Warriors

TEN

“There are too many of them, and they have us surrounded,” Michael said.

A holographic map of the Vanguard Islands hovered over the central table on the bridge of Discovery. The rest of the crew, including Rodger, Magnolia, Samson, Sofia, and Les, huddled around to look at the positions of every Cazador vessel, ranging from the smallest skiffs and runabouts to the warships.

Rookie Hell Divers Ted, Lena, Hector, and Alberto were also here, standing behind the table and ready to pitch in.

Les said, “Even if we can take them all out from the sky, it will expend the ammunition we need for…”

Michael still hadn’t quite processed everything they had learned back in the briefing room, but he knew what the captain wanted the ammunition for: to destroy the defector base in Africa.

They also had the skinwalkers to consider, and he had a feeling they would show up sooner rather than later. If they knew that X was dying, they would come now.

“Samson, get Lieutenant Sloan on the encrypted line,” Les said.

The chief engineer sat down at the comms station.

“What can we do?” Ted asked.

“Go to compartment two with Rodger,” Michael said. “Put on your gear, and be ready.”

“Ready for what, a dive?” Lena asked.

“Anything,” Michael said.

“Why do I have to go?” Rodger asked.

“Because I don’t think any of them even know where compartment two is,” Michael said.

“Go on, Rodger,” Mags said.

With a groan, he led the rookies and Sofia off the bridge just in time for a report from Samson.

“Lieutenant Sloan says the militia has been pulled back from the other rigs to protect the Hive and the capitol tower. So far, there have been no attacks on boats carrying our troops.”

Michael looked at the holographic map again. Several of the red dots representing Cazador vessels blinked to indicate movement. As he watched the warships Elysium and Renegade, the realization hit him.

“Colonel Moreto isn’t going to attack,” he said. “Not yet, at least.”

“How do you know?” Les asked.

“She’s waiting to see if X will die on his own.”

“I don’t understand how they even know about his condition,” Magnolia said.

“There’s a mole, maybe several, on the capitol tower,” Samson said. “The militia has done a sweep, but it could be anyone.”

“Imulah and many other Cazadores have been living with us since the war ended,” Michael said.

“Imulah isn’t the rat,” Magnolia said. “He knows I’d skewer him in horrible ways.”

Les stroked his jaw, thinking. “The damage is already done,” he said. “Nothing we can do now but wait.”

“Or we could do what X did,” Michael said.

Les looked up from the table. “Not sure I follow you, Commander.”

“He went after Vargas and killed him before the bastard could make a play for the throne. We could do the same thing to Carmela.”

Magnolia seemed to like the idea. “I’ll take her out.”

“No one is taking out anyone unless they make a move,” Les said. “Colonel Forge still appears to be neutral. Think what would happen if we attacked Moreto.”

“All due respect, sir,” said Michael, “but it takes only one of their cannons to kill our families on the capitol tower. If you don’t want to waste ordnance, I’m sure we can figure something else out.”

Magnolia smirked, probably thinking the same thing Michael was.

“Oh, hell no,” Les said. “You want to dive?”

They both nodded.

“I’ll take the bitch dead or alive,” Magnolia said. “Just give me the order, Cap.”

Les seemed to consider their options, giving Michael a few stolen moments to do the same. Diving onto a Cazador warship was not the sanest of ideas. Layla definitely wouldn’t approve.

But Les was right about saving their ammunition unless they were forced to fire. There had to be a better way, and diving was the best he could think of.

“Timothy, any bright ideas?” Les asked.

The AI turned, stroking his perfectly groomed holographic beard.

“What about contacting Colonel Forge to try and negotiate his support?” Timothy asked. “I’ve observed his behavior over the past few months, and he seems to be the most reasonable of the Black Order.”

“We don’t know Forge,” Magnolia said. “We can’t trust him.”

“Perhaps, though I believe it was Colonel Vargas and Colonel Moreto who threatened X all along,” Timothy said. “But I don’t believe she has full support of the fractured military.”

“I hope you’re right,” Les said.

“So X and Rhino killed the wrong officer on the Black Order,” Michael said.

Samson coughed, drawing everyone’s attention. The hefty engineer was getting weaker by the day, but he was still here, still working.

“General Rhino advised X to kill both of them, but X decided to send Colonel Moreto away to the Iron Reef, in Belize,” said the engineer. “X feared that killing her would cause more problems, and the best thing to do was send her on a mission.”

“So she made Renegade look disabled to buy time, instead of leaving for the Iron Reef?” Les said.

“That seems a logical assumption,” Timothy said.

“So why are we still talking? I say we end the bitch.” Magnolia stroked the hilt of one of her curved blades. “I’d be happy to do it free of charge.”

Les walked over to the open hatches and stared up at the glittery sky.

After seeing the captain make several knee-jerk reactions regarding the defectors, Michael was pleased to see him ponder this decision.

With each passing second, the threat of another battle became more of a reality.

The Cazadores were watching. They knew what the sky people were doing, and Carmela, like a snake, waited to strike.

“Captain,” Timothy said, “I’m detecting gunfire on the surface.”

“Where?”

Michael joined the huddle around the map.

“Here.” Timothy pointed to the second-biggest red dot on the map.

“That’s Renegade,” Michael said.

“Yes, Commander.”

“Can you get us a visual?” Les asked.

“Negative, Captain. The gunfire is limited in scope and appears to be isolated to that one ship.”

The radio buzzed, and Samson brought the transmission over the speakers.

“Captain, this is Lieutenant Sloan, do you copy?”

“Copy, Lieutenant. What’s going on down there?”

“I’m not sure, sir, but there’s some sort of battle taking place on Renegade’s weather deck.”

“Can you move some of our vessels to get a closer look?”

“Might be risky, but your call, sir.”

Les glanced over at Michael and Magnolia.

“We need to know what’s going on,” Michael said.

“Agreed,” Les said. “Lieutenant, send in your best to get a visual, and report back.”

“Copy that, sir.”

Les paced along the map as they waited.

“Sir,” Magnolia said, “if you want your best down there, you should send me and Tin.”

Les halted.

“We’ll dive in under cover of darkness,” Michael said. “They’ll never see us coming or know we’re there.”

“It’s too dangerous,” Les said. “And if this is a coup, we need to stay out of it.”

“All due respect, but if this is a coup, we need to make sure the right side wins,” Michael said. “Let Mags and me go. We won’t interfere, but we will report back to you.”

“We wait until we hear from Lieutenant Sloan,” Les said firmly.

Michael didn’t protest. He was already in hot water with the captain for their argument outside the medical ward. And Michael still felt guilt over the death of Les’s son in Jamaica.

Minutes ticked by. Two hours had already passed since they took to the sky, and the bomb’s fuse was hovering very near the flame.

White noise filled the bridge. Samson worked the radio to clear it. The doors whisked open, and Rodger returned.

“The rookies are with Sofia in compartment two,” he said. “What’d I miss?”

Les put a finger to his mouth as the transmission played over the speakers.

“Captain, this is Lieutenant Sloan again. We’ve got eyes on Renegade via Sergeant Wynn and a team…”

Static broke up the transmission.

“Come again, Lieutenant?” said Les. “I didn’t catch your last.”

“Wynn is reporting other Cazador vessels and boats sailing for Renegade,” Sloan replied, “but we’re not sure who is who.”

“You were right, this is a coup,” Les said to Michael.

“But who’s leading it?” Magnolia said.

The speakers crackled again.

“Captain, I just got another report from Wynn,” Sloan said. “They’re hearing something about a team of Barracudas that boarded Renegade, and small-arms fire on the deck.”

Rodger joined the group around the map, keeping quiet.

“General Rhino’s old team?” Magnolia said.

“I’ll be damned,” Michael said. “General Rhino is still protecting X, even in death.”

He stepped up to Les. “Sir, permission to dive and help them.”

“Me, too,” Magnolia said.

Rodger chimed in. “Me, too.”

“No,” Magnolia and Michael said in unison.

Les snorted and looked at the overhead. “All right, Commanders,” he said. “Permission to dive, but no one else.”

Michael smiled.

“And, Commanders,” Les said, “please see that the Barracudas win this fight.”

Pinpricks glowed across the surface like a halo of burning stars. From the airship’s lower compartment, one might have confused the ocean below with a constellation in the night sky. But Magnolia knew better. The lights were torches burning on the decks of Cazador vessels that had surrounded the Hive and the capitol tower below.

She crouched near an open hatch in the deck of compartment two on Discovery, where the hoist cables remained coiled like massive snakes. Michael stood nearby, checking his gear one last time.

The other divers were all here, trying to get a good look.

“I should be coming,” Rodger said.

Magnolia leveled her helmet at him. “Rodge, I’m going to say this once more. You. Stay. Here. Got it?”

“If you get into trouble, then—”

“Rodge, you break a direct order, and we’re going to have major problems,” Michael said.

Magnolia stood and tapped her wrist monitor to check her systems. They had rushed to get into their gear and grab their weapons. Everything had been relocated because the new passengers were still quarantined in the launch bay.

She latched the leather pad over her battery unit to mask the glow. No need to give anyone an easy target.

“Good to go,” she said.

Michael pulled a fresh magazine from his tactical vest and slapped it into his rifle.

“Captain, this is Raptor One,” he said. “Ready to dive.”

“Raptor Two, online and ready,” Magnolia confirmed.

“Be careful,” Les said.

Michael crouched near the open hatch in the deck. “Hope you’re listenin’ to the cap,” he said over his shoulder.

“Yeah, yeah,” she muttered.

Michael tapped his wrist computer, bringing the target up on their HUDs.

“DZ is the upper weather deck of Renegade,” he said. “Think you can handle it?”

“Think you can?” Magnolia quipped.

“We’ll find out soon. See ya down there.”

With that, Michael dropped through the wide hatch with his arms over his chest, plummeting into the night. Magnolia followed.

They were only at ten thousand feet—barely half a minute to pull their chutes.

Moonlight sparkled in a white streak across the choppy water. In its glow, rusted towers rose from the water, lights burning across platforms where thousands of civilians lived.

After months of living alongside these people, she had started to put aside their differences and accept them, even after once being their prisoner. Fighting alongside General Santiago and especially Lieutenant Alejo, who had sacrificed himself so she could escape with Rodger, had helped her bury the hatchet.

But that hatchet was about to crack more skulls. Somewhere in the capitol tower, X was fighting for his life, and she would fight for him.

Magnolia speared through the sky in a suicide dive. At three thousand feet, Michael maneuvered into stable falling position, and she did the same.

Moonlight illuminated the airship rooftop with its twenty-millimeter machine-gun nests. The powder keg was open, and a spark would blow the whole damn thing up.

Michael pulled his pilot chute. It hauled the black canopy out, yanking him above Magnolia, or so it looked.

She reached down to her thigh, pulled her pilot chute, and felt as if she, too, were being yanked back up into the sky. Grabbing the toggles, she began homing in on the drop zone.

The two divers sailed over dozens of boats. They were low enough now that she could see armed warriors on the small craft in the glow of their torches. The vessels kept their distance, probably waiting for orders.

But their enemy wasn’t the one she had hoped they would rally to fight. These men and women hadn’t assembled to kill defectors or even the skinwalkers. Some of them—many, probably—wanted the sky people dead.

Muzzle flashes sparked on Renegade’s bow. Several more came from the center of the deck. As she sailed lower, she spotted the two factions. In the center, a group of Cazadores advanced behind metal shields. Another group had formed a wall of shields around a central figure.

She couldn’t tell who was who, even with her night-vision goggles on. Michael dipped down beside her and spiraled toward the command center.

Magnolia tensed up when she saw two figures up there, shooting arrows from longbows onto the deck.

“Oh shit,” she muttered.

Michael saw them, too, but it was too late to change course now.

If she could confirm that these were Carmela’s people, she would have no problem taking both warriors down, but what if they were aligned with the Barracudas?

She had only seconds to decide.

She let go of one toggle to raise the submachine gun slung over her chest, but Michael waved at her to hold her fire.

Grabbing the toggle again, she followed him toward the command center, preparing to do a short two-stage flare. Coming in over the starboard hull, she could see their DZ from the side. They had maybe thirty feet—plenty of room were it not for the two bowmen raining arrows on the deck. Corpses of three comrades lay crumpled near them.

In the final seconds of her descent, a bowman loosed an arrow, and his target’s red cape fluttered as he fell. It was the symbol of the praetorian guards, who had protected Colonel Vargas and other members of the Black Order of Octopus Lords.

The phalanx surrounded a figure with a black cape, and while Magnolia didn’t see a parrot, she knew that it was Carmela.

She grinned, eager to end the scheming woman’s reign.

It appeared that the Barracudas were trying to do the same thing. From the looks of it, they had caught her off guard by climbing aboard.

The two bowmen fired from the higher position while the team on the deck kept advancing, crouching as bullets punched into their thick shields.

Carmela’s team held their ground, popping up from behind their shields to fire in both directions.

Another bowman crumpled from rounds just as Magnolia and Michael touched down. Her boots hit the deck hard, and she had to hop to avoid the downed archer.

Michael lost his balance and rolled, sliding and getting wrapped up in his chute, but she managed to stay on two feet.

The last bowman turned with an arrow nocked.

“We’re friends!” Magnolia shouted. “¡Amigos!”

A bullet punched through his helmet as he lowered his bow.

She reached out, but he toppled over the edge and crashed to the deck. Rounds lanced the air above her, and she dropped to her butt.

Michael had already gotten out of his harness and stuffed the chute. He crouched with his submachine gun while she got free of her harness.

Enraged shouts came from below, along with the clank, clank of advancing shields on the deck.

Keeping low, Magnolia moved over beside Michael to have a look. Twenty-odd praetorian guards had surrounded Carmela with shields and armor against the advancing Barracudas.

Dozens of bodies littered a deck slick with blood and gore.

Michael opened an encrypted line to Captain Mitchells.

“Sir, we’re in position,” he reported, “and it looks like the Barracudas are about to clash with Colonel Moreto’s praetorian guards. Numbers are about even, sir, but we’re about to change that.”

“I’ve got a shot,” Magnolia said. “Just say the word and you’ll never have to hear that damn bird again.”

Magnolia kept Carmela’s helmet in her crosshairs.

Come on, give me the clear, Cap…

“X is still alive, and he doesn’t want her dead,” Les said.

“Sir, we both know she’s just waiting for the right time to—”

“Barracudas are dying for the king down here, sir,” Michael said. “Let us help them.”

“Permission to take down the praetorian guard,” Les said, “but do not—I repeat, do not—kill Colonel Moreto. Take her alive, and we’ll let X deal with her.”

Magnolia cursed under her breath.

“Mags, that is a direct order,” Les said.

“Ughhh, fine.”

“Is there a way to announce what’s happened once we do have her?” Michael asked. “I’m worried the troops loyal to her will come to her aid. There’s a whole damn fleet of boats out here.”

“I’ll make sure they don’t,” Les said.

“All right, Captain, leave this to us,” Michael said.

She moved her finger to the trigger and waited for Michael to fire first. The bark came, and Magnolia squeezed off a burst.

All three bullets punched through a soldier’s red cape, dropping him. She fired another burst, killing the next soldier with head and neck shots.

The praetorian guards turned toward their position faster than she had hoped. She took down a guardsman before he could get off a shot.

A war cry rang out from the Barracudas, who also saw what was happening. Their shields lifted off the deck, and they stormed forward, slamming into the wall of shields around Moreto.

Magnolia spotted, at the back of the Barracudas, a man with a prosthetic leg. He raised a cane into the air, and she thought she heard him yell, “¡Por Rhino!”

She aimed carefully to avoid hitting any Barracudas. Carmela Moreto’s helmet was in her crosshairs again. The woman looked directly up at their position and raised a pistol at Michael, but before Magnolia could take the shot, a shield slammed the colonel, knocking her to the deck.

“Come on,” Michael said.

Magnolia followed him to a ladder that led to another platform below. By the time they got to the deck, Barracudas had surrounded the surviving praetorian guards. Several abandoned their weapons and raised their hands in surrender, but three stood fast with Carmela.

“Put your weapons down,” Michael ordered.

The soldiers either didn’t understand him or weren’t ready to quit. Magnolia flipped her face visor down and aimed her machine gun at them, then walked over to kick Carmela’s pistol away.

“Down!” Magnolia shouted. “Or I shoot you all!”

The man with the prosthetic leg translated as he limped over on his cane. A muscled young warrior with bandages on his tattooed flesh walked beside him, his two swords dripping blood.

After another flurry of shouting, the guardsmen finally put their weapons down. Twelve Barracudas surrounded them and took their swords.

“Thanks for the help,” said the man with the prosthetic leg.

“Who are you two?” Michael asked.

“I’m Mac, and this is Felipe,” he said, nodding to the muscled young man.

“We swore to fight for el rey Javier, and before Rhino died, I promised him we would protect the king. We recruited these warriors to help us stop Colonel Moreto from taking the throne.”

Carmela took her helmet off and snarled, then spat at them.

Mac just laughed. “She said she was just waiting to make sure King Xavier was okay before heading out to the Iron Reef.”

Magnolia spat right back at Carmela. “If I had a dick, I’d piss on you,” she said. “Mac, will you translate that, por favor?”

The older man laughed again, deep and hard. Magnolia liked him already.

“Sir, we’ve got Colonel Moreto in custody,” Michael said over the comms. “Whatever you’ve got planned, best do it fast before the rest of her friends try anything.”

“Copy that,” Les replied.

Magnolia kept her rifle aimed at Carmela’s face, itching to pull the trigger and erase that smirk. But unlike Ada, she would respect orders. Not that this was even close to that situation. No one would exile Magnolia for giving Carmela a third eye.

A whirring sounded, and all eyes turned to the sky. The first rays of sunrise glinted off the hull of Discovery. Les brought it down until it was directly over the warship.

Speakers on the airship blared for all the boats to hear. Timothy spoke first in Spanish, then repeated it in English.

“Lay down your weapons and return to your homes, by order of King Xavier,” he said. “Anyone who does not heed this order will be considered a traitor and will be executed by the king himself.”

Carmela sneered and said something.

“What’d she say?” Magnolia asked Mac.

“She said, ‘How can he do that with just one arm?’ ” Mac replied. “I’m not sure where she’s getting her information, but that can’t be true… can it?”

Magnolia bent closer to Carmela. The message replayed again, and when it stopped, boat motors coughed to life in the distance.

“You hear that?” Magnolia said. “That’s the sound of your amigos going bye-bye. Now you’re all mine.”

Mac interpreted, and Carmela bared her sharpened teeth.

“Get her up,” Magnolia said.

Felipe motioned for two Barracudas to yank the colonel to her feet. She squirmed in their grip, snarling.

Magnolia watched them haul her off to a boat below.

“Good work,” Michael said to Mac, extending a hand.

“It was our honor to uphold our oath to General Rhino and King Xavier,” Mac said.

“Come to the capitol tower so we can thank you properly,” Magnolia said.

“That would also be my honor,” Mac replied.

When the militia arrived, Magnolia climbed into the boat with Michael to head home. They loaded the renegade colonel with the help of Sergeant Wynn and his strike team of four soldiers. Magnolia took a seat, managing her anger on the ride and resisting the urge to kill Carmela.

The boat slapped across small waves as the sun rose above the horizon. An armored speedboat screamed across the water in the distance, sun glinting off its windows.

“Ah shit,” Wynn said. “This could be trouble.”

“That’s Colonel Forge’s personal war boat,” Mac said, rising up.

Heart thumping again, Magnolia unslung her rifle. The fight wasn’t over.

She looked down at Moreto, who wore that infuriating smirk once again. Wynn barked orders into the radio, and several militia boats sped away from the enclosed marina.

“What the hell is Forge thinking?” Magnolia said. The rooftop machine-gun nests and twenty-millimeter cannons were swinging around toward the war boat.

She spotted something else up there in the glow of the sun. Someone stood at the railing, looking down.

If Magnolia wasn’t mistaken, the person had only one arm, and a dog sat by his side.

“It can’t be,” Michael said.

Militia boats surrounded the war boat as it coasted to a stop. Three soldiers stood on the deck. One wore a black cape.

It was Colonel Forge, and he wasn’t holding a weapon; he was holding a box. He held it up at the capitol tower rooftop, where X stood looking down.

Wynn lowered the radio and said, “My people are saying it’s medicine—some nanotech gel or something.”

Magnolia couldn’t believe it. Forge was coming to offer the king the advanced healing technology they had run out of.

X remained at the railing.

“I can’t believe he’s out there,” Michael said.

“Why do you think the other Cazador boats fled?” said another militia soldier.

Magnolia and Michael looked out over the water and the departing boats returning to their rigs.

It wasn’t just the warning from the airship that had scattered the Cazadores.

The king had come outside to show everyone that he was still alive. Now Forge was bringing him something to help him heal.

Even Carmela stared up in apparent disbelief.

“How do you say ‘immortal’ in Spanish?” Magnolia asked. “Someone tell this bird lady that she’s about to see one.”