“That would be awful,” Dante said.

  Governor Stone ran his hand through his beard. “Okay, Sergeant. I’m starting to understand why you wanted Doctor Valentine detained, assuming you’re telling us the truth.”

  “I have no reason to lie, Governor.”

  “I’ll accept that for the moment.”

  “In any case, that isn’t the worst part. Like Deputy Casper just said, there are upsides to the genetic alterations. But Riley couldn’t stop herself there. After all, if you pit unarmed humans against unarmed trife, with the humans knowing they can regenerate, they’ll struggle to kill a single trife with their bare hands. Once she was satisfied with her first round of edits she went on to the next evolution of her idea.”

  “Hybrids?” Sheriff Dante asked.

  Caleb looked at her. She had worked it out quickly. “Exactly. She started blending human and trife DNA.”

  “Sergeant, you said she only had David as a test subject,” Doctor Brom said.

  “Not exactly. Hybrids were outside of the scope of the original mission, and her people wouldn’t back her going into Metro to take colonists. She wasn’t the type of person to not get what she wanted. She used two of my Guardians first, and then her fellow researchers.”

  “That’s just…” Sheriff Dante said, unable to find the words.

  “And you killed the hybrids, Sergeant?” Governor Stone asked.

  “We did.”

  The Governor paused again, letting the information sink in for a few seconds. “Getting back to the second part of the plan, are you suggesting that we just landed in hostile territory? On a planet belonging to the aliens who sent the trife to Earth?”

  “That was Doctor Valentine’s plan,” Caleb confirmed. “As for hostile, I just don’t know. I never learned how this planet was selected. There must have been something that indicated the enemy was here in some capacity. If you think it through, the whole idea is one step above absurd.”

  “How so?” Stone asked.

  “Doctor Valentine based her entire plan on the premise that the enemy’s primary weapon is the xenotrife, and she delivered us here in an unarmed starship which nearly got blown to pieces on the way to the surface. When the Deliverance launched, she had only a basic idea of who our enemy is and what their capabilities are. She didn’t know they possessed advanced artificial intelligence. She didn’t know they had a weapon that could cause us to not only hallucinate, but apparently trick our minds into believing what we see is so real a fake gunshot wound can cause real death. It’s as close to a suicide mission as I’ve ever heard. Not only that, but Command authorized it.”

  Caleb’s voice rose as he spoke, the truth of the matter making him increasingly angry. The officers that formed Space Force Command weren’t stupid. They knew the mission was extremely high risk, with a near-zero chance of success. They had sent forty-thousand people here to die, including him.

  The room was silent, each of the people present trying to make sense of the situation. It stayed that way for a few minutes until Governor Stone spoke again.

  “Well, the Deliverance is here now. She’s too damaged to fly again, even if she had the thrust to get us back into space. We’re alive for the moment. We know there is at least one of these alien things on board, or at least there was. There may be more of them beyond the walls of this vessel. There may be something worse. There may be nothing at all. We just don’t know.”

  He looked over at Caleb. His expression had changed. He was focused again, eager to keep his city safe. Caleb was sure it wouldn’t last, that he would crumble when he had a moment in private, and when he had to tell his wife what had happened to their child. It didn’t matter. He had a grip on the realities of their situation right now.

  “Sergeant Card, you’re released from detention. Seeing what we’re facing here, I can’t afford to have the best-trained soldier on this ship rotting in a cell, even if you have made some horrible decisions.”

  Caleb forced himself not to react to the comment. He eyed Flores to keep her quiet, too. “Thank you, Governor.”

  “You might not want to thank me yet. Your release is conditional. I understand protocol suggests that you become a civilian or a law officer at the end of your duties as a Guardian. As you said, the original protocols expected you to be in your seventies by now. Seeing as how you’re still capable, and seeing as how we can’t confirm that we’re safe, I expect you to stay on as commander of the Guardians. I expect your remaining Guardians to stay on as well.”

  “I’m in,” Flores said.

  Washington flashed his thumb.

  “That’s fine, Governor,” Caleb said. “But to be honest, I don’t know how much I can accomplish with three of us.”

  “I understand. You’ll report directly to me. You’ll have authority over anyone who leaves the confines of Metro except with a direct override from me. If you have needs inside Metro, I expect you to work closely with Sheriff Dante to have them met.”

  “Yes, Governor,” Caleb said.

  “For now, you can pull any additional personnel resources you may need from Law. Again, I expect you to work closely with Sam to make that happen in a reasonable way. Do you both understand?”

  “Yes, Governor,” Caleb repeated.

  “Yes, Governor,” Sheriff Dante said. She turned to Caleb. “It’ll be an honor to work with you, Sergeant.”

  “Likewise,” Caleb said.

  “Good,” Governor Stone said. “We’re here, and we’re alive. I want to keep it that way. Guardian Alpha, where do we start?”

  Chapter 3

  “We need to start by getting organized,” Caleb said. “We have more than just Metro to worry about now. The Deliverance is resting on alien soil. We have no idea what’s out there or how much or how little of it is a threat. We need to seal off as much of the ship as we can and have guards on the rest. We also need to get comms up and running ship-wide, not just citywide. First order of business is to turn this place into as much of a fortress as we can and hope that if the enemy is here, they decide to ignore us, at least until we can get our feet under us. To that end, we need Joe and Carol back to help plan the engineering side of those needs. Governor, do you know how many engineers we can call on?”

  “Thirty-seven,” Governor Stone replied. “They usually work in shifts.”

  “We need all of them as soon as possible.”

  “Of course. What about Law Enforcement? We have one hundred sixteen officers working in three shifts.”

  “Bring them all in too, but only for a few hours. Sheriff Dante, we’ll need to search Metro for the enemy. I don’t think it’s going to stay in the city, but we have to be sure.”

  “Why don’t you think it will stay?” Dante asked.

  “The one we put out the airlock wanted to get here real bad. If it’s the same one, it got what it wanted. If it’s a different one, it probably wants the same thing. It said it needed to make it to the surface to complete its mission. We don’t know what its mission was or what that meant. Like I said, it’s most likely on its way out of the ship.”

  “Alpha, what happens if it escapes?” Governor Stone asked. “What happens if it does complete its mission? It’ll tell its superiors we’re here. And then what?”

  “I can’t answer that.”

  “Don’t you think we should go after it?”

  “Governor, I’m hoping we don’t find this thing still in Metro. We’re in no condition to chase down an alien that can make us kill ourselves and each other.”

  “How did you beat the first one?” Sheriff Dante asked. “Didn’t it make you see things?”

  “It did. David made a device that helped cancel out the effects of its weapon. I guess you could call it a shield. It was lost during the fight.”

  “Do you think we can make another one?”

  “I hope we can, but I don’t know if he left the plans for it or any construction resources behind. Once we’ve got the hatches battened down, we can worry about shoring up our personal defenses enough to venture outdoors.”

  “Meanwhile, the enemy can march right over here and kill all of us,” Governor Stone said.

  “Yes, Governor,” Caleb replied. “That’s a definite possibility. There are only so many things we can control right now, and how the locals react to our sudden arrival isn’t one of them. Once we get comms running, we can post guards at all of the entry points to the ship and maybe start running sorties around the perimeter.”

  It was obvious Governor Stone didn’t like the answer, but he didn’t fight it either. Considering Caleb’s first impression of the man was as a despot who ruled the city predominantly for his own comfort, he was surprisingly agreeable.

  “What should I tell the colony?” Stone asked. “I have to tell them something about what happened. I’m nervous about admitting where we are. The people are going to feel betrayed. We can’t afford for them to riot.”

  “They won’t,” Caleb said.

  “How can you be so sure?”

  “They’re frightened and confused. You have a window of opportunity to pull them in and keep them on your side. Tell them where we are. Tell them why. Don’t mention the enemy. As far as they need to know, this is our original destination. This is Essex.”

  “You want me to lie?”

  “I want you to omit. Unless you prefer risking a riot none of us want? I don’t like doing it, but we need to buy some time, and getting them working together to prepare to move the city outside will give us that time. If the enemy comes, they don’t need to know we knew about them beforehand.”

  “They’ll know something is up if the city starts crawling with law,” Sheriff Dante said.

  “True. Maybe we can pair some of them with engineers. You can tell them you’re checking the structural integrity of the blocks after the shaking.”

  “Alpha, I never knew you were so sneaky,” Flores said.

  “I think Valentine must have rubbed off on me,” Caleb replied. “Wash, Flores, I want you to head back to engineering to retrieve the Kings. We need them here.”

  “Roger, Alpha,” Flores said. “What about the energy unit? Shouldn’t we keep a guard on it?”

  “I want as few people outside of Metro right now as possible. Stay with them while they disconnect it, and then bring it back here. If it charged the batteries, we should be good for a hundred years or so.”

  “Roger. Come on, Wash.”

  Washington nodded to Caleb and followed Flores out of the room.

  Caleb turned to the Governor. “Governor Stone, I think you should make your announcement as soon as possible. The faster we calm the people’s nerves, the easier our work will be.”

  “Agreed,” Stone replied. “Sheriff Dante, put out the call for a general assembly in the south park in one hour.”

  “Yes, Governor,” Dante said.

  “Alpha Card, I think it’s best if you join me for the announcement. I think it will help ease the minds of the colonists to see someone in command from outside Metro.”

  Caleb looked at the Governor. “I don’t know if that’s necessary, sir.”

  Sheriff Dante laughed. “Alpha Card, you’re fine with fighting trife, enhanced hybrid trife, an alien artificial intelligence, but you’re afraid of standing in front of a crowd?”

  Caleb nodded. “I like to be the support behind the scenes, not front and center.”

  “Too bad,” Governor Stone said. “You’re going to be up there with me. That’s an order.”

  “Yes, sir,” Caleb replied.

  “Doctor Brom,” Stone said. “I want you to speak with the rest of the medical team. I want them ready in case people start getting hurt. Once you’re done with that, head down to the morgue and do your autopsy on Doctor Valentine. I want the results sent to my office and the law office. Sheriff Dante, assemble the other deputies and sheriffs and get them split into groups to search the city. Alpha Card, how will we know if we’ve found the enemy?”

  “They need to check in over comms with established protocols at regular intervals. If those intervals lapse or they don’t meet the protocols, you know something happened to them, and that’s where our rogue may be.”

  “Roger that, Alpha,” Sheriff Dante said.

  “Okay people,” Governor Stone said. “You know what to do. If you’ll excuse me, I need to tell Elizabeth about Orla. Let’s do our best to make sure I’m the last one who has to have that kind of conversation.”

  “Yes, sir,” they replied.

  “Oh, and somebody get Alpha Card some new clothes, preferably something resembling a uniform. We can’t have him going up in front of the people in his underwear.”

  “Yes, sir,” Sheriff Dante said. “Alpha, if you follow me back to Law we can get you something a little more official.”

  Stone eyed each of them one last time, his pupils already moistening again as he left the room.

  “Sheriff Dante,” Caleb said. “After you make your calls, there’s something else I think you can help me with.”

  “Does it have anything to do with your fear of public speaking?”

  Caleb smiled. “Indirectly.”

  Dante smiled back. “Then consider it done. Casper, Bashir, let’s go.”

  Chapter 4

  The Law Office had been silent and empty when Caleb and Dante first arrived, but a few quick calls had transformed it almost immediately into a hub of organized chaos. A room full of sheriffs, deputies and engineers had gathered in the space, and there was increasing tension within the group as the news spread among them that they weren’t where they had always believed they were.

  It was one thing to think you were holed up in a bunker on Earth. Another to learn you had just crashed landed on an alien planet. Another still to find out there was already an alien on board that may have manipulated the ship into crashing in the first place.

  That is, if the AI was responsible.

  Caleb couldn’t be sure Riley hadn’t set half of the emergency situation up herself to get them here, in one final, desperate attempt to fulfill her mission of revenge against the enemy that killed her sister. A part of him understood how she felt. He had gone through the same emotions when he had lost people close to him. He imagined everyone on Earth did. That didn’t mean using others the way she had used them. And if there was one upside to their current situation, it was that they were far, far away from Space Force Command. It still burned him that his superiors had gone along with her idea. Maybe they figured they had nothing to lose.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to change your clothes?” Dante asked.

  Caleb glanced down at the simple, worn clothes Doc Brom had given him. “For what? A sheriff’s uniform? I don’t want to hurt your feelings, but I’m not that interested.”

  Dante smiled, running her hand along the baggy, faded shirt and down over the belt around her hips. “You don’t think it’s high fashion?”

  Caleb laughed. “Who am I to judge?”

  “You can’t stand up there with Governor Stone dressed like that. He’ll have my head for it.”

  “Don’t worry, I don’t plan on staying in this.”

  “Right. Does this have anything to do with that favor you asked for?”

  “It does.”

  “How so?”

  “You’ll see when we get there.”

  “Get where?”

  “Not here. I’ll tell you in private.”

  “Roger. Well, I think everyone is here.” She put a pair of fingers to her mouth and whistled, shrill and loud. All of the commotion in the office came to an abrupt stop, every sheriff, deputy, and engineer turning in her direction. “All right people. You already know the details. Sheriffs Johnson and Zane will handle the assignments. You’re to report back every five minutes. Sooner if you start to think you’re hallucinating. Anybody fails to report, we start closing a perimeter around their position to identify and contain the enemy.”

  “Sheriff,” Caleb said. “I should mention. A loud, harsh enough tone can help override the signal the enemy uses to interrupt the brain, at least temporarily. A whistle like Sheriff Dante’s might do the trick for a few seconds at least.”

  “Good to know,” Dante replied. “If any of you can whistle, be ready to put your lips together and blow.”

  A scattered chuckle gave Caleb the impression she had lifted that line from somewhere. A movie maybe? Flores would probably know.

  “Let’s move out, people.”

  Sheriffs Johnson and Zane directed traffic, getting the other sheriffs, deputies, and engineers out of the office and into the streets. A crowd was growing beyond the entrance to the office, Metro’s citizens eager to find out what was happening. They shouted questions at the groups as they dispersed, met with replies that the Governor would be addressing all of them very soon.

  “Okay, Sergeant,” Sheriff Dante said. “What’s your plan?”

  Caleb motioned Dante back into her office, slipping through the other people on their way out. He closed the door behind them.

  “According to Riley, there’s a cache of Marine equipment hidden beneath Metro. Armor, guns, vehicles, ammo. Do you know anything about that?”

  Dante’s eyes widened at the statement. She shook her head without hesitation. “No, Sergeant. Should I?”

  “I’m glad you didn’t know, considering your civil war. I doubt it would still be there. We need to find a way to access it now though.”

  “You know it exists, but you don’t know how to reach it?”

  “Not exactly. I know there isn’t any access from outside Metro, at least not without breaking any more of the seals. There’s probably access inside Metro, and my guess is that it’s somewhere on or near this building.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “The Law Office is in the wrong location, don’t you think? Way too far uptown when it would make more sense to have a central location. And if you were going to give the colonists access to advanced weaponry, who would you want to have that access?”