Chapter 76 The Extraction Point
The roof of the Great Library was a flat, grey island in a sea of glowing green.
We stood on the edge, looking out at the city. It was breathtaking and terrifying. The Iron Sovereignty was gone. The smog was gone. In its place was a bioluminescent rainforest. Massive purple trees twisted around the skeletons of skyscrapers. Rivers of glowing blue water cascaded down the sides of ruined apartment blocks.
The air felt sweet, thick with pollen and magic. It felt so heavy in my lungs.
"It's a garden," I whispered, gripping Ryker's hand. His skin was hot, and I could feel a low thrum of vibration from his new power coursing through him.
"It's a containment zone," said the Commander, who was standing beside a big satellite dish checking the wrist computer. "And we are the pests."
He turned his gaze to the night sky. For the first time in centuries, the stars were clear.
"My ETA is a minute," the Commander stated. "Holster your weapons. Assume a submissive posture. A threat is vaporized."
"Well, we are a threat," Ryker grumbled, scanning the horizon with instead unsettling violet light swirling in his eyes. "And I don't like it. It smells like ozone and oil."
"Dropship," the Commander snapped. "It runs on fuel. Try to act civilized."
Vane perched on the edge, swinging his legs over a hundred-foot drop. He was cleaning his pistol with a handful of moss.
"I'd give it about fifty-fifty," Vane said. "Fifty percent chance they rescue us. Fifty percent chance they dissect us."
"They're my people," the Commander said stiffly. "They follow protocol."
"Protocol is just a fancy word for orders," Kael muttered while adjusting his glasses. "And orders change."
THWOP-THWOP-THWOP.
With the heavy sound of rotors, the unusual calm in the jungle was sliced.
A shape emerged from the clouds.
Heavy transport dropship, stark white, Human Coalition blue emblem on it. It looked clean and sterile, totally out of place in this wild neon world. Searchlights were being pointed down, blinding us.
"Identify!" announced a voice over the loudspeakers of the ship.
The Commander moved forward into the light, raising his hands.
"Commander Jaxon, Unit 7-Alpha!" he yelled. "Code: Blue-Sky-Zero! I have secured the high-value targets! Requesting immediate extraction!"
The ship hovered. Engines roared, flattening the tall grass atop the roof.
We waited. The tension was palpable, almost tasting the air.
Slowly, the cargo bay doors creaked down.
But no ladder was lowered. No medics came running out.
Instead, Exterminator-Class heavy combat drones started to drift outside. Their red optical sensors engaged, scanning us.
"IDENTITY CONFIRMED: COMMANDER JAXON," the computer inside the ship announced.
The Commander smiled. "See? Protocol."
"STATUS: COMPROMISED," came the computer's voice. "BIOLOGICAL CONTAMINATION DETECTED. LEVEL 5 HAZARD."
The smile fell from the Commander's face. "What? No! I'm clean!"
"ALL ASSETS ON ROOF DESIGNATED: HOSTILE," boomed the voice. "INITIATE PURGE."
The drones spun up their mini-guns.
"Get down!" Ryker screamed.
He tackled me just as the roof exploded in an eruption of gunfire.
RAT-TAT-TAT-TAT.
The bullets were tearing up the concrete. Dust and stone chips rained everywhere.
"They're shooting at us!" Vane yelled, rolling behind an air conditioning unit. "I hate being right!"
"Stop!" the Commander screamed, waving his arms at the ship. "I'm your commanding officer! Cease fire!"
A drone pivoted towards him. His rank was of no concern to it; all that mattered was the "Contamination" reading.
ZAP.
A blue ray from a drone hit the Commander in the chest.
His armor absorbed the bulk of it, but the impact sent him backward, across the roof, groaning.
"They don't care, Jaxon!" I cried, crawling over to him. "To them, you're just another mutant now! You breathed the air!"
Ryker stood up. He had no gun. No shield.
He looked to the ship. His eyes flared violet.
"They want a monster?" Ryker growled. "I'll give them one."
He reached out his hand. He did not work with wind. No telekinesis.
He worked with the Call.
SCREEEEEEE.
From down in the jungle, a massive shape launched toward the sky.
One of those four-winged birds we saw before. A Sky-Terror. Fighter jet-sized, with feathers of razor-sharp scales.
Ryker clenched his fist. Attack, he mentally commanded.
The Sky-Terror screamed as it smashed sideways into the dropship.
CRUNCH.
The bird's talons cut through the white metal skin. The ship lurched to the side, engines whining.
"You called a bird?" Vane asked, staring at Ryker. "You can call birds now?"
"I can call everything," Ryker said through gritted teeth. Calling that thing was costing him strain; veins bulged on his neck.
The dropship pilot lost sanity, maneuvering heavily, trying to shake off that monstrous bird. The drones stopped firing at us and turned to shoot the Sky-Terror.
'We need to move!' Kael shouted. 'More ships will come!'
'Where do we go?' I asked. 'The ground is full of beasts. The sky is full of killer robots.'
'We go down,' Vane said, pointing to a service hatch. 'Into the building. We lose them in the maze.'
'Wait,' gasped the Commander, clutching his scorched chest plate. He looked at the ship that just tried to kill him. His face was a mask of betrayal.
'They left me,' he whispered.
'Welcome to the club,' Vane said, grabbing the Commander. 'Now move, soldier, or get purged.'
We dragged him toward the hatch. Ryker stayed behind for a second.
He looked upon the Sky-Terror which was now tearing a drone in half.
Release, Ryker thought.
The bird released its hold of the dropship and sailed off into the clouds, screeching its victory noise. The crippled dropship billowed smoke from its shell and crawled backwards from under the shelter of those upper skies.
He turned to us with that horrible-looking face. It was slipping into something human.
'Ryker,' I said in a low voice, advancing my hand toward him.
He flinched. He looked at me, and for a second, I saw the wild animal in his eyes. The Alpha who wanted to conquer, not protect.
And then he blinked. The golden color came back, pushing the violet away.
'I'm alright,' Ryker breathed, shaking his head. 'I'm here.'
'We have to go,' I encouraged, squeezing on his hand. 'Before they come back with bigger guns.'
We descended into the dark stairs of the library. Outside the neon jungle, humming, we were fugitives now. Hunted by the humans. Hunted by the monsters.
Only this power would keep us alive even as it slowly chewed on my husband's soul.
"One million dollars," Kade said. "Cash. Unmarked bills."
Vargo stared at the case, did not even open it. He looked bored with life.
"Money," Vargo sighed. "Everyone thinks there's money for everything. Do I strike you as someone who needs money, Alpha?"
He waved his hand about the room, really one of those grand and spacious places.
"I have gold," Vargo said. "I have jewels. I have stolen ancient treasures from kings. Money is so boring."
"What do you want then?" I asked, stepping forward. "Everyone wants something."
Vargo looked at me, smiled again, and showed his teeth too white-too sharp.
"I want a favor," Vargo said.
"What kind of favor?" Kade's voice was dripping with suspicion.
"I am a businessman," said Vargo. "I run this territory. But there is a... competitor. A nuisance."
Vargo got up and walked straight to a map on the wall, with finger pointing to the valley on the south side of the mountains.
"His name is Drax," Vargo said. "He is a savage: He attacks my supply trucks; he steals my weapons. He is loud, and he is messy, and he is annoying."
Kade called out, "Then kill him." "You have an army."
"Here is the thing," Vargo allowed. "But Drax has a blood pact with the Southern Clans. If I attack him with my rogue army, the Southern Clans will attack me. It will start a war I don't want to fight."
Vargo looked at us. His eyes were glittering.
"But," Vargo whispered, "if an outsider killed him... if a Pack Alpha killed him... then it isn't my fault. It’s just... bad luck for Drax."
I felt a shiver run down my spine. I understood the game.
"You want to use us as hitmen," I said.
"Want you to clean my mess," Vargo corrected. "You kill Drax. You bring me his head. And I give you the key to the Moon Shrine."
"I am an Alpha," Kade snarled. "I am not a murderer for hire. I do not kill for sport."
"Then your son dies," Vargo simply said, and he sat back down, taking a sip of his tea.
Kade lunged forward.
"I'll kill you!" Kade shouted.
Suddenly, ten rogue guards stepped out from the hidden sconces of the bookshelves. They pointed crossbows at us.
Kade halted. He was panting. He looked from the crossbows to Vargo.
"You are in my house, Alpha," Vargo said calmly. "Be polite."
I put my hand on Kade's arm you could feel. He was vibrating with rage. He wanted to rip Vargo apart. But if he did, we would die. And Leo would die.
"We need a moment," I said to Vargo.
"Take your time," said Vargo. "The tea's getting cold."
I pulled Kade to a corner of the room.
"We can't do this," Kade hissed. "He wants me to murder a warlord. It's dishonorable."
"Honor doesn't save Leo," I whispered fiercely. "Medicine saves Leo."
"Elara, Drax is a killer. His camp will be well guarded. It is a suicide mission."
"You got five hundred warriors," I reminded him. "Vargo is giving us permission to fight on his land. We take the army, crush Drax, help Vargo, and save our son."
Kade looked at me. "You want me to be a mercenary."
"I want you to be a father," I said. "Every man has a price, Kade. Vargo's price is blood. Can you pay it?"
Kade looked down at the floor. He thought of Leo's little face. He thought of the fever.
He looked up again. The eyes were cold.
"Yes," Kade said. "I can pay it."
We walked back to Vargo.
"We accept," I announced.
Vargo clapped his hands. "Excellent!"
"But," I added, "we have terms."
Vargo raised an eyebrow. "Terms?"
"We kill Drax," I said. "But after we do, we get the Shrine for life. Not just one time. If Leo needs the water again next year, we come back. And we get safe passage through your lands forever."
Vargo thought about it. He tapped his chin.
"Drax is a big problem for me," Vargo muttered. "He costs me millions."
Then he looked at Kade.
"Deal," Vargo hired. "Kill Drax. Bring me his wolf-tooth necklace as proof. And the Shrine is yours."
He held out his hand.
Kade looked at the hand. It was clean and manicured, but it belonged to a monster.
Kade shook it.
"One day," Kade whispered to Vargo, "I might come back for you."
Vargo laughed. "I look forward to it. Now go. Drax is in the South Valley. Don't miss."
Outside the Fortress
The heavy gates opened, letting us out before walking back to the car in silence.
We moved from the mountain.
Marcus ran toward the car as soon os we got to a stop.
"e;Alpha! You’re alive! Did he agree? Can we use the Shrine?"e;
Kade stepped out of the car. He looked at his army. He looked at the moon hanging over the mountains.
"Not yet," said Kade.
He turned to Marcus.
"Get the men ready," Kade ordered. "We are not going to the Shrine tonight."
"Where are we going from here?" asked Marcus.
Kade pointed south, toward the dark, jagged peaks where Drax was hiding.
"We have a job to do," Kade said. "We are going hunting."
I watched Kade. He looked dangerous. He had shaken hands with the devil to save our son.
I touched the gun at my hip.
"Let's go kill a warlord," I whispered.