“Belessar,” Agni said. “It’s time to take a break.”
“Just a few more.”
“You’ve been saying that for the last six hours. For heaven’s sake, eat something.”
I case Cure over another stretcher-bound soldier. “Fifteen more, then I’ll stop.”
“That’s precise.”
“Just trust me.”
Agni was silent.
Another Cure, then another, count to eight for the recharge, then cast again...
Finally, the notification I was waiting for popped up.
QUEST COMPLETED: ATONEMENT.
REWARD: +12,639 XP.
CURE ADVANCES TO LEVEL 8.
HEAL ADVANCES TO LEVEL 18.
LEVEL 18: RESTORES +200 HP OF HEALTH. COST: 30 MP.
Night had come while I was healing, a night lit up by the glow of fires across the city and the continuing sound of explosions.
“Where’s Nanocloud?”
“She’s in the main hall. A lot of staff officers there, coordinating the defence.” Agni held up her hand. “Before you ask, she’s got a full bodyguard with her, a dozen of the Phoenix Girls with trigger-happy HEPAR fingers.”
“How’s the battle going?”
“They’re mopping up. Or so they say.”
“I didn’t hear the all-clear.”
“You might want to talk to him about that.” Agni jerked her thumb in the direction of an officer in green.
Doyle stood there, his uniform muddy and blotted by dark patches. “Belessar. You look like hell.”
“Speak for yourself. Is that blood?”
“Mine, apparently. Thanks for the healing.”
“Least I could do, Lieutenant.”
“It’s Major now.”
“...Is this permanent or temporary?”
“Battlefield promotion, at the discretion of Major-General Howe. So, yeah, it’s permanent.”
“I just hope they don’t change their minds again.”
“Most days, the Army is consistent about keeping people in the rank they hold for a reasonable period of time.”
“Congratulations, anyway.”
Doyle shrugged. “It’s more work, that’s all. Thank you for what you did today.”
“You’re welcome.” I swallowed. “Maria…”
“She’ll be taken care of, Belessar. So will Winford, and everyone else who fell today. We look after our own. That includes Phoenix Company.”
“Thank you. What’s the current situation with the aliens?”
“Pretty much in retreat everywhere. After you got the last Carnotaur, nearly eight hundred more ultras showed up.”
“They couldn’t have come earlier?”
“SURGE sent out repeated calls to everyone every half hour. A lot of ultras didn’t respond until the news reported the fourth Carnotaur had fallen. By the time you got to Roehampton and started healing, fresh forces had started flooding in.”
“That’s pretty cowardly of them.”
“You’ll find a lot of ultras like that. Fortunately, we got troop reinforcements too. Another quarter-million soldiers from British Commonwealth countries here in London now, and nearly a thousand ultras in the field. The aliens - as best we can tell, there’s less than a hundred left across the city.”
“How many did we lose?”
“On our side, sixty thousand dead. Civilian casualties, another ten thousand. Our best estimate of alien casualties is… close to two hundred thousand.”
It took a moment for the numbers to sink in.
“We killed more aliens today than we lost people?”
“It’s something of a first.”
Seventy thousand dead.
Against a forecast of nine million, it seemed minor. Except to the fallen and their families, for whom it meant everything.
“I’ll need some time.”
Doyle nodded in understanding. “Take what you need.”
My sister stared at me, stunned, as I climbed out of the suit.
“Andew, what the hell happened?”
“What’s wrong?”
“You buffed up like Schwarznegger.”
“Um. That might be the increased Vitality.”
“Well don’t increase it any more, you look like an overinflated doll.”
“Oh, I don’t know,” chuckled Agni from behind. “Some women like the look.”
I blushed. “Do you have to stare?”
“No, but I want to. Nice show, kid.”
“You shouldn’t be harassing him, Agni. What if he’s stuck this way?”
“So what? He looks like a Mr. Universe contestant.”
“Somebody get me a mirror.”
Anne handed me her compact. My reflection stared back at me, only… not like I’d looked in the morning.
My arms rippled with muscle. My legs had lengthened and thickened, and I was now six feet eleven - a good eight inches taller than I’d been this morning.
My shirt had shrunk to something close to a bra, exposing an abdomen with - well - abs.
“That looks like six months of bodybuilding,” grumbled Anne, “not one day of fighting.”
“I didn’t plan on it. If this is real, though, then I must have gained weight… where the hell did it come from?”
“You’ve been eating MREs for the last several hours,” Agni added helpfully. “As in, one MRE every few minutes.”
“That’s because I kept getting the Hunger status effect.”
“Normally people don’t eat fifty MREs in one day. I thought you needed it for the healing.”
“Healing doesn’t require carbs.”
“So then, those probably went into the height and body mass gain.”
I sighed. “I’ll have to get myself new clothes once we’re home.”
“At anchor rates, I’m sure you can afford it.”
“I promise to pay back your loan, too.”
“I might settle for a different sort of payment. If you’re good.”
“Eww,” Anne made a face. “Maybe take the flirting elsewhere?”
“Oh come on, Nanocloud, live a little. I’m sure you got a peek at some nice-looking British beefcake today.”
“Stop trying to corrupt my sister, Agni.” I hopped into Nanofibre greaves, which doubled as decent pants. “Nanocloud - did you speak to Dad?”
“I called him from the hall. He was a bit worried, but he’s okay now. I’ve promised to stay out of direct action for the rest of the battle.”
“Did you promise for me, too?”
“He said he understood you’ll probably be in the thick of it. And reminded you to be careful.”
A high-pitched whine began to sound.
“Well, that’s that.” Agni’s shoulders slumped. “The all-clear.”
“So soon?”
“They’ve been running sweeps since three in the afternoon. It’s half past eleven now.” Agni yawned. “If you ask me, it’s overdue.”
“It’s over,” Anne murmured. “We won.”
There’s a feeling you get when a weight is lifted from your shoulders. A weight that, until then, I didn’t know I was carrying.
FOR DEFEATING A FULL-SCALE ATTACK SPONSORED BY THE CLAN GUTHNAR, YOU HAVE UNLOCKED THE TITLE: PROTECTOR OF THE CITY OF LONDON.
NEW BASE GAINED: LONDON CITY.
BASE EFFECTS:
SIGNIFICANT BOOSTS TO YOUR PERFORMANCE WITHIN THE CITY OF LONDON.
100% BOOST TO HP REGENERATION.
+3 BONUS TO RELATIONSHIPS WITH ANY FACTION OR INDIVIDUALS WITH LONDON AS THEIR HOME CITY.
DETAILED KNOWLEDGE OF LONDON CITY, ITS HISTORY AND CULTURE.
50% DISCOUNT TO ANY PURCHASES WITHIN THE CITY OF LONDON.
ALLOWS YOU TO CREATE A WORKSHOP AND ARMORY WITHIN LONDON CITY.
ALLOWS CREATION OF A PERMANENT FOLDSPACE PORTAL TO LONDON, ENABLING INSTANT TRAVEL TO THE BASE FROM ANY OTHER BASE OF YOURS. REQUIRES TELEPORT SKILL.
CREATION COST: 1 FOLDSPACE GENERATOR + 1 FUSION REACTOR + 2000 MP.
USAGE COST: 1000 MP.
A direct transit point from London to anyplace else I labeled a base…
I checked my MP. 1,681. And 22 unused attribute boosts.
+5 Intelligence. +7 Wisdom. Total MP stood at 2,208, and a regen of 216 MP per second.
High Perception had saved my life today, and there was no doubt I’d keep needing it - as long as the Hierarchy kept throwing invisible foes at us. Seven boosts there, raising it to 38.
My final Attribute table glimmered in the dark before me:
STR: 38 DEX: 40 VIT: 37
INT: 46 WIS: 48 CHA: 24
PER: 38 ATT: 27 LUK: 24
HP: 370/370 MP: 2,208/2,208 AP: 1,520/1,520 PP: 1,824/1,824 CP: 1,224/1,224
Psydef stood at 99, and I had enough CP and MP to resist an attack from a psionic for a while after that… or so I hoped.
Also, a Mindspeech conversation could carry on for quite a while now. Assuming that the subjects were reasonably close by…
I checked my Comms List, just in case.
The names of Sarvenimazarus and Aisindrahas were gone.
I couldn’t help but wonder - what had they told us that was important enough to kill for?
And more to the point - what had they left out?
----------------------------------------
Anne had set up sleeping bags next to the Gladiator, and a tent.
“I don’t remember packing these,” I muttered.
My sister grinned. “British Army surplus. Borrowed from Major Edgecombe.”
“What about Phoenix Company?”
“Edgecombe gave us forty bags. Half of us sleep at a time, the rest keep watch.”
“I’ll take first watch.”
“You’ll sleep. Daisy insisted. You need the rest.”
I couldn’t argue with her, especially not with the FATIGUED status effect showing in my interface. (-1 to Perception.)
Five hours later, I was shaken awake. “Andrew. Windsor’s asking for you.”
I crawled out of the sleeping bag, bleary-eyed. “What happened? Aliens?”
“Worse. Press.”
----------------------------------------
Victoria Park is a massive, two-hundred acre open space in the middle of London.
The massive press tent pitched in the middle of the green reminded me of New York. Except, in New York, there’d been a lot less tanks parked outside.
Soldiers in every colour of uniform dotted the grounds, guiding civilians - mostly reporters and cameramen - towards dozens of smaller tents surrounding the big one.
We trundled into the park, my Greyhound Armor leading the way, followed by Phoenix Company in nanofibre weave and the Gladiator bringing up the rear, with Agni and Nanocloud as passengers.
To my surprise, as we entered, soldiers snapped at attention and saluted.
It wasn’t one or two, either. Every soldier we passed stood ramrod straight and snapped off a parade-ground salute.
“What’s going on?” I asked Daisy.
“I’m not sure, Belessar.”
“Did Doyle say anything?”
“No, he just told me we needed to get to the press tent fast. Apparently Curry and Windsor need us for the conference. You’ve attended one of these before… what happens?”
“The generals and the heroes talk on stage…” A thought struck me. “Oh. I think I might have to be up there.”
“On stage, you mean? Do you have to make a speech?”
“Hopefully not. Anyway, it’s usually the local heroes who do the talking.”
“You know best, I’m sure. Hey, why is that tank raising its barrel?”
“That’s how tanks salute….”
The crowds parted, and we were at the entrance to the press tent.
The first thing I noticed was how tall the entrance was. Almost fifteen feet, large enough for me to walk through unobstructed.
The second thing I saw was the number of journalists.
Way, way more than New York.
Thousands, at least. And on the other side… ultrahumans. Hundreds of them.
The third thing…
The ‘stage’ was a concrete slab, with two microphones. One at normal human height, the other…
It rose nine feet into the air - perfectly aligned to the height of my helmet.
Windsor stood at the smaller mike. “Ladies and gentlemen. Please join me in welcoming the anchor of the Battle of London, and the leader of the ultrahuman defence of the city - the hero Belessar.”
… Windsor, you cad.
A slow clap began to sound, rippling across the seats. On the left, reporters stood, clapping in sync with the ultras on the right.
I could see Unity in the front. Derry. Rhodia. Morrowstar.
Chikaradzuyoi smiled at me and waved.
I slowly walked to the stage, the three women in black armor behind me.
As we passed, more and more of the audience rose to their feet, applauding.
FOR YOUR VALIANT DEFENCE OF LONDON, YOU HAVE WON THE ACCLAIM OF THE CROWD.
NEW QUEST ALERT: IMPRESS THE PRESS.
ADDRESS THE JOURNALISTS GATHERED AND CONVINCE THEM OF AGNI’S CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE SUCCESSFUL DEFENCE OF LONDON.
REWARD: +1 BOOST TO CHARISMA.
PENALTY: -25 ETHICS, 50% POSSIBILITY OF CONFLICT WITH BRITISH GOVERNMENT.
A mysterious, mandatory quest with arbitrary punishments for failure.
At least this was familiar ground. I stepped up to the stage, the others taking places behind me.
Windsor waited for the audience to settle down. “Belessar. At a time of great crisis, you stepped up to lead ultrahumans across London against the aliens. On behalf of Her Majesty’s Government, I would like to thank you for your contributions to defending this city.”
“Thank you, General. And I’d like to thank the men and women of the British Armed Forces, and of all the other nations that took part today, for their help in stopping the aliens.”
A look passed between me and the general. Windsor switched off his mike and whispered something.
Windsor smiled at me. “Belessar. Would you like to say a few words?”
I stepped up to the microphone. “Thank you, General Windsor. Members of the press - thank you for coming. It takes a lot of courage to visit this city that’s half on fire. Although it’s not as bad as 1666.”
Several of the journalists chuckled. The British ones, of course.
“To those of you from foreign shores, 1666 is the date of the Great Fire of London, which destroyed nearly three-quarters of the city’s homes. London survived that. It survived the Blitz of 1940, which killed forty thousand people. And it has survived today.
“London still stands. And, fate willing, it will continue to stand for generations to come, whether dangers come from the vagaries of nature, the enmity of other nations, or the hostility of other worlds.”
A smattering of applause, and the clicking of photographs.
“Yet that endurance comes at a cost. A cost paid for in the lives of many fathers and mothers, sisters and brothers, daughters and sons.
“I’d ask all of you to observe a moment of silence for those who fought for this city today. For Avi Goldman of the U.S. Army, who fought to protect the Tower. For the hero Bulldog, who gave his life in the defence of this city, which his children call home. For Sergeant Winford, who took part in assaults against four Carnotaurs. For Maria Esperanza of Mexico, who sacrificed herself to save hundreds of the city’s defenders from a surprise ambush.”
My voice caught in my throat for a second.
“Foreign soldier, ultrahuman, British commando, and foreign mercenary. All of them gave their lives today, trying to protect this city and its people.
“We won today because we were united. I’ve had the privilege of fighting alongside soldiers from a dozen armies today, and ultrahumans from many nations. All of us came together to do something nobody thought possible.
“I’m told we killed two hundred thousand attackers today. I want you all to think about that for a second. Two hundred thousand attackers, and five Carnotaurs.
“What the Hierarchy sent against us today was their largest attack in history, with more soldiers - and more Carnotaurs - than all the attacks of the last ten years put together. And we won.
“We won because of people like Omar Doyle, who took up the mantle of leadership in a moment of crisis and filled boots that were much bigger than he’d expected to. We won because of people like Shamrock, who used their powers to bypass the enemy’s defences in unexpected ways. We won because of those like Colonel Molly Pemberley, who kept us all moving in the right direction no matter what, and those like Chequers, who overcame their fears to step forward when the time called for it.”
Loud applause.
“And we won because of those like Agni, who gave up her secrecy to protect this city and its people.”
The applause suddenly stopped.
“I’m sure all of you have heard the broad outline of the events of today - yesterday, now. What words can’t convey is the … sense of despair. When the jamming field went up, when the Carnotaur’s roar killed every soldier within a hundred yards, many of us despaired for a moment. And then we all got up and marched forward, because we believed we could win.
“I’m also grateful to Nanocloud for stepping up in the middle of the jamming and keeping watch on the enemy across the city. Without her, the aliens would have surprised our troops a thousand times.
“And I want to thank Phoenix Company especially. They’re not ultrahumans - just ordinary humans in armor. And yet, they’ve marched across the length and breadth of this city, fighting aliens in a dozen different places.
“And for all those who I cannot name personally - thank you for your service. Thank you for your sacrifice. Thank you for holding the line against the enemy, for helping us stay safe.”
A hand went up in the back row. “Mr. Belessar? Would you take a few questions?”
“... Yes, I would.”
The journalist who stood up was white-haired and looked as if he’d seen a lot worse. “Paul Guillame, APA. Can you tell us how you managed to defeat four Carnotaurs single-handed?”
“Not single-handed, Mr. Guillame. There were several thousand soldiers and at least five other ultras with me for each battle.”
“It’s still a record.”
“The Carnotaurs have specific weaknesses which we were able to exploit. I will be providing full details of their vulnerabilities to the Stratospheric Guard, for dissemination to all military units that may have to engage them.”
“You just happened to discover these today?”
“My powers, Mr. Guillame, include the ability to analyze the weaknesses of an enemy by direct observation. I’ve never fought a Carnotaur before, so when I did it became possible for me to understand said weaknesses and share them with the soldiers who accompanied me. Now, let’s give the others a chance, shall we?”
A hand went up in the middle. “Mr. Belessar, Antoine Saint-Expeury, AFP. It is reported that Nanocloud is a minor, should she be taking part in such a battle?”
“We have parental permission.”
“... Are you also a minor, Mr. Belessar?”
“No, I’m Nanocloud’s older brother, and our father approved her participation. Next.”
“Hannah Shore, Sunday Chronicle. How do you find London?”
“Very nice, once you remove the aliens.”
Laughter across the room.
“I wouldn’t mind visiting more often, when time permits. Next.”
“Chester Moore, from the Guardian. It’s reported that Agni’s tried to kill you multiple times?”
“That’s true.”
“So why would you let her come with you to defend London?”
“Because she hates aliens a lot more than she hates me. Next.”
A few giggles.
“Demi Faulkner, Daily Sun. You’ve personally thanked Agni for her help in yesterday’s battle - an enemy with whom you have a reported truce. Can you shed light on her exact role?”
“At Bushy Park, we were able to get flames within the Hierarchy’s shield perimeter. Agni took those flames and used them to incinerate nearly a hundred thousand aliens. She also helped to kill three of the Carnotaurs, and after my attack on the fourth, she was able to wipe out its supporting troops - about twenty thousand Raptors, Sarnak and Grizzeloids in total.”
Silence prevailed for a second.
“To repeat. Can you confirm that Agni was responsible for killing close to a hundred and twenty thousand of the aliens that were killed today?”
“Yes.”
“Thank you.”
A sea of hands shot up. I pointed at a reporter in the third row.
“Milton Charles, from The Times. If I understand, between you and Agni, you accounted for the majority of alien forces. What role did the military actually play?”
“Mr. Charles, a single ultra - or even two - can’t overwhelm the aliens individually. To win at Bushy Park, we had to know where and how to hit - which needed Nanocloud. We had to get past two layers of shields - which Shamrock and Verschwiden made possible. We had to hold off counterattacks - which needed Phoenix Company. After that, we had to trigger the fires - which Agni did. Then we had to escape, which was only made possible by the efforts of several dedicated Travelers. And finally, we had to destroy the aliens who survived the firestorm once the shields were down - which needed the support of the Royal Artillery. It was really a team effort.”
“So you’re saying that working together made the difference.”
“Yes, absolutely. Next?”
“Nora Schloss, AHN. Is it true that you parachuted on top of the Carnotaur?”
“I didn’t parachute, I jumped via a portal that opened in mid-air above the Carnotaur, and I did it to two of them. Next.”
“Rafia Khan, APP. Would Agni accept responsibility for the severe burns suffered by London citizens as a result of her actions?”
“Can you let me know where the citizens who got burnt by Agni are?”
“Everywhere in the city.”
“That’s interesting, because we didn’t reach London until after the alien attack alert had been sounded. By that time, all citizens should have been in their shelters. And while I’m aware shelters were breached in some parts of the city, none of those were anywhere near us. So can you tell me where exactly these citizens - who would have had to ignore the attack alert and deliberately stay out on the street, in order to be injured - were located?”
“We have reports of severe burns suffered by dozens of citizens in Bromley and Wembley….”
“Neither of which Agni was near, and since I was with her throughout the battle, I’m pretty sure your citizens were injured by normal fires. Next.”
“Gordon Petrie, NZPA. You’ve spoken eloquently of Agni’s contribution to the defence. I’m curious about for your support of someone who tried to murder you only a few months ago.”
“She deserves the credit for her actions.”
“And the blame for them too?”
I took a deep breath. “Mr. Petrie, I don’t care about a person’s past, only their future. For the good of the human race, Agni and I have decided to put aside our differences. We didn’t do this lightly. But we believe there is a greater danger that must be faced first, and perhaps in facing it together, we will gain the mutual respect we need to come to a peaceful resolution of our differences.”
“Are you saying that you hope others will follow suit?”
“I don’t expect our actions to magically inspire others to reconcile. However, I will point out the value of working together is equal to at least five dead Carnotaurs. Next.”
“Rose Putney, Daily Mail. There are allegations that you used highly deadly radiation weapons in the centre of London which resulted in many deaths. What do you have to say to this?”
“The weapon you’re referring to, Ms. Putney, was a gamma-ray bomb used upon the last of the Carnotaurs, which succeeded in killing it. Unfortunately, the bomb did not explode correctly, so there was a massive radiation burst. I’m happy to report that the burst killed five thousand aliens and wounded almost five times that number.”
“... You’re saying the bomb only hurt the aliens?”
“It killed only aliens. It did cause radiation burns to a significant number of people, but these were mostly the soldiers in close proximity. One hundred and forty were badly radiated, and several thousand others suffered minor radiation injuries.”
“And do you accept responsibility for that mishap?”
“Certainly, which is why I’ve already cured the soldiers who were significantly irradiated.”
Rose Putney’s expression flashed from triumph to disappointment. “You say you’ve already cured them? How? Radiation sickness takes months to treat.”
“I can treat radiation sickness - to a certain degree - within seconds. I’ve spent the last seven hours treating those who were close enough to be seriously irradiated, as a matter of fact.”
“And what about those further off? Who knows how many more have been afflicted by your careless discharge of radioactive weaponry?”
“I do, it’s 46,332 individuals. I’m willing to treat any of them who come forward.”
The reporter’s mouth flopped open like a fish. “That’s… a very exact number.”
“Powers make precision possible. If someone is suffering from radiation burns as a result of the gamma ray burst, all they have to do is come see me, and I’ll cure them.”
“For a fee?”
“No charge. All you need to do is set up an appointment…. and I’ll need a place to treat them, since I don’t have one in London. Which I’d request the British Government to provide, if possible.” I nodded towards Windsor.
“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your questions to Belessar,” the general cut in smoothly. “And I’d like to thank Mr. Belessar, again, for his support, both in the campaign and in volunteering to treat so many of our wounded. We will certainly provide the space needed for any such medical support - at no charge, as long as Mr. Belessar consents to treat those who are injured fighting the aliens there. Now, I’d request you allow Belessar, Nanocloud and their compatriots the chance to take some well-deserved rest, while I field any questions on our military operations…”
QUEST COMPLETED: IMPRESS THE PRESS.
+1 CHARISMA.
BONUS REWARD: FOR OFFERING TO CURE THE INJURED, YOU HAVE WON THE RESPECT OF THE CITIZENS OF LONDON. EXPECT A SURPRISE REWARD.