The Athena Operation (14 page)

There weren’t many people inside the village, either. From what Kyla had heard Drever tell Ret about the Numinous, there should have been far more.

Seraph took note of several guards throughout the area as Koval led the entire group into a building named “Vindicare.” While they were inside, Seraph memorized the guards’ patrol patterns and determined the most effective route to the Vindicare building.

Just as Seraph and Kyla were going to begin their approach, the door to the Vindicare opened and three guards emerged, covered in blood stains. Seraph’s breath caught in his chest as he imagined what these men might have inflicted on his crew.

After the guards disappeared into the forest, Seraph ran toward the Vindicare building. A guard rounded the corner in front of Seraph, and Seraph quickly struck the guard in the face with the butt of his rifle. The guard collapsed to the ground and Seraph and Kyla bolted for the building.

Seraph threw the door open and marched into the main room. It was set up like a normal house, oddly enough, except that it was littered with data pads and notebooks. The back wall had been painted with names: “KAHLIN,” “CREDENCE” “GRISHER,” “DREVER.” Kahlin, Credence, and Grisher had large, red X’s painted over their names.

He didn’t bother checking the rest of the house. He knew where Drever would be. He led Kyla straight into the basement, assault rifle at the ready. They rounded the corner at the bottom of the stairs and came to a large room lit by a single exposed lightbulb. Drever sat in the center of the room. One of the guards was smashing his face to a pulp. Sadhis, Ret, and Vinnor were arranged around them in a circle. Maxen was on the floor, bloodied, barely conscious. Koval watched from a rocking chair behind them. Even in the dim light, Seraph could make out the shapes of corpses huddled against the walls.

A loud explosion outside stole everyone’s attention. Seraph took the moment to react. Just as the guard was about to slam his fist into Drever’s face, Seraph pulled his gun and shot the guard in the back. Shooting with his left hand felt awkward and backwards, but he managed to hit his target. The guard fell to the ground.

Koval stood, but Kyla quickly took out his kneecap. He slumped to the floor, writhing and screaming.

Seraph turned to Kyla. “Cut them free.”

Kyla rushed to free the crew. The sounds of gunfire from outside rattled the building. A battle had broken out around them, and Kyla knew without a doubt that the seythra were back.

Seraph turned to Koval. “Is this really worth it? The fucking seythra are killing everyone, and you seek vengeance? Now?”

Koval panted and shuddered, riddled with pain. “If you knew what this disgrace did . . .” Koval turned back to Drever, who was just getting to his feet. “We are the light! Us! Not you, us! Me! We have met the other side, and we do his work unquestionably! But that . . . disease . . .” Koval threw another disgusted glance Drever’s direction. “You killed my people and left! You and your little band of friends! They’re all dead, you traitor! I hunted them down, cut their heads from their bodies! You’re the only traitor left, and the Creator will not stand for your treachery! Only the-”

Drever kicked Koval in the stomach to cut him off. “Enough with your bullshit,” Drever spat.

Koval slowly turned his head to Seraph. “He’ll sell you out, too. Never trust him. Look at what he did to us!”

Drever’s suppressed rage finally escaped. He grabbed Koval and slammed him against a wall. He kneed him in the stomach and threw him back to the ground.

“You forced me into this cult bullshit ever since I was a fu-cking chi-ld!” Drever punched Koval in the face through the last two words, bloodying him and breaking his nose. “I tried to leave, and you tortured me, you ruined me, you fucking . . . you . . . aagh!” Drever slammed Koval into the ground and turned away, trying to collect himself.

Koval crawled toward Seraph. “P-Please . . .” His jaw was broken; his words were slurred. “Y-You . . . you give me Drever . . . you give him to me . . . let me have h-him . . . and you c-can . . . have all my weapons . . . my ships.”

Seraph glanced up. Drever shook his head.

“We can take them after I finish this.” He held his hand out for a gun.

Seraph reached into his waistband and handed Drever a pistol.

“You do what you think is right.”

Drever nodded. “I will. And thank you for coming. If you hadn’t . . .” Drever glanced down.

Seraph nodded and moved to arm the rest of the group with what weapons he had.

Drever fired a single shot into the back of Koval’s head. Koval slumped to the floor, the thud masked by the bullet’s ring. Drever immediately moved over to rejoin the group.

The gunshots outside had been fading for a while, but now the sound was growing again.

“What the fuck is happening?” Seraph whispered.

“Seythra,” Drever said. “We gotta get out of here. If they make it down here, we’re trapped.”

Seraph nodded and immediately began ushering everyone up the stairs.

They reached the main floor. Seraph ducked and approached a window. He slowly raised his head to peer out of the glass. Seythra were filling the village and mowing down Numinous with their assault rifles. The Numinous were fighting back, but it was a lost cause. A massacre, just like on Vidron.

The building they were in was a temporary sanctuary, but the seythra were already beginning to raid the innards of the village. One of the buildings caught fire. Seraph knew they needed to move before they were cornered and slaughtered like sheep.

“Okay. We need to get out of here. We have to make it to the outskirts of the village. I’m guessing their troops are concentrated here,” Seraph said.

Ret turned to Drever. “Does Koval really have ships? Can we use them?”

Maxen spat blood onto the floor. “They're here, we take them.”

“I don’t know,” Drever said. “He’s moved this entire place around. Bastard was probably just making a plead for his life.”

Suddenly there was a loud explosion from behind the building. The crew fell to the ground and took cover.

After a moment, Seraph crept back to window, looking for the source of the explosion. Remnants of Koval's ships were scattered across the ground.

Fate had a sick sense of humor.

Drever groaned. “There that fucking goes.”

“We’ve only got one shot left, then.” Seraph turned to the group. “We have to run back to our ship and pray that the seythra haven’t gotten there yet.”

Kyla furrowed her brow. “Wait, Seraph. You and I decided that we aren’t doing this. Why the fuck are we going back to the ship?”

Seraph pointed to the window. “They’re here. It’s not going to work, Kyla. No matter where we go, they’re going to show up eventually. There’s just too many of them. We’re never going to outrun them. We have to end this.”

Seraph knew he was betraying Kyla, but seeing the seythra in action again brought back his feelings of vengeance tenfold. Somehow, in his own agony, his own sense of defeat, he’d forgotten the gravity of this war. He’d forgotten the sheer power of the seythra. He’d forgotten their brutality. But now he felt again what he’d felt on Vidron: an overwhelming desire to fight.

Kyla hadn’t had the same change of heart. Trini 5010 was a suicide run if they went now, and she knew that they all knew it too. Maybe they were just tired of delaying the inevitable, though, and wanted to go out in one final blaze of glory. But she knew that her chances on her own were no better. The seythra were everywhere, no matter what.

“You know I still think this mission is suicide,” she said. “But I guess running is suicide too. We’re done for either way, you guys. I guess I’d rather spend my time with you than on my own.”

Seraph nodded and patted her on the shoulder. “Okay,” he said. “Enough stalling. I’ve got an idea, but first, we need to get to the ship and get the hell out of here. On three, we go. One . . . two . . .”

Sadhis clapped a hand down on Seraph’s shoulder and pointed out the window. “Look.”

Seraph and the rest of the crew glanced up and saw a large figure, not seythra or othal, in the distance.

Maxen.

CHAPTER 24: OUT OF LINE

Maxen was behind a building as a scouting seythra approached. He grabbed the seythra, whipped it around the corner, and repeatedly smashed its head into the wall of the building until it collapsed to the ground.

Maxen rounded the corner and opened fire with the seythra’s assault rifle. He took out two seythra with shots to the head, spilling blood onto the dirt floor. When the others caught sight of him, he ducked back behind the building to avoid their return fire.

Drever’s eyes lit up.

“This is our way out,” Drever said. “Let him distract them. We can sneak around back, and maybe we can make it to the ship and get out of here.”

“Not a chance,” Seraph said. “I'm not leaving him. I know he's not liked, but he's stood with us the whole time.”

Kyla and Drever grumbled.

“Like it or not, we need Maxen,” Seraph confirmed what nobody really wanted to acknowledge. “If he wants to kill seythra, I say we go out there, help him. There's a lot, but I can work with him. I'll get him to come with us. Then we get back to the ship, and proceed with the mission.”

Drever shook his head in protest. “I-”

“This is no time for fucking arguments! We need to move! You wanna stay here and die, then do it!” Seraph shouted. He darted out of the building to help Maxen.

Ret and Sadhis followed suit without hesitation.

Vinnor sighed. “Reckless, suicidal, they don't stop.”

Drever and Kyla exchanged glances. They both followed the rest of the crew out the door to assist.

Seraph and Drever took off towards Maxen. The others ran to the back of the building, and attacked the seythra from the side, drawing the attention away. Seraph and Drever fired a few shots before reaching Maxen. Seraph’s aim was far from ideal, shooting with his left hand. Most of his bullets ended up hitting the side of buildings, but as long as they distracted the seythra, they were doing their job.

“Maxen, come on, the others are distracting the seythra. We need to regroup and go!” Seraph pleaded.

Maxen popped a fresh magazine into his rifle, and pointed at one seythra in particular. He had a scar running through his left eye, and wore the badge of a commanding officer. “Not a chance in hell. He's mine. That mother fucker shot my wife and son, I would never forget him. Kill the others, but he's mine!” Maxen roared.

Seraph grabbed Maxen. “Maxen! There's seythra and Numinous all over the place!”

Maxen shoved Seraph off, and shook his head. “I will not let the murderer of my family take another breath so long as I stand! You say you're with me? Bring your fucking guns up and cover my ass! He's mine!” Maxen charged out from cover and ran towards the seythra herd.

“Goddamn it!” Seraph shouted, taking off after Maxen. Drever followed.

Maxen saw nothing but the man who killed his family. He mowed down seythra as he charged into their group. Stray bullets dotted him, but he wouldn't let it slow him down. The one-eyed seythra caught sight of him just as Maxen tackled him to the ground. Maxen went to throw a fist into the seythra's face, but a loud sniper shot rang through the air, and Maxen's chest exploded with a gunshot.

Seraph and Drever turned amid the chaos to see a Numinous sniper responsible for the shot. Drever quickly dispatched of him while Seraph finished off the seythra in the immediate area. Kyla, Ret, Sadhis, and Vinnor came from the far side to form a circle around them.

Seraph knocked the one-eyed seythra officer unconscious, and turned to Maxen. Blood leaked out of his mouth as he tried to speak.

“S-Seraph . . . fin-finish . . . finish it . . . p-p-please . . .” Maxen managed, blood sputtering from his mouth.

Seraph nodded to Maxen, and fired the killing shot into the one-eyed seythra.

Maxen's eyes closed as the shot rang out. His gasps became quicker as he fought for life. The group standing guard all were watching as their comrade slowly slipped away.

One final breath, and Maxen was gone.

**

Aven was tense. He sat in a leather chair next to Zane, who seemed far calmer. There was a table in between them, on it an expensive bottle of scotch and two empty glasses. They were supposed to be celebrating, but the video screen in front of them was replaying the destruction of the Baryon, a sight which made Aven sick to his stomach. Zane, on the other hand, almost seemed pleased by the footage.

“Are you smiling?” Aven asked. “Does this amuse you, Zane? Seeing our flagship destroyed by a couple of soldiers and their group of wanna-be revolutionaries?”

Zane turned and scoffed at Aven. “I’m impressed is what. Aren’t these the type of people we want in our universe? Determined. Lethal. Effective. These are the type of people the operation is supposed to find, Aven. Their resolve is unquestionable.”

“You say they’re effective, but there’s a fine line between effective and threatening.”

“What, are you afraid of these people? They’re just soldiers. Seraph Aydrian and Drever Khalis are two of their heavy-hitters, and they’re in bad shape right now. But they’re still pushing forward. These are the type of people we want leading our pack. They’re heading here soon. I think it’s time we tell them what’s going on.” Zane picked up the remote and paused the video footage.

“You really think they would choose to follow us?” Aven asked. “Sure they can fight, but do you really think they can uphold the heart of this mission? That they can believe in it like we do? We have very different ideas of justice.”

“Well, we’re never going to know until we get them here,” Zane said. “Remember what the operation mandates. Don’t pretend that we can protect the universe alone. We both know better.”

Aven sighed. “Just get them here. But remember, I’m making the final call.”

Zane rolled his eyes, then nodded. He left the room before Aven could speak again.

Aven sighed. Things were about to blow up in the wrong way. Zane was too centered on following the “rules” of the Operation, the operation that Aven’s great-great grandfather had first put into motion. It wasn’t Zane’s family; there’s no way he could know their ideals like Aven did. There’s no way he could understand the Operation’s goals as deeply. Only Aven could see clearly. It would be insane to bring in the very people who’d been trying to undo the Operation’s biggest feat. It would be a threat to the entire operation to let them set foot in here. No. Zane was not fully committed. Aven knew he still worried about his family more than he did about the cause, and that would never be good enough.

And Aven would not see all of his family’s work thrown away.