The Last Revolution (6 page)

“The entire school is going to be gone for another twenty-four hours,” Sokolov said. “At least allow me to keep Alden while we’re short staffed. When the other students return, I’ll send him on to Council headquarters.”

The Polemarch paused for a brief moment and then said, “Fine, but I want him on the next flight out.”

There was a knock at the door and a young assistant walked inside. “General, we’ve been tracking a tropical storm for the last few hours and it’s picking up speed. We expect it to become a category six storm…”

“What!” Sokolov asked. “How did it pass through the weather net?”

“I don’t know but it’s not responding.”

Betrayal was all that Alden could think.

“Order the students back here now!” Sokolov shot out.

“Sir, the storm’s not headed towards them.”

“Where is it going then?”

“Here, sir. We expect it to make landfall by dusk.”

“Shit.” General Sokolov slammed his fists into the table. He turned to Alden. “Take the Polemarch and Lao back to their jet, now. Grab the rest of his men and get them out of here before that storm hits. Gabriel will check on the reactor and help secure the facility for the storm.”

“I’d actually like to stay,” Lao cut in. “You’re short staffed and my job is to make sure the reactor is safe. I’ll catch the flight out with Alden tomorrow.”

Vasentus nodded in agreement. “Do it.”

“Okay.” Sokolov said. He turned to Alden, “Stand up.”

Alden did as he was told and dropped his arms to his sides, standing stiff as a board.

“Congratulations.” Sokolov pinned a small medal to the lapel above Alden’s breast. “You are officially the first active member of the Angele Dei…again. I wish there could be more pomp and circumstance, but we don’t have the time. Enjoy this, you’ve earned it.”

Lao was standing quietly behind the two men. He just nodded at Alden in congratulations.

“You’re also going to need this.” Vasentus handed him a brand new wrist deck. It had sleek curves, thin lines and looked more advanced than anything Alden had ever seen. “It will allow you to communicate with us over the Council’s military encrypted satellite network. It’s the first in a line of advanced wrist decks. It will also give you access to a greater amount of encrypted information.”

Alden nodded. “I won’t let you down. Thank you.”

Vasentus dipped his head slightly.

“Alden, please leave us now. Meet the Polemarch out front in five minutes. Once you return, begin packing your stuff. You won’t be coming back.”

“Yes, sir.”

General Sokolov gave him a crisp salute, which Alden responded to and then headed out of the room. Gabriel was gone and the waiting room was empty. He must have left for the reactor building already. It would need to be shut down; they couldn’t risk an electrical storm destabilizing its security protocols.

Alden moved through the building towards the exit. He turned a corner and nearly walked into Father McKinley. “Alden my boy, where are you off to in such a hurry?”

Alden wasn’t sure how to respond. This new assignment was heavily classified;mentioning it to anyone could endanger the entire operation. However, he was leaving the only place he’d ever known and Father McKinley had been the only person who had ever cared for him while he was growing up.

Pointing at the small golden bars on this chest, he said, “I’ve been activated again, I’m shipping out in the morning. I think it’s permanent this time.”

Father McKinley smiled back at him. “I always knew you were destined for great things. You carry the hopes and dreams of us all.”

Alden nodded. “I…don’t know what to say.”

McKinley gave him a reassuring smile. “This is not the end, just the end of the beginning. Will you have time to stop by before you leave?”

“Yeah, I don’t leave until tomorrow. But we’ll be able to stay in communication. They’ve given me this secure wrist deck.” Alden gestured to the shiny new device.

“Really? That is quite the honor. Would you mind if I looked at it? Before joining the priesthood I was an engineer.”

“Sure.” Alden popped the device out and handed it over.

“Very interesting.” Father McKinley looked up at him. “Would you permit me to hold on to this for a bit? I want to make some minor modifications in order to upgrade the capabilities for you. It shouldn’t take me long and this will give you an excuse to drop by tonight and say goodbye.

“Absolutely, I’ll see you tonight.”

With that they parted ways and Alden headed out to meet the Polemarch and his entourage.

They were half way around the Island when they received an incoming transmission.

“General Sokolov, you’re on conference with car one,” Alden said.

“We’re having a hard time reaching the weather station.”

Alden looked out at the mountain. “I can’t see anything up there, sir. It’s getting pretty dark over here.”

“Take the off-road vehicle from the hangar and see if you can find out what’s going on.”

It was getting hard to hear him, the communications relay kept cutting in and out.

“Yes sir,” was all that Alden could successfully get across.

He walked over and shook the Polemarch’s hand. They were standing outside his jet, the engines were warming up and every other member of his team had already boarded. Beyond the jet and sandy beaches, a wall of black clouds rushed towards them.

“Sir, it was a pleasure to see you again.”

“It was indeed. I’ll be seeing you tomorrow night.”

“I’ll be out on the first available flight. The rest of the school should be back in port late tonight.”

“These are dark times that we’re living through,” the Polemarch responded.

“We won’t let you down, sir.”

“I know you won’t.” With that he turned and boarded the flight. The stairs disappeared into the side and the jet engines roared to life.

Alden stepped back and shielded his eyes from the billowing sand. He took cover behind one of the vehicles as he watched the plane lift off into the evening sky. It banked to the right and then disappeared out of sight as the refraction system kicked on.

Alden jumped into one of the off-road vehicles, and sent sand and mud flying as he floored it up one of the paths. It had been poorly maintained and parts of the road had been washed out. It was all he could do to remain seated as he bounced up the mountain. He finally burst through the last bit of low-hanging foliage and into a small open area.

The communications hub was a small square building with a large tower in back. Alden stepped out of the vehicle; in the distance a thin dark funnel was forming amongst the clouds. They swirled around each other in a deadly spiral. The wind billowed, bringing the salty smell of the ocean with it. Trees swayed back and forth beyond the outpost. The lightest drops of rain landed on his face.

This is not where I want to be. What the heck are those communication operators doing up here? With this kind of storm coming in, they should be reporting into the general regularly. He couldn’t discern any signs of life inside the building. The windows were completely dark. Normally there would be radio activity, laughter, or a guard on duty. The hair on the back of his neck stood up.

Alden reached into the back of the vehicle and found a hard plastic case. Inside a handgun sat nestled in protective padding. He wrapped his fingers around the handle and pulled it out as he jammed a clip into place. He pulled the slide back, loading a bullet into the chamber. Alden bent his left hand slightly and held the weapon in front of him. The cold steel felt like a glove. After all these years it was a natural extension of his body. He didn’t waver or flinch, but eased forward.

Pushing the door open, he moved inside. Blood was splattered across the back walls. One of the operators lay face down on the floor at his feet. Several dark spots pooled across his back. The other operator hadn’t even been able to make it out of her chair. She was slumped back against the seat, arms dangling at the side. Blood ran down her fingers and pooled on the floor centimeters below.

All communications and weather relay equipment had been destroyed. Some circuits popped with sparks and others were smoldering and fizzling. Alden dropped and checked for a pulse…nothing. They were under attack; he had to warn the general! Looking down at his wrist deck socket he remembered giving it to Father McKinley. He had to get down there to warn them.

Alden sprinted out of the building. He covered the few steps to the vehicle in a heartbeat, and leapt into the driver seat. Suddenly, a loud explosion rocked the silent Island. Alden stood up and looked down towards the school. None of the buildings were visible but smoke was already rising from below.

He dropped back into the seat and gunned the accelerator. As he rounded the first corner the vehicle nearly flew over the end of the mountain, careening down the trail on the other side. The jungle was a green blur as he flew through the foliage, a ledge appeared on his side and the path turned a sharp corner and dipped off to the right.

Cranking the steering wheel over as fast as he could, gravel and dust flew off into oblivion as he nearly toppled off the edge. The adrenaline, speed, and rapid reactions reminded him of being inside the cockpit of his fighter jet. He loved the freedom of limitless air.

Brrrp. Brrrp. The familiar sounds of automatic gunfire echoed through the valley. The pitches sounded at near equal decibels, which meant return shots, a firefight. Alden was getting close. Who would be foolish enough to attack Council soldiers? Was it the lunar terrorists? Had something gone wrong with the Three Nations Treaty? These were the only family members he’d ever known, he wouldn’t let any more of them die. Moments later, he burst out of the jungle and the vehicle soared through the air. It landed with a thud on the outskirts of the school. Alden slammed on the brakes and came to a swerved stop.

Grabbing the pistol, he jumped out and sprinted towards the center of campus. There were 96 Angele Dei at the school, some of the best fighters in the world. But every one of them was gone, except for him and Gabriel. There were 35 security guards and a couple dozen soldiers stationed around the base. They were running on a skeleton crew.

He had to be dispassionate. What was the most important thing to do right now? Secure the fusion reactor. If ever there was a time to hit them, this was it. They had been betrayed from the inside and it was going to cost them dearly. In the distance, another explosion went off and flames ripped through one of the auxiliary buildings.

Alden tucked close to the wall and peered around the corner of the first building. A soldier in black combat pants, vest, and a tactical assault helmet was a holding a fully automatic assault rifle and working his way towards one of the other buildings. He definitely wasn’t from the Island. Alden felt all the pressure in the world pushing on his trigger finger. One little twitch was all it would take. But no, he had a new assignment. He had to find out where the leak had come from and who was responsible.

He eased up behind the soldier and then wrapped his arm around the neck. Pulling tight and twisting his face to the right, he cut off the blood flow to the brain and the soldier’s body went limp. He’d need as many suspects to question as possible when this night was over.

Alden dragged the body behind the building and grabbed his assault rifle, slinging it over his shoulder. Alden crouched. The man’s glowing wrist deck showed a map of the campus, guard rotations, and three-dimensional views of the interior facilities, including a long elevator shaft down to the fusion reactor. Switching screens, Alden was able to make out a list. The Island was at the top and the second was a private jet en route from the Island to the mainland. They’re going after the Polemarch!

Alden pressed the release button to get a better view of the deck, but as it released from the incapacitated man’s wrist the screen went blank. A puff of black smoke fizzled out from beneath the screen. Damn! He should have assumed there would be a security protocol in place. That was stupid. Alden put the deck in his pocket for safekeeping and then continued forward.

Suddenly two soldiers clad in black gear raced around the corner. As they raised their guns to fire, Alden gave two quick little squeezes of the trigger and dropped both of them simultaneously. He didn’t need to question everyone.

Pressing his back against the wall, Alden made his way to the edge of the building and peeked around the corner. All hell had broken loose. It was growing darker by the moment. The chaotic flames lapping out of several of the buildings cast everything in an evil glow. Everywhere he looked Island guards were locked in heated firefights with the black clad soldiers. They were ruthless and efficient to an almost scientific fault.

The top side of the reactor building had been blown in half, the flames were quickly consuming everything. Gabriel—had he made it out okay? They were the only ones capable of matching the skill of the invading force. Gabriel was as tough as they came. If he had taken out half the force already, Alden would never hear the end of it.

He emerged from cover and sprinted towards a group of the attacking soldiers. Lifting his rifle Alden took aim and gave his trigger several little squeezes, dropping the entire group in rapid succession. He passed an alleyway between two buildings where a soldier was strangling one of the guards. Alden swung the gun and gave it a quick fire. He didn’t need to look back to know he had hit his target.

Jumping over a fallen palm tree, Alden pulled a knife from the back of his belt and chucked it at another soldier a couple of meters ahead. He caught up to the body before it hit the ground, retrieved his knife, and kept moving. Slamming against one of the walls, he took protection from the chaos around him. He was only a few meters from the fusion reactor building; he had to hurry.

As he prepared to run the remaining distance, a weak and startled scream came from somewhere behind. It sounded familiar. He tried to push it out of his mind but couldn’t. Turning and walking the other way against the length of the building, he peered around the corner. Two dark silhouettes stood a few meters away; one directly in front of the other.