Ruger sighed again. “You have a plan, I take it?”

  “Pozz. I sure do. It’s risky, but it’s a shot. Like I said, I need a tether for the Osprey to carry out a lift operation.”

  “Fine,” Ruger said. “What else?”

  “Comms equipment for me and mine so we can stay in contact during the operation.”

  “Easy enough. Anything else?”

  “Choice of stock from the armory.”

  “Consider it done.”

  “And I want you to skip your meeting.”

  Ruger hesitated. “Skip it completely? The Grand Custodian won’t be happy about that.”

  “I don’t care,” Hayden said. “Nothing good will come of it and you might be tempted to change your mind. I don’t want to have to kill you but I will if you don’t give me a better option.”

  Ruger didn’t pretend to think he could take Hayden in a fight. Not with his arms as debilitated as they were. “If that’s my option, I’ll pass on the meeting. Tell me something, Sheriff. Are you going after King?”

  “Marcus says he’ll be where we’re headed. I don’t imagine he’ll give up without a fight.”

  Ruger smiled. “In that case, I’ll give you something you haven’t requested. How many fighters do you have?”

  “Counting me? Three.”

  “The Osprey can carry up to twenty-four. Sergeant Brink?”

  “Yes, Governor?”

  “I want you to round up a platoon of your best. Get them equipped and out to the Osprey asap.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “While you’re at it, talk to Sharma and see if he can mount the ramp cannon. I bet that’ll come in handy too.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Dismissed, Brink.”

  She nodded to him and to Hayden, hurrying past toward the elevator.

  “I guess that settles things with the Custodians,” Ruger said. “Outside of killing King again, what’s the rest of your plan?”

  47

  Hayden

  “We’re thirty minutes out, Sheriff,” Vazquez said.

  “Pozz,” Hayden replied, unstrapping himself from the co-pilot’s seat and getting to his feet.

  He stepped through to the rear of the Osprey, where sixteen of Ruger’s militants sat in jumpseats on either side of the aircraft’s hold, along with Fairy and Marcus. While Marcus wore a similar getup to Hayden, with a bodysuit beneath a duster, vest, shirt, blue jeans and cowboy boots, Fairy had accepted the offer for a full suit of Centurion armor, which Brink had spent part of the last six hours teaching her to use. She looked relaxed in the armor now, only the top of her face visible through the visor of her helmet.

  “Thirty minutes,” he announced to the fighters, his voice reaching them through a tiny transmitter affixed to the back of his lower left incisor. “Brink, are your people prepped and ready?”

  “Locked and loaded, Sheriff,” Brink replied, her voice coming out through a receiver tucked into his right ear. “Just tell us what to shoot.”

  “Pretty much anybody who isn’t already on this aircraft, I reckon,” Hayden replied, drawing a few laughs from the other militants. “Fairy, Marcus, you good?”

  “Pozz,” Fairy replied.

  “I’m ready, Sheriff,” Marcus said.

  “Good. I’m going to go over the plan one more time, just to make sure we all know what we’re supposed to do.” He paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts. He had already given the occupants of the Osprey the outline of his plan before they had lifted off, but a handful of hours had passed and it made sense to reiterate. And he knew from experience that plans were one thing, the situation on the ground usually something else. No matter how much you tried to anticipate anything, being able to adjust on the fly was key. “When we get within a few minutes of Sanisco, Vazquez will drop the rear ramp. Fairy, you’re our gunner for the run. You’ll handle the rear cannon and be ready to shoot at anything the enemy sends after us. Second to that, you’ll handle airborne cover fire for the teams on the ground.”

  “Copy that, Sheriff,” Fairy said.

  “We’ll make one flyover of the city to get eyes on the Custodian’s defenses,” Hayden continued. “Once we’ve identified the motor pool, we’ll circle back around. The Osprey will come up over the tower. Marcus and Squad Alpha will rappel to the upper deck. You’ll start making your way down from there. Your goal is to clear the tower of opposition and get down to the loading bay. From there, the Osprey will target the motor pool. I’ll drop in with Squads Bravo and Charlie. I’ll secure a vehicle while Brink and her team soften the ground forces. Everyone will converge on the loading bay at the rear of the tower. I’ll get the vehicle inside, at which point we’ll need to secure the alien rock and pull it out of the bay and into the open. Vazquez brings the Osprey in, we net the rock, and she lifts it up and takes it back out to sea and drop it in deep water where it can rot for the rest of eternity. Are there any questions?”

  “Sheriff?” One of Brink’s militants held up a finger. “Do you have an estimate on the size of the opposition?”

  “Marcus, can you answer that?” Hayden asked.

  “There are two platoons in the area,” Marcus said. “The majority are covering the base of the tower, but hopefully our insurgence will pull some of them inside. They’re equipped just like us. Standard-issue Centurion gear. While they do outnumber us, what they don’t have is Sheriff Duke. Or me.”

  “Or me,” Fairy said.

  “Or Fairy,” Marcus added. “Raining death from above.”

  Hayden knew Marcus had intentionally left out one other detail about their opposition. After all, there was no reason to kill their team’s morale before the mission even started. The fact remained that the Custodians on the ground were all genetically enhanced clones, who had been trained by the best Spacers in the CSF on Proxima. They were more skilled than the troops in the Osprey by a long mile. In fact, while the militants on board had managed to survive the trife, most of them had never been in a real firefight. That’s why he was hoping a fair number of the Custodians would go up into the tower to confront Marcus. If too few of them left the ground level and stayed too densely aligned, they might not have enough to get through the defenses.

  “What’s the distance from the motor pool to the tower?” another militant asked.

  “We won’t know until we scout it,” Hayden replied. “Could be a few hundred meters or less. Could be over a klick. The closer it is, the better for us, but we shouldn’t get our hopes up. We need to take it as it comes and stay positive.” He waited a few more seconds for more questions, but no more came. “If there aren’t any other questions, I’ll leave you to your thoughts until we’re five minutes out. I’ll just say this first. You folks all know me, whether it’s from stories you’ve heard or riding with me or whatnot. You know what I stand for and you know why I’m here. I can’t guarantee we’re all going to come out of this alive. Odds are, some of us will die today. But I can tell you that I’ve got your back, and I’ll be out there fighting as hard for you as I possibly can. If we each do the same for the other, I firmly believe we can win this.”

  Brink began stomping her foot when Hayden finished talking. It only took a second for Fairy to mimic the action, and a few more for the rest of the militants to join in, creating an echoing thunder in the hold. It continued until Vazquez’s voice transmitted through the comms.

  “Whatever you’re doing back there, can you cut the shit?” she asked.

  The fighter’s stopped stomping, easing their tension with laughter instead. Hayden returned to the cockpit, regaining his seat beside Vazquez. “Just getting them fired up a little bit,” he explained.

  “I know. You don’t want to overdo it. A little fear is healthy. It’ll keep them on their toes.”

  “Pozz.” Hayden settled into the seat, looking out the window. He leaned forward when he noticed the large shape on the horizon ahead. A massive humanoid form headed north on a similar tack to theirs. “You see that?” he asked Vazquez.

  She turned her head. “Huh. Is that a goliath?”

  “Looks like it.”

  “I guess they haven’t all died off after all. Where do you suppose it’s going?”

  “Probably looking for something to eat.”

  “Do you want me to head in for a closer look at it? It’s been a while since I’ve seen one anywhere.”

  “Neg. Let’s stay on target. He’s not bothering us. No need to bother him.”

  “Copy that.”

  48

  Hayden

  Hayden had to fight against the sadness that threatened to overwhelm him as Sanisco came into view. The tower rose above everything else still standing in the city, normally a reminder of what humanity had accomplished before the trife had sent it all crumbling down. For him, the reminder was not only of the battles he had fought there, but of the life he had worked hard to build as a stranger in a strange land. The wife and children he still loved as much after their deaths as he had in life. The people he had tried to lead and protect. The simple comforts, the complex struggles, the tears of both joy and sadness.

  It was hard for him to look at and more than once he reached up to wipe accumulating moisture from his eyes. While Vazquez noticed the action, she didn’t say anything about it, preferring to pretend she didn’t see.

  “Maya, drop the ramp,” Hayden said to her directly. Then he switched to the comm, activating it by tapping his tongue against the transmitter. “Fairy, prepare to man the cannon.”

  “Copy, Sheriff,” Fairy replied.

  The back of the Osprey began to open, the machine gun mounted to the ramp lowering into position with it. Apparently, the weapon was a standardized add-on to the original aircraft’s configuration, useful for air support in the exact kind of situations they were in now. The gun mounted to the ramp had been upgraded over the years, and this one had a full wired interface to the combat armor Fairy wore. By plugging the weapon into her armor, she would gain target acquirement and aim assistance from the onboard AI.

  They needed all the help they could get.

  The air from outside began flowing into the Osprey, cool compared to the stale atmosphere and the heat of nineteen bodies plus sixteen suits of powered combat armor. Hayden glanced to the back to watch Fairy unsecure herself from her seat and march to the rear of the aircraft. A soft blue light glowed from the side of her boots, indicating they were magnetically locked to the floor.

  She reached out to the large machine gun, pulling a connector from it and attaching it to a receptacle at the base of her helmet. Then she took the two handles of the weapon, lifting and adjusting the heavy gun to face out of the Osprey’s rear.

  “Looks quiet down there,” Vazquez said as they neared the outskirts of the city. “I’ve got three marks at the landing site. Standard transports at three o’clock.”

  Hayden looked in the direction she had noted, finding three black trucks in a small clearing, a pair of Custodians loitering nearby. While he watched, they turned to look at the Osprey and waved. Of course, the aircraft was one of theirs, and they had no idea it had been compromised. They were in for a rude awakening.

  But not yet. Vazquez guided the Osprey past the landing site, staying at close to a thousand feet as she flew them over the city. Hayden kept his eyes glued to the urban environment, making note of a few more vehicles scattered close to the tower and a larger contingent of defenders closer to its perimeter. The hardest part was judging how many Custodians might be inside the building or the other structures around it.

  “I don’t see a motor pool,” Vazquez said as they neared the tower. “And they’re a lot more spread out than I would have guessed.”

  “Something transferred the pod from the helicopter into the loading dock,” Hayden replied. “If the truck isn’t out here, it has to still be inside the bay.”

  “We have no way of knowing that for sure.”

  “Nope,” Hayden agreed. “I never figured everything would go completely according to plan.”

  The Osprey continued over the top of the tower, heading out past the city. There was no sign of Custodian occupation beyond the landing area and the streets within a few blocks of the tower. More importantly, there was no outward indication Iagorth had emerged from his shell in any form. Marcus had been certain they had enough time to stop the Relyeh Ancient, and it seemed he was right.

  “I’m coming around, Sheriff,” Vazquez said, the Osprey banking a moment later.

  “Pozz,” Hayden replied. “You know what to do.”

  “Copy that.”

  Hayden left the cockpit again, moving to the side hatch as they banked a little more sharply.

  “Sheriff, I think they’ve decided we aren’t friendly,” Vazquez said through the comm. “Hold on.”

  The Osprey dove suddenly, leaving Hayden little time to brace himself against the bulkhead at his back. He heard a few rounds hit the armored exterior a moment later, the bullets failing to penetrate.

  “Fairy, get ready,” Vazquez said.

  “I’m ready,” she replied.

  The Osprey pulled up, banking hard before beginning a shallow climb. Hayden looked to the rear, past the militants and out through the open ramp to the landscape behind them. He saw the muzzle flashes near one of the buildings. Fairy saw a lot more. Hayden knew from experience the combat system would capture the flashes and estimate target location and distance from their position. When Fairy squeezed the gun’s trigger, the heavy thunks of it firing joined with fine movements initiated by the AI that helped her group the rounds on the targets. Large plumes of dirt and mortar kicked up where the slugs hit, first obscuring and then cancelling the flashes, the attackers either taking cover or dying under the barrage.

  “Well, they know now we aren’t friendly,” Marcus said, seated next to Hayden. He looked surprisingly calm considering the circumstances.

  “Marcus, Alpha Squad, head’s up,” Vazquez said. “We’re a minute out from the tower. Forget the ropes. I’m going to duck in lower than planned to stay out of the line of fire. Jump from the tail.”

  “Copy that,” Marcus said.

  “Copy,” Alpha Squad’s leader added.

  Marcus got to his feet, his Axon hand braced against the bulkhead. He looked down at Hayden. “This is it, Sheriff.”

  “It is,” Hayden agreed. “Good hunting, Marcus.”

  “You too.”

  They nodded to one another, and then Marcus moved to the rear of the craft, positioning himself behind Fairy. The five members of Alpha Squad lined up behind him as the rotors tilted vertical and the Osprey slowed. A few more bullets pinged off the aircraft without effect.

  Then the Osprey rotated and the pyramid-shaped top of the tower came into view out the back. The aircraft descended to hover a few feet above the exterior. Fairy opened fire with the cannon, sending dozens rounds into the building, the sound of the gun and breaking glass nearly drowning out the aircraft’s turbines.

  “Go, go, go!” Vazquez shouted through the comms.

  Fairy stopped shooting, Marcus and the squad of militants rushing past her to the end of the ramp and jumping out of sight. Immediately, Vazquez put the Osprey in motion again, speeding away from the tower. Hayden caught a glimpse of Marcus and the others on the deck of the tower, running toward the doors leading into the building. Fairy started shooting again, sending slugs over their heads and into opposition Hayden couldn’t see. Then the Osprey banked again, cutting away from the tower.

  “Sheriff, I’ve got to drop you a few blocks away. We’re taking too much fire this close and if we lose the Osprey we’re done for.”

  “Pozz. Try to come around on the north side so we have a direct line to the loading dock. Once you drop us off, get out of harm’s way. I’ll call you in when we’re ready for you.”

  “Copy that. You need to thin their herd a bit if you want our odds above zero.”

  “Will do.”

  The Osprey banked again, leveling for a handful of seconds before banking a third time and taking them down to only a few hundred feet of altitude, barely missing the tops of the buildings and staying clear of enemy fire. Fairy loosed a few more barrages as they circled, and then the craft dropped quickly toward the ground.

  “Let’s move,” Hayden shouted as the Osprey leveled out. He rushed to the rear of the craft, Brink and her squads right behind him.

  Hayden didn’t slow as the Osprey came to a stop a meter above the road. Reaching the back ramp, he clasped Fairy on the shoulder before jumping out and landing smoothly. He raced to cover behind a nearby wreck of a car to wait for Brink and her squads to join him.

  “Clear!” Brink announced, telling Vazquez she and her team were out of the Osprey. Immediately, the turbines increased in pitch and the aircraft began to lift away.

  Brink dropped down beside Hayden a few seconds later, the rest of her people spreading out around them behind whatever cover they could find. Already, Custodian defenders were coming into view up ahead, circling to their side of the tower. The small bay doors of the loading dock were visible behind the opposition.

  “We need to take out some of the defenders on the way in,” Hayden said to her. “Take Bravo around their flank. I’ll lead Charlie through the center and you can hit them while they’re distracted.”

  “Copy that, Sheriff. Bravo, with me. Charlie, stick tight to Sheriff Duke.” The squad leaders acknowledged the commands. “Good hunting, Sheriff.”

  “You too,” Hayden replied.

  Brink and her group broke away from him while he and Charlie laid cover fire until they were safe behind the nearest building.

  “Charlie, I’ll lead the charge and draw their fire. Concentrate on hitting anyone who shows too much of their face.”

  “Copy, Sheriff.”

  Hayden took a few breaths in preparation. “Here we go,” he said. Then he rose from his position, vaulting over the wrecked car and sprinting toward the next.