Extinction (7 page)

“It’ll take a couple of hours to reach Bunker Six,” Jonas said. “Everything’s ready.”

“Good,” Augustus said brusquely. “Then let us depart.”

***

W
e walked with Augustus, his Praetorians, and Jonas Sparks to the west side of camp, exiting through the gate we had entered yesterday. The gate was opened to reveal the airport terminal and its boarding tunnels outstretched. The legionaries had set up outposts around the massive building. Mounds of sandbags rose from the tarmac, behind which guards took shelter.

We walked until we arrived at the terminal’s entrance. While we had been sleeping, Augustus had set up a long perimeter of sandbags in front, behind which yet more legionaries were sheltered. There were hundreds of Imperial soldiers here. The sandbags would be more useful against bullets than crawlers.

Maybe, though, that had been the Emperor’s intent.

We walked inside the terminal. We weaved our way through the building, until we arrived at the stairwell we had come down yesterday. Most of the Praetorians stayed behind while Maxillo took the lead, followed by Augustus and Sparks. Ashton, Anna, and I came next, followed by six more Praetorians. This meant the blond, second-in-command Praetorian was in charge of the guards left behind. I still didn’t know his name.

When we reached the top of the stairwell, Maxillo opened the door, revealing red daylight.
Orion
was parked, just where Jonas had left it, on the large helipad. We walked onto the flat rooftop.

Jonas raced up the boarding ramp, and entered the code into the keypad. The door hissed open, letting out a stream of air. Everyone entered the ship. When the last Praetorian had gone in, the door slid shut.

We seated ourselves in the wardroom while Sparks, Augustus, and Maxillo made their way to the bridge. The rest of the Praetorians found handholds on the bulwarks they could grasp, in preparation for lifting off.

The ship vibrated as its fusion drive came online. Sparks’s voice emanated from speakers built into the wardroom’s corners.

“Prepare for liftoff.”

Immediately, the ship lifted. I heard the ship’s struts retract into its hull, and the boarding ramp slid into its slot. The ship turned, accelerating away from the airport.

We stayed seated as we gained in both speed and altitude. A few minutes later, we had reached cruising speed.

“What’s Bunker Six like?” I asked Ashton.

“It’s a small facility,” Ashton said. “One of the satellites of Bunker One. It held approximately 250 people, along with the United States Space Fleet. I know I said it wasn’t dangerous, but I was speaking relatively. Going into an offline Bunker is
always
dangerous. The hangar should be clear, though. At least, it was the last time I was there. It was sealed off back when the Bunker fell. Everyone who escaped, myself included, ended up in Skyhome.”

“If it’s clear, like you say, no problem then, right?” I asked.

“We’ll see before long.”

I
t was two hours before
Orion
dropped in altitude. Within another few minutes,
Orion
ceased forward motion and began to lower vertically. We were descending into Bunker Six’s hangar. The struts gave a metallic squeal as they extended. Shortly thereafter, the ship touched down.

Ashton, Anna, and I stood as the boarding ramp extended. Sparks, followed by Emperor Augustus, entered the wardroom.

Maxillo handed Ashton a radio. Another Praetorian handed Ashton, Anna, and I our handguns. Anna also received her blade.

“When you get to the blast door, Jonas will give you the code,” Augustus said. “Once on board, he’ll walk you through the start-up sequence.”

“I know how to fly a ship,” Ashton said.

“Once the ship is online, we’ll be ready to head back to L.A.” Augustus paused. “Understood?”

Ashton nodded. “Let’s get this over with.”

Maxillo opened the door. A rush of stale, metallic air entered the wardroom. When I stepped down the boarding ramp into Bunker Six’s hangar, it was much colder than I expected. From above, red sunlight filtered down through a large, square opening large enough for spaceships to enter and exit. A wide, open area stretched between us and where
Perseus
was parked. The ship looked exactly like
Orion
and
Odin,
which made sense because the three ships had identical schematics.

The last two spaceships were in this very hangar, unless there happened to be another one out there we didn’t know about.

As we descended
Orion’s
ramp, I continued to take in my surroundings. Walls of rock rose before stopping at the opening above. Toward my right, in the back corner of the hangar, was a large, retractable door, barred shut. I assumed it led deeper into the Bunker. Faded yellow paint on its corrugated surface read
6.

As
Orion
idled behind us, Ashton struck out across the hangar. I felt Augustus’s eyes on us as we walked.

When we finally made it to
Perseus
, we walked up the boarding ramp. Ashton raised the radio to his mouth.

“Code?”

“7-4-6-5-Z-Z-8-0-0,” Jonas said.

Ashton input the code. The door beeped and slid open, revealing
Perseus’s
wardroom. It was identical to
Odin
and
Orion
in every regard.

“You and Anna scout aft,” Ashton said. “I’ll head to the bridge.”

Anna and I followed Ashton’s order. Once aft, we checked the two cabins on the left side of the corridor, and the clinic on the right. The lavatory was also clear, which left the engine room. It was also empty of threats.

We headed back to the wardroom, where we met Ashton.

“Cargo bay,” Ashton said. “I already checked the bridge, galley, and captain’s quarters.”

We headed down the three steps out of the wardroom, opening the door into the cargo bay. It was practically empty. There was a metal cabinet built into the wall, and several cords and hoses curled on the deck, but not much else.

“Clear,” Ashton said into his radio.

“Are you at the bridge yet?” Jonas asked.

“In a minute,” Ashton said. “About to start it up.”

“Hurry. The Emperor wants to get moving.”

We exited the cargo bay and headed for the bridge. Anna took the copilot’s seat while Ashton took the pilot’s.

“Code?” Ashton asked.

“3-1-5-8,” Jonas said.

Ashton keyed in the code on the LCD. Slowly, the ship rumbled to life. Its hull and deck vibrated as the fusion drive, dormant for thirty years, worked itself online.

“Thank God it works,” Ashton said. “Fuel levels full. Switching to inter-ship comm.”

“Copy that,” Jonas said.

Anna flicked a few buttons. “Should be connected.”

“Jonas?” Ashton asked. “You hear me?”

Jonas’s voice now came from the dash.

“Loud and clear.”

“Following your lead.”

“Copy that.”

Orion
lifted from the hangar, its thrusters glowing blue. Ashton waited a few seconds before following. I strapped myself to the jump seat at the back of the bridge, behind both Ashton and Anna. The ship swerved as it rose. The hangar fell away as we lifted into the red sky above.

Before us spread a panorama of pink and purple mountains. Red mist shrouded the jagged peaks, and pink xenofungus extended as far as the eye could see. Swarms of birds flew in cyclones above the xenofungal floor. In the far distance, a massive Xenolith rose from the fungus, much larger than any I’d ever seen. More such Xenoliths dotted the horizon. We were deep into the Great Blight. The xenolife here would be more massive and exotic – and probably dangerous.

“Perseus...”
It was Augustus’s voice. “We have just received word from Los Angeles. The Reapers are shelling my camp.”

We looked at each other. It was time to make good on our side of the bargain, but Makara and the others still needed airlifting out of Oasis, if they were still there.

“Augustus,” Ashton said. “We...have something to take care of, first. It won’t take long.”

“What?”

“We’ll...be back to help soon. It has to do with our friends.”

“Your friends?” The dash was silent for a moment. “You mean...Samuel?”

“We didn’t want to say anything. But they are alive. We know, because the cargo bay of
Gilgamesh
was empty. There was a Recon stored there, so we know they got out. We think they’re in Oasis, and Oasis is under attack. We have to save them.”

It took a while for Augustus to react to these words. I could only imagine his shock.

“I...can hardly believe that, Ashton. Even if it’s true...how do you
know
they are there?”

Ashton looked at me. “I think we might have a lead. Don’t ask me to explain. It should only take thirty minutes extra.”

“Thirty minutes?” Augustus asked. “Do you know how many of my men could die in that time?”

“This is important,” Ashton said. “And it’s not something we can argue about. It’s something we must do.”

Augustus said something in Spanish, likely a curse.

“I went through all this trouble to provide you with a spaceship, and this is how you repay me?”

“It won’t be long for us to pick them up,” I said. “If we wait, they’re going to die, and we
can’t
let that happen. We don’t have time, especially if they have flyers. Your men can hold on that long.”

Augustus was silent for a long moment.

“I don’t like this, but I see I have no option. You have your extra thirty minutes, but after that, you
must
help me with the Reapers.”

“Agreed,” Ashton said. “We won’t be long.”

We sped west over the Great Blight.

***

W
e stayed high in altitude at first, but once we were halfway over Arizona, Ashton lowered the ship in preparation for descent into Oasis. Once we broke through the layer of thick, red clouds, we saw a fraction of what we’d be up against.

The entire fungus-ridden ground boiled with wave after wave of crawlers, all speeding east in a blur. Above them flew dragons – at least a dozen of them. Behemoths lumbered across the plains at a run while other strange, nameless creatures scampered in their wake.

I realized where they all were headed. Los Angeles.

“Opening fire,” Sparks said.

“No!” Ashton shouted.
“Hold
your fire!”

But it was too late. A trail of bullets blazed from
Orion’s
turret, entering the back of one of the dragons. The dragon gave a high shriek that pierced the ship’s hull. Its wings folded as it spiraled to the ground, crashing into a startled Behemoth.

Immediately, the rest of the dragons changed trajectory, aiming upward toward us. Their white eyes blazed in fury.

“Lose them in the clouds,” Ashton said. “And hold on. This might get bumpy.”

The ship angled upward. The onrush of G-forces pushed me against my seat. The LCD revealed
Orion
lagging behind, two xenodragons clipping at its thrusters.

“Faster, Sparks!” Ashton said.

“I’m trying!”

We broke through the clouds, and Ashton kept climbing. From behind,
Orion
appeared. Seconds later, two xenodragons pierced the clouds, flying madly to intercept
Orion.

“Keep climbing!” Ashton said.

“I can’t go any faster!” Sparks said.

Ashton looked at the LCD, shaking his head in frustration. “Your retrothrusters are facing the wrong way, you idiot! Point them
aft!”

Below, Sparks struggled to control the ship. All the while, the xenodragons closed the gap.

Ashton turned
Perseus
around. “We can’t trust them to save themselves.”

“Target acquired,” Anna said. “Fire?”

“Jonas, out of the way!”

“What?”

“To port, to port!”

Finally, the message seemed to connect.
Orion
surged to the left, almost executing a barrel roll. The ships weren’t meant to fly upside down while in the atmosphere, and the move could have caused
Orion
to go down. But Sparks managed to right the ship, giving us the opening we needed to take a shot.

“Both targets acquired,” Anna said.

Instead of haranguing Jonas again, Ashton merely shook his head. “Fire.”

Two missiles streaked from beneath
Perseus.
One zoomed to left, toward a xenodragon chasing after
Orion,
while the other surged to the right, where the other dragon raced to cut off the
Orion’s
escape.

“Drop through the clouds!” Ashton said.

This time, there was no delay in reaction.
Orion
dipped, which must have thrown the Praetorians in the wardroom straight to the deck. Before the dragons could react to
Orion’s
change in course, the missiles connected, igniting in twin, fiery plumes of white and orange. A rush of purplish organic matter and chips of bone exploded outward, charred to crisps from the immense heat released by the missiles.

I looked at the section of cloud below the explosion, where
Orion
had disappeared.

“You still there?” Ashton asked.
“Orion,
you have a copy?”

There was no response.
Perseus
showed the ship to be online. Maybe Jonas had blacked out from the G-forces.

At last,
Orion
lifted above the clouds at a leisurely place.

“Sparks,” Ashton said, “you nearly got us all killed.”

“I know,” he said, almost sullenly. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s real easy to piss off those dragons,” Ashton said. “We’re lucky only two came after us.”

“I wonder where they’re going, anyway,” Anna said.

“Los Angeles,” I said. “Carin Black picked a hell of a time to start the war.”

“There might be a way to stop it,” Ashton said. “But first, we have to get to Oasis. Our team’s waiting on us.”

Ashton turned the ship, facing it northwest.

“Follow my lead, Sparks,” he said. “And don’t do anything without my go-ahead. Got that?”