Hell Divers (18 page)

“A word of advice,” X said, glancing up. “If you make it to the surface and you see anything down there, run.”

Cruise clenched his jaw.

“You hear me, Cruise? No time to kill the local wildlife on this dive. Your priority is the mission objective. No cowboyin'.”

“I heard you the first time,” Cruise growled.

The other divers and team technicians drifted into the room. X scanned each of them. Murph and Magnolia were the last two inside.

“Atten-
shun
!” came a stern voice at the entrance. “Captain on deck!”

Captain Ash and Lieutenant Jordan strode inside with two soldiers on each flank.

“Briefing in fifteen,” Jordan said.

“You heard the lieutenant,” X yelled. “Suit up and meet in the briefing room in fifteen.”

The launch bay came alive with the sound and motion of predive rituals. Plates of armor were fastened and boosters clicked into place. Chutes were checked, double-checked, and checked again. Mirrored visors were polished with spit and rags.

Ty gnawed on his herb stick and waited with his tablet to run diagnostics on Team Raptor's gear. X held up a finger—almost ready—then checked on Magnolia and Murph, who were helping each other with their armor.

“You guys get some rest?” he asked, kneeling to pull the laces tight on his boots. He grimaced as he stood up.

“I did,” Murph replied.

“Some,” Magnolia said.

“Good, because you're going to need it.” He turned instinctively to look for Team Raptor's fourth diver, then remembered. He still couldn't believe Sam was gone. If only they had left a minute sooner. A goddamn minute could have saved his life.

X slammed his battery unit into the slot in his chest armor harder than he needed to. In less than an hour, he would see the cursed heart of Hades, and more Hell Divers would join the ranks of those who had perished there.

* * * * *

Captain Ash's fingers gripped the ancient wooden lectern. Every man and woman sitting in front of her knew what was at stake. She would make this quick.

Ash nodded at Jordan. He flipped the lights, and a map of Hades emerged on the wall behind him. Stepping to one side, Ash said, “This, as you all know, is Hades. Industrial Tech Corporation had a campus on the eastern edge of the city. This is where they manufactured the parts of airships like the
Hive.
Chief Engineer Samson has studied and analyzed the maps Team Raptor retrieved.” She paused to nod at X and his team.

“We've authorized the use of heavy weapons and extra flares for this mission. You are to deploy the flares when you jump, to help guide you through the storms,” Jordan said. “Once you make it through, your DZ is on the outskirts of the industrial zone. To give you the best chance of survival, we've plotted three separate courses for the teams: here, here, and here.” He pointed to dots marked “Raptor,” “Angel,” and “Apollo.”

“After you land, you're to rendezvous at the ITC HQ and campus. There are multiple buildings and warehouses in the area, but Samson has identified this building as your target.” Jordan pointed to a single structure. “We've preloaded the coordinates to your minicomputers. Once you acquire the fuel cells and pressure valves, you'll return to the crates and send them back to the
Hive
.”

Ash cut in. “After you drop, we'll move out of the storm and wait at a safe distance for you to return.” She loosened her grip and bent over the podium. “You have twenty-four hours to complete the mission, at which point we will move back into the storm. If we detect the beacons from the crates sooner than that, we'll swoop in and retrieve them. Make sure you're with them. Any questions?”

In the silence, Ash scanned the faces, stopping on X. If anyone could inspire the others, it was him.

“You want to say anything, Commander Rodriguez?” she asked.

The veteran diver stood and pushed in his chair, then walked to the front of the room and stood beside Ash. He ran his hand over the scar above his eye. She had seen him do it before when he was nervous.

“If we fail today, the human race is gone forever,” X said. “But we're not going to let that happen, are we?” He brushed off his dented armor, using the time to command the gaze of everyone in the room. X had a presence about him—something Ash felt whenever he walked into a room. The thought of losing him made her throat constrict.

“Today we dive to a place no Hell Diver has ever returned from—a place that many of you have been told is cursed. I'm not going to lie to you and tell you Hades isn't as bad as they say. Magnolia, Murph, and I have seen what's down there. It's nothing pretty. But like the rest of the surface, Hades isn't cursed. And those things, the Sirens—they can be killed. You stay focused and alert, and you
will
survive. Those things may control the surface, but we still control the skies. Today, we're going to make sure life continues up here.”

“Damn right,” Tony muttered.

“We aren't going to let the
Hive
go crashing down to earth without a fight, are we?” X said, his voice louder now.

“Hell no, we aren't!” Cruise shouted.

“We aren't joining
Ares
!” another diver yelled.

“No,” X said. “We aren't. Because today we're going to dive faster, smarter, and stronger than we ever have before. Today we dive …”

The other divers roared in unison, “So humanity survives!”

The launch bay was teeming with activity. Technicians performed last-minute diagnostics on the drop tubes as divers hugged their family members goodbye behind an area cordoned off with rope.

X skimmed over the faces and sighed. Tin wasn't coming, no matter how badly X wanted him here. Maybe it was for the best. Maybe it would only hurt worse to see the boy before the dive.

X looked away and tapped the minicomputer on his wrist. The operating system that controlled his suit emerged behind the cracked surface. Everything looked good to go. The routine he had gone through ninety-seven times before had started, and the final count was ticking down.

Captain Ash walked through the launch bay, stopping to shake hands with each diver and wish them well. She stopped when she got to X, and pulled him aside.

“There's something I need to tell you before you dive,” Ash said. “Let's take a walk.”

X checked the crowd one more time, then followed Ash away from the other divers. He wasn't feeling up for any more bad news, especially after Tin's reaction to learning of the dive.

Ash put her hands on her hips and stared toward the portholes on the starboard side. “My throat cancer has returned,” she said.

He didn't have any good reply to that. “I'm … I'm sorry to hear that, Captain.”

Ash continued looking at the windows for a few more seconds before returning her eyes to X. “I've had a good life. And I still have a few good months left. Maybe more. I'm not going to just roll over and die. I'll use what time I have left to continue searching for a new home. Assuming you complete today's mission.”

“We will, Captain,” X replied.

“I trust you,” she said, “and I want you to know that you can trust me, too. Whatever happens, Tin will be taken care of.”

“Thank you, Captain. I just wish he were here to say goodbye.”

Ash smiled and looked toward the crowd. X followed her eyes to a familiar shiny, peaked hat. Tin pushed through to the rope cordon and waved.

“He had a change of heart,” Ash said with a wink. “I may or may not have enticed him by telling him he could see the farm again. I'll have an engineer take him to the emergency shelter there after he says goodbye. He can wait there until we maneuver back out of the storm. Figured another tour of the farm would help take his mind off things.”

“I appreciate that, Captain,” X said. “More than you know.” He felt a smile start on the edges of his mouth as he walked over to the rope. Tin, wearing a sheepish grin, reached out from the crowd.

X grabbed him and hoisted him over the ropes.

“I'm sorry, Tin,” he said. “I'm so sorry your life has been so tough and—”

Tin let out a groan. “Too tight. Too tight.”

“Sorry,” X said, putting him back on his feet and readjusting the foil hat he had knocked askew.

“I'm sorry about last night,” Tin said. “I'm just scared you won't come back.”

X crouched down in front of him. “Even if I don't, you won't be alone. You can still talk to me. You can talk to your parents, too. We might not talk back, but that doesn't mean we're not listening.”

Tin looked at the ground and reached into his pocket. He pulled out a small crumpled piece of paper and handed it to X. “Maybe this'll bring you luck.”

X read the paper aloud.
“Accept your past without regrets. Handle your present with confidence. Face your future without fear.”

A siren wailed in the distance. The first warning. They were almost out of time. “Thanks, Tin. This is perfect.”

Tin gave X a look that held a mix of fear and sadness. He hesitated as if unsure what to do next, then wrapped his arms around X again. He pressed his head against the hard chest armor. His curved hat scraped the stubble on X's cheek, but X didn't dare move. He patted Tin's back and said softly, “It's okay, buddy. Everything's going to be okay.”

“Please come back,” Tin murmured. Sniffling, he tilted his head back to search X's eyes.

“I will do
everything
I can to make sure I do.” He knew in his heart this was true, even if it meant fighting the Sirens with a rusted blade and his bare hands.

Tin brushed a tear from his eye, sniffled again, and drew in a deep breath. “Promise?”

“I promise,” X said. He wrapped his arms around Tin once more and exchanged a nod with Captain Ash.

X winced at the second warning siren. The sound reminded him of what he was about to face on the surface below. He tightened his grip around Tin and let go a moment later.

“I have to go now,” X said.

Captain Ash grabbed Tin's hand and led him back to the edge of the crowd. “Good luck,” she said, her gaze on X as she walked away.

X waved two fingers at Tin, then tucked the paper into his vest pocket. The other divers were already climbing into their launch tubes by the time he walked to his.

Ty helped X into his tube and closed the dome over the top. This time, X didn't feel any of his normal predive jitters or the side effects of a hangover. His body was energized, his mind at peace, and he was focused on the mission. He had never been readier to do his duty.

* * * * *

“All right, people,” Captain Ash said. “Let's make this as smooth as possible.” She turned the oak wheel and looked to the front of the room as the electrical storm above Hades emerged on the main display. They were heading into the beast—the same maneuver that she had condemned Captain Willis for two days ago.

“Jordan, how far to the coordinates?” Ash said.

“Three minutes, Captain.”

Every officer on the bridge watched the display. The swirling purple vortex expanded to fill the entire monitor. Branches of electric blue snaked away from the center like blood vessels from a pounding heart. The storm looked alive. The sight of it filled her with foreboding.

“Coordinates in T minus thirty seconds,” Jordan said in a cool, crisp voice.

Lightning flashed across the bow as the ship pushed into the edges of the storm. The hull rattled and groaned, and Ash eyed the flickering banks of LEDs on the ceiling.

“Steady,” she whispered. “Steady as she goes …”

A second tremor, this one deeper, shook the ship, and from the bridge they could hear the sound of a distant crack. The vibration rippled through the walls.

“Almost there, Captain,” Jordan replied.

An emergency siren wailed, the red light splashing over the deck. The
Hive
shook fiercely, the bulkheads creaking and groaning. Ash realized she was holding her breath, and let it out just as Jordan confirmed they were in position.

She cleared her throat before speaking into her headset. “Raptor, Angel, and Apollo, you have a green light for launch. Good luck and Godspeed.”

As the words left her mouth, the ship lurched forward, through the outer wall of the surging storm. Lightning streaked in all directions across the main display. The storm engulfed the
Hive
like a whale swallowing a shrimp. The ship quaked under the onslaught of electrical strikes.

Ash pulled the wheel a few degrees left, doing her best to keep a steady course despite the violent rocking. Two decks beneath her, under the guts of the ship, humanity's last hope was about to dive into the abyss, and there was nothing she could do to help them.

* * * * *

X fidgeted in his metal cocoon and waited for the glass doors of his launch tube to split open. An emergency light bathed his pod in red. He braced himself against the metal walls as a tremor shook the
Hive.
His earpiece crackled, but he couldn't make out the transmission. The storm had already knocked out the comm and the minimap in his HUD subscreen.

The launch tube rattled as if they had suddenly entered a pocket of extreme turbulence. He watched the flashes of lightning beneath the glass floor. A few minutes ago, he hadn't felt any of the messy, addictive fear that the sight normally prompted, but now the rush had his heart thumping at almost double time.

“Come on, God damn it, let's
go
!” he said, knowing that no one could hear him. Flexing his hands and chewing on his mouth guard, he buried the rising fear in his gut.

The walls of his tube rattled again, knocking him against the side. He crossed his arms over his chest and cursed.

“Come on!”

The sirens clicked off, their whine still lingering in his ears. X blinked just as the panels split beneath his boots. In the same fraction of a second, he heard the unmistakable crack of gunfire above. And the next moment, he was falling into darkness.

* * * * *

“Hold on, kid,” Eli said. The silver-bearded engineer looked over at Tin and narrowed his eyes beneath the bill of his baseball cap.

Tin stood with his back to the wall in the small shelter, gripping the belts that secured his body to the wall. They were alone in here. X had already jumped, and Tin felt like a bean being shaken in a can. But that was not the reason his heart was thumping out of control.

“Wha … what's that popping sound?” Tin stammered, although he thought knew the answer. He had never heard gunshots before, but the sharp
Pop! Pop!
reminded him of a video that Professor Lana had shown their class a few months ago.

Eli looked just as unsure. They both stared at the small window over the hatch. Red light filled the hallway outside, but Tin didn't see anything in the glow.

He tightened his grip on the belts crossing his chest, when the popping sounded again. This time it was closer, and he could hear it clearly over the emergency alarms and groaning metal bulkheads around him.

“Stay put, kid,” Eli said. “I need to check this out.” He unbuckled his harness and went to check the window. “What in the hell … ?”

Tin wanted to tell him not to leave, but Eli opened the hatch and stepped into the hallway.

“Hey! What are you doing!” Eli shouted at someone Tin couldn't see.

The ship rumbled, knocking Eli to his knees. Before he could move, something exploded out of his back and punched the bulkhead behind Tin.

Screaming, Tin unbuckled the belts and dropped onto all fours. He crawled across the floor, keeping as low as possible. He could feel his fingers sliding through warm liquid. He glanced up, straining to see in the dim red light.

At the end of the hallway, a single emergency light churned. The rotating light crossed the paths of four approaching men.

“Mister … mister, are you okay?” Tin whispered, nudging the limp body. The man's throat made an awful gurgling sound. A few feet away, a Militia soldier lay in a widening pool of blood.

Tin's eyes flitted back to the four men as they stepped into the red glow. The leader wore a trench coat and had hair that hung like thick vines over his shoulders. Tin recognized him instantly. It was the same guy he had seen lurking outside the farm before the tour, and the same man who had bashed into him at the trading post. When he saw Tin, he pointed and yelled, “Don't let that kid get away!”

The ship hit a pocket of turbulence and tilted to starboard, sending the four men sliding across the floor. Tin scrambled over the dead guard and bolted into the open stairwell that led to the farm. Grunting, he struggled to close the heavy steel hatch behind him. Pushing with all his strength, he slammed it shut just as a volley of bullets pelted the other side.

* * * * *

X's mind spun as he fell. One second, his thoughts had been focused and clear; the next, they were agonizingly slow and confused, unable to process what had happened. Someone had done the unthinkable: fired a gun aboard the
Hive.
Whether it was sabotage or a horrible accident, it didn't matter. All that mattered now was the mission. He had to trust that Captain Ash would keep Tin safe and deal with the situation. Letting himself get distracted now would doom everyone on the ship, including Tin.

Focus, X.

He got one last glimpse of the
Hive
and half expected to see it come blazing through the clouds. But the smooth beetlelike hull looked still intact. The ship appeared suspended in motion in the dead center of the storm as lightning danced around the ship. An eyeblink later, his home was gone, swallowed by the clouds.

After relaxing into stable position, he pulled his left hand in as if saluting, while his right fished a flare from his vest. Then, bringing both hands in front of him to maintain equilibrium, he twisted off the plastic striker cap, taking great care not to lose it in the blasting wind. He struck the flare's tip against the striker surface once … twice … The moment he saw bright red flame spurt from the struck end, he tossed the flare away into the black. He did this twice more, then looked at his HUD.

The data flickered in and out, and X realized that it was going to be mostly useless the entire dive. They had to be at around eighteen thousand feet. He put his velocity at a hundred miles per hour, give or take. Intermittent strikes of electricity curved across his flight path. The storm wasn't as bad as it looked from above, but it would only get worse.

The divers from all three teams were working into a wedge formation. He counted the glowing battery units cutting through the clouds, and the flares that left streaking, tumbling red tracers behind them. He had never seen anything like it on a dive, but the flares would give the others something visual to key on in a sea of darkness.

His HUD suddenly winked back on. Before the data vanished again, he caught the altitude reading: five thousand feet down, fifteen thousand to go.

A thunderclap reminded him of the gunfire he had heard. Was Tin okay? Was the
Hive
in trouble? He blinked away the thought and focused on the clouds. A web of lightning arced across his field of view. The dark floor gave way to a roiling purple maelstrom, and their entire flight path lit up as if floodlights had turned on. They were about to pass into the heart of the storm.