“Um. I just wanted to say thanks for stepping up all those times. I could always count on you, and I didn’t appreciate it at the time, so, umm. Thanks, I guess.”

  “We’re of the same blood, Eli. That counts for something, right? If you can’t rely on your family and friends, then we’re all up shit creek.” Faith saluted and jogged after the chief and Old Patty.

  Staring at the space where his sister had been, Eli was struck by his sister’s words. She was right, of course. For too long, he had kept most of himself behind a protective wall, thought he could tackle everything on his own. If the case that had started this mess had taught him any lessons, it was that he had to work with his team. He checked the magazine of his rifle, then slung it over his shoulder.

  As Watchers, Eli, Ley and Colter had assigned posts for any threats to Lincoln. Second defence. More specifically, Foveaux Bridge. The same bridge Eli had been on when Gabriel let the worms in.

  Eli strapped his other weapons next to his new knife and locked his backpack in place, then grabbed his rifle. As Ley quickly plaited her hair, he addressed his friends. “Whatever happens, stand tall and strong.”

  “Hell yeah!” Ley and Colter shouted.

  Jade gave Eli a curt nod as she packed extra magazines in her combat vest. “Let’s see what fate holds for us.”

  CHAPTER 10

  Outside Watcher HQ, Lincoln heaved with organised chaos. It had been a few years since the drill for a hostile attack had been run, but the recent storm skirmish had prepared the citizens. Reminded them of what needed to be done. It was evident in the way they hustled to their assigned stations, some fitting bolts into crossbows and others carrying cans of ammunition. Anyone under the age of eighteen was shepherding the younger children into fortified shelters until they could be transported and evacuated safely. Shopkeepers and publicans pulled down roller doors on their store fronts. Pre-built fox holes and machine-gun nests were uncovered.

  A shiver of pride shook through Eli. Lincoln had its problems, and often the people quarrelled, but when the chips were down, they came together.

  Ley led them down a level and onto the main thoroughfare. Security stationed on the plaza were marshalling everyone into position. Falcon Legion soldiers, suited and booted, marched into the area followed by their armoured vehicles, shouting orders and heading to the front line just after the pressure gates were sealed, their massive locks clanking shut. Seeing the Legion gave him hope. Whatever threat they were going to face over the next few hours was winnable. He had to believe it.

  As Eli, Ley, Colter, Jade and Nox headed towards the command post, they were met with open stares of disbelief. One or two citizens frowned and muttered under their breaths. Eli had expected it. After all, he and Ley had been condemned to death only a day earlier, their faces splashed across the newsfeeds with the lies Mayor Sousa had concocted.

  The Falcon Legion soldier guarding the command centre stepped in front of Eli and spat on his boots. “You’re meant to be dead, child-killer. You and your whore ain’t welcome here.”

  Ley surged forwards, only to be held back by the strong arms of Jade and Colter. Nox bared his teeth and let out a low growl of warning. Eli calmed him, resting his open hand on the Alsatian’s neck.

  “Who do you think warned your dumb asses of this threat?” Colter said.

  The soldier shoved Colter back and drew his sidearm. The motion attracted the attention of two MPs speaking to another soldier. When they looked up, their eyes widened in surprise as they approached the group. “Stand down, Corporal Thicke.”

  “It’s them, sir. The child killers.”

  “I can see that. We’ll take it from here.”

  The MP who had chastised the corporal turned his gaze to Eli and Ley. “Watchers. I’m not certain of how you escaped your sentence and, quite frankly, there is no time to warrant any further discussion. Although policy dictates that I should throw you in the brig, the circumstances call for every able-bodied person. And that includes you. You’re lucky. All political prisoners and those awaiting trial have been freed, provided they fight.”

  “Thank you, sergeant,” Eli said.

  “Pullman.” He signalled to his partner, and the two MPs escorted Eli’s group to his father in the command centre.

  Noah nodded at the MPs and, breaking protocol, embraced Eli and Ley in quick hugs. “I’m glad you guys are okay. I’m sorry about the mess Sousa put us all in.”

  “Us too.” Eli glanced at Ley, waiting for her to add anything. She shrugged at him; her eyes busy watching the images on the screens: men and women, both military and civilian, rushing to their positions. “You’re in command?”

  “For now. General Turing is MIA. Sousa had me on a day-by-day appointment while the general reorganised the battalions. Could do with him right about now. Turing was politically too ambitious and money hungry, but as a field commander, he was second to none.”

  “And he’s MIA?” Ley said. “A bit too much of a coincidence.”

  “My thoughts exactly. I assume you have your roles?”

  “Bridge defence,” Eli said.

  “Good. Every indication is Zapata is going to hit us hard. Hold your ground for as long as possible. We have to give the evac teams time.”

  “You can count on us Watchers,” Ley said.

  Noah focused his attention on Jade. “I heard a rumour that an Echo was on our side. I had trouble believing it until I saw you in the flesh. Can I ask why?”

  The corner of Jade’s mouth tugged in a quick smile. “We’re not all bad, Colonel. Some of us fight for the same reasons.”

  “I’ll judge that by what happens next.”

  “If you must.”

  A sergeant burst into the small section surrounded by computers and manned by Legion soldiers. He spied Noah, saluted, then whispered something in his ear.

  Noah nodded and tapped a radio operator on the shoulder. “Move sixth to defend the fusion core.”

  “Sir.”

  Eli cleared his throat. “We’ll be on our way. We need you to authorise our reinstatements.”

  “Yes, of course.” Noah activated his commpad and spent a few seconds on the task. “It’s done.”

  “Thank you, sir,” Ley said.

  “Good fortune, everyone. Do your jobs and we might just get out of this alive.”

  Barely hearing the words, Eli hurried from the command post and glanced up at the large screens displaying the evacuation notices. They changed to images of himself, Ley and Colter. Splashed across the images were the words: ‘Not guilty. Full reinstatement.’ Seeing the decree went some way to supressing his anger at Mayor Sousa throwing him and Ley into prison. He whistled for Nox to heel and clenched his jaw. For now, he had to put the defence of Lincoln first.

  The rest of the Watchers assigned to the sector were already at Foveaux Bridge, setting up the huge twin machine guns that fired close to one thousand rounds a minute. It took three people to operate one. Two fired the gun, while the third person’s job was solely to keep the belts of ammo feeding into the hungry weapon.

  Ley was unit commander and gathered the men and women around her.

  “You ready, Watchers?” Ley shouted.

  “Ready!”

  “You know what to do. We trained for this. Don’t let your fear overcome you. Use it, because if you don’t, that very fear will become a reality. The people attacking want you and everyone you hold dear dead. Tell yourself: not this day! Today, I fight back.”

  “Right!” the squad shouted in unison.

  The unit broke apart and went to their positions as the deafening sounds of the floodgate’s secondary locking mechanism clicking into place sounded out. They were so heavy, they shook the ground supporting the bridge.

  “Where do you want me?” Jade asked Ley.

  “With Colter on the left flank. Protect the gunners. They’ll come to take out the bridge. Our job is to prevent that.”

  “Wilco.”

  Colter saluted Eli and Ley. “Stay strong.” Then he followed Jade to the left barricade.

  A strange quiet came over the defenders, like the eye of a storm was passing over. The only sounds in the city were the click of machine guns, crossbow bolts charging, and the odd cough.

  Several explosions boomed out, rolling over the city in a deafening cacophony. The floodgate directly north of Eli’s location buckled, then sheared off with such force, it flew over the bridge and hit a four-storey building in the city. Hazy smoke, heavy with cordite, slowly dissipated.

  Then all hell broke loose.

  Sentries and killer drones zipped through the breach, firing at the Falcon Legion battalion with such ferocity, aggression and precision, Eli was stunned.

  “Gunners. The drones!” Ley barked over the comms. There were so many, they looked like a swarm of flies in the manure farms.

  The machine guns spat, the initial burst taking out drones by chance.

  Falcon Legion gave as good as they got, dispatching the sentries with the efficiency only highly trained units have. With their bladed weapons and guns, they careened into the robots, hacking off pieces of metal and blasting the cameras set in their strange heads.

  Massive explosions shook the vast cavern, this time to the northwest and east. Pressure gates 9, 10 and 11 sheared off and smashed into buildings, taking out anyone unfortunate enough to be in their path. Chunks of concrete and brick rained down into the streets, crushing fleeing citizens.

  Eli refocused on the battle. Several sentries and drones broke away from the main force and advanced on Foveaux Bridge. Ley didn’t have to issue any orders. The Watchers trained their weapons on the killer swarm heading their way and fired. Most rounds missed their marks, but a few hit. Each one counted. Eli hit one drone, which careened off course and smacked into the sentry below, causing it to fall into the river.

  Just as Eli thought they had the measure of the machines, the next wave, in the form of The Nine and the mercs, flooded through the destroyed gates. Some were infantry, but the bulk were protected in modified tanks and armoured vehicles. They fired high-velocity rounds at Falcon Legion, killing dozens. Screams and shouts echoed around the cavern. Fear rose through Eli when he saw what followed: hyenas. At least twenty of them. They charged into the melee and added their teeth into the mix, tearing soldiers limb from limb in a bloody rampage.

  Hundreds of bullets smashed all around Eli and Ley, hitting steel plating with such frequency, it sounded like a waterfall of death. Eli returned fire, but couldn’t see much over the lip of the barricade. The sentries advanced, swivelling from side to side, mowing down any citizen they saw defending the roads and rail tracks.

  It was carnage. Slaughter. Lincoln didn’t stand a chance against such ferocity, such malice.

  Ley shouted something to him, which he only realised when she shook his shoulder. “Gunner is down in the left barricade. I need you in there.”

  “Right.”

  “Snap out of it. We need you.”

  Eli nodded and picked up Nox, carrying him over to the machine-gun nest. He said a quick prayer for the gunner and pulled his body from the seat. Most of his head had been blown away, and Eli had to scoop some of the brain matter from the seat before he got in. He sucked down a breath and charged the firing bolt. The HUD appeared on the small screen just above the barrels. Eli cast his mind back to his training. All he had to do was put the target in the red box — the kill zone — and pull the trigger. He swung the gun left and hunted for a target. He spotted a merc in a dull grey EV suit, holding the largest rifle Eli had ever seen. The merc dropped to one knee and fired. His bullets pierced the armour above Eli, punching a neat hole a centimetre from his head. Anger overcame fear as a red mist of rage jolted through him. He lined up the merc and squeezed the trigger. The rounds slammed into the soldier but didn’t kill him. They only caused the merc to stagger to one side, then readjust.

  Looking down at the ammunition feeder, Eli asked, “Are they bloody blanks or something?”

  “No, sir.”

  “What the fuck?” He lined up the merc again. He was closer this time — only a hundred metres from the bridge. And fired. Again, his bullets found the target and knocked him down, but not permanently.

  “Ley. Do you copy?”

  “Five by five.”

  “We have a problem. The mercs have impenetrable armour.”

  “Say what? How is that possible?”

  Eli fired again, wanting to see the smug prick fall over, not wanting him to have a chance to fire back. More mercs appeared through the hazy smoke and started firing indiscriminately at Falcon Legion. “No idea. Jade?”

  “I heard. Must be Thule tech. Sorry, I didn’t know.”

  “Any tips?”

  “I’m thinking. EMP strikes won’t work either. The faceplate has always been a weak spot. Failing that, maybe brute force?”

  “That could work. I have an idea.” Eli ducked down behind the armour plating and activated his long-range radio.

  “Eli for Jess. Copy?”

  “Loud and clear.”

  “What’s your location?”

  “Position eighteen. Barricading the ramps to the upper levels.”

  Eli flicked through the file on his commpad, looking for eighteen. It was only a few blocks away.

  “We need you at Foveaux Bridge.”

  “On my way.”

  “Keep them busy,” Eli said, turning to the second gunner.

  “Sir.”

  Eli jumped out and, with Nox on his heels, sprinted back to Ley. She sent a fusillade of bullets into a group of soldiers, killing a couple and scattering others. It did nothing against the advancing mercs, tanks and armoured vehicles, but was enough to slow them down momentarily.

  “There’s too many. We can’t hold them much longer,” Ley said, looking at Eli. “We’ll have to retreat to the next bridge.”

  “Are we rigged?”

  “Armed and ready to go.”

  “Get everyone out of here. Jess is on his way. We’ll give you the time you need to retreat.”

  “I’ll be watching. Get them to follow you across, then I’ll blow them to kingdom come.”

  A swarm of drones buzzed the bridge. Eli let loose with a three-round burst, knocking one from the air. He glanced back towards the mercs and noted that a battalion of soldiers had joined them.

  “We’ll squash them like bugs.” Into his comms, he said, “Colter, I need you. Jade, with Ley.”

  “Wilco,” the pair answered.

  A large drilling machine skidded to a stop just shy of the bridge, Jess at the controls.

  Nox yelped and ran to Ley at Eli’s urging. “Sorry, boy. Stay with her. Okay?”

  Colter joined Eli and sprinted to the drilling machine. Jess cranked the hatch open. “Where do you want me?”

  “Out there.”

  When Jess looked confused, Eli explained, “We can’t shoot the mercs. Bullets and taser weapons have no effect. We need to run them down.”

  “Count me in.” Jess dropped down into the vehicle, and Eli and Colter jumped inside.

  The driller hummed under their feet as Jess rumbled across the bridge. Rounds immediately slammed into them, denting the thick steel. But it held fast. Jess whooped as he hit the first sentry, squashing it under the heavy tracks with a crunch. He ran over several more before something thudded on the machine.

  “Got a passenger,” Jess said.

  A merc, his face hidden by his helmet, clung to the driller as it swung around. He had some sort of cutting tool in his hand.

  “The drill arms,” Jess said.

  Eli grabbed the controls. It didn’t take him long to work out that the arms could bend at any angle. He started up the lonsdaleite bit and brought it up to full speed. Using the camera feed from the control screen, he snaked the drill bit under the merc and drilled into his armpit. The drill bit sank into the armour plating like it was made of butter, and the soldier flinched when it hit flesh. The merc yanked on the flexible arm, but Eli drove the controls forwards, driving the drill bit into the soft tissue. He soon hit something vital, because one second the merc was fighting, the next he went rigid, collapsed to the deck of the machine, and fell off.

  “Got him. Bring us closer to the next lot.”

  “On it,” Jess said, and swung the driller around. Another sentry was crushed under its tracks. Then the whole machine tipped sideways like a sinking ship.

  “Tank!” Colter warned.

  Jess revved the engine and spun the tracks on the side of the tank trying to capsize them. The driller found traction and bounced off the side of the tank, then the rock wall, scattering several mercs and soldiers.

  “Incoming!” Jess said. Heavy artillery slammed into the driller, the impacts reverberating through the machine. The section above Jess started to glow from the sentry plasma guns.

  “Break contact,” Eli said. “Get them to follow.”

  The driller, sluggish and spluttering from the damage it had sustained, backed up. They limped over the bridge and around a corner, putting a rocky outcropping between them and the pursuing army.

  “Eli for Ley.”

  “Copy.”

  “Assholes heading your way. You got eyes on?”

  “We see ‘em.”

  The merc tanks opened fire, sending waves of shells into the city. At every hit, Eli flinched. The city he loved was being destroyed in front of his eyes, with no regard for civilians. Falcon Legion fought back with cannons mounted at strategic locations, but it was clear to Eli: The Nine and the Wey mercs were a superior force with superior weapons. All the defenders could do was give the children enough time to evacuate.

  Sparks and smoke began to pour from the driver’s controls as Jess turned the driller to protect the guns of their second position — Derwent Bridge. “Not sure how much abuse this old girl can take.”

  “Give it all you got,” Eli said.

  “We’re running hot,” Colter said.

  “A few minutes more.”

  Eli focused on the shaky camera feed from the lonsdaleite drill. As The Nine and the mercs advanced over the chasm, Foveaux Bridge appeared to lift just as the soundwave hit the vehicle, filling it with a booming noise. Two tanks, and over a dozen men, fell into the river below while several more were killed by the explosion. It was a dent and would halt their advance for a few precious minutes.