Tell me when Caleb.

  “I was tracking the trife,” Caleb replied. He wasn’t ready to push her just yet. He wanted to see how she responded to basic questioning. “I followed them north. I was hunting them.”

  “Alone?”

  “Mostly.”

  “But you were a soldier once. That much is obvious. The way you speak. The way you stand.”

  “What about you? How long have you been in Edenrise?”

  “Only about a month. I lost my last home. I was looking for something new to believe in.”

  “And you already made Sergeant.”

  “I scored well on their entrance tests. I know I look a little meaty, but I’ve got moves.” She laughed. “Do you want to sit, sir?” Caleb pulled out a chair. Walt sat opposite him. “I don’t know how much help I can be to you, Colonel. I’m pretty new to the area myself, and with everything that just happened, it’s kind of screwed up the established norms.”

  She’s already trying to brush you off.

  “Fair enough. Maybe you can give me a quick briefing on the rest of the Liberators?”

  “I don’t know any of them. General Stacker pulled us together last minute.”

  “There has to be something of value you can share with me.”

  Walt shrugged. “I can’t think of anything, sir.”

  “Where are you originally from?” Caleb asked.

  “Sir? I’m not sure how that matters.”

  “I’m just trying to get to know my subordinates, starting from the top down. Did you have family in Edenrise?”

  “No, no family. I guess I’m lucky in that.”

  “Do you have family anywhere?”

  “None to speak of, sir.”

  Any time now, Caleb. This is getting us nowhere.

  “I feel like you’re intentionally stonewalling me, Sergeant. I’m wondering why.”

  Walt leaned back, eyes narrowing. “Sir? Is it a requirement I tell you my life story to be part of this team?”

  “No, but it goes a long way toward earning trust.”

  “And you don’t trust me?”

  “Should I?”

  “Yes.”

  “Based on what criteria?”

  Walt’s face flushed. “I’m a member of General Stacker’s Liberators. That should imply trust.”

  You’re getting them worked up. I like it. Makes it easier to crack them.

  “The tattoo on your face. It’s an interesting symbol. What does it mean?”

  “It doesn’t mean anything. I designed it myself.”

  “You’re lying.”

  Walt’s jaw clenched. “How dare you,” she hissed, standing up. “I don’t know who you think you are, but I’m not about to take this bullshit. I—”

  “Sit down,” Caleb said, at the same time Ishek pushed on the khoron inside Walt.

  Her eyes widened, and she started to shake as she dropped back into the seat. “You…”

  “I’m like you,” Caleb said. “Only better.” Ishek kept the pressure on the khoron. “I ran into another of your kind when I first arrived here. And I’ve been bumping into your kind ever since. Who do you serve?”

  Walt stared at him, trying not to answer. Ishek pushed on the khoron, forcing her to speak.

  “No one,” she replied.

  “All khoron serve a master,” Caleb said. “Who do you serve?”

  She winced as Ishek increased the pressure. “No one. I swear. I used to serve Shurrath, but Shurrath is gone.”

  “Gone?” Caleb asked.

  “Yes. I don’t know where or how. I used to feel him. But not for months.”

  “And you’re sure you don’t serve Nyarlath?”

  Walt shook even harder. “No. I was trying to escape her. That’s why I came to Edenrise.”

  “What about your hunger? How have you fed it?”

  Walt didn’t respond.

  Tell me.

  Caleb closed his eyes as images filled his mind, passing from Walt’s khoron to Ishek over the Collective. Dark places. Dark vices. Consensual torture.

  “Enough,” Caleb said, pushing the memories out of his head. He stared at Walt. “You’re a danger to this mission.”

  “No more than you.”

  “I can resist Nyarlath. Can you say the same?”

  “Yes.”

  “You couldn’t resist me.”

  “I’ve realized that this planet is the end. Not only for humankind but for anything that comes here and thinks to control it. That is its place in the universe. The end of all things. The Old One may have seen the spread of the Relyeh across the universe, but it will not come to pass. I’m convinced of that. If it doesn’t matter which master we serve, then it’s better to serve the master who makes no demands. Who asks for loyalty and earns it.”

  “Until you have no choice.”

  “It’s been months. I’ve felt no compulsion.”

  “Nyarlath is coming.”

  Walt shuddered again. “Who told you this?”

  “Multiple khoron loyal to her. She’s had agents here for some time. And when she arrives, if she aims to compel you then you will comply.”

  “I’ll resist.”

  “And you’ll fail like you failed with me.”

  “I’ll resist long enough to kill myself. Or for you to kill me.”

  Caleb leaned back in his seat. He wasn’t sure she would or could. At the same time, he was hesitant to remove her.

  They needed all the help they could get, even if it was from another Relyeh.

  “You’ll remain open to me,” Caleb said. “No resistance.”

  “Yes, Colonel.”

  “When Nyarlath comes, if you and your khoron are not strong enough to defy her, I will end your life. Do you understand?”

  “Yes, Colonel.”

  Caleb stood up. “Take a minute to compose yourself, and then meet us back up front. We’ve got twenty minutes until we drop.”

  “Yes, Colonel.”

  Caleb left the room, heading next door to the bridge. He didn’t have security clearance, so he knocked on the door. It slid open a moment later, and he entered.

  “General,” he said.

  “Well?” Stacker asked.

  “It’s an asset worth utilizing. At least until it isn’t.”

  He nodded. “Carry on.”

  Caleb ducked back off the bridge, returning to the front of the dropship. Sergeant Walt rejoined him a minute later, avoiding eye contact.

  That went well.

  Keeping her was risky, but it was a risk they had to take. If nothing else, she might serve as an early warning against Nyarlath’s arrival.

  And against Nyarlath, every second would count.

  47

  Caleb

  The skids hit the ground, absorbing the impact as Nathan charged down the ramp. He didn’t reply to Caleb’s comment, remaining focused on the mission.

  Caleb pulled himself back to the moment, only a step behind as they evacuated the dropship, the Liberators running off behind him. He quickly scanned the terrain, confident they had touched down at the launch site of the Deliverance, half a klick from the excavated hill where the massive generation starship had been assembled. The hangar was destroyed during the launch, and the evidence of the side of the incline’s collapse was evident beneath the regrown vegetation. But so was evidence of a newer, smaller excavation—a break in the landscape revealing dirt and rock that had been moved back and forth. There were crush patterns in the grass as well, suggesting a dropship landed here regularly.

  Taking the lead, Nathan raced toward the disturbed. Liberators Five and Six stayed further back, tailing them at a slower pace and keeping themselves oriented toward the nomads Pyro had pointed out—a red arrow marking them on the HUD.

  “Looks like our nomads are more curious than afraid,” Pyro said, monitoring them on the dropship’s more powerful sensors. “They’re headed our way.”

  “Liberators Five and Six, you know what to do,” Caleb said.

  “Roger, Eagle One.”

  The rest of the unit followed Nathan to the side of the hill. He came to a stop beside a large rock, kneeling in front of it and digging at the ground with his armored hand. He pulled up the earth, revealing a control pad beneath it a moment later. He tapped in the access code, and the vegetation to his right faded away, revealing a blast door behind it.

  Caleb smirked beneath his helmet. A projection and a fake potential door.

  Clever.

  Nathan approached the door, reaching for the control pad mounted on the right side. His hand paused before he touched it. “Something’s wrong,” he said.

  Caleb instinctively grabbed his rifle from his back in response to the statement. “General?”

  Nathan’s hand continued to hover over the control pad. The seconds passed like hours.

  “General?” Caleb repeated.

  He checked his HUD. The nomads were near enough his ATCS painted them each individually, closing quickly on Yasko and Ki. The two Liberators started firing, a few warning shots that hit the ground ahead of their horses.

  Something’s wrong.

  Ishek echoed Nathan’s statement. Caleb was inclined to agree.

  The warning shots hadn’t slowed down the nomads at all.

  The two Liberators stopped shooting. They were still as the twenty horseback riders thundered toward them.

  What the hell was going on?

  Yasko and Ki turned to face one another, raising their rifles slightly.

  “Axon,” Caleb said, recognizing the action right before the two Liberators discharged their weapons into one another. Both of them fell at the same time, just as the riders reached them. “Retreat!”

  Caleb started firing, launching bolt after bolt into the riders. He cursed as the rounds passed right through what were obviously holograms.

  “General, we have to get out of here!” Caleb said. “Eagle’s Nest, we need immediate evac!”

  The dropship whined behind them, the thrusters powering up. Nathan turned back toward the control pad, his fingers moving to open the sealed door.

  “No!” Caleb said, lunging forward and grabbing Nathan’s hand. “Whatever you see, it isn’t real. Come on, General!”

  Nathan whirled on him, slamming his chest with his free hand and sending him sprawling onto his back. The Liberators closed on him, pointing their guns at his chest.

  Except for Walt.

  She shot forward, hitting Hotch hard enough to knock him into Dane and sending them both to the ground before they could shoot Caleb. Then she latched onto Nathan’s hand, trying to keep him from opening the door.

  “They were waiting for you,” she said. “General, it’s a trap.”

  Nathan grabbed her by the neck, lifting her and throwing her aside before turning back.

  “Ishek!” Caleb shouted.

  The Advocate emitted a high-pitched squeal, the frequency enough to momentarily interrupt the Axon’s neural disruption.

  “General, the Others,” Caleb said, hoping the alternate name would help Stacker resist the hallucinations.

  Stacker’s head turned. The dropship was swooping toward them, spinning to point the open ramp in their direction. The nomads were closing from the left flank, the first rider breaking free from the group.

  His rifle came to his hands in an instant. He started shooting, targeting the first rider, his rounds punching through it without effect.

  The dropship landed a dozen meters away.

  “Go!” Stacker shouted. “Retreat!”

  Caleb grabbed Hotch’s arm, helping him up. Walt did the same for Dane. The lead nomad raised an old single-shot bolt-action rifle toward them and fired. Dane grunted, his head slumping forward in response.

  The other nomads grabbed similar guns from the side of their saddles, preparing to fire on the Liberators. Some of the Liberators slowed, hesitating as they brought up their rifles to shoot back.

  “No!” Caleb let go of Hotch, letting him run on his own. He swept his rifle across the line of nomads, looking for the Intellect that was running this show. He had one shot at picking the right rider.

  The real one.

  His eyes crossed the back of the line. No matter which one he shot at, he was only guessing.

  He never got to take the shot. Stacker’s rifle crackled beside him, roaring as it unleashed a sudden, massive barrage across the entire row of riders. The rounds went through most of them…

  Except one..

  Blue flashes erupted from the Axon’s shield, the sudden activation causing the holographic projections to fade, revealing the featureless black humanoid mounted on a gray horse. . It jumped from the saddle and gained speed, sprinting toward them faster than a horse could run. Its intent was obvious. Beat them to the ship.

  Caleb joined Stacker in firing at the Intellect, hitting it hard with both plasma and projectiles. Walt made the ramp carrying Dane in her arms, with Hotch right behind.

  “Pyro, get us out of here!” Stacker bellowed through the comm.

  The dropship’s lift thrusters fired full-bore on both sides, pummeling Caleb and Stacker with swirling dirt and debris. The craft began to rise before either of them reached it, rising above their heads within seconds. Stacker wrapped a powerful arm around Caleb’s waist and jumped, firing his assist thrusters and arcing up into the hold, the heavy landing shaking the dropship.

  He released Caleb, reaching for the ramp controls. A sharp blue bolt of energy nearly severed his hand, entering the dropship and slamming into the top of the hold, powering through it and burning into the next deck.

  “Hold on!” Pyro cried, banking hard to the left. The momentum tossed all of them into the bulkhead and then threw them back as the dropship accelerated and climbed.

  The ramp slammed closed, the craft continuing to rise. Caleb pulled himself to his feet, checking his HUD. Dane’s tag was red.

  “Son of a bitch,” Stacker cursed, getting up off the deck. “We need to go back around and hit it from the air.”

  “You’ll never see it from the air,” Caleb replied. “Not unless it wants to be seen.”

  Stacker growled, storming over to Dane’s body and looking down. The Eagle had died as if he’d been shot, but there was no bullet. No wound. The Intellect had convinced his mind of the shot.

  “I’ve never seen one duplicate its projections before,” Stacker said. “Or combine the hologram with the hallucination.”

  “They’re learning to fight us more efficiently,” Caleb replied. “Now that some of us know to fight back against them.”

  “Makes sense.”

  “It knew about the weapons cache,” Caleb said. “It was waiting for you to open it.”

  “It attacked us before I could.”

  “It attacked us before we could get to the guns inside. You have something in there it doesn’t want us to recover. Something that can hurt it and others like it.”

  “Or it wants a piece of the action,” Stacker counted. “Either way, how the hell could it know what we have in the cache, never mind where the cache is?”

  “How many people knew this place was here?” Caleb asked.

  “Hardly anyone who’s still alive. Me and Pyro are the last two.”

  “What about someone who isn’t still alive?”

  “Dead men tell no tales, Caleb.”

  “Except when they’re telling them to an Axon Intellect. Don’t underestimate them, General.”

  Stacker stared at him. Caleb could tell the General was trying to guess where the Axon might have learned about the cache. Nathan was worried he had slipped up somewhere. Let his guard down. And maybe he had. There was no telling where the Axon had come from or how long it might have been waiting for Nathan to arrive. It didn’t matter anyway. It was there, and it had kept them from getting to the weapons cache. But why hadn’t it entered on its own? Even if it couldn’t duplicate Stacker’s biometric identification, it should have been able to force the door open.

  “I know what you’re thinking,” Nathan said. “Tinker made the lock. Electromagnetic, with a series of eight failsafes. Even Intellects have limits when it comes to pure force.”

  He really did know what you were thinking.

  “Forget the guns for now,” Nathan continued. “We still have to warn the Sheriff that a storm is coming, and the only way we’ll survive it is together. Walt, find somewhere to stow Dane’s body. Liberators, check your gear and stay ready. As far as I’m concerned, nowhere is safe anymore.”

  48

  Hayden

  “I feel like we were just doing this a few hours ago,” Hicks said as Hayden emerged from the armory.

  He had traded the full combat armor from his last mission for a bodysuit beneath his clothes, and his helmet for his custom-made sunglasses, leaving behind the star-shaped comm and the plastic star that revealed his identity. It was possible he might need to do some questioning or enter a populated area without raising too much suspicion, and appearing as anything more than a solitary wanderer would make that especially tricky.

  “We were just doing this a few hours ago,” Hayden replied, hopping into the helicopter. The rest of the Rangers were buckled in behind Hicks, and they waved to Hayden as he entered. “Let’s hope we can avoid anything too crazy this time.”

  “Pozz that,” Hicks said.

  Hayden tapped the side of the glasses to activate the comm. “Remember. We need to take the perp alive. If he’s got a khoron in him, he’s going to be stronger and faster than an ordinary human.” He leaned forward and tapped on Bronson’s shoulder. “Let’s go.”

  The pilot gave him a thumbs-up and then increased the throttle on the chopper, lifting them into the air. They continued to ascend into the darkness, over the tops of the nearby buildings before vectoring northeast, up and over the bay.

  “Tell me more about the situation,” Hayden said.

  “The farmer’s name is Josias Colombo,” Hicks said. “His wife’s name is Rosa. She’s thirty-two years old, slim, big chest.” He paused. “His words, not mine. Long dark hair, brown eyes. She was wearing a long-sleeve shirt, brown cotton pants, and a straw hat. He was surprised he didn’t find the hat. Went missing two days ago. It took him that long to get down here on horseback.”