The Last Revolution (20 page)

Arakiel nodded in understanding. “I’m sorry, sir.” He had only been trying to conceal its identity. He couldn’t believe how stupid he’d been. If he was identified and the package was taken, how many more countless soldiers would die? He wouldn’t let the Guardian down again.

“I’m going to provide you with another opportunity to prove yourself. There is a secret Council installation buried below ground, ten kilometers from here. You are to infiltrate the structure and download all schematics for the ADNV Testament. I’m sending you the computer program required to hack their system now.”

That seemed to be an overly complicated solution. “Couldn’t we just—”

“Did I make myself unclear?”

Arakiel shook his head. “No, sir.”

“Each of these installations is hard wired into the central command; it’ll be the easiest way to acquire the information. When you’re finished, initiate the self-destruct sequence. You are to leave no trace of your presence. I cannot tolerate any more failures.”

“I won’t let you down. However, we might have another problem. When I was in New Tranquility, I think I saw Alden running from the destruction. He was with some woman. They were being chased by several officers. Do you think he was responsible for the bombing?”

The Guardian stood in silent contemplation for several moments before responding, “No. Forget about Alden for now, focus on your mission. I know your desire for revenge, but there is too much on the line. If we’re going to stop this war we must not waver from the path. Once you’ve acquired the schematics, encrypt the file and transfer them to my personal deck.”

“I won’t let you down.”

My contact will be waiting for you at 0200 in the H-3 processing facility just north of New Tranquility. I must go now. Do not fail me again.”

Arakiel could feel the locket under his clothes, pressing against his chest. Alden’s very existence was an insult to her memory. He would have his revenge.

***

Kira squeezed Alden’s arm. “Let’s get out of here.”

They had landed inside a giant hangar where dozens of other ships sat awaiting passengers. Several dozen mechanized warriors stood lined up against the back wall. Lifts were being used to replace broken guns, fix blown engines, and repair the damage done by the razor sharp lunar dust. A scattered, leaderless enemy didn’t provide much use for weapons of this size anymore. Relics of previous wars improperly suited and outdated for modern conflicts.

He followed her lead as she pushed through the crowds that flowed around them. Apollo felt far different than New Tranquility. It was obvious that it was the oldest city. There were no windows or sweeping vistas of the lunar surface.

Everyone lived several hundred feet below ground in order to seek natural protection from the harmful rays that bombarded the surface. There were several floors visible above their heads. Colonists could be seen walking between the shops, restaurants and bars that lined the walls.

“Hi.”

Alden was surprised by the sound. A young man in his mid teens stood before them. His clothes were well worn and appeared to be smeared with dirt.

“Mr. West asked me to escort you to the pub. I’ve been waiting for you. My name’s Tex.”

“Pleasure to meet you, Tex.” Alden shook his hand.

“Do you have something for us?” Kira asked.

“Terrans. You’re always so needy.” He gave a suspicious look around. “I can’t give it to you here. Follow me.”

Kira didn’t seem the least bit suspicious and followed Tex into the crowd.

“That was an impressive amount of soldiers stationed upstairs,” Alden said, attempting to make conversation.

“Oh that? That was nothing. It’s just a small fraction of the force that’s on the lunar surface. Most of it is located outside the city at the Council’s Coalition Military Base. It addition to the soldiers that occupy the city, we’re also home to most of the Terran government bureaucracy. If you actually needed to make any important decision, you’d go to the base, but if you wanted to get a license to sell products on Earth, which is nearly impossible, you’d come here.”

“You said occupy,” Kira said. “Didn’t you mean stationed?”

“Ha. Would you like working in the mines for scratch? I’m not sure what it’s like in the other cities—but the government runs everything here. You can’t even buy a home without a friend in the right place. You have to work for any freedom you want. Those who refuse disappear. I help Caleb because he makes my life easier and pays a better wage than the government.”

Two soldiers appeared out of the crowd carrying fully automatic weapons. Tex quit talking until they had disappeared around an adjacent corner. He led them to an observation area, with a wall of windows that looked out over the massive canyon Apollo City had been built into. It was easily several hundred meters to the bottom and just as far to the surface. The full immensity of the city came into view. Tens of thousands of little windows could be seen protruding out from the canyon wall beneath them.

The area around them was less populated. Various types of trees had been planted in order to provide a little natural beauty to an otherwise bleak and practical surrounding. Tex stepped behind one of the trees, and then reached into his coat pocket. Alden’s hand twitched when Tex produced a small handgun.
It’s a trap.

“Caleb asked me to get these for you.” He handed the gun to Kira, who stashed it inside her jacket. Reaching behind his back, he pulled out another gun and gave it to Alden.

“Mr. West told me you’re military deserters from Earth.” He offered them both small paper documents. “These are your lunar IDs. They’ll help you move between levels. Your identities have already been scanned into the system. However, they won’t hold up under intense scrutiny, so be careful…with both of these. You’re a married couple that lives on L9. She’s employed by the government and you’re a maintenance worker.”

“I’m a what?”

“Trust me, the more unimportant you seem, the easier your life will be.” Tex looked around uneasily. “I need to go now, the less we’re seen together the better.”

“What if we need to reach you again?” Kira asked.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be around.” He stepped out from behind the tree and began to walk away.

“Wait, one more thing,” Alden called. “Where’s the Green Dragon Pub?”

“It’s on this level and two floors down.” He disappeared back into the crowd.

Chapter 6

It had been hours since Arakiel had seen any signs of life and the trip from New Tranquility had been uneventful to say the least. The lunar surface was an unending blur of barren hills and desolate craters. It was little wonder everyone up here was crazy. You’d have to be psychotic to choose this lifestyle. The proximity alarm on his wrist deck went off. He took a few more steps and then finally reached his destination at the edge of an enormous crater.

At the bottom of the bowl was a solitary grey building. There was an entrance on one side, and a large communication tower on roof. Arakiel quickly descended the steep crater wall. After the mind numbing trip, he’d almost expected the crater to be empty. But the Guardian had been right, as usual.The location made sense from a tactical perspective. It would be impossible to see from the surface, and it would easily blend in to the surrounding landscape if someone happened to fly over.

He covered the distance to the building as fast as possible. Who knew what sorts of defenses it contained. He pulled a small device out of his pocket, clicked it on, and then chucked it at the communication tower. The grenade rotated as it soared through the void. There was a moment of blinding light, followed by a spherical blast of energy and then it collapsed back on itself in the blink of an eye. All that remained was a twisted and unrecognizable metal structure.

It wouldn’t have been his choice to attack a military structure. He moved towards the entrance, pushing chunks of floating debris out of his way. It seemed there were so many less conspicuous ways to get the information they wanted, but orders were orders. Arakiel reached into his other pocket and produced a small piece of clay. He pressed it against the door handle. It wouldn’t take any time to make his way through the automated facility, find the terminal and download the files. He primed the charge, averted his eyes and detonated the device.

A small hole had been blown into the left side of the door and it opened with ease. He was met with a dizzying array of security lights that bathed the stairwell in red. He descended the wide set of steps, until he reached a giant steel door that cut him off from the rest of the facility. He had less than twenty minutes before the first military transports touched down.

He pressed a few buttons on his deck and activated the program he’d been given by the Guardian. On cue, the door retracted into the ceiling and then a second layer of doors slid to either side. There was a quick whoosh as the oxygen was vented from the room. At the rate the software was taking control, the whole facility would be his in fifteen seconds.

Some computer technician back at the Council military base was undoubtedly scrambling to lock the virus out. He was about to have the worst day of his life. Arakiel’s wrist deck lit up and displayed the control panel for the entire facility. He was in. The doors closed behind him and the oxygen poured back into the room. The security lights were still going off, along with the panicked sound of the alarms. The entrance door came to life and slid open, disappearing into the left wall.

Arakiel stood at the end of a long hallway, but instead of an empty space there were dozens of soldiers lined up along both of the walls. All of them stood fully erect, automatic assault rifles pointed at him.

Someone yelled, “Fire!”

Every soldier in the room unloaded on him. Arakiel dove out of the way and quickly tapped on his wrist deck. The door froze in place and provided a barrier from the gunfire. He hid behind it as bullets rained down on the room. He pushed himself into a sitting position against the back of the door. The Guardian hadn’t mentioned the base was protected by an entire squad of Council soldiers!

Was this punishment for failing to kill the soldier in Munich? Did he want him to fail? Security robots and a few soldiers would have been doable. But there had to be twenty fully-armed soldiers out there. He was meeting with Viktor tonight; if he didn’t leave with those schematics he’d never get another chance. Every facility would go on high alert. They’d be heavily reinforced by the other support units.

That’s why you’re weak. You’re focused on the individual… Small thinking… you fail to see the big picture. What is a man’s life worth if the reactor is detonated inside acity? How many lives will you be responsible for losing then? You’re better than this, now start acting like it.
The Guardian’s words rung in his ear as the automatic weapon fire continued. Those men were an obstacle to accomplishing his goal. They didn’t know it, but they were standing in the way of peace. If the reactor was not safely delivered along with the schematics, war was inevitable. He would not fail the Guardian. Sometimes sacrifices were required.

Arakiel scrolled through the facilities control panel on his deck until he found what he was looking for. With the press of a button he activated every security drone in the facility. They were under attack; eliminate the hostile forces. The hydraulic sound of wall panels moving could be heard around the corner, and in an instant the pitch of the fire changed. The drones had started to attack the soldiers.

Jumping up, Arakiel pulled out his sidearm, stepped back into the hallway and began firing at everything that moved. The area had erupted into a hellish chaos. Robots had emerged from their stasis positions behind both walls. They were interspersed between all the soldiers. Blood spattered the tiles. The machines were taking them down one at a time. A stray bullet hit the drone nearest Arakiel. It exploded and slumped to the ground. He dived over the wreckage, grabbing an assault rifle off a dead soldier.

He popped up over a barrier; time had slowed to a crawl. The energy of the moment elevated him to another level of performance. His eyes registered each weapon that was firing in the hallway. He squeezed off a set of controlled bursts at the soldiers who seemed to be gaining an upper hand on his robotic allies. A few moments later, there was only one soldier still standing. He was firing two sidearms simultaneously at the drones surrounding him.

Arakiel lifted a knife off one of the soldiers slumped against the wall and slung it as hard as he could. It hit the lone soldier square in the chest. The force of the impact sent him flying back and into thewall. The room fell into a deathly silence. The hallway was completely destroyed and bloodstained bodies lined either side. Large piles of dead robots littered the path. He pressed a button on his wrist deck, and deactivated the remaining drones. Arakiel pulled up the layout of the base and located the server room just around the corner.

Pressing a few buttons on the nearest console, a holographic display of the ADNV Testament appeared. Arakiel could use his hand to manipulate the image. It allowed him to examine the ship from any angle. He initiated the download sequence and watched as a wealth of information was transferred to his deck. He had to hurry; backup would be here within ten minutes. When all of the files had been transferred the light clicked green. He typed several commands into the control panel and started the self-destruct sequence.

Moments later, Arakiel was back inside his hovercraft and speeding away from the crater as fast as it would carry him. The reactor was still safely tucked in the back seat. He watched as the timer in his heads up display ticked down to zero. The surface area surrounding the crater sank into the ground until the entire thing disappeared below the surface. In the end, the base was returned to the ground and all that was left was a bigger crater.

****

Alden leaned around the corner. There it was. An old wooden sign hung above the doorway, an image of a green dragon breathing fire carved into it. They’d finally arrived outside the pub on the lower levels of Apollo City. He dropped back behind the wall. Kira stood next to him, dressed as a colonist, complete with dirt smudges on her face.