Atlas: Infinity Verge Trilogy: Book II (29 page)

She couldn't look away as he locked his gaze on her. He smiled, she cringed. His mouth was blackness stained by outlets of small white teeth. Blue glowed from his eyes and his mouth. She half expected it to come from his nostrils and his ears too, but it did not. Echo continued to stare in horror summing up the adversary before her. The whine of her plasma pistol reached her ears and she realized her instincts had taken over.

“There is no need little one. Hmm, auburn hair, light blue skin, you are the one that traveled with Abel Cain. Do you know me?” He asked almost conversationally, but there was a hint of a demand to his query.

“I do,” Echo hated herself for answering, it felt like giving in.

“Go ahead, say it,” Alek said.

It wasn't an unreasonable request, but Echo felt the need to ignore him. She didn't want to mention his name for fear of him. He seemed to catch on to that and he smiled again. He watched her eyes as they watched his. Echo shifted her sight and she saw Six. He was just behind Alek. Six raised the sword and Echo's eyes betrayed them both.

Alek saw the look and turned on his heel. He ducked under Six's swing and grabbed his wrist. With a flick of his own wrist, Alek broke Six's grasp on the sword. The weapon fell into Alek's other hand. The hilt of the blade landed cleanly in his waiting grasp. He thrust it upward.

Time stood still. Echo could hear the sick slosh of the sword as it punctured and ran through Six's abdomen. She watched the look on his face go from shock, to fear, to acceptance, and finally to death. The light fled his eyes as he met Echo's eyes. His hands gripped the EXO Prime feebly. Alek stepped away and withdrew the blade.

Six crumbled to the floor his blood spilling out, but he was already dead. Echo couldn't even scream, the shock of it grasped her heart and shook it. She raised the pistol. She pulled the trigger several times. The rasping cough of the pistol was like her very own battle cry. The plasma bolts glowed green-blue as they arced towards Alek Vale.

Echo caught him off-guard as the plasma seared into his left leg. She watched as the first bolt melted away eating at his skin. The skin fell away from his leg in a sickening
plop
exposing the mechanics underneath. The subsequent shots went wild, but one hit the same leg. The plasma blazed and burst as it ate through Alek's leg. He was screaming now, an inhuman cry that spoke of animalistic savagery. Echo fired the pistol several more times until the weapon began to screech in alert. The chamber was beginning to overheat. Echo dropped the weapon and watched as the EXO Prime - Alek Vale - began to writhe in agony.

In a rare display of savagery on her own part, Echo rushed to the man's side and kicked him hard in the ribs. He swiped his hand at her, but force was not in it. The plasma she had fired was eating through his limbs. He stared up at her with one good eye and screamed. She kicked him in the side of the face and unhinged his jaw. Echo began to kick and stomp each time emitting a primal cry she didn’t know she had in her. He did not beg for mercy or ask her to stop. If he had she might have stopped.

Echo saw the sword beside him and she swept it up. Six's blood still ran down its length and she could feel it dripping on her hand. Echo dug the sword under Alek Vale and turned him to his belly. He rolled over with a grotesque moan.

“This is for my father,” Echo said as she slammed the sword against the back of a leg. “My mother!” she cried as she swung again at the other leg, “FOR ZEE!” She struck at one of his arms at the shoulder. Her rage knew no bounds as she cried for people she loved, for people she cared for as she drove the blade downward slicing and cutting at the EXO Prime. He groaned and made noises. She was appalled that he still lived while so many others had died. She thought of Abel and she wept as she drove the sword between his shoulder blades. Echo gave every ounce of her strength in that thrust and pinned him to the deck.

Echo turned to the sound of others entering the command deck and she dove for the pistol again. The gun was cooler now, but she didn't care. She raised it and fired.

30:
SATYR

Quintar V - Independent ATLAS-V Class Gunship: Atlas

2973 ESD - Friday, June 18th 14:00 hours

The
Atlas
swerved through the clouds above Quintar V. The vessel shook and vibrated as they crossed the threshold between space and the atmosphere of the planet. Abel had forced a complete shut down before they dropped into the airspace, remembering his first encounter with the AI that ruled the planet. He had shut off the EMP that damaged his vessel so many years ago, but there was no telling what surprises the EXO Prime could throw at them.

“Alright, we're through the worst of it. Fire up the main engine, bring the computers back online,” Abel ordered.

The meager crew of two complied. The main engine roared to life again and the computers began to light up. Abel gripped the sides of his chair as they descended through the stratosphere. The violent shaking of the vessel made Abel think it might shake his teeth loose.

“Observation: Captain it would appear we are crashing, would you like me to bring the nacelles online for interatmospheric flight?” ADM asked. The AI had re-appeared shortly after the computers came back online.

“Confirmed ADM, do it now!” Abel said through the strain.

“Confirmation: Affirmative, primary nacelles booting now. Peak efficiency in thirty-five seconds. Thirty-four seconds-” ADM began a countdown before Abel interrupted.

“Cut it out. Just get them online and save us from dying.” Abel shouted.

“Confirmation: Affirmative.”

A moment later the forward and aft nacelles roared to life and the
Atlas
leveled out. Abel leapt up from the chair and engaged the haptic controls. He motioned for the ship to veer starboard and began a fast descent into the lower atmosphere. The vessel did not shake now, the inertial dampeners were working and the anti-gravity emitters were doing their job. Abel switched the view screen to show the scene before them. He saw the TP-D on their approach and he saw the swarm of EXOs converging on the vessel.

“Alright, time to earn your stripes men,” Abel said, addressing his crew. “Artemis take control of AaBee's turret station, I want you targeting and firing on as many of those EXOs as you can, we need to clear a swath in front of the docking ring. Tee, get me comms and get ahold of anyone down there who is still alive!”

“Sir,” they said in unison.

The
Atlas
blazed through the sky as the turrets fired lasers into the EXO horde approaching the TP-D. The
whoomp whoomp whoomp
of the lasers echoed through the area drowned out only by the roar of the
Atlas
' engines. The EXOs tried to mount a defense, but the gunship was impenetrable. The shields lit up as they fired but it was a futile effort. Abel swung the
Atlas
in a wide arc and began to clear the area around the cargo bay.

“Captain! I am reading multiple contacts converging on the command deck. Scans show a hull breach,” Tee said.

“Flak!” Abel cursed as he angled the
Atlas
upward and over the TP-D. He nearly clipped the LIDAR outcropping on top of the destroyer. The violent redirection almost threw Artemis from his seat. “Buckle down men,” Abel admonished.

The
Atlas
swerved to the port side and avoided any other near misses with the destroyer. EXOs were beginning to crawl across the hull. Abel watched and decided any action against them would give too much cause for alarm to survivors inside. Plus he did not want to damage the destroyer in the event it still had fire power. The last thing Abel wanted was to become a target to his allies.

“Observation: The EXO threat is attempting to infiltrate our systems. I believe they are using a portable communications device. Query: Would you like me to eliminate the device?” ADM asked.

“Fire at will ADM,” Abel said. He nearly flipped the
Atlas
as he avoided a surface to air missile coming from the EXO ranks. ““Where the hell did they get missiles?”

“Statement: That was a class M2 rocket, it likely came from the TP-D munitions store,” ADM explained. “Clarification:
it
was from the TP-D
Justice
munitions store, EXOs have breached the rear starboard docking ring.”

“FLAK!” Abel cursed. He stayed on his course though, survivors were more important than the munitions. “ADM be ready to deploy anti-missile flares, or any other countermeasures you deem fit. What is the status of that Comm device?”

“Statement: Three … Two … One …” the explosion on the surface gave Abel all the answer he needed, but ADM proceeded anyway, “Eliminated.”

“Good job. We've got an LZ, Artemis keep those turrets going and keep the EXOs from entering the TP-D until we get our people out,” Abel ordered.

“Understood sir.” Artemis replied.

“Tee, you're with me.” Abel said as he landed the
Atlas
. The engine noise died down, but the lasers continued their
whoomp whoomp whoomp
cacophony of death.

Abel leapt up from his chair and ran to the ladder down to crew berthing. He slid down the ladder and narrowly missed crashing into the bunks. He had forgotten that the
Atlas
was now a fully crew worthy vessel. He dodged the other bunks and hit the cargo release. The door hissed and opened revealing the open cargo bay. Against the wall was his SATYR armor and the control suit. Abel rushed over and pulled on the suit over his clothing. It didn't fit quite right and his clothes became rumbled underneath, but he didn't have the time to undress.

After donning the suit he stepped into the armor, “Cain, Abel. Alpha Charlie Niner Eight Tango, activation.”

The armor whirred to life and enclosed around him. Abel steeled himself as the control nodes punctured his back and embedded into his spine. Still, he winced when the nodes went in. In moments his nanites interfaced with the armor. Displays in his suit gave him atmospheric pressure readings and general location of EXO threats.

“Artemis,” Abel said through his comms, “Keep those EXOs at bay, I am going to need a few minutes to get to the survivors.””

“Understood sir. The AI is asking for permission to contact you in the suit, he said there is a firewall?” Artemis replied.

“Oh yeah,” Abel said, “I forgot about that.” He mentally opened the link to the
Atlas
, the schematics ran through and gave him readings on power, sustained weapon drain, and fuel reserve.

“Statement: I am reading two life signatures inside the TP-D on the command deck. One is very faint. They are very close together. Suggestion: I advise caution Captain,” ADM said.

“Understood ADM. Help fix that power fluctuation,” Abel said noticing that the sustained laser fire was causing a fluctuation in the reactor core. “The last thing we need is a breach that would compromise our escape.”

“Confirmation: Affirmative Captain,” ADM said.

Abel and Tee rushed down the ramp out of the cargo hold towards the TP-D. Abel could see that the forward canopy was not just damaged, but it seemed to have been torn off entirely. He guessed that re-entry saw the shields fail at some point. He feared for the condition of any survivors. He knew that the EFNF usually had advanced nanites, but they were not like his own. Echo had some very similar to Zee's though. He hoped that Echo was alive and unharmed.

Abel crossed the threshold first and plasma fire sizzled against his suit. Luckily this was a more advanced version than the one he had purchased on Eden. The personal shield absorbed the plasma and lit up around him. He looked at where the shot had come from and felt pity.

Echo stood staring at his form with wild-eyed fury. She raised the plasma pistol and pulled the trigger several more times, but the weapon was spent. Abel looked at her. She was covered in blood and visceral fluid. He followed the trail of blood and guts to the impaled body of Alek Vale.

“Statement: He is alive. Nanite repair estimates that he will have full recovery in seven point nine five hours,” ADM said through Abel's comms.

“Echo,” was all Abel said.

“Abel?” Echo replied. She began to cry and rushed towards him. She flung herself against his armor and wrapped her arms around him as much as she could. Echo wept. “They're all dead …” she said between sobs.

Abel nodded. He understood. “Come on Echo, we don't have time, the EXOs are still coming, we need to get out of here.”

“Is he …”

“No, he'll survive, but the EXOs won't be able to move him if we can close this canopy up,” Abel said. Echo nodded and looked out at the
Atlas
.

“Yeah, let's get back to the ship and get out of here. The
Atlas
, she's got at least one nuke,” Abel said.

Echo just nodded again and started to move towards the
Atlas
. Several EXOs leapt from above and pounced on her. Echo scrambled, but one of them managed to hit her in the back of the head. Echo pitched forward and fell into a heap.

Abel watched in horror as Echo fell. He didn't know if she was dead or alive, but he had seen the EXO hit her with something like a baton.