Alhabor, Manning, Anderson, and I stood in front of a glass chamber that was hooked up to a giant monitor. The room was dark, but the monitor and the chamber lit it up. We were in the scanning room. I had no idea why the Canis Major had one of these, but at least it was convenient.
“Time to know our enemy.” Alhabor held up the fallen robot’s guts. Funny how we couldn’t have gotten those without the gremlins but he hated them anyway. He placed the guts in the little scanning chamber and shut the glass door. Then he hit a button on the chamber and stepped back. “I recommend putting on your helmets. It’s about to get a lot brighter in here.”
I did as he said and summoned my helmet just in time. The glass chamber filled with green light as numbers and letters appeared on the monitor above. I stared into it, awaiting our results. I was so sick of questions plaguing my life. It was finally time for answers. The screen cleared as a picture of the metal popped up beside some text.
ORIGIN: FIRST DIVISION TERRITORY
What?
The text went on to describe the properties and history of the materials, but the first four words were all we needed. I looked around and saw my own shocked expression reflected on my friends’ faces. The robots had been made in the First Division? At the very least, they had been made with First Division material. How could that be possible?
“The trash cans that stole Ben were made in our division?” Anderson curled his fists as he growled. “How?! Is there some freak out there who likes building robots and shipping them off to other planets?”
That didn’t make any sense. Even if someone from the other divisions was making the robots with our materials, why would they send them all the way out here? This couldn’t be some random nobody. Alhabor’s furrowed brow told me that he was thinking the same thing.
“Do you have a way to contact Frost?” I asked. “Maybe we could ask her about this.”
“Yeah. Yeah, let’s go do that.” Alhabor’s voice was unusually venomous when he said that. He stomped out of the room without another word.
Anderson sighed. “I know we’re all thinking it, so I’m gonna address it: there’s no way Frost knows anything about the bots. I don’t like her, but what would she gain from taking one of her own soldiers?”
“I don’t know, but stranger things have happened.” I held up my left hand and examined it. I’d once been able to shoot electricity out of this thing. I missed the period when that had been the most distressing aspect of my life. “Thoughts, Manning?”
He rubbed his chin. “I think…that I also need to make a phone call. This is becoming dangerous, and I can’t take any chances. Go on without me. I’ll reconvene with you all later.”
Manning whipped out his phone and headed out. We had just grouped up, but we were already separating again. I hated this mission.
Anderson and I left the creepy scanning room and took off after Alhabor. I hadn’t memorized the ship’s layout yet, but I knew the way to the cockpit. Our metallic footsteps provided background noise as we marched to what would surely be one stressful phone call.
“Locke, you really can’t use those freaky powers of yours?” Anderson eyed me with suspicion.
“No. Great job almost exposing me to Alhabor, by the way. Frost and her goons can’t know about my abilities.”
He shrugged. “Give me a break. I told Frost all about them and that jacked woman during my interrogation. She didn’t believe me. Can’t blame her. I wouldn’t have believed it if I didn’t see it.”
“It’s not funny!” I rounded on Anderson, halting our march. “Remember when I ‘lied’ to Frost back on the First Ship? I had to cover my tracks because of you. Frost has to suspect something even though she let it go. What is she planning?”
Surge thought that Frost knew I had powers. I’d never confronted her about them, but it seemed likely. I wanted to know how I’d gotten Implanted and thought she might have the answers. Too bad she’d kill me if she knew that I knew.
“Calm down, Locke. What’s the worst she can do with that info? Especially since your powers aren’t working.” He crossed his arms. “What’s up with that, by the way? It’s one thing to have freaky powers, but then to lose them?”
I sighed as I rubbed my temples. “I’m what’s known as a ‘Hybrid.’ It’s someone who’s been modified by AI technology and been given abilities as a result. A Hybrid’s powers are linked to their emotions, and I’ve been having a hard time to say the least. My powers have been gone ever since I got my arm blown off on Epsilon and—” I groaned and gripped my bionic arm as pain spiked through it. Why was this still happening? “I don’t know if they’re ever coming back. I can’t just move on from what happened. Saving Laura won’t cure my trauma.”
“I know what you mean. Thing is, even if you never get that lightning power back, you shouldn’t rely on that weird arm cannon either.”
“What? Why?”
He clenched his jaw. “It’s not your style, Locke. You’re soft, and that’s not always a bad thing. I guess. Remember how you saved our butts just by befriending those little freaks in the cave? You shouldn’t act like me to get through all this craziness. Just be you, and it’ll work out. Seriously.”
Funny choice of words, considering that I’d only adopted my new policy because of Anderson. After Nessa had gotten hurt, I’d decided to quit holding back so that I could protect my friends properly. It had worked up until Epsilon. And that had just been because I’d needed more force. That was what Frost’s army would provide…unless that wasn’t the answer either. But, if brute force wouldn’t work, how else could we beat the AI?
“Let’s get moving,” I said, “Alhabor is waiting on us.”
I ignored Anderson’s attempts to continue the conversation. I didn’t want to talk about this. I wanted to complete this mission.
We stepped into the ship’s huge cockpit. It still didn’t smell all that great. Alhabor stood over the dashboard’s monitor, which beeped every time he tapped it. I assumed he was punching in Frost’s number. Emphasis on “punching.”
“Boys! Just in time.” Alhabor stepped back from the monitor. “Look sharp!”
The monitor showed a message: CONTACTING FIRST SHIP - PRESIDENT’S QUARTERS. It reminded me of the time Laura and I had called her parents back on the Oppressed base. This phone call was stressing me out as much as that one had. The message disappeared, and an image of President Frost against a black background replaced it. Since I’d been in her office, I could confirm that it was usually that dark. The light that shone on her face was the only reason we could see her at all. I’d seen her illuminate the room before, so she was just being a jerk by keeping it dark.
“I wasn’t expecting a progress report, but I welcome one.” Frost smiled right at me, which sent chills down my spine. “Hello, Wander. Did you find the extra gift I left in your new arm? Are you adjusting to it? General Alhabor, you’re keeping him safe, aren’t you?”
Alhabor’s face tightened. “The kid is fine, but Sirius isn’t. We beat one of the robots, so I recovered some of it. I carried the piece back here, scanned it, and whoa, what do you know? It’s all from the First Division. Any, theories on that, Madam President?”
Frost pushed back her glasses. “Intriguing. Sounds like our enemy was manufactured by someone using our materials. That means someone discovered that planet before we did. Disappointing. When you find whoever is responsible, make sure they pay for what they’ve done. Is that all?”
Alhabor’s face morphed into a scowl. That wasn’t the answer any of us had been hoping for. It was one that I’d expected, though.
“I think we’re far from done here,” Alhabor said. “You’re hiding some—”
“We’re not done? Good, because I’m very curious about something you said.” Frost’s eyes gleamed, presumably with curiosity. “You defeated one of the enemies? How exactly did you accomplish such a feat?”
I cleared my throat. “Alhabor was saying something—”
“No.” Alhabor shook his head, defeated. “Forget that. Tell her how ‘we’ beat the bot, kid. You wanted to tell her about your new friends, remember?”
I knew way too many adults who called me “kid.” It was starting to bug me. After everything I’d been through, there was no way I was still just a kid.
“This planet is already inhabited,” I said. “I got cornered by the enemy underground. It would have gotten me, but then these tiny aliens came out of nowhere and pelted it with this weird mud. Somehow, the mud acted like an EMP and disrupted the robot. The aliens saved my life, and…we should respect them. Let’s not colonize this planet. After we get Sirius back, we should move on.”
I couldn’t bring up Red City, but it was what I was thinking about. Frost’s face went blank as she seemed to consider my words. I couldn’t believe it, I might have gotten through to her.
“Mud that disrupts technology?” she repeated to herself. “That’s troubling. Although it seems to have worked out in our favor. Don’t worry about those silly little creatures, Wander. I’m just glad you’re safe. Do a better job of protecting him, Alhabor. He shouldn’t have had to rely on aliens.”
She spat that last word like it was a slur. My stomach had never dropped so quickly.
Alhabor was seconds away from exploding. I could see it in his red face. I also understood his anger. He’d been serving Frost long enough to become a general, and this was how she treated him? All because she was prioritizing me? She was barely listening to me. Once she’d heard that I was safe, she had tuned out.
“Do you have ice in your ears or something?” Anderson stomped up to the monitor. “Locke is trying to tell you something, and you just brush him off? Wow, he sure can count on you, huh?
Frost furrowed her brow. “That’s enough! You’re nothing more than a common thug, so remember who you’re speaking to.”
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Anderson balled his hands into fists. “A spoiled princess who stays elected by telling people whatever the hell they want to hear? Doesn’t scare me. I can’t believe I ever agreed to work for someone with such a massive stick up their—”
“Silence!” Frost shouted. Veins popped up on her neck. “One more word, and I’ll banish you from the First Division. You’re lucky that Wander had the heart to allow a criminal on his mission. When you return, you’ll be thrown back into your cell without so much as a retrial!” She chuckled as Anderson’s face fell. “What’s wrong? Thought I’d change my mind about our little arrangement? Enjoy your reunion with Sirius. The next one will take place behind your cell wall!”
“Stop!” I nudged Anderson aside as I shoved my face up to the monitor. Frost immediately dropped her scowl. She adopted a neutral expression instead. I wanted nothing more than to spill everything right then and there. I’d question her about my powers. I’d call her out for imprisoning Rebecca. I’d grill her about New Earth. Despite how badly I wanted to do those things…I couldn’t. Not now. I took a deep breath and exhaled my anger. “Please, stop. That’s all the progress we have to report. If we have anything else, we’ll give you a call.”
Frost nodded. “Understood. Stay safe…end transmission.”
The screen went dark as CALL ENDED popped up in white letters. I sighed and faced Anderson. He wore a strained expression. The expression of someone who desperately wanted to punch something.
“You all right?” I raised my hand to pat his shoulder, but decided against it after another look at his face. “I’m sure if I say something to Frost, she’ll go easy on you.”
“You shouldn’t have to!” Anderson snapped. I took a step back, but he didn’t actually punch anything. He just stood there, glaring at the floor. “I should be in that cell. There’s nothing we can say or do that’ll change that. I just wish…that I didn’t do what I did. Whatever…what do we do now?”
Alhabor shrugged. “According to my biological clock, it’s getting late. Why don’t we have some dinner and call it a day? I’m sure you boys are famished from all the near-death experiences anyway.”
Actually, I was used to them. Luckily for him, I was hungry too. Eating my weight in just about anything sounded good.
We relocated to the kitchen, where Manning was already warming up the stove. So that was where the eggy scent was coming from. The Canis Major’s kitchen was the largest one I had ever been in. It had tan walls unlike every other surface on the ship. The familiar clattering of the plates filled my ears as Manning worked on our meals.
Alhabor, Anderson, and I sat at a round wooden table. Manning was already making my dinner, but the others had to request theirs. Alhabor asked for salmon with a side of fried potato slices. Anderson was being difficult, as usual.
“Cheeseburger!” Anderson demanded as he leaned back in his chair. “No tomatoes; those things are gross. Oh, and add extra ketchup.”
“Are you kidding? Do you see any grills around here? Just take a breakfast sandwich like me.” I thought over a question as I watched Manning finish my eggs. “How did your phone call go, Manning?”
“As well as I could have hoped.” He brought out slices of bread for Anderson’s sandwich. “Do not fret; it was just a precaution.”
What the heck did that mean? Actually, I didn’t want to ask in front of Alhabor. It was not like I’d be getting a straight answer anyway. The universe seemed determined to prevent me from getting answers of any kind.
“Hey, Alhabor, what made you want to be a general?” Anderson folded his arms. He was still leaning back, so that was impressive. “You guys were talking about a childhood during which you were pressured into becoming soldiers, so I kind of get it. Just fill in a few blanks for me.”
I glared at Anderson, but he ignored me. The last thing I wanted was for him to pester Alhabor with his suspicions. Too bad Anderson was great at doing things I hated.
“Honestly? I’ve always been involved in the war,” Alhabor said. “My mother was a soldier, so I grew up hearing all about the AI and the horrors they were capable of. Being raised in that environment made me feel like I never had any other options. I had to put up a good fight, just like dear old Mom.”
He seemed cheerful as he said that. Was he upset that he had had no other options or glad?
Anderson scowled at him, hinting that he shared my thought process. “That’s a funny answer. My bro only enlisted because he didn’t want me living in a galaxy as crazy as this. Sounds like you just did it to prove something.”
“Anderson—”
“But it’s not that bad. Both you and Ben did it for family. Makes sense, because who would want their family growing up in a world where they might be abducted by killer robots? Do you have a family, Alhabor? You seem like a family man.”
Alhabor frowned. Anderson was finally getting to him. I should have stopped him…but I, too, was curious.
“Yes…I have a family.” Alhabor avoided eye contact with any of us. “A wife and a kid. Hey, I gotta ask: is this necessary? Why have you developed trust issues all of a sudden?”
“You’ve never mentioned your family before. Why’s that?” Anderson stood up. I flinched at how quickly he shot out of the chair, which clattered to the floor. “Makes it seem like you’re hiding something. Kind of like Frost!”
“Want to know why I don’t talk about it? My wife and kid were killed by the AI!” Alhabor jumped up too. Both of his hands had balled into fists. “I like to pretend that they’re still out there, waiting for me to finish this war. It’s what keeps me going. That’s the thing though: is there even an end to it? We’ve killed countless AI and saved countless people, but this war is no closer to being done. Yeah, we have Epsilon’s coordinates, but if we show up and they beat us, what then?”
That was exactly what I had been thinking earlier. I knew how powerful the AI were. My bionic arm was an eternal reminder of that. Frost’s army might not have been enough, but it was important to believe that it was.
“You know what? I think we can do it,” I said. “The AI have a lot going for them, but they’re missing something essential: humanity. We can learn, we can improve, and we invented unity. Now that I think about it, if every soldier had the draining tech that Alhabor’s suit had, we’d stand a better chance. The ruabrum’s javelins were made to kill AI. An army of people with tech like that would stand a pretty decent chance against those monsters.”
It was a good idea, but Alhabor didn’t seem happy about it. “How do you know those javelins were made to fight AI?”
I froze. How was I supposed to explain that I only knew that because of my time with the Oppressed?
Luckily, I didn’t have to answer because, at that point, the ship trembled beneath our feet. A muffled explosion accompanied the quake. It sounded like something had struck the ship. It was coming from below us, so it wasn’t a ship firing missiles from above or anything.
“What the heck was that?” Anderson looked around like he expected the answer to be in the room. “Did the ship’s engine blow up?”
“Something struck the ship.” Manning turned a knob on the stove, shutting off its blue surface. “We should investigate before it’s too late.”
“Too late? What do you think they’re trying to do?” Alhabor asked. “I think it’s just one of those aliens that the kid befriended. Probably showed up for a play date.”
“Are you stupid?” Anderson took out his pistol and scanned the area. “Did those critters seem like they were the explosive type? This has got to be the robots. They’ve found us!”
“Don’t be ridiculous. How could they—”
Another explosion rocked the ship. That one wasn’t as muffled. More explosions rang out, inching closer and closer as the floor got increasingly unstable. I held on to the kitchen counter just to keep my balance. I would have given commands, but it was pointless. Forget walking: the others were struggling to stand. Orders would have been useless. We were trapped there.
After the last explosion, there was a brief pause. I took advantage of it to stand up straight. Now that I could walk, it was time to investigate. I had just left the kitchen when the distinct sound of metal hitting metal halted me. It sounded almost like footsteps. Just like the explosions, it came from below. I gazed at the floor, where the metallic footsteps continued before coming to a sudden halt. Oh no!
“Run to the walls! They’re about to burst through the floor—”
My prophecy came true as a white blast of energy erupted out of the floor and exploded against the ceiling. Heat filled the room and my ears rang. My heart was racing as horrid memories swam to the surface of my mind. No. I couldn’t let this happen again. I didn’t want a repeat of the swamp battle. I forced myself to look at the metal crater in the floor.
A black robot bounded out of the hole like a rabbit. It landed with so much force that I almost thought the explosions had resumed. More robots jumped out of the crater, landing beside the first one. The floor rumbled about five more times. There were six robots in total: six too many. The four of us had barely been able to defend ourselves against two. Anderson and I had almost lost to a single one.
“Six?! How the crap are we supposed to take these on?” Anderson took aim, but his hands were shaking.
“Don’t worry about it. Just watch the AI killer work his magic.” Alhabor charged at the robots. He raised his hands once he was close enough. He was going to use his suit’s draining ability. How apt. He leaped at the nearest robot, but it seized his wrists before he reached it. That was the first movement it’d made since showing up. Alhabor grunted, tugging his arms, but he ultimately failed to free himself. “Oh…I don’t like where this is going.”
The robot’s torso rotated like a spinning top. Alhabor yelped as he was pulled off his feet. After a single spin, the robot flung him across the room. His momentum shoved him into the kitchen sink, shattering all the porcelain plates that resided there. He lay there, slumped over and groaning. So much for the draining tech.
“Don’t go near them!” I willed my arm into its cannon form and took aim. “They’re designed to capture us. If they get near us, that’s what’s going to happen.”
“Our weapons can’t do a thing to them!” Anderson demonstrated his point by firing a whole clip into the nearest robot. His plasma blasts didn’t even leave a scorch mark. The bot’s only response was to point its piercing white eyes at him. He flinched so hard that he nearly dropped his gun. “What are you looking at, freak? I ain’t scared of you!”
I fired a blinding purple blast at the robot. As it stumbled away, I backed away and watched the rest of the bots. I had to keep my distance. Manning’s eyes flickered gold as he ran them over every object in the room. He was determining the best strategy, but it didn’t seem like he was coming up with anything. I fired another purple blast at my robot foe, pushing it away. There were now two marks seared into it. How many more would it take?
“From inside, of course!” Manning shouted as the bot cornering him popped open its torso. What a weird way to tell me that he needed help. “Wander, you’ll have to free yourself from inside. There’s no other way—”
The robot blasted Manning into a wall. He went limp and fell to the floor with a thud that churned my stomach.
“No! Get away from him!” I aimed and fired at Manning’s pursuer, searing a mark into its shoulder. That made it hesitate like it was assessing the damage. Why was my weapon the only one that was doing damage to these creeps?
“Locke!” Anderson yelped as his foe opened its chest. He fired into it, and it reflected the light back at him like a mirror. He squeezed the pistol’s trigger again, but it clicked instead of firing. Out of ammo. “Seriously? Locke, listen. You know exactly what’s going to get us out of this. Not your awesome cannon. The other less awesome thing. Prove me right!”
Anderson shouted and chucked the gun at the bot. It clanked against its formless head but didn’t slow its advance. I turned my cannon on that robot, which caused me to remember Manning. When I glanced in his direction, I found it was too late. He was gone, and the robot’s torso had sealed back up. They had him.
“NO!” I charged my cannon and unleashed a beam of purple into the robot’s shoulder. It drilled through the black. Bits of metal flew everywhere as wire flopped out like wet spaghetti.
Despite having its shoulder blown open, the robot didn’t flinch. It just glared at me. At least the AI reacted when we hurt them. I steadied myself and waved my cannon at each of the robots. Something green was rising between all of them…
Alhabor! He was getting back up. The bots hadn’t noticed him yet, giving him the perfect opportunity for a sneak attack. A grin spread across his face as he seemed to realize the same thing. His arm glowed with green energy. That was probably the last of his stockpiled energy. He raised the glowing arm…and pointed it right at me. He blinked before he fired off a green burst of plasma. It slammed into my chest, launching me through the air. I crashed back to the floor as pain coursed through my chest.
What had just happened?
“At ease, boys, I’m done with the act.” Alhabor’s grin widened as he marched up to me. The robots had done nothing to stop him. Why had they listened to his order? What act had he been talking about? “Still awake down there, little guy? That’s a shame, ’cause this next part’s gonna suck.”
Alhabor gripped my bionic arm with both hands. Green lines spread around it as his arms glowed green. My bionic limb grew heavier as he drained its power. The cannon reverted back into an arm, using up the last of its energy in the process. Alhabor twisted it, disengaging it from my suit. He pulled it off and held it up like a trophy.
“Score!” He sneered as he slung it over his shoulder like a bag. “I’m sure Frost will be grateful to be have this back. If not, well, I’ve always wanted one of them. I know this is all pretty confusing to you, but I don’t care. I wouldn’t try to figure it out either because things are about to get crazy. Lights out, Mr. Explorer.”
Alhabor charged up a small green ball in his hand. I stared into it as a million questions galloped through my mind. There was only one thing I knew for sure: I owed Anderson an apology.
The green energy exploded against my chest, spreading out a new wave of pain. As I was still reeling from the previous one, this one was enough to convince me to shut my eyes and drift off…