Chapter 35: 34: FUEL

“Who’s Talitha?”

Adam heard Elias repeat the question within the rear cabin of the Silatem cruiser, interrupting his aimless study of the display panels within. 2340, the panel informed him with a lighted display. Twenty minutes to Ascension, the rise of the moons, and the start of Harvest. Again, the day brought nothing but tragedy to the humans stranded on Ipir.

Even without a second dose of sedative Adam was calmer than he should be. He felt nothing when grisly images repeated in his head without end and he’d washed his hands many times, though stains permeated his flesh with ghostly finality.

“Just some girl,” replied Adam. “About one-point-six five in height. Red hair, amber-color eyes—they’ve got these gold spots in them, gives her a native look. Age seventeen. She’ll be eighteen in a few months, just like me. What other stats do you need to work the contract?”

“She your girlfriend?” Elias remained gruff. “Your other girlfriend, besides the blonde? Any other girlfriends I need to find? Give me the list and I’ll round ‘em up.”

“Ha.” Adam smiled faintly. “Fuck you.”

“I’ll find her, Adam, but you've got to give me some information to work with. I need to know her chances of being alive if Jackal’s holding her. Stats from a public bio won't get me there.”

“Doesn’t matter, You don’t care about any of this. About how we’re dealing.” Adam shook his head bitterly. “Some live, some die, then it’s onto the next target. Just another day. You’ll leave me and Grace with PHS and disappear to wherever the fuck you go to for years, saying a big ‘fuck you’ to everyone you leave behind.”

A dry chuckle escaped Elias. Silence passed between them before Elias spoke again in a controlled manner.

“This is an active situation, Adam. A lot more people might die if Silatem doesn’t move. We have to—” A sharp note struck his tone when Adam didn’t face him. “Listen here—for fuck's sake. Look at me when I’m addressing you. I’m not talking to your fucking back and I’m not your fucking enemy. I’m trying to help. Recognize the damn efforts being made.”

Adam turned, standing to attention with his hands at his sides. Elias stood tall against him, a strong figure still wearing most of the Silatem armor minus the helmet, exposing a sun-browned head and a buzz of fair hair. Ice-blue eyes stared at Adam without break and Adam raised his hand to salute.

“Yes, sir,” Adam replied solemnly. “Acknowledged.”

Elias glared at the gesture. Adam held it without faltering for a long while until Elias shook his head, annoyed.

“At ease, shithead,” he said. “You’ve got some nerve. Dad would’ve set you straight for that one. No hesitation.”

“Maybe you’re right. Too bad he’s not here. What about you, ace?”

“Doing my best not to knock that attitude out of you. You’re not making it easy. Any other day…we’d settle this.”

“Sounds about right coming from you. Maybe you should go ahead and do it. See how that makes you feel. I’ll let you know if the message is clear.”

Their icy glare sustained as Adam lowered his hands to his sides, dropping the salute.

“You don’t understand the job,” said Elias gruffly. “That’s fine. I don’t expect you to as a civilian, especially one raised in Altir. That’s why you’re where you are and I’m where I am. But don’t think for one second I don’t see everything that went on, that I don’t understand what you went through or that I don’t care. I fucking care. I care a lot, about you and about everyone—maybe too much. All this chaos. Murder. Tragedy. Your fear for Talitha because she’s in that lunatic’s hands, which is real and valid. What’s happening as we speak, too. I’m angry for many reasons far beyond what you comprehend.”

“I do comprehend, though, more than you give me credit for,” replied Adam. “It’s not that complicated. Jackal—or Akil—or whatever the fuck his name is—killed Pop. You used to work for him back in the day, sounds like you were real young at the time and mixed up in some nasty shit, and that’s why there’s a pissing match over what you did—one that everyone else has to pay for. Lots of people—students, my classmates—my fucking friends!” Adam exhaled hard, taking a moment to gather himself. “They died for your bullshit,” he said, his voice shaking. “Your fucking war. Some goddamn…hunter crap ruining everyone’s lives. Like always. You…you’re poison.”

“Sorry." Elias grimaced for a short moment. “I know…I’m poison to everyone and everything. I don’t disagree. That’s the reality—the price—of what I do. It’s why I stay away, why no one likes to visit. Your anger…I get it. I felt the same too, long ago, and got in Dad’s face about it when I was a kid. I didn’t understand why our lives always had to revolve around pain and death, and why I had to give up everything and take on the responsibility of Silatem. Sesha left me over the family business back then—but you were too young to remember all of that.”

“I remember her. I read the rags too. I’m aware.”

“Yeah. Lots of, ah…articles at the time. Crazy speculations and most of them not true. So…anyway. These words are all I’ve got so please listen.” Elias tightened his mouth before responding. “This is beyond you, Adam. Beyond what you or the rest of your class were meant to handle. I can’t stop that or protect you from what’s already happened, and I blame this fucking planet for that. None of you should have ever been involved. Now this night…can never be undone.”

“Beyond me, beyond everyone slaughtered here, beyond the survivors who won’t ever—can’t ever—forget.” Adam’s gaze narrowed at Elias. “Only you, the pro, the great Captain, gets it. You’re above it all. No problem. And that victory onstage? I’d give Gracie credit for that, giving you an opening you’d never have otherwise. Took you long enough to show your face, while we’re at it. Still too late to fucking matter.”

“Ha.”

“Glad you’re amused.”

“You think I’m amused?”

“Yeah.”

“Unreal. Something you should know, Adam—besides the fact that our snipers covered your girl’s victory move and kept all of you fucking alive for you to say this shit to me about my men.” Elias watched Adam close. “Something else you should know about the trade. What it’s like after you get rescued and go home, the reality of the people you say don’t do enough for you. For every person here I couldn’t help get home, my outreach team and I will be the ones personally providing notices to their families. I was the commander that made the call to get inside and act against superior orders—Union’s orders. That makes me own part of the blame of this bodycount, fair or not. You know what a notice is?”

“It’s—”

“—Me and my best sitting with every family that lost someone they loved, confirming they won’t see them ever again and consoling them the best we can. Sometimes I have a body and sometimes I don’t. Sometimes it’s better not to have one.” Elias paused, waiting to see if Adam would bite back, but Adam stayed silent. “Silatem was tasked to collect survivors and follow CDPD’s action. I broke the rules and decided to act faster to save some lives, taking responsibility for a lot of mistakes that aren’t Silatem’s fault. Pissed off Judge Khelot in the process. Silatem will pay for my decisions soon enough and we’ll probably get blamed for every death so far. We’ll look heartless when we defend ourselves. That’s something you should care about, since this is your company too.”

“I do care,” replied Adam.

Elias chuckled. “No. You’re the one that doesn’t give a shit.” The glare sustained on Adam. “This night was a disaster. You’ve got your own part in it whether it hurts to hear it, breaking the law for a party. You should’ve alerted authorities about such a dangerous gathering. You fucking know better. You, out of everyone here, know better. I can’t believe you went ahead and—goddamnit. Adam—what the hell were you thinking?!”

“I wasn’t—”

“—You’re right you weren’t thinking!” Elias spat on the ground. “You want a ministry title fast but you’ve already proved you’re too immature for any real power. You think reading a few dashboard headlines and winning some school debates means you know how things work. You know fucking nothing. Want to break into the ministries? Want to be somebody, run something? Wake the fuck up!”

“I knew it was fucking wrong!” snapped Adam, anger brimming. “I knew it was illegal—dangerous! I’m not a fucking idiot!”

“You acted like one. Guess it was more important for you to have a good time and be the ace of the ball than to act responsibly. And here we are, recovering from this nightmare that’ll take an…amount of time I can’t even estimate to confirm everything that happened—to confirm everyone that’s dead or missing.” Elias shook his head, touching his brow with private fatigue. “Don’t say I don’t fucking care. Ever. You’re a fucking kid and I hunt bloodsuckers, so you and the rest in Union can enjoy the finest society has to offer without breaking a sweat. I’m here to clean up your fucking mess and I’m pissed because this could have—should have—been prevented by a Pendergast.”

Adam’s mind turned over at the reality that he could have stopped the carnage before it happened. He didn’t do what he’d known all along was right, what his legacy as a Pendergast—as an heir to the most powerful hunting company on the planet—required him to do. His mouth parted several times to retort back to Elias but there was nothing he wanted to say.

“Adam—I’m on your side,” said Elias, gentling his tone. “Regardless of everything. Remember that, no matter how angry I am—and I’m pretty fucking angry. I don’t blame you for being seventeen and for not thinking straight. I won’t let anyone blame you or the other students that came here. I won't let you blame yourself either. You've learned a lesson the hardest way possible but Jackal alone is responsible for what happened. He's the criminal and you were manipulated. We’ll figure this problem out and fix whatever we can fix—aye?”

“Aye,” grunted Adam. “Thanks.”

Elias thought to himself in silence before peering at Adam with a serious expression.

“Silatem needs to be run," he said. "If anything happens to me or if I have no heirs by the end…you’re next. You’re the one saving hostages, you’re the one hunting rebels, you’re the one giving notices. You know how important it is to keep this going.” His voice lowered. “One billion people on this planet this year, Adam. Thirty generations coexisting. Thirty-five people born on Ipir every minute and half that amount die at the same time. This will never end. Know why?”

“Planet’s fucked,” said Adam. “We’re fucked.”

“Yep. That savage was right about one thing, we don’t belong here. No one does. Ipir's already dead, just like those natives, and that red sun up there will swallow this planet whole one day if we don’t find a way to get back into space. We’ll be gone along with all of the psychos praying for it to happen.”

Adam absorbed quiet, cutting anger from Elias. He folded his arms as well and watched the shifting visuals on the display panels.

“Who gave you the gun?” asked Elias. “Jackal?”

Adam nodded after a short pause. “Yeah,” he said. “He did.”

“Why?”

“Told me he’d let Talitha go if I used it. Said I have to either shoot you or myself for the deal.”

“Fuck. But that’s how the bastard likes to play. Find a weak spot and drill down.”

“Yeah.”

“You aimed it at me.”

“Aye.”

“Were you going to shoot?”

“Yeah. But I suck so…I knew I’d miss.” Adam glanced down at the floor, remembering the rush of activity that unfolded within seconds on the temple stage. “Found that out a few times tonight. Thought you’d shoot me quick but at least Li would be safe.”

“I wouldn’t have shot back,” said Elias.

Adam’s attention returned to Elias. “No?”

“No one was ever authorized to shoot you. Ever. Not unless Jackal cut you, just like I warned him, if there was no other way. And I refused to let there be no other way. It was a bluff and yeah—you would have missed.”

“Jackal was going to kill everyone there. He killed a girl in front of me with zero hesitation. He made me…kill someone too. I didn’t want to. He forced me to—” Adam choked on his words, surprising himself from a sudden spike of emotion at the thought of Cam. “I had no choice. None. And I—I killed someone else too. One of my best mates. He was a rebel. I found out tonight, that he was a killer all this time. Since elementary grade…he was trained to do this by whoever was behind him. Wanted me gone all those years. So I ended up killing two people tonight—”

Adam paused when Elias approached, placing hands on his shoulders. He frowned at Elias in confusion, although the confusion was his own—his head was messed up, maybe from all the hits he’d taken that night. Elias nodded and in that slip of a moment, Adam accepted a tight embrace. The sensation was strange—he couldn’t remember the last time his brother hugged him. Had to be when he was a kid. When Elias looked at him again Adam couldn’t stop remembering and couldn’t stop rambling.

“I had to kill Ivan—you know? Ivan shot my other best mate Joe, killed Joe right in front of me. They’re both not around anymore. Hardly anyone I know's still alive. I tried to help people get out and it was hard to find 'em. Some didn’t want to leave because they were scared. I was lucky to even find Talitha in there. I thought it was over for her too. She looked so bad.” Adam sighed. “I’m not a killer. I don’t want to kill anyone else. I didn’t want to kill those two or disable any parasites. I did it because I had to. They taught us weak points in school and we’re required to learn for survival—”

“Who’s Talitha?” asked Elias another time, halting Adam’s stream of anxious words.

Adam shifted where he stood, recalling Talitha’s sunny, freckled face and beaming smile. Van Allen Nilla—that was her favorite flavor ice at Astros, especially in a spice cone. He’d planned on buying her a spice cone at the Harvest projector show because she'd like that, maybe even like it because she was with him and he liked her, so they’d have a good time together. Her silent screams and face stretched in terror when he couldn’t reach or help her—that memory replayed as well, as if he could still smell the stench of the sergeant’s head right beside him and see Jackal’s dark, menacing void of a stare.

“Talitha’s just a senior student…like me,” said Adam at last. “Jackal and his rebels hijacked the CDPD cruiser that picked us up and separated us. I don’t know where he’d take her but I know he won’t kill her. That’s not what he wants.”

“Why won’t he kill her?”

“She’s his…daughter. And he wants her to be his…bride, because she’s a pure-blood. Like him. He said he’d make her produce children for him, like her mother did, to serve him. Make more of their kind.” Adam grimaced as the words left his mouth. “He’s sick. I won’t let him do that. I won’t let him touch her. It’s not going to happen.”

“Aye.” Elias nodded at the information. “Sounds rightt. He's sick. That’s what he and his type are like in those extreme Sinum cults. All they care about is blood and dream up the worst ways to get it. It’s why I went undercover and chased Akil—why Pop went after him so hard all those years. I’ve seen firsthand what Akil likes to do and it’s not pretty. Worse than anything here, unfortunately. You know a bit of it, since you’re aware of how…Dad died.” He frowned, retracing Adam’s statements. “So this girl—Talitha—is Jackal’s daughter? Meaning…she’s Akil’s kid?”

“We found that out tonight. He told us and we never had a clue. She’s a ward from Pender-Pal and her birth record always listed her father as an unidentified refugee from Westmont, some deceased rebel from the Time Of Trouble. Her mother was another refugee and a victim in Westmont. Handwritten notes by Dad are on her medical files and he might have rescued Li’s mother himself during the raids. There are other wards with similar histories that are tied to Westmont like her. Nobody…knew that’s who she came from. Even Ivan, my friend, turned out to be her half-brother, another of Jackal’s kids.”

“Akil has lots of spawn,” said Elias. “How many are out there, we've still got no clue. Maybe we never will. Most of them seem disposable for his tastes and only the ones he finds worthy get to survive and serve at his side.”

“Li’s mother was a true pure-blood and so’s Jackal…Akil. That means something to him, especially after this outbreak. So—”

“So what?”

Adam broke their eye contact again. “You’ll kill her.”

“Why would I kill her?” Elias moved close again when Adam didn’t respond. “Adam—what the hell’s going on with that girl?”

“Promise…you won’t do anything to her.”

“Is she infected?”

Adam scowled. “You can’t kill her. I won’t let you—”

“Adam,” interjected Elias sharply. “Talk. Now. If I’m bringing this girl back to base I have to know exactly what the hell I’m bringing back.”

“Don’t hurt her.”

“I won’t hurt her. Now talk.”

Adam hesitated for a moment and peered at Elias before responding. “She was bit but…I think she’s immune. Or something. She took that drug that everyone else took, the one that infected them all—”

“Purple Dot.”

“Yeah. How did you—?”

“Heard about it. Another issue I’ve got to handle.”

“Ivan said that more people inside of Union are infected. He called them sleepers. Said the turn’s activated after they die a mortal death, not before, and it’s straight to Stage Seven.”

“I figured. Encountered some of those sleepers already. We’re implementing quarantine measures in preparation and we’ll sort out effective testing and control. Life’s going to be different for a while. Hopefully we can secure a sample of that drug to speed things up. Now tell me more about Talitha. She took the contraband and got bit—?”

“She was bit by someone working with the rebels, her old boyfriend. He was infected but she’s still alive, though badly damaged. Looked like…she should be dead. Rabids don’t touch her at all even though they know she’s there, like they’re not interested. Like how the wildlanders are.”

Blue eyes watched him with shrewd attention. “You had equipment on while this was happening?”

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“Yeah. A field mask that belonged to a rebel shielded me from detection. Ivan’s mask.”

“Sounds like Union tech. Something stolen. And the hosts avoided the female instead of attacking?”

“Aye. It’s how we got out.”

“All right.”

“We were with CDPD before Jackal caught up with us. He killed the officers escorting us. Probably still has that cruiser.”

“He’s got a CDPD vessel, you said. Thank you. We’ll have to ensure all the rest are still properly manned.” Elias nodded. “The girl—Talitha—did she mention symptoms? How long she was out after she was bit? That contraband might have had an effect on her recovery.”

“She couldn’t talk anymore,” replied Adam. “Because of the bite. It was really ugly, deep and black-looking, leaking something. I tried to patch it but it kept bleeding. The CDPD officer tending to her didn’t want to treat the wound—said it looked like it was festering.”

“Festering wound,” Elias repeated, rubbing his jaw. “She was bitten but the girl’s alive. Pure-blood and rabids won’t approach. Again…thanks.”

Adam peered at Elias, hesitating. “Do you know what’s happening?" he asked. "Is she turning into one of them—a blood drinker??”

“Both of her parents are pure-bloods of the highest order, if what Akil says is true. Akil's been around since before the start of our settlement. That age probably has an effect in this, maybe slowing the rate of the rabidity to keep her sentient. The bloodline keeps her reanimating between states instead of killing her outright like the others. With what you told me…I think Silatem might need to look into the reaction closely. Assess the changes in her physiology. I don’t think she’s fully turned into anything—yet. But she’s on her way.”

“So you’ll care for her. She’s valuable.”

“Sure. She might be. I can’t tell you for sure but we’ll take care of her no matter the outcome. There are sedation therapies we can try, methods we can develop if she gets worse or experiences…unnatural hunger.” Elias straightened himself, continuing to watch Adam closely. “It’s possible if we stop what’s happening early enough she can have a normal life without succumbing. Find a normal job, form normal relationships…marry. Have children, if that’s what she wants. Takes effort and a lot of blood to maintain fertility but it happens all the time.”

“Will she have to go back to Asylum?”

“Aye. Those are the laws. If she wants to stay in Union with an active infection in her system, even if she’s returned to a RedSect territory, she’ll have to complete another stint of solitary quarantine before continuing as a resident.”

“Oh. Right.”

“That’s something we can settle later.” Elias rested a hand on Adam’s shoulder. “Right now let’s focus on getting Talitha back safe and stopping Akil. Again.”

“Okay.” A note of embarrassment struck Adam. “You know,” he said haltingly. “I wanted to say…I know I acted—”

“Disregard,” said Elias. “I’m glad you’re back. That you’re safe. That Ma doesn’t have to cry over you. She’s done that enough for the rest of us.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. You think you threw me off with a few weak insults?” Elias scoffed, folding his arms. “You said you'll pay me to give a shit. Ma delivers worse. I was actually preparing for more of her needling when I thinking of stopping by for Harvest. Thought of going to that fundraiser too, but I got caught up with work. Wish I did, knowing Akil showed up there calling himself Jackal. Could’ve handled all this that night, but it didn’t work out that way. Safe to say the obstacles thrown in my way were put there on purpose.”

“You were going to stop by?” Adam heightened in surprise. “Really? I didn’t think you cared enough to visit. It’s been so long. That would’ve been—”

“—Cosmic?” finished Elias. “Stellar, maybe?”

“Nah.” Adam scoffed. “Don’t take it that far, ace. But it wouldn’t have been bad. I guess.”

“Ma said she’d cook if I came ‘round.”

“Ma? Cook?” An incredulous laugh erupted from Adam despite himself. Despite the sorrows that crashed over him, receding like ocean waves only to return again with greater force, threatening to drown him in its tides. “Been a while. Not sure she remembers how.”

“Well, that’s what the sensors are for. Gives us enough time to escape the blaze.”

“Wouldn’t mind more of the family stew.”

“Me either. She used to make a mean one. Hope she’s still got skills.”

Adam glanced at the rest of the cruiser behind Elias, buzzing with urgent activity. “Why did you come talk to me? You’ve got important things going on. Time’s valuable. I can see that.”

“Just checking up on you,” replied Elias. “Mr. Noor mentioned you seemed critically worried about Talitha. About everything. Felt I should check in on you personally and thought it might help if we spoke about what’s happened. What will happen. I wanted to let you know we’re here and we have it under control. All you have to do is sit tight.”

“Thanks.”

“You know, while we have a few minutes to talk…I wanted to point out that blonde risked her neck for you. She could’ve been killed—and you could’ve been killed too if she fucked up.” Elias grimaced. “We weren’t prepared for her move. Our surveillance wasn’t able to get close enough to the stage to see where she came from but from what she’s said so far, there’s a concealed tunnel behind an alcove along the wall. Some rebel helped her find it. Thing was man-made. She’s lucky it was the right rebel to trust. Could’ve ended up as another hostage. Or worse. So…incredibly stupid. But desperation can do that.”

Adam sighed. “Yeah. Well. She…does what she does. And she should’ve stayed back. She could’ve been killed—and killed both of us. Everyone. Hard to admit in all this luck can still be on our side.”

“Aye. At least now we know this shithead calling himself Jackal’s been working on that dramatic showdown and his quick escape for quite some time. Doesn’t matter, though. I’ll find him. And now I know that there are defectors present in his ranks that are screwing up his plans. That works for us.” Elias touched his ear, looking down for a moment and muttering something over COM in coded language before meeting Adam’s eye again. “You’ll be all right if I get back to work?”

“I’m fine.”

“You sure?”

Adam shrugged. “Bring Talitha back. Please. That’s all I want right now. I feel like I’m losing my mind waiting here.”

“You care about her. Personally.”

He nodded. “Aye.”

“Does she know you care as much as you do?”

“Not as clear as she should. But I wanted…to tell her. There were so many complications I couldn’t work the nerve.”

“Things change fast, Adam. Don’t wait to make yourself known. Also, on another note—cut strings that hold you back before proceeding in that matter. You know what I mean. Get serious if that’s the route you want. Stay focused. You have to be what you expect."

“Okay.”

“All right. You and the blonde will be transferred to the PHS carepoint at the base and you’ll stay there.” Elias tightened his tone. “You’ll stay. Understood?”

“Got it.”

“I mean it, Adam. Stay. Don’t do anything stupid.”

“I said I got it.”

“Good. You’d better.” Elias turned to reenter the main cabin of the cruiser and paused, looking up at the ceiling of the cabin to think to himself for a moment. Adam waited until Elias spoke again.

“Your friend—the one you shot—”

“Ivan.”

“Ivan. Yep. I’ll tell you this—” Elias met Adam’s gaze again. “You knew him as a mate and that part of him was real—that good guy. Even if it was a small part, it existed. But something got in his head that was stronger than he was. A disease—a different kind of parasite. In the notices I give sometimes I have to explain that a creature stole a loved one’s body, so that person isn’t there anymore even if they look the same. I’ll tell you as well…don’t be fooled. He was long gone before tonight.”

Adam nodded. “Aye.”

He folded his arms and turned back to the display panels on the cruiser’s wall. The partition to the cabin zipped open, allowing Elias to exit.

☼ ☼ ☼

Elias returned to the captain’s quarters within the Silatem cruiser, a private compartment within the airborne tank, and received a recap on their current situation. Captain Hodges was on board along with the Veratec mission navigator. The men from the Union hunting division provided an update on their approach to the temple.

“CDFD’s sent support to contain the fire by air but they refuse to operate on land ‘til the rebels are contained,” said Hodges, who sat opposite Elias at the center of the meeting table. He drank from a canister of fortified water and wiped smeared sweat and soot from his brow with the back of his hand. “Said they don’t want to risk losing their men for hunter work, especially if there’s a possibility of an airstrike from Defense. Walking backwards to go forward, they advised.”

“We don’t need an airstrike,” replied Elias. “Between your company and mine we can handle the rebels and the swarms in Westmont without issue. Jackal will be eliminated and we’ll ID every body we can find.”

“Seems like Khelot’s ready to write the whole town off now that he’s got his daughter. He’ll use every bit of his power to make this problem disappear since Unifaith’s fingerprints are all over Malmsey’s diplomatic license. Whoever’s in the hot zone of an airstrike will be gone. Anybody missing will be noted as likely deceased. We still can’t reach the base via COM either, even after those disruptors.”

“I’ll have to circle back to talk sense into Schulz. Personally. If he won’t listen I’ll get Heywood involved and turn this into a real mess. Silatem will forfeit all accrued bounty and withdraw from the mission if they proceed with a strike against our expert recommendations. CDPD can explain to the people of Altir why they incinerated the remains of those teenagers.”

“I guess that’ll send a message.”

“What’s the deal with 9819 and Sector Two, Mr. Noor?” Elias turned to the navigator beside him. “Is Raia headed home?”

“We’re still unable to establish a live feed within the sector. However, we captured this with the bugs.” Noor summoned a projection in the middle of the table displaying a running clip, manipulating it with his fingers to rotate the view of four surveillance devices within the 9819 residence. “You’ll see it’s modest…single family, two story. Per public record, two thousand square meters in size. Landing pad on the roof for a personal vessel, and Raia owned his own craft.”

“He’s hijacking CDPD vessels in the field. Might try to land something there.”

“So what’s this for?” asked Hudson, scanning the interior of Raia Malmsey’s home through the NAV bug’s vision. “Jackal wants the captain to meet ‘im there for another showdown? We gave ’im one already at the temple and ‘e tucked tail. Should keep runnin’ by my word.”

“Five years. Maybe more to plan all this and he runs when things get hot.” Elias narrowed his gaze. “Why did he go through all that trouble to send me to this home?”

“I noted this, Captain.” Noor enlarged the view of the third bug and reversed the clip several seconds, slowing down the feed. “Polymer furniture still in the home, disheveled but intact. What looks like…rows of tall cylindrical containers in the living and kitchen areas, maybe about thirty to forty of considerable commercial width all covered in cloth. The second floor bedroom contains another fifteen jam-packed inside, the restroom another five. There’s barely any room for a resident to walk inside.”

“Any clue what that might be?”

“Probably fuel,” said the Veratec commander beside Hodges. “Looks like pressurized ether cannisters for shipping vessels, the kind you can order from ether supply stations for fuel taps while en route.”

“Highly fucking combustible,” added Hodges. “Highly illegal outside of a station or industrial facility. Storage and transport of the material is strictly regulated and monitored.”

“Ether stations have plenty of them,” repeated Elias. He glanced at Hudson and Noor. “Bill and Barbara Dugal knew a lot about that. We'll cross-reference those serial numbers to see where they came from but I don't think it'll be a surprise. How so many were stolen without drawing alarm is where the mystery lies.”

“Looks like the old dog wants to go out with another bang.” Hudson stroked his beard. “Tryin’ to escape within the smoke.”

“I need that live feed established. If he tries to land on that roof I want to know.”

“Might be a trap,” said Hodges. “Might not even show. How many more cannisters are hidden in how many of these empty homes? You’re right—five years working on tonight. Just the one home in this whole abandoned town, apparently.”

Elias exhaled at the thought, his concentration on the surveillance feeds. Hodges…was correct. “Mr. Noor," said Elias. “I’m going to need footage of all residences numbered with permutations of the digits 9819. See if you find similar items inside of those. Note if any have landing pads.”

“Aye, Captain.”

Hodges rose from his seat, signaling to his officers to rise as well. “I’ll work on the live feed. You get Schulz to stop that airstrike, Pendergast.”

“Give your rendezvous coordinates to Mr. Noor.”

Their hasty meeting adjourned and Elias remained in his seat while Hudson and Noor stood. They glanced at each other and then at Elias as the others left. Elias continued to watch the looping clip of the footage from Raia Malmsey’s home in silence as Hudson approached the table and lay his hand on the surface.

“You all right, Captain?” he asked.

Elias paused the surveillance footage on a still of the concealed cannisters, gazing at the covered items. “Even if I halt that airstrike,” he said, “how many active detonators are left in those homes? If there are more concealed fuel cannisters…and if the bastard's planted any more sleeper explosives within the swarms. He can level all of Westmont on his own, no airstrike needed.”

“If he could do anything of that magnitude he would’ve launched already,” said Noor.

“No,” said Elias. “No, he wouldn’t. He doesn’t panic and won’t blow before it’s time. What happened in that temple, that failure, didn’t knock him off course. That’s why he said he doesn’t care what I choose to do.” Elias shut off the projection and rose from his chair. “Imram wants me to follow. This won’t end until it’s just the two of us battling to the end. He wants payback—for Widow. For what I did to ruin his ultimate divine goal of killing or enslaving us all when he’d gotten so close. The fact that I was a kid when I did it—that strikes worse for his ego.”

“Heywood can find out what leads the Dugals were pursuing for their mission and their goals,” said Noor. “Might be a string of fuel thefts just like the weapons and supply thefts we’ve suffered. Maybe…more going on besides tonight. Awful thought.”

“Yep. Get moving.” Elias snatched his helmet from the storage alcove within the cabin. "I'll take the bike, talk to Schulz myself. Wait for my arrival at PHS-2A. We'll rendezvous with Hodges from there."

"Aye, Captain."

Elias waited until Hudson and Noor were out before placing his helmet back on his head, reengaging the sensors of his armored gear to summon the map of Westmont with a spoken command. He studied the gridlocking paths of streets and homes alone for a few minutes before returning to the main cabin of the cruiser, ready to proceed.

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