Colonization (Alien Invasion Book 3) (33 page)

Andreus’s plan, unfortunately, relied on stealth and deception, with no room for error. They’d be armed, but not sufficient to handle any potential problems. Benjamin had heard Cameron, Piper, and Trevor’s tale of escape from Heaven’s Veil, but he also knew they’d made that escape in what was essentially a tank — and now that Benjamin knew about the BB, it also sounded like the Astrals had
allowed
them to go. This Salt Lake mission would be different. If their subterfuge was discovered and they had to scrap at Cottonwood — if they had to scrap
at all
— they’d be massacred.

The game would be over. If the Astrals discovered what the tablet had really led them to find, they’d have drawn an engraved map to Thor’s Hammer and delivered it to them. Nothing could stand in their way after that. No one could stop them.

“I changed my mind,” Benjamin said, even though Andreus was practically staring him down.

“You don’t get to change your mind, Ben.”

“We’ll find another way. We know where the plate is, and the Astrals don’t know we know. We can take our time, figure out a way to do it right.”

“You’re letting fear get the best of you.”

“It’s not that. It’s stupid to act when we know we’ll fail.”

Andreus shook his head.

“What?” Benjamin asked.

“The die is cast. You made your speech, and the Astrals were listening. If we don’t go, they’ll know we know something.”

“I’ll make another speech. I’ll tell everyone I changed my mind. Cottonwood’s an Astral base, for Christ’s sake. They’ll understand if it looks like we want to think twice about running into the lion’s den.”

Andreus shook his head. “No.”

Benjamin met his eyes. “I’m sorry?”

“It’s not just you in this anymore. I stuck my neck out there to save your people in Vail.”

“They weren’t actually in danger.” Benjamin said, knowing his response sounded lame.

“We didn’t know that. And the Astrals
know
I didn’t know but went in anyway. I’ve had amnesty, but those days are numbered. They could show up at any time to destroy my camps, like they did for the rebel base. I lost my wife to this. Do you know how hard it was to decide whether to send Grace to the Republic or keep her here? Two terrible choices. Shuttles could burn either one without any notice.” He stabbed a finger into the table. “This? This is our
only
chance. You don’t get to make the decision alone. We’re partners now, like it or not.”

Benjamin watched him, feeling chastised. He’d never been so frightened — and so sure they were merely lining up for execution. He felt helpless. He didn’t just fear death. Its
inevitability
prickled his skin.

“Then we have to arm up,” Benjamin said. “We have to take one of your tanks.”

“They’ll know we’re up to something if we do that.”

“Our
official version
is that we’re up to something!” Benjamin blurted. Andreus was infuriating to talk to. He pretended to be having a discussion while delivering orders.

A small smile had grown on Andreus’s lips, despite his shaking head. Benjamin wanted to leap across the table and punch him. Benjamin was out of his mind, and this bastard was
enjoying
himself, keeping secrets because he thought it was
funny?

“Benjamin,” Andreus said. “Do me a favor.”

Benjamin stared.

“Take a deep breath.”

“What’s so goddamn funny, Nathan?” It felt reckless to say his first name. Assuming familiarity. It was the kind of thing that local rumor said could get you disemboweled to teach you a lesson. Drawn and quartered, or beheaded.

“We have to get in and out, pretending to look for one thing while searching for another, without breaking our illusion. But the lack of fallback seems to be bothering you. No chance of surviving if things go wrong, and we can’t maintain that illusion. Sound about right?”

“If we’re killed,” Benjamin said, “we won’t get a second chance to get Thor’s Hammer before they do.”

“Would it make you feel any better if I assured you there’s no chance we’ll be killed?”

The flat, statement-like quality of the lie left Benjamin momentarily speechless. Andreus hadn’t inquired as preamble to a pep talk. He’d stated it like a fact — the way he’d declare that there were two men in the room. He’d implied it as a mission objective. Datum a commander might use to plan an assault.

The only question was how Andreus could possibly think Benjamin would believe something so absurd — or, possibly, just how stupid Andreus thought he was.

“How could you
possibly
think that heading
directly
into an Astral-controlled area won’t entail risk?”

Andreus told him.

C
HAPTER
52

Heather clenched the silver canister between her breasts.

Terrence farther extended his hand. “Heather.”

It had taken Terrence time to get used to Heather’s caustic nature the same way getting used to her took everyone time. But Heather’s house on the grounds was on Terrence’s other side, opposite Christopher’s. Years of having her as an obnoxious neighbor had taught him that there was no winning. Brevity was the only way to argue — not because it worked, but because it meant you’d put yourself out there less when she eventually made fun of you before walking away, having done exactly whatever the fuck she’d wanted.

“You gave me this thing,” she told him. “So now, if you want it back, you have to tell me what you plan to do with it.”

Terrence looked around Heather’s small living room. He wasn’t wearing his trademark glasses, so his worry and urgency were clear.

“I told you,” he said.

“You just told me it’s something you made for Benjamin. Having to do with the Internet. But I know you were talking to Benjamin through that church that got blown up, maybe with the help of that big pile of black ashes that Piper had been hanging out with.”

“So what?”

Heather held the canister tighter. Terrence kept beckoning with his fingers. “Come on, Heather. Give it to me.” He was much bigger and stronger but wouldn’t pry it from her. He was oddly polite, and Heather strangely intimidating. Like a tiny spider with giant fangs.

“So a lot has changed since the original plan. You don’t know for sure what Cameron was going to do with this before he handed it off. Piper and my son are out there somewhere! How do you know Benjamin’s plans don’t require saving them from the desert instead of hacking the Internet and — ”

“Do you know the Andreus Republic?”

The warmth left her skin. Of course Heather knew about the Andreus Republic. They were animals. People claimed they skinned their enemies — or at least, that’s what the news said. Andreus bands were the main reason nobody left Heaven’s Veil or local outposts. She didn’t want to hear what followed. She’d mentioned Trevor, and Terrence had replied by broaching the Republic. A chilling implication.
Advantage: Terrence
.

“Turns out, Nathan Andreus and I have a lot in common,” Terrence said, clearly enjoying his conversational coup on the Queen of Wry. “He’s a lot smarter than people give him credit for. I was sitting in the guard station the other day when my radio started giving static bursts of Morse. Long story short, I changed a few settings in my web browser code, and now Andreus and I are pen pals.”

Heather still didn’t trust herself to speak. Terrence wasn’t getting to the point, unless the point was that he’d turned traitor and wanted her to know he was about to join a group the news painted as practically cannibals.

“He’s a tech guy,” Terrence said, taking mercy, his smarmy look relaxing. “He’s had an in all this time. Understands all my network stuff, including the general idea behind Canned Heat.”

“Is that a saucy women’s prison movie?”

“Trevor is fine, Heather. He and Piper and Cameron made it to Moab okay. The tank thing we told you about? Turns out that was an Andreus Republic vehicle. Now Nathan Andreus and his people are working with them. And they’re … planning something.”

“What are they planning?”

Terrence reached for the silver cylinder. Heather clenched it tighter and pivoted away.

“The Astrals are watching Internet traffic, such as they’re able. And that’s not a problem for someone like Andreus or me, who know where to hide messages in the deluge, then couch them so they aren’t terribly incriminating if discovered. The bigger problem is the wholesale severing of channels. What you have there — ” he pointed, “ — is a virus that I think will disrupt their blockages, opening some of those channels for at least a little while. Long enough for people like Benjamin to share some information in order to … to do other stuff.”

“What other stuff?”

“That’s need-to-know information.”

“Well, guess who needs to know?”

Terrence got a few fingers on the canister, but Heather slapped him away. Soon, he’d tire of the game and simply pin her despite his nature, but she could weasel some more secrets before he did.

“Fuck off, Terrence. If I’m good enough to hide this for you, I’m good enough to know what you’re doing.”

“The more you know, the more you could get in trouble.”

“More trouble than running off and killing one of the peacekeepers? More trouble than helping Piper get away after stealing some CIA secret shit from His Lordship the holy motherfucking Viceroy of Heaven’s Veil?”

“Time is a factor, here, Heather. You’re not helping.”

“No way. You thought they were suspicious of you, so you gave me this thing to hide. Then you come here, to my house, rubbing your suspicious ass all over my face. Now I’ve got suspicion on my chin.”

“Wow. Vivid imagery.”

“Look. Just let me help. I’m in it this far anyway.”

“There’s no way for you to help.”

“Why not?”

“Because I just need to plug that into a port and execute.”

“So it’s a program.”

“It’s complicated. It can’t just be emailed. I need that actual canister you’re holding.”

“Is it complicated or simple? Make up your mind, Terrence.”

Terrence sighed. He kept himself from rolling his eyes, probably because Heather would take it as a sign of victory. His hand fell to his side.

“It’s simple in execution. It really is just plugging in and executing it. But if it works, it’ll uncensor the Internet for just long enough, at least, to help Benjamin send information to colleagues worldwide who can help him find something.”

“And he needs to do it ASAP. Which is why you’re so eager.”

“Not ASAP. They need to find something first.”

“I thought whatever you were doing would
help
them find it.”

“They need to find one thing
then
the other.”

“Like a scavenger hunt,” Heather said. “Fun.”

“But as soon as they find the first thing, that’s when this needs to go.
Right
then. No sooner and no later. Satisfied?” He reached again.

“Not at all. You haven’t told me how I can help.”

“Why do you need to help?”

Heather took the canister from her chest and waved it in the air. “Because I want to get into trouble! Because I’m sick of all this! Look at me! Lila and Trevor get to live in the big mansion. Piper gets to live in the mansion with Meyer. Shit, even
Raj
gets to live in the mansion. But where does Heather end up? Out in the shitty guest shacks with the help!” She considered adding “no offense” for Terrence but decided not to bother. “I went out with Trevor to help there, and
still
that little bastard ran off without me. Now he’s in Utah, probably living it up and going to all the best parties, while I’m stuck here, bored!”

Terrence looked like he might suggest that there probably weren’t any parties in Moab worth going to. Instead, he sighed.

“The node that plugs the mothership into the network seems to be in the house. I’m sure it’s up on the fourth floor, with all the other computers. If you really want to help, you can figure a way to get in there. I have some tricky ideas on how to do it, but they all introduce complications and unknowns that I’d rather avoid if possible. Best-case scenario is walking right up there, plugging in, and accessing a terminal. But it’s restricted. I don’t suppose you have access, as family?”

Heather laughed. She was Lila and Trevor’s mother and Clara’s grandmother, but nobody seemed to understand that those things made her family.

“No, I don’t have access.”

Nobody would give Heather access. She lived in the guest houses, for God’s sake.

Even Piper, who’d managed to steal from Meyer and the Astrals, wouldn’t have access to something like that.

Heather felt her usual flash of bitterness.

Piper didn’t share blood but lived in the house.

Even Raj didn’t share blood but lived the house.

Heather’s resentment turned to inspiration. “When do you need to be in there?”

Terrence frowned. It looked like he’d asked a titanic favor but now had to admit that his unreasonable timeframe was icing on an imposition cake.

“Tomorrow. Three o’clock.”