Extinction (17 page)

“Without Augustus, there’s no way we can win the war against Askala,” Makara said. “That’s why we have to help him. I don’t know what we’ll find when we get there, but winning means we’ll have the chance to make the counterattack on Ragnarok Crater.”

There was a sharp intake of breath from the crowd. Even a few faces at the council table went white at that announcement.

“So you’re just going to leave us behind?” One of the civilian leaders of the Exodus had spoken. “What if you don’t come back, like last time?”

“Please hold off on questions and comments for now,” Makara said. “But I will answer this one. We
will
come back. And if not, there should be few enough people here to survive for a long time, if not indefinitely.”

When no one protested, Makara continued.

“This is the first question I put before the council,” Makara went on, “and it has nothing to do with Los Angeles, but with Cain of the Sworn, along with those of his gang who followed him and surrendered to us. What is to be their fate?”

Now, the crowd’s voice rose in an angry murmur. Members of the council table looked at one another, waiting for the crowd’s voice to die.

When it became quiet, Samuel was the first to speak.

“It makes no sense to keep them alive anymore,” he said. “Keeping them alive would waste time and resources, draining our food and our manpower. They betrayed the New Angels, and they deserve nothing more than swift retribution.”

The crowd roared its agreement. I didn’t realize that we’d also be deciding the fate of Cain and the Sworn. Before I could think about my own feelings on the subject, Makara spoke.

“All members in the council in favor of the swift execution of Cain and the three Sworn who survived the battle, say ‘aye.’”

“Aye,” most all of the people at the council said in unison. I wasn’t ready to vote, so I said nothing. But it didn’t matter which way I voted; Cain and his followers were as good as dead.

“Now,” Makara said, “I’m going to open up the floor to discussion about how we can best help Augustus.”

The table was silent, and the crowd surrounding it stilled. From somewhere, a baby started crying.

“Obviously, the ship can only carry so many,” Ashton said. “We’ll have to find a safe landing point to unload all our forces. Whether that is Augustus’s camp, or somewhere else entirely, I don’t know. And we’ll have to make quite a few trips to transport everyone.”

“We have about two hundred fighters left,” Makara said. “What is that, five, six trips?”

Two hundred fighters sounded so pitiful when said out loud. Just a week ago we had been at least five hundred.

“If anything is clear,” Makara said, “the survival of the New Angels depends on winning the battle in Los Angeles. Two hundred fighters won’t do much to augment Augustus’s legions, which number in the thousands. Maybe if we set up a flank, we can get at the Reapers where it will hurt the most.”

“What do you mean?” Anna asked.

“If Carin is focused completely on Augustus, an attack from us would be completely unexpected,” Makara said. “It might be the chance we need.”

“That’s something we should talk about with Augustus,” Ashton said. “But maybe we should be focusing on the Blighters.
They
are the real enemy.”

“He’s been expecting us to come back for a few days by now,” I said. “The Blighters might have already gotten to him.”

“No, he’s alive,” Makara said. “I spoke to him a couple of hours ago. The Blighters started their attack this morning. He’s getting impatient, and I told him I’d let him know our decision tonight.”

“How soon do you plan on leaving?” Lauren asked.

Makara looked at her grimly. “Tonight. Every minute we wait is more men lost.”

Everyone in the hangar fell quiet at that.

“It will take many trips on
Perseus
to ferry two hundred people there,” Makara said. “I only trust the ship to carry thirty or so at a time.”

“That makes about seven trips,” I said, doing the math. “That’ll take at least a full day, working nonstop.”

“Probably longer,” Samuel said. “We can expect there to be roadblocks. Let’s expect two, or even three days. There are dragons to worry about.”

With the mention of dragons, I was reminded of Askal. It’d been a while since I’d seen him. I had gotten a glimpse of him defending Pyrite from the
Radaskim
when we had relocated to Bunker 84. And then there had been the dream, where he was outside Oasis. I had no idea how he was doing now, or even if he was safe.

Thinking about Askal made me realize that the key to our victory was with the
Elekai.

“Anna and I need to find the
Elekai,”
I said. “Two spaceships against all those dragons won’t be enough. We
need
to be able to fight in the air on an equal footing.”

“And how would you get the
Elekai?”
Makara asked.

I thought for a moment. The home of the
Elekai
had to have changed, because we had destroyed their Xenolith outside Vegas before realizing they were allies.

“We would have to find them,” Anna said.

“I don’t know if I can risk Alex going on such a dangerous mission,” Makara said. “And you’re injured.”

Anna shook her head. “We’re
going.”

Before Makara could respond, I cut in.

“Look, I know it sounds crazy on the surface. But we
need
those reinforcements. Without them, the
Radaskim
dragons will go unchecked. Usually, the
Elekai
have always helped us without our asking. The fact that they
aren’t
in Los Angeles tells me something is wrong.”

“This is all conjecture,” Makara said. “Show me some proof, and sure, you can go.”

Makara’s tone said that my idea would never happen. In a way, I could understand her perspective. The last place she’d want me to be was the Great Blight. If I died, it was all over.

The real reason Anna wanted to go was to see the Wanderer. I couldn’t say that to Makara, though.

Makara’s eyes narrowed in skepticism. “There’s something going on between you two. Something you’re not telling me.”

Makara went quiet, waiting for me to explain myself. I’d been caught, somehow.

“I’ll just say it, then,” I said. “This is something Anna and I have to do together.”

“Why?” Makara asked.

“Because...” I wasn’t sure how to continue.

Thankfully, Anna picked up for me. “I have my own questions to ask the Wanderer.”

“What questions?” Samuel asked.

Everyone at the council table became more alert, as if this question was more important than anything that had been discussed so far.

“I...”

Anna didn’t continue. She knew as well as I did that her question was personal. It wasn’t likely that Makara, Samuel, or anyone else would see it her way.

But just because it was personal didn’t mean it wasn’t important.

“The questions have to do with the final battle,” I said. “We need specific answers that only the Wanderer can answer.”

Samuel and Makara exchanged a look. Everyone waited for more of an explanation.

“I want to look the Wanderer in the eye, and ask him the reason Alex has to die,” Anna said. “That’s it. So far, we’re just taking his word for it.” She paused a moment. “There
could
be another way to win. We just don’t know it yet.”

A heavy silence followed. Makara looked at Anna, as if weighing her, and Anna merely looked back. Samuel and Julian looked down, as if in thought. Ashton stroked his chin, chewing his lower lip.

Makara at last looked at Samuel. “What do you think?”

It was a long moment before Samuel answered. “It’s been a while since we’ve heard from the Wanderer. Maybe...maybe they’re right. And Alex was right, earlier. We haven’t heard from the
Elekai
in a while, and Augustus didn’t mention anything about the
Elekai
being at the battle. It might be worth investigating, if they’re in trouble.”

“And how are they to get to the Great Blight?” Makara asked.
“Perseus
will be busy transporting our men.”

“Askal will take us,” I said.

“Even with the cold?” she asked. “And with Anna’s injury? Besides, you don’t even know where he is”

I knew Makara was right on all those counts. And Askal wouldn’t be fast enough, anyway, for wherever we had to go – especially if the
Elekai’s
new home was far away.

“We’d need the spaceship,” I said, finally.

“This is just more time,” Makara said. “Time we really don’t have. And I don’t like sending the person who’s our only hope for victory into harm’s way. What will happen if you die, Alex?”

“I won’t die.”

“You don’t know that,” Makara said sternly. “If you die, the rest of us die as well. We’ve had more than enough close calls. I’ve already put you through too much danger and I’ll be damned if I do it again.” She crossed her arms. “And having Anna go with you is also unsafe. She’s immobilized from her injury.”

The rest of the table went silent. All of her points were valid. Probably far more valid than mine. All I knew was that I had made Anna a promise, and I meant to keep it.

“Can’t Augustus hold on for a few more hours?” I asked. “We have to remember
why
we’re fighting. There are powers at work far greater than us. There’s the Wanderer. And there’s Askala. Only one of them can win. If there’s any chance of victory, our forces will need to join. If Anna and I go find the Wanderer, we can bring back the
Elekai
army. We have to bring the Reapers to our side, as well. If we’re not standing together, Los Angeles will fall. But we need the
Elekai
if we’re going to win.”

I looked at Makara, who looked as if she was finally being won over.

“This is something I
have
to do,” I continued. “And Anna has to come with me. She has her own questions to ask. We’re the only two who haven’t had our prophecies fulfilled. We don’t just need the
Elekai
army. We also need the Wanderer’s guidance to figure out where to go next.”

Makara was silent. I could tell she still didn’t like this, and I didn’t blame her. She would have a hard job telling Augustus that he had to wait...again. And if I died, Makara would blame herself.

“I’ll make it back in one piece, and so will Anna,” I said. “I promise.”

Makara heaved a heavy sigh. “Fine. We’ll go. We’ll coordinate with Augustus and see where the best place for us to land our men. It’s at least something to tide him over. After that, we can continue on to the
Elekai.”

Lauren was next to speak. “Who’s staying here? I’m assuming me, because I’m not really much of a fighter...”

“You can stitch a wound,” Makara said. “Some might say those people are more valuable than soldiers. If you’re willing to offer your help, we’ll sorely need it.”

“My only worry is my daughter. She can’t go into a war zone, and I couldn’t leave her behind. If something goes wrong, I can’t leave her alone.”

“I...” Michael started. “I planned on staying as well.”

Makara’s eyes widened with surprise. Michael never missed any action.

“I made a promise to Lauren a long time ago, one I didn’t keep. After seeing what almost happened to her down here – I can’t leave her. Something tells me that if I go out again, I won’t be coming back.”

Makara looked at Michael hard. “I understand what you’re saying. But we need you, Michael.”

I remembered how Makara had been hesitant to let him join the New Angels at first. Now, he was an indispensable part of the team.

“Lauren and I talked about it, and I wouldn’t be completely useless here,” he said. “Bunker 84 will need a leader to hold the fort. I can keep order here, and my loyalty isn’t in question. I promise, on my watch, nothing will go wrong here. We’ll farm and be ready to help in whatever way we can.”

After a while, Makara nodded. “You’re right. Bunker 84 will need someone to run it, and I can’t think of anyone better for the job than you.”

Michael nodded his thanks, grabbing his wife’s hand. Her eyes filled with unspoken relief.

Makara turned her eyes on me. “Alright, I think we’re in agreement. Is there anyone else who wants to stay behind?”

“I’m going to L.A.,” Julian said.

“I’m staying,” Ruth said. “Hydroponics still isn’t working efficiently, so hopefully I can figure out what’s wrong.”

“I’m staying as well,” Marcus said, pointing to his cast-encased leg.

“Of course, I can pilot
Perseus,”
Ashton said.

“And you will need a medic,” Char said. “I’ll go.”

Several other members at the table voiced how they’d support – most wanted to go to Los Angeles, while a few wanted to stay behind to help Michael and Lauren.

“That’s everyone,” Makara said. “Let’s regroup here in the morning. I’m going to speak with Augustus to determine our landing strategy.”

The meeting adjourned, and everyone began to stand. The crowd buzzed with excitement. I helped Anna back into her chair and to the ship.

The battle for Los Angeles was about to begin.

I
sat with Makara and Samuel aboard
Perseus’s
bridge. Anna had gone back to the cabin to rest while Ashton stood in the doorway, waiting. Michael was organizing the Bunker while Ruth made one final inspection of the hydroponics line. Julian was taking inventory of the food, determining how much should be taken and how much should be left behind. Char and fifteen of his best Raiders were also coming along.

At 20:30,
Perseus
lifted off. As we rose out of the hangar and into thick darkness, I looked out the windshield to see no moonlight or starlight slipping through the thick clouds. Ashton guided the ship upward, until the mist of the clouds soaked the windshield.

A minute later, we broke through, finding ourselves above a shadowed, misty plain, reflecting light from the starry heavens. The moon hung with a reddish hue, a waning crescent halfway up the eastern sky.