Chapter 77: Sola Anima

“There’s only one thing we need to determine, and determine tonight,” said Major Duffy. “How are we handling the Second Wave?”

Everybody was gathered in what had come to be called the war chamber, the conference room just large enough for twenty. Hackworth and his command, along with Star Boy, James, and Serenity. The four Lieutenant Colonels in charge of each Battalion were on wall-mounted monitors, while Lt. Colonel Bell who commanded 1st Battalion sat down the table, his face pulled into a sharp expression of focus.

James leaned forward. “The Second Wave will be divided by 100, which means we’re still dealing with thousands of Nem3’s across all five boroughs. If we gather everyone together that’ll be too many for us to handle.”

Star Boy leaned back in his chair. “Look, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I think we have to accept that this one’s going to hurt. Say we gathered folks in groups of one hundred a block or so apart. Assign a squad to each group and kill the Nem3 when it appears. We’ve got 135 squads in First Group, another 135 in Second Group. That’s 270 groups of hundred, so 27,000 Second Wavers we can cover. But the number is five times that. That’d mean each squad facing five Nem3’s. James? How’d that work out?”

“Rough.” James grimaced. “Some squads could tackle it no problem, but we’d take serious losses from our weaker groups.”

Captain O’Brien, the S1, shook his head. “That’s assuming we can assign groups of 500 neatly to each intersection. We’d not only need to assign the 200 intersections, but then get folks to move to the right location.”

“Tricky,” said Star Boy.

Major Duffy frowned around the table. “Anybody have a better alternative?”

“We can’t bus a hundred thousand people,” said Star Boy.

“Then let’s see what we can do,” said Hackworth. “Use the Emergency Management database of Second Wavers to get word out. Stokes, you know whom to contact at Notify NYC?”

“Sure. If they’re still at their post.”

“Break it down by borough, then provide each battalion with the list of intersections. Each Lt. Colonel will distribute their squads as they deem fit. Fort Hamilton’s reported the arrival of eight Apache gunships to go with the sixteen Black Hawks, and three A-10’s.”

Major Duffy’s face lit up for the first time since James had met her. “We’re getting Warthogs?”

“Three of them.” Hackworth’s smile was grim.

“Sorry,” said Serenity, not sounding sorry. “What’s a Warthog?”

The XO’s grin was predatory. “The Air Force’s flying tank. Designed to tear through Soviet tanks during the Cold War. They have seven-barrel, hydraulic-driven gatling gun that fires incendiary rounds with a depleted uranium armor-piercing core, each longer than eleven inches.”

Duffy’s eyes gleamed. “The gun’s so heavy the plane needs to be counterbalanced if its ever removed so they don’t tip over. It’ll tear through the Nem3’s like our Ma Deuce’s did the Nem2’s.”

“Sounds good to me,” said James.

“Stokes, let’s coordinate the intersections along main avenues,” said Hackworth. “I want our air support to be able to run straight lines over the enemy.”

“Got it,” said Star Boy. “That’s twenty-seven helicopters and airplanes, plus the Killer Eggs. Say an even 30 units of air support. That means each can cover seven intersections. I’ll arrange the intersections in a loop so that everyone can just fly a circuit over all of them, meaning new air support should hit each intersection every few seconds.”

“Get on it,” said Hackworth.

“Colonel,” said O’Brian. “I’m concerned about our operators. They’ve seen a lot of heavy action already without the benefit of military conditioning. I’d like to coordinate with Kelly to begin an outreach counseling program to help operators process trauma and loss. If we don’t catch this now, we’re going to start losing people to trauma.”

“Reach out to Fort Hamilton,” said Hackworth. “See what clinical psychologists they have on staff. We don’t have time to begin any counseling tonight, but let’s have some people on site tomorrow to begin helping folks after the Second Wave.”

“Yes sir.”

A knock sounded on the door, which opened to admit Jessica, a tablet in hand, a smear of oil on one cheek, locks of golden hair framing her face where they’d escaped her ponytail.

“Apologies for being late.” She raised the folder. “Got updates.” She then stepped aside so three others could follow her in carrying blanket-wrapped bundles. “And prototypes to share.”

“Ooh,” said Serenity, rubbing her hands. “I love me some prototypes. Do these go brr?”

Jessica gave a pained smile and waited as her assistants placed the bundles on the table. “We’ve now got over six hundred Fabricators working below in teams of nine, with another two thousand across the city hunting for esoteric resources. We’re starting factories in the other boroughs as we locate suitable premises, though honestly parking structures are proving ideal. We’ve people opening processing stations outside them and are in the process of creating infrastructure that will help us coordinate mass production.”

“Impressive,” said Hackworth.

“Thank James. He’s the one who awoke me to the need to go beyond experimenting and right into factory line production. Now, we’re limited by resources and Fabricator levels, so I’ve ordered folks to focus on what can be quickly produced and which might make a difference in tomorrow’s fight. First, rune amulets.”

She took up a fist-sized bundle and unwrapped it, revealing an intricate web of ivory and gold the size of a medallion. In its center glowed a symbol that was as entrancing as the demonic ones were discordant.

“War Smiths can create an amulet for each attribute, with a minor rune bestowing a +3 to the attribute in question, while a major rune, created with the imbuing of an Aeviternum, bestowing a +6. This is a major rune of Agility.”

“Can I?” asked Serenity, reaching forth.

Jessica handed it over, and Serenity studied it before looking back up. “No chain? How do I wear it?”

“It sticks wherever you place it.”

“Huh.” Serenity pressed the rune to the inside of her left forearm. It let out a brief glow and melded its back into her skin.

“Oh,” said Serenity in throaty appreciation. “Now that’s good.”

“Can it be removed?” asked Duffy.

“Yes. It can also stack with Bless. The total number of Aeviternum an operator possesses limits how many runes they can carry, however.”

“Shit,” said Serenity with a scowl. “I only have two.”

“Whereas James has four,” said Jessica with a smile. “Lucky James. These runes require divine diamond as their primary component, which is proving to be our bottleneck, but we’ve already created eighty-five of them, and will continue working through the night. It’s my hope to provide every operator in First and Second Group with an amulet of their choice by tomorrow’s wave.”

“Outstanding,” said Hackworth.

“Angel Wing manufacture is slower but proceeding apace. Experimentation has revealed that we can create a Wing with only nine Aeviternum, allowing for quicker production, but at the cost of a weaker Virtuous Heart. That mean a far shorter range if the rider runs out of their own divine power pool. Still, it’s allowing us to make nine minor Wings instead of one major one, which seems a good deal for tomorrow’s fight.”

“How many do we have?” asked Duffy.

“Forty-five. I’m hoping to have a hundred by midday tomorrow, but that will depend on everything proceeding as planned.”

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“A hundred?” Star Boy tapped his chin. “That’s… we could pull a top squad or two from each borough, give it Wings, place it in center space so it could act as a roving stopgap. Shore up areas that are collapsing.”

“Factor that in,” said Hackworth. “We saw how Crimson Hydra was able to bolster three situations today alone. Be smart to have them on standby. Continue, Miles.”

“We’ve got Structuralists creating enhanced walls. These can either be freestanding or layered over existing walls to bolster those. Thus far we’re reinforcing our FOB’s and have folks reinforcing the Marriott as well as heading toward the other boroughs. We’ve no sense yet of Nem3’s coming to attack us, but if it does happen, we’ll be ready.”

Hackworth nodded. “Good thinking. We may in turn use that ability to create more formidable outposts with which to withstand future waves. That’s a tactic for tomorrow, however.”

“Our War Smiths have also tried their hands at creating the base level armor and weapons that their Apprentice 2 rank allows. The schema are simple and crude, but I see the results more as a promise of what’s to come.”

At her nod, the assistants unwrapped two of the remaining three bundles. One revealed a chest plate of dull bronze with fragments of divine diamond flecking its face like chips of glowing mica, and the other was a spear, six feet long and whose head was of similar bronze, the blade leaf-shaped and wickedly sharp.

“These are their very first creations, and I think promise much more exciting items to come. We were unable to locate any reputable sources of medieval weapons and armor, but now we don’t need to. Initial testing reveals that the armor is designed to defend against demonic attacks; it can’t stop a normal bullet, but we think it will prove very effective against claws and bone harpoons. They also provide a +2 to Stamina.”

Major Baker, the XO, took the breastplate from Jessica and inspected it. “One size fits all?”

“They change shape to match their user. And come with a backplate that joins seamlessly with the front when touched together.”

“Excellent news,” said O’Shea, the logistics and supplies officer. His smile radiated excitement. “I was having trouble locating enough armor-plated vests, but with these we won’t need them.”

“Again, I hope to ramp up production as we go. I’ve three dedicated squads producing armor and weapons, with the rest focused on rune amulets. By tomorrow I hope to have that number doubled, then doubled again.”

“The spear?” asked James, recalling his attempts at using rebar.

Jessica took up the weapon. “It’s light, durable, and again, specialized against demons. We believe it can also act as a conduit for Benedictions, and they provide a +2 to Power, which again stacks with runes and Bless.”

“So a major rune and spear could add a +8 to Power?” Star Boy’s eyes lit up. “Which in turn would augment Smite, whose potency is linked to Power and Strength. Love it.”

“This will be a game changer in the long run,” said Duffy, accepting the breastplate from Baker. “Especially as the gear becomes more potent. Defense and offense, mobility, and the ability to harden our bases and create pop-up defenses. Excellent.”

“I’ve one final creation to share.” Jessica took up the last bundle. “You may recall my mentioning it before alongside the Angel Wing.”

She unwrapped the blanket to reveal a tear shaped ivory pendant a foot long. Its tapering end came to a sharp point, and a sphere of black glass was embedded in its head. It looked composite in nature, with hairline gaps running in elegant lines down its length, as if a solid blow could cause it to fall apart into a dozen pieces.

Everybody leaned forward to examine it.

“What… is it?” asked the XO at last.

“The Sola Anima,” said Jessica. “The Solitary Soul.”

“Is it a weapon?” asked Duffy.

“I don’t think so. It’s meant to be bonded to someone with Aeviternum, upon which it will activate. From the basic understanding I intuited, it’s an assistant of sorts, a companion, a…” Jessica trailed off. “A seed.”

The Monitor’s usage of the same word came back to James, and he fought the urge to shudder. “So are you going to bond with it?”

“No,” said Jessica. “I thought it fitting if you did.”

To James’s surprise everybody nodded thoughtfully.

“Me? I’m the highest ranked. It should go to someone who can use the help. A Crimson team leader who’s having trouble catching up.”

“I would disagree,” said Jessica. “Remember how you’re a symbol for all of Blue Light and beyond? It would be excellent marketing if you made the Fabricator video I requested with a Sola Anima by your side.”

“Yes,” said Serenity. “One hundred percent. You need to continue rocking the bad-ass vibe. It’s part of your mystique.”

“Colonel?”

Hackworth nodded. “Agreed. We’re going to need you to pull double if not triple duty tomorrow. Any advantage you can get is to our benefit.”

“And it feels right, doesn’t it?” Star Boy looked around the table. “Bad-ass James Kelly getting the first Sola Anima? Unless you guys think I should get it. Show of hands?”

Even Duffy snorted in amusement, and Star Boy pretended to look hurt as he lowered his arm.

“Well, all right.” James reached out and picked up the ivory pendant. It was lighter than he’d expected, but solidly built. Nothing rattled or shook within it. The surface was smooth and glossy like an Apple product, the black hemisphere that emerged from the thickest part at the top barely opaque, so that he could almost peer into its depths. “What do I do?”

“Just invest it with a point of Aeviternum.”

“I’ll have to wait till dawn, then. And that’s a point I can barely afford to spend. You sure it’ll be worth more than a Heavenly Assault?”

“I’m not,” said Jessica quietly. “But it’s ranked higher than an Angel Wing in terms of value and cost an astonishing amount of divine diamond to build. It’s your choice, but I think it’s worth the expense.”

“All right.” James reluctantly set it down. “Thank you.”

“Excellent work, Miles.” Hackworth’s tone was sharp and efficient once more. “We all have a lot to do to prepare for tomorrow’s Wave. Major Duffy, coordinate with Hamilton so that we can marry up our operations with their forces. Stokes, the sooner we have our intersections selected and can coordinate with the Emergency Management folks the better. Miles, loop Captain O’Shea into your production schedule so that we can best distribute your creations tomorrow morning. O’Brian, I want you to consolidate our platoons and companies so that we’re operating at strength tomorrow despite today’s losses. Kelly, check in with the operators. The sight of you will bolster their resolve. Baker, you and I will review the plan from the bottom up and ensure we haven’t overlooked anything. Clear?”

“Yes sir,” they chorused.

“Then let’s get to work.”

Everybody rose. James smiled gratefully to Jessica as she turned to leave, then considered the ivory teardrop on the table before him. What the hell was it? What would it do? How would it help them tomorrow?

In the end, despite the cost, he knew there was no way he’d not activate it. His curiosity was just too strong.

So, rising to his feet, he reached out, took up the Sola Anima, and tucked it under his arm.

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