Hell divers x fallout, p.32
Hell Divers X: Fallout, page 32
Charmer chuckled. “You’re old and crazy, but smart. Now, Michael, I’m here—”
“Old, not crazy,” Steve said. “I’m talking about the weather modification units. If you’re going to kill Michael, why not send him to turn them on? I’ll go with him. We might die, but it’ll give us a shot at restoring the weather across the globe.”
Charmer eyed Steve, then Michael. “Tempting offer, but we can’t let you have the airship,” he said. “And letting Michael go free would set what kind of example for other murderers?”
“How can you use that word on me?” Michael asked. “We know you killed your friend and his son to frame me, and we know what Rolo did to King Xavier and the Vanguard army.”
Charmer smirked. “You can’t prove a thing.”
“It doesn’t matter what I can prove. You know what I say is true.” Michael shook his head.
“If you knew the struggles my people went through, what I went through, you wouldn’t judge me,” Charmer snarled as he leaned in closer to the bars. “You saved us from hell, but we were already dead.”
“Listen, no one will give a shit what Michael allegedly did if the storms go away,” Steve said. “We don’t need the airship either—just a boat with supplies.”
Charmer seemed to consider the offer. “It’s not a bad idea. If it were up to me, I’d let you take a crack at it. But it isn’t up to me, and Michael must pay for his crimes.”
“Let me save the islands like I saved your people,” Michael said. “Please, give me a chance.”
He didn’t care that he was practically begging. If he was going to die, he wanted it to mean something, to help his family survive in an uncertain future.
“No one has to know. They can all think I died,” Michael said. “I will never return. Layla doesn’t even need to know.”
Charmer studied Michael, and for a moment Michael saw what might be considered empathy. He had seen a flash of it right before the Cazadores threw Eevi into the water.
“I’m sorry, kid,” Charmer said. “Everything that has happened to you and to your people is because of your king. Don’t blame me. This is just business. And unfortunately, it means you have to die.”
* * * * *
It had taken Magnolia two days at sea to muster the courage to go through the belongings she had recovered from Rodger’s room. She sat cross-legged on her bunk on the Frog, staring at the wooden box and feeling the hum of the ship as it sailed closer toward home.
She held her breath and opened the lid.
Inside was a collection of hand-carved animals. She held the box up to the light to see the newest addition: a deer with antlers. There were also a barracuda, a rhino, and a giraffe.
She set the box down and took out the elephant that Rodger had carved for her back at the Vanguard Islands. Closing her eyes, she thought back on good times she’d had with Rodger. She had never met anyone like him. He could make anyone laugh—sometimes inappropriately, like when they were in the wastes with danger besetting them on all sides.
But the more she thought about it, the more she saw how he had slipped away from her over the past year. Ever since he got injured by the skinwalkers in a blast that had ended his career as a Hell Diver.
The past few months especially, Rodger had joked less, laughed less, and slipped into darkness. Magnolia could now see with excruciating clarity all that she had ignored then. She had been occupied with the mission to expand to Panama and then beyond. She had become obsessed with finding the Coral Castle, in the process abandoning Rodger when he needed her most.
She tried to hold on to the good memories, but the guilt was too much. She had to find a way to live with it before she could look back upon their relationship with a happy heart. That wasn’t going to happen anytime soon.
She reached for the tactical vest under her bunk. After dragging it out, she pulled out the sealed bag of Rodger’s ashes. She set the bag inside the box, next to his bent glasses.
“Mags?”
Sofia walked down the aisle of bunk beds.
“You okay?” she asked.
Magnolia nodded.
“Good. Just remember . . .” Sofia pursed her lips, then changed the subject. “I heard there was a broadcast picked up from the Vanguard Islands. You know anything about that?”
“No, nothing, but I’ve been down here . . . Haven’t talked to X for a while.”
Magnolia bent down and tucked the box under her bunk. Doing it made her light headed. The effects of the radiation poisoning lingered, but she had gained some of her strength back with the food from Yejun’s trove.
“Let’s go see if it’s true,” she said.
They didn’t talk much as they walked down the dim passageways of the ship, some of which were still sealed off due to radiation. When they closed in on the CIC, Magnolia stopped.
“What?” Sofia asked.
“You hear something?” Magnolia asked.
It was faint, but they could hear shouting.
“Is that X?” Sofia asked.
This time, the two guards gave Magnolia no trouble and opened the hatch at once. Inside, officers stood at their stations, looking in the direction of the war room.
“That son of a bitch!” X shouted.
Pounding followed—sounds of fists hammering the hull.
Magnolia opened the hatch of the war room to find General Forge, Slayer, and Captain Two Skulls standing at a table. On the table were maps of the Vanguard Islands, a bottle of shine, and three glasses.
X had finally removed the bandage around his head. Sutures protruded from the shaved strip on his skull. The bruised flesh was purple fading to yellow and brown.
Miles nudged up against his leg, but not even he could calm X down.
The king turned his red face to Magnolia. Maybe he had been drinking. Maybe he was just really mad.
“It’s all my fault,” he spluttered. “My fault . . .”
“What?” she asked. “What’s going on?”
X looked to Forge and nodded. The general leaned down to the tablet on the table and tapped the screen.
“Per decree of King Rolo, Michael Everhart will be hanged from the capitol tower tomorrow morning for all to see,” said the announcer. “The future of the Sun Empire is a future of peace. This will end a violent history.”
“What! No . . . that can’t be real,” Magnolia said.
“It’s all my fault,” X repeated. A tear outlined the scar on his cheek. “They framed Michael for the death of Oliver and his boy,” he said. “It’s their way of removing the last opposition to King Rolo and his handler, Charmer.”
“We will stop them,” Magnolia said. She went over to him, but he pulled back.
“You don’t get it, Mags. We can’t.”
She looked at the map and saw a red line that was their route. They weren’t even halfway back from Panama to the Vanguard Islands. They wouldn’t be there in time to save Michael.
Not only that, but the Osprey was far slower than the Frog. The carrier ship would take an extra day, if not longer, to reach the barrier of light and darkness.
“There has to be a way to save him,” Magnolia said.
She had never seen the king in such distress. She felt it, too—a horrible, painful dread that seemed to be eating her from inside. She had lost the most important person in her world. And soon, X would lose Michael, the son he’d never had.
“Rolo, Charmer, and their allies have tried to destroy everything we’ve built,” X said. “They will stop at nothing to take the islands for themselves, even if it meant killing two of their own—one just a child—and framing Michael for it.”
X’s voice shook.
“There’s no way we will make it in time to help him, unless . . .” X said. His voice cracked and he cleared his throat. “I will send a radio transmission to Rolo and tell him if he spares Michael, I will never return to the islands. I will take Miles into the wastes, and no one will ever see us again.”
“What?” Magnolia blurted. “X, you do that and they still might kill Michael, and we lose the element of surprise.”
“It’s a risk I’m willing to take.”
Magnolia tried to pick her words carefully, then realized at this point it didn’t matter. He needed truth right now, just as she had needed it back at Outpost Gateway.
“You can’t save Michael this way,” she said. “Just like I couldn’t save Rodger. But we can save others. We can save our home. We have to make sure their deaths aren’t in vain.”
X glared at her. “I can save Michael.”
“Not doing what you just proposed.”
“She’s right, King Xavier,” Forge said. “You send that transmission, and they will be waiting for us with the airship when we arrive.”
X leaned over the maps, scrutinizing them for an answer to their problems.
“We have food, we have soldiers, and you have regained the trust of our warriors,” Forge said. “We must take this momentum and strike at Rolo and his people before they can prepare.”
“I love Michael like a brother, and I know his heart,” Magnolia said. “He would want us to take care of his family and not risk their lives to save him.”
“His family and my son,” Sofia said. “Rhino Jr. has been with Layla, and I fear what they will do.”
X looked up from the maps to Sofia. He seemed to be attending to a distant memory, perhaps of General Rhino, the great warrior who had given his life for X.
He took in a deep breath, then shook his head wearily. “How did it come to this?” he whispered. “The greed of our species is a fucking cancer that just won’t die.”
“It might not die, but we can remove it,” Magnolia said. “We owe that to children like Rhino Jr. and Bray, and all the people who died getting us this far.”
“The element of surprise will allow us to crush our enemies without hurting innocents,” Forge said. “We go in silently, and we can save families like Michael’s and Sofia’s.”
X looked from face to face, stopping last on Magnolia.
“If I know Layla, she won’t let them kill Michael,” she said. “She’ll try on her own, and maybe she’ll find a way. There’s hope.”
“Or she too will die,” X said. “I should have been there to protect them.”
“And I should never have left Rodger.” Magnolia swallowed hard.
She put a hand on his shoulder and thought of something that they both needed to hear right now.
“Accept your past without regret. Handle your present with confidence. Face your future without fear,” she said. “Remember that motto from the fortune cookie that Michael got at the trading post in the Hive many years ago?”
X quickly nodded. “He gave it to me before a dive.”
“Yes, and we all have used those words for strength when things got dark. Now is that time again. We must fight through the darkness.”
For a fleeting moment, despair seemed to grip X. Then his features turned to steel and his eyes took fire. “Gather around, and let’s talk about this final fight for our home.”
Everyone crowded around the map.
“Go ahead, General,” X said.
“The capitol tower is where they will have concentrated their forces,” Forge said. “We arrive at night, sending assault rafts to the tower to off-load four fire teams. Meanwhile, the Frog will take out the airship with its front cannons.”
“We’re going to destroy the Vanguard?” Magnolia asked.
“If we have to,” Forge said.
She shuddered at the thought of shooting down their former home. But if it had to be done, so be it.
“The Osprey will arrive here,” Forge continued. He pointed to rig 15. “The ship will be used as a blockade to prevent any smaller boats from heading to the capitol tower in aid of Rolo. Everyone will be given a chance to surrender. If they choose to fight, we show zero mercy.”
All nodded.
“Questions?” Forge asked.
Hearing none, he looked to King Xavier, who was scowling and scratching his beard.
“General Forge and Lieutenant Slayer will put together the fire teams,” X said. “We have two more days to get battle ready. I want everyone fed, rested, and ready to fight.”
“What about Gran Jefe?” Magnolia asked.
“What about him?” X asked.
“Do you trust him?”
“Does a turd trust an asshole?”
Magnolia snorted. “No.”
“Does a turd need an asshole?” X asked.
“At times, I guess.”
“There’s your answer.”
Magnolia was glad to hear X having a little fun.
“I will watch Jorge,” Slayer said. “If he tries anything, I’ll put an arrow through his heart.”
X looked over the maps one more time, then nodded.
Everyone started out of the room, but X called out for Magnolia to stay.
X came around the table with Miles. Magnolia scratched the dog’s head.
“If Michael dies . . .” X seemed unable to finish the thought.
“There’s still hope,” Magnolia said. But she knew that wasn’t true. Michael had about as much hope of surviving as Rodger once had.
X glanced at the bottle of shine on the table. He wasn’t the only one giving it longing looks. Magnolia had considered drowning her sorrows, but the hangover would be gruesome.
“Don’t,” Magnolia said. “We need the best of you in this fight.” She grabbed X and embraced him. “We’ll get through this,” she whispered.
“They’re really going to kill him?” X asked.
Magnolia pulled him tighter.
“If they do, we’ll make them pay,” she said.
“Oh, they’re going to pay regardless,” X said. He wiped a tear from his eye and transformed from a defeated man back into the warrior Magnolia had known all her life.
King Xavier stood taller, chest out, eyes filled with strength.
“We face our future without fear, together,” Magnolia said. “I’m with you to the end, X, whatever it may be.”
TWENTY-FIVE
At three in the morning, Layla made final preparations to save Michael. She’d had little time to plan, but she had managed to get a pigeon out to Pedro with a message.
They had planned to pack a boat full of supplies and sail away from the islands after rescuing Michael. But when she learned Michael was on the Vanguard, she thought, Why sail away in a boat when you can steal an airship?
It had everything they needed to survive. The old lifeboat had been their home, and it seemed fitting to take it from the ungrateful people they had brought here on it. The brazen plan to steal it back included bringing Bray—a massive risk, but she had no other option.
Her heart pounded at the thought of leaving without Rhino Jr. But Charmer and the Cazadores were holding the child somewhere in the capitol tower. She had considered trying to rescue the baby, but it was too risky.
All she could do was hope they would love him as much as she did.
With a sigh, she zipped up her padded black Hell Diver suit and bent down to check her gear. On the floor of her apartment were the booster and parachute that would get her to the airship. Next to these, a tactical vest was stuffed full of flares, rope, carabiners, and the knife she had used on the Wave Runner soldier.
She moved to a backpack that contained everything she needed for the rest of her life. It had been odd filling the small pack, but items like clothing, jewelry, and valuables from the Old World had never been important to her. Now they meant nothing at all.
All that mattered were the few sentimental items: the pictures of her family; the Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star book; a fortune cookie saying, which Michael had given her long ago; and a few other small trinkets. These were the things they needed if they were going to survive in the darkness again.
But all she really needed was to be with Michael and Bray. She didn’t care if she had to live in a cave for the rest of her life if it meant being together.
Victor came in from the kitchen.
“Layla,” he whispered. She got up and went to the kitchen window, half expecting to see Pedro and Cecilia climbing through. When Victor got there, he pointed to the sky.
Layla looked up at the airship. It was moving into position for the execution. An image of Michael hanging from the rooftop flashed into her mind. She used that horrifying image to energize her in what she was about to do.
“Let’s run through it again before Pedro arrives,” Layla said. “I’ll go up first using my booster. Once the altimeter shows I’m seven or eight hundred feet above the airship, I’ll cut away the booster, deploy my chute, and pull one toggle to spiral gently down onto the airship and land. If I make it up, you follow with Bray and do the same thing.”
Victor nodded sternly, but she could tell he was nervous, having trained only a few hours with the greenhorns months ago. Layla was trying her best to keep it together. She desperately wanted to be the one to take Bray, but it was far too dangerous to take him up with her. She had to go first, make sure the way was safe.
“You sure I can do this?” Victor asked. “I only landed three times before I hurt my ankle and washed out of Hell Diver class.”
“I’m sure.” Layla smiled and held both his arms. “We only need to get this right once. You got it right three times.”
Victor nodded, resigned. He stepped back from the window while Layla left to see Bray. He was sleeping peacefully when she poked her head into his room. She didn’t want to disturb him, but she couldn’t leave without saying goodbye.
This could be the last time she ever held her child.
She reached over the side of the crib and scooped him out.
“I’m sorry, my love,” she said. “Soon, you have to be very brave and very quiet, okay?”
