Chapter 42: 41: GAMBLE

Talitha's influence over the infected wolves extended as far as directing them to attack. When Elias neared Jackal's body and requested Adam to tell her to call the beasts back, she was unable. The girl tried to approach Elias but he barked at his men to keep her away. He wouldn't risk the wolves turning on her when she wore no armor, only a tattered costume that long since lost any semblance of color or cheer.

"Whatever she's doing," Elias said over COM, watching as Adam steered her back from the pile of feasting wolves. "She can't control. I don't need her approaching." His visor turned toward the disheveled, harrowed female. "Thank you for your help. Don't send any more animals. Stay back."

Wide eyes stared at him, unblinking and dilated. She panted—a crazed expression Elias knew well in advancing rabidity. He'd seen it so often in Stage Threes. Adam moved in between them and pushed her back, his face concealed once more with another helmet.

"Come on, Li. Let him finish what he needs to finish."

Elias waited until Davies corralled both teenagers a safe distance away and made sure the ambling parasites paid them no mind, gesturing at Agost to help him clear away the wolves. In swift action the men neared the swarm, at least twenty by then, and fired molten ammo repeatedly into the heads of the beasts. A cascade of ravenous howls and defeated whimpers created a din over the body of Jackal.

Five to six close range, high caliber rounds to the brain stem, with another in the chest, were needed to keep the beasts down long enough to shove them aside. That was more firepower than the hunters ever needed on the field for the threat type, even for hosts carrying a maximum parasite load. The feed tanks for their weapons showed signs of wear from the spent ammunition and their shots sizzled underneath the steady fall of light rain.

"Ether's sparking their regeneration at an advanced rate," remarked Agost, dragging a wolf from the pile and using force to dislodge the locked in jaws. "Without termination ability we have to totally destroy these bodies. We can’t risk any infectious material remaining whenever possible."

Elias chuckled as he burrowed another projectile into a vicious mass of fur. "So Jackal's plan isn't that bad after all, blowing the whole place up."

"That's not what I meant to say, sir."

"Maybe not. But at this rate we can't stop an airstrike from Defense. It'll be a matter of when, not if. Westmont‘s…lost."

"Aye. Since the town’s slated to be demolished I don't see why Defense would risk sending men on the ground, especially with this uncontrolled current mutation."

Elias grabbed hold of the beast and heaved it aside, the sensation of his swelling, blood-stained face hot within his helmet, even with added venting.

"Jackal told me in that cruiser, before he busted my helmet, that every storage location for those cannisters was set to go off at first hour. We passed zero hour without fanfare and first hour’s…forty-six minutes from now." His visor turned toward Agost. "You can't depressurize fourteen hundred-plus canisters within seven square kilometers and disable a motherlode in forty-six minutes, can you?"

"No, sir."

"I guess it's settled then. Union would charge Silatem with a crime for saving the day anyway. They'll evacuate as soon as we've—I've—dealt with the target."

The men grabbed each powerful, heavy body by the scruff once they lay slack and yanked them back, tossing them aside. They caught a glimpse of Jackal's mangled form at last and quickened pace to clear the way. Agost's helmet moved up toward Elias as they worked.

"I have an idea, Captain, that might ruin the outcome of Jackal's plot," he said. The words 'ruin' and 'Jackal' made Elias pause and place full attention on Agost. "Ether's only combustible when it's pressurized. Reduce the pressure to reduce the ignition point and it cools. When the pressure is released quickly, in a controlled manner, temperature plummets. In theory—"

"What theory?" Elias interjected.

"In theory, with the rainfall and the clouds, a sudden release of massive amounts of frigid gas—if it spreads far enough depending on the size of the motherlode—"

"Frost. Snow."

"Toxic snow. But, yes." Agost's visor moved up and down, nodding. "The ether will be inert. And the frigid cold may cause some—or all—of the detonations to fail as intended. The parasites remaining will also slow or freeze. But that's only if there's enough in the motherlode and if it's also pressurized—"

Elias resumed removing the beasts. "What's the risk to the surrounding zones? Central, RedSect West, RedSect North—?"

"Kidish Pass and Blackstone Mountain form natural barriers, impeding the flow of ether into Central and RedSect North. The gas won't rise above the peaks. RedSect West—may have to remain indoors until contamination clears, however long that takes."

Jackal's face, lost of any discernible features aside from the slit of his open mouth and a single, bloodied eye, was exposed when Agost pulled off one of the last remaining beasts biting into Jackal.

"Fortunately we've already started mass quarantine procedures," continued Agost. "Toxicity won't be as extreme as it would be in Westmont. More of an irritation. Refugees, applicants, residents—should already be indoors where they’re shielded."

Elias paused again, staring down at Jackal's face as Agost completed the removal. The commander stepped back once the job was done and stood aside, pulling his rifle into grip and remaining ready.

"Let's do it," said Elias, his attention remaining on Jackal's unmoving form. "He's not going to win. He can't."

"Yes, sir."

Elias knelt beside the rebel leader now lying still like before. The wolves had damaged what was left of Jackal's physical body so badly that the rune markings were lost in floods of blood and gore. In several places Elias spotted exposed bone. Mortal—Jackal appeared mortal. Dead like a mortal.

But.

Elias wasn't sure if it was a trick of the misty rain, a shifting glow from the twin moons gleaming above through the clouds, or his own mind racing with blistering ideas, but he thought he saw the slit of Jackal's mouth curve upward. That was impossible—Elias was sure of it. Or…he wasn't sure anymore.

Rage simmered, the same anger he'd carried since discovering Jackal's plot—the same anger he'd festered after viewing leaked footage of his father's execution in the steamy jungles of Vangral—the same anger that was born when he successfully infiltrated Jackal’s hidden group Widow and discovered a native industry of farming their human guests. Anger born when Elias first met Imram Ylasema, and when Imram immediately forced him to beat a juvenile recruit he’d befriended to death to prove his loyalty. Unparalleled emotions were useless to him as president of Silatem. Useless now to entertain thoughts of massacred students and of his father's end. Of the loss of Hudson—his oldest friend.

Twenty-two years of despising the creature below him. A single moment available—now—to let it go.

A small circle formed around Elias paces away—Davies, Agost, Adam, and the sunken girl Talitha—after he made the first slice across Jackal's throat. They watched in silence as Elias sawed through Jackal, cutting through grizzled flesh and bone until Jackal's head barely hung on its stem.

"You have to get his heart too," said Adam, voice calm through the helmet. "That's what I heard. Puts them down longer. Not sure how much of that’s left but be sure to get it all."

The words registered somewhere but Elias didn't notice. He saw only Jackal below, still laughing.

☼ ☼ ☼

"Davies—take these two to the cruiser. Make sure they stay there. Put them in a fucking cage and restrain them if necessary. Don't let them out of your sight and don't let them convince you to do anything else either—copy?"

Davies saluted, resting his rifle on his shoulder. "Yes, sir."

"That's a direct order from your Captain as well as your company president. I'll levy penalties on you personally if you pull that shit you just did a second time. You won't work for me anymore and you'll be in a cage–my cage. There’ll be no Union for you to run to and hide, and I’ll make your life fucking hell if you try. Don’t disappoint me. Copy?"

"Yes, sir."

“Good. Thank you. And I mean that for the assistance too–just never do it again.”

“Yes, sir.”

"And you—" Elias approached Adam, who stood stoically before him after they'd regrouped outside of the temple. His own helmet reflected in Adam's visor. "If you pull another stunt, Adam, so help me—I'll make you suffer." Elias pointed a finger. "You put on my fucking gear and you’re carrying my weapons. You're under my fucking law. Ma will have to try and extradite your dumb ass from me so you can find some mercy. Don't bother running—I'll find you. Copy?"

Adam's voice emanated from the helmet. "It's also my company, Elias. I'm a Pendergast. So’s Ma. It’s in the will. You're not the only one so don’t talk to me that way.”

"No. You're backup. It's yours if and only if anything happens to me and if I ever have a kid you're bumped down again unless you’re needed. That’s also in the will, ace, so be sure to read it close and take notes if you’re confused. What I say goes for Silatem and that’s fucking final. Ma understands that well. The both of you better back the fuck off unless you're willing to die for this company like I am. Like Pa was." Elias jabbed him with the finger. "Are we clear?"

They stood head to head and Adam's back straightened, still bristling and ready to fight. Talitha rested a hand on his arm to calm him and Adam surveyed her for a long moment, shaking his head and lowering his visor.

"We’re clear.”

"Get them out of here, Lieutenant. Leave the escape shuttle outside of the temple and take them to Silatem HQ for care. Alert Noor as soon as broad COM capabilities are restored of a possible mass container of ether. Have him forward that intel to Heywood and Carter." Elias took a step back and motioned to Agost. "Let him know the commander and I are going to find that motherlode. Be sure to advise him of our losses. After we settle action we'll exit Westmont via the shuttle if we can't move that CDPD cruiser. Copy?"

"Aye."

Both Davies and Agost acknowledged. Davies gestured at the teenagers to follow him down the foggy avenue back to the cruiser and Elias watched them leave until they were faint shadows in the mist. He turned away from them as Agost transmitted another map of Westmont to Elias, this one sectioned over the cluster of municipal buildings near the temple.

"There's City Hall," said Agost. "The building immediately adjacent to the temple. I've attached the most recent building plan from Union's historical database. Nothing’s changed since the Red classification."

Elias scanned the information Agost sent him, using his COM to navigate the map of the building's interior. "Basement's a landing lot," he noted. "There's a runway through the courtyard with a commercial landing pad."

"Right. If the tunnel leads from the temple to City Hall and the motherlode is underneath—we'll find a passage there as well."

"Move."

Another timer activated within Elias, this one counting down the minutes left before Jackal's grand finale of multiple detonations across Westmont sparked. An eight pointed star in design with a hidden surprise—and a motherlode of explosive ether with yet unknown proportions. Jackal's body, along with who Elias knew as Rose Desjard, had been dumped into one of the CDPD cruiser's cages while Jackal’s head—what was left of it—rested in a cage of its own. An emptiness and simmering anger persisted in Elias, even with the trophy in his hands.

The men accessed the building through the eastern entrance and followed the interior map toward the stairs to the basement. Elias allowed comforting automatic motion to propel him through necessary actions—clearing corners, monitoring the gauges for changes in the atmosphere, marking progress on the map—and found the ether levels increasing while they descended. He hunted, this time for a threat far beyond Silatem’s routine task of pest control. Everything else, about Elias or the people surrounding him that were irrelevant to his hunt, didn't exist.

Agost quickly confirmed by monitoring the ether levels in the lot that the leak was coming from City Hall. If they followed minute changes in their readings during their search they'd find the path to where the leak originated. Thirty-two minutes to go to find the source, and they traveled at breakneck speed.

The men said little besides the most critical information as they crawled the lot, encountering three false positives along the way. Those dashed hopes ended up being ether collections in a cool far corners harboring poor ventilation.

"There," said Elias as they approached a lot near a wall panel listing the directory of rooms within the government building. "See the readings in this coordinate? Peaking instead of dissipating even if we don't move."

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Agost stood back and glanced at the lot’s labeling, thinking to himself for a moment. "Lot #9…9 is the digital root of 9819 and all the points within Jackal’s design. The motherlode would be the ninth point of the star, the center of it all if we consider it as well. Maybe a coincidence, this repetition, or…maybe 9's his lucky number."

"Lucky number—yeah. Sure. Check the panel. I'll check the space."

They separated and inspected the area surrounding the lot. Elias scanned the wide partition, finding it marked as a special area for an executive administrator working directly for Westmont's mayor. The space was empty, save for a few remaining weathered holographic decals against the side and back walls, and Elias approached them, noting the few readable words that remained.

"Ministry Of…Education," he repeated over the COMlink. "School. Students. This fucker finds this funny."

"This directory panel, Captain—it's adhered directly to the wall," said Agost. Elias glanced over and saw the Commander running his hands along the sides. "No support frame. Highly unusual. Attached with metalloid adhesive that looks new, like someone's been through here recently."

Elias left the lot and returned to Agost, inspecting the directory as well. His visor focused on the seam between the panel and the surrounding wall, noting a thin strip of reflective metal bonding between the two. "We’ll get it off," he said. "Use the laser. You take left. I'll take right."

Agost activated his laser tool and set to work along the seam while Elias did the same, removing the tool from his armor's belt. He adjusted the diameter of the beam and fired, toggling the temperature until he saw the adhesion bubbling, completing a steady pass along the length and the top while Agost followed suit on the opposite. Their efforts led to the panel slipping from it's post and Elias grabbed hold of it before the adhesive could solidify. He wrenched it off of the wall, setting it aside.

"Captain," said Agost. "Take a look."

Elias turned back and spotted a crudely shaped rectangular opening that mimicked the height and width of the directory panel. Ether levels in the air spiked to caution levels and he gestured at Agost to follow, stepping through the opening first. His visor adjusted as they entered dimness and he was met with another wall. A look back and forth revealed he was in a cavity.

"Tight fit," he said. "One-point-five meters across. Watch your equipment and your weapons."

Elias moved aside to let Agost enter and they were met with two possible directions.

"Micro-shift to the north," said Agost, pointing past Elias. "Towards the temple."

Elias turned towards the passage that Agost directed and the cavity darkened further, reaching pitch black. Sand—or dirt—padded the floor under their footsteps and his visor adjusted to the lack of light. He toggled between infrared interfaces, watching the temperature around them steadily decrease the further they advanced. His boot stepped over a strange material and he halted. He struck his sole against it again, returning to the COM.

"Something here," said Elias. "On the floor."

Agost stepped aside and activated his helmet light, shining a beam in the darkness. Elias crouched and wiped away dark gritty powder until the surface below was revealed. A wooden panel lay underneath, just large enough to fit within the cavity space, and Elias tested the edges to find it loose. He glanced up at Agost expectantly.

"Well?" he said.

Agost paused for a moment before replying. "I'm not scanning any devices attached, sir," he replied. "Go ahead."

"Thank you."

Elias lifted the panel and slid it behind him, activating his helmet light. A rectangular shaft descended into more darkness and a crude rope ladder hung between stony walls. His visor warned him of yet another rapid increase in local ether concentration levels.

He pointed, signaling he was going down first, and turned as Agost covered, lowering himself onto the first rung of the ladder. Testing the security of the hold, Elias found it strong enough to support his weight, and he continued down and ventured into the dark.

The shaft led to another narrow passage and Elias turned off the headlight, allowing his visor to shift back into infrared vision. He heard Agost advance behind him, climbing down the ladder as well, and he waited until the commander was following before continuing. They reached another intersection that led in three directions and Elias paused again, scanning each path.

"Third passage," he said. "Not just the temple and City Hall linked—there's a whole network under here. Just like the fucker established before."

"Those parasites Jackal stored in those homes—were they captives like during the Time? Maybe kept underneath until it was time to use them. But from where? If it were Union there'd be a lot of noise about the missing."

"We'd have to ID them to be sure, to know if they might be Union or not, but if I know that piece of shit like I'm sure I do…these people don't exist in any record. They were bred for the purpose of serving his cult in any way he deemed necessary. Maybe some are his own unlucky bastards—the half-breeds that didn’t fit with the master plan."

"It's good he's gone. For everyone." Agost gestured down the third path. "This way, Captain. The shift is getting much easier to identify. Means we're getting close."

There was no grand reveal of the motherlode once they arrived. No set of puzzles meant for Elias to unravel before he could see what Jackal planned to use for the saluktu. Agost, who Elias had known and worked alongside for more than half his tenure as Silatem president, was a courteous professional, a genteel man bred with a hospitable nature common for people raised in the southern territories. Elias once remarked to his officers that he'd never heard Agost utter a foul word before, that's how pleasant Agost always remained. However, that ongoing truth changed the moment Agost caught sight of the motherlode.

"Holy shit, Captain!"

Not one canister. Not several hundred canisters, or several thousand. The tunnel led to a chamber ten meters high with a row of immense underground tanks filling the rocky space, massive in size and embedded in prepared pits. Elias hurried down the line with Agost in tow, quickly taking count of how many there were, though he had a sneaking suspicion already.

"Nine," said Agost. He paused in his tracks and Elias stopped as well, noting the commander's slow scan of the area. "Captain—it would be highly, highly negligent of us not to act. The amount of ether stored here, if it explodes along with the rest—sir."

"What are the ramifications?"

"Westmont, eliminated completely. Mines, destroyed—massive underground collapses and toxic clouds. No mining available in the zone for a decade, maybe, but likely much more. RedSect West—structural damage, injuries probable. Deaths likely." Agost walked away from Elias, examining one of the tanks closer. "The Central districts—it'd feel like a massive earthquake rattling through, causing structural damage. From the nearest body of water, the Sea Of Solis—a mini tidal wave causing critical damage to West Central as a result. A chain reaction of chaos. My speculations may still fall short of the reality, and I believe they do. This is…terrible."

"Okay." Elias glanced at the readings on his visor and the time remaining—twenty-three point five-two minutes. "What's next?"

Agost lowered the sack he carried on his back and removed rows of pipes and valves, gesturing to the instruments.

"I have sixty retractable industrial manifold pipes that can vent through six valve channels each. We have to install, calibrate, and release this ether below the ignition point. Afterward, we can puncture the exterior to escalate the release. A massive detonation is then desirable to spread the ether, which will become an extinguishing vapor. Defense can pinpoint an air drop over the motherlode to get the same effect but we’re closing in to twenty-three minutes with stifled communications…making all that almost impossible."

"Almost impossible. Not impossible." Elias motioned him forward. "I remember how to install these. Let's begin."

"Yes, sir. Watch my alerts to ensure the venting speed doesn't freeze our progress. We'll be synced to the valves and their flow levels on the visor display."

"Understood, Commander."

Automatic motion returned to Elias, the exponential increase in danger they'd discovered a concern that Elias couldn't afford to consider. At nine tanks they started from the front to begin the process of venting, splitting the stock between them.

Elias started the first manifold, ejecting the hollow puncturing needles to clamp it tight to the surface of the tank and widening the diameter of the needle once it was secure. He screwed on all six valve handles and opened the lines using the COM, toggling both the handles and the hose diameter while monitoring their levels. Twenty seconds later the manifold was installed and he leap frogged past Agost to contineu, who'd finished as well and moved on to the next tank. They continued down the line in that pattern, moving between tanks, each new installation faster than the last, the valves adjusting automatically to one another other via the sync.

The men remained silent as they raced through their functions, speaking only to note fluctuations in pressure or the steady drop in temperature as they proceeded. Elias thought of Jackal and the head that sat in the CDPD cruiser as he worked, the mental visual increasing his focus and speed. His visor warned him another time that ether levels were climbing and they should take caution.

"To our luck," said Agost, "Jackal included an effective ventilation system with the intention of siphoning out ether to feed his swarms." Agost glanced aside when Elias joined him on the final tank, more than fourteen minutes to go. "Reducing the pressure is working—that native gas is cooling with exposure. There’s a tiny window for that element to do the damage it can do. What we need it to do. That's what might make this trick actually…work."

"How long until the tanks can be punctured?"

"At this rate…nine minutes."

"Nine. Ha. Cutting it close for a gamble."

"What else is there to do?"

"Even if this doesn't work, it's not a total loss,” said Elias. “The explosion will be less effective because of what we've already done." He turned his head to Agost before continuing his installation. "The damage won't go past the mountains. You'll be safe in Capitol City if you leave now."

"Captain—"

"I'm ordering you to leave. Take the shuttle, go back to HQ max speed. Get the coordinates and footage we’ve collected from City Hall immediately to Mr. Noor once connectivity returns. Urgent forward to Major Carter. I'll complete the last three installations and monitor the valves." Elias completed the fourth manifold and moved onto the sixth. "Once I puncture I know I can get back to the CDPD cruiser in less than five minutes using the service routes. That vessel’s still functioning. I'll blast City Hall myself on the way out with the phasers to get the show started."

"Debris is obstructing part of the cruiser's bow and—"

"I gave you an order, Commander. I don't want to lose any more friends today. Excellent work. You—the rest—have my greatest thanks."

Agost adjusted his last valve and turned to Elias, saluting.

"Thank you, sir. The honor's mine to serve with you and Silatem. I mean that truly, and I'm not the only one that would say so." The commander clapped Elias on the shoulder. "Don't linger too long down here once the ether's flowing. Your armor can only take so much before you suffer failure. You'll be frozen down here with the tanks. The toxicity will get you through your filters after time."

"Acknowledged."

"Good luck, Captain."

"I already have it, Mr. Agost. Nines are lucky for me too."

Elias remained focused on his work while Agost left the underground cavern. Silence surrounded him when he was alone, his armor protecting him from the chill of the emanating ether, though he imagined he could still feel the cold.

He completed the installations and walked the line between the tanks, surveying the pressure gauges of each one through his visor sync and making adjustments with his COM as he moved. As time progressed he incrementally widened the diameter of the output, increasing the speed of flow—as well as the severity of the warnings blaring from his visor. His sensors advised him that toxic levels of native gas were present, even with Jackal’s prepared vents.

The memory of Jackal's laughing grin, or what Elias imagined he saw in that mangled mess while cutting through bone, cajoled him in the recesses of his mind.

Nine minutes later Elias removed his pistol from his side, adjusting the caliber, and waited for the first tank to complete its release.

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