The Last Revolution (25 page)

“There are those who claim to have seen him, but they usually disappear or drop dead under suspicious circumstances not long after. Each side blames the other. The rumor is he’s alive, living in secrecy, waiting for the right moment to return.” Thereon shrugged. “But honestly, if you ask me, he’s long dead. It’s just his name that lives on. In a lot of ways he’s the father of the resistance. Alexander brought the original people together and put all of this in motion. Although I doubt this was what he had in mind.”

As they continued, Alden noticed that things were becoming more militarized. Groggy soldiers stretched, sipped coffee, and chatted quietly amongst themselves. Everyone carried a sidearm or assault rifle. They finally came to an abrupt stop in front of a giant steel door that took up the entire hallway. “Have you ever seen a zero-grav suit?”

Was this another trap?

Alden shook his head. “I watched a vid on them once. I know they cost a mini-fortune to produce.” In reality he’d heard rumors the Council had been working to develop a set of suits. A weapon he surely would have gotten to use, but they always seemed a few more months away from completion.

Thereon pressed his hand to the door; there was a hiss as the pressure was vented. The giant steel door retracted into the wall. Alden was shocked to see that it was over five feet thick. If the entire room had walls that solid, it would have taken a nuclear device to blow a hole in it. Although that much pressure built up in such a small space would have brought the whole colony down on their heads. He would need Thereon’s palm to open it again.

They passed through the entrance and disappeared into the total darkness of the room. A single light turned on several meters in front of them. It illuminated an empty, cylindrical chamber. It was an eerie sight with the rest of the room shrouded in darkness. Alden wasn’t quite sure what Thereon had been getting at and why he’d led him all the way down here. Flexing his back ever so slightly, he felt the reassuring strength of the weapon hidden in his waistline.

A second light flashed to life and revealed one of the most beautiful things Alden had ever seen. Standing solemnly in an identical cylinder, was a white and yellow zero-gravity combat suit. The light glistened off the metal and bathed the room in an array of colors. A third chamber appeared, but it was also empty. The last chamber revealed a second suit, covered in battle scars, but standing strong and proud, painted a dark blue and red.

“Impressive, aren’t they?”

Alden could barely believe what he saw. Not one, but two zero-gravity suits.

“They’re so incredible.” Alden stepped forward. “Where are the other two?”

“The first and third suits went missing around the same time as Alexander. Unfortunately, we’ve never been able to get the white one to work. The blue suit is barely operable. It won’t last through another fight. Some of our best engineers tried and failed to repair them. Only the builder and designer know how to fix them now.”

“Who were they?”

“Alexander was the builder, but the designer was General Jacob Stone.”

“General Stone?” That name, it was so… familiar. “Wait, wasn’t he the commander of the Alliance forces during the invasion of 2085?”

“He lost ten thousand soldiers during that siege, but his troops never wavered in their resolve. They held the line. Stone was a living legend in his day. It was quite the coup for the Council to steal him away from the ADN. They would have given anything to keep him. He surely would have gone on to lead their entire military.”

“How’d the Council convince him to leave?” Alden asked.

“He wanted to make a difference, defend the Treaty. So he chose the Council. They put him in charge of the entire Lunar System.”

“You speak almost prophetically about him, like he’s a god or something.”

“Not a god, but maybe a titan.”

“So what happened?”

“General Stone helped establish most of the current treaties that still govern the colonies today. He feared similar wars breaking out on the surface and he detested the thought of one group having a large amount of power over another. Even before he realized it, his true desire lay at complete odds with those he served.”

“You mean the Council,” Alden said, attempting to hide his disdain for the direction of the conversation.

“He developed an incredible bond with Alexander once he arrived, unbeknownst to the command structure around him. He wanted to understand all sides of the conflict. He hoped in vain that he might be able to create a true and lasting government that functioned for the people. It didn’t take long before he started to provide the original colonists down here with supplies and infrastructure. He helped found the resistance along with Alexander, Stefan and Constantine not long after.”

“Combined, they were unstoppable. General Stone knew exactly what he needed on the battlefield, and Alexander was brilliant enough to build them. The construction was secretly financed by the Wests. If our resistance has a heart, it’s surely these suits,” Thereon said.

“What happened to General Stone?”

“He was betrayed,” Thereon said through gritted teeth. “Without warning, a dozen lunar soldiers under the orders of his top lieutenant burst into his room one night. They arrested him along with his most trusted men. They were never given a hearing or trial. The Council knew that the public would never convict the hero of Helsinki. He was a living legend on Terra. At the time, there wasn’t much going on here; even if the public had known his full actions they probably wouldn’t have cared. It was reported the next day that he’d been killed serving the people of Terra.”

“Yeah, I remember that now. He was assassinated in a terrorist bombing while traveling between colonies.”

“That’s what they wanted you to think. Instead, he was dragged to Traterous along with his men. He was forced to watch as they were executed one at a time. General Stone was deemed too valuable, so he was put in stasis. They say you don’t dream when you’re under, but that’s not true. You’re left, locked in your own tortured mind for eternity.”

Alden stared at Thereon as he spoke, judging his facial movements, looking for a crack in the story. “You realize how ridiculous that sounds, right?”

“I do.” Thereon nodded. “In fact, I didn’t believe it myself, not for a long time. Not until I saw it with my own eyes.” He walked towards the tubes holding the suits. He ran his hand down one of the empty chambers. While I was incarcerated in Traterous, one of the only respites I received from my cage was a work detail. One day, they led us down to the depths of the facility. We were moving spare parts around and I noticed a room hidden behind a door much like this one.” He gestured at the giant steel entranceway they had walked through.

“What I saw still haunts me to this day. Amidst the carnage of that room was a solitary cryo-chamber in the back. It hadn’t been disturbed in decades. General Stone.”

“That’s not possible.”

“Despite what you’ve heard, I’ve seen his chamber firsthand. He’s still very much alive.”

“Why are you telling me all of this? Why did you bring me down here?”

“Because I know what you’re capable of.” Thereon glanced back at the suits. “In one of these, you’d be unstoppable.”

A pit grew in his stomach; he didn’t like where this was going. “What are you getting at?”

“Freedom, Alden. Freedom!” He dropped his fist into the other hand. “If you sincerely want to be part of this resistance, I’ll let you use the blue suit.”

Alden shuddered, he knew what was coming next, but he had to ask. “For what…?”

Thereon gave Alden a gaze that was more ferocious than anything he’d ever seen. “We’re going to rescue General Stone from Traterous. He’s the only one who can unite the factions and bring them together in order to achieve our ultimate goal.”

Had he just been asked to assault the Council’s military prison? Those were his brothers; he couldn’t kill them. What would they do if he said no? After all, he had approached them under the pretext of helping the resistance, but now it seemed so much more real. If things did take a turn for the worse, how would he ever get out of here? He’d passed dozens of armed soldiers and passed a honeycomb of hallways to get here. He suddenly felt very trapped. What would Father McKinley have thought?
Use your judgment, when the time comes you’ll know the right path.

“You can’t be serious? What you’re talking about is suicide. There has to be a hundred soldiers stationed at that prison.”

“Actually there’s an entire garrison there, with heavy weapon support.”

Alden scratched his head as he stared at the blue and red suit. Each ligament had small boosters that worked in coordination with the user to create a sense of artificial gravity. They came with enough compressed air to last several hours, but could be quickly recharged by using the available lunar soil underfoot. Each arm was equipped with four small rockets. A dozen grenades were slung over the shoulder, a zero-gravity pistol was strapped to the side, a battle rifle was attached to the back and a small space drone was hooked to the opposite leg.

Kira entered the room followed by several soldiers. He recognized several of them from the standoff the previous night.

One of the larger soldiers stepped forward. “You’re not bringing him, are you?”

“Settle down, Callisto.” Thereon held up his hand. “I’ve seen the way he fights, we need a trained solider in that suit.”

“Boss,” another one added. “You sure it’s a good idea to give him the keys to that thing? I mean, how do you know we can trust him?”

Alden attempted to make eye contact with Kira to gauge her feelings, but it almost seemed as if she was avoiding eye contact. Instead, she was fixated on the suits that lined the wall behind him.

If he went with them, he could help minimize Council casualties. If they were able to free General Stone, Alexander would surely come to meet with his old friend. If he assisted them, it would cement his place within the resistance. Something he would have to do if he was to be given access to Alexander. That might even put him in a position to negotiate the disarmament of the resistance in a peaceful manner. Father McKinley would want that.

Alden raised his head. “I’m in. What’s your plan?”

His pulse raced at the thought of fighting in the suit alongside the hero of Helsinki. He was energized, a feeling he’d nearly forgotten.

“Come in and close the door.” Thereon instructed to the small group of fighters.

Once inside, he hit a button and the vault door shut. The lights went out. Pressing a button on his wrist deck, a table rose out of the ground and a hologram of the detention facility appeared on top of it.

The building stood atop a small mountain, surrounded by a massive wall that wrapped around the base. A dozen guard towers rose from the wall in various points. There was no way to drive inside, instead a lone spaceport sat next to the eastern wall. A variety of buildings ringed the inner circle. The giant structure sat in the middle, anchored by guard posts at each corner.

The primary cell house went several stories underground. Thereon pointed at a room in the lowest level. “This is where they’re holding the General. Our original plan had been to tunnel in there, but they apparently built this above solid rock. We’d likely bring the whole structure down on ourselves if we tried.

“Instead we’ve managed to dig a tunnel to the outer perimeter.” He indicated the most remote part of the fort along the northwestern wall. “We’ll bring that section down. From there, the first strike group will be able to provide suppressing fire...”

“You can’t be serious,” Alden interjected. “We’re three hundred meters below them, they’ll tear us apart.”

“Which is why that group will only stay until they’ve got the military’s attention,” Thereon said, finishing his original thought. “In addition to the fighters, we’ll be sending a few dozen battle bots to invade and produce additional cover fire. The real action happens over here…” Thereon gestured towards the spaceport on the right side of the main cell house. “Alden, this is also where you and the suit will come in. Do you have any high altitude drop experience?”

A blinding array of images assaulted Alden’s thoughts. He was back in the snow with his team; walls were collapsing around him. It was hard for anyone to see him in the dark, but he had to take a step back as he struggled to keep himself together.

“Is there a problem?” Thereon asked. “You did serve in the military, correct? I’ve been told that orbital drops are considered standard procedure these days.”

Alden had been searching for Kira’s attention during the entire meeting. For the first time he had it. She was staring right back at him. He thought she would have been frustrated with his hesitation, but instead he sensed concern. Who was this woman?

“Yes, I have,” Alden finally said.

“Good,” Thereon responded. “Then it’s settled, we’re doing this.” Addressing the rest of the group, he said, “Thoroughly check your weapons and equipment. We’ve only get one shot at this. I want everyone geared up and ready to go at 0400.”

“Wait. Tomorrow?” Alden asked surprised. “We need at least a month to train for an operation like this.”

“There isn’t any time. Our plan hinges on securing the prison transport leaving Apollo City tomorrow morning. I can’t tell you what it cost me to get that—we’ll never get another shot at this.” With that, the lights came back on and the hologram disappeared.

“I’m going to need the best out of everyone,” Thereon said. “Now let’s go get General Stone!”

Everyone erupted in cheers. They were finally going after their fallen leader. The group filtered out of the room until only Alden and Kira were left.

She walked across the room and stood beside him, staring at the imposing suits.

Alden felt a tingling sensation and then she gripped his hand.

“Think it’ll work?” She finally asked.

It has to. “Thereon is our contact yet he denies knowing Darar Khasim. Those weapons didn’t ship themselves to Earth. We can’t trust him.”

Kira squeezed his hand. “You have to trust him. It’s the only way you’ll get through this.”