly on Amazon. To do this, head to the store page for this book (or my Amazon author profile) and click the Follow button beneath my picture. That will prompt Amazon to notify you when I release a new book. You’ll just need to check your emails.

3) You can join my mailing list by clicking here. This will allow me to stay in touch with you directly, and you’ll also receive a free copy of The Amber Project.

Doing one of these or all three (for best results) will ensure you know every time a new entry in the Renegade Star series is published. Please take a moment to do one of these so you’ll be able to join Jace, Abigail, and Lex on their next galaxy-spanning adventure.

Preview: The Amber Project

Documents of Historical, Scientific, and Cultural Significance

Play Audio Transmission File 021

Recorded April 19, 2157

CARTWRIGHT: This is Lieutenant Colonel Felix Cartwright. It’s been a week since my last transmission and two months since the day we found the city…the day the world fell apart. If anyone can hear this, please respond.

If you’re out there, no doubt you know about the gas. You might think you’re all that’s left. But if you’re receiving this, let me assure you, you are not alone. There are people here. Hundreds, in fact, and for now, we’re safe. If you can make it here, you will be, too.

The city’s a few miles underground, not far from El Rico Air Force Base. That’s where my people came from. As always, the coordinates are attached. If anyone gets this, please respond. Let us know you’re there…that you’re still alive.

End Audio File

April 14, 2339

Maternity District

MILES BELOW THE SURFACE OF THE EARTH, deep within the walls of the last human city, a little boy named Terry played quietly with his sister in a small two-bedroom apartment.

Today was his very first birthday. He was turning seven.

“What’s a birthday?” his sister Janice asked, tugging at his shirt. She was only four years old and had recently taken to following her big brother everywhere he went. “What does it mean?”

Terry smiled, eager to explain. “Mom says when you turn seven, you get a birthday. It means you grow up and get to start school. It’s a pretty big deal.”

“When will I get a birthday?”

“You’re only four, so you have to wait.”

“I wish I was seven,” she said softly, her thin black hair hanging over her eyes. “I want to go with you.”

He got to his feet and began putting the toy blocks away. They had built a castle together on the floor, but Mother would yell if they left a mess. “I’ll tell you all about it when I get home. I promise, okay?”

“Okay!” she said cheerily and proceeded to help.

Right at that moment, the speaker next to the door let out a soft chime, followed by their mother’s voice. “Downstairs, children,” she said. “Hurry up now.”

Terry took his sister’s hand. “Come on, Jan,” he said.

She frowned, squeezing his fingers. “Okay.”

They arrived downstairs, their mother nowhere to be found.

“She’s in the kitchen,” Janice said, pointing at the farthest wall. “See the light-box?”

Terry looked at the locator board, although his sister’s name for it worked just as well. It was a map of the entire apartment, with small lights going on and off in different colors, depending on which person was in which room. There’s us, he thought, green for me and blue for Janice, and there’s Mother in red. Terry never understood why they needed something like that because of how small the apartment was, but every family got one, or so Mother had said.

As he entered the kitchen, his mother stood at the far counter sorting through some data on her pad. “What’s that?” he asked.

“Something for work,” she said. She tapped the front of the pad and placed it in her bag. “Come on, Terrance, we’ve got to get you ready and out the door. Today’s your first day, after all, and we have to make a good impression.”

“When will he be back?” asked Janice.

“Hurry up. Let’s go, Terrance,” she said, ignoring the question. She grabbed his hand and pulled him along. “We have about twenty minutes to get all the way to the education district. Hardly enough time at all.” Her voice was sour. He had noticed it more and more lately, as the weeks went on, ever since a few months ago when that man from the school came to visit. His name was Mr. Huxley, one of the few men who Terry ever had the chance to talk to, and from the way Mother acted—she was so agitated—he must have been important.

“Terrance.” His mother’s voice pulled him back. “Stop moping and let’s go.”

Janice ran and hugged him, wrapping her little arms as far around him as she could. “Love you,” she said.

“Love you too.”

“Bye,” she said shyly.

He kissed her forehead and walked to the door, where his mother stood talking with the babysitter, Ms. Cartwright. “I’ll only be a few hours,” Mother said. “If it takes any longer, I’ll message you.”

“Don’t worry about a thing, Mara,” Ms. Cartwright assured her. “You take all the time you need.”

Mother turned to him. “There you are,” she said, taking his hand. “Come on, or we’ll be late.”

As they left the apartment, Mother’s hand tugging him along, Terry tried to imagine what might happen at school today. Would it be like his home lessons? Would he be behind the other children, or was everything new? He enjoyed learning, but there was still a chance the school might be too hard for him. What would he do? Mother had taught him some things, like algebra and English, but who knew how far along the other kids were by now?

Terry walked quietly down the overcrowded corridors with an empty, troubled head. He hated this part of the district. So many people on the move, brushing against him, like clothes in an overstuffed closet.

He raised his head, nearly running into a woman and her baby. She had wrapped the child in a green and brown cloth, securing it against her chest. “Excuse me,” he said, but the lady ignored him.

His mother paused and looked around. “Terrance, what are you doing? I’m over here,” she said, spotting him.

“Sorry.”

They waited together for the train, which was running a few minutes behind today.

“I wish they’d hurry up,” said a nearby lady. She was young, about fifteen years old. “Do you think it’s because of the outbreak?”

“Of course,” said a much older woman. “Some of the trains are busy carrying contractors to the slums to patch the walls. It slows the others down because now they have to make more stops.”

“I heard fourteen workers died. Is it true?”

“You know how the gas is,” she said. “It’s very quick. Thank God for the quarantine barriers.”

Suddenly, there was a loud smashing sound, followed by three long beeps. It echoed through the platform for a moment, vibrating along the walls until it was gone. Terry flinched, squeezing his mother’s hand.

“Ouch,” she said. “Terrance, relax.”

“But the sound,” he said.

“It’s the contractors over there.” She pointed to the other side of the tracks, far away from them. It took a moment for Terry to spot them, but once he did, it felt obvious. Four of them stood together. Their clothes were orange, with no clear distinction between their shirts and their pants, and on each of their heads was a solid red plastic hat. Three of them were holding tools, huddled against a distant wall. They were reaching inside of it, exchanging tools every once in a while, until eventually the fourth one called them to back away. As they made some room, steam rose from the hole, with a puddle of dark liquid forming at the base. The fourth contractor handled a machine several feet from the others, which had three legs and rose to his chest. He waved the other four to stand near him and pressed the pad on the machine. Together, the contractors watched as the device flashed a series of small bright lights. It only lasted a few seconds. Once it was over, they gathered close to the wall again and resumed their work.

“What are they doing?” Terry asked.

His mother looked down at him. “What? Oh, they’re fixing the wall, that’s all.”

“Why?” he asked.

“Probably because there was a shift last night. Remember when the ground shook?”

Yeah, I remember, he thought. It woke me up. “So they’re fixing it?”

“Yes, right.” She sighed and looked around. “Where is that damned train?”

Terry tugged on her hand. “That lady over there said it’s late because of the gas.”

His mother looked at him. “What did you say?”

“The lady…the one right there.” He pointed to the younger girl a few feet away. “She said the gas came, so that’s why the trains are slow. It’s because of the slums.” He paused a minute. “No, wait. It’s because they’re going to the slums.”

His mother stared at the girl, turning back to the tracks and saying nothing.

“Mother?” he said.

“Be quiet for a moment, Terrance.”

Terry wanted to ask her what was wrong, or if he had done anything to upset her, but he knew when to stay silent. So he left it alone like she wanted. Just like a good little boy.

The sound of the arriving train filled the platform with such horrific noise that it made Terry’s ears hurt. The train, still vibrating as he stepped onboard, felt like it was alive.

After a short moment, the doors closed. The train was moving.

Terry didn’t know if the shaking was normal or not. Mother had taken him up to the medical wards on this train once when he was younger, but never again after that. He didn’t remember much about it, except that he liked it. The medical wards were pretty close to where he lived, a few stops before the labs, and several stops before the education district. After that, the train ran through Pepper Plaza, then the food farms and Housing Districts 04 through 07 and finally the outer ring factories and the farms. As Terry stared at the route map on the side of the train wall, memorizing what he could of it, he tried to imagine all the places he could go and the things he might see. What kind of shops did the shopping plaza have, for example, and what was it like to work on the farms? Maybe one day he could go and find out for himself—ride the train all day to see everything there was to see. Boy, wouldn’t that be something?

“Departure call: 22-10, education district,” erupted the com in its monotone voice. It took only a moment before the train began to slow.

“That’s us. Come on,” said Mother. She grasped his hand, pulling him through the doors before they were fully opened.

Almost to the school, Terry thought. He felt warm suddenly. Was he getting nervous? And why now? He’d known about this forever, and it was only hitting him now?

He kept taking shorter breaths. He wanted to pull away and return home, but Mother’s grasp was tight and firm, and the closer they got to the only major building in the area, the tighter and firmer it became.

Now that he was there, now that the time had finally come, a dozen questions ran through Terry’s mind. Would the other kids like him? What if he wasn’t as smart as everyone else? Would they make fun of him? He had no idea what to expect.

Terry swallowed, the lump in his throat nearly choking him.

An older man stood at the gate of the school’s entrance. He dressed in an outfit that didn’t resemble any of the clothes in Terry’s district or even on the trains. A gray uniform—the color of the pavement, the walls, and the streets—matched his silver hair to the point where it was difficult to tell where one ended and the other began. “Ah,” he said. “Mara, I see you’ve brought another student. I was wondering when we’d meet the next one. Glad to see you’re still producing. It’s been, what? Five or six years? Something like that, I think.”

“Yes, thank you, this is Terrance,” said Mother quickly. “I was told there would be an escort.” She paused, glancing over the man and through the windows. “Where’s Bishop? He assured me he’d be here for this.”

“The colonel,” he corrected, “is in his office, and the boy is to be taken directly to him as soon as I have registered his arrival.”

She let out a frustrated sigh. “He was supposed to meet me at the gate for this himself. I wanted to talk to him about a few things.”

“What’s wrong?” Terry asked.

She looked down at him. “Oh, it’s nothing, don’t worry. You have to go inside now, that’s all.”

“You’re not coming in?”

“I’m afraid not,” said the man. “She’s not permitted.”

“It’s all right,” Mother said, cupping her hand over his cheek. “They’ll take care of you in there.”

But it’s just school, Terry thought. “I’ll see you tonight, though, right?”

She bent down and embraced him tightly, more than she had in a long time. He couldn’t help but relax. “I’m sorry, Terrance. Please be careful up there. I know you don’t understand it now, but you will eventually. Everything will be fine.” She rose, releasing his hand for the first time since they left the train. “So that’s it?” Mother said to the man.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Good.” She turned and walked away, pausing a moment as she reached the corner and continued until she was out of sight.

The man pulled out a board with a piece of paper on it. “When you go through here, head straight to the back of the hall. A guard there will take you to see Colonel Bishop. Just do what they say and answer everything with either ‘Yes, sir’ or ‘No, sir,’ and you’ll be fine. Understand?”

Terry didn’t understand, but he nodded anyway.

The man pushed open the door with his arm and leg, holding it there and waiting. “Right through here you go,” he said.

Terry entered, reluctantly, and the door closed quickly behind him.

The building, full of the same metal and shades of brown and gray that held together the rest of the city, rose higher than any other building Terry had ever been in. Around the room, perched walkways circled the walls, cluttered with doors and hallways that branched off into unknown regions. Along the walkways, dozens of people walked back and forth as busily as they had in the train station. More importantly, Terry quickly realized, most of them were men.

For so long, the only men he had seen were the maintenance workers who came and went or the occasional teacher who visited the children when they were nearing their birthdays. It was so rare to see any men at all, especially in such great numbers. Maybe they’re all teachers, he thought. They weren’t dressed like the workers: white coats and some with brown jackets—thick jackets with laced boots and bodies as stiff as the walls. Maybe that was what teachers wore. How could he know? He had never met one besides Mr. Huxley, and that was months ago.

“Well, don’t just stand there gawking,” said a voice from the other end of the room. It was another man, dressed the same as the others. “Go on in through here.” He pointed to another door, smaller than the one Terry had entered from. “Everyone today gets to meet the colonel. Go on now. Hurry up. You don’t want to keep him waiting.”

Terry did as the man said and stepped through the doorway, his footsteps clanking against the hard metal floor, echoing through what sounded like the entire building.

“Well, come in, why don’t you?” came a voice from inside.

Terry stepped cautiously into the room, which was much nicer than the entranceway. It was clean, at least compared to some of the other places Terry had been, including his own home. The walls held several shelves, none of which lacked for any company of things. Various ornaments caught Terry’s eye, like the little see-through globe on the shelf nearest to the door, which held a picture of a woman’s face inside, although some of it was faded and hard to make out. There was also a crack in it. What purpose could such a thing have? Terry couldn’t begin to guess. Next to it lay a frame with a small, round piece of metal inside of it. An inscription below the glass read, “U.S. Silver Dollar, circa 2064.” Terry could easily read the words, but he didn’t understand them. What was this thing? And why was it so important that it needed to be placed on a shelf for everyone to look at?

“I said come in,” said Bishop abruptly. He sat at the far end of the room behind a large brown desk. Terry had forgotten he was even there. “I didn’t mean for you to stop at the door. Come over here.”

Terry hurried closer, stopping a few feet in front of the desk.

“I’m Colonel Bishop. You must be Terrance,” said the man. “I’ve been wondering when you were going to show up.” He wore a pair of thin glasses and had one of the larger pads in his hand. “Already seven. Imagine that.”

“Yes, sir,” Terry said, remembering the doorman’s words.

The colonel was a stout man, a little wider than the others. He was older too, Terry guessed. He may have been tall, but it was difficult to tell without seeing his whole body. “I expect you’re hoping to begin your classes now,” said Bishop.

“Yes, sir,” he said.

“You say that, but you don’t really know what you’re saying yes to, do you?”

The question seemed more like a statement, so Terry didn’t answer. He only stood there. Who was this man? Was this how school was supposed to be?

“Terrance, let me ask you something,” said the colonel, taking a moment. “Did your mother tell you anything about this program you’re going into?”

Terry thought about the question for a moment. “Um, she said you come to school on your birthday,” he said. “And that it’s just like it is at home, except there’s more kids like me.”

Colonel Bishop blinked. “That’s right, I suppose. What else did she say?”

“That when it was over, I get to go back home,” he said.

“And when did she say that was?”

Terry didn’t answer.

Colonel Bishop cocked an eyebrow. “Well? Didn’t she say?”

“No, sir,” muttered Terry.

The man behind the desk started chuckling. “So you don’t know how long you’re here for?”

“No, sir.”

Colonel Bishop set the pad in his hand down. “Son, you’re here for the next ten years.”

A sudden rush swelled up in Terry’s chest and face. What was Bishop talking about? Of course Terry was going home. He couldn’t stay here. “But I promised my sister I’d be home today,” he said. “I have to go back.”

“Too bad,” said the colonel. “Your mother really did you a disservice by not telling you. But don’t worry. We just have to get you started.” He tapped the pad on his desk, and the door opened. A cluster of footsteps filled the hall before two large men appeared, each wearing the same brown coats as the rest. “Well, that was fast,” he said.

One of the men saluted. “Yes, sir. No crying with the last one. Took her right to her room without incident.”

Terry wanted to ask who the last one was, and why it should be a good thing that she didn’t cry. Did other kids cry when they came to this school? What kind of place was this?

“Well, hopefully, Terrence here will do the same,” said Bishop. He looked at Terry. “Right? You’re not going to give us any trouble, are you?”

Terry didn’t know what to do or what to say. All he could think about was getting far away from here. He didn’t want to go with the men. He didn’t want to behave. All he wanted to do was go home.

But he couldn’t, not anymore. He was here in this place with nowhere to go. No way out. He wanted to scream, to yell at the man behind the desk and his two friends, and tell them about how stupid it was for them to do what they were doing.

He opened his mouth to explain, to scream as loud as he could that he wouldn’t go. But in that moment, the memory of the doorman came back to him, and instead of yelling, he repeated the words he’d been told before. “No, sir,” he said softly.

Bishop smiled, nodding at the two men in the doorway. “Exactly what I like to hear.”

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Books By J.N. Chaney

The Variant Saga:

The Amber Project

Transient Echoes

Hope Everlasting

The Vernal Memory

Renegade Star Series:

Renegade Star

Renegade Atlas

Renegade Moon

Renegade Lost

Renegade Fleet

Renegade Earth

Renegade Dawn

Renegade Children

Renegade Union (Jan 2019)

Renegade Star Universe:

Nameless (Out Now!)

Orion Colony (Out Now!)

Standalone Books:

Their Solitary Way

The Other Side of Nowhere

About the Author

J. N. Chaney has a Master’s of Fine Arts in creative writing and fancies himself quite the Super Mario Bros. fan. When he isn’t writing or gaming, you can find him online at www.jnchaney.com.

He migrates often but was last seen in Avon Park, Florida. Any sightings should be reported, as they are rare.

Renegade Children is his fifteenth novel.