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  “Finnegan’s team fell under sniper fire shortly after arriving in Rome and was pinned down. With additional Chithiid approaching, their options were rather limited, when a counter-sniper––with a truly impressive shot, I might add––took out the enemy sniper, freeing them to fully engage and destroy the remaining forces.”

  “Anyone know who he was?”

  “No. He vanished as soon as the team was free to engage the enemy. It does, however, appear he may have been some previously unknown model of cybernetic organism. Finn reported that they caught sight of what appeared to be a matte-black or gray arm exposed from beneath its covering.”

  “So not a human.”

  “It would appear not.”

  “Yet someone. Something, is on our side? And it might not even be of human origin?” Daisy mused. “Curiouser and curiouser.”

  The faint sound of Joshua’s distinct chuckle warmed the air.

  “A rose is still a rose, even when hidden beneath different petals,” he replied.

  The Chithiid barracks were just beginning to quiet down as the residents of the towering bunk racks cleaned up from the day’s work, finished their meals, and partook of a few hours of recreational time and conversation before drifting off to sleep.

  On a lower bunk, an aged Chithiid was just reclining against his pillow when a shadow fell across him.

  “Craaxit,” he said, looking up at the tall man standing above him. “Are you well?”

  “Yes, Maarl, but I would greatly enjoy your company while I relax after today’s labors. Would you be up for a pot of tea?”

  The old alien knew what that meant and propped himself up on his sore elbow.

  “Of course, old friend. Let us walk together and brew a pot. I would greatly enjoy hearing how your day’s salvage went,” he said, loud enough to allay any questions of his absence.

  The two walked slowly, not drawing any attention as they casually discussed benign details of their daily work. Only once they had arrived in the unmonitored security of the logistics room could they speak freely. As luck would have it, fortune smiled upon them, and they were alone.

  “Now, what is this all about, Craaxit? I put you in touch with the men who could help us, and have reached out beyond our city’s realm as well.”

  “And I am greatly appreciative of it, Maarl,” the tall alien said. “What troubles me is new information that has just come to my attention. Apparently, the Ra’az have lied to us for many, many years.”

  “This surprises you?”

  “They lied about the communications facility in Tokyo.”

  “What of it?”

  “It is not the only communications hub,” Craaxit replied. “There are also facilities in Sydney and New York.”

  “That seems unlikely. I have friends still working in those facilities, yet they have seen no signs of that sort of activity. Everyone knows they have only used Tokyo for a very long time.”

  “Lies. All lies,” Craaxit said. “The humans have reconnected many of the powerful minds inhabiting cities across the globe. This intel is accurate. The Ra’az have been operating additional communications arrays in secret. Perhaps even their loyalist followers do not know.”

  The older alien pondered the news.

  “This changes things, I fear.”

  “Yes, it does, but the humans are in possession of weapons capable of destroying all three of them before they can warn the fleet or the forces guarding our homeworld.”

  “Excellent news!” Maarl exclaimed.

  “But for one thing,” Craaxit replied. “They cannot destroy the San Francisco facility for fear of causing a global reaction from the unstable tech being researched. They ask for our help disabling, or at least delaying the warp ship contained therein.”

  “What they ask for is no small thing, Craaxit. I do have connections in San Francisco, but it has taken them many years to obtain their positions, and even then, they are still lowly workers within a facility full of loyalists.”

  “We have to try, Maarl. Will you contact them for me?”

  He thought long and hard, weighing the possible outcomes.

  “I will reach out to them, my friend, and ask them to assess the situation there. If they feel they can be of assistance, we will know by tomorrow. For now, it is late. Let us return to our bunks lest the others wonder at our absence.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Vince looked normal. At least, as normal as a comatose man could look, given the circumstances. His color had begun to come back as soon as the infected AI in his head was purged. Unfortunately, aside from good color and steady, shallow breathing, he hadn’t shown any sign of improving, and definitely none of waking.

  Genevieve, the young woman gently dabbing his forehead with a damp cloth was one of the nursemaids from Cal’s people. As a relatively skilled person within their tiny enclave, her talents were rather in demand, and her spending so much time looking after Vince while Daisy was gone had not gone unnoticed, endearing her to Daisy far more than the others.

  “Daisy, you’re back,” she said with a warm smile.

  “Any change, Gen?”

  “None, I’m afraid, though the liquid nutrition I have been feeding him does seem to be helping his body recover.”

  Daisy suppressed a shudder.

  Feeding him with a fucking tube, Sis. Is that what he’d have wanted?

  “We can’t know, Daze. I’m so sorry you have to go through this.”

  Thanks. I appreciate it.

  She reached into the bag slung from her shoulder and withdrew a bare-bones neuro-stim device.

  Genevieve’s face flashed an alarmed look.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Don’t worry. I’m just testing for neurological activity.”

  “But that device. I’ve seen them before. They are dangerous!”

  “I’ve stripped this one down. All it can do is monitor, nothing else,” Daisy said, sadness tinging her voice. “I just have to know if there’s still anything in there. Can you understand that?”

  The young nursemaid hesitated a moment in thought.

  “Of course. Please forgive my reaction. It’s just that I know he was rendered like this by a similar device.”

  “I appreciate all the care you’ve given him, really. Please know you have my most sincere thanks for that.”

  The young woman smiled and blushed.

  “I am merely doing what I was trained to do.”

  “Well, you’re doing it for someone I care a great deal for. If you ever need anything, anything at all, just ask.”

  “Thank you, Daisy,” she replied, shyly. “I’ll leave you two alone now, but I will check back on Vince later this evening.”

  The door quietly closed, leaving Daisy in the uncomfortably silent room. Ill at ease, she approached Vince’s bed and began gently placing the modified neuro-stim on his head.

  “Hey,” she finally said, as she snugged the strap across his brow.

  “So, things have been interesting since you decided to check out on me,” she quietly said to his inert figure. “I’ve got a new Chithiid ally, for one. You should get a load of the guy––he’s huge, but surprisingly funny. For an alien, anyway. And we managed to reconnect the AI running the old NORAD facility with Sid and the others. He’s got some ambitious plans, but I really think they might work.”

  Vince lay still, his breathing steady but shallow. Daisy felt a little twinge in her chest.

  “So, what else? Oh, and my sword is basically a vampire,” she said with a little laugh. “And my AI kid, well, that’s a surprising development, let me tell you. She’s something else, though. I just hope she’s okay on her own like this.” She scanned his face for any sign of awareness.

  Nothing.

  She turned on the machine and began her scan.

  “Anyway,” she continued, “we’re planning a missile assault on a bunch of cities, and then we’re going to try to commandeer an actual warp ship from their test facili
ty in San Francisco. If you’d wake your ass up, we could really use your help, you know.”

  “Tell him you love him, Daze.”

  “But I don’t,” she said, quietly.

  “Yes, you do.”

  Daisy hesitated.

  “Well, okay, I do, but just as a friend.”

  “Uh-huh.” Sarah was not remotely convinced.

  “Look. We were a thing, and yes, it was really good. Great, even. But that’s done now. So yes, I love Vince, but not like you think.”

  “You’re so full of shit, Daisy. You know that? You can lie to everyone else, and you can even try to lie to yourself, but I know you. I know what’s in your heart.”

  “Oh, shut up, Sarah,” Daisy barked in frustration.

  The briefest of blips registered on the device. Daisy grabbed the monitor and dialed in the readings.

  “Daze, is he waking up?” Sarah asked anxiously.

  She fine-tuned the device, then felt her shoulders slump.

  “No. It was just a one-off spike. There’s basic neural activity, but nothing I’d call consciousness. I don’t know what else I can do. We purged the AI and kept his body healthy, but there’s nothing. He’s gone, Sis.”

  Hours later, Daisy woke from a deep slumber, though a bit disoriented at first. It had been the first solid night’s sleep she’d had in days.

  She had accepted the loss of Vince, she realized. A surge of guilt washed over her with the realization that it was that acceptance that had allowed her to finally slumber.

  “Nothing to feel guilty about, Daze. It’s been weighing on you a long time, now.”

  “I know, logically, but in my gut––” She searched for the right words. “It just feels so wrong that I should find rest while he’s the way he is.”

  “I understand, and you can feel guilty about things later, if you like. But for now, you need to let this go. Take care of yourself and finish what you started. When we’ve either won or died, then there will be time to mourn him.”

  “Thanks, Sis.”

  “Always.”

  Daisy walked to the commissary, deep in thought. Once she had a hot cup of coffee in her hands and some protein in her belly, she finally felt human enough to deal with other people.

  “Hey, Chu,” she said over the delayed comms. “Just checking in. How are things going up there? I’m sure you’ve been filled in on the goings-on down here, but I wanted to see if you had any luck with those remote-piloted junkers yet. Let me know. I’ll be here, standing by.”

  She sent the message and settled in to wait the several minutes for his reply.

  “Daisy! Great to hear your voice! Yeah, Sid and Mal filled us in on all the craziness you’ve been dealing with. It sounds like we’re on the cusp of knocking out the Ra’az communications network. Holy crap, I never would have thought that was even possible, and now it should be accomplished within days.”

  She could almost hear the smile on his face.

  “As for the remote ships, I was a bit stuck, actually, but Commander Mrazich grabbed me the notes from your quarters to help out. It took a while to decipher them, but man, you really thought this out. I still find the concept of repurposing lower-tier AI to perform basic piloting tasks inspired. Gustavo, the AIs, and I have been working on the first attempts. So far, we managed to get a waste-disposal AI to fly a solo loop around the perimeter. It had some...interesting issues, but I think we’re getting the hang of it, and we’ve got a couple more in the works. Anyway, all is good here. Is there anything I can help you with from Dark Side? Okay, shutting up now. I’ll send this and stand by.”

  Daisy was perplexed.

  They found the notes in my quarters?

  “Daisy, didn’t you keep those locked up in your work locker?”

  I’m almost certain I did. So weird. I guess I subconsciously knew they’d be needing them and left them out. My brain seems to be funny like that.

  “Sometimes life works itself out, eh?”

  I guess.

  Daisy keyed the comms unit.

  “All good here, Chu. Thanks for the offer, though. About the lower-tier AIs, though. Be careful allowing them any access to weapons systems. I don’t know if their mental makeup can really grasp the concept of weapons. They might see them as a way to 'touch' another thing. Wouldn’t want you left cleaning up after a rogue ship mistakes pulse blasts for a handshake.”

  Daisy thought a moment, trying to be more concise than her moon-bound friend.

  “Actually, there is one thing, though. If you could have Sid shoot us down any updates on alien movement in Sydney, Tokyo, New York, or San Francisco, that would be great. The missiles we’ll be using are hypersonic, but even so, every second counts, and we’ve only got one shot at this. Any data we don’t already have, no matter how small, might make a difference.”

  A shadow crossed her mood.

  “Lastly, I should let you know, Vince is gone. We did what we could, but he’s just an empty shell. I figured someone should tell you. Better coming from me than a stranger.” She felt the lump in her throat as she fought back her tears. “Okay, that’s it. Keep at it with those ships; they may be useful. In the meantime, wish us luck, and take care of yourselves up there. Daisy, out.”

  She sent the message, then went to find Sergeant Franklin.

  “Hey, George.”

  “Daisy, how are you?” he asked, concern in his voice.

  “He obviously knows, Daze.”

  Yep. Figured he would.

  “I’m hanging in there,” she said with a sigh.

  “It’s never easy,” the tin man replied.

  “Yeah,” she agreed. “Listen, I have a strange request. I totally understand if you don’t feel comfortable with it, but I really need to take my mind off things for a little bit.”

  “What did you have in mind?”

  A little smile tickled the pained corners of Daisy’s mouth.

  “How up to date are you on hand-to-hand combat?” she asked.

  “Oh, I am quite up to date,” he said. “And perhaps a bit of sparring practice would do us both some good.”

  The cyborg’s happy smile was almost as unnerving as Daisy’s.

  That evening, just as the sun began to set, Daisy heard the anxious feet of her alien ally growing near.

  “Daisy, I have news!” Craaxit said as he rushed into their meeting area a full half-hour early. “The Ra’az have accelerated their testing in San Francisco. They must know something is happening. Could they have sensed your AI’s activity?”

  “No, he’s completely shielded and under a mountain.” She thought for a moment. “There was activity in Rome. Did your people have anything to do with that?”

  “Rome? I do not have assets in that city. Why? What happened?”

  “I’m not sure yet,” Daisy replied. “Have the Ra’az sent any broadcasts from the comms stations?”

  “Not that we are aware of.”

  “Hmm. Then maybe it’s just a coincidence,” she hoped. But Daisy knew that was wishful thinking. “There has been a change in plans, and I’m going to have to ask for your help.”

  “You know you shall have what I can provide.”

  “Good. We don’t believe the missiles can reach the communications hubs before being detected, now that they are on higher alert, as you told me. We need to take down their scans for just under seven seconds.”

  “My people are not allowed in positions that could provide access to those scanning devices. That is only done by Ra’az and their loyalist Chithiid.”

  “I figured as much. But can your contacts facilitate getting a small team of my people inside the facility and direct them to the power systems?”

  “There are backup systems in all facilities.”

  “Yes, but if we disrupt the main power with a sizable blast, the changeover to backup power will leave a long-enough gap in scans while the machinery recalibrates after the reboot for the missiles to strike.”

  The tall alien grew pe
nsive.

  “You ask my people to die, Daisy.”

  “No, you misunderstand,” she said, realizing she needed to clarify. “The missiles will be small enough to only destroy the comms array itself, not the entire facility. Both my people and yours will be vulnerable, and we cannot afford to lose either.”

  Craaxit pondered a moment, the furrows in his brow easing. He then dug in his pocket with excited hands.

  “I am confident I can do as you ask. The waste disposal areas are poorly-guarded, and my people have complete access. A benefit of being seen as mere servants, one could suppose.”

  “Fantastic news. I’ll have my people make their way to those cities immediately to liaise with your insiders.”

  “There is something else you should know, Daisy. I have learned that a great many of my people have died participating in test flights these past weeks.”

  “So, the warp drive is still non-functional.”

  “It was. But the Ra’az now appear to be nearing completion and are preparing to fly the test vessels themselves. This demonstrates a new confidence in the technology on their part.”

  “You said vessels. Plural.”

  “Yes. I have been informed by sources within the facility that they have not one, but three ships outfitted with the new technology.” He finally found what he was looking for in his pocket. A single data chip, which he handed to her with hope in his eyes. “This was stolen from the facility at great personal risk to the one who obtained it. It contains readings from their latest attempts.”

  “Good work, Craaxit. I’ll get this to my team for analysis immediately. This new information means we may need to move faster than we originally planned. We’ll need a better way to communicate. I can try to get you a––”

  He pulled a small transmitter from his pocket and handed it to her.

  “I agree, and have already taken appropriate measures. This device is set to an older, unused frequency. It will allow for two, maybe three communications before it is detected and tracked. We must only use it in an extreme emergency. I will keep the receiver with me at all times.”

  Daisy ran for the door, data chip safely in her pocket. “I will contact you the moment I have news,” she said, then bolted for the safety of Cal’s tunnels.